The Elledge Family

Every Once In A While, There's a Moment Like This

2012-01-27T21:50:00.002-07:00

(playing happily together in the closet)

(Oliver was having so much fun with them he cried when I had to take him out to brush his teeth and put him to bed!)

Brian's B-Day

2012-01-21T23:30:00.004-07:00

My sweetie turned 31 yesterday! He spent the whole day doing what he does at the clinic, but he got to come home to have dinner and cake with the family. My parents drove down to celebrate with us. Even though they were only here for a very short time, it was fun to have them! Thanks for making it a party! We are happy Brian was born and sad that he had to leave us today for a week and a half to go back east and study and take a test. You'll be missed. Love you sweetie!

Baby #4 - It's a ...

2012-01-17T23:45:00.003-07:00

We got to celebrate our anniversary by having an ultrasound. And we found out that we are having a boy! We are excited. Aubrie was in the room and her reaction was 'That's fair! Two girls and two boys.' She was happy. She has been saying she wanted another brother.

After Gwen got home from school and Aubrie told her, she jumped up and down and said that she was really wanting another little brother too. So, everyone is happy. Except Oliver, who doesn't get it yet. But we think he will love a little playmate someday!

We went to lunch after our appointment and had a good time with Aubrie and Oliver. Then we picked up some cupcakes from a new cupcake place called 'the frosted muffin', ate them with Gwen after she got home and were sadly not impressed. But it was fun to spend the day together and with the kids.

Will little brother look like this handsome boy? Can't wait to find out!

8th Anniversary

2012-01-17T23:36:00.002-07:00

8 happy years with my best friend and sweetheart! We had a really great anniversary. (Brian wrote me a song on the guitar and sang it to me. Seriously. Be really jealous. It was awesome!)

Nursery

2012-01-15T21:05:00.002-07:00

Oliver went to nursery for the first time last week while I was in Utah. But he didn't stay very long. The nursery leader whose lap he was sitting on had to use the restroom, so he couldn't handle being left twice and was brought to Brian. This week I stayed with him the whole time. It was fun to watch him experience all the fun things that they do in nursery. He really loved the singing time. He stared at the song leader with amazement the whole time and was dancing around. He had a problem with transitions from one activity to another and cried each time we had to put toys away or leave the snack table or put the crayons away. I think that once he gets used to the routine, he is going to love it in there. He's bigger than most of the other newer kids even though he's younger. It was funny. He never seems big until he gets around other kids and that's when I realize he really is a big guy. Love him.

Here he is sharing his water with his singing Elmo.

Here is his first ever nursery picture. He was really in to coloring it.

Family Pictures and Oliver's 18 Month Pics

2012-01-09T23:56:00.004-07:00

We took pictures last week and even though the whole process took almost three hours!, they turned out great. I'm really happy with the shots we got. I already have them on my wall too! We didn't get all of these, but here are a sampling of the pics that were taken. Our favorites are the top pics of each kind.

So happy with this!!! They all gave us a great smile!

Oliver wasn't even happy for most of the session, but I still think that we got some great pics of him. The photographer brought out a football and that is the only reason that he stayed around to have his individual pictures taken. I even love some of the pictures with the football, although I'm not a sports fan. He's such a handsome little boy!

My football.

This one is cute but was too blurry for a big picture. Love this boy!

My Utah Trip

2012-01-09T18:31:00.008-07:00

Brian was nice enough to let me travel alone to Utah to spend a few days with my sister and her new baby Juliet and the rest of her family. He used the rest of his Christmas break to play 'mom' to our kiddos. And they all survived. He's such a sweetheart. I got to travel to Utah with my mom. She made the comment that the last time she was on a plane with me, I was 2. So it was a fun day of planes, layovers, and lugging luggage around. I had a really great time. Juliet is a sweet and cuddly, tiny bundle of joy. And I loved seeing all my Utah family and friends that were healthy enough to be around the baby. It was a nice break from the kids. I was sad to leave on Sunday morning because it's always so fun to be with everyone. When I finally got home (after going from the biggest airport I've ever been in (LAX) to the smallest airport I've ever been in (Visalia) on a scary small plane with fewer than 10 passengers), the kids seemed sort of happy to see me. Oliver did not want me this morning, though. He asked for Daddy, then ran into the kitchen and screamed 'no!' every time I asked if I could change his diaper or feed him breakfast. But since the girls started back at school today, we got to hang out and run errands together and he seemed to be my friend again eventually. Maybe he'll forgive me for going.

We met halfway between Visalia and San Jose and ate at Wendy's. Then Brian and the kids went back home and I went with mom to fly out of San Jose. I love this pic of Aubrie feeding Oliver a frosty. Classic Aubrie.

Brian sent me these while I was in Utah. Such cute pictures. They enjoyed some really fun park time together.

I didn't get my camera out except for one night. But here are a few pictures of everyone involved (except Grandma, who was behind the camera). Me with Juliet.

Big Valerie and me and Juliet

Becky, John, Yung, and Drew

Ella, Mackenzie, Mike, and Dante

Dante, Little Valerie, and Scarlett's arm.

Scarlett

Yung, Valerie, and me and Juliet

And one more of the baby because she's cute. Really great trip. Wish we lived closer so we could hang out all the time! Love everyone!

Christmas

2011-12-31T00:20:00.009-07:00

We had a really great time opening presents. The kids got tons of really fun stuff and we've enjoyed playing with and on all the new stuff this whole week. The most exciting things were the new princess bikes the girls got, the basketball hoop for Oliver, and the swingset that we spent all Monday morning putting together. It took us longer than I thought to get everything opened so I didn't get dinner started when I wanted to and we ate kind of late. But it was pretty good. We were so glad that Grandma and Grandpa came down to share Christmas with us. It made it feel like a holiday when we didn't do the normal trips to San Jose or Bakersfield. It made things more exciting for the kids too. Oliver loved having Papa. Even after he left, he was looking for him down the hall wanting to play legos together. We definitely had a merry Christmas. We hope that everyone else had a fun and merry Christmas too!

He can almost get a ball in there without letting go. And so far, he doesn't get how to throw it up in the air. He just wants to drop it in. When he grows a couple of inches he'll be able too.

Bikes!

Swingset!

Making gingerbread houses.

Oliver on his new 'bike'.

Christmas - Church and Stockings

2011-12-30T23:35:00.005-07:00

Since Christmas was on a Sunday this year and we have church at 9 am, we waited until after church to do any opening. We have a hard enough time getting everyone dressed and ready in time to get there early for me to play prelude on a normal Sunday. The kids did great with this. They were even willing to wait to open presents until Grandma and Grandpa Klingler arrived at 3. Sacrament meeting was nice with lots of beautiful Christmas music. I played the normal amount of songs, but was done in the first half of the program so I could sit and listen to the rest. That was nice. Stockings were fun. 'Santa' brought the girls the makeup they desired in the form of nail polish and chap stick and they seemed happy about it. We applied some right away. Oliver liked his light saber. 'Santa' also brought the girls the entire series of The Powerpuff Girls. They were thrilled with that and watched for a while until Grandparents got here.

18 Months

2011-12-18T21:24:00.003-07:00

Today my sweet baby boy is 18 months. It's hard to believe that he's only been here that long and at the same time it feels like he's been part of our family forever. It should have been his first nursery experience but the girls were ill, so Brian kept all the kids home from church. We'll have to start it next year instead! Oliver is just so sweet and fun. He has a really great personality and laughs easily. I love to play with him and make him giggle. He's playful and cute. He loves his blanket (baby) and his pacifier (baba or lately it's become more like mama). It's my favorite thing in the world right now to hear him say 'I love you'. He has also started to be really polite. He will say 'thank you' any time someone gives him something without being prompted. Super cute. He is still pretty good when I take him on errands and my best times of the week are when he and I get to hang out while the girls are at school. (I love them too. It's just so much more peaceful just the two of us!) We are so glad we were blessed with this wonderful boy! He's the best.

Oliver saying 'please' and 'thank you' and then getting mad that he couldn't have the whole chocolate we were bribing him with to get him to say those things!

'More' 'please' and 'thank you' and some 'love you'

We Fish You A Hairy Christmoose!

2011-12-15T22:41:00.004-07:00

Gwen had a special winter musical celebration at school today. (Cause they can't call it a Christmas concert. Blah). It happened to fall on a day when Brian was done at noon and in town, so we all got to go. We wanted to get there early so we could get good seats. Of course, we left later then planned. But then we stood in a line like we were at Disneyland until after the program was supposed to start. We miraculously got to sit in the last row of chairs. The kids sang a bunch of songs with cute hand motions. Gwen did a great job. She also had a weird nervous action she kept doing - sticking her tongue into her cheek and making it bulge. It was pretty weird. Oliver liked the concert a lot. He stood on Brian's lap and danced and moved along with the kids. Aubrie had a really hard time sitting still, but we made it through. Christmas break starts tomorrow after school. I would be more excited if Brian was done then too. But it really means me and the kids hanging out nonstop for like three weeks. Yikes. I hope we all survive!

...and a hippo new year!

Ward Christmas Party

2011-12-09T21:43:00.004-07:00

We went to our ward Christmas party tonight. We were expecting another madhouse like the Halloween party, but were pleasantly surprised with how it went. We got right in to see Santa with no line, had seats and room the whole time, the food was great (and there was enough!), and the kids did awesome! Gwen even sat on Santa's lap this year. What did both girls tell him they wanted for Christmas, you ask? Make-up. Yeah, right. Oliver wouldn't get near him, but would say 'bye bye' repeatedly when we were done. Cutie.

This was as close as he'd get.

Oliver would wander in a 4 foot radius around our chairs. He was especially interested in a little 2 to 3 year old girl that was sitting next to us. She did not like Oliver touching her chair or table, but he came back again and again to gaze at her. He also clapped for the performers who sang, and danced around when we were all singing songs together. This kid is so adorable. He brings pure joy to our hearts!

Decorating the Christmas Tree

2011-12-09T13:31:00.002-07:00

We put up and decorated our little tree on Sunday. The kids had fun. Oliver liked getting the ornaments from me and handing them to Brian. He also likes taking them back off the tree, as is expected. We've told him that he can't touch the glass bubble lights, so he goes up to them and says 'no no no' before smacking them half of the time. Oh, and he's already pulled the whole tree over once this week! Hopefully it survives until Christmas!

My little sweeties.

Love These Kiddos

2011-12-09T12:58:00.006-07:00

Candy Cane Lane Parade

2011-11-29T00:01:00.004-07:00

For FHE tonight, I convinced Brian to go to the annual Christmas parade that we've never been to before. He was really tired from his first day of his internal medicine rotation in Porterville, but he was a good sport and we went. It was cold, foggy, and misty, but we had a good time. Oliver was really calm for most of it. He would get excited when horses or dogs would pass. He even danced a little to some of the music. The girls liked the marching bands that played Christmas songs and, of course, Santa at the end. Aubrie made it most of the way through before she started complaining about not being able to sit anymore. We were about to head home, but the end was only a few 'floats' away. It was a great way to kick off the Christmas season.

Oliver the astronaut

I like this one because Oliver peeked back around the corner at the last second and gave me a cute smile. We parked in Brian's school classroom parking lot that was conveniently close to the parade and stopped in afterwards to raid the candy jar and let some traffic clear.

Museum at Mooney Grove Park

2011-11-28T23:30:00.002-07:00

We went on a field trip with Aubrie's class today. It was to a museum with all sorts of old-timey and Native American things. It didn't hold Aubrie's interest very well. Oliver was great in the stroller. It was a cold and foggy day today and the ground was covered in what we were told was peacock and goose poop. So that was fun. I had to clean the stroller wheels off with wipies before I could put it away in the car. It was a little funny, since that's what wipes are for anyway.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T23:17:00.002-07:00

We had a really great Thanksgiving break in Bakersfield with Grandma and Grandpa Elledge and a couple visits from Aunt Julie too. The food was great, Brian and I got to go on a date to see the new twilight movie, and Grandma and I got to take the girls to see Arthur Christmas (which I thought was funny and cute). Everyone let me sleep in in the mornings and Oliver loved being around the dogs. Great trip! Thanks for having us! Love you!

Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-23T17:15:00.003-07:00

Aubrie's school had their annual Thanksgiving feast on Monday. Since it was at lunch time, Brian got to come. There was the usual program of songs that nobody but those who were sitting in the front could hear. (We were way in the back. Since we got there right when it started, of course.) And the poorly organized lines to get food that took forever. But it was still fun and the kids had a good time.

Future NBA Star?

2011-11-23T17:12:00.001-07:00

The Tooth Fairy Comes Tonight!

2011-11-14T22:02:00.002-07:00

Gwen lost her first tooth tonight. She had told us maybe a week ago that her tooth was loose. And I teased her earlier today about pulling it out for her. She didn't want that. But it came right out while she was biting into the cone of our FHE treat. It's funny, having this hole in her smile makes her seem so much older to me. She's pretty excited to have a visit from the tooth fairy. To be honest, Brian and I didn't know the answers to a lot of the girls questions about the tooth fairy, but a dollar will be exciting either way, right? In other news, I went to 1st grade parent teacher conference today and Gwen is doing great in school. In the areas that they let them test for it, she is above her grade level. The only thing she needs to work on is writing more neatly, which just translates into going a little slower. Her teacher said she is one of a couple of kids who take each assignment as a race and try to be the first one finished! I guess she has some of that Klingler competitiveness in her! When she takes her time, she writes quite nicely. We are proud of her and her hard work! My first baby is growing up so fast!

Smiles

2011-11-14T21:52:00.002-07:00

Earlier today, I took a few pictures. Who would have known Gwen's smile could change in a few short hours!

Primary Ice Cream Social

2011-11-13T23:40:00.003-07:00

On Veteran's Day the primary had an ice cream social. There were tons of kids there. The girls had fun. Oliver was nervous around so many kids and wanted to be held most of the time until we got ice cream to eat. Fun little activity.

3 More Haircuts

2011-11-13T23:09:00.004-07:00

I like Aubrie with the shorter hair. It has less of a mullet-y feel to it now. And it's cute.

Gwen wanted short hair again. She is funny because now she will wear it down. When it was long, it was in a ponytail 99% of the time. Easier to comb too. Win win.

Look at this handsome kid! He looks so great with a fresh haircut!

Two Cuties On A Bench

2011-11-13T22:51:00.004-07:00

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:07:00.004-07:00

My sweet little trick or treaters. We hit the neighborhood with a big group of the kids friends. Aubrie gave up about halfway and was pushed in a stroller (eating candy nonstop) by Brother Abbott the rest of the way. Then when we got home she was mad that Gwen had more candy than she did. Silly Aubrie. Oliver stayed in the stroller the whole time. He wasn't interested in holding his bucket or getting candy. He did get to try a sucker and he loved it. It didn't come out of his mouth until it was just a stick! We had a fun time! But I'm glad all the Halloween stuff is over now.

I thought this was sweet. He was sad and Gwen gave him princess kisses.

Roar!

The kids in the swing of things.

Mmmm dum dum.

A fun time was had by all!

Preschool Party

2011-10-31T13:46:00.002-07:00

Aubrie got to dress up for preschool today. I was a little disappointed to find out that Gwen's class didn't get to have any sort of party or dress up or anything. Oh well. Here is Snow White with her carpool buddy Captain America.

This little girl is Aubrie's special friend from school. They always play together. It's cute.

Ward Halloween Party

2011-10-31T12:38:00.007-07:00

On Saturday we went to our ward Halloween party. There were so many people there! Our poor small building couldn't really accommodate everyone. There wasn't enough food or room, but it was still fun. They had games for the kids to play, a chili cook off, a 'costume parade', and then a trunk or treat. The girls were so excited to finally get to wear their costumes. And Oliver was a very cute dragon! Which was a very popular costume for baby boys in our ward. There were about 5 or 6 of them there and all different costumes too.

Our little snow white was grumpy, and didn't like waiting in the lines for the games.
That's better

Beautiful Cinderella

Cute dragon stealing someones pumpkin bucket.

She thought she needed this rose as part of her costume.

Even Brian and I dressed up. Brian was a surgeon and I was his patient. This was the only picture I got of me, but you can see I'm open stem to sternum!

Eating a doughnut with no hands game.

Well, maybe a little hands.

In the parade before the trunk or treating began.

Candy candy candy

Oliver didn't really like getting the candy. He preferred to wander the parking lot.

Halloween Carnival

2011-10-31T12:26:00.002-07:00

On Friday we went to the elementary school carnival. We got there right when it started, so the girls could go on the bouncy things a few times without really long lines. We played most of the little games and had some of the food and then spent the rest of our tickets on light up things when we were ready to go. Overall, it was a surprisingly good time.

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

2011-10-31T11:53:00.003-07:00

Aubrie walking with Mrs. Lobb

Trying to sit on a pumpkin

Oliver didn't like sitting next to Aubrie on the hay bales.

On the hayride. The best part was that we passed a bunch of horses. Oliver really liked them. He kept saying 'neigh neigh' and once we were passed them he kept saying 'bye bye neigh neigh' and waving. Cute.

My favorite part about this pumpkin patch is all the varieties of sunflowers they grow in the pumpkin field. So pretty.

A ghost pumpkin

Corn pit.

Even Oliver liked playing in the corn pit for a little while. He helped Aubrie fill up the bucket a few times.

Choo Choo No!

2011-10-31T11:34:00.002-07:00

We went to A&W for FHE the other week. The kids wanted to eat on the outside tables. While we were there the train came by. The tracks were right next to the restaurant. We thought it would be fun for Oliver to see. But it was soooo loud being so close. It was painful and a little scary. Now anytime we hear the trains whistle in our house, he says 'choo choo. no. no.' and shakes his head. He might be permanently afraid of them!

The kids loving Twinkie

Even Oliver knows how to say Twinkie. He loves the cat.

Weekend Fun

2011-10-13T11:27:00.002-07:00

Last weekend we went to a mini celebration of sorts at a shopping center. They had a bounce house, face painting, music, and before we got there doughnut samples. The kids had fun. Oliver ended up with some balloons, which he liked. And my camera died, so no pictures of Gwen's face paint. It was fun for a lame little thing.

Ugly rainbow. Cute girl.

She chose heart shaped balloons.

Mice

2011-10-13T11:22:00.001-07:00

Aubrie learned about mice at preschool and these are some of the cute projects that they made.

Conference Weekend

2011-10-13T11:04:00.003-07:00

Conference was great! Lots of awesome talks. We enjoyed being in Bakersfield for both days and our traditional conference breakfast. The kids loved seeing Grandpa and Grandma and were so excited that Aunt Julie came over and played with them too. Oliver also loved seeing (through the door but not up close) the dogs. It was really nice to have Brian there too. It was the start of a few months that he will be at home with us!! Yeah! We are so excited. No one more cutely than Oliver, though. He love love loves his Daddy! Here you can see him relaxing against Brian's legs. He only does this to Brian and it is so cute!

a snack and Daddy. Heaven for this little boy.

Sleep schedule are always a little off at Grandma's. We found Aubrie passed out while watching cartoons. So funny.

A Good Day

2011-09-25T22:06:00.002-07:00

Saturday was a special day. We were all together, to start with. And we took a trip up to Fresno to visit the big mall there. It was the unfortunate dropping of my ipad that brought us there. It was cracked and shardy and too dangerous to have around the kids. And we were going to the Apple store to see what we could do. It made us feel really blessed when we walked away with a new ipad to replace mine, having paid $0 instead of the $300 that the guy told was the worst case scenario. What great customer service! If we weren't apple fans already since having the ipads, we definitely are now! We celebrated by getting a pretzel and an icee to share. While I know that material possessions are not what is important in this life, I still feel grateful to the Lord for this small miracle in our lives. These devices have helped our family be connected for the 4 1/2 months that we have been apart more than together and that has been essential for me and the kids. So, Saturday was a good day. Plus, I got to go to the RS broadcast and it was wonderful. I especially appreciated President Uchtdorf's talk. If you missed it, you should check it out!

Walking

2011-09-21T23:29:00.002-07:00

Today was a mixed bag. Having been up all night due to Gwen throwing up repeatedly and finding out that Oliver was throwing up too in the morning, it didn't start out well. A lot of laundry, disinfecting, and lounging around feeling miserable later, the kids got feeling better. And Oliver surprised me by walking across his room for the first time. He has taken a couple of steps together, but never this many. It was a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy day. Love this boy!

2 Cute!

2011-09-19T22:46:00.001-07:00

Two Buns

2011-09-12T12:19:00.002-07:00

I forgot to add these pictures to my post about Aubrie's writing. She wanted two buns for school the other day and I thought she looked pretty cute. I like how you can see the back of head in the mirror of the second picture.

Big Stuffed Animals

2011-09-11T20:23:00.002-07:00

I love the weekend now. Brian is doing a rotation in Riverside and is now able to come home for the weekend. He even surprised us on Friday by getting home before the girls went to bed. A nice preceptor let him leave early and get started on the 4 hour drive at 3 instead of 5. It is sooo nice for everyone to have him here. And it means that I will get to start playing the organ in church again soon. It feels like forever since I've played. I hope I remember how! We didn't do anything spectacular, but it's great to be together. We did wander Costco. They already have Christmas stuff out and it was fun to look. We found gigantic pillow pets and stuffed animals that Oliver loved so much. He hugged each one and layed his head down on it. It was so sweet. They didn't come home with us, but we did find a cute Halloween costume for Oliver that was pretty cheap. Pictures will come at Halloween!

As big as Aubrie!

Aubrie's Writing

2011-09-11T20:13:00.002-07:00

Aubrie has been very interested in learning how to write lately. She has known her name for a long time, but now she wants to do all the letters. So, we've started working on them together a bit. I thought they looked pretty good for a beginner. Love her. It seems so weird when I think that she'll be in Kindergarten next year. They grow up so fast.

Cute Hat

2011-09-08T12:19:00.002-07:00

Oliver and I saw this cute hat yesterday and I had to try it on him. Maybe if it goes on sale sometime, I'll get it for him. Of course, he was instantly pulling it off, so maybe not. But it was soo cute.

Pictures of the Kiddos

2011-09-07T21:59:00.005-07:00

I like how Oliver is mad in all the pictures with the girls. He doesn't like to be held by them because they are always impeding his movement and bugging him. The girls look cute, though!
We were playing a game here. I would pull out his pacifier and try to get a picture of him smiling before he put it back in. He really loves his 'ba ba' as he calls it. I don't know how I will ever take it away from him.

Too fast for Mommy!

Got ya!

Loving his blanket (which he calls his 'baby') and saying he was tired and ready for bed.

My bundle of energy and noise.

The girls have been obsessed with the Power Rangers for a while now. Thanks to Netflix (or no thanks), we have every version ever made of them and there were plenty. Rangers in Space, Ninja Rangers, Mystic Force Rangers, etc. I don't love them because I think it's caused Aubrie to use more physical force, so I've banned the watching for a while. They still 'play' power rangers and are always making little paper dolls, like these ones hanging on their wall. Power Rangers are also to thank for Aubrie's new favorite color being yellow - a color that I wouldn't choose, but don't hate. Hence her yellow shirt.

Let go of me...

Oliver is still not walking on his own, but he loves to walk around the house holding my hands. He also pushed around his walking toy or the girls toy stroller sometimes. He can stand alone really well and plays while standing at the pretend kitchen a lot.

Once again, the girls were way more thrilled with this idea than Oliver.

A Roll or a Cookie

2011-08-31T16:50:00.002-07:00

Oliver loves food. He eats so much and is always hungry. Lately, he has started calling out for food when he's supposed to be napping. Over the monitor I will hear 'A roll! A roll! A roll! Nana! Nana!' He likes bread a lot (which is different because neither girl really did or does). He asks for rolls at every meal. This video is funny because he upped his request from a roll to a cookie. He's a cutie.

First Day of 4 Year Old Preschool

2011-08-31T16:29:00.002-07:00

Aubrie was more than ready to go back to school. She has been a little envious of Gwen going and taking a lunch these past couple weeks. Now she gets to too! There are so many kids in her class this year. The class was so small last year, but it's at least doubled. There are 3 or 4 other kids we know from church in with her, so that will be fun. It was weird to realize, as I read the newsletter for the first month, that she will be doing all the same things that Gwen did 2 years ago. How can that be? It's crazy to think that much time has passed since we moved here. It seems more like it just happened...

Cutting like a pro!

Back To School Night

2011-08-31T16:21:00.002-07:00

I took the kids to back to school night for Gwen last night. It was hot, boring (according to Aubrie who was saying so loudly the whole time) and a little too close to bedtime. Gwen's teacher seems really great, though, and I think she is going to learn a lot this year.

My Birthday

2011-08-31T15:52:00.003-07:00

Brian found a really cheap flight and flew home for my birthday. My parents also came down. They let me pick him up in Fresno and we went out to lunch together with no kids. It was really great. We went to the Cheesecake Factory. Yum. The kids were so excited to see Daddy again. Especially Oliver. He still calls Brian 'Mama', but he loves him so much. On my birthday we got an offer from friends to watch the kids and we were going to go out to dinner with my parents. But then it ended up that Aubrie had a fever. (Should have known, she was quiet and took a nap that day!) So we ordered in instead. It was a fun day. I didn't technically get to open any presents, but I got a Kohl's trip with my mom and, of course, my ipad (like 4 months ago!) from Brian (which I still love, so it counts!). It was sad to send everyone home again on Sunday. I really enjoyed not being alone for a day or so. What made it even harder was that I was so sick. I got what Aubrie had and so did Gwen. It was a miracle we got Brian to the airport and made it back alive on Sunday. Both girls had to stay home from school on Monday, even though it was Aubrie's first day back at preschool. Now I'm finally feeling mostly better and Oliver seems to have the fever. Not a fun after birthday present!

The kids swarming Brian. And I love how Oliver is hugging him in this one.

Oliver got a Clifford for my birthday!

And he has started pushing this walking toy around. I think walking might be right around the corner.

Poor, sick, calm, quiet (is it wrong to wish this happened more often?) Aubrie

Cake. You can see Gwen blowing out my candles!

My cute boys

Baby bird. This boy loves cake, ice cream and dessert now!

1st Day of 1st Grade

2011-08-18T22:11:00.004-07:00

Gwen started first grade today. So now she will be at school for almost a full day everyday. The 1-3 grades go about an hour less than the 4-6 grades. I got everyone up and ready to get to the school early so we could park. We found her classroom with plenty of time left to wait for her teacher to arrive. Mrs. Frolli seemed really nice and I think Gwen will like her class. (She did tell me that Mrs. Frolli yelled a little bit more than her kindergarten teacher did. I found that funny because that was her chief complaint last year: that her teacher yelled too much and wasn't nice. But she didn't seem to hold it against her new teacher.) Gwen said her favorite part of today was getting to eat lunch in the cafeteria. Woot. I felt the slightest tinge of sadness as we were leaving her. But the stronger feeling was one of how good this separation and structured learning is going to be for all of us. I think she's going to have a great year. I know I'm going to enjoy the three days a week when both Aubrie and Gwen are at school. (Only a week and a half until preschool starts again. Can't come soon enough!)

Siblings in front of the classroom.

Gwen's desk

Gwen's classroom. She's at the back by the whiteboard.

St George

2011-08-16T00:17:00.006-07:00

After a month in Nampa, ID, Brian drove to St George for his second rotation. Then he flew in to Visalia on Sat night. We got up on Sunday and drove all day back to St George. It was a long day in the car. We had to stop in Vegas to pick up Brian's car and there was horrible traffic and right then Oliver had a poop blowout. So I was changing him on the floor in the van while Brian was driving through stop and go traffic. Not the best time ever. But we survived. We got to stay in the tiny condo that was provided for Brian. The girls slept in sleeping bags in the really long hallway from the door to the little room with a couch bed. It was nice to be together again for a week. My awesome friends Yung and Valerie drove down (separately, even) to visit us. We had a great time. It was really fun to hang out especially since Yung was supposed to be in Japan for 3 years by now. We all enjoyed watching too much 'full house' (a korean drama, not the show with the olsen twins) and not sleeping enough. It was sad to leave again on Saturday. We drove back home and it was a better trip than the way there. We got to go to church all together in our own ward and that was great. Then we drove Brian to the Fresno airport and he flew back to Vegas and drove back to St George. A lot of traveling, but it was worth it. Now, we get ready for school. Gwen starts on Thursday! Summer flew by in some ways and dragged in others!

Eating in a train in Barstow

Makeshift highchair

The girls' outside eating spot

Blowing bubbles

At a cool park, that was too hot, in St George

Fun swinging benches

We ate at the Brick Oven and the kids got balloons. Oliver loved his a lot.

And, of course, we had to eat at Cafe Rio. I'm so jealous that Brian is close to one this whole month!

Great food and Great friends!

(yes, Aubrie wore this same skirt almost every day this week! She wouldn't wear anything else!)

Love you guys!

More Haircuts

2011-08-16T00:07:00.001-07:00

We took Oliver in to cut his hair and he cried the whole time. I realized during that it was the same week that he had his 1 year appointment and got several shots and several pokes in his fingers. He probably thought that was going to happen again. He looks very handsome!

before

Tucson Trip

2011-07-30T20:59:00.015-07:00

A week ago Friday the kids and I drove down to Bakersfield and met up with Grandma Elledge who flew in from Tucson. We drove all day Saturday and arrived in Tucson at about dinnertime. Shortly after we had unloaded the car, we got the best surprise ever (well almost surprise. Dave spilled the beans while we were en route). Brian rang the doorbell! He got to come be with us until Monday night. It was so great. The kids were so happy to see him. We all swam together that first night. And then Brian and I went back out swimming after we put the kids to bed. We found a frog in the pool and thought that was cute. Then when we were getting out, Brian tells me to get back in the pool quickly. I didn't know what was going on, so I jumped back in. It turned out there was a big snake coiled right where we were going to walk. We watched it slither right by the door we needed to go in and around the porch. It was really long too, but thankfully not a rattle snake. Crazy. (And after that we didn't go outside after dark anymore!)The house is absolutely beautiful. The view from every window is spectacular. The weather was pretty great for us too. It was under 100 the whole time we were there. And we saw some rain, which was fun.Our snake visitor

We went to church with Brian's Grandma Peterson. As a funny coincidence, the speaker was a returning missionary named Johnny Elledge. How random is that? A long lost cousin or something!

The kids loved being able to play with Brian on Sunday.

We saw one scorpion that was dying in the kitchen and then nothing until I took the black light around on Wednesday night. Then I found the smallest and most alive one right by the bathroom where the kids and I were sleeping. It really freaked me out, because smaller is deadlier to kids and it was right where Aubrie would have stepped had she gone to the bathroom in the night. It ran and hid under the door jamb. And I never saw it again. But luckily no one was stung!

When we swam on Monday, we were in a monsoon. The rain was coming down hard and fast and it was cold too!

See the raindrops?

Cute rainbow umbrellas

We got to see Grandma's office. Here's Aubrie helping pull her work stuff.

More swimming. We swam everyday (except Sunday) at least once or twice. Oliver loved the water.

The frog was in the pool several days. He couldn't seem to jump out by himself, so we helped him with a dustpan.

Trying Five Guys Burgers and Fries. It was yum!

Decorating cookies

Aubrie's injuries healing nicely. She was almost better, than on our way home, she smacked her head on a table at Wendy's and got another huge goose egg in the exact same spot as the last one! Seriously, she is going to be brain dead if she doesn't start acting more carefully. We also found that she had two black eyes about half way through the week and I don't know if it was from her original fall or something else that happened in Arizona! Crazy girl.

We played hard. One night while waiting for Aubrie to go to sleep (She was in the room singing at the top of her lungs until the moment she passed out), Gwen fell asleep on the chair. Unusual.

This is on our way home. It was a long drive, made longer by the accident that made it take 2 hours to go 2 miles. Yuck. Two semis collided and one was carrying hay. It was a pile of smoldering burning rubble when we passed it.

What was left of one of the trucks.

While we were driving on the 210 to get to the 5, I looked out the window and driving right next to us in a convertible was Jay Leno! Unmistakable. I tried to grab the camera and get a picture, but he was a speed demon winding in and out of lanes and we never got close to him again. Random. We finally made it to Bakersfield at about 10 at night. Such a long day, but such a great trip overall. Thanks so much for letting us come and be distracted while Brian was away in Idaho. We love you Grandma.

PS. Brian passed his board exams! Yay!!!!!

Aubrie's Injury :(

2011-07-21T13:49:00.002-07:00

Aubrie did a face plant on the back porch today. Really sad. These pictures are mostly for Brian.

We found Oliver standing in his crib after he woke up from his nap today. And then I watched him stand here and play with toys without holding on for awhile.

Water Hopscotch

2011-07-20T21:17:00.002-07:00

The girls have been swimming in the backyard almost every day this summer. Today we tried one of Gwen's birthday presents, a water hopscotch game. They liked it a lot, but it flooded the yard in not much time. I tried to put it in the dead spot in our yard. Hopefully, that will help it grow again. But it's not a toy they can play with endlessly. In other news, we are surviving. Everyone misses Brian, but we stay in touch. When Oliver sees my ipad, he always says 'da da'. Sometimes, my phone too. Sad, but cute! He is really moving now. I forgot what it's like keeping a baby out of things. He's become quite the little explorer of the house. Not content to be by my side anymore! He pulls himself up to standing position and will even let go sometimes. But he still hadn't gotten any more teeth. He's just like Gwen in that way. Cutie boy.

and Gwen took this of the rest of us

Yearly Pictures

2011-07-20T20:46:00.005-07:00

Aubrie's 4th Birthday

2011-07-11T22:17:00.001-07:00

Aubrie is 4! It feels like she should have been four for a long time now, but it's finally true. She is precocious and energetic and a bundle of emotions. We love her. She is our silly face maker, our original song composer/singer, and our lover of hair accessories. She brings joy and frustration to us daily, but we wouldn't have it any other way. Gwen would be lost and lonely without her best playmate. Love you so much Aubrie! We had both sets of grandparents over for a birthday party. Aubrie had a great time opening presents and having cake. It was finally her turn!

(They made these 'temples' in primary on Sunday. I thought they were clever and cute!)
Decorating cakes.

A butterfly (in case you couldn't tell)

Presents!

The birthday girl

Oliver had a great time crawling around and playing with wrapping paper and opened presents.

Brian even got to watch the spectacle. It was almost like he was here for it. Miss you sweetie!

Bubbles coin purse.

What a face!

Sooo excited to open a new princess laptop toy! She said 'What?!?!'

Here you can see her hands clenched as she waited for me to take it out of the box. She does this when she's really excited.

Building her scooter. One with three wheels so she can balance more easily.

A big hit with both girls.

Cake time

The girls got to sprinkle this one.

./' Happy Birthday to you ./'

Make a wish

More strawberry cake. Thank goodness my birthday is next, so we can have some chocolate cake!

Oliver even tried a couple bites.

And got a little messy in the process.

Decorating pretend cupcakes.

Her new laptop plays music, and she was dancing around so beautifully!

Last Week With Daddy

2011-07-10T20:26:00.003-07:00

Brian orientation was shortened (Hooray!) so we had an extra day to be together before he left on his first rotation. We ran some errands and then to celebrate Aubrie's birthday we took the kids to Chuck E Cheese. We had a surprisingly great time. We headed to Bakersfield on Friday. I got to get a long-overdue haircut and then when the kids were down, Brian and I went to a late dinner. He left for Idaho at about 3 in the morning. =(. We will miss him so much. Already do.

(Yes, Aubrie chose to wear a long sleeved shirt in 100 degree weather!)

Chuck E came out to do a few songs and dances with the kids and it freaked Oliver out.

My new hair and our last date for awhile.

Oliver Videos

2011-07-10T01:25:00.003-07:00

Before he was crawling, Oliver used to sit and rotate like this. I tried many times to upload this when I took it, but it wouldn't work until now.

Now he's crawling. In this video, you can hear the cute trilling sound he makes when he is crawling to get a ball. I had a better video of it, but the file was too big.

4th of July Celebrations

2011-07-10T00:58:00.003-07:00

We got to celebrate the 4th two days in a row with friends. We had our own little fireworks shows and then had the best seats for big shows without having to leave our street. It was great. The first night Oliver was a little scared by the noises. But about half way through, I stood up to hold him and he was fine. The next night, none of it bothered him at all. The girls did great too. They really liked the sparklers. We got a big pack and only used a few. I guess we'll save the rest for next year.

A little scared. He kept wanting to be passed back and forth between Brian and I. I guess he felt like he would be more secure with whomever he didn't have.

On the 4th, we also made smores. They were yummy, but it was a little ridiculous to have a fire going when it was soo hot outside!

The cool looking moon

Ready for bed late for the second night in a row.

More Reunion Pictures

2011-07-10T00:37:00.004-07:00

Mike with the babies

Melanie being a goof

Parting in the parking lot. Sad it's all over.

Riding home. So tired and off schedule, but we had a great time.

Oliver Meets the Ocean

2011-07-10T00:13:00.005-07:00

Quilt tying service project for FHE

The park. Where we ended up when we were trying to go to the San Diego County Fair, but our car had a nail in the tire. (The second nail in the second tire in the past month, I might add. At least this one was patchable and we didn't have to replace the tire like the last one!)

Snug as a bug in a rug

Swimming Pool

2011-07-08T00:26:00.009-07:00

He was so cold that night, his little lips were blue

Cousin friends!

Lounging poolside

They were playing a game that they were making up. It was really cute.

Gaming it up

The Beach

2011-07-07T22:12:00.013-07:00

We had the best time at our Klingler family reunion. As always, it was so much fun and went by way too quickly. Brian took his board exams on Friday and we packed up and left on Saturday. It took us a long time to get down to Oceanside because of traffic. We live the closest and arrived last! The week was filled with the beach, the swimming pool, games, games and more games, and great food! The kids loved being with all their cousins. The girls were constantly entertained by someone and their handheld gaming device. And Oliver was fed and cooed at left and right. He made some great friends before the week was over. He would let Max and Bradley hold him and he was even saying 'Bradley' one day. Really cute. Grandpa kept everyone entertained with art projects and bracelet making and all kinds of toys and activities. And Grandma did a great job of keeping everyone fed and playing together. A really great time was had by all. We love you family! Can't wait for the next reunion or, hopefully, a get-together that is sooner than that! Now follows a small sampling of the thousand pictures Mom took on my camera!

First beach trip

Playing in the sand

Becky and grandchild #18!

Wave jumping

Traditional hole. We always have to dig one!

Feeling the water

I love this family shot!

Marshall ready to dig.

Sand writing

I've never been in so many pictures. I'm usually the photographer.

Hangin' in the penthouse

Playing with somebody's DS.

Reunion! Picture Day

2011-07-06T23:48:00.006-07:00

First picture of the reunion. My two sweet boys.
Mike and Megan's family

Ken's family

Becky and John's family (soon to be a family of 7! Yeah!)

Our family

Dad, Mom, and Tom

Grandparents with all 17 grandchildren

The original Klingler family

With spouses. I like this one. It's like someone said 'cut' and we are all dispersing.

Oliver when we couldn't hold him during pictures. He had a crowd like this around him most of the week! Oliver loves his cousins.

Cute pic of Katie

June birthdays

My kiddos

And one of Uncle Tom. Probably my only one, since he was there so briefly.

Oliver's First Swim

2011-07-06T23:21:00.002-07:00

Oliver and I got into the pool the last couple days of swimming lessons. He liked it a lot. We sat on a ledge in the deep end and the girls would 'swim' down to see us every once in a while. Fun stuff.

Crawling

2011-06-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

Oliver crawling

Forward Facing

2011-06-22T20:14:00.006-07:00

Oliver got to face forward in the car for the first time today. I think he liked it. The sad part is that he won't be able to see the girls anymore. I think they used to entertain him quite a bit. But on the plus side, now he can see all the barbie movies that he's heard so many times before!

We've been doing private swim lessons with Aubrie's preschool teacher Mrs. Lobb and her daughter Erin. The girls have really enjoyed them so far. Hopefully it will help them be safer as we enjoy the water next week at the reunion.

Oliver loves to watch the girls in the 'wah wah'. We dipped his feet in the pool today. And tomorrow we might go in bathing suits and chill on the seat in the deep end while the lessons go on.

Gwen has started picking Oliver up and carrying him a little. It's cute.

Oh and Oliver is crawling today. He's taking several "steps" on his knees, without having to face plant and push off with his tiptoes like he has been. I guess it's the beginning of the end around here!

Oliver is 1!

2011-06-18T22:48:00.009-07:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet little boy! He's one now! And so cute. He is very close to crawling, but still not quite there. He still has just two teeth, but wants to eat everything he sees us eating. If only he could chew things! We sure love this boy. We are so glad that he joined our family last year. He has brought so much love and joy!

We had a fun birthday party for him. Both sets of grandparents were there and Brian came home for it too. It was sort of a joint party for Gwen too, since she hadn't opened presents yet. So poor Aubrie was really feeling bad that both of her siblings got gifts and she didn't. But Brian had brought something for her to open, so that helped a little. Other than some jealousy, it was a fun night.

Almost there!

My baby

With daddy. He didn't want to let him out of his sight.

Opening presents

Oliver got a lot of balls. He loves them so much. I like how both he and Aubrie are admiring one in this picture.

Aubrie in the sleeping bag that Brian brought for her. Gwen got one too. All ready for the reunion!

Balls everywhere!

Oliver with his cute new car that moves when he shakes the rattle!

Here is Oliver's car birthday cake that I made for him. It didn't turn out quite like it was supposed too, but it was still pretty cute.

Here is Gwen's present cake. Strawberry, of course.

With candles

The extra cake

6 year old Gwen

1 year old Oliver

It was the funniest thing - Oliver really hated his cake. From the first taste of frosting, he tried to spit it out and any time cake or frosting made it into his mouth, he made the funniest face and spit them out. I even let him try the chocolate doughnuts and the kitkat bar to see if he would like those any better. But he didn't. He took a few bites of the doughnut, but also spit them out. It was so funny. Finally, I started giving him blueberries to see if he just wasn't hungry and he ate them right up. Unless they had frosting on them, and then he tried his hardest to get it off before he ate them. He ended up with a pizza crust and was happier with that too. Funny boy.

Birthday pizza crust! you can see the blueberries stuck on top too!

He still got messy, even though he wasn't eating much of it.

On the way to the tub!

You can see the ring that the black frosting left instantly when he got in the tub! Gross!

Now he's a clean bean.

And such a cute one too! (Those are his bath-ketball balls! Such a funny name for the bath toy!)

A family shot. Pretty good one too.

And one of Brian and I adoring our 1 year old!

Gwen's Birthday Party

2011-06-17T23:31:00.005-07:00

I hosted my first ever friend birthday party today. I was excited and nervous about it. We'd invited all the kids in Gwen's primary class. I was really worried that no one would come. It's some weird social anxiety, I guess. So I was really happy when 6 of the 9 kids could come. Since they were boys and girls, I didn't have a party theme (except maybe balloons and rainbow colors.) I've had fun making decorations and getting ideas for cake and favors and games. It went so well! I had a blast and I think the kids did too. Gwen did great at not being too shy and at being thankful and polite to her friends, especially when opening presents. Aubrie was great the whole time too! She didn't whine or cry at all. And Oliver slept through the whole thing. Perfect!

Rainbow puffs.

Favors and balloon cupcakes

More puffs

Gwen and her balloon

Papa and Gramma got here just in time to go with me to pick up the balloons. And then the kids started coming.

All ready

Each kid got to choose a balloon and draw on it. Then they all had a ton of fun playing with the balloons and having balloon fights.

Finished products

We played Simon Says. Each kid took a turn being Simon. They weren't all good at tricking each other. But it was fun anyway.

We played some musical chairs.

I provided the music and Aubrie sat this game out. She must have been a little intimidated by the big kids.

Then we played my favorite game. I wrapped up 10 layers of toys and candy into one present and they passed it around the circle until the music stopped. Then whoever was holding it got to open that layer of the present and keep the goodies! So fun!

I used girlie paper to remember which layers were for girls and boy paper for boys. It almost worked out, except Gwen ended up with a boy layer. She kept mentioning that all day. I told it was fine because she got lots of girl presents.

Then Gwen opened her presents.

Then we ate balloon cupcakes after we sang Happy Birthday to Gwen.

Make a wish! After eating cake, there was a little play time and then all the kids went home. It was a great party.

Here's Oliver loving his balloon after he woke up.

Can't believe he's 1 tomorrow!

Haircut

2011-06-15T20:15:00.006-07:00

I finally took Oliver to Great Clips to get a haircut. He could barely see! It went better than I would have thought possible. He sat on my lap the whole time and only cried a little when the girl used the blow dryer on his face and then again when she used the clippers by his ear. Other than that, he was an ideal customer. She said before we started that there was no salvaging what I had done to his hair! That made me feel a little bad about my attempt, even though I already knew it wasn't a good haircut! I didn't want to shave his head and she kept it as long as she could while still evening it up with the shortness in the back. He lost most of his really dark ends, so his hair seems lighter now. He's still a cutie.

and the girls got to swim in the pool that Papa and I worked so hard to get here! We had to hold this on top of the van with our hands, while the wind was blowing pretty hard. We tried to tie it to the top, but it got blown off in the middle of the road and we had to retrieve it. Good thing it wasn't very far away!

even Oliver got to dip his toes in.

Gwen's 6th Birthday

2011-06-14T20:54:00.006-07:00

Gwen turned 6 today! It was an up and down sort of day. Lots of fighting and crying and lots of trying to make it a fun day for Gwen when only I am around. She got to open one present - a scooter. She loved it. (Aubrie coveted it all day.) We went to the bounce house and the girls played. (Aubrie whined the whole time that she wanted to go home.) Gwen chose McDonald's for lunch. (Aubrie wanted Wendy's and cried and screamed the whole time we were there and didn't eat a thing.) Gwen chose to play Mario Party 8 with me. (Aubrie was banished to the bedroom and I think she took a nap.) We had a pizza and ice cream get together with two friend families down the street. All the kids rode bikes and scooters around the cul de sac for a long time. (More crying/whining/screaming about Gwen's scooter from Aubrie. sigh.) But in spite of all the sibling rivalry, I think that Gwen had an ok day. We have a couple more parties coming for her, so she will be well gifted and celebrated before the week is over. We love her and her strong will. So glad she was born 6 years ago today.

(it begins =()

This picture pretty much captures Aubrie all day today

At least Gwen was happy!

I couldn't help but reflect on how last year on Gwen's birthday, I was so desperate for this little guy to be born! Can't believe a year has passed already!

Oliver really loved the huge ball at the bouncy place!

She was a pro by the end of the day!

The little bike that our friends let Aubrie ride that finally got her to stop crying about the scooter.

Summer Begins!

2011-06-13T22:58:00.003-07:00

We went to the park that has a water playground with some friends today. It was lots of fun. The girls had a great time in the water and Oliver liked watching all the kids running around. It's finally getting hot around here. Wish it would stop at the 90's.