Sarah, Micah, Asher, Elsa

Natural History Museum ROCKS!

2012-01-05T22:54:00.004-05:00

If you haven't been to the Natural History Museum in Pittsburgh, you should--this winter. It is awesome. The kids can do so many fun things! And they love it. Here is Sammy and Asher digging for Dinosaur bones.

Here's Asher, Benson, and Sammy--the trio of rambunctiously fun loving cousins!

Hello Gracie D, you could totally be a paleontologist!

You, too, Elsa! You adorable thing, you!

Brigham, you are just too sweet! Love the goggles on you!

Asher, you got it buddy!

Elsa having too much fun with the goggles and the robot (that is what she calls the camera, it gets her giddy) to even notice digging!

My favorite things there: AMAZING Gemstone collections, Amazing Dinosaur bone structures, M is for Museum (if you don't know what it is, just go and find out!)
Oh and you should go with me, because we have a pass that gets me and 8 others in free every time we go! So call me!

THANKSGIVING 2011--THE BEST!

2011-12-06T23:04:00.011-05:00

We got so so so lucky this year! 3 of my siblings and their brood came to visit us:
-My brother, Adam from L.A., and his adorable girlfriend, MaryAnn from Calgary
-My Sister, Lisa, and her husband, Cam, and their 4 gorgeous daughters, Eden, Faith, Lilly, and Grace from North Carolina
-My Sister, Julie and her sweet hubby Scott, from Kentucky
WE HAD A BLAST! WE DID SO MANY FUN THINGS! IT WENT WAY WAY WAY TOO FAST!

Here is the BIZ:The girls!

The boys!

With Auntie!
With Favorite Uncle!

We did an Official Pittsburgh Turkey Trot starting at PNC Park and ran across the yellow bridges through downtown. It was so fun. Thanks Lovey and Scotty for doing it with us!

We decided to brave the Ross Park Mall on Black Friday--of course we left he little kids at home! We were brave. It was insanely busy. We had to take a break in the the Love Sac shop! Pictures above is my cute hubby Micah, My cute brother Adam, and my cute niece Faith!

We did our own Turkey Trot as well and walked around the reservoir at Highland Park. It was a beautiful day and we had such a nice time! The best for pictures!
Adam got a new nice camera and was letting everyone get a chance to practice our skills on it!

Elsie on the bench---just enjoying the view!

Lisa, my awesome sis, and my hope-to-be-very-soon sis-in-law, MaryAnn,
chatting along the way! The chatting really was the best part of the week!

Micah and I discussing my stress of cooking Thanksgiving Dinner and hoping everything was going to work out okay (we went on the walk while most things were at home cooking)! He is such a good supportive hubby to me. I am the happiest girl in the world (with occasional unhappy moments that are most often not related to my husband, although sometimes they are!)!

The favorite Uncle Addy (Adam) and his gorgeous, wonderful girlfriend, MaryAnn, are definitely getting and giving lots of attention to the youngins! They were so good to them!

Huddle up, let me show you my smartphone--it rocks!

Then we went to the Zoo! The Leopard was loving us! Micah and him were racing I think!

And who is that Hot Mama pushing around her sweet daughter and niece, in the jogger???

Lilly is the epitome of sweetness. She is such a good girl.

Faith is amazing. She is so beautiful and growing up so much! I love her scarf!

There's Grace just hanging out with the leopard! She looks so cute with her hands in her pockets, little 2-year old who just turned 3!!!

The TIGER! They really come alive in the winter. Seriously!

Micah and I just before we ran off to get Addy and MaryAnn at the airport. I was soso excited to finally see my brother after a year and meet his girlfriend we have all heard SO much about!

Lovey, Scottie, Eden, Faith, Lilly, Asher, and I think Elsa in the stroller! Enjoying being together finally and being at the Pittsburgh Zoo!

Cousins!

Beautiful Eden! She is becoming a woman! Crazy. She is so fun to be around. Look at that hair!

We went to the Highmark Sports Works and had a ton of fun testing our physical skills!
Here is Faith riding out onto a steel beam overlooking the whole place.

Now here is Eden doing it, too! They have nerves of steel!!

Fun Saturday as a Fam!

2011-12-02T18:03:00.004-05:00

We love to go Running together as a family!!! I wish we could do it more! So much more!

Then we went to one of our kids' favorite places in Pittsburgh, "The Children's Museum"! Having a membership there has been so fun! The water play was totally empty so the kids just went at it and soaked themselves!

Look at that adorable PILOT! He loves the airplane!
She had so much fun, but wouldn't let go of that DOLLY! Oh she is such a girl and it is too cute!

PAINTING GONE AWRY!

2011-12-02T18:00:00.004-05:00

My kids, mainly Elsa-inspired, love to do ART on themselves! It can be really cute, and not-so-cute. This one was really cute because it only got on their skin, no clothes, and was easily washable! So I just let them at it and had to grab the camera! Oh my they are so so so cute! Honestly, for all the times the bug each other, they truly are BEST FRIENDS and have SO much FUN together! They wreak havoc on the house, but they make life worth living and bring true happiness to my and Micah's life! I love you my little sweeties (wheaties, needies)!

Obsessed with Umbrellas!

2011-12-02T17:56:00.004-05:00

Lately, my daughter has this intense love/hate relationship with umbrellas. She whines for the "ubrella" every time we walk past the closet (which is a lot--it is in the living room). It was cute at first, but now that I know how much she cries if i take it away, I try not to give it to her. But sometimes I have to give in because she gets SUCH A HUGE SMILE on her face when it opens up and she just prances around with it. I am thinking of getting her a small one for Christmas so it doesn't get in the way so bad and cause her stress!

Namma & Papa visit--Nov 2011

2011-11-29T11:23:00.014-05:00

Pittsburgh ZOO - November 8, 2011 - 70 degrees - Not crowded - The PERFECT Day

We had such a wonderful time when my parents were here! They spent every moment playing with the kids and playing games with us. The first day we walked down to the zoo and it was a perfect fall day. I am glad we went then, because the next few days were rainy and cold.
Here is Asher and his Papa--they shared this male bond that is so so sweet. Asher BAWLED when he left. Papa always spends so much time on the floor with him doing little projects and playing. I am so grateful because they are only see each other once or twice a year.

Yea, he was in heaven with both his grandparents attention on him. I love that joy evident on his face. I have the best parents.

Crawling in the Polar Bear trap, getting very dirty and...

LOVING IT!
We had to scrub hard with a few different soaps to get the dirt out of her little pink outfit by the end of the day. So worth it though!

Asher the Jaguar! AARRGGG!!!

Elsa just going solo in the double jogger while Big Asher had to walk! She did pretty good. Although she is wanting to get out a lot more now, too!

Perfect visual of what I stated above!

And of course, Elsa made it out pretty soon thereafter--she just had to WALK!

We can never pass the little rides in the beginning without riding them (although usually in the stationary form, using no coins--but thanks to fun grandparents with quarters, they got to actually ride this time-YAY!).

CEMETERY

We went to the Allegheny Cemetery for a little bit as we were passing it--it is really beautiful and and huge! The geese were getting so close and Asher had a fun time trying to touch one, but really he just chased them away!
My dad loves to learn about all things-he really enjoyed the headstones.

HANGING OUT TOGETHER
So pretty after a nap!
Snuggling her Papa! We were just doing genealogy together. It was really fun. We were transcribing postcards from my great grandma, Elsa Laird (Elsa's namesake).

SCIENCE CENTER
We love the new Sports Center that has more fun activities for big kids (and adults)!Almost ready!
Oh man, I feel like a cheerleader again! I was so giddy jumping up and down and doing back flips and toe touches. TOO MUCH FUN!
More lines--but enjoying hanging out together!Look at that Hot Babe about ready to pitch that baseball!Go Asher!Skateboarding--oh yeah!You are so fast, Babe! Wow!
The robots were pretty cool.The submarine was amazing. I have never been in one before. It was incredible to see how small it was and to imagine so many men living in there together for 6 or more months straight without ever seeing land. Wow. So cool.
Look at that thing--go inside next time you are there!

OAKMONT BAKERY
Of course we had to hit up the bakery. It is famous, inexpensive, and intensely Delicious!Thank you for coming to visit us here in Beautiful Pittsburgh! We had a perfect visit. It was so much fun! We love you and miss you so much!

Disneyworld Adventures 2011

2011-11-06T20:41:00.010-05:00

DISNEY WORLD--HERE WE COME!!!

FIRST-TIMERS ready for some FUN!!!

We had an early flight Monday morning and thankfully it was direct, so we made it unscathed! Then after waiting at the airport (as seen above) for the magical express bus, we made it to the resort! Yay! The Tsais were waiting for us at Port Orleans Riverside! We were excited and exhausted and totally ready to go!

We didn't have any of our luggage yet, so instead of waiting around for it in an empty room, we just headed out to the park!!! Destination for Day#1 EPCOT! I love that giant globe. So cool.

They had a really amazing aquarium, themed around Finding Nemo. Along with some fun rides, and taking with Crush, the sea turtle from the show, which Asher loved. That has got to be one of the best Pixar/Disney movies ever.

They loved dancing to this outdoor band in the park. The music was so loud, so I took Elsa out and got her to sleep in the stroller while they lived it up. I am not much of a rocker!!!

Then we met POOH and TIGGER, which the kids loved. Especially Elsa because she plays with their stuffed animals at home all the time. SO CUTE! OH and then we ate at this really nice Italian restaurant there! Of course we (the kiddos)made a huge mess but I had to remind myself that we were in Disney World, not Italy!

Then Day #2 ANIMAL KINGDOM!

It was so fun there! We went on an amazing African Safari and saw awesome animals and landscape. Really beautiful and felt so real!

We watched a really professional and fun Finding Nemo Live Musical, met more characters, and enjoyed the scenery and food (yummy African Buffet--I think my favorite cuisine of the trip)! The rains came and went but we didn't really notice!

Day # 3 MAGICAL KINGDOM--the happiest place on earth! However, during the night Asher got really sick and it persisted throughout the rest of the trip, so this day wasn't quite as magical as we wanted it. We enjoyed ourselves, but parts felt a bit more like endurance than anything as Asher clung to us with sunken eyes and moaning. We still saw some fun things though!

Day #4 MAGICAL KINGDOM again! We only got to see some of it on Wed and then Thursday we took it easy and stayed at resort and swam and tried to let Asher get a little better before we went out to the park. Also during the night Elsa developed croup so she coughed constantly through the night and basically between the 2 sick kids it was into the morning before we got any shut eye, a lot of interruptions through out the night, and then early mornings for us as well. But I was just happy to be awake because the croup is so much worse at night. So we didn't see much of Magical Kingdom on day 4 either, but we got bits and pieces each time. We did see a cool light parade and ate lunch with Characters!

We ate at the boardwalk that night and had a nice walk and then ferry ride.

Everything feels so authentic!

DAY #5 Hollywood Studios! Well from the picture above you see that Asher is not getting better and we are getting a little stressed, so we went to the first aid station at Hollywood studios and got a laxative (because we tried everything else and noticed that he hadn't had a bm in quite a while). It didn't kick in immediately, but we were still determined to see some fun stuff there.

And we did, our favorite being the Beauty and the Beast show. Oh, I love that story and the music. It was really good. We had great seats. The kids enjoyed it. Although it was outdoor and it so so so hot and humid. Still worth it!

Then the great thing happened: after lunch Asher finally pooped and then seemed to have a little while where he started to seem like he was getting better--so we headed back to Hollywood studios after naps for the kids (which they so needed with all the lack of sleep during the night). It was actually really fun! We ate a yummy cuisine with the Tsais, then even traded kids so we could go on an adult roller coaster together with our spouses as well . We did the rolling stones ride and it was FAST. We also did the Toy Story ride with the kids, it was awesome. Then we watched their big show at the end of the night with fireworks at the end. It was cool, but Asher started feeling sick again, so we headed back.

DAY #6 MAGICAL KINGDOM for real. So Asher slept better and since we had to be back to board our bus to get the airport by noon, we headed out first thing to magical kindgom so we could actually enjoy Fantasy Land. And we so did. We hit 6 or 7 rides in 2 hours and I saw It's a Small World for the 1st time and loved it! It was a very fun few hours and very productive. I was glad the kids were starting to feel at least a little better so we could enjoy that.

Here we are waiting to see the Mickey Show. It was a little odd, but fun nevertheless. Overall we had a great trip. The kids finally for better a day or two after we got home, so that was sad that they couldn't enjoy it as much as we had hoped! But, it was still so great.

We had so much fun being with our close friends, Mel and Jeff Tsai along with their adorable kids, Chase and Ami. They were and are so good to us and so fun to be with!

We did others things like Karaoke as and adult date night which was really fun, but super embarrassing for me and Mel, but the guys loved it. Micah and I also hit up Downtown Disney for a quick date after the kids went down on our last night (thanks Tsais). We got their exactly 16 minutes before we had to be back on the ferry, so we got a few mementos and were out of there. It was still really nice to see though.

I bet this will be something we go back and do in like 5 years when our kids are older and it will be even that much more fun! Go DisneyWorld! SO M U C H FUN !

FAMILY PICS-Fall 2011

2011-11-06T14:06:00.005-05:00

BETHANY WILDE IS AMAZING!

We got our family pictures taken by one of my very closest friends here in Pittsburgh, and I feel so grateful! Bethany has been such a blessing for me ever since I moved here 3 1/2 years ago, doing A LOT for me, but most importantly, being my true and close friend! I have really needed her and I am so blessed to know her!
THANK YOU FOR THE PICTURES BEP!

Adorable things Asher and Elsa say!

2011-10-30T22:18:00.007-04:00

ASHER

"When Jesus eats, He eats peanut butter, huh Daddy!?"
"I love you so much Mommy" said over and over while kissing me (so tender)
"I like peanuts mommy, because -pause- Daddy like peanuts" (He want to be just like his dad)
"Frosting means we should eat it, Mom" "It's yum" (while making cupcakes with me)
"Daddy, you wanna play with me Dad, you wanna" (and then he is smiling from ear to ear because of course Micah wants to play with him)
"That's not gonna be scary, huh, mom, huh?"
"Mom, can I play the ipad for just like 2 minutes?" or "Can I play just one little game, mom, just one game?" (while holding up his finger and looking so cute, but of course he is going to freak out if I only let him play for 1 game or 2 minutes)
"Mommy, we only peepee on the potty, not in our pants" (right after he pees his pants)
"Mommy/Daddy, you need to sit by me, you need to" (he loves to be close)
And SO SO SO much more...

ELSA

Sings "ABCDEFGH...." all day, it is so so cute
"Hold you Daddy, hold you" with her arms outstretched to either me or Micah
Brings a book to us, "Read a book, Mommy/Daddy" You wanna read a book Els? "Yah"
"I want my dolly" dolly" "dolly" while reaching out and crying out until she gets her.
"I want my gankie (blankie)" "gankie" "gankie", "My glanket" in her sweet whiny voice
"Mommy, I poopoo" You are Els? "Yah"
"Cheeeessseeee" for please (it is so cute) whenever she wants something
"Woah" "A light" "Yook Mommy Yook"
"Tank you Daddy" (she loves saying daddy)
"I yuv you"
"Tisses" "Hugs" She loves to hung and kiss all little kids, dolls, and people--it is so sweet
She folds her arms, "Heaveny Fader" "tis day" "r famiy" "Aser" "Elsa" "food" "ANENN!!" And then a big smile! Translation: Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for this day, thank you for our family, thank you for Asher and Elsa, thank you for the food, In the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN---she loves to fold her arms and pray and repeat Book of Mormon scriptures after us each night as well. She is so sweet with her little words and half jibberishness!
AND SO MUCH MORE...

DARK HAIR!!!

2011-10-16T13:46:00.003-04:00

I decided to go back to my natural color!! Micah really wanted me to and I was sick of highlighting it so often (Or not highlighting it so often and having my roots be long and not very cute) so I finally just decided to do it. Luckily, I have a good friend here who does hair and she did it way better than I ever could have. However, I know most of you are thinking this is not your natural color--that's the catch. You have to dye it darker than your natural and then let it fade because I had so much bleach in it. So, we'll see how it looks in a few weeks or months! It was a SHOCK at first to see MY face with dark hair since I have been a blonde and then a bleached blonde since forever. For now though, I am really liking it more and more each day as I get used to it. It is a fun change and it even matched my eyebrows. So maybe I will stay dark from now on! We'll see. Thanks Amanda! You are amazing!

It's POTTY TIME!

2011-10-05T14:08:00.002-04:00

Asher is POTTY TRAINED!!! I never thought I would be able to say that! Well, he still has accidents and it is still frustrating because I get so discouraged when he does, but it has only been 6 days and he is doing pretty well! He turned 3 last Monday, so we decided it would be a good time to help him be a BIG BOY and go peepee and poopoo on the potty! He does #1 ALMOST perfectly on the potty, but #2 is FAR from where I want it to be. He is a little scared to just let it go on the potty. We'll get there. No going back now!

Elsa loves the potty, but I am not ready to take her on yet. Once Asher has really got it and is independent at going on the potty, then I will start to think about training her! At least now I am not so scared of it. It does take a lot of work and focus, but I do love not changing as many diapers, that is for sure!

Oh and it is so cute, every time Asher sits on the potty, he gets the BIGGEST smile on his face once he starts to peepee, and it is really cute. He gets so proud of it!

Night Night Time!

2011-10-05T14:03:00.002-04:00

I love when my kids are clean from the bath, in their comfy jammies, their teeth are brushed, and we are all gathered together to sing a hymn, read the Book of Mormon, and pray together, then have a few minutes of playing around together before we put them to bed. It is such a special time to wrap up the day and have a little family bonding! In this particular instance, they are jumping on the bed--which is one of their favorite activities. I admit, I think it is cute, as long as they don't fall off! AREN'T THEY ADORABLE TOGETHER?
Getting them to stay happily in their bed is a different story, but they are getting better at it!

MOVIE in the PARK!

2011-10-05T13:57:00.002-04:00

Tangled is one of OUR favorite movies (I know I have posted about it before), so when our awesome friends, Carmen Maria and Steve and Iago invited us to join them to watch it for free in the park, we totally agreed! It was actually perfect, minus the late hour and the stench of smoke from everyone thinking they should smoke during it because they were outdoors, because my kids didn't have to sit still or be perfectly quiet, plus we could bring our own snacks and toys! We all had a really good time, especially Elsa, even though we thought she would be so tired. Asher also loved being with his favorite buddy, Iago!

My little Biker!!!

2011-10-01T11:42:00.003-04:00

Asher has finally learned to ride his bike super well! It seemed like he was just a little too short for it during the first part of the summer and then we just tried it one day and he could do it! I think he just needed that extra inch! It is fun to watch him gain confidence in his new-found skill! He just turned 3 and he is my BIG BOY! I love him so much!Elsa wants to do everything Asher does. It is so cute. So she had to wear mommy's helmet for a little bit after Asher's ride! She is my sweet little girl!

Biking along the River and Playing in the Waterfall Pools!

2011-08-23T14:58:00.004-04:00

We had such a perfect Saturday a while back! We biked along the beautiful Allegheny River and ended up on the north shore between Heinz Field and PNC Park at the most perfect pools for little children to play in! They are shallow, they have waterfalls, they are big, there is a lot to explore, and best of all, they are free! We had such a fun time, especially the kiddos!

We stopped for lunch at this adorable gazebo on the way back.

It was the perfect end to our perfect bike/swim trip!

Summer days!

2011-08-15T22:23:00.004-04:00

AT THE PARK!

These little blonde friends look so cute together!

And I love the pond and fountain!

Sharing skittle so nicely! Nothing like eating candy when you are 2--oh the joy!

Elsa was enjoying the picnic side of it. She had a big blow out to prove it! Love ya Els!

AT HOME!

Then later that day there was a rainstorm! It was intense. We have a had a bunch of those this summer. The kids enjoyed an inside view of it!

What's up Ash?

I love my sissy! I love my bro! Hugs all around!

Actually my kids hug and kiss a lot. Elsa randomly comes up to us and hugs us and says " I wuv you" and gives "mmm" sounds which means she want to kiss. Asher does the same now.

They are so sweet! I love my kids.

Then the rain stops and we are out it in the backyard again!

You can ride it either way my little sweetie!

She is just too much fun, literally. She cracks me up ALL day!

I love the summer days of being able to go on runs, walks, go to he zoo, the parks, visit neighbors, play in the water, and explore. The weather has been so nice these past few day--please stay this way forever. PLEASE!

SWINGS

2011-08-15T22:14:00.003-04:00

My kids are addicted to the swings! Especially Elsa! Asher usually likes them, but gets sick of them pretty quickly, but now that Elsa never want to stop swinging, he has started to love it, too. Usually they are each in their own swing, but in this instance there wasn't enough swings, so we improvised and they had a ball. I love these two with their HUMONGOUS SMILES! She never seems to tire of a big push from mommy and Asher never seems to get a big enough one! We do Under dogs and Under dinosaurs and Under everything. We play peekaboo and I eat their toes and it is just so fun. I love the view I have of both of them as they swing and laugh and smile and say "More" Higher" Mommy"!

Look at that pure joy!!!

ELSA IS WALKING! FINALLY!

2011-07-23T16:20:00.003-04:00

Elsa has been crawling for a long time. It turned into bear crawling somewhere in there, which is really cute! Well, she is now 14 months, almost 15 months, and she has been crawling since 6 months (so like 8+ months!), and has finally decided that she can stand up straight, take steps, and still get to where she wants to go! It is so fun to see her walk. She loves to do it most of all while holding something/anything. Her favorite is holding a couch pillow, walking around the living room in circles until she falls down on her pillow and laughing. It is too cute! She gets so proud of herself and we get even more proud of her every time she take a lot of steps! Oh, she is such a little ball of positive energy! How did I get so lucky to have her as my little girl? Heavenly Father is so good to me and Micah! We talk about it all the time--we just can't get enough of her.

CRAWLING

BEAR CRAWLING (her favorite)

WALKING WITH HELP

FIRST FEW STEPS

Just a day at home with my two favorite kids on earth!

2011-07-23T15:35:00.005-04:00

Every so often I just have to blog about how much I love my kids! I usually forget to take pictures of the most precious moments, so on this day I just had the camera out and took a bunch. Most of these pics are pretty ordinary, but to me, it shows just how adorable and fun my little boy and girl are. I want to remember them at every stage. They grow up so fast!

Look at that big 2 year old cutie! Seriously, he is so sweet to me. He loves to kiss, hug, and snuggle me, play puzzles with me, watch his shows with me, play whatever he can with me, work out with me, and do all sorts of adventures together. I love Asher so much.

Elsa is in love with books.

"I am happy to say that this particular book you are reading (The Book of Mormon) is an excellent choice my daughter and I pray you keep up the great habit!"

She loves toys! I mean, duh, what kid doesn't? But seriously, I love that she and Asher can just dump all the toys out and entertain themselves in such creative ways. Kids are so awesome!

I love seeing them play nicely by each other.

Although, that look on Asher's face tends to mean he is going to pounce! Watch out Els!

"I'm just chillin', Mom. What's up with you?"

Please tell me these two are totally BRO and SIS!

Seriously, I love that look on both of their faces.

Another adorable smiley face! I love love when he poses. It is so rare!

Can her pig tails get any cuter? There are SO MANY things I love about having a girl, SO SO MANY: doing hair, dressing her, how pretty she is, how fun her personality she is, the drama, the laughs, the body, the sweetness, the snuggles, the early verbal connection, the many many words she says each day, and so much more!

Uh-oh! Caught in the act of making messes with the diapers--wait, that is her life, she is 14-months, of course she is going to dump and destroy whatever she can get her hands on! It is how she learns and explores the world from her level! And I love it (most of the time!).

Happy Cow Day!

2011-07-16T23:11:00.002-04:00

Our New Family Tradition:

Dress up like cows every year on Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-a and enjoy lots of YUMMY free meals! The chicken nuggets are the best, the lemonade is so fresh, and the play place is perfect for the kids! I felt like it was to good to be true that we would get free meals just for cutting and pinning lots of black dots to our white clothes, but it wasn't. They rang in all our orders, 2 kids meals, 2 adult meals, a shake, and it all rang up as $0.00! SSWEET! I'll take it!

So worth the cow 'get up'.

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-15T22:31:00.006-04:00

We had a great 4th of July! We went camping over the weekend at Racoon Creek State park with some of our awesome friends in the ward! It was really fun! We even fit 2 pack n plays and our double blow up mattress in our little 4-man tent. It was tight, but doable! We chatted, ate, laughed, enjoyed the kids running around, played sports, enjoyed Micah's Brazilian hammock (one side of it actually came off while Micah and I were laying in it talking after the kids were in bed and we hit the ground pretty hard all of the sudden, but other than that), rode bikes, and went to the beach (lake). It was such a great lake for kids. So much sand and shallow water. We had a fun time!

Then we spent the next night and the actual 4th of July with Micah's brother and family! WE are so lucky to have them so close! We went swimming, ate, talked, played Settlers of Catan (our favorite game ever), and went downtown and watched the most AMAZING fireworks show ever! It was a late night, but so worth to sit right now the river and see the fireworks so up close. Elsa loves it, but Asher got a little scared. Both of them wanted to be held close the whole time though because the BOOMS were so loud! Unfortunately, I didn't get many pictures--I got lazy and was depending on David and Julie's Rebel to capture it all! So more pictures to come!

I did get a few of Micah and Elsa on the 4th being cute though!

And here is our breakfast that we ate the day after the 4th because it was the only morning that we were actually home. It isn't that pretty, but it was sure yummy! I am so thankful for our freedoms that I so often take for granted. We are so blessed!

My little pancake man!

2011-07-15T22:17:00.002-04:00

Asher loves loves loves Pancakes! He wants them for every meal.

So I make them a lot. He decided to help me one day and it made it so fun!

He did really well being careful flipping them (with my help)!

Don't they look yummy!?!

They are 100% whole wheat, banana-zucchini pancakes!

A great way to make them a little better for you!

RRRRRRR Me Matie!

2011-07-15T13:57:00.002-04:00

PIRATES! DORA! What more can I say? LOVE! TRUE LOVE!

So, Asher has this new obsession with Pirates and I am not quite sure how much I want to feed it. I mean aren't Pirates always bad? Don't they make a living off stealing and idle away their time looking for treasure and drinking strong ale? Either way, he likes the eye patch, the hat, the boats, and the swords--so we will keep it very kid-friendly.

I love the new Dora Pirate exhibit at the children's museum! The kids can dress up and steer the ship. It was really cute. Here we are saying RRRR!

Elsa looks so cute in that hat. I adore her more and more everyday.

Asher is a true little pirate! I am thinking the whole family will dress as pirates for Halloween. Micah has a great Jack Sparrow 'get up'!

Oh how I love that little brother and sister!

Oh and check out that adorable little baby bum! She is too cute!

Big Boy Bed!

2011-07-15T13:41:00.004-04:00

BIG BOY BED!

Well, he is actually only in a toddler bed, but that is a big boy bed to us! The change went better than I thought it would. I put it off forever even though we have had the bed for months (another freecycle find!) because I hate transitions with kids and their sleep. However, Micah was home over the 4th and I get much more motivated to change things when he is around (and he'd been wanting it for a while)--so we did it.

Here is what I thought 10 days ago when I first made the change:

Okay, so he is still sleeping in till 8 and still napping in it, it just takes a lot of effort to get him to stay in it long enough to fall asleep, but once he is in there--he's good.

My thoughts as of today:

Regret. He now wakes up at 6:45am and come in my room and will not go back to sleep even tough he's tired, even if he goes to bed at 9 or 10pm. It still takes effort to keep him in his bed at night long enough to fall asleep, but the tireder or darker it is, the easier. As for naps, well, he always says he wants to lay in Elsa's bed (the crib with the tent) so I just put him in there, zip him in, and don't even deal with the fight to keep him in his bed. However, he cries to get out and sometimes wakes up Elsa who is alseep in a pack n' play in my room, and so it is frustrating. I feel like I need my alone time to study scriptures, read, nap, or do all those other little things that I can't do with kids around. I don't know if I should just abandon the nap, or just keep making him stay in that tent for an hour so I can study and such and then if he isn't asleep, then I will get him out. I cherish nap time SO MUCH. Aagghh, what to do?

This is his first nap in the big boy bed. I love how he still sleeps up against the wall like in the crib. He is so so so cute. I love sleeping kids!!!!

Trip to Indiana to see some family!

2011-06-28T14:56:00.008-04:00

So, after our weekend in Columbus, I decided to be adventurous and head out all by myself with the kiddos on a little road trip to Elkhart, IN, to see my sister, Charity, whom I have always been very very close to, as well as my grandma, grandpa, step-grandma, and favorite cousin, Angela! I was nervous about the 5-6 our without Micah's help and company--but we did it and it went great! Micah was very supportive and I left the house A TOTAL MESS!!! I am serious, but he told me to just go and that I would be glad I did (since my sister lives in UT and I only get to see her once to twice a year and she has 4 kids so it is really hard for her to make it out East and since she was only 5 hours away at my grandma's with only one of her children, it would be a perfect time to be together for a few days). So I mapped out a few places I could stop on the way to let the kids get their wiggles out, woke up the next morning, packed and was off. After a few hours of movies and being strapped to their car seats, the kids had needed a break, so we stopped at a park and ate lunch and played for a while. Then the rest of the drive they slept or were pretty happy. We made good time! Then we spent the next 3 days in Indiana!

Here is my adorable little niece, Charlotte (Dito, Carla...), who is the same age as Elsa, but is much smaller and more docile! I loved her. She was so sweet and pleasant to be around.

Here is a picture of my beautiful, amazing, inspiring sister, Charity! Behind her is the farm we visited in Union, Michigan, which is the farm my Grandma was raised on and where my dad spent his summers and many other days while growing up. It was such a treat to visit some places that are very important to my heritage!

Here is Asher drawn to the big green tractor on the farm! Such a little boy!

They had cows, pigs, dogs, chickens, kitties, and more...Oh and the pigs were so cute and friendly. Asher even got in their dirty pen with them! It was fun to see. The farmer (my dad's cousin) said that pigs have a lifespan of 9 months--wow, how sad.

It was fun to meet distant cousins that I never knew. Here is Rob and his daughter who basically run the farm! They were so nice and fun to talk to.

The two little baby girls were enjoying the grass and being by each other, although I have to admit, Charlito was enjoying it more. It was really hot and definitely nap time and my kids only lasted so long!

Here's the trio! I love being with my two sweet children. It was a little hard while staying at Grandma's house though because they are both SUPER ACTIVE and into everything, so I had to constantly be on guard and cleaning up, but it was worth it.

Here is my sweet 85 year-old Grandma who still lives on her own in the same house she has lived in for like 50-60 years in this cute, small town in the Midwest. She still walks a mile or two every day with her dog, Mimi, which she overfeeds often and is pretty chunky for a small dog because my grandma has a mild dementia and forgets she has already fed her. It is funny to watch. She really loves that dog. It is so sweet.

She has these wonderful windows that let so much sunlight in and also attract little kiddos as well! Elsa especially loved standing there and climbing up and down on the window it was cute.

Charity did Elsa's hair in piggies on the back of her head for the first time and we all fell in love! She is so irresistible!

My sweet sister and my sweet baby! I love seeing these two together!

Here is my favorite cousin Angie, with Char, Grandpa, and Asher, all talking away. Every time we visit Elkhart, we stay with my grandma, but we also go and visit my grandpa and grandma Lawson for a few hours and eat lunch outside in their garage. It is always good to see how old age is softening and humbling my grandpa! He is such a sweet old man and his wife does everything for him. He is blind and deaf and suffers many many strokes and she is so patient and kind to him. He is lucky to have such a great companion! Go Irene!

Charity with the Grandpa and Grandma Lawson (my dad's dad and step mom)

And I got lucky enough to get a picture with them, too!

Elsa and Asher loved climbing their ladder in the garage. We just had to stay really close to them so they didn't slip off. It was rainy outside and they all got really wet.

Asher definitely enjoyed the ice cream sandwich!

And THANK THE HEAVENS that they both slept part of the way home! I couldn't have done with without it! The trip back was a little longer than the way there and we did have a big blowout in the car seat by sweet Elsa, but nonetheless we made it back in time for dinner (well I had to make it first because of course Micah was still at work!). I would do it again, but I must say I like traveling with Micah the most!

Camping in West Virginia with Lisa and Ala and their families!

2011-06-27T22:31:00.005-04:00

Since two of my sisters, Lisa and April live in North Carolina, we meet in the middle and camp in West Virginia! It is a great, inexpensive way to gather and bond with each other! I love it! We didn't actually do that much stuff, but it was so nice to just be together, chat, play games, throw the ball around, cook food, eat, and have campfire activities! I love all my nieces and nephews, but especially it was fun to be with my older ones because we can talk on a different level and it is fun to get to know them better as teens or preteens! I loved the little ones as well!

Cam was such a good sport! Despite the heat, he took such good care of the kids and did awesome at cooking meals and was just so fun to talk to and be around!

Oh and gotta love that broken camping chair!

When dont' know how to keep the little ones entertained, yes there is always the fallback of the iphone-even out in the boondocks! Thanks for having cool gadgets Cam!

Micah brought his Brazilian hammock and the kids loved it! Oh and they were also so helpful with Elsa! She is at a fun stage, but since she is not walking, crawling all over a campsite gets kinda messy and yucky, so THANK YOU Micah, Eli, Eden, and Faith for all your help with her!

Since we were hours from a church building, we had our own church. I always love to do the talks and testimonies with my own family out in God's nature! Jake even gets permission and brings a sacrament tray and we have the bread and water!

More of our little church in the woods!

Eden gave a great talk about Prayer. I was really impressed with her knowledge. She just turned 12 this past week! I can't believe it! She is a young woman now!

Micah wore his official scout uniform (he is the venture scout leader in our stake) for the service!

Eli was really helpful and cooked up some awesome burgers on our camping stove!

And of course, it wouldn't be a Lawson-girl get together if Lisa wasn't weaving some one's hair! Yay! This time it was mine and I needed it. Thanks Prt. I love you!

I wish I would have got more pictures, but I get so into what we are doing that I forget all about the camera most of the time!

I love my sisters and their families so much!

Weekend with the Hills in Columbus, OH!

2011-06-27T15:41:00.004-04:00

We met up with my sweet little sis, Julie (Lovey) and her hubby, Scott, in Columbus last weekend and it was so so so much fun! We stayed in a hotel for two nights and it worked out great. The kiddos slept in one room and we played games, ate treats, and had fun in the other room (while checking on them very frequently and luckily they are in a great stage right now where they sleep almost perfectly every night!) We did sealing in the temple, ate out, went biking on this great trail, went running, attempted to swim but never made it, shopped a little, went to church, ate in the church kitchen and then headed back to our homes! It was perfect!

Stretching and feeding Elsa!

The Gang! We seriously had so much fun! It felt so good to work out all together and accomplish something new for me (10 miles on the bike and then 4 miles running right after--I am thinking about doing a duathlon now)! I love having a bike now. Why did I wait so long?

They are so good with my kids!

It is so helpful to me and so fun for the kids to be with Juey and Scottie!

I love my sister so so much. We had such a great talk as we ran and biked. There is truly nothing so sweet as a sister/best friend relationship. And lucky me, I have 4 sisters whom I love and feel very very close to. Thanks for the great time Lovey!

Check out that Hot couple! Seriously! And just after working out!

They are going to be the best parents! My kids ADORE them!

Micah went to Brazil last year and brought us back matching shirts and since they looked kinda bikerish, I thought it would be fun to match for the day! Oh how I love my little family!

ESTHER!!!!COMES!TO!PITTSBURGH!!!

2011-06-12T16:19:00.007-04:00

May 9-14 -- Micah is TOO good to me! He went to Florida for the week for work and because Mother's day was the week before and my Birthday the week after adn he knows how lonely I get without him, he SURPRISED me and flew out my bestest friend in the world, Esther!!! Our good friends here, Hyun and Meehyun, invited me over for FHE on Monday night, but what I didn't realize is that they actually picked up Esther at the airport and had her hiding in their bathroom when I showed up. They told me to go wash my hands in the bathroom, so I did and she was in there and yelled surprise. WOW. That was crazy. I totally totally totally did not expect that. It took a few minutes to process, but then man, was I pumped!!!!!! Micah, I love you! You are beyond good to me! We had a great week! Unfortunately though, I got sick that Monday night (my 4th breast infection) in the middle of the night and it was terrible. I was throwing up, I couldn't eat, I hurt so bad, I could hardly sit up and had to lay all day, I was cold, then hot, then cold...it was really bad. So, needless to say, Esther SAVED me. She cooked, cleaned, took care of me and the kids and I felt really really bad about it, but was so grateful. I was better by Wed night/Thurs morning, thanks to a blessing by my home teachers and sleep and essential oils and herbs (and yes I should have got the antibiotic, but I was TOO sick to even get up, how could I have gone to the doctor's office?) and Esther and Laurel (who took Asher twice so I could rest--you are an angel). So the rest of the time, we had a bawl!!!

We went to Squaw Valley Park and had a picnic, then went to Rita's afterward for some tasty Italian ice/custard! We went running on the river trail and showed her PNC Park and Heinz Field. We bought authentic Polish Pierogies from a Polish lady in Mckeesport and they were so so so so so yummy! We totally chatted with her in Polish and it felt so good. We also went to a Polish Deli in the strip and bought polish chocolate to our heart's content!

(BTW Esther and I have been best friends since we were young and then we were blessed to get called to the same mission: Poland Warsaw--so we both share the same 2nd language and many special experiences from the same part of the world!)

We shopped at H&M, a store we went to together in Warsaw on our P-days, and some cute shirts and matching shoes! It was so nice to shop with her. It made me think shopping was actually kinda nice! We ate at Primanti brothers(fries and coleslaw inside the sandwich), bought matching Steeler's shirts, talked a lot, and played games! It was so so so fun! I loved having Esther here with me--I wish I could have her all the time. She is already an amazing mom and isn't even married yet. I am so grateful for her help and all I learned from her.

This is just one picture to show how incredibly helpful she was to me while I was so sick. Thank you for mowing my lawn and doing my dishes and so much more!!!

She is so valiant. She loves the gospel and studying her scriptures!

RUNNING on the river trail!

She pushed most of the way because I was still recovering. You are tough, Est!

Our Midpoint stop on the run: Heinz Field!

BFFE!!! Best Friends For Eternity!

We picked up Micah Friday night from the airport so we all three got to spend a little time together--of course we had to play Catan! Our favorite game ever!

Well as you can see from the pics I was a sore loser and now I can't remember if it was Micah or Esther who won, but either way, we had a ball! Oh and the week went by so fast because Esther was here, but I was still so glad to have my cutie back home!

Here are our matching H&M shoes that we got for 10 bucks! Asher wanted to stand by us and made sure to tell us that we looked cute! He is so sweet!

Esther and I at the lookout at Mt. Washington! Isn't Pittsburgh beautiful!? I love it here!

Elsa had to join us for one of our many pictures of course!

And I must say, that is a darn cute family! What a perfect night to all be together with my family and my bffe!

Our last moment together as I dropped her at the airport. The week went way way too fast!

I miss you Esther! Tesknie za toba!

Look at that single beauty, off to find Mr. Right in AZ! He will be a very lucky man!

ELSA IS ONE!!!

2011-06-12T16:16:00.001-04:00

April 24-- Elsa turned one! So, she is now 13 months and getting cuter everyday! She is very verbal and says many many words: apple (her first one), Asher, Daddy/a, Mama, I wuv you, I got you, Hi, Bupye, doggy, cat, Elsa, Yum, Kisses (isses), sorry, ank you, she knows sounds of letters A, B, D, G, and she babbles all the time and mimics most words you say. It is so so so cute and so much fun!

She is still crawling and bear crawling all over the place, going up an down stairs, climbing onto things and then getting herself into a predicament and cries for mommy to get her down, walking all over while holding onto furniture or finger, and finally standing on her own with out holding on, but still too scared to take that first step, but I have a feeling it is coming soon!

She is very intense and does all the normal baby things like go crazy when she sees food or her bottle (yes, I weaned her a few weeks ago because I was SO done with breast infections (I had like 5) and she still needed some comfort so she took well to her 1st bottle at 12 months) and eats everything. I love this stage because so much because it is so hard to get Asher to eat anything but fruit, meat, pancakes, and cheese (of course anything sweet)--so yea, Elsa eats like 3 times as much as him at every meal.

She loves playing with her brother, getting into the drawers and cupboards, turning the computer on and off, pulling down papers and books off the shelf, reading books, hugging and cuddling her stuffed animals, pushing around toys, and just playing with everything and anything she can get her hands on.

She is definitely a thumb sucker and I guess I will have to figure out how to break that at some point, but for now it is quite convenient because she sleeps PERFECTLY every night and takes great naps! She also loves to bounce and jump and dance and cuddle, If I am ever on the floor she mauls me with love and if I am standing by her, she hugs my legs. She loves to pat me. Oh, she is just the sweetest, most fun and adorable baby around. She has 4 teeth on top and 2 on bottom and her smile melts my heart. She is giggly, happy, and loud! I love you Elsa!

Tribute to my MOM!

2011-05-08T14:06:00.007-04:00

It is easy for me to get wrapped up in myself on Mother's Day now that I am a mother of two kids. It is hard work, but mainly pretty darn fun and fulfilling. I am so happy being a mother. It truly is the greatest calling and job I have and will ever have. I am sure it will just get harder, but I am going to try hard to enjoy every stage.

Well, since my husband has been amazing and totally pampered me today with making all the meals, taking care of many kid duties, posting a beautiful sign for me, giving me an incredible gift, and treating me so wonderfully (which he does all the time anyway, but still I love it)--I figure I better do something to let my own mother know who much I love and appreciate her on this Mother's Day!

My mom does so much for me it is amazing. Micah is always amazed at how my mom will do anything for me. I honestly feel so spoiled. If I even mention that I am sick or need a certain something that I can't get here/or is not easy to get here (like fabric, herbs, baby stuff, Downeast shirts...) my mom will immediately say " Oh I will get that for you" and she takes time out of her busy life to get it for me and send it the next day or two. It's like, I think it, I tell my mom in passing on the phone, and then I get it in the mail. Wow!!! She is so so so thoughtful.

That last day we were in Utah ( 1.5 weeks ago) we were scheduled to leave Tuesday at 4:30pm, but we checked our flights right before and we ended up getting delayed until the next day at the same time. It turned out to be a huge blessing though because I got mastitis again in my other breast and got really sick. I literally could hardly get off the couch or lift my head the whole day, I don't know what I would have done if we would have had to fly home that night. Anyway, my mom saved me that day. She gave me so many herbs and oils and a salt bath and fed me, took care of my kids, and was just so quick to help me in any way I needed. IT FELT SO GOOD TO BE NURTURED AND MOTHERED THAT WAY. Honestly, nobody does that like your own momma! I felt so grateful for her help and love.

My mom always comes out when I have my babies and spends the whole week+ serving me and my family constantly. She cooks, cleans, does laundry, sews, takes care of all my postpartum needs, listens to me, offers advice, buys me medicinal stuff, holds the babies, grocery shops, runs errands, talks to me, plays with the kids, bakes, gives gifts, and just does any and everything we need. She is literally a power mom and grandma!

She has always been there for me and my 5 sisters and brother. She has devoted her whole world to loving, serving, caring, teaching, blessing, and training us. She has been our friend, but also someone who puts her foot down. She has never been perfect, but she has always done the most important things first--like stay home with us and be at every cross road, cook nourishing meals for us, give us work to do, talk with and listen to us, help us excel in school and homework, help us succeed in whatever sports/hobbies/interests we have, always make a home where we could have friends over and they felt warmth and love, always support my dad in family prayer and family home evening and bring the spirit into our home, and always love us with a Christlike love, a motherly love that gave us confidence and strength.

I am so grateful for you mom! You are beautiful, kind, happy, giving, loving, and pure. I am so lucky to be your daughter and pray I can carry on your example and what you have taught me to my own sweet children! Happy Mother's Day! I love you!

Steelers Fan Blitz

2011-05-06T10:20:00.007-04:00

We won 4 VIP tickets for the Steeler's Fan Blitz at HEINZ FIELD last Saturday and it was so much fun! It was really laid back and we just walked around, took pictures, ran around, and ate yummy food! I love winning stuff-especially because we would have never done this on our own.

Micah and Asher had to have jerseys! I thought they were too expensive but Micah convinced me that they were on a super sale and were totally necessary! So we are just becoming more intense Pttsburghers all the time! I think I like it. Yea, I definitely do!

Elsa in her Steeler's gold--well actually yellow, but it was the only thing in her closet to match!

We got to play and take pics in the official Steeler's locker room! How cool is that?!

Asher sportin his new jersey--he looks so cute!

I am sportin my Steelers jacket Micah bought me during the playoffs! I like it! Her I am pulling off my old Cheer moves--well not really, but close enough!

Don't we look so convincing? So tough? Oh yea!

Gotta represent HEINZ! We love that company so much!

Here we are by the 2008 Super Bowl Championship Trophy! Awesome!

And we are hoping for many more to come while we live here in the Burgh!

Daddy and Son!

Micah really hopes Asher will love sports as much as he does! I am sure he will!

In the locker room! Wow, I love that cute family! I love pictures when we are all together!

Then afterwards we took advantage of the gorgeous downtown river trail and went running together! It was really nice!

I love running with Micah, especially because he always pushes the stroller and we can talk!

UTAH TRIP Part 2 with KEITHS!

2011-05-02T16:39:00.007-04:00

We got to spend time with both sides of our family and felt so blessed!

Here is what we did with the Keiths:

We had a shower for Lindsay

We went to Temple Square

We moved her out of her old place

We went to the park

We had a BIG Easter Egg Hunt

We played games

We ate pizza

We did hair

We watched the boy cousins wrestle and love the louies out of each other

We got family pictures

We attended Lindsay and David's WEDDING and RECEPTION

We managed chaos

And we enjoyed being together on such a happy occasion!

Elsa in her beautiful dress at the wedding! Daddy was lovin' her!

It was such a perfect reception center. It was so open and beautiful.

Asher loved that big mirror!

Here is the beautiful bride, Micah's sister Lindsay, surrounded by her 4 very proud brothers!

Her smile is so cute! I put a little pony in her hair, but she pulled it out right after family pics!

Of course!

The colors for her wedding were pink and green, so my mom found this cute shirt at DownEast for me to match! It was a fun and tiring day!

It was really beautiful outside as well and Asher LOVED this little bridge and throwing stones over it. He is such an active one, that one!

He also got a little tired as the night went on and ended up getting into everything; i.e. breaking some wine glasses on the guest table and getting into Lindsay's friend's makeup bag and rubbing it all over the floor--of course he did all of this with his favorite friend and cousin in the whole world, Benson! Love you boys!

We went to a park that morning and did the Easter Egg Hunt and played on the playground!

They are so cute on the slide! Asher still sometimes gets scared on the slide,

but only in rare moments--who knows why? So Micah joined him!

Here are some of the cousins waiting for the rest to gather for their after-Easter-egg-hunt- picture. All of them were just wishing they were eating their candy!

The Pizza Party! Lots of game playing, hair doing, and wrestling of little boys!

I even got to sit by husband sometimes and enjoy him for a few minutes here and there in between all the chaos!

Boys and video games of any sort--seriously what is the deal? These 3 cousins were all born within 4 months of each other and they are SO cute together!

We went to Temple Square and had to see the amazing conference center! This is a picture of us on the roof! It was fantastic. I wish we had more time to see everything there.

Here is my little amateur shot of one of thee most gorgeous, ornate, and perfect buildings in all the whole world--The Salt Lake Temple! It took 40 years for the pioneers to build this House of God and they did an amazing job the limited resources they had.

I am truly in awe every time I see it. NO wonder there are always so many weddings taking place there--it's breath taking inside and out!

I love the doors to the temple--I wish I had a better view of them.

The little boys even loved them. They were in awe at the temple as well.

I love to see them stare!

Here is Gracie, struttin' her stuff on the square!

The little boys enjoying the fountain of water--but do you know what they were really looking at? THE COINS! My child as well as his cousin(s) are 100% obsessed with coins of any kind, but especially big ones (like quarters and foreign money that gets even bigger). Asher carries them around all day and then loses them and cried for more the next day and we have to scout the house to find them.

He is my sweet little explorer boy!

And here is the moving picture! That turned out to be an ordeal, but luckily Micah and his brothers and sisters are buff and packed, unpacked, repacked, and packed again so darn well!

Here is me holding that heavy little girl trying to figure out

the plan for the afternoon wit the movers!

Elsa loves to get into my bag--all the time! So does Asher!

Here is that stud of a husband of mine dropping us ladies off at the shower and going off for his manly time with Asher and his dear friend, Jonny B!

I brought my niece Anna (the 15 yr-old GORGEOUS RED HEAD) to Lindsay's shower with me. I was so glad to have her by my side and for her help. I love you Anna!

Julie (the other GORGEOUS LADY in the picture) is my incredible sister-in-law whom I love and adore--we put on the shower, but Julie did most of it! I love you Julie!

Me and Elsa Belsa (I have lately been calling her Bels) cutting the cheesecake in preparation for the shower! I love being with my sweet little baby girl!

Micah, me, the kids--cruising in my old Toyota Corolla which is now my dad's. He was so generous and had my mom take him to and from work so we could have his car the whole trip. I love you Dad. Thank you! It was so helpful!

My little crawler and sitter!

Sher was definitely too scared to go down the slide by herself,

but daddy helped her and made it fun!

Just one more of her--ooh, I cannot get enough! Being a mom to 2 beyond adorable and fun kids is just too much fun! I am so blessed!

And there is the only shot I have of my other sister-in-law Diana! She is amazing, beautiful, smart, and so fun to talk to. She is a great mother and I learn so much from her always. I love you Di! Miss you guys already. Thanks for playing at the park with us and coming to temple square! And letting us in your hotel room to hang during the day!

UTAH TRIP Part 1 with LAWSONS!

2011-05-02T15:49:00.007-04:00

We got to spend a bunch of time with both sides of our family and it was really really fun!

While with the Lawson side:

We went to play places

We did an Easter Egg Hunt

We had a party for my mom and the baby girls

We chatted

We exercised

We played a few games

We walked

We cooked

We ate

We watched Tangled twice

We watched Biggest loser once

We did sealings at the Mt Timpanogas Temple

We ate INCREDIBLE ice cream at SubZero in American Fork

And we just enjoyed the kids running around together!

Playing at the grandparents on a Sunday afternoon

More playing and making messes, oh yea, I forgot, we did a lot of that, too!

Charity's oldest girl Emeri, posing for the camera! She is so cute and we had so much fun learning all her hand slapping games that she learns in 1st grade!

Man, they loved the treats and fun toys that G & G Lawson spoiled them with!

Asher was in heaven with it all!

Doesn't he look guilty eating all those treats?

I think he is getting into one of his cousin's baskets! That little sneak.

Here is Elsa just enjoying herself with Captain America, who is an old toy of my Brother's! I am glad my parents saved old toys so the my kids have so much to do when they are visiting!

Asher and Josie are just 6 months apart and they became such best friends! They fought occasionally, but mainly played and were SO cute together!

Elsa is too cute for words!

Asher LOVES his Namma and Papa so much! They has so much fun walking/playing with him and reading him books! I love my parents so much!

We doubled up the baby girls in the single stroller and went a walkin' to the park! What a cute couple I might add!

And a close up of Elsa and Charlotte!

More of the FAMOUS NAMMA!

Asher chasing sweet little Josie!

Love that kid!

All of Charity's girls adored Elsa! It was fun to have her be with some girls! Asher was outnumbered 5 to 1!!! He didn't mind though!

Here is Josie crawling around in the grass with Elsa!

Enjoying the park by Charity's church! It was fun to be outside so we could then go back and eat food and watch Tangled!

Asher loves being with his Papa! He really likes men! I am so glad they got such good bonding time! If only we could all see each other more!

Josie loved having Asher ride on her like a she was a horsey! It was pretty funny!

The baby girl cousies, not even a full two weeks apart! I can't wait until they are older and can really appreciate that! We celebrated their FIRST Birthdays while we were there!

Elsa turned 1 on Easter!

Charity and I have always been bonded through exercising together! I got her the 30-day-shred and we had to do it together!

I love the 20 minutes of intensity! It is great!

They were hooked!

Seriously, Tangled is a must-own!

And of course when it was over, they played outside! It was pretty cold most of the time we were there, so we had to take advantage of the few pockets of sunshine!

Family Update

2011-03-29T11:48:00.011-04:00

Our camera is still struggling, so here are a few random pictures that I have taken and some that I have found online to show you what we have been up to in our day-to-day!

Micah is loving his tablet because he reads the scriptures on them in the morning on the bus on his way to work (which he loves because he uses the stylus to mark and write as if he were actually marking his actual scriptures) and on the way home, he uses it to read WAR AND PEACE! This laptop gets a lot of use and I am grateful for it (for Micah's sake) so he can get stuff done on the go, so he can hopefully focus more on me and the kiddos when he is home!

Micah is loving his job as a Associate Brand Manager over Smart Ones at HEINZ! He is really happy, learning a lot, and busy! He loves the people he works with and is being challenged all the time. He is growing so much. HEINZ is an incredible company and I am glad Micah is happy.

He has also been playing basketball on a Pittsburgh Sports League with some guys from work as well as church ball-so that is two games a week! He has been working out at the YMCA every day at lunch and biking to work when the weather permits! He did weight watchers (mainly watched portion sizes and ate a little healthier) for 3 months as well and.......He has lost 17 lbs since January 1 and is looking SO SO SO GOOD! Seriously, he is HOT!!!

We have been going on walks as much as we can on the good weather days (which aren't many, but we take advantage of what we can) and usually the kids (especially Elsa) are very content as long as we are outside and moving! Asher does love to walk most of the time, which is good for him, but if we are in a hurry or I am getting impatient--I put him in the stroller or on my shoulders and off we go (and he is happy the whole time!!! yea!).

Since we live about a 3 minute walk from the ZOO, we headed down there a few Saturdays ago and it was so fun to have Micah there with us (we usually go alone or with other moms). Here he is showing Asher some fun animal! I LOVE LOVE LOVE when we do fun things all together as a family--therefore I love Saturdays! They are the best days for good family time!

We put an offer on this house, but unfortunately we were 2nd out of the 5 offers on the house, so we didn't get it. It definitely needed some work, but it was listed at a great price in a great neighborhood in a short sale, so we had to act fast. I mean really fast. Like Micah called me at 2 , the kids went to a babysitter at 3, and we had signed the papers by 4:40 (because they were going to make a decision at 5 that day). I was so so so nervous about it, but we felt it was a good opportunity and if we didn't get it it wasn't right and we would find something else.

So we found out the next day that we didn't get it, and we were sad, but this week we found a house that we like even better in an even better location, so we will probably be putting an offer down. We will see what happens! It is so much money and so committal! Aaggh!

Elsa is wearing PIGTAILS!!! She is 11 months and becoming such a big girl. She is so much fun every single day! She puts everything in her mouth, she wants EVERYTHING that anyone has, she smiles and laughs all the time, she climbs up the entire stairs in like 20 seconds, she cruises all around the furniture and bonks her head all the time, she loves to draw on the magnadoodle, she loves her mommy, daddy, and Asher so much, and she eats about everything!

Asher is watching Dora here and is totally enthralled. He asks to watch Dora and sometimes Diego a few times everyday. It is nice during my workouts or while I make dinner, but seriously I have to really limit it because he gets SUCKED IN--are other 2 1/2 yr olds like this too? I don't know why he is grabbing his shirt, but I guess i was to keep his hands busy while he was glued! He is becoming such a big boy, too. I love him so much!

I means seriously, look at that SMILE!!! I had just gotten my LUVS from amazonmom and we had a little fun with the box. Elsa was napping, so it was fun to just play with Asher for a little bit. He got in the box and we cruised all around our tiny little place! Asher is talking so much and becoming my little buddy. He is learning some good manners and yet is still struggling with whining (how to get rid of that is beyond me). He loves his friends, the zoo, cars, COINS, motorcycles, trains, fruit snacks, nola bars, peanut butter, meaties of any kind, airplanes, BOOKS, Disney movies, and playing with his daddy, mommy, and Elsa!

Here is Elsa's favorite spot ever. She loves to climb up the stairs, YES, but she loves to climb up a few of them and stand and bounce while holding to the railing even more. It is so cute to see her there, but at times she slips and if I am not there, she gets scared and then falls. Again, I am so happy that I can put her hair in piggies, ponies now, but they don't stay in long if she naps, but that's okay. She is still my sweet little baby (well kinda big now, but still my little girl) and I love her with all my heart!

I love to sew, especially things that are functional--so Elsa needed new shoes, and I made her some! They even have leather bottoms so once she walks they will work as well! She looks really cute in them and now that I have made a bunch, I can whip them up pretty quick! I need to expand my horizons though and start sewing some more challenging things! Any ideas?

I adore my elliptical that I got on PITTSBURGH FREECYCLE for FREE and I work out on it practically every single day. I read books as I run and it is so fun! It has been a great way to lose weight and stay in shape through the winter and I am BEYOND grateful to the woman who gave it to me! Seriously, it is so good on my joints and with a good novel, you are hardly notice how tough you and how long you are working out!

Also, with the encouragement of a few girls in the ward, I started a book club and it had been going so well! All I had to do was begin the first month and then everyone else has had such great ideas and we have all been reading so much here in the Pittsburgh 1st ward! I read like a book a week and I am always looking for more suggestions for good books! I love to sit on the floor and (quasi) play with my kids while I read! The latest book(s) is The #1 Ladies Detective Agency--a super fast, fun read (plus it is a 10 book series)!

I also have been baking a ton of fun things with jarred baby food. Translation: I am trying to get more veggies into our diet, so instead of pureeing my own carrots, squash, pumpkin, banana, apples, I use baby food (I also do it myself, but since I can get these few things for a steal at Micah's work--it is easier for me--but I always buy spinach at Costco and use that too). I throw it into our pancakes, waffles, granola bars, muffins, breads, pasta sauces... and it is awesome. I have loved the idea that we are all eating more vegetable and not even realizing it or doing much work to make it happen!!!

Life is good and busy and we are happy. We can't wait to watch conference this weekend and be inspired to become more like out Savior! It is always the best time of the year!

Children's Museum!

2011-03-20T16:46:00.005-04:00

So, I finally bought a children's museum pass and I am excited! There are so many fun things for kids to do, even a nursery area for babies to play in! Thanks Ida for coming up and inviting us and for the pictures! We plan to use and abuse this membership!

Here is me and the kiddos! I seriously love any picture I can get of me with BOTH of my favorite kids in the universe! Asher was acting a little too shy for this!

And yes, I nurse in public and I love it. Nursing covers make it so easy, covered, and quick!

Elsa is just taking it all in!

And enjoying herself on the floor! That is where she is the happiest, well next to being in my arms of course!

Asher loves this airplane so much! He talks about it and tells me almost everyday

that he wants to go inside it!

A close-up of that adorable little boy!

Chick-fil-a and Cheap Seats!

2011-03-05T22:20:00.003-05:00

SERIOUSLY WE HAD A FUN NIGHT!!!

We drove out to Pleasant Hills/West Mifflin area and went to dinner at

It was so nice, had a great play place, and we ate a yummy meal for 14 dollars for our whole family! Then of course I got tempted by the ice cream on the way our and had to spend 2 more dollars on 2 cones. Then we went to the awesomest movie theater ever and spent $1.98 to see TANGLED, which is THEE CUTEST MOVIE by the way! Our kids were perfect during the movie and Micah and I loved it as well! It is definitely one of my favorites by far. OH and back to the movie theater--all movies .99 cents every showing, every day--can you honestly beat that? And kids 2 and under are free! It was perfect (except for the fact that is a little bit of a drive, but it is definitely worth it once in a while!) The whole way home I kept saying over and over to Micah, that was so fun...I loved Tangled....What was your favorite part...That was so fun...I feel so close as family....I loved Tangled....Let's go buy another treat....I love our family....This is so fun....!!!!!! So it felt really good to do an activity like that with just our little family. Sometimes life just goes so fast and we are so busy and there are so many little things that get in the way, so actually planning something for us to do on a night that we have free is really a good idea for us--because then we make sure to do it and not just get distracted with other stuff that may seem kinda important, but can definitely wait compared to family time! It really did make us feel closer. Go family bonding and adorable family movies for cheap!!!

A few more Asher-isms that I thought of...

2011-03-05T16:14:00.004-05:00

"I did it!" He gets so excited and proud of himself when he asks for help, but then figures it out himself before I get to him (or I purposely go slow so he can figure it out himself!).
"I wanna hold you, mama (daddy)" meaning, "hold me mommy(daddy)". It is so cute when he says that and then snuggles up in our arms!
He always talks about his friends and cousins and especially his little sister. Something I have noticed that is so cute is how he calls Elsa, Els or Elsie, all on his own. It is cute that he has his own little pet names for the baby girl he loves most (because none of us call her that except him).
Everyday when Micah comes home and asks Asher what he did today or who he played with, he ALWAYS 99.9% of the time says "Isaac". NO matter who he did or didn't play with, Isaac is his response. And he does loves that little Isaac Callister and gets very happy when he actually does get to play with him.
The other day while we were driving Asher dropped his coins (which he adores!!!) and said, "Mama, I dropped my coins---we have to find them." I thought it was so cute. So today while we were driving back from Micah's game Asher took off his shoes (like he does every single time we go anywhere in the car) and I said "Asher where are your shoes, we have to find them?" and he said, "I know!" just like I would have said. It was so hilarious!
Everything is always "TOO _____". For example, Whenever the light is off he says "It's too dark Momma, turn the light on" or if he can't get out of the car seat or get something open he says "It's too stuck or I'm too stuck" or "It's too tight". He exaggerates just like his mama (I don't know if that is a good thing)!
He loves to sing twinkle, Book of Mormon stories, snowman, ABC's,twinkle, I am a child of God, Love to see the temple, row your boat, oh yea, and twinkle (he seriously loves it). His favorite thing is for us to sing a few words of the song, and then he finishes it off with a few or more words! He gets so happy when we do that.
I know I will think of more, so I will just have to keep adding on. I love that little talker!

"I Wove you, Mama!"

2011-03-04T20:56:00.004-05:00

Asher is 2 1/2 and so sweet! He is talking like a grown up lately.

He says "Let'g get outta here" whenever he wants out of his car seat or wants to go.
Every morning he says "Daddy's at work??" when I go get him out of his bed--I know he is always hoping it is Sat or Sun, but most days I have to say, "Yep, Daddy's at work, but Mama is here" and then he is semi-pacified!
His new favorite phrase is "I don't want to/it" or "But, I want it/to" and it is really hard for him to accept the fact that just because he does or doesn't want something doesn't mean he will get it.
Last night a man from our church came over and the first thing Asher says is "Who's that guy?" -- sorry "that guy".
He loves to play monster, saying over and over "We gotta go, the monster is coming to get us."
He also loves to yell, "Ready, set, go" and then run all over the house.
The first thing he says to Micah when he gets home is "Take your jacket off Daddy" because he knows that if he keeps it on, he is going somewhere else and Asher desperately wants him to just be home.
He loves to say "Let's play tackle, dadda" and "Let's do timber" each night.
Another thing that is so sweet is how every night when we have family devotional he always loves the singing, then always repeats the words that we say from a verse of scripture (and I can tell he is really improving because he used to just repeat the last word in each sentence, but now he says almost the whole scripture minus a word or two (as long as it isn't too long of one)). Then he says the prayer most nights repeating after us and does the same thing as he does with the scripture. He also loves to say "Amen" at the end!
MY MOST FAVORITE thing he says and does each day though is when he voluntarily comes up to me or Micah and gives us a big kiss and hug and says "I wove you Mamma (Dadda)." It melts my heart and makes me just want to eat him right up.
He says a lot lot lot more things that are so sweet, some not so sweet, and a lot of other stuff that just goes with communicating in this world! I am so grateful to be his mom and watch him grow and learn each day. I wouldn't miss it for ANYTHING and I mean that!

Backyard and ZOO with Cousins!

2011-02-26T17:21:00.004-05:00

We are so lucky to have Micah's brother and amazing family live less than an hour away. So last week we had a warm day and we played outside and went to the zoo (of course because it is 3 minutes from my house--by foot)!

Julie is the cutest person ever! She has four kids 6 and under and is so loving and kind! I love hanging out with her and am sosososososo glad she married into the Keith family!

More of that GORGEOUS smile while she cruises happily in the stroller at the zoo!

More of the coolest sister-in-law ever! Ever patient with the kiddos!

Benson is so helpful! He loves babies!

She has such a CUTE smile! I love how happy she is outside! I am DYING for spring!

Asher is going to check out the garbage truck in our alley while Benson slides!

Man, he is a cutie! We love you Benson! Asher calls him "Bens" and adores him so much!

Asher and Benson are intrigued by the man in the orange uniform who takes away our recycling and puts it in a big truck!!! They are so BOYS!

Oh and I love that car I got at the thrift store for 2 dollars! It was so cheap and it so much fun! Elsa and Asher love it! She is so so so cute in it!

Elsa at the park!

2011-02-26T17:12:00.003-05:00

She loves to gnaw on apples and chew them away little by little. She loved the swing! She loves being outside! She makes life so fun!

2 Priesthood Blessings in 24 hours--Thank you!

2011-02-17T15:54:00.003-05:00

We have had a good, but rough week. I was gearing up for a great Valentines' Day, but part way through the day I started getting really really achy all over. It hurt to stand and do my hair. I was tense and feeling hot/cold spells. I could not figure out what it was. I didn't sleep that well through the night and felt even worse and totally spent the next day. I texted my mom and asked what could be wrong wit me. I wasn't nauseous, just very weak and achy and almost like I had a fever. She asked if I might have a breast infection--and yes, she was right. I did. [if this is too graphic, stop reading now] I hadn't connected the deep lump in my breast to that at all. It was so deep that I didn't realize it was causing a problem. So, I took a ton of echinacea and garlicin, rested all day (the best I could with 2 kiddos), did heat, but was still feeling awful by the evening. So Micah and a friend gave me a priesthood blessing. It felt so wonderful to have their hands laid upon my head and feel the power of God working in our home and in my life. Afterwards I went to sleep and slept amazing! By morning, my infection was gone, but the lump unfortunately is a little more stubborn. So I tried to still take it really easy yesterday.

In the evening, right after Micah had left to young men's, the kiddos and I were chilling watching a Disney movie and bam! Somehow I missed Asher opening the door to our scary basement steps with no side railing and a huge drop off to cement death and next thing I know I hear Elsa screaming and falling fast. I ran as fast as I could to save her. She was already at the bottom in a daze. I was hysterical (just writing about it makes me want to cry and get me hot all over) and yelled at Asher and just held her and tried to sooth her. I called Micah. He came home and gave her a blessing with another amazing friend and it made me feel so much better, but still didn't take way how awful and scary it was. At first, she seemed almost knocked out like she was exhausted and wanted to fall asleep, but Micah said no to that. So I bathed her and kept her awake longer while Micah talk to his doctor brother on the phone and covered all the bases of her head and such. The outcome: GOD IS A GOD OF MIRACLES. Truly, Elsa is FINE! She has two good bruises on her eye/cheekbone and forehead, but other than that, I can;t see anything. Literally, she could have fallen off the side and been knocked unconscious or killed (seriously), but she just rolled all the way down and only ended up with 2 bruises. The Lord is so kind to us. I know He knows how much we love and adore and need her. He did teach me a lesson though--get a better lock on that door and never leave anything to chance. Okay, I am going to be a better mom! Absolutely. I slept horrible last night though. I was just so worried about her. Finally at midnight, I just couldn't fall asleep and had to go into her room and just rock her and hold her to know she was okay. It felt so good to breathe her in and love her. I then feel asleep after that for a few hours, but woke up feeling pain in my breast (minor) and then stayed awake reliving the awful scene and not forgiving myself for letting that happen. It truly pains me that she had to go through that. However, I prayed really hard to the Lord in the night and THANKED Him and Pleaded with Him to give me peace and know that she was okay and to forgive myself so I could sleep and be a better mom! IT worked. The Lord is so good to me. I am so sad for the experience, but so so so grateful for the priesthood and the peace and healing that comes from the Lord and His unconditional love and mercy for us! I am also so grateful that Micah is always worthy to bear that priesthood and willing to exercise it at any time. I love him so much.

Elsa broke her 1st tooth!

2011-02-07T16:12:00.003-05:00

I just barely felt the tooth cut through--so I had to hurry and blog it so I remembered the date! I feel like I can't remember anything with Asher because I never wrote down the dates. Elsa is 9 months and she finally got a tooth! I tried to get a picture of it, but to no avail--the tooth is just too small! Oh well, she does have a beautiful, big mouth though!!! I love my little Elsa Joy!

Asher and Elsa's Room!!!

2011-02-06T16:07:00.009-05:00

The LOVIES: Asher's halfbear and Elsa's halfcow! They work wonders!

I have been nervous since Elsa was born about ever putting both of my kids in the same room because I thought when one of them made a peep, it would wake the other one up and then Micah and I would both have to be up battling getting two kids back to sleep. BOY WAS I WRONG! and I can't tell you HOW GOOD IT FEEL TO SAY THAT! Elsa slept in our room in a pack n play till she was practically 8 months, then I said "NO MORE, I need my room back."

So I let her cry-it-out for 3 nights, which really was not nearly as bad as I had anticipated ( I mean it was hard and I would have to go down on the couch so I didn't go crazy, but she never ever cried more than 45 minutes, and usually it was no more than 15 (which of course it still painfully hard and can seem like an eternity, but nonetheless was much better than the hours I have heard other Mothers say their child cried for at night)) and thus she learned to self soothe!!! Hallelujah! Unfortunately the self soothing turned into a bit of thumb sucking and although I did try to fight it by putting socks on her hand and such, she would just pull them off with her teeth and suck anyway, so I gave in.

Well, after those 3 nights, I put her in Asher's room

and wow, even though she would still wake up a couple times and cry, HE NEVER BUDGED. Meaning, Asher is a deep sleeper and even though Elsa was not going to be a perfect sleeper for a little bit, it wasn't going to bother him! YAY! YAY! So, a few nights later she began sleeping through the night for the next bit, then got sick and was then waking up twice a night consistently for a few weeks, then VOILA, for the past week she has slept perfectly for 12 hours straight and is HAPPY at 7:30 when she wakes up! I usually hear her and Asher baby talking to each other in the morning and it is SO CUTE! They love each other so much!

So, I go in and nurse her in the glider (and trust me she is hungry!) and then stick her in Asher's crib with him to play for a little bit while I do some morning prep (put contacts in, get my work out clothes on, brush teeth...etc). This is what I most often see:

He wants the camera.

He is standing, she is almost there.

He wants to get out and go see Daddy.

He realizes Daddy is at work and then accepts Mommy will have to be the one to get him out of bed, although he is not ready to do that yet because he wants to play with Elsa.

She is just totally adorable and interested in whatever is in front of her!

Elsa crawling around in the mass of blankets Asher loves to sleep with!

Asher starting to maul her, hug her, kiss her, tackle her....what can I say? He is a boy who sometimes aggressively loves his little sister!

Asher looking adoringly at Elsa, or plotting his next tackle!

Now Elsa is giving it back to him and I think it is good for him!

There they are laying by each other! They are my everything!

I am so glad that they both sleep SO WELL in the same room together! One of my and Micah's favorite thing in the whole world--something that makes our nightly prayers filled with love and gratitude--something that helps us rest peacefully and forget all the stressful or hard things that occurred that day--is to LOOK AT OUR ANGELS ASLEEP IN THEIR BEDS AT NIGHT. It is so sweet to see them so peaceful, so innocent, so out!!!

***OH and YES, my sweet little baby girl of 9 months is now pulling up on things and standing! I love these pictures of them standing at the crib!

I swear these two cuties about take my breath away! And they totally look like brother and sister! I am so lucky to be their mom!

Look at how he looks at her! He loves her so much! He adores it when she stands or does anything like a big girl!

She is small, but oh so determined and energetic!

And of course, it can't be too peaceful for too long before Asher has to interact in some 2-year old way with her!

INSTITUTE

2011-02-06T15:47:00.002-05:00

We have lived in Pittsburgh for 2.5 years now and ever since the first month of moving here, I have attended institute every Wednesday at 10am followed by a potluck lunch afterwards with the class! We have been taught by such amazing senior missionaries who are called to the Pittsburgh mission as CES missionaries. They prepare such great lessons every week. They are sooo good to our children, they are so kind to us, and they bring the Spirit into our week! I am so grateful I have been able to go and BOND with other amazing sisters/moms/friends in our ward and other wards! I look forward to it each week. If I miss or it is cancelled, my week feels weird.

We do a rotating nursery between all the moms for the class and then fix lunch, chat, and eat, while the kids run around together and then hopefully eat a little bit in between playing (well Asher always eats the fruit, meat, and dessert, but that's about it!). The couple that is serving right now are on their 4th mission and are such good teachers. I love this picture above of Elder Holt reading to some of the kids. It is so precious.

"I wanna wear Daddy's shirt"

2011-02-06T15:32:00.008-05:00

Asher now loves to wear his daddy's shirt--does that surprise anyone? No, of course not. We know that Asher loves his daddy with all his heart and wants to do everything with him and like him. I do make him wear a sleeper or something under it though because the first time Micah didn't and when I found him in the morning, the shirt was basically off!

In that middle picture he is doing the actions for "Frosty the Snowman", which of course he learned in nursery! I LOVE nursery! Asher comes home from church knowing all these songs and gospel words and concepts, plus knowing how to count and such better as well.

He LOVES to sing! When we walked into church today, he said " Let's go sing!" Then after the opening song and after each testimony was born today he said, "Let's go nursery!" I am glad he loves being in the Lord's house just like his mommy and daddy do!!!

I love the Sun!

2011-02-04T16:28:00.003-05:00

The Sun came out for a little while these past few days and even though it is cold, we went out on a walk and it rejuvenated my soul! My kids just laughed the whole time because it felt so good and they missed it so much. The only thing I don't love is that the warmest part of the day is when the kids are napping. Oh well, at least we got out for a little while!

It is amazing how much the SUN is related to HAPPINESS and LIFTED SPIRITS!

It is also even more amazing how the SON of GOD no matter how cold or dark the winter is can fill our soul with LIGHT and JOY! I am so grateful for Him!

YAY for the SUN/SON!

This was taken last Monday during our FHE!

We were babysitting Aspen and it felt so fun to have 3 kids with us!

We learned about the creation and the kids loved the picture with the animals and songs!

Micah + Asher + Elsa = A Really Good Life for Sarah!

2011-01-19T16:03:00.004-05:00

Seriously, I love my family so much. It is amazing how much true peace, joy, love, and fulfillment can come from taking care of children and a home. I am grateful to the Lord for blessing me with the gospel, blessing me with the examples of my parents, and blessing me with so many experiences throughout my life to increase my understanding and desire to be a happy wife, mother, and homemaker! Yay for marriage, womanhood, and motherhood!

Sledding!!!

2011-01-14T12:21:00.003-05:00

So I am doing horrible at getting pictures of the actual event. I carry the camera, forget I have it until the end, and then pop some pictures hoping it will capture at least some of the memory!

So we went sledding last Saturday with the other Keith family that we love out in PA. Let's just say it turned out to be a little LESS fun than we had all anticipated, yet it was nonetheless still FUN! The kids all laughed and cried, but still wanted to keep going at it for longer than we thought (Gracie & Sammy). The littler boys (Asher & Benson) had it the worst because they kept falling and getting their hands cold and getting snow on their face and they just didn't know how to deal with it. They mainly only liked the part where Daddy was holding them or pulling them in the sled! The babies (Elsa & Brigham) did great! He slept in his mama's coat and she just chilled in her big, brown snowsuit while I pulled her around in the sled!

Here is Micah pulling Elsa around in the sled!

A close up! Love that black eye he got the week before playing b-ball!

Look at that sweet baby being all content and loving the sled! She is so fun!

Asher had had enough of that cold, so him and I went and waited in the car till the dads were finished pulling each other around on the back of their mini van!

Yep, there's me! I wasn't quite sure if I loved that sledding trip or not--a little too cold, emotional (from the kiddos), and hard to pull all those kids and carry them up those hills! We will go to a more gradual hill next time so I don't drop them while slipping back down the hill while trying to climb back up to the top--that was not fun--because my boots had no traction!

There they are, switching places so they can all have a turn on the van-o-sled!

And here is TOUGH Mamma with her baby wrapped in her coat (asleep the whole time with seriously cold weather) and Benson getting a free ride!

Bring in the NEW YEAR with Lovey & Scottie!

2011-01-10T20:54:00.008-05:00

My little sister and her husband drove up from Kentucky, he attends UK as a dental student, to celebrate the NEW YEAR with us! We had so much fun! We went to Oakmont Bakery FINALLY, it only took us 2 1/2 years, and ate very delectable pastries! We went running all together, the boys played b-ball, we played Settlers of Catan, Ticket to ride, Remember the Word, and Euchre (Our favorite 4 player games). We went and saw the amazing lights at Hartwood Acres, our first year for that as well! We cooked and ate yummy food and even managed to do a craft as sisters together while the boys napped! We made really cute black necklaces! My sister Julie is SUPER crafty and I love being with her because she inspires me! Of course I forgot to take pictures until the last hour before they left, but Lovey saved the day and just sent me a few! Yay!

The lights at Hartwood Acres--amazing!

Juey and her Elsa!

The kids love Juey and especially getting into her purse!

Micah and Asher--best buddies!

Elsa and Mommy--she loves chewing on my my necklaces!

The four of us trying to get a good shot before they left!

Lovey and Sarsah with their cute new necklaces!!!

We stayed up TOO late! So after church was getting hard for Micah...

And Scott!

More of Juey and her cute little niece!

Oh how I love my baby Elsa! She is so beautiful and so intense!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-01-04T15:57:00.002-05:00

Micah and I joined a BIGGEST LOSER group for the new year and I am excited to try to eat a little healthier and work out a little longer/harder! I am going to post my menu for the week--please feel free not to read if not desired, but I want to try some new recipes on this new blog I found skinnytaste.com and this is the best way for me to start!

T Chicken Divan (minus the wine)

W Chicken Ropa Vieja

Th Asian Meatballs

F Stuffed Peppers

S Adobo

S Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas

M Skinny shepherds pie

(I'll need to work on buying some things low-fat--that won't be too easy for me, but I will try)

T Spinach Lasagna rolls

W Black Bean Soup

We'll see how I do! I am nervous!

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2010!

2010-12-29T21:49:00.007-05:00

We had such a wonderful Christmas this year! It was our first time to actually spend it here in Pennsylvania with just our little family! It has been so relaxing and enjoyable! We have started traditions that we hope will last for all the years to come!

CHRISTMAS EVE

Food: Chicken A la King, Fruit Salad, Green Salad, Fancy table settings,

cookies and popcorn balls for dessert

With: Julie Keith and 4 children, Sister in our ward with no family

At: Our house

Program: Watched Nativity before dinner to get us in the Christmas Spirit, Dressed up and performed and read the nativity after dinner, sang Christmas songs, kids opened up one present from grandparents, clean up and off to bed/in the car to go home

CHRISTMAS DAY

Food: Breakfast--Biscuits and Sausage Gravy (Micah insisted and it was actually SO tasty), Scrambled Eggs with cheese, Orange juice

Dinner--Crock Pot Roast with carrots and potatoes (my first roast to turn out SUPER yummy), Baked Sweet potatoes, green salad, and homemade pumpkin pie with whipped cream for dessert

Beverage: Eggnog, wassail

How the Day went: Wake up, get video going, bring Asher down, he sees a train going around the Christmas tree along with his new bike with a bow around it and he is totally satisfied and happy. Mommy makes breakfast while kids play with daddy, then we do stockings--we all got some fun surprises and again, Asher was so happy with his few gifts in there, he didn't even notice all the other ones under the tree he hadn't even touched yet. Then we ate our SCRUMPTIOUS breakfast and then came in to ope our gifts. We went one by one until we all ran out of gifts except for Asher, then it was all him (and he loved it). It was so cute to see how happy he was with each gift, he kept says" WHOA " and wanted to play with it right then!

***A few exciting gifts: Mom--Fireproof!!!, hand weights, black flats, a 1 hour massage!!!

Dad: MacGyver series 4, Brian Regan CD, gloves, a nice coat!

Asher: Balance bike, Thomas backpack, Mr. Potato Head, 3 blanket racetracks with LOTS of cars/tractors/motorcycles!

Elsa: A dolly, mittens, hat, chew toys!***

Then the rest of the day was AWESOME! We played with toys, reorganized a lot of stuff, got rid of 2 big boxes of non-needed toys, cleaned/organized things together, talked a lot, watched A Christmas Carol and While you were sleeping, napped, ate lots of treats, and just spent time being together. It felt SO SO SO GOOD. We bonded, relaxed, and really felt the Spirit of Christmas together!

I don't like Santa, no matter who is under the beard (even if it is my daddy!)!

2010-12-20T10:11:00.004-05:00

"I Saw Mommy kissing Santa Clause...!"

Can you believe they asked Micah to play Santa Clause for the ward Christmas party? At first I thought it was a little rude, "You calling my husband fat?", and then I realized it was because he is so friendly and jolly--because let's be honest folks, he doesn't really look the part of the best Santa! The kids loved it though! EXCEPT FOR...

HIS OWN SON! Can you believe it. We thought for sure this would cure him of his total terror and fear of Santa, but it didn't!

The whole ward was in an uproar laughing because they usually see how Asher never wants to be apart from his daddy.

Poor Micah. Poor Asher. All was better though after he changed!

Good thing this Santa already got this cute little boy exactly what he wanted for Christmas even though he jumped off his lap before he could say!

FOR ALL MY PITTSBURGH PEEPS!

2010-12-13T20:50:00.004-05:00

So, as you all know, Micah and I will probably be buying a house this coming year (Spring) and I need some advice! If you live in Pittsburgh or near it or have lived here or know anything about the area please respond to this!

1. If you were going to live in Pittsburgh for the next 5+ years, where would you buy a home and WHY (considering schools, commute to downtown, safety, bang for your buck on home prices, etc...)?

Please comment and give me some advice and please say why! Thank you friends!

ASHER-ISMS

2010-12-08T17:53:00.001-05:00

Repeating after his parents about not ripping books and especially sacred scripture, Asher says this to Elsa while he is carefully looking through mommy's Polish Book of Mormon "No no Elsa, Don't rip it". It was so cute! But then, I was ripping coupons out last night and he said "Mommy, don't rip it". I was like, 'how do I teach my barely 2 year-old that is okay to rip some paper, but not others? I'll work on it.
After reading Mosiah 3:19 about putting off the natural man in family devotional the other night, I hear Asher chanting "natural man, natural man" in the back of the car...so he was listening!!!!
He loves to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Book of Mormon Stories, Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam, and ABC's anytime and all the time--and whenever we sing them he smiles and laughs and just loves it!
After I got dressed the other day he said "Mommy's cute! You look cute, mom" just like that. I thought I had died it was so adorable.
Lately he is saying, "Be careful Momma" when we go outside and it is slippy (Pittsburghese for slippery).
He always says "It's Tight" whenever he is stuck somewhere or can't climb up on something or when something is actually tight on him. "Tight" has many meanings for Asher. I just got him out of his crib from his nap today and he was saying that his hand was tight, I think he meant that his hand felt numb because he has slept on it. How cute he is.
When Elsa cries sometimes, he says "It's okay Elsa" and pats her. I love it.
His favorite thing to say now is (and very enthusiastically) "Hey Momma!" "Hey Dadda!" "Hey Elsa!" "Hey ______ (anyone he is excited to see)!" It is so sweet!
His sentences are getting a lot better. He now says "Let's go get daddy, momma!" "Let's go to the store, Momma" and stuff like that.
He loves his sister. He is taking naps almost every day now. He is remembering most of his aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents which makes me really happy. He is still 100% a daddy'd boy, but thanks to Micah being at work, he loves me too!

ELSA-NESS!

2010-12-08T17:29:00.004-05:00

Elsa is 7 months and 18 + pounds of pure creamy, yummy chunkiness!
Elsa is very intense. She LOVES food. Whenever Asher, Micah, or I am eating anything she starts making this noise that is loud and very specific "I want some NOW!" So, becasue of this, she has eaten a lot more foods (cheese, bread, puffs, potatoes, peas, broccoli, carrots, and lots of others).
She loves sucking the life out of paper and chewing it all up--but then she spits it out, so that is good.
She claps a lot and is very enthusiastic and excited.
She loves people, especially her parents and brother.
She sits up and bounces/scoots on her bum towards stuff she wants.
She scoots/crawls all over now. She can totally get what she wants, so beware!
She loves to be held, but truthfully she spends much of the time on the floor, so every once in a while she has to make her self be heard and whine for me to hold her! I secretly love it though!
She is not a cuddler unless her binky is in, she is fed, the room is dark, and she is ready for bed or nap. Oh and she loves that binky, but due to her not sleeping good at all, we are about to pitch it for night time and naps--she has got to learn to soothe herself. I keep saying I am going to do cry it out, but this time I am serious. It is getting worse and worse. December is the month!
She is very strong and loves to see the world.
I think she is a little bit like her mom: intense, strong, active, loves food,, big mouth, loves to laugh, happy, cries when she doesn't get held enough., needs attention........

THANKSGIVING WEEK WITH SOME OF OUR FAVORITE PEOPLE!

2010-11-29T17:35:00.003-05:00

We had a great week in St George for Thanksgiving! We say friends, and family on both sides! Thank you for making the trip family! Thank you Stephen and Robin for all the AMAZING FOOD, hard work, wonderful C-mas presents, fun toys and love! We miss you all already!

We did sealings with the Lawson-Moore family in SG, it was so special and wonderful! Plus some pictures of Charity looking through ads (she is the best deal finder around), my dad being adorable and fun with the kids, Emeri, Charlotte (only 13 days older than Elsa), and Anabelle--my beautiful nieces , and my adorable nephew Conrad playing with Asher!

My FAVORITE and ONLY BROTHER IN THE WORLD, Adam, loving up to my beautiful baby girl! They were so precious together!

Namma reading to Josie and Asher-the adorable 2-year old cousins! They love books!

New baby Sophie Mare, just one month old! Plus Micah chatting it up with David (Lindsay's fiancée), Lindsay and Diana being as beautiful as ever! Stephen cooking for hours and hours the AMAZING T-day dinner, Great grandpa Jack at the laptop, and all of us at Pizza Factory celebrating Gracie's 6th Birthday!

Elsa loves the "busy box" as Grandma Keith calls it, Asher LOVING the guitar (he is chanting the word "guitar" as I type this because he sees the pictures up), and Asher and I loving each other--Micah caught two really cute mommy-son shots! I love you Ash!

This is us on the airplane. The way there was LONG with no sleeping from Asher, but the way back was much shorter with lots of sleeping (hence the left picture). Thank you for all your help Micah, we didn't get to talk much on the plane, but we made it through!

ASHER-ISMS!

2010-11-18T20:23:00.005-05:00

Repeating after his parents about not ripping books and especially sacred scripture, Asher says this to Elsa while he is carefully looking through mommy's Polish Book of Mormon "No no Elsa, Don't rip it". It was so cute! But then, I was ripping coupons out last night and he said "Mommy, don't rip it". I was like, 'how do I teach my barely 2 year-old that is okay to rip some paper, but not others? I'll work on it.
After reading Mosiah 3:19 about putting off the natural man in family devotional the other night, I hear Asher chanting "natural man, natural man" in the back of the car...so he was listening!!!!
He loves to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Book of Mormon Stories, Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam, and ABC's anytime and all the time--and whenever we sing them he smiles and laughs and just loves it!
After getting dressed the other day he said "Mommy's cute! You look cute, mom" just like that. I thought I had died it was so adorable.
Lately he is saying, "Be careful Momma" when we go outside and it is slippy (Pittsburghese for slippery).
He always says "It's Tight" whenever he is stuck somewhere or can't climb up on something or when something is actually tight on him. "Tight" has many meanings for Asher. I just got him out of his crib from his nap today and he was saying that his hand was tight, I think he meant that his hand felt numb because he has slept on it. How cute he is.
When Elsa cries sometimes, he says "It's okay Elsa" and pats her. I love it.
His favorite thing to say now is (and very enthusiastically) "Hey Momma!" "Hey Dadda!" "Hey Elsa!" "Hey ______ (anyone he is excited to see)!" It is so sweet!
His sentences are getting a lot better. He now says "Let's go get daddy, momma!" "Let'sgo to the store, Momma" and stuff like that.
He loves his sister. He is taking naps almost every day now. He is remembering most of his aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents which makes me really happy. He is still 100% a daddy'd boy, but thanks to Micah being at work, he loves me too!

MORE ADORABLE PICTURES...of the kiddos!

2010-11-16T10:30:00.002-05:00

My Elsa is so pretty.

It is hard to get these two to cooperate for pictures at the same time!

Side glance!

Just looking for cars before I go out in the street-how responsible you are Asher!

I just love eating my hands, they are so yummy!

Okay, so this one is PRECIOUS! Asher really really really loves his sister and I am so grateful.

I love how they are both doing the same expression and same thing with their arm/hand. They must be siblings! Oh, they look so cute next to each other!

Now he is checking the other way, don't they say 'look both ways before crossing the street?'!

Asher is now doing his PRAYER pose. He is so sweet when he prays. I love it more than anything. He always repeats after us and says everything SO reverently.

Just enjoying the day - RELAX!

Family Pictures!!!

2010-11-08T17:35:00.004-05:00

ASHLEY'S GOT SKILLS! THANK YOU SO MUCH ASHLEY FOR SUCH AMAZING PICTURES! I LOVE MY FAMILY! I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR THESE PICTURES AND ALL THE OTHERS!

They had so much fun in the leaves.

Oh I love my sweet kiddos. They are so cute and fun!

It was a little cold, so the kids wanted to be in the blanket.

Asher LOVES his daddy and this shows it so well!

Mom, I have more family shots. Let me know if you want some and I will email them to you!

I AM 6 MONTHS AND EATING SOLIDS!

2010-11-04T16:47:00.003-04:00

So, I have to say--Elsa is hilarious when I feed her solids! She LOVES it! She just gobbles it right up in her cute little baby way, although most of it ends up on her face, so I just scrape it off with the spoon and re-feed it to her (no wasting around here--I am using jarred baby food this time around!)! If I take a second too long in giving her the next bite, she complains and makes a little baby whine that definitely gets me moving faster! I have fed her bananas, sweet potatoes, and pears. Avacadoes are next on my list--just waiting for them to ripen on top of my freezer!

I seriously love this little girl like none else. I miss her when I am gone from her for ht shortest amount of time. WE have a great bond. I love holding her and making her laugh and smile. She loves her mommy too. It is so so so so so FUN having a girl. I love to dress her all girly and put bows in her hair! Every morning I change her out of her sleeper (because I only have two and have to keep them clean for the next night) and can't wait to come up with a little pink outfit for her! Seriously! She is my little angel! I love you Elsa!

And here are some more pictures of my beautiful baby girl! She is SITTING UP so well now and for so long. I really like it. Isn't she adorable in Pink and Brown???

Oh and here are her awaited Halloween pictures. She is SUPER BABY! Meaning,I made her a too-too and my mom made her a pink cape and that is the combo-title I came up with: SuperBaby! I think she looks like a serious cutie patootie if I do say so myself!

NAPS--a luxury!

2010-11-03T15:38:00.004-04:00

So Asher decided that he is 2 now and only needs to take naps SOMETIMES. So, this is what happened the other day around 5 pm when he wouldn't take a nap. We went on a run and then he conked! He hasn't fallen asleep in the stroller for a VERY LONG TIME. He is so sweet though I just left him out there in the backyard while I cooked dinner. He slept for like 45 minutes, but woke up very confused!

SUPERMAN!!!

2010-11-03T15:27:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween! We went TRICK OR TREATING in our little neighborhood and saw so many fun friends and cute cosutmes! Asher was SUPERMAN, Chase was FLASH, Elsa was SUPERBABY (pictures of her costume to come), and Ami was WONDERWOMAN! It was a cold, exhausting, and FUN night with WAY too much candy (that unfortunately I keep eating!)!

42" GENERAL CONFERENCE!

2010-10-11T13:17:00.003-04:00

I love General Conference SO MUCH! We are so blessed to hear from all of the 12 Apostles, the Prophet and his Counselors, and many other general authorities every 6 months. I SO look forward to the spring and fall because of it! Plus, none of us were feeling very good, so it ended up being just our little family together the whole weekend and that was actually really nice!

Here is Elder Bednar. He is one of my favorite speakers. He always explains the gospel in such a clear way and gives us numbered things that we can do to come closer to our Savior. He is amazing. I can't WAIT till the Ensign comes out and I can study these talks more intently!

Here is me sitting on the couch holding the baby while Asher plays. Not the cleanest house or the best picture, but that's my life! The kids were pretty good, but ended up napping at different times and mainly during the break, so we really only got to listen to ONE talk with no kids--luckily it was President Monson's (the living prophet) talk in Sunday morning session!

Here is Micah sitting pretty close and on the stool so he can stay awake! It was pretty SWEET watching conference on our new big screen. Micah's dream come true! Why do men love the new technology so much? I have to admit though, I LOVED it for conference!

In between sessions we got in our HOODIES and went for a walk. It started raining on us so we just went for a short one. I thought it was fun that we were all wearing hoods. I love my little family so much! I am so so so grateful for the restored gospel so I know we are sealed together for eternity. We just gotta keep living right so we can all make it back to Heavenly Father together!

Let me tell you a little about my kids!

2010-10-08T11:32:00.006-04:00

Asher LOVES to read books! Much of the day he carries around books, plops in my lap, and has me read them to him. Or he just looks through them and points out things he understands and objects and then shows them to me with excitement! He also reads in his little 2 year-old jibber jabber and it is so sweet!

He also loves hats and hoods now. He used to hate hats so bad and now he asks for them almost everyday. He looks so grown up to me in a hat.

Elsa in my LITTLE ANGEL! She is a little fussier than she was as a newborn now that she is 5 months, so I am holding her a lot more--which sometimes is hard, but for the most part I love it and am so glad that she helps me remember that holding kids is way more important than vacuuming or doing dishes.

She has had a cough for the past 2 weeks, so I feel so bad for her during the night. I went to the doctor today with her and he said she is fine, the cough is the aftereffect of the cold and will take a while to fully leave. Let's hope. She is so strong though and so happy most of the time. I LOVE her in this brown oneise, jeans, her adorable;e homemade shoes, and her cute bow--I just had to take a ton of pictures! Plus, she is laying on the cutest blanket ever make by my mommy (brown minky and flowers-seriously)!

Asher is so cute in the morning. I am not going to lie when I say, Elsa is a little more of a morning person than Asher, but only by a little bit. I sit in that chair in the middle of them, but I think Elsa is now ready to be in Asher's high chair and for Asher to be in the booster! Definitely!

Elsa is so cute in the bumbo! I love setting it on the table while Asher and I eat (and Micah when he's home) and having her see everything. It is better than her being under us in the bouncer and wanting to be a little more involved. She is so wide-eyed and BEAUTIFUL! I will probably start her on solids in the next little bit. I just love to breastfeed EXCLUSIVELY for 6 months because it is SO EASY!

A Day in THE Life!

2010-09-29T16:24:00.002-04:00

Asher LOVES LOVES LOVES CHOO CHOO TRAINS! Her plays with it everyday and he also loves to watch Thomas the Train on netflix (however, he only lasts a few minutes because it is pretty boring-he glances back here and there though if I leave it running).

Elsa loves to ROLL OVER and is now starting to PLAY WITH BABY TOYS. She is so strong and so fun to play with. She loves to be held, but she is also good on the ground. She LOVES when I look at her in the eye and laugh or smile--she just goes nuts with joy!

Grandpa Keith visited for a few days on his way to a conference in NJ! It was great for my kiddos to get some good time with Gramps! Look how happy she is!

Asher loves to climb up on the computer chair (stool with wheels) and push the screen on and off! It makes him feel like such a big boy (and as long as he doesn't do it during something, I totally let him)! Isn't he such a cute little 2 year old!? I can't believe he is 2 now--he seems older now. I ask him if he is a baby or a big boy and he always replies, "BIG BOY!"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHER!

2010-09-26T21:41:00.010-04:00

We had so much fun celebrating Asher's 2nd Birthday yesterday at Soergel Farms! We decided not to do a big birthday party for him because he doesn't really get it yet, so we just went with some friends and celebrated for Asher and Chase turning 2 while looking at farm animals and riding the tractor to the pumpkin patch and such.!

In the Evening, Asher got to have some one-on-one time with Grandpa Keith while Micah and I went on a date! We brought Elsa because it was pretty long! We got to sit in the nicest SUITE at PNC Park and watch the Pirates games! They had a dessert bar and snacks and drinks for free! Then there was a concert after with OAR--they were REALLY good! It was so fun and Elsa was perfect the whole time. She just sat in our laps and then went to bed in her car seat! It was a great night out and it was great for Asher to get that close attention from Grandpa!

Then tonight we had lemon cheesecake (amazing recipe BTW) and opened presents. He liked the fire on the candles, but didn't really want to blow them out. He did love opening presents for the first time though, but was so content with the first one that I thought to myself, 'why get them a lot of gifts when they are so sweet and happy with just the one?'.

Asher was so sweet all day and I kept being excited and telling him it was his birthday and he was like "huh?" So, even though he didn't really notice it was his birthday, I was a little more lenient about letting him eat 2 cheesecake bars and a cupcake and such. Micah was gone all day at TEMPLE WORKER training in Columbus, Ohio-so it was me and the kids and it was for the most part, great!