The Beckstroms

{Baby Moon}

2012-02-12T18:35:00.001-07:00

Last week was a busy one that flew by. I had a conference for one of my jobs in Orlando, and Adam and I decided to take advantage and turn it into a babymoon!

We didn't think this would be possible without family close by, but many dear friends took our girls over the four and a half days and made it happen.

We are so grateful for this because let's be honest, trips will not be happening often (or at all) with 3 little chiclets and Adam starting a new busy job!

There was a lot to get ready like packing their bags, typing up instructions for everyone, organizing their clothes for each day, arranging rides for preschool from different homes, and having Caroline's valentine's ready for her class party.

I was beginning to question if all of the prep was worth it, but then we got off the plane and headed to this right away....

and saw palm trees everywhere. Immediately I knew all of the planning and preparation were worth it.

With the warm sun and sand, palm trees above you, and the sound of the ocean waves around you, it's hard not to relax.

The conference that I attended was over a day and a half of the trip. It's a unique atmosphere because none of the Copaxone injection training nurses really know each other because everyone works in their own state.

One of my best friends from when I worked in the Operating Room was there though, which was so fun. We both brought our hubbies and had fun dining, swimming, and exploring Downtown Disney.

During the conference, some of the patients with Multiple Sclerosis that use Copaxone came and spoke. Their stories were inspiring and made me love my job even more. Being there made me think of my friend manifesting symptoms of MS the day she was picked up from her mission, she was literally blind.

It effects so many young and healthy individuals. Many patients and friends that I have seen live with it have so much optimism, trying to look for the good in living with the disease.

I admire them so much!

Besides attending the conference, we took a boat ride on the lake by all of the amazing Disney resorts and we went and enjoyed the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. I had missed the girls so much and had tried to let them be without calling them all the time, but I lost it this night. We heard a song from "Tangled" where glowing lanterns are floating in the sky and it made me want our girls. I told Adam

that this was the last vacation without them because I just wanted them to see all we were seeing.

Every bright pink flower I saw when I went walking screamed Caroline, and the few pinecones I saw were calling to me to pick them up and take them to Olive.

I have enjoyed our time away immensely, but our time with our silly, entertaining girls is so priceless.

What is also priceless, however, is having a conversation with Adam that we can get through without about 100 interruptions.

It has been refreshing just being with Adam for so many days. We were in our own little world and we were even asked if we were on our honeymoon.

It is really strange just doing a schedule that we plan only for us and naptime and bedtime doesn't matter.

It has felt quite foreign and it has been a nice little treat before we head back to D.C. to jump back into our schedule, pack in a couple of months, move back across the country, and start nesting for the arrival of our new addition!

Did Caroline's wish come true?

2012-02-04T20:23:00.001-07:00

We are thrilled to say yes it did!

We are having a GIRL! and she is healthy and bouncing all over at 18 weeks in the womb.

Her tiny little feet are a.dor.a.ble and I can't wait to kiss her sweet little face.

She was camera shy and didn't want us to see her darling profile, or that she was a girl, but after 3 ultrasound techs we were successful.

I am grateful that we get to have another sweet baby in our family, soon to be family of five!

While Caroline was saying her prayer last night she said,

"Heavenly Father, I am grateful that my wish came true and that I get another baby sister."

My heart completely went to mush hearing that.

Hearing Adam ask Heavenly Father to bless "her" and that we are excited for "her" to be in mommy's tummy I couldn't hold back the tears.

I just started feeling her move which is heavenly, and often my tummy tightens and I think she is telling me to slow down and take it easy.

Luckily this classy little dress can go to use now on my own baby girl!

I picked this up the other day at the thrift store for 2 bucks and was just going to tuck it away for if not my baby, someone else's.

I think I just knew :)

I am a sucker for sailboats and babies.

Can't wait to meet you peanut, I am already smitten.

Random

2012-02-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

We've been cruisin' right along hosting Olive's Play School, and getting Caroline off to school, and going to a lot of doctors appointments. I have officially decided to switch from Dr. "Think Good Thoughts" to one that speaks English. He was a nice guy, but I just felt really uneasy about being in his care.

I just love the feeling when good news comes from a doctor. In terms of Caroline's eyes, we were blasted with great news today. Her vision has significantly improved and we get to patch less. She has been an awesome patcher (for 6 hours a day) and she has risen above many cutting comments from little kids on the playground. She just explains why she has it when kids follow her and stare and say cruel things. I love the resilience she possess right now.

Not only did the doctor blast us with good news, but Caroline throws so many funny random comments out daily. I write most of them in her journal, but sometimes, you just gotta share.

The one that got Adam was when Caroline was talking about Halloween:

C: Mommy, can I be a princess for Halloween?

M: Sure, that would be perfect.

C: Ok, great! I will be a princess and Olive will be my horse!

Adam was laughing hysterically.

The other day she went back to preschool after being sick for a couple of days. One of the teachers asked her if she was feeling better, and if she got Olive sick. Caroline said that Olive was a different sick with an ear infection.

Then the teacher asked if Caroline got mommy sick. Caroline responded, "No, my mommy is always sick because she is pregnant!"

A couple of teachers that hadn't heard the news yet came out to congratulate me in the car line.

And when I offered Caroline a drink the other day she looked at me like I was crazy and said, "No thanks, I don't want to get sick." What she means is, she doesn't want to get prego.

It was news to me, but apparently we got a big screen. Yea, a TV as heavy and wide as an elephant that is 27". I know, don't be too jealous. It is no flat screen, and I don't even think they sell TV's this wide anymore, but anytime Caroline wants to watch a movie she asks if she can watch it on the big screen. It makes me grin every time.

And Olive singing "Rain, rain go away" is all you need for a boost on a bad day.

Everyone is on the mend and for Olive's antibiotic we did a little chart similar to this to keep track. It totally saved my spacey pregnancy brain to make sure she was getting her medicine!

We hit a thrift store today and I found a mirror that I am super excited about! And instead of paying $70 to $150 like the great ones on Craigslist, I paid $7!

I can't wait to share the find.

We are off now to find out if Caroline's wish will come true for another baby sister :)

2012-01-22T19:56:00.000-07:00

How has everyone's New Year been?

Ours has started out with a bang and it has been absolutely perfect (besides locking Olive in our apartment by herself...have to tell the story in person if you care to know :)

I just can't continue on in the lovely flow of this year without finishing off our time in Utah and 2011!

We had a priceless Christmas with many tender moments. Gae was missed, but to be honest, we miss her more now being home. Maybe it's all of the books that she wrote little notes in to the girls when she gifted them for birthdays, and special days, or it's that she's not there when we Skype to make silly faces at the girls, or maybe the bunny slippers that she made that I see on Caroline's feet each day make our hearts a little heavy, but happy at the same time. We've never been more grateful for the temple to feel a closeness to her.

Everyday over the break was spent with family. There were dinners, game nights, talent shows, lots of time playing the "bowl game" which is charades on steroids, birthday celebrations. It was non-stop and our messy bedroom was proof that we were constantly on the go!

At our Winegar family Christmas party, my mom made these cute favors/ name cards. To make them she opened the bottom of the can and emptied out the contents and washed it. Then she filled them with everyone's favorite goodies, or cute little socks for the girls and hot glued them shut.

Then she put on the labels and the ribbon and we were the recipients of a fun little surprise!

It was such a fun idea that could be used for many occasions.

Spending time in the mountains was definitely a highlight. We dusted off the snowshoes and were able to go a couple of times. We also found some decent hills to go sledding on. The girls were pretty pleased! By the way, if you were wondering, you can carry snowshoes onto the airplane. Yes, you can carry snowshoes with sharp metal spikes on the bottom, but you can't bring a small tube of toothpaste. Crazy, right!?

They just laughed the entire time they went down the hill,

even when their faces were splashed with snow.

A few times they even had a good amount of space between the sled and the hill. I was shocked when Caroline went down all by herself. She was so proud.

The second time we went we made it to a set destination, Doughnut Falls. Adam's dad, sister, and our brother-in-law came and it was a perfect way to spend our New Year's Eve morning.

I don't usually blog about my own birthday, but I just loved this one. There were no big plans, and it just turned out splendidly with some awesome surprises. Lunch at Vinto did not disappoint with the margherita pizza that tasted so good to me at 14 weeks pregnant.

While leaving the restaurant my sister, Erika, asked if I wanted my gift right then, or on Friday. I said whatever was better for her.

Then bam, she reached in her pocket and there they were. Two Neil Diamond tickets for July!

Yes, I am a fan, I mean he sings "Sweet Caroline", but that is not his only gem. He's not getting any younger and this may be my last chance to ever see him perform a sweet concert.

And it doesn't stop there. For Christmas she gave my parents tickets and my sister and brother-in-law as well.

It's going to be a party!!

I am not a big Facebooker at all, lame I guess, but I am just not that into it. I will tell you though, Facebook really comes through for you on your birthday. All of the birthday greetings are just so unexpected and nice. It's like receiving little gifts throughout the day!

Caroline was also like a little alarm clock it seemed. Every hour or even more often, she would sweetly say, "Happy Birthday Mommy" and then give me a kiss on the cheek.

That sweetness comes from her daddy.

These two little dolls have turned a corner. They were buds before, but now they just hang out ALL day and let their imaginations take them all over to South Carolina, to the hair salon, and to their clubhouses that they build all over the apartment. I find myself having all sorts of time and it feels very strange. Olive copies everything Caroline does, she thinks she is the best thing around, and we hope that never changes.

They spent a lot of time in this closet at Grandpa B's house. This was one of their "clubhouses" and my cute sister had just done their makeovers.

I could just film them playing together all day. I realize I take a lot of pictures, but I need to have the little sweet Olive voice and hand gestures, I need Caroline's voice comforting Olive and saying, "You are the best sister, Olive."

Our heartstrings are sure pulled by these two.

{Home Sweet Home}

2012-01-08T18:54:00.001-07:00

The definition of comfort is: a state of physical ease or to bring cheer to.

This is a perfect way to describe how I felt as soon as I walked into our living room apartment back in D.C.

Pure ease and cheer overcame me. I smiled at how clean everything was and how everything had it's own place. I almost shouted Hallelujah when I exclaimed to Adam that we only had to unpack 5 bags of things and not unpack-and-move-in to our place for the how many times would that be?

2011 was a year that was packed with some pretty intense things. Things that I am grateful I had Adam by my side for, and that I could be at his. Last week we celebrated our 6th Wedding Anniversary. It was quiet and simple and just what we needed. Time to slowly sip ginger ale at dinner to calm our little growing baby, time to flirt and laugh and not know what is going on around us in the crowd.

I am so glad that I spied Adam down the hall in the Operating Room when we worked there together.

I have no shame in "by chance" being country dancing the same night he was, when I hadn't been in a year.

I love Park City and all of the romance that budded there.

I adore that Adam, only Adam, calls me Annie.

I feel indebted to him for the past year of him taking care of me during the first trimester...two times.

My heart melts when our girls are with their daddy, and it brings me ineffable joy.

In our six years of marriage we have moved way more than 6 times, one or both of us has been in school during our entire marriage (but the school part is quickly coming to a close!), we have been pregnant 6 times, we have had two priceless little girls that have won our hearts over time and time again, we have had 6 jobs on and off between us, and we flew across the country 6 times this past year.

Through all of the wild, uncertainty of this year, Adam (and our girls) was my constant.

I look forward with more of that soothing comfort that he will always be next to me.

I love you babe!

Making Days Merry and Bright

2011-12-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

A couple of things that I was so excited about this season were being able to frolic in tons of snow with our little girls, and to feel an overwhelming Christmas spirit, where you are so excited you can't stop your toes from wiggling.

Utah has kind of let us down in the snow department. It has not been a very beautiful December, unless you love a sky covered in smog so thick you can chew on it and dead, yellow grass everywhere that snow should be. I was getting used to all of that and had accepted it, but then we were able to escape for a day.

Adam, my sister Erika, and I went up into the mountains and enjoyed a day of skiing.

Just to be above the smog was incredible and I felt like I could finally breath. That would have been enough. We were not expecting a lot regarding the skiing because we thought the snow would be terrible.

We were pleasantly surprised by a perfect fresh layer of snow from the night before, and mountains of powder near the top of Snowbird. It was like we were floating on a sea a Cool Whip.

It was a cloudy in the morning, and then the sun broke through.

The sky was bright blue the rest of the day, it was glorious. There was no one on the mountain, we had no lines and no obstacle course of people to maneuver through. We didn't want to go back to the shadowlands, but it did have to end at some point, but we are glad we found a bit of snow.

The thing that topped my Christmas spirit chart this year was going caroling. It was the most touching thing that our little family did. My cute sister-in-law and brother set it up and we went to a little home that cared for not only elderly people, but for many with disabilities.

We were a small group, but it didn't matter. As we sang Jingle Bells, Away in a Manger and other festive songs, the residents chimed in loudly with their cheery voices.

I couldn't think of a place better to spread some holiday cheer than right there with those sweet folks who see the same walls day in and day out.

Buddy the Elf was right when he said, "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."

When we walked outside after, real magic had happened too. It was snowing and Caroline and Olive were thrilled! Olive is not in the picture because she was trying to catch snowflakes.

She had to have caught a few because she was definitely providing plenty of surface area for the flakes to land.

We snagged her for this picture, but she did not give up. She wanted to enjoy the snow while it was coming.

Another little Sparkler

2011-12-27T21:02:00.002-07:00

A few months ago, I picked Adam up from the metro and this greeted him in his seat:

Not only did I find out that lovely day that we were expecting, but the due date was estimated for Independence Day, my favorite holiday!

So, we were giddy about the news, and then the next week I had some spotting. I had a mix of strange emotion and feelings. I was of course sad again at the thought of what was possibly happening, but I thought, well if it's going to happen, now is better than at 3 months along.

I called some dear friends who took the girls because I was advised to go to the ER. I wsa 5 weeks and 5 days at this point.

Adam and I had actually a good time during all the waiting in the ER. Have you looked at Vogue magazine lately? It was hilarious seeing all of the people they say are models, we just didn't get it.

Blood work, ultrasound, more waiting later, they thought that things looked fine due to a healthy yolk sac. It was too early to see a heartbeat. They also found a small cyst that had ruptured and thought that was part of the bleeding, as well as residual from the summer D&C.

The next step was follow up in two days. I went to this new doctor who was kind of difficult to understand. He didn't think that drawing an HCG level was of any help (but this is what can help you know early on if things are progressing or have stopped). It should have doubled in 48 hours.

After he saw the desperation in my face, he said to draw the lab. Then the nurse said she already had included it with the bloodwork. This guy was killing me!

Then as I was leaving he said, "If you want things to be good with this pregnancy, then just think good thoughts, it will be ok." My first thought was, "Are you friekin' kidding me!?" I might be having another miscarriage and that is your advice!?

Later though, I actually found comfort in his simple statement. I kept trying to think good thoughts.

Well, the spotting stopped, then we ended up leaving for Utah a week earlier than planned. The nurse called that Friday and said the HCG had doubled! I was so grateful.
At the airport though, more spotting came and it seemed like it was a more serious problem.

All I could do was get back on the plane in Chicago and continue to Utah and think good thoughts.

At this point, the good thoughts were really sparse.

Time went on and luckily my sister works on Labor and Delivery. I knew I could go check what was going on in a couple of weeks. I waited because I wanted to have a for sure yes or no of how things were. It is really tricky to hear a heartbeat on my babies early on. I had felt sick, but Olive had been ill and I thought I just had an adult mild case of what she had.

At 9.5 weeks I went up to visit my sister. I had not let my hopes soar high, I was trying to be realistic and had almost talked myself into things not being good.

Then my sister says, "There it is, there is the heartbeat!" I looked and could not believe it, I was so surprised and beyond excited.

She grabbed one of the doctors who measured the baby and the little peanut was growing right on schedule.

Immediately I felt so connected with this little one, and we have had another ultrasound and I was 12 weeks and the happy little one was bouncing around in my tummy. I also think there was a wave to Adam with the little arm.

Ice cream sounds good, sometimes egg sandwiches, I am blowin' up here people. Bring it on and bring on the sickness because we are thrilled to be having a baby! It has been the best Christmas gift to us. It has also been a strong feeling with Adam and I that his dear mom is helping our little ones not give any more false starts! The timing has been so tender.

Hooray for 13 weeks!!

Date Night Times 2

2011-12-27T20:34:00.001-07:00

I so look forward to date nights with Adam. I love the anticipation of just knowing we get to go out and do something besides just be at home. It's so nice to make the effort to go and be together, even if it's just on a run.

We discovered this month how special date nights with our little girls are as well. We took each one out individually and it was fun to be with just one of their adorable little personalities on each date.

Caroline had wished (on the turkey wishbone) that she could go see the Nutcracker. She loves the music and is always dancing to it. Well, Adam surprised us and got the three of us tickets. Santa left them on the doorstep as an early Christmas gift. Caroline was jumping up and down when she picked them up from outside.

On the way to the show a couple of weeks later, Caroline said, "We should call Santa and thank him for the Nutcracker tickets." We adore her grateful little heart.

During the show she couldn't wait to see the Mouse King and Mother Buffoon. She kept trying to whisper, in her one volume voice, "Is that the Mouse King?" anytime a mouse came out dancing.

She was so into it and clapped whenever people did, it was the most energetic little clap!

When the Sugar Plum Fairy came out she said in awe, "Wow!" and just gazed at her. The dancing truly did give me the chills, they make it look effortless.

I told her that I tried out for the Nutcracker twice and never made it, but that it was ok. She said, "That is ok mom, you just need to keep practicing!" I hope that she remembers her own wise words when things don't go her way, and also that even with more practicing, it sometimes just doesn't work out.

Tonight she said that for her birthday she wants toe shoes, I hope she can be really patient because that won't be for a while. She lasted for almost the entire show. At the end, she was leaning over her seat to hold her Mike & Ike's up to the light to see what color they were before she ate them.

We had such a fun time with our little (growing up at lightning speed) care bear.

Olive got to hit the town with mom and dad and head to Zoo Lights. Caroline had already gone another night with my family when I was home hugging the toilet with the flu.

We went with Adam's family and we loved letting Olive just walk all over looking like the kid from "A Christmas Story" all bundled up.

She really wanted to talk to this gingerbread girl, but she just kept staring at her and wasn't responding to Olive.

We rode the carousel and she chose to ride on the zebra. She is way into playing with model animals right now. She especially loves the horses and the zebras. Whenever she plays with them she makes them gallop and says, "Ride horsey ride!" She didn't disappoint that night as the carousel moved around she said, "Ride horsey ride!"

It was FREEZING, but she was so happy and walked most of the time. She basically thinks she is ready to move out on her own and always says, "I do it myself." She adores any independence that she feels she has!

This picture I love because she is laughing at herself here and saying, "haha Olive is funny!" and then chuckles more.

She is such a lovable, animated doll.

{Shoe Party}

2011-12-18T14:30:00.001-07:00

Usually a shoe party is given to some 40-something-year-old fashionista who has countless pairs of shoes.

Well, for our dear Olive, it was the only way to go this year for her birthday party!

Between wearing her own shoes, Caroline's shoes, and mommy's shoes, she has an overwhelming

amount that she feels need to be worn.

When we are at home she changes her shoes at least 8-10 times a day, sometimes mismatched, and she finds so much joy in doing it.

Adam and I made the invite before we left D.C. so the colors totally don't match the party, but I thought I was going to go with some bright colors.

Those who know me though will not be surprised that I ended up using red as one of the main colors.

I am trying to branch out, but it's hard!

Usually I get so stressed out planning parties and getting all of the finishing touches together. I don't know why, but this time I was totally relaxed and had just as much fun preparing as we did during the party.

Caroline and Olive were so thrilled to help decorate and arrange things, we had a lovely time.

She was bursting with happiness all day, she knew something was up, and that it was all about her.

The decor was simple with accents of red, silver, and black. Besides the sweet treats of cake, ice cream, and Peppermint Joe-Joe's (that I brought boxes of in my suitcase from D.C.), we had the strawberry topiary.

At the base of the topiary there was a dip of sour cream, sprinkled with brown sugar.

I am sure most of you have tried that delicious and simple delicacy, but it is an old family favorite of mine!

I found a pattern for paper shoes online and modified my favorite pom-poms to add a little

glitz to the toes.

"Olive" brand shoes were the cake topper, and they were made out of gumpaste.

Luckily I watched a tutorial about a month in advance so I knew I needed at least 10 days to get the shoes made so they could dry. The shoebox is just marshmallow fondant which I have loved working with since my first experience for Caroline's tea party. It's super cheap to make and tastes way better than regular fondant.

Our girls have 9 boy cousins ranging in age from 1 to 13, so I decided to make two different age appropriate party favors. For the older nephews, I just put some candy in a shoe. Now, the shoe they didn't really care about, but they liked the candy. I think little girls would die for a tiny paper shoe.

And for the younger ones, I just got some Melissa and Doug lace and trace animals because they came with a "shoe" lace.

Olive knew just what to do when the singing began. Adam came in with the cake and she grabbed the cake tray and got ready to blow out the candles. She has been carrying around fake candles for weeks and singing "Happy Birthday" to all of the family members.

She was showered with love and it was so nice being with everyone during such a magical season. After opening each present she would give out a cute little gasp and slowly say, "Oh my mommy!" She melted everyone's heart.

Besides being into shoes, she adores Mickey and Minnie Mouse. She often wakes up and just sings, her favorite song being "The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock" with actions. She is a little parrot and copies anything you say and do, especially what Caroline does.

Her dance moves are originals and I don't know if anyone has cuter little hip shakes. When we say goodnight and are shutting the door she always says, "Sleep well mommy" and it makes everyday worth all the work and any tantrum seem minute. She adores dogs, nail polish, Cheerios, and leggings.

And darling Olive, we adore you sweet baby girl!

Building some holiday cheer

2011-12-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago when we lived in New Hampshire, there was not a whole lot to do right in Concord during the winter with Caroline and a brand new baby. We discovered a wonderful gem at Lowe's, a kids craft that they let the kids build every other Saturday morning.

We were regulars and Caroline constructed all sorts of wooden projects like a transformer, mini basketball hoop, jewelry holder, and more.

Home Depot also does the kids craft, but they only do it the first Saturday of every month.

We have not been for quite a while, but we went here in Utah and it was a hit!

Every child gets an apron (at Lowe's or Home Depot) that they wear during the project. (At Lowe's they also got work goggles that looked adorable on little 2-year-old Caroline's face.)

After each project they do, they get a pin or a patch that you can put on the apron to represent each project.

You get a kit with all of the wooden pieces, the small nails or screws, and often stickers.

Then the kids get to work putting it all together.

This project was a snowman napkin holder.

At Home Depot they provide paint to finish your project. We used to just take them home and have a fun painting project for later!

It is kind of nice to keep the mess at the store though :) The girls were quite excited about their pink snowmen.

Santa happened to be visiting last time and Caroline let him know that she and Olive would like some Tinker toys and a Barbie.

Hopefully little Olive and Caroline can continue to be little dolls and their wishes will come true!

Festival of Trees

2011-12-08T14:15:00.000-07:00

The holidays just get me giddy. Not just the Christmas holiday season but every holiday! It's nice during the Christmas season though, that there are so many festive and delightful things to do.

The Festival of Trees is a favorite, especially with kids. My sister and two of her boys came, our sister-in-law Kate, and me and the girls.

We were just mesmerized over some of the trees and gingerbread houses.

The Up tree had us stop dead in our tracks. I just loved how colorful and bright it was (sorry it's a bit blurry.)

The girls kept going for all of the pink and sparkly trees, and Olive continued to walk under the chain to pick up some of the toys that went with the trees...dress up shoes, M&M's, Barbie's.

I think she thought we were at some sort of incredible toy shop with everything within her reach.

Looking at the gingerbread houses is so inspiring and you can get some really good ideas of what to add to your own.

Now, the National Capital building is not one that gave me a whole lot of ideas, but just had us in awe!

The same group did this Madagascar one and we were wondering who is this group!? They have some serious skills.

Caroline loved this one because she has already assigned our family to dress up like them next Halloween.

I don't know if that's going to happen, but it's a sweet idea!

The Tangled tower blew us away with the purple licorice roof, the detailed grass and candy stones.

The Kids Korner was full of little crafts and activities for the kids to do. The giant bubble encasing booth was a hit. Kids would try to blow a bubble from the giant bubble. Caroline tried a few times and was blowing so hard, but just couldn't get a bubble out.

Both of the girls got manicures and Olive took it very seriously. She kept saying, "Nail polish mommy! Nail polish!" And she didn't want me to wash her hands the rest of the day. She would say, "No, polish" because she thought it would wipe off.

This is the most still I have ever seen her sit.

This was the perfect event to lift our spirits after Adam left for D.C. to finish the semester. I was in a total funk and couldn't shake it. Thanks Corinne and Kate for the best day!

The Feast

2011-12-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving is pure bliss. It is a day to just enjoy the company of family if it be while cooking, digesting, or laughing about good memories. We have not been with family on Thanksgiving for 2 years, so this was especially sweet. It was one of my favorite ones on record.

It was perfect because we spent Wednesday evening feasting with the Beckstroms and then Turkey Day eating with my family. We didn't have to run all over and split time between parties, we just ate and laughed as we compared our "food babies". They were very impressive!

I don't know if I can give the food proper credit for all it did for us on those days. I was too busy eating to take pictures, but look at these rolls! I love to make rolls, but they sure don't look like this. Way to go Erin!I almost could have just had rolls for dessert, but I did sneak some pie in :)

Adam and I had our second go at brining a turkey. It is definitely worth a try, they turn out incredibly moist and flavorful. We laughed as we gathered all of the ingredients to mix for the brine. It seemed like we were concocting some sort of witch's brew- candied ginger, 4 sprigs of rosemary, allspice berries, leaves of sage, eye of newt...just kidding about the eye of newt, but the list does go on and on.

Olive just couldn't believe how much food there was! The turkey, whipped potatoes, brie and cranberries in puff pastry, sweet potatoes, mixed fruit, rolls, it was all pure delight.

Bingo is a fun tradition that we do with my family. Everyone brings a couple of little prizes per person and then the games begin! You can steal gifts from others instead of opening ones and it can get pretty intense. Caroline was especially worried that her lip gloss and polish would be stolen, but luckily she was safe.

My cousin, Brian, was so dear with these sweet little ones. They were all over him, as you can plainly see, and he just let them help him call out the bingo numbers. They didn't care about playing a BINGO card, they just wanted to spin the cool wheel.

Aunts and uncles were there, cousins (one about to leave to Africa for his mission), an old family friend, and all of the joyful little grandkids.

What a pleasant way to ring in the upcoming festivities!

(and with that, more to be thankful for because there is just so much if you want to read on below..)

I am blessed with my energetic, charming, and joyous little girls. I am so thankful to have the best job in the world to be their mother.

I am grateful that when I miss Adam so bad that it hurts, the hurt eventually goes away after a couple of days. He gets back on Friday, way to babe, only one more semester!!

I love having a washing machine IN our apartment. I could do wash all day really. In New Hampshire we had to put on our winter woolies to go outside in 2 feet of snow and lug our laundry to the scary basement. (Therefore, Adam did a lot of the wash because I didn't dare go down there at night.)

Also, I am grateful to have a dishwasher. Handwashing all of your dishes makes cooking and your hands a real nightmare. (this was also a New Hampshire moment without one.)

I am grateful that even though we are trying reusable diapers, I can switch back to disposable when Olive has uncontrollable cha-chas.

I am humbled that I have been sick :) Keep it coming.

I am grateful for past trials and experiences that have opened my eyes so much wider to see a bigger, better picture!

Forever Grateful

2011-12-03T14:35:00.001-07:00

Here we are in lovely December. The weeks have passed us by with all of our time being spent with family. It has been bittersweet because dear Grandma B is missing. A void is definitely felt. I have felt kind of frozen as to what to post next. There is not enough that can be said about our dear sweet mother Gae. I would regret not putting down so many things that I am grateful for, although Thanksgiving has passed.

-I love that I really knew Gae. We not only lived with them for a year, but she and Blake came to visit us whereever we were living be it Concord, New Hampshire, or New York City. Adam was always very busy with school or work and so I had a lot of one on one time with his parents. Boy am I lucky. We had such a good time chatting, playing with the girls, exploring new places, and Gae especially loved cuddling colicky baby Olive early on. She would send Adam and I out on a date, even though I was so worried Olive would cry the entire time. Gae did not care, it was her love.

-I am grateful for all of the spontaneity, love, generosity, kindness, acceptance, fun, and charity that just oozed out of her. You just felt it in the room when she was in it. She welcomed everyone into her life with open, loving arms. There was never an outsider or someone that felt unomfortable if she was around because she always reeled them in. If anyone is ever confused about all that charity encompasses, come talk to me about Adam's mom.

-The precious memory of Caroline being able to attend her Kindergarten class a few times last December is so tender. Adam and I went along separate times and we were the teacher's aide. It was a blast and my jaw dropped several times that she could get 20 little 5 year olds to have all eyes on her and not make a peep. Adam mentioned in his talk that she even took Caroline to get school lunch with her, which Caroline loved.

-I hope I can always be optomistic like her. She was sick, really sick for a long time. She was tired, and sore, and had burns from radiation. Complaints were rare, truly I can't even remember any. A lot of people didn't even know how sick she really was because instead of the focus being on her, she would turn it right around and ask others how they were.
Even though she was dealing with wounds that were still trying to heal, she and Blake still came to New York just 4 short months ago. We covered all there was to cover on Manhattan Island. We walked miles and miles and fought the crowds to see the fireworks over the Hudson. Ok, I better stop there, those memories are too tender.

-I am especially grateful that the Stake President said at her funeral that her legacy lives on through her children. Adam and his sisters possess so many of Gae's incredible qualities that we are lucky to have. We are also lucky to have all of the stories and good memories that were made that can be talked about over and over. I have never felt stronger about the how blessed we are to have the plan of salvation and for the blessing of eternal families. The comforter has helped everyone to keep moving forward without feeling a sting every inch of the way.

There is so much more to be said, but it will have to come in pieces because I can no longer see the computer screen. My eyes must be "sweating" as Caroline says whenever she catches me crying.

We Love You Mom!

2011-11-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

Its hard to know what to say to pay tribute to such an incredible woman. Feelings are still tender right now, but we wanted to share Gae's obituary until we are able to adequately express our love for her.

Gae Terena Morrow Beckstrom (56) loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, teacher, and friend, born July 22, 1955 passed away November 10, 2011 after a courageous fight with cancer. She is now reunited with her parents, David Lendrum Morrow III and Yvonne Easthope Morrow and brother Roy Morrow.

She is survived by her husband, Blake D. Beckstrom (Taylorsville, UT); her children, Erin (Jonathan) Thomas (West Valley City, UT), Emily (David) Smith (Kearns, UT), Adam (Andrea) Beckstrom (Alexandria, VA), and Jamilyn (Nathan) Morris (Taylorsville, UT); sisters Dawn (Mark) Yarbro (Ft. Worth, TX), Rachel Morrow (Kearns, UT) and brother Darren (Becky) Morrow (Riverton, UT); and 7 grandchildren. Her family is her greatest love and she lived to serve them.

Gae and Blake met at Kearns High School and were married in the Salt Lake Temple on June 24, 1977. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Elementary Education with an Early Childhood Development specialty. She loved teaching children. Gae taught kindergarten at David Gourley Elementary for 5 years before retiring to raise her growing family. After a few years, she opened a home preschool (Early Bird) which she taught for 17 years. She returned to public school in 2002, teaching kindergarten at Lone Peak Elementary and then Monte Vista Elementary schools. She touched the lives of hundreds of young children who brought immense joy to her life in return. During her last two years, while teaching full-time and fighting cancer, she was driven to complete her Masters Degree in Elementary Education from SUU. She also had an undying love for animals of all kinds. She loved music, played the guitar, and instilled a love of music in her children. She taught her children and grandchildren to read and to love books. She filled many ward and stake church callings in Primary, Young Womens’, and Relief Society as a teacher and leader, and served in the Jordan River Temple as an ordinance worker. She also performed humanitarian service by helping orphans in Romania. She was loved, and will be deeply missed, by all who knew her.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, November 16th at 11:00 AM at the Bennion 12th Wardhouse (6540 S. 2700 W., Taylorsville, UT). Friends may visit at a viewing beginning an hour before the funeral, or at McDougal Funeral Home (4330 S. Redwood Road, Taylorsville, UT) on Tuesday, November 15th from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.

Blessed with Time

2011-11-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

It's not often that people think that they have a lot of time. Everything is usually packed into a super busy day with too much to do. Places to go, errands to run, budgeting, meal planning, cleaning....it's always a lovely and long list :)

My life right now has been completely opposite of that. I have wondered for a long time why I have been given all of this time and what I am supposed to be doing with it. Since we are not preparing for a new baby, I feel like it is such an easy and fun time with our little 4 and almost 2 year old. They are so delightful and easy to go places with and I don't even take a stroller anymore, we are just free to roam and have fun!

For Caroline a lot of her time has been filled with Preschool time, dance classes, and soccer. She takes dance so seriously and concentrates so hard. We knew she would like it A LOT, but this is beyond love. She never stops dancing and Olive is following suit (although she can't quite get her arms to reach high enough over her head.)

Drawing is another passion that has recently blossomed. She sits down and creates pictures for hours, and then explains what they all are for about a half hour. It makes us so happy that she is passionate about reading and that she wants to read US the bedtime stories.

Olive has been using her time to play Caroline's client at the salon. She has been receiving countless colorful makeovers that may have you wishing you could be a client of Caroline's. She does have a way with color and accenting facial features.

This could be YOU! (Caroline swears that very thick eyebrow shadow is very nice.)

Olive is intense with love and with sadness. She adores singing and loves "Row, row, row your boat."

"I do it!" is her coined phrase right now and she wears panties over her diaper to be like Caroline.

Most of her time is spent picking out shoes to wear (even if they don't fit), and then changing her shoes.

She will growl at you when she says sorry, which gets us laughing loudly! Cutting out bears with Play-Doh keeps her endlessly occupied and she often says, "I funny mommy."

She will melt your heart.

My time has been filled with all that these two have to offer! They were sick last week and we didn't leave the house for a couple of days...it was dreamy. We couldn't go to school, or playgroup, or even to the store, we just played (in our jammies). It was just nice to not have an agenda at all!!

I have also been working quarter time (5-7 hours a week) doing a couple of nursing jobs. One is training people how to give themselves shots of a medication and it has been so great to dabble in nursing again.

The other job was a rare find and I will be sad to leave it when we leave. After two years of just gathering dust, I finally have been able to use my NP license and work with a therapist/personal trainer in D.C. She works with people who suffer with body image issues, eating disorders, anxiety, etc. The thing I love about her practice is she combines working through issues with actually working out during the talking, right there in the office!

Her book has been so educational for me regarding the area of exercise. Everyone knows exercise is incredible for your body and brain, but reading exactly how has just inspired me in how I will live and also teach.

Adam has been dedicated and hard working at school, at his internship, and at home. He works without complaint although I know he is exhausted.

I know Heavenly Father knew we needed this precious time to not only have with our own little family, but also to be available for dear loved ones. Skyping filled with laughs and lots of tears has occupied a lot of time.

We now know that the tender weaving of different events happens for a reason and are known by our loving Heavenly Father.

Adam's mom is very sick and we get to go be with her in Utah very soon. We don't worry about how it would have worked for Adam to go alone to Utah and have me almost ready to have a baby in December.

We don't have to fret because He has known all along and has blessed us with this time.

I am truly humbled by all of it.

Halloween in Wonderland

2011-11-01T20:14:00.001-06:00

We are in a candy coma after enjoying the weekends festivities. This year topped all Halloweens for us, with two little ones bursting with excitement over the costumes, treats and pumpkins.

Every year in Old Town Alexandria the boutiques have tricks and treats to enjoy. The crowd was low this year as it was snowing while we were out. The warm and fragrant apple cider and cookies warmed us up though, when we stopped into the Sugar Cube candy store.

Caroline picked a theme again (back in June) for our family this year. She was dying to be Alice in Wonderland and wanted little Olive to be her White Rabbit. I was to be a "nice" Queen of Hearts, and Adam was a "nice" Mad Hatter.

Many people wondered why the flamingo? If you recall, those silly birds were the key to the croquet game between Alice and the Queen.

Alice was lucky to hang out with her dear friend Dorothy the night of Halloween. They VERY energetically shouted trick or treat all evening, and they were just as thrilled to greet trick or treaters at the door later to pass out the candy.

Don't kids make holidays even more magical than you could ever imagine?

This little ladybug and white rabbit worked hard for their candy. People continued to say "take a handful" and these two little ones tried to grasp their chubby little fingers around as many pieces of candy as they could. After grabbing candy, Olive would say, "Thank You! Your Welcome! Trick or Treat!" then she would say "hop, hop, hop" as she would hop along to the next door. She never left a pumpkin feeling lonely either as she would stop and pat it on the top and say, "Hi pwumpkwin!"

Hopefully I can lay off of the Kit Kats and other gummy goodies so the girls won't wonder where all of their candy went. Surprisingly they haven't cared that their treat bags are empty, they are now using them to store their jewelry :)

Let the holiday season begin!

{Pumpkin Carving}

2011-10-29T07:25:00.000-06:00

Hallow's Eve is almost here, and with that brings so much excitement for the holiday season all together! There is also an intense craving to throw a party with mummy toes, dried scabs, and kitty litter casserole. That will have to wait until next year, unless I plan it tonight and throw the party Monday between a birthday celebration, Preschool parade and Trick-or-Treating.

Luckily people are more on top of it than me and we were able to enjoy friends company at a pumpkin carving party.

Warm soups satisfied our stomachs, along with homemade pumpkin roll. The children ransacked the house, while the adults focused their attention on pumpkin carving.

We forgot one of the handiest tools to carve pumpkins that we learned about a few years ago, a canning lid. The flat disc scrapes out those pumpkin guts with ease, and makes cleaning out the pumpkin a little more enjoyable. It has revolutionized our carving days!

We went home with some very spooky pumpkins, the cat's mouth really creeps me out.

Have a festive weekend!!

Virginia Beach

2011-10-25T20:23:00.002-06:00

The other day I was asking Adam to list things that he was really passionate about. Adam is really easy going and likes just about anything, but I wanted to know those things that make him super excited about living.

As I was naming different things off, I didn't see his face light up or his eyes sparkle. When I said fishing though, it was money. I got just the expression that I thought I would.

I myself am not a fisher-woman. I think I would rather be doing nothing than fishing, that is more relaxing to me. Fishing with Adam does make it a bit more enjoyable, but I still can only handle small doses. Now, fishing in Virginia Beach off of a dock? That I could do all day, day after day. Cozy chairs to sit on, beautiful waterfront homes to gaze at, and boats zooming and lazily sailing by.

I felt very passionate about the entire weekend! Fishing on the dock and watching my giddy husband and little Caroline reel in the fish. Boating, sleeping in a cozy little cottage, biking, and running along the sandy shores of the water with our giggly girls....I am lit up by all of that.

I think Adam has found two new thrilled fishing buddies. Caroline caught about 5 fish and both girls used tiny 3-foot poles in shades of pink and green. I had never seen such a tiny little pole.

Several types of fish were caught including a couple of Sheepshead (they have crazy teeth!), Sea Trout, and Spotfish. Caroline was the first to reel in a fish (her first fish ever!) and I think she has the love her dad has for baiting a hook.

The Chief Mate and Second Mate luckily found some time to sit back and relax and enjoy the ride as the boat sped along. Caroline kept shouting as loud as her little voice could, "BEST. DAY. EVER.!!" A special thanks to the Lambournes for making the weekend such a huge success.

By the look on that daddy's face I'd say that he is pretty passionate about being with his girls. The way he teaches them and plays with them is incredible to watch. They are two very lucky little ladies.

We left Virginia Beach refreshed and rejuvenated for tackling more late night classes for Adam, late nights without daddy for the girls and me, getting ready for family pictures, and all of the many other activities of real life.

I think I might be a converted Virginia Beach fisher-woman now!

Biking to Mount Vernon

2011-10-18T20:59:00.000-06:00

It's no wonder that President Washington chose the spot he did for his estate. It is a lush area with a scenic winding road to get there. Driving along the GW Parkway to Mt. Vernon is one that sends me into relaxation mode every time I am on it. I have driven that strip of road a few times when the girls needed a little help falling asleep for naps.

Biking from Old Town Alexandria to Mt. Vernon is a lot more work than driving, but the work pays off with landscapes of cascading fall leaves, travels over wooden bridges, and lots of spots to just take in the beauty of the sparkling water.

Adam pulled these little beauties behind him the whole time and they loved the ride (most of the way)!

The 9-mile ride is really enjoyable and you don't have many hills, until the end when you realize Mr. Washington really did choose a mountain :)

After reaching our destination, we switched Olive to the co-pilot seat to give the girls their space.

Just in case you need to make a phone call, I saw two pay phones that just cracked me up. I know they are there for emergencies, but there was actually a man using one of the phones. When was the last time you used one? I didn't know they still existed!

The homes along the way capture the essence of charm.

And the benches along the way are perfect for taking in a rest and a snack.

I recommend stopping to take all of your pics because I almost made people crash twice :) I was shooting pics while peddling because the leaves were gorgeous and I loved everything about the trail.

Biking is something I think I could really enjoy doing a lot as a family.

2011-10-08T14:58:00.004-06:00

Last weekend was a perfect closing to summer. Friday evening was warm and breezy, which blew in a crisp fall air on Saturday, perfect to cozy up for to watch General Conference. Although it warmed up a bit towards the end of the week, it feels like fall is officially here in all it's beauty.

There is something about being close to or on the water in the summer though. It is completely mesmerizing, romantic and calming. The National Harbor is a perfect place to take in the water and be swept away by the mix of colors that the sunset brings.

You can also snuggle up close to your honey, and take in a movie and the stars all at the same time. The screen sits right near the water.

Dreamy, right?

To enjoy the brisk fall air, we spent Saturday at Hartland Orchard picking crisp apples and strolling through the pumpkin patch with friends. We stayed warm searching for the perfect apples to fill our bags. The thought of fresh homemade apple pie helped keep us warm too.

Caroline stayed warm because she was working hard picking all of our apples. Olive stayed warm because we continued to add any layers we could find from the car.

The day was memorable, the pie was a perfect mix of tart and sweet, and talks from General Conference once again ignited a spark to try to be better.

Happy Fall!!

Quality time with O in Old Town

2011-10-01T20:53:00.002-06:00

Reason to Celebrate

2011-09-26T10:40:00.000-06:00

Last week we had a good excuse to get gussied up and go out. Adam received an offer from a firm in Salt Lake City to work next year! This means that we will be heading back West next Spring. We couldn't be happier and we girls can't express our love to daddy enough for working so hard.

When I told Caroline that we would be going out on Friday night somewhere fancy, she heard that word and rolled with it.

"Mom, I need to wear a fancy dress, and so do you!"

"Do you think the restaurant will have fancy highchairs with whales on them that are wearing fancy, big hats? Olive could sit in one of those!"

"Don't forget to drink with your pinkie up!"

"....oh and say Chip, Chip, Cheerio!"

The places that Adam and I had talked about going for dinner were not fancy. There was Ray's Hellburger, or Ben's Chili Bowl. At the last minute we decided to go to Old Ebbitt Grill, right across from the Treasury Building and the White House.

It did not disappoint, fancy enough to leave Caroline in awe, but not so fancy that we felt uncomfortable taking her and Olive there with us.

She daintily placed the linen napkin on her "fancy ensemble" (a term she used to describe the outfit that she picked out for the occasion).

And Olive was just happy to look at the brass dog in the window behind her and Adam, and at all of the model geese and ducks displayed throughout the restaurant.

I had an old box of artificial nails that I got as a stocking stuffer from my love our first year of marriage (maybe he thought I was a bit high maintenance :) Caroline helped me put them on and she loved how they looked. I was a bit embarrassed and was kind of hiding my hands at first.

Luckily I don't wear nails because by the end of the night I had only 5 nails left. Maybe I am not careful enough, or maybe it is because the glue was over 5 years old (pretty sure it was the latter).

After we ate, we decided to go to the courthouse where Adam is working as a Judicial Intern for the Honorable Judge Rader. Adam showed us around his office in the Judge's chambers and Judge Rader just happened to be working late. In fact, he had just returned from a reception with President Obama at the White House. He was extremely nice to take time away from his work to visit with us.

He even scooped Olive right to take a picture with the girls.

Here is the view from one of the windows in his office. (sorry about the flash) That building is the Treasury Building where I interned many years ago, and the White House is right next to the Treasury in those trees.

After visiting Adam's work, we walked around outside and visited the White House at night, which was beautiful. Now that we know we are not sticking around the East Coast, I feel a sense of urgency to "conquer the world," (a phrase Adam frequently uses to describe my need to see and do it all).

I have a list forming in my head of things we have to do before we leave, and it is getting pretty long.

Monticello, Gettysburg, bike to Mount Vernon, tour the White House, drive back to New England?, Outer Banks, NC . . .

We really enjoyed our experience in NY this summer, and we truly love the East Coast. However, we feel extremely blessed to have an opportunity to get back to Utah and be close to both our families.

2011-09-25T06:33:00.002-06:00

It's not often that a brand new memorial is unveiled here in our nation's capital. However, at the end of August, a majestic tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. was opened. Directly across from the Jefferson Memorial, the stones that are engraved with words of peace and justice sit right on the Tidal Basin.

The theme of the memorial is, "A Stone of Hope Cut from the Mountain of Despair." The two stones in the foreground represent the Mountain of Despair and set forward in the Stone of Hope stands the towering frame of Dr. King.

We learned that the night before he died he gave a very prophetic speech:

"Well, I don't know what will happen now; we've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't really matter

with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life- longevity has its place...I just want to do God's will. He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over; and I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you...."

I get chills all over when I read the quotes at these solemn memorials. It is nice to have an inspirational reminder of all that these noble men have done for us. A reminder of the huge price that was paid to get where we are today.

Thank you Dr. King.

Pom Poms

2011-09-22T18:35:00.000-06:00

I know that these pom poms are used at so many wedding showers and baby showers, but I can't help but love them! They make me happy and add so much to the decor.

A lot of people have asked how to make them, or where to buy them. The tutorial on marthastewart.com is what I used when I made them. They are super easy to make, but I did make one adjustment to them. I doubled the amount of tissue paper used because when I used 8 sheets of paper, they didn't turn out full enough.

If you don't want to make them, you can get them at select party stores (in Utah), but they are hard to find.

These are the pom poms from our mustache bash baby shower several months ago.

I didn't have the heart to throw them away so they are still hanging above my daughters bed, and she loves them!

Hoppiest place on earth!

2011-09-20T11:07:00.000-06:00

The crisp and fragrant season of fall is upon us and so is the wonderful anticipation of school beginning.

I was always beyond excited for school to start. New class, new teacher, new pencils and fresh new clothes.

I was even known to sleep with my socks on so that I could get ready faster in the morning.

Caroline couldn't wait get back to Preschool! We knew that Mrs. Lockard was going to be her teacher and Caroline was thrilled. Last year whenever she would walk Caroline to the car, I could just tell little C had a special place in Mrs. Lockard's heart. It was so comforting to know that all of the zest for life that Caroline has, was appreciated by her teacher.

There were no tears from me or Caroline this year at drop off....just huge smiles as we took her into the frog class.

Picking her up is the greatest part of the day! She loved telling me how she played Rapunzel on the playground with Joanna, and how she saw Annabelle and gave her a big hug, and that she poured her own water at snack.

While we were driving home, she couldn't wait to show me the portrait she made for me and daddy.

"See mom! I have blonde hair, and blue eyes. There's my glasses, and I have bangs.

And I gave myself a check mark smile! See!?"

Make room walls, there is a lot of original artwork coming in to fill you up.

A few favorites...

2011-09-16T19:58:00.003-06:00

When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I am feeling sad....I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad! Okay, so maybe its not quite that dramatic, but I do really enjoy the following items:

Starfall.com: This website is such a fun one for learning letters, sounds, and teaching children to read. Adam's mom (a 20+ year preschool veteran and current kindergarten teacher) filled us in on this beauty. Caroline has loved it for years, and Olive is now enjoying all of the pictures, games, and music as well.

Bibs by Sally Huss: I have loved the bib that we have like this. A lot of the patterns are pretty hyper and not my favorite, but if it's function you are going for, this is it.

The bottom part snaps so that it makes a bowl type area to catch the waterfall of food that toddlers produce. I have washed mine in the washing machine and the plastic has held up great.

They used to sell them at Wal-Mart, but now Amazon is the place to go.

Funky pop-beads: A new variation on an old favorite, B. Pop-Arty has taken pop beads to a whole new level. These were found at Target, and our girls love to play with them every time they

visit Grandma Mary's house.

And last, but certainly not least, Utah Football! Good luck this weekend boys. Go Utes!!!

IV's and bedpans

2011-09-09T20:51:00.001-06:00

Luckily while in Utah, none of our little family had to have a visit to the hospital. The last two weeks we were in Utah, however, we spent a fair amount of time at a couple of hospitals with family. Our darling and hilarious 9 year old Luke was in the hospital for a ruptured appendix and an appendectomy. Here is a picture during happier times earlier in the summer at his birthday party. I don't have any pictures from the hospital because when I was there with him, he was so, so sick. It brought tears to my eyes every time I walked into his room. I had to pull myself together so that I didn't worry him. I don't know how my sister did it. She is a rock.

I was so grateful for the time we got to spend with Luke. We had a nice walk slowly down the hall, with his little body hunched over and his hand holding the IV pole. We are so grateful that he is home now!

While Luke was in the hospital, we had fun helping with the 3 other boys. They slept over at my parents a few times and at my sister Erika's. The days were full of fun activities to stay busy.

Hiking to Doughnut Falls was perfect for a hot summer day. It was nice and cool up Big Cottonwood Canyon, and the hike was easy enough for the girls. Caroline walked the entire thing by herself and Olive wasn't far behind that.

Caroline still laughs when she tells people about hiking there. She says, "It's not really REAL doughnuts falling, it's just water." (as she laughs to herself)

While not at the hospital, we also spent our time driving in style...and never taking the goggles off for the entire day.

And doing lots of sewing projects with Grandma Winegar.

We also spent time at Intermountain Medical Center with Grandma Beckstrom, Adam's sweet mom. She was admitted to the hospital just a few days before we left, and that is where she was on the day we flew out. After arriving back in D.C., bad news came of more cancer found in a lot more places. Scary places. We have felt helpless being so far away and hearing such hard news. There have been a lot of hugs given and a lot of tears that have fallen.

Gratefully prayer and fasts have been answered and she is home with the pain more controlled.

The time spent at the hospital was sweet as all the grandchildren were there (baby Enoch not in the picture.) We sat by the ginormous windows and enjoyed a sweet and simple ice cream cone that cheered everyone up. Actually Grandma's happy attitude usually cheers anyone up, no ice cream needed.

She is a contagious optimist and such a fighter.

Real life

2011-09-03T20:07:00.000-06:00

We are back!..and real life has begun again for us. We have returned to D.C. apparently at a good time, after all of the natural disaster scares. I knew summer was overall really relaxed (in a strange, move-3-times and live out of suitcases, sort of way), but I didn't quite grasp that feeling until being back where real life does happen. Appointments need to be kept, cars need to be registered, pre-school orientation needs to be attended, fun must be had with all of our incredible friends out here, boxes need to be unpacked so we can start living. All things considered, I was a bit anxious the morning after our arrival. Realizing our extended vacation was over was bittersweet. I loved how Adam said, "Just remember, nothing HAS to get done today." It was the perfect thing to say dear hubby. Those words ran through my head several times that first day as I walked to and from the gas station while getting the inspection done.

We have been hard at work reorganizing our place. Going through all of our stuff has been overwhelming. In New York we started out without a single toy. A friend gave us some that she was getting rid of and so we had a few more, but that was it. It was a liberating experience to have such minimal stuff! There wasn't much to clean up, the place was so uncluttered and refreshing to be in. I loved it. After going through all of our boxes, I told Adam that if I come home with ANYTHING new that he should give me the self-issued advice, "take it back dear." At the end of our third day of unpacking, I told Adam that there were two boxes that were still down in our storage space that needed to come up. When he arrived with the boxes he asked, "How many boxes did you say, two?. . .how about nine!" Needless to say, our family of four definitely fills out our two bedroom apartment.

Today, after emerging from our nine unexpected boxes of clothes, children's books, picture frames, toys, etc. we went on a much needed outing. We were on our way to the Dairy Godmother in Del Ray, but realized it was too close to dinner for such a sweet treat. Instead we headed to a staircase on the Potomac behind the Lincoln Memorial. I have driven past these stairs several times while on my way to the zoo and I have always wanted to just go sit on them and watch the boats or crew teams pass by. I had no idea where to park to get to them, but we found the road just the other day.

It was a perfect spot for relaxing..

Sweet shoe loving Olive chose rain boots as her sixth pair today, and the ones that she wanted to walk around the 80 degree weather in. She doesn't lie when she says, "I schweet." We couldn't agree more.

We walked across the Memorial Bridge and actually chose a granite bench on the bridge to have our picnic. We thought it was a funny place to stop and eat after we realized we were sitting right by the road. I hadn't even noticed the cars because the water was so soothing to just sit and stare at.

The next little gem that I have had my eye on is the little path that sits between those trees. It is right across from the lovely staircase. Whenever we take Adam to school, I get all pumped up seeing the runners enjoying their morning along there. I can't wait to join them....at a very s.l.o.w. pace.

As we drove home we were feeling rejuvinated and thrilled to go home to our clean apartment! I turned around to see our little girls, only to find their sweet little hands clasped so tenderly.

I sure do get excited to hang out with them everyday, this current stage just might be my favorite.

2011-08-21T15:50:00.000-06:00

I love hearing about new good ideas from people. Ideas that make you so excited that you can barely sit still. While in New York, there was a discussion about talents and it came out that one of the darling girls there had a talent of always having the Ensign with her. She was always reading good things and had the magazine in her bag. I just loved this idea and loved what this incredible woman always had to say, so I thought I would try to do that. Try to fill any moments when you are waiting somewhere or have a little downtime with lots of words of inspiration from the leaders of our church. Try to have something in the diaper bag that would help make changes in my life, and we're not talking about diapers and wipes.

Well, in Bear Lake there was lots of that hard to find relaxation "downtime" and the idea was put to the test. I share this because it has made me so happy and things have happened. Conversations that have needed to happen have had a chance to begin, relationships are being filled with more and more love, promptings are more readily felt.

I am telling you she is on to something by doing this and I grateful that this unique talent was recognized so that it could benefit others.

And thanks to Hailey and baby Ava for the much needed getaway and to Em and Dave for the family downtime at the pool!

(Incredible Jamilyn brought these to the pool and I just love them and can't wait to make them for Caroline's preschool :)

2011-08-14T23:13:00.000-06:00

Now that we've been in Utah for several weeks now, being in New York seems like it was a dream.

I have looked through all of our pictures and a huge smile has been on my face thinking of

all of the exciting, unique, tiring adventures that we had.

I have missed the free concerts in Central Park, grabbing a bagel from Absolute around the corner from our little apartment, and the laughing when Caroline shouts and points, "Mom, she is not dressed modest!"

The last weekend I was there was jam packed and we for sure left with a bang.

A trip with my family is always an assured wonderful time and we were able to spend the last weekend there with them. I had met them up in Cooperstown, NY for our nephews baseball tournament (and so they could watch the girls for a few days..thanks!) and then a wild trip began.

Niagra Falls was as magestic as ever and we loved riding on the Maid of the Mist boat at the bottom of the falls.

Nothing more American than a good old baseball game. We didn't know how much Olive would enjoy watching the Mets play....

but she and I enjoyed drawing pictures with chalk and also putting stickers everywhere. After a few innings,

she was ready to hit the seats and show us her modified pony dance.

Our nephews were pumped to see Times Square, and my dad was fired up to see the ginormous Mormon ad that is right in the heart of the shops, taxis, and people. When you see it among all of the advertising in Times Square, chills spread over your whole body. People are talking my friends, and big things are happening. I absolutely love it.

The Empire State Builing was Caroline's favorite part of the day.

and mine was being with family. It was so fun to be together and to share such a memorable time.

My cute sister has 4 boys and is an amazing mother, they are the dearest boys and we just crave to be around their cuteness.

I am craving a slice of this right now, and if you don't go to Lombardi's, another great place is Grimaldi's. Grab some pizza and then walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, that is a nice way to spend an afternoon.

Goodbye New York and hello D.C.! Yes, we stopped in D.C. briefly before our big road trip home. This was a perfect stop so that I could drop off a lot of our stuff to lighten our load for our flight later on.

I must say that I am not sad that I haven't been living in D.C. this summer, it was even more humid than New York.

I love sightseeing with my dad though. He LOVES history and gets beyond excited about it. Ford's Theater was fun to see again, Olive was into it for about 1 minute and then we hung out and ate Smarties.

The countdown is on though until we return to our home! Yes, we have a real apartment that now seems so spacious and wonderful. The schools we know and love are there, friends that we miss, doctors that we know. It all seems to easy and nice. It's sad but one thing I am looking forward to most is going through our things and organizing them again. I am a weird one, but I crave organizing.

While time is counting down, so is the need to keep on enjoying the beauty of the mountains and lakes in Utah and our precious family.

Sweet Reunion

2011-08-10T10:15:00.000-06:00

After waiting and waiting for weeks and weeks....

Daddy finally arrived back with his girls and brought shrieks of excitement from them when they saw him.

Caroline helped Adam with his luggage the entire way to the car. She did not want to let go from being close to him.

Adam was looking forward to driving after not for three months, but the girls wouldn't have it. They wanted him right by them in the back.

Oh we love Adam so much and it's good to have our family complete again!

A different kind of workout

2011-08-08T09:24:00.000-06:00

Over the past year (and then some), I have found it hard to muster up the drive to get out and exercise. I have always been a big fan of getting out and burning some calories, it just feels so good. I don't know why that spark has fizzled or plain just been put out.

I knew that we would be walking a lot in New York, but I really didn't understand how physically demanding

living there would be. I was forced to get some much needed exercise.

It was a very different kind of workout, everyday was different. Each day was sure to include miles and miles of walking and pushing the stroller, which was a perfect introduction for my body to getting in shape.

Not only was walking and strengthening my legs part of the package, oh no, there was a lot more included.

There were days when working out my arms was the main focus. Days when the only way to get where we were going in a decent amount time, was to go down hundreds of stairs with stroller and toddler in tow.

Another great way to work out the arms was to be at a subway stop that didn't have an elevator. Then you get to lift everything again and feel the burn as you walk up or down often several flights of stairs.

Luckily there were many times when I could opt out of this grueling part of the routine and let some New Yorkers help me.

Since being in Utah, I have had a new spark for making time to workout. I recently read that to help motivate yourself to exercise, try thinking of it as "me" time. Don't think about how there isn't time in the day, or that it's too early to get up, or that it's a drag to get out and move. Look at the positive that you can be just with you and your thoughts and your music as you become healthier! For some reason, this little thought of "me" time was just the right motivator.

My body has been thanking me for taking a healthier route and trying to get back into shape.

Running among this has really helped for some of the motivation.

And the rainbow helped me get to the top of a hill without stopping one evening.

I also have to thank my awesome sister who should be a personal trainer. She wanted me to run over 5 miles with her on Saturday and I told her I would really slow her down. When I told Adam I was going to go with her he jokingly (but somewhat seriously) said, "Did you tell her you might die?"

Well I went, and here I am sitting with sore legs which feels divine, and I am not dead.

I know I slowed her down and my lungs were hating life, but we conquered steep hills that I would have given up on and we talked and enjoyed our early morning run.

Erika plans to keep me pumped and make those hills not burn so bad.

2 more days!!

2011-08-04T22:17:00.000-06:00

I can't believe how fast time has gone. In two days, the girls and I will have been away from Adam for 3 weeks. Luckily it has gone fairly quickly, up until now. The 3 day countdown has seemed like time is standing still.

Everytime we have Skyped or called him, Adam always says, "Olive has grown so much in these few weeks." It really is incredible how many more words she has added to her vocabulary, how many new favorite hobbies she has found, and how her love of things that go has blossomed to an obsession.

Baby O is not so much baby anymore, but is a full fledged comedian wrapped up in a toddler bod.

I swear she has a new very animated facial expression every day. The surprised face that she gets though when she sees an airplane or a helicopter always stays the same.

So, to make sure daddy is aquainted with his dear 20 month old, I wanted to jot a few things down.

She calls the kitty here at my parents Meow Meow, and follows it everywhere.

Picking up rocks that are practically boulders to her is her new love. She carries one in each hand and says, "Wock" over and over. We make her say the word over and over because it is pure hilarity!

The Aviary may ask us to never come back after the other day. Olive saw a couple of peacocks and followed them everywhere loudly shouting, "Pea-cock!! Pea-cock!!" nonstop. All of the other poor birds are probably traumatized.

She ate a strawberry and finally didn't spit it out! This girl does not enjoy most textures, but this is progress.

Have you seen "Follow that Bird"? If you have, you may remember the song "Easy Goin'" (If you have not seen the movie, don't watch it, it is a strange one but yet a childhood memory for me.) Anyway, she and Caroline sing that song all day, I would love to post the video. You would die.

If she is mad she will tell you to "Go Away" so watch out daddy.

On the other hand, she will cuddle and cuddle some more. She doesn't know how much I need and love that.

See you soon daddy!

2011-07-31T14:03:00.004-06:00

I have to admit, it has felt pretty good to get back into "normal" life. Being in Utah feels more like the norm because it was the norm for so long. We know the streets, the stores, the canyons, the doctors. It's just really easy here. Living in New York felt like a sureal dream, and it was fun while it lasted, but I am glad that I have awakened from that sleep. We played so hard, spending only sleeping time at the apartment, and I have just barely finally like I am rested again. Do I miss New York? No, we left with a great taste in our mouth still. I do miss several things about it, and those are my friends that felt like family and took care to make sure we were always doing ok. We weren't there very long, but we were taken in and welcomed in a wonderful way. I look up to all my dear friends that live there in that physically demanding city. These are some amazing women!
I am loving being able to cook again. I wasn't not cooking because we were in New York, it was because of the pregnancy. I was so sick, but luckily we were in the mecca of delicious places to eat! Caroline even said excitedly, "Mommy, you can cook again because you are not sick anymore!" That made me feel like a million bucks and since she was so thrilled I felt like the greatest cook ever (which I am soooo not!).
Eating out is one of my favorite things to do that we haven't done a ton of while in law school. I don't even think it's about the food for me, rather the atmosphere. If a cafe' has twinkle lights, I am sold. Not all of the places we ate at had twinklies, but there were some delicious eats. Here are a few...

Alice's Teacup I already wrote about beause we went for Caroline's birthday. Again, I would highly recommend it for breakfast!

Sarabeth's is another quaint breakfast nook that I could go to again and again. It's been a favorite for a long time and has never been a place to disappoint...especially in the French Toast department.

Anyone that is from New York (but no longer living there) that knew we were going to live there said, "Eat a bagel for me while you are there." Well, Absolute Bagels won our hearts over. The line in the morning is always ginormous, but so worth it! We lived right around the corner from it so we visited often.

If you have a major sweet tooth like myself, Levain Bakery is worth a try. Not only is the brief history of this bakery unique, their cinnamon buns won a contest on Oprah, and their 6 oz. cookies are so soft and just melt away in your mouth. As you can see, they bring pure delight to your day...especially the dark chocolate chocolate chip variety.

As for pizza, I was kind of doubting that we would find any worth talking about as we neared the end of our stay in NYC. We ate a lot of it because it's everywhere and the kids will eat it. The last night when we were out with my family, we went to Lombardi's in Little Italy. It is delicious old-school Italian pizza with thin and crispy crust, crust is so important to me, and the sauce and bubbly cheese were delicious.

And if you are looking for some refreshing fruit drinks, hit Gray's Papaya, which is a hot dog joint. The papaya and pina colada juices were my favorite. It's cheap too which is always a bonus in NY!

There are tons more, but hopefully you can enjoy thinking about these ones for now.
What are your favorite restaurants, not just in NYC, but anywhere? It's so fun trying new places.

Roadtrippin'!!

2011-07-27T21:06:00.001-06:00

Well, it's been well over a week since I have visited here. The time has been filled with family visiting and lots of fun exploring, and packing the girls and myself up to leave NY a little early to roadtrip down South with my parents. We are now in Utah and I am in relaxation mode. May I just shout a huge hooray for dry heat, oh I so love the dry heat. Bring on 100 degrees even if there is no humidity, I really enjoy not dripping sweat all day!

There is so much to cover and so I will just do it little by little because I don't want to forget the memorable past couple weeks. I made a very last minute decision to hit the road with our two little ones and visit the deep south. I had 8 more states to visit before I have been to all 50, and now I have only 2. Six of the states were in the south: South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. (The ones I have left are Louisiana and Alaska.) I just couldn't pass up and opportunity to hit all of those states. I was nervous to be on the road so long with the girls and so many people thought I was crazy. Each day I would change my mind as to if I was going. Then the night before my parents left, I felt that nice calm assurance that going was a great decision. So the mad rush to pack began. It was nice because we stopped in DC on the way to drop off a lot of things. This will make traveling home from Utah at the end of August will be a breeze!

My dad is a total Civil War history buff and so we stopped at many battle fields and cemetaries. It was very solemn to be right there where a lot of the big battles occurred. I didn't take the girls on the tours because mixing tours of battle fields and two young children goes together as well as oil and water. So while dad went touring, my sweet mom came with the girls and I to do other fun things. Overall, the southern states were just hills of gorgeous green trees and fields full of healthy crops, and lots of rivers. And the accent, probably my favorite part!

We hit the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston which was incredible. There were scuba divers feeding the sharks and one played peek-a-boo with the girls and was giving them high fives.

I really enjoyed stopping in Prairie Grove, Arkansas because I learned that my fourth great-grandfather fought in the Civil War here. On the tour there was a very clear sense of how all of the soldiers marched and where they charged. It was powerful to think about and I love that the girls were able to see it as well. I think traveling is the best way to learn!

The homes throughout the south were so beautiful and charming. They all had wrap around porches, intricate detail all around the woodwork and many had porch rockers.

I still am blown away at how smooth the trip went. The girls were absolute dreams, thank you little lovelies!! I so enjoyed sitting between their little carseats and playing with them over the 3,000 miles. I really felt so lucky to spend every waking minute with them. I loved watching Caroline pass the time playing with and molding a wire hanger into Rapunzel's hair and various things. Olive loved putting stickers on her arms and looking for "hoseys" (horses) out the window.

I can't thank my parents enough for having us and for helping me so much.

This just makes me happy and I never want to forget the little bites Olive took out of the apples. The top two divets are from her front teeth, which helped hold the apple in place while her bottom teeth actually grabbed a little bit of goodness.

More to come:

Family visit to New York

Quick stop in D.C.

more past adventures in NY

America's Birthday!

2011-07-17T22:03:00.001-06:00

The Fourth of July is hands down my favorite holiday. This is a bold statement coming from me because Adam would say every holiday is my favorite because they all have to be given a lots of attention...and lots of celebrating is always in order. America's birthday, however, is the essence of summer and celebration! Glorious summer heat and cooling off in the sprinklers, fireworks, hanging out on the grass, snowcones, bbq's, it's almost too much wonderfulness for one day to handle.

This year it was a very patriotic holiday for us. We woke up and we were at the subway at 7 am. No one else in New York was awake. We were the only ones on the train, which has never happened. We were also at a very clean subway stop, which never happens either!

We headed out to see our lovely Lady Liberty. It was incredible to read all about the history of how she came to be and all of the symbolism that surrounds her. I definitely take living in this incredible country for granted and it was nice to reflect on how lucky we are.

The girls took a pause from frolicking on the grass to raise a flower torch to the Statue of Liberty in honor of the day.

The day continued with enjoying a lazy afternoon at the World Financial Center Waterfront. We came upon this little gem by accident, and I think everyone in New York should spend an afternoon there for sure. People were sailing, we had free snowcones and festive balloons. It was absolutely perfect.

We ventured through China Town and the smell that day was almost too much to bear. Sorry to always comment on the smells, I guess I was really sensitive to them all. Lovely Mulberry Street luckily saved us from the strong potent smell of fish, with exchanging it for smells of pesto, garlic, and fresh bread.

Oh my, Little Italy is a street filled with colorful shade umbrellas, tables on the sidewalks, and people strolling.

It was the perfect place for dinner.

A highlight of the day was going to see the Macy's fireworks display on the Hudson River. After a LONG, LONG walk, we finally were able to pass through security to get to the riverside. It was totally worth the effort to see six synchronized displays of fired from barges floating in the water.

We thought that the girls might fall asleep while waiting, but it turns out they are a lot like their mom and will do anything to catch sight of some sparklers in the air.

Happy (belated) Independence Day America!

2011-07-12T09:37:00.001-06:00

We had a non-stop 4th of July weekend. We loved having Adam around even on Monday! Grandma and Grandpa Beckstrom came for a visit and they were powerhouses. Adam's mom has breast cancer and just got results from a PET scan that no one was very thrilled about. She didn't feel up to par, but kept a smile on. We took several rests which were good for me too as I was emotionally drained. We packed it in though, and I think covered the rest of my must see list for New York. I am bummed because we can't find our battery charger for our camera, so the camera will likely be resting for the remainder of our time here. Luckily G & G B. had cameras and we got to borrow Grandpa's for a few weeks.

I loved the excitement that built up as we were sightseeing on Saturday. We knew that we were going to Wicked that evening and we all couldn't wait. I loved that I didn't know the story, and I only knew a couple of songs so it was all new to me.

(blurry I know, but it's the only one we have :)

We laughed so much over the weekend after we saw the show realizing that we have such a Glinda on our hands!! We just have to teach her how to toss her hair and she's got it.

We are debating if we should attach a cup to here so she could make some bank while she sings the entire day as we travel around.

Meet Gus, the most lovable Polar Bear I have ever met. He lives at Central Park Zoo and is the happiest bear alive! I think it must be because he weighs about 1,000 pounds and has the most beautiful fur coat, not to mention his sweet pool! Every time we visit zoo, he is swimming. He stands up on a rock and pokes his upper body out of the water, and then does a graceful back fall into the water to begin his glide. He even does a swimmers flip turn to continue his swim. Coolest animal I have ever met at a zoo.

After hanging out at the New York Public Library, we were reminded that we may have two Glinda's on our hands :)

Hide and Go Seek during one of our rests may have been the their favorite part of the day!

Oh baby! The varieties of ginormous candy at FAO "Shorts" (as C calls it) is so fun to take in. I think my favorite is the huge box of Nerds.

Grandma and Grandpa couldn't quite keep their eyes open while on popsicle watch. It made Adam and I again just bust out laughing. We also love how the girls are looking up with those eyes saying...ok, what's next on the agenda, we are ready for more!

More pictures of our 4th of July extravaganza are coming, but for now I am off on a quick trip with the girls to meet up with my family in Cooperstown, NY. Then to Kansas City for some nurse training with a new job. Kind of a whirlwind of fun/travel, but being around family is always a treat!

Sights to see in NYC and Many Thanks

2011-07-10T06:58:00.000-06:00

I am overwhelmed right now. Overwhelmed by the love and support we have had and how much it has brought comfort. Often I forget that we are not the only family with difficult things going on, everyone has a lot on their plate. Yet, with everyone being so busy, they take the time out from caring for sick children, husbands being out of town, church responsibilities, work, etc. to send love. I think, in fact, that is another lesson I have learned at this time. There is ALWAYS time to serve others and lift a load off their shoulders or help soothe pain. If we make time to serve, our Heavenly Father will help it fit into our busy lives. Thank you dear family and friends for teaching this to me and for being our buoy. Our home has been

filled with an incredible feeling of peace which I know the wonderful gospel has brought.

This past week we have been together as a family a lot with the holiday and everything. We didn't have a date night, but being here with no school has been so amazing for keeping lots of dates! For most of our date nights, Adam and I have done city walks from a set of cards that a friend let us borrow. They sell the cards in most of the tourist shops around the city. We have loved exploring all of the different neighborhoods and stopping here and there for a pastry, to listen to some jazz music, or to just sit and people watch. It's been fun to learn why SoHo has it's name, South of Houston St., or Tribeca which is Triangle below Canal St. I just love learning little factoids like that.

I am in love with all of the outdoor seating here. People just set up most of their restaurant tables on the sidewalk and it just adds a lot of color and spice to the city streets. Chairs like the ones here always catch my eye. I just get whisked off to Europe in my mind.

There are a ton of indescribably nasty smells as you walk the streets, but these fresh fruit markets help redeem some good smelling air. As you walk by it just feels fresh and the smells of citrus, berries, and melon fill the air.

These are delivery bikes for a restaurant in SoHo and I would love to get ahold of one to ride around. They even have a little bell on them.

This firestation in Chelsea is so classic. I am such a sucker for red and the flag blowing mightily out front, it's just too perfect.

The Green Market in Union Square is another place to go if your nose just can't take the scents of the usual streets in NY. This lavender had me stopped for some time, the strong smell settled my queasy tummy and filled the air of the market.

Ok, I am such a sucker for Jazz music and this little trio was amazing! They hang out in Central Park on the mall and they know how to get people's feet tapping.

One thing that has brought me the most happiness since being here is to see all of the incredible hydrangea plants throughout the gardens. They grow so well here and the pinks and blues are so vibrant, I usually have to stop the stroller and the girls and I just stand in awe at them. The most impressive display of these beauties is at the Rockefeller Plaza, where they line the entire walk down to the center. We have gone there several times just to sit and take in these gorgeous plants. One day I will have a garden full of these and peonies, oh how nice that sounds.

2011-07-05T18:41:00.001-06:00

The post has been sitting waiting to be published for weeks. Adam and I are always excited to share exciting news like the upcoming arrival of a new baby. We announced our news at Caroline's jewel party and had Caroline open a present with a card exclaiming news of a prospective baby brother or sister inside. But for some reason, there the post sat, and I just never felt good yet about posting it. We always tell family and friends early because we have discovered we love the support if something goes wrong. Well, Friday I was 14 weeks along and some bad news came. No heartbeat with the doppler when I went to see the Midwife. We had to wait over the long holiday weekend for an ultrasound, and that's when the heart crushing news came.

This may seem so personal to some to share this here, but for me I have learned it helps to share. The first time we experienced this I treated it like it was taboo to talk about, I felt uncomfortable sharing the news with most friends. It hurt. I found out though, that the more I shared with people, the more I discovered this happens unfortunately a lot and some healing began. I gained comfort in other peoples stories and successes of still being able to have children. We are one of those successes because after two hard experiences came sweet animated Olive.

The thing I learned from those hard losses was that our Heavenly Father knows exactly what we need and what is best for us. I went through so many emotions, anger, fear, hopelessness, sadness, before I realized that it's in His hands. Olive came at the perfect time and when I realized this I was comforted and my faith increased. This knowledge is what got me through last weekend. Yes I thought things might still be ok, but I also felt so calm and full of the Spirit knowing that I really have nothing to worry about. It's in the Lord's hands. It was hard to remember that when we did hear the disappointing news, but I truly know this and find peace in it. We are beyond blessed and so grateful to have our two beautiful little girls. I always learn from this to be a better mother each day to these precious little ones and cherish every sticky finger, messes that need to be cleaned up, spills, crying that needs comforting because one day there will be none of that....and I know it will all be missed.

For the love of my life

2011-06-29T16:57:00.001-06:00

I know I am extremely late, but I can't let the month of June pass by without wishing my sweet and hubba hubba husband a

Happy Birthday and Happy Father's Day!!

I can't believe that my first impression that I had of him still stands true even more today, that he is the nicest person to everyone he meets and he is simply just a babe.

He treats me so well and does so much for me. A few things that are on my mind since being in New York are that he does the laundry. He goes down into the semi scary basement and gets all our clothes clean.

He already works so hard, but goes out of his way without complaint to do that.

Another thing that is tricky here is grocery shopping. It's very hard to take kids because the isles are too small to almost fit a normal size person, let alone a stroller with two children.

He walks to Westside Market and carries all of the groceries home.

He is the BEST daddy and sometimes I think he should be the one at home with his endless patience and amazing way of interacting with the girls. No matter how busy he is, time with his girls is most important.

And this made me cry. At his mid-summer review when they asked him what the firm could do differently to make things better, Adam said, "It would be nice if you would include the spouses in a few of the summer activities." I was so touched that he not only thought of that, but that he said it to a head honcho partner at the firm.

He's always looking out for his wife, I love you babe.

We were extremely lucky to spend Father's Day evening with one of my favorite families...The Moss Family! Sarah is one of my best friends from college and we lived together three different times and came to New York when we were single. We have not hung out since our second babies were born due to living thousands of miles apart, and we have not stopped laughing since being back around each other.

Not only did we enjoy tons of laughs that Sunday evening, but Sarah made an incredible meal with salmon, ribs, feta and strawberry salad, mashed potatoes and just look at that appetizer. We all downed two plates worth of those little delights.

Top picks for kids in New York

2011-06-23T19:51:00.007-06:00

Worried about what to do with kids while in New York? Here are a few of my 4 year olds favorite pics!

FAO Schwartz floor piano

Yes, the piano that was in the movie BIG in the 80's is still at FAO Schwartz for anyone's enjoyment. Caroline and Olive ran up and down the piano for about 30 minutes. We tapped out Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and enjoyed watching the keys light up as we played.

The Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater

This quaint little cottage is tucked away in Central Park and is a must do with children. The puppets are made of wood and painted, just like Pinnochio. All of the children that we went with are dying to go back.

The Highline Park and Rainbow City

This park was originally train tracks built running through the city and above the street that were used to keep freight trains off the street. They have turned the tracks into an incredible park with views of many different West Side neighborhoods. Rainbow City was at the end of the park and it is a colorful bouncy land for kids.

Belvedere Castle in Central Park

Another fun place to explore and it's free. The views from the balconies are beautiful, and it's a definite bonus for little girls when Angelina Ballerina is there to chat with you about how to do a perfect arabesque.

Caroline wasn't the only one excited to see Angelina. It is so enjoyable seeing what interests and excites little Olive.

Alice's Tea Cup

2011-06-17T19:07:00.001-06:00

Birthdays are a big deal at our house. I have always loved birthdays and think a birthday should be a day full of celebrating. Although we already celebrated Caroline's birthday in Salt Lake with family at her jewel party, we did some celebrating here in New York!

Alice's Tea Cup was a fanciful little place to begin the day. We arrived right when it opened at 8 a.m. so that Adam could be there to enjoy Caroline's birthday breakfast. As we walked in, we were greeted with the sight and smell of hot varieties of scones, fresh out of the oven with steam coming off of them.

Caroline announced that she was turning 4 and the darling hostess asked if she would like some fairy dust sprinkled on her. Caroline clenched her hands tightly together and scrunched her eyes shut as she made her wish while fairy dust fell on her head.

Next, she picked some butterfly wings to wear while she dined, and she also picked some for Olive.

She was amazed that her hot chocolate had heart sprinkles in it, and that they "disappeared". She was certain that her fairy dust made the hearts do that magic :) She loved drinking out of such a fancy teacup..as did I. We enjoyed blueberry pancakes, waffles with fresh berries, but the thing that will have me going back again are the scones. The savory cinnamon chocolate scone was perfection. I was not a scone lover before these. They have never really done anything for me, but now I can't wait to try all of their varieties!

I had the Christmas Brew herbal tea and it was delicious. Pineapple, orange peel, papaya, hibiscus...and more. I think it converted me from being a habitual hot chocolate drinker, to an herbal tea consumer. I have tried to make a healthier choice than hot chocolate to get warm in the winter, but I have not enjoyed tea.

I think I could drink anything that came out of a darling little teapot like this though!

Before we left, Caroline enjoyed looking at a detailed and colorful pop-up Alice in Wonderland book. She assigned us all our Halloween characters before we left as well.

Daddy had to go off to work and we headed to the Central Park Zoo. The walk there in the 80 degree, non humid weather, was so enjoyable. We loved spending time at the Bethesda Fountain and walking down the Mall in the park.

Caroline has such a zest for life, she has a heart that is always open to loving and helping others, lately she has made me cry almost everyday because I can't believe she is ours.

Happy Birthday Sweet Caroline!!

Soul Daddy

2011-06-14T13:51:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we met up with some of our friends for a fun night out. We went to South Street Seaport and ate at Soul Daddy. It was the winner of the show 'America's Next Great Restaurant', which I had never seen, and the Stringhams wanted to check it out. The food was good, but nothing that I have to tell everyone that they have got to try. I did enjoy the cornbread waffles with honey butter and could have ordered a few more orders of those.

I think that the after dinner entertainment was my favorite part. We walked on the pier and saw the view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the beautiful East River. Salsa music was blaring and the kids couldn't help but try out all of their moves, even some break dancing. I wouldn't mind going back soon to check out all of the fun shops and the imagination playground.

On our way home we walked by one of the new World Trade Centers. It has gone up fast, just over the past two years. It is still such a solemn place to pass by even among the hustle of the city.

2011-06-11T18:48:00.002-06:00

Dear New York thief,
Please don't target mothers with children anymore, or anyone for that matter. When you steal someone's phone they feel defeated for a bit and it leaves a bad taste of NY in their mouth.

Dear Greenwich Village,
Thank you for the wonderful date night and romantic August restaurant. The rhubarb crumble and ginger, coconut, and pistachio gelati was perfection.

Dear mice that live in the apartment building,
Please, please don't visit us anymore. We know you like peanut butter, and just like your friends, you will be caught!

Dear refreshing rain,
Thank you for wiping out the 100 degree weather and humidity. It has been so nice to walk home without dripping sweat along the way and with a little more spring in my step.

Dear Morningside Heights Ward,
Thank you, thank you for being so welcoming and for being full of so many friends with young children.

Dear ancient, classy old lady,
You really made me smile last night while you walked along the street, slightly hunched, with your drink from Five Guys in one hand and your Anthropologie bag in the other.

Dear Caroline,
My stomach still hurts from laughing when you asked if you could give me a "weddy" (a wedgie).

Dear Olive,
Your 18 month social personality wins over the hearts of such a spectrum of people on the subway. They can't help but smile and wave and play peek-a-boo back with you.

2011-06-09T10:00:00.001-06:00

We ventured downtown to Adam's office one Saturday and it was incredible to see the view from his office. The Chrysler Building is just outside his window.

Here are the CEO's of our household. They look pretty comfortable among the cement jungle, don't you think? They run a very tight corporation filled with shadow puppets in the evening, puppet theater, dancing, and Olive runs the shoe department :)

We had no plans after leaving Adam's office, and we ran into a street fair that was phenomenal. We couldn't stop drooling over all of the good things to eat. The gyros were, may I say, the best I've had yet. Fresh pineapple and peach smoothies also were devoured quickly and kept us cool as we walked along in the hot sun.

There were countless shops that I may have been able to get more fun pictures of if we hadn't given Olive a full smoothie to spill all over herself and her white dress :)

Fire roasted corn on the cob anyone? Divine!

One thing I am still kicking myself over is the little shop that I browsed through and passed up purchasing anything. There were tons of smocked girls dresses and I didn't buy ONE. Ah, I am still dying. The prices were almost cheaper than a thrift store. I try to be really smart with what I buy, but I thought way too much about that one and should have bought a bunch. I now have a quest to find that little shop.

Wish me luck!

Brighton Beach

2011-06-05T18:22:00.001-06:00

What a lovely place to be on Memorial Day. I had no idea that there were so many beaches just a subway ride away in New York. The ride there was actually half the fun. Caroline belting (trying hard to not sing at the top of her lungs as we asked her to be a little quieter) Highschool Musical numbers the entire way and Olive looking out the window showing her toothy grin. Everytime the subway stopped she would giggle and look at me and sign and say excitedly, "More, More!"

We wondered if we were crazy to attempt a beach trip on the holiday, but it turns out there were just enough people there for some very entertaining people watching. Is a piece of material crisscrossed and barely covering one's body considered a swimsuit? I am pretty sure here it is, luckily there are tiny waves. It was a very clean beach, with beautiful soft sand. There were hundreds of seashells which Olive worked so hard to "clean up" and kept trying to throw them all back into the water.

Caroline didn't like the idea of being buried any further than her belly. She loved that her little legs disappeared.

I don't know if there is anything sweeter than a toddler on the beach. Watching those chubby little hands dig in the sand and try to grab huge handfuls was priceless. Seeing her run and run on her sturdy legs up and down the sand with the biggest smile. Hearing her loud belly laugh when the cold waves caught her little feet.

Brighton Beach is connected to Coney Island. We were so glad that we decided to soak up the sun and relax at Brighton Beach because as we walked down to Coney Island at the end of our day, it was a madhouse, just a sea of people.

As we walked on the boardwalk, I kept seeing Caroline's eyes following something like a hawk every so often. After about the third time she said, "Can I have one of those big cotton balls?" She had been eyeing cotton candy.

As nasty as they are, I couldn't resist such a sweet request for a cotton ball.

It was fun to take in all of the rides, and shops, and places to eat as we walked at our leisurely pace through the crowd.

Here is the ocean of people that was on the boardwalk. Even as we were leaving around 4pm, mobs of people were headed off of the subway to go enjoy their Memorial Day bbqs.

I heart the beach and can't wait to find another great one soon!

The MoMA

2011-05-31T12:48:00.000-06:00

Last weekend was glorious. No big plans were made, but things just fell into place nicely and we stayed occupied with some fun events.

On Friday I went with a friend to the Museum of Modern Art. She had a pass, so I was able to get in with her without waiting in the line that was out the door, and I didn't have to pay $20. Passes are only $75 and children are always free. I am so tempted to get a pass even though we will only be here for the summer. I think we would use it a lot.

They have a new children's area that was brilliant. There is a brand new art program where the children use real paintbrushes and they get to paint right on the special computer screen. They get to pick different brushes on the program, colors, and they can enlarge their canvas. It's all of the divine highlights of painting, without the mess! Caroline and her friend, Balthazar, sat and did this quietly forever.

Can I order one of these right now please!? For the airplane rides, road trips, and so I can cook dinner?

The docent said it's not out to buy yet, but I will for sure be anxiously waiting.

Olive spent most of her time at the light table where she just stacked all of the different materials there were to touch and explore. All of the kids loved the watercolor filled blocks. They stacked them, built houses and enjoyed them on the light table as well.

If you are there during lunchtime, I highly recommend the Cafe 2 on the second level. They are totally

kid friendly and have a kids menu. My tomato, carrot and chickpea soup was also divine.

Outside in the courtyard there is a very soothing sculpture garden and fountains. There is lots of shade and seating so that you can sit, relax, and enjoy your ice cream cone that you can buy out in the garden.

I am relaxed just thinking about it again. You can bet we will go back there.

p.s. if you are planning a trip, it is randomly closed on Tuesdays.

Fleet Week

2011-05-28T17:56:00.002-06:00

Week 1 has been a total success. The transition could not have gone smoother which was so pleasing to Adam and I. Our girls have been sleeping like rockstars, poor things are just probably so exhausted from everything, but they have taken it in stride.

I have been brought to tears several times this week. Not because things are hard, not because I was lost, and not because I just stepped in the gutter full of nasty smelling water with my sandal on. No, it's been because people have been so nice to us! People have offered to help me get down into the subway so many times. The first time it was two ladies and they must have thought I needed some medication to help control my emotions. I tried to thank them through my choked up voice, and they smiled and got what I was trying to say. I guess I have been sweetly surprised that people in this bustling city take the time out to help someone.

I have made the trek down the steps into the subway many times with Olive in one arm, our stroller in the other hand, and Caroline following behind. We do it, but yes it is so nice to have the stroller in someone else's hands and both my girls in mine.

This week was fleet week which is held to honor the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Ships from all over the world visit New York Harbor each fleet week. The Harbor is also where Lady Liberty stands and it was refreshing to see her again. Seeing the Statue of Liberty is like seeing the monuments in D.C., it never gets old. The girls and I hung out at Battery Park and enjoyed watching the ships sail past through the water. They were spraying huge streams of water from a lot of the ships too, which the girls loved.

Here is the U.S.S. New York, with a tiny shot of Lady Liberty on the left.

At the park, they had a little tot zone where there were lots of toys for the children to play with. It was so nice to be outside and have huge soft blocks, dress-ups, and bouncing toys to play with.

There was a story time at the end too on the lawn. The parks here are so cool, and I was worried we would have to search for things to do with kids!

New York has totally proven me wrong in more ways than one.

Welcome to New York!

2011-05-24T12:29:00.001-06:00

We finished up our time in Slc with a bang. I am still wondering where 3 weeks went.

Adam and I had a way fun dinner in Park City and I think I enjoyed waiting to eat and playing tic-tac-toe more than my salmon and beignets. :)

The zoo was impressive, Hogel Zoo has really stepped it up! The tigers were very active all up and digging around and pawing at their toys. The carousel was a hit with all the kids of course.

Walking on the moon at the planetarium was fun for C, Liam, and Olive. I love how Liam and Caroline have the exact same expression which was totally not prompted. Olive is giving a shout out to the astronaut.

And we couldn't get enough of cousin time, here are 5 of the 9 boy cousins. Mmwah! We miss you already boys.

We made it and it feels good to be settled again for the second time in 3 weeks! The travel went without a hitch. It was worth the l.o.n.g. delay when we traveled to Salt Lake to get this sweet travel day to New York. On our second leg of the flight, the plane was practically empty. Adam and I each took one little sweetie pie and took a row each. They didn't sleep, but they had room to just be, and just being was nice. I may have even snuck in a little cat nap which was a nice surprise.
Caroline and Olive were a delight to travel with. Little C brought Whiskers, her little kitty, and made sure she was safe the entire day. She even buckled Whiskers in with her on the airplane and carried the kitty in her "pouch" whenever she walked somewhere.

Once we arrived in New York we rented a car so that we could get all of our luggage to our place. Our GPS ran out of battery on our way, but luckily my many times of watching the movie Elf came in handy and we just followed signs to the Lincoln Tunnel. When Adam asked how I knew how to go that way, I said, "Cause that's what Buddy does.....'and then I walked through the Lincoln Tunnel'."
It was so nice to have a car because we made two trips to Target to stock up on all of things we could think of that we will need for the next 11 weeks. It took two trips because Caroline and I went on one trip together while Olive slept at home with Daddy. The carts were beyond full and I was carrying a big box of diapers in my hand. It was then time to check out. It felt good to get all of that done in one day!

The next day was Sunday and we walked along Central Park two and a half miles to get to church. It was a nice cool day and it was exciting to explore our new city.

Caroline and Olive went on their first subway ride and C couldn't have been more thrilled. Now she begs to go on it everyday.

(blurry sorry, moving trains aren't conducive to good pics)

Let the exploring continue! More coming soon...

A Dazzling Jewel Party

2011-05-19T13:53:00.001-06:00

I should have known that when I took this picture of Caroline when she was 2 and all glitzed up, that one day she may beg for a jewel party. In a month she turns 4 and has been talking about a jewel party for almost a year. She has also been praying about it for about a week, "Please bless my jewel party.."

We had the party early so we could celebrate with all of our family before we leave for New York on Saturday. It is funny that it was a jewel party and she has 9 boy cousins! They were able to enjoy the sparklies too though.

We kept the menu simple with a jewel cake, ice cream, and pink frosted cupcakes with gems on them.

There was a table set up so guests could get fancy for the event. Most of the real jewelry came from my wonderful grandmother Gigi. She has some serious jewels and pulled them off well when she used to wear them!

To help all of the boys get involved we did a treasure/jewel hunt in the backyard. They loved the gold coins, ring pops, and even the rings that were the booty!

Caroline was overjoyed at the sight of the big gem on the cake. She hasn't stopped carrying the gem around since the party.

Caroline with another big jewelry lover, Gigi. Gigi was sad because she forgot to wear her "firecracker" earrings. We were just so glad she was at the party!!

Jamilyn and Nathan had just rolled into town looking very dapper. I was so glad that they got into the fancy feeling of the party.

Even some of the guys got into getting glammed up.

(J please don't hate me for posting this awesome pic :) )

Joyful Olive had an assortment of bangles on all night. She is following right behind her big sis in the jewel loving department.

I loved being here to have the party with family, they are unbelievable to be around. Thanks everyone for coming and for frosting yourselves for this very special event!

to sum in up...

2011-05-16T09:32:00.002-06:00

Two weeks have already sailed by here in Utah. The first week was a bit of an adventure filled with lots of airport time and antibiotics. When we arrived at the airport and got settled at our gate, there was an announcement that the flight would be delayed....SIX hours. Luckily, Adam promptly got on the phone with customer service and rescheduled our flight because by the time we left, others were having to stay overnight in Houston or other cities. The six hours together in the airport was actually a lot of fun. We loved being all together all day and it was so nice having Adam with us, so we made the best of it. We ate an early lunch at Five Guys, which turned out to be a good choice. They were rockin' to the oldies music and our girls couldn't help but move to the tunes. Olive bouncing up and down in the highchair, and Caroline with eyes closed and arms striking poses in the air. They were entertainment for all that were eating their juicy burgers. We were there for over an hour. Other fun was found on the moving sidewalks, with the flags from each country and state hanging from the ceiling, and our little girls made friends with about 200 people saying hello to everyone.

So we got to Utah, our luggage didn't, but it did come at 2 am that night. Then the next day I just felt off. I figured I was just exhausted from packing and traveling. Well, a swollen neck and fever later, I was receiving an antibiotic for strep. Strep is such a beast, it had me down for a week, and we were lucky that everyone else stayed healthy! (Minus Caroline throwing up all day on Mother's Day :( ) I attribute some of my recovery to Cafe Rio that we had on Cinco de Mayo. I knew it was addictive, but I didn't know it had medicinal effects.

A solemn thing that occurred was Adam's sweet Grandma Beckstrom passed away the day before we left D.C. We were so grateful to be here for the funeral and all of the family events. Although she passed peacefully and she is not suffering anymore, it's just hard to not long for that incredible, hard working woman to be around us. It was a funeral filled with inspiring storied to make me want to be more like Great Grandma B and to keep family ties strong.

The next week went much smoother and it's been filled with nephews playing baseball, the zoo, sleepovers with the cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents soaking up the joy that Caroline and Olive bring, old friends and good eats, and lots of sunshine!

me-jenny-hailey (ava)-lauren-gretchen-rachel

Clark and Kate visit!

2011-05-10T10:27:00.000-06:00

The week before we left to come to Utah, my brother and his cute wife came out to visit! We are so glad that they were able to come and celebrate Clark graduating from business school! The girls couldn't get enough of their fun aunt and uncle.

If Clark and Kate were ever not around, Caroline would say, "Mom, I just want to play with them every minute." They are really fun to have around and I was feeling the same way as Caroline.

It was a busy week preparing to pack our home up and with Adam in finals, but we managed to pack in some fun exploring. They went to Gettysburg on the day that Caroline had her follow-up doctor appointment from her surgery.

The following day we went to Arlington Cemetery and enjoyed walking around in the warm rain. Adam had his last final of year two in law school and then we got to sightsee all together! We had a picnic by the White House and we stayed a very.long.time. All of us kept commenting on how nice it was to just be. To just sit in the weather that is so perfect that you can't feel anything on your skin. It was not too cold, and not too hot.

Having Adam fully there with NO tests weighing on his shoulders and looming over him was the BEST!

We are so proud of our daddy and how hard he works and also how much he does for us.

Olive had us laughing until tears were streaming down our faces with all of her silliness. Clark and Kate especially loved her chin down to her chest and glare up at you face. I have yet to catch it on camera.

If you want a workout, forget running or yoga, just go to the tidal basin by the Jefferson Memorial and get on a paddle boat. Our legs were burning trying to get through those white caps. Ok, so it doesn't look that rough, but it was windy! We were so happy that we didn't get stuck.

While the girls napped the rest of the gang went to the Library of Congress, the Capitol Building, and saw the place where the House and the Senate meet. We had fun at museums and riding the merry-go-round on the mall.

When I dropped them off in Old Town, it was so fun to say, "See you next week!"

We can't wait for more fun in Utah!

xoxo

Boy Oh Boy! A Mustache Bash

2011-05-04T18:57:00.001-06:00

This baby shower was so much fun to plan. It was for a dear friend and doors-touching neighbor Miranda. She is having her second little boy this summer. I loved getting to help plan it with the creative party planners Brooke and Amy.

Here is most of the gang donning our finest staches. Turns out it was pretty natural to keep that stache in place. They just kept finding their way to the place right under our nose.

We did a milk and cookies spread which was very fun to dine on. Luckily we had some fruit kabobs to help even out the sugar rush!

The clear jugs were perfect for the colorful types of milk.

Are you drooling over the cookies yet? Well, if you had tried the homemade oreo cookies you would have for sure. Gooey, soft, chocolatey, creamy goodness.

We had blocks for baby Eliot that everyone was able to paint little pictures on. I am so far from an artist, but it was so fun to do these!

"Name that Stache" was a little trickier than we thought, but someone did get them all right. We had ten different famous staches to guess. Do you see any you recognize?

We also had people give us a baby picture of themselves or their hubby so we could try to guess everyone. I love seeing pics of friends when they are little. Can you find me or my darling Mr. Beckstrom?

Since the mother-of-two-boys-to-be has all of the boy clothes she could ask for, we decided to pamper her with a day to the spa from the group. Doesn't that sound divine!?

All of the guests left with their stache in hand, some leftover cookies, and a mustache cookie cutter for a favor.

Whew!

2011-04-28T10:40:00.006-06:00

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind, and finally things have slowed down a bit (to just packing up for our upcoming summer in Utah, New York, and more Utah and preparing for my brother and his wife to come). We found someone to live in our apartment here in D.C., we sold one of our cars, we found a mostly affordable place to live in the Big Apple, we helped Caroline rest, heal and bounce back to her usual self after surgery, there was a fun baby shower that I helped host, and we had a lovely Easter.

A couple of weeks ago, we found a place to live in New York and I am already in love with that city. We came across many apartments that were 1 bedroom for $6000 per month, it is just plain robbery! The apartment we found is luckily well below that price and it is clean, has an elevator, laundry facilities are in the building, and it's just a couple of blocks from Central Park.

Easter was filled with so many dear friends. Some of which will move shortly after we do and we won't get to see them for who knows how long. These little ones just can't get enough of each other!

Right before the egg hunt, Caroline and Brielle could barely contain their excitement.

We spent a wonderful brunch with the Gardners and the Andersons Easter Sunday. Let me just say we ate really well that day. We napped after and then went on a walk in the warm and humid weather.

We spent the evening with the Andersons and the Keithlys. Everyone made mouth watering dishes that filled my tummy twice over.

We had festive placecards that had surprises inside. Caroline loved smashing hers, and Olive carefully peeled off the paper tulip wrapper.

She was beyond delighted to find what was inside!

And my bearded-studying-for-finals hubby had his token peep for the holiday. After dinner we were completely entertained watching the kids on their sugar highs bound off the couch and dance on the coffee table.

It was so nice to spend a day not thinking about if I should pack a winter coat for chilly Utah

and just relax, enjoy our close friends company and savory food.

2011-04-25T13:21:00.000-06:00

Just when you think your little one is in a phase where you don't think they can be any sweeter or more fun, they do something to make you excited for how they are growing. This is one of Caroline's first self portraits, make sure you notice her red glasses :) She also wrote her name all by herself without any prompting from me. She just came up and said, "Look mom, I can write so many letters!" (I helped her write the number 3.)

She is loving to read and write. She reads signs all over and shouts out what they say.

She loved General Conference and asked to watch it everyday multiple times a day for about a week. Also, everytime we went to someone's house she would say, "I think we should take Isabella a conference packet."

She is such an incredible example to our entire family.

Things that make me happy

2011-04-20T12:48:00.001-06:00

I was completely overwhelmed at how breathtaking the cherry blossoms were. Canopies of tiny white blossoms filled the sky when you looked up.

I was so glad that my friend Miranda was so willing to take pictures of our girls surrounded by the sheets of white!

I am also really glad that we didn't have to pay a sitting fee because it went from very pleasant with them walking and holding hands.....

to an absolutely freezing 3 year old that was filling the air with loud wails of "I'm COLD!"

I feel bad that I kept trying to bribe her for just one. more. picture., but I did give up...finally :)

It was very, very cold.

This little warm body was not phased by the freezing, crisp air. She toddled around in her poofy pink

dress doing her best sweet and silly faces.

After a warm snuggle in the stroller, she was back in business! I think that being on my shoulders, with her dress over my face.....

made her think that pictures were pretty fun.

Later when we were looking at the pictures she saw the ones with her holding a blanket. She said "I want to see my pretty pink dress! Why is it covered?"

I laughed and thought, maybe next year we will see it :)

Home for some R and R

2011-04-13T19:17:00.002-06:00

We are home and it feels so nice. Everything surrounding getting the surgery done could not have gone better. There were so many tender mercies that were noticed.

A few days before going to the hospital, Caroline was paraded from place to place for hours and hours to prepare. She started Thursday with preschool. Straight from there we went to the eye doctor to figure out what to do about the broken glasses from last week. Then it was time for a presurgery physical. Off to do labwork at another location, and then our last stop was to go pick out new glasses.

Let me just say that the people at America's Best were not sad to see us leave. We left without glasses, and it seemed like the entire store was rearranged due to Olive's interior design skills.

(blurry sorry, but I just love it, she was such a happy traveler)

Preparing her for what would happen was actually really fun. We read "Goodbye Tonsils" which she really liked and understood. We wore surgical masks to see what everyone would look like in surgery. And we had to do a manicure and pedi because cute feet are a highlight of a nurses day in the O.R.

The morning of surgery was tender. Caroline was solemn and didn't talk much. She was tired and hungry, but didn't mention that at all. I was so worried about having to keep her without food until 10 a.m., but we were blessed and her tummy made it. We woke her up at 5:30 to pump her full of juice because she could have clear liquids up until 6.

She wanted to wear her pink fairy jammies and her bunny slippers to the hospital.

On the way to the hospital she calmly said, "Mommy, I am a little bit nervous to get my tonsils out."

One of the most touching parts for me was that Adam and I both got to go back and be with her as she fell asleep. I was able to hold her tight as she breathed the strawberry scented gas.

The surgical team was so interested in talking with Caroline about if she liked puppies or butterflies, or the color pink :) I wasn't too worried that I was too choked up to sing to her or to ask Adam to sing. She was as happy as could be as she drifted off.

I was happy too that she was soo comfortable, but it was hard to leave her there on the stretcher.

The surgery went fast and the doctor said that her tonsils and adenoids were HUGE! He also said that she had what they call "glue ear" because she had such thick fluid behind her eardrum. The surgeon placed tubes to prevent fluid from building up there. We are so glad that she'll be able to hear better, it will be so nice for her.

She slept a long time, and when she woke up in recovery she was so pleasant. When it was time for Adam to go she said,

"Daddy, give Olive a smooch for me and tell her that I will get better soon."

I can tell you that tears were just waiting to pour out of our eyes. She is always looking out for her sister.

We had to stay overnight so that she could be monitored because she was so young. It was a long night, but we enjoyed walking around the unit at 4 am, watching Madeline, and snuggling.

Since being home we have had no agenda and have just been resting a lot. It has actually been really nice. The first real smile I saw from Caroline was yesterday morning when she said, "I am feeling a little better mom."

We have felt so taken care of and loved with all of the family and friends concern and help. THANK YOU to all of our dear support our here. The calls, emails, texts, visitors, care for Olive, treats to brighten Caroline's day and just offers to help have been overwhelming.

Caroline said yesterday with her swollen little bubble voice, "Mommy, it's so nice that everyone says Get Well, Get Well, Get Well! It makes me feel good."

Even though she is young she genuinely appreciates all the love and support she has received. And knowing Caroline she will remember it forever!

Good-bye Tonsils

2011-04-06T20:00:00.001-06:00

Last Friday my old business of being a surgical nurse just became really personal.
Caroline is having her tonsils and adenoids out on Monday. I know that thousands of children have this procedure done each year, but it has made me really emotional. A couple of people have called from the hospital to get medical information about Caroline. They have also asked, "Is there anything special we should know about Caroline to make her stay better?" I pause and try to talk, but my throat becomes tight and tears well up in my eyes as I try to tell them, "Caroline is very outgoing and happy. She loves to sing. Can you sing to her while she goes to sleep?"
It has stunned the two ladies I spoke with, I just hear silence on the other end of the line. It's a comforting, not rushed silence though.
I do know that she will be fine. I know that there are thousands of children that deal with such greater things than this. I am not scared of the surgery part so much, but just the anesthesia part really. Them having my little girls breathing in their hands, yikes, I don't like that thought.

She may also have tubes placed because apparently she is not hearing very well because of all the fluid that is behind her eardrum. The doctor said that she has been missing quite a bit when people talk to her. That really crushed my heart. I am extremely grateful that this problem can be fixed! I am also grateful for prayer. I had been praying for more patience. Patience for when I would ask Caroline to please brush her teeth and 10 minutes later she was still lining up her ponies. Patience for when I would ask her to please come back to the table and she would twirl until she was dizzy.
Answers to prayers come in incredible ways. I found out she wasn't hearing me. Now I get to look her right in her bright blue eyes when I ask her something and no patience is needed.

(This picture has nothing to do with the post except that another special thing about our little Caroline Ella is that she loves to read.)

One night it was very quiet and I was wondering what she was doing in her room. I opened to door to a dark room, with only a bright little light from her flashlight. She was just sitting in her fancy dress reading books to herself.

{Cherry Blossoms}

2011-03-31T19:34:00.001-06:00

I wanted to throw a bridal shower right by the water.

I wanted to have another wedding for Adam and I right there.

I wanted the girls to be searching through a clear bag of gumballs.

These are some of the delightful places my thoughts were taken as we walked among thousands

of cherry blossoms! My jaw almost hit the ground and was open the whole time as I gaped at the tiny pink and white flowers that surrounded us.

I felt like I was in the most romantic film ever made, it was dreamy. It was freezing, but dreamy.

There was supposed to be a kite festival that day, but it was cancelled due to 1 inch of snow. Caroline was very disappointed, so we let her fly her kite anyway. She took it very seriously as she wound the string back and forth in the air, not moving the kite at all. Her little legs ran so fast all over the lawn and she would turn her head to make sure her kite was staying in the air.

I can't remember the last time I have been out to fly a kite, but watching your child do it is one of the most delightful things you can do.

When we left the tidal basin and started heading back to the car, Caroline exclaimed, "I'm the happiest little girl in the whole wide world!"

(She felt that way until we went back to the blossoms days later and tried to get pics of the girls in spring dresses in freezing weather.)

Hearing that in her little 3 year old voice was more priceless than seeing the blossoms.

Butterflies: A must do!

2011-03-27T19:36:00.003-06:00

One of our favorite things that we have done so far in D.C. was found at the Natural History Museum. It is a butterfly exhibit with tons of colorful and active winged beauties that you get to watch and enjoy in their very warm habitat. They fly all around you and often land on your hair, elbow, or hands and hang out for a while.

On Tuesdays it's free and they have timed tickets, so if you get there at 10 a.m. when it opens then you can get right in with no wait!

The girls are checking out which ones they have spotted and which ones are their favorites.

One of the workers took Caroline under her wing and was having her introduce butterflies that were in a cage, to their new environment. She would get the insect on the paintbrush, and then gently let it check out the flower. Then it would step off of the brush and into it's new surroundings.

Olive was watching the floor closely to spot the ones that were hanging out close to her. She would toddle on over to them and point and say "Ooooo".

When we left Caroline didn't realize that we could not just walk back in whenever we pleased. I had tried to warn her, but she didn't quite understand. Luckily, we could walk back up to the counter, grab some more tickets, and go back through!

We also didn't realize that we had butterflies on our shoulder and hair when we went into the exit to "shake off." Luckily they were spotted by the workers and were taken back to their flower and fruit filled home.

{Olive 15 months}

2011-03-23T18:20:00.006-06:00

This 6 month old bundle of chub and gums used to only take up a small portion of her, what seemed like at the time, big crib.

Now, she sleeps sprawled out with her legs and arms filling up most of the extra space that used to be there.

Olive at 15 months is 22 pounds and 31 inches long. Tight curls cover the back of her head, and has had a few haircuts to trim around the ears. Her favorite foods are oatmeal, pb and j's, yogurt, cheese, most meat, beans, and she LOVES hummus. She won't eat any fruit, except bananas, and sometimes she won't eat those. She enjoys fruit smoothies with spinach in them. She will usually only eat cooked vegetables with some sort of sauce on them. Textures in her mouth are not her favorite thing. Lots of things go into her mouth, only to be quickly and dramatically spit out, and then more spit comes.

Little O is extremely social and still greets everyone with an enthusiastic and loud, "HI!" She loves to twirl and

dance, with her arms usually held out. You can always get a smile from her when you sing, "If you're happy and you know it."

She says lots of words, and mommy in her clear little voice is of course a favorite. Daddy, blue, ear, please, more, ball, baby, dog are some on her list. She signs please, thank you, more, dog, all done, blue, baby, bath, bear, hat, hot. She answers most questions with a nod "Yeea", it is drawn out but also precise.

Coloring is one of her favorite things to do and so is bringing us books to read. She will sit on our laps, open the book, and then read it to us, in her language :) When she is ready to take a bath, she will grab my pointer finger with her small hand and firmly tug me to the bathroom.

With folded arms in place, her prayers are the most sincere string of sounds and syllabus, with a "huh" at the end for amen.

Simple things bring her great pleasure. Most recently she has a fettish with a bright green purse with a yellow chick on it. Today I found a clean wipe in it, a baby washrag, a pink tie from a knit bootie, and a pretend lipstick.

Each morning as daddy leaves for school, she runs as if she is saddle sore, down the hall to bid him farewell. I never want to forget how that makes me grin everyday.

These two are such a combo of a calm summer's day, the big thunder storm that hits and eventually settles again, and the sweet comfort and relationship of your best friend.

The other night I was talking to my friend who has a 12 year old boy. She said that he is in a phase where he just answers questions with one work answers.

What did you do today? Stuff

How was school? Good

My friend said that that's just teenage years. I went home and told Adam that I think I will never ask the girls to be quiet again :) He had a good laugh at that.

Then we went into their quiet, dark bedroom where Primary songs were playing softly in the background. We just had to take a peek at them, so calm and comfortable. Caroline most likely dreaming about butterflies and flowers.

They have no idea how much joy they bring us and I hope they will realize one day. I also hope they will keep yearning for attention and time to tell us all of their silly and sweet thoughts.

St. Patty's Day

2011-03-19T20:26:00.003-06:00

This St. Patrick's Day converted me to be a lover of this holiday! I have never been way into this holiday, I guess because I didn't think there was much you could do on the day besides wear green.

Well, I was wrong and I so enjoyed scheming what the leprechauns would do next.

Last year my cute friend made these pancakes and I have been excited to make them ever since! (I tend to get kind of obsessed with things sometimes :) They just made our whole house happy!

When Caroline went to go potty in the morning, she found that the leprechauns had used it and she could not stop laughing. She covered her cute little mouth with her hand and threw her head back in disbelief that the little green elves had visited.

When I told her that she needed to wear green to preschool that day she asked why. When I told her that she would get pinched if she didn't, she kept begging me to go to preschool with her. I had to explain that she would be fine with her green on! I also told her that the pinches should be soft, little pinches anyway and so then she calmed down and started pinching Olive (o so sweetly).

After preschool when I picked her up, she again was in hysterics just laughing. She could barely get the words out to tell me that the chairs were "lost" because the leprechauns took them. They also left her chocolate gold coins! She was so taken by the days events that she wrote a song and had me write it down to give to daddy. She sings it like Buddy the Elf, loud, dramatic, and a little monotone.

We spent the afternoon with our friends the Gardner's, and later the Anderson's (minus their mama). The kids did coloring pages and talked non stop about what the magical little green guys had been up to all day.

Emilie made this mouth watering and beautiful snack. Here is another treat I am so excited to make next year! She also made corned beef and cabbage for dinner and I am such fan. I was skeptical to eat the cooked cabbage, but it had such a good flavor after cooking with the corned beef all day.

It was a holiday that took me by sweet surprise and I am smitten now.

If there are other fun traditions that you love to do, please share because from here on out, I want to go all out!

How are you feeling today?

2011-03-11T19:53:00.001-07:00

Silly?

Crazy?

Confused?

Surprised! (one of her most popular faces)

Stylish?

Pensive?

Chubby?

Serious?

a little Sassy?

or just simply Content?

2011-03-08T18:05:00.008-07:00

Last week was Adam's spring break so we headed down to Tennessee. We went to Gatlinburg, TN to visit the Smoky Mountains. I was pleasantly surprised at how wonderful our excursion was. It was just what a vacation should be, it seemed as if time slowed down and we didn't even feel like we needed a vacation after our vacation. It was an 8 hour drive from D.C. and the girls were little dreamboats for the long day in the car. Our friends, the Tabatabaei's, joined us as well for part of the week and that was such a highlight. They were so fun and easy to travel with! We had some down pouring rain and some sickness the second day there, but it didn't dampen our spirits! We had delicious food, lots of laughs over the southern drawl and random shops, and we talked for hours and hours all sitting on the huge bed.

It was refreshing to be outside in 60 and 70 degree weather all day. We didn't know anything about this place, but had heard really good things about it. We stayed in a cabin that was away from the main drag in Gatlinburg. We couldn't stop laughing as we drove slowly down the street because it was bumper to bumper! This place was a mix of Vegas, a carnival, Disneyland, and the South. I think that about covers it.

This sign actually had a lot of vintage charm and it caught my eye.

All of the kids were absolute delights. These two just pranced around like they were in there own little bubble. They slept up in a loft and we could hear them start chattering away each morning at 6 a.m. about how they were wide awake and their brains wouldn't shut off. Adam tried to have them go back to sleep the first morning, but came back overwhelmed by how much they could talk and just let them be.

I think this little one felt invinsible on the hikes. She was trying to run on her chubby little legs and just toddled all over the place so quickly. She found mud, chewed on sticks, and would have put her face in the waterfalls had we let her. Maybe the chewing on sticks explains why she threw up all day the second day. Although my heart broke that she was so sick, it was comforted by her cuddling with me all day.

And this little beauty is Pearl. She found every little cupboard or closet and would back her little bum in and sit down in her little cubby hole. Olive and Pearl spent a lot of time in the pile of shoes by the door trying different ones on and occasionally smacking each other on the head. Gotta love toddlers.

These girls can't get enough of their fun and up-for-anything daddy. They enjoyed swimming with him, tennis, searching for rocks, making s'mores, reading, and going on nature walks.

We stopped by Dollywood just to take a look. It was closed, but a gate was open so we went inside the park and snuck a peek at this beauty. We knew our dear friend (you know who you are!) would be excited to see a picture of this thriller. And we finished the trip off with one of my favorite things to see, a covered bridge! I had no idea that there was New England charm way down in the South.

Spring Fever

2011-02-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was incredible. We woke up one morning to this. The day couldn't have started any better.

We had over 70 degree weather which woke me up from what has felt like my hibernation. I loved that I didn't get that afternoon drag, I just felt energized all day!

There were picnics, walking by the river, brats on the grill, parks...as you can see, we all enjoyed ourselves very much.

It was such a lovely weekend to honor President Lincoln and President Washington, who both have birthdays in February. There were lots of floral wreaths honoring both men at their memorials.

We went to Mt. Vernon with friends and when we went through Washington's home, Caroline was looking at one of the large brick fireplaces and said amazed, "I think that the 7 dwarfs live here!" We all had a little chuckle at that.

So with the Spring Fever comes the Spring cleaning! My friend does a project that when she does her cleaning she has to fling 100 things. It sounds like a lot of stuff, but once you get started, it is amazing how fast you can add up things to fling!

I am already up to 100 items, but just need to ditch the last box that is in the hall.

And since the flinging can't just linger on forever, the date to be done by is March 20th, the first day of Spring.

So start looking in your closets, drawers, under the bed, I am sure you will find some very special flinging treasures.

2011-02-20T14:04:00.001-07:00

The festivities didn't stop with the little sweetheart party. We celebrated our holiday on Valentine's Day Eve because Adam had school late the next day. The dine-in restaurant turned out to be a very relaxing and delicious place to eat.

Caroline was thrilled about having the lights off and eating by candlelight. She of course continually said, "Whoa! This is FANCY!"

After she had exclaimed that for the third time, she looked at Adam and I and said very seriously, "You guys look lazy."

We looked down at our comfortable clothes that we were enjoying being in.

She did have a valid point. We had made a beautiful dinner and were dining in our grubbies.

She went and put on a gown, a crown, and a boa, then instructed me to put on a dress. She had also picked out a ginormous crown for me. Adam went to get changed next and the fancy family was complete, with sweet Olive enjoying the musical clothes game from her seat.

Our dessert just made us happy looking at it. Sweetheart strawberry shortcakes with whipping cream that had sour cream and vanilla in it. I enjoy anything with vanilla in it.

Caroline and I enjoyed opening our coupon books from daddy that had little pictures drawn on each one. Caroline begs Adam each day to cash in one or all of her coupons. He is the sweetest daddy and I love him so much!

So if you are dining at home for a special occasion, or just want to make an ordinary meal fun, put on some heels, or a tie and it really livens up the meal.

Thanks to the life of our party, Caroline.