Gary & Jamie Jones

2011-03-11T19:49:00.000-08:00

Lucy was picked to help make the train noise at the local sing and dance show we go to each week. I was shocked she raised her hand to volunteer.

We went to the Lehi days again this year and the kids loved getting their free pony ride. They don't even ask us to walk by them. It is so fun, and the meal was, again, delicious. Lucy wanted to go into the rodeo ring and try to catch a chick, but she couldn't push through the crowd.

Fisher bit through his tongue. We didn't think to take a picture until the next day. The first day it was a huge hole. It has only been 3 days and it is almost completely healed. The mouth is an amazing thing.

After I took Fisher's picture, Lucy requested I take her's too. This was the day she took her preschool screening tests. I was concerned that her speach might be lacking, but she is just lazy at home sometimes. She passed all the tests with flying colors and we just have to remind her to enunciate her v, th, and sh.

Cakes

2011-03-11T19:43:00.000-08:00

Vandi reminded me that I haven't posted any of my recent cakes. I have made 4 since Dec. Here they are.

4 months?

2011-02-09T14:04:00.000-08:00

I am so sad that Fisher is still in diapers. We were doing well, but when we went to UT for Christmas he went back into diapers and now I am just waiting for him to tell me when. Although he did pull down his pants and diaper today at the park to pee on a tree. He has to do it "all by myself" or he won't do it at all. So, we wait. I have to post some pictures from the last few months to update. Mark and Suzie came down to visit and we went to Tuscan.

Lucy was a cowgirl again for Halloween and Fisher was the Cool-Aid Man, complete with him saying, "Hey Cool-Aid".

Fisher chose to have Buddy on his Birthday cake and got a new Thomas Track from Grandpa Ogden when he visited. Both kids decided to be really brave and sit on Santa's lap, together, at our ward funciton. They talked all day about how brave they were going to be and how they weren't going to cry. Fisher kept his tough face on the entire time, but made it through.

We went to Utah for Christmas. Lucy decided we all had to go ice skating, which the kids didn't really love, and play in the snow, which all melted the day before we got there. But they did get a few flurries to play in and then there was another big storm the day we left. Grandma took us all to see the lights at the zoo and the kids got excited about their trampoline from Santa and the adults played lots of games. We toasted the new year as a family with our "yummy new year drink" and are enjoying the beautiful weather this time of year in Arizona.

Prince and Princess

2010-09-28T20:17:00.000-07:00

Well, first report, Fisher is now in diapers. After his great day, he wanted diapers and still does. He sometimes asks for big boy underwear, but when I return it with, then do you want to go on the potty, he says no. So, "can't push 'em" right?

On Friday we went to the mall and got a free ride on the carousel and a free meal. Why? I dressed my kids as a pince and a princess. There were many princesses there, although not as gorgeous, but Fisher was one of the few princes. They LOVED the dressing up and had fun with their friends. We had fun too.

Then Saturday, we went to the zoo early to see the koalas, but the line was too long and we didn't have enough time to see them. Then we went to a baptism and then to a museum. I was exhausted by noon.

Finally

2010-09-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday started the 4th week of me trying to get Fisher potty trained. Tyler and Jana West were visiting us this weekend and Jana told me that when Lilly decided she was going to be potty trained it lasted one day until Jana put her back in a diaper. But the next day, Lilly said she didn't want diapers anymore and she did it. So, I put Fisher in a diaper yesterday after he had an accident in the morning. He has had 1 diaper on in the last 3 weeks and it was only for an hour. I was scared that it would undo everything we had done. But, this was the first day that he had 0 accidents. None at all. It is great! I dont' know what the diaper did, but I hope it lasts.

I finished my cake decorating class last week. Here are the two cakes I made in the class. I did cookies and cupcakes too, but didn't take a picture of those. The class was fun. I hope to get to practice and get better.

I know, big shock!

2010-08-29T21:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, Okay, for all of you that are checking...I am finally updating. I just haven't had time, or something. I guess I have some time since I have read the Hunger Games series in the past few weeks. Well, each book took about 2 days, but I had to borrow them all. I finished sewing Noah's Ark. It took me longer than I thought because I had to completely make up the ark. I cut the pattern and then made something completely different, but It is okay.

Fisher and Lucy are great. Lucy tells me that I am driving her crazy or nuts about every other day when I don't let her do what she wants. It is so funny, but I know she is just telling me what I say to her some nights when I am trying to put them to bed. Gary isn't home as often being in the bishopric and I am home more often, not being the YW president.

The kids love being in nursery together and have a montra of songs they sing from it and from FHE, oh and from Dupper (a sing and dance thing we go to each week at the mall. They really go so they can ride the carousel. It's free.)

We have gotten some rain in the past few weeks, so the kids have been playing out in it, and loving it! Fisher is trying to drink the rain here. Don't be fooled by his pants. It is still over 100 degrees. He just ran out of shorts that day.

We converted Fisher's bed today into a big boy bed. After his nap, he just came out and was pleased to be able to do so and he only got out of bed three times tonight. I think that is pretty good.

Master

2009-12-07T19:50:00.000-08:00

Gary is officially done with school. His assignments have been graded and he got A's on them all. So, although he doesn't have his diploma, he is a master. Congratulations!

Holy Gosh!

2009-12-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

Lucy has a few words that she likes to use as exclamations....Oh, man. Are you kidding me? which is a quote from me. And then, holy gosh, that is of her own making and it is so funny hearing these out of her little mouth.
Fisher just says, mo,mo,mo, for more, and mmmmm for moo (what a cow says) actually tonight he blew a raspberry to immitate an elephant, since we blow between our lips to make the sound.
Gary on the other hand, has the best news. He finished all his homework and as long as nothing returns saying he did it wrong or something, he is ALL done with his masters. Now we just wait for the grade and diploma. Yipeee!!!!!!!!

Thanksgiving break

2009-12-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

We had Thanksgiving at home with the 4 of us. It was nice. I think the food turned out really well. Everyone ate it.

Then we had an early Christmas, thanks to our friend Alana. Fisher got a rockin zebra, and Lucy got a new kitchen with dishes and food. They love them both! We moved things around in their rooms and it looks awesome. Then Lucy helped Gary put the star on the top of the tree. They both LOVE playing with the ornaments. 2 have broken, and they still haven't learned that they can't touch them all. The holiday was fantastic. Only a week until we start the next one in Indiana.

Month 11

2009-11-23T19:39:00.000-08:00

My kids love to scare us in their 11th month. Fisher has had more bloody lips and bumps in his almost year of life than Lucy has in her 2 1/2. When she was 11 months old, we had to rush her to the ER. So far, he hasn't been to the ER, but he tried to one-up her today. We got the opportunity to call poison control tonight. Fisher bit open a 2 in 1 cascade dishwasher pellet. I didn't think he had gotten much down and rinsed his mouth out. I could feel the slippery soap, so I knew some of it went down. Then he started to gag and threw up. I was so proud of him. Gary got home right then, and convinced me to call poison control. They told us not to make his throw up and not to give him anything to drink, as he was in Gary's arms drinking water. So we stopped that and waited 30 min until we gave him a little sip, wait 10 min, and give him another sip. As long as nothing happened we were good. Well, he threw up after 15 min, so we called back and were told to start a new 30 min. 15 min later, he threw up again. Luckily, that was the last time and he is fine. I was way more controlled this time around than I was with Lucy, but I was shaken enough that I couldn't remember my phone number to tell the poison control lady.

Here are some pictures that we've taken recently: This was at the corn maze

Fisher and Lucy eating yummy food

The Arizona Botanical Garden. Eventhough this isn't a real plant, it was just as beautiful as the other cacti.

Halloween

2009-11-13T21:10:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween. We carved pumpkins for FHE with our neighbors, the Ellsworths. We were able to carry on our tradition started last year with the Wilstead and Lee families. We attended their ward carnivals. Both kids were willing to wear their costumes all night. By the end, they were exhausted. Who can blame them, we didn't get home until 7:oo.

Glamorous

2009-10-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

I was explaining to Gary how fantastic my day was two days ago. I started the day with Fisher and I spending some time alone downstairs while everyone else slept. Then Gary left for work and Fisher threw up on me. So, I took a shower. After lunch Lucy was upstairs watching Lion King in our room and I thought, "she is very quiet and I haven't checked on her in a while". There was a smell as I approached my room. She had gotten everything, out of my bathroom drawer and there was foot lotion on the carpet. I made her wipe it up with the towel, but she thought that was fun. Then after lunch, I was cleaning Fisher's hands and face and some water fell on my foot. When we were done, I realized it wasn't water, but poop. So, I had to change his diaper and clothes. Then yesterday, I got to do that for him again 3 times. Oh, the glamorous things I get to do all day. But he gives the best open mouthed, slobbery kisses.
On Friday we tried potty training again and Lucy didn't have an accident. She still doesn't get the idea that she is supposed to tell me when she needs to go and then do it on the toilet. On Saturday, she changed her pants 3 times during the first session of conference. Gary said he wouldn't continue if he was in charge. Everyone says "when they are ready, they are ready", so I decided she must not be ready. I am, but I guess that isn't enough for both of us. She may not be ready for potty training, but she did say "presentation" the other day. I was shocked and looked around to figure out where she heard that. Then I realized, yeah, we can now watch the "feature presentation". Her other favorite word right now, is wonderful and she tells Fisher to do things with her all the time because they are "pretty fun".

Progressing

2009-09-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

Well, Lucy did go to the bathroom in the toilet, once. The count was potty 1-pants 2 today. She went about 4 1/2 hours without going at all this morning. Is she holding it? I take her to the toilet multiple times all day, like every 15 min-1/2 hour and yet, I usually miss the important time. We'll try again tomorrow, and then I have to do her laundry. She has almost gone through all her clothes in the past 2 days, tomorrow will be the last of them.

Potty Training

2009-09-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

As Lucy was getting dressed this morning I asked her if she wanted to wear underwear and then put on her pants. She said yes, so I jumped on it. So, officially we started potty training today. Lucy successfully wet her pants 3 times and never went to the bathroom on the toilet. Potty 0- Pants 3. But, we will continue tomorrow and see how she does. She doesn't like being wet, so that is a good thing. We'll see if she connects the thought that she doesn't have to be wet.
Fisher pulled himself up to his feet last Friday for the first time, but waited until today to do it regularly. He is so happy that he can see everything from a different level. His favorite after bathtime game is peek-a-boo. His towel has a large hood and he discovered that he can pull it over his eyes and back. Love it!

2009-09-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

Fisher cut his 6th tooth on Friday. He finally has the second front tooth, he got the two outside teeth on the top after his bottom middle teeth.

We went to the park and fed the ducks and played on the playground during FHE last Monday. Now Lucy thinks we need to go feed the ducks all the time.

So,I really couldn't tell, for a few days, exactly where Lucy cut her hair. As I did her hair Sunday, I realized everyone would be able to tell exactly where she cut. (The front right side, as you look at the picture) Notice the other side has hair pulled all the way from the front, this side doesn't.

Code Yellow

2009-09-13T22:09:00.000-07:00

So, let me tell you what my little Lucy is up to. We were at Kohls last week and we turned around to look at some shoes while she was staring at herself in the mirror....and....she disappreared. We looked for about 10 min. all over, until I told costomer service that I couldn't find my 2 year old. They immediately called a "code yellow" and started helping us. The lady called it a second time and more people showed up to search. She was on the otherside of the store, which Gary had checked, and she ran from the lady who found her. The lady chased her my way and I picked her up, eventhough I had Fisher in my arms as well. Gary was so mad. I started to cry and had her look into my eyes as I sternly told her to never leave us again. She stared at my eyes the entire time and said "okay" like she usually does. Then, Friday she was upstairs watching Robin Hood and I went up to check on her. There was a chunk of hair on the ground and I thought, this is strange. Then I found another one, and another. And I realized she had cut her hair. I gathered all the pieces I could find, you know to keep for posterity, and then went to check her out. I was nervous. I took out her clip and more hair fell out. Her hair is so curly that you really can't tell, so lucky her. As I was trying to get it all gathered she shut herself into our toilet area and when I opened that door, she had unravelled all the toilet paper. She was escorted out of our bathroom after that. But, oh, that kid makes me laugh. She is talking so well and can cary on a conversation with herself. And, she sings all the theme songs to the PBS cartoons and the songs from Lion King. Well, enough that you know what she is singing. Today she was playing with Fisher in the landing/hallway and he would start to fuss and she would thrust a book in his face and say, "Fish, look at this" or "Here you go, Fish". Already she is starting to try to keep the little one from crying so she doesn't get into trouble. Atleast that is why I used to do it.

Fisher gets around. I can't explain how, because it isn't always crawling on all 4s, but it isn't army crawl or rolling either. It is like magic, pooof and he has made it across the room. He and Lucy will play together sometimes and those are the times that he really gets around. He has started smacking his lips when he wants to nurse or right after, or sometimes just for fun. His favorite way to tell me it is time to nurse is to headbut my chest. He started clapping on Friday. He still has one hand in a fist, since he has been tight fisted since birth, but he knows what he is doing and claps at appropriate times. He also gives 5 when you ask for it, but he has been doing that for about 6 weeks. He finally cut one of his top middle teeth and therefore now has 5, which he loved to bit me with while nursing last week. It was soooooooo, incredibly painful, but I think we are over it.
I wonder what this week will bring.

Our summer vacation

2009-08-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

School has started again and so we are into a new routine. I haven't been able to get caught up from all our vacationing. But, we enjoyed going to Indiana, Utah, and Washington and seeing all the grandparents.

Girl's night

2009-06-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

Fisher went to sleep early tonight, so it was just Lucy and I. I asked if she wanted me to paint her toes and she said yes, emphatically. Well, when I was done with her, she wanted me to do mine too. Then she decided she wanted to help and so, Lucy painted my toenails and fingernails. Then she decided she wanted me to spend time with her in her bed too. She cried when I left and later I went back in. I told her she was okay and to stop crying. Then I asked if she was sad and she said yes. I didn't even know she knew that word. Each day she surprises me with words I didn't teach her.

Hair cut

2009-06-06T21:21:00.001-07:00

Fisher got his first hair cut today. His hair was really short on top, he has a bald spot in the middle of the back, and then a row of longer hair that circled the back. So, he looked a little like a balding man. And, after his nap yesterday the hair on the back stuck straight out, so I knew it was time for a trim. I used a #1 for the back and a #2 for the top. Nothing came off the top, but there was plenty off the back. We put it off a little because we didn't think he would like the buzzing or the tickling the vibration would make, but he didn't care. He just sat there and chewed on the cord like a good boy.

Lucy wanted to cut her hair too, but that wasn't about to happen. So, instead, she got into the cabinets under our sink, which she never does. I smelled windex and was about to ask Gary if he was cleaning something when I realized what it was. She had gotten the spray commet and was in our closet spraying it on herself. (We recently got a water bottle to spray down her hair in the morning and she loves to play with it. What is the difference, right.) I had just filled the tub with some water to give Fisher a bath when I found her so we threw her in instead to rinse her off. She wasn't too thrilled with it, but no other harm done.

2009-06-03T23:49:00.000-07:00

Fisher is grabbing everything, with both hands. I put a toy in front of him today and he tucked his knees in. I could almost see him make the connection.....I can get that. He didn't go anywhere, but he is a smart one. He decided he wanted to start spiting today, while I was trying to feed him plums. It got everywhere, and I couldn't get him to stop spiting. I know he likes them, because he has had them before, but he was sure excited about his new discovery.

We were reading the BoM title to Lucy. "Another testament of Jesus Christ" to which she immediately said "amen" She is so reverent. Right after the opening prayer in sacratment meeting Sunday, she jumped on Gary's lap and started shouting "bread" and "water". We talked about the sacrament a few weeks ago during FHE. Although, we talked about reverence last week. I guess that didn't stick as well. She started getting restless as soon as we sat in the pew, and Gary told her we just had to sit reverently for an hour. To which she replied "no hour, no hour". They were both crying yesterday and I said "come on guys". Then she started repeating, "come on guys, com on guys" I LOVE the mimic phase. She was so proud that her ring pop made her tongue blue. She had to stand on the counter and look at it over and over.

Fisher fell asleep on me while feeding yesterday while Lucy was taking a nap, so I just slept too, downstairs. I thought I heard Lucy get up but then everything was quiet again and so I thought I was wrong. Well, I was right, she did wake up and get out of bed, but it didn't last long. When I finally took Fisher up to bed, this is what I found on the stairs.

Too bad

2009-05-28T21:38:00.000-07:00

Gary just told me this story about how he tried to film Lucy last night but she stopped as soon as he grabbed the camera. I guess she was spinning and counting to 4 and then running over and giving Fisher a hug. That would have been some "sweet action"* to film. He said she even counted to 11 once. What child counts to 11?
*quote by Courtney Miranda

White girls can't jump

2009-05-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

Lately Lucy has been able to be spacially aware of things going on around her. She was saying something to me the other day and I thought she said kite, so I repeated "kite?" Then she stopped, looked at me and must have changed her topic to a kite and said "cousins" I said, yeah, you flew a kite with your cousins. And she responded, "and Gant". Then the next day, we had just finished watching Seasame Street and she was singing "Elmo's World" and then she started saying mine over and over. I then realized she was re-playing the show in her head. Everyone on Seasame Street had mine-itis that day. What a smart girl. Her favorite thing to say right now is, "stop it". If she is doing something she shouldn't I will say "Lucy" and she will hold her hand out behind her, as if to tell me not to come over there, and say "stop it". She told the neighbor boy, Ethan, to "stop it" today when he was trying to take a toy away from her. He got very offended and told her not to tell him to stop it. So, she said, "okay". We were so happy they could handle that dispute on their own.

Lucy can not jump. Elmo was talking about jumping, so she ran over to her toy box and searched for her jump rope. This is how she jumps rope. She actually made it off the ground 2x that day. That is the only time she has ever left the ground while jumping.

Fisher is grabbing at everything! He talks, or makes noise, all day long and has recently decided that he DOES NOT like it when Lucy holds him. I guess his patience has finally worn thin. She on the other hand has decided that she wants to hold him all the time. And when she does, we need to take a picture.

Gary read in the newspaper that we could go to our zoo for free last Friday with our grocery club card. It was great. Plus, it had rained all the night before and wasn't even 90 degrees.

Outgrowing beds

2009-05-08T21:49:00.001-07:00

Both my kids got upgrades today on their beds. Lucy sleeps on our full that was once the guest bed, and today, we took the side rails off. She was quit ready. Since Fisher is rolling around so much and he spins on his belly, I took off his bumper pad. Now it just looks like a jail. He loves it!

Communication

2009-05-06T21:52:00.000-07:00

Fisher rolls over from his back to his front, both sides and last night he rolled from his front to his back. I don't think he can replicate that yet, but it has happened once. He has also started making raspberries and sucking in air with noise to communicate.
Lucy started singing the songs from the movies she watches. I borrowed Mamma Mia from one of my YW and she watched the beginning with me and then started playing. She walked by at one point and started singing "honey, honey", that is the first song. Then today she re-enacted Sesame Street to herself. She was singing the Elmo's world song, better than ever before and then started saying "mine". I didn't get it at first, but everyone had "mine-itis" today and the only cure was for Oscar to share with them. She is speaking so much better too. She tells me all the time that "Sisher hungy" or "I hungy, mama." She also said her first prayer last week. As we prompted her she said a loud "Dear" then she whispered "Heavenly" and then back to her loud voice until "Jesus" which she whispered again. As I prompted her to be thankful for something, I said "thankful" (me), "thankful"(Lucy), "for" (me), "six" (Lucy). She always skips five as she counts.
Gary finished another Masters class, so we get him every night of the week until June. I am so happy and yet dreading June. Then he will have class Mon-Thur evenings. I dread until June 15th when I will be going to see my family in IN and then I think Gary is dreading being alone.

Help

2009-04-25T22:09:00.000-07:00

I can't see so many people's pictures on their blogs. I just have a red X in a box in the top left corner. Doesn't anyone know how to fix this. I feel like I am missing out.

New tricks

2009-04-23T21:45:00.001-07:00

Since not many have seen Fisher smile, I decided to film him. Today was Lucy's first solo moment in the pool.

Easter Break

2009-04-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Kleinhenz family came to visit us this last week. Lucy loved being with her cousins all the time. When we got back from church Sunday, and they were gone, we drove into the garage and she said "cousins". It was so sad to tell her they were gone. I guess it was tough on them too. She got a phone call yesterday from Emma and Maggie, just to say hi, especially since Lucy doesn't have much of a vocabulary. We had a great time while they were here. I didn't take pictures of everything we did, since Paisley had her camera as well, but here were some highlights. We hiked the wind caves, climbed indoor rock walls, went to Montezuma and Sedona, swam, went to the park and had a picnic and flew a kite,

and celebrated Easter. Since they live where there are lots of farms, Fisher got some cool John Deere pants and Lucy got an adorable jumper. It was wonderful to have them visit us again.

So strong

2009-03-28T15:07:00.000-07:00

Fisher is such a strong boy. Our neighbor gave us a super saucer last week and he will sit in it for 20-30 min. Today, he was sitting up the entire time. Lucy also LOVES to get pictures taken of thetwo of them. He can just sit there and she puts her arm around him. I tried to take a picture last week, but the camera was on video. I figured it out, but not before a short film. After our walk last week, they were both asleep. True to form, as soon as we stopped and I brought them inside, he woke up. She let me take her upstairs to her bed for a nap.

Spring Break

2009-03-21T22:38:00.001-07:00

Gary has been off of work for Spring Break this week. He has been sick the entire time, but his brother, Jared, and his wife, Lisa, and their baby, Layla, came to visit us. It is already hot, so we went hiking, swimming and shopping. The shopping trips were money well spent, as both girls got to wear their hats on the hike. Lucy wouldn't wear hers until I put Fisher's on. She wanted her sunglasses when she saw I was wearing mine. Thank goodness for positive peer pressure. We took a 3 mi hike up and back to the wind caves. We got quite a few comments as the parade of parents carting babies went by.

Gary's body has finally recovered. The kids loved it, for the most part. Lucy fell as she chased a chipmonk at the top. It was a little scary as she went head over heals a few times towards the brush and edge of the trail. Again, she ended up with scrapes and scratches. Her head is healing quite nicely from the last tragic accident, so I am confident she won't have scared knees or arms. Fisher just slept. He LOVES to cuddle so he slept the way up facing me. I figured that was it for the naps and faced him out on the way down. He loved to lick the textured carrier, but again fell asleep. What a good boy!

Busy, Busy

2009-03-21T22:31:00.000-07:00

I don't know what I have been so busy with the last few weeks, but it hasn't been blogging. We hosted a Murder Mystery dinner for the staff as Westwood High School seminary. It was a 50's theme and tons of fun. Lucy wore her hair in pig tails for the first time and had to look at herself multiple times in the mirror. Lucy LOVES to hug Fisher. It usually means she is laying on him, but he doesn't usually mind.

Trauma

2009-02-17T18:59:00.000-08:00

With Grandpa's visit, came a new entertainment stand. Lucy loves it and is curious about it. So, yesterday she was playing with a little chair of hers and she tipped it over onto the stand. Blood started to gush because it was a head wound. She screamed for a long time. Gary wasn't home but luckily I have great neighbors who rushed over to help. We tried to calm Lucy by giving her a sucker, but it didn't work. What did? Frozen peas. That was all she wanted. I wonder if the ice had something to do with enemia. She and I were covered with blood by the time it was all over. We gave her a bath, and she was excited when I got out a new pair of pajamas for her to wear. She would forget about it and be fine. Then remember and get upset again. But when we changed the bandage before bed, she was fine. Didn't even budge. What a tough girl.

Blessings

2009-02-15T22:01:00.000-08:00

My two little valentine blessings in their valentine best. We did nothing for Valentines Day, but they looked cute.

Fisher was blessed today. My dad was in town for it and Gary did a great job. If Fisher lives according to his blessing, he will be a pleasure to raise.

Photo shop

2009-02-13T20:07:00.001-08:00

Warning, this picture was not photo shopped. It was taken with both people sitting with each other.

Fisher had his 2 mo checkup today. Here is proof that he has grown. His last appt was 2 weeks after his birth, at which time he was in the %50 for his height and %45 for weight. As of today he is %95 for height and %65 for weight. I'd say he has grown. He is 12.5 lbs and 24.5 in long. He got 4 shots, but was still such a smiley baby, mostly before those things. But, I actually got one on camera. I prefer the smiles that look like smiles and not the wide mouths, but those didn't come while I had the camera out. I'll get one soon.

I guess, since I blogged that Lucy only tries to wear my sports bra, she graduated from that and has now added my t-shirts to the list. Grandpa brought her a fairy outfit and she loved to wear that too. She felt much more dressed up in the fairy dress, and had to add every piece of jewelry she owns. What a girl!

Grateful

2009-02-08T13:32:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday, Gary and I went to see BYU's Living Legends singing and dancing group. It was great. They perform Latin American, Native American, and Polynesian dances while telling a story of a people. Basically they told the story of the Book of Mormon. It made me so glad to be a BYU alumni and to have attended that school.

I am also grateful that Fisher will spend up to 30 min looking at his toy. During that time, I can get Lucy some lunch or go to the bathroom or some other important task. And, I am grateful for a hilarious moments in childhood. Last night we had hamburgers off the grill and Lucy ate a hot dog. After we had taken her plate, but hadn't gotten her down from her chair, since we were still eating, we noticed something in her ear. She seemed to think it was normal.This other moment was a few months ago, before Fisher was born. Some friends of ours were kind enough to catch this on camera and give us a copy.

Growing

2009-02-02T17:28:00.001-08:00

Gary didn't think the last picture made Fisher look any different. So, here he is in the same spot, with the same outfit on, 5 weeks later.

daily changes

2009-01-31T17:08:00.000-08:00

Fisher has grown so much in the past week, I can even tell the difference. Here is an updated picture.

Lucy likes to get into my drawers, and this is the only thing she ever takes out, and she always wants to put it on. It is my sports bra. She is so funny.

Happy Birthday

2009-01-23T19:31:00.000-08:00

We love 3 day weekends! First we celebrated Gary's 28th birthday by going out to dinner and having cake. On MLK day, we went to the local parade and cheered on many of Gary's students. Lucy and Fisher love being outside. Which, today, even Lucy realized it was a special day because it was raining. She went outside as I was feeding Fisher and I could hear her dancing. She payed in the rain for atleast an hour. Fisher smiled for the first time on Monday. We will try to get a picture when he does it more often. Right now, I get one once a day and no one else has seen it, but it sure it cute.

New Year Catch-up

2009-01-13T13:07:00.000-08:00

Well, this past month has been quite busy. It will be so nice when Fisher finally gets on a schedule. As of right now, he likes to eat each hour and just sleep whenever, which doesn't leave me much time to do anything for myself. But, he is so sweet and Lucy loves him. She can't wait until he can play with her. He almost smiled yesterday in response to her clapping his hands.

Since we have been so busy, I haven't posted about Christmas and it was great, so I have to catch up. First, we were able to have both grandmother's come visit. Gary's mom the week before Christmas and my mom came on Christmas evening. Our Christmas eve was great. We started by going to a church down the street for their live nativity. Gary said it is now our family tradition to find a camel each Christmas eve. It was pretty cool to let Lucy pet the animals and be reminded of the story of Christ's birth. Then, to follow Ogden tradition, we went to McDonalds for our dinner. We felt great when we paid, since I had cut some coupons from the paper and saved them for that evening. Then we came home, made cookies, read from the Bible, and Lucy opened a present. I loved watching her make cookies, but Gary was the one trying to get it done, so it was funny for me but more frustrating for him.

Lucy didn't touch any of the presents under the tree all month, so I thought she didn't know what to do with them. Boy was I wrong. When I asked if she wanted to open a present on Christmas eve, she immediately answered with an enthusiastic Yes, and when I handed her one, she tore open the paper. What a good girl. Santa brought a double stroller for the whole family and it is fantastic. We all love it. For New Years, we stayed home, played games with my mom and watched the ball drop. We went to bed right after midnight. I was exhausted, but I had to wait up. Gary told me we were grown-ups so I could have gone to bed whenever I wanted, but I felt like I had to wait up. I didn't catch up on my sleep until last night. Fisher only woke up 2 times and only to eat and then back to bed. Lucy didn't wake up until 8 this morning and stayed in her room until 8:30, so Fisher and I got to sleep in together until then. He is growing so fast, I had to rotate the clothes in his closet today.

Another great thing that happened was that Lucy got a hair cut. She and Grandma got theirs done at the same time. She sat very still on my lap, as always when she doesn't know what is going on, and her hair looks adorable. We just shortened it up to get the length to even out, and her curls look even better now.

Lucy and Fisher

2008-12-15T11:00:00.001-08:00

Compare pictures of the two, to see what he looks like compared to her. Also, some video of how excited Lucy was to first meet Fisher.

Time Flies

2008-12-15T10:49:00.000-08:00

So, I posted real quick on the 10th, thinking I would do more the next day. Here I am almost a week later. But Fisher looks different and we need new pictures. Apparently I am going to be raising a gansta, or he has come to bring peace to the world.

He's Here

2008-12-10T20:34:00.000-08:00

Fisher Eli was born yesterday at 8:58 am, and I am too tired to give details. So, here are some

pictures. He was 7 lbs 13 oz, 21 in long. Lucy loves him and is great about getting his pacifier when he cries.

Big Bed

2008-12-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

Lucy is becoming such a big girl. We moved her into a big girl bed a few weeks ago, which I think she really likes. It takes US longer to get her to take her naps or go to sleep now since she likes to get up about 4 times, but she snuggles in this bed too. And the girl LOVES fruit snacks. She calls them "cks" and will ask for them by name, and then go to the food storage closet for you to get them. So much for long term storage. They were on a lower shelf, but then she just helped herself. Luckily, she can't open the package by herself.

Slow moving

2008-12-08T11:40:00.000-08:00

So, I guess it is a good thing I said something about my slow internet in my last post, since I have waited so long to post again. And there is a lot going on. We got Guitar Hero World Tour from my dad and Lucy started playing the drums before Gary even had them all put together. She knew exactly what to do without being shown. I had a baby shower, which was loads of fun. Maegan and I are 2 days appart. I think I am carrying the larger child, and the Dr. agrees. So we are taking him a week early. Fisher will be here the 16th, unless he decides to come earlier on his own. We are very excited. Only a week left.

Internet speed

2008-11-05T10:46:00.000-08:00

So, I got this email a few weeks ago, actually I got it twice. It was someone's notes from sacrament meeting. It had good things to say and mine said it was by Pres. Packer. My sister got it and it said it was Pres. Monson, and my VT partner got it and it said it was Pres. Oaks. I talked to another woman in the mother's lounge who got it 3 times in an hour. The church officially says that things aren't official unless it is published by them. Well, we had stake conference this weekend and Pres. Packer spoke, it was great, but it made me think of this email I received. It got around so fast, and so many people read it, with enthusiasm. I just hope everyone reads their conference Ensign with the same excitement. We got ours last week or you can go on lds.org and read all of them if you prefer to use your computer. There are many talks about preparing for hard times. Elder Cook even quotes Pres. Hinckley's comparison of the years of plenty and then years of famine from Joseph of Egypt's time. So, please read your coference reports, don't make me have to copy and paste them into an email and start the frenzy.

Happy Halloween

2008-11-02T12:24:00.000-08:00

We had lots of fun for Halloween. Lucy was a monster and had to put her costume on each day after her bath, she was so excited. I wasn't going to go spend money on a new costume, since this was a hand-me-down and so cute, so she wore high-waters. She didn't mind. We tried to teach her to say trick-or-treat, but mostly got tk-tk-tk-tk-tk. The video is the best one I got, but it isn't a very good video. Then most of my pictures were blurry too. I am bummed, you try to be a good parent and document everything, but to no avail. Anyway, we went to a fantastic carnival with some friends at the beginning of our evening and Lucy had a blank stare for most of it, as in the picture of her at the fishing pond with Gary. She figured it out by the end and was wild the rest of the evening. We finished the evening with friends with smaller children who aren't interested in trick-or-treating. I can tell, she is going to Love Halloween each year.

Arizona Fall

2008-10-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

Since the temperature is still in the 90's, we decided to create our own pile of leaves for Lucy to play in. She loved it. The colors, the way they fall on you, it was all very exciting. Okay, we don't have any deciduous trees that change colors, so we used what we have...newspaper adds. It was a fun fall evening in the living room.

We also had to carve Lucy's first pumpkin. She picked it out, and thanks to our local farmers' market, it was $.15/lb. I paid $.87, that is a great price and the girl can pick a pumpkin. She didn't even think. Just point and lets go. She doesn't really like to get her hands dirty, so she didn't dig in, but she enjoyed using the spoon and even tasting the pumpkin. She thought it was pretty cool when it was all lit up, but knew right away that it was hot. She kept saying, "hot" as she was reaching towards it.

Getting Ready

2008-10-24T10:24:00.000-07:00

I don't think Lucy gets that she is going to have a brother in a few months. She likes to play with my belly and we tell her there is a baby inside, but the girl doesn't even like to say the word baby. She will look at babies, but that is about the end of it. Also, when other kids try to touch her, she gives them a funny look. Like, "why are you doing that?" But, today Tyler fell and was whinning a little about it, so she walked over to him and gave him a hug. All on her own. She'll be ready to love a little brother. We only have 8 1/2 weeks left. That means you all only have 8 1/2 weeks left until Christmas. Get shopping.

Definately Advanced

2008-10-18T22:34:00.000-07:00

Gary has always said that Lucy is advanced. It is a joke that is repeated often in my family. Well, as of today, a third party said the same thing. Ronald McDonald said that Lucy is advanced. She was afraid of him and so he figured she was 2 yrs old. Since she is only 15 1/2 months, he said she must be advanced. He signed a picture of himself and gave it to her. She held it and stared at it with a smile on her face for the next hour. I guess she will be that kind of child. We will have to force her to step out of her comfort zone, but she will be so proud of herself after it is all over. Then at dinner time, when you see what she learned, I think it is official, she is definately advanced.

Fall Break

2008-10-14T12:06:00.001-07:00

Gary had Thursday and Friday off last week for fall break, AND the temperature dropped dramatically, so it was WONDERFUL. We went to the zoo and took Tyler who is the boy Lucy and I watch on Thursdays and Fridays. We tried to go to the opening night of the state fair. Once we parked, I went to change the diaper Lucy was complaining about, and no wonder. It was a blow-out. So, I felt like we would fit in with her just in a t-shirt and diaper with her tennis shoes and no socks. But after traffic, sitting on the shuttle in more traffic and then standing in line for tickets, we missed the cheap time deadline by about 10 min. So we turned around and got back on the shuttle and went home. We didn't think the $11/person mark-up was worth it. But, we were even more relieved when we saw the news later that night and a huge fight had broken out with gun shots fired. I guess going to the fair wasn't really all that great of an idea anyway. We had some wind come into town as well, so we went to the park and flew a kite too. Lucy thought it was pretty cool. We also did a little of Gary's favorite thing to do on days off, shop. But after dropping his car off for some routine maintenance and finding out that it would cost $1000 to turn off his check engine light, out spending spirits were dampered. We have not gotten the light off yet.

Centralia Illinois

2008-10-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

Lucy and I had the opportunity to go babysit her Kleinhenz cousins in IL at the end of Sept. We stayed a few extra days to spend time with Paisley and Grant as well. It was pretty low key and we had fun visiting. Grandma and Grandpa Ogden came to visit and brought Courtney too, so we got an extra bonus. Lucy loves being with her cousins. She loved the fact that each morning we would wake up, eat breakfast, and then get into the car to take the big kids to school. I think going on a outing first thing each morning was exciting to her. Then she would wait all day until we went back to pick them up so she could play. Elijah asked me if having a baby was hard. I told him sometimes because Lucy couldn't talk very well. The next day at dinner, which is always a stressful time for me as I try to make sure she gets enough of the right things, he said, "Oh, I see. Now is one of those hard times." He was right, another adult there would have made things a little easier. It was so nice to be able to see family at an unexpected time. The week before I found out I was going, I had been complaining to Gary how I needed some "family time". Ahh, tender mercies.

Well Done

2008-09-18T10:10:00.001-07:00

Lucy decided to walk on Monday. I saw her practicing and so I grabbed the camera, which we have had out, just in case. I wasn't sure if she was really going to keep at it, but she walks all over. She is fantastic and has now decided she is a big girl. She fed herself her yogurt on Tuesday and opened her door for the first time. Yesterday we went to the park before I left for mutual and she decided she could go down the slide by herself. Not just the little one, but the big swirly one as well. We have gotten really lucky being able to catch a lot of her firsts on film, now I wish I were as dilligent about doing her hair each day, so it would be done for those little moments. She even likes it when I do it, but I don't want the rubber band to break all her hair off.
Gary only has two weeks left of his current masters class. He goes each Tuesday and so we don't get to see him on Tuesdays. This Tuesday, Lucy and I are going to babysit the Kleinhenz cousins in Illinois and Gary thought it would be perfect because he has his big paper due the next week. Well, it is due this week, so he has No Idea how he will fill his time without us. I am sure you will all see his sign-in name on the xbox each evening of the week.

But, I still love technology

2008-09-11T21:57:00.000-07:00

I only have one child and sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed trying to keep up with all the things I would like to record for her. Her scrapbook, her babybook, her journal, the blog, my facebook page, my journal. Weren't things supposed to be simplified with technology? I did finish her scrapbook, since I am only doing the first year, and she loves looking at it. We do that at least once every day. She doesn't even recognize herself as the tiny baby, but still loves to look at the pictures.

Almost

2008-09-03T10:49:00.000-07:00

Lucy is such a careful child, she isn't walking yet. She has taken a up to 4 steps, but that is all. She decides to try about once a day and will work on it for a little while before she gives up. Yesterday, she was sitting on the bottom stair and I could see her little mind working. She stood up and walked her 4 steps before she slowly came down. I'm sure it won't be too long before she is off. We learned not too long ago that it too her dad 18 or 19 months to start walking. Since they have some very similar temperments, I am not concerned.
She is picking up words much faster. She noticed an airplane yesterday and I tried to get her to say the word. She won't perform unless she wants to, so she just listened to me, but didn't respond. A few minutes later another plane went by and she said, "mama, airplane" and pointed up. She has figured out that we respond to what she wants much faster when she will say the word. She has a good handful that she says now. Help, apple, cheese, keys, hi, ball, dada (one of her favorites) and she is working on up and out. I anticipate I will have a much different child in the next 4 months when her baby brother comes.

Big Sister

2008-08-07T09:52:00.001-07:00

Lucy is becoming such a big girl. We made a little film for family home evening. Hope you like it.

It's a boy

2008-07-30T11:04:00.000-07:00

Not that I forgot, but I thought it deserved it's own posting. We are having another baby, due December 23rd. And it is a boy. We are all very excited, including Lucy.

July

2008-07-30T10:51:00.001-07:00

My how the month flew by. We went to Utah to celebrate the 4th of July and Lucy's 1st birthday. She performed marvelously well. She shook her American flag during the parade and was in heaven the entire camping trip. She smiled and hugged all her birthday presents to show her gratitude. She is such a joy. While in Utah, I also got to take my sister Kelly to the MTC and spend some time with grandma Jackie. Kelly is going to Berlin Germany on Sept. 9th. Gary had some S&I meetings to attend and enjoyed meeting up with old friends that stayed in Utah for their assignments. It was a great trip, and we got home easily, and in time for me to go to girls camp. Camp went fantastic, the weather was awesome and so were the girls. Gary and Lucy played all week and he said he was a little jealous and could understand why some men want to be stay-at-home dads. I have had a little time to relax and am now heading off for youth conference. When I get back, Gary only has a week left until school starts. Boy will our sleeping habits change when he has to start teaching A hour at 6:30am each morning.

ER visit

2008-06-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

Lucy usually goes to bed really well. On Sunday night, she whined and whined for an hour after we put her down. We decided she wanted to play with us and went up to get her. As she came into the light, we could see her entire body was red, swollen and covered in hives, and the poor thing just kept itching and whining. A bit of panic set in. We called some "mothers who know" in our ward and they showed up with benadryl and experience. We ended up calling 911. The fire truck and ambulance showed up took her vitals and told us to go to the ER. She was given more medication and we were watched for 3 or 4 hours before released, still with a red and swollen baby. We don't know what it was, but it could have been Ibuprofen or peanut-butter. We have been advised not to give her either for a while and no more PB for a year. She has been doped up for the past few days and goes between a sweet tired baby, to an whiny, wiggle worm who doesn't know what she wants. I'm just glad we got through it. She was exhausted the next day. Gary was a champ as we tried to stay calm and do the right things.

Lucy-our Arizona Baby

2008-06-24T10:25:00.001-07:00

Lucy loves the water, no matter what kind, pool, faucet, sprinkler, bath. I dread the day she discovers the toilet has water.