The Baird Bunch

Catching Up

2009-12-04T00:21:00.006-06:00

Time flies! November was a busy month for us, but fun. The kids had a lot of time off of school and we took advantage of the still beautiful weather. This first picture is of Lily with a big goose egg and two black eyes. Poor thing. I got a call from the school telling me I should come get Lily, she had an accident on the playground. When I got to the school she was sitting in the nurses room and started crying when she saw me. It was so sad. She had a HUGE goose egg on her forehead. She was playing on the bars during recess and swung around and wacked her head on another bar. 3 days later she woke up with black eyes which apparently is common with severe goose eggs. It has been over 2 weeks now and the black eyes are just starting to go away. Hence, I have not even gotten Christmas card pictures done yet!

Thanksgiving was so fun. We went to the Bay Area and spent a few days with Matt's sister's family and his parents. We went to the Monterey Aquarium, had a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner, went on a fun train ride through the Berkley hills, and then went to Warriors vs. Lakers game. Now it's back to reality. But not for long, we have tons of company coming, Christmas parties to attend, and of course Christmas.

H A L L O W E E N 2009

2009-11-01T23:50:00.001-06:00

Big Trees State Park

2009-10-26T22:57:00.005-05:00

This last weekend we loaded that family up and headed to Big Trees State Park. These trees are incredible to see in real life. If I am correct in my information, the trees in this area are not the tallest trees (like in the Redwoods), but are the fattest/widest trees in the world. You can see how tiny the kids look next to the trees. And they don't taper towards the top either! They are fat all the way up!

Then we found these little "chalet" cabins just down the street from Big Trees. The kids had a blast sleeping in the "triangle" cabin.

Then on Sunday we continued on our trip to a lake called Lake Utica where we canoed and hiked around on some great rocks. We had the whole lake and area all to our selves. We are definitely going back to this place when it's hot and we can swim.

St. George Marathon 2009

2009-10-11T00:08:00.007-05:00

We did it again. First let me say congrats to Matt, who killed it again, my cousin Destiny, who completed here first marathon with an amazing time and a smile on her face the entire time, and to my good friend Lacey who was 2 months+ pregnant. You all inspire me. The weather was amazing, the terrain was beautiful, the race was awesome. My time was slow 4:37, but I beat my last years time by 2 minutes. I wish I was faster, and I'd like to blame it on my lack of time to train from the move, but maybe it's just a lack of commitment. Not sure, but I really only trained for 2 months. It's only been less than two weeks since the marathon , and as I drive around the city and track 26 miles in the car, I can't believe anyone runs 26 miles straight. But we did.

While in Utah, we also got to take the kids to Zions to climb around on someof the rocks.

Then, my mom came back to Cali. with us for some more fun. We went to Bishop's Pumpkin farm to pick out our pumpkins and go on a hayride.

Aren't these awesome! At the pumpkin farm there was this field of sunflowers.

Apple Hill

2009-09-19T20:35:00.006-05:00

It may not feel like autumn around here, but the fall activities are definitely starting up. I LOVE this time of the year. Today we went to a place called Apple Hill. Apple Hill is this fun area just up the hill from us with over 50 ranches and farms filled with apples, vineyards, breweries, and Christmas tree growers. In the fall there are all sorts of fun activities for families and kids. So today we went apple picking. Lily won't eat any apples, but the boys must have eaten at least 5 apples each within 1 hour. But Lily did drink a whole glass of fresh made apple cider and it was DE.LI.CIOUS! Here's some pictures of our day.

Lily

2009-09-17T00:00:00.002-05:00

Just playing in photoshop and wanted to post this fun picture of Lily.

Labor Day Camping

2009-09-15T17:54:00.002-05:00

We finally took our kids camping for the first time in their lives. I know that many of you take your kids camping as babies, but I just never wanted to attempt to take twin baby boys camping. Well, now that my kids are older, it was a lot of fun. We went with some of our new friends here in Folsom close to Yosemite. The kids had a great time sleeping in the tent, hanging out with their friends, doing art projects, swimming in a small river, and just getting dirty.

Lily had her first grade pictures taken the other day. I'm not a big fan of "school pictures", so we just order a class picture and take photos in the morning before school. Here is our big first grader. Lily is LOVING school and making all sots of new friends.

Short and Sweet Post

2009-08-11T14:39:00.017-05:00

I don't have a ton of time to write details or edit pictures, but we have had a fun and busy summer and I wanted to post about some of the things we have been up to. So here it is short and sweet.

~Lily lost here first tooth~

~Grandma came to visit and we went to Six Flags~

~Then Grandma took us to Lake Tahoe for 3 days~

~We went to Utah for week with all the cousins and Matt's family. (We were supposed to go to Oregon, but Matt's day got in a nasty cycling accident, so we went to see him in Utah instead.)~

~ Lily started 1st grade~

We Are Alive

2009-07-14T21:55:00.002-05:00

It's been a long time since my last post, but for good reason. A few weeks ago, we got a phone call from Matt's work. They had a job available in the west coast and wanted to know if we were interested. Interested is an understatement! Of course we're interested. We've been trying to get west for a while now, and FINALLY we made it. So where did we move? Sacramento, California. How awesome is that!. We'll be living in Folsom, a suburb of Sacrament. So as you can imagine, since the phone call everything has been a whirlwind. Between Lily finishing school, our anniversary, the 4th of July and then the move we've been MIA. We are currenlty living at the Residence Inn. Gotta love breakfast every morning and no cleaning. Our stuff will arrive next week.
We went to church last Sunday. I LOVE the wards out here!. Everyone has been awesome inviting us over for dinner, to the park and swimming. I think we are going to like it here. We met a great family who has invited us over to swim twice and to dinner. They have two girls Lily's age, which has been a blessing since she was so sad to leave her Erie friends. Here are a few pictures of the kids swimming.

Happy Birthday Matt

2009-06-07T22:14:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Matt's BIRTHDAY. Just want him to know how much I LOVE him. I'm telling you, he is the best husband and dad out there. Not sure what I did to deserve him.

Summer is slowly coming and we've been able to enjoy a few sunsets at the beach. Here are a couple of pictures of Jack and Lily enjoying the evening.

Finally, Lily has started soccer. She had her first game last week. It is a hoot to watch these 5 and 6 year olds run up and down the field.

Keys 100

2009-05-23T21:06:00.002-05:00

The Keys 100 is not for the light hearted. Ninety degree plus heat, blistering sun, humidity soaking you to the bone and cars going by at highway speeds requires a certain dedication and awareness. Many racers have used it for preliminary Badwater training, and some runners have called it a “suffer fest”. ~ Lisa Smith-Batchen Blog

With that said, we had a BLAST! 100 miles, team of 6, from Key Largo to Key West, 15 hours and 51 minutes. It was sooooooooooo hot and so humid, but we had such a great time with our friends. We rented a 15 passenger van, called ourselves 'Buns on the Run', and packed the van with tons of yummy food and drinks. We each ran 2-3 legs of the race with a total of 15-18 miles each. I ate so much food and was never full. Thank you so much Cece and Chris who organized everything and let us stay at their hacienda.

Buns on the Run Team

The Party Van (check out our little buns with running shoes!)

My Man!

100 miles of THIS!

We took the boys along too (they had a babysitter the day of the race), but they had some fun too. Our friends Chris and Cece have two fun boys to play with, and we were able to hit the alligator farm, beach, and several trips the to key lime shake place.

At the alligator farm. There were seriously thousands of them!

This is the best shot I got of Jack with the gators. Sorry it's blurry.

New York, Mother's Day and Birdies, Oh My

2009-05-13T12:06:00.009-05:00

Two weekends ago we went to NCY to one of Matt's high school friends, Todd's wedding. NYC is only about 7 hours away, so wee packed up the kiddos and headed to the big city. We got a lot in, in just 2 days. We went to the Manhatten Zoo in central park, went Toys R' Us, which is 4 stories and has a ride in it and a life size dinosaur. The kids thought they had died and gone to heaven. Then we went to the wedding which it down poured. I thought it was kind of fun, but I am sure Todd's wife , the bride, was devastated. Then we decided to go see Mary Poppins the Broadway. The kids loved it and we still have all the songs in our heads.Matt and his high school friends at the wedding. Todd is the one in the green tie.

Jack and Matt in Central Park

The kids in Central Park

On the subway

At Central Park Zoo
At Central Park Zoo

The Big City
Getting ready to see the big showSitting in the theatre
Mother's Day was so nice. Matt and the kids brought me breakfast in bed. Lily had buttered one of the pieces of toast and it still had big chunks of butter on it when they brought it to me. It was so cute. I wish I had gotten a picture. The kids gave me so many fun things they had made at school and Matt and the kids gave me a huge hanging pot of flowers and a huge sitting pot. They are so pretty. Here is a picture of me and the kids right before church on Mother's Day. I am a spoiled mom and have the best kids in the world. I hope that they forgive me one day for all my inadequacies and all the times I yell at them. I just love how Lily, Jack, and Cole have so much unconditional love towards me and can be sad at me one minute, and the very next minute are my best friend. I wish I could be more like them. I love being their mom and feel so blessed by them each day.

Finally, remember those Robin eggs from my previous post? Well, today they hatch...still waiting for one more. Here is a quick picture I took a minute ago. I'll take more as they grow.
We are heading to Miami tomorrow to run in a 100 mile relay from Miami to the end of the keys. I'll post when we return!

Baird Happenings

2009-04-30T13:18:00.005-05:00

The other day we went for a drive with out friends the Johnsons and found this place "where birds walk on fish" . There are so many fish in this one spot that birds can literally walk on them. It is actually a quite disgusting site as all these fish pil on top of each other with their mouths opened, begging for bread from the tourists.. You can see by Cole's face that even he thought it was a little gross.
We also have been able to go to the beach as the weather has been getting better. It was still too cold to swim, but not to cold to play in the sand, throw rocks and find treasures.
And finally, we have this little treat in one of the trees in our front yard. I had been watching this sweet little mommy robin for the past couple of weeks build a little nest. Then one day I saw a blue egg in it, the next day two, then three and today 4 eggs. She is quite a diligent little mama sitting on these eggs. I'm sure she doesn't like it much as I make my daily visit to the nest to see what is going on. The kids enjoy it too. I can't wait to see the babies and will post pictures when they arrive!

Easter 2009

2009-04-18T21:01:00.006-05:00

Easter was fabulous at the Baird's we had Mimi with us and the kids had a fun time. On Saturday we dyed eggs. This year I used real food coloring and vinegar instead of one of those kits, and we got the brightest colored eggs. It was a lot of fun, but now my kids won't eat them!

On Sunday morning, the kids came down the stairs and noticed the Easter bunny had hid eggs and surprises all over the house. The Easter bunny was very kind this year.
Finally, we got ready for church. The weather was beautiful, but cold, so we didn't get a lot of outside pictures. I love Easter Sunday at church. It is the first year Jack and Cole kind of understood the resurrection, and they were able to come home and explain it to us during dinner.
What is Easter without an Easter ham. Honey Baked Ham, funeral potatoes and asparagus is our traditional Easter dinner. It was YUMMY!

I know, I know...I'm a bad blogger!

2009-04-08T20:12:00.003-05:00

It has been a a long time since my last post. As a matter of fact I think this is the longest I have gone without posting since I started this blog. Not sure if it's because we have been busy or if we just haven't done much worth blogging about, or a little of both. We really have been busy. In the past few weeks, Lily has started swimming lessons, continues with Daisy Scouts, goes to school everyday, all day, and is looking forward to starting soccer and piano lessons. Jack and Cole have started Mighty Mights (a program with multiple ball sports), started a nature class, started swimming lessons, and go to pre-school 3 days a week. If I were a better mom, I'd have more pictures to show for all our activities.
Shabby Creations is doing incredibly well. More than I would ever have imagined. There is definitely NOT a recession when it comes to wanting a custom blog design. If I am not busy with the kids and their activities, I am working on custom orders. In addition, I try to fit in a run here and there for our upcoming 100 miler relay in the Keys next month, and I decided to sign up for the St. George marathon again. It's a lottery, so we'll see if I get in. I am still in the Relief Society presidency and work at the hospital a few times a month. And with all that, I still find time to watch my favorite reality shows. Wew, my head is spinning.
So there you have, life is busy, but wonderful. And that is my excuse for being a blog slacker. Here is a cute picture of Lily. We went to the zoo a couple of weekends, and I love this picture of her.

Bikes and Scooters

2009-03-14T21:25:00.005-05:00

Today Jack decided he wanted to take off his training wheels and give his bike try with only two wheels. After about 15 minutes, a few falls, and a determined attitude, HE DID IT!! He just turned four, 5 days ago. Lily, who we have been begging to take off her training wheels since last summer, decided she could not let her 2 year younger brother out do her, decided to give it a try too. Her bike broke late last year, so she had to try it out on Jack's bike. One minute later she was off. Literally, it took her one minute and no falls....yet. I guess if you wait long enough, things become easy. We are so proud of the two of them. I guess we need to buy Lily her own bike so that she doesn't have her knees to her ears. Cole gave it a try, but after a minute or two he decided it wasn't as fun as his new Razor scooter , which he is very good at. Maybe in the summer.

Look Who's {4}

2009-03-10T12:26:00.006-05:00

Happy Birthday Cole and Jack

Yesterday our boys turned 4. I can hardly believe it. Where does the time go? In 4 short years, they have learned to walk, talk, feed themselves, dress themselves, entertain themselves, and play by themselves. What am I to do with my time? They have blessed our home unbelievably, made us laugh, made us grow, made us happy, made us proud, and made ME freak out a time or two. I love them more than anyone could ever imagine. We had a combined birthday party a week ago for all 3 of the kids. But on their special day they took Batman and Spider-Man cupcakes to school, rode their new scooters, played with their new Imaginex toys, took a trip to Toys-R-Us and ate at Kentucky Fried Chicken (their choice). I hope they had a great day and will have an even better year being 4.

~ likes plain cheese burgers and steak
~ not a big dessert fan
~ kind of a mama's boy
~ loves sports
~ likes to sing and has memorized all the words to many songs, including Single Ladies by
Beyonce
~ loves to visit the zoo
~ is a little conservative
~ is a Sunbeam at church
~ starting Mighty Mights (mixed ball sports) in a couple of weeks
~ is the smaller brother, but older by 9 minutes

~ likes steak and apples
~ likes all desserts
~ very artistic
~ loves sports
~ is a dare devil
~ has a great memory and can beat everyone in the family at the Memory Game
~ like Batman
~ independent
~ loves to visit the zoo
~ is a Sunbeam at church
~ starting Mighty Mights (mixed ball sports) in a couple of weeks
~ is the bigger brother, but younger by 9 minutes

Here are just a couple of pictures at the big birthday bash. We had about 18-20 of Lily's friend and Jack and Cole's friends. We went to this big place where there are a bunch of those big blown up jumping trampolines. As you can see by Lily's hair, they had a blast.

Happy Birthday Lily Ruth

2009-02-20T21:48:00.003-06:00

How can it be? Today Lily turned 6. I want her to know how much I love her. And how proud I am of her. Lily, I hope you had a wonderful birthday. Today she took High Musical cupcakes to school, ate her favorite meal for dinner (pizza), and then went to Disney On Ice with the family. But the fun is NOT over. She'll be having a birthday party in a week and presents still to come.

loves High School Musical (all of them)
takes ice skating lessons
is a daisy in the girl scouts
has a lot of friends
is good at math
learning to read
entertains her brothers
and fights with them too
loves animals, especially cats and dogs
loves stuff...pads of paper, little containers, pencils, little gadgets, etc.
loves pizza and junk food
is funny
a little bossy
is in the CTR 6 class at church
is in kindergarten
is good at computer games and wii
makes me happy
is the BEST daughter I could ever ask for

HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
I LOVE YOU!

St. George

2009-02-18T22:47:00.008-06:00

We just got back from a fabulous trip to St. George. We went to celebrate my grandma's 82nd birthday. Her birthday just happens to be on Valentine's Day. That holiday represents her so well. She is the kindest, most loving person I know. We enjoyed being with her on her special day.

HapPy BIrThdAy GraNDma!

When you have a Valentine birthday, you get Valentine cupcakes!

My grandpa lives in an assisted living. He cracks me up and we love him so much. He pretty much is...well old, and doesn't even remember who I am anymore. We went to the Chuck-a-rama (always a St. George treat!). I sat next to him, and he leaned over to my grandma and said, "who is that lady sitting next to me". He was serious, but it made me laugh. We went to the park. (Sorry Haley, we went at the last minute or I would have called)Even I joined in the fun.Went out to eat with our great friends from Cleveland.Swam in Omi's pool.
Played in my mom's hot tub.And tortured my mom's cat. Seriously, this poor cat was mauled all weekend long, but I think he likes it. My kids love this cat. I don't even know it's real name, but my kids call him meow meow (original.)
It really was a nice get away. The weather was great, family and friends to be with, and great food.

2009-01-23T18:22:00.003-06:00

Jack and Cole have been wanting a tie for a while, so they can be like dad at church. Mimi and papa were kind enough to get the boys their very first ties. On Sunday they strutted their stuff around the house and thought they were pretty cool at church.

It's been DANG cold here in the lovely state of PA. But today we finally had a day that we could to go outside and play in the snow without freezing our buns off. So after lunch the boys and I bundled up for some snow play. It has snowed so much in the past few weeks that we have our very own sledding hill in our yard, courtesy the snow plow truck. It is seriously about 15 feet high. I was able to build stairs in it so the boys could climb to the top and slide down. I even went down a few times. And of course we built a snow man, AKA our new brother.

Europe

2009-01-17T21:56:00.005-06:00

We are back from a fabulous trip to Europe. Our itinerary consisted of Prague, Rothenburg, Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, and a 5 hour layover in Amsterdam. The weather was cold, but the the sunshine was out, so we were able to dress warm and enjoy the sites. My two favorite cities were Prague, Czech Rebublic and Rothenburg, Germany. All the cities were amazing with beautiful cathedral churches, cobblestone streets, unbelievable architecture buildings, and of course shopping and dining out. We rented a car to travel from city to city and had to drive on the autobahn. It is SCARY. We were driving 80 mph which is fast for me, and cars were passing us like we were standing still. It was so nice have Matt all to myself for a week, but I think towards the end of the week we were both really missing the kids. We are already dying to go back and visit some other cities such as Rome and Paris, but for now we are happy to be back with the kiddos who I missed soooooo much. Thanks Mimi for watching the kids!

Here are just a few pictures of our trip. I took almost 300 pictures. Gotta love digital cameras!

Is It Really 2009?

2009-01-04T08:55:00.008-06:00

Where does the time go? Life has been busy, and I don't see it letting up any time soon. I feel like a blog slacker and wanted to post a few pictures and write about a few things we have been doing.
Christmas was FABULOUS. Mimi and Papa were here to enjoy the holiday. For Christmas Eve we always enjoy all sorts of yummy h'orderves while we watch Christmas shows, sing (see the kids below), ice cookies and enjoy our family together.

As you can see Santa didn't disappoint. This isn't even all of it, the camera doesn't do very well with panoramics. Here is a picture of the boys playing with their new race car tracks down in the basement.

Lily had a 'Hannah Montana' and 'High Scool Musical' Christmas. She got her very own CD player with 2 HSM cds that are played 24/7 in our house.
She also got ice skating lesson and is having so much fun.

On New Years day we went t0 Pittsburg and stopped in at IKEA where we picked up Lily some new "big girl bedding" and a new bed frame. I love how it all looks together.
Jack and Cole have started showing interest in the computer, so on any given day, they can look like this all sitting around with their laptops. No time to get dressed. SPOILED! (ignore my cluttery kitchen.)

Today the boys start sunbeams at church. Oh, bless the sunbeam teacher. She'll have 6 boys in the class. Have fun trying to make them sit for any amount of time. There was a time when all 3 of my kids were in nursery at the same time, and now none of them are there. I'm
kind of sad.
It's been nice having the kids out of school for the holidays, but I'm ready for them to go back...TOMORROW!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Christmas Cheer

2008-12-24T16:23:00.007-06:00

The kids singing Jingle Bells.

Cole singing Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.

Jack singing Christmas is Coming.

Lily singing Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-01T22:18:00.002-06:00

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. We went on a road trip with Matt's parents to visit Gettysburg, Hershey, and Lancaster Country. Gettysburg would have been MUCH more enjoyable if the kids weren't around, but the kids had fun at Hershey World and Lancaster. Santa made an appearance at Hershey World. Only Lily and Jack would sit on his lamp. I guess that means Cole doesn't get any Christmas gifts. We ate Thanksgiving dinner at a really nice hotel in Lancaster County. Have you ever been to Lancaster County? It's so charming. We took a buggy ride, went in way cute shops, ate good treats and food. I needed at least 3 more says there without my kids.
Here are some pictures of our trip.

In the hotel where we ate Thanksgiving dinner

2008-11-26T19:00:00.000-06:00

Winter Has Officially Arrived

2008-11-23T20:10:00.002-06:00

We've already had our second big snow storm of the year. Lily's school has been delayed once and canceled once, the snow blower is in full use, and our new winter coats and jackets are already looking worn. We had a sunny day between storms, so we headed out to play in the fluffy white stuff. It's deep enough to make our own small sledding hill in our front yard, build a snow fort, and throw Jack into the air so he can land in the middle of it all. Fun stuff!

My Handsome Boys

2008-11-07T21:12:00.007-06:00

I decided I needed some updated pictures of my boys that I can frame. We've had unbelievably beautiful weather here in the Northeast, so we headed to the park for pictures and fun. Jack and Cole are great posers...when they want to be, and we got a few good pictures of them. Aren't they handsome kids?

Halloween 2008

2008-11-02T18:16:00.006-06:00

Another successful Halloween. We had a great time trick-o-treating with some of our best friends here in Erie. The weather was great, the kids looked cute as ever, and they came home with a whole loot of goodies.

2008-10-30T18:04:00.000-05:00

My Life With Power Rangers and Yummy Raspberry Jam

2008-10-20T21:47:00.003-05:00

Mimi is in town and we found a great deal on Raspberries, so we decided to make some jam. This is the second time I have made jam. It's so fun and so easy. We made 10 jars of jam in just over an hour.

Mimi bought these AWESOME Power Ranger costumes for the boys. They are actually for "dress up "so that they will have "boy" dress ups instead of Lily dressing them up as princesses or girls. They had so much fun in these. I bought them other Halloween costumes, but I won't be surprised if they decide to wear these instead. Here they are doing a few kung fu power ranger moves and being fearless catching HUGE grasshoppers.

Happy Fall!

2008-10-16T18:39:00.010-05:00

Just wanted to post a few fall pictures. I love this time of year. Watching the leaves change color, visiting pumpkin patches with the kids, and anticipating the holidays is so much fun for me. The leaves are in full autumn color. Those of you who have been or lived in the northeast at this time of the year know just how beautiful it is. Happy fall!

P.S. I admit, I didn't do my kid's hair this day. I just had to comment on this because Matt was making fun of their hair in these pictures, and me not doing it.

Completed Marathon...Check

2008-10-09T22:40:00.008-05:00

One more thing to check off my list of things to do before I die. The marathon was AWESOME. It rained the entire time I ran, but I can't complain. I hoped and prayed for a cold day to run in. I run much better in the cold than in the heat. My time was slow (4:39:58) which averages out to about a 10 minute 40 second mile, but I finished. I started out doing around 8-9 minute miles, but when the pain set in around mile 20, I slowed to about 12 minute miles. Matt of course killed it again. Another Boston qualifying time of 3:15:40. Matt's sisters Heather and Joanna also ran and kicked butt! You girls are awesome! The day after the race I hobbled around like a little old lady, but it was worth it. Would I do it again? 100% yes...BUT, I need a running group. I'm tired of doing long runs all by my self.

The rest of the St. George trip was fun as well. We were not stop with fun, fun, and more fun. The kids loved hanging out with my mom's horses, swimming in my grandma's pool (Omi, as the kids call her), fishing, and and visiting with good friends. We were able to get together with Matt and Haley Hammons. We didn't get any pictures with them, dang it! And then we saw Laurie for our annual visit to the Olive Garden for Millie's birthday.

We also got to see and visit my grandpa. He is 86 years old and lives in an assisted living. He has dementia pretty bad and doesn't remember me too well, but we love him and enjoyed seeing him. Jack took a particular liking to him, and had no problem sitting on papa's lap. I know my grandpa enjoyed seeing the kids. As the adults talked, Lily, Jack, and Cole found entertainment with my grandpa's walkers We had to put a stop to it when they started taking other old folk's walkers as well!

Here are just a couple of pictures of Jack and Cole on our trip that I liked.

Fun times and good memories.

St. George Marathon or BUST

2008-09-19T15:50:00.003-05:00

Most of you know that I am training for the St. George Marathon which is in 2 weeks. Those of you who don't know, guess what, I'm training for the St. George Marathon which is in two weeks! Anyways, as my training come to and end and my long runs are tapering, I thought I'd share a few thoughts about training in Erie, PA. Training in Erie, PA is...interesting. Here are some of my favorites things about my runs:
1. the wind- it doesn't matter which direction I'm running, I'm always running in a head wind.
2. humidity- gotta love feeling all wet within a few feet of the beginning of a 10 mile run.
3. hills- yup, up hill both ways. I never knew Erie was so hilly!
4. road kill- how do I make the time pass on the long run? Count road kill. Living out in the
"county"I have seen dead raccoon, Canadian geese (an entire family), squirrels, muskrats, ground hogs, cats (sad), frogs, snakes, skunks, mice, birds, and probably more, I just didn't know what they were after being run over so many times.
5. dogs chasing me-these country dogs sure protect their property.
6. dog bites- Yes, one of those dogs chasing me finally got me. It actually just happened this past Tuesday. I think it is the first time I have cussed in... well, several years. It did draw blood, but I am fine.
7. Dodging grasshoppers-Where do these things come from? They breed like rabbits. There are days that I spend my running making sure I don't step on grasshoppers. I DO NOT want grasshopper guts all over my new Asics.

Yes, running in Erie is very eventful. But there have been many highlight too like running in the Presque Isle 1/2 marathon, finishing an 18 mile run and feeling good, and getting in shape (I didn't say lose weight, just getting in shape).

Ready or NOT (emphases on the NOT), here I come St. George. What's my goal time: just to finish. Here's a look at the marathons elevation map. I'm LOV'IN the down hill!

Halloween...ALREADY!

2008-09-05T15:55:00.002-05:00

We've got the Halloween spirit around here...already! It's hard not to when the stores start selling Halloween stuff 4 months early. We changed our blog header to fit our spirit and enjoy it for a month or two. I will admit, I do love Halloween. It means fall weather, fun decorations, and candy. My kids have already decided what they want to be...until they change their minds tomorrow. I promise, I won't start talking about Christmas until after Halloween!

Erie County Fair

2008-08-30T12:38:00.002-05:00

We decided to head out to the Erie County Fair last night. It had a very small town feel to it, which is what I like when I go to the fair. The kids enjoyed animals, rides, corn dogs and cotton candy. Here are a few pictures of the evening.

Bitter Sweet Day

2008-08-27T13:24:00.005-05:00

Today Lily started full day Kindergarten. It is kind of a bitter sweet day for me. Seems like I have been dying to have her go to school and be occupied and busy on a daily basis, but today when it came right down to it, it was harder for me than I thought. I guess I should have known when I got teary eyed from a WalMart commercial the other day about a little girl going away on her first day of school. Pathetic...I know. But this morning she was all smiles as she put on one of her school outfits, packed her lunch and stepped onto the bus. We are so proud of her and excited for her to learn new things and make new friends. Maybe by the end of the year she'll be reading me bedtime stories.

Here is a picture of her lunch. For those of you who know Lily and her eating habits, YES, that is a smoothie in her lunch. I never would have guessed we'd still be relying on the smoothies as a main part of her diet. And isn't her lunch purse cute...or as Lily would say, "it's sassy." It looks like a purse, but it's a lunch holder.

The boys started preschool today. They are pretty excited too, but Jack was pretty upset that Lily got to take a bus to school and he had to drive in the family car.

Here's to a great school year. I am proud of my three kiddos.

Baird Fam. Vacation '08

2008-08-21T22:23:00.008-05:00

Every year Matt's family, including his parents and 5 sisters and their family, go on a family vacation. We love to head out west and let our kids reconnect with their cousins enjoy fun, sun, and relaxing. We really packed it in this time. Within a week we went to Sea World, San Diego Zoo, Disneyland, the beach, and still found time to swim in the hotel pool. Here are some pictures of our vacation. It seems like we look forward to our trips and do so much planning, and before we know it, its all over.

This picture of Jack with the 3 girls and Fairy God Mother is classic Jack. He always wants to be a part of everything. I love this picture of Cole at Disneyland with Grandpa Baird. We had a fabulous time thanks so Leslie (Matt's sister), who did all the planning. It's our turn next year to plan the trip....we can't wait until Baird Fam. vacation '09!

One World One Dream-Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

2008-08-08T19:41:00.011-05:00

Did you see the opening ceremonies in the Bird's Nest! All I can say is WOW... AWESOME... SPECTACULAR. I guess when you have a 300 million dollar budget for opening ceremonies, nothing less should be expected. Matt and I love the Olympics , and although, sadly, it is also an event that brings propaganda, boycotts, political statements and discriminations, we try to focus on the Olympic spirit of honor, glory, fair play, friendship and peace. We love to watch world class athletes come together and compete in numerous events. Over 205 countries and 10,500 athletes will participate. Some of our favorite American hopefuls include Michael Phelps, who is aiming for 8 gold medals in swimming, Dara Torres who is competing in her 5th Olympics and is 41 years old and a new mom (also swimming), Dave Zabriskie (from Utah!) in cycling, and Shawn Johnson competing in gymnastics. Some of my personal favorite events include women's volleyball, canoe/kayaking, rowing, swimming and gymnastics. Can't wait to see how everything turns out. As I go out on my agonizing 13 mile run tomorrow AM, I'll just think of these athletes and the time and training they have put in to make it where they are. Just a few last words before the games begin......KICK BUTT USA!!!

July Has Come and Gone

2008-07-31T13:19:00.007-05:00

Where does the time go? We have been busy having fun. I LOVE summer and we have been enjoying being together and doing fun things. Mid-month mimi and papa came to visit and we headed to Palmyra to see the Hill Comorah Pageant. This is the first time I have seen it even though we have lived this way for 5 years now. We ran into our friends, the Huntsmans. Travis was a companion of Matt's in Argentina. They have the cutest family and two of there kids are named Cole and Lily! Here is a picture of their family and then all our kids together.Then Matt and I headed to Portland on our first house hunting trip to our new...and permanent home. Yes, we have settled on Portland, and I am sooooooooo excited about it. This place is so awesome and beautiful. It has pine trees and mountains everywhere. Matt and I fell in love with it during our trip. Here is a couple of pictures of the neighborhood we hope to buy in or around. It is a growing area with two new elementary schools opening within a year. Fortunately for us, the housing market has crashed so bad, that we hope and think we will get into a home that is more than we ever could have imagined. We'll be heading back again in Oct./Nov. to look again and hopefully find "home sweet home", and then move in Dec./Jan.Jack got a new do. What do you think? We were in the process of giving the boys their new summer do's when Matt decided to stop at this point as a joke with Jack. Well, a week later, Jack still has his mohalk, but I am sure we will cut it soon. We don't want the neighbors and ward members to think we are too rockerish.We also went to this place in Erie called Waldameer Park. It is much like Lagoon, but on a smaller scale. The kids enjoyed blue slushies (as you can tell), riding rides(even Cole was brave this time and went on the log ride!), and eating too much junk food.So that is what has been going on the last two weeks. We hope all our friends and family are enjoying summer and family vacations. We are heading to New Port Beach Cali. next.

My Bliss

2008-07-15T22:26:00.010-05:00

Matt is out of town, my kids think they have run of the house, trying to keep up with work, training for a marathon, dirty clothes..... but at the end of the day all I can think about is how blessed I am. Tonight I was able to take the monkeys to the beach to watch one of Erie's amazing sunsets. It was so nice to just sit and watch my kids find joy out of putting their feet in the water, throwing rocks in the lake, and chase birds in the sand. Not quite sure what I did to deserve them. Sometimes I feel like the wicked witch because I yell at them all day long. I am sure Jack thinks his name is "No" or "Stop it". They truly are my bliss and I love them more than I can express in words. Here are a few pictures of my blessings enjoying life.

She Did It!!

2008-07-09T20:15:00.004-05:00

The other day we were driving down the street, and out of the blue Lily said, "I want to get my ears pierced". Matt and I have always said she can get her ears pierced when she asked. I figured most little girls start asking to get their ears pierced around 3-4. Not Lily. If we ever mentioned it to Lily, she always said, "No way! It'll hurt". I thought she'd be one of those clip on earing old ladies.
And so without much delay, we drove to the mall and had it done. Lily picked out little pink diamonds. She did AWESOME. Just a small tear and that was it. To ease any lasting pain, we headed straight to the ice cream store for double scoops. Lily thought the pain was definitely worth it for 2 huge chocolate scoops of ice cream that she in no way would ever be able to eat by herself. Way to go Lily. You put your mind to something and you did it! We love you.

4th of July 2008

2008-07-05T21:35:00.010-05:00

Just a few highlights and pictures of our 2008, 4th of July.

The night before July 4th (fourth of July eve) we went to a minor league baseball game. It was Jack and Cole's first baseball game. They loved it. Jack even got to shake his botty with the Sea Wolf mascot during the 7th inning stretch.Next was the ward 4th of July pancake breakfast. The kids had fun just playing in the church parking lot and grass area.
Then came a bbq at the beach.And finally, FIREWORKS! We had a few families over for some good old fashion front yard fireworks. The best part was there were 17 kids at our house all under the age of 5. Lily, who is not even 5 1/2was the oldest!

Fun in the Sun

2008-07-02T21:47:00.003-05:00

Can it be? Is it finally...summer! Today was one of the first days of the summer that were actually warm enough to go to the beach. A bunch of the girls and our kids headed out to Presque Isle to enjoy the water, sand, and sun. Here are a few pictures of Jack, Cole, and miss Lily with their arm floaties. Doesn't get much better than this!

I'm Hosting a 4th of July Blog Giveaway

2008-06-30T21:53:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to post this here too. Go on over to Shabby Creations and enter my 4th of July blog giveaway. Tell all your friends, family, and fellow bloggers. Click HERE to go now.

Fun In The Rain

2008-06-30T12:03:00.010-05:00

We have been trying to enjoy summer here in Erie. We had one good warm week, and since then it has still been cooler and VERY VERY rainy. The rain hasn't stopped us from having fun though. We went on a hike about a week ago, in the rain, with some friends in an area around here called Asbury Woods. Matt calls it his "little piece of heaven" in Erie. It's great for trail running, mountain biking, and playing in this fun river. As we were hiking around the other day, Jack started screaming at the top of his lungs. He was a little further ahead with Matt, so I just assumed he had fallen and gotten a little hurt. Apparently Jack had spotted a pretty big snake and Matt was standing over it and didn't even know until Jack started screaming. The snake quickly slithered away, but it gave Jack a good scare. We actually have a lot of critters and animals around us. We have seen deer, wild turkey, rabbits, and even this frog in our backyard. It's very fun for the kids. Not letting the rain stop us from playing outside, the kids each picked out an umbrella. Jack got Batman, Cole got Spider Man, and Lily of course, got a princess one.
So that sums up life in Erie. We are hoping the sun will shine soon and we can enjoy some beach days.

Moving to Connecticut....or NOT!

2008-06-19T22:33:00.005-05:00

As you know, are next move was going to be to Connecticut. As a matter of fact we were supposed to move in 1 1/2 weeks. My girlfriend Brook and I went to Connecticut last week to find a house for us, we had sent money to our new landlord, and we were ready to go....until a late night e-mail.
2 days ago, our world got turned upside down and changed...in a good way. We were actually in the process of filling out our contract for our new home when Matt's phone buzzed for a new e-mail. Basically, it was his current business (GE Transportation, we were going to CT to work for a different GE business) offering him an unbelievable job opportunity that we could not refuse. They said if we would stay in Erie for 6 more month, they will move us ANYWHERE we want to live, Matt can work from home, and we won't have to move anymore. I about fell off my chair. We...I, have been dying to move west for 5 years now. I miss being close to family and having my children close to grandparents and cousins. Finally we will get what we want. We are getting vibes that they want us to live in a port city, which is fine by me just to get west. Anywhere along the Cali. coast (most likely a bit out of our price range), Portland, or Seattle seem like front runners. We are actually hoping to FINALLY buy a house. My kids...and I want a dog so bad. So that's it. 6 more months in Erie, and we are heading west. Can you tell I am excited! We'll keep you posted as to where we are moving in December.
Anyways, my house hunting trip was fun and Connecticut would have been very cool. While I was there with my friend Brook, we took a quick 45 minute train ride into New York City where we went to the Twin Towers, saw the Broadway Legally Blond (fabulous and funny), did a little window shopping and then ended the evening at one of my favorite New York hot spots, Serendipity for some frozen hot chocolate.

Happy Father's Day Matt

2008-06-15T22:40:00.002-05:00

It is the end of the day and Matt is already in bed. But I didn't want to let the day end without a quick Father's Day post to let Matt know how much we love him. Matt, you are an awesome dad and husband. Thanks for being our rock and loving your family.
So sorry you had to have waffles for your Father's Day dinner ( I just got back in town last night and didn't make it to the store yet). But know that if I would have been more prepared, I would have grilled you a big fat fillet with a baked potato and all the fix'ins! We love you sooooo much.
Thanks for everything. ~xoxoxo

2008-06-05T12:20:00.002-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT!

Today my sweetheart turns........3........5! I want him to know how much I love him. He is the best husband anyone could ask for. I appreciate all that he does for me and my family. He always thinks of us first. This is just a VERY small list of reasons I love him:
1. He is the best dad to our 3 kiddos.
2. He is fun and likes to go places and see and do new things.
3. He is patient with me...and that is hard to do.
4. He cleans! Actually, he is MUCH cleaner than I am.
5. He watches the kids so I can work out, run errands, get my nails done, and go to girls night out.
6. He is smart. HELLO, he has his JDMBA!
7. He takes us canoing, on hikes, and to National Parks.
8. He always encourages me to try new things and supports my decisions.
9. He is hard working both at home and at work.
10. He lets me pick out girl movies to watch when I know he wants to watch shoot 'em up shows instead.
11. He likes to eat yummy junk food with me.
12. He is always positive...so much that it makes me mad at times. (I know...bad wife).
13. He loves me and our kids unconditionally.

Hope your day is great. I love you always.
Yours,
Michelle
xoxox

Busy Busy Busy

2008-06-03T20:25:00.006-05:00

Is it just me or is life just BUSY. We have been doing a little of this and a lot of that. Keeping busy and gearing up for summer. We had grandma and grandpa Young visit us in good ol' Erie, PA.
(Were you impressed G & G?). We took two days and headed up to Canada to visit Niagara Fall and Marine Land. At Marine Land the kids got to touch and feed the Beluga whales. Jack was FEARLESS on the rides. He went on everything that his height would allow him to go on. Lily and Cole were a different story. They are a bit more cautious when it comes to rides.
Then we headed up to Toronto to go to the Toronto Zoo and the most charming farm called Riverdale Farm. It is a MUST see and do if you go to Toronto. The kids had fun and it was a fun little get away with my mom and Ken.Where are we moving?? That has been the big question for about 2 months now. We thought and were hopeful that we would be moving west. As a matter of fact we were 99% sure we were. Then, GE decided to send us to Norwalk, Connecticut. Can I get any further east! Norwalk is basically a suburb of New York city. It is about 45 miles from Manhattan. Looks like we'll be spending the fall in the the New England area. I am excited about being close to NY, good shopping, living by the real beach, the fall leaves, and especially Lily starting kindergarten in Connecticut. Maybe I can even talk my friend Sarah in NJ to come visit with her kiddos or I can go to her house. Just another fun place to make memories.

Summer might finally be here on Thursday. Wehave been wearing jackets on and off still, but expect 94 degrees on Thursday. What happen to the 75 degree weather? We skipped that part. Oh well, I'll take what I can get to have some nice out door summer days.

A Day In The Life Of My Children's Boring Life

2008-05-21T08:54:00.011-05:00

Last weekend, in a 24 hour period, Lily went to see the musical Snow White,

while the boys went to the horse races.

Then we all went to a Celtic fest (not pictured).

Then Lily had a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese.

And then we all went to see Horton Sees a Who at the movie theater.

A day or two later Lily says to me, "Mom, I have a boring life."
Is it just me or is something not right!

Oganization In My So Unorganized World

2008-05-18T15:43:00.003-05:00

I feel so much better now the the toy room is organized. We have always had our toys in bins, and I have always tried really hard to keep them somewhat organized. Typically my kids are each allowed one bin each. As soon as they want a different set of toys or bin, they have to clean up and then I'll get a them new bin. This usually lasts for a good 2 weeks, before eventually all the bins are opened and scattered throughout the toy room and even the house. Then, I find myself cleaning the toy room instead of the kids, because I want the toys put away in an organized fashion. They are good cleaners, but they prefer to just put any and every toy in any bin. In my mind, each bin is designated to each set of toys. Well, in my attempt to make my kids organize and clean toys the way I like, Matt and I bought a few more bins and labeled them with words and pictures. I am hoping this will make my life a bit easier when it comes to cleaning the dreaded toy room. We'll see.

Under Construction

2008-05-14T21:34:00.003-05:00

I'm in the mood for change. So if things don't match around here for a while it's because I am slowly but surely changing up my look. I'm trying to make it a bit more fun and light hearted for summer. Still trying to have a chic look with a bit of whimsy. Ta ta!

A Day at the Dentist

2008-05-09T20:30:00.003-05:00

I am sure all my dentists friends are going to be shocked appalled when they find out that Lily, who is 5 years 3 months, had her very first dentist appt. She did awesome. She was so excited to pick out raspberry flavored cleaner, bubble gum flavored fluoride, and get a Sleeping Beauty toothbrush. All in all, her teeth were perfect. The dentist told her she had a beautiful smile and teeth.
Things went so well, I made an appt. for the boys next week for their first cleaning as well. We'll see how that goes. I'm kind of dreading the drama!

2008-05-09T20:11:00.003-05:00

Today Lily's preschool class had a special program for the moms called Mother's Day Tea. All the kids sang cute mom songs, made cute Mother's day gifts, and had prepared crumpets and tea (cookies and punch) for all the moms. Lily is a special girl, and I am blessed to have her as my daughter. She and my boys are the best Mother's Day gifts ever.

Baird Happenings

2008-05-05T21:51:00.010-05:00

We have been crazy busy with traveling, work, play, company, etc. I thought I would share pictures of some of the fun things we have been doing. A little over a week ago we went to Palmyra with Papa and Mimi. It is about a 3 hour drive into New York. Trying to have a reverent moment with 3 small kids was not going to happen, but I am so glad I was able to take my kids their. Especially Lily who is starting to know and understand more about Joesph Smith and church history. These pictures were taken at the Sacred Grove visiting center. This is a nice green hill that Jack found . The other two are of Lily walking towards the Sacred Grove and Cole looking out towards the Grove. We have some pretty good winds here in Erie, which is great for kite flying. Mimi and papa bought these kites at the dollar store. They flew pretty good for dollar kites. The kids thought they were pretty cool flying kites while lying down.Matt and I have always talked about buying a canoe. So, we finally bought our canoe. Lake Erie is about 5 miles from our house (hence the city being called "Erie"). And it is great canoing territory.The kids put on their new "boat coats" (that's what Jack calls the life jackets) and we went out on a fun family outing. Cole basically freaked out the entire first half of the trip out. We kept telling him to "shoosh" because there were a lot fisherman around that probably didn't appreciate a little kid screaming at the top of his lungs, "The boat is going to tip. We gonna fall in!" There were all these turtles sunny on logs and branches out in the water. Cole loved that, so by the second half of the trip he decided it was kind of fun. That's about it. We are just waiting to hear where our next move is. We hope to know by Friday. The possibilities are Austin, TX, Scottsdale, AZ, and Seattle, WA. We are pretty excited about all the cities. I have endured Erie (actually it hasn't been that bad thanks to good friends we have made), so now it's time for a good location. We'll keep you posted.

Cole's It!

2008-04-27T22:17:00.002-05:00

Cole was tagged by his second cousin Ryder. I think I needed this so I could take a few moments to brag about my buddy Cole. Here are ten fun things that I love about Cole Jones Baird.
1. Cole is my best eater. He is typically willing to try anything once. And even though he my scrawniest kid, he out eats the other two.
2. Cole is a mama's boy. I will admit, sometimes it drives me NUTS. But I can always count on Cole to just sit and hang out with me when the rest of the family is busy or playing.
3. Cole loves the water. He is a fish in the water. I love that he isn't afraid to put his head under the water and loves to take baths.
4. He is feisty! This kid will NOT let up when he wants something. I don't always love the way he acts, but hopefully this feisty trait of his will turn into a positive in his life and always guide him to get what he wants out of life.
5. Cole loves animals. I love this about him. He is just like me in always wanting to go to the zoo and play farm. This kid can tell you EVERY animal and the sounds they make. I'm not just talking about cats and dogs, he can tell you about platypuses, meerkats, aardvarks and any other strange animal you can think of.
6. He is not a big sweets fan. Cole can pass on the frosting, syrup, ice cream. How would it be? I wish I was more like that.
7. I love that he is POTTY TRAINED! Way to go Cole.
8. Cole loves Diego and I love to watch it with him. He is so funny to watch it with. He follows along with the show doing the actions, making the sounds and even pretends that he is either Diego or one of the Bobo brothers. It's so cute.
9. I love that Cole is a good brother to his sister and twin. I love to hear and watch him play and share with his siblings.
10. What I love most about my Cole is the sweet spirit he brings into our family. He makes our family complete. He is fun, cute, silly, smart, talkative, and lovable.
I LOVE YOU COLE!

Congratulations Matt!

2008-04-23T20:22:00.007-05:00

I must say, Matt is pretty awesome. He completed his 2nd Boston marathon with a time of 3 hours 48 minutes. We had a blast going from spot to spot cheering on our runners. What a fun crowd and environment to be in. Matt, just want you to know that I love you, and I think you are THE BOMB!Congratulations to all our running friends, Matt, Heather (Matt's sister), Carter, Amy, Heather, and Blake. You guys ROCK. Thanks for putting on a great show.If you have never been to a marathon, may I suggest you go. It is a fun and inspirational environment. There are people running with prosthetic legs, blind people, cancer survivors, wheel chair bound people, 80 years and older people and so many other amazing people with amazing stories. I will NEVER say I CAN'T run a marathon. If I chose not to run, it is not because I can't, but because I won't. I hope so bad to get into St. George in October. Below is a picture of a man and his son Dick and Rick Hoyt. Dick is 65 years old and has pushed and pulled his son across the country and over hundreds of finish lines. They do both marathons and full length Iron Mans. When Dick runs, Rick is in a wheelchair that Dick is pushing. When Dick cycles, Rick is in the seat-pod from his wheelchair, attached to the front of the bike. When Dick swims, Rick is in a small but heavy, firmly stabilized boat being pulled by Dick. I was able to see this amazing father son team run at the Boston Marathon. Talk about inspiration.

Greetings From Boston!

2008-04-20T20:50:00.022-05:00

Can I just say, "I LOVE BOSTON". Everything about this place is fun, charming, historical, and exciting. We have had a great time thus far. We are here with a great group of friends, parents, and family enjoying, restaurants, shopping and site seeing. One of the little Restaurant we ate at was called Stephanie's on Newbury. Newbury is a fun street with boutiques, cafe's, and shops.

Yesterday we went to the Boston Red Socks game. We aren't necessarily big Red Sock's fans, but how often do you get to go hang out in Fenway Park and watch world class baseball players.? The Red Socks beat the Texas Rangers 5 to 3. And, Matthew McConaughey and Lance Armstrong were there.

Then this morning we planned on attending church. We decided to go to the 11 am ward so we could sleep in. As we walked into the chapel, Matt's cousin, Elder Tyler Standing was their.
How exciting. We knew he was on a mission in Boston, but Boston is HUGE. What are the odds of going to his ward, in his building in that city. Very cool. Tyler told us if e would have gone to the 9 am ward, we would have seen Danny Ainge, who is now the bishop of that ward. But we are glad to picked the 11 am ward to see Tyler.After church we decided to go see the Boston temple. Which is a beautiful temple and also has that New England charm.There is this Mormon church on the same property, so I decided I needed to go to the bathroom. We started to walk down to this church, and low and behold, it's Mitt Romney and his lovely wife, who were kind enough let us snap a quick photo and have a brief conversation. I'm still so bummed he is not going to be president!
Finally we ended up in Concord, Ma., which is a charming town just outside of Boston. This is the place where the Battle of Lexington and Concord happened, which is considered the initial conflict in the Revolutionary War, April 19, 1775.
Also known as the place where "the shot that was heard around the world" took place.
We have had a great time so far. Tomorrow is the big race. The reason we came. Good luck to all our runner friends, Heather, and my hubby Matt. I love you Matt and KICK BUTT!

Boston Bound

2008-04-17T20:23:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow night at this time, Matt and I will hanging in Boston. If you remember, Matt qualified for the Boston Marathon in the St. George marathon with a time of 3 hours 5 minutes. There are about 7 couples meeting us there with at least one of the spouses running, including Matt's sister, Heather from Cali. I am sure most of our time will be spent at the EXPO, driving the course, and doing running stuff, but I love it, and can't wait. These are the trips that really motivate me to get running. If all goes right, and we get in, I'll be running in the St. George marathon in October. And to add to the trip, we are going KIDLESS! Thanks you Mimi and Papa. I'll post some pictures of Matt running fast when we get back!

Allegany State Park

2008-04-08T13:55:00.009-05:00

Over the weekend, we went to Allegany State Park. This is a great mountainy area about an our east of our house in New York. Spring has finally started showing her face, and we are trying to enjoy the outdoors a bit. The kids had a fun time climbing, throwing rocks and exploring in this state park. Matt and I found a trail run race there, which is in May that we are going to sign up for. This will be my first trail run race and I am excited. Here are a bunch of fun pictures of Lily, Cole and Jack enjoying Allegany State Park.

Just A Quick Post

2008-04-01T21:31:00.004-05:00

Not too exciting around here. We are anxiously awaiting spring and it just does not seem to want to come. Today the wind blew like no other. Getting in and out of the car with 3 small ones in the wind is BRUTAL. I'm yelling at the kids telling them if they don't hurry and get in, we will blow away like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Mean while, the heavy car door is slamming me in the back. Lily is standing there, "can't we just play in the wind for a minute?" "No! HURRY, we're going to be swept up in this gust of wind in a minute!"
We had a fun Saturday. The sun was shining (even though it was still 35 degrees). First we went to the Erie Zoo, then the Erie beach (actually it is pretty good...we've heard, in the summer) to throw rocks on the ice (yes, that is Lake Erie..solid ice), and then we went to Chuck E. Cheese. We lasted 30 minutes or less. It was chaos! Too many stinky sweaty crazy kids on Saturday evening. On the way home, the Crispy Creme light was flashing. What does that mean? FREE donuts! Dinner! Pizza at Chuck E. Cheese didn't happen, so why not a donut dinner? The kids thought they had died and gone to heaven.That seriously was our dinner. It was fun, until I looked at my butt in the mirror!
By the way, the St. George marathon registration started today. ANYONE....Tresure...Katie?
Click on the picture to enlarge.

Easter 2008

2008-03-25T21:18:00.007-05:00

Wow, Easter has come and gone. It feels a little weird and rushed having Easter in March. This year the Easter bunny came on Saturday. We even have proof. See below the rabbit tracks found outside our back porch on Saturday morning. He new we had church first thing Sunday morning, and he knows my kids WAY too well. There was be no way they could wait until AFTER church. It was too cold to go outside on Saturday at 7:30 am, so the Easter bunny hid all the baskets and goodies inside the house. Before I knew it, the hunt was over and they had their things and candy spralled all over the floor. Breakfast was chocolate, jelly beans, and gum.We had a nice Easter Sunday. Matt and I talked in Sacrament and later we cooked a ham and some funeral potatoes (LOVE them), and had some friends over. The weather did warm up...a tad, so that we could have a mini egg hunt outside with all the kids. I tried so hard to take some cute Easter pictures of my kids, but it is IMPOSSIBLE for us to get them to stand nice, look at the camera, and smile all at the same time. So this is the best I got. I think Cole kind of looks like the Easter bunny with his teeth. Sometimes I call him bucky. Matt had the same teeth when he was a kid. Hope you all enjoyed Easter and were able to take a moment to reflect on the Atoning sacrifice of our Savior and the resurrection.

Confessions Of 3 year Old Boys

2008-03-21T21:24:00.003-05:00

"Me love this porn mom." "This my favorite porn." "Doe (how Jack says Cole), you like this porn?" "Mom, we have more porn?" "Where you get this porn from, mom?" "Please me have more porn?" This was our conversation at the dinner table the other day. What exactly were Cole and Jack referring too? :
Apparently Jack and Cole are having a hard time making the "k" sound in corn, so corn becomes porn. Matt and I tried not to crack up as this conversation took place. We knew if they realized it was making us laugh, they would continue to say it. I can just picture them saying that as we walk through the grocery store past the corn or even worse, at church. Just something funny...or not, I wanted to share.

Road To San Antonio - The Madness is Back!

2008-03-19T20:11:00.008-05:00

Tomorrow is the start of the NCAA tournament. It is one of my favorite times of the year to watch T.V. This is probably the only time of the year that the kids have to find something else to do other than watch television. For the next few weeks, as long as a game is on, there will be NO cartoons playing on the big screen. March Madness brings back so many fun college memories for me. I guess I could call it my glory days. I was and am a HUGE Univ. of Utah fan. I am always excited to tell everyone that I attended college back when Andre Miller, Keith Van Horn, and Michael Doleac played basketball for the Utes, back when they had a phenomenal team. One very memorable game was when Utah played Kentucky in the FINALS of the tournament in 1998 (when will the "U" ever make into the finals again!?). I was actually attending graduate school in Kansas that year. I had come home for spring break and was planning on heading back to school on Sunday. Well, I had to change all my flight plans and miss the first day of the new semester when Utah made it to the finals and the game was on Monday. I had to be hanging out with all my "U" college friends, in Utah, on game day. That was the MOST exciting game in history...in my opinion. The "U" was up the ENTIRE game until the last few minutes, when Kentucky came back to win! It never failed, for several years in a row, somehow, someway, the "U" and Kentucky ALWAYS met up in the tournament. And somehow, someway, Kentucky always won. Kentucky became known to me as the enemy. Well, this year, it won't happen. The "U's" glory days are in the past, and they didn't even make it to the tournament this year. Good luck in the Inaugural CBI though! Utah vs. UTEP in the first round tonight. But that won't stop Matt and I from enjoying all the other fun ball that begins tomorrow. My friend Carter has done a March Madness pool for 16 years. Good times. Thanks Carter! I have done it with him from the very first year, and the tradition continues. I might have taken 3rd once, but NEVER won. I think my picks are good too! So hopefully this is my year, but if not, I look forward to next year. Maybe Utah will be back. So who am I routing for? Well, I didn't pick them to make it past the second round, but wouldn't it be nice if BYU was the Cinderella team. Most likely not going to happen, so I played it safe and went with North Carolina! GO TAR HEELS! But my heart still belongs to Big Red.

3 Years Ago Today!

2008-03-09T20:24:00.013-05:00

hAppY bIrTHdAy CoLE aNd jAcK!
This has been the fastest 3 years of my life. Maybe it's because I haven't stopped running since the day they were born. I remember always wanting twins and hoping for twins, and I got my wish...my blessings. Carrying twins for 8 months is no walk in the park, and raising twin boys and a young daughter is also tough, but I would not change a thing and these two little boys make me laugh, smile and enjoy life every day.
On Aug. 19, 2004 this is what we saw at out ultrasound appt. Which one do you think looks like Cole and which one is Jack? I'll never know.

Here are a few fun facts about by my big boys.

Today on his birthday, Cole weighs 27 lbs. and is 3 1/4 feet tall.

Cole is 9 minutes older than his taller brother Jack.

Cole LOVES animals and Diego.

He is our best eater and is usually willing to try new foods at least once.

His favorite color is either green or red depending on the day.

Cole is the feisty twin and a big mamas boy (that has to change soon!).

He loves to play with Jack.

Today, on Jack's 3rd birthday he weighs 30 lbs. and is 3 ft. 2 1/4 in.

Jack is 9 minutes younger.

Jack loves animals and Diego too.

His favorite color is blue.

His favorite foods are eggs and he loves fruit.

Although Jack can be tough, he is our softy and usually the peace maker.

He is independent and wants to do everything by himself.

He loves to play with Cole.

Cole and Jack, you are so fun to have around. I am so happy and blessed to have you both in our family. Each one of you is unique and special and loved more than you can imagine. I love that you two always have each other are best friends. I hope you will always love each other watch out for each other and keep each other out of trouble. Thanks for the smiles, hugs, and joy you bring to my life. I love you!
~mom

Look Who's Turning 3!

2008-03-08T19:54:00.008-06:00

Actually their official birthday is tomorrow, but as a far as they were concerned it was today. We had a party at the church filled with coloring, bikes, balls, play doh, friends, and food. And despite the blizzard conditions we had a nice turnout and a fun time. Thanks to all who risked their lives to attend Jack and Cole's birthday party. They had a lot of fun and scored on gifts this year. Can you say spoiled! Here are a few pictures of the day. More about the birthday boys tomorrow on their OFFICIAL birthday.

Satuday is a special day, it's the day to get ready for....UFC???

2008-03-02T15:56:00.011-06:00

That's right we spent the day cleaning so Matt could get ready for fight night with the guys. Actually it was good excuse to do some long over due spring cleaning. Even Lily, Jack and Cole pitched in. They are so eager to help. The sad thing is, they actually make cleaning more work for me because I have to stop to help them and teach them. But I guess if I want them to learn sometime, I need to be patient with them and suck it up. I can only pray that when they get good at cleaning, they will still be eager to do it. Yea, right! Then we went and rented a couple of kid flicks so mom and the kids could watch movies (ignore that nasty picture of me) while "Boys Town" got ready for the testosterone kick they were looking forward to watching. I really don't understand UFC, or any fighting type sport for that matter. I mean, how fun is it to get hit in the face, get a broken nose and teeth, and roll around on the floor with another sweaty guy until you get knocked out. Call me crazy, but I don't get the fun of it. But, Matt enjoys it, and that is all that matters. He had a bunch of guys come over, pick up some burritos, and yell at each swing and kick to the head. By the way, those aren't beer bottles. They are the BEST sodas ever created. One of the guys brought over a case or two of Hank's Gourmet Vanilla Cream Soda and Orange Soda. I'm glad he had fun.

We, re Having a Party!! Wish You could Come!

2008-03-01T10:06:00.001-06:00

Cole and Jack turn 3 next Sunday, March 9th. I can hardly believe it. Anyways, we just sent this invite out to all our local friends here in Erie, but wanted you all to know that you are ALL invited too. We know you can't make it, and we will miss all our family (although my dad get's to be here...papa!) Cleveland friends, Utah friends, AZ friends, Iowa friends, Philly friends, Cali. friends, Colorado friends...O.K. I'll stop. We are very blessed and have friends and family all over the country. And we wish you all could come.
The other little boy in this picture, Jackson, also has a birthday the same weekend, so we are having a triple party. So much fun. We'll miss you all.

Lily's Special Day!

2008-02-20T20:12:00.007-06:00

Well, she waited for months for this one day. Talked about it often. And counted down the days for the last 42 days. Now it has come and gone, and she is sleeping her first night as a 5 year old. Lily, I hope you had a great day. I tried to make it all about her. Here are the days events.

Salon treatment at the Baird Family Day Spa

Pink Tinker Bell cupcakes for 21 kids in her class

Build-a-Bear Workshop party with 4 friends and her brothers

Lily's favorite dinner~PIZZA!

............until next year.

Birthday Girl

2008-02-20T08:54:00.007-06:00

Today my first born is FIVE! I can't believe it. I love her SOOOOOOOOOOOO much. Let me just tell you a little about this amazing girl. She loves to learn and is smarter than I can explain and has a memory like no other. She reminds me of things from when she was two! She is one of the most outgoing and friendliest people I know. Lily can make new friends instantly wherever she goes and lives...and we live in a lot of places. She loves to go to primary and sing songs. Lily loves clothes and likes to wear the latest fashions. Here are a few other fun facts about miss Lily.

Today on her 5th birthday she was 37lbs. and 3 feet 8 inches.

Her favorite foods are pizza, smoothies, and most anything junk food.

She loves to do art and could sit and color through an entire coloring book in one sitting.

She loves swimming and is itching to go skiing and ice skating.

She loves to have friends over and play Polly Pockets, Littlest Pet Shops, Wii, and
hide-and-go-seek.

She loves her Leapster and is a wiz at online computer games.

She doesn't like most foods, going to bed at 8 PM, heights, or anything scary.

Lily, I am so proud of who you are. You are a wonderful daughter, an amazing sister, and perfect friend. I am so happy you are my daughter and feel blessed everyday to have you in our family.
I LOVE YOU! xoxox ~ Mom

Go Diego Go!

2008-02-20T08:12:00.013-06:00

Last night we went to see Diego Live: The Great Jaguar Rescue. That's right, even little Erie has a playhouse with live productions and a stage. It was a lot of fun to watch the kids participate in singing the songs, doing the actions, and enjoying the show. Lily told the boys, "this is your very first concert". I thought that was pretty funny. We sat right behind a family who had a girl Lily's age and twin boys Cole and Jack's age. Here are a few pictures of the evening.

Happy Late Valentine's Day to Us

2008-02-17T17:20:00.005-06:00

For Valentine's Day Matt and I wanted to get each other Guitar Hero 3 for Wii. This thing is really hard to find when you are buying it for Wii, but this weekend we finally found it in stock. Not very romantic, but sooooo much fun. It's kind of addicting. Even the kids enjoy trying it out and watching mom and dad get a little crazy playing rock songs from our glory years. Anything and everything from Guns 'n Roses to Kiss to Heart is what you can play. We can't wait for the kids to go to bed so we can play with our new toy. Hopefully we will make it to bed before midnight. Happy rockin' Valentine's Day Matt!

A Sledding We Will Go

2008-02-16T19:04:00.020-06:00

Dreary Erie was not so dreary today. We actually saw the light of day. The sun was shining and we had had some recent snowfall, so we took advantage of our Saturday together and went sledding. We could not have asked for a more perfect day and had so much fun. Cole of course would not go down alone, but he still LOVED every minute of it. Lily and Jack bonzaid down face first every time. Jack, who is not even three yet, wanted to go even faster then the sled would take him. We had a few tumbles that I was waiting for some screams and cries, but every time, they just got up laughing and wanting to go again. Click on the pictures to see them better. Some of the facial expressions are the best.

2008-02-13T22:01:00.004-06:00

Hold Off On Your Visits!

2008-02-10T20:16:00.000-06:00

I know you all have been dying to come visit us in Erie, but you may want to hold of for the week. It's FRIGID! Just took a look at the weather for the next week. Doesn't look like we're in for any kind of global warming here in the Northeast anytime soon. Yes, that is a negative in front of the 23 and 31 Church was canceled this morning. Gotta love it. (Is that bad to be happy church was canceled?) Lily's school is most likely canceled for tomorrow. Gotta hate it! Looking forward to warmer days.

Who are you?

2008-02-07T19:37:00.000-06:00

Must be Matt's kid. I'm sure you are all wondering what could be so devastating that it requires a full out hysterical, open mouth, closed eye cry! Oh, come on. You've all been there. This one was caused by me telling Cole he had to finish his lunch before he had orange cracker fish. Kind of makes you want to shed a tear, huh? This is actually just a typical day in my life multiplied by 3 small kids. AND, I can usually count on about 3 meltdowns per kid, per day. The only comfort I have is knowing I am not alone. I know most of you have kids like this as well, unless of course, you have perfect little angels. Actually, I know some of your kids, and they do seem like perfect little angles.
But at the end of the day... and all during the day, I love my kids more than anything in this world. Somehow, I just need to learn to cherish even these little moments.

I've been tagged again!

2008-02-07T19:29:00.000-06:00

A. The rules are posted at the begining.
B. Each person answers the questions about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the person then tags people and posts
their names, then goes to there blog and leaves a comment, letting
them know they have been tagged.

*10 years ago
I was living in the great city of Wichita, Kansas (yes, another one of my favorite cities in the U.S.) attending graduate school. I was doing the "long distant thing" with Matt. Who says long distant relationships don't work?

*5 things on my to-do list
5? Can I right down 10+!

1. Fold the pile of laundry on my bedroom floor that had been sitting there for a week.
2. Prepare my sunbeam lesson for Sunday.
3. Call to get a WAY over due dentist appt.
4. Go grocery shopping.
5. Call the garbage company to see if they will pick up our garbage more than every other week.
Hello! By the end of the two weeks, we have garbage coming out our ears.

*Things I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire
1. Build my custom French cottage dream house and have it professionally decorated
2. Travel around the world.
3. Get a permanent cook, housekeeper, gardner, masseuse, nanny, personal trainer....waht else can I think of?
4. Donate to several charities.
5. Buy my parents their dream car and house.
6. The list goes on!

*3 of my bad habits
1. Nail biting
2. Gossiping
3. Complaining

*Jobs I have had
1. Worked at Chilies while in college.
2.Worked as a CNA in a nursing home.
3. Speech Therapist for the past 9 years.
4. Mom

*Things people don't know about me
Goodness. I feel like I am an open book. I can't think of anything that is worth telling!

Don't worry, you are all off the hook. I'm breaking rule #3. I'm sure I have tagged you all too many times before.

Our New Prophet

2008-02-04T20:07:00.000-06:00

I know I keep posting about all that is happening in my church lately, but because I don't scrapbook or keep a journal, this is my place for my memories. So I just wanted to post this picture of the new first presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.Thomas S. Monson is the new president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it was announced today at a news conference in the Church Office Building. President Monson, 80, succeeds President Gordon B. Hinckley, who died 27 January 2008.The new world leader of the Church has called to serve with him in the First Presidency, the top governing body of the 13-million-member faith, President Henry B. Eyring, 74, first counselor, and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, 67, second counselor.
President Boyd K. Packer, 83, is the new president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles will be filled later.

You Will Love This If You Have Not Already Enjoyed It

2008-02-02T18:35:00.000-06:00

Gordon B. Hinckley Tribute

Thanks Destiny for sharing it with me.

Bella Blog GIVEAWAY!

2008-01-30T15:05:00.001-06:00

Just wanted to let you know I am having a giveaway on my Shabby Creations site. Check it out and tell all your friends and family. It's going to be fun.

President Gordon B. Hinckley (June 23, 1910 – January 27, 2008)

2008-01-28T06:53:00.001-06:00

I awoke this morning to hear about the passing of our beloved prophet. I am a bit saddened as I think about his departure from this mortal existence, but I cannot help but rejoice as I visualize the great reunion with Our Heavenly Father and his sweet, sweet wife, Marjorie Hinckley.
I am so gratetful that Heavenly Father sent such a great, but humble man to earth to help teach and inspire me. He has accomplished a lot in our church history. There is a brief biography in wikipedia titled Gordon B. Hinckley that gives a few facts about his life as a prophet. According to origin.sltrib., during his nearly 13 years as president it’s said that Gordon gave more than 2,000 speeches, visited more than 150 countries, and greeted hundreds of diplomats and ambassadors. He was interviewed by journalists from nearly every major American newspaper, charming many with his folksy wisdom and self-deprecating humor.
I will miss this great man, but know he has been called home, and is needed to carry on the work with our Heavenly Father. He has touched my life, made me laugh, and inspired me to be better.

If you have any questions about the LDS church or any of President Hinckley's teachings, please visit: www.lds.org

Getting Back to Normal!

2008-01-27T21:45:00.000-06:00

We have had a crazy week and a half. For a while there I was feeling a little overwhelmed. But, things seem to be getting back to normal. Matt and I went to Orlando, Florida for one of his business trips. Mimi came to stay with the kids...bless her heart, while we went kidless. We were able to go to Universal Studios and Universal Adventure, and I was able to go to Epcot alone while Matt was in meetings. It was so much fun riding roller coasters, eating out, and spending time with my favorite guy. We have no pictures of our trip. As I was frantically trying to get out the door to catch the plane, I could not find our camera. So I guess our trips memories will live on in my mind only.
Of course I called home daily to check on the kiddos. Poor Mimi! Jack and Cole were sick (yes, throw up and the "other") the entire time we were gone. She said she must have done 20+ loads of laundry while we were gone for 4 days. Of course it snowed the entire time we were gone too, so Mimi and the kids were cooped up in the house (not that the sickos were going anywhere) the entire time. Poor kids are just getting over this doozy of a flu. 8+ days! I was starting to think they had eaten some parasite or something.Here are a few photos of Jack and Lily in the big snow storm we had. Cole is not in any of them because he didn't really go in the snow. He's like me, doesn't like to be cold.So, the kids are feeling better, I am caught up with all my Shabby Creation orders (I was way behind after the trip) , the snow is melting, and life is calm....for now!

Just Saying Hi

2008-01-15T12:55:00.000-06:00

For some reason I feel like I need to write a post. I don't have much to write about, but I start to feel guilty for not posting when more than a week goes by. Our lives are pretty simple right now. That is a good thing. Lily started a new preschool, and even Jack and Cole will be going to a school on Wednesdays for the entire day. DREAMY!!! They start tomorrow. From now on I have every Wednesday to do what ever I want. I'm pretty excited about it. Lily also starts swim lessons on Thursday. Other than that, we are adjusting to life in the big...I mean small city.
On Saturday I am going to Florida with Matt, for a business trip while Mimi so graciously comes to stay with the kids. Should be fun. Bye for now!

ERIE-Home Sweet Home

2008-01-05T21:23:00.000-06:00

We made it. Our move is complete. We are official residents of Erie, PA. Everything went really smooth. We are being spoiled by having movers come in and do EVERYTHING. I hope I never have to move on our own. I didn't pack even 1 box. They packed, moved, unpacked, and even took away the empty boxes. They were ahead of schedule, so we only had to stay in a hotel for 2 nights. We moved in on New Year's eve day, and by the evening time, Matt and I were exhausted, but we managed to stay up and watch a movie and bring in the New Year in our new home with a little Martinelli's. The kids are adapting well. It is as if they have lived here forever. Tomorrow we will go to our new ward and check things out there. And then Matt is starting his next assignment on Monday. Here are a few pictures of our last night in our Chicago house. The kids had fun wrestling with their dad and climbing on him.

The movers let the kids get in the truck and honk the horn. I can imagine the neighbors we not too happy as Jack pulled on the horn and didn't let go.

HOME SWEET HOME.....for5 1/2 months!

Christmas Day 2007

2007-12-25T20:24:00.003-06:00

The day started at 7:30 am (not bad) when Lily came into our room eager to see if Santa had come. We woke the boys up and headed down stairs. Looks like Santa thought they were pretty good, because the Christmas tree had tons of gifts under and around it. It was a total frenzy. Earlier in the week they had all picked out their own wrapping paper, which I gave to Santa, so they new which gifts were for them without asking. Of course after each gift is unwrapped, they want to open it. You know how it is, every toy is packaged so it is adult proof and our kids get their patients from me. So Matt and I are frantically twisting and pulling those wire things to get the toys out and putting together parts and pieces as fast as we can, while the kids are on top of us, telling us to hurry. I think they were all pretty excited and happy with the loot. As you can see by the pictures, the kids didn't even have time to change out of their pajamas all day. That would have taken away time from playing. It was just a relaxing day at home, watching the kids play, snacking and enjoying the family. Pretty good Christmas in my book. Through all the chaos, commercial, hustle and bustle of the season, I try hard to take moments and think about what it is all about. My heart is full as I think about Christ's life and what he did for me. I love the way President Gordon B. Hinckley expresses some thoughts of the Savior:

It is proper during this season when we commemorate His birth that we remember the Lord Jesus Christ in reverence and with love. He has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. He has brought meaning to our mortal existence. He has given us the gift of eternal life. He was and is the Son of God, who was “made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

God be thanked for the gift of His Son, the Redeemer of the world, the Savior of mankind, the Prince of Life and Peace, the Holy One.

I hope you all had a fun Christmas day with your families and loved ones. Only 365 days until next Christmas!

Magic Kingdom and Sea World

2007-12-20T13:27:00.000-06:00

We just returned from Orlando, Florida where we met my mom and Ken for a quick trip to Magic Kingdom and Sea world. The kids were a little under the weather, but all in all, we had a good time. Lily's favorite part was meeting Jasmine, and the boys seemed to like everything about Sea World and the animals. Can't beat the Florida weather in the winter. One last hurrah before the big move to Erie.....in 8 days.

2007-12-14T10:38:00.001-06:00

The Bairds Crash Erie

2007-12-13T08:06:00.000-06:00

We just returned from our house hunting trip in Erie. We actually found a great brand new house to live in. They were just finishing up the building and laying the carpet. It has beautiful woodwork, a gas fireplace, upstairs and downstairs, a huge master bathroom, and my favorite part...stainless steel appliances with granite counter tops. Who would have known in Erie? Funny how your home makes everything much more tolerable. Now that we have a nice place to live, I am O.K. to move there....but only for 6 months. I wish I had some pictures to share, but we didn't take any. I was actually pleasantly surprised about some of the homes there. A lot of building and new neighborhoods. The movers will come to our house 2 weeks from today. Looks like we'll be spending New Years in a hotel somewhere in the mid west until our stuff arrives. Erie here we come!

Christmas In Chicago

2007-12-02T23:17:00.000-06:00

If you ever have a chance to visit Chicago during the holidays, it is a MUST. On Saturday Matt and I left the kids with the babysitters and took the train into the city. Not only was it awesome just having a date day with my husband, but being in the city with the decorations, snow, and culture was so fun. This city knows how to do Christmas. We started out going to the Chicago Institute of Art to see the works of Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, and so many other well known artists' work. Then we went to lunch. Next we visited the Christkindlmarket which is a charming German American market with German food including pastries, chocolate, and wiener schnitzels, German Christmas decorations like original handmade glass ornaments, that I am in love with, (I've included a few pix of my favorites that are now on my tree), advent calendars, etc. Just so fun and festive. Next we walked in the wet, slushy storm (but I loved every moment of it) to the famous Michigan Avenue. I like to call it Oprah town. AMAZING shopping. Of course, we didn't buy much, but to see the lights, window decorations, and people was so fun. Definitely a day to remember in Chicago.
We also got to take the kids on the "Polar Express" where we got to see Santa. The Metra train turns into the fun train on December weekends.I love this time of year. I love to see my kids get excited. I love the decorations. I love the feeling I get during this time of the year. I try so hard to remember the true meaning and always keep Christ in my mind.

Top Ten Things I Am Thankful For

2007-11-22T15:16:00.001-06:00

At this time of the year as I reflect on my life, the past year, the upcoming year, the holidays and all the hustle and bustle to come, I feel so blessed. How is it that someone so imperfect as I, can have so much. I know that it is because of my loving Heavenly Father. So hear is my top ten things I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving Day. Of course the list could go on and on, but these are the most important to me.
1. The gospel.
2. My Savior Jesus Christ.
3. Matt (hottest guy on the planet).
4. My 3 beautiful, awesome, fun, loving children.
5. Supportive and loving parents.
6. My house. We may not own it, and it may be in Erie in a month, but it is HOME.
7. Late night tuck ins and sneaking a kiss from my kids.
8. A free country-thanks to all the troops and brave people who chose to defend this country.
9. Matt's job
10. Unconditional love from my family, friends and Heavenly Father

Thank you friends, family, and especially my true love, Matt. You all have made some sort of difference in my life, big or small. I love you and appreciate you all. I wish you joy, happiness and health this holiday season.

Love,
Michelle

2007-11-20T14:45:00.000-06:00

Shabby Creations- My New Blogger Business

2007-11-13T15:39:00.000-06:00

As many of you know I have been building blog templates and learning a little about HTML coding.With a lot of help from Matt, I have started my new little blogger business designing blog templates and headers. I have already been busy completing new orders for interested bloggers. It's been a lot of fun. Check out the new blog business site at SHABBY CREATIONS
The blog site is pretty bare bones and still a work in progress, but I wanted to get it up and going. I want to thank you all who have allowed me to give your blog a face lift and those of you who have sent me referrals. You have been great.

SHOOT Me Now!

2007-11-08T13:06:00.000-06:00

It's official. We are moving to Erie, Pennsylvania. If I had to make a list of the WORST places in the U.S. to live, Erie would be at the very top...if not the top. It's a good thing I love my husband soooooo much and that it is only for 6 months, because in another situation, this could be grounds for divorce. (Matt, I'm justing kidding, you know I love you to death!) For those of you who don't know much...or anything about Erie, it's a small city (100,000 people) on the very very north western tip of Pennsylvania. They are known for their brutal lake effect winters and Splash Lagoon indoor water park(many of you Clevelanders may have been their). It is an old city with not a lot of growth (NO growth)...except for us, and an average winter temp. of 28 degrees. Should be a good time for a SAHM with three small kids in the winter. Nothing to do but potty train two little boys.
O.K. now that I have released all the negative feelings I have about this move, I promise not to complain about it anymore (except to Matt). In all reality, it is just another great adventure in our lives. No matter where we go or what we do, we have a great family and always seem to make great memories wherever we are. I am already looking forward the following rotation move in June. Maybe Huntington Beach?! Wouldn't that be great.
Any condolences appreciated.

I'm Finally Ending My Affair......With Candy!

2007-11-06T16:02:00.000-06:00

Dear Candy,

I never thought I could one day be writing you these words. At one time my heart was so filled with love for you. But, it's over. Our relationship just hasn't been working for a while, and now, this is it. I'm leaving you for a healthier life style.
You are a cheater! The truth is there's nothing more you can say to make things better. I know about your secret affair with weight gain. You say you two are not seeing each other anymore, but I just don't believe it. You say you can live without weight gain, and I've heard that weight gain can live without you, but I know that's simply not true.
I know, I've tried breaking up before, and I've always come back, but that's because I couldn't find the right food to move on with. What I want is a food that's makes me strong and healthy, one that increases energy and burns more calories. I have found just that.
So this is it! Good-bye. I know you'll do fine without me; you always have. I'm sure there'll be someone who'll find you to be tasty and satisfying. It just won't be me.

Sincerely,

Michelle

hAllOwEen FuN!

2007-10-31T21:58:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to post some pictures of the kids on Halloween night. They had a lot of fun dressing up and trick-o-treating. They filled their buckets up to the top and then had fun dumping them out to check out the goods at home. Hopefully they can sleep well tonight. They all had about 10 lbs. of candy to eat right before bed, so I'm sure they have sugar running through their veins. Good times!

2007-10-31T14:57:00.000-05:00

Creating Blog Templates

2007-10-26T16:39:00.001-05:00

I have been wondering for sometime now how to make a cute blog background and how to change the template to make it look a little more like me (my style). I see others with cute backgrounds and want my own, however, it's not that easy. So I have started playing around with my blog template and learning all about HTML coding. This stuff is HARD. Anyways, after many hours of reading, experimenting, and playing around I have figured out a little bit. I can now easily change the background and wrapper color (that is the black part of this blog). So I have been tossing around the idea of starting a small business of creating cute blogs for people. What do you think? Is there a market out there for this stuff? Check out my link to my flickr site www.flickr.com/photos/maniacmom/
These are all blog templates I have created. I have included a few sample pictures in this post too. Let me know if you want one and I'll e-mail you the template. Or if you have a copy of a background you like, just e-mail it to me. If enough people are interested, maybe I'll start a little design blog business. I figure word of mouth is the best advertisement, so if others seem interested let me know.

Autumn Greetings

2007-10-23T22:37:00.001-05:00

I've been having a lot of fun with photoshop and Elements. Slowly but surely I am figuring out new ways to play with and manipulate photos and graphics. I think my next step is getting a decent camera. But, I make do with what we have and fall is a great time to take fun pictures. These are some pictures and my creation from Morton Arboretum here in Chicago today. The kids and I spent a lot of time enjoying the leaves and out doors. It is a toss up as to whether I like summer or autumn better, but I think right now fall is my favorite.

Oh KIDS!

2007-10-19T17:18:00.000-05:00

So Lily's teacher walked her out to our car this afternoon and wanted to tell me a cute/funny story about a conversation between Lily and another little boy in her class. It went like this:
Hi, what's your name?

Lily.

Hi Lily, I'm Ryan. Do you want to be my friend?

No, not today, maybe next week.

I guess I thought we had taught her to be nice and friendly to everyone. I am noticing lately she has become a little picky with her friends and not exactly "nice" to the people she is not too fond of. I am glad the teacher thought this conversation was "cute" and that Lily said it in the nicest way possible. We have had to have the talk about how Heavenly Father created all of us and that we are all His children. She has been noticing the differences in people's skin, hair color, and languages. She has been asking a lot of thoughtful questions regarding different people. I am hoping that we are responding and explaining things to her so that she will one day learn to respect and understand all types of cultures, races, handicaps and religions.

Then, yesterday we were at the Aquarium, and we saw a couple of Muslim women. They of course had all black on and their heads and were completely covered except for their eyes. Jack stopped about 2 feet away and stared with horror. I was praying and hoping he didn't start screaming and crying right there in front of them. Halloween has scared my kids a bit, and lately they are afraid to even go into WalMart in case there are stones (skeletons) displayed. I can only imagine what was going through Jack's mind when he saw this totally veiled women in all black. Luckily, he waited until I pulled him away to say, "mommy, what's that?" Bless their little hearts as they see and learn new things in this big world.

St. George Report

2007-10-11T15:34:00.001-05:00

We had a great time in St. George. We did a lot and saw a lot of people in a short amount of time, but it was well worth it. The kids really enjoyed hanging out with the horses, acting like cowboys and cowgirls, riding the tractor and playing farm at my mom's house. We were able to see Millie and Laurie, play at Haley's cute house, see Matt Hammons' fancy dental office, eat at Cafe' Rio, attend the marathon, visit with Matt's parents and sister, hang out with Omi and Opi (great grandma and grandpa) and grandma and grandpa, watch a little conference, and meet with some Cleveland friends for lunch at the park. Here are some pictures from our trip. If you click on them you can see them a little bigger.

Here are some pictures of Matt during the race and after. He sat in that spot for over 30 minutes. He said he couldn't get up or move or he would get a cramp. His recovery is almost complete. He pushed himself pretty hard, but really wanted to qualify for Boston. The other picture is a bunch of friends from Cali. that all qualified for Boston too. So we'll be meeting up with them in April.
On Sunday we met a bunch of old Cleveland friends and their cute families. It was great to get together and catch up. Everyone's kids are so cute and growing up so fast. We missed a couple other families who didn't make it, but I think we had a pretty good turn out.