Gaufin Family Footprints

Family Home Evening

2012-01-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

This year we're spending a whole month on various values during our family home evening lessons. I'm hoping that by hearing a lesson by 2 parents on the topic as well as each having to prepare their own lesson on the same topic that we might attain a little more retention (fingers crossed). Our first topic is "faith and prayer". So far so good. Family home evening is becoming a more established event. Previously it was comprised of a spiritual thought and the typical activity of singing "Follow the Prophet" while we all take turns being the leader and marching around the house while we sing.

Now it includes a more meaningful and better prepared lesson and the occasional related activity. The magazine The Friend has never been so helpful. A couple weeks ago we made CTR (choose the right) pretzels!

Learning Emergency Prep the hard way

2012-01-27T07:30:00.000-08:00

During Carl's Christmas vacation we (I) decided to go through our 72 hour kits. After rearranging the furniture (Carl says I'm nesting), we pulled out our backpacks and went through them. During the process, Connor became very adamant that he pack his own bags to get ready for an emergency. We didn't think much of it until 15 minutes later he reappeared laden down with about 8 bags full of...stuff. Carl tried to explain that the idea is to pack only what you need and only what you can carry but Connor insisted it was all necessity and that he absolutely could handle it.

Ever eager to teach his children to figure things out for themselves, Carl decided we (they) would have a practice run. They sat in the family room and pretended to watch tv until I made a siren sound indicating they needed to grab their bags and "run" (walk across the yard 10 times).

I laughed hysterically as I watched Connor trudge across the yard dragging his several bags, even carrying one in his mouth. Tyler seemed to get the idea because all he had was a backpack and a small bag. Eventually, Connor had to drop bags. Tyler offered to carry one of them but in the end Connor learned exactly what Carl had hoped, that it might be a good idea to reassess what was a "need" and pack a little lighter.

Christmas!

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Christmas with just our little family again this year and while we really miss our extended families and all those fun get togethers, our Christmas seemed to be peaceful, without an ounce of stress, and totally relaxing. I loved every minute of the week of vacation Carl took and being able to just focus on our little family. Being that we had no commitments or engagements to attend to, we decided that Christmas would come to our house a day early. We knew the kids would be receiving some outdoor toys and wanted to give them a chance to play with them on Saturday.

I had already wrapped the presents the week before so on Friday night we watched a movie with the kids, set out cookies, and watched a tv show while we waited for the kids to fall asleep. We loaded the presents beneath the tree, left the Christmas tree lights on, and headed to bed ourselves. The kids slept in but it was pure joy when they finally came in to "wake us up" and let us know that Santa HAD come. They were so excited. Christmas rocks with kids. Some of us got dressed (Carl and Connor) and some of us stayed in our pj's (Tyler and myself) and then we lazily opened gifts, ate breakfast (which wasn't fabulous - new recipe for a french toast casserole off of Pinterest - major disappointment) and committed to return to our known favorites for holidays, and played outside.

The kids were absolutely thrilled with everything they received and to make it that much more enjoyable, they expressed their gratitude frequently. After opening each gift, they would exclaim a big thank you to the giver (even if they weren't present). After opening jumbo dinosaurs, a dr.'s kit, super hero sweats and armor, scooters, basketball hoop, fun family games, and loads of books it was hard to decide which was their favorite.

On the real Christmas morning, we enjoyed sugary cereal and a quiet morning getting ready for church. The service was really nice and we spent the rest of the day visiting with family on the phone and enjoying many of our new books. Perhaps it was because of the kids' excitement, perhaps because there was just no stress, but regardless the reason, I'd chalk this one up to be one of my favorite Christmases ever!

A few of our favorite things...

2012-01-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

As excited as I was for the Christmas season, I was feeling a little overwhelmed with all the crafts and activities I thought I HAD to do in order to be a decent mother. After reading another blogger's perspective about letting go of everything and just focusing on serving others, I decided to do some of my own letting go. We let go of the advent calendar, the daily Christmas activities and story check lists, and focused on doing what we felt like doing. We had an incredibly enjoyable month and the kids had a blast with the things we chose to pursue!

Thanks to our zoo membership we went to Zoolight Safari. In all honesty, I would have been very upset had I not gotten in for free. The whole place was covered in lights which was cool but the line for the train rides and the carousel were insanely long and it cost a minimum of a $20 picture package to sit on Santa's lap. In the end, we rode the carousel, wandered among the lights and high-tailed it back to our car and home for hot apple cider!

We also attended our ward Christmas party where Connor was able to sit on Santa's lap and ask him the question he'd been wanting to ask for the past 2 weeks: WHAT kind of cookies did Santa want us to make him this year. Connor was excited the answer was chocolate chip. For those of you who provided treats or cookies other than chocolate chip, I'm sure Santa appreciated the variety. Tyler sat on Santa's lap this year as well and had a 180-experience compared to the fears and tears of last year!

In a moment of weakness/intelligence, I purchased a gingerbread village kit instead of making one. Saved me money, time, and a lot of stress in the long run and the kids don't know the difference. They loved decorating their own houses. Connor got quite artistic with the icing and Tyler, well, he enjoyed licking his fingers and "tasting" the decorations more than actually putting them on his house.

Off to a roaring start!

2012-01-20T07:30:00.000-08:00

I was anxious for the Christmas season this year and had already pulled all the Christmas boxes down the week before Thanksgiving so a couple days after the great November feast, we began unveiling and unwrapping all our Christmas decorations. The kids loved helping decorate the tree. They each chose a favorite spot and all the ornaments we handed them seemed to gravitate to the same location. Notice Tyler's favorite ornaments were the blue ones.

They also LOVED having Daddy's train from when he was a little boy. It circled our tree probably hundreds of times before Santa ever made his appearance.

Thanksgiving

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving we had excellent company. Living on the same side of the country (roughly-they live in South Carolina) as an old roommate/best bud of mine, we arranged to do Thanksgiving together particularly since our families all live back in California.

They arrived on Wednesday and we spent the entire weekend just relaxing and having fun. The kids got along fabulously and we can't wait to get together again. If only there weren't 8 hours in between us!

On Thursday while all the yummy food was cooking, we had the kids make turkeys with felt and beans. They loved gluing and each had such a different idea of what they wanted their turkey to look like. Clockwise from top left: Lizzy, Tyler, Connor, and Liam (who clearly had some help from his parents!)

We also took the kids to a local park and they thoroughly enjoyed it. Even Barry and Michelle got in on the merry-go-round action. Brave souls!

As usual when you're having a great time, it went by too fast. Love this girl and her family! SO glad they were able to come and visit! The only thing that could have made it better would have been the other 2 roomies and their families sitting around the table with us. :)

Oh, and of course thanks to 4 hungry kids and 2 pregnant moms (Michelle and I have managed to always be pregnant at the same time) we neglected the camera during our give-thanks-meal but trust me, everything was delectable!

We finally met!

2012-01-13T09:12:00.000-08:00

After nearly 5 years of following the blog of Carl's cousin, we finally got to meet in person during our jaunt up to D.C. She's as fun in person as she is entertaining on her blog and we had a fabulous time visiting with her and her adorable family. Thanks for a great evening, we're excited to have another reason to swing by the east coast again!

This was our best attempt at grabbing a photo of said cute family before heading out that night. Their newest is a little camera-shy but trust us, he's cute!

D.C. or bust!

2012-01-10T13:05:00.000-08:00

Back in November we had the opportunity to visit Carl's sister Thaidra in Washington D.C.

We rocked it the entire time by hitting up a local park (Clemyjontri Park) which I would fully recommend to anyone visiting the D.C. area with kids. Mine were in heaven. It was almost as cool as the heated hotel pool we frequented during our stay.

We visited the temple at night and were quite remiss to be leaving just a couple weeks before the big Christmas display of lights.

We toured a handful of museums, the old Post Office with a glass elevator and super tall lookout point, and the kids and Carl did one of those moving movie rides (reminds me of a small version of Star Tours at Disneyland). And we walked. A LOT!

Thaidra introduced us to a fabulous crepe place. It was fantastic! And because parking was such a breeze (right...) we decided to visit the monuments in their evening hours all lit up and less populated. Staying up so late every night made it fairly easy for the kids to fall asleep although I don't know that they enjoyed sharing a bed. It was a queen-size bed and every night they ended up on the same pillow. Carl and I each shared with one of the boys the first night and after 8 hours of knees or heads in our backs decided the boys should share. Connor woke up the following morning complaining he didn't sleep that well because Tyler's feet were in his back the whole night. Justice had been served!

We also made a quick visit to the Arlington National Cemetery. It was gorgeous, cold, and apparently slippery because Tyler fell down the marble stairs immediately following the ceremony of the changing of the guard and broke his Spiderman sunglasses on his face. We were grateful to not leave any bloody evidence on the steps!

The kids did marvelously all things considered. It took 12 hours to drive there and of course 12 to get back but they are excellent travelers. They struggled with the museums and other historical sites and anytime you ask them what their favorite part of the trip was the answer is always something in relation to the hotel whether it's the pool, the cable, or the smorgasbord breakfast every morning. They also really loved seeing Aunt Thaidra and would ask frequently when she would get off work so she could come be with us.

We're BACK!

2012-01-09T14:03:00.000-08:00

Let's start at the very beginning...or rather the end of last year, back to where we left off: November. As a seasoned Sunbeam, Connor was able to participate in his first Primary Activity. They planted flowers, which have all since died, and picked up sticks around the church grounds. Tyler came along to offer his support and even Dad got involved.

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and all that jazz...

2011-11-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to say Happy Holidays, from our family to yours. That isn't to say we won't be blogging til the new year but let's face it, the holidays are busy and there's a chance it will be a while before you get another update. If that's the case, we hope your Christmas is as merry as ever! Let's remember the real reason we're celebrating and not let all the other stuff crowd out our happiness!

Fall Festival Arcade Style

2011-11-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Carl outdid himself once again. Since the Young Men were in charge of doing a booth or a game at the Fall Festival this year, Carl took on the project with exceptional enthusiasm. Programming an arcade-like game, he was the hit of the night. The idea is that you shine the flashlight into the pirate's eye and then the lights in the black box on the table would go off along with a video-game toned version of the Final Countdown indicating that you won. To make it harder for the older kids, the pirate's head would move around making it difficult to flash him in the eye and win a prize.

When the games were done, the next day Carl asked for permission to use the pirate face I'd made for his game as target practice for the boys. They pulled out his paintball gear and laid waste to the pirate. Ok, there wasn't any damage, he just fell over...because of the wind. But the kids had a great time shooting paintballs at him. :)

Grandma Came to Visit!

2011-11-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

We rejoiced heart and soul when we found out my mom was coming to visit. It had been just over a year since we'd seen her last and the kids soaked up every minute of her visit. They curled up next to Grandma to read stories every night and showed off all sorts of talents, skills, and manly muscles.

Grandma brought a fun activity, painting Halloween shirts, for the boys earning her even more points on the cool grandparent scorecard.

But we wanted Grandma to see a little bit of Alabama too so we took her where we fit in best, the Zoo! The kids were troopers! We were there over 3 hours and they walked the whole way and didn't complain once.

Lately...

2011-11-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

The kids have been loving on their play-doh lately. Connor was uber-proud of the snowman he created and Tyler just likes rolling it out and squishing it back up.

The real joy came when we pulled out the finger paints a few weeks ago. Tyler wanted to wash his hands between every color he used. Connor had no problem rubbing his fingers and hands all over the paint and all over the paper.

General Conference Traditions

2011-11-10T11:18:00.001-08:00

We're still in the process of developing traditions in our house and I've heard lots of good ideas of things to do to get your kids to listen to General Conference which is a special broadcast of messages from the Prophet, Apostles, and other leaders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While we have the tradition of watching conference every year, the only other tradition that's really stuck so far is doughnuts on Saturday morning.

And in case you're wondering, Carl's silly grin is due to Connor unknowingly choosing an Auburn doughnut. He's thinking about all the Alabama fans who are good friends of ours and chuckling out loud and insisting I take a picture of the doughnut which had it's appeal simply because it was big and covered in chocolate.

Disclaimer: We remain true to our stand on selecting a football team: We prefer soccer. ;)

And in September...

2011-11-10T09:18:00.000-08:00

We spent a lot of time dressing up. Practicing for Halloween I suppose. They came up with the underwear masks on their own. I take NO credit for that. Such creativity... I'm still crossing my fingers for a girl this time around. :)

And we celebrated the long-lasting summer days with Drumsticks. Summer rocks.

A little jaunt north

2011-11-09T13:28:00.000-08:00

A couple months ago we took a daytrip to Nashville. We picked up some powdered milk from the Bishop's Storehouse there and then spent the day exploring. One of our favorite finds was the Nashville Library. It's gorgeous! Large halls with marble stairs, an enormous children's section complete with little kid-sized chairs and a few toys. AND a children's theater room with sound equipment, lighting, and a big red curtain. We caught a show about Paul Bunyan and loved it.

After the library we decided to check out the Nashville Zoo as well. Another big hit. The kids had a blast in the play area which was full of nets to climb on and giant reptilian replicas to climb through and sit on. The up-close and personal view of the alligator tied with the "Artic Blast" slushie with unlimited refills (I think we got 6 in the short time we were there) for first place though.

A Belated Happy Halloween...

2011-11-07T17:17:00.001-08:00

from all the crime-fighters in our neck of the woods. :)

The rumors are true...

2011-10-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

I suppose now is as good a time as ever to announce our expectation of the newest little Gaufin to our family come the end of April next year. After about a year and a half of patiently hoping, we are excited and thrilled to be expanding our family. :) Connor is hoping for a girl and Tyler has no idea what we're talking about. Carl is excited we get to buy the "family" size boxes of drumsticks (yes, the ice cream) rather than the 4-pack and I'm pretty much just hoping to get through the first trimester alive (morning sickness stinks). All in all we're a happy little bunch, anxiously awaiting Christmas when we'll hopefully find out if we should hang on to the boy clothes or start looking for the hand-me-down girl clothes in the mail! :)

It's the Simple Things

2011-10-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

We've been here...all summer long. Just sort of hangin' around and lovin' each other.

Happy Anniversary

2011-08-12T11:58:00.000-07:00

We circled the boys around last week to eat homemade Tuscan Tomato Bisque and warm french bread with homemade Rocky Road ice cream for dessert in celebration of our 5th wedding anniversary. A cruise will be more of a consideration in a year when I choose to NOT watch shark week or even the "feel good" movie we watched instead, Soul Surfer.

Has it really been 5 years? Hard to believe but it's true and we've had a rockin' good time. In our short 5 years we've had 2 kids, moved 6 times (in 3 different states), and bought a house. We hope the next 5 years are equally as exciting with maybe a little less packing and moving.

Do you ever wonder

2011-08-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

What girls' night looks like?

We get a little crazy but we have fun!

More Birthday Magic

2011-08-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

Connor's birthday snuck up on me this year. I can't believe he turned 4. He was totally jazzed abotu Hungry Hungry Hippos but not quite as jazzed as he was about the Nerf gun. We celebrated on his actual birthday with strawberry shortcake but the real party came later...

Part of his birthday present was soccer camp (thanks to Grandma and Papa Gaufin). Connor spent 2 hours a day for a whole week practicing his mad skills. He won a few of the games they played and that was exciting, but not quite as exciting as the popsicles they got at the end.

We ended June with a true tribute to Connor - pirate style. Connor helped design and draw our Pirate flag and a good friend of ours offered and so graciously brought over their inflatable obstacle course and pirate ship which also happened to be a water slide. Best party ever! The kids went wild for a few hours until it was time to chow down on the scurvy dogs (hot dogs) and pirate cupcakes. We couldn't have been more grateful for all the friends who came and helped us forget we're so far from family.

The Party never stops

2011-08-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Were you wondering what we do in our spare time? We dress up like superheroes and carry around the little stuffed animal we got from the bed store. It's super fun at our house. :)

Of course we also welcome visits from any and all friends and family. June treated us to a visit from Papa Tom. We played at the park, we celebrated more birthdays, we toured the city, and we got REALLY tuckered out. We can hardly wait until the next visit!

Birthday Madness

2011-08-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

So in the mode of catching up still, WAY back in May we celebrated Tyler's 2nd Birthday! With Connor's birthday close behind in June, my mom sent the boys a water table to enjoy and enjoy did they ever. Their favorite part? Yep, scooping and dumping the water on each other. :)

We started the day off with balloons and presents. Tyler was elated - his very own backpack (which he still wears all the time), Curious George movie, and a set of tools all his own.

Of course you can't have a birthday without cake and ice cream. I made a chocolate fudge monkey cake with cream cheese frosting. It must have passed because Tyler begged for more.

And what better follow up to a birthday than some quality time with friends. My adorable friend Leah and her cute daughter Lily came to visit. We pulled out the pool and some floaties and the kids went crazy...until the crushed crackers got dumped in the pool and killed the mood. :) After only a couple of days, the fun was over and we started making plans for the next visit.

Twisted Ankles?

2011-08-01T06:13:00.000-07:00

Not in this group. Carl's sister Thaidra came to visit back in May along with a couple of friends. We were excited to cheer them on in the Twisted Ankle Half Marathon race in Georgia. It was a quick trip but we loved having good company and something fun to do.

Tornado revisited

2011-07-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

April 27, 2011 in our neighborhood... What else do you do to pass the time when you've got 7 days without power? Learn to ride a bike. And to excite you about riding this new bike (early birthday present) he'll pull out his own and try to pop a wheelie. Check out the air on that thing... ;)

If you're 2 and you can't quite grasp the idea of pedaling, you can revert back to the push n' ride lion toy or your brother's big wheel and just scoot or you can just push around the new tricycle and call it a day. Lots of options.

Me? I prefer to read.

Projects

2011-07-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

These are a few of the projects I've been working on lately. A sweet friend of mine gave me this glider but I didn't love the material so I recovered it in this black and white fabric. In that same room is the comforter I made for our guest bed. I couldn't find anything I just loved in the stores so I decided to try my hand at making it. I threw a satin zebra print on the back just for kicks and giggles. I don't love it but it was a good experience. :) It took a while to get all the pictures ordered and everything placed the way I want it but I hung frames and pictures in the family room. And of course, still working on piping cupcakes. Some days turn out better than others. I love cupcakes.

Grandparents - Part 2

2011-07-10T12:59:00.000-07:00

Of course you can't have grandparents visit and not indulge in a little cupcake decadence, so indulge we did, after decorating. We did manage a trip to the Birmingham Zoo as well.

And Carl's parents were here during Carl's annual company picnic. They rented out the local Fun Zone (yes, that's really what it's called) and had train rides, bounce houses/slides, mini golf, batting cage, and go karts available for all the employees and their families. They also gave away a handful of flat screen LCD tv's. We didn't win.

Below you will see why they don't let 4 year olds (or 2 year olds for that matter) drive much to Connor's dismay. Note the head placement.
We read stories (well, Grandma read to us), got haircuts, made homemade Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream, played at the park, had family home evening which included throwing plastic fish into the felt shark (and bucket) Grandma made, and relished in the awesomeness of the new kids' table now located inside the house.

Thanks for visiting Grandma and Papa Gaufin. Come back ANY time, we had a blast!

Carl's Parents - Part 1

2011-07-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

Not long after my birthday we got spend a couple weeks showing Carl's parents around our new hometown. But what is there to do in a small town in Alabama you say?

Well, there's the Clarkson Covered Bridge...built near where the Battle of Hog Mountain was fought in 1863. Oh, you don't know about Hog Mountain? Neither did we. But the bridge is pretty cool, if you aren't afraid of heights (I am). 270 feet of rickety-old-warped-rebuilt bridgeness with space between the slats just to make sure you can see how far up you really are.
But bridges aren't to your liking, there's always The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Beautiful grounds and because you can't tell from the pictures below, it's actually a Catholic church. Especially nice though is the small castle that doubles as their gift shop. At least that's what my kids liked.

And now that we're out of local "attractions" we spent the remainder of our time playing with Grandma and Papa Gaufin. Building towers, going to the park, playing cars, painting eggs (Easter was coming), and of course watching movies...

Carl's parents thought they were coming to the hot and humid south...it was freezing nearly the entire 2 weeks they were here but that didn't stop us from bundling up and playing outside. And in case it's not clear in the picture, somewhere between 14 months and 22 months Tyler developed a distinct fear of swings. Weird.

Carl's dad (aka Mr. Handy Himself) helped Carl put together our garden boxes (thank you!!).

And of course the kids had to help...by drinking juice and eating snacks and playing peek-a-boo with the tools.

Be prepared

2011-07-01T18:06:00.000-07:00

Be prepared for overload, I finally made collages of all my pictures so I could upload them and tell the world (code: record for posterity) our latest happenings. Remember way back in March when I celebrated a birthday with my eye practically being scratched out of its socket? Yeah, well a couple days BEFORE that, my adorable friend Jessica and her mom invited me over to do the fondue dance of joy. We had cheese fondue with potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, brussel sprouts (which were surprisingly good), red onions, french bread, apples, & pears. I know if you look closely you can probably see there are mushrooms on the tray but given my distaste for fungi, I purposefully ignored them, there was plenty of other stuff to indulge in.

And indulge we did, until we couldn't fit another single bite into our tummies. Then we tried the Tongan roll, moved around a bit, and prepared ourselves for round 2: white chocolate fondue with strawberries, apples, bananas, pears, and marshmallows. And as long as we were indulging, I might as well not leave out the fact that we giggled like school girls through the finale of the Bachelor. What could be a better way to celebrate another year of greatness! Thanks friends! :)

We're Not in Kansas...

2011-05-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

We awoke early that morning. Tyler crept into our room at 5am and after hugs, kisses, and a brief snuggle, Carl escorted the munchkin back to his room to at least wait for the sun to get up. I drifted in and out of sleep for the next 45 minutes. It was raining and storming but it didn't really start to interfere with my thoughts until the lightning seemed extremely bright and unusually repetitive. Carl and I laid there chatting, working up the energy to start the day when the rain suddenly became very intense. I was sure it would pelt itself right through the window. When the power snapped off, Carl and I hopped out of bed and I went to the kitchen window to peer out at the storm that was starting to make me feel uncomfortable. My heart quickened when I realized I could see nothing but white. It looked the way I imagine a white squall would. Our young maple tree was blowing completely horizontal and I couldn't see the field behind our house at all which is just a few yards behind us. In fact, I couldn't really see our grass either. There were snaps and cracks and and the eery sound of low thunder with a high pitched whistling wind. I could hear the sucking sound. Panicked, Carl and I ran to the boys' room and each grabbed a kid. As I pulled Connor into my arms, he awoke and surprisingly asked, "Mom, is it an emergency?" I never thought my answer to a question like that would be yes. "Yes, Sweetie, it kind of is." Just a couple weeks prior we'd had a family home evening lesson on emergency preparedness. We'd talked about 72 hour kits and how if there was ever an emergency we'd grab our bags, get in the van, and go. Connor reminded us at 6am as we ran for the hallway, that we needed to grab those bags and get out of here. I tried to explain that sometimes there were emergencies that required you to stay home and hide. We fell to our knees, begged protection from Heavenly Father and waited. Within seconds, the whirring and the ripping sounds ceased and we knew the storm had moved on.

Walking back to our bedroom, I opened the blinds, afraid of what I would see. I didn't expect this:

Our neighbor's fence had been blown right out of it's concrete footing and laid down flat on the ground. The garage door of the spec house kitty corner to us hung suspended horizontally. It was still raining but the threat was gone so we went outside to inspect the damage. It ripped the fascia on one eave of our roof and had mutilated our garage door. Looking closer, we could also see where it had thrown the garage window in and created a pressure differential and consequently tried to suck out the ceiling. There is currently a rip through the drywall in the ceiling almost the whole length of the garage. What followed is all sort of a blur. We met all of our neighbors in the street as we all surveyed what had happened with no warning. We knew there were supposed to be storms but there was no warning that an F-2 tornado would be stretching across the southern part of Cullman County. In retrospect, it was nothing compared to what was to come. We did our best to check on ward members and tried to get through on cell phones but service was splotchy at best and we were trapped so to speak in our little neighborhood because there were large trees blocking the roads. We were also touched by the flow of phone calls that came wondering if we were ok. A few hours later we were able to exit the neighborhood and we headed to Wal-Mart for a couple extra loaves of bread, granola bars, and a box of pop-tarts. We had plenty of food but I wanted to grab a few more things for convenience sake just in case the power was out for longer than a day. We were surprised as we explored on foot/tricycle at the strength of the winds.

A phone call from a friend alerted us that there was more expected and it was going to be worse. After taking the garage door off so that we could get our vehicles out, Carl decided he needed to go in to work. In his absence, J called again to tell me number 2 was on it's way and was expected to hit my area in 10 minutes. My pulse quickened again. I hung up the phone and tossed folding chairs and a vacuum out of the coat closet near the middle of our house. I tried calling Carl at work to tell him to find shelter. We'd spoken only moments before and I'd told him I thought he should come home but now I worried he wouldn't make it in time. I couldn't reach him but left 3 messages. I threw pillows and a flashlight into the closet and grabbed the kids and their blankets, rousing Tyler from his nap. I set the battery-powered radio I'd been listening to on the floor just outside the door of the closet so I could still hear. I tried putting it inside but when I closed the door all I could hear was static and I wanted to know exactly when it was coming. Connor manned the flashlight and clung to my knees. Tyler kept saying, "Hide" and sat quietly and unusually still enveloped in my arms and we all huddled in the middle of the closet. I listened to the radio and the play by play of the tornado as it closer and closer. I had spoken with my own mother earlier that morning but Carl's parents still didn't know. Alone with my 2 kids fearing a tornado worse than what we'd seen earlier that day sent cold chills and panic through my body. Reaching out any way I could, I texted my mother-in-law, "Pray, we've got tornados!" We prayed again too and waited. I was still sitting in the closet when Carl pulled in 10 minutes after the tornado had passed us. We'd escaped a second blow for which I was unexplicably grateful. Those thoughts and feelings paled however as we listened to the carnage and war path this second tornado was leaving.

After 7 days without power, lots of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and a couple cold showers, we pick up the pieces and start putting things back together. The latest tally is that over 655 homes and 87 businesses in Cullman have been destroyed or significantly damaged by the confirmed F-4 tornadoes (it had split into 3). There are miles of destruction and debris throughout Cullman County and the surrounding towns. Miraculously, only 4 have lost their lives in Cullman and it is tragic and we pray for their families. Throughout the state of Alabama there are hundreds, maybe thousands, who are wondering what comes next because they no longer have a place to call home. Many more than our 4 here have also lost their lives. The physical and emotional toll is without price but they are strong here and they WILL rebuild. We feel honored to be here to help.

On a lighter note, this is NOT the kind of excitement I was looking for when I said I was ready for the adventure of living in the South.

Happy? Birthday

2011-04-20T19:06:00.000-07:00

I nearly got my eye poked out. Happy Birthday to me. Really. We rented MegaMind from Redbox to watch with the kids. It was hilarious. Tyler thought so too and during a particularly funny part, while sitting on my lap of course, he threw his hands up in the air in excitement and in the process slashed my cornea with his fingernail. I watched the rest of the movie with my hand over my injured eye and when I couldn't sleep because the pain was too much, we headed for the ER to make sure there wasn't serious damage. Long story short they sent me home a while later with my eye temporarily numbed to wait out the recovery of a scratched cornea. I spent the next day, my birthday, lounging on the couch with the lights off and blinds drawn, and my eyes mostly closed. To make me feel better though, Carl added a pair of safety goggles to some new books and a mound of banana muffin cupcakes with homemade (by Carl) whipped frosting. 3 days later I was back to normal, but a big thanks to my guys for letting me kick it and lay low during recovery. Can't say it was my best birthday ever, but it was definitely one to remember. :)

The thing about leprechauns

2011-04-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

Is that they sneak into your house while you're sleeping and look for new places to hide their gold, but they also leave footprints. You'd think they'd learn...Connor and Tyler grabbed the "gold" so fast those leprechauns didn't stand a chance. Connor (little smarty pants) spent the next half hour searching closets, bathrooms, and under beds looking for the leprechaun that clearly came in but never left. Finally I told him it's possible the leprechaun wiped his feet on our rug and snuck out a different door or window. Next year we will of course be building traps. :)

You didn't ask...

2011-04-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

But just in case you were wondering about the FINAL finished product, here it is in all its glory. Conveniently, with Carl's parents visiting for a couple weeks (more on that later) the G's worked as "grandma" and "grandpa" but they can also stand for "guest" if we have them OR it can just be for "Gaufin" and used as a cute spacer til we have more kids.

Caught...

2011-03-13T16:46:00.000-07:00

LOVE to catch my kids doing this: Connor is learning as such a rapid rate. He can write his name and is working his way through the alphabet. He is anxious to learn to read but til then, he's pretty good at making up his own story to go with the words. Tyler likes it anyway.

Even Aunt Thaidra got in on some of the action when she came to visit (again, way back in January). We LOVE having visitors. We get so caught up having fun we often neglect the camera. Perhaps if I had a better camera (*hint hint Carl) I could better capture the joy of our family experiences. ;)

Family Home Evening Board...finally

2011-03-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

Back in January, I decided I was just going to start tackling the various projects I've been wanting to do for a while. I mentioned on facebook that I was excited about my first project which was going to be a family home evening board. Within a couple of responses and comments it was a full-fledged activity and there were several of us that got together to complete our boards. We painted boards, printed and affixed vinyl, and had a ball. So did the kiddos. There were 7 kids. The newest one, still an infant, hung out with Mom the whole time. The rest of the kids strangely gravitated to the other kids closest to their age. Connor and Kyleigh, Mason and Audrey, Tyler and Lily. And of course once the books were pulled out, there was little chance of escape for Samantha.

Here's how my board turned out. All I need now are the pictures for the key chains that will hang from each nob...oh yeah, and a couple more kids to fill all the jobs. :)

"Spent"

2011-03-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

Carl doesn't particularly like the adjective "tired". According to him it sounds lazy. He prefers the word "spent" as in he's used up every last ounce of energy he possessed at the beginning of a day or week or project, etc. We've kept ourselves busy and occupied these last few months and this is what happens when you work and play your kids silly:They fall asleep upside down, hanging off their beds.

Part of January's energy was spent (only briefly because I had a Relief Society activity that night that I was in charge of) celebrating Carl's birthday. Tyler especially enjoys expending energy this way. I won't bore you with lovey-dovey-ness about Carl, suffice it to say, I've got a fantastic husband and I adore him. So do his kids.

And in February...

2011-03-09T07:41:00.000-08:00

Warmer weather necessitates the use of the BBQ grill. Breaking out the grill necessitates roasting marshmallows which in turn requires some graham crackers and chocolate. Taking a break from staining our boards (for the garden box still in progress), we grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, and some "Giant Roasters". Marshmallow melty-ness made for rather gooey children but everyone had a great time and now I've added building patio furniture to my list of projects.
Let me tell you about the boys. When I'm out running errands I OFTEN get the question, "Are they twins?" Clearly I think this is a silly question since one is a whole head taller and 2 years older than the other BUT I guess the blond hair distracts from those differences and the other differences you can't really see, like their interest in sweets. Connor is quite content to refuse cookies, cupcakes, and other treats noting that "um, maybe later, I might get sick if I eat too much." On the other hand, Tyler would prefer his meals be made solely of sugar. We used to joke that he'd eat anything as long as it was drowning in syrup and it's not a far cry from the truth.

Below you will see our Valentine's Day. I didn't make too big of a deal out of it because truthfully I think it's a silly holiday. All the same, when the kids woke up there was a SMALL box of chocolates for each of them. Tyler couldn't rip it open fast enough and as I was explaining that they could partake of their chocolate delights following a nice healthy lunch, Tyler shoved one in his mouth. That was followed by shrill cries of terror as I removed the remaining chocolates from his hands.

What can I say, I'm weak. Tyler finished all 4 chocolates before even looking at his bowl of cereal. Connor took a small bite out of 1 chocolate, ate his cereal, then took a small bite out of the remaining 3 and declared he'd save the rest for later. Clearly his got his father's genes. Lesson learned: Deliver boxes of chocolates in the late afternoon, not bright and early like Christmas. I've never been so grateful for going small, at least there were only 4 chocolates per kid.

Lately

2011-03-09T06:16:00.000-08:00

How's this for getting current - we had our Relief Society Birthday Celebration last night and here I am the next morning posting about it. It was fantastic. I wish more people could have been there to really enjoy it because it was wonderful. All the same, I think those of us who were there would agree it was well worth it.

I sewed 18" square table "runners" in various black and white fabrics. We topped it with square silver chargers, clay pots I painted black and trimmed with green ribbon with white polka dots. Cheap foam filled the inside of the pots and I topped them with some brown and green spanish moss. Thanks to Jessica and her mom's cricut cutting out 144 paper flowers was totally doable. We chose some fun hot pink scrapbook papers in different patterns and the RS Declaration to cut the flowers out of. Pink and silver balloons decorated the floor and made the whole feel of the room a little more festive.

The box below was to hold a couple of cupcakes for our guest speaker, Sister Carol Harries, the first counselor in our Stake Relief Society Presidency. She shared a beautiful message after which we moved to the cultural hall for our big cook off. Sisters entered 3 different categories and I wish I had a picture of everything but once things get started I'm too busy to even think about pictures. The very best chilis, cornbreads, and cupcakes of the Cullman Ward were devoured along with a nice green salad. No picture of the prizes but we gave the top 3 winners of each category a really nice wooden spoon tied with a gold, silver, or bronze ribbon and a tag noting what place they took in which category. I have to say, sometimes I really love my calling. More than that, I ADORE Relief Society. What other organization brings together the experience, age, wisdom, and joy of so many different lives and unites them for the greater good, for service to others, for friendship, for love, and for fellowship and learning. Relief Society was divinely inspired and appointed and I am forever grateful I get to be a part of it!
My friend Jessica and I have also been trying our hand at cake decorating. This last week we practiced piping cupcakes for the first time. It looks easy, but it really is an art. I just might have to practice a few more times to really get it down. ;)

I like bugs and mud...

2011-02-25T06:29:00.000-08:00

I've been on a gardening craze lately and a wonderful friend of ours gave us 3 beautiful blueberries. My kids eat them by the bushel so you can imagine my delight at their arrival to our house. We dug holes and planted the bushes a couple weeks ago

Oh yes, by the way, I cut and dyed my hair back in December.

The following weekend we bought some wood to make our raised garden beds. Connor enthusiastically played with the neighbors riding bikes and such and Tyler did really well wandering around the yard until we neared the end. In hopes of extending the time we had to spend on the project, Carl gave Tyler a bucket of water to play with as a distraction while we finished up a few things. Connor quickly joined in and within a few minutes, where there was once a 3-ft dirt spot at the side of the yard, there was a large sinkhole. Connor fared pretty well and was thrilled to be assisting Tyler in his first true mud experience.

As you can see, Tyler was a little less enthusiastic. He was actually stuck in the mud, his shoes fully suctioned to the hole, and unable to dodge the mud that Connor was repeated flinging his direction. There was a great slurping sound when Carl pulled him out and he cried because though it was fun for a while, Tyler doesn't REALLY like to be dirty for too terribly long.

And no, the garden isn't in quite yet. I was forced to turn my attention to mud-drenched children and we tossed in the towel for the night. Maybe this weekend... :)

Still Here

2011-02-07T09:46:00.001-08:00

We're still here...just in case you were wondering. :)

Carl's Job

2010-11-19T08:39:00.001-08:00

For those of you who wonder what it is exactly that Carl does, please see below. Carl sent this to me the other day stating it was a fairly accurate description of his job. :)

And of course there's Halloween

2010-11-12T11:23:00.000-08:00

I was as lazy as you can get this year for Halloween. With a RS Meeting early October and one only a couple days into November with a trip to California and a HUGE girls' night party in between, I was a less than stellar mom and 20 minutes before heading to the ward's "Fall Festival" and trunk-or-treat, I grabbed one of Connor's past costumes for Tyler (yay Dinosaur!) and then headed to Connor's dresser for a conveniently matching blue shirt and sweat pants. A belt around the top of his waist on the outside of his shirt and the cape I made last year made a perfect "Musketeer". He insisted that musketeers wear boots and thankfully I knew exactly where I'd unpacked his snow boots. I gave him a foam sword which he traded for his drumstick and an old shield I ended up with after a RS Enrichment a couple years ago and presto! a full-fledged Musketeer.

We got 3 pumpkins but only ended up carving one and Connor did that one. You can see it on the porch in the Witch's Bash pictures.

Connor was a great sport trying to eat a doughnut off a string with no hands, throwing darts at balloons about 29 times til he hit one, and strutting his stuff down the catwalk when they showcased the costumes. Earlier that day he tried to convince me he could wear the puppy costume but as you can see, we discovered it didn't fit in the least! After playing hard at the Fall Festival both kids crashed hard and so did both parents when it was all over.

Party Party Party

2010-11-12T09:55:00.001-08:00

Ok, this idea is a total copycat. I just wanted you all to know that. It was stolen from my extremely talented, crafty, cute friend Kirsten. That said, since being much more settled, I've resumed Girls' Nights with a new batch of friends. In October, Jessica, Jennifer, & I decided to go all out and have a Witch's Bash Halloween party. The girls would bring witch's hats decorated and concealed in a plastic bag and then we'd guess whose was who's and judge them according to spookiest, craftiest, most elegant, etc. Here's the invitation and a whole slew of pictures so you can see how it all turned out.

Here are our winners: Miss Mary with the favorite & the craftiest, Miss Jessica with the most elegant, Miss DeeAnn with the cutest, and Miss Marilyn with the spookiest.

And here's the rest of us.

We had a great turnout and loads of fun. We're already planning for next year! Thanks Kirsten for the idea. :)

Followed by California

2010-11-12T09:31:00.000-08:00

These are my girls. The four of us lived together for a year while I was in grad school after my mission. They became some of my very closest friends. As they will attest, there was just something incredibly special about that apartment so when the last of us got engaged, we made every effort to reunite for her wedding. Slumber party the night before Amanda's wedding.

We made her try on her dress for us since none of us lived nearby during the engagement and wedding planning. Leah was in Nevada and had just barely moved back to Cali, Michelle came from South Carolina, and I flew in from Alabama.

And though time was VERY limited (I flew in late Thursday night and back out early Sunday morning), I did get to stay and spend some time with my favorite brother and his talented and cool wife and SUPER cute little baby girl. My dad also joined us when he could.

The wedding was fun, probably mostly because I got to reunite with so many people I love. Jane and I grabbed breakfast super early to get a good catch-up chat in and I got a chance to visit with Bishop Perkins as well who had a significant hand in Carl and I finally getting married. I just wish I had had more time to be able to see everybody. There will be a next time!

Too busy to do what I'd originally planned for my hair (I was a bridesmaid), my sister-in-law pulled out her mad skills and created this masterpiece. I thought it was so much fun!

The time went by far too fast and I was home and back to the grind before I knew it but I loved every minute I was there. Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Alex Rayas!

And then a baby shower...

2010-11-12T09:21:00.000-08:00

When presented with an opportunity, I didn't hesitate to jump on board planning a baby shower for a girl in our ward. This is her 2nd little boy. Of course she didn't know it would be a boy because she wanted to be surprised. As a result, the shower was a post-baby shower. We did a lemon-lime theme and had a fabulous time. Congrats Amber & baby G!

In case you're interested, the baby shower was held in the evening and we served water with lime slices, cupcakes with yellow & green frosting, mini cheesecakes, sugar cookies with yellow and green sprinkles, white chocolate dipped pretzels and marshmallows with yellow and green sprinkles, fruit kebabs w/fruit dip, and of course lemon bars. Mmmm!

Relief Society Meeting...

2010-11-12T09:04:00.000-08:00

Moving into a new ward definitely has some perks - you get to meet new people and you get start over. We're really excited about our ward here in Alabama and I think the feeling must be mutual because I was just called to be the 2nd Counselor in Relief Society (my FAVE!) and Carl was called to be the Young Men's President. Carl had been hoping to lay low til the semester was over and blames me for his calling:

Me: Why am I responsible?
Carl: YOU did this, all your getting to know people and girls' nights. You drew attention to the family.
Me: Hmm, my bad, want to hear what we're doing for our monthly mid-week RS meeting??

I can't think of many callings I'd rather have. I've become rather accustomed to planning events and I LOVE to research new ideas for Relief Society activities. Our first activity was a finance night with a "Feeding the Pig & Growing Your Money Tree" theme. We had 3 speakers to talk about:

1. Distinguishing Between Wants and Needs
2. Living on a Shoestring & Frugal Living
3. Becoming wise stewards of our Financial Resources In between speakers we had a couple of "ice-breaker" games relating to finance. I tossed out candy to the first person to pull out a credit card, a checkbook, a receipt, a coupon, cash, calculator, etc. For the second game, I tossed out candy to people who had a budget and kept to it for a month, had a balanced checkbook, had contributed to savings this month, were completely debt free, etc.

Overall I'd chalk it up to a huge success. We celebrated of course with refreshments, million dollar pie. I LOVE my calling!

Good News...

2010-11-09T20:29:00.000-08:00

We're still here. And in the next few days (hopefully) you'll be so informed about what we've been up to, you won't feel bad that I've been a horrible blogger these last few months.

To sum up September, we've been making friends...

building stuff...crafting...and just hanging out with Carl whenever we get the chance (we'll all be so thrilled when this last and final semester is over, especially Carl!)

Betcha can't wait to see what we did in October. ;)

Lately

2010-09-29T19:45:00.000-07:00

And Carl said Tyler didn't like chocolate. Yes, this would be the remains of a single oreo. Does that look like the face of a boy who doesn't enjoy a little chocolate?

One of the more popular questions I hear from Connor, "Mom, look at us! Want to take a picture?" Followed by cheesy smile and suffocating of younger brother.Connor's favorite activity currently is to start in the dining room and run full speed to the rug in front of the couch where he stops abruptly and throws himself into a somersault. He's quite good. So good in fact, that Tyler wants to mimick him. We find Tyler in this position almost as often as we see Connor run, jump, and somersault.

First Stop?

2010-09-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

Santa Cruz! Well, really it was San Jose to visit the Coops (my side of the family). The kids loved the sand and the water, so did Connor and Tyler. Connor also got the giggles chasing the waves, that is until one knocked him down in the somewhat still chilly/freezing water (hence the sweatshirt).

Nothing better than following a trip to the beach with a trip to Chuck E Cheese. A big thank you to Tom and DeLynn (and Danielle and Jacquie) for celebrating the boys' birthdays Coop-style.

And So Begins...

2010-09-19T15:13:00.000-07:00

Catching up. It's certainly been a while since we've really been on the blog board but we're back with a couple blasts from the not so distant past. Up first, a 15, yes 15 hour (each way) road trip to California, our last stint before heading off to the unknown world of the South.

This is what happens when you decide to just run over the tumbleweed (hoping to obliterate it with your minivan awesomeness) instead of just casually switching lanes.It has to be removed by hand at yet another of our 15 stops along the way (the bladder size of young boys!)Ah, the many faces of the boys...

Tonight's Dessert...

2010-09-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

So delicious! Chocolate Trifle from www.allrecipes.com using the first few reviews. Easy, delicious, and a huge hit...well, except for Carl who still doesn't like chocolate. Poor guy.

Cuter?

2010-09-10T06:13:00.000-07:00

Seriously, does it get cuter than this? Turns out I'm not the only one thrilled with our latest find, the piano. Having these two boys is the most fun I've ever known. The joy of motherhood is totally underrated.

You know you've been wanting to see

2010-09-09T19:48:00.000-07:00

So we're here. We've moved in. We've unpacked boxes and started "normal" life again. I've even started hanging pictures on the walls, a true sign of being settled. And while it takes a while to collect all the furniture you need to fill up/organize the chaos in a new house, especially when moving from a small apartment, I know you've all been dying to see the progress. ;) Ok, perhaps it hasn't been burning a hole in your mind, but all the same, here's the pictures of the playroom, or at least what it looks like when it's clean which has been far less frequent than I'd prefer.

And the new rug we bought for the "formal dining room" which is actually going to be the "piano room". I love it!

2010-08-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

These are a few of Carl's favorite things (at least this past week)...

1) Wasp and hornet spray. The beauty of this is that it puts you at least 27 feet away from all of those nasties living under the eave of your house giving one plenty of time to scream and run like a girl before the ones you missed can catch up to you and wreak vengence on the wrong that you brought onto their colony.

2) Eliminator: Ant, Roach and Spider Spray. A true chemist’s delight. This beautiful product gives one at least a 75% increase in confidence as he goes out to confront the entertainment center left on the porch by the previous owner.

3) The Black Flag fly swatter of death. Coupled with the above mentioned can-of-joy, this boosts ones bravery to a solid 95%. In the rare event that one of the critters is immune to the initial chemical onslaught, this is used as the last line of defense between either your family (or yourself) and it. Not to mention this is also handy for air-to-air combat when one can’t use spray as it might get blown back on you.

4) The Lord of the Rings soundtrack. Honestly, listening to this while suiting up before going to battle is often enough to give one the last remaining 5% of strength needed to face that creepy crawly dark world that lies beyond our back door.

The Dashing Prince

2010-07-21T05:58:00.000-07:00

Well we are here. And sweet home Alabama it is...or at least it will be when the house closes. After four long days of driving, 2 days stuck in a hotel, and another 3-4 days of driving all day long to look at houses, we are excited and anxious to truly settle down WITH our furniture. Of course THAT won't happen for another few weeks. Thankfully, the air mattresses only need to be re-pumped once a week and there's a large rug in the tile living room of the temporary apartment we're staying in. Who knew that some of the lessons I learned on my mission would come in so handy later. 1. Hanging out on the floor isn't so bad and 2. You can do anything for a transfer (6 weeks). :) Staring at what the near future holds for us helps too.

And for your entertainment I record the following which occurred during dinner last night:

Connor: Tell me the story of Mommy and Daddy are married. Tell me that one.

Carl: Well, many years ago there was a dashingly handsome young prince who ruled the land. One day he met a peasant girl who intrigued him. She was lovely but he had to keep their relationship a secret because of their vastly different stations in society. Finally he gave up his kingdom and all he had to be with her.

Connor: Noooo, the one where Mommy and Daddy are married. THAT one.

Me: (Knowing full well what he wants to here, not some lame and highly inaccurate version of our dating history) Well, when Mommy and Daddy got married, they decided they wanted to have a little baby. So they asked Heavenly Father to please send them a baby and He said if they were very patient, He would send them a beautiful, happy baby just for them. So we waited and waited and waited and the special day came but we had to wait another 10 and then finally, Heavenly Father sent you to our family and we were SO happy.

Connor: Yeah, that one. Tell me again Mommy. And Jesus can send us another baby. One for me and one for Tyler and for Mommy and for Daddy.

Me: Well, if you want to have another baby in our family, you certainly can pray to Heavenly Father and ask him to send another baby to our family, but maybe just ask for one baby, not four.

Connor: Mom, I'm all done, may I be excused so I can say my prayers and ask Heavenly Father to send me a baby?

Me: Sure.

Connor (now from in his room): Heavenly Father. Please send me a baby to our family for me and Tyler and Mommy and Daddy. And I will be really patient so you can send me a baby. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

We have nothing to announce, but we'll keep you posted should something unexpected happen.

Coming soon (once we move into the house): catching up on all the things I have pictures of but haven't blogged about because we've been in transit. Connor did turn 3, we partied in California, we packed up and moved from Idaho, and we managed to not lose our camera during the process.

Sweet Home Alabama!

2010-06-20T19:31:00.001-07:00

Photography by Amanda Downs - she graciously did our family pictures while we were in CA a few weeks ago.

We've been a busy bunch these last few weeks and I have loads of pictures to prove it. I plan to blog about all of our crazy "summer" adventures but not until we're in the thick of this next one which is moving to ALABAMA! After months and months of dueling with my patience, hundreds of job applications, hours of prayer, and a lot of long nights, we were blessed to be offered a great job in Cullman, Alabama. The plan is to move next week, I mean why not keep things exciting. Thanks to all of our family and friends who shared their 2 cents with Heavenly Father. We'll miss you all but can't wait to see you in ALABAMA! Come visit anytime!

Number 2 turns 1

2010-06-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

He's only 1 but boy does he have his favorites. As a result, we celebrated Tyler's first birthday with a bounteous supply of syrup. He downed 2, yes 2 pieces of french toast for breakfast and as you can see, he felt pretty good about it.Dinner was less heartily received by Tyler but scored big points with Connor so we took a picture and moved on to the good stuff but not before the beloved tradition of a song and a wish. Connor was only too happy to oblige. He still giggles with delight every time he sees the video.

A fan of cupcakes for their ease and consistent portion sizes, we doled one out to Tyler and let him have at it. A little hesitant at first, I think syrup has found a rival in Tyler's life. Last but not least we let the little guy open a present. Connor loved it more than Tyler did (typical) but Tyler eventually caught on and had fun watching Connor.

We can't believe it's already been a year since this beautiful little boy entered our lives. He is one of the best snugglers to grace the earth. I adore his dimpled smile which is nearly always present. He has such an easy going nature and mellow personality and is pure joy to be around. Happy Birthday little buddy! May this year bring even greater happiness and joys than the last. We love you!

Around Town

2010-05-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

Even though it did snow in May, we've seen a few beautiful days and took full advantage. The kids LOVE going to the park. Connor is getting better and better at hitting the ball without his tee and has taken up a new love: soccer. Tyler, of course, just loves being able to crawl after whatever balls Connor isn't playing with. We must give an official shout-out to Carl's sister Tressa and her family for introducing us to the wonderful world of Amish Baked Oatmeal. My kids adore it, probably because it tastes like a big oatmeal cookie and they get to down half a bag of blueberries. So thank you Spigs for sharing the joy!

Sometimes it's hard to know what to do with all my spare time [dripping with sarcasm] but every once in a while I get it in my head that doing something time-consuming and difficult will be worth it. Idaho Falls Magazine had their annual cook-off and 1 of the 10 categories had a stare down with me until I agreed to enter. Thus my Classic New York Cheesecake. I didn't win and I blame it on the judges (duh!) for not truly sampling my creation. Below you will see the missing area of the cheesecake that supposedly represents 5, yes FIVE, judges "tastes" of my cheesecake. I know that they had 15 cheesecakes to taste but come on! Oh well, I had a great time regardless.

While we waited for votes to be cast and tallied, we walked around downtown Idaho Falls, fed the geese, indulged in free ice cream from Reed's Dairy (wish we could take that place with us wherever we move), and proving the judges wrong by delightfully devouring a good portion of the cheesecake that was left.

In our efforts to fatten up poor 2nd percentile Tyler (the kid barely weighs 18 lbs...guess no forward-facing car seat for a couple more months... :( ) we let Tyler sink his teeth into anything he'll agree too, which includes his own piece of cheesecake. We think he liked it. :)

P.S. Carl successfullly completed the semester of insanity on Friday. We are so thrilled to have Carl back, we've almost overdone it with the family bonding ... maybe that's not possible. ;)

Finals

2010-05-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

We're in the home stretch of this semester but Carl's not the only one being tested. From Connor's croup to Tyler's pneumonia and ear infection (I think he's almost back to normal) to my recent acquiring of a MAJOR sinus infection (I've never had one before, so maybe that's why it feels so awful. My deepest sympathies to every person I know who's told me they have chronic allergies/sinusitis...anyone have any "home remedy" recommendations before my face explodes?) we've all been through a little bit of the refiner's fire. Carl is doing marvelously well and we're all anxious for him to wrap things up in the next 2 days (secretly hoping it means I can finally take a nap and maybe kick this lame infection).

Can't wait to celebrate on Friday!

Different Results

2010-05-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

I was discouraged today. Truly it was over something petty. I've been working out, doing P90x for the last week and a half and saw little results on the scale this morning. Disappointed, annoyed, and very discouraged I trailed around the house with a mopey face and a snap in my voice. I decided to catch up on some blogs and a good friend had this posted. How grateful I am right now that my biggest concern is those 20 lbs. Life IS beautiful, isn't it?

Come back!

2010-05-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

It seems like it's been one sickness after another since moving here to Idaho. Whether it's the seemingly year-round winter or just the fact that they just keep re-infecting each other I'm not sure. What I do know is that I'm really missing the happy, full of energy, giggly, crazy boys who've been down and grumpy these last couple of weeks. Come back soon boys! Til then, I guess I'll just have to live on memories...Yes, he's IN the drawer. Perhaps he thinks if he "hides" there we'll quit trying to make him learn to walk on his own.

What can I say, he's got a flare for creativity. No doubt he is wearing some sort of superhero helmet and is embarking on a mission to "get the bad guys".

The REAL Love Story

2010-04-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine shared this on Facebook but I had to get it out to all my bloggie friends. Hilarious parody on Taylor Swift's "Love Story". All parents should get a kick out of this. Enjoy!

And in other news...

2010-04-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

I threw another baby shower. It was SO much fun to plan. Haley looks fabulous and is anxiously waiting her first baby, a girl, due just 2 days after my brother and sister-in-law. We went with a bright pink, brown, and green theme with flowers. It's hard to see because of the lighting but the onesies are just cut out of scrapbook paper. I had help from my friend Fran who is also our RS Pres. She made a terrific chicken/pasta salad to go with our homemade rolls, fruit kabobs and dip, cupcakes (always!), and raspberry lemonade.

I filled clean baby food jars up with pink and green jelly beans, made a tag blanket, and a diaper cake. It was a small group of us but it was a lot of fun and I'm so excited for Haley! Congrats!

We've been busy with Carl finishing up school and me helping to scout out jobs he'd be interested in but we managed to give Tyler his first haircut. He LOVED it. I gave him a mirror to hold while I used the clippers and he was a happy camper. And of course since we had the clippers out already, Connor got a buzz too. He is such a delightful little boy. He has so much energy and imagination. He can often be heard throughout the house declaring "Ironman (or Underdog) is here!" He pretends to get all his armor on and then prances around saying "I will save you". He loves to help with "adult" chores like unloading and loading the dishwasher and is only too happy to be given the task to play with Tyler.

The boys love playing together. It has recently become a challenge having them share a room because they go down about the same time and as soon as I close the door thinking they're going to drift off peacefully into a quiet slumber I hear Connor screeching "HEL-LO!" and then all sorts of giggling from both parties. I usually tell Connor to go to sleep but not before wiping a smile and a couple giggles off my face first. I love them!

Also, I am SO proud of Carl. He's a hard-worker by nature but he has undoubtedly put in his time this semester. He has sacrificed countless hours of sleep and leisure time so he can not just do his homework but do it REALLY well. We are anxious for the next 3 weeks to pass but I confess I feel a tingle in my toes and a tickle in my tummy - we're almost there! Thanks for all the support and love!

Easter

2010-04-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

We had the boys share a basket and it was great. Both of the boys were thrilled with its contents, mostly jelly beans.

We colored eggs in between sessions of Conference. Connor did AMAZING this year listening to Conference. He colored quiety and when you thought he wasn't listening at all, he'd periodically call out, "Mom, he said 'scriptures'" or 'Jesus' or 'Nephi' or whatever else he heard that he recognized.

I somehow managed to miss taking a picture of the eggs we actually dyed, but the kids thought the jello eggs were far more tasty anyway so...

Connor loves being a "big boy" and just like Daddy. He put his tie on by himself (it's a clip-on) and then helped Tyler who was still in pj's try the tie on as well.

Tyler was so cute and happy about the tie we were tempted to take him to Church just like that.

A Human Superhero

2010-03-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

This is the story of Ironman's recent ride to the store... Me: Connor, you can bring one toy with you in the car...
Connor: Ok! Ironman SAVE THE DAY!

We climb in the van and head to my favorite place, Target. After Target we head to another favorite store, Michael's. After Michael's I indulged Connor and headed for "Fishland" which is really just the Artic Circle up the street that has a play area that includes a large fish. As I'm driving the following conversation takes place:

Connor: Mom! Hand me a wipe!
Me: I can't, I'm driving, why do you need a wipe?
Connor: Ironman went stinkies. I need a wipe.
Me: (long pause...what can you say in response to that?) Can he wait til we get to Fishland?
Connor: (in a dejected tone) ok.

March, happy-style

2010-03-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day in the usual fashion, green pancakes and milk which both Connor and Tyler LOVED. Connor made a leprechaun trap that we set out and while he didn't catch a leprechaun, he was pleased to learn that the leprechaun had left behind 3 Ironman action figures for him and a package of hot wheels for Tyler. He was also excited to discover that the leprechaun had accidently dropped a whopping $5 bill (thanks Papa!) when he was trying to escape the trap. What a lucky boy! He is now saving up for a "BIG Ironman". I celebrated with food (also very typical) and tried my hand at the famous rainbow cake. Came out pretty good I think.

Carl's parents were in town the weekend preceding and brought a decadent strawberry cheesecake and spoiled us rotten with attention and company. Connor was in sore spirits after they left. Carl took a good chunk of time off of his studies to make my birthday special. He surprised me with a much needed shopping excursion to scope out new "fitness wear". I'm looking forward to spring and summer running and the 90-day challenge of P90X. Tyler loves food, he grins from ear to ear when I let him have at it in the high chair instead of handing him a bottle. Connor has developed a passion for superheroes. He can most often be heard declaring "Save the day!" in his own superhero tone as he scampers around the apartment in the cape I made him for Halloween.

The only qualification for going to the park is that it's got to be above 40 degrees. We've been delighted to find the playgrounds mostly cleared of snow and ready for a little use. Connor is thrilled to be able to romp and tromp as much as he wants and Tyler giggles hysterically when I put him in the swings. On such days when time escapes me we head back home just in time to do a quick toast and applesauce dinner before heading off to baths and bed. The kids love this dinner as much as I do. Easy to please, I love these boys!

And finally, the quilt. I finished it about a week and a half ago and got it all mailed off. True confessions, I was so proud of myself for giving it a go. I did the whole thing all by myself (I know, I sound like my 3 yr. old). I pieced the front and back, machine quilted it, and hand-stitched the binding. And it came out usable. It's not the best looking quilt I've ever seen but it's certainly been encouraging and most of all, FUN!

Foam Soap

2010-03-10T12:54:00.000-08:00

I love the foaming soap because it seems far more functional for my little toddler, but the stuff is expensive. Of course being the cheapies we are, Carl and I were determined to get our regular soap to foam long after the "good stuff" disappeared (and with a toddler who bladder is apparently the size of a peanut, disappear it does). We filled the bottle a little less than halfway with liquid hand soap (Target brand if you must know), filled the rest with warm water, mixed slowly (don't shake), and voila - foamy soap for a toddler who goes through it by the gallons.

"We're stuck in the mud"

2010-03-10T12:26:00.001-08:00

That was Connor's response when I asked what he and Tyler were doing in their room. Buried among their stuffed animals, I think Tyler finally gave up trying to get out and just laid down to await his rescue. Connor adores having a little brother who is finally old enough to do some real "playing". Tyler spends loads of time chasing (by crawling) Connor up and down the hallway, both giggling like crazy, and just as much time trying to evade Connor's over-exuberance at having a playmate.

As much as I tried to help Tyler become attached to a stuffed animal instead of a blanket, I think I've failed. We often find Tyler in his room trying to pull this light blue blanket through the slats. He loves it and buries his face in it every time I hand it to him. He can't talk yet but I'm sure he'd want Caralee to know how much he appreciates her making it for him!

Connor is getting pretty good with blocks. I confess I helped with this one but he loves to design all sorts of dinosaurs, tunnels, houses, cities, robots, and whatever else he can think of with these blocks. I originally though two bags was too many...silly mom.

In all honesty, this has been a tough couple of months and it's only getting tougher. Carl, to our daily disappointment, is absolutely swamped with hours and hours of homework on top of class and work. He leaves not long after waking up and returns home again sometime after 10pm and if it ended there life would be fantastic but he is often up til 1 or 2am finishing homework for the next day. He is SO dedicated and hard-working and I appreciate so much all he is doing to make the rest of our lives so wonderful. We know it will feel worth it when it's all over (about 8 and a half more weeks if you're wondering). Come mid-May he will have only 2 classes left and those can be taken remotely so we are in the grueling process of somehow finding time to also search for and apply for as many jobs as we can find in hopes we'll be able to move at the end of this semester, permanently (or at least for a few years).

In an effort to more effectively tackle the stress that nags at both of us (he's exhausted and I, well, I love my children but that's a lot of hours to be with them. Alone. By myself. Alone...) I decided to put this saying (from a talk by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin) in a frame and put it in a very visible spot. It's helped a lot already. The stress is still there but it reminds me to not be quite so grouchy about it on occasion.

Surgery, sewing, and swimming

2010-02-26T20:22:00.000-08:00

So it's gone. No gallbladder. Now, instead, my stomach is puffy and full of air. I'm told that will lessen within a few days. For now, it's hard to sleep. Other than that, surgery went fine and I'm well on my way to being fit enough to rearrange my furniture. In the days preceding my surgery I spent a LOT of time sewing. I'm not so great at sewing so it probably took me much longer than your typical seamstress BUT I'm excited about the projects I'm working on and feel like I'm slowly improving. My brother and sister-in-law (who never read my blog...I don't think) are having their first baby in May. It's a little girl and they've chosen a safari theme with the colors teal and brown. This is the quilt I'm working on for them:

The top.

The bottom.

This is the tag blanket I finished up today. I'm so excited to have a little niece and a new baby (that's not mine) on MY side of the family! So exciting!

The boys and I have kept busy as usual building humongous block towers and tunnels and entire cities. Connor and I build them up and Tyler does the remodeling.

For some reason Connor thought if he took off his shirt and pants I'd let him go swimming. Poor kid.

Happy Valentine's Day to Us...

2010-02-18T19:21:00.000-08:00

Well, in another round of exciting events at the Gaufin household, the evening of Valentine's Day was spent in the ER.

Pain. Intense and panic-causing pain.

Gall stones?

Joy.

Surgery? Great, how's next week? I've had two c-sections, how bad can it be?

For those who are curious if I ever got around to breaking out my new sewing supplies and cutting out the pieces for Connor's quilt, the answer is yes. I even sewed a pillowcase to keep me motivated.

In other news, Connor is learning his colors like a champ. I originally made these "monsters" thinking I'd get them laminated but laziness and my cheapy gene got the better of me. I stuck these paper monsters all over his room and now we practice shooting, or in Connor's vernacular "BOOM"-ing, the blue monster or green or whatever color I choose.

Snow angels, inside batting "cage", building snowmen (ok, ok, I'm in the picture but Carl's the one who froze his hands to help Connor make it, Tyler and I just jumped in for the glory), and tackling each other is what keeps us entertained these days. Can I just say yay for warming trends?

In the meantime...

2010-02-05T13:08:00.000-08:00

It's true, I'm lazy, but I've also neglected the blog because we've been a little busy with the following:

Fighting monsters and hiding out in our "monster" cave,
fighting colds and growing teeth which has incidentally awakened us at least 3 times a night for about a week,
protecting the world (this is "Iron Man"),

calling Grandmas,
working on my calling (Visiting Teaching Coordinator person),

And just loving each other to pieces.

I have also been working out religiously (lost 10 lbs, yay me), reading like crazy (definitely recommend The Hunger Games and its sequel Catching Fire), working up the courage to actually cut the material I bought for Connor's quilt, and generally entertaining myself while Carl is gone at work and school from 8am to 10pm Monday through Thursday and 6-8 hours on Fridays and Saturdays. Maintaining sanity by whatever means necessary has become top priority but doing well and are thrilled it's only for 1 semester.

"Summer" Vacation

2010-01-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

This would be a picture from the wedding we attended in California over the holidays. Notice the short sleeves? We didn't wear a coat the entire time we were there. To be fair, the girls were a little chilly but overall the weather was wonderful! We had a great time visiting with our families and Connor was spoiled rotten with cousins and grandparents so close to play with all the time.

We have since returned to reality (please note the appropriate outside attire) with super long days, no grandparents or cousins, and the constant desire to sleep just 30 more minutes in the morning before it all starts again. On the positive side, Tyler cut his first tooth and started crawling and cruising and Connor and identify the color blue fairly consistently. Carl is pulling 14 hour days between work and study and classes and somehow manages to get up with me at 5:30am to read and exercise (hence the desire for an extra 30 minutes every morning). In case you were wondering, our family theme this year is "Bring it!".

May all your dreams for 2010 come true! :)

Getting ready

2009-12-14T08:27:00.001-08:00

"Hang" stockings? Don't be ridiculous Mom. Everyone knows that socks belong on your feet.

We've been having a great time getting ready for Christmas here at the Gaufin household. Between putting up the tree, decorating with lights, making cottonball snowmen, and delivering letters to Santa, we're just about ready.

Thankful Hearts

2009-12-14T08:14:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was fantastic. We missed the buzz of family being near but we were blessed with great company. Despite objections from Carl, I bought and cooked a turkey anyway. I was so glad I had when Ashley agreed to join us! Thanks for visiting Ashley!

Tyler is a happy kid but he sure took to Ashley. He was so content with her holding him that he simply fell asleep.

Why the hallway is now lined with blankets...

2009-12-01T21:53:00.000-08:00

New neighbors moved in downstairs. First thing they asked when we met in the parking lot? Nodding towards Connor, "Did he just get new shoes?" "No..." "Video game?" "Hmm...not so much." "We were just trying to identify the source of all the thumping. We're not trying to be rude, we really are just amazed that he has that kind of energy. ALL day. [pause] Is he the only one?" Yeah...turns out we're not the only ones painfully aware that Connor has only two speeds, sleeping and full speed run. Sorry neighbors! But really, see for yourself, does he look like he can be tamed to you? "Is this really what it takes for you to let me behind the wheel?"

Connor really is a wonderful helper though. He truly loves his brother. He watches out for him, brings him toys, wants to feed him, and even cleans up when he's done.
This guy, on the other hand, would prefer you NOT feed him carrots.

All Ham

2009-11-18T18:45:00.000-08:00

This is our resident ham of late. Most popular is the lion, bear, or monster he impersonates by growling as he crawls around on the floor in a very deliberate manner. However, last night we were privy to a showing of "Happy Feet" as he bounced, quite literally, around the apartment chanting, "jump and move and jump and move," over and over again. Today he announced that he was Bolt and proceeded to give me his impression of the "superbark". Can't help but laugh and wouldn't you if your toddler was prancing around shouting, "I capture you!" while swinging a karate belt he claims is his rope. I suppose it's to be expected. I've known for a while from which side of the family his imagination originated.

A Baby Shower

2009-11-17T13:33:00.000-08:00

I threw a baby shower for a friend of mine who is having a girl in January. It was SO much fun to plan and organize that it made me want a little girl myself (although not any time soon). I went with a pink and brown, polka dots and ladybugs theme.

The food was easy and fun and the company was fabulous.

Here's cute Katie in all her glory. The bottom two pictures are my current sewing inspiration. Her mother made 3 stunning and adorable little dresses and a beautiful snuggly coat. The little Gill girl will be well-dressed to say the least.

Tyler

2009-11-17T13:28:00.000-08:00

With Connor being 2 1/2 there's so much to tell of his daily "adventures" and sometimes I think Tyler gets left out because his stories aren't as "exciting" but Tyler is one of the sweetest babies I've ever seen. It's easy to catch him smiling because he's doing it all the time. He loves to snuggle and is working hard to catch up to Connor. He's extremely close to crawling and sitting up all on his own. We all LOVE Tyler to pieces, especially Connor. Couldn't be happier that he's in our family!

Why is it...

2009-11-17T12:43:00.000-08:00

That when Mom is away it's not the kids' ideas I'm worried about but Dad's? Who knows what they do that they DON'T take pictures of.

Yes, Connor's tongue is blue...or is that green?

It's no wonder Connor always says that Daddy is his best friend. In fact they're so close that Connor has recently begun using "Carl" and "Daddy" interchangeably. We can't help but giggle every time we hear, "Car-rul, will you come play in my room Car-rul?" yelled from the across the house. It's just a phase, right?

When the sky looks like this...

2009-11-17T12:26:00.000-08:00

There's not much else you can do when the sky looks like this...So off we went to the field behind our apartments to fly our "homemade" kite (thanks to a couple wooden dowels and some trash bags).Connor preferred collecting sticks which he held out threateningly like swords anytime you asked him what he was doing. Tyler was just excited to be outside and even more thrilled that he can ride in the stroller without the car seat now.

Thanks to Daddy for taking an afternoon off to have fun with the family!

In Record Time

2009-11-04T20:03:00.001-08:00

I put him in his room for a nap. His M.O. of late has been to strip down and get dressed all over again. Often this includes "changing" his own diaper so when I heard his dresser drawer close just after putting him to bed I ran in. What you see below is the damage one 2 yr. old can do in just 30 seconds. What you DON'T see is Connor clapping his hands wildly excited that there isn't a single article of clothing remaining IN the dresser. I'm not sure if the fact that I'd just done laundry and put all their clothes away made it more or less amusing... :) And in other news...Tyler likes to chew on things... EVERY thing.But he sure is cute, isn't he?

Busy...

2009-11-04T19:48:00.001-08:00

When I told Carl the other day that I needed larger containers than the boxes I had to hold my crafting and sewing supplies Carl informed me that the answer wasn't bigger or more containers it was finishing the 500 projects I'd already started. I took his challenge and have been rather busy lately. Some were new projects and some were old but lots of them are getting done!
Connor's cape (with a velcro closure)I can't take credit for designing the dragon, I found the picture online, but I did cut it out and stencil it on there myself...that's something, right?This would be my new fabulous library bag. Ok, so I didn't actually make the bag, just the ladybug (it's all felt) which I made to cover up the lame logo that was printed on the bag. The bag was a give away at some event, but now it's usuable and is the perfect size to hold all 29 books I seem to walk away with every time I go to the library. :)
Ok, she doesn't look nearly as cute as my mother in law's which is where I got the idea but overall I'd say it's a thrifty, yet cute Halloween decoration.

I have also finished a baby blanket, a table cloth, and a table runner. Next on the list: the quilt project I had planned to do for Connor BEFORE Tyler got here...oops. After that it's on to all new things. I get all tingly inside just thinking about it!

The big night!

2009-11-04T09:03:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Halloween in a sort of medieval fashion this year. Connor was a knight complete with cape, sword, shield, "armor" and chainmail. Tyler was a dragon. The sword and shield are out of cardboard (yay for diaper boxes). I painted them silver and then stenciled a dragon and stars on the shield. I also made the tunic, "armor", chainmail, AND my proudest sewing accomplishment yet, the CAPE! What little boy doesn't thrive in a silver-lined cape.

Our sweet little dragon.

Connor's sword bent in half within 30 seconds of him holding it. He decided the vacuum attachment made a better accessory and hasn't put it down much since his discovery. He even asked to sleep with it a few nights ago.

Trick or treating was a big hit, not so much for the candy but for the running from house to house wielding his sword in a frightful manner. They learn quick about that attention thing. Connor was very pleased with all the reactions he got on his little costume. He also did a FABULOUS job of remembering to tell everyone thank you.

Best of all, he only had a handful of treats in his bucket because half the time he'd leave the front door without getting anything because he was in too big a hurry to keep up with all the other kids who were taking off for the next house.

Finally, for all those wondering: I survived Halloween without a stitch. I'm over four months without chocolate now. How's THAT for self-discipline?!

Pumpkin Power

2009-10-31T20:07:00.000-07:00

We've been to the pumpkin patch... It was insanely bright outside so catching everyone with their eyes open was a major success. Connor loved the hay maze and trying to sit on all the pumpkins.

We've also participated in the annual tradition of carving. Connor helped design a face...sort of...

He wasn't as into getting his hands dirty with pumpkin guts as I imagined he would have been but I gave him a "scooper" and he plowed right in. He's rather fond of "tools".

Carl's Jr.?

2009-10-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

What is it they say...? If it doesn't get all over the place it doesn't belong in your face. Tyler must know he's Carl's junior. :)

Harvest Fest

2009-10-30T13:34:00.000-07:00

Pumpkins, games for the kids, loads of food, and lots of festivity.

We are a Happy Family

2009-10-30T13:16:00.000-07:00

It's a song but it's also true. We DO have a happy family. Just check out the evidence below. What can I say? We're fun. ;)

Bye Grandma Mary!

2009-10-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

Connor prays for all of his grandparents every night (of his own accord). We name one and he covers the rest. He sure misses having such adoring fans so close. :) Come again soon!

Reed's Dairy

2009-10-30T12:48:00.000-07:00

While my mom was in town in early October, we took her to see the sites (Carl's school, a couple of our favorite parks, dream houses on the hill...) including one of our favorite discoveries, the local dairy which serves mountainous amounts of ice cream for such a good deal.

You can get a tennis ball and a half of ice cream for 75 cents. Wow!

Followed by the birthday festivities...

2009-10-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

Conference on Saturday was followed by the arrival of my sister Allison and my Mom for a visit. We celebrated Ally's final departure from adolescence with a yummy pasta dinner (not pictured) and a mediocre apple pie (apple pie is better with fuji's). Fresh out of candles, Carl improvised and used q-tips dipped in nail polish remover taped to toothpicks. Don't worry the stench left as quickly as the flame.Connor spit out the bite of pie and declared "Ew! Gross!" (he's not a pie lover) but squealed with excitement when Carl set him up on a chair and let him help wash dishes. What great boys I have!

Weekend of Wonder

2009-10-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

This is how General Conference played out in our house... Connor got comfy hanging out with Dad. He even fell asleep and napped there for a little while. Tyler got an upgrade in his cuisine...trying out rice cereal for the first time. I don't know, it's like he couldn't get enough.

Connor thought the inbetween picnic in our living room was amazing, particularly because it included jello.

Carl and I enjoyed two great sessions, but given the two distractions we call Connor and Tyler we can't wait to read it all in print.

Sundays for the Gaufins...

2009-09-29T13:38:00.000-07:00

"I not go to church..." repeated several times by resident 2 yr. old before church. Excitement reinstated only when promised he can "shave" and do his hair.

"Done?" repeated by same 2 yr. old after EVERY hymn sung and "amen" uttered during Sacrament Meeting (this is especially fun for everyone around us on Fast Sundays when lots of people bear their testimony or during the Primary Program when there's lots of singing).

A geyser of tears directly following the closing prayer for Sacrament Meeting indicating it is now time to go to nursery.

Happiness restored when Mom or Dad stay with Connor during nursery. More happiness when church is over and we're all "safe" for another week.

Church has a tendency to wear us all out, hence the ritual nap.

Early dinner followed by a walk in the neighborhood. This Sunday was no different, although after being chased by a HUGE rottweiler who was thankfully chained to a large tree in the front yard we've decided to be more selective in our routes.

To Connor's credit, he was marvelous during Sacrament Meeting this last week. Carl was asked to help pass the sacrament, leaving me alone for the first time with both boys during church. I confess I was skeptical that we'd last very long in the chapel. Perhaps it was the fire alarm that went off for several minutes RIGHT in the middle of sacrament that provided enough of a diversion that Connor didn't think to act up OR maybe he's growing up a little bit after all. Whatever the reason, I felt pleased as punch that his behavior was appropriate and contained. Well done Little Man!

P.S. Looks like they're related after all...

Yo Ho, Yo Ho

2009-09-20T14:51:00.000-07:00

Arrr Matey! In celebration of National Talk Like a Pirate Day (yesterday) we splurged and ate hot dogs...again. Truth be told it's not an every week meal in our family but it just seems to be accompanied by the stories worth telling (hence several posts re: hot dogs). Yesterday's meal was also inspired by the Idaho Spud Day celebration down in Shelley. We ate hot dogs, loads of potatoes, wore eye patches and taught Connor how to say "Arrr!". I'd say it was a satisfying and fulfilling day. ( That's a tattered treasure map serving as Connor's place mat)

So much fun that all our partying just plain tuckered out poor Tyler. He indulged us though with the eye patch thing. Thanks buddy!

Photo Shoot

2009-09-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

A big thank you to my sister-in-law for taking our family pictures this weekend. We had so much fun visiting and hanging out. Yay for families!

Zoo Days in Person

2009-09-10T19:41:00.000-07:00

So we made it to the zoo with some of our new friends. We sadly missed the elephants, pandas, giraffes, amphibians, reptiles (ok, there was 1 snake) but we saw a lion, a tiger, and TWO sloth bears. The biggest hit of course was the monkey house.
And just in case you weren't sure about the difference between boys and girls we have the following:
Cute, adorable, sweet pose of girl on bronze lion.
As for the boys, what could be better than sticking your head in a lion and dousing each other with water?

Labor Day!

2009-09-09T20:18:00.000-07:00

We spent the day doing the usual "American" thing: Laughing, lounging, and generally having a good time.
Unable to actually use our bbq (stinky apartment regulations), we made BBQ chicken wraps. Connor and Carl went "swimming"... It really wiped Tyler out just watching.

We finished the night off with cherry tarts (Thanks a bunch Tress for the cherries!).

Yay for holidays and having a reason to celebrate!

A Little Piece of Heaven

2009-09-05T20:39:00.000-07:00

The Sanity Reinforcement has arrived. I ordered this double jogging stroller 8 days ago and have been tracking its location ever since, desperate for some means of safely leaving the house (those of you who know Connor or have your own high-energy devious 2 year old know what I'm talking about). I was so excited when it got here that we snapped the wheels on and tossed the boys inside for a lovely spin around the house followed by a trip to the mall. I plan to use this EVERYDAY (well, until it snows...then maybe I'll have to reserve it for indoor use).

True to my word, we also used the stroller today to check out the local Farmer's Market. There are two here, one near our apartment in Ammon and one downtown in Idaho Falls. The downtown FM was fun but not nearly as cool as the Snake River Landing or Greenbelt or whatever it was we discovered just behind the FM. One thing we're loving about Idaho is the green. Beautiful!

And finally, my own little piece of heaven. Just before nodding off to sleep last night, Carl and I had a conversation that went something like this:

C: So is the library open on Saturdays?

K: Yeah. Why?

C: Because you should take a couple hours and just go hang out and get some you-time.

K: Yeah...maybe, that could be fun. (This last statement though truthful was relayed in an indifferent tone so as not to get overly excited should the opportunity really present itself).

But sure enough, the air never smelled so sweet as I was escorted/pushed out of the house this afternoon to soak in the quiet and liberty of being alone at the library. And may I say, we have a fabulous library! Thank you Carl for sending me/letting me go. It was so refreshing!

Take 2

2009-09-05T19:46:00.000-07:00

Together Time: Take 2
On Friday, as soon as Tyler went down for nap, Connor and I pulled out a blanket and laid it in the middle of the floor. We sang a few songs including 'Old McDonald' (being that we're focusing on animals this week) and played cards (Connor has a card set of animals and we just tested each other on the names of various animals, the sounds they make, and then either put them in the "zoo" or somewhere else). After cards we played "Hide From the Bears". This is a game that Carl and Connor made up when we were living in California. They would run around the house whispering, "A bear is coming. Hurry! Hide!" and then tuck themselves away in Connor's empty closet. Here in Idaho we're fresh out of empty closets so now Connor "hides" from the bears under the kitchen table, except for when he's looking for them in the toilet... After our game of bear chasing, we made banana bread and shared some with Curious George.

Connor is developing quite a capable imagination - just today he and Carl were "swimming" across an ocean and Connor stopped mid-swim to take off his socks so they wouldn't get wet. :)

Upcoming Field Trip: The Tautphaus Park Zoo. This coming week Sep. 7-11, the zoo is free to adults accompanied by a baby in a stroller.

Together Time

2009-09-02T06:17:00.000-07:00

That would be the current title for our toddler school-esque attempts at entertaining and teaching Connor. I'm hoping that having some scheduled activities and plans will help keep us sane this winter. The plan is to focus on a new topic every one to two weeks. We'll be playing games, reading books, taking field trips, and doing arts and crafts.

This week began with Zoo Days: We got out a bunch of stuffed animals you'd find at the zoo and set them up in the living room. First we trotted around the room stopping at the different stations to visit the animals and talk about what sounds they make. We also played music and occasionally I'd yell out an animal and then Connor had to run to that animal. These first two games didn't last long but the third was a big hit. We gathered lots of baby rings and Connor's job was to go around and feed each of the animals. He LOVED it. He kept telling me that he needed to feed them "one more time, k Mom?" We finished up by reading two stories about animals. Our field trip will be taking place next week. We'll be headed to the zoo of course.