Christmas

Christmas this year was with my family. We were there for about a week and got to see everyone in the family. We played games, ate good food, went light looking, and relaxed. The girls wanted one thing above everything else: a unicorn pillow pet. They were so excited that they both got one. What can I say, Santa is good. Santa also brought another pair of PJ's besides their Christmas Eve ones. MJ commented that she was glad Santa got our note saying we weren't at our home but at grandma's and he must have known mommy didn't pack any pj's for the trip and that is why he left another pair for them. It was funny. She still believes in Santa but you can see some doubt in some of her comments. The girls both loved watching where Santa was on the Internet. When he got to the US we decided it was bed time so we would be asleep when he came. It was great.


Gifts from mom and dad a few days before Christmas.



MJ going outside to play with her cousin in the freezing cold. Glad they had fun.


Lots of good food. This is where my brother is a lot: in the kitchen.


My gift from RB.


My sisters and I.


Taking a horsey ride on Uncle Ne is mandatory every time we visit.


Goodies after light looking.


Helping Grandma put down salt after a good snow storm.

The drive home was intense. It took us about 4 hours instead of 3 to get home. The WY roads were not very good, but as soon as we hit the UT border things looked much better. However, we got home to a snowed in driveway. So we dropped the girls off in the house, RB got to work shoveling, and I went and did some needed grocery shopping. When I got back RB had it cleared enough so I could pull in. He has such a sore back today but he did a great job getting it all cleared.

It feels good to be home today. Christmas is coming down and hopefully the unpacking will get done too. Hope Christmas was good for everyone, and have a great New Year!

Update #2

In my last updated post I did leave me out. I didn't want to post until I had my last doctors appointment and the results back from it. At my last ultrasound we received the exciting news that we were having a boy. Well it took the radiologist about 2 weeks to look at the pictures and get the news to my doctor. So the next time I came in from my monthly check up I finally received word on the ultrasound. They found that there was a hole in the heart and as a precaution I needed to come back at 26 weeks for another ultrasound. Worse case scenario is it could be the beginning signs of down syndrome.

So began the waiting and preparing for the second ultrasound. Since it was the same time as another monthly check up we planned a full day at the doctors. I arrived yesterday and chugged my glucose orange drink. I remember those things tasting a lot better than what this one did. Anyways, then with my extra full bladder I had my ultrasound done. The technician said that what they could see the first time (a muscle or something like that in the heart) was there now. She pointed it out to me and said that is what they are looking for. After the ultrasound I got to rush back to the doctors and get my monthly check up with blood work for the sugar test. Surprisingly all if this took about 80 min. I was very impressed! I guess I just got there right at the right times for everything that I didn't have to wait for a long time.

Later that day I received official word from the doctors office that yes things are fine with the heart. The problem they saw the first time was not present this time. Whew. Plus all my other results came back normal too. I do have to go back again in 6 weeks for another ultrasound just to be sure but I'm okay with that. It was fun seeing the baby again. I'm sorry but at 20 weeks the baby still looks like an alien. This time it actually looked like a little human. He has MJ's nose. It will be fun to see him again in 6 weeks.

RB and I both have felt really good about the whole thing. Whether the news was good or not so good we both felt calm and had a good feeling that things were going to be okay either way. That has been a huge blessing to not be so worried and stressed about it. Plus, I know there have been many prayers in our behalf, thank you everyone. RB was good to give me a blessing that morning since I went in myself so he might have some days to take off when the baby comes. All is good and we are very thankful for the outcome of good results.

Yes, I am doing well. Heartburn city already but doing well. Excited for the break, to see family, and super excited to watch my girls on Christmas morning. Have a great Christmas everyone!

Update

Decided I need to do better at updating this thing with or without pictures. I really don't have much to tell, but here I go.

MJ is teaching Lil how to speak and read. It is so cute hearing MJ say a word and then Lil mimicking her. MJ loves school and seems to be doing well.

Lil is a pill and when I say that is is full of love and affection. She is so full of energy and her new thing is to dance everywhere. In sacrament meeting she would shaker her bum as hard as she could to every song. She also likes to push others buttons. She knows what makes you upset and she'll do it just to upset you and then run off laughing. Yes, she is a pill but we love her for her upbeat and happy attitude.

RB really likes 4th grade. I really like car pooling with him. School is going well for both of us and we are both excited for the break. We made the snow hill in front of our house again this year. This is the second one we made since the first melted away. Sadly, the rain today is melting away this one too.

Well I've babbled on long enough about nothing. Have a great week!

SLC Visit

Yesterday we decided in the morning to head to SLC. After looking at the forecast for next week we decided we had better chance the weather this week and not next. So after breakfast we headed out the door. We first went to the Gateway mall and walked around. We made a list of the gifts we wanted to buy after the movie. Then we went and saw Tangled. It was hilarious! Well worth the time. After buying some gifts we headed to Temple Square to look at the lights.

MJ is always very cautious which is completely different from her daring sister who would have taken a swim if we had let her.


At temple square we met up with RB's brother and family. MJ loved seeing her cousin and walking around with him. I'm glad it wasn't too cold. Right as we finished it started to sprinkle. Perfect timing! After waiting for an hour to get a booth we ate dinner and then headed home.




It was a perfect day! Lil did so good too considering she didn't get a nap and was extremely tired at the end of the night. The movie was good, the weather was good, and the day was great!

Tree Hunting/Thanksgiving 2010

Christmas tree hunting was not quite the Griswold's experience it was last year. Things ran much smoother this year. We headed to Walmart to buy boots for MJ. We met RB's brother there and loaded up in his vehicle to cut down trees. We found a spot and got all bundled up. RB and his brother took off to find the trees while I stayed with the four kids to play. They dug holes, rolled down the hill, and took sled rides. Lil lasted 2 min. before going back into the car, and the others lasted about 10 min. including me. My toes were freezing. Once we got back into the car and started it to warm up the temperature read -4 degrees. Yes, it was that cold! After waiting for about 10 min. RB and his brother showed up. They had snow up to their waist they were walking through. I'm glad we all didn't go trekking up there this year. That would have been awful with four kids and snow up to their heads.








The boys were freezing when they got back and after some lunch they finished tying the trees up on the car. Then we headed home. Because our jeep still has problems, we weren't able to drive it. So, once again we shoved our tree into our Scion. I told RB not to make that a tradition although this year the camera had batteries so I was able to get pictures of it. So besides the freezing cold temperatures we had a great time and hopefully will get the tree up today.



Thanksgiving this year was at RB's brother's home. Since we had to travel an hour and a half we decided to leave from there and go visit my family. I did bring my camera and was smart enough to take zero pictures. What can I say I was having too much fun playing games, talking, and of course eating to take pictures. It was great to see both sides of the family. We had to come home a day early due to weather but it's good to be home and relaxing before school starts again tomorrow.



Here is a picture of our home with Christmas lights on it for the first time. I know it's not a lot but it's a start. On today's agenda is to go to church, decorate the tree, and watch A Mickey's Christmas with the family. Can't wait!

Halloween

We had tacos before carving our pumpkins this year and MJ was very creative in how she made and ate hers.



Lil enjoyed drawing on her pumpkin before I carved the other side.


MJ took a million pictures of us carving the pumpkins. She touched the stuff once and was done with it. Just like Lil. One year they will help gut it out.


We all chose different pictures from the Internet to base our pumpkins off of. RB wanted to the ghost on top, MJ wanted a pirate, RB carved mine with just a silly face, and Lil wanted a skull of all things. So here is a pic. of the finished products.


MJ and Lil both wanted to Barbies this year. Lil was going to be Tinkerbell but changed her mind. They loved their costumes. I'm glad they fit over their winter gear because we got down poured on while trick or treating. It was still a lot of fun though.



After MJ had a great time handing out candy to those who came to our home. It was fun. For school RB and I dressed up. I didn't get a picture of RB's costume since some of it was borrowed. He was Dr. Doofenshmirtz on Phineas and Ferb.

I was a basketball. The students did not understand my costume at all but all the teachers loved it. I find out if it is a boy or a girl on the 15th. Halloween was good and relaxing this year. Fun times!

Hair Bows

For super Sat. the other day we made hair bows. My girls love them and I am very proud how cute they turned out. Especially since it was me who made them. They were easy and quite fun too.



The pictures do not do justice to how cute they are. But I tried.

Moab Oct. 2010 Trip

Going to Moab has become a family favorite activity. Even MJ enjoyed beeping this time. We took off Wed. after MJ's Kindergarten field trip (first the the hospital, then the pumpkin path, over to a fire station, and lastly to the zoo.) RB went as a chaperon on the field trip while I stayed home to can tomatoes and finish packing. After staying the night in a hotel we finally arrived in Moab about 8:30. We dumped our camping gear at the camp site and we were off on our first adventure.

We went down to Moab with two jeeping friends. Neither of their spouses were able to make it and they both brought along two of their kids. So the kids had plenty of friends to play with and I kind of felt like a third wheel being the only girl. It was worth it though. One of the guys who came knew another group of jeepers that were down in Moab for the Fall break weekend. So we hooked up with them at the City Market and off we went on our first trail.

Here are two pictures of the jeep convoy ahead and behind us. There were nine jeeps total. One thing RB and I have learned is never go beeping alone. You never know what might happen out on a trail in the middle of nowhere. We also have learned the more the merrier. It was so fun being apart of the convoy cruising down the street.


Before hitting the trails it is important to take care of the jeeps by letting air out of your tires to the correct pressure. This gives the jeep more traction on the trails.


The first day we hit two trails. The first was Rose Garden Hill and the second was Top of the World. Through all the stops and starts we got to know our party pretty well. They are wonderful people who were very helpful in teaching us new-bees how to jeep. One man lived in Moab and knew the trails VERY well. By the time we got down from Top of the World it was dark and we were all hungry. So we went out to eat at a Mexican Restaurant. It was good food. By the time we set up camp in the dark and got to bed we were all exhausted.





The second day we went to Kane Creek Canyon. This trail was so fun to go on. RB let me drive in the beginning. I went up one big hill and then around a corner where you had to climb some rocks. It was so fun. Once we got down into the sand dune part of it I let RB drive. That is his favorite part and he wanted to see if he could drive the rest of the trail. He went on this trail in May but he got a flat tire and had to be pulled on some of it. This time we made it with no problems at all. The rest of the group went on another trail but MJ was done. So we headed back to camp and had fun playing at the camp site. That night we roasted hot dogs, and marshmallows which the kids loved.

The last day we decided to visit the Arches. We hiked up Delicate Arch and took lots of pics. It was a long hot hike, but it was worth it. By the time we got down we were ready to eat and head on home. The trip there was good besides the hour long traffic because of construction. Then on the way home we got the death wobble. This occurred about 5 times. The death wobble happens when hitting a bump at high speeds. To stop the death wobble one slows down until the shaking stops and then you can pick up speed again. As soon as we could exit the interstate we did. We took highways and back roads the rest of the way home. This made for a very long trip home.







One of our favorite games in Moab is to see what rock shapes look like. This is our marching penguins.


Overall the weekend was a blast. I loved every minute of it!

First Time Driving While Beeping

This week we headed to Moab for Fall break. I have a ton to post and write about but it's getting late and it's not going to happen tonight. However, I did drive for awhile on one of the trails. RB got some cool video and posted it on YouTube. Techniqually it is not my first time driving. I did drive some of Fins and Things last year but that was just a bunch of up and downs. This was some major rock climbing action that I went over this time. Hope you enjoy and I will post more later about our trip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BUkJAU1RuU

Happenings

Things have been going good. School routines are going well and not much has happened. MJ is still loving school and doing well. It's been fun teaching at the same school as RB. We talk on the way to and from school and then don't have to update each other about our days when we get home. We can focus on MJ's and Lil's days.

Friday at school we had an assembly to kick off our reading program. The reading coach had faculty members come up and play "minute to win it." RB was called up with another fifth grade teacher but since the other teacher was busy setting up for the watermelon party after the assembly I was called up. The goal was to drop the handle of a broom on the edge of a paper plate that had a ping pong ball on it and the other partner tried to catch the ball in their cup standing behind you. Well RB is really good at being fast and catching things. We got in a system and won. It was pretty fun and of course the kids loved watching and cheering for their teachers.

After school that day a cute second grader came up to me and says, "I know who your father is." I was quite surprised and said, "Oh yea, who is he." The kid responded, "Mr. Pedersen." I laughed and go, "Well actually, that is my husband." He just shrugged, smiled, and walked off. Man my husband must look really old to be called my father.

After school Friday my mom, sisters, and I went fruit stand shopping and spent some girl time together. Then Sat. my sisters and I went down to the Gateway mall and shopped. It was fun to be with my sisters for the day and spend time laughing and talking with them. This morning everybody left and now I once again have an empty house. I can't wait for the holidays to come to be with family again! Have a great day all.

First day of School 2010 & End of Summer Fun

School has come again. This year has been full of new exciting changes. RB got a job working at my school. He jumped from 1st to 4th grade. He says the kids are more capable of being able to do things. He really seems to like it. We get to car pool now every day with each other. This is fun because we can talk about work before we get home and then we can focus on our girls and the cleaning. During the day however, I never see RB. His breaks and lunch are completely different than mine and his class is on the other end of the school since I am still teaching 5th grade. Here we are on the cold rainy first day.


The next big change was a new babysitter. We know, and have been friends with these people for many years now and as a result my girls love playing with their kids. MJ and Lil love going to their house every morning. Things fell into place with them watching my girls and we love the arrangements that have been made.

This leads me to the last big change in our lives. MJ started Kindergarten! I can't believe she is that old already. MJ has loved school. She says there is one bad thing though. She didn't get a snack. When I asked if she got one the other day she said, "No, I don't think we ever get snacks." If that is the only thing that she doesn't like then I'm happy. Our babysitter is so wonderful. She took so many pictures for us since we couldn't be there. MJ was so excited all morning.

However, you can see her now in the hallway looking very nervous about it all.

She said she had a good first day though and wanted to go back. So that is good. She showed me her pictures and said they had to draw a pictures of a monster. But her monster was a nice monster and it's feet could touch it's ears. She is so funny. I love hearing her stories about school.

After school she walks home with a friend in the ward and stays there for about 30 min. before we are able to get home and pick her up. Like I said things just fell into place and all is working out. I've very grateful for all the help others have given us. It's hard working all day and trying to make arrangements for your kids.

With the start of school comes the end of summer. RB has enjoyed working on his jeep. Thanks for all the help friends have put into helping him! He is almost done with all his projects on it. In the picture three of the four jeeps are ours. We bought the white one first but it ended up being scary and since it wouldn't sell we are selling the parts. That is working much better. The two gray jeeps in the back are the two that all the things are being switched around on. Going from one jeep to the other. Then when we are done we will sell the one he doesn't want. He has enjoyed working on them though and learning more mechanic stuff.


I hope school and life is going good for everyone else. Take care!

Where Jesus Lives

I still have first day of school pictures and hopefully later today or tomorrow I'll get those updated for all to see. However, MJ was so cute on the way home. I had to share what she said.

MJ looked at the sky and said, "Mom, I know where Jesus lives now." I asked how she knew. She goes, "I looked in the sky where the clouds are and saw Jesus' home."

The Beach

Day 6 was spent at the beach. We needed a break from walking around so much. We had so much fun. When we got there it was still overcast and a little chilly. After about an hour though it warmed up and we played and played. The girls loved playing in the sand. We buried our legs and turned MJ into Ariel.






While grandma watched the girls RB, his sister, her husband, and I jumped waves. It took a little practice to get the technique mastered but worth it. Plus, you soon forget the gross salt water taste once you are out.




One of the best parts of our vacation was the weather. It was perfect. Not too hot and very comfortable in the 70's. Perfect weather to go along with a perfect vacation!

5 Days @ DISNEYLAND

Days 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 were spent at Disneyland. I have no idea when these pictures were taken during those 5 days and there is no order to them. We headed to the park every morning at opening and stayed to play until about 10-11pm before heading back to the hotel. Throughout the five days we hit many of the ride multiple times and 99% of the rides at least once. We didn't ride the canoes. We watched the fireworks, Fantasmic, and the World of Color on different nights. The World of Color was amazing. Before the show they had huge characters that were different colors (like Lumiere down below). Then the water show was so cool to watch.




The tea cups were MJ's favorite. We rode on them over and over again one night when the line was super short. We made MJ ride on some rides once to see if she would like them. The first day was rough with her. She cried on Splash Mountain but told grandma when she gets older she'll like that ride. She doesn't like the dips in Pirates but we still made her ride that one and she just hid during the drops. On the last day we bribed her to ride Indian Jones. She didn't like the fast turns and the dip at the end. She says, "Mommy's favorite ride is scary for me." MJ whined all through the tea cups ride too. Once she rode it, it became her favorite. So even through she didn't like the Matterhorn, there were many rides that she was unsure of at first and then liked after going on them, including Talking Turtle with Crush.


Lil on the other hand did really well on the rides she was tall enough to ride. She would grab a leg on the dips on Pirates but she still liked it. She didn't enjoy Autopia though because when the car drives itself the wheel crashes back and forth. That scared her. So as long as she wasn't driving she was okay with the ride. Lil really liked meeting the characters. She would get a big smile on her face and walk right up to them. MJ was the shy one and didn't want to get close to them. Lil is so cute hugging Handy Manny.




While waiting to see Minnie Mouse MJ found a puff ball like the speck on Horton Hears a Who. She had to take a picture of it.


Splash Mountain with RB's sister and her husband.


Dumbo was another favorite for the girls.


We had the rare opportunity to ride on the Lilly Belle. My father-in-law got a ticket and we rode it all the way around the park. The worker that was in with us said her mom has worked at Disneyland for 40 years. Crazy. The Lilly Belle has had many presidents of the US ride in it. It was pretty cool to be in there and say "I've done that."






A family favorite was Toy Story in CA Adventure. It was a blast! The girls were pretty good at it too like Buzz. However, I feel Toy Story is far superior to Buzz.


Lil really likes the movie Cars like her Uncle.


We ate the Blue Bayou one afternoon. It's pretty cool. It was our most expensive meal but we knew we were going there so we planned accordingly. MJ loved it. She must have felt like a princess because every time they brought out something she got a big smile and would say, "Wow mom look, it's celery (or grapes, or whatever it was)." She was funny.


RB loves jeeping and had to take Lil off roading. Lil loved it.


This is the Tower of Terror ride. I like roller coasters and rides. However, I like hanging on too. RB's goal is to get me to like the rides with my hands up. He wouldn't let me hang on to anything on this ride, so I grabbed his arm instead. I was still proud of myself though. That is a step up to what I usually do with the dead grip of hanging on for dear life.


I'm not sure why people dislike Disneyland lines. I have plenty of entertainment to pass the time!


We had a lot of sleeping in the strollers through the five days. Lil would pass out in her stroller mid-day while we walked to another ride. We'd get there and Lil would be passed out. Every night walking to the hotel both girls would be asleep.




I'm glad we were able to spend the five days with RB's parents, his sister and her husband. It's always funner with family. The only bad part of Disneyland was my feet hurt so bad. We wore tennis shoes too but it didn't matter. We had so much fun and are already planning on going back in two years. Can't wait!