after two-and-a-half-years...

we finally got to see gary & annie's family! the last time we saw them i was pregnant with addi and annie was pregnant with katie.


the whole family, minus amy & karl and rich & sarah


the kids had fun playing together although poor katie was outnumbered seven to one. it is not fair she has a girl cousin her same age who isn't around to play!

seven peaks

my friend shelly was going to seven peaks and i wanted to take asher but will didn't want to go... i decided to brave it alone with the boy and i am so glad i did! he was soooo nervous at first and laughed his nervous laugh/cry for the first 15 minutes in the water. after a while he decided swimming was fun and we had a great time after that.


we just played in the baby pool and in the lazy river and he cried when we had to go home.


here's the little fishie eating snacks in his stroller

family pictures

we made an attempt to get a family picture to hang on the wall... we had a few turn out okay, but most of them were like the last picture: asher couldn't get his parents to look at the camera long enough for rob to snap the shot.

asher's first haircut

well... almost! after an unfortunate event involving asher, myself, and a pair of clippers, lindsey told asher to run fast to her house next time his mommy tries to trim his hair. luckily, will's barber makes house calls and uncle jake came to the rescue. it took some serious restraints and lots of distractions but eventually we got it done. here is an action shot:


the clipper attachments and accessories made very interesting toys


the end result: one handsome boy. (click to enlarge)

zero to screaming in 3 seconds...

if you know my son, you know this is typical behavior. he is one moody kid. and when he gets mad, watch out cause he's gonna scream!

live welle

i have been looking forward to running this 5k in memory of elle hullinger, who died in an accident last fall. elle's family lives in my brother's neighborhood and when i heard about the race, i wanted to run it to show my support for them. when i was driving in to the park that morning, and saw the pink and white balloons, i got really emotional. i can't describe the tender connection i feel towards others who have lost babies. i was so grateful to be able to participate in this event to honor elle.

damon took this picture just before i crossed the finish line:



a picture with my nieces and nephew. my sister-in-law, tiffany, ran with me and the kids ran in the kids fun run afterwards. at the end of the event, we let the balloons go. that is something we do every year on addi's birthday. it was a great day and i plan to participate again next year.

delicious cupcakes!

i have been craving cupcakes, and finally got around to baking some today! i LOVE these tasty little treats.


i like the way the yellow turned out... like little rays of sunshine that you can eat but not get burned.


i ate four in like five minutes. incidently, i realized as i was frosting them that asher is 8 months old today! here are a couple shots of the big boy.

my 5 favorite things

about our new house:

1. the kitchen


2. the kitchen


3. the entryway/mudroom


4. the fireplace (i miss az!)


5. the beautifully landscaped yard. (okay, so perhaps #5 is a dream, but someday....)

Moving...

sucks! but thanks to our fabulous families, we got it done! this was our seventh move in 6 1/2 years and we hope it is the last for a long time! we couldn't have done it without all the meals, babysitting, and muscles. thanks SO much! lin took these pictures of asher when she was watching him on saturday while my mom & i cleaned candace's house:




and i took this one at the end of the day when we were all exhausted and slap happy from all the physical labor:

my first day

today was my first day at my new job. i am working at uvrmc as an advanced clinical pharmacist. the position will involve a lot of education for other members of the pharmacy staff. i am really excited about the position and to be working again. i love what i do! i am working 3 eight hour shifts per week. i already miss asher, but he will be in good hands. will is going to have him two days a week and my mom is taking him the other day. thanks mom! it will be fun for the boys to have some down time without mommy home to boss them around, right???

mohawk

my sister lindsey came to help me get asher ready for bed the other night and washed his face and hands and gave him a sweet mohawk. nothing like a crazy aunt to give you a new style!

easter fun!

...or not. we took asher to the egg hunt at my grandma swenson's and plunked him down in the grass next to some candy and he just got really mad and cried.


things got a bit better once we started handing him candy


the horses next door came over to pose for some pictures with us.


luckily asher was a little more happy to find the easter bunny had left him a basket with new toys.


the pastel fisher price rings were a bit hit.

at last!!!

asher will take a bottle! lately he loves doing new things like eating off our plates, taking water from a cup or straw, and even holding and drinking his milk from a bottle.
the first night he took it really good was a couple of weeks ago when i was at the hospital with my mom and brothers waiting while my dad had surgery. (thank goodness my dad is doing much better and recovering well) my mom thought we looked so funny walking the halls the next day that she snapped these pictures:

don't worry, this is not a curtsy, but my dad holding the bag of his drainage tube . hahaha

family vacation

we just returned from our first family vacation with asher. we went to phoenix to visit our friends then to st george to the utah pharmacists association convention. in the mornings we stayed at the hotel so asher could nap, and met friends for dinner in the evenings. i am sad we forgot to take pictures when we were out with dan & liz and lindsey & kenny! we will get you guys next time!


one of only two family pictures from the whole vacation. thanks to holly for snapping this photo while we were at sushi. is that wasabi on asher's cheek!?? (click on photo to enlarge)


holly and waylan with asher and i. the boys are about 3 months apart and it was SO fun to get to meet little waylan.


asher hanging out in his highchair. he got a little spoiled having mom and dad with him 24/7 last week and we have really paid the price the last couple of days trying to get him re-adjusted to normal life.


asher being so cute with andrea and justin. he must know that andrea knows addi because he made friends with her right away, and smiled and laughed the whole time she was holding him.


here is the sleepy little traveler. he adjusted great on the trip and napped in the car, in his stroller, and on the airplane.

we had such a great trip. we really miss phoenix in general, but mostly all of our great friends who live there. it was fun to go out with our friends and see everyone i worked with at the hospital and all our friends from church. we hit all of our favorite restaraunts and ate lots of good food. the best news we received on our trip is that lindsey & kenny are expecting twins!!! congratulations! we are SO excited for you guys!

i want to give a big thanks to my super-mom, who drove to vegas and picked us up from the airport, then watched asher in st george so will and i could get our CE and keep our licenses! we owe you big-time!

desert botanical garden -butterfly exhibit

we were so excited that the spring butterfly exhibit at the garden was open while we were in town. we went to the fall exhibit a couple of years ago, but they only have monarchs in the fall. in the spring, they have tons of different varieties of butterflies to see. this exhibit is so fun because you walk through this greenhouse and there are literally thousands of butterflies flying around you. it is fun to be able to see them close up. we love butterflies because they are our little symbol for addison. all of her clothes and blankets had butterflies on them, and, like a butterfly, she brought so much joy and beauty to our lives for just a brief moment before flying away.


a rare shot of the family


i love this picture of the boys looking at butterflies. asher has the cutest face!


i totally pirated this picture from holly... none of my close shots turned out! great photography, holly!


i snapped this picture of this boy, sam, just in time. for some reason, the butterflies loved his white shirt, and kept landing on him.


another of holly's great photo's.

all the boys... and nancy

we got to visit will's sister and family while in st george. they have three boys, scott, kent, and clint. it was fun to have dinner and play games with them.