Vacation Photos

By the end of the day we were pretty tired. I bet you couldn't tell.

Chesapeake Bay. It may not quite be the ocean, but it may as well be.

Just after her baptism. She is definitely a sweet, spirited little girl.

Waiting for dinner at Outback. She wanted to open her presents before we sat down, hence, the tiara.

Lincoln Memorial: This place was huge. As a matter of fact, everything there was.

Lincoln Memorial: Our camera died before we could get a better photo of it and the reflection pool.

Washington Monument: We had a hard time capturing the whole thing!

First and last stop, Vegas.


Photos are not chronologically placed. Actually, last comes first and vice versa. P.S. Thanks Jen for informing me of the SD card that I can put in my computer. I'm a little techno-challenged.

I may have lost the fight, but we won the war.

For the past couple of weeks it seems that Quentin and I have been in a power struggle. He seems to think that he can do everything by himself and any help that I try to give turns out to be a fight. In my child development class I am learning about Piaget's stages and Quentin is in between the autonomy vs. shame and doubt and the initiative vs. guilt stages. Learning about these stages has helped me to better understand my child. Last night Quentin was bound and determined to button the shirt of his pajamas all by himself. It was bedtime and I wasn't willing to wait while he did it, so we fought about it for about 10 minutes. I would try and put the shirt on him, but as soon as I did he would take it off before I could button it. So, I gave in and let him try to do it by himself, assuming that he would get frustrated soon and just let me do it. Well, there were four buttons on the shirt and he took about 5 minutes for each button. He was patient and determined to finish the job himself. I sat in his bedroom with him while he did it and encouraged him everytime he was getting it right and praised him when he got a button through. I cannot explain the joy that I felt in taking the time to praise my son for a job well done and for his glowing smile as he felt accomplished in buttoning up his own shirt. It was definitely a fight worth losing.

Getting Spring Fever?

I don't know about the rest of you, but I am so ready for the sunny days to come. I'm dreaming up ideas for fun things to do outside with my kids. I just can't wait to see the trees all green and flowers blooming. It's hard enough to be cooped up inside with a 3-year-old who just wants to get his energy out. So, do any of you have some good ideas for coping with the winter chill? And what are some fun summer ideas that you are wanting to do? I'm wanting to go swimming, take the kids to the park, go on walks, and hopefully go to Lagoon or a waterpark when Kristin is here.

A good trip . . . An even better family.

Well, I very much wanted to post a blog full of pics from my first big vacation; but, of course, we left our USB cable and charger to the camera in the hotel in Maryland. Unless, by some miracle, that we have simply misplaced it in all our luggage (Doubtful, but possible). We did have a nice time on our vacation, it was really good to see Kristin and be a part of her baptism. That was the highlight of our time there. She is so sweet and fun to be around. We also went to D.C. and saw the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and The White House, in which James tried to gain privileged access to the front gates (That didn't work out so well) ;) I wanted to go through the holocaust museum, but we were pressed for time with only a 2 hour meter and limited amount of change at hand. We also went to the Chesapeake Bay, that was really beautiful. Crystal and I went shopping Saturday morning and got a Pedicure/Manicure (Thanks Crystal). The mall was huge!!! Of course, to me, any thing is larger than little old Rexburg. There was a 24 plex theater in the mall and we all went to He's just not that into you. Funny movie. I liked it.
What I realized from going on this trip is that I'm not missing all that much of the world. It's great to get to know new people and cultures and to see new sights, but what I loved the most was time with my husband and time with Kristin. I dearly missed our kids at home and wished we could've been all together. I also realized that life doesn't stop when you go on vacation. We came back with housework and homework knocking at our door. If I wasn't behind before, I definitely am now. Thanks to all of my family members for helping out with watching Quentin. It's so great to have family around that is loving and supportive.

Winter Fun!!!

We decided that we better make use of all the snow we got and went to my parents house to play. Our camera died before we could get pictures of Caroline outside with us. James was having fun making a HUGE snowman. Quentin didn't stay long on the tube, he decided that it would be more fun to play with the kitten and the neighbors dog. When Caroline came out, she had fun riding on the sled and just about fell asleep while riding.

Quentin's Day at the Hospital

Well, our day started out at 7:30 a.m. at the hospital. Quentin was wide awake and ready to talk to everybody about his Bumblebee toy that he brought with him. I was putting on his hospital gown and he said "I'm not a girl!" He didn't seem to like the idea of a dress. They gave him an IV and wrapped it up like a cast on his hand and wrist so that he couldn't tug on it. After they had given him some stuff to relax him and get him ready for anastesia he started acting a little 'drunken' and used his new blue cast as a gun to shoot people (like Bumblebee). He was so funny and talking about the most random things and laughing at everything. They took him back to take out his tonsils, adenoids, and put tubes in his ears. The nurse came out a half hour later and asked me to come into the recovery room to help him calm down. What was funny is that she asked me if I was "Bumblebee's Mom." I laughed and she told me that he was telling everybody before his surgery about him. It took us about another half hour to get him to calm down and recognize where he was at and that I was holding him. He slept for about an hour and a half then woke up to see James, Katie and Emmett there. He seemed wide awake and ready to talk and play with Emmett, but couldn't quite get all the words out just yet. His voice was very high pitched, it actually sounded really cute to hear him speak. He's been awake ever since and had a milkshake, popcicles and water at the hospital. He even wanted to eat my chocolate chip cookie that James brought me from the cafeteria. I gave him a little taste (it was a soft cookie) and he did just fine. Actually, Quentin was a little upset that we were leaving the hospital. He had so much fun getting pampered by everyone. After we got home he'll get kind of fussy now and then, but has been doing really well. We'll just have to see how the next couple of days go. Thank you all for your gifts and for coming to see him.

Past, Present and Future: A New Year Update

Last year went by so fast I don't have much to tell. The days seemed to run into each other with how hectic life was. We had a lot of fun getting our lives settled and hopefully next year we can do it all with a little more finesse.
2008 Favorites:
Wedding Day (of course!)
Lava Hot Springs
Family Pictures (a wonderful disaster ;p)
Quentin's Halloween (beginning of the obsession w/ Bumblebee)
Ugly Sweater Contest
2009 Upcoming News:
I will be starting school January 7th. I am taking 16 credits and my classes are: Nutrition and Young Children, Social Psychology, Personality, Building an Eternal Marriage, Ethics, and Early Child Development. It shouldn't be too difficult. I'll still be working at Wal-mart on Tuesday and Thursday nights and every other Sunday. James will begin another semester on the 5th and will be graduating in December. We hope to be able to go to Maryland this February to see Kristin get baptized. We'll just have to see how things work out. Quentin is getting his tonsils out and tubes put in his ears on the 15th. I'm praying that all goes well. We are going to try and be apartment managers to help save a little money, hopefully that works out. James is coaching Wrestling and will be playing Football this summer. It's always fun to see his games, maybe we'll go to one in Utah and do something this summer.
2009 Goals:
Survive!! ;)