Sunday, April 11, 2010

Spring is Here

and it's about time!!! Well, our household has been pretty busy as of late, but I did want to take a few minutes and post some fun photos. I can begin with Loni's requested photos of the kids. Sorry girl I have been a bum. Reagan has the cheesiest smile ever, but I sure love it. And I swear Nolan's eyes keep getting bigger and bigger. She is sure growing up. She loves school so much. All last week she kept talking about how it was "spring breaks" and I think she noticed the change in not going to school 4 days a week. She will be glad when she is back tomorrow. Anyway, back to the growing up part. One morning she called me into her room and said she had cleaned it up and wanted to show me. This is huge. We have been working on the cleaning up thing for a while and she hates it. The fact that she voluntarily did it without me asking was the most delightful thing ever. So I grabbed my camera and she posed in her clean room. Side note of Reagan: she wants to wear this green dress every day.
We had an Easter egg hunt at the church on Friday and it marked the beginning of a weekend (and week) full of candy (for all 4 of us, I might add). Here is Nolan playing with an egg.
Reagan collected 8 eggs and the candy inside was gone before we left. She was in heaven!
The older kids before the hunt began.
The same day, Reagan got a package in the mail from Grandma that contained even more candy and a Tinkerbell egg decorating kit. Cue the cheesy smile!
We dyed the eggs and it was our first year doing this since I was probably a kid! We started out with about 6 different colid colors, but then she got all into mixing and pouring and before I knew it, she had gone all chemistry experiment on me and we had like 10 cups of blackish-purple water. Gosh, this entertained her for like 2 hours, though.


It was great that Easter fell on Conference Sunday for us. We got to have the spiritual nourishment along with the festivities. We went to an egg hunt at the Muhlesteins. The kids had literally buckets full of candy and the adults got in on it as well. Doug hid about 20 small containers with money or coupons to trade in for big items. I found 6 bucks.
Best LOL moment was watching Liz race up the tree after her brother, looking for one of the adult containers.
The kids enjoying loot!
During the entire egg hunt, Nolan stood planted in this spot, just chewing on chocolate piece after chocolate piece. It was also raining on him and I don't think he even noticed.

We headed back after the last session for a dinner at the Muhlesteins. It was a great Easter and we have been eating candy all week! I need a break before I end up with a mouth full of cavities.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Disney on Ice

We surprised Reagan by taking her to see Disney on Ice. We actually went to one last fall and didn't feel a huge need to go again, but this one had TinkerBell, her idol. She didn't know what was happening till we got there, but then she knew she would see Tinker Bell. Unfortunately Tink was at the end, so we spent the first hour hearing Reagan hiss in our ears, "Where is Tink???" But it all worked out and was so worth it. All the fairies were present, including Terence. He and Tink sang "Fly to your Heart" together, which is Reagan's favorite and she sings about 20 times a day at the top of her lungs. So yeah, it was worth it. Nolan took his first carousel ride on St. Patty's day at the zoo with the Berrett's. He loved it, I sure won't forget the look on his face.

Matt spent a few days in Washington DC and refuses to blog about it, so sorry my friends, you don't get to hear any details. But he had a great time and got to see some amazing things. It is crazy hearing how much he was able to do and see without children, while still there for work. Here are some neat pics he took:While Matt was back east, I got to know my sewing machine a little better. We bonded each night after the kids went to bed. I saw some fabric banners on a friends blog a while back and I have been dying to do some for my kids room. I sure love how they turned out. I made Nolan a crib skirt and used the leftover material to make his banner. That is my little bubs, all big boy sleeping in his crib!

Reagan didn't want to feel left out, so I made her one, too. She picked out the fabric with me and everything. I made her a TinkerBell pillow case and blanket a few weeks ago, so it doesn't match that, but oh well. She's happy :)

I loved the kids banners so much that I made one for me :) It says Happy Easter on one side and Give Thanks (in fall color fabric and colors) on the other. I was so proud of this, I can't believe I can actually use a sewing machine. And cut things out that don't look like crap :)Matt brought Reagan home a pen from DC. It was a genius idea, because she loves to draw and this one has like 8 colors in one.
Other fun things:
-Nolan is WALKING!! He took his first steps on his 14 month birthday (March 11) and has been gaining momentum ever since. I took a video or two of him so be on the look out for those. My sister is going to hate me if I don't post them soon. (Love ya, Linds)
-We moved Nolan to the toddler carseat and bought Reagan a booster. Such a big deal for me--Matt and I love researching car seats and we make sure we get the best for our money. We went Saturday and "test drove" them and walked out with one that I never thought I would choose. But it is great, we all are happy in the car now!
-I had a horrid sinus infection last week and lost my voice. I feel so much better this week that I am actually walking around on my tippy toes and smiling and relishing in the fact that my head isn't throbbing and I am not sniffing loads of snot. LOVE IT!

Sunday, March 07, 2010

Cecilia Marie Halpert

What was I thinking?? I had to laugh when I saw Jennifer's comment after talking to her in church today. I can't believe I have not posted about this yet. Probably because I am busy rewatching it!! Last night was the 3rd time viewing it. I love this episode. It will probably be one I will rewatch a number of times. Some of the best moments and best lines came about. Here is what I loved!

-JIM! or should I say John Krasinski. Man, he really won it. His acting was amazing. I mean, it is always amazing, but I loved this. His freaking out over Pam not going to the hospital was great, but I loved the scene in the car when Pam lets it slip that it is a girl. When Jim teared up, I totally did too!! It kind of reminded me of when Matt and I found out we were having a little girl, too. We were over the moon. But he was so great in that scene, one of his best moments.

-Michael had some great moments, too. Some great one liners. "I have to go wash my eyes." I was DYING! Also, when he scolded Phyllis for leaving the ice cream cake in the car and he was like, "GOSH, Phyllis, go, go GO!" And when he said to Pam's mom, "Love you too...as a friend." Her facial reaction was priceless. When he threw the keys. The list goes on and on.

-Meredith's "I have a shirt like that in my car." Totally inappropriate I know, but HILARIOUS!

-The baby slip up. You know, when she reached for the baby, that was my first thought!! No joke, I really called it. But then when they went to commercial, I decided must not. But it really was! Yikes.

-Oh some other Jim moments: when he was acting funny over the male lactation consultant. And his trying to "Push" the milk out. LOL.

Really I could go on and on. I loved that Dwight kind of gave Angela the cold shoulder at the end and I am hoping to see some more of ISABELLE! His comment in the cold open about waking up cradling gourds!!

Probably my favorite line of the night: KELLY: "and sometimes you poop yourself." speaking about giving birth. She was pretty disgusted. I had the same reaction when I heard that while first pregnant, TRUST.

I am going to publish this post then remember all sorts of other things I liked, it was a full hour (well, 40 minutes) of Office goodies.

I have mentioned this before but I LOVE Andy's character. His talking heads are so genuinely funny, even when he says regular old stuff. Like when he said he was spying on Erin and Kevin because he was jealous. The way he said it was just comical. I am glad he finally got around to asking her out. They could only draw that out for so long, even with how airheaded those two are :)

Here are two fun facts about the episode:

1. The guy who played the lactation consultant is actually Jenna Fischer's (who plays Pam) real life fiance. Neat, huh?

2. Jenna also chose the name Cecilia because her sister gave birth the week they filmed this epi and that was what they named her. Marie is Jenna's middle name. Another neat.

Here is their family blog, its a fun link~

Love to all!

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Preschool

Reagan started preschool on Monday! She attends the Clayton Valley High School program that is done by the Child Development classes. She really loves it (so far). She did get kind of weepy the second day as I dropped her off, but one of the students (her teachers) grabbed her hand and said, "Let's go to class, Reagan!" And off she went. I wasn't weepy at all, am I mean? I am sure I will be more sad when she goes to kindergarten. But she (and I) have been ready for this for a while...she is almost 4, for Pete's sake!
I purposefully dressed her in pink and grey, just to see what Matt said. He was nice and didn't comment when I showed him the pictures. To explain a bit, when we were dating, I wore a pink and grey ensemble and apparently the color combo made him nauseous and he made me swear never to wear that stuff again.
Not to be outdone, Nolan put his pizza plate on his head last night and played peek-a-boo, hamming it up for camera.

My kids still love Mickey. Even Nolan!
We took a walk one day and collected pine cones and rocks. She wanted to paint them. The good: she LOVED it and has a new hobby. The bad: she wants to paint everything now and I am finding acrylic paint all over the faucet in the bathroom, our clothing and our kitchen table.

Well, our little Reagan is growing up, but she still does this kind of stuff sometimes.
How could we not laugh?

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Matt's Lyrics

Matt often gets the words of song lyrics wrong. The scenario usually plays out as me telling him that those aren't the right lyrics and correcting him. But he will still sing the wrong lyrics just to bug me :)


Really though some are funny. Here are two from the past:


Counting Crows, "Big Yellow Taxi"
Matt's version: "It ain't paradise if you put up a parking lot."
Real version: "They pave paradise and put up a parking lot."



Shaggy, "It Wasn't Me"
Matt's version: "How could I forget that I had given her my SUV?"
Real version: "How could I forget that I had given her my extra key?"

(Sorry this song is inappropriate) :(


A few recent ones...

Taylor Swift, "You Belong With Me"
Matt's version: "And you've got a smile that could light up this hotel."
Real version: "And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town."

Carrie Underwood, "Before He Cheats"
Matt's version: "Carved my name into his Legacy."
Real version: "Carved my name into his leather seat."

This last one makes me smile as I picture Carrie Underwood dating a man who drove a Subaru :)

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

March 4th, where are you?



Any guesses as to what the new JAM-baby is gonna be? I am saying a girl.

I know that I sound like a bad sport (pun intended), but I really don't care much for watching the Winter Olympics. I am just not a big winter sport person, I really love the Summer Olympics, though. I am even more put out this year since it means hiatus for my 2 favorite shows. I don't think I even noticed the 2006 Winter Olympics because of working, pregnancy and roadshow. But I DO have very fond memories of the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake. You see, that is where Matt saw the light and asked me out and we started dating *again.* I thought he would never come around. We went out a couple of times in fall 2001, but then there was a big break. He called me out of the blue February 2002 to see if I wanted to go see "Light of the World" with his family, the production that was being put on at the Conference Center in honor of the Olympics. I'll bet he is so glad he did because this is what he got:

Monday, February 15, 2010

Mosaic Park

In Danville there is this park with a mosaic tiled snake going back and forth down a hill. We went there! The snake was not what it cracked up to be, but the park was unique and it was a beautiful day in January. Plus In-N-Out is down the street.






I think my kids look really cute. I guess I am biased. Nolan was going down the slide, just laughing his head off. They are growing closer each day. I love this.

Nolan is now 13 months, wait, what??? Yeah, that is right, where did the time go? Bubs is crawling marathons every day and starting to stand up. No steps by himself though. Maybe next month? His eating is getting better since I stopped giving him so much milk. He is sleeping really well at night, as long as he isn't sick! He loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Baby Beethoven. He is such a happy boy and blessing in our home.

Reagan is quite the hilarious chicky. She loves all things Tinkerbell and rocking out to the song "I Gotta Feeling" by Black-Eyed Peas. She is also known to break out dancing when the intro music to The Office and NCIS comes on. We love this. She is our little singer and usually is giving her own performance to the other customers at Safeway and Costco. The other day she was picking out a "prize" at Chuck-E Cheese with her tickets and lo and behold, she picked the toy microphone. She sure loves Nolan and is quick to help me out with him. She still loves riding bikes and playing with her dolls. She needs a haircut, maybe my next post will contain more info on that.

How about The Office? Andy Bernard, aka 'Nard Dog, is sure pulling out the chops. He is stealing each episode for me, love his character. And Kelly, who like Andy used to annoy me, makes me laugh. I am glad Jim is through as co-manager. Next new episode, March 4th after the Olympics, is called THE DELIVERY....you can probably guess what that will entail. What will the JAM baby be called? We might need a new moniker for them. I can't wait for that episode, go fast rest of February! Speaking of other shows, how about Vampire Diaries, huh? I know I am probably speaking to only Bethany, Lindsey and Loni since pretty much no one else watches the show or will admit that they do ;) Poor Damon, poor Grams, Bonnie sure acted that one well. I was in tears at the end. I found the whole opening of the tomb anti-climactic without Katherine down there. But I do think the writers were smarty pants for doing that, it will open up many future storylines that will be most interesting. I have a feeling that we will meet Katherine one day...I just know :)

We ended up trying a new place for Valentines Day Eve (Saturday night). Elephant Bar, here in Concord. It was really good!! I think we found a new favorite place. Matt and I walked the mall and read books at Barnes and Noble. Our perfect date night :)

I was feeling a little nuts one day and signed up for a half marathon on June 5th. I am nervous and excited for this one. Two weeks ago I upped my runs from 3 miles to 6 miles overnight and since then, have had some knee aches. Runners knee, maybe? I took it easy, feeling good, strengthened my quads and now I will probably take it a bit slower and build it up. If you know any good running tunes, let me know, my ipod needs well over 2 hours worth of music!

Love to you all!

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Television and Words of a 3 year old

Earlier today I was blow drying my hair and my kids were playing with the play kitchen and food in the front room. I hear Nolan crying rather dramatically and go see what the problem is.

Reagan held up a piece of fake ravioli and says "this got thrown at him." So I say, "well your the only one in the room, so you must have thrown it."

She insisted it wasn't her. "I do not know who threw it at him!" I guess it was a ghost.

The other day we were outside and passed a woman with a nose ring. Reagan says *loudly* "Her nose has an owie."

In other news, big TV night tonight!! All new Office, 30 Rock, Parks and Rec, and my new favorite, The Vampire Diaries. I know, I am ashamed to admit it, but this show is really good and addicting and even my mom loves it!! Each new episode leaves me hanging with my mouth open and waiting with baited breath for the next 7 days till another one. There are so many plots twists and things going on and you just LOVE the characters. I can't explain it, just watch it for yourself. I know that many of the recent episodes are found online. The first 5 or so episodes are decent, but from 6 on get really really good. Tonight is episode 13, I can't wait. My sisters and I (and now my mom, right, mom?) analyze each episode Friday morning with each other and our predictions. No more said, just give it a shot. I think it is much better than Twilight. And also, it is nothing like Twilight, which is hard to tell in the first 2 episodes.

As for The Office, I just love the new Andy/Erin connection and dying to see where they take that. And I think that Jim will be getting a demotion soon, which will be nice. There can only be one Michael in the office. And he needs his old hairstyle, fancy new Jim isn't cutting it for me.

These are pretty much my only shows as of late. I gave up NCIS and The Biggest Loser for now since I got called into Young Womens and my Tuesdays are with the youth. A MUCH better trade, these kids and the women I work with are amazing.

Good times, good times. The kids will go to bed on time tonight so that I can devote my 2 hours a week to the tube.