My Time

St. Patty's Day 2011

2011-03-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how it has evolved into something that we celebrate, but it sure has! My kids LOVE St. Patrick's Day! While the boys were at school, a leprechaun trashed their bedroom. Crepe paper was everywhere, and green candies were thrown all around the bedroom floor.

After school, the kids set up a leprechaun trap. They found an old shoe box, carefully set some change inside, with the hopes of luring the leprechaun close enough to trap him. Rumor has it that if you catch a leprechaun, you get all of his gold. Our leprechaun was a little mean with his tricks this year. He dumped a white powder around the front porch, took their money, and drizzled a gooey blue liquid all over their trap. It made for a very fun afternoon.

We finished our day off with Mint Chocolate Brownies. They were Heavenly!

Baptism

2011-03-05T22:27:00.000-08:00

Today was a very special day for our family. Jack was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

The program was so nice. Grandma Becky talked about baptism, two darling little girls from our ward sang a beautiful song, Grandma Debbie talked about the Holy Ghost and Grandma Roxy said the closing prayer. Chad was able to preform his first baptism and confirmation, something that was very special to him. After the baptism, we had everyone over for a little luncheon- thanks to Ken and Becky! We are so grateful for all of the family who went out of their way to support Jack. It means a lot to our family. It truly was a wonderful day.

Dr. Suess's Birthday

2011-03-02T19:50:00.000-08:00

This is how we celebrated Dr. Suess's Birthday. Green Eggs and Ham on homemade English Muffins- yum!

Mad Scientist Party

2011-02-25T14:55:00.000-08:00

We came up with an amazing birthday party for Jack this year. We had a Mad Scientist Party!

The invitations were simple but awesome (I sure wish I had taken a picture of them)! I printed a page with some of the info on them, like "Date:" and "Time:" and a little paragraph explaining that in order to view the invitation, the kids had to use science. They were instructed to hold the piece of paper over a light bulb, stove, or match and that the missing information would appear. I had used and invisible ink (mixture of baking soda and water) and written the information in. And it seemed to have worked... all of the kids showed up at at the right place and at the right time :)

The kids came dressed in their lab coats (or dad's white dress shirt). They looked great! We started off with a home made Lava Lamp, using just water, oil, food coloring, and Alka Seltzer tablets.

Did you know that you can make metal scream if you press it on dry ice? Neither did we, until we did this experiment! The kids experimented with all sorts of things. I think that quarters and spoons were the favorites.

Next we experimented with sound waves. By simply flattening one end of a drinking straw and then trimming it to a point, you can make a duck call. This was certainly the noisiest thing we did all day!

Next up: Sucking and egg into a bottle. You need a hard-boiled egg, a glass bottle, a piece of paper, and a lighter for this experiment. After lighting the paper on fire with the lighter, you drop it into the bottle. Immediately set the egg on top of the bottle. It would not normally fit inside, but it gets sucked right into it! This was certainly the stinkiest of the experiments :)

How do you make slime? It's actually quite simple. White glue, water, Borax, and food coloring. Wah-La!

The Fantastic Foamy Fountain was next. A yeasty mixture is added to a peroxide mixture to create this crazy foam. The boys loved it!

Mmmm... Dessert. Reeses Cupcakes to be exact!

Next Jack opened his presents. His friends were so generous! He was a happy boy, that's for sure!

We finished off with my very favorite of the experiments, the Flying Orb. How did I not take any pictures of that one? I'm going to make my kids do it again ASAP so that I can show you how cool it is.

Like I said, amazing party. The boys had a blast and most importantly, Jack really enjoyed himself. It was another great day :)

Jack's 8!

2011-02-19T14:32:00.000-08:00

Wow! I am having such a hard time believing it, but Jack is 8!

We celebrated his birthday in St. George this year with Grandma Roxy and Grandpa Will. Aside from the snowy weather and a sick Cohen, the trip was great! Jack chose to eat at Pirate Island for dinner and Roxy made him a birthday cake. He is in love with Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, so he got a couple of those for his birthday, along with the Karate Kid II movie, Lincoln Logs, Knex, and a cute outfit. He was well taken care of.

At 8 years old, Jack:

Loves to play basketball, and plays every chance he gets.
Has a best friend named Jake.
Enjoys reading (especially those Diary of a Wimpy Kid books!).
Is doing wonderful in school, it seems to come so easy to him.
Loves LEGOS.
Is a great big brother and help with Cohen.
Takes Break Dance classes every week and is learning awesome moves!
Loves to eat Peanut Butter and Jam Sandwiches, Raisin Bran cereal, apples, chicken nuggets, yogurt and hot dogs.
Enjoys eating at Taco Time above all other restaurants- He orders a Bean and Cheese Burrito.
Is kind, loving, helpful, trustworthy, and an over all great kid.

I sure love Jack and feel so lucky to have spent the past 8 years as his mother! Happy birthday Buddy!

Pictures

2011-01-26T19:56:00.000-08:00

I said that I was going to blog, so I'd better do it, right?

The weather was beautiful on Monday, so I took the boys to Daybreak. We walked around, the boys threw rocks into the iced lake, Cohen loved pointing out the birds, and I played with my camera. I thought I'd share my darling boys with you. Seriously, could they be any cuter? (Aside from Jack's goofy teeth!)

Today

2011-01-14T13:27:00.001-08:00

I woke early to a screaming baby
I missed the garbage man
I had to shovel snow
I blew out 2 (yes, 2!) blow dryers
I got a call from the school saying that Jack wasn't feeling good
I picked Jack up from school and he threw up on my shoes in the parking lot
I didn't get to run the errands that I so desperately desired to do
I am stuck home, for the 6th day in a row, with sick kids
I wish that Chad was not in Tennessee
I feel grumpy and may have shed a tear or two

I guess that all days can't be picture perfect. Here's to hoping that tomorrow is a happier one!

Christmas Highlights

2011-01-09T10:30:00.000-08:00

Since I am home today from church with a sick baby (Cohen has been throwing up all morning), I thought that I would share some of our Christmas highlights with you.

First off, the winner of the Hawes family's Ugly Sweater award. I titled my creation "Beary Christmas":

Nixin borrowed Chad's ugly sweater to wear to school on Elf Day:

A new family member joined us this year, Terry the Elf. It was a true joy to have him in our home this holiday. We are so excited about this new tradition!

Christmas morning:

The boys were SO excited to see what Santa brought. They decided to let him surprise them this year... and boy were they surprised! Here they are just before we let them go check it out:

Cohen got a new car! He loves it and plays in it every day:

Here's Jack taking his new bike out for it's first ride:

Nixin couldn't wait to take his new electric scooter for a ride!

P.S. Where's the snow? It was certainly not a white Christmas.

Ahh, perfectly sweet.

There should be many more pictures included in this post. Some of which could be Chirstmas Eve in Bountiful with Ken and Becky, Christmas breakfast with Rob, Debbie, Luke, and his new girlfriend, Gilda, or Christmas dinner with Roxy, Will, Chris, and Laura... But, I was having too much fun and forgot to grab the camera. Oh well, they are all memories that we'll just have to hold dear in our hearts. Like I said before, it was a wonderful holiday and I wouldn't have changed a thing! Merry late Christmas!

I'm Back!

2011-01-03T16:59:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that another holiday season has swept past us and that a new year has already arrived! Happy 2011!

Our family enjoyed a wonderful holiday, probably the best yet. We are truly blessed people. We have the greatest family and friends in the whole wide world and it was a joy to spend time with them during the past few weeks.

At a New Year's Eve party that our family attended, we played a little game called "What If". Many questions were asked, all beginning with "What if...". The group would throw out answers and some discussion was had. One question really got me thinking. "What if you could go back to any age during your lifetime? What age would you choose?" I didn't answer that night, but I'm ready to answer the question now. I would choose 31. The very age that I am now. I am happy. I have an absolutely amazing family. I am in love, now more than ever, with my husband. We have 3 happy, healthy little boys. We have a nice home. We drive nice cars. We have great friends. We are financially stable. We have fun. We live a fabulous life. I choose the present. I don't look back and desire to be anywhere else. I love where I am now. 2010 treated our family perfectly. If 2011 chooses to treat us the same, I will be a very happy girl.

This year I hope to:

Blog more
Work less
Get a piano and start Jack in lessons
Read more (both by myself and with my children)
Learn more about photography
Get at least 1 step closer to finishing our basement

Those are my goals. Happy New Year!

34!

2010-07-28T15:45:00.001-07:00

It's my honey's big day! Happy birthday Chad! We love you so much and are so happy to have you in our lives. You are a wonderful husband, father, and friend. We could never ask for anyone better to share our lives with. Hope your day is wonderful! Xoxo!

Baby Steps

2010-07-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

Since I reported on boating last, we have been to Rockport and back up to Hyrum. Rockport was filled with great company, Luke, the Platts, Hodlmairs, and Butlers. The water, however, was not great. The waves were ridiculous. We did have a wonderful time. Here is my friend Carrie wakeboarding like a champ:

And here's uncle Luke on the tube with the kids:

Hyrum was a blast, again. We were one of maybe 2 boats on the lake all morning. The water was like glass, perfect. We had Luke, my dad, and Debbie with us. It was such a great day!

As you can see, my kids LOVE the water. They have no trouble jumping right in and enjoying themselves...

...Something that you may not know about me is that I have a great fear of the water. Weird, I know. I am a boat owner and I am terrified of the water. I don't know how to swim. I am very comfortable wearing my life jacket and sitting in the middle of the boat. I thoroughly enjoy watching everyone else playing in the water. I would like to overcome this fear of mine though. And even though Luke and Chad think that I am stupid/annoying for being so afraid, I think that I made huge progress this trip. The purpose of this post is to give myself a little pat on the back. Baby steps! I got in the water eventually, and only for a minute, but I did it and I am proud of myself. Way to go me!

Proof

2010-07-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

Here is proof that my baby is trouble. It starts off with this cute little face:

Then he reaches for the plug, the same one that he unplugs 37 times a day:

I let out a stern "NO!" and I break his little heart:

I can only stand that sad little face for a second before I just must give him a little love. Then he puts on his cute little face and the cycle begins all over again.

Chicken and Fruit Salad

2010-07-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

I came up with THE BEST salad! We ate it one night and then a couple of days later we just had to have it again, and as I am preparing my grocery list for the week, I am making sure that I buy the ingredients to make it yet again. It really is that good! I hope that you love it too.

Candy 1/2 c. slivered almonds by browning them in a pan with butter and brown sugar. Be careful not to burn them. They may seem soft, but will harden as the sugar cools.

1 pound chicken breast, cooked, shredded, and cooled
1 pint strawberries, sliced
1 can Mandarin oranges, drained
1 bag "7 Lettuce Blend" or salad mix of your choice

Combine the following in a blender to make the dressing:

1/3 cup red wine vinegar or raspberry vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 onion, minced
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Toss the candied almonds, chicken, salad, and fruit together with desired amount of dressing.

Swimming Lessions

2010-07-19T15:49:00.000-07:00

My boys just finished up another round of swimming lessons at the Guys Swim Gym! They both did great, had a lot of fun, and made awesome progress. It was also a fun place for me to take a few pictures.

Fun

2010-07-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

Sprinkler time!

Here's Cohen with his "Co-hawk". It's our favorite way to do his hair.

Tooth #3

2010-07-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

Tooth # 3 for Jack is out! He grabbed a tissue and yanked it out in the front yard. Just like that!

The 4th

2010-07-05T16:45:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! First we had Chad's family reunion in Bountiful on Saturday. After the reunion, we met up with our friends, the Butlers and the Martinez's, for our favorite firework show in Riverton. Sunday, the 4th, Ken and Becky drove out with reunion left-overs and fed us dinner. Then the neighborhood gathered, as we usually do, for a firework show. It was my favorite kind of weekend! We enjoyed quality time as a family, with family and friends, and kept really busy with all sorts of fun stuff.

My baby is adorable! Have you ever seen anything so cute?

Here are Ken and Becky with their grandson's and Hallie, our neighbor... Not to confuse future generations, although I would take her if her mom would let me. She'd fit right in!

Our super fun neighbors, the Richharts

Grandpa Ken and Cohen

Chad the Firework Master

Neighbor Girls

I'll probably get in trouble for posting this picture, but I don't care. These people are the reason that we love our neighborhood so much. The world should know that they are the BEST NEIGHBORS EVER!

Love him :)

Brownie face!

Sparklers!

Nixin loved them.

And so did Grandpa Ken and I!

Chad's cool pic #1

Chad's cool pic #2

We hope your 4th was a great one. Ours sure was!

Williams Family Reunion

2010-07-04T16:25:00.000-07:00

Chad's family got together for a family reunion. It was great to see everyone! I feel so lucky to have married into such a great group of people.

School's Out For Summer!

2010-07-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

Here's my 1st grade graduate! When I look back at the past school year for Jack, I realize what an important year it was for him. He learned so much. His reading skills have made leaps and bounds, he can do math, tell time, and spell. He has made wonderful friends and absolutely loved his teacher, Mrs. Eberle. What a year of accomplishments! To celebrate, I jammed the song "School's Out" by Alice Cooper when Jack walked in the door. Then we crazy danced together in the living room. Yay! My kids are home with me for the summer! I just can't explain how good that feels. I love to have them here with me.

Special Awards

2010-07-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

The last week of school, we were invited into Jack's class for an awards program. Each child told why they were special. Jack said "I am special because I work hard at school."

Jack received a Gold Medal for his reading minutes and also earned his Paws for Success Award.

Then Jack's teacher got up and explained that there was another award that she was going to give (one to a boy and one to a girl). This award was the Friendship Award. It was to be awarded to the child who the class voted would make the best kind of friend. The teacher expressed that they talked about friends and good qualities to look for in a friend. This was not a popularity contest, but a chance to award the child who has been a really good friend to the other children in the class. Jack won! What a good feeling to know that you are raising that kind of child. Jack is a good boy and I am so glad that he is my friend :) Here is Jack with Mrs. Eberle, his wonderful 1st grade teacher:

And here is Jack with two of his best friends, Jake and Caleb:

First Outing

2010-06-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

The weather has finally warmed up and that meant that it was time to take our boat out for its first outing! We left Tuesday night and stayed with my dad and Debbie at their house in Hyrum. Wednesday morning we got up, ate breakfast, and loaded up the boat for a day at Hyrum Lake. Hyrum Lake was perfect and my dad and Debbie were awesome helpers! I will admit that I was really nervous about getting the boat in and out of the water, learning how to drive it, pulling Chad on his wakeboard, etc. all with a little baby. But, I didn't even have to worry about it. They helped Chad take care of everything. I did back the boat down the ramp (with a little help from Deb) and I drove it around a bit. It was fun.

The boys couldn't have been any happier to finally be out on the water!

This is my favorite picture! Look at that adorable little face!

Even though the water was cold enough to take Chad's breath away, he was excited to use his wakeboard. The coolest part was that he had the lake to himself!

Chad went and went and went. My dad dragged him around the lake a few times and finally Chad wore himself out enough that he just had to stop. He's pretty good... and you should have seen his bulging biceps!

Infant life jackets...they just make my baby look so miserable. He wasn't complaining though. In fact, Cohen did great on the boat!

We had one of Debbie's grandsons with us, Colton. The boys had a blast with him. The three of them hopped in the tube (they're much braver than me!) and couldn't wait for their ride. Nixin is much smaller than them and you just couldn't see him at all in the tube. It had me nervous a few times, hoping that he was still in there. We had told them that if they wanted to go faster, we needed to see three thumbs up. It was the cutest thing to see Jack and Colton with their thumbs up and then all you could see of Nixin was his little hand poking out with his thumb up. So cute!

Here is Chad driving his new baby:

And here I am with my little baby:

The boys loved watching Chad wakeboard. They can not wait for us to get a board small enough for them to use.

Grandma Debbie was the best! Isn't she so cute with the boys?

Cohen could not keep his eyes open on the boat. I think the combination of the snug life jacket, the hot sun, and the lull of the boat just knocked him out. Every once in a while you would see his eyes peek open and he'd look around for a second, then bam! He was out again.

Later in the afternoon, Chad and the boys decided that they would hop in the lake for a little swim.

My dad was the flag holder:

The boys and their dad in the lake:

Nixin was so brave to jump in! His face when he popped up out of the water was awesome, I wish that I would have gotten that on camera. I don't think that he expected to go all the way under the water. It was really funny.

Here's Cohen half in and out of sleep:

After boating, we went out to dinner and then headed back to my dad's to roast marshmallows (GIANT ones that we found @ Harmons!).

We had a wonderful time and can't wait for our next trip to the lake!

Glasses, Suits, Hoops, Eggs, Flowers, and Trouble

2010-06-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

The boys got new sunglasses. Nixin went all out when he tried his on!

After months of searching, we FINALLY found Jack a "Track Suit". For some reason it has been at the top of his "want list" for some time now. Thank you Costco!

It was TORTURE for Chad, but we got our basketball hoop up. Thank you neighbors and family members for your help! So far it has brought hours of fun to our family. We have some little basketball players on our hands! Cohen is just as happy as can be to sit on a blanket and watch everyone else play.

Jack had an "egg drop" at his school. This is what we came up with... and his egg survived!

I have spent hours and hours in the gardens. I don't know how to keep up with all of the weeding and planting! But, I am sure trying. It is all totally worth it when babies like these pop up.

And this little creature...Trouble!

Cohen now has 4 teeth, just figured out how to "Army Crawl" (following in the footsteps of his big brothers), says the cutest things like "wassat" (what's that?), "ba" (ball), "dah" (dog), "mama" (my favorite!), "dada", "ja" (Jack), "teeth" (in a little baby sounding type of word), "bi" (bite), "bah bah" (bye bye), "hah" (hi), and I'm sure I'm missing a couple more. He is eating everything. He gets mad if we are eating and don't share with him. The boy loves food! Now that he can "crawl", he is so naughty! He has been caught gnawing on at least 3 raw hide dog bones, un-rolled a roll of toilet paper, played behind the toilet, eaten a penny (I saved it from going down his throat), splashed in the dog's water (like 50 times a day!), tipped over our hall way table, knocking down a vase and breaking a picture frame, opened the kitchen drawers, played with outlets, tipped over garbage cans, tried to stick Legos in our computer, and destroyed Nixin's marble track creation. We are in for it. Doesn't he just look like trouble?

Father's Day 2010

2010-06-20T23:49:00.000-07:00

I share my life with some pretty good looking men! Happy Father's Day Chad!

Sick Baby AND...

2010-06-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

My little baby's 3rd tooth is popping through (top left)! He has been miserable the past couple of days. I keep him happy with Children's Motrin. But last night, during the 1:00 am hour, Cohen started FREAKING out. I don't mean just crying in his crib, I mean full on inconsolable screaming. Nothing would comfort him, nothing. After an hour and a half, more Motrin and lots of screaming, he wore himself out and finally fell asleep. He woke up at 6:00 am, miserable again. I noticed him tugging on his ear and so into the doctor's office we went. Sure enough, each ear is infected. Darn teething. I hope to have him better soon.

As for other Williams' family going-ons...

There is something else that has been keeping us going and going the past week. Here are a few clues:

It's our new boat!!!

We are so excited to have it! Hopefully we will create many great memories. Isn't it a beauty?

Also, I just cracked open my first coconut and I think that is pretty cool.

Nixin's Preschool Graduation

2010-05-27T10:25:00.001-07:00

Wow! A second child finished with preschool. The are growing up a lot faster than I would like them to. I keep saying that I would like time to freeze. Right now. I love the ages that my boys are. They are all so wonderful and I am truly enjoying the phases that each of them are at right now. It is my greatest joy to be their mother.

Nixin's graduation program was so cute! The kids did a great job. Nixin has LOVED Miss Amee's Preschool. He loves her, he loves learning and creating, loves playing, loves the friends that he has made there, and loves having "Nixin time" away from home. He did wonderful and is excited to start kindergarten. He is ready for his new adventure :) Way to go Nix!

NY Yankees

2010-05-21T11:56:00.001-07:00

Jack and Nixin have been playing baseball! Their team is the NY Yankees and they rock. I'm not exactly sure who their coach it, but he sure is sexy... Okay, Chad is their coach :) He has done a wonderful job. Jack and Nixin love the sport and are really good at it. It is most likely something that we will stick with. Go Yankees!

Bountiful Baskets

2010-05-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

My wonderful next door neighbor introduced me to the greatest thing, Bountiful Baskets! It is a food co-op where you can order fresh fruit and veggies for a great price. You have to sign up between Mondays at 4pm and Tuesdays at 11am. The cost is $15 for a whole basket! You never know what seasonal produce you will find when you arrive at your pick up location. The produce pictured was all in just one basket and it was all stuff that we love to eat (except Swiss Chard... it is still wilting in my refrigerator)! Pick up is on Saturday mornings. If you are interested, visit www.bountifulbaskets.org. I highly recommend it :)

Crazy Hair

2010-05-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

I remember it being a St. Patrick's Day Sunday when I was young. My mom thought that she was hilarious when she so carefully snuck that green hairspray in my hair before church. I was so embarrassed. I wanted to wash my hair before I dared to leave the house. She wouldn't let me. I remember feeling awful that day.

Fast forward to crazy hair day at school. Jack knew that he wanted big spikes. I thought that I was so hilarious when I added those couple of drops of food coloring to the travel sized hairspray bottle. I thought that I was going to win the "coolest mom ever" award. Wrong. I made my own kid feel embarrassed enough that he didn't want to leave the house without washing his hair. But, I wouldn't let him. He went to school with green hair. The difference between our two stories, however, was that Jack came home from school feeling the opposite of awful. He felt awesome. It turns out that it is cool to have green spikes at school, much better than green hair at church. Phew!

Easter 2010

2010-05-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. Easter was already 4 weeks ago, but I am just now getting around to posting about it! We spent the weekend in St. George. Here's a glimpse of what we did:

Park

Easter Eggs

Egg Hunt

Dinner and UNO with Grandpa Don and Grandma Elaine

Lava Rock Hunt

My Hot Ride

Well Child

2010-04-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

Well Child Visit Stats (03-10):

Jack

7 Years Old
52 lbs.
49" Tall

Healthy as can be.

Nixin

5 Years Old

45 lbs.
45" Tall
2 shots

Ready for Kindergarten!

Cohen

6 1/2 Months Old

18 lbs. 12 oz.
28" long
3 shots

Growing like a weed!

Five

2010-04-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe it, but Nixin is already 5 years old! We celebrated with an "Under the Sea" theme, chosen by the always creative Nixin.

His friends came over to help us celebrate. We played games, including: "The Shamu Shimmy" (an altered version of the Hokey Pokey), "Dive under the Sea"(kids dive under a sheet and come out with a sea creature), and "Going Fishing" (using fishing poles with magnets on the end, they fish for paper fish with paper clips on them). We also served an awesome lunch of Hot Dog Octopus's, Sea Shell Mac and Cheese, and Ocean Water.

On the guest list: Hobie, Sawyer, Blake, Nixin, Caleb, Max, Braxton, and Jack.

And what party would be complete without a pinata? Not this one! The pinata was filled with the guest's goodie bags.

Nixin had a great time. Thanks to those of you who let your children be a part of it!

The following evening we had our family over for a "Pasta Bar" dinner, cupcakes, and ice cream. It sure was nice to see everyone!

Nixin with Aunt Laura:

Nixin with Grandma Miles:

Uncle Chribbis choking Nixin:

Jack, Grandma Becky, and Nixin:

Great Grandpa Bob, Nixin, and Patsy:

Trick Candles:

Happy Birthday Nixin!

Green

2010-03-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

It was about a week before St. Patrick's Day when my boys started to remind me that "Next Wednesday we need to wear green so we don't get pinched". They had planned out exactly what they would wear on the big day and made big plans to catch leprechauns. We had a couple of friends come over to play after school and I looked outside just in time to see the five of them "dancing a jig"!

Cohen was super sick! Look at his sweet little snot face, so lovable!

Aunt Laura came over and helped the boys with their leprechaun trap. They almost caught one! Unfortunately he must have heard them open the front door and ran off before they could catch him. The good news was that some of his dollar bills fell out and landed right in their trap! They thought that part was awesome.

I made Green Fettuccine Alfredo for our special dinner, because I thought that the kids would think it was cool. They did not think it was cool and complained the whole meal instead. We finished our day up with a trip to parent teacher conference for Jack. He is doing great! He had all 4's (that's a great thing) and is reading at a level K. Happy (late) St. Patrick's Day!

5K

2010-03-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

I'm working hard to catch up! Last month, on the 27th of February to be exact, Chad and Jack ran the Fafard 5k together. I chickened out, not knowing what to do with my other two boys in the cold weather. Chad said that maybe a quarter of the way into it Jack was asking if it was done yet and said that he was ready to go home. Chad didn't let him quit though. They walked a little and ran a little and finished the race in 43 minutes and 30 seconds. Way to go guys!

LEGOS

2010-03-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it was over a month ago but I have obviously not been on on a great blogging streak. Jack had his 7th birthday! This year it was all about LEGOS. We invited his friends over for a LEGO themed birthday party, invited our family over for pizza and LEGO cake, and bought him a great set of LEGOS and a LEGO Star Wars video game for our Wii. It was a very eventful day. Jack had a great time and grew his LEGO collection, which is just what he had hoped for.

3 at 6

2010-03-23T07:20:00.000-07:00

Everyone askes me if Cohen looks like his brothers looked when they were his age. I ran into a few pictures of Jack and Nixin when they were 6 months old. What do you think?

Jack 6 months:

Nixin 6 months:

Cohen 6 Months:

February in a Nutshell

2010-03-22T12:32:00.001-07:00

In an effort to get Favorite Aunt Sarah to blog, keep my promise to Grandma Becky that I would blog, and as a confirmation to my cousin, Hollee that I am not MIA, here I go:

Our baby is growing so fast!

Jack received the "Principal's Pride" award from school:

Nixin taught himself how to blow awesome bubbles in the bath:

Cohen is getting more and more adorable every day:

Jack finished up his basketball season:

A little bird found Nixin's homemade bird feeder:

Cohen loves bath time:

Jack visited the book fair at school, he LOVES to read:

Nixin has a new favorite hobby:

And this little face just melts my heart, I'm so happy we have him!

To My Valentine

2010-02-14T10:16:00.000-08:00

I am so blessed to have a wonderful husband. He is loving, kind, humorous, a great provider, dad and friend. I love you Chad! Thank you for all that you do for our family, I am so lucky to have you. Happy Valentine's Day!

Common, you know you want to help!

2010-02-12T07:48:00.000-08:00

To My Dear Family and Friends,

You may remember me mentioning a few months back about my very talented photograspher friend, Carrie Butler, and her little brother Brett Fafard. Brett was diagnosed with STAGE 3 testicular cancer in June of last year. He has since undergone surgery and six rounds of chemotherapy. Unfortunately this fall, his doctor found residual cancer and has decided that the next step is salvage chemotherapy, which will come in the form of back to back stem cell transplants. His doctor has said that while he has a negligible chance of beating the cancer without these transplants, his chances increase to 70% if he has the transplants.

While Brett was very blessed to learn that he was approved for a primary insurance with medicaid as a backup, his primary insurance company has denied the first request for the procedure. Medicaid has agreed to move forward with the first transplant but is declining to provide the second. While one transplant is better then none, the Doctor feels that in order for Brett to be cancer free and return to leading a healthy life that he must have both transplants.

Carrie and her husband, Mike have been doing everything they can to help Brett with all of his medical expenses. But the fact of the matter is, they have a family of their own to take care of and they simply cannot come up with this money all by themselves and in the short amount of time they have left until Brett needs his second transplant. Brett has just begun his first transplant this week, and with your help, he will be finishing his last treatment at the end of March. There are a couple of ways that you can help...

1. There is a paypal account set up at http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpages%2FSave-Brett%2F258561409913%3Fref%3Dsearch%26sid%3D607896555.2896082454..1&h=1d9433b19c8cff1caf8b1ad50f9dcb74 where donations can be made. If they could get 120,000 people to donate just one dollar, then they will have made their goal!!

2. Come eat at the Taylorsville Souper Salad on February 19th. Carrie, and her family and friends, will be there clearing tables and filling drinks, a portion of the proceeds and tips earned that night will go to help Save Brett!!!

3. Carrie is organizing a "Fafard 5k" to help raise money for Brett. It will take place on February 27th at the Riverwoods in Provo. It is $20.00 a person. Register at www.fafard5k.com. There is going to be live music, cookies and fun! They need to get a head count so if you would like to come but can't yet register, please shoot Carrie a message or email at carrie_butler@msn.com. I know a lot of you out there are runners or else know of people who are so please join us in this race! It is for such a good cause.

* Chad and Jack will be running the 5k and would love it if there are other Father/Son or Daughter pairs out there to run with them. I am not a runner in the least, but am planning on walking it... It's only 3 miles or so... I should be able to handle it, right? Will any of you walk with me?

4. Pass this message on to all of your family and friends! I'm sure there are many out there who would love to get involved.

Thank you so much for your support! Any efforts to help will be greatly appreciated.

Catching Up

2010-02-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

I'm a blog slacker. I don't want to be, but the time just flies by so fast! As I sit here eating my cheese and cracker lunch, I am thinking of the past couple weeks. A lot has happened, and here's what I am coming up with:

* Chad passed his cold on to Cohen and I. We have had lots of green stuff coming out of our noses. That has now developed into little coughs. We are feeling much better the past couple of days, but it sure wiped us out at the beginning of the week!

* Jack is off track. We have been trying to occupy our time with play dates, trips to the library, and special treats from the kitchen.

* Chad sold his 91 Lexus and bought a new Jetta! He is thrilled about it. Maybe one day he'll let me take it for a drive. It looks great from what I've seen so far.

* Cohen is getting his first tooth. Here and there I'll catch a little glimpse of it peeking through.

* Just yesterday, Nixin started Break Dancing classes! He has a lot to learn, but I think it could be just up his alley if he sticks with it. Talk about cutest thing ever!

* We bribed our older boys with a trip to Pirate Island in Orem if they each earned 20 good behavior pennies in their jars. They made it with no time to spare, and so Friday we made the drive. They love that place so much. The food is pretty good, very reasonably priced, and the kids love the ambiance. The arcade after dinner doesn't hurt either. They were giddy with excitement and I loved it!

* I got my first cavity filled :( I didn't enjoy it, but thank goodness we have a great dentist and so the experience wasn't horrible. I will be giving up Dr. Pepper (my caffeine savior since Cohen was born) and hopefully prevent future needles, drilling, and soreness.

* Jack is playing Jr. Jazz. He is usually very timid... but not yesterday! He scored 2 baskets (his firsts!) and he also made a couple of assists and rebounds. It was the best game so far!

* Cohen started rice cereal a couple of months ago and loves it. Yesterday we pulled out the baby food peas and gave them to him. He seemed to think they were great. He is growing so fast!

Okay, I think that sums it up for now. Cohen sounds like he needs me :)

Fafard 5k

2010-01-20T10:45:00.000-08:00

You all may remember me mentioning a few months back about my very talented friend, Carrie Butler and her little brother Brett Fafard. Brett was diagnosed with STAGE 3 testicular cancer in June of last year. He has since undergone surgery and six rounds of chemotherapy. Unfortunately this fall, his doctor found residual cancer and has decided that the next step is salvage chemotherapy, which will come in the form of back to back bone marrow transplants. His doctor has said that while he has a negligible chance of beating the cancer without these transplants, his chances increase to 70% if he has the transplants.

While Brett was very blessed to learn that he was approved for a primary insurance with medicaid as a backup, his primary insurance company has denied the first request for the procedure. Medicaid has agreed to move forward with the first transplant but is declining to provide the second. While one transplant is better then none, the Doctor feels that in order for Brett to be cancer free and return to leading a healthy life that he must have both transplants.
Carrie and her husband, Mike have been doing everything they can to help Brett with all of his medical expenses. But the fact of the matter is, they have a family of their own to take care of and they simply cannot come up with this money all by themselves and in the short amount of time they have left until Brett needs his second transplant.

If they could get 120,000 people to donate a dollar, then they will have made their goal!!

Carrie is organizing a "Fafard 5k" to help raise money for Brett. It will take place on February 27th at the Riverwoods in Provo. It is $20.00 a person.

I know a lot of you out there are runners or else know of people who are so please join us in this race! It is for such a good cause.
Brett will begin his first transplant at the beginning of February, and with your help, he will be finishing his last treatment at the end of March. If you have any questions about the race or how you can donate please visit (I don't know how to add a link...):

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Brett/258561409913?ref=search&sid=607896555.2896082454..1#/event.php?eid=278286439438

December 25, 2009

2009-12-25T23:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas is here!

I woke up to Jack and Nixin rummaging around in the front room this morning. Chad and I slowly came out of our deep sleeps and then Jack so adorably woke Cohen up. The missing cookies, carrots, and milk could only mean one thing- Santa had been here!

The boys got exactly what they had asked for. Jack got a Didj, Nixin a Leapster (although he later decided to trade in his Leapster for a Didj), and Cohen an activity center jumper thing. Chad got a watch that I'm not 100% convinced that he loves and I got a watch too, which I do love.

After the present opening, I headed into the kitchen to get the breakfast together. The craziest thing happened. All of the sudden the front door slammed! We went into the front room and there were a couple of new presents under the tree addressed to me from Santa! I got a new camera!!!

It was not something that I had asked for, but something that I am super excited to learn how to use. The pictures that I have taken so far are awesome! Here are a few of them from our Christmas Day:

Our day was full of company, good food, and fun. We could not have asked for a better Christmas. Merry Christmas from the Williams family! We hope your holiday was a wonderful one.

December 24, 2009

2009-12-24T23:24:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas Eve!!!

I remember as a kid how exciting Christmas Eve was. How I couldn't sleep, how I'd have that nervous/sugar filled belly ache, and how happy I felt. Then you get older, secrets are let out of the bag, it becomes more important to sleep in on Christmas morning than to get up and see what Santa brought... Then you have kids. The cycle starts again and it is so fun! Christmas is every bit as exciting for me now as it was then, probably even more so, and I can hardly stand it!

We spent all morning in our pajamas today. We cleaned, I got all of the food ready for tomorrow, the boys played games, and we had a good time.

Every Christmas Eve we go to Bountiful and spend time with Chad's dad and his lovely wife, Becky, and Chad's brother, Chris. It has become a tradition that we are all very fond of. They order pizzas and pastas from Robintino's, we hang out, usually watch a movie, and exchange our gifts.* It is great and I LOVE that they do this. Thanks for having us over Ken and Becky!

Cohen and Uncle Chris (He's single, handsome, educated, employed, and obviously great with kids. If you have someone amazing to set him up with, let me know!):

Cohen's very first present opening experience:

Is he not so cute? Nixin on Christmas Eve:

Say Cheese! Jack on Christmas Eve:

Jack and Nixin's all time favorite thing to do with Grandma Becky, play games!

Growing up in my family, we always got to open "Christmas Jammies" on Christmas Eve. It is a tradition that I love to do with my own family too. We open them in Bountiful, change into them there, and then all we need to do when we get home is set out the cookies and milk and go to bed. The boys were exhausted and fell asleep with no problem at all.

The boys in their new jammies:

Santa's treats:

Peaceful and ready to go:

We can't wait to see what Santa brought!

Today's Activity: Christmas Eve in Bountiful

*This year we drove home from Ken and Becky's house remembering that we had left out a few of our "traditions". I wanted to make note of them so that we remember for next year. We can't forget to do the chimes, they are so fun! Also, I was a little disappointed that Ken did not read the Christmas story from the scriptures. And, I know that we watched Ken's special Christmas movie, but "The Christmas Story" was not ever even insterted into the DVD player. It should have at least been background noise :) Love you guys!

December 23, 2009

2009-12-23T21:17:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day of Chad's two week Christmas vacation! It is going to be so nice to have him around. I can't wait!

Today was full of last minute Christmas preparations. We had a couple of stores to hit for those last minute gifts, groceries to pick up for the holiday meals, presents to wrap, and a house to clean. Before the day was over, we were also treated to a visit from my cousin Hollee and her family.

Christmas is practically here! Yay!

Today's Activity: Hmmm...I made it this far, and then I blew it. Can we count wrapping presents?

December 22, 2009

2009-12-22T20:39:00.000-08:00

Jack had a "Polar Express" party at school today. He was so excited to have Nixin, Cohen and I come help in his class. We made candy trains, they were awesome! He has such a wonderful, organized teacher this year. I am so grateful for that.

Nixin got up the other morning and we had this conversation:
Nixin: "Guess what mom. Jack doesn't think that girls are gross any more".
Erica: "What? He doesn't like girls."
Nixin: "He has a girlfriend now."
Erica: "Huh? How do you know that?!"
Nixin: "We talked about it last night before we fell asleep in our bedroom."

Oh! They have brother talks before they fall asleep! I LOVE that! It has always been one of my very favorite things to walk past their bedroom at night and listen to them talking and giggling.

Anyways, Jack did end up telling me that he had a girlfriend. Her name is Aspen and he thinks she is cute! For the past couple of years Jack has thought that girls are just the most horrible creatures on the planet, but he likes them now! This is huge news at our house.

The point of my rambling is that it was fun for me to meet all of Jack's school friends. I hear about them all of the time but didn't have faces to go with the names. It was especially great to see this darling (she is darling) girl who broke Jack of his "girls are gross" phase.

Today's Activity: Polar Express Party

December 21, 2009

2009-12-21T23:03:00.000-08:00

Today we were able to attend a beautiful funeral service for John Miles. The speakers were amazing and the musical numbers were absolutely beautiful. Nancy was so thoughtful and put Jack and Nixin on the program as Honorary Pall Bearers. She asked that they follow behind the Pall Bearers as they carried the casket. It was so sweet! I know that they boys thought that it was a really neat too.

Our drive from the cemetery back to the church for lunch was full of questions. Jack and Nixin have really been pretty quiet about his death. I think the trip to the cemetery got them thinking a little bit though. They were asking a lot about the second coming. Jack likes to come back to the thought that "Angel Moroni will blow his horn and then Jesus will come to earth. That is when Grandpa Miles and Grandpa Henry and Grandma Coral will come back to life." I love that.

Nixin has a little Magna Doodle thing that we keep in the car. On that drive he drew a picture of Grandpa Miles with his hands on Jack and Nixin's shoulders. It was so sweet! Jack said that he wants to draw a picture of him and Grandpa Miles so that he doesn't forget him. I love that too.

It was a wonderful and yet exhausting day. We have been absolutely blessed that John and Nancy have let us be a part of their lives. Our family loves them so much.

Last week Jack came home from school with a Dreidel and instructions on how to play the game. They have been learning about different traditions this month at school and it is so fun for him. He has really been into this game and we have played it numerous times since he brought it home. We didn't really get around to a "Christmas Activity" today, but I think that I will count the Dreidel game :)

Today's Activity: Grandpa's Funeral and The Dreidel Game

December 20, 2009

2009-12-20T21:10:00.000-08:00

We had the oppertunity of listening to the beautiful music of our ward choir today at church. Music truly brings the Christmas spirit near. I always admire the people who have been blessed with musical talent.

This evening was John Miles viewing. He looked good and it was nice to see his family. They had a slide show put together and in it were a few darling pictures of the boys with their grandpa. It was nice that they made them be a part of it.

Today's Activity: Christmas Sacrament Meeting

December 19, 2009

2009-12-19T22:30:00.000-08:00

This morning we met my brother, Luke, at the mall for a little Christmas shopping. Being with Luke is always and adventure. He totally freaked Nixin out by pushing the yellow "bell" button on the elevator. I wish I would have had a video camera to show you all the reaction that Nixin had to this. He had the maddest, scared, teary eyed look on his face as he was trying with all of his might to push Luke away from the button before he pushed it. Then after he pushed it...well, for some reason Nixin had it in his head that the police were going to come find us and take us to jail because we had pushed that button. Hours after we left the mall, Nixin was still keeping his eyes out for those police! The mall was crowded, but we found what we had gone there for and that was great.

Next, lunch at Burger King. If people were not at the mall, they were at Burger King. That place was packed! But, it gave us time with Luke and that is what mattered.

Our evening plans got tossed around a bit, but we ended up having a great time. We ate a nice Italian Roast Beef Sandwich dinner and then headed down to Thanksgiving Point to drive through their light display. Hundreds of other people had the same idea (seemed to be the theme for the day!), but as soon as it was our turn to enter the lights and Jack realized what this was all about, he said "This is my favorite Christmas activity so far!". It made the wait worth it.

After that, we picked up Peppermint shakes and came home and watched one of our very favorite movies, Elf. It was a fun, Christmas packed day.

Today's Activity: Christmas Lights at Thanksgiving Point

December 18, 2009

2009-12-18T21:09:00.000-08:00

Our day started off in a whirl wind when nobody woke up until 8:00 am. Jack leaves for school around 8:15. But, thank goodness I am awesome. I had him fed, dressed, teeth brushed, and lunch made with no time to spare! He was on time and our day was off to a speedy start.

Chad has every other Friday off, awesome! I love that about his job, among many other things. So, we got ourselves ready and took off to complete our list of errands. We finished that and got home for a little rest just as Jack got home from school.

Later we realized that we had skipped lunch and decided to go out for early dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Fortune Cookie. What happens when your baby has a poop that shoots straight out of his diaper and down his leg at the restaurant? You rush into the nearest bathroom hoping that you have a properly stocked diaper bag. But, what happens when that diaper bag is not stocked as well as it should be? You bundle your baby in a blanket until you can get him in his car seat, and then bring him home like this:

What can I say? Our day started off with a bang and ended with one. We had plans of being out and about for the evening, but obviously that wasn't was supposed to happen, so we came home and enjoyed a little "Christmas Vacation" as a family.

Today's Activity: Family Dinner and Christmas Vacation

December 17, 2009

2009-12-17T22:52:00.000-08:00

I am an Activity Days Leader in our ward. It is fun to spend time every other week with the 10 year old girls in our neighborhood. They are so cute. Also, GREAT calling for me right now. It is so easy! With a little baby, easy is what I need :)

Today our activity with the girls was to go Christmas Caroling. I brought the kids with me and both Jack and Nixin were really excited to come along. I loved watching them. Jack had a paper that he was holding with the words to the songs on it. He can read well enough to keep up. Nixin kept looking at the paper as if he was reading it, but if you got down close enough to him, you could hear him mumbling a bunch of nonsense to the tune of the song. It was so cute! Both of the boys commented on how much fun they had caroling, and I will admit that I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would too.

To top off a wonderful day, it was Bunko night! Once a month I get together with some girlfriends to play a dice game. The host provides dinner, which is always awesome, and then the crazy fun begins.

I am not a very lucky person, but luck was with me tonight! I won the top prize- a massage!!! I can't wait! I also came home with the best book ever as my white elephant present, The Hunger Games. It was a good time. I am grateful that my wonderful husband supports my once a month girl's night...even if the baby won't take the bottle and screams the whole three hours. I love you Chad!

Today's Activity: Christmas Caroling

December 16, 2009

2009-12-16T23:43:00.000-08:00

Hair, hair, hair, 5 Buck Pizza, and holiday baking.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups granulated sugar
1 (15 ounce) can LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.
2.Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, vegetable oil and orange juice in large mixer bowl; beat until just blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.
3.Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

*Bread can also be baked in mini loaf pans for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
** To add just a little something extra, I made a simple frosting recipe, adding a few drops of Orange Extract, and piped it onto the loaves. Delicious!

Today's Activity: Holiday Baking

December 15, 2009

2009-12-16T11:45:00.000-08:00

It was probably about three and a half years ago, when Nixin was just old enough to mumble out his first words, that we came in contact with a family whom we would quickly come to love.

It was just before Sacrament meeting when Nixin started shouting "Papa! Papa!". He was pointing his finger at John Miles. For some reason or another, he was so excited to see this "Papa" who he had never before had any contact with. Nixin ran to him. John picked Nixin up and sat him on his lap. Nixin didn't move the entire meeting, which was huge! We had been having a rough time making it through church with him. I remember watching him sitting there so content, I was in disbelief.

Well, this very quickly became routine. John and Nancy would walk into the chapel and off Nixin went to sit with his "Papa". Soon enough, Jack decided that there was something great about these people too and he would leave Chad and I behind to sit with them. The Miles were so cute. They started sitting on the bench right across from us and would bring a scripture case full of toys and goodies for my boys. Before we knew it, our children had adopted new grandparents. They really feel that way too. They honestly know no difference between John and Nancy and their "real" grandparents.

It was a very short time ago that John was diagnosed with cancer. His decline was very quick, despite his every attempt to rid his body of the horrible disease. We knew that his time on earth was coming to an end and decided that we should take our children to see their Grandpa Miles one last time.

When we walked into his room last night, we were all surprised at John's condition. We knew that his time of passing was near, but what we didn't realize before is just how close it really was. It was very emotional for me to watch my kids say "Goodbye Grandpa. I love you." to this man who is very much a part of their lives.

Last night at 11:45 John passed away. I could never express just how much he has meant to our family. We will truly miss his caring heart, happy smile, playfulness and kindness. We will never forget you John! Thank you for all that you have done for our family.

Today's Activity: Saying Goodbye to Grandpa Miles

December14, 2009

2009-12-14T23:40:00.000-08:00

A high school friend of Chad's, named Brent Morley, held a Christmas music concert at the South Jordan Community Center tonight. Brent is a very talented pianist! It was a fun and different thing for our family to do and I think Chad enjoyed seeing his old friend. To top it all off, Dunford donuts for dessert!

Today's Activity: Brent Morley's "The Not Forgotten Carols"

December 13, 2009

2009-12-13T20:58:00.000-08:00

It has been snowing like crazy all day today! Earlier this morning, the snow flakes were so big that Jack and Nixin just couldn't help but get out there and catch a few. It is pretty to look out the window and see it during this Christmas season.

Tonight was the annual Woolsey family Christmas party. We have attended our friend's party for about ten years now, and even longer for me. I bet that I have gone for the past twelve years. There is always lots of yummy food and great company. We had a nice time. It just wouldn't feel like Christmas without it.

Today's Activity: The Woolsey Family Christmas Party

December 12, 2009

2009-12-12T20:37:00.000-08:00

Today was filled with holiday joy! Our morning started bright and early with our ward's Christmas breakfast. The food was good and the boys had a great time running around with their friends.

We came home to reset for a few minutes before heading out with the intention of helping our boys learn a little bit about selflessness. After much explaining about how Santa does not know where every boy and girl are and that some moms and dads don't have money to buy their kids Christmas presents we finally talked them in to handing over a few of their hard earned dollars to buy a Christmas gift for the less fortunate. It was a hard task, but the thing that seemed to work the best was to just simply ask them if they would like to make a stranger smile on Christmas morning. They both finally agreed that they would like to help with their money.

So, with that, we picked out a couple of gifts from the store. The boys helped us pay at the cash register and then we headed over to Deseret Industries. Our bishop had mentioned to Chad that there is a little "Christmas Store" in the DI where people can (with special permission) shop for their gifts at no cost. This is where we chose to make our donation and the boys were very happy to drop their items into the big box. I am happy for the choices that they made. Some one's Christmas morning will be brighter because they chose to share.

And last, but not least, Chad and I dropped the older boys off at home with a babysitter and took off for a little Christmas shopping of our own. It was fun to spend time together, as it always is. The stores are getting crowded! Our shopping is very close to being done. I can't wait to see my boys faces on Christmas morning. They are dying already! I was reminded all day that there are only thirteen days left.

Today's Activity: Charitable Christmas Donations

December 11, 2009

2009-12-11T23:08:00.000-08:00

The boys worked on a little Christmas ornament craft today. They loved painting! They are both so creative and it was fun for me to watch their little minds work to bring their designs to life.
Later tonight we went over to our friends, the Prescott's, house. Aimee and I worked on a few projects of our own. It was just a creative kind of day!

Today's Activity: Christmas Ornaments

December 10, 2009

2009-12-10T19:59:00.000-08:00

I let Chad be in charge of our daily Christmas activity today. He came up with his own little "Mad Libs" version of Twas The Night Before Christmas. The kids laughed as they added in their own silly words to parts of the poem. It was a very clever last minute activity. Then the boys sang a couple of holiday songs around the Christmas tree.

Today's Activity: Christmas Mad Libs

December 9, 2009

2009-12-09T21:54:00.000-08:00

My boys have a favorite friend from our old neighborhood whose name is Zachary. We had Zachary over for the evening and the kids had a great time. They played their little hearts out, we ate a mini turkey dinner and then played Christmas Bingo. They sure are a bunch of crazy boys!

You can print off your own bingo cards, or look for other educational ideas on www.dltk-kids.com.

Today's Activity: Christmas Bingo

December 8, 2009

2009-12-08T22:51:00.000-08:00

Tonight we gathered all of the Christmas themed books that we could find at our house and sat together around the Christmas tree for story time. My boys love books, which I am thankful for, and this was the perfect time to look through those books that only get used once a year.

Today's Activity: Christmas Stories

December 7, 20009

2009-12-07T22:58:00.000-08:00

Today's Activity: Paper Bag Reindeer Puppets

December 6, 2009

2009-12-06T21:09:00.000-08:00

Chad grew up celebrating "St. Nick's" at his house. It is a tradition that we try to keep going at ours as well. I'm pretty sure that we don't do it exactly the right way, but we have our own mini version and our boys think it's great.

We start by reading a little story about St. Nicholas. Then the kids each get out a shoe and put a treat in it for St. Nicholas's horse.

When the kids wake in the morning they find a small gift in their shoe. A few years back Jack had mentioned that he would like to start a nutcracker collection. So, every year since he has found a nutcracker in his shoe on the morning of St. Nick's.

Today's Activity: St. Nick's

December 5, 2009

2009-12-05T07:30:00.000-08:00

Chad comes home today!!! I have kept myself and my children very busy and the time has passed quickly, but it is time for Chad to come home. We miss him. Day before yesterday when we walked in the front door, Jack said "Wow Nixin. We can't even say "Hi" to dad. That is so sad." And yesterday when I was talking to Nixin he thought that I said something about Vegas. He said to me "Mom, you just said a swear! Vegas is a swear word because that is where they made dad go." I think they miss their daddy.

My cute cousin Hollee came by this morning with her sweet kids, Mickey and Dahlia. We decided to have a candy making morning and it turned out to be a lot of fun. We made a variety of Fudge, Oreo Truffles, and Pretzel Turtles. Everything is SO YUMMY! I need to watch myself so I don't eat it all! I loved everything that we made, so I want to share the recipes. Here they go!

Foolproof Fudge

2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
Dash salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or other extracts as desired
Chopped nuts, chopped candies, extracts, or other additions as desired*

1.In heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt. Remove from heat; stir in additions and extracts as desired.
2.Spread evenly into wax-paper-lined square pans. Chill 2 hours or until firm.
3.Lift fudge out of pan and place onto cutting board; peel off paper and cut into squares. Store covered in refrigerator.

* We divided our fudge into 5 different portions. In the first we added 1/4 tsp. orange extract to make orange fudge. We added vanilla to the rest of the batch and then added different candies/nuts. To the first, chopped almonds. Then chopped snickers, chopped SKOR bar, and finally chopped Twix. Keep a small portion of each candy out of the fudge and then sprinkle on the top after spreading it into the containers. They all turned out amazing, I still can't decide which is my favorite!

Easy Oreo Truffles

1 (16 ounce) package OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided
1 (8 ounce) package Cream Cheese, softened
2 (8 ounce) packages BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted

1.Crush 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in food processor; reserve for later use. (Cookies can also be finely crushed in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.) Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs; place in medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1-inch in diameter.
2.Dip balls in chocolate; place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.) Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs.
3.Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator.

Pretzel Turtles

20 small mini pretzels
20 chocolate covered caramel candies
20 pecan halves

1.Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2.Arrange the pretzels in a single layer on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place one chocolate covered caramel candy on each pretzel.
3.Bake for 4 minutes. While the candy is warm, press a pecan half onto each candy covered pretzel. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

There you have it, three easy holiday recipes.

Today's Activity: Candy Making

December 4, 2009

2009-12-04T23:35:00.000-08:00

We have sure been keeping ourselves busy while Chad is away. After a full day of hair, the boys and I headed up to Bountiful to spend time with Ken and Becky. They invited us to go to a Christmas Parade there. It was as small town as a small town parade could be and we all loved it! It was complete with Christmas lights, inflatables, a car shooting fire, candy and Santa. The boys are still talking about it, so I guess it was a hit. The parade lasted all of 15 minutes (perfect because it was FREEZING) and then we headed back to Ken and Becky's house for chili and chicken nugget kid's meals and cookies. It was a great time and I am SO lucky to have such great in-laws who want to hang out with me even when Chad is not around :)

Today's Activity: Christmas Parade

December 3, 2009

2009-12-03T21:12:00.000-08:00

When I was growing up, it was tradition to make an annual visit to what we called "Christmas Circle". It is a residential circle in Taylorsville where every home is decked out in Christmas lights and each house has a big sign outside of it with a piece of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" printed on it. You turn off your headlights, drive slowly, enjoy the crazy lights, and read the story. I have always loved "Christmas Circle" and so I have made it tradition in my family to take our own trip there every December. Chad is not a fan. Since he was out of town tonight, I took the boys for our annual drive through Taylorsville and it was as ghetto-fabulous as it always is! (Sorry about the blurry picture...turns out it's hard to get a good picture while you're driving, but you get the idea.)

Today's activity: Christmas Circle

December 2, 2009

2009-12-02T21:56:00.000-08:00

Chad left for Las Vegas today. He is there until Saturday for work. We will miss him! It was easier to let him go when we didn't have a baby in our home. Hopefully we'll survive!

Today's Christmas activity: Watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. It just wouldn't be Christmas time without it!

December 1, 2009

2009-12-01T16:41:00.000-08:00

Yay! December is here and I am so excited, I love Christmas time! We have been busy getting out the Christmas decorations. The tree is up, lights are on the house, and this year is the first in many that I put up my Christmas village. Having a new addition in our house left us short a Christmas stocking. I have been feeling adventurous, so I mad each of us a new stocking. They turned out great. Everything is ready and our house is full of Christmas spirit!

Each day this month, I have plans to do some sort of Christmas activitiy to continue to bring that Christmas spirit into our home. Today's activity: Avent Calendars. The boys were excited to pop out the chocolate behind door number one. We loved these as children and my kids think they are great too!

2009-11-30T14:33:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to be in the middle of this holiday season! I love the music, food, and company. Our family is finally healthy! Cohen and I seemed to dodge the sick bullet for the time being and I am so thankful for that. We are all healthy and happy and excited for the things that lie ahead for our family this next month.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving day. It was spent with (this is going to get complicated!) Chad's dad's wife's sister and her family. Or and easier way for us to say it is with Becky's family :O) They are wonderful and have always welcomed us with open arms and big smiles. We love them all so much! Dinner was at Jay and Sarah's house in Smithfield. On our way up to their home, we stopped into my dad's house to give quick Happy Thanksgiving Day hugs and then we hit the road again. It was nice to see them for those 5 minutes. Dinner was delicious, as a Thanksgiving feast should be and we are so grateful for the people who we had the pleasure of spending our day with. Thank you for the invitation!

Cohen is growing like a little weed! Although newborn babies are so sweet and it is such a special time for a mom, I am so glad that Cohen is getting older. He is a little more predictable, I love that I don't need to be quite as gentle with him, we can play with him and get him to giggle a little bit through his huge toothless smile, and he is sleeping like a champ! I have had a large handful of restful nights lately. It is the best when you wake up at 7:30 in the morning and realize that the baby didn't wake you up once during the night!

Cohen LOVES bath time. He gets his little legs a kicking and his arms flapping all over the place just splashing away. I think that is his favorite time of his day. He is also getting so strong. He loves to hold that big head of his up and look all around a room. Just this week he pushed himself up on his little arms and rolled right over onto his back. He is very attentive. He adores his big brothers (who also adore him) and is always happy to have them near him. We bought him a little mat to lay on with toys that hang above his head- live saver! He spends a lot of time there and seems to enjoy it. He is just figuring out how to use his hands, one of my very favorite things to watch. I love to see the concentration in his face as he brings those hands together and rewards himself by sticking them right in his mouth for a little chewing. He will grab onto the little toys that hang from his play mat and you can just tell that it makes him so happy. He is also loosing his awesome hair :( It makes me so sad! It is just falling out like crazy. I guess it's got to happen though for the white curls to come in! He is a wonderful, and at times exhausting, addition to our family. We sure love him!

I think that fills you all in on the rest of our November. Look for upcoming posts on our fun-filled December!

Boo Again!

2009-11-22T15:15:00.000-08:00

Now Nixin has tested positive for the flu and Jack with Strep! I cannot wash my hands enough, my house feels so germy! The good news is that Chad is feeling much, much better today. He still has a little cough, but that's it. The doctor thinks that he is most likely not contagious any more. Woo Hoo!

Boo!

2009-11-20T08:55:00.001-08:00

Chad has the Swine Flu :(

Yes, I Did Go There...

2009-11-19T17:26:00.001-08:00

October

2009-11-03T10:16:00.001-08:00

I can't believe that the month of October is gone already! Life with 2 busy boys and a newborn is crazy but wonderful.

Cohen has made GREAT improvements in the sleep department. I have only been getting up with him once a night and that makes for one pretty happy mom. Last night he made it all the way from 10:00 pm to 5:00 am!!! I hope that becomes routine very soon.

Sunday October 11th was a big day for our family. It was Cohen's blessing day. Chad did a wonderful job, as we all knew that he would, and it was great to spend time with our families and close friends. Big huge thank you to Ken and Becky for the yummy luncheon that they provided after the blessing. We are still eating leftovers!

I put my brother, Luke, in charge of the camera. Apparently he was afraid to get pictures of anyone who was not in his immediate family...

Here he is with Cohen:

Chad and I:

My cute (and available) little sister, Laura, with Cohen:

Handsome Nixin:

My dad and Debbie with Cohen:

Cohen on his big day:

Luke with our Grandpa:

And the 3 boys at the end of our busy day:

October also brought with it a preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch. Nixin had a great time playing on the tractors, running through the corn maze and choosing himself and Jack a pumpkin.

The first snow fall of the season arrived and made for 2 super happy little boys! I have mixed feelings about the snow. I love being in the house watching it with my slippers and hot cocoa. But, I greatly dislike it when I have to drive in it, shovel it, or drag my kids out into it.

The cold weather meant coming up with fun indoor activities for the boys. The biggest hit so far: Salt Dough. All it takes is 2 c. flour, 1 c. salt, 3/4-1 c. water, and a few drops of food coloring. They have spent hours playing with this stuff!

The month of October just wouldn't be complete without a trip to visit the witches at Gardner Village!

And we just couldn't forget Halloween! The boys had a blast trick or treating with their friends Dorian, Jane, and Catherine. We have enough candy to last us a year!

Our Week

2009-10-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

I have sure had a hard time keeping up with my blog! The season has quickly changed, bringing on cold weather and lots of yummy fall foods, our family has certainly changed, tossing my world upside down, and I'm not quite sure where it goes, but time is sure flying by.

I fell in love this week. A few of my friends in my old neighborhood bought me a baby gift that I treasure. I will admit that I didn't know if I would even like it, but it has been my lifesaver more than once since I figured out how to use it! It is a Bugaroo Baby Sling. Cohen nestles right in that thing and falls asleep. If you are interested in a Bugaroo, check out the website. It is www.bugaroobaby.com.

Now I would like to recap the Williams family highlights from this past week, and here it goes:

Sunday (9-27-09)
Apple Crisp

Here is the BEST Apple Crisp recipe ever! Chad hates baked fruit, but he'll down this any day.

10 cups all-purpose apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 dash of nutmeg

2 cup quick-cooking oats
2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degree C).
Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour ground cinnamon and nutmeg together, and sprinkle over apples.
Combine the oats, 2 cups flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 45 minutes.

Monday (9-28-09)
Fruit Dip

We were invited to our neighbors house for dinner tonight. We brought along fruit and fruit dip to share. I was reminded how much I LOVE this dip. I was eating it by the spoonfuls. It is easy and fabulous.

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 (8 oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (7 oz.) jar marshmallow cream

Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl until smooth. Chill and serve with fruit.

Tuesday (9-29-09)
Thanksgiving Point Farm

It was time, once again, for Mrs. Amee's annual Thanksgiving Point Farm field trip. Nixin was super excited about it and had a lot of fun there.

Wednesday (9-30-09)
Molasses Cookies

My friend Shandell is a great cook. She makes the world's best chili, and would you believe that she drove to my house from Riverton just to drop off a bowl for me. Some of you might not think that is too big of a deal, but I do. Chad hates beans, and will not eat chili, so I never get to make it. This particular week, I was craving chili. Really craving it. And here she comes. What a great friend.

Anyways, I got side tracked. Nothing says fall to me like Shandell's Molasses cookies. They melt in your mouth. I absolutely love them and so I must share this recipe too.

2 eggs
1 ¼ c. shortening
2 c. sugar
½ c. molasses
2 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking soda
3 3/4 c. flour

Cream together the eggs, shortening, sugar, and molasses. Slowly mix in dry ingredients. Roll into balls and roll in extra sugar. Place on cookie sheet and flatten with a cup. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

Thursday (10-1-09)
Thrush

My boobs were KILLING me, to the point of tears rolling down my face when I was feeding Cohen. I got online looking for solutions to my problem when I came across a site that mentioned that my problem might just be Thrush.

Thrush is a yeast infection that for one reason or another develops in the baby's mouth, causing white spots on their tongue, cheeks, gums and lips. I had noticed that Cohen had a white tongue, but thought it was just "milk tongue". After reading the article, I tried scraping the white stuff off, and guess what- nothing came off.

So, back up to the doctor's office we went and sure enough, it was Thrush. Unfortunately the doctor said it is very painful for the baby (as well as mom!) and said that he would probably be grumpy for a couple of days. But the good news was that there is medicine for us both and we got started on it right away. The spots have started to disappear and will hopefully be gone soon.

Friday (10-2-09)
Hyrum

We spent today in Hyrum and my dad and Debbie's house. It is great there, so peaceful and fun. I love for my kids to go there and experience the country life. It is so different up there than it is down here. They rode horses, drove the tractor (riding lawn mower), and picked apples from the apple trees. We finished our day trip up with a yummy turkey dinner. Gotta love Hyrum!

Saturday (10-3-09)
Ice Cream

After eating a late lunch, we decided that it would be okay to have ice cream for dinner. We stopped in to our local Baskin Robbins, a place that we have not frequently gone to in the past. It was yummy! I found a new favorite flavor, Jamoca Almond Fudge, mmm.... I say that ice cream for dinner is a great idea!

Sunday (10-4-09), Monday (10-5-09), and Tuesday (10-6-09)
Waaa! Waaah!

Wow! This Thrush thing makes a grumpy baby. Cohen has cried so much the past couple of days that he is starting to drive me batty. He wants to eat, poop, be held and be held while he sleeps. He is not giving his mommy much of a break. I feel so bad for him and hope to have this past us soon! Oh well to showers, dishes, clean sheets, etc. I'll get around to them one day :)

1 Month

2009-09-24T12:30:00.001-07:00

We took Cohen in for his 1 month well child check yesterday. Dr. Lei wanted us to come in so that he could check on Cohen's bilirubin levels. He took one look at him and said "I don't even want to poke him today. The jaundice is clearly gone." Woo Hoo! His color is looking awesome, but it is so nice to hear the doctor say that after going there time after time and hearing otherwise. Cohen already weighs 11 lbs. 7 oz. and was 23" long. He is growing so fast! Now we just need him to sleep longer than 2 hour stretches during the night so his mom isn't such a zombie!

Newborn Pictures

2009-09-23T08:27:00.001-07:00

This week my friend Carrie came over and took some darling pictures of Cohen. We LOVE them and couldn't be more happy with them. You can view the rest of the pictures on Carrie's website:

http://carriebutlerphotography.smugmug.com/Client-Viewing/Cohen/9724448_tVUFu#657973845_wMfXf

Cohen and a Fat Lip

2009-09-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

I have a couple more pictures to share of our sweet little baby. Cohen has had a bit of a cold but with the help of a bugar sucker and a humidifier, he is hanging in there. We love him so much.

Nixin had a run in with the tile yesterday. I need to try to remember to re-teach my kids how to walk/run in socks on the tile floor at the beginning of fall each year. Turns out that it's a little slippery. Nixin biffed it pretty hard but after we cleaned up all of the blood, all that was left was a fat lip.

A Few Cute Pics

2009-09-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

Things are good at the Williams' house. I just wanted to share a couple of my favorite pictures from the past couple of days. Cohen's color seems to have improved quite a bit, you can see it in the last picture- I just took it this morning. Hope everyone out in the blogging world is well!

Eighteen Something

2009-09-10T22:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at Cohen's 2 week well child visit with Dr. Lei, we discussed the things that have been happening with Cohen and his jaundice. It has been 1 week of being on the lights, adding even more lights than we started off with, Cohen gaining over an ounce a day, pooping regularly, etc. They poked Cohen's foot again and Dr. Lei left for a few minutes. When he came back, he told us the discouraging news that Cohen's bilirubin levels were still right there at 19. He agreed that the hours and hours of lights did not seem to be making a difference.
However, he did seem very confident that he knew just what was going on. He believes that Cohen has Breast Milk Jaundice, a condition where the liver has a hard time breaking down the bilirubin in breast milk.
The plan was this: Go off of the lights for a good 24 hours and come back in for another blood test.
We did just that and in addition we added 2 or 3 formula bottles to Cohen's diet for the day and moved his bassinet into the direct sunlight. We went back in tonight. They expected that his levels would have gone up some, just hoping that they didn't go too far without the lights. Much to every one's surprise, Cohen's level was at an eighteen something!!! (Chad asked me later that night what exactly Cohen's level was. We both knew it was eighteen point something, but both of us were so excited when we heard the number eighteen that we stopped listening to the rest.)
Now we get to have a normal life without the lights. We go back in two weeks to make sure that his numbers have stayed where they need to be. Dr. Lei said to keep breast feeding and even though our baby is still yellow, he would be fine. We are happy.

Preschool 2009

2009-09-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

Fifteen days ago we made a paper chain. We had to. Nixin was asking me ever hour when exactly he got to start preschool. It worked perfectly. This morning Nixin got to break the last piece of his chain and was thrilled that it was finally his first day of preschool.

He did great and is so happy to be back at Mrs. Amee's Preschool. He is especially excited to have some of his neighborhood friends in his class this year. Here he is on his first day:

Stupid Jaundice

2009-09-05T15:27:00.000-07:00

What a bummer! Cohen's bilirubin levels went up from two days ago when we were in the doctor's office. He was now at a 20. Do all of these hours spent under the lights really make a difference??? I am starting to wonder.

Cohen got poked AGAIN:

My yellow 9 lb. 5 oz. baby:

Cohen's First Week

2009-09-03T19:57:00.001-07:00

Finally induction day was here! After arriving to the hospital 1/2 hour later than we were supposed to due to a traffic accident, fainting because of my great needle phobia...twice, lots of ice chips, a People magazine, two doses of antibiotics, a great epidural, and a long day for my super supportive hubby, Cohen Robert Williams made his way into our world. He was born at 4:51 pm weighing in at a whopping 8 lbs. 14 oz. and was 21" long. What a joy it was to finally meet him!

Jack and Nixin were thrilled to finally meet their new baby brother. Thanks to a wonderful Grandma Becky for taking such great care of them while I was out!

Here is Nixin holding his baby brother for the first time:

And Jack:

Later that night, after our dear families had come to visit our new addition, the nurse gave Cohen his first bath:

Seriously, is there anything more perfect than this?

DAY 1
Today was really not very eventful. We just hung out in our room resting and recuperating from the day before. Chad had gone home to be with Jack and Nixin for the night. I would have liked to have been there too, but because I had tested positive for Strep B, the pediatrician wanted Cohen to stay at the hospital for 48 hours. I kept my camera close and got a few pictures:

All of my boys:

This is a picture of Cohen with my grandpa, Robert Fayle Huddleston, one of the Robert's in which Cohen gets his middle name:

And here is a picture of my family. The man in the back with the orange hat is my dad, Robert Fayle Huddleston Jr., the other Robert where Cohen's middle name comes from.

DAY 2
Woo Hoo! Even though our stay at Alta View Hospital was a great one, we were SO ready to come home. We dressed Cohen out of his white hospital shirt into a cute little outfit and packed him up really good in his new car seat. Off we went.

The first cute little outfit didn't last too long. The second we got home and tried to change his diaper...well, you know. Needless to say, we had another cute outfit in the dresser.

Cohen is so lucky to have two big brothers who adore him. Jack and Nixin are adjusting much better than I expected. They love him.

The Boppy has been the best thing ever! It makes it so easy for the boys to hold the baby. Nixin seriously held Cohen that night for at least 45 minutes.

DAY 3
More family visits today. Our families have been so wonderful and supportive. We are grateful for all of you! Cohen had his first "sponge bath" today. He didn't love it, but we made it through. One of the best smells on the planet- fresh bathed baby!

DAY 4
Cohen got to go to his first doctor's appointment today. His bilirubin levels in the hospital were a little higher than they should have been, so we needed to go back today and have them re-checked. It was pretty traumatic. The girl who poked his little heel really struggled with getting enough blood, but after about 10 minutes of rubbing his leg she had just enough. It broke my heart, but both of us made it! The good news was that Cohen weighed in at 8 lbs. 10 oz., only a small drop from his birth weight. The bad news was that his bilirubin levels had increased a little bit and we needed to come back in 48 hours to have them re-checked. In addition to the bili check, Cohen was circumcised and had to have his umbilical cord cauterized because it was oozy. What a rough day!

DAY 5
Plenty of feedings, poopy diapers, and cuddles today. Cohen is a great baby. We all love him so much and are so happy that he is here. Our first day home Murphy, our dog, had a really hard time with Cohen. She sure has warmed up to him now. She is right by his side at every little whimper that he makes and she snuggles up to him as close as we will let her. It really is pretty cute.

DAY 6
Back to the doctor we go today for another bilirubin test. Cohen bled much better this time and it was much less traumatic for both baby and mom. Today Cohen weighed 9 lbs., he had gained 6 ounces since Monday! He does eat really good. Bad news though...Cohen's bilirubin levels had shot up to a 19.4. That is high. High enough that we needed to start light therapy right away. So, we came home from the doctor's office and put him right under the lights. He has adjusted well to them, thank goodness! It is killing me to have him lay there all the time. I just want to cuddle with that cute little thing all day long. But, it is what we need to do and it will be past us soon.

DAY 7
Happy one week birthday Cohen! It is amazing the love and connection that you can feel toward someone in such a short amount of time. I am so blessed to be a mother. I love my children more than I could ever explain.
It was bilirubin check up day again. In just one day Cohen managed to pack on another 3 ounces, bringing his current weight to 9 lbs. 3 oz. He's growing so fast already! Cohen's levels had dropped a tiny bit to a 18.8, which is good...but not good enough to get him out of those darn lights. Our doctor instructed us to keep him on them through Saturday afternoon and then go in for yet another blood test. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

9 Wonderful Years

2009-08-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

It was 9 years ago today, after babbling my cousin Hollee's ear off all night, that I woke up more excited than I had ever been. It was my wedding day.

After a frantic morning of fancy hair styles, makeup, beautiful dresses, and final preparations, it was time to head over to the church for the wedding.

I remember watching our wedding party leaving the hall and entering the wedding. Suddenly it was just me and my dad left in the hall. I became really nervous.

The following is from my journal entry. It sums up our wedding perfectly:

"It was our turn to enter the chapel. It was absolutely stunning. The decorator had done and amazing job transforming that gym into the most beautiful room I had ever before seen. And to top it all off, the most handsome man I had ever set eyes upon was standing at the front of that room. From that point on I knew that everything was going to be okay.

I think we had the shortest wedding ceremony in history. Not only were Chad and I completely confused about where to stand and what to do, but our bishop had never before preformed a wedding ceremony. I would swear that it didn't last any longer than five minutes. But I would not have had it any other way. It was great."

Chad's dad provided a fabulous wedding luncheon, the reception came and went, our cake was beautiful, we danced our first dance, Hollee caught my bouquet, Luke caught the garter, we made our exit through thousands of floating bubbles, and drove away in a completely trashed, confetti filled car.

Thank you for 9 wonderful years Chad. I love you!

Petting Zoo

2009-08-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

To keep my little Nix from getting too bored while his big brother is at school ALL DAY LONG, I took him to the Gardner Village Petting Zoo. It was supposed with the neighborhood playgroup...but we were the only ones who showed up! Where was everybody? Regardless, it turned out to be really fun for Nixin. We called it a date and finished it off with a trip to Dunford for some absolutely perfect donuts!

Remembering You

2009-08-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

Coral Jean Huddleston
August 1, 1928-August 20, 2005

Missing you every day Grandma!

Tomato Cream Sausage Pasta

2009-08-19T08:21:00.000-07:00

Here's one for you- A delicious pasta recipe that makes us say "Mmmmmm!" every time. It is so easy to prepare and different from your every day pasta. The original recipe does not call for the sausage, but we love this dish even more since adding it. Enjoy!

1 lb. Rigatoni or any other pasta of your choice
1/2 lb. Country-style sausage
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced*
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
3/4 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream*
1 tablespoon butter

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

Brown sausage in pan. Set aside and keep warm.

In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Make sure it doesn't burn. Add tomatoes, basil, sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and continue to boil 5 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in whipping cream and butter. Add browned sausage. Reduce heat and simmer 5 more minutes. Toss with prepared pasta.

*I usually use regular whipping cream and omit the onions for my onion hating husband. The results are still fantastic!

1st Grade!!!

2009-08-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe that this day is here already. Jack started first grade today. I miss him! What a leap for both mom and son to go from half day kindergarten to 7 hours of school. I'm not sure how well I will handle this. Today I am fine, but I am sure as the week goes on and I see so little of my sweet little boy that I will miss him more and more.

We are excited for Jack's teacher this year. Her name is Mrs. Eberle. She is new to his school, but has taught before and also worked as a literacy specialist at a different elementary. She was so organized yesterday when I took Jack to meet her for the first time. Her room was clean and she was great with Jack.

Jack was SO EXCITED this morning. He loves school. He loves learning and teachers and friends. It is good for him and I am glad that he is there. We packed his lunch, had him shower and get ready and off we went. Nixin and I walked him there and said our good-byes. He did great.

I remember saying good-bye to my mom the day I started first grade...I did not do so great.

Jack and Nixin before school:

One happy little guy:

Almost there:

Other things that have been going on at the Williams' house this week: Murphy has a swollen anal gland AGAIN! What a pain in the butt (Ha! Ha!). Really though, it stinks. She just lays around all grumpy and stuff for a few days until the thing pops itself and then we are free and clear for a couple of months until it re-surfaces. We need to figure out what to do about that. She is doing well though. Nixin has taken it upon himself to take the best possible care of his pooch.

Oh, and yesterday my dad and Debbie came down from their house in Hyrum and took my little guys fishing. They were so excited that they could hardly stand it. They would tell you that the bad news is that they didn't catch any fish, but the good news is that they had a lot of fun. Here they are just before they took off:

Friends

2009-08-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

As I was just laying on the couch resting, I was thinking how lucky our family is to have such wonderful friends. We are surrounded by awesome people and I hope that they all know how much we love and appreciate them.

In just the past week I have received numerous phone calls, emails, kind and encouraging words, advice, and I know that sincere prayers are being said on our behalf. I am fully able to fix dinner for my family right now, but would you believe that I have only done that twice this week? Thank you Camie, Kim, Julie, Misty, and Amie for caring enough to feed us! It has been such a nice thing to be able to rest and not have to think about what we will be eating for dinner. I am full of gratitude and love for all of you. Thank you for being my friends.

Patients

2009-08-13T14:54:00.001-07:00

Another week has passed and still no Cohen.
Today at my 37 week prenatal appointment Dr. Langer measured me at 37 1/2 centimeters, I was now dialated to a 4 and still hanging around that 90 percent effaced mark. She said that he had dropped even further than he was last week.
It is so hard waiting! Twice now I have thought that he was coming. The contractions start, get a little painful, and then gone. My pelvis bone aches more than I thought possible. Dr. Langer's instructions to me were to "be patient".
So, I will be. He will be here soon. I have been scheduled for induction on August 27th, only 2 weeks from today. If it comes down to it I can wait that short time. The way that time flies around here, he will be here before I know it.

Becky's 50!

2009-08-06T22:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to the most wonderful step mother in law in the whole world! We love you Becky and hope your day was perfect.

Catching Up

2009-08-06T14:07:00.001-07:00

I've been a blog slacker! Time is flying, and I'm not quite sure where it is going!

August 1st I celebrated my 30th birthday. To my request, we had a semi-lazy morning and then went out to breakfast at Mimi's Cafe. I LOVE breakfast there. I had French toast stuffed with a cream cheese and orange marmalade mixture, topped with fruit and served with eggs and bacon. Yum!
We came home in just enough time for me to leave for a pedicure, arranged by Chad. How nice to have someone touch my feet! I can't exactly bend down there to do it myself, so it truly was a treat.
My day was really nice. Chad and the boys made it extra special and I am so thankful to them. They even bought me Dunford donuts for my birthday cake :) Thank you to all of my wonderful family members and friends for their birthday wishes as well. I am blessed to have you all in my life.

My brother Luke, knowing how desperate I have been for a haircut, called and told me that he had made arrangements to trade roofing work with his friend in exchange for me to get a free haircut. I talked Luke's girlfriend Lindsey to driving with me down to the Gateway to visit this famous Umi (no clue how to really spell his name!) this past week. I have NEVER had a haircut like this before (sorry girls who have cut my hair before). He seriously spent about and hour and 20 minutes just cutting my hair. It is thinner and laying better than it ever has. I LOVE it! It feels so good to have a really great haircut. Now if I can figure out how to afford having him cut my hair every couple of months...Thank you Luke! Here is a pic of the new do:

Today was my 36 week prenatal appointment with Dr. Langer. I definitely believed her when she said that things were progressing. I was measuring right on at 36 cm, the baby has officially dropped right into position, I was 90% effaced and dilated to a 3 1/2! This past week has been a little harder for me. I am feeling extreme pressure down there and my pelvis bone- WOW! It KILLS. We don't have very much longer to go though. Dr. Langer said that she guesses within 2 to 2 1/2 weeks we will be holding our little Cohen in our arms. I am so excited for that! We seem to have everything ready for him. His dresser arrived safely, we have the nursery all set up and we ordered and received our new infant car seat and stroller system. Did you know that car seats expire? We didn't. But thankfully we figured it out before he arrives and the one we got is a really cool one, the Combi Helio:

Hopefully our next blog post will be pictures of our new baby :) Okay, wishful thinking, I know. Soon enough :)

Chad's 33!

2009-07-28T15:39:00.000-07:00

Today Chad's parents should officially be feeling a bit older.
They do, after all, have a 33 year old son!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHAD!!!

We love you so much.
You are a wonderful husband, awesome father, and great friend.
We hope your day is a special one.

Love,
Erica, Jack, and Nixin

34 Weeks and Counting

2009-07-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

Time is flying and baby Cohen will be here before we know it! I can't believe how quickly the months have gone past. We are just over a month away and I can not wait to meet this little guy.

It has been a hot couple of weeks full of sweat and swollen ankles, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love this special time to feel him move, hiccup, and kick (even though sometimes very painful!). He is going to be a wonderful addition to our family and despite the knowledge of the scary things to shortly come, I am filled with great excitement.

I got the nursery painted and had Chad set up the crib. We have ordered a new dresser and expect it shortly. We are currently on a car seat hunt and slowly stocking up on diapers. Things are coming together and even though I still feel like there are many more things to do, we are ready.

I went to see Dr. Langer yesterday for my routine appointment. She checked me out and I am so excited to report that I was already dilated to a 1 1/2 and 80% effaced!!! Realizing that doesn't mean that the baby is coming tomorrow, I am thrilled to know that things are on their way.

Give me a couple more weeks Cohen, then common out!

2009-07-03T10:32:00.000-07:00

We spent the day with the Hoggan family at the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. My boys loved it there, and who wouldn't? It was awesome! Nixin was happy moving from thing to thing quickly, but I found it interesting how curious Jack was about each display. He wanted to see everything, read every sign, study all of the displays. He was really into it. We had a great time and I'm sure Jack and Nixin will talk us into taking them there again soon.

Splash Park

2009-07-02T10:19:00.000-07:00

We LOVE splash parks.

Swimming Lessons 2009

2009-07-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

Our boys finished up swimming lessons at the Guys Swim Gym! They had so much fun...despite the rain every single day (which seemed to start right at 4:30, the very time of their lessons) and the 50-60 degree temperatures. They didn't care. They were in the 90 degree water splashing around anyways. It was their freezing cold mother bundled up in her hoodie under an umbrella that seemed to be bothered by the rain more. They both made great progress and loved their teachers. I would highly recommend them for swimming lessons. I know that we will be back next year.

Help us help a friend

2009-06-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

We have some good friends, Mike and Carrie Butler who are going through a rough time right now. Her brother was just diagnosed with Stage III testicular cancer and is having a difficult time paying his medical bills. In order to help, Carrie has come up with the BRILLIANT idea of hosting picture play dates. She will be photographing children at parks or other beautiful places and will charge just $12 a child. The kids can picnic and play and Carrie will take them aside, one at a time, and snap pictures of them. Her pictures turn out DARLING. If any of you recall, she is the one who took our family pictures this past fall (yes, when we were violently attacked by wasps...not her fault :). After she takes the pictures she will post them to her photo site. You will have access and printing rights and each child will have between 5 and ten pictures. This is a great opportunity to help someone in need AND score some darling photography. If you want to check out a sampling of her work click here:http://www.carriebutlerphotography.myshowit.com/playdatesample
You can also view her blog for more details, just click on "Carrie Butler" on the side bar.

Ouch!

2009-06-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

We had just finished up an evening stroll around the block when little Nixin had quite the run in with the cement. He was just standing there, decided to take off- with his legs crossed- and BAM! He has quite the scab on his face to prove it.

I had promised Jack and Chad a haircut that night and Nixin insisted that he needed one too. He didn't think it was fair that all of the boys in our family got to have short summer haircuts but him. He had just fallen and I was full of sympathy for the poor kid, so....

I did it! I cut his hair really short and he LOVES it. I love it too. The morning after the haircut, when we were styling his hair, he was shouting about how "awesome my spikes look!" I did make him promise and cross his heart that he would grow his curls back when school starts up again.

Boys Only

2009-06-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

Just before Jack got out of school for the summer, he asked me why we never have invited his school friends over to our house to play. He was right, we never had and I had not ever really thought about doing that before.
So, we planned a school's out for summer party. Jack decided that he wanted the theme of the party to be "No Girls Allowed." His last day of school he took invitations to this buddies in his kindergarten class and then we invited a couple of his favorite friends from our old neck of the woods to come along too. Nixin didn't exactly think it was fair that Jack got to invite friends and he didn't, so I let him pick 3 friends to invite as well.

We played a few games, including a balloon pop race (tie balloons to each persons foot and let them run around stomping each others balloons until they all pop), a getting dressed relay race (run, put on the pile of clothes, take them off and tag your team mate), "Happy Puppy" (say "happy puppy" with marshmallows in your mouth and it sounds funny), and ladder golf.

Blake, Max, Caleb, Cole, Nixin, Jack S., Jack W., Zachary, Brandon, and Dorian

We had pigs in a blanket, Cheetos, fruit kabobs, and brownies for lunch.

I walked into the living room about 20 minutes after the last guest left and my little Nixin was zonked. What a sweet heart!

Father's

2009-06-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

There are so many father's who have made an impact on my life. I am grateful for all of them, including my grandpa Bob, Chad's dear grandfather's, Don and Cummings, and of course, Chad's step father, Will. But today I would like to pay a special tribute to the 3 most important father's in my life.

Chad is such a fabulous husband and a wonderful father. His boys love him and cherish their time with him. He works hard to provide a good life for us, and for that I am grateful.

I love my dad, Rob. He is loving and caring and has taken on such a big role as "the parent" in my life. He has been a good example to me. I always have a great time when I am around him. He has made many sacrifices on my behalf and I appreciate them all. Thanks Dad for all that you have done for me!

Chad's dad, Ken, is so much fun to be around. We all love him so much. He has welcomed me into their family and I am thankful to have him in my life. He raised me this wonderful son to have as my husband, and I will forever be in debt to him for that.

Happy Father's Day Dads! We love you.

Beach Day

2009-06-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

Today we went with our ward playgroup to a great little beach at Daybreak. Who would have thought that we had this fun place just minutes from our house? They had a great playground that the kids spent a lot of time playing on and then we headed down to the beach. The kids had a blast. You would have thought that the overcast day and kinda chilly temperatures would have intimidated the kids from hopping in the water with their swimming suits on, but no! They loved it. We will definitely be going back there soon.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

2009-06-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

It has been raining and raining and just look what it is doing to our grass!

Chad

2009-06-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

Isn't my husband handsome? I love him.