Ludlow Family

My Little Sunbeam

2012-01-27T07:39:00.001-08:00

My Little Sunbeam!

I can't believe Jacob is old enough to be in Primary. No more playing in the Nursery for him. He looks so grown up yet still so little at the same time.

Jacob and Abby all dressed up for the first Sunday of the year.

*In the meantime I am still waiting for this baby to arrive. D-Day is today and it's not looking promising. We are all looking forward to Grammy's arrival this evening! Wish me luck and pray this baby comes soon!

Better Late than Never, Right! Our Christmas

2012-01-17T12:55:00.000-08:00

We had a relatively relaxed and quiet Christmas this year. On Christmas Eve we had a nice dinner, read from the scriptures and opened a few presents. Jacob got loaded up with Cars so he was super happy!

Abby got a cooking set and an apron since she LOVES to cook and bake!

CHRISTMAS MORNING!

I think we were up and moving around 8 - 8:30 ish. Since Christmas fell on a Sunday this year we did Santa gifts and Stockings, a yummy breakfast and then off to church.

Santa brought Abby a Rapunzel Tower and Jacob a Cars Race Track.

Jacob with Daddy's new 3D glasses and his Car's Blanket

A doll for Abby with some matching clothes

We definitely missed our Family in CA this year!!! We had a good Christmas, it just wasn't the same without our extended family to share it with.

Decorating for Christmas

2011-12-23T08:13:00.001-08:00

Decorating the Tree

We finally have a star! In years past I've simply put a bow on top of the tree but this year I wanted a star. Abby picked this one out, it even lights up.

Ornaments

Our tree is mix of ornaments that remind us of Christmases past. This one is made of paper and was made by me when I was 4. Abby told me that I was very talented for a 4 year old.

This one is special because my Great Grandma made it. I believe each one of my siblings have one.

Each year the kids get a new ornament that reminds us of them or something that happened that year. My parents did this for my siblings and I wanted to carry on the tradition. Jacob is currently obsessed with cars so he got a car ornament. He would rather wheel it around then put it on the tree.

Abby got this cute snowman because when it snows this is the first and most important thing she does. The colors made me think of her as well.

Sugar Cookies

Jacob turns 3

2011-12-21T13:22:00.001-08:00

For Jacob's Birthday we went to the Grocery Store so he could play in the play center (his favorite thing to do), while I shopped for his cake, the wrapping paper, and a balloon. During his nap I wrapped his presents and decorated the cake.

He got a basketball hoop and ball from Mommy and Daddy and a Color Change Mater from Cars 2 from Abby. He was happy to be done with the first gift he opened. He just wanted to play.

This boy is obsessed with Cars. Almost everything he got was Cars related and he was soooo excited! We even went out the next day so he could spend his Target Gift card on even more cars stuff. Now everytime we go to Target he asks if he's getting a car.

Above he is dancing to the musical Mickey Mouse Card from Grammy and Grandpa

Jacob doesn't like cake so I got my favorite, Chocolate! Because I brought him in to this world that is the least I deserve on his birthday, right? He got is all time favorite dessert Oreo Ice Cream pronounced EO's Ouce Cream.

Watching Jacob blow out candles is so funny. He scrunches his face up really tight and them blows with all his might (mostly spit) and he still can't blow them out.

We Can't Believe our Little Jakie Doodle is 3!

The Boy's Room Phase 1 - Paint

2011-12-20T13:24:00.000-08:00

We have 4 bedrooms upstairs and have decided to have Jacob and the baby share so that we have a designated "Guest Bedroom". Hint, hint, guest welcome anytime!

Inspiration Board

I want the boys room to be a vintage car kind of California room. The colors are Benjamin Moore's Newberry Port Blue, Rendevous Bay, and Tropical Orange. The trim and board and batten are Valspar Cream in my Coffee.

Below you can see the doors and trim being painted cream. I was so nervous about doing it but am soooo happy with the results.

Of course the work went by so much quicker with our little helpers

Will post the almost finished room soon.

A Recap, Let's Start With ThanksGiving!!!

2011-12-19T14:30:00.001-08:00

I realize I've been a bit MIA on this blog so thought I would post about everything we've been up to and be patient, cuz it's a lot. I'll post over the next few days.

An Indian Costume for School

Here in PA the children dress up as either a Pilgrim or Indian on the last day of school before Thanksgiving break. Abby had mentioned wanting to be an Indian but I didn't think it was really a big deal. Apparently is WAS a BIG DEAL because the night before she was in tears because I hadn't made her a costume! So at 7:00 pm I ran to JoAnn's got the supplies came home and by 8:15 pm had a super cute Indian costume made. Made with what you ask, well Hot Glue of course (still haven't found my sewing machine pedal, sigh). It made me gald that I could do something special for her and reminded me of all the times my Mom had done stuff like that for me.

Thanksgivig Day!

Our Menu:

Turkey

Homemade Gravy

Barth Family Mashed Potatoes

Sausage, Cranberry stuffing

Vanilla Sweet Potatoes

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Green Beans

Homemade Rolls

Dessert: Pumpkin Torte, Apple Crisp, Chocolate Torte

The Turkey turned out soooo good. I followed this recipe from Our Best Bites and it was super yummy!
Uncle Clark joined us for the weekend and it was so nice to have him. It made cooking all that food so much more worth it if you know what I mean. Jacob was asleep during the meal which worked out well because we enjoyed a peaceful dinner. But don't feel bad, he got plenty of food when he woke up.

Halloween Weekend

2011-11-01T06:22:00.000-07:00

WARNING...LOTS OF PICTURES AHEAD!

We had a jam packed weekend starting with our Ward Halloween Party. Andy and I were in charge of the food and so got there early to cook it and Jacob fell asleep in the car. He remained asleep on the couch in the foyer through the entire party. He woke up just in time for the Trunk or Treat.

Jacob was Flynn Rider and Abby was Rapunzel. She was dying to wear long hair so I sewed an extension into her hair and braided it along with her real hair. I think it turned out pretty cool. Her darling dress was made be her Grammy.

Jacob is still a zombie in all of these pictures. It took him a while to figure out where he was and what was going on?

I made Jacob's costume all by myself. With mom no longer around to help with my sewing efforts it was up to me. I broke out the machine only to discover that the cord was missing. So, since I waited until the day of to make his costume I had no choice but to resort to other measures. I cut out a the peices for his vest using a puffer vest he already owned then hot glued the seams together. That's right, HOT GLUE! It worked! Thank goodness....I did sew on the hooks and elastic for his boot toppers with I borrowed from a friend. The belt around his waist is Daddy's and I made the satchel with brown felt and you guessed, HOT GLUE. Better pictures of his costume are below.
WHO Ordered SNOW in OCTOBER! THis is what we woke up to on Saturday. Needless to say I was not ready or prepared for this.

Of course the kids thought it was great. They were outside almost all day. Well, at least Abby was. Jacob isn't as big a fan of the cold.Look at those red cheeks and nose, so cute. The kids played while Andy and I painted froze painting furniture in the garage.

On Sunday we made Caramel Apples! YUMMY! This is one of my most favorite treats of all. They turned out pretty dang good. Wish you could all be here to enjoy them with us.

And of course Carving Pumpkins had to happen. No Halloween is complete with out it. Thankfully Andy took over the duty. The pumpkin thing was really grossing me out this year.

I think they did a great job.

Thank goodness the weather warmed up a bit and the snow melted. We had a light drizzle/sprinkle for Halloween but is wasn't too bad.

I dyed Jacobs hair with color mouse. It is really easy to use and washes right out. He just couldn't be Flynn with blonde hair, right?

If you've noticed Abby's face at all she has a lot of scratches on it from Jacob. He is really rough and always claws at her face. After church on Sunday I think she had had it because she pushed him down when they were running to the car and now he has a lovely bruise on his forehead. Don't you just love sibling love!

Hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween!

Fall Colors

2011-10-24T07:09:00.000-07:00

Below is a picture of the landscape that is all over right now. This area of trees is what I see when I drive to Abby's School.

These gorgeous red trees line the street as you drive through our neighborhood. They are my favorite!

And this is our house...note no fall decorations, boo hoo! I don't have any and I feel like such a loser being the only house on the street w/o decor. Hopefully I can get to that next year. Ofcousre if it were up to Andy we would never get any. On a happy note, we can now park 1 car in the garage. I only have to paint a few more peices of furniture and then I'll invite Andy to park in there. The plan is to get it all done before it starts snowing.

This is the view from our backyard. I am standing in the front yard looking between our home (on the lft) and our neighbors. (don't you love our AC just hanging on the side of the house!...guess that's how they do it here. I think it's weird).

iPhone Obsessed

2011-10-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

This little guy is obsessed with the iPhone! I snagged these photos a few weeks ago because it was just too funny. Here he is eating lunch and doing business on the iPhone.

Hi favorite thing to do is watch U-Tube. He watches everything from Cars to Trains to Mickey Mouse. He mostly watches Cars videos. He knows how to maneuver that thing better than I do. Here he is picking a different video.

He is constantly asking for the phone. His little chubby hands reach right into Andy's pockets when he gets home from work. At church unsuspecting members might get their phones snatched up by this little theif. (no joke) He can spot a phone a mile away!

A few pictures of the House

2011-09-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

Here is our kitchen. Remember I am painting the cabinets antique white with a glaze finish. So ignore their current ugly state. We also purchased a medium brown country table that will look much better. It is really heavy (made with real wood) and so is still in the garage. Hopefully we'll get it in soon. The microwave and cabinet are really high (per the code) but we will be lowering them down. It's on the list...if you know what I mean. LOL

Oh, and please ignore my non - matching white fridge. Every real estate agents nightmare that our appliances don't match! I am currently accepting donations towards the purchase of a nice stainless fridge, Hah! The hutch was a craigslist steal at $50.00! It is an antique made with real wood. I haven't decided if I'm going to paint it or restain it or what so for now it stays as is.

Here is looking into the family room from the kitchen. We still need to unpack, decorate, etc. etc. etc.

Below is a picture of the bar stools we got for the island. I have put 2 together, there are 3 total. I like the wood finish and design but not the black seat fabric. I haven't decided if I will recover them or just leave them. They are really great for cleaning so the black may stay a while. Plus there is a bit of black in the countertop so it's growing on me. They spin 360 degrees and are sturdy so Jacob can climb up and down without pulling them over. Purchased from overstock.com with a 20% discount!

Soccer Girl Abby

2011-09-15T12:34:00.001-07:00

Abby started playing soccer this year. She played in her first soccer game this last Saturday and really liked it. I think the pictures speak for themselves.

A Bit on Abby's Room

2011-09-06T19:31:00.001-07:00

Well, we are beginning to feel a bit settled and that is in part due to the fact that Abby's room is almost done! The walls are painted green and the ceiling is a light pink. Andy and I have spent the past couple weeks priming, painting, and sanding the furniture we purchased for her room last April from craigslist. Only a few more pieces to paint and then I can accessorize!

Abby really wanted a canopy bed with curtains that went all around. After researching this out and discovering such look came with a $$$$ price tag...I set out to create it myself. The curtain rods hanging from the ceiling are from Ikea as well as the white curtains and girly chandelier (ignore it right now, it's not quite finished yet). We still need to install the chair rail that goes between the pink and green so ignore that part as well.

Hanging curtains from the ceiling is no easy task!!! and I am pleased to say that Andy and I are still married after doing it! Ha Ha. I thought Andy was really going to lose it when a few (well a lot) of things didn't go according to plan. Pluse my pregnant brain wasn't helping much.

In the end we had one very happy little girl. She has slept the past 2 nights with the curtains closed all the way around her bed. Now if only we can keep Jacob from hanging on them and pulling everything out of the ceiling! (my worst fear) We are screwed into 3 studs and 2 dry wall anchors so hopefully it won't.

Sorry about the terrible pictures. It's hard to get the right angle in her small room and it was at night shen I shot these...plus I forgot to buy light bulbs for the chandelier so there is only small lamp lighting. I'll post better pictures when the entire room is done.

First Day of School

2011-09-06T12:06:00.001-07:00

Abby was off to 1st grade this morning! I was a little sad because my baby girl is going to be gone all day now. I have to say that the house has been really quiet all day. It's kind of weird that it's just me and Jacob now. Jacob is asleep right now and the house is eerily quiet.

After I dropped Abby off at school Jacob said "Ok Mommy, now I get to play with YOU!" And we did. We set up his train table only to find 2 pieces missing! UGH! And we (I) cleaned the toy room. It's not decorated or anything but I did snag a picture quickly before it got all messed up again. I will post about the house later on today (hopefully).

Baby Boy Shopping and Names

2011-08-31T14:45:00.000-07:00

I love to go shopping as you all know, but buying for boys just isn't as fun. So when I see something cute I have to get it. I know it's a bit early but I'm excited for this little guy to come. I picked this stuff up today at Gymboree (using my 30% off, of course). I got all 0-3 because they looked to big but I know if he's anyting like Jacob he'll be out of them before I know it.

The kids have been really helpful with baby boy names. LOL! Here are the suggestions I've heard of so far.

Jaxs - emphasis on the (s) sound

Jack Sparrow Ludlow

Braxton or Braxy

Jacob (why not 2 boys with the same name, that sounds great!)

Quincy OR Leo (both characters from Little Einsteins)

Seriously choosing a name is so hard! Hopefully they can come up with some more options.

I know you all have been dying to see pictures of the house but it is such a mess right now I can't bring myself to do it. Hopefully we will come close to finishing Abby's room this weekend and then I'll post some photos.

IT'S A ...

2011-08-30T07:21:00.000-07:00

BOY!!!

Baby boy Ludlow due Jan. 27th. Abby was a bit dissapointed and told the sonographer to look again! So, Jacob has a little buddy and Abby is already to work on creating art work for his nursery. He is healthy and adorable, just look at his picture, LOL.

The Floor Plan

2011-08-02T18:05:00.001-07:00

Our home is almost complete and since I've been gone for the past month I have been left alone to dream about furniture placement and decorating...you know, the important things. I realize decorating and buying furniture will take years and I mean years, but a girl can dream, right? Above are my ideas for the first floor. I realize that the furniture is not to scale but I tried my best. I'm anxious to move in and see if my ideas will work.

House Update

2011-07-18T08:28:00.001-07:00

Pictures came from Andy's phone and when I uploaded them they got cut off on the side. click on the picture to make it bigger and you will see the entire photo.
This is the kids Bathroom Vanity. I think it's a crime to even make them this small. But this is what comes standard. Replacing this is near the top of our list. Don't you like how the door swings right into the vanity? Poor design on that one I think.

This is the vanity in the Master Bathroom. Again, not thrilled with this either. It is really small, hardly any counter space. I had an outlet put in my closet so I can put a vanity in there for doing my hair and makeup. I wish the builder had taken a bit of space from the master to make this bathroom a bit bigger. Our master bedroom is huge! Not sure what we are going to do with all the space in there?

The baseboards are in. This is the "toy room" loft area upstairs and you are looking into Abby's Bedroom

Doors are also in. This is the door to Abby's closet.

Our kitchen cabinets are here. There are so many. I am excited about the storage I'll have in the kitchen. The island isn't my ideal space but I had an outlet put on both sides of it so I am looking forward to that.

Our siding is up and I think it looks really nice. The shudders are chocolate brown and our door will be plum. Again, not what I want but the options were limited here. I am planning to paint the door cranberry red but that is way down on my list of things to do. There will be a column put in from the overhang to the step.

This next week the floors are going in and the trim is being finished. Our backyard should also be graded as well. I can't wait to see it. Since I'm in CA right now I only have these pictures Andy took with his phone to see the house. I have to say that Abby and I are very excited to see the updates!
(do you see the house across the street from us? click on the photo to make it bigger and you'll see it. Let's just say we are not a fan of it.)

4th of July Fun

2011-07-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

To Celebrate the 4th we spent the day at the pool in our complex and then went to the Hampton Township 150th year celebration! They had blow up toys for the kids, live music, good food, and great fireworks. In typical Pennsylvania style it rained for a small bit but other than that the weather was perfect.

Kennywood Heinz Employee Picnic

2011-06-26T15:31:00.000-07:00

A Day at Kennywood

We spent the day at Kennywood (an amusement park) for the Heinz Company Picnic. We had a lot of fun and the weather was absolutley perfect.

The park had about 20 different rides the kids could go on; some even the adults could enjoy.

This was Jacob's favorite ride! He loved the cars.

Abby found it her solemn big sister duy to keep Jacob safe on all the rides. She takes her big sister duties very seriously.

We enjoyed funnel cake and deep fryed oreos! Yum

Heinz had a large pavillion set up with food, drinks, animal balloons for the kids, face painting, and radio disney.

Abby was called up on stage to participate in the huluhoop contest. She did pretty good coming in 2nd place. She won a Pirates of the Caribbean Sticker....Or according to Jacob a Jacks sticker.

A Post for Jaime - Strawberry Festival

2011-06-20T09:21:00.001-07:00

Apparently, I need to post more pictures of the kids! So here you go. A few weekends ago we went to a Strawberry Festival just south of Pittsburgh. This is the view of the festival from the strawberry patch which was up on a hill. I know it's hard to see but there are bounce houses, animals, slides, a barn playhouse, horses. etc.

Sorry for the fuzzy pictures. I guess there was a finger print on the lense. Darn, some of these pictures would have turned our really good.
Playing in the bounce houses which of course they loved.

We rode in a wagon up to the strawberry patch and got to pick our own Stawberries. Jacob ate while he picked (green leaves and all) and insisted on holding the basket.

We got to feed the goats, see bees in a beehive, meet Strawberry Shortcake, play, and ride horses.

This was by far the kids favorite activity. The helmet wasn't required but Jacob insisted on wearing it. Even though it was overcast is was really humid. Jacobs cheeks were bright red.

Jacob has been asking almost everyday if we can "tractor, strawbies, horse, play" go now!

Look at it Now!

2011-06-19T19:53:00.001-07:00

Our house is fully framed, we have a roof, the cement in the basement has been poured. I'm still in awe at how fast everything is moving. I only got this one picture because the camera wasn't cooperating. More to come next week.

The Dad's Amazing Race

2011-06-19T17:54:00.000-07:00

On Saturday some girls from the ward and I sent our husbands on The Dad's Amazing Race challenge as our gift to them for fathers day. The teams were randomly assigned and given t-shirts, a water bottle, small snack, money to complete some challenges, and their first challenge.

We had 14 guys participate. Andy was partnered with veteran of the area Ryan so that was really helpful since Andy didn't know where anything was.

Their first task was to get water from a nearby creek and fill the milk jugs up. After that they go their first clue and were off! There were 12 challenges/road blocks. I was stationed at Barnes and Nobles where the guys had to find an Author with the same first or last name as them.

For the last task they had to do an obstacle course that involved basketball shooting, hulu hoops and a grand finale slide down the water slide.

Andy and Ryan came in 3rd and the winners won gift cards to Best Buy. The guys had a great time and we wives had fun watching them complete the challenges. Afterwards we had pizza in the park. It was a super fun night.

We've Been Framed!

2011-06-15T18:40:00.001-07:00

Ok so we haven't been framed, our house has. Look how far it has come.

Here is a view of the back of the house. The basement sliding door opening and the first floor sliding door opening. Oh, and the window over the sink where I'll be looking out for many many hours.

A view from the back corner of our yard.

All of our doors, windows, tub, etc have arrived.

Abby is standing by the smallest window I have ever seen. This is our 1 window that came standard in the basement. I didn't realize it was sooo small. Kind of looks a bit silly. But since the deck will be over this part anyway, it's not a big deal.

Standing in our backyard looking into our neighbors.

Abby in the middle of our backyard. There is still a ton of dirt and rocks that need to be moved.

Standing in our front door. So very exciting! These pictures were taken on Sunday and from what my Sales Rep tells me the second floor is already on.
Wow, can you believe what has been done in only a week! It was so nice to see how much progress has been done on the house. It's so weird walking through all the rooms because everything looks sooooo small. I know our house isn't small but wow, it sure looks small.

2 Teeth Down More To Go

2011-06-14T13:40:00.001-07:00

Abby's 2nd tooth finally came out! This thing has been hanging on for months! The first tooth took a while to come out and the second one took even longer. The 2 "permanent" teeth had already grown in before the baby ones fell out. So no toothless grin so far but still cute. She was very excited about the money under her pillow. She has been working really hard cleaning dishes, vaccumming, etc. so she can earn money to buy a Rapunzel Tower. She has to save up $35.00 so it is taking a while but she is a hard worker.

Lemony Goodness and Mongolian Beef

2011-06-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

I have been a little bored with my recipes lately so I ventured out a bit this week and had yummy results. These 2 recipes come from "Your Home Based Mom". The link to her blog is on the right if you scroll down.

Mongolian Beef - I added the green beans, it just sounded good.

I cook the rice recipe below to accompany all of my Chinese Food recipes. It is a lot more flavorful that plain white rice. I created this one myself and I usually don't measure but I think I got it.

Ginger Orzo Rice:

1/2 cup of white rice

1/2 cup of orzo (its a small pasta that is in the shape of rice)

2 cups of chicken broth ( I use water and bullion)

1/2-1 onion chopped, I just used what I think looks about right

1 - 2 teaspoons of fresh chopped garlic ( I use the pre-chopped jarred kind, so much easier)

1 teaspoon of fresh ginger OR 1/2 tsp of powder ginger

a bit of oil.

In a pan (that has a lid) saute the onion for a few min. then add the garlic and ginger until fragrant 30 sec - 1 min. Add the rice and orzo and saute for a few min. Then add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil for a minute or so and then put the lid on, lower the heat to LOW and cook for 20 min. Take off the lid fluff with fork and enjoy!

Variations: I leave out the ginger when I am pairing this with chicken or something not Chinese food related. It's kind of like a way better version of Rice A Roni.

And Now for Lemon Crinkle Cookies...so good! Well, not as good as chocolate chip but still very good. Chocolate cookies are like gold at our house and so to make something other than chocolate chip made everyone a bit nervous. The kids and I made this recipe tonight and it was a nice change, so soft and chewy and simply scrumptious. Thanks to Your Home Based Mom for these great recipes and this beautiful picture of the cookies.

We have Cinder Block Walls

2011-06-05T16:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a view of our culdesac from our house. We are the first house so we sit on the corner. Some of our neighbors houses are done and they've moved in. It's quite a construction mess right now so I'm glad that we are one of the last houses being completed so we won't have to deal with it for too long.
Here is a view of the basement and where the sliding glass door will be. You can see our neighbors house across the street. It is a Fox Chapel model with an integral garage.

Abby is standing in our driveway in front of the garage.

These were taken about a week ago and since then the only difference is that the cinder block walls are higher and the pipes have been installed in the basement. I can't wait for framing to begin and for our landscape to be leveled! Hopefully that will happen soon.

Our Weekend Warriors

2011-06-01T17:56:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we took the kids to Lowe's to make wooden airplanes. It was fun and (free)!

Jacob was a little wild with his hammer so Andy had to keep close tabs on him.

Abby took the whole thing very seriously, wearing the goggles, following the instructions, and scolding Jacob for doing a bad job. They were really cute. Sorry for the bad picture quality, I took these with my phone.

Our Lot! Lots of Posts Scroll Down for More...

2011-05-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of our backyard. Right now it is just a mound of dirt.

The view from standing at the side of our house looking down the street.

Abby & Jacob in the front of our lot, Andy is in the background checking out our backyard space. It is a bit smaller than we were anticipating.

See those puddles of mud...yep, Jacob went tromping right in one before I could get to him. He was excited, I was not!

Upgrades and Color Choices

2011-05-23T07:29:00.001-07:00

Here is a basic over view of what we are getting: We went skimp on upgrades in exchange for more square footage. We figure interiors can always be changed but the size our your home can't.

Standard Carpet and Pad, color is Thornwood. We did upgrade the carpet and pad in the family room since it will get used a lot. color is Braxton 201 Birchwood.

Laminate flooring in the entry, hallway, kitchen, baths, and laundry room, color initiator 66178

Honey Oak Cabinets in Kitchen and bathrooms. I am planning on painting/staining these to give them some "finesse".

White marble countertops in the bathrooms, single bow vanity in kids bath and double bowl in master bath.

Kitchen Island, No Morning Room.

High Definition Laminate counter tops in Kitchen, yellow river. Here is what is looks like with what my cabinets will look like after I get my hands on them. White glazed cabinets and a cherry wood island.

What my kitchen will look like when I'm done, HAH! Well, not exactly like this but close, hopefully.

We got recessed lights in the kitchen, family room, & master bedroom.

We added wiring for lights/fans (yep you have to pay extra for this) in all rooms.

We upgraded the standard tub/shower in the master with a Large Shower with 2 Shower heads! So excited to have a shower head that is my height and one higher up for Andy.

We got some cable outlets, phone jacks, and some speakers for the family room

Basement is unfinished, a project for later

We got a fireplace in the family room with Venetian Gold granite surround.

Here are a few pictures of our Model I found Online.

Kitchen w/bonus Morning Room, we are not getting this extra room, it was a good chunk of change I don't have but boy is it a great room. Our Island doesn't look like this it goes the other way and is a lot smaller. There is a window over the sink and a sliding glass door where that opening is.

Living / Dining Room

Here it is ...Our New Home!

2011-05-23T06:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this isn't exactly our new home, all we have right now is dirt. We are building a home with Ryan Homes, the Rome Model. Pictured above and below are models I found online. The one I love is above:) and the one we are getting is below. To add stone and such was lets just say "not in the budget". So we are going with all siding in the hope that one day we will be able to add the stone.

Our home is going have...

Elevation C - it adds an extra foot to the loft upstairs and gives a bit of overhang over the door.

Khaki Siding, LOVE!
Almond Trim, HATE! - want white, really want white but Ryan Homes won't let me get it:(
Brown Shudders, they're ok, I really wanted black but again Ryan Homes doesn't budge
Plum Door, HATE! I want Cranberry Red, ...

We went with the color scheme that seemed the easiest to change to suit our tastes. I figure I can paint the shudders and the door but replacing/painting the siding would be too much. So we chose our favorie siding color and will have to live with the rest.

We chose Valencia Brick for the "to grade" brick work that starts at the ground and goes until the siding starts.

We break ground this week with an estimated move in sometime in August...can't wait!

Abbyism's

2011-05-15T18:19:00.000-07:00

Abby is one funny girl. Her mind is working all the time trying to figure things out. She always asks the funniest questions. And sometimes I think "did you really just ask/say that?" I will list a few now and try to add to the list as more ridiculousness comes out of her mouth!

1. "Mom, why does Jesus live in the dirt?"...Honey, Jesus doesn't live in the dirt. Why do you think he lives in the dirt? "When you die you go in the dirt, Jesus died." I go on to explain the Resurrection and such and she kind of gets it until she says "So when you die you don't have skin and bones?" At this point I am thinking "Where did I go wrong in my explanation". I am about to try a new approach when she says, "So does Jelly Bean PaPa and GG Elna (her 2 great grands that are in their 80's) have their bones?...And do they have their skin.?" At this point I just start laughing.

2. "Mom, when you have a baby in your tummy are you resdeterded (resurrected)?"

3. "You can't treat me like this, I'M A HUMAN!"

4. "Mom, since I"m going to be Rapunzel for Halloween, when are my eyes going to turn green? And you know you need to get restentions (hair exstentions) right?"

5. I'm doing Abby's hair for school and she leans close to the mirror and says "Wow, I look like Taylor Swift! Do you think my friends will know it's me, Abby?"

I saved some money!

2011-05-13T11:03:00.001-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I love to shop and shop and shop. Its theuraputic and fun! I've seriously been dying inside as I see deal after deal in my Inbox, 30% off at the Gap Outlet...yep past it up. Gymboree Circle of Friends ...yep past that one up too and the list goes on. We are in the middle of buying a home right now so I can in no way spend any money that isn't truly necessary. So, to cure my need for retail therapy I am focussing on Grocery Shopping because hey, that is a need, right? Now, I know my mom will be impressed because she loves me and everything I do is great, right mom, "Wink Wink". Andy, not so much because if it wasn't free then it wasn't a good deal. :( Well, I didn't get free but look what I did get for $26.00! ( I know that it's a lot of Pepsi, don't judge me)

Here's what I got:
48 yes 48 cans of Diet Pepsi
2 packages of Extra Long Grain Rice
1 jar of Bertolli Marinara
1 Bottle of Dawn
1 Mr Clean Bathroom Cleaner
5 packets of mexican seasoning
2 tubes of toothpaste
1 toothbrush
2 boxes of Cereal
2 boxes of Lipton Beefy Onion

I saved 50% on these groceries because here in PA stores double the value of your coupon! Coming from CA, I had never even seen that done before. I was so nervous when I went to checkout, I had so many questions and I think the checkout lady thought I was a bit crazy.

On a side note. Abby wants everyone to know that she can carry Jacob while walking. She is thrilled, Jacob not so much!

Marburger Farms

2011-05-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

We went to a very quant little dairy farm today with our playgroup from church. There were a lot of us! We learned all about dairy farming and then some.
Abby was a great big sister...always keeping Jacob in check!

This is the cow that Jacob fed and let lick him all over, I had no part in it...obviously

Here he is feeding the cow all on his own. He love love loved it! When I told him we were going to the farm this morning he shouted, "All Right"!

The kiddos inside the very fragrant barn surrounded by about 50 cows.

Jacob constantly pointing and shouting, "It's a cow, It's a cow, MOOOO!"

Abby finally getting brave enought to pet a cow. She opted for the baby cow.

Jacob was contantly distruaght because he wanted to go inside the gates and cages so he could get right up and personal with the cows. He wanted to hug and kiss them, thank goodness for the cages:)

Abby made sure that I got a picture of her petting the cow, it was a very proud moment for her.

After the tour we were all treated to some super yummy vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate milk. It was seriously soooo good and I'm not a milk lover so that is saying a lot. It tasted like I was drinking a milkshake.

Notice Jaccob glaring across the table? He is strategizing on how to steal the sippy from the kid across the table. This poor little guy had the same Mickey Sippy that Jacob has and Jacob was trying to steal it from him the entire time.

Easter Weekend / Duquesne Incline

2011-05-04T13:47:00.001-07:00

After all the furniture hauling (see post below) we went back to Pittsburgh to return the truck and do some necessary sight seeing. We chose to go up the Duquesne Incline to get a great view of the city. It's a small tram that takes you up the hillside to a great view and some quant restaurants. Jacob was soooo excited about riding the Tram!
From the top you get an amazing view of the city and the "3" rivers. I think we counted 15 bridges although I know there are more than that.

Andy, Jacob, and Clark checking out the view

We ate at a nice place on top of the hill with a great view of the city. Afterwards we went home and dyed Easter Eggs.

Easter Weekend/Furniture Find

2011-05-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

I am loving Pittsburgh Craigslist. It rocks! I mean I have found the best stuff and the best prices I've seen anywhere. If the storage unit could hold more I would be all over it.

(Easter Weekend) Clark arrived late Friday night...I had already made an apt. to look at some furniture for Abby's room before I knew he was coming SO, on Sat. the plan was to look at the furniture put what we could in the van and then maybe rent a truck or something the next week to haul it to the storage unit. But, thanks to Clark...we used the ZipCar truck in Pittsburgh and were able to haul it all on Saturday. It was so nice to have Clark's help. I don't think we could have done it with out him. Not what Clark was planning on doing for 5 hours on a beautiful Saturday, but I'm gald he was a good sport.

Of course my awesome van! Yeah that's right I said awesome (LOL) hauled what didn't fit in the truck. I scored an entire room of furniture for Abby. I had purchased a night stand for her a few years ago at a consignment shop and have been looking for the past couple of years for the matching pieces. Well I scored! The pieces match perfectly.

It's kind of a girly French Provencal set from I don't know, the 50's-60's maybe. It's a creamy yellowish gold with gold details and scrolled legs and lots of girly touches. We are for sure going to give the pieces a face lift although Abby likes them just the way they are...of course!

This is a picture of what the furniture looks like. We got the following:

1. Full size bed, mattress, box spring, frame, headboard/footboard

2. night stand

3. 5 drawer tall dresser

4. long 6 drawer dresser with mirror

5. desk and chair.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T18:29:00.000-07:00

We had a small but great Easter today. Church was great, wonderful music, great lessons, and the children were pretty well behaved! Thanks to Uncle Clark!!! I think I need to fit him into my Sunday bag of tricks somehow. We had a small Easter Egg Hunt, Church, went to show Clark where our new house is being built, had a nice dinner, dessert, lots of craziness and of course we couldn't let Clark leave with out having seen Tangled, it just wouldn't be right.

The Easter Bunny hid an egg in the tissue box, what a crazy bunny.

It didn't take long for Jacob to catch on to the Easter Egg Hunt. He was running around yelling, egg, I see it, I did it. It was really cute. We were in doors (no yard) but the kids still had fun. The Easter Bunny left them a note this year and ate the carrots Abby left our for him. Uncle Clark told Abby that he thought he heard the Easter Bunny hopping around the house last night and that go her really excited, especially when she noticed that he had take 1 bite out of each of the carrots she left out for him...silly bunny!

The note went something like this...

Happy Easter

I noticed you didn't have an Easter basket out for me to fill up and hide SO; I hid all 42 eggs filled with yummy goodies all over your apartment to find. I also hid a few other treats I thought you'd like. I hope you have a wonderful day. Be good Abby and Jacob, I'll see you next year.

Love,

The Easter Bunny

Abby with her new "Tangled Book". She and Jacob were really excited about their new goodies from Grammy and Grandpa.

Jacob was really excited about his New "Car Car" book with Mac and McQueen.

Jacob and his new best friend, Uncle Clark. Clark is visiting this weekend from Philly. From the moment Clark stepped foot in our house Jacob has been glued to his hip. Jacob calls him "Cart"

The kids after church in their Easter Best. I love this picture because it's my kids in a nut-shell, they are nuts!

Here they are, finally a cute picture. It was a tad windy but overall a beautiful day.

Our Humble Abode "move in day"

2011-04-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

Jacob was so happy to see his train table! He ran around screaming and dancing with excitement. It was the only "toy" unpacked at this point so it was a source of "contention" all day Abby looking in every box for her toys, it has now been almost a week and we still haven't found them. I even checked the storage unit. I'm missing a few other items as well.

Abby arranging the bookcase in her room. She is very particular as to how it is arranged.

Cookies and Creme cake to celebrate our first night in the apartment and NO, i didn't make it...the nice folks at Giant Eagle did and was pretty good.

Our Time at the Hotel

2011-04-10T14:16:00.001-07:00

The highlight or our 4 day stay at the Hotel was the super fun and very warm swimming pool. The kids loved it. Abby is already a "fish" and Jacob seems to be following suit. I would take him under water and when he'd come up he immediatley said "again, again". He was blowing bubbles and kicking right away.I wasn't able to get a picture of it but Jacob wore, goggles, floaties, and his cute chubbies almost the entire time in the pool, it was really cute.
I was spoiled with prepared breakfast every morning, and going out to lunch and dinner on most of the days, except Sunday, of course. We had a prepared lasagna, salad, and french bread. The easiest dinner to prepare with limited kitchen supplies :)
While we had fun at the Hotel it was really hard to adjust to the time change. The Hotel breakfast closed at 10:00 and we barely made it. It was really hard getting the kids out of bed. And especially hard when Monday rolled around and we had to drive Andy to work. We had to leave at 8:00 am and that was a real struggle. Here is my favorite comment from Abby "Can't daddy get his own ride to work!" Thank goodness for the DVD player in the van! The kids watched "Tangled" to and from Andy's work for drop off and pick up. It's a 25 Min trip normally but with traffic it can take up to 1 hour. Andy's car is expected to arrive sometime this week...hopefully it is sooner than later.

Pennsylvania Here we Come!

2011-04-09T17:37:00.000-07:00

After a crazy week of cleaning, packing, listing/selling/shipping Ebay and Bow stuff, we finally made our way to the airport. Abby was super excited and Jacob was just going with the flow. Here is a picture of us at the airport with all our stuff. Ther's me alone with 2 kids, 1 checked bag, 2 small carry on rollers, a big back pack, diaper bag, purse, and stroller. It was a long day with all our stuff, a 3 hour flight, a 1 hour layover / plane change, and then a 4 hour flight. I recieved NUMEROUS compliments on how well behaved my children were/are. I was thrilled because they aren't always such angels ... they did great!

Here the kids are sitting at the window looking at all the planes come and go. Jacob was "excitedly" announcing each planes arrival to the entire terminal. "Plane, Plane, I see it!" "Air Plane, Air Plane," ... repeated over and over until I said, "Yes Jacob that is an airplane, I see it." about 100 times.

Thanks to a portable dvd player, laptop, coloring stuff, snacks, and an always filled "milky Mickey sippy" things went very smoothly. We left Grammy's house at 8:30 am Pacific Time and arrived in Pittsburgh at 11:30 Eastern Time. More to come ...stay tuned

Valentine's Party

2011-02-15T10:14:00.001-08:00

On Saturday I helped my sister Brooke throw a Valentine's Party for her step daughter Leah and her friends. It was a fun filled couple hours with crafts (don't these paper purses look real?), cookies, candy, homemade pizza, and lots and lots of screaming...(what is it with girls and screaming???) Below are a couple of pictures of the party. Click below for the purse tutorial.
http://missfancypants.typepad.com/little_miss_fancy_pants/2010/11/fancy-this-paper-purse-gift-tag-set.html

What a fun group of girls!

Our Christmas in a "Nut Shell" More to Come

2011-01-05T10:14:00.000-08:00

Abby performed with her Kindergarten Class in their Holiday Concert. She actually sang! If you know her at all you will know that in all her Primary programs, Christmas Sing a Longs, you name it her mouth stays closed. Well, I was shocked to actualy see her singing. and yes the boy in the picture on the left in red cried during the entire thing.

Brook, Leah, Jaime, Mom, Abby, and I went to see Central Ballet West's "The Nutcracker". This was Abby's first time going and I thought she would be old enough to see it this year. And while she liked it she also fell asleep during the last act! I can't say I blame her, Ballet isn't really my favorite either. But to fall asleep during the Sugar Plum Fairies Solo is almost Criminal!

We went to the Oaklant Temple to see the lights and listen to some music (as best we could with a 2 year old!). It was cold and pretty but not as COLD as or at Lit Up as the Salt Lake Temple Square is. I definintely don't miss the cold just the lights.

Afterwards we went to see this very cool house in Manteca that has over 500,000 lights on it.

A Few Firsts!

This was our first Christmas at our home in 8 years, since we've been married we have always travelled to our parent's home for Christmas.

We got our first tree, "Thanks, Dad"! and put what ornaments we had on it along with a ton of homemade paper ones from Abby.

I bought a shelf and installed it over the fireplace since there was no mantel (thanks Todd). and hung the stockings on the wall because the shelf while cute was not that sturdy.

Decorated it with gifts of Christmas Past that were never until now able to be used, Thanks Lisa and Whitney.

I made Christmas goodies for the first time and actually gave them to people!

I had to buy wrapping paper and lights and stuff, Andy was thrilled...LOL!!!

I also used the Advend Calendar my mom made me for the first time. Thanks Mom.

Food for the Reindeer

Abby brought made some food for the Reindeer to eat while Santa is busy dropping off the presents so we had to (on her orders) put in on the roof Christmas Eve morning first think (notice Jacobs PJS). She was really excited about the whole thing.

Merry Christmas to All!

2010-12-22T09:20:00.000-08:00

The presents are wrapped! Shopping and goodies are done! Bows have all been made!!!! Ahhh, now it's time to enjoy Christmas. I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas this year and as a super early New Years RES, I would like to keep my blog more updated...we'll see how that goes. Here's the kiddos all dress up on Christmas Sunday.

A Post about Jacob

2010-10-10T19:00:00.001-07:00

Love those big blue eyes! Above Jacob is wearing my high heels. He's a bit obsessed with shoes right now. He gets my shoes everyday and wears them all over the house. If we go into a shoe store he is in 7th heaven as he runs all over grabbing all the shoes he can!

This is Abby and Jake before church. Yes, I got them ready, took picture, and we were still on time. Abby loves to "match" Jacob whenever possible so this is one of her favorites brother/sister looks. Not sure how long Jake will put up with it...LOL

Jacob is a fun loving sweet baby boy. He will be 2 in a couple of months and I can hardly believe it. He is just a fun fun littl boy. His current favorite words are by by a go go, bop bop, ball, choo, car, and ofcourse baba.

Picture Day

2010-09-22T15:17:00.000-07:00

Today was "picture day" at school. Maybe I'm just weird but I think it's kind of weird to have pictures taken of you kid at school. I wonder if it's just something that has been done for years and know one really knows why. I mean, who orders these pictures anyway. No offense if you do, by any means.

Well, dispite my personal feelings on "picture day" I did get Abby all dressed up. She was going to be in the Class picture whether I ordered pictures or not so I thought I'd better have her looking great incase that picture shows up on
E News when she's rich and famous to haunt her or something. I mean you never know right?

Below Abby is doing her most recent "take a picture of me pose" I'm not sure where she came up with that but she does it all the time. And of course Jacob who wouldn't stay out of any of the pictures I tried to take.

on a side note* these pictures would have turned out a lot better with my better nicer camera if I could only find that elusive camera bag...see post below for info on that!

Has anyone seen my Camera Bag!!!

2010-09-19T21:28:00.000-07:00

A few years ago a bought a really nice camera. The Cannon EOS 30D, it is my pride and joy and one of my most favorite belongings. AND I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO USE IT FOR 6 MONTHS!!! Around Christmas time the camera bag that has (the charger, battery, various accessories, etc.) went missing. I have torn the house apart looking for it ...It has simply vanished. So I am pleading out to the open world for sympathy. I miss using my camera (the point and shoot is not the same), I miss my precious baby (LOL). The cost to replace what is missing is a couple $$$ and I just can't make myself do it. I'm determined to find it. It can't just have walked off, right? By the way, it's black...does that help!

The Journey Begins

2010-08-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

Today was Abby's first day of Kindergarten. When she woke up this morning the first thing she said was "I want to go, I want to go." Both Andy and I dropped her off...it was kind of sad for us. She's been mine everyday and now I have to take her to school everyday!

I asked her what she did at school today and she said, "we played and danced." sounds like my kind of school.

Taylor Swift Concert! To Ashleigh, Zack, & Alli

2010-04-11T22:39:00.001-07:00

Andy bought me tickets to see Taylor Swift for my birthday! We went last night and it was amazing! So, one minute she was singing on the stage and the next, she was in my isle, singing "Hey Stephen" (my favorite song) Everyone was screaming and going crazy and climbing on the chairs, it was really cool. When she was done with the song she came down the isle and greeted everyone! Thankfully I was in the isle seat (thanks honey!) and got to shake her hand...am I the coolest aunt ever or what! (Ashleigh, Zack, and Alli are big fans!) In this picture she is hugging the girl across the way from me (The pictures aren't great, I guess we're not true fans because I didn't even think to bring a camera, these were taken with Andy's phone) In the other picture she is hugging the 15 year old girl Andy let take his spot (he figured it would mean more to her) what a sweet guy! If you get the chance I highly reccommend going to her concert, it was really good.

Abby's Tinker Bell Party

2010-04-05T12:30:00.001-07:00

This was Abby's Tinkerbell Cake. I am crazy busy right now and so went with a bakery cake. It was my first time buying one and it was really good. I'm not sure I'll ever go back to making my own...it was too easy.

For the party the kids painted little treasure boxes and then "bedazzled" them. After that we played some games including "Tinker, Tinker, Tinker,...BELL!" as see here. Think duck duck goose.

Abby loved this game and always wanted to be it.

After that we went on a treasure hunt. The kids put their wings on, I sprinkled them with pixie dust, and off we went on our adventure. I'll have to admit I think I got some real bonus points for this one...after it was over the kids said this was the "best birthday party ever!" That made all the hard work worth it + I scored some way cool mom brownie points.

Abby opened her presents and then we had cake and icecream.

Abby's little friends are so cute and were so fun to have at the party. Even Dean, the only boy at the party was a good sport through it all!

Christmas Time

2010-03-03T15:54:00.000-08:00

Uncle Clark and Abby playing a game, well Clark was the one playing a game and Abby is the one helping him with is challenge.
Jake mad after Abby made him sit down.

Abby making Jacob sit down

Abby and Jake in their new Monkey PJ's and Slippers.

Abby with her cousins Jaden and Nolan.

Cousin picture in front of the tree on Christmas Eve

The making of Ginger Bread houses...dont these look good!

Abby always wants me to take her picture with Jake, here is one of those instances. He is usually less than thrilled.

A typical morning for the kids. Eggos in front of the tv...the kids love it!

Jacob was in heaven when Santa brought him a broom and cell phone...he couldn't be happier.

This is Jake in his new outfit from Jane Grandma...what a stud!

My Sweet Baby Boy!

2010-03-03T15:23:00.001-08:00

Jacob turned 1 in December. Here are a few pics of the party.

He got a lot of cool toys for his Birthday but the all time favorite was his hammer.

This is the basketball cake I made for him. Andy was completley appaulled by my "basket ball" lines.

All my Excuses!

2010-03-03T15:10:00.000-08:00

I want to appologize to all my blogging followers! LOL I have been such a slacker when it comes to blogging. Here are a few of my excuses.

1. I am living with my parents and therefore am so not organzized which is driving me crazy!
2. I am still making bows (all the time) without my wonderful assistant Amanda who I had to leave behind in UTAH!
3. After moving to Ca I was asked to be in charge of my Stake's Youth Dance Festival...working with the leaders and youth and organizing it all has been a bit stressfull.
4. I am living with my parents and oh yeah, I can't ever find anything! Did I mention that already.
5. I volunteered, yes volunteered, to teach my local high school all the dances for their High School Musical Play which involved teaching high school for 2-3 hours almost every day for the past 3 months.
6. Did I mention that I can't find anything!
7. Living near family means there's a lot of parties and events to attend.
8. Oh yeah, and my sweet kids keep me on my toes all day long.

Enough about me, now on to some pictures and updates.

So Much to Update!

2009-09-10T19:12:00.003-07:00

A lot has happened since my last post. To start with Andy got a job with Foster Farms and so with only a weeks notice we packed up and headed to California. Since we lived all Summer not knowing when a job would come we didn't go on vacation or do much of anything. So before the job started we went to Disneyland. Thanks to my sister Brooke, we got to go without Jacob. We had a great time. Abby did not like the "Madden Horn" or the "One that sings with the guys in the real clothes" (AKA Priates of the Caribbean). She is still talking about the trip! Here are a few photos.

Grammy, Aunt Brooke, and Jaden come to visit

2009-08-12T19:22:00.003-07:00

Oops, Scott threw Kasia up a little higher than he expected! You should click on the photo so you can really see her face. She landed in the water kind of face first and didn't even mind. She's such a champ.

This is Scott throwing Jaden up in the air. He was really tossing the kids high.

Jacob with Gavin (I think?) I am terrible and telling them apart in photos, and Kasia

Jaden, Abby, and Abby climbing at Bridal Veil Falls. The water was freezing cold but they didn't mind too much.

Jaden loved loved loved Jacob. He always wanted to hold him and carry him and feed him and everything. It was really cute.

Jane Grandma and Lori come to visit

2009-08-12T19:10:00.003-07:00

Jane stayed with us for a week while Lori was at EFY and visiting with the Allen's. We hiked up to Cascade Falls and let me just say that it is not "Stroller Friendly". You should have seen us trying to push that thing up the trail. We finally took Jacob out, ditched it, and just carried him the rest of the way.

Even though it was hard to get up there with a baby it was well worth it.

On Sunday we drove up North to visit Jim's cousins Grant and Dianne Anderson as well as Dennis and Marryanne Christensen. It was nice to meet some of Andy's extended family.

This is Abby hanging out with Grandma while she is cutting out the dress she is going to make and smock for her. Abby is so excited! Thanks for the great visit Jane, we had a great time.

Barth Cousin Get - To - Gether

2009-08-12T18:59:00.002-07:00

We had a cousin get to gether for my side of the family towards the end of July. We held it at our place and had foil dinners! It was so nice to see everyone and to just visit. The kids spent almost the entire time digging in the sand and playing on the swings. Aunt Ginger and Alan were there because Amanda had just had her sweet little baby Ty about a week prior and they were out to visit and help.

Aaron feeding a bottle to Jake, what a good cousin!

Aunt Ginger, Alan, Rachel, and Jake (notice Andy and Joe in the background trying to get our fire to start with wet wood)
Gavin, Garrett, Kasia, and Abby

Carrie, Paul, Tiffany, and Aaron

4th of July

2009-08-12T18:54:00.004-07:00

We spent the 4th with the Allen's with swimming, bbq, and homemade icecream (a must have family tradition) Afterwards we watched the Stadium of Fire from the grassy field by our house. The kids killed time by playing with a giant soccer ball, a huge hit! They didn't even stop when the fireworks started.

Lot's of Swimming!

2009-08-12T18:39:00.004-07:00

We have been doing a lot of swimming this summer. Almost everyday we go down to the pool. Abby can swim all by herself now and Jake absolutley loves the water.

Loving Memory Mixer V3

2009-06-26T22:51:00.004-07:00

I just got the newest version of memory mixer and I love it. I've been digi-scrapping all day! Here are some of the ones I like the best. The picture above was taken by Heather Taylor Photography. She took some great pictures of our family recently.

Proud New Parents of a - Puppy! Funny Story

2009-06-21T20:53:00.003-07:00

So for Father's day the Primary sang a group of songs during Sacrament meeting. Abby loves it now that she is a big Sunbeam and can go up on "stage" and sing. She stood right in front with her little head poking up above the 1/2 wall. After the songs were over Abby dropped to the ground. I was just kind of watching and wondering where she went. ( we were in the back, as usual) I then notice some kids tripping and some older kids bending down trying to pick her up. Then I see the Bishop lunge forward trying to grab her. . . but misses. I was just thinking that I'm going to have to go up there and retrieve her when I hear "barking". I'm thinking, "oh my gosh who let a dog in here" then I'm thinking wow, that kind of sounds like Abby. Then to my horror I see her on all fours galloping down the isle barking like a dog! The entire congregation is laughing and I am just ducking my head hoping no one will know she's mine. She made it almost to the overflow and the barking is getting louder so I nudge Andy to go retrieve her ( I was holding Jake, so I got out of that one). It took several minutes for us all to recover. I'm sure she was the topic of everyone's Father's Day. We are so proud!

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T20:50:00.002-07:00

I made this photo layout to give to my Dad. You can't go wrong with golf and pictures of the cutest baby boy in the world.

Jacob swinging and laughing

2009-05-31T16:56:00.004-07:00

Jacob has learned how to swing without any help in his baby swinger. He can get going pretty high by strategically moving his big, but cute head.

Abby & Jake

2009-05-30T21:23:00.003-07:00

My baby is getting too big. I'm sad and happy all at the same time. He is growing and developing but he's not an infant anymore, he's a baby.

Look what I did

2009-05-30T21:06:00.003-07:00

Ok, over the past couple of months I have been slowly trying to learn photoshop CS3. When they say it has a steep learning curve...they weren't joking. So after trying to learn how to use a scrapbook template (anyone know and want to teach me?) I moved on to making scrapbook paper. I created this pink and white floral paper. Whoo Hoo, go me! My poor kids are so neglected when I'm working with photshop because I have to use every brain cell I have to understand it. I thought I'd add some pictures so you weren't looking at just the paper, how boring. Now my only problem is remembering what I did. Ok, so I used Memory Mixer to add the photos and text...my brain couldn't handle doing it all with Photoshop.

Preschool Graduation

2009-05-22T19:28:00.004-07:00

Abby graduated from her first year of preschool. She absolutely loved it, once she got there. She's not much of a morning person and so getting there by 9:00 am was sometimes a struggle. Ms. Summer was the best teacher and we will miss her.

Abby survived as the only girl with 7 boys in the class. Needless to say our house if full of "potty talk" and more things like that thanks to them, LOL!

Jacob laughing

2009-03-22T20:30:00.004-07:00

Just something fun!

2009-03-17T20:56:00.002-07:00

This is a game I got from a friend. Rules: Anything you have done has to be in colored, bold, and/or underlined. How much have you done? It only takes about 5 minutes…Just do it..it's fun!
The things I've done are in red.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland!
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a Praying Mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched an amazing lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning...
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Ran a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community !
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood!
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Visited Italy

I scored a 52 how about you?

Abby sings "It's a Small World" for the MBA Talent Show.

2009-03-15T19:11:00.002-07:00

Project 365 Week 2

2009-03-15T17:00:00.001-07:00

Monkey Time Out!

2009-03-11T12:58:00.002-07:00

I went looking for Abby today (she's really been getting into things latley) I wanted to make sure she wasn't destorying anything or waking up Jake. I found her in her bed reading "Five Little Monkey's" She said, "Look mom, I'm reading the Monkey book, they jumped on the bed and falled off and the doctor said go to TIME OUT!"

I couldn't help but laugh it was so cute.

Finally a Smile

2009-02-24T09:57:00.003-08:00

Jacob has been smiling for a while now and

I've been trying to get a picture of it

and I finally did! Before he would see

the camera and stop smilling.

My Project 365

2009-02-22T21:29:00.003-08:00

To document my 29th year of life I decided to do project 365. For those who don't know you simply take a picture everyday for a year and write a few words about it. I think this is going to be a great way to journal just one part of my life. I'm not sure if I'll post every week put I will try. Here is my first week.

Baby Jacob Andrew AKA Little

2009-01-22T16:56:00.001-08:00

Jacob is 7 weeks and almost 12 lbs. He's such a good baby, we are so blessed to have him in our family. Abby loves her "little" a lot...almost too much at times.

Before with Curls

2009-01-22T16:25:00.003-08:00

Abby during Christmas with all her curls. Before I cut them off!

No More Curls!

2009-01-22T16:08:00.003-08:00

I cut Abby's hair because it was getting too long and I think I cut all her curls off. It's so weird seeing her with just wavy hair. It's kind of curly but mostly wavy so if I want it to look good I have to really work at getting it to curl or straighten it with a flat iron. It's so sad!

2008-12-10T16:31:00.000-08:00

2008-12-07T17:43:00.006-08:00

Jacob Andrew was born on December 2nd. He weighed 7Lbs 15 oz and 19 inches long. He came via emergency cesarean due to a knot in his cord which caused his heart rate to drop. It was scary but mom and baby are doing well now.

My little Bro is Married!

2008-11-03T15:06:00.003-08:00

Todd and Whitney were sealed for all time and eternity in the Oakland, CA temple November 1st. I am so excited to gain a new sister and for Todd for finding the perfect girl. Congrats to you both!

Sleeping Beauty Princess!

2008-11-01T17:08:00.004-07:00

Abby just loved being Sleeping Beauty. Although there were many complaints about the crown being itchy and hurting so we had to readjust it many times. I told her pain is beauty but she didn't agree!
Getting Kylee and Abby to cooperate for a picture has always been a challenge and this was no different. This is the best one I got.

Abby is very proud of her kitty pumpkin.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2008-10-30T09:33:00.002-07:00

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-30T08:41:00.002-07:00

Our finished product. I tried to get them glowing but I'm not sure how to take a picture w/o the flash...I'm still learing. Oh well. Both pumpkins have a cat design, wonder why?

Andy's pumpkin design was the harderst...notice the deep concentration
Abby thought scooping out the pumpkins was DISGUSTING! It took her a while to get involved and she only used a scoop...no hands

Corn Belly's at Thanksgiving Point

2008-10-17T15:47:00.003-07:00

On Wednesday we went to Cornbelly's to play and pick some pumpkins. Abby had a blast and well, she completley wore me out just watching her.

Wild HAIR!
Abby loved jumping on the giant pillow.
She spent almost the entire day with Garrett, her friend from preschool
At the end of the day she got to go into the field and pick a pumpkin off the vine. It was a very special moment for her and the pumpkin, if you can't tell.

Abby's First Day of Preshool

2008-09-08T13:04:00.002-07:00

I can't believe my little baby is growing up. Today was her first day of preschool! I was sad and excited to see her go. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall to see how she was doing and if she was being good and all that. It's hard to let her grow up sometimes. When I picked her up she came running yelling "mommy, mommy, it's my mommy!" I was glad she at least missed me. When I asked her what she did, she simply said "I don't know" Ahhh, I wanted to scream! I missed 2 1/2 hours of her life and I want to know what she did and all she says is "I don't know". I guess I'm going to have to get used to that.

Abby wanted to bring this green flower that her Uncle Clark gave her to preschool but I convinced her that she should wait for show and tell. I bet Uncle Clark doesn't know how cool this flower is!

This is a face I thought daddy would like. She was just letting me know she was done taking pictures. Typical Abby with the "scrunch face"

Ludlow Family Reunion

2008-09-08T12:33:00.007-07:00

We had a Ludlow Family Reunion in Midway, UT over Labor Day weekend. We all stayed in Ty and Heather's cabin and enjoyed each other's company all weekend.

4 generations; Great Grandma Elna, Grandma Jane, Mommy Lisa, and Baby Will
The three year old squad hanging out on the top bunk and playing down in the basement (ponies, barbies, and the matching game) Cate, Abby, and Ali
Sydney and Clark
Beat up on Uncle Andy time! The kids loved rough housing with Clark and Andy. All the kids got a turn beating them up.

Abby and Ali wearing matching night gowns. This was not planned, they just happend to have the same one and wore them on the same night.

Eva and Will, the 2 babies of the family.

We went to the Alpine slides, played games, had great food, the men played golf and the women got to do a little shopping. We are looking forward to our next Reunion in 2009.

Mount Rushmore

2008-09-08T12:12:00.004-07:00

On our way home from Wisconsin we stopped and visited Mount Rushmore. Abby called it the "face mountain".

We also drove through Yellowstone which was so beautiful. We wish we could have spent more time there.

Water Fun Day, Hughson Primary Activity

2008-07-19T07:25:00.005-07:00

Abby loved going down the slip 'n' slide. There was a smaller one for Jr primary and a steeper one for Sr primary and she only went on the steeper one because the other one was for "the little kids". So apparantly she's big and I missed it.

Jaden and Abby would always hold hands at the top of the slide but they never went down together. Maybe it was just for moral support.

Nolan and Abby played a lot at Water Fun Day...especially in the little pool. Abby kept getting him mixed up with his older brother Logan and just called him Nogan.
Leah was a great big cousin. She took care of Abby and helped her all day. It was great because I could just sit and relax in the shade.

Home Sweet Home

2008-07-18T17:18:00.005-07:00

I am so glad to be home in CA! I didn't realize how much I missed it. We took the kids to the park and they had a blast. Jaden calls this the "Orange Park"

The 4th in Chicago

2008-07-13T17:48:00.004-07:00

On Saturday we celebrated our 6th anniversary and went to see "Wicked" and out to a nice resturaunt. Thanks to Scott and Leisal who tended Abby for us. Of course Abby had a ton of fun with her cousin Whitney at the lake.

For the 4th we went to Chicago to hang out with Scott, Leisl, Whitney, and little Ty. We spent the day in downtown chicago and went to the Taste of Chicago food festival and then over to this water feature to let the kids play. They absolutley loved it! Later we went back to Scott and Leisl's and had hotdogs and a movie.

4th of July

2008-07-13T16:48:00.003-07:00

On the morning of July 4th we were getting ready to drive to Chicago when we heard the Oak Creek City Parade right at our front door. Abby was so excited she ran outside to see it. Needless to say we were blocked in and left an hour later than planned but it was worth it becaue Abby loved the parade and all the candy too.

Life in Wisconsin

2008-06-30T11:26:00.002-07:00

Wisconsin has been well lets just say...interesting. When we arrived we were in the middle of floods, tornado warnings, and severe thunder and lightning storms. We were kind of wondering what we had gotten ourselves into? Thankfully that is all gone now even though we still have the occasional thunder storm.

This is a picture of Abby's room. Infact the entire apartment is beige. Abby's bedding is the same as our bedding and the couches are the same color as well. There is no color in the apt. and it's kind of depressing. Abby calls this our New Home and she says that she doesn't want her new home she wants her other home (Utah).

Nauvoo

2008-06-23T11:02:00.007-07:00

Abby loved dressing up in pioneer clothes and playing with all the toys the saints used to play with back then. It was one of her favorite parts of Nauvoo.

Andy and Abby are in front of a monument of Joseph and Hyrum

in front of the temple. It was a little cloudy and misty but overall we had a great time. Abby especially injoyed the pool at the hotel.

Our Trip to Wisconsin

2008-05-21T20:11:00.007-07:00

Abby wandered out into a nearby field at Far West to get rid of a lot of energy.

Abby, completely done with the car and the site seeing and everything.

Andy and Abby in front of the "Community of Christ" Temple
Below is Abby at the LDS Visitor center in Independence.

Our Trip to Wisconsin

2008-05-21T19:45:00.003-07:00

We left Sunday morning for Denver and really enjoyed the scenic views. Abby however didn't care much for the views just the tunnels that she wanted more of. Luckily there are some pretty cool tunnels to drive through. Being pregnant I had to stop multiple times to use the bathroom and one place held the bathroom for ransom unless we bought something. So being desperate I grabbed a pack of skittles and had to pay $1.84 for a small bag of skittles...OUCH! At least it was worth it, cuz I had to go!

We arrived in Aurora, CO and stayed with the Campbell's, our friends from Rancho Cordova. The next day we drove to Independence, MO and Abby didn't appreciate that day of travel at all. The third day int he care was the worst for her. On Tuesday we spent the day site seeing in Independence, Far West, and Adam Ondi Ahmen. Andy and I loved it and Abby well, just wanted to play and run.

Want to fly my Pony Kite?

2008-04-20T21:12:00.003-07:00

Abby loves loves loves to fly her Pony Kite. Her Pinkie Pie Pony Kite to be precise. She asks to fly it all the time. These pictures are from when Uncle Clark and Abby went on a date to fly her kite and out to dinner. As you can see from the pictures, she had a great time. She doesn't like to fly the kite too high because she wants to catch it. According to the My Little Pony movie Grammy got her if you "Catch a kite you catch a wish". So that to her is flying a kite. Catching it so you can catch a wish. What a crazy nut!

2008-04-04T08:32:00.002-07:00

Fun with Family

2008-04-03T15:20:00.002-07:00

Fun with Family

2008-04-03T15:11:00.003-07:00

Mom, Jaime, and Jaden came out last week from CA to visit during Spring Break. We went to the Lehi Community Pool (way fun) and then to Cabella's for dinner (Jeff, I know your jealous). We celebrated Gavin and Garrett turning 6 and Kasia's first pig tails (too cute) Abby and Jaden both loved the pool and didn't want to leave. For our last night together mom made dinner and we played a Disney Trivia Game which the kids completley killed Andy and I on.

Easter

2008-04-03T00:00:00.004-07:00

We went to Thanksgiving Point for their annual Easter Egg Hunt. It was fun but also very crowded. By the end we were exhausted! Abby had a blast hunting for eggs, getting her face painted like Barbi Mariposa, and riding the ponies. Overall it was a good day.