Wright's Widgets

Silver Mountain Ski Resort

2012-01-19T21:22:00.001-08:00

For Christmas this year, my parents paid for a weekend at Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg, Idaho for the whole family. The also bought passes to the waterpark there and any snow sport we wanted to do.

The condo we stayed at:

The main bath

The room we stayed in.

The main room. There was a living room set up with a fireplace and a full function kitchen. We made all our meals while we were up there. Each family was in charge of a meal.

The kitchen. It also had a washer and dryer on the opposite wall.

The booked a main room and the adjacent room so there was 2 bathrooms, 2 beds, 2 fold out couches for everyone.

Unfortunately there was no snow, so thank goodness for the water park. If anyone has been to Kellogg, not a whole lot going on there. Tyler ready to go swimming. Fur hat, swim suit and cowboy boots, what more do you need?! The water park is amazing and I would recommend it to all! There is a lot to do and so family friendly. If Andrew didn’t want to go down the water slide by himself, one of us could go. There was 2 toddler areas, a play structure area that anyone could go on, a surf wave pool, obstacle pool, big lazy river, a hot tub, 2 big waterslides and a water raft slide for families to go on. We would definitely go back for the water park. Andrew LOVED it and we spent hours there.

My sister and her fiancé went snowboarding but said all the snow was man made and not very fun. I bet if we went this weekend, we would have lots of fun with all the snow!

Grandma brought the dissolvable water capsules that turn into animals. Andrew thought they were pretty cool.

Andrew loves his Uncle Tyler and the both of them had a great time together.

One afternoon, we went on a drive around Kellogg and Wallace to see all the historic mining places and equipment. Aaron was quite impressed with this substation where the transformer structures are all made of wood. Since working at SEL, we have to stop and look at the substations where ever we are.

We had such a great weekend and can’t wait to go back! Thanks mom and dad!

Remote Control Truck

2012-01-19T21:02:00.001-08:00

Andrew finally got around to opening his last Christmas present a couple of Sundays ago. Since Aaron and the rest of the big boys got remote control helicopters for Christmas from my parents, we thought AJ would like a remote control to play with too. We found him this remote control truck and he loves it! Now when Aaron flies his remote control helicopter, AJ drives his truck. They have lots of fun together.

Mascara…Really?!

2012-01-19T20:58:00.001-08:00

Andrew helped himself to my make up bag again. Maybe I should put it up high or out of sight. He has such amazing long eyelashes that he did a pretty good job. He hated when I washed it off, but we were going out to dinner and I didn’t want him wearing mascara in public. He threw the biggest fit!

4 Pieces of Candy

2012-01-19T20:53:00.001-08:00

Andrew and I trudged through the snow for a desperate trip to WINCO. Andrew is obsessed with the bulk bins, but what 2 year old wouldn’t be?! So I let him pick out some candy from the cheap candy section by the deli. I told him he could have whatever he wanted. He looked at the whole selection, contemplating the “good” ones before deciding what he wanted. He picked a green sucker, a rainbow sucker, a orange piece of hard candy and a smarties. I told him he can have more then that, but he said “no, I’m good.” I told him he had to wait till be paid to eat it and if he wasn’t listening, I would take his candy away. That bag of 4 pieces of candy was like gold to him. He listened the whole time and it was the easiest grocery shopping trip ever! No running away or getting into things or having a melt down, he doesn’t stay in the cart anymore. He was so proud carrying his bag around. When we were done he put the bag on the belt and helped me bag groceries and ate his candy on the way home. It was heaven! Anyone who knows what shopping is like with a busy 2 year old, knows what I am talking about.

Christmas

2012-01-05T21:25:00.001-08:00

We had a great Christmas this year! Since Andrew is getting bigger I knew this year he would have so much fun opening presents.

We celebrated Christmas Eve at my parents house with my side of the family. We had a yummy dinner and opened presents. All the big boys (Aaron, Tyler and Chris) got remote control helicopters and they were in heaven. The girls got spoiled too. I got lots of fun stuff for my kitchen to match my kitchen redecorating. Andrew a semi car carrier, a tool bench with tools and the shake and go Lightening McQueen and Mater cars.

Christmas morning we celebrated as our little family. Aaron and I woke up and waited for Andrew to wake up. We went downstairs and opened our stocking. Andrew got some fun toys in his stocking that he was content. He got a Cars Pez dispenser, a couple Lightening McQueen and Mater cars, Cars coloring book and crayons, an airplane and helicopter and another airplane that came with a guy, a light up toy he eyed every time we went to the store and lots of candy. He was happy as can be. It took him all morning to open his presents from under the tree and there are a couple that haven’t been opened.

Aaron got a Lego train set from Santa and Andrew got a Star Wars play set with “guys” to go with it. He got little Lego sets in his stocking and a Christmas tie to wear to church. I got a white wool coat, with matching white cashmere gloves, leather white purse and an eternity ring from Tiffany's. I got bath and body works and pampered chef goodies in my stocking, plus some of my favorite candy. I definitely got spoiled by Santa and I didn’t pick any of it out. It was all a surprise!

I made a breakfast casserole and reindeer pancakes for breakfast.

Andrew playing with his toys.

Checking out the train set. Aaron and Andrew love it! I think it will become a permanent fixture in our dinning room.

The week after Christmas we went to Wenatchee to be with Aarons family. We got spoiled there too. Andrew got the Buzz Lightyear “doll” he wanted and Aaron got great tools and things for the car and I got more kitchen stuff that was on my list, including a cast iron pot I wanted. It was great to see family and friends and relax. Aaron took 2 weeks off for Christmas and we have loved having him home.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Getting Ready for the Day

2012-01-03T21:42:00.001-08:00

Andrew can dress and undress himself and we let him pick out his clothes in the morning. After he put on his jeans, I told him to pick out a shirt. He picked out his jammies instead and put them on. I told him he can’t wear his jammies, he threw a fit and it was a battle to get a shirt on instead. Welcome to being 2.

Earlier that day I was getting ready and put on a scarf on. Andrew insisted on wearing a scarf too. When I got my purse together, he wanted one too. We came downstairs wearing our scarfs and purses and told Aaron we were ready. He just laughed and said “I don’t think so.” I told Aaron he needs to do some manly stuff with Andrew since he may be spending too much time with me.

I was cooking dinner the other night and looked over to what Andrew was doing. He had found my make up bag and was getting my eye shadow out. He actually did a good job and after the shadow, he got out the mascara was was ready to put it on. I stopped him so it wouldn’t be such a mess.

No, Asleep!

2012-01-03T21:26:00.001-08:00

Last month our church meeting times was changed from 9:00 to 1:00. All of us were getting use to going to church in the morning and nap time in the afternoon. By 11:30, Andrew was ready for a nap. We told him we were going to church in a little bit. At 11:45 we went to see what Andrew was up to and he was sound asleep in his bed. He had given up on us and put himself down for a nap.

Aaron decided to let him sleep till 12:15 and then get him ready for church. Aaron stood outside his room and knocked on the door, opened the door a bit and told Andrew it was time to get up. He said “no, asleep!” Aaron said “no, its time to get up and get ready for church.” Andrew huffed, threw the blanket off himself, went to the door and slammed the door and yelled “no, I’m asleep” and got back into bed. We got a glimpse of Andrew as a teenager, 2 going on 16. Aaron just laughs because Andrew gets it all from me. I am not a morning person and I enjoy sleeping.

Silly, Happy Andrew

2012-01-03T21:15:00.001-08:00

We were playing with the Mr. Potato Heads and Andrew thought it was fun to wear the glasses.

Andrew was playing in the guest room bed and being silly. Look at all the cute faces of this boy. How can it not make you smile?! We love this boy so much!

Parent of the Year Award

2012-01-03T21:10:00.001-08:00

We were working on some neighbor Christmas gifts and had the mini chocolate chips out. Andrew thought it would be fun to get a cup from his kitchen set and decided to “drink” the chocolate chips.

This is Andrew saying “chocolate chips.”

So allowing Andrew to “drink” a cup of chocolate chips could win us the parent of the year award. Sheesh.

A Post of Pictures

2011-12-05T21:47:00.001-08:00

I realized it’s been awhile since I have updated the blog. I thought why not do one big post instead of many little posts. So here you go, some pictures to enjoy:

At the last craft fair at Beasley this fall, there was a booth that was selling these letter trains. Andrew loves trains and I had to get one for him. I was going to save it for when we moved him into his big kid room, but I was in the other room and I heard him say “wow, cool.” I came out and he had hooked some of the letters together and he said “cool train, mom.” We worked on spelling his name and putting it in order and he drove it around the coffee table.

The was a lady bug in the utility closet. Andrew crawled after that bug for quite awhile and then we put it outside to join it’s family. This boy loves all creatures, whether it is insect or animal.

This is Andrews new way of watching movies. He pulls both chairs from his table in front of the coffee table and sits and watches the movie.

Aaron has been working on Christmas projects lately. Andrew enjoys helping dad in the garage. This picture makes me laugh since he is in his jammies with his shoes on, working in the garage with dad.

We were eating dinner one night (ok, we eat dinner every night). Andrew had finished eating dinner and was lying on the bench. I thought he was just hanging out there, but nope he was sound asleep.

Grandma Mertes made Andrew’s day! She stopped by to give him a Cars lunch bag and Cars key chain with keys and a remote on it, as well as a flashlight and lanyard just like hers. Andrew loves playing with her keys and now he has a set of his own. He takes them everywhere with him and wears them in the store. He even hangs them on the hook by our keys so they don’t get lost.

We put up the Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. We put it in the playroom and now under the tree is a great place to play with cars.

Andrew has really gotten into his kitchen set lately. I hung the apron that I had when I was little by the kitchen set and now every time he goes to play with it he has to put his apron on first. Grocery shopping and cooking can be messy.

The other night I ran upstairs to do some emailing and came back downstairs. We had a Christmas bowl with candy cane kisses in it and there was 12 or so left in the bowl. Well when I came downstairs the bowl was empty and there was a pile of wrappers on the table and floor. I was surprised he ate all of them. He has been good about running over and having one or two and then going back to playing. I didn’t think he would eat them all in one sitting.

Whenever I turn the music on the TV, Andrew runs over to behind the couch and grabs the Rockband guitar and starts playing along to the music. He will stand there and dance and sing with the guitar too. We may have to get him one his own size for Christmas. He loves music and playing any type of musical instrument. One of these days I am going to get him a harmonica. I think he would love playing that.

Now for a funny story….today we went to mail Christmas presents at the Post Office. I drove into the parking lot and Andrew said “ohhh the temple.” I asked him if we were at the temple and he said yes. I told his this is the Post Office and we took a little tour and talked about what goes on at the Post Office. He then started saying Post Office. When we got into the car to leave he said “bye temple.” Oh brother.

New Found Blog = Are You Serious?!

2011-11-07T15:17:00.001-08:00

My Friend posted this blog on her blog (thanks Carrie) and now I am addicted! It is called Penny Chic and it is all about putting cute outfits together from clothes and accessories found at Wal-Mart. Yes, you read right, Wal-Mart. I have always had the mind set of NEVER buying any clothing or accessories from Wal-Mart and that Wal-Mart is for everything except what you put on your body. Well this blog may have convinced me otherwise. I have never really looked at clothes and accessories at Wal-Mart and still don’t think you can find these cute things at our Pullman Wal-Mart. Maybe you can find them in bigger city Wal-Marts or online at walmart.com. But I am willing to give it a try and actually walk into the clothing and shoes section of Wal-Mart. I will let you know how it goes.

Here is the link to the blog:

http://pennychic.com/

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:19:00.001-07:00

Sunday we carved our pumpkins while watching The Addams Family. Andrew wasn’t too sure about cleaning out the pumpkins, but he was a good supervisor.

He felt the pumpkin needed to wear a balloon as a hat.

He then pointed out all the pumpkins. One was the daddy pumpkin, then mommy pumpkin and baby pumpkin, plus the kitty. The kitty was part of the family too. Andrew is all about families lately and everything has a mommy, daddy and baby. It is so cute.

We had a great Halloween night! Andrew really figured out what Trick or Treating was all about. We went to both of the streets in our neighborhood until he was so cold he was ready to go home. He was so cute knocking on the door and then said “trick or treat” and then “thank-you.” We went with our neighbor Laurel and Zack. Zack and Andrew are the best of friends and they both dressed up as Superman. It was so cute watching them run around the neighborhood together. Aaron dressed up as Indiana Jones for work and to give out candy tonight. He was a hit with the kids.

We had mummy pigs (little smokies in a blanket) and apple slices for dinner tonight. Yummy!

Andrew ready to go trick or treating.

Naptime Friend?

2011-10-30T21:07:00.001-07:00

Today after church we ate lunch and then carved pumpkins. Andrew got a balloon at Tomato Brothers where we ate last night and was playing with it while we were carving pumpkins. Andrew was getting ready for a nap and he laid down on the couch with his blanket and fell asleep while still holding onto his balloon. It was funny to see him sound asleep with a balloon next to him.

A New Hiding Place

2011-10-30T21:04:00.001-07:00

Andrew has discovered that he can fit in the cupboard with the pots and pans. There are times where we wonder where he is and he pops out of the cupboard.

He even finds good places to hide in stores.

We were at Wal-mart yesterday and all of the sudden we realized Andrew wasn’t next to us. (I know…good parents we are.) We started calling his name and the people in the aisle said they didn’t see him walk away. Then we heard a little giggle from the shelf in front of us. We looked down and there was Andrew behind the cake mixes. Who would have thought he could fit back there?!

New Table and Chairs

2011-10-30T20:56:00.001-07:00

I wanted a set of Andrew size table and chairs for our home. After going to many stores and not finding what I wanted or pay the price stores wanted, Aaron decided he could make it himself.

During the making of said table and chairs. Ready to sand, stain and lacquer.

Andrew trying it out. I think he approves.

Andrew testing out the finished product.

Impressive huh?! It even works for cars and cookies and can travel around the dining room.

Sticker Fun

2011-10-18T20:47:00.001-07:00

Andrew is really into stickers lately and yesterday he decided to cover his shirt in stickers (some of them had already fallen off before we took a picture). He is such a fun kid. I love having him in our family!

P.S. when did he get to start looking like a big kid? Where did my baby go? I didn’t authorize this!

So Tired

2011-10-18T20:42:00.001-07:00

I watch a 2 year old girl a few afternoons a week and she has decided she doesn’t need to nap anymore. I put Andrew down for a nap, since he still needs a nap but it didn’t last long when he heard Ashlyn downstairs. Therefore there was no nap for Andrew. Ashlyn’s dad came at 7:00 to pick her up and we decided to pop some popcorn and watch a show or two on Hulu. Andrew didn’t even last 15 minutes before he was sound asleep with his hand in the popcorn bowl.

Rock Band Fun

2011-10-18T20:37:00.001-07:00

The other evening when I was gone, Aaron and Andrew played a little Rock Band. Aaron was on guitar and Andrew on drums.

I put the drumsticks on top of the fridge since Andrew was using them as a weapon and didn’t tell Aaron where they were. So Andrew used a wooden spoon from his kitchen set.

Maybe next time they will need a singer and I can play too. I wonder if they will let a girl into their band?

Welcome to Mario Kart

2011-09-28T15:25:00.001-07:00

On Sunday Aaron introduced AJ to Mario Kart for the Wii. AJ loved it! He got to pick his character, which he picked Bowser, and his car. The whole time you could hear him say “wow, cool.” AJ loves cars, so this is right up his alley, plus anytime Aaron can introduce him to a video game, Aaron is happy too.

New Shelves

2011-09-21T21:04:00.001-07:00

Aaron put up shelves in the craft/guest room this past weekend for me to organize my crafts. They look great and I feel so organized! I told Aaron we might have to have fewer kids since I may not want to give up this room. We will see what happens.

What a Zucchini!

2011-09-21T20:59:00.001-07:00

My mom stopped by yesterday with a HUGE zucchini that my dad picked for us out of their garden. I wish I would have taken a picture, but you know how big zucchinis can get. That night Andrew and Aaron grated up the majority of it to make bread and muffins and freeze the rest. When Aaron was little, it was his job to feed the zucchini in the grater on the Kitchen aid mixer while his mom cut it up. Aaron figured Andrew was old enough to do this job, which Andrew loved. Aaron would cut up the zucchini and Andrew would keep it feeding through. He though the plunger pusher was the best.

Today Andrew and I made zucchini bread and muffins. Andrew was so good at dumping in the ingredients, turning the mixer on and off and evening measuring out the spices. I measured out the baking soda and he put it in the mixer. I turned around to get more spices out of the cupboard and he measured out another teaspoon of baking soda and dumped it in. He figured if mom can do it, so can I. We have a good time cooking and baking in the kitchen. He is a good helper.

When One Sucker Just Wont Do

2011-09-21T20:50:00.001-07:00

AJ has found a love for suckers. I think it is his new favorite candy. We went to the fair he got loaded up on suckers and on Sunday he got one from the Bishop after church and had one already unwrapped at home. He walked around with both of them in his hand and sometimes eating both at once.

New Church Outfit

2011-09-21T20:46:00.001-07:00

Grandpa and Grandma Wright bought AJ a new outfit for church. He tried it out on Sunday and was oh so handsome. He got a lot of compliments at church of how cute he was. Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for making him adorable!

Andrew and Dad’s Phone

2011-09-17T21:58:00.001-07:00

Aaron forgot his phone the other day when he went to work. Andrew grabbed it off his desk in the office and ran over and sat on his play kitchen container. He has learned to turn on the phone, unlock it, push the apps button and push the paint game. He is one smart boy, almost too smart at times. You only have to show him how to do something once and he will remember from then on out. He is very mechanically minded and can figure out most things on his own without any help. He is always full of surprises. I look at him in awe and ask him how he got so smart. One of my friends the other day, after watching Andrew play, said to me, well when you have 2 very smart parents I am not surprised how smart he is. I took that as a great compliment. Well now that I have bragged about my child, you can see the picture of him and Aaron’s phone.

Latah County Fair

2011-09-17T21:50:00.001-07:00

Friday night we had a family date night plus one. I watch an old coworkers little girl 2-3 afternoons a week. Her babysitter for Friday and Saturday were unavailable so we had Ashlyn with us till her dad picked her up. Ashlyn and Andrew are 2 months apart (she being older) and both have blonde hair and blue eyes and both names start with A, so a lot of people ask if they are twins. Sometimes I get little glimpses of what it would be like to have twins.
The Arbys in Moscow had their anniversary sale with $.99 regular roast beef sandwiches. Yummy! We went there for dinner and then to the fair afterwards.

The Latah fair is a fun fair. First of all it is free to get in and they have fun things to do.

There are the animals of course. Who doesn’t love the animals at the fair?! Since we have a little boy that loves animals, it is a must see.

But of course, he is two so he is easily distracted. He thought the rope lights and the girl sweeping up were a great part of the fair.

One of the highlights of the Latah fair is the train rooms. There are two rooms, one with bigger scale trains and the other has smaller scale ones. Andrew loves trains so he was so excited to watch them. He liked the bigger ones better and kept saying “cool, cool!”

In the same building are all the business booths. Andrew has learned that most of the booths have candy on them. He will run to a table and look for candy, grab a piece and go to the next. His pockets are quite full at the end. Dum Dum suckers are his favorite though.

We had a great night at the fair. I love the fall season…the air is cooler and crisper, there is a fair every weekend and pumpkins are abounding. I am so excited to have Andrew experience it all this season. Bring on the pumpkin patches and hay rides!

Successful Rolls

2011-09-16T21:10:00.001-07:00

My mom has been trying to teach me for years how to make her delicious rolls and Sunday I wanted them so I took another stab at making them. Every time I make rolls they don’t rise or are just not good. I cant even do Rhodes rolls. So Sunday afternoon I tried again. Each step I kept thinking, this looks right, this may turn out. After I let them rise, they actually rose like they were suppose to…beautiful! Then I put them on the pan and let them rise again and they actually rose again…shocking! I did half rolls and half cinnamon rolls.

Andrew did a good job helping me roll out the cinnamon rolls and sprinkling the cinnamon and sugar. Aaron begged me to put in raisins. I think raisins in cinnamon rolls are one sure way to ruin a cinnamon roll, but I love him, so I put them in. I think Andrew ate more raisins then ones that ended in on the dough.

The rolls after baking. Yummy!

The cinnamon rolls after baking. Delicious!

Now that I have had a successful batch turn out, I think Aaron is going to expect this more often. He has quite enjoyed having a cinnamon roll every morning for breakfast.

SEL Carnival

2011-09-13T14:44:00.001-07:00

Saturday we went to the SEL carnival for Aaron’s work. They had booths set up with carnival games, a bouncy castle, bouncy slide and a velcro wall. They also had carnival food; hot dogs, popcorn, nachos and cotton candy. Every booth was giving out candy and toys. AJ got so many suckers, candy and little toys. His pockets were full and he was in heaven. We had a good time, even though it was so hot outside. After an hour and half AJ was done. He wanted to go home.

Whitman County Fair

2011-09-13T13:48:00.001-07:00

Friday night we met my family at the fair. I was excited to take AJ there to see the animals and tractors. He loves animals and anything with wheels.

He loved watching the pigs and the bunnies.

At the bunny barn, he got some stickers. He immediately took the stickers off the paper and stuck one on each arm. Then he would walk around showing everyone his stickers.

At one of the booths, there was a lady selling bubbles and blowers. AJ thought those were the best. He loves bubbles!

We then checked out the tractors. We were disappointed in the lack of tractors but I guess they are out in the field during harvest time.

We walked by the Whitman County Sheriffs booth and AJ was enthralled with the lights on the ATV. One of the police officers asked him if he wanted to sit in it and drive it. AJ was pretty excited!

Kate, Aaron, Dad and I watched part of the rodeo while Mom, Tyler and AJ went to look at the rest of the animals and the rides. We had a great time at the fair!

Chair Sleeping

2011-09-13T13:26:00.001-07:00

I would see evidence that AJ slept in the chair in his room but I never saw him do it. I often wondered how he was able to sleep and now I know. I checked on him to make sure he was taking a nap yesterday and sure enough he was sound asleep in the chair.

Closets Are For Sleeping

2011-08-31T14:57:00.001-07:00

Today I put Andrew down for a nap even though he didn’t want to. I put him in his bed and locked the door to ensure he would stay in his room. I hate doing this, but he still needs a nap or we have a rough rest of the day. After a screaming fit, it was quiet in his room. I went upstairs to check on him and he was no where to be found. A slight panic over came me as I looked in his bed and the chair, he often sleeps in the chair, why instead of his bed, I don’t know. You would think the bed would be more comfy. I looked under his bed and by the toys and then looked in the closet. That is where I found him curled up, sound asleep on a blanket there. He looked so comfy and was snoring that I didn’t move him but let him sleep there. Oh the adventures of a 2 year old.

A Hot Wheels Addiction?

2011-08-30T16:28:00.001-07:00

Andrew loves cars, especially hot wheels cars. He got a few cars and a track set for his birthday, but Aaron felt that wasn’t enough. On Saturday, I went to a baby shower and Aaron and Andrew did some hot wheel shopping. They came back with 20 hot wheel cars and 3 sets of tracks! They had a great time testing out each car on the track and making some long tracks.

Andrew always has at least a car in each hand and they go everywhere with him.

Great Time with Great Friends

2011-08-30T15:42:00.001-07:00

Friday we met my friend Sarah and her family at Riverfront Park in Spokane. Sarah and her family live outside of Phoenix and were in Spokane visiting family and we haven't seen each other in forever! It was so great hanging out with Sarah, Jeremy, Elizabeth and Andrew (yes, she has an Andrew too.)

Andrew and I walking into the park. When you let a 2 year old lead the way, it takes quite awhile to get where you are going.

We bought day passes for the park and rode some rides. This was the first time Andrew has been on a ride. He wasn’t too sure at first, but then loved it.

He loved riding on the train. He loves trains!

Our pass included an IMAX movie. We saw a movie about orangutans and elephants. This was the first movie Andrew has seen and he did really well. He loved how silly the orangutans are.

Afterwards we did some miniature golfing. He did great the first few holes and then had a meltdown. It is so hard being 2 and not get a nap.

After taking a little break, we rode the carousel. Andrew didn’t like the horses and was content sitting on the bench and going around. We then played in the splash park and on the red wagon.

On the way back to the car, Andrew fell asleep on my shoulders. He was one tired boy.

After spending the day at the park, we went back to Sarah’s Aunt and Uncle’s house for dinner and to play some more. Elizabeth loved pulling Andrew around in the tractor. Andrew had a good time playing guitar hero and the piano.

Thanks for such a great day Sarah! We loved seeing you and playing! Phoenix is too far away!

Happy 2nd Birthday Andrew!

2011-08-21T21:40:00.001-07:00

We had a great time celebrating Andrew’s birthday with family and friends. We had a race car theme birthday since Andrew LOVES cars! Aarons parents came up from Wenatchee and spent the weekend with us, as well as all my family came to his party.

One of my friends makes cakes and she made Andrew’s cake in trade for some scrapbooking I will do for her. I thought it turned out great!

The food table

The activity table. I made car crayons and a road to color. We also had make your own race car stickers.

We bought Andrew a car mat for his birthday and he was so excited when he saw it! He gotten woken up from his nap and was not happy about it. He came downstairs and needed a snuggle. He then wanted a drink, so we got off the couch to get one and he was throwing a fit about something. He walked onto the mat, looked down and saw the cars and the mat and it from throwing a fit to “wow, cars” all at once. It was so funny to see the instant change in his behavior once he saw the cars. He and Aaron decided to try it out before the party.

I also made goodie bags for all the kids. The kids loved them!

The birthday boy! (Yes, I made his shirt too.)

Some fun pictures from the party.

Andrew and his birthday cupcake. He actually tried blowing out his candles, he needed a little help from dad though. He thought they were so good that he had two cupcakes. I figured, why not, it’s your birthday.

Present time! Andrew got some really great presents. He is definitely spoiled by all! He had the unwrapping part down. We didn’t even have to tell him to take the paper off, he just started ripping.

We opened all the presents so everyone could play with them and Aaron and Tyler got started on putting the bike together from Grandpa and Grandma Wright. They barely got it together before Andrew climbed on. When Andrew wasn’t riding it, Tyler had to hide it so he could put the decals on it.

Some fun family pictures. We had a family BBQ after Andrews party since we were all together.

Three handsome men before church.

Getting in some last minute play time with Grandpa before they went home.

Watermelon Social

2011-08-21T20:52:00.001-07:00

Our neighborhood had a watermelon social the other night. Some people volunteered to bring watermelon and others brought bubbles and sidewalk chalk. We had a lot of fun getting together with our neighbors and enjoying some yummy watermelon. Andrew thought the bubbles were the best. He loves to blow bubbles. One of our neighbors brought over badminton rackets and dipped it in the bubble solution and then waved it around and made a ton of bubbles. I hadn't ever thought of that, what a great idea! We LOVE our neighborhood!

Ice Cream…Yummy!

2011-08-08T14:42:00.001-07:00

We really like ice cream at our house, if you can’t tell. But for some reason I never buy it at the store and have it in the freezer, we always get it from somewhere else. I guess it makes good family outing to go get it.

This summer we have taken advantage of Licks $1 scoops on Thursday. Yummy!

We also like to hit up DQ for ice cream some nights too. Last time we went I was going to order AJ a vanilla kids cone, but Aaron said that was just mean and to order him chocolate. I guess I was thinking like a realistic mom and what a mess chocolate makes and Aaron was thinking more like a fun dad and get the good flavor. Nevertheless, he made a huge mess but enjoyed every minute of it.

Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles

2011-08-08T14:25:00.001-07:00

AJ loves blowing bubbles. Anytime we go outside, he wants to blow the bubbles.

He is getting really good at blowing that I can’t wait to see how he does blowing out his birthday candles in a couple weeks.

A New Table

2011-08-08T14:20:00.001-07:00

We were at Shopko the other day and they had their summer toys on clearance.

Side note: Does anyone else find it odd that it FINALLY feels like summer, yet all the summer toys and clothes are on clearance and there is fall clothes and back to school supplies, and even Halloween décor out already? I guess summer is almost over.

Anyway, we found this great picnic table on clearance and thought it would be perfect for Andrew and his friends to use both indoors and out.

Andrew was a big helper putting it together with Aaron.

Even a good table to have breakfast, lunch and snacks on.

Big Boy Bed

2011-08-08T14:12:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago (I know, I am late on my blogging as usual) we converted AJ’s crib to a toddler bed. He couldn’t be happier! He feels like such a big boy. So far he is doing well. He has always been a good sleeper so that helps. When it is bed time, he will go pick a stuffed animal out of the basket and book off the shelf to read in bed. He then climbs up and covers himself with his blanket. He now knows how to do all the door knobs in the house, so when he is done sleeping, he will open the door and come downstairs or come find us if we are still in bed. I have been working out in the mornings during the week and get home from the gym around 7. I walk in the door and hear the shower going (so I figure Aaron is up) and Andrew is on the couch with the TV on and a snack in hand, that he helped himself from the pantry. I am starting to think he doesn’t need us anymore, that he can do it all himself.

Choo Choo Train

2011-08-08T14:04:00.001-07:00

Andrew is really into trains lately. We got him this train set from Ikea for his birthday last year and he is loving it more and more. We set it up in his room and we are constantly hearing “choo chooo” from his room. He has figured out how to link the track together and how the cars go. The cars on the train are magnetic and if it doesn’t attract, he says “turn it around” and then turns it till it goes together. I love how he sets up some of his toys along the track too when plays too.

Sometimes there is big tracks and little tracks, but either way it has to have the tunnel to go through. I think the tunnel is his favorite.

We bought more tracks last time we were at Ikea so we can make a big track loop. I was telling Aaron he should build AJ a train table for Christmas. AJ would be in heaven! So we will see what Aaron decides to do.

You’re a Big Boy, Not a Baby

2011-07-25T21:36:00.001-07:00

Lately, Andrew has rediscovered the baby swing and excersaucer. Both are sitting in the office and he likes to play in them every now and then.

He will get in the swing and say “night night” and pretend he is asleep.

He is way too big for the excersaucer, but that doesn’t stop him from climbing in and out and playing.

First Camping Trip of the Season

2011-07-25T21:30:00.001-07:00

I know, it is already the end of July and we have done our first camping trip. This has been a very mild summer and we are still waiting for summer to get here.

We went camping at Kamiak Butte. It is a great place to go camping. It is only 9 miles outside of Pullman, but you feel like you are in the middle of the woods. We had such a great time!

We got there around dinner time on Friday and set up the tent when we got there. When the tent was set up, Andrew walked in and said “wow. This is cool.”

He and Aaron then got the fire going for dinner. We made tin foil dinners of bacon wrapped meatloaf, onions and potato wedges (Aaron’s suggestion) and corn on the cob. It turned out great and very delicious. We had smores of course for dessert. Boys and fires, what a dangerous combination. Andrew thought it was great to help build the fire, but had to be reminded constantly that the fire is hot and we don’t touch it.

Aaron got a new fancy camera so he was trying it out that night. These are some great pictures of the night sky and the fire.

Saturday we woke up and Aaron made breakfast, his famous chocolate chip pancakes. Andrew was helping me mix the batter and I poured in some chocolate chips. He then wanted the container, I figure to snack on, but instead poured the rest of the chips in. (When we are cooking or baking together, it is his job to pour in the ingredients. I guess he felt he missed out.) Nevertheless, there was some very chocolaty pancakes.

We were going to do the hike after breakfast, but Andrew was already falling apart and we didn’t bring anything to carry him on the hike and I knew one of us would be carrying him most of the hike with the mood he was in. Instead we went and played on the playground equipment and “hiked” on the trails to the amphitheater and other areas. I still ended up carrying him some. He thought the stage at the amphitheater was a great place to dance.

At the beginning of the summer, Andrew was all about the slides. Now he is all about the swings. This boy loves a good playground.

We had a very successful camping trip and can’t wait to go again!

Boys Don’t Wear Lipstick

2011-07-06T22:23:00.001-07:00

Tonight I was fixing dinner and I saw Andrew playing in my purse, but didn’t think anything of it. I figure he was getting my wallet out to play as usual. Well he ran past me and I looked down to see he had my new chubby Lip balm (remember my new love?) in his hand. I quickly grabbed it from him so he wouldn’t ruin it. As I reached down to get it, I looked at his face and he was wearing the lip balm. I tried as hard as I could to tell him he doesn’t play with this and it is only for mom, without laughing. Silly boy. He did learn the other day how to put on chapstick. It is the cutest thing, but I didn’t know why I wouldn’t think he would do the same thing with lip gloss or lip stick.

Boise, Here We Come!

2011-07-06T22:16:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we went to Boise to celebrate my Grandparents 60th wedding anniversary and for a family reunion. We had a great time visiting all the family. It has been way too long since I have seen a lot of my cousins and their families. We stayed in hotel there and the boys had fun jumping and diving onto the bed.

(Sorry, there are so many pictures of wrestling on the bed, but they are all so fun!)

Saturday we went out to my Grandparent’s house and introduced AJ to Grandpa’s ATV. He wasn’t too sure at first, but then couldn’t get enough of it.

Saturday afternoon we went to a park for lunch and visiting and playing with all the family. Sunday we had a family BBQ at my Grandparent’s house and played some more. Then Monday we came home. It was great to see everyone, go swimming at the hotel and do a little shopping. What a great vacation!

(My mom took pictures at the other events, so when I get those from her, I will have to post them.)

4th of July

2011-07-06T21:59:00.001-07:00

We got back from Boise just in time for the neighborhood parade. Every year the neighborhood kids decorate their bikes and scooters and ride up and down the streets. We have an elderly man, Carl, who lives by himself on our street and one of the neighbors got an ATV and drove Carl down the street so he could be the Grand Marshal of the parade.

While we were waiting, Aaron introduced Andrew to snap pops. He taught him how to throw them and step on them. AJ loved it.

After the parade went by, we met down at the cul-de-sac for popsicles and visits with the neighbors. We love our little neighborhood.

Our neighbor across the street had family visiting for the weekend. They have a great grandson who is 18 months and he and Andrew had a lot of fun playing together. They set up a little pool in the front yard and he and Andrew jumped in, clothes and all. After “swimming” some, they played blocks on the front porch.

Later we went out to my parents for a BBQ and fireworks. We ate yummy food and made smores in grandpa and grandma’s fire pit and then did fireworks.

This was the first time Andrew roasted a marshmallow. He was in heaven…fire and marshmallows, what more could a little boy want?!

Aaron introduced Andrew to smoke bombs, which he liked. Aunt Kate bought a set of fireworks that had a tank, boat, plane and cars in it. Andrew loved flying his plane around. Andrew wasn’t too sure about the sparklers but liked the big fireworks as long as they weren't squealing or whistling. He didn’t last too long and fell asleep on my lap.

We had a great 4th of July with family and friends. Happy Birthday America!

A New Love

2011-06-28T11:55:00.001-07:00

Clinique has this new lip balm/lipstick. It is so amazing, that I had to share it with all of you! It is called Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm. It is like a lipstick but has the moisturizers of a chapstick so it nourishes your lips too. What a great summer find!

I bought one in Super Strawberry (which I love). You have to check them out!

Sprinkler Fun?

2011-06-26T21:40:00.001-07:00

Today was sunny and warm outside. When we got home from church, we went outside to play. I had bought this sprinkler for Andrew to play in and we decided to try it out. This was as close as he got to it. He did pull his chair over and enjoy it from his chair.

Just Andrew being cute. (It happens quite a bit.)

Family BBQ Fun

2011-06-26T21:35:00.001-07:00

Last night we had a bbq with my parents and Kate and Tyler at Klemgard park. Klemgard is my favorite park on the Palouse, if you haven't gone, you need to this summer. There is plenty of room to run around and a nice hiking trail to enjoy.

Grandpa, Grandma and Andrew enjoying the swings

Running with Toby (my parents dog)

Having fun on the slide. Tyler was teaching Andrew how to go up the slide.

Playing in the tunnel.

Tyler BBQing. Yes, we brought out our own BBQ instead of doing charcoal.

Andrew climbing up the ladder. One thing about this kid, he has no fear. He got to the top and there was too much of a gap between the ladder and platform, so we helped him out.

After dinner and playing some more, we made smores. Aaron bought the huge campfire marshmallows they had at walmart. They were good, but messy. I put my graham cracker and chocolate on the grill to melt, which it thoroughly did, what a mess but so good.

Nice Accessories

2011-06-26T21:17:00.001-07:00

Lately Andrew has been into wearing accessories: necklaces, bracelets, rings, you name it. I think it is because I am always wearing some type of accessory. I sometimes leave them around the house, so he is finds them and then puts them on. We have these necklaces we got from the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii that Andrew found in a drawer the other day. He wore them around the house for quite a bit. Lookin’ good Andrew.

Water Fun

2011-06-26T21:12:00.001-07:00

Andrew had some friends over this week and they decided it would be fun to dump the watering bucket and the container of bubbles on the patio and play in it. There was water and bubbles everywhere but that didn’t stop them from splashing. Good thing it was warm outside so they could play outside to dry off before coming in the house. I have learned the saying is true…”boys will be boys.” I also learned you can’t turn your back on 3 little boys for any amount of time.

Gardening

2011-06-26T21:07:00.001-07:00

Aaron planted seeds a portable greenhouse awhile back and one finally grew! Aaron transplanted it into a bigger pot with the help of Andrew. He put it along the fence in the backyard and we will see if it grows.

Fun With Markers

2011-06-26T21:04:00.001-07:00

I was working on Aaron’s Father’s Day present and was using markers (I know, old school) and I introduced Andrew to markers. He actually did pretty well and didn’t get it all over himself or the table. He thought they were great and now prefers markers over crayons. He is getting to be such a big boy.

A Love For Books

2011-06-26T21:01:00.001-07:00

Lately Andrew has really been into books. There are some days that it seems we read books all day long. We read books before bed and then he picks out 2 books to read in bed till he falls asleep. The other night I went in and checked on him before Aaron and I went to bed and this is how I found him. There has been many more of these nights since then. I guess it’s hard to put down a good book.

Happy Father’s Day Aaron!

2011-06-19T10:21:00.001-07:00

Andrew is a lucky boy to have Aaron as his dad. We are grateful for all the things he teaches Andrew and the special bond they have. Andrew is so much like his dad, it is fun to watch them together. Thank-you for all you do for our family.

We love you Aaron! Happy Father’s Day!

Double Rainbow

2011-06-16T11:32:00.001-07:00

I got home from YW’s last night and there was a double rainbow in front of our house and it looked like it ended in the field by our house. I have never seen an end of the rainbow, and no there was no pot of gold there. I ran into the house and got Andrew to show him the rainbow. He thought it was pretty cool.

Water Table Fun

2011-06-16T11:30:00.001-07:00

While we were on our search for the ink cartridge, we came across this water toy for cheap at Shopko. Andrew and I thought it would be a fun outside toy. You are suppose to put sand in it too, but that seems to be a recipe for disaster.

I love that Andrew is really into wearing hats, not only does it keep the sun out of his eye and not burn his head, but he looks like such a big boy. I am on the search for a kids size WSU cougar hat.

Speaking of the Cougars…Aaron and I got into quite a discussion about Cougar apparel. I wanted to go get a Cougar hoodie and he said I couldn’t get one since I didn’t go to WSU, but to a rival school. I told him I can wear it since I grew up here and we live in the same town as WSU. He said only he could wear cougar apparel since he graduated from WSU and that Andrew can wear it too since he is the son of a WSU alumni. We are still in debate about this. Oh the things we debate about in the Wright house.

A Chair Just His Size

2011-06-16T11:21:00.001-07:00

The other day we were out and about trying to find ink for our printer. It takes a grey color, which we found out can only be found at Staples in the Moscow/Pullman area. While at one store, Andrew and I found a chair just his size. He picked out the tiger one, probably because he likes to roar and can say “tiger.” We are also at the mall and found some cool sunglasses at Old Navy. Andrew loves to sit on the front porch and watch the cars go by from his chair.

He also needed to try out the cup holder. What more do you need then a comfy chair and something to drink while you watch the world go by?

Corn on the Cob

2011-06-09T16:29:00.001-07:00

We had corn on the cob for this first time this season and we taught Andrew how to eat it off the cob. He thought it was delicious, but who doesn’t love corn on the cob?!

Hot Pad

2011-06-09T16:26:00.001-07:00

Lately when Andrew plays with his kitchen, he uses the hot pad every time he gets something out the oven. He will even stop before he tries to open it, run over put on his oven mitt and then open it. He will open the oven door, say “hot hot” and then pull the pan out. It is so fun to watch him learning and mimicking what we do.

He also figured out how to cut his play pizza with the pizza cutter.

Wedding at a Christmas Tree Farm

2011-06-09T16:22:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we went to a friends wedding. It was held at a Christmas tree farm north of Spokane. It was a beautiful wedding and beautiful day!

Checking out the little Christmas trees.

Picking up rocks. This boy loves rocks.

The wedding area. Andrew and dad loved these chairs and spent some good time sitting in them.

Enjoying food at the reception. Andrew tried his first taste of sparkling cider. He wasn’t sure what to think of it. He made quite the face but wanted more.

Baking Cookies

2011-06-09T16:13:00.001-07:00

Andrew helped me make cookies the other day. When I put my apron on he wanted one too. I remembered my mom gave me mine from when I was little and it is just his size. He wore it all around the house and thought it was pretty cool. I am not sure what he was making with chocolate chips, plastic forks and spoons and corn cob holders. Must have been his own recipe.

When the cookies were cooled I asked if he wanted a cookie, he said “no.” He then went to the fridge and said “pickle.” He wanted a pickle instead. He definitely is not my son if he wants a pickle over a warm baked cookie. He loves pickles!

Haircut

2011-06-09T16:08:00.001-07:00

I cut Andrew’s hair the other night. I told him he was done but I needed to comb his hair, he told me “NO” and got down. He must of thought his spiked hair was cool.

Don’t mind the Cheetos mouth. I have to keep him distracted somehow.

Sidewalk Chalk

2011-06-09T16:04:00.001-07:00

We introduced Andrew to the art of using chalk on the pavement outside. He thought it was pretty great!

We have been working on naming body parts and he thinks his tongue is pretty cool. He is always sticking it out in pictures. So silly!

Car Caddy

2011-06-09T15:58:00.001-07:00

Lately, Andrew is really into matchbox cars, but I was getting tired of always searching for them at the bottom of the diaper bag. Today during nap time I made Andrew this car caddy for his matchbox cars.

It was really easy to make but I did notice after I finished that I didn’t print out the template at full size. The car on the front was suppose to take up the whole square but mine was little. I was too lazy to pick it all out and redo it.

Here is the tutorial if you want to make one for yourself.

http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/2009/12/cozy-car-caddy-tutorial.html

(If you don’t having a sewing talent, but really want one, I would be happy to make you one. Just let me know. I know how frustrating it is to loose all the cars at the bottom of the bag.)

A New Adventure!

2011-06-07T21:09:00.001-07:00

My sister in law and I started a hair accessories business. You should defiantly check out our website:

www.thechicbutton.com

Let me know what you think!

My First Pie

2011-05-29T21:42:00.001-07:00

I made it into the Best Wife Ever Hall of Fame by making Aaron a pie. Aaron loves pie but I am always too nervous to make a pie crust from scratch. We got some rhubarb from a lady at church and I had some strawberries in the fridge so I made him a strawberry rhubarb pie.

It actually wasn’t that hard to make and it turned out really good. I was impressed with myself and so was Aaron. I think now that Aaron knows I can make pie, he will expect it more often.

Will Sleep Anywhere

2011-05-29T21:38:00.001-07:00

Wednesday I went to lunch with a friend and Aaron and Andrew had lunch together at home. (By the way, thank-you Aaron for coming home to watch Andrew so I didn’t have to take him with me. What a wonderful husband and father!)

Andrew was done eating lunch and they were watching T.V. Andrew got a pillow off the couch and laid it on the floor to watch T.V. Aaron noticed that he was pretty quiet and not wiggling as much, he looked over and Andrew was sound asleep on the pillow. I guess he was ready for a nap.

Andrew has started to fake snore when he pretends to be asleep. So cute!

Jump, Jump, Jump

2011-05-29T21:33:00.001-07:00

Andrew is really into jumping lately. He jumps down the stairs, off the curb and loves to dog pile. He will warn you by coming up close and then saying “jump” and then he’ll get you. On of our favorite family time is in the morning when he is ready to get up and we are not, we’ll bring him into bed and snuggle and dog pile. It is so great to have Andrew in our family. I love our little family!

Pizza Like a Big Boy

2011-05-29T21:28:00.001-07:00

Thursday we made a run down to Lewiston/Clarkston to return some things to Costco and go to Sears. Aaron got a Sears gift card that was itching to be spent.

We decided to go to Fazzari’s for dinner. If you havent been there, it is a must go! It has the best pizza around! So good! I usually cut up Andrew’s pizza but thought let’s try it like a big boy. He loved it doing it himself. He ate quite a bit.

He is really into his “cheese” face. Whenever he sees the camera he stops what he is doing, does the head tilt and says cheese til you put the camera away.

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes

2011-05-20T13:26:00.001-07:00

Andrew is all about shoes lately. We have a shoe basket by the front door and he is constantly taking shoes out of it to wear.

I was in the kitchen unloading the dishwasher when I heard him running into the kitchen saying “shoe, shoe.” He then sat on the dishwasher door and was trying to put on his own shoe.

Before we left for the park I put his shoes on and then was getting our stuff together. I walked by the living room and he was walking in dad’s shoes with his shoes on too. He had gotten them out of the basket and put them on and was walking around the house. When I was ready to go I told Andrew “lets go” and he walked out the door with dad’s shoes on. I told him we have to leave dad’s shoes at home. He was quite upset by that since he wanted to “go park, dad shoe.” But eventually put dad’s shoes back in the basket and we left for the park. As soon as we got home he pulled them out of the basket and wore them around the house.

All I Want To Do Is Slide!

2011-05-20T13:18:00.001-07:00

Andrew is obsessed with slides this year. Last year he was terrified, but this year he loves to slide. He likes to do it all by himself (for those who know him, he is a very independent boy. “ do myself.”). Whenever we go to the park, he runs right to the slides yelling “slide, slide.”

Yesterday we met some friends at Sunnyside park to feed the ducks and play on the toys. It was such a beautiful day and it was so nice to get outside. We have been teaching Andrew that only ducks go in the pond and we stay on the grass. Last time he was there he was chasing a duck and nearly ran right into the pond. It amazes me how fearless Andrew is.

Speaking of yelling, that is the stage Andrew is in right now. We are really trying to work on “we have an inside voice too and we need to use it.” We are trying to teach him the difference and when to use our inside voice verses outside voice. If anyone has any tips, it would be much appreciated.

Happy Birthday Aaron!

2011-05-20T13:07:00.001-07:00

Wednesday Aaron turned the big 3-0! All I can say is it is about time! I am tired of feeling so old (there is only 3 years between us and yes I am the older one, hello Mrs. Robinson). It seemed that every year I was getting a year older and Aaron would remind me that he wasn’t even 30 yet. Well now he can’t say that.

He got spoiled on his birthday this year. He woke up to the smell of breakfast in the air and the dinning room decorated. This doesn’t happen very often since I am not a morning person and there is a many a morning that he leaves for work and I am still in bed. Heavenly Father knew this about me and sent us a son that is a great sleeper and sleeps in too. So it was a special treat for Aaron to get a hot breakfast before he went to work.

For lunch Andrew and I picked Aaron up from work and took him to Cougar Country for lunch. This is his favorite place to go to get the Super Basket. He even treated himself to a chocolate malt to take back to work with him.

Aaron requested ribs for dinner. I have never made ribs and didn’t even know where to start. Good thing the meat man at Safeway saved the day. They turned out quite tasty. Aaron also requested bake potatoes, which I put in the oven for an extra yumminess and salad. Yes, in case you are wondering, Blues Clues was on in the background while we were getting ready for dinner. AJ is obsessed with Blues Clues and knows all the words and actions to the songs and yells “clue” at the TV when he sees a “clue.” So much for the AAP’s recommendation of no screen time before the age of 2.

Aaron loves pineapple upside down cake so I that is what I made him for his birthday cake, even from scratch. If that’s not love, what is?!

My brother’s birthday is today so he and Aaron often share in birthday celebrations. The whole family has planned on going bowling tomorrow night and then a family dinner at my parents on Sunday. The birthday fun keeps going in our family.

Happy Birthday Aaron! I love you!

I am a Child of God

2011-05-16T21:58:00.001-07:00

I had a friend email me this today and I absolutely love it. I brings a smile to my face whenever I watch it.

I am so grateful to know that I am a child of God who knows me personally and loves me.

Sunday Tradition

2011-05-16T21:40:00.001-07:00

Aaron has started a family tradition for Sunday breakfast. Every Sunday Aaron gets up before everyone else and makes chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. These pancakes are AJ’s favorite, but who doesn’t think chocolate makes everything better?!

AJ all handsome and ready for church.

We had my family over for dinner last night. Since we were out of town for Mother’s day, everyone decided to wait till we got back to celebrate my mom. We made chicken primavera (our family’s favorite lately and healthy too since I make it with olive oil and bake the chicken and then serve with marinara and pasta), salad and bread. For dessert I always wanted to make this angel lush (angel food cake, crushed pineapple, vanilla pudding and cool whip). So yummy and easy.

AJ trying on Uncle Tyler’s boots. He is ready to go.

We watched Tangled after dinner. Tyler and Kate hadn't seen it and my parents and us love it. Such a cute movie.

Seattle Trip

2011-05-16T21:32:00.001-07:00

Warning: This is going to be a long blog post with lots of pictures. We had a great trip and did lots of fun things!

Friday we left for Wenatchee. It has been a yearly tradition to go to Apple Blossom Festival and spend the weekend with Aaron’s parents.

We left in the morning and made a pit stop at the rest stop outside of Ritzville, towards Moses Lake. We got out and stretched our legs and did our business. Aaron pulled the car around to pick AJ and I up and went to unlock the back doors, but ended up locking the car instead. Yep, we were locked out and the car was running. Aaron felt horrible and I was grateful AJ wasn’t in his carseat locked in the car. We called the nearest locksmith and he was on his way. We spent time exploring the rest area and picking dandelions. This is AJ’s new job. Aaron has taught him how to pick dandelions in our yard, so now he picks them wherever we go.

After 30 minutes we were off and running. The weather in Wenatchee was sunny and warm. Aaron’s parents had the day off and were working in the yard. AJ ran right in and was ready to help. He had a good time planting flowers, watering the flowers, picking dandelions and getting wheelbarrow rides from Grandpa.

After all the hard work Grandma gave us Otter Pops. This was the first time AJ had one and he loved it!

That evening we walked down the street and watched the Classy Chassis. Aaron, Grandpa and AJ had a great time looking at all the cool cars. We even went to Abby’s afterwards for pizza. Abby’s makes the best pizza and is must go every time we visit.

Saturday we did a little shopping, went out to eat and visited Aaron’s friend Charles and his family.

Aaron’s mom and I had a wonderful Mother’s day and got spoiled. Aaron and his dad did all the cooking that day and we could sit around with our feet up. We went to church and then came home and relaxed.

Monday we left for Seattle to have a little family vacation. It was nice to spend time together as a family and show AJ some of the places of Seattle.

Our hotel was by Southcenter mall so we did some shopping, went to Ikea and then the Cheesecake factory for dinner. I am in love with the coconut cheesecake from there and it is a must have every time we go. Highly recommend it! I crave it often, but only get it 1 or 2 times a year.

Tuesday it was beautiful outside and looked like the only good day that week so we headed to Woodland Park Zoo. I have been working with AJ on animals and couldn’t wait to take him to the zoo. Needless to say, he was more interested in the all the kids on field trips then some of the animals, but we had a great time.

After the zoo and when AJ woke up, we went to the park across the street to run and play.

We then went to get some lunch and back to the hotel for a nap. That evening we went and wandered around Southcenter mall and ate at the Rainforest Café. I looked long and hard for a hotel with a pool and found one, but when we checked in we were told the pool was being closed till further notice. So much for the plan of going swimming every night. So we went and ran around the mall instead.

Wednesday we went to the Pacific Science Center. AJ loved it! But what kid wouldn’t love all the buttons and knobs you could touch. When we got there, they were do a constellation show for preschool kids in the planetarium. We all thought it was pretty cool to see.

They had such a great kids area to run and play in.

Aaron and AJ loved the this exhibit. They would see many balls could go at once.

They also had a good time in the space area.

After the science center, we went to Gameworks to play some pinball and other arcade games. Aaron loves pinball so we usually go check out an arcade while on vacation. AJ loves the race car games. He sits there and drives, changes gears and push the buttons all while making car noises. How boys know how to make car noises at such a young age is beyond me. So cute! At the end we turned in our very few tickets, only enough to get AJ a dum dum, but he couldn’t be happier.

That evening we went to Cameron and Tiana’s house for dinner. They had a baby over Easter weekend. It was so great to see baby Christian and visit with them.

Thursday we decided to drive home and get things done around the house before Aaron had to go back to work on Monday. We had a great vacation!

Happy Early Mother’s Day to Me!

2011-05-04T15:05:00.001-07:00

I sure get spoiled by the boys in this house. I may not be a bad thing being the only girl…hmm…

A couple weeks ago I got home and there was a huge box from Amazon by the door. I really didn’t think anything of it since we order everything through Amazon. Aaron was in the office with a huge smile on his face and practically beaming with anticipation. He was almost giddy. He told me my Mother’s Day gift arrived and I should open it now. Well I am not one to turn down a present, so I opened it.

Hmm…what could it be?

A bread maker!

I was telling Aaron that it would be cool to have had a bread maker since homemade bread tastes better than store bought.

This is my first loaf of bread. This is my kind of bread making skills. Pour everything in and 3 hours 45 minutes later you have hot, fresh bread. Yummy!

I came home from work one night and Aaron was trying out the apple cake recipe. That’s right, it does bread, cake, dough and meatloaf. I secretly think Aaron got the meatloaf option as a hint for something he has been missing.

Thanks Aaron and Andrew! What a great surprise!

Here comes the sun…

2011-05-04T13:37:00.001-07:00

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right
Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right
Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it's all right
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it's all right
It's all right

I have had this song in my head all morning. As I read the words to this song, it fits perfectly to how I have been feeling. We have had so much snow and rain lately and not enough blue skies. When we woke up this morning, the sun was shinning. It was already in the mid 40’s instead of the low 30’s so I knew it was going to be a great day! We are currently sitting at 54* which is wonderful for us! After breakfast I threw on my walking shoes and Andrew into the stroller and we went for a 3 mile walk today. We saw birds, flowers starting to bloom and felt the warm sun on our face. It was glorious! I am hoping and wishing for more days like this.

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun, and I say it’s all right…

Red Chair

2011-05-04T13:23:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we ran to Wild Ivy (one of my favorite stores) and they had this cute red chair in front of the store. Andrew ran right up to it and climbed in. I love these pictures! So cute!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T21:50:00.001-07:00

We had such a wonderful weekend with Easter festivities.

Saturday morning we took Andrew to his first Easter egg hunt. We went to the one in Albion. I have heard so many horror stories of the Pullman one, plus I grew up in Albion and this was the one I did as a kid. It had a nostalgic feeling. The town split the park in to 3 areas and Andrew was in the 0-4 age group. The kids lined up and there were eggs everywhere and in 2 minutes it was all gone. Aaron was shocked how short it lasted. Andrew was too awe struck with all the kids, but once we showed him there was candy in the eggs and candy on the ground, he was all over it. He loved it.

The Easter bunny woke up early to hide the baskets this morning, but we had Stake Conference in the morning and then Andrew was ready for a nap when we got home, so Aaron and Andrew didn’t find their baskets till later.

I found these wind up chick and bunny and put one in each of their baskets. They had such a great time playing with them and racing them. Andrew thought they were so funny. Andrew has defiantly discovered candy this holiday. He ate that chocolate bunny in no time and then discovered jelly beans in an egg in his basket and they were gone too. I had to take away his basket or he would have eaten all his candy.

We went out to my parents house and had an Easter egg hunt and dinner. It was so much fun! There were prize eggs with great prizes and yummy food for dinner.

Andrew running off with the loot.

Happy Easter everyone!