Christensen Chronicle

Totally Happy with Toothless

2011-06-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

On the day that How to Train Your Dragon was released on DVD, Braden got to go to the store with his friends, had his photo taken riding Toothless (the dragon), and got his own copy of the movie to watch over and over again in the coming months. If you now ask him if he liked that day he will say "Graaaalth" in a raspy voice which means "yes" in his new language - dragonese.

A Corny Day with the Yonally Clan

2011-06-19T19:27:00.000-07:00

If you know the Yonallys you know how they love to laugh and be silly. It only made sense to take them to the corniest place we know of - Cornbelly's. There they keps us entertained by:

Driving conspicuously small vehicles (oh to have Loyce doing this in video. Hillarious.)

A tetherball to the death match - with victorious Carolyn laughing so hard she couldn't breath after Kathy was knocked on her rear end by Carolyn's wicked tetherball arm

Competitive rubber ducky races

An amazingly good day for all - except perhaps Kathy. Are your bruises gone yet?

Catching up again ...

2011-06-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

I think of myself as an easy going person. I don't ask for much. All I REALLY want is to be an exscellent mom and wife, a great cook, a successful business owner and consultant for other businesses, a good landlord and rental manager, to keep up on ALL of my projects (including my blog) and have a completely clean house with manicured yard. Seems like that is asking TOO much so here I am catching up on my blog again. If I ever catch up completely I might tackle my junk drawer ... :)

Flower Girl

2011-03-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cailin sending everyone love from the Children's Museum on her last visit (October 2010 - I am depressingly behind...).

Wedding Dance

2011-01-01T16:41:00.001-08:00

We had a great time at Connie's wedding in the canyons. The setting was beautiful, it was wonderful to see Connie so happy and the music was so engaging that both of the kids and Grandpa Christensen did a jig or two. (Where is a video camera when you need one?)

Christensen Camping Trip

2010-11-07T21:39:00.000-08:00

Camping with the Christensens has changed over the last several years from a backpack trip in remote areas of the Uintas to a posh experience in a camper. While I have very fond memories of watching dragonflies with my sister-in-law, Karen, around a Uintah lake, I have to say that having a bed is a nice change :). After just a short drive from home we met up with Grandma and Grandpa Christensen and enjoyed a hot dog dinner, an evening roasting marshmellows and awaoke to a gourmet breakfast. (How DOES my father-in-law create such delicious fried potatoes? I wish I knew....)

A couple of reasons to smile ...

2010-10-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

#1 - New pajamas

#2 (Cailin only)- naturally tan skin - lucky girl!

Deer Valley Retreat

2010-09-27T07:16:00.000-07:00

My family (including all of my brothers and sisters and their families) got together for a family reunion at a Deer Valley condo in July. By "Condo" I mean something like a mini mansion. We had 3 levels that were each about the size of my home. There was a pool table, two kitchens, and several balconies with wonderful views. In fact that only thing it didn't have was air conditioning. (My fault - I booked it for us but for some reason assumed that ait conditionining came with most places these days ...) We rode the alpine coaster and let the kids do some high flying bunji tramopline jumping. We went to a ranch nearby for a big dinner and wagon ride. The kids playhed with eachother nonstop. It was great.

While there Mike told us that one of his last business trips had taken him to California near where we used to live. He had driven by our old home and brought a picture. It was fun to take a trip down our memory lane while we watched our kids make wonderful memories of their own.

The home I gew up in. Nothing has changed except for the house color, garage door, steps to the front, gravel (we had grass), and all of the plants you see. Othre than that, exactly the same :)

Summer Camp

2010-09-26T12:29:00.000-07:00

Braden attended a fum summer camp put on by his preschool this year. Each week they had new themes like dinosaur and butterflies, sesame street characters, farm animals, etc. He had lots of fun and always made something cool to bring home.

Braden showing off his "Pirates and Princesses" week booty.

Curse of the Ware Pager

2010-09-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

When you work for a hospital and get urgent pages from places like the ER and operating rooms, losing your pager is bad. Over the years my pager has spent time in my laundry basket, under my bed, in the couch cushions, beneath the seats in my car, in the washing machine and even in the "porcelain express" - sad but true. Each time my mounting tension has only been relieved once I have found the pager and, as necessary, dried it out.

On July 14th I lost my pager - permanently. Aaron decided to go back to school to get an MBA and between his school, work and on call schedules we just couldn't juggle my work and on call schedules too. I knew I would be sad to leave the job I really enjoyed and the wonderful friends I had made at work, but I thought leaving the pager behind would be a piece of cake. Not so. For about a week I panicked every time I realized I wasn't wearing my pager and felt disoriented every morning when my pager wasn't on my bedside table. For about a month I kept trying to remember if I was on call before committing to do things. And today (2 1/2 months later) I saw something small and black and felt the desperate urge to attach it to my hip. Do I like being at home? I think I love it - but I will let you know for certain once I finally feel like I have left my job!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

2010-09-12T17:01:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Abby's birthday on July 11 and got a possible glimpse of Cailin's future ... Then at Lilly's bithday later that week we were taken back to the present!

Cailin with hair longer than mine - using Abby's new Hannah Montana Wig

Cailin at Lilly's birthday party with lashes longer than her hair!

Little Lilly

Tyler, Braden and Jack

Days of 47 Horse Parade

2010-09-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

It was a real parade. There were real horses. But smiles? We coulsn't photograph a real one to save our lives!

Braden sporting fake smile #15

Hometown July 4th

2010-09-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

On the 4th of July my parents were in Australia preparing for my Aunt Frances' funersl but we still met up with Ben and Kim and their family for the morning parade. After the parade we walked around the fair with Grandma and Grandpa Christensen hunting for the balloon and face painting ladies. One spider on a webbed cheek and a pop-able dragon later we decided to abandon the festivities and enjoy a lunch in the cool of a restaurant. Another fun holiday.

Looking out for parade candy. I still have candhy left in myh purse!

Dearest Aunt Frances

2010-09-08T06:41:00.000-07:00

There are some people that have the ability to leave a big impression in a small amount of time. That was my Aunt Frances. Her sunny disposition and sense of humor quickly touched everyone around her. When she was diagnosed with colon cancer she joked about having to "put on weight" and the anti-nausea pills that she "couldn't keep down."

Aunt es passed away in early July just a few days before her birthday. I miss her so much. But even as my eyes tear up I can't help but remember her contagious laughter and start to smile. Heaven must be an even happier place now that she is there.

Christmas in Australia 2001

Silver Lake Silver Lining

2010-09-07T21:31:00.000-07:00

There is nothing we like better than spending time as a family, watching our kids' friendship grow, and interacting with animals while we do it. We love Silver Lake!

One of the many people-loving squirrels.

Our squirrel-loving kids

And a moose that we enjoyed watching from the safety of our car.

Baby Ninja, Little Buddha

2010-07-16T19:37:00.000-07:00

Every parent knows each child is special ... but when we saw Cailin quickly catch 3 flies with her tiny fingers this past week we finally realized she must be part Ninja!

When Braden worked for a few days to catch one fly and then burst into racking sobs because he had injured it - we realized he must be part Buddhist Monk!

Yes I do like phosothop - but at least the fly stories are real!

Baby Shoes

2010-07-16T19:28:00.000-07:00

I don't think I could call myself a legitimate "mother of two" unless I did something ridiculous like forget to blog about Cailin walking. (Hooray - I'm officially in the club...) Cailin walked (consistently and for increasing distances) 3 days before turning 11 months old. Thank goodness I DID remember to buy her some shoes ... eventually!

Cailin's first real pair of shoes (above) - after an experiment with cute flowery shoes that cooked her little feet like an oven (below)!

Early Morning Art

2010-07-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

Proof that Braden's dino art skills continue to grow - and that he never actually gets dressed.

Butterfly Birthday - Cailin is 1

2010-07-05T14:53:00.000-07:00

For Cailin's birthday we decorated with butterflies , balloons, paper lanterns and Cailin wore a pink pair of butterfly wings. There was a butterfly hunt (kids used colorful butterfly nets to gather candies with butterfly wings that were scattered all over our back yard), a game of musical presents, and water fun for the kids. We ate pulled pork sandwiches (that roasted for almost 20 hours), fruit kabobs, cookie fruit salad, chips with avocado/salsa dip and pink lemonade. Cailin's cake was the talk of the party (just SO cute - thanks CoreyEllen!). And we learned that although she had not had chocolate before, she loves it! (That's my girl...)

Cailin got more presents than a 1 year oud could possible need. We gave her a small kitchen that she and Braden can play with together. Our family gave her some foods to go with the kitchen, a few soft ponies, books, a stuffed dinosaur, and lots of cute summer dresses.

What fun to be 1!

Milk JUg Cuddle

2010-07-05T14:46:00.001-07:00

You know how kids sometimes do things that just make you laugh and you have to get them written down for memory sake in spite of how crazy it makes you seem to your friends and family ...

For whatever reason, both Braden and Cailin have LOVED cuddling with milk jugs in the grocery cart.

Cailin finds love at Sams Club one morning...

Cool at the Dentist

2010-06-30T11:50:00.001-07:00

Braden had his first dental appointment with teeth cleaning and all. Who else could make this look so cool?

Rhino Climb

2010-06-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

Yet another early morning at the Zoo - this time with just our family. Braden's favorite activity? Climbing the rhino again ... and again ... and again ...

Memorial Day

2010-06-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

Visiting graves on Memorial Day always makes me think about how precious life is, how wonderful it is to know that life continues after death and that spending time with grandparents is a wonderful way to use the time we have.

Cailin on Grandpa Christensen';s shoulders - Yes I know - everyone who has a Costco or Sams Club membership has a pair of those pajamas, too!

Candyman Photo Shoot

2010-06-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

Leah Wright recently offered special mini photo sessions to generate proceeds for a friend, called the candyman by her kids, that had recently been paralyzed in a recreational accident. It took a while for her to process the images but here they are. Thank you to Becca (my sister-in-law) for noticing that these slots were available! If anyone wants to check out Leah's blog, go to www.thewrightfampics.blogspot.com

Zoo with the Wikers

2010-06-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

I know it has not escaped your notice that we go to the Zoo a lot. A few weeks ago we went on an early member morning with the Wikers from our neighborhood. Braden had great fun running around with Alex and Jacob. And of course, he spent quite a bit of time with his pal, the rhinocerous statue!

The Mighty T-Rex

2010-06-16T05:24:00.000-07:00

Braden's first drawing that actually looks somewhat like the thing he inteended it to look like! And of course, it is a dinosaur...

A T-Rex - complete with head, body, tail, bumps on its back, legs with feet, arms with two fingers each (since it is a t-rex) and one all seeing eye. Hooray!

Cailin 10 Months

2010-06-16T05:08:00.000-07:00

Cailin finally started walking on Monday, May 24th - still in her 10th month but only by 3 days. We were thrilled. After all - she could already get anywhere she wanted by crawling and standing but now she doesn't get quite as dirty doing it:). Today, a few weeks later, she walks everywhere. Occasionally she even tries to "run" away so that we will chase yer - but she gets so excited that she stiffens up and looks like a Scooby Doo mummy!

In the last month or so she has also become very fond of books. She does like to sit and look at them by herself, but if someone else is around she prefers that they read to her. She will read with Braden or whoever is willing for as long as they can take it.

Cailin contemplating how to get me to ready "That's Not My Puppy" to her.

Sports Skills Class

2010-06-15T20:12:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder where your tax dollars are going? Well some of the Sandy Caty's MUST be going to the communicty sports class Braden just attended with his friend, Jack B0wers. After paying only $32 out of OUR pocket, Braden got to attend class for 6 weeks, received a t-shirt, sports skills book, completion certificate AND trophy.

Braden really enjoyed most parts of the class (especially playing sharks and minnows at the end) but his favorite was the baseball portion and that is where he created our most fond memories. On the first day an instructor wanted to see Braden hit the ball. Braden smacked it so hard that it hit a far off window, breaking one of its blinds and then apparently disappeared (until we found it later lodged between a bench and pole!) On the last day of class a similar incedent occurred only this time his ball smacked the trophy table so hard that one of the tophies shattered. And after the teacher teased him he (unwittingly of course) hit the next ball straight into that teacher's stomach.

Jack and Braden with their trophies - picture provided by Aaron's phone..

4 year old Preschool Graduation

2010-06-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

Miss Nicole held a graduation program on the last day of 4 year old preschool. The kids sang songs and recited poems together. As usual, Braden kept the adults laughing with his almost non-stop editorial (ie "Hey - look at that boy - he's standing on a lady bug...). ANd, as a bonus, Cailin decided to join in the antics. As the kids were singing "The Wheels on the Bus" and got to the verse about the babies on the bus going wa-wa-wa, Cailin let out a loud fake cry and all of the adults giggled.

After their performance the kids had a little graduation ceremony and were awarded a star necklace by Miss Nicole. It may have been a bit over the top (based on the way things used to be when I was little) but Braden loved it and so did we. It is so fun to watch our little boy grow and learn. We love you, Braden!

From left to right, Back row - Christian, Tyler (cousin), Lilly, not sure, not sure, not sure; Front row - Jack, not sure, not sure, Ellie, Braden

Tyler, Braden and Christian

Tucanos

2010-06-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

For a belated Mother's day we met CJ in Provo to move the washer and dryer from Kathy's to Grandma Guthrie's house. When the work was done we celebrated at Tucanos, a Brazillian restaurant where they bring all sorts of different meats to your table. I loved the garlic sirloin, Braden loved the brown sugar grilled pineapple and Aaron can't remember so he must have loved it all!

My family (I'm taking the picture), Carolyn, Kathy, Grandma, GG and CJ

A Birthday Riddle

2010-06-13T13:34:00.000-07:00

Question: How many regular candles does it take to equal the light of a super Mayan birthday candle? Answer: We have no idea - but it must be something like 39! Happy 39th Aaron!

Aaron on 1st 39th birthday. (My father has celebrated 39 more than 20 times now!)

Holy Animals, Batman!

2010-06-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

Aaron and I watched the Nelson boys while their parents attended some foster care classes in preparation for taking in a baby. For the last class (end of April) Aaron took all the boys to the zoo for the Earth day celebration. They saw Chester Cheetah who gave them free chips and made masks. Amazingly Braden seemed to like the rhino statue (be ready to see this again) almost as much the visiting batmobile!

Left to right: Enoch, Noah, Braden and Elijah

Right to left: Noah, Enoch, Elijah and ... Batman (either making bat wings with his arms or complaining about the noise.)

The 3rd 3rd

2010-06-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

While some wards like getting together for food or sports, our ward likes racing cars. . After the scouts are done with their "real" pinewood derby, the ward borrows the track for a huge race that anyone can enter. Engineers, mechanics and contractors spend weeks creating thier perfect vehicles and we all have a great time watching them race. This year there was a bat mobile, a truck, and even a racing tube of lipstick. In the end it is very competitive so coming in 3rd place with a car that Braden and Aaron designed just days earlier is no small accompoishment. Congratuations, Braden (and Aaron!)!

Braden with his car and trophy - just a little red and out of breath from all the celebratory dancing he did when he won.

INTERESTING NOTE: Aaron has participated in 2 other pinewood derbies and his car came in 3rd both times!

From Break Free Run to Salt Lake Marathon

2010-05-02T20:05:00.000-07:00

Back when I used to put on the Break Free Run with Elizabeth, my brother, Ben, came out to support me and ran what I think was his first 5k. It is hard to explain what that meant to me - but it meant a lot. This time WE got to support him - cheering as he finished the Salt Lake Marathon.

I always tear up as I see runners finishing a race - I love how the crowd goes wild for everyone they know AND everyone they don't. But of course this race was particularly special to me. It was so neat to be there with all of the relatives that could come. I am so proud of my brother. I love you, Ben! I hope you know that!

Waiting - Ben's Family (Kim, Abby, Jack, Max, Lola), Kims parents and grandparents, my family (Aaron, Braden, Cailin and me), Sarah & Tyler and our parents.

Ben finishing strong with Abby running the last block with him

My brother, Ben

Ben and Sarah - my brother and sister

Grandma Parker and the 3 little musketeers - Braden, Tyler and Jack

Gardner Village with Grandma Guthrie

2010-05-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

I am not sure if I have blogged about this yet but Grtandma Guthrie (Aaron's mom) is in the process of finalizing her move from Sierra Vista, Arizona to Orem, Utah. What used to be a 15 hour trip to see her is now give or take 40 minutes depending on the lights! We see her so much more often - and can even do it on short notice. A few weeks ago she called and thought it might befun to get pedicures. A few days later she and Carolyn met me at the pedicure place and then we all met Aunt Kathy at Gardner Village for food, sweets, a pony ride and a trip to the petting zoo. A very fun day! Here's to more of them!

Grandma, Cailin, Braden and Kathy

Two babies that were fascinated by eachother

A Tale of 3 Easters

2010-04-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

Our first Easter was held on the Saturday before Easter, celebrating at the Little America breaikfast buffet with the Christensens. It was cozy and warm and there was great food.

In front of the restaurant fire.

Braden greeting the Little America Easter Bunny

Our next Easter was with the Yonally family. We attended the Easter Eggstravaganza at Thanksgiving Point. It was fun but FREEZING! After getting a few eggs in the crazy egg grab, riding the train, jumping for a second and getting a face paint (a fire breathing spider - was Braden thinking it might warm his face?) we left as quickly as our frozen legs could carry us!

The group minus Carolyn

A train ride with Grandma

The group minus me

The Parker family had their egg hunt the Sunday after Easter. It wasn't quite warm anough for the kids to eat ourside, but it was great for the cousins to do their egg hunt and then come in for cake and icecream to celebrate Max's birthday..

Braden celebrates the discovery of nutter butter cookies in his basket!

Cailin tips her hat for Max and his wonderful birthday wrapping paper!

Neighborhood Lambs

2010-04-25T19:41:00.000-07:00

Just before Easter our neighbor bought her new little lambs over for the kids to see. They were 4 days old and as cute as could be! Braden chased them until they were relatively traumatized - but somehow they still managed to pose for this photo! Thanks, Claudia!

Cailin Quiz - 8 Months

2010-03-07T12:52:00.000-08:00

Babies all develop so differently. You may be anxiously awaiting one milestone only to have your child skip it and move onto another you hadn't expected so soon! See if you can guess what Cailin learned to do this week:

A - Climb a step - enabling her to escape the confines of our sunken livingroom

B - Pull herself up to a standing position using the fireplace ledge

C - Crawl

Ding, Ding, Ding! We have a winner. If you guessed A, B or C you were right!

Cailin 8 Months

Vegas Vacation?

2010-03-01T20:29:00.001-08:00

The BabyBonkin crew went to Vegas to check out a wholesale show. I took Aaron. Elizabeth took Daryl. And Loyce even met us there. On paper it seemed like the perfect group for having a ton of fun. But instead we just worked the entier time hashing out business plans. Thank goodness our hotel room had a great view of the Bellagio fountain show or we might not have seen anything "vegas-like" at all! (Many thanks to Loyce for getting us such a wonderful comped room!)

Even though we didn't get to hang out the way we like, it was wonderful to see Elizabeth and have a few laughs. Time and distance never seem to alter our friendship. Especially now that we have the internet and cell phones :)

Me, Elizabeth and Janet - Happy BIrthday, Janet!

My best photo in years - who knew a napkin could be such a charming accessory?!

Pockets

2010-03-01T20:26:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered why boys pants have so many pockets? I did, until I had Braden that is ...

Also unknown to me was how easily PVC supplies can be made into weapons...

10 Years Later

2010-02-21T20:50:00.000-08:00

You can tell you have been married 10 years AND have a new baby when...

1 - Your previously idealized anniversary trip to Hawaii turns into the first date you've had in a long time and lasts only 3 hours

2 - You eat cheap Chinese because eating anywhere that doesn't specialize in kids prizes is a HUGE treat!

3 - You spend almost as much time buying running shoes as you do on your real activity which is bowling

4 - You look at the presumably teenagers bowling strikes next to you and wonder if they are old enough to be out without their parents

5 - You finish all this with time to spare so you decide to get dessert in order to not look TOO lame to the babysitters (Grandma and Grandpa)

6 - As you drive home with the kids mostly asleep in the car you smile and think what an amazingly successful evening it was!

Spice Clips

2010-02-13T14:47:00.000-08:00

After a lot of mental anguish, I finally decided on a way to organize my spices. Not quite as pretty as I had hoped but very inexpensive easy to install. Storing them on the inside of my pantry door has freed up 2 cabinet shelves and alphabetizing them makes it easy to know what I have. Do you need to borrow 1 tsp of corriander? No problem. I 've got you covered!

Tip - you can line the inside of the clips with foam sticker paper to give them added grip. I did this for all of my square bottles then can only be clipped on the lid.

Snapshot in Time - Cailin 7 Months

2010-02-11T15:08:00.001-08:00

Some days I wish I could fast forward time to a point when I am accomplishing things again - but most of the time I look at my kids and wish I could hold onto the moment forever. Here is my attempt to capture the present for my future self who has gotten everything done and has time to look back longingly at the past:

Cailin - 7 months old:
Cailin has finally become somewhat mobile. She started sitting just in time for Christmas. She started rolloing over as a means of travel during her 6th month. And at just over 7 months she began doing an army crawl to get where she wants. She has been playing her own version of peek-a-boo since about 4 months and still loves that game. (She covers her face and waits for you to ask "Where's Cailin" so she can uncover herself and laugh and laugh). She also loves any game that involves her flying in the air or clapping. Just in time for Valentines she learned to make kissing sounds. She is very entertained by all of her toys but loves her talking stuffed animals, music box and Braden's light sabers the best. She cut her first two teeth on December 4 but hasn't gotten any more yet. And when I hold her in the rocking chair she LOVES to look at her daddy thru the passage to the kitchen. (All part of her real love with is being held by one person and entertained by another ...)

Braden - 4 1/4 years old:
Braden still loves Cailin. I wondered if that would change once she started taking his toys but as it turns out he doesn't really mind sharing. Braden loves Halloween. He can't wait until next year when he will be a Ninja (lets see if that sticks, shall we?) and even went thru a phase where he added ghosts to most pictures he colored (including one of the North Pole). His favorite restaurant is Chipotle (Aaron' couldn't be happier!) where he can build his own shredded pork taco. He loved being responsible for turning the Christmas Tree on and off this year and enjoys helping me cook occasionally. He loves playing with his Castle, Bat Cave, Pirate Ship, Dragon Fortress and Millenium Falcon all at once - making all of them join forces either against the bad guys or AS the bad guys. And don['t get him started about dinosaurs...

Aaron:
Aaron decided a few weeks ago that he wanted to go back to school to get an MBA. This is a complete 180 for him and came as a bit of a shock at first. He is planning to apply this summer and hopes to start this fall. He studies every night for the GMAT after we put the kids to bed. I am really excited for him - I think he is really going to enjoy it.

Natalie:
Aaron's MBA announcement has set me off running in too many directions (of my own choice). I would like to move to a house where the kids can have separate bedrooms. But in order to do that I need to dejunk this house and get it ready to sell. But I also want to attempt a home business at some point which would tie up the money we need in order to move. And with all of these thoughts I dont know which to really focus on so I just go in circles and at the end of each day feel as though I would have been a LOT more productive if I just cleaned out the fridge and sorted the receipts. :)

Sleep Drprived with Santa

2010-01-31T10:48:00.000-08:00

Normally when you go to an event you want the best seat in the house. But since we only signed up for Breakfast with Santa at Hogle Zoo the night before it happened we weren’t surprised to be at a table in the back. In the end I was as blessing! A few minutes after sitting down I realized I hadn’t brushed Tyler’s hair on the way out the door – and of course we were about to take pictures. I rifled thru my purse but couldn’t find a comb so I had no choice - I had to use the only thing I could find. I would say that this was a low point except that while forking thru his hair, I looked down and noticed that a tag was sticking out of the side of my shirt. Yes – the kind of tag that hides inside when you don’t have your shirt on inside out. I tried to hold my head high as I walked past everyone on the way to the bathroom – but once there realized that there was no changing place for Cailin who also had a dirty diaper. (Big sigh…thank goodness we had brought our stroller which gave her a LITTLE privacy.) Just another day in the life of the sleep deprived…

Tyler, Cailin and Braden with Santa

Cailin's First Ritzy Christmas Party

2010-01-31T10:45:00.000-08:00

Minutes after arriving at the Ward Christmas party, Aaron got a work page and had to leave. So when one of our friends offered to hold Cailin while I went thru the food line with Braden I was very appreciative. From my position in line I kept looking back to make sure Cailin wasn’t traumatizing him but she seemed happy. So happy, in fact, that I couldn’t wait to ask him what his magic trick was. When I got there, I did not have to ask. I saw the magic clutched in Cailin’s fist and all over her face. A ritz cracker – half gummed to death. I guess I should have thought to tell him she wasn’t eating solids yet … :)

Kids in Bloom Christmas Program

2010-01-24T14:16:00.001-08:00

Stage fright doesn’t seem to compute for Braden. The first time he gave the opening prayer in Primary he grabbed the microphone and refused to accept any help. The fact that his prayer didn’t make a whole lot of sense and was particularly confusing because it contained an “amen” in the middle rather than at the end completely escaped his notice. Later, during a Primary Program practice, Braden was undaunted by the fact that he didn’t have his talk memorized. He marched to the podium, grabbed the microphone again and proceeded to inform everyone that he had recently been to the doctor to be tested for egg allergies. Needless to say, we were pretty sure that Braden wouldn’t be scared to participate in his preschool Christmas program – and he wasn’t. Just like every other time he marched up and took control of the situation – this time belting out the songs whether he knew the words or not. And in the end, just like every other time, we just glowed with pride while having a great laugh.

Christensen Christmas Song 2009

2010-01-24T13:06:00.001-08:00

(An excessively long version of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” –
and tribute to Cailin who just loves to rock – even in her jumperoo!)

Rockin’ nearby the Christmas tree – hoping not to crush some toys
Trying to get Cailin to sleep - thru the wrestling of the “boys” 1
Thinkin’ about this silly poem - and events of this past year.
Stop singing now (and reading too) - if you just don’t want to hear

MANY months were spent on a remodel of the house 2
Bathrooms, carpets, stone tile floors
New trim, pant on walls and doors

With all the fumes we had to leave – so we “Walked with Dinosaurs” 3
Thomas the Train gave us a ride – and we did some Draper tours.
Breakfast with Easter Bunny and – both the May and Safety Fairs
Made Nat so tired that at the Air Show they had to buy some chairs! 4

Cailin’s due date came – we walked the Zoo and then saw “Up”
Then off to the U we drived
Half a push and she arrived! 5

After about a week of rest – off to fireworks we went
Then Disney Days and a parade - Aaron’s month off nearly spent
Still he found time to donate books - sell a mower for the lawn
Started “Net Flix” and canceled “Dish” 6 – and survived a salsa bomb! 7

Nat had 4.5 months off for her maternity –
Did some storage shelving swapping
Learned to do some smarter shopping 8

Braden received a “big boy bike” - potty trained to go to school
No longer has egg allergies 9 - and now thinks the dark side’s “cool” 10
He’s made new friends, roasts marsh mellows - and loves face paint on his head
He’ll eat tomato chocolate 11 - but prefers butter with bread!

Cailin, our new joy, finds Braden just hilarious 12
Was a tiger at the Zoo 13
And has two teeth poking thru!

Simba, with newly rationed food, - was compelled to turn to crime,
First she was caught with table scraps – but may have branched out with time
‘Cause then our TomTom disappeared, and the Van became “no more”
And after credit card fraud 3 – should we blame her? We’re not sure! 14

Looking back it seems that this has been a perfect year!
Who could ask for something more?
(Makes me worry what’s in store!)

As our goodbye we send our love - wishing you the very best
Hoping you’ve had as fun a time - and were just as richly blessed!
And since this isn’t our best poem – here’s a promise we will keep -
Next year we’ll do more editing - if we aren’t - still - low - on - sleep! 15

Footnotes:

1. Every night when Aaron gets off work Braden says “let’s fight!” and the wrestling ensues. You might think the yelling and flying bodies would scare Cailin but it doesn’t. You might think Braden would get bored and want to do something else but that NEVER happens either.

2. Aaron’s nesting present to Nat was our most extensive remodel. We redid the bathrooms, entry tile, front steps, basement carpet (no more pink!), and trim and paint. It was a lot of work to coordinate it all, avoid the fumes, and drive the project. In the end we were over budget and time - leaving Natalie only 2 weeks to clean before Cailin’s birth. But the beautiful house makes Natalie smile every day.

3. Technically “Walking with Dinosaurs Live” was in January before the remodel. Natalie was afraid it would be too scary for Braden but he loved it so much he wouldn’t even leave for intermission! His lack of fear continued at the Zoo’s “Breakfast with the Easter Bunny” where he tried to grab a snake and culminated at the May Festival where he decided that the Jedi were a bit dodgy but loved the Storm Troopers.

4. By the day of the Hill Air Show Nat was very pregnant and walking hurt. After the trek from the car to the entrance, without a place to rest it seemed it would be a very short event. Then Aaron’s dad disappeared – returning with a chair he had purchased– how kind!

5. Babies are rarely born on their due dates so on June 27th we ignored Natalie’s mild contractions and decided to have some fun. We walked the Zoo for 2 hours, had lunch and saw the Movie “Up.” At home the contractions seemed worse so Natalie took a hot shower until both the contractions and hot water were all but gone. The Christensens come to take us to dinner but Cailin had other plans. They took Braden to their house and Aaron took Natalie to the hospital where 80 minutes and half a push later Cailin was born – right on time!

6. Aaron took a month off when Cailin was born. His help made the transition much easier than expected. He also organized, de-junked and looked for ways to save money. Since we don’t watch mush TV now, he cancelled the dish and set us up on Net Flix. So far so good!

7. A few weeks before Cailin’s birth, Natalie heard a yell in the kitchen and ran in to find Aaron, the floors, the cabinets and newly painted walls all splattered with something that looked like blood but smelled like tomato, onion, and cilantro. Why would someone try to kill Aaron with salsa and, for that matter, how do you even get a tub of salsa to explode when someone is just trying to close it? Too bad we panicked and didn’t get a photo!.

8. Nat likes Black Friday so it’s not a surprise that she loved the Grocery Smarts class challenge to spend $50 a week on food. She is saving money and filling her new food storage shelves at the same time!

9. For Braden’s yearly egg allergy test we opted against the “feed him and see if he throws up” method in favor of a scratch test. Result: he’s no longer allergic, just sensitive, so Braden can finally eat eggs whenever he wants – but still prefers plain old bread and butter.

10. As Braden has grown, so has his vocabulary . Cute is so yesterday and “cool” is in. Darth Vader and Storm Troopers? The coolest ever!

11. Tomato-chocolate? This is something Braden invented to account for the delicious flavor delivered by red suckers. Red = tomato. Tastes good = chocolate!

12. Cailin has been a happy baby from day one. She loves to laugh at anything silly and no one can deliver silly better than Braden. Just yesterday he kept her laughing for the entire drive to the mall. Thank goodness she occasionally took a breath!

13. Costume problems continued this year. The Koala suit ordered for Cailin was too big but the backup Zebra costume fit. It was cute and got lots of comments such as “what a CUTE little tiger!” On closer inspection we saw that the ears were rounded instead of pointy and the tail was curled instead of fringed. Cailin was, in fact, looking darling in a little boy’s “white tiger” costume.

14. Yes - the TomTom was stolen out of the van, the van was traded away by Philips, and someone used our credit card to spend $500 at newegg.com. Simba’s fault? Not likely. She would have spent the money at Petco.

15. By 8 weeks Cailin was sleeping 8 hours straight. Then teething hit. Now she often wakes up 12 times a night! We’re tired, incoherent and incapable of writing a good Christmas letter. Don’t worry - we promise to feel terrible about that as soon as we get some rest. (Hopefully that will be soon since her first 2 teeth emerged on Dec 4!)

Some Omissions

Natalie’s pregnancy improved once she got rid of the “comfy chair” at work that was easing her hip pain but evidently causing her terrible back pain. Interestingly it had already been named after a soft chair used as a torture device by Monty Python. The week before Cailin was born, we attended our 20 year high school reunion. It was great to see everyone but odd that so many had married someone else from Viewmont, too On Natalie’s first day of maternity leave her job transitioned to another department and boss. For a while she wasn’t sure she still had a job or if that made her happy or sad. In the end, she was welcomed back after a beautifully long leave but can’t decide if she is happy or sad about that, eitherJ. Since traveling wasn’t in the plans this year, it was great that a few people were able to come for a visit. Elizabeth took Natalie out and kept her mind off her growing belly. Anna and Adam played pet shop and dino dogs with Braden during Mike and Becca’s trip. And Aaron’s mom climbed trees with Braden, held Cailin while Nat showered, and shared black licorice with Aaron. Braden held his first sparkler, shot his first pumpkin cannon and started preschool at Kids in Bloom. Aaron found several stroller accessible hikes that we did as a family this summer. Celebrating birthdays, Grandma and Grandpa Parker took us to a photography class from Leah Wright and then to the Dinosaur Museum. Braden roasted his first marshmallow while Cailin enjoyed her first campfire with Grandma and Grandpa Christensen. For Halloween Braden was Buzz Light Year while Cailin was a Zebra/Tiger. They went to Boo at the Zoo, a ward party, Gymboree (Braden ran, slid and did art while Cailin air-danced) and around the neighborhood with the Nelsons, Wikers and Bowers. And last, Braden turned 4 and got 2 Star Wars Jedi Training parties because he wanted to invite more kids than we could fit in one!

With love and Yoda Sodas

Black Friday

2010-01-24T13:04:00.000-08:00

I wouldn’t have guessed that a Black Friday training program existed – until I unwittingly participated in one this year taught by my darling daughter, Cailin. At first when she started teething and waking at all hours of the night I thought she was trying to kill me. But now I realize she was all part of my Black Friday prep. When the day arrived, I planned to leave at 5am but Cailin woke me up at 3 so I got a jump on the day. When I had no shopping cart and had to hold my items in line, my baby carrying muscles kicked in and it was a breeze. Add to that the deals I got – like $12 Trio blocks for $2.50 and it was a perfect Black Friday.

Star Wras Birthday Party

2010-01-10T14:39:00.000-08:00

We ended up having 2 Star Wars birthday parties foir Braden's 4th birthday - one after the oter - to accommodate the number of kids Braden wanted to invite. First was a neighborhood party with 12 kids (13 were invited). That party was defined by chaos. I have hoped it would be controlled chaos but instead it was just plain chaos. But the kids had fun doing little Jedi training tasks we gave them. They shot merf guns at a Darth Vader poster which we called "blaster practice. They used an Air Zooka to blow balloons around in order to learn to "control the force." With some dollar store light sabers they popped bubbles and tried to keep balloons in the ai as their "saber training". And in the end they had star wars cupcakes with Yoda Sodas while Braden opened his presents.

The second party had the same activities but with his small gorup of local cousins and the family that was able to be there. It was peaceful and calm and although Braden loved them both - I definately preferred the second one!

The calm between the storms. Not shown - Braden's Darth Vader Mask cake.

Jedi Braden

2009-11-04T04:23:00.000-08:00

I love playing with Photoshop although I really don't know the tricks of the trade. Most things I alter are obviously fake to anyone who looks at them - or at least I thought so! While creating Braden's Star Wars birthday invitation I quickly doctored his sucker photo to include a lblue ight saber. The image didn't make it on the invitation but I printed a copy to show Braden. He loved the photo and played with it for for a few minutes before coming to me timidly and asking (somewhat confused), "Mom - can you, um, get me, um, my REAL blue light saber ?"

Jedi Braden

The invitation I had fun creating.

Its Curtains for Me!

2009-11-03T05:29:00.001-08:00

Decorato-phobe that I am, I was finally brave enough to put up (and by that I mean ask Aaron to put up) cutains in our bedroom. We learned that one of our windows is hung on a pretty significant slant and had to break some hanging rules in order to attach to studs but overall it was great fun and I really enjoy having them. In about 3 months I will be brave enough to add pictures to the walls!

First Snow Fall

2009-11-03T05:25:00.001-08:00

Aaron has been telling Braden that his birthday would come after it snowed. Well then I guess Braden can finally turn 4!

Braden and Tyler having a snowball fight.

My Cute Kids

2009-11-03T05:20:00.000-08:00

Isn't it funny how cute your kids can be togehter UNTIL you get out your camera? Here was my attempt to capture Braden and Cailin at play.

The Halloween Buzz

2009-11-03T04:29:00.000-08:00

We won the Buzz war! Braden was Buzz for every Halloween event he attended - and there were a TON. I had no idea we would be asking so much of that pooor little costume!

We started off festivities by attending a library program. Braden got to dress up as a chainsaw guy for one song. When the lead singer askied Braden how it was - he said "too long."

Next we attended Boo atht eZoo. It was insanely busy last year so we got there bright and early - ready to deal with the crowds. This year, however, the only real line we waited in was to get into the park! Hooray for threatening storms that don't deliver but scare everyone else away!

The empty zoo!

Our adorable Zebra or White Tiger - however you choose to see it.

Boo at the Zoo is so fun that even Santa breaks away to attend.

At a farm celebration, Braden jumped in a bounce house and played games. We had some excellent apple cider, the best kettle corn ever (Aaron even ate it - and if you know how much he hates mixing salty and sweet you KNOW it was good) and some fun garlic fries. Braden sat on Aaron's shoulders to watch "The Great Pumpkin" until Cailin turned into a pumpkin and it was time to go home.

At the ward Halloween party we sat by the Bowers and Braden had fun doing a cake walk and trick or treating. Everyone else had fun borrowing his buzz gun.

As I dropped Braden off for his preschool Halloween party I shed a few tears. He is growing up so quickly. Near the end of their time parents were invited to see a song and dance? performance. Braden did a great job of making faces on queue but no one did a better job of rattling their bones than Tyler.

On the Friday night before Halloween we attended a Gymboree party. Cailin went as an observer but in the end she had a much fun as anyone. She loved watching the kids in costume and did her best to dance to the music while Braden did crafts and ran around on the equipment.

Braden with his favorite teacher - Heather and her pirate boys.

At the aquarium Braden LOVED their haunted rainforest with its dark alleys and strobe light graveyard. We walked thru it over and over again until someone finally told us he could make a ghost sucker at their ship area. After that we listened to some fun stories a few times and watched the ray feeding. The octopus was even feeling festive - climbing down and up his glass a few times for us to see.

Halloween night we all went trick or treating with the Nelsons (Elijah, Enoch and Noah), Wikers (Alex, Jacob and Spencer) and Bowers (Jack). The kids had a ton of fun running as fast as they could from house to house until there was a casualty and were required to just walk quickly. The other boys Braden's age eventually got too tired to walk but Braden's only complaint was that his arms weren't strong enough to hold his candy bag after an hour and a half. ANd as if that weren't enough fun - the Nelsons invited us over for Texas Roadhouse takeout and games and Bradengot to stay up 3 hours past his bedtime! As we walked hom he told me that it wad been the best day ever!

The trick or treaters - Buzz Braden, Pirate Enoch, Knight Noah, Race Car Driver Elijah, GI Joe Alex and Jack the Dinosaur.

The fun run before the fall!

Paul's Party

2009-11-02T09:34:00.000-08:00

I have a new coworker that I am really excited about. I have to admit that it is partly that he is Jewish and doesn't mind covering call on Christmas - but more than that - he is an excellent worker, easy to get along with and does a great job of helping bring us all together at the office. Most recently he brought everyone together for his 50th birthday party. It was a really nice evening. Everyone took turns holding Cailin so it was an EASY night for me and Aaron. And spending time with my coworkers has made my upcoming transition back to work less dreadful. Thanks, Paul!

Free Food

2009-10-25T06:08:00.000-07:00

Every Wednesday morning I can't wait to get up and check out the new deals on the Grocey Smarts website. It is So fun to get everything we need and spend only a fraction of what I usaed to. But even though I have been saving this way for a while now, this week's deals still BLEW me away!

FREE (no strings attached) Stuff this week: 1 box of corn flakes, 4 jars of roiasted peanuts, 7 packs of microwave popcorn and 8 microwaveable meals! WOW!

Decorating Pumpkins

2009-10-25T05:57:00.000-07:00

On Monday night we decorated our first pumpkins as a family. (I use the term family loosely since Aaron was nearby watching Cailin but it was really Braden and I decorating). We bought some sheets of foam sticker paper. I cut out the shapes we needed and Braden put them on the pumpkins with a little (ok - maybe a bit more than a little) guidance. This is how they turned out:

Pumpkins in ordcer: Natalie's, Cailin's, Aaron's and Braden's

Credit Card Fraud - Take 3.

2009-10-25T05:37:00.000-07:00

A few years ago the bank called me asking if if there was any chance Aaron had abandoned our marriage and was in Mexico spending over $1k at a store called "Mr Tennis." Since he had only left for work a few hours earlier I assured them it wasn't particularly likely :). We got the money back, changed credit card number and hoped we were done. Well, 2 frauds later I am guessing that we will never be done. Unfortunately our card doesn't seem to understand the "dont' talk to strangers" concept. I certainly hope we are better at teaching our kids!

Charming the Roosendaals

2009-10-25T05:35:00.000-07:00

On our mountain walks we see a lot of people we don’t know but we finally ran into some that we DO – the Roosendaals. Lori is Aaron’s half aunt? (Lynn’s half sister) that we don’t see very often. Her youngest son will be leaving for a mission in Rancagua, Chile next week (the lower half of my mission) so they invited us to dinner last Sunday to catch up. Aaron talked to the men about politics and military. I talked to the women about movies, family history, food and Chile (you don’t have to twist my arm to talk about Chile!) Cailin was a bit cranky but everyone still thought she was beautiful and took turns holding her so I got a lovely break. And Braden – the favorite of all – charmed everyone but especially Grammy Pat and the younger women with good behavior and his way of matter-of-factly stating things such as “Hmmm … (noticing that his place at the adult table had a full set of silverware) they don’t USUALLY let me have a knife at the table because I shouldn’t really be cutting things.”

Parker Birthday Bash

2009-10-24T07:00:00.001-07:00

My parents decided to try to make their birthday gifts to their adult children more personal so they asked those of us that live close to choose a fun family activity rather than a physical present. We loved that idea and made the most of it on Saturday, October 17th combining both Aaron’s and my belated birthday celebrations into one fun day. (Yes – we have had trouble scheduling SEVERAL things – not just the Austin’s coming to dinner…) For my part of the celebration my parents picked us up and we all drove down to Provo to take a 1 hour photography class from Leah Wright – one of my favorite local photographers. She did a GREAT job giving us a succinct lesson that everyone thought was very easy to understand. She gave us tips on an inexpensive lens that will allow us to take photos with less flash indoors and create the look I love with eyes crisp and backgrounds faded out. I am seriously considering following up with her Photoshop class when I can fit it in – so sometime in 2011 perhaps!

After class ended, we drove to Los Hermanos and had a delicious early dinner before heading to the Dinosaur Museum for Aaron’s part of the birthday. (My dad had never been so it was Aaron’s goal to get him there one way or another!) Although my dad ended up touring it mostly by himself as the rest of us were stuck at the water table we all had fun doing what we loved.

Braden and Cailin at the photo class. We still have a lot to work on to master the techniques she taught but it was a fun start. You can visit her website at http://www.thewrightfampics.blogspot.com/

Christensen Campfire Roast

2009-10-24T05:33:00.000-07:00

On Friday, October 16 we left as soon as Aaron got off work to drive to the Heber area and meet Grandma and Grandpa Christensen at their campsite for a hot dog and marshmallow roast. The area was beautiful – even more so because we took a wrong turn and ended up driving thru the fall colors in the mountains a bit longer than we were supposed to. The food was fabulous. I had never had hotdogs with just mustard and onions before but I LOVED them. Braden got to roast his own marshmallow for the first time and actually did a really good job. And I even remembered to get out the camera! The evening ended sooner than I would have liked but then I guess getting kids to bed IS eventually necessary!

Posh campers: Simba, Cailin and Grandma

Braden perfectly toasting his marshmellow without making it all sticky which he thinks is gross.

Bumbo Princess

2009-10-24T04:57:00.001-07:00

We bought Cailin a Bumbo so that she can sit up and look around until she can actually sit up and look around in about 2 months. If that seems like a waste you either don't have kids, you've never had one that wants to be held all the time, or you have some secret you need to share with us! The Bumbo works pretty well but the best thing is that Aaron thinks it is hillarious. Cailin usually has this serious expression that reminds him of a mini princess scrupulously surveying her kingdom from her throne nad ordering her serfs around. We laugh and laugh at that "silly anaolgy" until she decides she wants out and then we go back to running in circles to keep her happy .... :)

The little princess

Lunch with the Austins

2009-10-24T04:50:00.000-07:00

You know when you dream that you are running but your legs feel like they are moving thru tar? Some things in life just seem to work that way. We had been trying to have the Austin family over for dinner since April I think. Between the remodel, Chani having her baby, us having Cailin and a million other little events it seemed like it was never going to happen. Even this month it looked like we were going to have to put it off again until we decided it just HAD do it at all costs. To make it work, the Austins raced to our house between Craig’s morning meeting and Brynn’s afternoon dance recital (1 ½ hrs of driving!) We fed them a hurried garlic burger lunch (YUM!) on the deck in the freezing wind with all of the kids teeth chattering and several of them begging to be excused so they could go inside and get warm. After finishing the food I got to spend a few minutes with Chani (showing her the house) and Aaron and Craig played a game of pool. Then I realized that they were going to be late so we stuffed them with a few brownies and hurried them out the door – causing them to forget their baby blanket. I can't believe they were willing to do all of that but I am so thankful. It was fun to see them and in the end life may have gotten in a few punches but WE WON!

Books to Africa

2009-10-23T04:16:00.000-07:00

A week ago an empty post office box showed up on my kitchen counter - evidently to be filled and sent to Africa. That night Aaron and I de-junked our book collection and easily filled the box until it was over flowing. We debated whether sending heavy, used books in English would really be as useful as giving $20 toward buying books for school children ... but in the end the donation was VERy helpfup to us. Now I can fit all of my most important and loved books in one large bookcase which makes me SO happy and puts me one step closer to being organized!

Extreme Story Makeover

2009-10-23T04:08:00.001-07:00

Even though I know that having a baby changes everything I really didn’t expect Cailin’s birth to alter the storyline of our favorite fairy tales – but it did. I am not a person that can feed a baby and read a book at the same time, so since Braden wanted me to read to him I started telling stories from memory while Cailin ate. At first it bothered Braden when I didn’t remember the stories perfectly but then he decided that changing the stories was a great idea – only HE needed to be in control. Now he will ask me to tell him the story of the Three Little Javelinas (Arizona’s version of the Three Little Pigs) and every few minutes he will redirect what happens. Sometimes the Javelinas go their separate ways to build their houses. Other times they all go together. Sometimes the Coyote chases them but other times it’s just the wind that knocks their houses down. When the coyote IS in the story, sometimes he is conquered by the Javelinas and vanishes in a puff of smoke – other times he decides to be good at the end (like Darth Vader) and they all sit around singing and playing the guitar. Even though it can be a little tiring having to think of ways to weave his ideas into the story it has become a really fun thing we share that I hope I never forget.

Healthy Snacks at Preschool?

2009-10-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

We knew Braden would get some sugary snacks at preschool, so the other day when he brought home a red sucker I wasn’t surprised – I just asked him what flavor it was. He looked around thoughtfully and told me it was probably tomato – maybe with a little chocolate. After a good few minutes laughing at his crazy creativity I thought to myself – “well, at least I can pretend they are giving him vegetables!”

Tomato-licious!

Braden in Bloom

2009-10-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

Braden started preschool this fall and had his first ever field trip to Engh Gardens. What happened there? I am not really clear on that. I know he came home with a decorated pumpkin but when I ask him what they did he just says “I don’t know …”

Braden truly excited to do something or other on his fieldtrip.

Goggles and GG

2009-10-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

Fun: watching Braden grow up and get excited for things like Halloween. Not so Fun: Braden changing his mind every few days about what he wants to BE for Halloween. He has rotated between wanting to be a Jedi because of the cool light saber, a Jawa because of the cool gun, and Batman because Braden just thinks he is cool. Unfortunately he NEVER rotated thru wanting to be Buzz Lightyear – the costume we HAVE for him which fits him perfectly and will never fit again after this year. Never, that is, until we cleverly took a drive to the Disney Store and got him a COOL pair of Buzz Lightyear light up goggles that he will get to use with the COOL light up gun Grandma and Grandpa Christensen brought him from Disneyland a few years back. What’s more – GG (Great Grandma Yonally) lives just a few blocks away from the Disney Store so we got to surprise her with a visit.

Picture Perfect

2009-10-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

Anyone who really knows me knows that I have no taste. In the past I have left my walls blank because I know whatever I put up will probably look bad and have to come down – leaving a hole in the wall. Once we finished the home remodel I felt compelled to hang pictures but even more afraid of messing up the perfect paint. Solution: Command picture hanging strips. I still think forever about everything I hang but now I know that if I need to take it down – I can – without even leaving a mark on the wall! Thank you 3M!

Arizona water - upstairs bathroom

Food Storage Makeover

2009-10-20T06:34:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Aaron tore out the old shelves in our cold room and I put up the ones that I got for my birthday. I love them. Not only do I have more shelving space – but the shelves aren’t as deep so I can access everything on them. One more step toward my goal of having every door and drawer open to an organized space :). (Granted there are about 1,000 steps left but hey – a step is a step!)

New cold room shelves - Natalie's birthday 2009

Rolling shelves in laundry room - Natalie's birthday 2008

Saturday Hikes

2009-10-19T05:51:00.000-07:00

Most Saturday mornings we go for a family hike. Hiking may not sound like something you can do with a 3 year old and 3 month old but then what we do probably wouldn’t be considered hiking to most people :). Aaron has found several short trails in the canyons close to our house that are stroller accessible and we just enjoy the beautiful scenery at Braden’s pace. When we started it was just fun to look at the streams, trees and rocks. Now with the fall colors there are countless other families getting pictures taken so we usually stop to watch and get some pointers. A few weekends ago Aaron and Braden even ran into the Roosendaal Family - some of Aaron's relatives that we hadn't seen for a while. I had no idea that hiking could be so relaxing, educational and social all at the same time!

Aaron and Braden climbing rocks at Temple Quarry Trail.

Cornbelly's with Sarah and Tyler

2009-10-11T06:47:00.000-07:00

On September 26th we nephew-napped Tyler and went to Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point. Tyler and Braden had great fun covering eachother in the corn pit, follwing eachother thru the kids corn maze and jumping on the huge bouncing pillows. (By the way, I thought those would be fun to own so I checked them out when I got home - the cheapest, smallest one is over $12k! OUCH!) When Sarah could break free she met us there. With her we all shot pumpkin cannons, rode a very uncomfortable train and drank slushy drinks in the shade of a tent. We were so glad she could make it! The next time Braden goes he wants to take Auntie Sarah again so that they can use her phone to light up the dark hay bale maze. We love you Auntie Sarah!

Aaron, Tyler and Braden jumping on the medium sized pillow

Braden watching Sarah and Tyler demolishing a pumpkin

Jason Turns 25 Again!

2009-10-11T06:42:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that my father has turned 39 over and over again. The fact that I am 38 makes this very interesting :). But is Jason now trying to hang onto his youth, too? No. I just got it wrong last year. Evidently he is really 25 this time. And of course I didn't get a photo. Early New Year's resolution - I am going to remember to get the camera out when we spend wtime with the Christensen and Parker sides of the family! (I often forget because we see them both so regularly).

Toyfest with the Nelsons

2009-10-11T06:29:00.000-07:00

We had the Nelson family over for dinner a few Saturdays ago. We ate bacon-wrapped turkey kabobs and Aaron and I talked to Rene and CoreyEllen while the boys (Braden, Elijah, Enoch and Noah) played with toys. It was a really nice evening and we enjoyed their company so much that none of us noticed what was going on. When the Nelsons decided it was time to go we found the boys surrounded by an explosion of toys. There was toy debrtis all over the house. No photo could do it justice but I took one anyway because I thought it was hillarious.

Noah, Elijah, Braden and Enoch - don't try this at home - they are professionals!

Grocery Smarts

2009-09-26T05:13:00.000-07:00

Sometime in August I attended a homemaking meeting geared to help everyone save money. Erin Ruy taught us about the grocery smart method. Her husband has been out of work for 6 months and they are still solvent because of savings and pinching their pennies. I asked her how much she spends on groceries each week - $50 maximum - one week she only spent $3!

I love a good challenge so I decided to try to match her. I haven't succeeded even once but I come really close most weeks and am adding to my food storage as I go. I only buy the foods I normally buy (except when a new food is a screaming deal - then we try it) and between the few stores that are close I find most items on sale. (Erin only shops at one store per week.)

What kind of deals have I gotten? Canned beans and corn for 26 cents each (compared to 78 cents each at Sams). $20 of free Kraft foods (though I couldn't find exactly what I wanted and just ended up with a year's supply of Mac 'n Cheese). And on Thursday I got 3 lbs of chicken free at Smiths.

If anyone is interested in know more, please contact me. I would be happy to give you any tips I have found. Or you can go to www.grocerysmarts.com and enter the code g84cer. The website is free. They do recommend that you subscribe to the paper to collect coupons but I have found that if you shop at Smiths the only coupons provided by Grocery Smarts are usually just as good. (Smiths is the only one I have found to consistenly accept the, though. You can also check out deals on www.pinchingyourpennies.com

Happy Saving!

Cailin's Blessing

2009-09-26T05:02:00.000-07:00

Cailin was blessed on Sunday, September 13th at our ward. My father performed the lessing with Aaron, Ben and several of our ward friends in the circle. The word that kept coming up for her was joy. She will find joy in her life and be a joy to those around her - and of course she already is!

Our happy family

Cousin Abby holding Cailin

Bubble Camp

2009-09-24T04:50:00.000-07:00

During the entire summer, Braden attended bubble camp at Gymboree once a week for a 3 hour class. When we switched him from Thursdays to Wednesdays (from music to art day) the art projects started flooding in. Braden also started asking to stay for aports class afterward since all of the other kids in Wednesday class did. So, by the end, he was gone for over 4 hours at a time and even then didn’t really want to come home. Something tells me that there will be no tears when he starts Kindergarten in a few years!

A life size scuba-braden with his other oart projects.

Visit from Grandma Guthrie

2009-09-24T04:35:00.000-07:00

Grandma Guthrie came up for a visit during the last week of July. She stayed with us for 2 days before heading down to Provo to spend time with GG (Great Grandma Yonally), Kathy and Caroline. We took her to play group at the park where she climbed trees with Braden and of course we stopped at Sweet Afton’s for some licorice. Since everyone likes the black licorice pipes and Loyce loves to share, she bought all the pipes Sweet AFton's had in stock. Next time (particularly for her Christmas visit when there are 20+ people who want pipes) we are going to give them a little notice and ask them to special order an entire box for us.

Grandma Guthrie and Braden in their tree fort.

24th of July Friends

2009-09-24T04:11:00.000-07:00

On July 24th Aaron took Braden to see the Bountiful parade with Mike, Becca, Anna, Adam, Grandma and Grandpa Parker. I stayed home with Cailin because she had a low grade fever (99.6) – not something to be concerned about after 2 months, but before that a fever of 100.4 would have meant a 10 night hospital stay for her. I think everyone enjoyed the parade but Anna and Braden particularly enjoyed each other's company. It was really fun to watch them together while Mike and Becca were here for a visit. Braden learned to play Pet Shop with Anna. She conceded and played dinosaur dog (dino from the flintstones) several times with Braden. They really become fast friends. After the evening, there were a few things that were talked about several times. First some excitement when a fire engine left the route or had to cross the route to help someone (since I wasn't there I was never clear on this). And second that Anna and Braden rode an enclosed ferris wheel by themselves! That is surprising for Braden but even more so for Anna. I guess everything is easier when you get to do it with a friend.

Anna and Braden at the Bountiful Parade

Braden with another close friend...

Disney Days

2009-09-22T03:19:00.000-07:00

July 21st we took Tyler to Disney Days at the Gallivan center. Initially the boys wanted to go to the Dinosaur Museum but we taliked them into the Gallivan Center with the lure of possibly seeing a Disney Character. The boys got their faces painted - Braden as a tiger and Tyler as a leopard. They jumped in a bounce house, played games to win prizes and rode a fun train that gave them a train whistle. Did they meet Mickey Mouse? No. Evidently this event is so named because Radio Disney is one of its many sponsors and the name "American Family Insurance Days" just won't bring the kids in droves.

Afterwards Tyler and Braden still wanted to go to the Dinosaur Museum so we did. (We actually go there all the time since we bought season passes, we just don’t really mention it anymore.) Did they see dinosaurs? Yes :).

Parade Float Preview

2009-09-21T06:35:00.000-07:00

On July 20th we went to see the parade float preview at the South Town Expo center. We saw floats with animals, animation and even toys but the one the kids loved the most had 3 couples dancing on it. When we had seen all of the floats (and pretty much torn them away from the dancing one), Braden waited in line and got his face painted like spiderman while Tyler, Anna and Adam got twisted balloons. When we met up with them again, Grandma had a balloon sword for Braden, too, so a lot of running, pretend fighting and animal rescuing ensued. Even when Braden ran face first into a tall square garbage can, the play paused for about 30 seconds and then just kept going. Kids + open spaces = FUN!

Spider-Braden

Left to Right: Adam, Tyler, Braden adn Anna

Fair Day for the Zoo and Training Table?

2009-09-16T06:13:00.000-07:00

On July 18th Aaron took Braden to the Children’s fair (I stayed home with Cailin to keep her out of the heat this time). WE had been a few years ago at the tail end and loved it so we are going to try to catch it every year from now on. There are train rides, crafts, and all sorts of fun and it is, of course, free to the public. This year Braden met several costume characters and built his own toolbox from wood at the home depot tent. Next they met Grandma and Grandpa Christensen at the Zoo for ice block day. I hear the ice blocks weren't that great this year but it was all made up for when Grandma bought Braden a snow cone!

Then they met Cailin and I at Training Table to eat lunch with Mike and Beccca who had come in town to celebrate the 24th. What a busy but fun day! (By the way, I am a hickory burger girl, how about you?)

Braden hammering his tool box together

Braden with the Bees Mascot

This is the place - for popsicles

2009-09-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

Sometime in mid July (forgive my lack of memory - I was more than a little sleep deprived at the time) we went to the This is the Place State Park for a special event day. Although the employees didn’t seem to know much about what was going on, we eventually stumbled into lots of free fun to be had. There were bounce houses to heat you up and cold water and popsicles to cool you down. There was even a magic show if you wanted to sit under a tent. Because of the heat we didn't stay long for Cailin's sake but it was great while it lasted.

4th of July Fireworks

2009-09-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

On the 4th of July we celebrated Cailin's one week birthday by walking to the Wyker's - some friends a few blocks away - and watching the most spectacular home fireworks display I have ever seen. Several men and boys (all acting like boys) kept at least 3 fireworks going non-stop for 45 minutes! With those and the occasional illegal firework that burst above us from somewhere nearby (not sure where but we have a guess) it felt like we had gone to Sugarhouse Park by the time we were done! Braden absolutely loved the evening. He got to drink his own full can of lemonade, held his first sparklers and spent time with the Wyker’s son, Alex – a new favorite friend. Cailin, on the other hand, just took a really nice long nap. A great evening for all.

Baby Blues

2009-08-23T20:59:00.000-07:00

Even though we had heard that every child is different, we still prepared our world for Cailin as if we were expecting Braden again. I got extra burp cloths, prepared the swing and backup swing, made sure there was a path for Aaron to walk the baby at night without falling over anything, etc :). Needless to say, Cailin is her own little girl. She doesn't usually need to be walked at night, isn't a real fan of swings and somehow keeps her food inside her. What does she like? Staring. As a mom, the thing I can often do that makes her the happiest is to stare into her eyes. Motherhood ... what a tough, tough job.

The beautiful blue eyes with long, curly lashes that stare back at me for up to 50 minutes at a time (no exaggeration!)

Birthday Thoughts (The Delivery Story)

2009-07-12T16:12:00.000-07:00

Baby Center recommends that you go to the hospital when your contractions are about 5 minutes apart, 60 seconds long AND impossible to ignore (meaning you can't talk thru them, etc.) Althought this really is great advice, my personal recommendation might be to go a little earlier. Don't feel like you have to read this - I didn't really want to be part of it either but since I had to, here were my thoughts that day:

Saturday, June 27 (Cailin's actual due date)

7am - up - some contractions - irregular - must be Braxton Hicks. Heard that if you do things they go away. Need to do something.

8am - at Zoo for early member day. Beautiful day with some cloud cover. Watch a woodrat eat its breakfast, feed birds, walk around. Slightly stronger contractions than when I woke up. Hope these don't last for two weeks.

11am - tired of walking - nine months pregnant after all.

Noon - home. Rats - contractions didn't go away. If I sit and pay attention to them I will probably go insaane. How about a movie?

1pm - at the movie "Up" with a sandwich and butterfinger milk shake. Contractions? Probably but I have a movie and a milkshake to focus on. Much too busy to notice if they ar getting worse or more regular. Hooray for distraction.

3pm - home - laying down with Braden for his nap. Contractions seem longer and more regular. Should probably time them at some point.

4pm - ok fine. I'd guess they are about 5 minutes apart but they aren't 60 seconds long and they aren't all-consuming. But still, maybe Aaron should time them.

4:45pm - Aaron thinks they are about 5 minutes apart and 30-40 seconds long. Bright idea - shower. Have heard that a shower will stop them.

5:15pm - no more hot water. Feel great. Contractions even easier to ignore in the shower. Must be stopping.

5:30pm - Christensens are here to take us to dinner. Chatting. Can't focus on the conversation because of these darn contractions that are back now. Hmmm - maybe we should time these again.

6pm - Dinner isn't going to happen unles we stop by the hospital first. Contraction are about 40-50 seconds long and about 3-4 minutes apart. Christensens pack up Braden. Aaron packs me into the car.

6:45pm - hospital to be checked out. Can't ignore contractions but doing ok so far. Dilated to a 5. Wow. I am actually going to go into labor naturally. Both happy and sad about that. I guess we really won't get to go to dinner.

7:15 - labor and delivery room. Feel ok. Don't need epidural. Am a rock. I can do this.

7:25 - Oh the PAIN! Need epidural NOW. Why isn't everyone jumping to give me an epidural since I just asked for one 30 seconds ago?

7:30 - contractions every 2 minutes and 80-90 seconds long. Is that normal? Cailin's heartrate is dropping significantly with each contraction. Nurse concerned - means I am either about to give birth OR that Cailin is in distress. Probably need to do C section. That means spinal block not epidural. FINE - just put me out!

7:45 - Room empty except for Aaron. Docs conferring about my emergency c section somewhere else. Wait - I think that contraction was a pushing one. Get someone now!

7:48 - Aaon back alone. He told them but they didn't come. This contraction is DEFINITELY pushing. Notice Aaron running out again.

7:50 - People yelling for me not to push. (Do they know that pushing is kind of involuntary???) I am dilated to a 7 and pushing will rip my uterus. Perhaps they should that to my uterus!

7:55 - Need to break my water. Where in the world are the drugs? Can't we wait for the drugs??? No of course not - evidently this anesthesiologist doesn't like delivering anesthesia. I hate everyone.

8:00 - A new voice with an accent- evidently a doctor finally. Only a few minutes later and - tells me I am dilated to a 10 and she sees the head. No time to wait for drugs - baby coming now. Time to push after all. (Can they make up their minds???)

8:05 - Another miserable contraction (have been wanting to die for 40 minutes now) Finally get to push with it. Halfway thru push they tell me to stop again. What is it this time??? Oh - Cailin is here!

One of the most miraculous events of my life - and it only took half a push :)

Cailin Anne Christensen

2009-07-10T10:11:00.001-07:00

Cailin Anne Christensen

Saturday, June 27

8 lbs 6 oz

21 1/2 inches

Lucky 7

2009-06-20T12:35:00.000-07:00

Is seven really lucky? I don't know. But I am due in 7 days - June 27. Does that mean I will have the baby by then? My prediction is no. I predict I will go into labor on July 2nd, but if I don't, I will be induced on July 4th most likely. Most people can't believe I am willing to wait an extra week but I have to say this pregnancy has been pretty easy. I am one of the lucky ones. I don't get most of the symptoms that everyone else does. After learning that the "comfy chair" was inherently evil I have even fewer aches and pains than I did with Braden. The baby herself is also so mild. She is calm and lets me sleep at night. When I push on her little feet she pulls them in. A pretty good house guest over all. Perhaps I will let her stay a bit longer. After all, I haven't finished washing the car seat yet!

Remodel

2009-06-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

OK - so I haven't wanted to talk too much about the remodel we have been doing but I think I finally can because it is virtually over now. It started in March and now with one week left we finally have our house to ourselves with only a few projects left to do. (Aaron is installing a few new door knobs as I type.)

Most of the work was fixing flaws in the house: the ceiling crack that got worse when we added the garage roof, the many holes in the wall from places that mirrors had been removed and carpet had been taken off, black cracks in ceiling tiles in the basement .... the list goes on forever. Of the more noticeable changes: we removed the hot pink carpet from its last holdouts, all of the mirror tiles on the walls, replaced the case and base for a more updated look, painted almost the entire home, covered the strange black tile in the entry with travertine and completely gutted and redid our upstairs bath. Here are some photos of before and afters:

Upstairs bath before

Upstairs bath after

The color of the travertine in the photo is a bit dark. We used the same tile for the entry way.The stairs before - a great example of the mirrors, hot pink carpet and occasionally carpeted walls.

The stairs now - tan carpet with shaker beige walls, espresso doors and white trim

Braden's half of the room

The new baby's half of the room (this is the best photo of the wall color)

Air Show

2009-06-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

Was it last weekend? I can't even keep the days straight anymore... we (and about 300,000 other people) went to the air show. Braden had a chance to crawl into some cockpits, stand on some wings and I had the chance to sit because my father in law actually bought me a chair :). So kind! It was fun watching the planed do acrobatics, eating ridiculously expensive hot dogs, and even fun taking the bus ride back to the car.

A terribly photoshopped picture with all of us together - Aaron, Natalie Braden, Grandpa and Grandma Christensen.

Van - Go

2009-05-31T14:41:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of things to like about Aaron's job but the fact that we get to use a company car for a flat monthly fee has to be one of the best. When Aaron was hired on he didn't get a choice of vehicles - we were just assigned a silver van that someone else had ordered. Originally I was somewhat mortified, but its utility finally won me over. It was great to have so many seats to give everyone rides. I loved how the seats stowed away in seconds to create as much cargo room as we could posssibly want - even enough to transport our full sized couch without leaving the back open.

Well, as these perks come, they also go. The company decided that vans were too expensive (with gas prices and the constant maintenance) so Aaron was asked to turn his in. Now we have a new Dodge Journey. Cute, fun to drive, and even with a built in cooler/warner. But (and I really can't believe I am saying this) it isn't a van.

A Day with Thomas

2009-05-31T14:15:00.001-07:00

Thomas the Train visited the Heber Valley Railroad this past weekend and we were lucky enough to find out about it in time to get tickets ! We went with Grandma and Grandpa Christensen (who had wanted to go the last several years.) The actual ride on Thomas was very leisurely and Braden enjoyed opening and closing the window shade and demanding that the rest of us "sleep" or "be awake" accordingly. We also had fun at a petting zoo (with a baby camel that tried to take a sip of my drink), a bubble area and at several train tables. Braden's only two disappointments were that he eventually had to e leave the gift shop and that he didn't get to meet diesel - the bad guy who is his favorite Thomas teh train engine. (Have I already screwed up his parenting?)

Braden with Sir Top M Hat

All of us (Grandpa and Grandma Christensen, Braden, Aaron and Natalie) after riding Thomas.

Aaron and Braden with Thomas and our fun conductor.

The DARK SIDE of our family

2009-05-31T13:51:00.000-07:00

Star Wars, as a rite of passage, came to Aaron at age 5 (or so I am told). He loved the story and characters - but his favorite was always Darth Vader. When the Christensens gave him all of the Star Wars movies on DVD for his birthday in May, Aaron did some quick mathematical calculations and determined that Braden would be equivalenty ready for episode 4 at age 3.5 . I was a little nervous about the violence and scary scenes but if Braden was scared at all the first time he saw it, he is definitely over it now that he has chosen to watch it for our family movie night 3 weeks in a row.

When we went to the May Day festival and saw that Braden could get his picture with Star Wars characters we though he would jump at the chance. Instead he seemed a little afraid. Of course, when I thought about it- with all of those scary storm troopers and other masked villians - it made perfect sense. Except that I was totally wrong. When he finally warmed up, he ran straight for the sotrm troopers and hid from the Jedi! What is it with my family and the dark side???

Braden and Aaron with their Star Wars buddies. If Braden looks disturbed it is probably because a Jedi jumped into the picture at the last minute!

May Day

2009-05-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

On May 16 Wheeler Farm had a May Day festival. It was fun to watch Braden old enough to really enjoy those giant bounce houses and blow up slides. We were thrilled he was finally able to climb the huge whale slide by himself - but a little surprised when he chose to dive off head first (he inherited his "no fear" attitude from Aaron). He seemed a little surprised by the result, too, and never tried it again - although he went up that slide probably 16 more times :). Braden rode a little train and got to meet several Star Wars characters 0 raising donations for "Toys for Tots." And after a nice lunch in the shade we took half a loaf of bread to feed the ducks and geese and their swarms of babies. It was a great family afternoon together!

Braden by himself in the bounce house obstacle course. It is so fun watching him grow up. Every age seems to be even more fun than the last!

The Comfy Chair

2009-05-30T06:02:00.000-07:00

Evidently there is a Monty Python skit about a "comfy chair" used as a torture device. So when I named a specific, triple padded executive chair "the comfy chair" my coworkers laughed, I glared at them and anyone with the ability to see my past and future probably thought , "hmmm, interesting foreshaddowing..."

I used the comfy chair at work for most of my pregnancy with Braden to ease the joint pain that started in my first trimester. Not that I could complain - joint pain and back pain (and how the two combined to keep me from sleeping) were my main symptoms with Braden.

This pregnancy I decided to put off my special chair as a treat for the last trimester. I must say I was surprised at how I held up. My joints, though sore while sitting in the chair at work, weren't as sore at night. And luckly this pregnancy didn't have that same upper back pain. That is until I snuck the comfy chair back into my office 4 weeks ago! One blissful day of rest in the comfy chair and I was up most of the night with my joints and back killing me just like they did with Braden! Since then the comfy chair has been banished from my area. Anyone want to re-enact the Monty Python skit? I have the perfect prop!

Carnage at the Christensen Corral

2009-05-09T15:24:00.000-07:00

As controversial as Aaron is, I knew it would only be a matter of time before there was some sort of attempt on his life. It finally happened a few weekends ago on a Saturday in our own home. I was tidying up the front room while Aaron was snacking in the kitchen. All at once I heard a scream of absolute shock and raced to find Aaron, the counters, the cabinets, the fridge, the floor and even the walls in the front room all splattered with something red. Blood? No - a delicious blend of tomatoes, onions and cilantro. This was the work of one of our favorite Mexican restaurants - Los Hermanos - and the weapon of choice was an exploding tub of salsa.

In the end, the only casualty was the white shirt Aaron had been wearing. Will there be another attempt? I can only assume so. Any message intended by the blast ("hey - stop hogging all the salsa" for example) was completely lost on Aaron, who, after tossing his shirt in the trash, opened the other 32 oz container we had purchased and continued his snack.

A non-artist's rendition of the gore that followed the salsa bomb. No joke. I wish I had just gotten the camera!

Breakfast with the Easter Kookaburra?

2009-05-09T15:03:00.000-07:00

The Saturday before Easter we took Braden to Hogle Zoo for breakfast with the Easter Bunny. As it turned out, it was more like breakfast with the bunny, a kookaburra, several snakes, a few lizards, more birda and a ferret. We ate a pretty good buffet breakfast (Braden probably ate 7 sausages!) at tables while zoo workers brough around various animals for the kids to look at and touch. Braden showed his lack of fear (and common sense) when told he could touch a snake so he reached out and grabbed it. Fortunately for my poor heart the zoo member acted quickly so that the snake wouldn't grab Braden back! All in all, another great experience at the zoo.

Going Ape

2009-04-11T18:24:00.000-07:00

Going to the zoo as often as we do, we feel like we are really getting to know the animals. Perhaps that goes both ways. A few weeks ago a spider monkey acted like he recognized us and ran over to watch us for several minutes and even followed us when we moved. We were really taken off guard so we didn't think to get out the camera. When the same thing happened a few minutes later at the Gorilla enclosure, we were slightly more prepared!

Braden with the gorilla - with major brightness/contract enhancement so you can see the gorilla face a little. The gorilla came over when Braden got there and left the window when Braden left! Things that make you go hmmmm.....

Ways in Which We Excel

2009-03-21T09:34:00.001-07:00

For many years I have been teased about the spreadsheets I use to make my life easier. For example - if you get a Christmas letter from us - and presumably you do or you wouldn't waste your time reading this blog - your name, appropriate salutation and address are stored neatly in an Excel spreadsheet I update every year. If you have ever eaten my "Beef Stroganoff for Engineers" (turns out engineers would make great chefs!) the recipe is saved as a Word document on my PC and is also listed on a recipe spreadsheet under the categories of beef, crockpot and Sunday meals. Laugh if you want to, but every time I take something that I just can't seem to get done properly and apply a spreadsheet to it - it works for us! Baby names are no exception. Aaron and I did the rounds when naming the dogs. The pre-spreadsheet method we came up with was that I would suggest several names, Aaron would say no to them all and I would be in a bad mood for a while. Then we would start this process over again. When it came to naming Braden I didn't want us to go thru the same aggravating steps so I came up with the spreadsheet solution. I copy an entire website of names to a spreadsheet. I go thru and remove the names I like the least and then email the remainder to Aaron. We go back and forth removing names until we come to a name we both like. Since Braden is anxious to have a name for the baby in my tummy we started the process earlier this time - I sent the first draft to Aaron yesterday. It still may take a while before we agree on a single name - but hey - its in a spreadsheet now so I know we will sort it out eventually!

Oh Tommy Boy

2009-03-21T08:49:00.001-07:00

Even though I work in computers, I wouldn't call myself a techno-geek really. But I had to blog about a few of the gadgets that we have come to love.

The first is TIVO (we have the dish network version). It is so great to be able to watch the shows you like at a time that is convenient to you - and even better - to skip the commercials. The downside is that we are completely out of touch with upcoming movies and world news. (Or maybe that is also an upside with how things seem to be going in the world lately...)

My second technology love is the GPS. We got a TomTom almost 2 years ago. At first it was fun having it take us to places we normally go (like the store) to see if it knew any shortcuts. It did! (Funn how little we know our local area when it comes down to it!) After doing a lot of road trips last year, however, little Tommy jumped from "fun gadget" to integral member of the family. On long trips we could drive until we neecded a break, check for the nearest park and let Braden play for an hour before we took off. At night we could drive until Aaron was tired and then call all of the close hotels for the cheapest price at the last minute. It made traveling so much easier and so much more fun. I thank that Tommy enjoyed it, too...perhaps a little too much. With the new pregnancy, the traveling came to a screeching halt. Tomtom began releasing from the windshield (and plunging to the floor) and inopportune times - a passive-aggressive attempt to get our attention. When that didn't work - I think he became desperate. I came back to the car after running an errand a few weeks ago and TomTom, all of his accessories, and even our milti-charging unit, were gone.

As we contemplate the possibility of replacing him (which model should we get - are there certain models that are a little more loyal?) I can't help remembeing the good times with Tomtom and hoping that he is enjoying his travels - with whichever family has him now!