My Own Little Corner

A Good Day

2012-02-08T16:59:00.001-06:00

Today has been a really good day. Actually, there were a few moments when I wondered how we were going to make it through, but those have passed and now I am feeling really positive about life, the universe and everything.

I think most of my negativity comes from feeding Noelle. Lately she has not been eating well. Plus she is spitting and getting food all over her and all over me. I know it is just a phase and I need to just deal with it. I know (or at least hope) that she is not spitting peas at me on purpose and that she has no malicious intent. I don't want to feed her only fruits, I always offer her veggie's or a main dish first but she doesn't seem to want them. She also doesn't like anything with chunks yet. She wants her baby food as smooth as possible.
Its a work in progress.

I think that one of the reasons I feel good today is that my house is mostly clean. I made a promise with myself this morning that I wouldn't let the boys use any electronic entertainment after school until their bedroom was clean. It took them about forty minutes of playing to realize I was serious but then they cleaned it up pretty well.

While they were cleaning their room I got the dishes done and then I pulled out the vacuum. I vacuumed the office and living room and then pulled up the grates and started cleaning them out. It felt so nice to get all of the dust and crumbs out of my house.

Also, I don't have to cook dinner tonight. We are going to be having leftover Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder. I did, sort of, make bread. It was a sourdough artisen bread that I just had to pull out of the fridge and stick on a pan to bake it. So good food without a lot of hassle.

Finally, the sun came out this afternoon. This morning seemed a little hazy and gray but the clouds went away. I always feel so much better when I have sunlight coming through my windows.

An Update

2012-02-06T10:41:00.000-06:00

Here are some photos of life at the Lasley's.

Eli made this hawk mask for himself.

He taped it to his face.

We did some night sledding with friends and had a great time!

Morgan made jumps for everyone to go off of.

Noelle is cuter than ever.

Especially in fun hats.

Josh

Sweet Noelle

Josh is a great brother.

Noelle has got a second tooth on bottom. She has also learned how to crawl on her knees and clap her hands. Sometimes she says "Hi." She is also starting to pull herself up to standing.

Josh loves being in Primary and loves singing loudly. We have to remind him not to scream the songs.

Eli is learning more and more and is doing well reading.

My diet and exercise program is going well, although I haven't weighed myself after the Super Bowl. But everyone needs a break.
I was also released from being in the Primary last week. I substituted taught in Primary yesterday, so I still haven't been to Sunday School of Relief Society.

Morgan and I had a good time going to a Fundraiser for Grin and Grow preschool. It was a Pirate themed party and we saw a lot of great costumes. I'm hoping we can save up our money and go again next year because they had great things on their auction. We did win a dinner at Hy-Vee and a gift card to Target (they were a blind buy, we didn't know what we were getting but it worked out great!) We also won bids for a personal Santa visit next Christmas and tickets to the Shedd aquarium in Chicago.

We've been busy but enjoying life. We even went on a bike ride last week. Most of the snow is melted which is really nice.

I Love Jillian Michaels

2012-01-31T10:13:00.003-06:00

I got home from Christmas weighing a few more pounds than when I had left. I wasn't happy with my weight to begin with because I had not lost much of my pregnancy weight.

Cheyenne had told me about The 17 Day Diet that she was thinking of starting so I went to the library to check it out. While I was there I also decided to get a Jillian Michael's workout DVD.

I really like The 17 Day Diet. I have modified my own eating to be sort of following it. I just don't have the resources to buy the exact foods that he talks about, but we are eating a lot more salads and feeling healthier.

In the mornings I wake up at 6am to read my scriptures. After I'm done reading I like to exercise before the kids wake up. I started doing the Jillian workouts and they kicked my trash. They were so difficult but I loved them! Since my first workout I've borrowed 2 others from the library and will go again tomorrow to get a new DVD. (I can only keep them for 2 weeks from the library.)

Previously I did a Leslie Sansome "Walk Away the Pounds" DVD. I've had this one for three years and I liked it. It was good, I felt like I was working out. Usually I would do the 2 mile or 1 mile workout. I just didn't have time to do a 3 mile. The problem was I felt that this was more for maintaining weight. I just wasn't loosing weight and that was really frustrating to me.
Plus after a really difficult arm movement or something Leslie will tell you that it is okay to stop with the arms, and just keep walking. That is fine, and when I first started exercising I liked it because I wasn't able to keep up.

Jillian on the other hand encourages me the way I need it now. I need someone to tell me that the workout is going to hurt and be tough. She often says that if you want a body like hers you have to work for it, it doesn't come for free. She reminds me that I am Strong and that I can do hard things.

Ever since I started my modified 17 Day Diet and my Jillian Michaels workouts I have felt better and lost about eight pound since Christmas. I'm hoping to lose a lot more before we head out to Utah in the summer. I want to be a fit, healthy person. I'm tired of being overweight. And I am going to do the hard work to get the changes I want.

As a side note, I bought the Jillian Michaels 2009 Wii workout. I Don't Like It one bit. I would not recommend getting it. The avatar doesn't follow your movements very well at all. That is too frustrating for me. I am working as hard as I can and my person is barely moving. I cannot handle that visual difference. I'll give it a couple more tries but I am probably going to take it back to the store.

Now I know I need the real Jillian Michels and not some Wii workout junk.

Library Fun

2012-01-27T16:40:00.001-06:00

Eli came home from school on Tuesday talking about how he HAD to go to the local library that night because Dan Wardell was going to be there with the Cat in the Hat.

Dan Wardell is on Iowa Public Television and always encourages kids to turn off the tv, play and read. I knew the boys would enjoy his presentation so we ate our dinner quickly and all went to the library.

We got there a minute or two after it started so the boys and I squeezed ourselves in and found a place to sit down (I even got a chair!).

Noelle was very tired so Morgan kept he out in the main library so she could fall asleep.

We had a really good time and even saw some neighbors of ours there. (They were the nice ones who took this picture for me since I had forgotten my camera!).

4 = 30

2012-01-13T21:32:00.003-06:00

When does 4 inches of snow equal 30 inches of snow? When you live in Iowa.

Yesterday we got our first snow, the official count was three to five inches in Waterloo. But because of the crazy winds that we get, there were drifts of 30 inches in some places. I don't really understand it, it feels like that had to be more snow than that.

Picking Eli up from school yesterday was crazy! I went a little bit early hoping I could get spot in the (small) parking lot/pick up area. As I was driving up I saw that there were alot of spaces open, Horray!

Unfortunately I couldn't get in because other cars were blocking the entrance, I think that two of them may have been stuck. I didn't want to stop traffic behind me so I drove around a different way. On my way back I saw that cars were still stuck and blocking the drive. So I continued around again.

The third time I came to the entrance of the parking lot there were people pushing the stuck car out of the way. I was able to get into the parking lot and found a nice place to park. Josh had fallen asleep amid all of my driving around and I didn't want to get Noelle out.
I asked the principal (who is always outside when the kids get out of school) if she would just keep an eye on my van while I ran in the school to get Eli. I hurried in got Eli and got out of that crazy mess.

Today the roads are a lot better. It is nice to have snow, it makes it feel more like winter and it helps with the crops later on, but I am really glad that the roads are clear.

Thoughts

2012-01-10T12:51:00.001-06:00

Today I am not doing so well. I'm not doing badly, I just don't have any motivation and feel a little depressed. I have started my resolutions for this year. I made a Daily To Do List for myself. My list includes:
1. Read Scriptures
2. Exercise
3. Clean something
4. Writers Domain - (my at-home job)
5. Read to the Kids
6. Call Family
7. Play Active Wii Games

I also have a goal to lose thirty pounds by the end of June. Hopefully I can get this baby weight off.

Anyway, last night the kids did not sleep well, which means I did not sleep well. When Noelle was first born she was a sleeping champ. Ever since she turned six months hold she wakes up more and more. The hardest part for me, is that since Morgan is the seminary teacher and gets up at 4:40am I feel like I can't let her cry it out at night. Morgan needs his sleep so he can get all of his work done.

Because of the rough night I turned my alarm off and slept in this morning. So I only got 1 chapter of scriptures read, rather than the usual five I am able to do. It also meant that I didn't get to do my exercises before it was time to get the kids ready for school. Now I am stuffing myself with left over Christmas candy. I need to clean my bedroom and finish putting away the Christmas boxes. I just don't have the motivation.
So, I'm writing here because sometimes when I write my negative feelings it helps me let them go so I can move on and do something else. Hopefully today gets better.

Finale

2012-01-05T20:02:00.001-06:00

The last Christmas break post.

We had a great time visiting my brother Daniel and seeing his puppies. We also helped Jacob and Kim move apartments.

We went bowling and played games with Beth, Wade, Shannon & Kyle although I didn't take very many pictures.

We had a great visit with our friends the Ortegas. Again, only 1 picture.

My new niece Lily was born and it was great to get to meet her.

Finally we enjoyed swimming in the pool at the hotel. This time Noelle and I even went swimming.

E & J with the puppies

We let Noelle have one or two small touches.

Don't you think we need a dog?

At the bowling alley

Eli was very serious about his play, and had a great time.

Morgan and Noelle took a nap while the rest of us played Ticket to Ride Cards

Noelle really liked her oldest cousin B.

This is Josh with Bella Ortega, the only picture I took.

Me and Lily

Morgan and Lily

Josh loved holding her.

Noelle is ready to swim!

E jumping in the pool

We used this to wear the boys out after being in the car all day.

Josh making a splash.

Happy Noelle

Morgan and Noelle in the swimming pool

Finally, we made it home and enjoyed playing with some new toys.

Almost Christmas

2012-01-05T15:04:00.001-06:00

The boys, playing at the mall after watching Alvin & the Chipmunks

Eli climbing Grandma & Grandpa's tree.

Where's Eli?

Singing carols on Christmas

Noelle wanted the presents, or at least their paper

Noelle got her first stuffed dog

Each boy got a book for Christmas

E & J excited about their new scarfs and games.

Eli hugging Melissa after giving her a pair of gloves.

Josh got a new shirt.

So did Eli

Pretty Noelle

A Very Happy Baby

Fun new Soccer Ball!

Palmer Party

2012-01-05T14:41:00.001-06:00

We had a great time at the Kimballs for the annual Palmer Christmas Party. We had a delicious dinner, played Bunkco had a White Elephant party and then a Santa Claus came to visit.

Josh loving his cousins

H. shared her goodies with him

Eli doing a Ninja pose

Getting ready for the White Elephant exchange

White Elephant Party

Noelle loves her Daddy

Cheyenne got the best present...a portrait of brother-in-law Kyle.
(This particular portrait has been passed around several years...we like to share the love.)

Our hostess, just days before giving birth.

Here come Santa Claus

Noelle got to be first. She was fine with Santa

Because she got to eat paper.

Eli and Josh waiting their turn.

Melissa playing with Noelle

Josh LOVED Santa. Earlier in the evening he just went and leaned up against him.

Josh and Santa

Eli and Santa

Santa with the cousins...Noelle was not happy at this point.

Visiting Temple Square

2012-01-05T10:58:00.005-06:00

We visited Temple Square and took the boys on a tour of the Conference Center. They kept asking where the prophet was. Then we met up with my family and walked around the gardens, looking at the beautiful lights.

Eli and Josh doing ninja poses at a fountain.

Grandma saying hello to Noelle

My three boys

Pictures with family

Our family in front of the Salt Lake Temple

We Went To Utah - First Leg

2012-01-05T10:29:00.001-06:00

We had a couple of gifts for the boys that we didn't want to take with us on our trip to Utah. The swords would be too violent and the possibility of breaking some thing was high. The guitars were too large and fragile, we knew if we took them they wouldn't make it back unscathed. So we let the boys open up two presents the morning we started our trip.

Eli and Josh waiting to open presents

Swords!

Very excited!

Rocking Out

Josh later asked if we could through away their toy guitar since now they have real ones.

Eli wants to be a rock star. On our trip he told me he was thinking of changing his name when he grew up. I asked him what he wanted for his new name, he said LuLi, but that he wasn't sure because he was trying to find a good rock star name. We let him know that he can keep his name and just have a rock star name for his band.
He seemed alright with that and thought maybe he would name his band Rock, or Star.

Morgan's brother Guy returned from his mission to Brazil. We found out that he was arriving in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday the 21st. It was too close to miss so we decided to leave on our trip to Utah early and just go via Cedar Rapids so we could see Guy arrive.
After we visited at the airport we went to HuHot so Guy could enjoy some Asian food.

Noelle meeting her Uncle Guy

Morgan says that Guy is a thinner version of himself. Do you see it?

Horray for Uncle Guy!

Then began the long 20+ hour drive to Utah. If we didn't have kids and have to stop all of the time I'm sure it would be faster. We decided to make the drive in three days so that we could go at a safe pace and not exhaust ourselves too much. The kids were really good for the drive. It may have helped that they got to watch a lot of movies. We bought head phone for the boys so Morgan and I could listen to our own books and music.

Josh is pretending to sleep.

My handsome, Hubby. He did a great job doing the bulk of the driving. for our trip.

Noelle is Crawling!

2012-01-04T07:46:00.001-06:00

Our Month

2011-12-14T10:46:00.004-06:00

Morgan was a Wise Man at our Ward Christmas Party

Josh got to make a Christmas Tree Ornament

Eli was Happy about his ornament.

The Primary Kids sang a couple of songs.

Josh sang a little bit.

Giving Gifts

Noelle loves to spit. Here are some pictures of her spitting when she should be eating.

I bought myself a new hat. I needed one that fit well. I found this great monkey had and decided to go for it. Yes, it is a bit silly, but it fits and is warm.

Morgan put some Christmas lights up on our tree and our fence. We also put Frosty and Santa by the fence, it is a much better spot than we had last year. Horray for new traditions.

One cute picture of Noelle playing with a toy baby bottle. She is such a cutie!

Disc Golf

2011-12-07T16:58:00.001-06:00

Yes it is winter and too cold for the boys to be playing disc golf, but we cant' get it off our minds! Eli has been talking about wanting his own disc golf bag, so Josh wanted one too. We told them that they had to save their money and pay for half of the cost and then we would let them get them. We went to count their money and both boys were dangerously close to having enough. After two weeks of doing extra chores we counted their money again. Eli had $8 and Josh had $6. Eli said he would give one dollar to Josh so that they would both be able to get their bags. Next thing you know the boys have their own DG bags.

Opening the package.

The bags are different colors so we can tell them apart.

Eli quickly put his discs into his bag.

Josh is really excited to have his, too!.

Can You Make a Cross?

2011-12-07T16:47:00.001-06:00

The Elder's Cross

Eli's Cross

Last night we had the missionaries over for dinner. When it was time for the spiritual thought Elder Knight told a story about a man who wanted the missionaries to make a cross out of a single piece of paper with only one tear. Eli said that he could do that, so I had Josh go get him a piece of paper. I knew that Elder Knight was going to fold his paper and make a cross come from it, and thought it would be good for Eli to see the difference.

Well, Eli taught all of us. He took his piece of paper and carefully ripped it down the center and then combined the two pieces to make a cross. We all laughed and were a little embarrassed because Eli had taught us all.

Speaking of funny Eli stories, I have another one for you. Sunday was Fast and Testimony meeting and the Des Moines, Iowa mission president happened to be visiting. The first sister who got up to bear her testimony only speaks Spanish. One of our other ward members translated for her. After her testimony she shook hands with the Mission president and his wife.

Eli asked if he could bear his testimony next. We let Eli go up by himself because he is able to bear his testimony without help and without going off topic. Anyway, he bore a very nice testimony then Eli turned around and shook hands with the mission president, his wife, the deacon on the stand and continued on shaking hands with the members of the bishopric. There were quite a few chuckles from the congregation, mine included.
Later he told me that his favorite part of bearing his testimony was shaking everyone's hands.

Christmas Ready

2011-12-04T14:04:00.001-06:00

We set up our Christmas tree and put up all of our decorations. I love Christmas time. It makes the house seem more peaceful and calm to have the twinkling lights and nativities everywhere. There is just something wonderful about this time of year.

Josh and the Tree

Eli wanted to be hugging the tree for his picture.

Noelle happily played on the floor.

Pictures from Thanksgiving

2011-12-04T13:44:00.001-06:00

Honey and Noelle hanging out

Morgan modeling Oma's hat & glasses

Cousins Anne and Noelle

The kids

BB Guns!

Eli getting a try

Playing with leaves

Morgan shooting cans

Noelle's new headband

Anne with her new headband made by Shannon

My three boys!

Shannon and Noelle

Josh and Eli really love Honey.

The kids visiting Doris.

Happy Birthday Morgan!

2011-12-04T13:38:00.001-06:00

Morgan's birthday was just before Thanksgving. I got him some new tires for his bike and then 3 used movies. I let the boys pick which one 'they' gave to him. Eli chose Nacho Libre - he had seen the preview and loved that it was about wrestling.
Josh chose Where the Wild Things Are - the boys think we will let them watch the movie since they have read the book, but they are going to have to wait until they are older.
Noelle got to give Morgan Avatar by default.

I made Morgan a homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and we got to have bratwurst for dinner. It was just a nice mellow birthday.

Josh's Photo Shoot

2011-11-28T16:46:00.001-06:00

Here are some pictures we had taken after Josh turned 3 years old.

Thanksgiving Fun

2011-11-25T21:06:00.001-06:00

We have been enjoying our time in Chillicothe with Morgan's family. Tonight we went to see Breaking Dawn, Part 1. I really enjoyed it. I think that it is my favorite adaptation so far. I can't wait to see the next movie and will get my fix by reading book 4 of the series again. The inevitable changes to the plot were the least frustrating, and I liked seeing Stephanie Meyer at the wedding. (If you see the movie, she is the first wedding guest you see, and wearing purple.)

I also did some Black Friday shopping today. I waited until Noelle woke me up at 6am and then leisurely ate some breakfast and went out around 7:30am. I found some great movies, a waffle iron, and Morgan asked me to buy him a BB gun.

We played a couple of games; Uno, Lucky Down and Bohnanza. Hopefully tomorrow we will be able to go play some disc golf.

I hope that your Thanksgiving is going as wonderfully!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T15:45:00.001-06:00

I have hesitated posting, not really feeling that it was my place. But, on November 16th Isaac and Porter Palmer entered and left this earthly life. I never got to meet my sweet nephews. I am very grateful to their mother, Kim, for updating her blog with pictures and the talks from the funeral. I am so thankful for her testimony that she freely shares.

I am so thankful for our loving God who takes care of us. He knows how to comfort us and give us strength.

I am thankful for my children and my husband. Morgan does so much for me, and is a wonderful husband.

I am thankful for our home and the comforts we have. I love having a working toilet, internet and tv. I like being able to microwave food and make a good loaf of bread.

I am thankful for my friends. My life is so much more full because of the relationships I have.

I am thankful for family. I think I have the best mother-in-law in the world. She is so giving and such a wonderful example to me.

I am thankful for my parents. They really sacrificed so much in raising my siblings and I. They are truly great people whom I love very much.

I am thankful for the scriptures. I love to read my scriptures first thing in the morning and the peace and help that it gives me through each day.

I am thankful for prayer. Heavenly Father hears us. He loves us. He answers us. I look forward to see Him again. I want to be worthy to enter his presence and feel his love surround me.

Commercials

2011-11-19T20:02:00.001-06:00

Morgan and I were sitting in the office working on the computer tonight. Eli comes running into the office asking us to buy some sort of magic ball that you can do tricks with all over your body.

Morgan reminded Eli that commercials try to get you to buy things, and that E doesn't need that ball, but is saving up money for a disc golf bag.

Eli responds that he doesn't want to buy the ball, he wants us to buy it for him.

Later he comes running in again saying, "Mom, Dad, do you know what the best bed in America is?" He then goes on to explain it is one where you can jump on the bed and have a glass of juice on the bed too and it won't tip over. He thought that we should buy that too.

Our son is definitely influenced by commercials. It just gives us one more reason to not let him watch very much T.V.

This Month So Far

2011-11-13T16:58:00.001-06:00

It seems like I am using the camera less and less and so I don't update the blog as often. We are having beautiful Fall weather and so yesterday was a raking day. Morgan and the boys rakes most of the yard (I helped with a little corner). I also worked on trimming the grapes and vacuuming the whole house. Morgan helped a family that was moving take loads to the dump so the day was very full.
The boys surprised us by coloring all over the walls. They have never done that before and I hope they never do it again.
I have been getting ready for the Primary program, it is going to be next week. Hopefully our chorister will be back by then.

Mostly we are doing every day stuff all the time. We're trying to get ready for Christmas and hope to get all of our shopping done by this time next week.

Here are the few pictures I've taken lately.

I came to the Living room one morning to find that Josh had put the lifejacket on himself. He is ready for a Flash Flood.

Noelle, cute, with her bow and pacifier.

She is getting stronger and almost ready to start scooting!

As ever, she is almost always happy and smiling.

I tried a new recipe and made Seafood Lasagna. It turned out pretty well, although next time I would change the cream of mushroom soup to a cream of chicken and see how that goes.

Halloween Boys

2011-11-09T13:08:00.000-06:00

Eli was very serious about being a Ninja. Josh described himself as a Ninja Lightening McQueen. They both had a really good time Trick or Treating.

J's School Halloween Party

2011-11-04T10:05:00.003-05:00

Josh's Mom's School had a Halloween party. All of the kids dressed up, they played Halloween Bingo, pumpkin bowling, a bean bag toss and Spooky snacks to eat. Josh chose to dress up as Ninja!

Josh was a serious Ninja

Noelle was happy to be able to see what was going on. The kids loved to come try and make her laugh.

I made these funny faced cupcakes.

Josh - waiting patiently for his turn to bowl.

Here we go!

It was a slow pumpkin.

J with his friends.

Strong Ninja face

Cute Girl!

2011-11-01T12:48:00.001-05:00

Most mornings Noelle wakes up like this. Happy and ready for the day. Last night was not so lucky, she woke me up at 1am because she had vomited in her bed. We gave her a late night bath. Today she is kind of grumpy and tired, but hopefully she is past the worst of it.

You wouldn't expect the kid who got no candy to be the one puking Halloween night!

Family Picnic

2011-11-01T10:45:00.002-05:00

We decided to surprise our kids with a family picnic. I got the food all ready without them knowing and when Morgan got home from work we loaded up our bikes and rode to a nearby park. After eating we let the kids play around. We had a really good time. I did buy Twinkies as a 'special treat' for the boys, they have never had them before. They didn't really like them. Eli ate 3/4 of his, and Josh ate 2 bites or so. Oh well, it is healthier that way!

One Big Update

2011-10-25T18:57:00.000-05:00

Life has been busy, but we are loving every minute of it. Eli is really enjoying Kindergarten, Josh loves going to his "Mom's School." And Noelle is moving all over the place. We love this fall weather and wish it didn't get dark soon.

Here are some pictures of our happenings.

Eli is working on his homework.

Josh loves to hold Noelle, but she is getting too big!

Eli and Noelle

Noelle loves to try and eat books.

She is also moving around...A Lot!

Cool J-Man

Josh got in the tree by himself.

Happy Josh

I finally finished the rug that I made for Noelle's bedroom. I really like it.

Here is a sideways view of the rug in her room.

L's room, with her new crib and new rug.


If you can read Eli's tag it says "Elder Lasley." He can't wait to be a missionary.

Carving pumpkins for Family Home Evening.

Melissa had to help Josh clean his pumpkin.

This is Morgan's pumpkin, it is the steeple of the Nauvoo Temple.

You Win Some, You Lose Some

2011-10-12T16:57:00.002-05:00

I love to bake. Yesterday I made some white bread that I was very proud of. It is my mom's recipe and it turned out beautifully. I took a picture so I could blog about my awesome bread.

Then today I made some zucchini bread. I was humbled. I forgot to grease the pans before I put the dough into it and they weren't pretty.

I decided it was only fair to blog about my wins and my losses.

You Win Some

You Lose Some

Good Looking?

2011-10-10T19:34:00.003-05:00

Eli walks up to Morgan and says, "Dad, do you know three ways that we are the same?"

Morgan says, "We're both wearing red shirts and blue jeans?"

Eli: "Yes, and there's one more."

Morgan: "We both have heads? We're both really really ridiculously good-looking?"

Eli: "No. Well, we do have heads and we both look really really ridiculously, but we both finished our cake and ice-cream."

So apparently Eli and Morgan look ridiculous.

2011-10-05T10:35:00.004-05:00

Eli's school had a Fall Festival last night so we all went. The kids got to dress in their costumes, Josh was Superman and Eli was a Ninja. Josh won a pumpkin on the Pumpkin Walk. We got Family photos taken, rode a Hayride, watched a littler performance and had Chili for dinner. It was a lot of fun.

Josh on the pumpkin walk.

Josh picked the biggest pumpkin he could find.

Eli on the pumpkin walk.

E on the hayride.

Josh and Mom on the hayride.

Conference Weekend

2011-10-05T10:22:00.002-05:00

The boys were a little tired by the time Sunday afternoon rolled around, but we had a wonderful weekend together.

Josh fell asleep on Morgan

Eli had a fever and was very mellow.

Noelle is starting to learn how to sit.

Noelle's First Food

2011-10-05T09:56:00.002-05:00

Noelle did alright with her first taste of rice cereal. I think this was Saturday morning. I fed her again some cereal on Monday and she ate it like a champ. We are starting small, just a tablespoon once a day (if the time is right), so she can get the Iron she needs. When she's six months we'll probably start adding more food.

School Stuff

2011-10-05T09:49:00.001-05:00

Eli was honored at his school as a Cougar Kid of Character. Each teacher picked one student and they got to stand up front with the school Cougar. E's teacher called us the day before and told us he would be picked and invited us to come, Morgan was able to come home for lunch and come with us.

The school also did drawings and some kids won prizes. As we left school with Eli he was very upset because he didn't get a sucker and he said it wasn't fair.

We are still working on gratitude.

Eli by the Cougar

Josh is really enjoying Mom's School. Last week they were studying the letter D and went to the local Arboretum for a Dino Dig.

Josh is very happy.

Noelle was very warm in her seat.

Digging for Dino's

On our way out we saw this scarecrow. Josh was a little nervous about getting too close.

Josh, Mom, and Mr. Scarecrow

Every Mother's Dream

2011-09-23T16:15:00.001-05:00

Eli comes home from school today and I told him that I wanted he and Josh to go outside and play for a while.

He says, "Please can I do my homework first, mom? Please? Please? Please!?"

I knew I needed to start him with good habits so I gave in and let him do his homework before he went outside to play.

Healing

2011-09-21T11:33:00.000-05:00

Thursday night I noticed that my back was hurting a little bit. It continued to hurt Friday, but like a busy mom I just worked through it. Morgan gave me a massage Friday night but Saturday it still hurt.

We were heading to Ames to visit Pete and Emily and right before we went my lower back just kept hurting worse and worse. I tried carrying some bags out to the van but had to drop them. I was able to force myself to walk to the van, but it was very painful and very difficult.

Once we got to Ames Morgan helped me get inside P&E's, then I spent our visit just sitting and having Morgan hand Noelle to me, I couldn't lift her up. Getting back into the van was even worse on the way home.

We called a chiropractor friend Saturday night and he met us at his office to give my back an adjustment. It hurt like crazy. There was no way I could go to church the next day so we all stayed home. I was doing a little better Sunday evening, but I was still in a lot of constant pain.

Morgan called his parents Sunday afternoon and Shari very willingly agreed to come to Waterloo to help take care of me and the kids. She has been a lifesaver.

I have been to the chiropractor twice more and each time I had a lot less pain. Now I am walking around pretty well, though I haven't tried any big distances yet. I can pick up and hold Noelle for a little while, but still need to try doing it with the car seat.

I am taking things easy and just trying to get my back to heal quickly and completely. I have also received a lot of love and support from friends, and that means the world to me.

Pictures

2011-09-21T11:22:00.001-05:00

I love this shot of Noelle, she is such a pretty girl.

Did I mention, that Noelle has a great smile?

Morgan and the kids playing disc golf in the yard.

Eli bought a gilder.


Josh used some birthday money (thanks Oma, Opa, and Spanish Fork Palmers) to by a car track thing.	He and Eli love it!

Getting Ready for Bed

2011-09-15T12:54:00.002-05:00

The best way we have found to get the boys ready for bed is to wear them out. Bike riding seems to do the trick!

I tried to upload some videos but it wasn't working, I'll try again later.

Cheese-y Josh!

Eli loves to get his picture taken!

Handsome Morgan

Chuck-E-Cheese

2011-09-15T12:40:00.003-05:00

Eli's school had a Chuck-E-Cheese Fundraiser night. My boys had been begging to go for weeks so we decided to support the school and go play around for a little bit. They had a blast!

Josh climbing

Eli on the Merry-go-Round

Josh on the Merry-go-Round

Eli and Josh driving a police car.

Stats

2011-09-15T12:32:00.001-05:00

Noelle

4 months

13.8 pounds - 50%

24.75" Height - 75%

Head 16" - 25-50%

Joshua

3 Years

Weight: 30.6 pounds - 40%

Height: 38.5" - 75%

A Rambling Blog

2011-09-14T16:01:00.001-05:00

I'm tired.

I'm also feeling a little down.

One of the things I do when I feel down is write. I don't have the time/inclination to write in journal right now so the blog gets the uncensored thoughts. But I don't even know what I want to say.

Right now I am wishing that we lived in a house with a high fenced in backyard that I could just send the boys out in to play. I tried to get them to ride their bikes around our house, and play outside today to wear them out, but they have still been fighting each other which drives me nuts. They haven't been listening well today especially when we rode bikes to school.

Bleh. Noelle has been very clingy lately too. She wants me to be with her all of the time. Last night I went to Relief Society and left her with Morgan, she was tired and I thought she'd sleep the whole time. Nope, she was awake and screamed most of the time which means Morgan wasn't able to get anything done around the house.

My kitchen floor needs to be swept and mopped badly. Maybe I'll do that now since I sent the boys up to their bedroom for fighting. I also need to vacuum, but I just don't have the energy.

I just want to lie in my bedroom, let the sun in through the windows and enjoy some silence.

Happy Birthday Joshua

2011-09-11T15:42:00.001-05:00

Josh had a couple of birthday celebrations. We went to Oma and Opa Lasley's for Labor day weekend. Oma made a treasure hunt for Josh to go on. She was very generous and made a map and prizes for Eli too. At every place on the map the boys would find a bag with their name on it and prizes inside. They had a blast. Ginny and Josh were on one team and Eli and I on the other. We only got 2 pictures because our camera ran out of batteries right afterwards. Oh, well. Monday morning we all went and played Disc Golf and Wildewood Park and then stopped at Graham's for ice cream.

Josh decided that he wanted pizza for his birthday. I also made him an Angel food cake (he requested vanilla -same thing, right?). Josh picked out some yummy mint Oreo ice cream. We had our friends the Jolley's over for dinner, pinata, presents and cake. I think that J had a really good time. He is now three years old.

Team Josh and Ginny checking out their map.

Mom, Noelle and Eli figuring out where to go first.

Josh with a pizza mustache

Pizza is Yummy!

Pinata fun

Josh taking a swing

Eli's almost got it!

Here comes the candy!

It's a Candy Grab!

Josh is ready to blow!

Checking out some stickers.

J's First Day of School

2011-09-11T15:11:00.001-05:00

Joshua started his first day of "Mom's School" September 6th. It is a group of five Mom's doing our own little preschool, twice a week for 2 hours. On his first day he learned all about Johnny Appleseed and the Letter A. He had a great time and I think this will be a lot of fun for him.

Here is Josh in his Johnny Appleseed hat after class.

Getting Ready for Church

2011-09-11T15:06:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of Noelle in her Sunday clothes. She is such a cute, wonderful baby and I love her smiles!

Noelle and Josh at Oma and Opa's house.

We call this her "Dorothy" dress. It just has a Wizard of Oz vibe.

Noelle and Eli

Here is Noelle this morning before church.

You can kind of see that we put a little clip into her hair.

Thunder in the Valley

2011-08-29T14:10:00.006-05:00

The Waterloo Airport hosted the air show, Thunder in the Valley this past Saturday. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds were the main attraction. We decided to go and had a great time. I loved watching the Thunderbirds. They were amazing and reminded me of the honor and respect that I need to have for all of the U.S. Servicemen.

We took a lot of great movies, but I decided to limit posting to these three.

Tree Boys

2011-08-28T15:47:00.003-05:00

Eli figured out how to climb our small tree. Can you find him?

Peek-a-Boo!

Josh needed to get in the action too.

Both boys love to climb trees and always ask Morgan to help them get on our big oak tree. The other day they realized that they can climb our small tree. They made a lot of leaves and branches fall down, but they had a blast!

Who does she look like?

2011-08-25T15:13:00.007-05:00

Noelle

Noelle

Noelle

Noelle

Noelle

Eli
Eli
Josh
Josh
Josh
Eli
Melissa
Melissa
Melissa
Morgan
Morgan
Morgan

When I was first getting these pictures together I thought Noelle looked like Eli for sure. Then when I put them on this blog I thought that she looked like Josh too. At least I know that she looks like Noelle.

Rug Making

2011-08-23T11:26:00.003-05:00

I decided to try and make a rug for Noelle's room. I bought some fun fleece fabric that I am going to use. I had never made a rug before and wanted to make a practice one first to make sure I knew what I was doing.

Below is my first try. It isn't very big, I gave up on it quickly when I saw that it was turning into a bowl, or basket rather than a rug. I knew I needed to try something different.

My first rug.

Below is my second attempt. I decided to try and do a rectangle. After all, how hard can it be to do straight rows....apparently very difficult for me. I think I lost some stitches and made it tighter as I went. This was not going to work. (Although the fabrics are pretty, right?)

No more messing around. My mom had a pattern that she got from the Aunt Philly Toothbrush Rug website. She sent me the pattern as well as the 'official' tool. (I had been using a large safety pin.)

The result...pure awesomeness.
I really love my final rug. It was hard getting started, but once I got the beginning part done with everything went really well. The pattern wasn't perfectly clear, but clear enough that I could figure out how to make this work for me.

Now I just need to decide how large of a rug I will be making for Noelle's room and get started on it. It is so fun to create something and learn something new.

Changes

2011-08-20T09:42:00.005-05:00

Noelle is able to grab and hold on to toys a lot better.

Here she is checking this rattle out.

Eli had his first day of school. He is playing with a shape puzzle on his desk.

Eli, outside of school on the first day.

He was very excited.

Josh is giving some sort of growling face.

After school Eli was holding Noelle and they were both watching a movie.

More of Noelle's Blessing Gown

2011-08-17T19:49:00.003-05:00

I wanted to get some professional pictures of Noelle in her blessing dress. These are our favorites.

Morgan's Gone

2011-08-13T09:20:00.003-05:00

Morgan is gone. Not for good, just for today. He is down in Nauvoo for a seminary teacher training. Right now the boys are fighting and crying over who gets to sit on the recliner. I've sent them to their bedroom to calm down. We will have to do a lot of playing outside today so they can use all of their energy.

It has been a while since I've done a big writing post, and I just read two of my sister-in-laws blog and thought how wonderful it was that I could read more of what was going on. So I'm doing it too.

I recently finished the book Pollyanna and am now reading Pollyanna Grows Up. I didn't even know that the movies were based on books but I Absolutely Love It. Just reading the book makes me happier and more GLAD. When I hear the boys getting ready to complain about leaving the park I tell them how Glad I am that we could come and play in the first place.

I have also done a lot more writing for my job this month and feel really good about it. I found a system that works for me in writing several articles at once. Right now I am trying to earn money to cover our trip to Utah for Christmas, and hopefully all of our presents as well.

We would really like a new computer, ours is nine years old and getting slower every day. I am still a big Mac person, so I'll have to do a lot of work before we'll be able to buy a new one.

Seminary will be starting soon. That means Morgan will be going to bed by 8:30pm or 9pm and getting up at 4:30am. I don't like to stay up later than him so I'll probably follow the same pattern, but sleep longer in the mornings.

Eli can't wait for Kindergarten to start. He wanted to wear his school clothes when I went and registered him. He also wanted to know when I would let him walk to school by himself. Even though we are only 6 blocks or so I told him it would be a couple of years.

Josh will be a in a mom-run preschool. Two days a week for 2 hours, with the moms taking turns teaching. I am excited for him, he'll have a lot of fun. I will have a lot of fun with 4 hours week with just Noelle and I. It will probably end up being the time I go grocery shopping. :)

Speaking of Noelle, she is still a great baby. I always worry that she is getting enough to eat, but she seems to be growing and happy. And now I've got to go take care of her again. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Saturday Fun

2011-08-07T14:10:00.003-05:00

Noelle was safe and sound on the deck.

Eli throwing water balloons at Morgan.

Josh trying to get Morgan.

Water balloon fun.

Wet, happy guys.

Saturday we did a lot of good work. Morgan took a load of junk to the dump and changed the oil in the van.
We all went on a 10-mile bike ride, shorter than last weeks 13 mile ride, but still a lot of fun. The boys were complaining of being more tired this time around, I think because we went in the afternoon instead of the morning.

When we got home from bike riding we filled up some water balloons that Eli got for his birthday. Then Morgan went on the driveway to let the boys throw them at him. I took a couple pictures than I had to join in the fun. We were all very wet by the time we were through.

Cute Kids!

2011-08-07T14:05:00.002-05:00

Sleeping Elle

Happy E

Silly J

I love my kids!

Eli's Birthday

2011-07-30T07:11:00.004-05:00

Playing Red Light, Green Light

Getting ready to Bob for Apples

Finding the perfect apple.

They go one!

Pinata time

Go Eli!

After the neighbor boys helped us out, we got it open.

Eli was specific that he wanted a chocolate cake with Sprinkles.

Happy Birthday Eli!

Opening presents.

Thanks everyone who came! Eli had a wonderful time.

Pinata

2011-07-30T07:02:00.003-05:00

Eli really wanted to have a Pinata at his birthday party this year. I didn't want to spend twenty bucks to buy one so I decided to try and make one ourselves. It was really easy and a lot of fun. Eli helped me make it and both boys helped decorate it.

We did four layers of newspaper which was more than enough. We are going to make one for Josh's birthday too, but only do 2 layers of paper on that one.

Nauvoo

2011-07-29T22:33:00.002-05:00

We went to Nauvoo last weekend. Friday night we watched the Pageant, then Saturday Morgan and I went to the Temple separately and then took the boys to the Blacksmiths Shop. Because Eli's birthday was the closest he got the miniature horseshoe the worker made. It was a really nice trip.

Getting ready for the Nauvoo Pageant to start.

Eli and Josh in the Wainwright's shop.

Making a horseshoe.

Josh, Eli and Melissa

Waste of 93 minutes

2011-07-25T07:01:00.002-05:00

Morgan and I watched the 1976 film, Bugsy Malone. A gangster movie with only children (including Jodie Foster and Charles in Charge). I remembered watching when I was young at a friends house and really liking it.

There were two 'great' songs I remembered, My Name is Talulah, and Down, Down Down Down.

Anyway, I got the movie from Netflix and Morgan and I watched it last night. It was a waste of 93 minutes. Morgan said it made his Top 10 Bad Movies list which includes, Mr. Wrong, and Killer Clowns from Outer-Space.

Several things were terrible about the movie - I know the actors were portraying adults, but the stage dancers were WAY too immodest wearing the shortest shorts possible. All of the singing was done by adults...I think the kids could have done better. It was painful to listen to. Finally, the movie broke its own rule.
The gangsters killed each other with whipped cream pies, until one gang got a splurge gun to kill people with. It was made very clear that if you were shot in the face with the cream than you were a goner. At the end there is an all out 'war' and everyone gets shot in the face but they all live and end up becoming friends.

Bleh.

Date Night

2011-07-21T06:53:00.002-05:00

Last night Morgan and I went on a date. We got Shannon and Kyle to watch Eli and Josh and headed out for a Pita Pit dinner and then to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II in 3D.
It was Morgan's first 3D film, and I was excited to be there with him.

First a review on the movie: I really enjoyed it. It felt like a fitting ending to a wonderful series. Naturally there were some things changed or left out that I wish they had followed the book more closely, but overall it was a really good experience.

I didn't cry as much as I thought I would, which I think is in part due to the 3D nature of the film. I know it is supposed to make you feel like you are there with the characters, but I think it was a little distracting. I couldn't see everything at once because I was too busy looking at the little pieces. Morgan said they may have done their job too well, because at times it was like looking at cardboard cut-outs.

I don't think I would recommend anyone paying extra to see this in 3D, of course, you must realize that I probably won't go see anything in 3D again either.

It was so nice to go out with Morgan. I think we are going to try and have dates monthly, the money we spend is worth the time we get to have together.

Blessing Day

2011-07-19T20:20:00.004-05:00

Sunday was Noelle's blessing day. It was a really beautiful blessing and we were happy to have both Grandpa's, Gordan, Pete, and Kyle there.

Getting ready to go to church.

Family photo.
Another shot.

Grandpa, Grandma and Noelle
I love this picture of my parents with Noelle.

Noelle's dress. My mom made it and did an amazing job. There were crocheted flowers all around the bottom.
Noelle sleeping in her dress.

Fun with Grandpa and Grandma

2011-07-19T10:19:00.004-05:00

We had a great time this past weekend. My parents game to visit for Noelle's blessing. Noelle especially loved smiling at Grandpa.

More smiles
Here she is sleeping in her car seat. A sister of mine made this awesome car seat cover, I'll have to take a picture of it to show off.
The pool had a Family Fun Day as a reward for great swimming lessons. So Saturday we all went. This is Josh going off the middle diving board wearing the blue life-jacket.
Here is Eli jumping off the high diving board. He is fearless.
Grandpa and Grandma took turns hanging out with Noelle so Morgan and I could play with Eli and Josh.
After swimming we went out to lunch at Newton's Paradise Cafe in downtown Waterloo. It was amazing food. I definitely want to go back. I think it may become my favorite Waterloo restaurant. Here is a picture of Josh with his very large berry pancake.

Morgan had a tenderloin sandwich. Both plates are his.

Sitting down, getting ready to eat. (If you go there, I would recommend the Roast Beef sandwich, it was the best thing we had there, and the best roast beef sandwich I have EVER had.)

Sibling Fun

2011-07-18T20:31:00.004-05:00

Eli and Josh Dancing

More Dance moves

Right before Noelle was crying, she was smiling.
Someone must have got too close.

3 sweet kids

Eli especially loves Noelle. He wants to hold her, hug her, and kiss her all of the time.

Bowling, Sparklers, Swimming Lessons

2011-07-18T06:38:00.004-05:00

We love bowling as a family, especially with the Kids Bowl Free program, 2 free games each day of the summer. Here we are going as a family.

Noelle does really well and often sleeps through the bowling.

Josh needs to use the ramp to get the ball to the pins faster.

Here's Morgan's great swing, he got a strike this throw.

We had a fun Family Day with Bowling, then a movie, finally sparklers then Morgan and the boys slept outside in the tent. Eli and Josh loved using the sparklers Uncle Kyle gave to them.

Josh and his sparkler.

We had swimming lessons the past two weeks. Both boys did a great job learning new skills and hanging out in the water.

Josh blowing bubbles in the water.

Splashing and playing.

Eli blowing bubbles.

Eli kicking and floating for me.

Sweet boys. Eli just got off the diving board.

Here's a movie of Eli jumping off the high dive.

Josh jumped of the low dive, and later the medium board as well.

I'm so glad when Daddy comes home!

2011-07-08T09:26:00.002-05:00

Birthday and More

2011-07-08T08:27:00.005-05:00

Josh, being the cute kid he is.

I don't know if you can tell, but Noelle's lips are sealed shut. She woke up like this one morning, somehow during her sleep her saliva hardens and seals her lips. Don't worry, though, she's able to work it open without too much trouble.

A Balloon story teller came to the library. Eli is in the blue shirt patiently holding his hand. He was called up, but then the guy realized he had too many kids so he sent Eli down and told him he'd pick him for another story. Well, that never happened, the guy wasn't able to see Eli again and thought he'd left. Eli was okay about it, but afterwards he came up to me with a big frown on his face. We were the last ones to leave because I had to get Noelle situated in her carseat/stroller.

Before we left I had Eli show me the funny dance they did. It was thumbs up, elbows back, feet apart, knees together, bottoms' up, tongue out, eyes closed. It was really hilarious.

The librarians asked about Eli's sad face and he told them the story. The Balloon guy was still there so he gave both of my boys a balloon, and as you can see, they were very happy.

Morgan went to help roof his parents house and I tried to have a game night. It didn't work out, there was an emergency room scare so the friend who came to the party went to stay with some kids while their mom took the baby to the hospital, another friend was going to be late, but her husband was the home teacher so I told her to stay with her kids because we didn't know if her husband would need to leave to give a blessing and the last friend got home from traveling and was too tired.

Anyway, the next night we did a re-do which was really nice and my friend Charity made me this Cinderella cake and Jamie brought some ice cream to celebrate my birthday. I got tears in my eyes to know they love me so much. It was just what I needed.

On my birthday we went down to Chillicothe for the weekend. Noelle got to meet her Uncle Pete for the first time.

Here's Noelle and Eli.

Morgan made me a home made Angel Food Cake that was amazing. The giant bowl next to it is whipping cream, one of two giant bowls I mixed together. It was a tad much. But Pete and Emily also made some homemade vanilla ice cream that was wonderful.

And here is our smiling baby. She is so cute and wonderful. She sleeps through the night consistently and she is smiling a lot more. Last night during family prayer she was smiling at Morgan and trying to 'talk' to him. I was a little distracted, but it was a wonderful moment.

I am really grateful for my friends and family and all of the love and support they give to us.

Photo Session

2011-06-29T09:16:00.006-05:00

We went and got photos taken of Noelle, Eli and Josh. Here are the ones we liked best.

Smiling Noelle

Noelle deep in thought.

This is probably her most natural 'pose.'

Josh and Eli, in a moment of brotherly love.

Noelle in her princess outfit, happy as can be.

I love this picture of the boys holding Noelle, I wish you could see it the right way.

Finally, a little montage of the kids.

Update

2011-06-27T18:17:00.004-05:00

Morgan and Noelle chilling out. I love moments like this.

Josh was excited to help me cook one day. He needed to wear and apron just like me.

We've had some Young Men staying with us over the weekend. Eli loved playing Wii with them.

Eli is very focused.

Here is beautiful Noelle.

Here are some awesome booties a friend made. She does all different sizes, this is the newborn size and they fit GREAT! They never fall off her feet like socks can. You can order your own color/size at ajolleyknit.blogspot.com

Reviews

2011-06-18T06:19:00.005-05:00

How Do You Know starring Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson and Jack Nicholson

I LOVED this movie! I don't remember hearing about it before, but I was at the library Thursday night and knew I didn't have a Netflix movie so I stopped by the new release section and picked this one up.
It was so funny. There were several times when I laughed out loud - not something I do often in films. It was just really great. Morgan mentioned that there was no one that you hated during the film. Anyway, I think I would put this on my To Own list.

Roasting in Hell's Kitchen by Gordon Ramsey

This was a really good read. I always wanted to know what happened next. He does swear in the book, but if you have ever heard of Ramsey that is not surprising. What was surprising was how he came started out with virtually nothing and made a success of himself. He has had difficulty in his life and it is nice to realize that everyone is human.

A Town Like Alice by Nevile Shute

This book had a slow beginning. I had to read about 80 pages before I was really interested. But once I got to that point I couldn't put the book down. I LOVED this story. It is one that I would love to see made into a movie. It also says a lot about what the difference that one woman can make in the world.
I would recommend this book to anyone.

Battlestar Galactica the TV series

Morgan and I watched this series on our Netflix instant queue. It was a fun show that we loved. Now that we are done with it our evenings are finally free. This is a good sci-fi drama.

Summer Fun

2011-06-12T15:29:00.004-05:00

Playing in the sprinkler.

Happy Brothers

Checking out the cows at the dairy farm.

This calf wanted a taste.

Josh wasn't going to take his eye off that calf.

2011-06-08T08:38:00.002-05:00

I love this picture of Eli and Josh showing off Noelle's new blanket made by Grandma Palmer. I wish it were the right way...sorry.

The video is of Eli singing a song to Noelle to help her go to sleep.

Slip-n-Slide

2011-06-08T08:17:00.004-05:00

We were invited to a friend's home Saturday for a bbq and slip-n-slide. The boys had a good time, but they mostly ran down the slide rather than just sliding. It was a great night, though.

Josh playing Frisbee

Noelle slept almost the whole time.

Josh finishing his run, going for the slide on his knees.

Eli went down with friends.

Josh wanting to be near Morgan's pose.

Josh and Morgan doing the same pose. I love J's face!

Family Bike Ride!

2011-06-08T07:39:00.002-05:00

Last week, before it got crazy hot, we went on a family bike ride to a local park. We rode almost 3 miles round trip and had a great time. (Our pediatrician told us we could strap the car seat into the trailer, I never would have thought of that!)

Pictures

2011-06-07T16:24:00.003-05:00

Noelle sleeps. Constantly. Even unwrapped.
I'm trying to be thankful but mostly I worry that she's not eating enough. Silly me.

Josh and Eli quietly, and happily playing cars together.
I had to get a picture.

Then they needed to pose.

And do another with 'silly' faces.

Last day of School

2011-06-07T16:08:00.002-05:00

Eli had his last day of preschool last week. The first few days he would tell people how many days he had been out of school. We're trying to have fun this summer, if only it wouldn't be too hot to let Noelle get outside too. Oh, well. Summer here we come!

Eli with his teachers, Gwen and Shelly

On the last day they had a beach day so they got a sucker and flip flop cookies to take home. Eli got to wear his swimsuit to school and they played a lot of water games/activities and in the sand too!

Eating Crowe

2011-05-31T14:21:00.002-05:00

My apologies to Cate Blanchett and Russell Crowe. When I first saw the previews for this Robin Hood I wsan't all that interested. I especially made unkind remarks regarding "Old Maid" Marion. Cate Blanchett, while beautiful and very talented did not strike me as a Maid Marion.

I was wrong.

This movie is excellent. We got it from Netflix and watched it this past weekend. The story is not your typical Robin Hood, and is definitely not the Kevin Costner story (although both films use old blind men to tug at our hearts.)

The best way to prepare yourself for watching this movie is to think of it as a beginning story. How Robin became Robin of the Hood. As for Maid Marion, she is actually Lady Marion.

I would recommend you see this movie. It had action, love, battles, heart and laugh-out-loud funny moments.

2 Weeks

2011-05-27T17:49:00.002-05:00

Laura Noelle Lasley

Weight: 8.3 lbs 50%
Height: 21 inches 75%
Head 13 3/4 inches 25%

The 2 week appointment went great and she is doing well. Her stats are all over the board, but that's okay with me!

Last Week

2011-05-27T15:29:00.007-05:00

My mom came and stayed with us the 18th through the 25th. Technically the 26th. Her flight on the 25th was delayed and then canceled so she rented a car and drove from Cedar Rapids back to our place and stayed the night. She did make it out of Cedar Rapids on Thursday but her flight was delayed again and so she missed her connecting flight out of Minneapolis. She stayed in a hotel overnight and finally got back to Utah Friday morning. Craziness!
Anyway, we had a nice relaxing time and got a few projects done. Mostly we just enjoyed each others company and took pictures. Many of these are from my Mom's new camera she got for Mother's Day. Someday I'll get a super nice camera, but for now I'm glad I've got family! Here are some of my favorites.

Oh, as a side note. Starting today we are calling Laura Noelle, "Noelle." We are going to try that out and see if it fits her a little better.

Family

Preschool Graduation Songs

2011-05-27T15:10:00.002-05:00

Here is a video of a song the kids sang at the preschool graduation. Go Eli!

Eli's Preschool Graduation

2011-05-27T15:01:00.002-05:00

We went to Eli's Preschool Graduation. Here are some pictures of the great event.

Josh On His Own

2011-05-23T14:27:00.003-05:00

This is from several weeks ago, but we couldn't get it to upload until now. This is Josh on his bike starting and riding completely on his own.

More Pictures

2011-05-15T15:44:00.004-05:00

Laura loves to suck her fingers. She finds a way to find them.

Sleeping

Awake

Morgan and Laura

Stretch!

Melissa and Laura - notice my extreme paleness. I need more blood!

Going home

Eli holding Laura, and Josh

Josh holding Laura, and Eli

Laura and her Daddy - I love these moments

Wonderful Oma reading to the boys. It was so wonderful having Shari come up and be with the boys while I was in the hospital and staying an extra day. She gave us peace of mind that the boys would be fine, did lots of cleaning, laundry and painting. What a wonderful Oma!

Family Meets Laura & First Bath

2011-05-12T13:05:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from last night. Eli and Josh got to come meet the baby for the first time and after they left Morgan gave Elle her first bath. And as for her name I am 98% positive it will be Laura Noelle.

"L"'s Birth

2011-05-12T08:52:00.000-05:00

I am not giving out an official name, yet. I don't feel ready to make that commitment, but I did want to post some pictures here. If you don't feel like reading the birth story you can just skip to the pictures.

Birth Story:
Tuesday Waterloo was hot, 93 degrees. Our main floor was 80 and I'm sure upstairs was even worse. I didn't get any sleep but about midnight I felt was confused because it felt like I was loosing control of my bladder. By one o'clock I realized that my bag of waters had ruptured. We called my midwife and she said to go to the hospital and they will check it out.

We called Jamie J and asked her to come stay with the boys then called Shannon and Kyle who were returning from a trip to Idaho. They were still an hour outside of Waterloo but said that they would just come to our house and releave Jamie, neither of them had work the next day so it worked out.

We got to the hospital around 2am and after monitoring me in the triage room the sent me to a labor/delivory room. My contractions weren't really steady or to strong so Morgan and I spent a lot of time walking the halls to keep the contractions coming. We were only in the hospital with Josh for about 4 hours before he was born so I had my wishful thinking. I had also decided that I wanted to do this naturally.

Hours and hours went by. Morgan and I both tried to take little power naps - he is better at it then me. We called Morgan's mom and asked if she could come up and spent a couple days with the boys, which she did. Amazing woman!

I see two midwifes and the first Kim was on call when we came into the hospital. She left at 8am and Anne came in to replace her. Anne suggested that we use a breast pump and stimulate some natural pitocin. It really worked and kicked up those contractions.

Around 1pm or so Anne was supposed to leave to go to a conference in Minnesota but she ended up staying through the labor and delivery but Kim was back as the official midwife of the hour.

I worked through the contractions, praying for it to be over. Morgan was an excellent support person throughout the whole ordeal. I would have asked for an epidural hours before if he had not been so great for me. All of the doctors and nurses were just great, helping me be comfortable (as possible) and keeping me cool or warm depending on what I needed at the time.

I was finally progressed enough to push and we got her out. I actually grabbed her by the underarms and pulled her right up to me. It was nice to have her there so immediately. They were letting me hold her as long as I wanted, and just checking her vitals while she was on my lap.

Unfortunately I was bleeding a lot after the birth and the placenta was not coming out well. Will all of the poking they were giving to me I handing the babe to Morgan. After much uncomfortableness they think they got me cleaned out, they pulled out several large clots and figured that I had lots 1200 cc's of blood which is 20% of a normal person, but less because in pregnancy you have more blood. I did loose consciousness once on the bed through all of their workings but was not out for long.

Anyway they gave me all sorts of drugs after the birth and checked my iron this morning, I am at a 7.2, but have decided that as long as I am not feeling dizzy or lightheaded than they will not give me a transfusion.

Last night I got to get up for the first time and go to the bathroom and take a bath to clean off. I had Morgan helping me and as he was helping me get dressed I passed out again, luckily I think I felt it coming so I had sort of grabbed/hugged onto him and he held me until the nurse brought a chair to set me on.

We got me back in my bed and Eli, Josh, Oma, Shannon and Kyle came to visit, but I will post those pictures next.

Melissa 39 Weeks

2011-05-10T12:39:00.002-05:00

We took these pictures Sunday morning before church. My due date is this Saturday the 14th, but I am ready to have this baby any day this week. Lets get the show on the road!

Cycling

2011-05-08T19:27:00.002-05:00

We love being able to go outside and ride bikes. Josh has been getting better at his pedal bike but still needed help starting. The other day I wasn't able to be outside with them so I figured J would just ride his balance bike. Instead I found out that Eli was helping him get started. I had to take a video of it. I love watching my two boys play well together.

The Wizard of OZ

2011-05-02T10:31:00.002-05:00

We went down to Chillicothe this weekend to watch Ginny perform in The Wizard of OZ as the Cowardly Lion. Eli and Josh loved watching their Aunt Ginny, and they couldn't wait to see her in her Lion's costume. It was a fun time.

Jabberwocky

2011-05-02T10:16:00.004-05:00

Morgan finally got his Christmas present for last year. It is also his Father's Day present. He found Jabberwocky bike online for a great deal.

He loves it because he gets to ride hard and generally forget he is an 'adult.' This past weekend while at his parents home he was doing jumps with it and turned while landing thus creating a crazy tire fiasco. He is fine, and he got the tire back on, so the bike is fine too.

Easter

2011-04-28T16:07:00.002-05:00

We had a really good Easter weekend. Morgan didn't have to work Friday so Thursday night we used a gift card and went out to dinner then came home and the whole family watched Megamind. We all really enjoyed it, it is one that I would like to own sometime.
Friday morning was spent cleaning, organizing, and decluttering the house. We didn't get to too much work upstairs, but it was good. We also dyed Easter Eggs Friday. Morgan's did the first two pictures, he really likes to try different designs.
Friday night the Easter Bunny came and the boys got some flashlights and cars in their baskets and then we had a little egg hunt.
Sunday we went to church then had several people over for an Easter dinner. It was a really great weekend.

Long Weekend

2011-04-22T07:51:00.002-05:00

Our long weekend has started. Because we live in Iowa Eli and Morgan get Good Friday off school and work. We started out last night by using a gift certificate to out to dinner as a family and then we came home and watched Megamind. We all really enjoyed it, although Josh did fall asleep during them movie (we were up late).

Today our plan is to clean up the house a little bit and dye Easter Eggs. I'm not sure what else we might do, a lot of playing together and being lazy. In other words, perfect.

Sales People

2011-04-15T11:00:00.002-05:00

A while ago I put my name in a raffle to try and win a free washer/dryer. I didn't, but the people did call me and asked to send a representative over to show us a water softening system and they would give us a $20.00 restaurant gift card just for listening. I said yes, the guy came over, spent 1-2 hours with us and we told him we weren't interested.

Morgan asked me never to do that again. And I didn't plan too. In fact I have told myself that if I ever have someone trying to sell me something like that to tell them straight off that I WILL NOT buy something today. Morgan and I have an understanding that we always sleep on big decisions.

Well earlier this week a guy stopped by to sell me a vacuum system. I tried to tell him we don't have much carpet, but before I knew it I was showing him my living room - to prove my point - and then he went and got a girl to show me the vacuum since he knew I'd be more comfortable that way.

As it happened I didn't get the chance to say to them, I WILL NOT buy this vacuum today, but figured I'd let them clean my carpet and they would just have to deal with it. If they don't give me a chance to say anything to them then they have to deal with the results of their pushiness.

So she vacuumed our carpets and even shampooed the whole living room - I was surprised at how much of a difference there wasn't. With the white carpet I thought it would be a lot worse. It looks nicer, but not freakishly so.

They whole ordeal ended up lasting about 2 hours. I put away my groceries, washed dishes and made dinner while the girl was here. I don't have time just to sit and watch her vacuum, I had a Lamaze class to go to that night.

Anyway, the manager comes back and tries to sell it to me, I tell him I don't really need it - Morgan is only waiting for me to name the day and he'll pull the carpet up - and most importantly I cannot afford 2000 on a vacuum.

They tried their best to sell us the vacuum, going lower and lower in price. Some of my favorite lines were that
"Everyone deserves this good vacuum."

"You have the money, you just don't want to pay it." - Sorry dude, I don't have the money and I'm not going to finance one through you or through my credit card.

"She's worked so hard and she's trying to earn a trip." - To that I responded, As much a I like her, I'm not going to buy a vacuum just so she can go on a trip. He was like of course, not, that's not what I was saying. And I thought, then why did you say it?

Anyway, I liked the vacuum I just don't have the money for it. I do feel unsettled about the whole experience though. I hate how they were trying to guilt us into this. And I know I did let them into my home, I could have been more forthright and less accommodating.

I know this will probably happen again at some point so I have modified my opening sentence.

I will not purchase what you are offering me today. If you cannot offer me the same promotional price a week from today then I will not purchase this item. If this is a problem, or doesn't work for you, I understand and you can be on your way. I will not change my mind. Do you understand that?

WOW-ZA!

2011-04-09T11:34:00.004-05:00

My sister is AMAZING! She told me that she was going to make something for our new baby and we decided to have her make something for a toddler rather than a baby. I opened up the box she gave me and there was the most amazing dress I've seen. I got a little teary-eyed just amazed at its beauty and all of the time and work that she put into it. I new I had to share the beauty of the dress with the world since Sacajawea won't be able to wear it for a while...it was all I could do not to put the dress on Josh!

Anyway, Thank YOU, Cherie. I love it and it is beautiful.

Update:

2011-04-09T10:05:00.002-05:00

Uncle Dan got his mission call to Honduras. We thought we took a video of him opening the call, but it apparently didn't work. Sorry folks.

3 Little cousins watching Word World on the computer.

We got the movie Tangled and the boys LOVE it! Anytime that I let them pick a movie for 'rest time' they are always picking that one.

Josh fell asleep.

He was on Morgan's lap but Morgan needed to get up so he left him on the chair.

I can't imagine that it was very comfortable.

Other things that have happened...Morgan and I took our first overnight trip away from the boys. I've been away from the kids, he's been away from the kids, but this was the first time we've been away together. Morgan had a conference in Iowa City and I decided to tag along with him. Oma and Opa Lasley watched the boys for us and Eli and Josh LOVED being there. They through a major tantrum when it was time to leave. :0)

Morgan and I had a good time, he had classes so I either relaxed or shopped. We had fun doing some window shopping together as well as trying out a restaurant and going to one of our favorites...Three Samurai.

We stayed at the Sheridan, and it was fine. I loved the bed, very soft and very comfortable but that is the best we can say for the place. They charged for EVERYTHING, minus TV. They also charged us for breakfast Friday $24 +tax and haven't refunded us yet so I will call again Monday if they don't get their act together.

Also, I have started my job with Boostability. We got the power cable we needed for Morgan's old laptop and fixed it up so I can do the work on that computer. I only did a little yesterday, but I am enjoying it. It is a little more challenging than I expected, but that is nice because it makes me THINK. I think that it will be good for our family.

Morgan and I are taking a Lamaze class that is very informative, it is not just the breathing like it used to be known for. We have also started a Marriage Strengthening course through the church. So two nights a week we are busy away from the kids, Monday is Family Home Evening and the rest we are just exhausted. So today is a nice mellow day at home. We've already played Super Mario Brothers, read books, had haircuts and showers/baths and now Morgan and the boys are playing with his electric guitar. Josh is crying so I better see whats up.