We have a crawler!!!

So this is about a month old, but I had really wanted to post this cause it is SO super cute!!!

Trying Hard

So when we moved, I had promised myself to keep my house cleaner, spend more time with my kids, and just be a better wife and mom in general. And I think I did do those things.....for about 2 weeks. And then it was like life caught up with me. I am behind again on laundry, cleaning, potty training...I haven't been able to get back into my workout routine. And although this may sound like a pity party, IT. IS. NOT. I am actually writing this post, hoping that anyone reading will share their ideas on what they do to keep up on everything.

And I guess I hope that with any ideas that are shared, I will be able to implement something to help me be better. After all, us moms have got to stick together!!! :)

And so it begins

Andrew's first day of school

White Coat ceremony

A little bit of fun

We arrived here 2 weeks before Andrew started school, and his parents were here for a little bit, so we took both those opportunities to do a few fun things before we wouldn't see Andrew anymore :)

The first weekend we got here, we took a trip out to Kirtland....the first of many I am sure.



We went to a place called Chagrin Falls with some new friends. It was beautiful and fun, but we went on a SUPER hot day so we all got kind of grumpy.


Abbey, and her new friend Ellie


We went on another day to Cuyahoga Valley National Park and saw some more waterfalls and then went to an ice cave. The problem was though, that we forgot our flashlight so we couldn't go in the cave too far, but it was still a fun hike.







We went to an Indians game but I forgot to take my camera....They got killed, but we had so much fun. It was $1 hot dog night, and after the game they had an awesome rock and roll and fireworks show. The kids were worn out but had a great time...eating peanuts, hot dogs, soda, nachos. They even took their baseball mitts just in case their was a foul ball hit into the stands. The funniest part of that was that we were almost at the very top of the stadium!
Then the next day we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.


That was the only picture we could take, since they don't allow you to take pictures in the museum. We LOVE it here!

Our New Home

Here are some pics of our new place, for those who wanted to see it.





Kitchen...Looks small, but believe it or not we have more room than our last kitchen


Living Room


Ammons Room


Abbey and Dylans Room

Our Trip

Our 3 1/2 day trip to Cleveland went smoother than I had anticipated it would. We left pretty close to the time we wanted on the 11th, and drove all day long, stopping in Sidney, Nebraska, which was about 100 miles short of what we wanted to achieve. We were all ready to stop though, and the kids got to swim at the hotel so it was worth it. Day 2, Tuesday, we started SUPER early to make up for the time we didn't drive the previous day and made pretty good time arriving in Clinton, Iowa about 10:30. We had the chance to stay with Andrew's great Aunt Marilyn. It was fun to spend some time with her and the kids had a blast sleeping at her house. Once again started pretty early on Wednesday. But once again didn't make it as far as we wanted because of 2 things....I just HAD to stop for pizza at Giordanos in Illinois, and because of the 2 hour traffic jam we got caught in on the south part of Chicago. So Wednesday night we ended up getting to a hotel in Toledo at about 1:30 am. Left early Thursday morning and drove to our new home in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. We arrived here at about 10:30. We were so glad to be here. Some pictures that highlight some fun times on our drive...................

At a park somewhere in Iowa


Eagle Point Park in Clinton, Iowa. Grandma had been talking about this place for months!!! :)

Spring Fun

I absolutely LOVE spring! And even though spring has struggled a little bit this year, we have still had time to have some fun before it gets too hot! On one of the very first nice days we had, i think it was all the way back in March, the kids had a blast imagining all sorts of things!

Here they are painting a box because they thought they were going to make it into a bird house.



And then they were pretending to go horse back riding.



We went to a western carnival night with our friends at a local library and had a blast!



Then Ammon had his Kindergarten field trip to the Tree House. He had fun, but I really wish that it could have been somewhere that we don't go to very often.



Him and his "girlfriend" Khianna.



Then this last weekend we went to the safe kids day fair. It is the first time we have gone. It is free admission and there are a lot of free things for the kids to do....my kind of place!!! The kids ended up having a blast, and we even got to spend a little time with a friend! (Thanks for meeting up with us Grafs)







I LOVE SPRING!!!

Here it is........

I have been debating this post for quite some time. It has been so long.... What should I say? I must have pictures!!! How long is too long? ETC.... So tonight I decided that I would just update on our family, kind of like people do when they send out Christmas cards. That way it's like a good intro to everything I have missed in the last year and a half and I don't have to feel like I am missing anything, or just the opposite, overwhelming anyone who might be reading!!!

Ammon: Ammon, our oldest is now 6 1/2. He is attending Kindergarten at Quest Academy, which is a Charter school about 20 minutes from where we live. It can be tedious at times to make the drive twice a day, but well worth it since he loves it there and is doing so well. His reading is going SO well, and he is our little math man. His main interests right now are anything Star Wars, superheroes, or ninja turtles. He is our sweet big boy and fills his role well as big brother.

Abigail: Abbey just turned 5 last month, and I think she has already grown up so much since then. She is doing so well with her writing, and absolutely loves to color and draw. Her interests right now are anything Barbie....(side note, she got a barbie house for Christmas, which is the only thing she asked Santa for...)So her Christmas and birthday were filled with items to add to each room in her house, and enough barbies so that everyone can play. She is definitely our mediator....always trying to help everyone.

Dylan: Dylan is now 2! She is very independent and knows exactly what she wants, but at the same time is trying to figure out her place in our crazy family. She loves to be read to, and her favorite books are the Pinkalicious books! She really likes all things that are girly...Tinkerbell, princesses, tea parties! She also loves trying to tell knock knock jokes. I end up laughing hysterically every time because it is so dang cute!

Mason: Mason is now 3 1/2 months old. He joined our family at a time that just wasn't quite expected. :) He is growing so well and being so cute most of the time, that I can't get upset when he doesn't want to go back to sleep at 3 o'clock in the morning! He is a perfect addition to our family and EVERYONE loves him.

Andrew: Andrew is working for the University of Utah as a Med Tech, now going on his 6th year. He loves what he does, and does it really well. He has been accepted to Podiatry school in Ohio and we will be moving there this summer. We are so proud of him for working so hard and know that he will be successful!

Emily: Well, I am pretty much what every other stay at home mom is....A cook, a maid, a Chauffeur.... I stay VERY busy and try really hard to balance things, which means my house is rarely presentable! I am trying more and more each day to cherish this time I have with my kids. They are growing up so fast and it is hard when you have more than 1 or 2 kids to give each of them the time they need. I love that I get to stay home with them, (thanks to Andrew).

Well, there is my little update...Pictures to come at another time!

I'm Back?

It has been FOREVER since I have posted anything, and was attempting to start again when the thought occurred to me, "does anyone even read our blog?" So with that thought, I am interested in learning who, if anyone, reads our blog and if it is worth it for me to start again! So leave a comment so I know who keeps tabs!!!