Christina & Helaman

Happy Birthday Olivia!

2012-01-08T16:25:00.000-06:00

My little girl is turning 2 today! Though Olivia is a little high maintenance, she makes up for it in many ways. She is super cute, and always comes up to me to cuddle and give me kisses. She giggles easily, and allows me to squeeze her cheeks as much as I want. She is very vocal, and has a great vocabulary. She loves playing with Charlotte - dress up, Barbie, and playing with baby doll are her favorite pastimes. Her enthusiasm for dresses, shoes, and her Jammie Dress is hilarious. She loves eating fruit and pizza, and points out the Donut House every time we drive by it. I love getting to see her learn and grow every day. We love you Olivia!

8th Anniversary

2011-11-21T19:50:00.001-06:00

Today was our 8th Anniversary. We got to go to a very nice lunch together at Fogo de Chao, and they were nice enough to write Happy Anniversary in delicious raspberry sauce on the plate which is the only way we stuffed the dessert down, after all that meat. For dinner, we had a smoothie and called it good. This season we think of what we are blessed with, and there is nothing I am more thankful for than Helaman, who is amazing in so many ways. I lucked out big time with him! To many more!

Good News Excerpt

2011-11-19T16:21:00.001-06:00

November has been a much better month. We were able to enjoy a delightful evening at RA Sushi (my favorite) on a perfect night for sitting outside. The lights were up at the Shops at Legacy, providing quite the holiday atmosphere. Yum! I also enjoyed a fabulous Supper Club and a visit from Grandma B.

Sometimes (always) I gripe about Customer Service, so I thought I would highlight some companies that have done me right as we start this holiday shopping season. Recently my watch broke. Helaman bought it for me for our first Valentine's Day together, and when I brought it to a repair shop they said it would be $70 fix. Since that was more than it was worth, I thought I'd just get a new one. I started looking, but also emailed Guess, the manufacturer, explaining my dilemma and asking how much it would be for them to fix it. They emailed back the next day, and said they would fix it for free if I paid for shipping. They would also replace the scratched crystal, as that was under warranty. Yay!

It always pays to contact the manufacturer, as I have seen when I got a defective KitchenAid knife block from Kohl's (at a great discount) and my Breville blender blew up.

This week Kroger sent me some cookies to try:

I must admit that I am a tad biased against store-bought cookies, as I personally love to whip up a batch of cookie dough and smell them baking in the kitchen. But... lacking the motivation and energy to do so lately, it was nice to have some ready made ones available for munching as an alternative to the endless amount of Halloween candy we still have. I popped one of them (okay, several) in the microwave, and they came out warm and tasty. The consistency wasn't as soft as I normally prefer, but the flavor was good, and the cookies had no problem being devoured quickly in my house. If you'd like some coupons to try em, let me know!

October in a nutshell

2011-11-01T23:29:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it has almost been two months since I have updated this blog! October was crazy. We finally solidified after melting all summer, and have been out enjoying the fall. Helaman logged 16+ hour days most days of the month (including weekends), and we are celebrating the end of his VA Hospital rotation (for now).

First, we went to my parents house in Houston for conference weekend. The girls enjoyed matching skirts, ice cream cones, many park days with Grandma, and running around the house terrorizing everyone during each session.

Next, we hit up some sweet garage sales. I scored these brand new matching dresses and plenty of other clothes that I surely do not need, but are super fun to have. Seems like all garage sale stuff is like that...

Then it was time for the ward trunk or treat, in which Miss Olivia won second prize in the children's division for Best Costume.

October can't go by without a trip to the pumpkin patch. Here's our best shot, with random kid in it and all.

This fine looking gentleman is the rarely glimpsed Helaman, who stood in line with us for an hour to get into Safety Town, though he had been up since the wee hours. I guess he had to put in his time, as he has consumed more candy this week than all of us combined.

An out of sequence shot of a park day.

My lighting was off for these shots, I hope you can appreciate the hours we put into carving this year, as always.

My little sweeties in front of the library.

Patio

2011-09-09T13:00:00.002-05:00

Just in time for some nice sitting outside weather! My mom and I shopped for some new patio cushion fabric, and she was nice enough to cover my old ones with it, since the squirrels had torn the old ones to shreds. We are loving the ability to sit out there on cool nights. Now we just wonder if our shrubs will recover from the hot summer. Most are fine, but a couple got very brown on top and I'm not sure if they will bounce back.

Best Labor Day ever!

2011-09-06T20:37:00.000-05:00

What a great Labor Day! The weather gave us a big break, and Helaman had the day off. So he cleaned up the backyard, and we had a good time playing rings (a $2 summer clearance find) and ladder ball in the yard. Olivia and Charlotte loved rolling around in the grass (despite Olivia's terrible allergic reaction) and it was just so nice to be able to sit around outside.

Olivia chasing Charlotte with her "mower"

For lunch we packed a picnic and went down to the Shops at Legacy's fountain pond, where we saw a friendly turtle. For dessert, we went to our favorite frozen yogurt place - Red Mango.

Amazing weather, please stay for a while!

Night Out

2011-09-04T20:57:00.002-05:00

Classic Helaman expression...

This week, we celebrated some of Helaman's co-residents' August birthdays. We went to III Forks, since it is restaurant week. It was very fun, since we don't get together all that much except for graduations and Christmas parties. This year is definitely the busiest for all of them, so they deserved a night out!

Shirley, Erickson, Brockoff, Yates, Navid

August

2011-09-04T20:35:00.000-05:00

This month, Charlotte finished her ballet/tap lessons. She loved them, and can't wait to take lessons again. We're taking a break while she starts preschool next week.

Charlotte's other big news was her new bed. She had definitely outgrown the toddler bed she was sleeping in, and I scoured Craigslist for just the right thing for her. Unfortunately, as Craigslist often goes, I was usually too late, or had too little room in my car to get what I wanted. But when Mom came to town, we were able to score this bed! It was unfinished though, and we sanded and stained away in 100+ degree heat to make it worthy of her room. We couldn't be happier with the result, and she loves it.

While Mom was here we also went to the Dallas Children's Museum. The girls loved the kitchen, water and sand areas.

We also took advantage of the last days of the pool being open to take some early morning swims, which felt great. Stay tuned for more project reports - the new patio cushions!

dynamic duo

2011-08-12T09:06:00.002-05:00

Facebook said this picture was too skinny to post! This is on our most recent trip to Gattitown. The girls had a blast. They are quite the characters these days. I love that they play together well, but when we are out and about, it can get a little hard to control.

Birthday treat

2011-08-11T18:12:00.002-05:00

Today is Helaman's birthday! On Monday, he called from work saying that he wanted to go to the movies and see "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." Miraculously, it all worked out that we could go, and to the coolest theater in Dallas! They had cushy LoveSac furniture to sit on, so we could lounge around like we were at home. Happy Birthday Helaman!

July whoas

2011-07-25T14:46:00.004-05:00

July has not been the best month in the history of our family.

Over the holiday weekend, our air conditioning went out. The replacement unit was $2500.
Charlotte decided to swing from our chandelier, which fell down into thousands of small pieces of glass.
Our blender, which has faithfully been making us smoothies all summer, burst into flames.
A once-promising garden has all but died, due to lack of water and abundance of weeds.
Helaman's schedule has been terrible, and his dept is having "trouble" finding the funds he is due for two weeks of his pay.
Olivia has had massive 18 month old sleep regression. Won't go down, nap, etc. without hours of crying. Separation anxiety is at a peak as well.

However, there is an upside to each problem. We didn't have to replace our entire AC system, no one was underneath the 50 lb. chandelier when it fell, Breville is sending a free replacement blender, and our basil is thriving. Helaman has a job, however cruel and unusual, and Olivia is... so cute! See? Thanks for listening to my ranting.

Milestone

2011-07-08T20:15:00.002-05:00

My little baby is 18 months old today! Which means, of course, she goes to nursery officially. She has been going to nursery unofficially for a few weeks now, and though there have been rough weeks, hopefully she will warm up to it soon.

We love Olivia! There is so much to love about her. Most of all, I love her cuddling. Many times when I am sitting on the couch she will come up and just snuggle up next to me. She loves to give hugs and kisses, and all of her chubby baby rolls just make her deliciously squishy and fun.

She loves to play with people - especially Charlotte. Swimming in our blow up pool, hide and seek, peek-a-boo, rolling balls, and barbies are her favorites. She makes hilarious faces and is able to say a ton of words. Several times a day she will come up to me with a book and command, "Read!"

Olivia also loves to sing and be sung to. Most of all, she loves the Primary songs. She's never been a great car traveler, but once I burned a CD with primary songs on it she has been great in the car. When she sings, she doesn't enunciate her words perfectly, but her tone is great, so you can tell what she is singing!

We love you Olivia, thank you for being part of our family. It wouldn't be the same without you!

The Graduate

2011-06-07T14:33:00.002-05:00

Warning! This is a braggy post!
Last night was the graduation exercises for UT-Southwestern's medical school. As part of Helaman's oral and maxillofacial surgery residency, he was required to complete the classes and training required for a medical degree to have in addition to his dental degree. It also marks the midway point of the residency. In just three short years he will done with all his training and schooling - a total of 13 years!

Helaman with his OMFS co-residents and one of their attending surgeons.

All medical degree tassels and robes are green, to signify herbs and healing. The orange cloak is worn by all schools in the UT system. He was supposed to have worn purple as well to indicate his dental degree, but you will just have to imagine what that would have looked like. (yikes) Congratulations H!

Great Wolf

2011-05-22T20:33:00.003-05:00

Helaman had some time off before going back to work, so we took a "stay-cation" to The Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, which is 20 minutes away. They have a huge indoor water park (no suntan lotion necessary!!) with slides, forts, play equipment, and one enormous bucket of water that dumps out on you.

Charlotte was tall enough for the big rides (with an adult) but didn't really want anything to do with them.
Both girls loved running up and down the hallways, which were largely vacant. We had the place to ourselves!
Several times a day was story time, which was an animated and live show teaching kids not to be afraid.

The lodge also had a "Cub" Club the girls enjoyed.

Aaooo!

Family Reunion 2011

2011-05-22T20:15:00.005-05:00

This year's Broadbent Family Reunion was in Seguin, TX, right outside San Antonio. We stayed in a large lakehouse that was just big enough for everyone. The kids enjoyed goat feeding, jumping on beds, swimming and getting to know cousins. The adults enjoyed catching up, swimming, basketball, slideshows and quilting! Dad shot a video of that which no one will ever want to watch!

Charlotte teaching Lucy everything she knows about trouble making.

Olivia trying to find the bubbles her Aunt Amy just blew. Cousin James looks on.

Charlotte and Wade jumpin on the bed.

H jumpin on the court.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T19:16:00.002-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to the Great-Grandmas, Grandmas and Mamas of all of these cute Broadbent grandchildren!

Caribbean Cruise 2011

2011-04-08T09:24:00.005-05:00

We had a wonderful time on our cruise! We set sail on March 27th out of Galveston port on Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas.
Our first stop was Cozumel, Mexico. We rented a jeep and drove around the whole island. We also went snorkeling. The tide was pretty strong!
Here we are at some "Mayan ruins".
The next stop was Georgetown, Grand Cayman. Here we rode horses 6 miles down the beach.
Then we just hung out on the beach for a while.
In Jamaica, the locals were pretty aggressive in trying to sell their wares. We took a tour around Falmouth.
Below is a view of Falmouth from the cruise boat's dining room.
On the boat, there was tons to do. We did some rock climbing...
Mini-golfing...
Ice skating...
Hanging around...
Roller blading...
And of course, eating!! Here we are on formal night. Each night they had great entertainment like comedians, singing and dancing, magician, and game shows. We were even participants on their version of "Family Feud". We played trivia many times but never won.
The food was fantastic, and we were able to make some friends since we ate with the same people each night.
Us with Susan, "Mama" (real name unknown), Kim and Kevin - who happen to live about 5 minutes away from us in Frisco.
Our waiter Soheil and his assistant Freddy were responsible for loading us up every night.
Charlotte and Olivia had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa, but were ready to get back home after a tiring week! I love how Olivia uses her cheek as a pillow.

Spring Break 2011

2011-04-05T20:09:00.003-05:00

We really enjoyed our Spring Break(s) this year! First, we hit up Frank Buck zoo in Gainesville about an hour away. A couple years ago we visited this zoo and loved it for its manageable size and deserted feel. This time it was very crowded (due our attendance on $2 admission day during Spring Break) but it was still fun.

I think the girls had an even better time later that week on a mall trip though...

Olivia couldn't get enough of the firetruck.

Before leaving for a week with Grandma, we decided to chop off Charlotte's lengthy mane for her second haircut ever. I thought she would be nervous, but she was determined to get a haircut like some of her friends had recently done. She loved every second of her salon experience and didn't stop talking about it for a while.
Olivia thought she was getting a haircut, too.

Um.... is someone going to shampoo me or what?

Happy Birthday Charlotte!

2011-03-27T20:26:00.002-05:00

We drove down to Houston the day before Charlotte's birthday. She was very excited to be able to spend her birthday with her Grandparents there and has talked about it for months! I wanted to make it a special time, since we didn't have a big party this year. So the night before, Helaman and I stayed up late making her a memorable cake that turned out to be a little harder than I thought it would be!

I think she liked it though! She got some more play food, a Barbie car, and a backpack for preschool next year.
Best of all, she got a 8 day, 7 night all inclusive stay at Grandma B's. She is already plotting her return... I can't believe how fast she is growing up. We love you Charlotte!

so it goes

2011-03-13T21:20:00.003-05:00

We have loved our early spring! Walking to the park has been a daily outing, and these girls love to swing and slide. They are starting to have a lot of fun playing together, which is a pleasure to see!
Olivia is a big cuddler. She loves climbing up on laps, and it is so fun to squeeze her.
When she started popping out of her 18 and 24 month clothes, I went through all of Charlotte's old clothes and found several cute outfits that fit her great - mainly those that Charlotte wore last summer.

We also enjoy going to the library. I love this picture, due to her deep concentration, completely unaware of how hilarious the hat is.
Helaman is finishing up the last of his med school requirements before graduation in May. He is enjoying the stake basketball tournament, March Madness brackets, and following the up and down b-ball saga of his alma mater-in-law, BYU. His spring break is coming up at the end of the month, and we are celebrating by going on a Caribbean cruise! We are looking forward to it, almost as much as Charlotte is looking forward to spending time with her Grandma (she has mentioned it about twice a day for a month).

I am doing my usual stuff - finding deals, attending playgroups, training Olivia to walk, making smoothies and eating out. I have also become the unlikely head of a passionate but slightly uncommitted opposition force to the neighborhood HOA's shocking new assessment fine associated with building a redundant and useless clubhouse. The worst deal ever. Good times!

My Valentines

2011-02-14T19:28:00.002-06:00

What a lovely Valentine's weekend! I complain a lot about Helaman not being able to moonlight anymore, but on the upside - it has been great to have him around on weekends, especially when they are as perfect as this one has been. 70 degrees and sunny! We visited Jamba Juice, the lake at the Shops at Legacy, and Red Mango yogurt deliciousness.
Here is my Valentine! On our first date, or hangout, whatever - we watched The Jamie Kennedy Experiment (a short lived precursor to "Punked") and laughed until our stomachs hurt. He has made me laugh every day since and I can't believe how lucky I am to have such a smart, hot, witty guy to call my very own. Well, I have to share him with two other ladies, but that's okay. I love you!

Winter Surprises

2011-02-08T09:55:00.005-06:00

Since I'm used to updating on the 8th of each month (Happy 13 months, Olivia!) here I am again! We had our picture taken over Christmas vacation. Let's just say Charlotte has a slight camera phobia, so not many of the pictures worked out.
Starting Tuesday of last week, our driveway was too icy to attempt to back out of so we stayed home. We all went a little nuts.
Charlotte busted out her crafts and after adding glue, pasta and markers, we were back in business.
Helaman got to stay home on Friday so we all had a long weekend of looking out the window. Luckily we were able to get out a few times to eat, though driving on the snow/ice made me physically sick from the rough ride.
Olivia, on the other hand, knows what to do when I point a camera at her. She looks quite satisfied with her meal, no? It is funny to watch her rub food all over her head when I'm about to dunk her in the tub.

Happy Birthday Olivia!

2011-01-08T19:51:00.002-06:00

This night last year, it was 13 degrees outside when this little lady came into the world. I had no idea what I was in for! She has tested me to the limits and changed our family so much that we don't know what life would be without her. A year ago, I distinctly remember wondering if I would make it through the night feedings, the breast feeding, and the colic. While I'm still traumatized by it all, I am really proud that I made it!

Her favorite game is Peek-a-Boo (this shot is right after she revealed herself).
We celebrated tonight at Buca di Beppo. Everyone pointed and smiled when they saw the birthday girl. They love the cheeks! We love you Olivia!!

Pre-Christmas Activities

2010-12-30T15:59:00.000-06:00

Playing in the snow

Hanging with Grandma

Gingerbread house construction

Seeing the lights

Texas Christmas

2010-12-30T13:20:00.004-06:00

Our Christmas in pictures!

A ride around Frisco Square on a makeshift trainGetting the courage to get in the Santa line, but no closer than 5 feet away
"Texas Christmas" morning a week early at home

Thanksgiving 10

2010-12-18T16:50:00.003-06:00

The week before Thanksgiving, Aunt Katie came to visit since she had a job interview in Irving. She got the job! So she is going to be a close neighbor.I have been waiting for Helaman to upload his phone pics to post the Thanksgiving pictures but I may as well just write about it in the meantime. It was great! The day before we left for Houston, Helaman decided he wanted to smoke a turkey this year. So he went to the store and bought a smoker. The next day we drove to Houston with it still boxed up in the car. He got up early to put it in the smoker, and by Thanksgiving afternoon it was a beaut, and one of the best tasting turkeys I've tasted. Thanks H! We also had fun with the fam making a 4 course pizza meal together, hanging out at the park, sharing our talents during Variety Night and admiring new baby Clark.

I did not get into Black Friday this year. Like last year, I felt like the retailers didn't really put forth the doorbusters and loss leaders that I rely on for a great early morning shopping outing. Maybe next year!

Charlotte had a ton of fun with her Grandma B. Here they are in coordinating outfits. Grandma made the dress.

November Supper Club

2010-12-01T19:10:00.004-06:00

November was my month to host Supper Club with my partner Angela. A group of 12 girls from the ward get together each month for delicious food creations and uninterrupted adult conversation. It was a lot of fun to prepare, but it will be even more fun for the next few months when I am not in charge and can just enjoy it!

My china got its second use in 7 years!

Appetizer: Cheese & Artichoke Bites

Soup Course: Tomato Basil

Prosciutto Chicken Paachi

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Pool Party

2010-12-01T16:12:00.003-06:00

The girls have been enjoying our fall weather. Olivia loves to sit in her pool outside (amazing idea) and watch Charlotte drive her car around the patio.
Charlotte recently inherited a yellow skirt from her friend Julia. This was a few weeks ago; she has yet to take it off. Yesterday I asked her to step outside and tell me if she thought she would be warm enough to go to the store. She changed into pants for the store, but the minute we got home the skirt came out again.
For playgroup we went to the Heard Museum in Allen. They have a pretty impressive dinosaur display. I love Charlotte's pose here.

Happy 7th!

2010-11-21T19:55:00.003-06:00

Happy 7th Anniversary Helaman! I love you so much!

Olivia is 10 months!

2010-11-08T15:02:00.002-06:00

My little baby is growing up! She crawls like a champ, eats anything in sight, and does the splits with ease. It is impossible not to squeeze her, kiss her and hug her all day.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T20:10:00.004-05:00

We love Halloween. There are always so many festivities. First was Safety Town. We got there early and narrowly missed a huge crowd and an even bigger downpour.
Recycle Dog giving... a hug?

The NTTA go karts are always a favorite.

Next was the playgroup church trick or treat.

After that was Trunk or Treat. Olivia was a huge hit in her poodle costume, though she had her doubts about it and aired them loudly (in other words, she was super fussy). It certainly kept her warm on what turned out to be a chilly night.
After a round of the parking lot, the girls decided to jump in a trunk to keep warm.

Our pumpkin carvings for the year. I bought this battery powered pumpkin carver at CVS this year, totally excited to cut our drilling time in half. It was a disappointment. The power saw was so weak it was easier to do it manually.

Halloween

Fall Scenes

2010-10-17T11:01:00.007-05:00

Happy Fall! After leaving it up for 10 months, the nut wreath I made last year succumbed to moths (yuck!) So I made a new one, which was very fun and I think it is a definite improvement over the old one. Making these always reminds me of putting together a jigsaw puzzle.
It was Olivia's turn to wear the yellow wig! Charlotte wore it 3 years ago. She really thought she was something in it.
We visited the Big Orange Pumpkin Patch and loved it! It was perfect weather, not crowded, and not far away at all. It was fun driving through acres of farmland scenery to get there.

Pumpkin surfin'

The animals were well fed that day, and most were sick of the offerings. A few good-natured ones would still come up and say hello.

Enjoying a late afternoon hayride.

Loving Halloween already!

My pumpkin in a pumpkin patch.

9 Months

2010-10-08T16:33:00.003-05:00

My butterball is 9 months! She has developed severe separation anxiety and won't let me leave a room without hollering. But, she is a little sweetie who you can't help but cuddle with. She gets excited at the very glimpse of her alligator xylophone and plays it like a rock star.

Weight: 23.6 lbs - 97%
Height: 28.5 inches - 84%
Head: 18.5 inches - 99%

Huge thanks to Mom, who came down for the weekend to take care of these ladies while I went to Time Out for Women in Plano. It was tons of fun to learn a lot, carry on uninterrupted conversations with friends from the ward, and know that my girls are in good hands!
...although still not entirely cooperative when it comes to taking pictures.

Girls

2010-09-08T15:53:00.003-05:00

Olivia is 8 months! She isn't crawling yet, but somehow gets all over the house. The girls were playing in the family room this morning when I took a shower. By the time I got out, they were both in my room with me. Charlotte loves to drag her all over, and most of the time Olivia is alright with it. She doesn't sleep as long in the morning as I would like, but how can you not be happy to see that face?

Here is Charlotte on her way to a Princess Party. Charlotte loves shopping with Mom, building Lego houses and dressing up her little sister. She always likes to know what "the plan" is and will not hesitate to protest any deviations to "the plan". She can point out any Hyundai Santa Fe on the road as well as any Toyota Highlander (that's Grandma's car!)

Lucky

2010-09-05T20:08:00.002-05:00

I am a lucky girl! Look at what cute faces I get to see every day. Well, almost every.

Charlotte loves her new dress from Grandma!

Do these shorts make me look fat?

Growing

2010-08-14T15:46:00.003-05:00

Olivia is now 7 months! She loves to roll all over, eats anything in sight and has the cutest cheeks and thighs in Texas.

Summer is not giving up without a fight. It has been hot, hot, hot lately. We've been cooling off on our own backyard waterslide.We all took a quick trip to Houston for Helaman to finish the clinical portion of his board exams for the year.This is the little basil plant that could, sprouting up between the bricks on the patio. I appreciate its effort to redeem me for not planting anything this year after our bountiful harvest last year.

Summer News

2010-07-23T11:07:00.003-05:00

Olivia is not picky about who feeds her and Charlotte is happy to help, and demonstrate proper mouth-opening technique.

At 6 months, Olivia is still tipping the scales at 20.7 lbs - 97% and is 28 inches tall - 93%.
To celebrate the 25 cent/lb sale on peaches at Walmart this week, we got a new blender! I have been using a broken blender operated with a bent paper clip for over 4 years, so to watch this blender tackle a smoothie with just a push of a button was fabulous.

Summer Olivia

2010-07-12T19:37:00.003-05:00

Olivia has now been with us for 6 months! Half a year! We made it! She is still a little unpredictable, but how can you not adore a baby with those cheeks and thighs?

She loved reading books with Charlotte and Grandpa.
and recently discovered that she has a tongue. For a little while she let it hang out all the time.
We went to see Uncle Mark and Aunt Amy's new house in Baytown, Texas. They have wonderful views out on the back patio of the golf course, and Amy took the girls on a tour to see the ducks.
Olivia is a frequent customer at Charlotte's diner.

Summer Charlotte

2010-07-12T19:01:00.003-05:00

We've been keeping ourselves busy this summer. First Charlotte took some swimming lessons. She was quite nervous at first. After a harrowing start she did okay.
She loves to do hair now and is always asking for "tails."
We took a trip to Houston and saw her old friend Lincoln. They go way back as Columbia dental school babies together. Charlotte was not so sure about playing with him at first, but running around in the rain proved to be the perfect ice breaker.
She also loved playing with Grandma's toys. I remember playing with these toys as a kid myself.
Grandma came to visit us too and had many a picnic with Charlotte, who spent an additional week at Grandma's and is currently suffering from Grandma withdrawal.

In fact we have had a lot of picnics lately. If you are in the middle of something and cannot attend a picnic, it's no problem - Charlotte will bring the picnic to you.

Summer girls

2010-06-27T19:29:00.003-05:00

On June 8, this little lady turned 5 months. This is her b-day shot, though posted a little late.
One of her favorite things to do is jump in the bed with Charlotte, when Charlotte is taking a nap (but needs to get up). She looks as pleased as a pumpkin.
She can also sit up on her own! For a few seconds at a time.
She's decided to forgo her large collection of pacifiers in favor of the thumb. She is a thumb-sucker, but not a skilled one unfortunately. Sometimes she can find it, sometimes not.

I love what a great big sister Charlotte is. She loves to be around Olivia, play with her, go get her after naps and in the morning, shows her off to friends, and always remembers her in prayers. Olivia loves to watch Charlotte, especially when she's dancing, and laugh with her. I hope they are always this close:)

First Supper

2010-06-03T19:28:00.001-05:00

Olivia loves her cereal.
Here she is, literally grabbing for more. I can't make it fast enough for her!

200th Post!

2010-05-31T14:11:00.003-05:00

Ready for the pool

This Memorial Day weekend we celebrated by going to Liberty Fest, a totally random event we found out about while watching The Soup. Since the Gin Blossoms were going to be there, we had to go.

They were opening for REO Speedwagon, who brought us right back to the 80s with their smoke machine, top of the platform drummer and guitarist with long blond hair. Awesome!After they finished there was a good fireworks show, as there is after pretty much every event and holiday here in Texas. Love it!

Wait... what?

2010-05-27T13:33:00.002-05:00

I thought I had jinxed myself with the previous post; the last couple days Miss O has been super cranky. But, it turns out my little beluga is getting a tooth! I hadn't even thought of that, since despite loads of drool, Charlotte didn't get a tooth until after she had turned 1 and I had assumed we would be a late-tooth family (and avoid Daddy's dental analysis as long as possible!) But it wasn't to be.

A touch of pain reliever and she was back to being a sweetie.

I thought these drumsticks deserved a closeup.

Through the Night

2010-05-24T20:04:00.004-05:00

In honor of the series finale of LOST, or three hours of church wrestling (more likely), Olivia slept from 7pm to 7am last night. Of course, I didn't - I woke up at 4 and crept in to make sure she was still alive. What a sweetie she is. Having two ladies to tote around with me everywhere I go isn't easy, but it is worlds easier than toting around one 3 year old and one colicky, screaming baby, and for that I am infinitely grateful.

4 Months

2010-05-14T19:50:00.002-05:00

Daddy's not-so-little girl

Olivia had her 4 month checkup today. She did great, only crying a little with the shots. Here are her stats:

Weight: 18 lb 3 oz. - 99%
Height: 26.5 inches - 97%
Head: 17.25 inches - 96%

She also decided this week that she didn't want to be swaddled when sleeping anymore. I asked the doctor how to wean her off of the swaddle (one arm at a time? loosen it a bit?) and he said to just not swaddle her. A revolutionary idea! So I decided to test out this novel approach. During her first nap, she cried for 15 minutes and I had to go back in there three times. The second time, she just whimpered and fell asleep. This is a great accomplishment, since I was worried about her getting too hot in that swaddle in the summer heat.

I'm also training her to take a bottle. I didn't have the willpower to ever train Charlotte, but let's face it - I'm used to a fair amount of Olivia crying, so what's some more? She took one bottle yesterday and two today. Not without protest - but I think it is progress.

We made it

2010-05-09T19:59:00.004-05:00

We made it four months! Due to a non-functioning scale, we don't have Miss O's weight, but trust me when I tell you she is a BIG girl, and my arms are feeling the effects of hauling her around. But I am happy to do so as long as she isn't fussing:) To celebrate, we got down the old Jumperoo, and Charlotte helped initiate Olivia into her new play center, which she really loves so far, though her patience for it only comes in short spurts. Hopefully soon she will want to spend as much time in it as Charlotte did at that age. It helped a lot, especially during a week when H and I got super sick and all I could do is lay on the couch and watch her jump.
Charlotte is a great big sister. She can't wait to see her each morning and loves reading with her.
We have also had a great strawberry harvest this year! The other night we brought in a whole container full of them.
We also had an awesome time at the grand opening of Red Mango, a new frozen yogurt place at the Shops at Legacy. They were giving out free bowls of frozen yogurt and toppings for all and Charlotte got a kick out of Junk Jammin' outside with her buddy.

Char Talk

2010-05-04T21:01:00.004-05:00

When Charlotte gets stick of her Dora videos, she looks for new material - I've even seen her watching my workout videos (at least someone is). The other day she found our wedding video. I asked her what she was watching and she said, "Mommy's princess movie!" Her favorite parts are those involving two grandmas, the "other mommies" in red dresses, and the veil, which she wants me to explain again and again. Now whenever she pulls it out, she says, "Come on, mom, let's watch this together and talk about it."

She's also been helping out with spring cleaning. I love those Lysol wipes I got last summer - hand her one and she goes to town. She also loves taking baths with Olivia and washing Olivia's hair. I need to get a picture of that, but hello, I only have so many arms.

Baby Talk

2010-04-26T14:21:00.006-05:00

Olivia has gotten a lot better. It didn't happen overnight, and there is still room for improvement - especially at night, but certainly life is getting easier for all of us.
Today I even tackled the project of cleaning out Charlotte's closet. I found no less than 47 packs of diapers. Needless to say, every time there has been a great sale in the last couple years, I have stocked up. I never pay more than $5 for a pack and in most cases much less thanks to CVS extra bucks, Walgreens register rewards, and three computers from which to print the maximum amount of coupons from every source. I have wanted to inventory the sizes for a while, so it felt good to be able to accomplish that. During this, Olivia sat patiently in her chair while Charlotte tried various pairs of shoes on her feet.

She has even let me make a dinner or two! After our frozen meals ran out, I still couldn't spend the time to make a decent dinner without constant fussing and crying - and grocery store trips were a nightmare - so the last couple months we have eaten out a LOT, and thanks to my part time job/hobby as a secret shopper we haven't had to pay for most of it. But, even eating out gets old when you do it 5 times a week, so I've tried to work in some homemade meals I can do quickly while she looks on from her Bumbo perch (she loves it, I promise - I just couldn't resist that picture of her lower lip coming out). I've always liked to cook (and definitely bake), but doing so with a crying soundtrack really curbed its appeal, so I'm looking forward to actually having stuff in the fridge on a regular basis again.

H is doing oral surgery again following a few months of med school rotations, which means he gets paid (yay!) but probably only enough to pay for the health insurance (no!) Oh well. In the meantime Charlotte and I meandered across the street during our neighborhood garage sale and found this gem that she's had a great time with lately.

Arizona Fun II

2010-04-26T14:07:00.003-05:00

We came to Phoenix so Helaman's parents could meet little Olivia.

Charlotte had a great time playing play-doh, cars, and jumping in the pool and spa. She is excited to go swimming this summer.
Olivia made friends with her cousin Emily. She also found her true love - the side-to-side swing. Emily loaned hers for the week and Olivia slept her days away in it. She was sleeping so much I didn't know what to do with myself. We got one immediately after getting home, and although she doesn't take the 3 hour naps anymore, it is still great for putting her right to sleep without my assistance.

Arizona Fun I

2010-04-26T13:48:00.002-05:00

Last month we got to go to Arizona for a week of fun in the sun. While we were there we visited my old roommate and BYU dorms pal Lachelle. I can't believe we've been friends for 12 years now - I'm glad I get to see her every time we come back to Arizona. Both our daughters are just months apart, I really wish we lived closer!!
Charlotte and Ellie had a great time together at the science museum.

Olivia and Chloe also hit it off, as you can see.

Olivia's Big Day

2010-04-11T21:51:00.005-05:00

The day after Charlotte's birthday, Olivia was blessed in church.

She was in a good mood so we took her picture in a couple outfits. This is one her Grandma brought her from the Philippines.

In her blessing dress

After the photo session she was ready for a nap!

Our 3 Month Girls

2010-04-08T21:19:00.000-05:00

So, my original plan for this picture was to put Olivia in the same dress that Charlotte wore and compare the two kids at the same ages. But... Olivia is wearing this purple dress at 3 months and when I pulled up the picture of Charlotte in the same dress, it appears she was wearing it at 6 months. So that didn't work out. It would have been cute though, huh!

Olivia at 3 months

Charlotte at 3 months.

I still have this outfit, but the onesie has been packed up since Olivia has not a prayer of fitting into it anyway. Sorry Miss Chubbs! Better luck next month.

Happy Birthday Charlotte!

2010-03-27T14:13:00.004-05:00

Charlotte celebrated her third birthday on March 27.

The festivities included a pinata, balloons for all and raging winds at the park.

My mom was a huge help setting up and keeping things running smoothly.Uncle Steve came out for the event.

We love you Charlotte! It seems like just yesterday we walked you home from the hospital and wondered what in the world we were doing. Now life wouldn't be the same without you!

Blue Skies

2010-03-23T13:01:00.003-05:00

Charlotte: Can I go fly a kite with Daddy in his shorts and sweater?

Enjoying a beautiful day at the park

Me: Does your baby want to sit in the high chair?
Charlotte: No, she needs food from my belly.

2 Months

2010-03-10T17:31:00.003-06:00

She looks like such a calm, collected baby! :)

Weight: 13 lbs 2 oz - 92%
Height: 23.5 inches - 85 %
Head: 16 inches - 88%Beautiful days are here again! My little artist has discovered a new canvas.

Smiles

2010-02-28T20:19:00.003-06:00

Gearing up....

for a smile!

Olivia's smiles are VERY rewarding, because she has been much more of a challenge than I ever imagined. I think a part of me thought that babies just sat there and happily sucked their pacifiers and sat in a bouncy chair or rode around in their strollers in between naps and feedings, and dozed to sleep when they got tired no matter what the environment. This was my experience with Charlotte, who was an ideal infant.

But, everything having to do with Olivia has been different from the delivery on. We love her tons but ever since her one month mark she has been a tough one, demanding constant attention, in very specific ways - or we are graced with blood curdling screams. We have better days (like I mentioned in the last post) but most just leave me hoping to survive the next. I've tried diet changes, mylicon, gripe water, you name it... If anyone has had a babe like this and has advice, I welcome it!

My Potato Head

2010-02-25T15:33:00.002-06:00

Yesterday Olivia let me take a shower, put on makeup, blow dry my hair and get dressed all without fussing or crying. This is huge, and I don't expect it to become a habit (dare to dream), but I was so happy with her that I busted out a new outfit for her to wear to our postpartum appointment that day. I am glad that I did, since her doctor was so happy to see her that she snatched her up and took her around the office to show off to everyone. Yes, I'm glad she wasn't in her usual nightgown attire...

Yes, she is a bigger girl and is affectionately known around here as Miss Potato Head, mostly because of my inability to get to the folds of her neck (what neck?!) to wash them out!

Here are some pics from our snowstorm a couple weeks ago.
Unfortunately we don't have a ton of gear necessary to spend serious time in the snow. Charlotte lasted about 5 minutes. This picture was taken at the beginning of the storm. By the end, that patio was also covered in a thick layer and the grill even had a foot of snow piled on top of it.

Last time it snowed like this, it turned to ice quickly and we got our taillight busted in a slip-and-slide accident on the road. It still hasn't been fixed, but luckily this time we didn't need to be on the roads until the sun came out and they were clear.

One Month Official

2010-02-08T19:54:00.002-06:00

Officially one month old, wearing the first outfit I ever bought for Charlotte, thinking it would be good for her to wear home from the hospital:) Obviously, I had a lot to learn. And still do.

Weight: 10 lb. 11 oz. - 83%
Height: 22.25 inches - 83%
Head: 15 inches - 71%

Playing the fish game together

Olivia's First Month

2010-02-07T21:35:00.005-06:00

Olivia's first month has whizzed by! Funny how time speeds up, especially when it is 6 am and you know you only have until 8:30 to get your last minutes of sleep in... she really is a sweetie, though her sleeping habits haven't stabilized as quickly as hoped. My mom is a champ, staying with us during her first week, and graciously taking Charlotte to Houston with her for the second week even though she was sick, and then coming back again to return her safe and sound. Our house sure was quiet that week! We missed Charlotte a lot, but I was glad to have a chance to catch up on some sleep and recovery time. Thank you!!!!

First bath

Proud big sis

Church debut (she wasn't sure about the bow, we'll need to give her head time to grow in that one)

Matching PJs

Introducing...

2010-01-08T16:02:00.003-06:00

Olivia Whitney Erickson was born on January 8, 2010 at 8:42pm! She was 7 lb 14 oz, 19 1/2 inches long. I was induced at around 9am and things progressed smoothly until around 6:30pm when the epidural decided not to work anymore. Yikes! But, we made it through and are loving our new little sweetpea. She looks a lot like Charlotte did when she was born, except with an added bunch of dark hair on top and some extra cheek volume. Thusfar she has an insatiable appetite and does not share her mom's love for sleep. We are working on that.

First shot out of the womb. So cold! The coldest yet of the year.

Another Daddy's girl

Relaxing at Parkland Hospital. She'll be able to say she was born at the same hospital where JFK died.

Texas White Christmas

2009-12-25T13:07:00.006-06:00

Charlotte wasn't a big fan of posing with Santa this year, but she did enjoy the friendly cows at Chick-Fil-A and we enjoyed all the free food they gave out during their 12 days of Christmas.
We got a surprise storm on Christmas Eve, bringing a few inches of snow and a lot of ice.

Showing off her new kitchen and boots...

and princess set which was a big hit.

Our backyard tundra.

Thank you so much to everyone who shared beautiful greeting cards, treats, meals and gifts with us to make our first at-home Christmas special. It looks like our final present will be a big one - the doctor said our new babe is weighing 7 lbs, 10 oz right now with three weeks to go!

Merry Christmas!

Little bookworm

2009-12-12T12:13:00.003-06:00

Charlotte is a book enthusiast. When we went to Houston for Thanksgiving, she made sure no one was spared from their book reading responsibilities:

Deal Reminders

2009-12-07T21:55:00.003-06:00

Charlotte, the ever-present tiara, and Uncle Mark
More Thanksgiving stuff to come, don't want to overdo it all at once
photo by Kalina

The lady in front of me in line at Kohl's the other day bought $250 worth of stuff and used no coupon. Unbelievable, since you really have to go out of your way to avoid Kohl's coupons - they really come at you from all directions. A genius marketing move, kind of like their "biggest sale of the year" ad each and every week.

Since I don't want anyone I know to overpay for anything this year, just remember a couple tips:

- When shopping online, use cash back sites! Since starting to do this I have gotten around $150 in checks mailed to me. A lot of this was buying airplane tickets and entertainment coupon books ($10 cash back each last year made them free around March). I've only used Ebates and Cashbaq so far, but there are a lot of them out there now and most have at least a sign-up bonus. Evreward.com is very helpful in finding out which one to use for what sites.

- This year I've gotten $45 worth of Amazon gift cards just for doing online searches on my Swagbucks toolbar. Also not a bad deal.

- Don't buy anything for yourself! Though it is tempting when doing a lot of shopping, if you need something wait until after Christmas - the deals are always better.

Happy Anniversary to us!

2009-11-21T16:34:00.006-06:00

6 years and counting!

Second Chances

2009-11-11T20:56:00.004-06:00

Sometimes when I give second chances to things it just doesn't work out, whatever it is just doesn't try to win me back.

I wrote to Target's customer service a couple months ago regarding their treatment of couponers. They sent back a bland, generic "we'll look into it" type of reply. So today I tried getting some bargains for groceries using a bunch of manufacturer and Target coupons I printed. The Target coupons were just not scanning at all, so the checker calls for help and no less than four employees gather around the register and one starts immediately spreading out all 20 of my coupons all over in order to inspect all of them, though it was just the Target coupons that weren't scanning, ironically. She tried to manually punch in a 10 digit code for each 50 cent coupon and it still doesn't work though she tried SEVERAL times on each, making for a very impatient customer (me) who is regretting ever stepping foot in the store and wondering where the last 20 minutes of my life went. The team finally gets those coupons to work and apologizes. But, it's too late. It's over, Target. Sorry. I only give two strikes.

When we lived in New York and I had just had Charlotte, we watched The View a lot, because Rosie O'Donnell was always saying crazy things and stirring up drama. When she famously bailed out of the job, I got a little sick of Joy Behar and her nonstop animosity toward the then-President George W. Bush which really came out once she didn't have Rosie's craziness taking center stage anymore. She can disagree with policies and practices all day, but she certainly didn't have to make personal insults, which seemed irresponsible and disrespectful not to mention extremely immature. I didn't like that kind of nastiness in my home so I stopped watching it. When President Obama took office I thought the tone might be more... cheery? So I gave it another chance. Nope, she still brings up the former President any chance she gets in order to blame him for all of the current President's strategies that don't seem to be working all that well. Strike two.

Artist Rendering

2009-11-11T17:47:00.000-06:00

At least, a machine at Gattitown rendering.

Our Sick Day

2009-11-04T18:02:00.000-06:00

Today Charlotte and I took a sick day. This is not a picture of her today, but during last month's 24 hour fever/virus. She looks a lot better today than that. She was up at lot at night due to congestion (thanks H for getting up with her) and her nose is running like a faucet today, so instead of embarking on our usual busy Wednesday, we stayed home. I can't believe how much I got done!

- Mopped kitchen, dining area, master bathroom (not sure this bathroom had EVER been thoroughly mopped - terrible)
- Cleaned m. bathroom sinks and shower
- Swept hallway
- Cleaned microwave
- 3 loads of laundry including a jillion socks
- Vacuumed bedroom
- Collected, took out trash and recycling
- Turned on 1 more hour of my defensive driving online course

This is more than I have accomplished in a long time which is why I wanted to record the effort. Thanks to Char for volunteering to watch me while I worked and not making TOO much of a mess elsewhere (the pen drawings did scrub out of the dining room chairs). I feel like maybe we should have a stay at home day every week, though it is hard when Kroger Mega Sales and Pre-Black Fridays deals are going on...

Pumpkin mania

2009-11-02T16:52:00.003-06:00

We went to the Pumpkin Patch with the cub scouts. Charlotte loved seeing Snoopy, and gave him a kiss. Her dad has been showing her Charlie Brown and The Great Pumpkin a lot!

She also got her first chance at helping carve her own pumpkin, scooping with confidence...and sketching her designs. This girl LOVES to draw, especially faces.

Great job! :) Happy Halloween.

Nuts!

2009-10-26T14:02:00.003-05:00

This week there were a couple of really nice days and Charlotte and I decided to go out and pick up the acorns that had fallen from our tree. We had a ton of fun. I had gotten the idea to make them into a wreath from a Martha Stewart Living magazine, so while the acorns dried in the oven, off we went to Michael's to get the wreath form, my first glue gun and a ribbon (all with JoAnn 50% off coupons, of course!). I also got some almonds and hazelnuts to add color, and the next few days really enjoyed putting this together. I wish I was a better bow-maker, however...

This was another project I mentioned before - cleaning up the living room area and making some sense of all the toys. I LOVE this shelving unit and the tubs that I found on clearance at Bed Bath & Beyond.

Family Picture! At Safety Town's annual trick or treat fest. This year we wised up and get there very early, so we could get good parking, and in and out in a reasonable amount of time and avoid the crowd. Charlotte the Kitty was nervous at first but warmed up to it...

... due to her dad's enthusiasm for candy (notice he is already snacking on the booty!)

But of course her favorite part was the go-carts.

Last of the Harvest

2009-10-15T21:55:00.002-05:00

We've been watching this watermelon grow in our garden for quite a while, and decided it was finally time to pick it. We think it finally decided to grow (after being planted in early April!) was because I cut back the cucumbers which were monopolizing the nutrients.

It still may have been too soon for picking... or something. It was edible but didn't exactly have much flavor.Our tomatoes also decided to come out in full force, but doubt they will have time to really ripen well due to the chilly weather that has come. Oh well - maybe next year.

Our September

2009-10-04T14:16:00.004-05:00

It was Plano Balloon Festival time again in September! Luckily the weather had just turned nice and it was a lot of fun to sit outside and watch the balloons.

When it got dark they lit up all the balloons. Next year hopefully we'll stay for the fireworks. This time Charlotte had had it by that time.I got a new soft green cover for my Boppy pillow which Charlotte really likes. I found her looking so comfortable reading her books that I picked up another Boppy at a garage sale (for $2!!!) just in case we need two of them.

In other news, we have decided to reclaim our living room from the Toy Takeover that has dominated our first year in Texas. I didn't take a picture, but visitors will remember that toys were pretty much all over the room (the room you first see on entering our house no less), and at their best shoved against the wall or all in big toy tubs. No more!! We got an IKEA shelving unit that holds all of them and I can't believe the difference. Charlotte can find all of her toys and everything has a distinct spot. I'm wondering why I didn't do this before. I think it was so hot this summer my brain fried, and now it is [somewhat] emerging again. So... this Christmas, since we will have to stay at home, we're going to be able to enjoy a nice living room to sit in once we get some furniture, which is in process.

Helaman is on his family medicine rotation now, which has been a lot kinder to him schedule-wise than surgery and the tales are less harrowing than neurology.

I have been busy this month with home organization/furniture research, cub scouts, book club, playgroup and as always deal seeking. I feel sooo much better now that it has cooled down and my energy is back. I love fall!

Customer Service?

2009-09-05T13:53:00.003-05:00

Good Customer Service:
A couple weeks ago Helaman went to Supercuts armed with a $2 off coupon found in the AdPages. The sole employee at the store didn't know how to enter the coupon in, so he couldn't use it. Since that was the reason he went there, I sent a quick email to Supercuts to report the incident. A couple days later, I received a coupon in the mail for a free cut.

Earlier this summer, our family went to Freddy's, the new frozen yogurt place in town. The place smelled like sewer. I wrote a note on the website and the manager called me to give me a $20 credit for future visits.

Bad Customer Service:

To Whom It May Concern:

I would very much appreciate it if you would train your employees on store coupon procedures and have them refrain from treating customers who present such coupons like they are trying to cheat Target.

On my last visit, the cashier spent no less than 3 minutes reading the fine print of the Target internet coupon I had printed out before asking me to dig out the item from the already bagged shopping cart - before even trying to scan the coupon. She then consulted with another cashier who told her and me that they absolutely would not take the coupon I had given them. When I asked for a manager, he simply had the cashier scan in the coupon, but wouldn't take another coupon because the value of the coupon exceeded the price of the item, though I had bought the precise item specified on the coupon. I had to dig it out of the cart too.

Now- I feel like Target is trying to cheat ME when it presents good store internet coupons to draw me to Target instead of the much-closer grocery store, then when I have a whole shopping cart full of groceries (not just coupon items!) you won't honor those coupons on some technicality though the rules you cite are never specified on the coupon. Not to mention treating me like a thief. Until customer service for coupon customers improves, I will avoid Target.

Sincerely,
Christina Erickson

It's a .....

2009-09-01T11:39:00.004-05:00

We just found out today that we will be having another little girl! I am 21 weeks along with a due date of January 12. As you can see, Charlotte is very excited, both about having a new baby and a new shirt, and Helaman can't wait to be completely surrounded by girls:)

Happy Birthday Helaman!

2009-08-11T01:00:00.001-05:00

Today is Helaman's birthday! He gets to celebrate by getting up as usual at 4am, though I advised calling in sick, or calling in just plain tired. Hopefully he finds the Snickers and Twix I left him. I love you H!

weekend fun

2009-08-10T21:52:00.006-05:00

This weekend we had my mom come and visit us from Houston. She and Charlotte were inseparable and did all kinds of things, like....

crochet lessons

beanbag toss

She was very sad to see "mee-maw" go home (to see "pee-paw"), but is now back to her regular activities like...

car lineup

noodle cleanup

and general cuteness

Worthy activities all.

What I didn't get pictures of was my Mom weeding, mowing, and hedge trimming my front yard, taking Charlotte to the park in 100 degree weather, allowing us two wonderful date nights, getting fabric to start a quilt for my guest room and giving me a pedicure. Thanks Mom!!

Pay Day!

2009-07-21T19:58:00.005-05:00

Have you ever wondered if those cheesy pop-up ads asking if you like Subway or Quizno's better and promising $500 for your vote are scams? Believe it or not - they do pay out. Today I got a $500 check card!It is NOT easy money. I read a deal blog called Money Saving Methods. Carrie the author outlines a very detailed summary of all the companies who do the deals and exactly how to do them. She had tons of pictures of readers who posted their pictures along with their gift cards, so I thought I would give it a shot.

First I read and re-read all of Carrie's instructions. This took about an hour. During one of Charlotte's naps I signed up for all the offers and made a spreadsheet documenting all of it - phone numbers, account numbers, contact people, websites and every piece of info I could. This took two hours. I also set up a new email account to get all the junk - crucial.

After that I just checked up on it every day to make sure to cancel trial memberships when necessary and make sure I was getting credit for all the offers. Within two weeks I had credit for everything and then I just had to wait for the gift card.

Not a bad deal. I did invest $73 in the memberships, trials and shipping charges which included Dr. Suess club books, two months of emusic tunes, free mineral makeup, face cream and jewelry samples.

So, $500 - $73 = $427
1 hour researching
2 hours signing up and documenting
1 hour cumulative email checking
1 hour membership management
1 hour worrying

$427 for 6 hours = $71/hr
I can live with that, since I got some cool stuff and can probably cut some of the worrying out next time since I know now it will work if done correctly...

Yellowstone Vacation

2009-07-14T21:13:00.011-05:00

We got back from our vacation a week ago. It was fabulous to get out of the heat and hang out with family for a while.

Charlotte and I drove out with my parents to Island Park, ID, near Yellowstone in a three day journey. Charlotte was a perfect passenger, enjoying Elmo and Dora videos and countless puzzles and books that filled the entire second seat. Here are just a few highlights from our week there.

Family Photo. You can see a high-res version here. This is the first time my whole family has been together in a while and we were lucky to get a group shot despite the rain. Charlotte chose this time to become a world class nose-picker.
Old Faithful. The geyser behind us is a different one, but this is a better picture.
White water rafting!
Quality cousin time.
Cool wildlife.
Helaman coming. I was so glad Helaman was able to fly out for a few days to join us. His flight was severely delayed going home and after 13 hours of travel he arrived home just in time to go to work at 6 a.m. He is a trooper!

Oops!

2009-07-09T18:02:00.002-05:00

We were away for almost two weeks for our family vacation in Yellowstone (full blog entry to come) and came back to find the above chillin' in the garden! Needless to say, the state fair-sized ones are past their prime, but I am busy canning the ones that are suitable for pickling.

Right before we left we also picked 18 ears of corn and stuck them in the fridge. Hopefully next year our timing will be a bit better for our harvest...

Pickling

2009-06-23T21:12:00.003-05:00

If you are craving pickles, you should head on over! Yesterday I picked 7 fresh cucumbers from the garden. Knowing that I couldn't eat enough salads for that many cucumbers to be involved in, I used some old jam jars and a pickle mix and made some of my own pickles! It was very fun. Charlotte and I got a lot done today - we hung at the pool with our friends for a long time, did sock laundry (the worst!), weeded the garden and mowed the foot long grass in the backyard despite much protest from the lawnmower. I also had to get out some weedkiller. Apparently some very determined weeds are busting right through the landscape fabric and mulch in the rose bed. More mulch may be needed. Anyway, it is good to keep busy while Helaman works so much. We miss you H!

Visitors

2009-06-15T16:59:00.002-05:00

This weekend Steve and Kalina came to visit us from Houston to celebrate a hot, hot, humid weekend here. Thanks for hanging out and leaving so many good treats and leftovers in our fridge! Charlotte keeps asking for "Steves" and "Tina" who she loved playing with. We will see you soon!

Summer Happenings

2009-06-10T08:31:00.004-05:00

Last week the Ericksons came to visit us during Helaman's week off. We had fun going to the Book Depository Museum downtown, visiting family, eating out and seeing Charlotte follow her "honey" and "bear" around. She still won't say "grandpa" or "grandma"! We've had a hard time adjusting to Helaman's being gone all the time after having him home all year. He's now working 12 hour shifts every day, and staying overnight on call every few days.
Our first garden harvest were these two HUGE, delicious cucumbers! I had just about given up on the plants producing anything, but these were hidden amongst all the leaves.
I can't even keep up with the garden's growth - the corn is as high as the fence and we can see the ears developing. Yum!!!
Our favorite little plant is also growing like crazy so we got her a real bed to sleep in. She loves climbing in and out of it.

Memorial Day 09

2009-05-26T11:40:00.005-05:00

One year ago was the day we left New York City! I can't believe how the time has flown since that day we got all our stuff in the moving truck thanks to what had to be one of the biggest moving day ward turnouts in history (it was Memorial Day - excellent planning...), Helaman set out in the truck and Charlotte and I took the A train all the way to JFK for the last time.

This year, we celebrated the holiday by doing a little yard work. Helaman trimmed the overgrown rose bushes, wacked the waist-high weeds, applied weed killer, put down some landscaping fabric and 10 bags of mulch to ensure those weeds wouldn't be back.

New buds are already emerging and I think the roses are thankful. The garden is also doing well, though I'm nervous about the cucumber plants trying to take over the whole area...

Smoothie face naming names

2009-05-17T13:55:00.003-05:00

She has Steve, Mark and Katie down, the others are still a bit fuzzy...

Overheard

2009-05-14T21:18:00.005-05:00

"three, four, fries, six...."

what a cute little voice!

Gardening for Dummies

2009-05-03T18:25:00.008-05:00

Our home had a nice garden box when we moved in, so this year we cleared it out and, knowing nothing about gardening, planted some seeds and strawberry plants. It has been a lot of fun to watch and work on. This is a picture taken of the strawberry plants and the corn about three weeks ago.

Here is the same scene today, after about three days of torrential rain. Here are the rest of our plants. Life will find a way.Here is our rosemary, mint, basil, parsley and cilantro collection.Despite great neglect, our roses also bloomed beautifully.
This little plant also needs water to grow.

Getting My Money's Worth, Part II

2009-04-29T13:57:00.003-05:00

Just in 2009, I have purchased $1,903.54 worth of drug store items and have paid $12.15 (with a gift card received for a transferred prescription - no actual cash) . That is a whole lot of diapers, wipes, toilet paper, shampoo, razors, toothpaste, deodorant, makeup, soap and anything else they sell there. I don't know how long these deals will keep coming - they seem to get weaker and weaker as time goes by, so I had to give a shout out to some of the sites that made it possible:

I Heart CVS
Savings Garden
Coupons.com

And of course to Charlotte for [somewhat] behaving during our Saturday trips, and to Helaman for not making me feel too silly for having such an odd hobby.

Talking

2009-04-25T21:55:00.005-05:00

This week's non-stop pageant news has made me feel like I should state my opinion more often. A tremendous fear and aversion to confrontation, arguments and people thinking I am either a religious zealot or just weird in general made me very silent when office conversation would turn to controversial subjects. In Manhattan, most of my co-worker friends were extremely opinionated so these conversations would happen a lot, usually leading me to put in my MP3 player earphones so I wouldn't have to hear it. Billing clients for .5 hours worth of "fuming in disbelief at the ongoing political rantings of people around me" wasn't encouraged, after all. So I'd bury myself in work and just hope no one asked me to join in - which they didn't.

These days, Charlotte and I have our own heated debates, mainly about the pros and cons of flying food, but when stuff like the pageant headlines come up a part of me regrets not taking the opportunity when I had it to take part in discussions with lots of friends with opposing views. I think you can always learn something from people you talk to - even if you don't agree with them. And I do like to find out where people are coming from and what makes them believe the things they do. The ugly part in what can be very enriching conversations occur when people forget to respect the other person and wage personal attacks, which is what happened this week and what has always led me to want to hide under a desk rather than face what can be harsh scrutiny.

So, am I crazy? Has this happened to anyone else?

The point of this is that we shouldn't be afraid to state our opinion. With so much going on in the world today, it really is important to hear everyone's ideas.

Shark Attack!

2009-04-21T20:55:00.003-05:00

Here are some of our pictures from the shark encounter in Hawaii. We were in a floating cage and since the salt content of the water was so high, it was hard to stay under water for long and we really had to hold onto the cage.

Most of the sharks came very close but weren't too interested in us. They were more interested in the fish being thrown from our boat.

At one point there was a whole herd of them circling the cage! It was amazing!

Backyard blast

2009-04-14T20:27:00.002-05:00

Last week I planted some seedlings for our garden - corn, tomatoes, peppers, onions, carrots, and some herbs. Some were doing so well that we had to transplant them to the garden yesterday. Helaman started clearing weeds from the rose box too. Things are taking shape back there. Charlotte really wanted to help us and play in the dirt, so today I got her a sandbox to work in while I work in the garden. She loves it!

Though having a mighty 2 year-old around has some tense moments, Charlotte has also been really cute lately to make up for it:

She always says "'scuse me" - even to her toys.
If Helaman or I sneeze or cough, she immediately asks "You ok??!" after each one.
If anyone makes a sad face, she will give you a Very Concerned look and come running with a hug and kiss.
She loves going to the park, if only to wait for the dogs and puppies that are taken on walks there.
When I say "I love you", she says "I wu wu" back:)

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T18:05:00.001-05:00

More Bucks

2009-04-06T15:03:00.002-05:00

If you like Ebates and Cashbaq, you should try SwagBucks, which gives you "bucks" for online searches you do through their search engine. Bucks will get you gift cards and other prizes.

1. Sign up free at SwagBucks.

2. On their site, click "Toolbars" and get one of their toolbars to show up on your browser.

3. Do all your searches on that toolbar. You can do shopping through there too if it's not worth it to go through ebates or cashbaq. The bucks add up pretty quick. At the rate I go, for normal searches I do, I earn about one $5 Amazon gift card a month.

Spring Break Part 2 - The Wedding

2009-04-04T21:21:00.006-05:00

The day we flew back from Hawaii to Houston, we drove back to Dallas. The next morning we flew out again, this time to Salt Lake City for Steve and Kalina's wedding. By the way, now that you're married - where's the blog?

Posing for some pictures of our own. If I don't look tan it is because I was VERY good about sunscreen in Hawaii. The thought of having an itchy back on a plane scares me.

Me with 3 of my 5 beautiful sisters.

Family pic

Charlotte and Wade
"I'll show you the cat - but no touching!"

The next day it snowed so we went skiing. It was knee-deep powder which made for some slow going down the slopes but very cushioned falls.

Hawaii Adventures

2009-03-29T17:34:00.022-05:00

This year Helaman and I celebrated his spring break week with a trip to Hawaii! Here are some highlights!

Airplane shot of Oahu

Barely made our plane to Honolulu from Dallas on March 11 after dropping off Charlotte at Play-Dough summer camp with Grandma.

Checked into the Ilikai Hotel on Waikiki Beach. My parents let us use their time share there this year. Thanks!! It was really nice to be so close to the beach.
That night we walked out to the ocean. Not too many swimmers at night! So we headed to the spa.View from the hotel's roof restaurant. This is where we went to a timeshare sales pitch in order to get some money for activities.
Next day brought Hanauma Bay snorkeling and laying around. Just what I needed.
Saturday it rained and we headed to a huge swap meet in Aloha Stadium where we bought a lot of random Hawaiian stuff. Here is Helaman drinking from a coconut.
Luckily later that night it cleared up and we went to dinner right on the beach at Duke's.

The LDS Chapel in Honolulu.
USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.
Monday bright and early we headed to the North Shore where we had a shark cage outing!
More pictures will be coming on this one when we get our underwater camera film developed. It was really fun and different from most things you can do in Hawaii. The sharks were about 10-12 feet and they came right up to the boat when the guides started throwing fish out. It was cool to see them so near to the boat, and even more amazing to see them underwater closely circling the floating cage we were in. We could have reached out and touched them - obviously that wasn't advised.
Survived! High recommend! From the boat we also saw a huge whale having some fun in the ocean breaching.
Afterward we stopped by the Hawaiian Temple in Laie which is under renovation.Here we are the next day at Valley of Temples Memorial Park, which is a huge graveyard with temples like this Byodo-In Temple, built to commemorate the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii.Then we headed to Kualoa Ranch for an ATV tour of all the places they film movies and shows.The ranch was beautiful and we especially loved the fresh guava you could pick from the trees and eat whole! Here we are at the Jurassic Park location.
Here's the Pearl Harbor film location. I don't remember that movie so well, but LOST fans will recognize this structure as a Dharma station, specifically where Jack and Juliette kissed.
At Hurley's Golf Course.
We both climbed up this tower from the "Jughead" episode. Remember, the bomb was buried.

Last stop on our way home was to the blowhole lookout. From here you could see many humpback whales surfacing.Goodbye Hawaii - til next time!

Birthday Mania

2009-03-28T15:32:00.007-05:00

Birthday Numbers:

Height: 2'11"
Weight: 29 lbs.
Party attendees: 50
Free round trip plane rides to date: 11
Apple Jacks consumed: Infinite

Proudly displaying her cupcake cake

Extremely confused at the singing and flame on her cake. We forgot to prep her for this.Happy Birthday girl.

Look who's 2!

2009-03-26T23:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Charlotte! You are growing up so fast!

March 27, 2007

1 month

3 months5 months6 months
8 months

10 months1 year!14 months16 months17 months18 months19 months21 months23.5 months

Getting my money's worth

2009-02-21T14:20:00.000-06:00

Deal Alert

2009-02-19T11:05:00.003-06:00

Those of you who know me, know I love coupons. So when I saw that I could get the Entertainment Book 2009 for $1.25, I ordered it right away since this is the best deal I've seen on it all year. Even if you only use a few coupons out of the huge thing it is worth it. Here's how:

1.) Click HERE to register with Cashbaq. Cashbaq (a cash back portal like Ebates) is offering a $5 bonus to all new registered members. Be sure to edit the “My Account” page and enter your address so you can get paid.

2.) Once you’ve signed up for a Cashbaq account in Step 1, select the Entertainment Book store from the “Shop by Store” drop down window. The current offer for the book is 35% off PLUS $10 cash back from Cashbaq.

3.) Click the “Use Coupon” link to be directed to the Entertainment Book website. Enter your zip code on the Entertainment website and order the corresponding book for your location (~$16.25).

4.) Receive the 2009 Entertainment Book plus $15 in Cashbaq!

Between this and eBates, you should NEVER buy anything online without getting some cash back.

V-Day

2009-02-15T20:29:00.000-06:00

One of our malls has a great collection of ride-on cars, trucks, trains and a space shuttle like this one that Charlotte just loves. She doesn't mind that I don't make them move ($1 for 30 seconds - are you kidding?), she just hops from one to the other and has a great time. I was hoping her car obsession would take the place of the shoe obsessions my friends have warned me about with their little girls. Nope - she is a shoe girl too now. On and off. On and off.

This weekend my parents came to visit us and my mom, Charlotte and I went to JCPenney for a photo shoot. Charlotte lost patience with the whole thing very quickly, but they did capture some good shots and we'll have to go back there to get a family picture because I was actually impressed with JCPenney's quality and prices. But I can't imagine doing this without a "handler", in this case my mom, which is probably why I've only been once before to get her picture taken. In that situation, I only ended up getting the two free 8x10s that came with my coupon, because Charlotte was screaming to get home and I had had it too. Thanks Mom! And thanks to Dad for staying home and fixing our toilet, refrigerator and rocking chair. It was a great Valentine's Day - we were stuffed with pizza, donuts, frozen custard and sugar cookies!

Full grown Char

2009-02-07T13:48:00.003-06:00

This week Charlotte got her first official haircut! A few weeks ago I hacked off some of her baby mullet but that trim was having a rough time growing out. I didn't know how she would react to this situation but she behaved amazingly well and we both had a great time.

Waiting patiently for her turnPracticing moves on the catwalkBeing a model client and feeling very grown up in the high chairAll done!

Book worm

2009-01-28T14:59:00.007-06:00

I know, I haven't blogged in forever! Here is the reason. As I looked at last year, I was disappointed in the number of books I read. I love to read, and making that statement while only reading one or two books a year just isn't right so this month I went through everyone's Goodreads and picked up some books at the library and read - ALL OF THEM.

Let's start with the worst.

Luckily this one only took me a few hours to read. The main character, who is an avid Jane Austen fan and unlucky in love inherits a trip to Austenland, where people go to experience what this time period would be like. She goes so that she can finally put the notion that she will find her own Mr. Darcy out of her head. This almost happens (she starts to realize that she is attracted to losers who aren't confined to the US or her own time period) until the worst ending possible emerges: the actor portraying the Darcy type runs after her to the airport and professes his [real] love. Needless to say, happily ever after. Yikes. I think a smarter ending would have made the book much better.

This historical fiction centers on Sarah, a young, spunky, seemingly fearless girl growing up in the Arizona territories in the rough 1800s who keeps a journal of her family's wagontrain journey to Texas and back and their establishment in Arizona. Her story drew me in immediately - the characters are vivid and real, the situations they face heartbreaking and the way she is able to survive and grow amazing.

First of all, this epic is 1000 pages. So the fact that I finished it in one week tells you that it is riveting! This is also historical fiction about English 1800s - plague-era and the decline of feudalism. The story focuses on several characters whose lives are intertwined in a village housing one of the largest cathedrals in England. Ideas, customs and ways of life that have been around for hundreds of years are on the verge of radical change and it is so interesting how each character embraces it or doggedly fights it, leaving outcomes that drastically change lives.

Anyway, last week we had some great weather and enjoyed the park thoroughly. Charlotte insisted on taking her purse. Of course, it was filled with Hot Wheels to send down the slide.