The Oblad Family

November Birthdays!

2011-12-30T21:03:00.001-08:00

Tyson's and Lawson's birthdays are both in November. Tyson turned the big 3-0! I was still recovering from Myra so it was a pretty lame birthday for both. Tyson even bought his own cake, which was an amazing Tres Leches cake.

Tyson wanted a Roku for his birthday, which is a pretty awesome electronic thing. We can play Angry Birds on our tv!

Lawson turned 5!
The babies and I took m&m cookies to Lawson's class at school on his birthday and I made him wear a birthday hat! His class sang "Happy Birthday" to him. A few minutes later he came up to me and whispered, "Can I take my hat off?" It was so cute!

Porter at Lawson's school

Makayla at Lawson's school.

Before my mom left she bought Lawson some b-day presents. He got some big legos and a play-dough shaper thing. My dad sent him a magnifiying glass, which he loves.

He wanted a cake with blue frosting. He put his own candles in.

Tyson took him to get donuts for his birthday. He chose a blue football donut.

He loves Angry Birds so Tyson bought him a poster and Cicily bought him the red bird.

He also got a lite brite, which he loves as well!

I love my birthday boys!

Some Pics

2011-12-30T19:49:00.001-08:00

Here's some pics while my mom was staying with us.

Myra fit perfectly at 1 week old in Makayla's doll stroller!

My sweet little girls!

Porty Pie

Lawson

We pulled the baby swing out of its box for Myra but Porter thought it was for him!

Sweet Myra at about 2 weeks old

My mom stayed with us for 2 weeks. It was amazing! I honestly don't know what I would have done without her. She let me rest and took care of everything! I had forgotten how exhausting having a newborn was! I cried (which I don't do too often) when she left. I still miss her help!

She let the kids help her bake (which I have a hard time doing) and they had a blast!

Tyson holds all the babies like this! :)

Myra's first day at church at 2 weeks old.

Halloween!

2011-12-30T19:40:00.000-08:00

So having 4 kids, for me, has put a lot of things on the backburner like keeping up with the blog! So I'm going to try and get all of the rest of 2011 posted before the new year!

We had our ward Trunk or Treat a few days before Myra was born. We had a fun time eating chili and getting candy. This year Lawson was "Super Y," Makayla was a fairy princess, Porter was the cutest teddy bear ever, Cicily was a football uniform model :), and Myra and I were a pumpkin (Tyson was a Halloween grinch!).

Lawsonisms

2011-12-30T19:30:00.001-08:00

I've been trying to remember some funny things Lawson has said so I can document it in here. He is so full of questions. On Christmas day we did a turkey dinner (which was amazing, by the way. Tyson has mastered the art thanks to Alton Brown!). After dinner, Tyson was carving the rest of the meat off the bones. Lawson kept pointing to different bones asking if that was the "wishing bone." Tyson finally got to the "wishing bone" and showed it to him. Lawson asked what other types of animals have bones we can wish on!

At church on Christmas Sunday, Lawson was looking at the picture on the front of the program, which was a drawing of the Nativity scene. Lawson leaned over to Tyson and said, "Why does Jesus live in a nest?"

He is constantly asking questions and learns so much. Tyson and I were trying to get dinner ready while he was asking a list of questions. We usually take time to explain things to him but had a lot to do (it was our turkey dinner). Tyson said, "Lawson, I think you've reached your quota of questions today." Lawson asked, "Why?" Another question!

Myra Staley Oblad

2011-10-29T17:34:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post pictures. Here's our day in a nutshell:

After getting to the hospital, my cervix hadn't changed in 2 hours so they had me walk around to get the contractions going stronger.

After a long long long day, Myra made her appearance weighing in at 9 lbs 8 oz and 22 inches! My mom's plane landed in Dallas at 7:20 pm and Myra was born at 7:34 pm. Tyson's sister, who was with the kids, went to pick her up and they came directly to the hospital. Myra was less than an hour old when they arrived!

Myra with the kids and Grandma Lynnie

Big brother Lawson

We now have a family of 6! When did that happen? We love Myra and are so happy she's in our family. We're glad she got here safely!

Game On

2011-10-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

Five days later and here we are back at the hospital. Sara and I spent the weekend doing all we could to get this baby to come on her own. She was scheduled to be induced tomorrow (10/25) but we had a feeling the baby would be here early. As I woke up for work Sara, this time with a far lesser zombie-like tone, let me know she'd been having contractions for quite a while. Because of heavier than normal traffic due to the very dense fog that has enveloped the DFW, we decided to come a little earlier than we otherwise would have. When we left, the contractions were about 6 minutes apart.

Because of the fog and traffic, it took twice as long to get here as it did last week. A few patches of fog were so thick we couldn't see more than 300 or 400 feet. We're back in the same room and with the same nurses as before and we're ready to roll. Still not very far along but we will provide some updates throughout the morning. We both think it's going to be a while until things get going. But, since Sara is now 39 weeks, 3 days along, they should be administering pitocin if this baby doesn't start coming on her own. Finally, I must state for the record that I am live blogging Sara's labor at her request and not because of any disinterest in Sara, her pregnancy or the baby.

8:49 am. Big news! I just had a fantastic breakfast here from the hospital cafeteria. I ate from the comfort of a rockingchair while Sara walked laps around the room. Watching her is making me tired though. Man, this is rough.

12:33 pm. Still waiting. Sara's contractions have been all over the map. Looks like they may have to bring in the pitocin. Her midwife (no we're not hippies!) will be here shortly. It seems like the nurses are trying to pressure us and let things happen naturally. Sara says that's not going to happen. We shall see who wins this battle of wills!

1:11 pm. Sara's contractions have begun to be stronger and more frequent. Her midwife (we're still not hippies) said she's dilated 5 cm and should be ready to go soon. They're about to draw bllod and then give her an IV and will be administering pitocin here very shortly. With Porter, it took several hours after the pitocin before he was born. We suspect it will go faster, but at this point who knows!?! Also, I just hit up Del Taco for some cheap Mexican fastfood. No zombies seen...yet.

1:53 pm. After a very eventful 3 attempts, the IV was finally put in (Sara has "special" veins) and the pitocin is just now being connected to the IV. I'll keep you posted on any further developments. Sara is ready for an epidural, but is going to wait until she's in a little more pain-right now she says it's mostly just discomfort and tightness. I thought I heard a zombie but then I realized it was just my stomach post-Spicy Jack Chicken Quesadilla.

4:04 pm. Things are going a bit quicker now. Sara is ready to get the show on the road!

4:35 pm. Contractions are now 2 minutes apart and stronger than they've ever been. Should be getting the epidural here soon.

5:03 pm. Waiting in the waiting room-they made me leave for sara's epideral.

5:27 pm. Procedure went well. I'm not saying that they replaced Sara with some type of cyborg duplicate, but I also haven't ruled it out yet. On a related note, I forgot my sharpie that I was going to use to mark the baby's head with a mark only I would recognize. Dang it.

5:38 pm. They just broke Sara's water-which I missed. [Stupid quesadilla!] She's at 6-7 cm. Could go quickly, but it seems like it'll still be a while until it's time to push. They're going to check on her every 15 minutes. Here's to hoping this baby is ready to go soon!!!

6:30 pm. Just upped her dosage to get things going quicker. Sara is completely numb now and ready to go.

6:56 pm. Onto nurse #2. Kelly is quite peppy. Maybe a bit too peppy.

7:25 pm. All of the sudden Sara feels like she needs to push. Here we go.

7:34 pm. Born after 2 pushes. Waiting on stats.

7:44 pm. 9 lbs, 8 oz; 22 inches total

8:04 pm. Started nursing immediately. Seriously. Latched on in less than 1 second.

We will have pictures of Myra Staley Oblad up later this evening, probably around 10 pm central time. Thanks for all your prayers and well wishes.

Baby, One More Time

2011-10-19T05:04:00.000-07:00

Once again I have been called up from the minors (aka "being the male") to pinch hit for Sara today and to provide relief in the form of encouragement and blogging updates live from the DFW. Being that this town is eveloped in World Series fever, I felt a baseball theme would be appropriate for today. But, since we've recently got into the series "Walking Dead," don't be suprised if a few zombie references are thrown in there. And, if you're wondering-yes, I did use a Britney Spears song as the title of this blog entry.

This morning I woke to a low pitch moaning and was ready to knock some zombie skulls but then I realized it was just Sara having contractions. (Please don't tell her I compared her to the "walkers.") That was about 6:10. We timed a couple contractions and were ready to go and left at 6:30. We made it to the hospital in Denton in about 15 minutes, got all checked in and are now waiting for the labor to intensify a bit.

I will be posting updates here throughout the day. Play Ball!

8:42 am. We just got back from a 45-minute walk around the hospital that the nurse sent us on in the hope that it would speed up contractions. When we started they were 4-5 minutes apart and now they're between 2 and 2.5 minutes apart.

9:30 am. Contractions slowed down a bit so we're heading on another 45 minute walk. Also, we've decided it's a good time to start thinking of baby names.

10:30 am. Same as before. Contractions sped up during the walk and then slowed down once Sara laid back down. Looks like they may not even admit us and that we'll have to come back when things speed up. We hope we get to stick around, however, because the hospital is so far away and we've already been here for so long that we might as well just have this baby now!

10:45 am. Looks like they're sending us home until things get further along. It's strange to me because usually babies come faster when you've had a few, but we're actually going in the opposite direction as labor is lasting longer with each new baby!

3:00 pm. Today's game has been postponed due to unfavorable weather, er uh, cervical conditions. We hope to get a baby here soon. The good news is we now have time to come up with a name.

A Belly Picture

2011-10-08T20:43:00.001-07:00

It's amazing how many less pictures I have of myself with each pregnancy. This is the first belly shot with this pregnancy! This was taken at 33 weeks. The pregnancy is going great. I've been a lot more swollen in the legs and feet this time around because of the heat here. I am constantly entertained by pushing my finger into my ankle area and my skin staying sunken in! My shirts are getting too short lately. I'm running out of stuff to wear. I'm physically ready for this girl to get here but not so much ready when it comes to having 4 kids!! I'm still in awe that I'm a mom and that I have 3 kids. I still feel like I just graduated from high school. We still don't have a name for this little girl (I'm still convinced it's going to be a boy- I've actually considered bringing a boy outfit too to the hospital to bring the baby home in). I'm scheduled to get induced on October 25th, which is only 17 days away!! Yikes!

A Visit from Grandpa Oblad

2011-10-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of September, Tyson's dad came for a visit and to bring Cicily (Tyson's sister) down to work at Tyson's office as a legal assistant intern. While he was here we ate lots of good food and went to see the Dallas Temple.

Makayla & Lawson in front of the temple

A friend of mine gave a good talk in church about having your kids touch the temple as often as possible. (Thanks, Jenn!) In Provo, the temple was only minutes away. It's been different living in Texas where it takes about 30+ minutes to get to the nearest one. We took advantage of being near downtown and let the kids get out and touch the temple. Makayla has asked a few times since then if we can go touch the temple. :)

Grandpa Oblad, Cicily and the kids.

Struggles of a 2-year-old

2011-10-08T20:17:00.000-07:00

Makayla doesn't do regular naps anymore. We have "quiet time" where she spends a couple of hours in her room (she is in and out more than I would like). One particular day I put her in her clean room fully clothed. After a bit, I could hear the cry she makes when she's frustrated. She never came out so I figured she was probably trying to change her clothes, which she does a lot. It was quiet for awhile so I went to check on her. This is what I found:

Makayla asleep with her swimming suit on and all of her toys scattered all over.

The frustrated cry came from putting the swim suit on but she did it! :)

So peaceful :)

First Day of School (Aug 22, 2011)

2011-10-08T20:07:00.000-07:00

Lawson started Pre-K this year. He was so excited for his first day. I went in to wake him up and he was already awake in his bed just waiting for me to come!

He goes to school M-F from 7:50 to 10:50, which in my opinion, isn't long enough. :)

I couldn't get a good smile out of him.

Now that he's been in school nearly 2 months, he's still LOVING it! He loves "Circle Time" where they sing songs and learn different things. He has thrown little tantrums for the 2 holidays we've had so far because he loves going to school so much.

Utah- August 2011

2011-10-08T19:23:00.001-07:00

On our way from Idaho to Tyson's family in Utah, we stopped at my Grandma's house. It was fun for the kids to see their great-grandma! Fun for us too!

Aunt McKinsie with Porter.

She took good care of the kids while we stayed at Tyson's dad's house in Salt Lake.

Playing in Uncle Jonathan's room.

Aunt Kjera and Makayla

Grandpa Oblad & Lawson

The bellies!

Kjera (Tyson's little sister) is having her first baby the beginning of January.

Lawson, Kinsie, Porter, and Chanse (Tyson's cousin)

We went to Chuck-A-Rama with the family.

Tickling Me Me (Tyson's Grandma)

Aunt Kjera & Uncle Mike

We took a little trip to Provo and saw some of our best friends, the Andersons.

Julian and Lawson were good little friends during Law School.

Tennyson & Lawson

We had to go to Brick Oven while we were there for old time's sake.

Tennyson & Makayla

They are only about 3 weeks apart in age. Sam and I were pregnant at the same time and bonded even more during that time! :) She was pregnant too (she's had her baby since then) when we went to see them. I've missed her during this pregnancy. :)

Oblads & Andersons

Makayla got some lip gloss from my mom and was showing Porter how to use it.

Makayla got quite a baby collection on our trip. Porter was babysitting for her. :)

We had such a fun time in Utah and were sad to leave family and friends. We did all the driving in 3 days each way-- 20 hours to Utah and another 3 1/2 to Idaho. The van that we got in April was a lifesaver and made the trip much more doable. The kids did great with no major mishaps to report! We miss family and hope to see some visitors soon!

Idaho- August 2011

2011-10-08T18:32:00.000-07:00

A little bit late but better than never, right! So here is our trip out West. Tyson's mom and grandma came to Texas to caravan with us back to Utah. We stopped first in Lubbock where Tyson's younger brother and his family live while he's going to Texas Tech.

All the Oblad cousins.

Lawson, JJ, Makayla, Oliver, Grandma, Me Me, and Porter

We made it to Idaho!

My dad checks our teeth each time we go. Lawson was his little assistant.

Tyson had a cavity! I had none to keep my cavity-free streak of 29 years!

Looking at the cavity! :)

Uncle Landon (my little brother), Lawson and Porter

The girl cousins.

Molly is Makayla's only girl cousin on both sides of the family!

We had a bonfire in the backyard.

Makayla making her pirate face.

Landon, my dad, Lawson, and my little cousin Paige

Paige, Tyson, Devin (my little brother), and his wife Missy.

Devin and his family were also in town from Omaha for a couple of weeks so we made it a family reunion. It was so fun but went by too fast!

Grandma Lynnie with Mack (Devin's boy)

Grandma Lynnie with Makayla

Landon roasting a Starburst. Who knew?!

Lawson roasting a marshmallow

Molly and Porter.

Porter is 4 months older.

The Thompson cousins

Molly, Porter, Makayla, and Lawson, and Mack

Grandma & Grandpa with all their grandkids (minus baby girl due soon!)

We had so much fun in Idaho and were sad to leave! It was fun to see everyone. It had been since Christmas so a visit was much needed. We're excited to have Grandma Lynnie come when the baby comes in a few weeks!

Grandmas Come to Visit...

2011-09-11T19:58:00.000-07:00

After 3 days of moving to Little Elm, Tyson's mom and grandma came from Salt Lake, Utah to visit! They helped us drive to Utah a few days later.

Makayla got a new baby from the Grandmas.

Me Me (Tyson's grandma) was so cute with the kids.

Tyson's mom with Makayla. We had tons of fun having them here!

Lawson and Makayla with Grandma

The Grandmas brought a board game for Lawson and they had a fun time playing it.

We had a fun time with "The Grandmas"

Porter's First Haircut

2011-09-11T19:54:00.000-07:00

I finally gave Porter his first haircut on July 11th. He was almost 14 months at the time. It was a nightmare! He hated every second of it!

Before

After

4th of July

2011-09-11T19:31:00.000-07:00

I JUST realized I didn't post about the 4th of July! I'm the worst. Anyway, we had a really fun 4th of July this year. I talked Tyson into going to the parade, which was so hot, but it was a lot of fun! I hadn't been to a parade in years. We got good parking and a good spot along the beginning of the parade route. The kids got lots of candy and loved seeing all the cars and floats. It was actually a pretty lame parade but it was fun for the kids, which, in turn, was fun for me.

Porty Pie enjoying the parade He was a little sweaty.

Makayla and Lawson at the parade

Happy Independence Day!

We had a barbeque that evening and then went to the church lawn and watched the firework show. It didn't compare to the Idaho Falls fireworks but it was still fun- all 10 minutes of it!

It was a fun day!

Tyson enjoying the fireworks!

There was a ban on all other fireworks because of the drought and extremely dry grass so we weren't able to do our own fireworks, which was a bummer but we had a fun day!

The Move...

2011-09-11T19:20:00.000-07:00

We moved from Waxahachie the end of July to Little Elm. We're still here in Texas, just about an hour further north. These are just a few of our friends we had to leave. :(

Taking pictures of kids is always such an adventure!

Just a few of our boxes.
Moving is a nightmare! We had a successful move though so I really shouldn't complain.

We are loving our new place, neighborhood, and new church.
Pictures of the new place will come soon! :)

Momma Makayla

2011-09-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

One day I went into my bedroom to get something and came out to Makayla doing this: (brief nudity, sorry!)

I wish she could successfully change diapers! Wouldn't that be nice?! She gets distracted by an ant on the carpet and her patient makes his escape.

Porty Pie is WALKING!

2011-09-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

Porter has been a slow baby! He started crawling at 10 months and is just barely walking at 15 months! My thought is he is a big boy and it's been hard for him to get around and maybe he'll be one of those people who likes to take their time. :) He took his real first steps on August 28th when he was 15 months and 8 days (to be exact). It's funny how each of your kids are different and progress differently. The following video was taken a few days after the initial first steps. Tyson's dad was holding a cookie and that got Porter walking for sure!

Death...

2011-09-11T18:27:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago Lawson (age 4 1/2) was talking about how he didn't want to die and was asking lots of questions about death. Makayla (age 2) piped up and said something about how she didn't want to die because her pants would fall off. We laughed hysterically but wasn't sure what she was talking about. I figured it was something she'd seen on one of her shows. Since then she has said the same thing on a few different occasions- each time making us laugh. She said it at dinner a couple of nights ago and it donned on Tyson that she was talking about Back to the Future. She was referring to the part when Marty goes back to the past and starts disappearing from the waist down in the photograph he had taken with him. Tyson had explained to the kids that Marty might die so Makayla took that as: if I die, my pants will fall off!! What a funny girl!!

It's About Time...

2011-08-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

I need to be better at posting. Life has been crazy the past month. On July 30th at 5:30 in the morning we closed up the moving truck, loaded the kids, and made the 1 hour drive north from Waxahachie to our new home in Little Elm, Texas. We had a couple of men from the ward come help us unload the truck at 8 am and it was done in about an hour. I don't know what people do that aren't members of the church. We've had an instant family each time we've moved and it's such a blessing.

We love our new place (minus a few minor things) and LOVE the area. We live in a nice neighborhood (that has a sidewalk, has a street that has 2 lanes that can fit 2 cars going in opposite directions at the same time, and feels safe to walk around). We also have a neighborhood pool! We've gone swimming the past two Family Home Evenings and the younger 2 kids are warming up to the pool. Lawson, on the other hand, LOVES swimming! We also have a 2 car garage and a fenced in backyard that has actual grass and not mounds of fire ant hills. It feels like life is really "starting" for us. :) We are still renting but feel like we're in a lot more "normal" situation. We are within walking distance from the elementary school so we have a playground nearby for the kids when the weather cools down a bit (it's been 100+ for about 40 days now).

Tyson's mom and grandma came 2 days after we moved in. I hadn't even really gotten a chance to even begin unpacking but it was a lot of fun to show them where we live and to show them around Dallas.

Four days after moving boxes into our house, I signed Lawson up for Pre-K that they have at the nearby elementary school and we left for the 3-day driving trip to Utah! I'm not sure why we can't ever move like normal people. When we got married we moved into a 4-plex house just a few days before Christmas. From there we moved to a duplex just days before our busy season started at my work (I was working at a wholesale floral place where we made flower arrangements for grocery stores and we moved at the very beginning of May, which is the beginning of a very busy month of Mother's Day and then Memorial Day. There were quite a few all-nighters pulled at work during that time). Our next move was to Waxahachie just 2 weeks after Porter was born and then this next move we decided to take a 2 week trip to Utah/Idaho just days after moving in. Maybe the next time around we'll be smarter and move when life isn't crazy!

We had a great time on our trip. I will do another post for that with pictures. Lawson started school this past Monday. He goes M-F from 7:50-10:50 and he LOVES it so much! He gets to eat breakfast at school (for free cuz we're poor! :)) I will also make another post about the first day of school.

So now we're (more like I'm) just trying to get boxes unpacked. Most of it is done and things are starting to get normal again. I've got lots of projects I want to get done soon to make our house more homey. I really dislike unpacking and finding places for everything but we have a garage now so extra stuff can go out there now! ;) Tyson's business partner and his family just moved here also- that's the main reason we decided to move up here (we were looking closer to Tyson's work). They commute together (the other main reason for moving near them) into Dallas most days so I'm able to have the car, which is SO nice- I can't even begin to explain! They live only 2 miles away and are in our ward. I really like his wife and our kids are similar ages. Life just feels really good right now!

Anyway, more posts to come soon (hopefully!)

Makayla and Porter

2011-07-11T17:40:00.001-07:00

Makayla love babies! When she sees a tiny baby she always wants to give him/her kisses.

She asked me if she could hold "the baby"- referring to Porter, of course!

Here is Makayla holding "the baby."

It's funny when "the baby" is 3 lbs. lighter than you and only about 2 inches shorter!
I guess it's time for another baby. :)

Makayla

2011-07-11T17:30:00.000-07:00

As a family we've read the children's version of the Book of Mormon a few times. We decided to start on the normal version. The other night we started with the Introduction. Tyson paraphrased and asked the kids questions in between to keep them listening. He asked Makayla who found the Book of Mormon. He gave her the choice between Mickey Mouse or Joseph Smith. With her love of The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, it wasn't a hard question. She immediately said, "Mickey Mouse!" Later Tyson asked who buried the plates and she immediately answered "Goofy!" She was proud of herself for answering "correctly"! :)

It's a . . .

2011-06-08T14:28:00.000-07:00

We had our ultrasound yesterday and found out what we're having! Going into it I was 99% sure we were having a boy. I would have bet money on it. Boy, I was surprised to find out we're having a girl!! I wanted a girl so I'm really excited! I'm glad Makayla will have a little sister. Only 21 more weeks until we get to see her!

Porter's First Birthday!

2011-06-05T17:49:00.000-07:00

Our Porty Pie turn one on May 20th! I can't believe it's been a year!

We did Birthday Brownies this year!

(I thought I had candles but realized last minute that I didn't

so a tea light had to do the trick)

Not sure what to think of it!

but loved it!!

He got a sippy cup and diapers for his birthday!

and a kiss from his big brother!

Dad and his 3 kids!

Makayla, Lawson (not cooperating), and Porter.

Porty Pie is so sweet and we've loved having him in our family!

Makaylaism

2011-06-02T19:42:00.001-07:00

Tonight Tyson was trying to get Makayla to come sit by him. She wouldn't so Tyson started "crying." She tried making him happy with no response. Finally she said, "Cougar." Tyson immediately lit up. She knows her dad well! :)

She's a US Citizen!

2011-05-22T18:33:00.000-07:00

Tyson's brother, Tim, married Ally who is from England. She has been working on her citizenship for the past few years and it finally paid off! She had her interview to become a citizen and was sworn in the same day! They live in Lubbock while Tim goes to graduate school. The interview happened to be in Dallas, so they came and stayed with us!

Waiting outside for the ceremony

All the Oblad cousins
Porter, JJ, Makayla, Oliver, and Lawson
(the dads were behind the wall holding the babies!)

Congrats Ally on becoming a citizen!

Easter 2011

2011-05-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Easter this year. We got an Easter package from Grandma Lynnie!

Thanks for the fun surprise Grandma!

(Makayla had just woken up so her hair was sweaty!)

Bubbles!

We dyed Easter eggs!

My 2 cute babies!

LOVE this picture!

We had an Easter egg hunt with some good friend from church.

The kids had a ton of fun!

Checking out the loot!

Porty Pie stayed in his stroller most of the time and did a great job!

He had a great first Easter!

Trip down South

2011-05-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

Tyson had an immigration trial in Los Fresnos, which is near Brownsville, TX. We tagged along and had a little family getaway. We stayed in Weslaco, which isn' t too far away and went to church in Harlingen- one of Tyson's areas where he served his mission.

The kids on the hotel bed

Look at those cheeks!

We had some fun at the pool. It was a bit cold and the pool was dirty but it was still fun.

Lawson loved swimming.

Makayla, on the other hand, HATED the water! She spent most of her time watching us. She would scream and scream if we put her in the water and hold on to us for dear life.

During Tyson's trial we hung out at the hotel, swam, and walked over to Burger King, which was next door to our hotel. I was watching the other kids and looked over to find Porter crawling up the slide!

Lawson posed himself. :) Not sure what he's doing.

Cheese!

On our way home we stopped in San Antonio to walk around for a couple of hours. We went along the Riverwalk and had a fun time! The only times I've been to San Antonio have been in the dead of summer and it's been miserable. We went the end of March and the weather was perfect! It was very enjoyable.

On the Riverwalk

There are boats that go along the Riverwalk and Lawson waved to all of them! The people were taking pictures of him. It was hilarious!

Lots of ducks for the kids to see.

We had a fun time down South!

Just a Little Update

2011-05-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

I have lots of pictures I need to post from the last few weeks/months. I just need to do it! I'll just give a quick recap of us.

Porter will be 1 in 2 weeks! Can't believe it's been a year! He finally started crawling a few days ago! He's been scooting everywhere and still does but has been crawling more and more. He also pulls himself up to things. He's starting to get the naughty streak. He pulls himself up to the DVD player, hits it, and looks back at me to see if I'm watching! Little stinker! He has his 4 top teeth and 4 bottom teeth as well as his one-year molars. He's down to 2 bottles a day and eats "big people" food the rest of the day. He's a quiet little guy for the most part- which is nice- my other two aren't so quiet!

Makayla is 2 and 3 months. She is a funny little girl with the sweetest little voice. She often hugs and kisses me throughout the day and tells me she loves me. As sweet as she is, she has a naughty 2-year-old side! She is very sensitive, which is hard for me- I'm more of a tough love kind of person. I try to be more compassionate though. Often times when she wakes up she'll call from her crib saying, "Mom, it's time to wake up!" She's been saying "awesome" a lot lately and it's funny what she thinks is "awesome!" Also she says "... so much." Like "I want my fa-fa (pacifier) so much." It's so funny. Her favorite tv show is The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and asks to watch it constantly!

Lawson is 4 1/2. He is such a smart boy. He loves learning. He asks tons of questions and really makes me think! He's been trying to figure out how days work, which is hard to explain! He picks up on the most random things from tv or playing computer games (on disneyjunior.com or nickjr.com-- excellent games for kids). I'm working on getting him in preschool this Fall. I think he'll love it. He loves to dance. Whenever there is music on tv he'll say, "Mom, watch my moves." I need to get him into a break dancing class or something! He's a good big brother (for the most part). He's so good with babies and Porter loves him. He and Makayla bug each other most of the time and get on my nerves! But he's a good boy. :)

We have decided to move closer to Dallas. We live about 30 min from Dallas. To take Tyson to the closest bus stop it takes 15 min one way. So when I need the car I have to drive an hour a day, which I don't mind the drive, but the gas is killing us! So we've decided to move closer to work so he'll be closer to the bus or train. We'll be moving the end of July, when our lease runs out. I look forward to having the car more and being closer to civilization. Our closest mall is about 20ish min away. I guess with civilization comes more traffic, which I don't look forward to. We've also met some great friends here so I'll be sad to leave them. There's pros and cons but all around I look forward to moving.

Tyson is loving his job and enjoys working in downtown Dallas. They're in the process of getting a new office space so he and his partner have been working from home the last week. They've been trying to figure out what to do. There's a lot up in the air right now, which is annoying but I guess life is just full of unknowns.

Overall, we're doing pretty well. Baby #4 is growing. Right now I'm 14 1/2 weeks. We'll hopefully find out what we're having in the next month or so! I haven't gained a pound yet, which is not like me at all! I hope to not gain much this time around. I usually gain about 40 lbs! I'm doing my best to not do that this time around! Anyway, I'll post pictures!

Porty Pie

2011-04-19T11:29:00.001-07:00

Makayla

2011-04-19T10:53:00.001-07:00

Lawson's version of Where is Thumbkin?

2011-04-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

My Birthday!

2011-03-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

My birthday came and went this year! They aren't as fun when you get older! :) I turned 29- the last of my twentys! I'm feeling old! I had a pretty nice birthday! Tyson and I went to my favorite restaurant called Cheddar's! It's DELICIOUS! Lawson and Tyson made a cake for me. Lawson wanted blue frosting. :) We only had 25 candles so I had to blow out 25 and then hold my breath while Tyson lit 4 more so I could blow them all out in one breath!

Tyson, his dad, and my parents all chipped in and bought me my very own laptop! Our desktop crashed about a year ago and we were left with a laptop, which Tyson takes to work everyday. I don't spend tons of time on the computer but it's nice to have when I need to look up a recipe, keep up on my blog, and things like that! It's one of the best presents I've gotten! Thank you! I also got cards, phone calls, emails, and lots of facebook messages! It was really sweet!

Me blowing out my candles!
Tyson didn't want a bunch of wax in the frosting, so he put the candles to one side! :)
Thanks for the fun birthday!

Porter's 9 month Check-up

2011-03-20T18:57:00.000-07:00

Porty Pie, he's my favorite guy!

Porter had his 9-month check-up when Kayla had her 2-year.

Here's his stats:

Height: 31 in (off the charts)

Weight: 21 lbs 14 oz (70th percentile)

Head: 49 cm (big!)

Look at those cheeks! I kiss him all day long! He's so juicy!

He has almost 8 teeth (one is working it's way through still)
He has the cutest smile when he shows all his teeth!

He's a very happy baby and loves watching people. People are amazed that he is content in his stroller and baby carrier! I am grateful!

He wears 18 months clothes. His torso is the same size as Makayla's!

He loves doing tricks with dad!

He still isn't crawling (he's 10 months now!) but scoots on his tummy like a pro! He has a little rub mark on each of his big toes from scooting.

He loves eating big people food: bread, graham crackers, spaghetti sauce w/ meat, fish, chicken, etc!

He is a very content and happy boy for the most part!

We are glad he's in our family!

Makayla's 2-year Check-up

2011-03-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

Makayla had her 2-year check-up about a month ago. Here are her stats:

Height: 2' 10 1/2" (60th percentile)

Weight: 27 lbs (50th percentile)

Head: 48 cm (they didn't give me the percentile)

Turns out Porter's head is a cm bigger than Makaylas! :)

Makayla loves doing tricks with dad!

I came into her room the other day and she had all her shoes lined up!

She loves her princess skirts! And anything princess.

She loves her Porty Pie

She's been able to express herself more and more and it's funny to hear what she has to say. She's starting to get a little Southern accent with certain words she says, which is so cute!

She is very sassy and girly! She is sensitive but a tough girl at the same time!

She LOVES shoes and is getting into the stage where she changes her clothes a lot.

She loves singing- her favorite song is Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

We are glad she's in our family!

Makayla's 2nd Birthday!

2011-03-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

Our princess, Makayla, turned 2 on February 12th! She got lots of fun presents.

She got girly plates and bowls with cute birds on them.

She also got a princes stroller! She's been pushing her dollies around in boxes for a long time now, I figured it was time to get her a stroller! She loves it!

Since her birthday is close to Valentine's Day, I did a heart cake. Last year I did heart-shaped cupcakes. The frosting didn't work too well after cutting it to the heart-shape. It kept getting crumbs in it. It was cooled and everything- if anyone knows how to remedy that problem, let me know!

She got some neat presents from Grandma Lynnie (my mom). She got 2 cute outfits and a little panda laptop!

She loves it!

She freezes up when it comes to taking pictures. She often has a blank look on her face.

One of her party guests! Porty Pie.

Lawson and Dad enjoying cake

The 2 girls!

Happy Birthday, little princess!

New Addition...

2011-03-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

One evening my neighbor came over unexpectedly and asked if we wanted their huge tv. I asked her how much and she said FREE! They had just bought a new one and didn't want to deal with getting rid of the old one so they just gave it to us! Tyson wasn't home at the time but was more than excited to go over and get it! It took 3 of us to be able to lift it! It's 66 inches of beautifulness!

News...

2011-03-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

I'm going to make it official because I'm feeling pretty crappy- we're going to have another baby!! It will be baby #4! I can't believe it! It will be due around October 30th. I have my first doctor appointment in a couple of weeks. Right now I'm only 7 1/2 weeks. I just started "feeling it" when I hit 7 weeks. I've been getting a lot of headaches lately. I've read that hormones can play into that. I don't like this stage of pregnancy so I hope it goes by fast. :) This pregnancy wasn't planned but wasn't not planned, if that makes sense. We talked about getting pregnant this time around but then decided to wait a few months, but other plans were on the horizon! :) Anyway, so we're really excited! Makayla keeps trying to look down my shirt to see the "tiny baby." Lawson thinks there's a girl and a boy in there (I can't even imagine twins at this point!). Porter will be a big brother! He'll be about 17 1/2 months when this one is born. Makayla will be 2 and 8 months and Lawson will be 4 and 11 months. So we will have 4 kids that are 4 and under!! Crazy, I know! Wish me luck! :)

Grammy comes to visit...

2011-03-05T20:42:00.000-08:00

Southwest Airlines was having a great deal on tickets so Tyson's mom flew out to see us for 3 days, which turned out to be 5! We had been having great weather and on the day she was supposed to fly out we had an ice storm! They cancelled flights for 2 days so she got to stay a couple days longer. "Longer with the mother-in-law?" you might say. It was actually really fun! We had a great time and were sad to see her go!

Makayla loved reading books with her!

The kids loved having her! Tyson and I did too ;)

She brought 2 gingerbread kits! The kids loved it!

The gingerbread house

The gingerbread train

We had a great time with Grammy!

Kids Video

2011-02-10T20:16:00.000-08:00

Makayla's birthday is on Saturday. We got a package from Aunt Cicily the other day and she got this cute skirt inside that she's wearing. Lawson ran into Makayla's room and came out wearing this:

Christmas 2010

2011-02-09T20:28:00.000-08:00

Where does the time go? It's already February and I'm just now getting around to posting about Christmas! We had a great time in Utah/Idaho this past Christmas. Our parents helped us out so we could fly to Salt Lake. We hadn't had any snow in Texas at that point so it was fun for the kids to play in the snow a bit while we were there.

Playing in Grandpa Oblad's backyard.
As I was going through pictures I realized that these snow pictures were the only ones I took in Salt Lake! I feel like the biggest jerk! I have no idea what I was thinking! I need to strap my camera to my arm when I go places. Sorry Oblad family!!! If you have any pics, send them my way.

We visited some of our very favorite friends in Provo! It was so much fun to visit! Lawson and Julian were really good friends! We miss you guys!

Lily and Sam are really good friends from Law School. Sam and I were pregnant at the same time during school. We miss our friends! John-David and Sam had us over at their house to visit while in Utah. It was so much fun and felt like we'd never left!

I couldn't get the guys to stop talking long enough to take a picture so I just snapped a couple! Tyson and John-David.

Lance and Tyson talking about law stuff. :)

A lot of my mom's side of the family live in Utah so we were able to go to the Hyer Family Christmas party! My cute granny did a live nativity! The single grandkids and great grandkids were the actors. My brother Ethan and my cousin BreAnn were the innkeepers while my Grandma was the narrator.

The donkey (my brother, Landon) carried Mary (my cousin Addison) to the inn.

Baby Jesus was played by my niece Molly who was dressed in a Santa suit! :)

There were sheep--

Played by my nephew Mack and my girl Makayla. Cutest little lambies!

There were wisemen/women played by my cousin's kids.

My cute innkeeper brother, E.

A shepherd played by my boy, Lawson.

We always tease my brother Ethan that he looks like my mom. I'm thinking that's why he's growing his hair out. :) Although he tells us it's for Locks of Love!

Porter was getting sleepy and folded himself in half to rest his huge head!

We spent Christmas in Idaho Falls and had a great time. Mack (my brother's son) and Makayla are just a couple of weeks apart in age. It was fun that they were able to be there too. They are living in Omaha while Devin goes to dental school.

"Kathy's Brownies"

We always make these brownies when we go to Idaho per Tyson's request. They are yummy and fattening!

My brother Devin and my beautiful little sister, Abbie! ha ha!

Macky giving Porty Pie a little kiss

Christmas Eve dinner

My mom always does an amazing job with table settings.

Mack and Makayla

Molly and Porter.

Porter was born in May and Molly was born in September. It's fun having little cousins close together in age.

Lawson loves babies and is so good with them. Molly loved watching him.

Christmas Eve pajamas. This is the best picture we could get!

We had a lot of fun doing puzzles. Everyone worked on it together and had a blast.

Lawson LOVES puzzles! There were quite a few pieces that he found that people had been looking for. Not quite sure why he's in his undies. :)

Santa came for a visit and we all got to sit on his lap and received a special gift. Landon got a huge bottle of chocolate syrup.

Devin

Santa gave Tyler a sign and cup to help him earn money so that he and his roommates can afford to pay their utilities. Apparently, they don't turn the heat on in Moscow, Idaho and wear coats and gloves in their apartment instead.

So he got the plastic window covers to keep the cold out.

I have enjoyed an auto-tuned video on YouTube called Sunny D and rum so I got a bottle of Sunny D and some rum extract. Check out the video here

Don't think less of me :)

My mom and "Santa" (who is my skinny dad if you didn't know- his beard kept coming off)

My sister-in-law, Missy, got some Bumpits, which are things you put in your hair to give you an Idahoan poof! She makes fun of those who have them. :)

Mack wasn't too keen on the idea of Santa. If he only knew who was behind the beard. :)

Tyson got a tarp to "hide his wife, hide his kids..." He also enjoys an autotuned video from YouTube. Enjoy it here

Porty Pie didn't mind Santa one bit! :)

Makayla

Abbie played a prank on my dad a few months ago. She hid in the dryer (yeah, she's skinny). My brother, Landon, went and got my dad and said something was wrong with the dryer. When my dad came to see what was wrong, he opened the dryer door and Abbie blasted an air horn and scared him to death. Santa payed the favor back and pulled out of his bag an air horn and blasted her! See the full action here

Baby Molly

Lawson

He told my dad later that he saw my dad's hands on Santa. He kept trying to go in my parents room to see the Santa suit. He's too smart for his own good!

Since Ethan is growing his beautiful hair out, he needed some things to help him keep it groomed.

Porty Pie's first Christmas!

Molly's first Christmas too!

Christmas morning! We were blessed!

Grandpa with Baby Molly

Makayla got big girl undies in her stocking. We have yet to put those to good use. We tried one day but I gave up. :)

Makayla got new dollies from Grandma and Grandpa

Missy, Mack, Devin, Ethan, and Tyler

G-ma and G-pa gave Lawson and tent!

Makayla got a purple laptop from Santa!

Look at that intent look on Porter's face! He loved th paper!

Kayla got this cute hair clip from my mom

Lawson got a computer from Santa too. It helps him write his letters!

Tyson with Mack and Porter

My brother Devin and his wife Missy, daughter Molly, and son Mack.

In Missy's family they have a tradition to have mint chocolate chip pancakes and karo syrup on Christmas morning. We decided to try her tradition this year. I'm not going to lie, it wasn't bad! :)

This was breakfast on Christmas Eve (the pic got out of order)

We leave food out all day on Chrismas and everyone just eats all day long. I'm happy to say I only gained 2 pounds during our whole vacation!

My dad and brothers are outdoorsmen. All but one brother (I have 4) enjoy hunting, hiking, and the like. They also like building things. One of the brothers had a great idea to build a canon! They pitched in money and bought all the supplies including bowling balls, gun powder, and an oxygen tank- along with the other stuff that it took to make it. On Christmas day we all caravaned up to the foothills to watch them shoot off the canon. It was great fun! I even lit one of the fuses. There were no fatalities nor injuries!

We went and visited my dad's parents- my Grandma and Grandpa Thompson. They got to meet Porter for the first time!

Grandpa with Porter and Molly

We had a great Christmas and were blessed to be able to visit with family. Since moving to Texas it's been hard to be so far from everyone so it was really good to visit for nearly 2 weeks! We miss y'all!

Lawson's Song

2011-01-07T21:02:00.000-08:00

Lawson has been singing this song around the house lately. It's pretty funny!

Video

2011-01-07T19:06:00.000-08:00

We got a new camera for Christmas! It records video, which I'm so excited about. Here's a little video I caught of Makayla "reading" to Porter (Porty Pie) while I was making dinner. So cute!

A Lawyer

2011-01-07T18:53:00.000-08:00

Tyson was sworn in by a judge last week! Apparently, it's not a big deal and he just wanted to do it quick and get it done. So- I dropped him off at the courthouse in downtown Dallas and drove around the block for about 20 minutes while he went in and got it done. We didn't want to pay for parking and we didn't want to dress up and haul 3 kids into the court. Wish I could have been there but whatever. :) So now he's legit! He's still absolutely loving his job. He's still mostly doing immigration law with a few other cases here and there. He's planning on doing some workshops where he served his mission (south Texas- Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Laredo areas) to help people go through the right channels to get citizenship and to answer questions. I'm thinking it's just an excuse to go to his mission yet another time. :) I've been back to his mission more than my own. He's really enjoying his job and loves being in Dallas.

Lawson's Birthday! 2010!!

2011-01-07T18:06:00.000-08:00

Lawson turned 4 in November! (I'm slow, I know!) Here's how the day went:

Growing up, my mom always made a huge deal out of our birthdays. I hope to carry that on to my kids. It was always a great day for us- and my favorite was we didn't have to do our chores that day! Lawson woke up to presents and the kitchen decorated.
He even got a package from Grandma Lynnie (my mom).

We always got our favorite cereal for our birthday. Lawson chose Cocoa Puffs.

The loot from Grandma!

He wanted to have his birthday at his favorite park. Since we live in Texas now, that was possible. No snow to worry about. :) It was a chilly day- in the 50s with some wind but it was still fun! He had lots of friends who came. (Amy pictured above)

Grant is Makayla's boyfriend. :) She prays for him everynight (on her own). It is very sweet. His mom took these great birthday party pics. I totally forgot my camera at home (it takes about 15 min to get to this park) so she ran home and got her camera! So sweet!

Lawson wanted to have a Spongebob birthday party. For a game we went "jellyfishing." Tyson blew up some water balloons with air so we had little balloons, which were the jellyfish. Since it was windy, I let the balloons go and the kids ran after them. It was hilarious to watch! Landon (above) got a handful!

Some of his friends: Caleb, Lawson, Tripp, Megan, and Kadence.

He got a bit overwhelmed when opening all his presents. He had a little meltdown and ran away to the playground while all his friends were sitting there watching. It was pretty funny but also embarrassing. :)

Makayla and Megan eye-balling the Spongebob cupcakes.

Delicious!

Eating cupcakes and handing out loot bags.

For dinner we had "L" pizza.

Equipped with Spongebob eating utensils.

The party-goers

He specifically asked for a "4" candle.

Blowing out the candle!

We're glad you're in our family! Happy Birthday!

Just some Lawsonisms...

2010-12-27T15:53:00.000-08:00

I still need to post pics from Lawson's birthday and now Christmas. I thought I would post some Lawsonisms while I have a minute.

We are staying at Tyson's dad's house in Utah right now (we leave tomorrow morning to fly back to Texas). While we've been gone, Lawson and Makayla have been sharing a room. It hasn't been bad. Today, however, Makayla woke up crying at 4 am. I went in to give her her "fa fa" (pacifier). Which, by the way, I will be getting rid of soon. When I walked in, Lawson was irritated and said, "Makayla broke my dream!" Not sure what he was dreaming about but he was mad he wasn't dreaming anymore. :)

Before we left Texas for our Christmas vacation, Tyson was at work and I needed to get in the shower. I usually shower during Porter's nap (who is 7 months). I put Makayla (who is 22 months) in her room to play (she can't open doors yet) and Lawson (who is 4) usually watches tv. Lawson and Makayla were playing well together in Makayla's room so I told Lawson I needed to take a shower and to keep playing in her room. I told him not to let Makayla out and to keep the door shut. While I was in the shower, Lawson came in and said, "Mom! Makayla likes to drink pee!" I asked him if he peed in her mouth. He told me no so I gave him the benefit of the doubt and told him to go back to Makayla's room to play and to keep the door shut. I finished showering and got dressed. I could hear them out in the kitchen so I hurried. I went out and Makayla was sitting at the table with her sippy cup. Lawson said, "Mom, I peed in the potty." He's been potty-trained for nearly 2 years now and doesn't tell me when he pees in the potty anymore so that made me suspicious. I noticed dribble on Makayla's shirt and she was holding her sippy cup. I took the cup from her and unscrewed the lid. I sniffed the liquid inside and sure enough-- warm pee!!! I guess he didn't pee in her mouth per say so he wasn't lying when I asked him. :) He sat in time-out for about 30 minutes and was threatened that if he did that again he would be drinking his own pee! I'm beginning to understand that peeing in things is a "boy thing." As I've told this story to others, I've been enlightened on other similar stories. I guess I'm not alone!

By the Way...

2010-11-30T21:29:00.001-08:00

I realized not too long ago that I never announced that Tyson passed the Texas Bar!! We found out the first week of November. I'm so proud of him and relieved he doesn't have to retake it!! :) He will be sworn in soon and then he's legit!

Porter- 6 months

2010-11-28T17:47:00.000-08:00

Porter turned 6 months just the day after Lawson's birthday. He had his check up with Lawson.

The stats:

Height: 28 1/2 inches (off the charts)

Weight: 17 lbs. 13 oz. (off the charts)

Head: 47 cm (95th)

He's a very cute boy! To me, he doesn't look like the other kids. He looks more like my side of the family. He's not quite sitting up yet by himself and doesn't have a desire to crawl yet. :) That's definitely fine by me! He has both bottom teeth, which he bites me with and I want to cry everytime he does! We love him and are thankful he's in our family!

Lawson Y- 4 years old!

2010-11-28T17:27:00.001-08:00

Lawson had his 4th birthday just a couple of weeks ago! I can't believe he's that old already!! We had a great day!

He had his doctor's appointment the day after his birthday. He had to get 3 shots. Porter had to get shots too. Guess who cried more?! Lawson!!

Here's the stats:

Height: 3'9" (off the charts!)

Weight: 44 lbs. (90th)

He's tall and skinny like Tyson was as a kid (although Tyson's stats for weight were much lower). He's very silly like Tyson too!

He likes to: (straight from his mouth)

make funny faces

play with trains

jump in the air on a trampoline

play with Makayla

play with Oliver (his Oblad cousin)

watch tv

go to Caleb's house (his friend here from primary)

play lots of games like the fish game (a game he got for his birthday)

Favorite food: cocoa puffs and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

Favorite color: lots of colors and blue

Favorite animal: squirrel- "I like to chase it"

Favorite shirt to wear: HE Buddy shirt (like Caleb's)

Favorite place to go: HEB (grocery store) and Mt. Peak Park (had his b-day party there)

We are really enjoying Lawson more and more. He's finally getting out of the naughty pull-your-hair-out toddler stage. For the most part, he's a really good boy. I would like to make a list of all the stuff he can do, but that will take too long! :) He's a smart boy and we're happy to have him in our family.

Tyson

2010-11-21T18:53:00.000-08:00

Tyson turned the big 29 on November 13th! He and I went out to dinner the night before (thanks to my babysitting co-op!) and the night of had delicious Boston Creme Pie! Yum!! He said it was the best birthday he's had in a long time because 1) BYU won the football game against Colorado State. 2) UofU got creamed in their football game against Notre Dame (who is really bad this year). 3)BYU won their basketball game the night before. 4) He spent this birthday in Texas, which hasn't happened since 2002 on his mission. 5) He treated himself to Wing Stop, which is his favorite wings place that they don't have in Utah (he first discovered it last summer when we were living in McAllen, TX).

Happy Birthday! Love ya!

First Tooth!

2010-11-07T19:14:00.001-08:00

Porter's first tooth started poking through yesterday! I can't believe he's that old already! He's about 5 1/2 months now!

Bishop & Wife and Kitty Litter Cake

2010-10-31T19:07:00.000-07:00

Here's the picture of our bishop and his wife who won the "best costume" award. They looked fantastic!

I made a kitty litter cake for our ward's Halloween party. I won first place! I forgot to take a picture so I found one online. This one looks better than the one I made but you get the idea. Pretty gross, but so good!! :)

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T18:25:00.000-07:00

We had fun this Halloween. On Fridays we usually go to storytime which includes a book and craft. This week they read Halloween books and did pumpkin masks.

Lawson sporting his mask (that he made me color!)
Makayla

In our ward, there is only one other boy in Lawson's primary class. The rest are girls. Caleb and Lawson became fast friends. They usually meet us at storytime.

We did our trunk or treat at a church member's ranch. It was the coolest Halloween party we've taken the kids to. They had a chili cook-off, a dessert contest, best costume contest, and best trunk contest. Guess who won the dessert contest?? Me!! I made a kitty litter cake. It didn't look as authentic as I'd hope but it was still gross looking. It was a fun night!
Makayla dressed as a "Halloween Princess." Just pulled together a few items and voila!

Porter, the lovable teddy bear

Lawson was Indiana Jones. I found the jacket and hat (not pictured) at a used kids' clothes store for $4!! I wanted to find a whip of some sort for him to carry around but rethought the idea of a 3-year-old with a whip!

Inside the arena where we did the trunk or treat. Not quite sure why the picture looks fuzzy. The lighting maybe? This ranch was amazing!

Makayla trunk or treating.

Lawson trying to get in on the action.

We had a ton of fun!

More Texas Visitors, Meeting Molly, & Texas State Fair

2010-10-15T20:29:00.000-07:00

My first niece was born the beginning of September! I got to meet her finally this past weekend. She is so tiny and precious! Her name is Molly.

My brother, Devin, and his wife Missy came to visit for a few days. Devin is going to Dental School in Omaha at Creighton and was having his fall break so they came to see us! It was so fun to have them stay with us.
The kids loved meeting Molly!

Lawson is definitely Tyson's son- full of personality!

Makayla (20 months) and Porter (almost 5 months)

The Thompson grandkids!

Lucky for us the fair was in Dallas while Devin and Missy were here! Tuesdays you could get in for $3 a person (instead of $15!!) with a can of Dr. Pepper, which was "invented" in Waco, just an hour south of us! :) We parked at Tyson's work for $3 and took the train instead of paying $15 for parking. We are so frugal! ;)

Devin and Mack waiting for the train

Makayla and Porter waiting for the train

Devin, Missy, Mack, and Molly

Tyson, me, Lawson, Makayla, and Porter

I've only been to the Blackfoot, Idaho fair so this was an eye-opener for me! :) There was so much to do and see. We only got to about an 1/8th of the way through it. It was a fun day.

The Food

I was excited to try the fried food that is famous at the fair. There's a contest each year for the best fried food. This year fried frito pie won. I didn't try it but we did try fried pizza, cookie dough, peanut butter, jelly, and banana sandwich, and cheesecake. My favorite was the sandwich! Yum!!

We were sitting there eating and Devin came over with this giant pickle! Ha ha!

We went and saw these cows. They were just tied to a fence thing and that's it. No fence around them or anything. It was interesting. Makayla got close.

We did the petting zoo. There were so many different types of animals. It was great. Mack and Makayla loved the goats.

There was a giraffe.

I've never been this close to one before.

It would eat out of your hand too.

This zebra was born just a couple of days before we were there. It was so cute and tiny. I'm a girl- I like cute tiny things. :)

Then there was the GIANT pig! His face is on the right side. I couldn't tell at first. He was like 1500 pounds or something ridiculous like that.

Devin and Missy rode a crazy flip-you-upside-down-ride. My kids giggled as they watched them being flung about.

Then there was this guy. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it. It's an optical illusion of some sort. Tyson tried to explain it to me. Crazy is all I have to say.

Mack and Makayla are 2 weeks apart in age. They had their struggles during the visit. Makayla is aggressive and Mack is not. :) She likes to push and Mack would cry. He was scared of her most of the time.

But hugged it out in the end.

Thanks for coming! Come see us again soon!!

Conference Weekend

2010-10-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

Tim, Ally, Oliver, and JJ came to visit again during Conference weekend. It was fun to have them stay with us again. Lawson was more interested in watching Conference than I thought he would be. This was me sneaking a shot of him watching. So cute!

Tim "watching" Conference too! :)

The burrito babies.
At one point Tim had them all wrapped up in the same blanket so they couldn't get out. They enjoyed it!

JJ enjoying the toy my friend let me borrow. Porter is still a bit too little to like sitting in it. He's a little too wobbly.

I love JJ's face in this one.

They are coming again for Thanksgiving and again around Christmas time so we can take them to the airport to fly to England for the holidays. Can't wait to see you guys again! :)

Just some random pictures...

2010-10-15T19:27:00.001-07:00

Here's some pictures from the last month.

Since football season started, Tyson has been getting up with the kids on Saturday mornings. He lets me sleep-in for a bit while he cleans. Sometimes he takes the kids to get a few groceries. On this particular day, he had taken Lawson and Makayla to the store. He had dressed the kids and left before I woke up. This is what he had dressed Makayla in.

Her shoes happen to be a pair of Lawson's old shoes. :)

Lawson and I read 10 books this summer and sent in for this shirt. It was a program the local grocery store was doing. The store is HEB, which was Tyson's favorite place on his mission (he served in southern Texas). The grocery store is awesome! They have a "mascot" for the store called HE Buddy, which is a paper grocery bag filled with groceries with a face on it. Anyway, that is who is on his shirt and he loves wearing it!

Tyson usually takes the car once a week so we were homebound this summer with the hot weather. We had to get creative. My friend, Jena, made some fun suggestions to me about keeping kids entertained. One day, we made cars out of boxes and string and the kids ran around the house pretending to be cars.

Lawson was a plane.

One night I went in to check on Lawson. I happened to notice his closet. Do you notice anything OCD ish? The hangers? Color coordinated? I didn't do it and Tyson didn't do it. I thought it was cute. Should I be worried? :)

A different night I went to check on him and this is what I found. He has a detachable rail on his bed and must have put too much weight on it and took a tumble. We didn't hear anything and he didn't wake up.

What a weirdo! :)

Makayla found these glasses of Lawson's. She loves wearing them!

My three stooges! Aren't they so cute?!

Porter's Blessing

2010-09-18T20:46:00.000-07:00

Tyson blessed Porter on September 5th. Tim and Ally (Tyson's brother) came for it as well as Tyson's work partner. It was a fun day.

Porter and Dad

Porter and Mom

Dad and Mom w/ Porter

Porter and his best cousin, JJ! Love it!

All the Oblad cousins on Porter's blessing day.

(Lawson, Oliver, Porter, JJ, and Makayla)

First Visitors...

2010-09-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

We had our first out-of-town visitors a couple of weeks ago! Tyson's brother, Tim, and his wife, Ally, and their 2 boys Oliver and JJ came for a quick visit from Lubbock, Texas where Tim is going to school at Texas Tech. We hadn't seen them in 3 months, which has been a huge change from when we lived a few blocks from each other in Utah. JJ is about 3 weeks older than Porter so it was really fun to compare the 2 boys. Porter's head is ginormous but they are close to the same size. We would sit them in front of each other and they would smile and coo at each other. It was so cute!

Porter & JJ

I love this picture!

Porter and his head :)

Uncle Tim and 4 of the cousins (Porter is on top)

Uncle Tyson and 3 of the cousins.

One of the reasons they came to visit was to kickoff the football season with BYU's first game of the season. Tyson, Tim, and Ally all graduated this past April from BYU and they would come over for every away game so it was fun to have them kickoff the season with us. It was nice to have family over. We all wore our BYU blue. (Lawson took this picture!)

A little note about Tyson: each week he makes this schedule (shown on the clipboard above) of all the games he wants to watch on Saturday with what channels they are on and what time they start. We have a small tv we keep in our room and he brings that out each Saturday so he can keep up with all the college football that is going on! The watching of the football starts about 10 am and goes for a good 12 hours or more. That's what Saturdays are like in the Oblad house during college football season. I must say, Tyson has a pretty awesome wife to allow such behavior. :) I should add: Tyson lets me sleep-in every Saturday morning and takes care of the kids, does dishes, laundry, and picks up while I sleep! So it's a great trade-off for me.

Ally, JJ, and Lawson getting ready for the game to start.

The brothers (Tim and Tyson w/ Makayla in the middle)

Oliver and Lawson

We're glad we had our out-of-state visitors over! Tyson blessed Porter the following day so it was nice to have family come for that.

Lawson's Imagination...

2010-09-09T19:33:00.000-07:00

Today Lawson and I were eating lunch together (I think Makayla had finished her lunch and was taking her nap-- she's in the "terrible twos" and I look forward to her nap!). Anyway, we were eating lunch and we were talking about a friend's house that we had been to yesterday, which is ginormous. I was commenting on how fun it would be to have a big house someday. Lawson was talking about their stairs (he loves throwing things down the stairs) and said, "We could get some stairs. We could just buy them from HEB (a local grocery store) and glue them on the ceiling." I asked him where the stairs would go and he said, "We can just push the ceiling up and they could go up." It was very cute.

He can write his name now. I have to tell him the letters but he did this all on his own. My favorite is the fat "A" in Oblad. I giggled when he did it. :)

Ha Ha!

2010-08-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

Last night I was laying by Lawson talking with him (usually when the good and funny conversations happen) and we were talking about church. It started when I was helping him say his nightly prayer. I told him to say "thank you that we could go to church." He said, "thank you we could go to church even though I didn't want to." So afterwards I was telling him why we go to church (to learn about Jesus, take the sacrament, see our friends, etc). We got to talking about Heavenly Father and how we came here to get a body like Him and when we die we will live with Him again. He then said, "I can make Makayla dead and then she can live with Heavenly Father!" Ha ha! I told him we wanted to have Makayla live with us for a long time. I told him that hopefully we live until we are old until we die. He got a really sad look on his face and tears in his eyes and said, "I don't want to get old." I asked him why and he said, "because it will hurt me." He went on to talk about his fingers and how they will fall off or something. He's such a funny kid!

Lawson

2010-08-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

Today Lawson was sitting on the floor playing with one of our old cell phones, which the kids use as toys now. He had slid the back of the phone off to look inside and then slid it back on. He said, "I fixed it!" He stood up and said, "I am Lawson Oblad: Fixer." It was pretty cute.

He wanted to send a drawing to his aunt the other day. I told him he should write his name on it. He usually doesn't like to write letters or numbers because he doesn't think he can do it very well- not sure where he got that information from. He didn't complain but took the pen and I told him the letters to write and he wrote each one and spelled out his entire first and last name. It was so sweet! I didn't know he could do it! It was pretty great.

People

2010-08-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

Being in Texas we are surrounded by all different races and cultures. We've had some funny experiences being out of the "bubble" (Provo, Utah- which has a lot of different races and cultures as well but it seems more prevalent here).

1. When we first got here we went to the Waffle House, which is a diner where there is a smoking and non-smoking section, which really is just one big smoking section because it's a small place. So our waitress was a latin woman, lots of latins in Provo, no big deal. She had shaved her eyebrows and drew them exaggerated with a maveish color eyeliner, I'm sure you've seen that done before. Apparently Lawson hadn't. He said to her, "your eyebrows are different." Fortunately, she was talking to Tyson to get our order and didn't hear him. So he said it louder, "your eyebrows are different!" I gave Lawson the "look" and told him to shush. Pretty sure she didn't understand what he was saying in the loud restaurant. After she left we gave him a little talk about how all people are different and we don't talk about the things they may have on their face or body. Just then someone lit up a cigarette behind him (we had seated ourselves in the smoking section because in Utah there is no smoking allowed indoors in public places and we didn't even think of it being different anywhere else- another shock!). Lawson said, "mom, that man's stick thing has fire on it" as he stared at the man smoking. Another little talk took place telling him about smoking (something we didn't see much of in the "bubble.").

2. I had to take the 3 kids with me to an appointment. We were seated in a cubicle talking to an African American lady and she was getting information from me. Lawson noticed her front gold tooth. He said, "Mom, that lady has a gold tooth. I want one!" The lady said, "Oh, you don't want one of these." Fortunately, she was cool about it and it turned out to be funny.

3. Today we went to a mall in Dallas to let the kids play on the play area they have up there. Because it was a Saturday, and the Saturday before school starts, and "tax-free in Texas" day, it was incredibly busy! There were tons of kids in the play area. I was looking around feeling a little homesick for Provo where there are more people like me- same beliefs, race, tradtions, etc. when I saw Lawson playing with this tiny little Indian girl (not Native American but actual Indian:)) who was just learning to walk. He was being so sweet with her and giving her hugs. At one point he was on his knees and she was standing up in front of him. She put her little brown hand on his pale pale face and, at that moment, everything was ok for me. I don't know if I had an epiphany or something but everyone around became children of God in my eyes and I felt a lot better. God works in mysterious ways and today he worked through Lawson and a precious little Indian girl!

Makayla-- 18 Months!

2010-08-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

Makayla turned 18 months just 3 days ago! I can't believe it! She has her doctor appointment in a couple of weeks-- stats to come!

I gave her her first real haircut (the best I could) yesterday to trim off the wispy baby hair. This was right before the haircut (an "after" picture will be posted later). There wasn't much to work with, as you can tell, but I think it might grow faster with healthier ends.
She is a sassy little girl. She walks with her shoulders and is such a cute little stinker. I often times find her sitting on her baby brother in his swing.
She's loves giving hugs and squeezes when she does.
Her newest word is "neener neener neener!"
She finally got her bottom canine teeth and is working on the top ones still. She's very "prissy" lately with eating and doesn't eat much-- didn't learn that from me. :) Although she loves anything sweet.

She is very silly and has the best laugh. She says "hi" to everyone she meets and loves people. She doesn't seem to be scared of anyone. She does great in nursery (we took her earlier than normal! Soooo grateful!) and loves going each week. She loves socializing. We love her and are grateful she's in our family!

What we've been up to

2010-08-15T18:21:00.001-07:00

Finally got some pictures downloaded onto the computer.

This is the lizard that came to visit featured in this post. It was on the wall and then scurried behind the blinds to the window.

You gotta have a naked baby picture!

One thing I loved about our place when we came to look at it was the farm behind our house! There are 2 horses, 2 goats, and a donkey. We like to feed them carrots, watermelon rinds, and grass. This horse (pictured) in particular will come to the fence if he sees us come outside. He loves to eat!

Notice the fence. Pretty sure it's from the horse trying to eat our grass. Makes me a little nervous. Makayla doesn't like the horse. She will stand at the gate to the frontyard unless we are holding her when we are in the backyard.

Here's the peanut gallery I call my kids.

Porter is getting so chubby! I love it! A lady at the grocery store yesterday asked me if we was 6 months. I laughed and said he was only 2 months! He's a big guy!

Lawson got tired of posing and went back to "the zone" while watching tv. It's hard to get him out of "the zone" when he gets into it. I love that Makayla and Porter are nearly the same size!

Porter laughed for real today for the first time. We were in church but it was so cute! I love his smiles and giggles! He will be 3 months in 5 days-- I can't believe it!

Check out those arm rolls! Love 'em!

Technology Hates Us!

2010-08-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

Remember this post? There's a list I added in the post of all the crap that had happened to us that month. A lot of the stuff was technology-related. The technology monster has hit us once again. Our laptop quit on us AGAIN!! This is our second laptop! We've only had it since the end of May so our receipt was still good and we could exchange-- thankfully! The same day our GPS (that we've only had since Christmas), which we rely heavily on since moving to a new state, died on us too!!! Seriously??! I think my phone is probably next to bomb on us. The corner of it has broken off. I'm really getting sick of stuff like this happening! When it rains, it pours for us I guess. It's been a bad day! I don't even want to think about what's next on the technology monster's list. Bleh!

Real World...

2010-08-07T09:01:00.000-07:00

Tyson took the 3-day Bar exam last week! He won't find out his score until Oct/Nov sometime. So we get to play the waiting game some more BUT no more studying!!! It's been so nice. He started his first full-time work week. He's working with another BYU graduate (3 years ago) who started this firm around this past December. Right now they are focusing their energy on immigration law, which is easy to start out on and Dallas is a good place for it. Neither of them have much experience in it so they're learning as they go. I think it's a lot of paperwork so it's easy to learn. Tyson is loving it. This weekend they are at a hispanic chamber of commerce convention and have a booth to get more clients. Tyson has been interested in immigration law since his mission (southern Texas) and is way happy to be in Texas doing it! So now that Tyson isn't in school anymore and isn't studying, I feel like we are officially in the real world! I guess maybe once we start paying back student loans, then it will be more "real world."

I've started to try and take this baby weight plus more off. I'm embarrassed to say that I lost 15 lbs after I had Porter only to turn around and gain 23 lbs-- it's all the delicious Texas food, especially barbeque and Blue Bell ice cream! So far this week I've lost 3 lbs. I have 70 lbs to lose to get to wedding day weight and then 20 lbs to get to the ultimate goal. I have a LONG road ahead! Hopefully by this time next year I'll be there! I've always wanted to run a race so I have a goal to run a 5K. I've been using this website to train. I've read things that say that you shouldn't run any kind of race until you have 6 months of running under your belt so I may wait until Spring to run one. I wanted to run one this Fall so we'll see. Anyway, wish me luck on my battle of the bulge! I will occasionally update my progress.

We are getting a bit more used to life in Texas. I still really miss my family and friends and nice grass. It's hard to have ward friends 15 minutes away- I'm still trying to adjust to that but we are doing well nonetheless. I will get some pictures posted soon.

Texas Creatures

2010-07-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

Moving from one climate-type to another, I was nervous about the creatures I would encounter (ie- roaches and spiders). I have been a little surprised at the things I've seen so far. One night I came home from the grocery store. I walked up to the front door and to my surprise was a frog sitting on the front door! He was so cute!

A week or so ago, I walked down our half gravel driveway to get the mail. I noticed something moving on the ground. I wasn't sure what it was but it had claws and what I thought was a lobster tail. It was on its hind legs with its claws open ready to fight. I came back to the house and told Tyson that there was a lobster in our driveway! He laughed and went out to see what it was. He came back in and told me it was a crawfish. Aren't fish supposed to be in water? :)

A couple of nights ago Tyson and I were sitting in the livingroom with the lights off watching tv. I saw something out of the corner of my eye moving on the wall. I looked over and saw it move again. I told Tyson who jumped up and turned the light on. It was a lizard!! On our wall!! It was just a little gecko who ran like the dickens. Lawson was still trying to go to sleep so I went in there and told him to come see the lizard. The 3 of us finally caught the little guy after about 5 minutes and then threw him out onto the grass.

I'm hoping this is the extent of the "creatures" I will come across. I can't handle big spiders and gross roaches, although I have seen a couple of cocroaches. Bleh!

Lawsonisms...

2010-07-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

We were at our WIC appointment last week. I asked the nurse something and she answered with, "Yes ma'am." Lawson said to her, "You think she's a man?" I, along with the nurse and those within hearing distance, laughed our heads off.

We were getting out of the car and I was unbuckling Lawson's booster seat. I helped him out and he said, "Thanks, sweetheart!" ha ha!

He LOVES the movie Up and has been watching it a lot lately. The other day I asked him to throw something away in the garbage. He quickly jumped up and said, "Old man coming through" on his way to throw it away.

What a cooky kid! He can be so hilarious!

Pictures.. finally!

2010-07-13T20:05:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures of the last month.

We got all packed up from Provo to move to Texas. Notice the beautiful grass-- there isn't such a thing here in Texas. :(

We said good-bye to dear friends and family. We really miss the Andersons. They were our best friends in Provo.

We took the long trip to Texas. I actually took the kids up to Idaho for almost 2 weeks while Tyson moved our stuff down and took a little graduation/retirement trip with his dad, brother, and sister in the southern part of Texas.

We love it down here. People are so nice here- I've been REALLY impressed by the hospitality of everyone.

Things I miss:

*Family and friends

*Grass (I've become obssessed for some reason with how not sitable the grass is)

*The mountains

*Dryness

*Lots of free babysitters!

Things I Love Here:

*Lots of trees and greeness

*Southern hospitality

*The park in our town- it has 3 different playgrounds and tons of huge trees for shade!
*Blue Bell ice cream- I've gained 10 lbs. since I've been here!

*Our house- it's tons bigger than our old place (I don't miss that part at all!) We even have a little laundry room!!

*Lots of other stuff :)

It's been hard keeping the kids busy while Tyson studies here at home for the Bar he's taking the end of July. Can't wait till that's over!

Isn't this the sweetest girl you've ever seen! :)

The dentist's daughter in me comes out when I look at her teeth, notice the wear marks on her front teeth from her pacifier and think that I should get her off it. But then she screams her blood-curdling scream and I don't care anymore- ha ha. :)

She likes to point at things. Recently, when she points she wiggles her finger at the same time. It's hilarious.

This is a good picture for the pacifier teeth. :)

My kids are definitely Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-types. In this picture they are so cute and nice to each other. They often cuddle with each other on the couch and give each other random hugs but most of the time Lawson is chasing Makayla around, pushing, taking toys, tackling, smothering with pillows or blankets, and other such things. What a life!

Crazy things that have happened in the last month:

*Our computer crashed beyond repair (a little more than a month ago)

*Our laptop crashed and we had to replace it

*Tyson's phone crashed/died and we had to replace it

*Our housing plans fell through before our actual move and we had to change plans at the last minute to a whole different city (still near Dallas but just a different suburb--long story)

*Our washer and dryer died on the same day- the washer died in the middle of a cycle with water still in it. We had to replace both of them.

*Our entertainment center broke in the move so we had to buy a new one.

*Tyson was nice and took Lawson and Makayla to the grocery store for me. After loading groceries into the car, Tyson slammed the trunk down on our SUV and didn't know Lawson was standing there. They had a trip to the emergency room (we don't have insurance yet!)-- see above picture. Instead of stitches they did special skin glue and glued it back together.

*All of this has happened and we don't have an income yet. :)

But we're managing to get by somehow! Aren't these the cutest guys ever! :) Even though crap keeps happening life is still good!

I just had a WIC appointment and Porter weighed 14 lbs at 7 weeks!!! He's at 24 inches also. When he was born he was 8 lbs 11 oz and 21 inches. He's growing like crazy. He's smiling and cooing and I'm loving it!

We are slowly getting used to this new life down here. We've made a few friends from the ward. There's a cute little boy in Lawson's primary class in church. The rest of the class is just a bunch of girls. :) Lawson said he and his little friend both had time-out on Sunday because they were being noisy. The girls just sit there quietly- ha ha! Boys.

Life is good!

Eye Candy...

2010-07-03T22:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure...

My siblings love writing on people's faces and my kids were willing to oblige.

Grocery Shopping

2010-07-02T19:49:00.001-07:00

I made my first debut to the grocery store with 3 kids today and didn't have any mishaps! It was a challenge but I managed. I did, however, get the wrong meat for dinner and I forgot the milk.

PS- as I'm sitting here at 9:50 pm I can hear the nasty bugs outside hitting the window as they are trying to fly into the house. I'm so glad I'm inside- bleh!

We are Texans!

2010-06-25T19:49:00.000-07:00

We have officially moved to Texas, found a place, moved in, and are partly unpacked. It's been an INSANE week and a half. The kids, my sister, and I flew down to Dallas from Salt Lake on June 14th. We lived in 4 different hotels in a week's time while looking for a place to live. Tyson was also trying to study for the Bar during all the craziness. My sister left that Friday morning and I cried! It was a really hard week. It felt like we'd never find a place and we'd be stuck in a hotel forever.

A week after we had flown down we found a cute little house and met the landlord to take a look inside. We fell in love with it. Talked about it and signed a lease later that day. We moved in the next morning. We had been to church and met some people so a wonderful lady from the ward watched Makayla and Lawson for 3 hours while Tyson and I went to the storage unit to load our stuff up. By the time I had gotten back to the storage unit after dropping the kids off, Tyson had about 1/2 of the stuff loaded! I helped load the rest of the stuff up and then went and picked the kids up and took them to the house to meet the landlord to get our key. Another lady from the ward met us at our house and helped us unload everything.

So we've been here 3 days now and have been trying to unpack and figure out where to put everything. We live in a cute town 30 minutes south of Dallas called Waxahachie. It's very country. The people who share our back fence have 2 horses and 2 goats! Tonight we went out there to see them and one of the horses came to the fence to see us. It's so fun! I've also heard a rooster a few times. I will get some pictures of the place soon.

Porter is doing well. He's growing out of his 3 month clothes already. He just turned 5 weeks yesterday. I can't believe it! He's a cute boy.

Tyson is feverishly trying to catch up with his Bar studying with all the days he missed with moving and the days being in the hotel where he wasn't able to study very well. He takes the test in 30 days. I look forward to that being over!

Life is going well for us. I will update more later!

pictures!!!

2010-05-21T11:12:00.001-07:00

Here are the long-awaited pictures!

The night before the hospital. This is only 1 of 2 belly pictures I took of my entire pregnancy!

We arrived at the hospital at 6:30am to be induced. Ready to get this baby out!

The AMAZING view from our hospital window on the delivery floor.

Presenting Porter Reynolds Oblad

He was born at 5:38pm on May 20th, 2010. He took FOREVER to get here but with only 4 pushes in 3 minutes he was out! He weighed 8 lbs 11 oz and was 21 inches long!! (Lawson was 7 lbs. 13 oz and 20 1/2 inches long; Makayla was 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 19 inches). I could tell he was going to be a big baby!

Picture with mom and dad

Hey world!

He hated his first bath :)

Getting all clean

All clean and fuzzy

Excited big brother!

He asked me how the baby came out of my tummy. We had to have a watered down anatomy talk. :)

I was holding Porter when the kids came in and Makayla got a cute surprised look on her face when she saw the baby. She loves him!

First family picture. We've got our hands FULL!!

Grandma Lynnie's 4th grandbaby.

Not quite 24 hours old.

He's a great baby! He hasn't really cried much- even when I change his diaper. He seems to be a pretty relaxed baby. We love him and are glad he's in our family.

BirthTracker Live

2010-05-20T05:34:00.000-07:00

This is SportsCenter-nuh nuh nuh, nuh nuh nuh!

Welcome to our coverage of the 2010 birth of another Oblad child. From time to time we will be going live to senior espn web birth analyst/therapist Tyson Oblad, who will provide us with updates on the status of mom, baby and the often overlooked father. It looks like we have Tyson right now ready to give us the latest news, Tyson?

Thanks, Tyson, it's a pleasure to be on the show. It's been just over a year since I last joined you. At this juncture, there is very little to report but, as a quasi-news agency, I will provide you with a few facts and then speculate as my imagination dictates.

We arrived at the hospital at 6:30 am and, after going over some paperwork, got to our room at 7:00 am. The nurse came in shortly thereafter and is now in the process of preparing to administer pitocin. Please standby for more updates as they become available. Now, let me speculate a bit. We're not sure, but it might be somewhat possible that Sara is carrying as many as 10 to 12 children. Although unlikely for many reasons, it is something we just simply can't rule out at this time.

8:00 am update: still awaiting the pitocin, though Sara has started to have some minor contractions on her own
8:30 update: pitocin administered, countdown begins!
9:15 update: contractions closer together; nurse just doubled the pitocin dosage-should start getting crazy soon
10:15 update: nothing to report-things have slowed a bit; it may be a while before there is a new update
12:30 update: they've slowly been increasing the pitocin dosage, but we still aren't seeing the progress they expect; Sara's doctor will be in soon to break her water-I suggested using a little person to gently jump up and down on Sara's belly. Apparently that's just not "conventional" enough for some people. Geez.
2:00 update: Dr. Savage just got here to break Sara's water; contractions have gotten steadily more severe
2:30 update: It took a while, but I'm finally over the fact that my little people idea didn't fly. In other news, Sara had her epidural and things are starting to speed up a bit.
4:30 update: Finally have some really good news, but some bad news too. First the good news: I had an amazing club sandwich from Blimpie. And now for the bad news: Sara couldn't have any and I felt bad. Nothing new to report.
4:45 update: Dilated only 5 cm's, but 90% effaced
5:15 update: Contractions are ramping up a bit in intensity and frequency.
5:20 update: now 10 cm and fully effaced. Should be really soon. I'll keep updating as much as I can
5:25 update: Twins!!! I don't believe it-twins!!! They're showing Minnesota Twins highlights on espn right now!
5:25 update #2: Sara says "don't make me laugh or the baby will fall out!" Sorry, Sara, but I can't just switch off from being funny! It's a gift and a curse, kind of like the Incredible Hulk but without the green skin, foreign accent and bad acting. We'll probably start pushing in a bit, just waiting for the doctor (who has two other patients in labor today)
5:30 update: The pushing will begin shortly. Sara thinks it'll just take 3 pushes/contractions. I'm too much of a wuss to go $1 Price is Right on her, so I'll go with 4.
5:35 update: The pushing begins!
5:40 update: It's a boy!!!
Post game wrap up: Mom and baby are doing healthy, and everyone is doing well!!!
8 lbs 11 oz., 21 inches.

A final word: Today's game had two MVP's, Sara (of course) and the new baby, whose name will be unveiled tomorrow, along with pictures.

Almost here...

2010-05-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

I'm getting induced in 4 days!! I can't believe the time is here already! I'm getting induced only 6 days earlier than my due date mostly because we are moving on June 3rd. Although, with Makayla I was set to be induced 6 days early and she came the day before we were supposed to go in. I'm hoping that will happen again. I'm going to have Tyson update the blog during labor so you can know the timing of everything and know what's going on. It's also way nice to look back on and compare. Anyway, so stayed tuned for a new baby! I'm freaking out!

Funnies

2010-05-16T20:27:00.000-07:00

A couple of funny things I wanted to remember:

The other day I was in the grocery store in the Mexican aisle. I was looking at rice and this girl walked up looking at rice also. She picked up a huge bag and told me she had a weird question. She said I was a mom so maybe I could tell her. :) She was going to be making the socks with rice in them that you warm in the microwave so she was wondering if the bag of rice she was holding was regular and not instant rice. The funny thing is she couldn't have been much younger than me, at least I thought so. It made me feel old that since I was "a mom" I would know the answer. ha ha!

I took the kids to the park a few days ago. I was sitting down with Makayla. There were a bunch of kids there about 7 years old. The girls kept wanting to hold Makayla and help her go down the slide. There was a boy and girl over talking to us and during our conversation the boy whispered, "Are you pregnant?" I told him I was and he said, "Wow. You are really skinny for being pregnant!" Bless his heart! I wanted to give him a huge hug. :) It made my day.

We were up in Salt Lake at Tyson's dad's. Lawson was sitting at the table and picked up a utensil in plastic- the kind that you'd get from KFC or something like that. He said, "This is a spork." I thought he might have said "fork" so I asked him again what it was called and he said again, "spork." I asked where he learned about sporks. He said from Olivia, which is a cute kids show about a pig and her pig family. Her "fancy" friend at school came to lunch with a spork in her lunchbox and Olivia thought that was so cool. Lawson had remembered that. It's funny what kids pick up on.

Tonight we had just gotten done with reading the Book of Mormon simplified with the pictures and stuff. We read about Samuel the Lamanite and I told Lawson that tomorrow we were going to read about when Jesus was born. Lawson asked where Jesus was so we had a little conversation about that and how Jesus hears our prayers and he can protect us. He said that Jesus could hold him and protect him from the sharks. It was very sweet.

What the future holds...

2010-04-28T19:35:00.000-07:00

Tyson did it! He graduated!! It was a bittersweet day. It was wonderful to know that we're done with school but sad to think of leaving friends as we all go our separate ways. I've made some amazing friends and have had some great experiences while Tyson has been in school. Right now we're enjoying a little bit of time off until Tyson gets his materials needed to begin studying for the bar.

Our future plans have been somewhat complicated with TONS of details we've had to work out. Let's start from the beginning: Tyson applied to a job in Seattle as well as Pocatello, Idaho. The Seattle job was through a career fair held in Portland, Oregon. He got an email saying they wanted to interview him. He left a few days later and interviewed up there. Not too long after, he got a call for an interview for the Pocatello firm. We went up to Idaho and he interviewed. On our way back to Idaho Falls (where my family lives), he got a call from the Seattle people saying they wanted another interview. We were trying to figure out when he should go and decided that since we were in Idaho and my family was willing to watch the kids AND it was his week break from school, that we should go up right away. We left the next day and made the drive up there for the second interview. The interview went well and they told him he wouldn't find out about their decision until Mayish.

While we were in Seattle, Tyson received an email from a friend who had graduated from BYU's Law School 4 years earlier. For some background on him: he just recently started his own firm (in the last few months) in Dallas, Texas with another BYU graduate from last year. His partner had applied to a job in Idaho and was going to leave the firm if he got the job or not so he and his wife could be closer to family. The reason for the email was he was asking Tyson if he knew of anyone looking for an attorney position. Tyson explained his 2 possibilities he had going on but said he was interested and the friend said to keep him in mind. It turns out that the partner who had applied for the Idaho job had actually applied for the same Pocatello job as Tyson. We found out recently he ended up getting the position. Because of the newness of the firm and all the unknowns that come with that, we've been a little hesitant with accepting the job. We still haven't heard from Seattle and probably won't for a few more weeks. We've decided to take a leap of faith and move to Dallas. We've been trying to get all the details figured out with the birth of our baby and all that. Before we decided to move to Dallas, Tyson surprised his dad with a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico (in his mission of course!!) with him and his siblings for his dad's retirement. That trip takes place beginning on June 5th. I am being induced on May 20th. We've decided to coincide our moving adventure with their fishing trip so we can have a little help unloading the truck. Tyson will leave with his family in a moving truck and drive the 24 hours to Dallas (not all in one day!). He will then unload our stuff and continue on their trip down south. In the meantime, the kids and I are going to come up to Idaho and stay with my family for about 10 days and then my sister is going to fly out with me and the kids to Dallas. I have to say, I am VERY nervous about the flying thing. The baby will be just less than a month old and I will have THREE kids!! Thank goodness for my sister! Tyson will be back to Dallas by this point and his family will be on their way back to Utah so he will be able to pick us up from the airport.

Tyson will study for the bar and take the exam the end of July in Texas. Hopefully by this point we will have heard back from Seattle. Tyson wants to try out this Dallas job and get a better feel for it before making a definite decision. If Seattle says yes, then we will have a big choice to make but will probably end up staying in Dallas. So that's the plan right now.

We've had to figure out our whole housing situation and haven't found anything definite yet, but have some promising places to be able to rent. We have been on a government housing program that helps pay with rent while we've been in school and we will still qualify for it once we've moved to Texas because Tyson won't be making money for a few months with all the bar stuff and then because of the newness of the firm. That has been a headache trying to learn how to do the transfer and all that comes with that. So for now it's a waiting game. Waiting for the baby to come, waiting for a house, waiting for our paperwork to go through, and everything else! It's exciting! :) We're grateful for the opportunities that lie ahead but are also grateful for the opportunities we've had while being here in Utah and for the education Tyson has received.

I've got lots of pictures that I need to post so I will do that when I get some time.

Lawson Funnies

2010-03-05T12:57:00.000-08:00

There is this dried up, dead flower plant in front of our house that has fuzzy things where the flowers used to be- it looks a lot like dandelion fluff but harder to blow. Anyway, during the summer Lawson LOVES to blow dandelion fluff and screams bloody murder if he sees one and we don't stop. He found this lovely plant out front and was ecstatic. I was visiting with a friend and could hear Lawson whispering something over by the plant. I listened intently but could only make out "I wish, I wish..." and then he would blow the fluff. I asked him what he was saying and he said, "I wish, I wish with all my heart- to be a man!!" Then he would blow the fluff. I laughed hysterically! I asked him where he learned that and he told me from Little Bear- one of his favorite shows. I guess I haven't seen that episode. :) I think the man part is from the Spongebob movie. It was hilarious!

The other day Lawson was playing in our unfenced backyard (can't wait to move somewhere with a fenced-in backyard!!) while I did the dishes in the kitchen and could watch him from the window. At one point I couldn't see him, so I called out and he came back from being in the frontyard. I told him to come talk to me. I proceeded to tell him that there are naughty and mean people who like to take kids away so they will never see their moms and dads again. We talked about it for a minute and then he continued playing. He kept saying stuff like, "Mom, I can use this stick and the mean people won't take me." Later that evening, we had Family Home Evening about strangers. We talked about what a stranger was and then Tyson did an activity where he flipped through the channels on tv and would pause it on a person and ask Lawson if that person was a stranger. Then we would show him a picture of a family member and ask if that person was a stranger. He wasn't quite getting it but towards the end, it was clicking a little more. Three days later, our landlord sent a guy to come clean some mold we've had growing. Lawson and I were eating lunch and Lawson said, "Mom, is that man a stranger?" I told him he was but it was ok for Lawson to talk to him because mom was there. It was so precious and I was amazed he was still thinking about the lesson we had tried teaching him that I thought hadn't sunk in.

Yesterday I was getting lunch ready and I asked Lawson to help me with something. I told him thank you and he said, "my pleasure." ha ha!

What a Week!!

2010-02-21T20:58:00.001-08:00

This past week, Tyson had his week-long break for the semester (his last one ever!). It's a good opportunity for the law students to interview and things like that. Anyway, Tyson got a call for an interview in Pocatello at a small firm he applied to. He scheduled during his break so we could come stay in Idaho Falls a couple of days, have the interview, and then go back home. He had his interview, which was supposed to last only 20 minutes and ended up being just over an hour. He felt good about it and should hear back within a month's time if they want a second interview. On our way to get dinner afterwards, he got a call from the agency in Seattle he had his interview with the week before. They wanted a second interview! The guy gave him a few different days to choose from and Tyson said he would check his schedule and flights and get back to him. The next day was Wednesday and we were planning on going back to Provo. Tyson had the fantastic idea that since we were in Idaho already and my parents were willing to watch our kids, that he would try and get his interview for later that week! He called the guy that morning and left a message. We waited around all day for a call back to know whether we were going to Seattle or back to Provo. Finally about 4:00 the guy called back and said Friday would be great to interview. We had packed our stuff by then and were on the road at about 5 with a hotel booked in Boise, which is 4 hours away. We were able to leave the little rugrats behind! It was a great trip and my mom batteries are recharged! We found our Boise hotel on priceline for only $50 and our Seattle hotel for $40 a night! We stayed in Seattle 2 nights. Tyson had his hour long interview with 3 people in the room interviewing him and said he felt good about how he did. We won't find out about this job until about May though, which will kill me, I'm sure- all the waiting! We did a lot of driving around and seeing the city as well as the surrounding cities. The place is BEAUTIFUL! I lived there for the first few years of my life while my dad was in dental school. I don't remember much, but have fallen in love with it. There's tons to do and it's gorgeous! There were already blossoms on a lot of the trees! It was about 50 degrees the whole time we were there! Housing seems to be pretty expensive, which is a downer but I would love to live there. We left Saturday morning and stayed in Boise for only $35! Thank you priceline.com! It was such a fun, spontaneous trip and WONDERFUL without kids! Many thanks to my family!

One thing I must include- we went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner one night in Seattle. We sat down and got ordered and everything and the hostess seats a black couple right next to us. Tyson kept mouthing something to me and I couldn't figure out what he was trying to say. He then started singing under his breath "I like big butts and I cannot lie..." then mouthed "Sir Mix-A-Lot," who is the rapper that raps the big butts song. He quickly googled on his phone a picture of him, who looked a lot like the man sitting next to us! We were trying to figure out if it was him when a guy came up to him and asked if he was Sir Mix-A-Lot. The guy said he was and the fan shook his hand. We tried sneaking a picture with Tyson's phone but it didn't turn out very well. Tyson really wanted a picture of him, so right before we left, Tyson asked if he could get his picture with him. Apparently, Tyson told a friend that he was going to look for Sir Mix-A-Lot on his trip to Seattle because he's from there. Tyson told him that and said when he saw him come sit next to him, Tyson about fell off his chair!

Anyway, we had a great time and hope these interviews will turn out to be beneficial for us! We're grateful for them!

Just Stuff

2010-02-05T09:33:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to post what we've been up to. Tyson is gone right now to a career fair in the northeast. Before the fair he applied to all of the jobs that were hiring graduating law students (there were only 5 or 6). He figured he probably wouldn't get an interview. He got an email about a week ago saying he got an interview with the Social Security department in Portland, Oregon. Supposedly, you can't turn it down, so we booked a flight and a week later, he's gone. His interview is tomorrow but he's been up there for 2 days. It's coming down to the line (graduation is April) and we're getting anxious to get employment. He's really interested in public interest stuff and government jobs as well as immigration law among many other areas of the law. Hopefully, something will come along soon!

I am 24 weeks pregnant now! I was thinking the other day that I haven't taken a single picture of my belly this time around. I guess the newness wears off the third time around. :) He's been moving around a lot lately. This pregnancy seems to be easier than the other 2. I'm still able to do aerobics (even though I go only once or twice a week!). I've learned not to overdo it when exercising. With Makayla, I would go but I must have been working too hard because I was exhausted the rest of the day. I feel good when I take it easy when working out. I take the glucose test at my next appointment- where you drink the really sugary drink and then have your blood taken an hour later to make sure your body is processing it correctly. I can't believe it's to that point already! I think I only have 2 more appointments and then it's every 2 weeks instead of 4! Crazy!

Lawson has been doing a computer preschool that he has loved! It's held in our church building in a computer lab we have (there's also a family history center). I've been told the company that provides the software is testing it out on kids to be able to use in schools. It's free and it's really helped Lawson progress with numbers and letters as well as using the computer. They don't use the keyboard, just the mouse. He's loving it.

Makayla is walking more. She can get up on her own from a seated position and walk a few steps. She still can't quite walk across the room by herself but she wants to! She's so cute when she walks around. She's doing a little bit of sign language-- more, food, cracker, drink. She's really picking up on things we teach her. She loves her belly button and thinks Lawson's is hilarious. If his is showing she will point her little finger, touch it and giggle.

That's all for now. We've got more going on but Lawson is yelling at me to make him lunch-- ahhhh, motherhood!

My Big Girl!

2010-01-19T21:40:00.000-08:00

Makayla has been "close" to walking for about 4 months now. She's been standing for quite some time. We've tried to get her to walk but she just couldn't steady herself. Today she was walking all over the place!! Tyson got her to take 3 steps by herself and then she went to town! She is 11 months now.

Just Bored

2010-01-16T19:51:00.000-08:00

I decided to post mostly because I'm bored. Why you ask? Because there's a basketball game on and watching sports gets really old (especially when it's not BYU). I do get the occasional, "Whoa, check this out" or "You gotta see this play," which really does nothing for me. :) I look forward to when Lawson can enjoy watching games with his dad to get me off the hook. :)

Anyway, Tyson has started his last semester EVER! It's great, but a little worrisome with no job yet for after graduation. Most students have something lined up well before Christmas but this year is bad because not many are hiring because of the economy. Quite a few of Tyson's classmates are in our same situation. He had an interview a week ago and should hear back from them soon (fingers crossed for good news!) He's also thrown around the idea of starting his own law firm. He's doing an externship (unpaid internship) for a firm in Orem this semester for school credit. They specialize in immigration and criminal cases- right up Tyson's alley. He's had great experiences already and is really enjoying it.

For me, I've had a great pregnancy! I was mentioning to Tyson about a week ago that I haven't thrown up at all this pregnancy. I should have knocked on wood because that night I threw up!! I'm 21 weeks- I shouldn't be throwing up! I'm not sure if it was something I ate or what but I was disappointed that I broke my streak. I think I have more energy with this pregnancy than I did with Makayla. It's hard to remember though. Today I went through all of Lawson's clothes that I've been putting in big rubbermaid containers. I got rid of some and then put them in containers according to size. I feel a little more organized now! He has a huge rubbermaid, a medium-sized one and 2 small ones of all the clothes he's had in his life. The med-sized one is just 0-3 months! I think this baby is all set. (Just typing that sentence reminded me that I'm still in shock that I'm pregnant!) I've been feeling him move around more and more. The first time was about 19 weeks. I think I may have felt random kicks here and there before then but it was hard to tell because it was just a little flutter- could have been gas for all I know. :) I am just over 21 weeks now and can't believe I'm past the 1/2 way point.

Makayla and Lawson have been keeping me busy, like normal. Lawson has been sooooooo grumpy this entire week. Most of the time he'll have a bad day and then snap out of it but it's been this entire week. He won't talk to me and tell me what's going on so I have no idea. He gets mad about everything. I bought him a little Y shirt (for BYU) and he got mad and said it was "yucky." The drawer I keep his clothes in in his room has been the top one his whole life. He has to climb up on the changing table to reach his socks and underwear so we talked about moving his stuff down so he can reach better. I did so one morning and he was so upset! I can understand that a little more- me moving all his stuff but it seems like it's just one thing after another! Not quite sure what's going on his little head. I hope this week is better.

Makayla has figured out that if she screams, Lawson will get in trouble and she will get picked up and hugged and kissed. She has been screaming if Lawson touches her and it's getting a little out of hand. If she doesn't get picked up, she will lay her head on the ground and cry and cry. It's actually kind of funny. :) I'm trying to be a little more choosy when picking her up to nip this in the butt. She's going to be a tough little girl with a big brother and now a younger one! She has a little dolly that she gives hugs to and rocks. It is sooo sweet. The other day at aerobics at our church building, she was crawling around and she would pause for a little bit and dance and rock back and forth and then continue to crawl around. I think she crawled up to each person who was there and would do a little dance. It was hilarious.

Well, that's what we've been up to and now I'm getting bored of blogging. :) I'm going to go eat some cereal now.

Ultrasound Results...

2010-01-06T21:07:00.000-08:00

We got our ultrasound yesterday and found out...

With both Lawson and Makayla I had a gut feeling with what they were going to be. I felt this one was going to be a boy and my gut didn't disappoint me again! I was happy with either a boy or girl and Tyson told the doctor he was secretly hoping for a boy. We've talked about names briefly but usually don't get serious with it until it's down to the wire. We both like Cooper but we have nothing set in stone yet. Tyson mentioned Jimmer (BYU basketball player) but I vetoed that right away!

Everything looked great in the ultrasound. The baby is growing right on time- to the day- so my due date has been kept the same- May 26th. I've felt him moving around every now and then. I love that feeling and miss it after my babies are born (except when it's about the 8th and 9th month and the baby thinks you're a trampoline or a punching bag). I'm soooo grateful to be having another healthy baby (as far as we know) and can't wait to see what he looks like.

Lawson's 3-year check-up

2010-01-06T20:48:00.000-08:00

Lawson is a big kid!

He's the size of some 5-year-olds!

Here are his stats from his 3-year check-up:

Height: 42 inches (100th)

Weight: 38 lbs. (93rd)

He is talking really well now and has a great memory. His Grandma Oblad got him a map of the US that has buttons on each state with a voice that says the name of the state. He has about 10 memorized and can point to them and say which state they are.

The other day at Joy School the kids learned about the letter "D." They painted dinosaurs and had D-shaped cookies. They talked about words that began with "D." When Lawson got home he was telling me they learned "D" words so we were listing things that started with "D." We came up with dinosaur, dragon, door, dad, and a few others. Lawson was excited that "dad" started with "D." The rest of the day he was asking me what different words started with. When Tyson got home I told Lawson to tell dad what he had learned at school that day. Lawson thought for a minute and said, "Dad, you're a "B" word!" He was so proud of himself even though he had mixed up "B" with "D". It was HILARIOUS. Tyson just looked at me with a super confused look and I just laughed and then explained.

Lawson is a very friendly and outgoing kid. When he enters a room of people, he enters with the attitude that he's there and the party can now begin! He loves meeting new people and loves the friends he has. He's still learning to share, which most 2 and 3 year olds are still learning and has done a lot better over the last year. We love him and are grateful for him and his great personality!

Makayla's 10-month check-up

2010-01-06T20:42:00.000-08:00

We got Makayla's 9 month well-child check-up a little late (a month late to be exact). She's growing great!

Here are her stats at 10 months:

Height: 28 1/2 inches (75th)

Weight: 19 lbs. 1 oz. (70th)

Head Circumference: 46 1/2 cm (95th)

My kids both have ginormous heads! She is a silly girl and I think she will have a silly personality like Lawson does. If you look closely in the picture you can see a teeny tiny ponytail ontop of her head. It's her first one! She is a little baldy. We love Makayla and are glad she's in our family!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-06T20:21:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas in Idaho again this year. We've spent every year, since we've been married, up there. I'm grateful to Tyson for letting us! My mom and I took Lawson and Makayla to the mall to see Santa.

Waiting in line to see Santa. Lawson posed himself. He's such a silly kid!

Lawson LOVED Santa and just kept talking and talking to him. He told Santa he wanted a candy cane for Christmas- that's all. Turns out "Santa" forgot to get him a candy cane on Christmas Day. He didn't notice. :) Makayla was mesmorized by the bearded man.

My good friend, Sam, bought Lawson a coat for Christmas. He'd been wearing the coat my mom bought him when he was one. It was a size 2T and Lawson is now 4-5T so it was a bit snug. He LOVES his coat and I'm so grateful to Sam for her generosity! He went out and played in the snow a few times while in Idaho. There wasn't very much snow this year for Christmas. Idaho Falls doesn't have a very good plowing system so the roads in the neighborhoods stay white from about November to February or March but this year we could see the road most of the time we were there! There was also grass poking up from under the shallow snow.

My mom and dad made their wonderful Christmas Eve brunch. It was delicious! Lawson was most excited about the candy cane in the hot chocolate. I'm not quite sure what his obsession with candy canes was this year.

Every year the "Elves" ring the doorbell and leave a cute little sleigh on the porch filled with wrapped pajamas for everyone. Lawson was so excited that the sleigh was his size. I forgot to get a picture of him sitting in it.

Christmas morning. We were spoiled again this year. I got a long-awaited Kitchenaid and Tyson got a GPS for our car along with some other things. Lawson and Makayla got clothes and toys.

We had a great Christmas. It was wonderful to spend it with family and enjoy the time off of school. This is our last Christmas break. I'm really sad about that but look forward to stepping into "real life" soon when Tyson graduates in April from Law School.

Happy Anniversary

2010-01-06T20:04:00.001-08:00

On December 17th, Tyson and I celebrated our 5th Anniversary! My parents watched the kids overnight and we stayed in a hotel in Salt Lake. We went to dinner at The Melting Pot (my first time) and went to a movie afterwards. We stayed up late and went out about 1 am to get food just because we could! ha ha!

This was our engagement picture. I had only been off my mission for about 2 months so I'm sporting the sister missionary hair (which Tyson wants me to grow back!) and forgot to take my tacky watch off. haha!

Five years, 6 jobs, an undergrad and almost graduate degree, 2 1/2 kids, and lots of fun later- here we are.........

At The Melting Pot.

It was really good and a really fun change from your typical restaurant. I didn't care too much for the main entree but loved the cheese and chocolate fondues. Yum! It was a great Anniversary and very relaxing. I love you, Tyson.

Quick Post

2009-12-27T20:13:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! I've got a few pics I will get on here eventually. I just wanted to do a quick update on what Makayla has been up to. It seems like just within a short time she is becoming a little person who responds to us. :) She can say a few words now: ma-ma, da-da, ut-oh, and ta-da. If we tell her to say "no" she quickly shakes her head. We're starting with sign language like we did with Lawson. So far she can do the sign for "more," which looks more like her clapping. She can stand by herself for a few seconds at a time. She is so wiggly that it's hard for her to steady herself to walk. She walks when we hold her hand though. She has 8 teeth now (4 on top, 4 on bottom). She LOVES to scream. If Lawson screams, it gets her started and they scream back and forth to each other. Not just yelling, but actual blood-curdling screams! Not so cute! She is so happy and content most of the time. Lawson loves to use her as his wrestling partner and she is learning to take it (he gets a lot of time-outs)! My favorite thing she does is tilts her head back and gives us a big crooked toothy smile. It's hilarious. I can tell she has her brother's silly personality (which is inherited from Tyson, of course!). I think I'm the only normal one in this family! haha. Anyway, more later.

Nothing Much

2009-11-29T20:03:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted for awhile. I always feel like I need to post pictures in order to do a post. I've got pictures but they are still on my camera. I'm too lazy to put them onto the computer. Anyway, we had a good Thanksgiving at Tyson's dad's house in Salt Lake. We had all the usual goodness and of course ate a ton! We stayed the night the night before, which we haven't done since we've had kids, so that was fun. Tyson and his brothers spent most of their time playing video games. It was a nice change for Tyson to unwind a little from school. He has his last week of school coming up and then it's finals! I can't believe how fast this semester has gone. Only one more left!

Lawson had his 3rd birthday (pictures to come). We had a fun little party with a couple of his best friends at Jump On It, which is a big warehouse place with a bunch of trampolines and bouncy castles. They had a blast! It was fun to watch. My mom was able to come down for a couple of days also. We went and saw New Moon and really enjoyed it. I thought it was a lot better quality than Twilight.

Makayla and Lawson have been keeping me busy. I was thinking today how much easier it was to take care of one kid while pregnant and how I thought it was hard at the time. Now with 2 kids and being pregnant it's harder and then I thought about being pregnant with the 4th and having 3 kids to take care of!! It makes me appreciate my mom more and more (she has 6)! I'm grateful to be a mom even though it's the hardest thing I've done. :) Tyson has been amazing with helping me on Saturdays. He lets me sleep-in and then does dishes and laundry (in return for letting him watch football all day!:)) Then if BYU wins their game (like they did last night-suck it Utah--from Tyson), he gives me Sunday off too. He gets to sleep-in but does a lot for me during the day. What a great husband!

Lawson has been doing some really funny things lately and I can't remember all of them. When he gets a timeout he sits for 3 minutes and then I tell him what he's done wrong and give him a hug and then have him appologize to the person he hurt or whatever. Lately after his timeout he asks, "What did I do?" It's actually really cute. We've been reading the scriptures with him lately. We have a Book of Mormon with pictures that we use. He has a great memory and one Monday night we were going to go get ice cream for Family Home Evening after we read from the scriptures. Lawson wanted to go right then so Tyson opened the book to the picture of the Liahona and said, "If you can tell me what this is, we will go get ice cream right now." Lawson thought for a few seconds and then said, "Liahona." He was so proud of himself and we left right then and got ice cream. :) He got some tinker toys from Tyson's grandma last year for Christmas and he's been playing with them a lot. One day I went into his room and there was a pile of the sticks with a round piece on each end. I asked what he was doing and he said, "I'm making bones. These are for dad." I had no idea he knew what bones looked like. haha.

I've been called in our ward to be the Family History teacher, which, at the time, I knew nothing about. The course is 7 weeks and I've been giving the lessons to the Family History Consultants in our ward and then offering it to the ward members once the course if over. It's really been a great calling so far. The church has a new website for family history (http://www.new.familyhistory.org/), which I am addicted to! I've found about 40 people the past couple of weeks who need ordinaces done and I have submitted their names to the temple or are saving a few of the ordinances to do with Tyson. It's really been neat to learn a little more about my ancestors. I found one ancestor who came during the Pilgrim times in the 1620s over to Massachusetts and he was the governor for Massachusetts. I feel the Spirit of Elijah is starting to burn within me. :)

Anyway, that's enough for now. I'll post pictures soon (hopefully!)

Baby Update

2009-11-08T21:37:00.000-08:00

We went to our first prenatal appointment for baby #3! We were able to hear the heartbeat. That always makes things seem more real. I jokingly asked her if she could only hear one heartbeat and she laughed and said sometimes the other one hides behind the one so you can't hear its heartbeat. She said I won't know for sure until my ultrasound in 9 weeks! Freak me out! My due date got moved up a day from what I thought it was, so it's May 26th. I've been feeling pretty good. I feel sick if I start to get hungry so I just keep my stomach full and that seems to help. I usually feel more sick at night for some reason. I haven't thrown up yet and I'm shocked! I'm at 11 weeks right now and you usually start to feel better about 12 weeks so I might go through this pregnancy without barfing! When we first found out we were pregnant, I was trying to explain to Lawson there was a baby in my tummy. He then said, "You eat it?" He was so confused! It was hilarious. Anyway, things are great. We're happy to be adding to our family and still can't believe it's happening!

Lawson's Song

2009-11-01T20:16:00.000-08:00

Lawson has been cracking me up lately. He randomly started reciting a line from Cars the other day. I will try to get it on video. It's hilarious. This video is a song I sing to him. I didn't know he knew most of the words until he started singing it for me. He's so precious! :)

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T20:02:00.001-08:00

I haven't downloaded all my Halloween pictures yet, but I wanted to post one because it may be awhile before I post the rest. I'm slow sometimes. :) Lawson was a BYU football player again this year. I'm not creative when it comes to Halloween I guess. :) Makayla was a BYU cheerleader. I made her tutu in white and gold tulle with blue ribbon and made her pom poms out of blue and white curling ribbon. I thought she looked pretty cute! Oliver, Tyson's brother's son, was the cutest little pumpkin. He would run around in his costume and it would just crack me up! We had a great time trick-or-treating this year. We went to a few houses with Oliver and his parents and then met up with 2 of Lawson's friends from church and their parents (who are are good friends as well). We went out about an hour, longer than I expected to be out, but had a blast! Our bishop had his grill going with hamburgers and hotdogs as well as hot chocolate and chips for all the trick-or-treaters. It was awesome! I will post more pictures shortly. :)

Idaho

2009-10-29T19:51:00.000-07:00

Tyson went to Texas for a week to make some contacts with attorneys down there so we went up to Idaho for the week.

Makayla

My younger brother was peeling potatoes and gave Kayla some sweet brows! This is what my brows would look like if I didn't tweeze! :)

Grandpa Rex took Lawson for a ride on the lawn mower. He loved it!

Grandma Lynnie took us to the Greenbelt at the Snake River to feed the ducks. It was insane! Click here to see the video.

We had a great time in Idaho!

Some Crafts...

2009-10-29T19:41:00.001-07:00

I transformed this

Into this! It's a bow holder for Makayla's bows to clip on.

This is a wipes holder made from a travel wipes container.

Side view.

And another one.

I found some wooden blocks at DI and mod podged them into this.

I have some more blocks that I made while I was in Idaho at my Mom's Super Saturday for Enrichment. I will post pics as soon as I take them. :)

The Beast!

2009-10-29T19:32:00.000-07:00

Shortly after we were married, we decided to hike Y Mountain. I guess it's kind of like having a baby because we had forgotten how hard it really was! The day before the first BYU home game we decided to take Lawson with us and hike the Beast again. Lawson did really well! Tyson carried him on his shoulders for part of the time, but he hiked most of it himself.

Lawson and Dad at the Y

Lawson and Mom (sweating like a man) at the Y.

This is our neighborhood from the Y.

Of course we had to get a picture of the stadium from there!

Random Pics

2009-10-29T19:09:00.000-07:00

Here's just some random pics from the last couple of months.

The 3 of us.

I was baking something. Not sure what but Lawson was helping.

Yummy chocolate

Tyson's LAST first day of school EVER!! You can tell he's totally stoked to take this picture.

Makayla and Lawson riding "Apple Ear." That's what Lawson named him because his ear looks like an apple slice. :)

One of Lawson's bestest friends. He was over and they wanted to watch Cars. Lawson set up all the pillows for them to be comfortable. Such cute little buddies!

Been Awhile for Pics

2009-10-29T18:43:00.000-07:00

I just uploaded pictures from my camera and realized I haven't posted pictures in a long while. These are all pictures from August so Makayla is 6 months old in the pics and Lawson 2 years and 9 months.

Makayla loves her johnny-jump-up. She can stay in there for an hour and be perfectly happy! When Lawson was little, he would only play for 5 minutes and then he was done.

Just thought this was a cute pic.

In August, we went to the Fall Sports Kickoff party at the soccer field, which we do every year! They have some of the sports players there to sign autographs and play games with the kids. The football section is usually the most popular! :) Lawson got a balloon sword from someone who was making them.

Of course they have Bronco Mendenhall, football coach, talk to the crowd and answer questions from the announcers.

Makayla chillin.

Lawson pointing at something.

In the track and field section, they had a little race track set up for the kids to race each other. Lawson is the last one in the picture. Ha ha! He kept wanting to race over and over. We finally had to pick him up and leave!

Clapping

2009-10-17T19:35:00.001-07:00

Makayla clapped for the first time today. I've been trying to get her to clap for awhile now. I was watching the BYU game (I watched the ENTIRE game by myself-- what has Tyson done with me?) and I clapped during a good play and Makayla looked at me, looked down at her hands, and started clapping. It was so cute!!

Video

2009-10-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile. Tyson went down to Texas to make some contacts with some attorneys down there. He met some great people and fell in love even more with living there. :) He didn't visit his mission (the very southern part) but met people in Dallas, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. While he was gone, the kids and I went up to Idaho Falls to spend the week with my family. It was nice to have extra help. While we were there, we went down to the Snake River and fed the ducks. We pulled up to the place where they usually are and got out. As soon as I opened the car door, about 50 ducks and geese were there to greet me! It was insane! We had never seen so many like that. It got a little overwhelming especially with the mean geese that were as tall as Lawson! We had Makayla in the stroller and she freaked out at the sight of all the ducks so I had to hold her the whole time. It was really fun. PS the quality of the video is awful but you get the idea. It was taken from my phone. We have a video function on our camera but there isn't any sound. I think we need a new camera (hint, hint, Santa!)