The McLaughlins

some pics for you non-Facebookers

2012-01-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

I'm back in the saddle again!

2011-03-11T11:30:00.003-07:00

Hello Blog World! Yes that's right I know you, all, missed me (however many "You" may be if any by now...). So here's our update:
Roarke is out of the hospital but sometimes it doesn't seem that way to him with all the doctors (cardiologists, GI docs, nutritionists, home nurses, pediatricians, just to name a few) and tests they have run and/or they are planning on running. It's been kind of exhausting and the only way I stay in touch most of the time with the outside world is through the iPod touch (which if any of you have tried mobile blogging yet, it's kind of a nightmare, or at least I have a hard time dealing with the limited set-up). But he has gained almost 3 pounds in 3 weeks and the GI docs are not too into the feeding tube and we are working to slowly get rid of it. He is only using it while he sleeps but his appetite is atrocious and so we are slowing down the amount of time he gets fed through the tube and how much he gets at that time as well. He is kind of hyped up on the sugar from the Pediasure (in his tube) and has been a bit of a handful! Other than all of that he is doing well and following his big sister around everywhere, and now even Ada says she wants a brother next so Roarke can play with him too!

Ada is doing as well as can be expected with all that's been going on. She was nearly potty trained a few months ago and then this all started and we almost had to start from scratch again. But she really wants to go to school when we move and we told her she HAS to be potty trained by then...so prayers are welcome for that too!

Josh is working hard and applied for an FMLA leave from Wal-Mart which he can take whenever he needs to and they can apply his massive amounts of sick time available for that so we don't have to lose out on pay! He may be getting a "weekend" aka two consecutive days off which should be nice for the next month and a half or so of work left before he leaves for Basic.

I am doing reasonably well and trying not to stress out too much, which I apparently do even in my sleep as I woke up this morning feeling much like the first few days of training for the heptathlon in college (the running and jumping parts were easy but learning how to throw things with my spindly arms...yeah it hurt). So thank goodness for Therma-Care!!

And in other news, thank goodness for the fact that we bought our car with a warranty as the front differential had to be replaced and it took 4 days, a rental and over $2,000! Luckily, almost everything was covered so we only had to pay $200 plus pay for the rental up front (it was a ford focus so after driving around our huge Expedition, it was awful!!) and we just had to wait a few weeks to be re-imbursed. But we are giving serious thought to a minivan...there I said it, a MINIVAN. My mom had one of these for almost my whole life and I am not a fan. But we should no longer need the ability to go 4X4 anymore as we don't live in Rexburg as minivans there spelled disaster as they were always the first to be the cars stuck off the side of the road in a snow bank or a ditch. Now however, with gas prices getting more and more scary...we are thinking minivan so stay posted.

So, hope you all have been doing well during my hiatus and hope that the impending Spring season is as welcome to you as it is to us! Thank you so much for your support and help these past few weeks/months. You really don't know how much you really did just by a quick phone call or FaceBook post!! Especially to those who watched Ada or brought stuff by for us. You're all AWESOME!!

pictures proving preposterous

2011-01-23T12:08:00.003-07:00

All alliteration aside, taking pictures to post is getting a bit difficult. We almost always forget the camera and just take pictures with our phones. Granted, the pictures taken are never as clear, the camera just never seems to make it with us as we are tyring to de-clutter our lives and lessen the amount of "stuff" we take with us when we go out. And a lot of the pictures we have been taking lately are of us at the Please Touch Museum (where we try to go once a week), to which I will not subject you as they will be of the same place; Our kids will just have different clothes on mostly...
So if you want to see our pictures, we might just start uploading the majority of those to Facebook as we can do that from the phones...and if I do manage to take pictures with the good old fashioned camera, we will upload them here.

But as I am depriving you of any cool and awesome pictures, here is at least a run down of the excitement we have been having:

1) Ada finally got her hair cut!! She had such a little amount of hair for so long, and then it was so thin and fine we just decided to let it grow for a while. Then the ends were looking a bit ragged so we decided to get her "mane" trimmed. I thought about having my hair stylist-to-be sister Devin cut it (but I think she was a little daunted as she has never cut kids hair before and didn't like the idea of having a child who might move suddenly and then have me be upset by a bad haircut) but I thought it might be cute and fun for Ada and I to have a Mama-Daughter outing. So I looked and looked and finally found a super, almost completely over the top place nearby in North Wales.

Here's the website if you want to check it out : www.sweetandsassy.com

Ada LOVED it and they let me know a few things I was not aware applied to childrens' hair:
1) They (all kids, yes even boys) need conditioner at LEAST once a week. Ada needs it 2-3x per week and RJs' hair feels so much better after just once a week.
2) It's winter and the kids get baths before bed. Now, I always blow my hair at least almost all dry before I go to bed, and so I do the same for Ada. But it needs some sort of protection before scorching it with a blow dryer (I knew I needed this but for some reason I thought kids hair was more resilient!!)
Point of story: She loved it, no tears and she can't wait to go back. And they cut of maybe 1/2''. Just a trim but it looks more shapely. Oh! And she could watch any TV show she wanted. It was a toss up between Handy Manny and Scooby-Do. She chose Scooby and Josh is afraid we will have to end up naming our family dog Scooby too (of which neither of us is very fond...)

2) Snow-not as much as some other family members, but enough to make everyone nearby drive like nuts (the slow and aggravating ones who drive in the middle of the road and a good 20 miles under the limit). They like the snow OK but after a little while want to come back in and color, read, or do yoga (yeah my kids love it!!)

3) I am going to start doing Hot Yoga. Just found out about it and I start this week. To say that I am excited would be a very mild understatement. A fast intense yoga in a hot room (102-104 degrees) where you sweat a ton?!! Sign me UP!! Oh yeah, I did. Josh also got me a yoga mat and strap from Wal-Mart and painstakingly decided on which color I would like better; it was very cute. I have a cool purple one and he even let me get a Heat Gear Under Armour workout shirt as I plan on sweating a lot (side note: I like to sweat when I workout and have not been able to really since I stopped my collegiate running. My regular body temp runs a bit below average at about 96.5 so it takes A LOT to make me sweat). Anyway, had to give a shout out to the Hubs, he loves and takes good care of me!!

Anyway, hope that my ramblings make up for the lack of pics of the chitlins' and hope you are all having a great time too!!

Getting ready for Santa

2011-01-05T12:10:00.005-07:00

Getting ready for Santa and it was awesome having our kids be just a bit older and really being into Santa. We almost forgot to put out cookies and milk for Santa and a carrot for the reindeer! The kids loved their gifts, so thanks to everyone! This is only a small portion of the pictures taken so more to come later...

Fun at the Crayola Factory

2010-12-22T09:09:00.005-07:00

Hello! When my grandmother was just here we went to visit the Crayola Factory in Easton, PA. My grandmother used to live there with her father back in the 40's and my mom lived there with her mom and sisters when she was a kid too, so just driving around the town was very nostalgic for them. But since we had the kids in tow and we wanted to make more out of a long drive, we went to the Crayola factory in the same town. I really think it is more for kids who are older and can use scissors and glue and also not be tempted to put everything in their mouths (RJ). Nevertheless, we all had fun an blessedly it wasn't busy at all and we learned about a lot of Crayola Products we didn't know of previously (like did you know they have modeling clay/play dough like stuff called Model Magic which is awesome and ten times better than Pay dough will ever be??!)

Sorry about the picture quality but these were taken with my phone as I forgot my camera

Meemaw and Grand-Grammy

Coloring on the floors

Coloring on the walls with a lighted marker

Surfers

Motion sensing whatdoyacallit

All of us in it

Coloring on the plexiglass walls

running along and coloring

color explosion markers and paper

Just getting in and going to the small tutorial about how they make crayons. And Meemaw answered a question right and she got a box of 4 crayons...woo-hoo!

and this is just an old pic I got off of my phone and i love it. This is something he used to do often and we spent a long time trying to teach him to keep his shirt on; although the colder weather might have something to do with it too!

It's snowing inside!!

2010-12-20T12:16:00.010-07:00

We have been as festive as possible this year and last night we started making it "snow" in the house. We found some really great online snowflake templates and these are just some of the ones we made last night. But my mom wants the whole downstairs to be covered in falling "snow" so we may need to make a LOT more!! Good thing they're so cheap!

Can you tell what they are? That's right, Snowmen holding hands! How awesome?!

Snow is falling all around...

Just finished this one for my niece. Hope she likes it as I think it's awesome!

Letters to Santa. This year we actually made out our letters to Santa and we found out that if you deliver them into a special mailbox in Macys' they will donate money for every letter delivered there. Hope you can see what RJ wrote; tried to play around with the picture and fix it but this is as good as it gets without photoshop! He asked for cars and a Buzz Lightyear.

This is Adas' letter. She didn't like me helping her write it as she has to do everything herself, but we got through it. Isn't it humbling? All she keeps asking for is chapstick and a toy (although after going to Ashers' chocolate store up near Harleysville, she has now added chocolate pretzels!)

She has been wanting a tutu for months! But I couldn't quite justify spending $10 on one but when we just recently stopped in to Old Navy she brought me this one. I hate/love the face she makes when she wants something, and so I looked at the tag: $14.50??! No way! So I told her we couldn't get it and she needed to put it back and instead of melting down or crying, she sadly said, "Ok Mama." She put it back and as I was passing them by, I noticed some had discounted tags on them. I looked at the other side of the tag of the tutu Ada gave me and it was $4!! She was so happy to get one I had a hard time keeping her from wearing it over her jeans. This past Sunday, she INSISTED on wearing it and even though it was the Sunday before Christmas, I let her. She wore it all day long.

Ok so Skye can knit just about anything you can imagine and this is what she has made for my nephew Bobby. We tried it on RJ to see how it fit him to make sure she had made it the right side (approximately anyway, RJ is much skinnier than anyone in our family, even though Bobby is almost 4 months younger than he is!) He wouldn't take it off after that; we had to wait a while before coming up with a viable excuse to him to take it off.

making more cookies. Josh has been asking me to make him these for a few weeks now.

playing with the trash. What is it with kids and boxes?!

At the Please Touch Museum. RJ loves: goats/sheep, cows, dogs and geese. So when he saw the goat on the carousel, he just about lost it!

And Miss Ada had to be on the cat

He Moo-ed at this cow for a few minutes as it was Moo-ing back!

See? Told you!

Going down the Rabbit Hole. The bottom floor is mostly themed for Alice and Wonderland.

Playing in the water

He had to have a duck!

Meemaws' birthday party! She wanted a Carmel Pear Cake for her birthday and I think it turned out really well!

He LOVES pizza!

Everyone loves an Ada kiss

Loving the decor. Sorry Skye but this pic was too awesome not to post!

She was surprised as her birthday was on Dec 12th and this party happened on the Thursday before as Will and Skye wanted to be there.

A bunch of friends over for cookie decorating/making. With so many kids and moms (we tend to talk a lot) we barely made any cookies! This picture is so funny! Ada and RJ wanted to see the cookies in the oven so they brought chairs over. Suddenly, every kid had the same idea and they were all anxiously awaiting the cookies!!

Two weeks ago, I was in charge of the treat so I made this! It's double layered too!

Thanksgiving and onto Christmas

2010-12-06T07:55:00.006-07:00

We were able to have lots of family here for Thanksgiving and it was really great!! We even got to see Papa (my Dad) and we haven't seen him, more than Skype-ing, since Ada was only 5 months old!! So he hasn't seen any grandchildren who have been born since Ada, which is every other kid. So this was a super special treat for everyone! We got to hang out, have Thanksgiving dinner, go to the Please Touch Museum (where we now have a membership which is so beyond amazing I am having trouble putting it into the appropriate words), went swimming, had Chinese and Britt and Alicia introduced some of us to Indian fare (which was delicious!). We had so much fun it was hard to have everyone leave so we could get back to our hum-drum life filled with staying inside most days and potty training Ada.

Ada trying on Meemaws' sweatshirt
Alicia, Saffron and Abhisneha

Papa and Ada. She LOVED him the first day he was there, even wanting him to take her to the potty every single time, and then after that liked having him around but wasn't to keen on having him be too close.

Decoarting the house...and kids. Ada and RJ wanted to have the garland tied around their bellies so they could be presents too. Yes, my kids are a little goofy!

Ada checkin' hers out

RJ peeking around the multiplicity of Meemaws' nutcrackers (she has 21 large ones-not counting the smaller ones on the Christmas tree!).

Ada found a Book of Mormon and decided to read it often. And she had such a fun time doing it! Perhaps I need to take a lesson from my daughter and get more out of reading my scriptures...

A cute smile from my little boy

Wal-Mart is selling 30 oz containers of pre-made gingerbread for only $3!! So needless to say we bought a few and made some already. The kids had such a great time that we are doing it again, but having a bunch of friends over and decorating them this time too! Ada and RJ are very excited everytime I tell them about it.

These are some decorative blocks I won from www.writings-on-the-wall.com If you go onto their blog and leave a comment you're in their weekly drawing for free stuff that she makes!! It's an awesome site so check it out!

Ada helping to decorate the tree

being cheesey

RJ with his ornament that he will NOT leave alone so we had to take it off of the tree for his and the trees' safety. Then he wanted the goose as well (the one he has in his hands is a black sheep) and of course Ada wanted one too: so she has a dog that she babies and "cleans" up after him when he doesn't make it to the potty...

I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!!!!

Potty Training

2010-11-22T07:35:00.005-07:00

This is what we did yesterday: leaf rubbings and hand turkeys! This way we could all participate in the Thanksgiving decorations. We traced our hands on brown construction paper, then made their beaks and faces and each of our fingers would be the turkeys' feather which were then covered over with purple, red, yellow and green finger cut outs (if this makes any sense-but it's the one I always made in elementary school).

RJ "helping"
Ada also helping

Adas' present for going #2 on the potty. She was so proud of herself. Yesterday we also went to church and she even went on the potty there, which was HUGE as it automatically flushes which scared her A LOT!! But after almost 20 mins of off and and and in and out of the bathroom, she finally felt comfortable enough to go...whew! She is doing pretty well so far but the past two and a half weeks experience is something I can wait to do again...

Her rewards for going on the potty: Stickers!! She loves getting them and she has to do the whole bathroom/potty/wiping/hand washing by herself (with a little supervising of course, but too much and she gets quite mad!) So we got her a little stool so she can get onto and off of the potty by herself and then she can move it in front of the sink to wash her hands.

Meemaw and Pop just had their anniversary and they went to Annapolis and got us Navy t-shirts. Ada loves hers and wants her Navy shirt almost as much as her Imagination Movers shirt.

Ada was acting up so we put her down, hence the picture of just her; she wanted her own picture. Such a diva!

Hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving and eat tons of food! Especially pumpkin everything and cranberry sauce!!

Halloween and other culinary treats

2010-11-06T18:03:00.004-07:00

We have had more to celebrate recently: Halloween, Joshs' birthday and the fact that we have been expanding palate! Here are some pictures to show you what we have been doing!

RJ wanted to try on Daddys' sweater. He has some big...sweaters to fill!

the kids noble steed

Our purple sweat potato fries. RJ had some juice which said it had purple carrots and sweet potatoes, so I set out to find such an anomaly as I had never before heard of such a thing. They taste much the same as a regular sweet potato but a little different, a little muted I guess you could say.

The kids loved them though!

You can't tell from the picture, but RJ is eating a starfruit. The kids liked it and it was okay by my standards but when I did a little more research, I found that the one we bought may have been over-ripe and thus that may have attributed to the lackluster taste.

Ada and her starfruit. She liked it best of all.

Holding it up for inspection

Daddys' 27th birthday. This is what the kids "made" for daddy. If you can't see, it says, "Dad: a son's first hero, a daughter's first love."

Daddy reading his cards from the kids

Daddy requested Turkey burgers with avocado and chocolate pound cake with cherries.

Halloween pics. Daddy and I were mobsters (a picture of us was taken by a friend at the trunk or treat but was posted on Facebook so I will try to post that onto my profile). RJ was a tiger and Ada was Princess Tiana.

The treats we made to take to truck or treat. They didn't turn out as well as I would have liked, but they're to be bloodshot eyeballs. They are made out of powdered mini donuts, red icing and m&ms.

Ada LOVED her costume and we were hard pressed to get her back out of it, but she listens fairly well and loves bath time so it worked out as well as could be expected!

posing for the camera

We are also in the process of potty training Ada and luckily, as she loves stickers, so it is going pretty well! So wish us all luck!

Mainers for a week

2010-10-29T11:29:00.013-07:00

Hello All!

I will try to keep this concise but a bunch has happened recently and I need to chronicle it all. So first and foremost:

Uncle Aaron is back!! He is just as skinny as ever (which I think made Josh a little disappointed as he came back from many areas where they told him he was too skinny and thus he came back a bit heavier than he would have liked...)

Before we get onto Maine, we went on a small trip with some church friends the other day to a farm in Doylestown and we took a few pics

This little boy right here...he's got my heart, but almost as much as his father.

Yeah, she has it too...and look at how beautiful her hair is! I love it!

This is the Orno bog. You'll see a picture of the plaque in a couple of pics.

The explorers!!

More of the bog boardwalk

RJ was having fun being in the front seat of the stroller

All of us except Grammie and Grandpa

sorry this is out of order but here is the plaque

A pic I am sure no one will be happy I took...sorry guys but I always think y'all look great!

Uncle Aaron wrestling

I love that they're all trying to get RJ to look at the camera

a better pic but I thought the other was funny

Our present to Grammie and Grandpa...thought it wouldn't travel very well so brought the stuff and made it there.

I love my cheese grin-y boy!!

Making Grammies' signature side: crescent rolls!

Lexis' cheese face!

Playing at Grammie and Grandpas'

These guys were fast friends

Playing with my baby girl; she is so giggly and silly. How could you not fall under her spell of giggles and sillies?? Even Daddy has gotten sillier!

RJ loves getting and giving kisses. Daddy thinks I am making him into too much of a Mamas' boy, but I guess I will only have until he starts school and then my boy will be too old to kiss as much as I do now. So sorry Daddy, but I am going to live it up for now.

Yeah, Daddy is under RJs' spell too.

park playing

My fearless slide going fiend of a boy!

He loves to blow bubbles

And this is a picture of my husband wearing way too few articles of clothing for how cold it was!

chillin' at Grammies'

This picture I had nothing to do with at all. RJ kept getting stuck back here so Daddy went to grab the camera and then he started screaming...breaking my heart still.

We went with some friends to the Phila Zoo and went on the carousel. My little man lookin' so fly!

Bethany trying to get a pic with her daughter Maddy, and it didn't turn out as well as we planned. Still an awesome picture.

Ada and Gigi

checkin' out the exhibits

We had a great time visiting family and we hope to see everyone again soon!

It's Autumntime

2010-10-11T10:25:00.006-07:00

We recently have been gearing up for autumn and recently went to the pumpkin patch which is cool as it is the same one I went to every year as a kid. For a farm it's pretty funny as it hasn't changed much over the years! I did not bring my camera to go pumpkin patching but my mom did so you will all just have to sit tight until I can get them from her camera.

Adorable
RJs' cheese face

Autumn is all around the town

So happy!!

She is staring at the stem; that's why she looks crossed eyed.

RJs' pumpkin (kinda). He found this one in the patch but after he saw a bigger one, he wanted to upgrade but did not want to give up his first pumpkin. Luckily it was only 75 cents...

Our decorated pumpkins. We have a LOT of critters around these parts so besides using what Wal-Mart calls pumpkin push-ins, I also sprayed the outsides with dog bitter apple spray...and they have survived thus far (knock on wood)

A better look. Adas' is the one on the left and RJ's on the left

Prepping for Halloween. I guess my kids aren't really scared easily. They didn't mind me in this at all. But Ada still screams everytime the Beast (Beauty and the Beast) shows up and run into someones' arms.

RJ wanted to try it on

Yep, RJ got inked...by a McDonalds' temporary tat. He is just too dang skinny!!

It's been getting chilly here lately and when the kids started shivering in the mornings with socks on, I went to check Old Navy to see if they had their slipper boots in yet. Low and behold they did. They LOVE these; Ada will wear them to bed and keep them on even if she starts sweating...ok so this may be a tad unhealthy...

And as promised...my new "Do." To be honest, this pic doesn't do it justice but I haven't had a better one taken yet so this will have to suffice until perhaps you see it in person. And I love these new glasses we got RJ when we went to get the slipper boots from Old Navy. We were in the checkout line, they were in a discount bin and I thought they looked kind of like a pair Hancock would wear so I put them on fully expecting he would hate them or something. I was wrong, he screamed when I tried to take them away, and he looked so darn cute so I asked how much they were when we were checking out and they were cheap so the rest is history.

And to those on the McLaughlin side who we will be seeing soon, we are so excited! Can't believe Aaron is coming home. In some ways it does seem like it's been two years, but in a lot of other ways, where did the time go?

What you've missed

2010-09-20T06:48:00.004-07:00

Since I have not posted in a while, I thought I would regale you with what we have been up to lately... I think I have found my crafty passion!! I loved making this! We have already used it and we love it (although Josh insisted on doing the letter placement and now it really bugs him that there is too much space between Song and Prayer...) ps- family I think you may be getting something made with vinyl letters for Christmas!!

Roarke really needs a bigger dog, and when we get ourselves settled again (insert fervent prayers here) we plan on getting either a regular colored German shepherd or a white one!!! So excited for that amongst other things...

Playing at the ward Labor Day picnic

Some people brought these huge oversized Frisbees and all the kids LOVED them!

Roarke finally snagged one

Ada playing in our cold freezer bag. Check out our YouTube videos to see a cool one where I was following Ada when she was inside this one

A Daddy-daughter movie! Ada wants Daddy to take her to see the horse movie coming out in a few weeks Secretariat (to which of course Daddy said, "Who?" So sad.)

Roarke is now old enough to rub noses with Ada (something she does to EVERYONE) without hitting heads together.

Sharing a kiss too!! So adorable!

Playing with Snickers...they're always a bit too rough

Watching a movie with Pop

I also got a new hairdo, but have not as of yet taken a picture of it so be on the lookout!

Family Visitations

2010-09-04T11:10:00.002-07:00

Hello Everyone!!
We hope you all are doing well and having a blast. We have been having some visits from family: The Tuthills and The Jones family. We love seeing family we haven't seen in a while and it was great fun to see everyone, even if it was only for a short while!

Ada is now in the, "I do it myself" phase for everything...even taking pictures! Although, she will let me floss her teeth...which is a good thing!

Our happy picky eater. He has gained a whole pound!! But he also shot up 1/2" in the past week and a half...

Roarke with his cousin Gideon. Gideon is a TANK!! Poor Roarke had a hard time playing with him because if Gideon barely brushed past him, it would send him sprawling!

Sorry Josh, I think your mouth is full of food!

Having lunch with the Tuthills!

Cameron just bit the head off of his dinosaur chiken nugget!

Ada trying not to make a huge mess! But these kids sure did love their sweet potato fries!!

All of our combined kids...minus Roarke. He was too tired to stay awake any longer, so he missed his favored fires!

Thanks to all of the family who came to visit! We had fun with the Tuthills and forgot to take more pictures when my brother Britt and his family (Alicia, Abhisneha and Gideon) but as you guys live in DC I am sure we will find time to take some more soon!

Doctors, hospitals, IVs and some other fun

2010-08-17T18:51:00.004-07:00

Well starting on 8/9 Roarke was not feeling well and throwing up a bit. By his drs appt on Wed he was really throwing up but he was still active so the dr wasn't too alarmed but didn't give him his immunizations. Thursday morning found us in the hospital where he was admitted for severe dehydration. He had an IV and a billion tests, they found a heart murmur (hooray...) and we stayed there until Saturday afternoon/evening...
Meemaw and Pop were nice enough to take Ada (as she was yelling at the drs and nurses as they would make Roarke cry whenever they came in the room and trying to order chocolate milk on the hospital room phone) down to my brother and sis in laws place in Arlington VA as they just moved back to the states for a bit from China. She had a much better time.
So here are just a few pics of my poor little guy in the hospital. He had to stay in the crib most of the time as he had an IV tube in his arm and therefore couldn't walk too far and he didn't always want to be held. He kept pulling on the IV and bending his arm so they had to put on what's called a "No-No" so he looks like he's in a cast...at least the hospital part is over for now and we are now in full operation mode of "Get-Roarke-to-gain-more-weight-or-else-this-could-happen-again as he is now back to his meager 17 lbs and he needs some more mass or we are going to just paint his poking out bones so he can be skeleton boy for Halloween...

So sad!!!

The latest

2010-08-09T10:42:00.010-07:00

So I didn't have a lot of pictures this time so I am going to make up for it. Last time I had a lot of words, no pictures and some videos. This time: hardly any words, lots of videos and lots of pictures. Hope you are all satiated!!

My way too skinny son. This new outfit is a 12 month one...
What is this?

In Taggie Heaven and making a run for it with all his new Taggie stuff: a taggies ball, dog and book!

He loves his new Goodnight Maine book!

His felt book

Daddy was so proud...except when he found out his son was to skinny to wear it...

He LOVES to walk around with this dog in tow!

A closeup of some of his Taggie stuff

This is Adas' favorite new toy of Roarkes'

Opening presents...he was more than happy to sit there and let me do the manual labor!

Ada trying to take her own picture, with the camera the wrong way!

Meemaw chillin' at the party

A favorite birthday pasttime: coloring on the window. She is still admiring her artwork!

Roarkes' face when I said, "Smile!"

Uncle Perry chillin in the backyard

Roarke didn't really like his cupcake all that much...I think I did too good of a job with him and the whole no-refined-sugar-thing...He ate a few bites, but that was the extent of it.

Cousin Bobby also eating his fill of his cupcake. He made a much bigger mess!

"Here Roarke. It tastes good I promise!"

A great birthday picture!

Ada biding her time...waiting for the opportune moment...

Looks like Goofy is holding up the cake!

A more comprehensive look at the cake. Roarke wanted to have a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse themed birthday complete with the Hot Dog Dance (please watch the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Disney Channel- it's kind of cute!)

Yes! She sat still long enough for me to put her hair in pigtails!!

Playing in a puddle

Cowgirl Ada!

She loves her purses! She even takes them to church.

As we made Ada her Build a Bear monkey when she was about a year old, we figured it was time to get Roarke one! He walked right in and picked up a panda, an owl and this wolf. Getting him to choose just one was kind of hard! He LOVES it and sleeps with it, but after his birthday party it falls short of how much he loves his new Taggie stuff...

He thinks it's so much fun to put on Adas' backpack

Thanks All! And don't forget to check out the plethora of videos on YouTube!

FYI

2010-07-31T10:54:00.004-07:00

So I keep trying to post some new pics but every time I try to (and when I have a free second) I have my laptop and camera in separate and inaccessible areas!! Ug!! Anyway, so as I have not really had an interesting post in a while, this pictureless post will just have to appease ya'll! So We are having Roarkes' big 1 year old bash this coming Saturday ; we think Ada might have her 1st UTI; Perry, Ciera and Bobby are showing up here in the next few days; Britt is coming into the States (followed soon by Alicia and the kids- hopefully next week!!); and we still have no new news about the whole this-situation-is-starting-to-really-get-to-me navy thing!! People keep telling me to just stop whining and get used to it 'cause it's the military, but I just wish that the recruiter would give us some updates. We called him today and since he has no news and he's on vacation he told US to call HIM on Monday (sorry, perhaps I am a little astounded but I thought that professionalism was something parents-and the military- tried to teach people! But apparently...I am mistaken). But I know this has to be completed one day...just wish it were say...a month ago? Anyway, any extra prayers would be gladly appreciated!

So...thanks for reading my litany and my blogranting...so to help stem your grief for no pics if you go to YouTube under greenfighter3 you'll see some great videos of Ada singing!

Green Smoothies

2010-07-15T08:09:00.003-07:00

Hello All!

Still no big news yet but we do have some small stuff: green smoothies! Just tried them today and they are great and the kids loved it! Here's the recipe I got from a friend.

2-3 cups spinach (I used fresh but I am sure you could use frozen too)

1/2 to 1 cup apple juice

1-2 bananas

1 cup fresh or frozen berries (if you use fresh you will need to add ice)

Add the spinach and apple juice to the blender and blend until...well, well blended! Then add the rest and puree until you get the desired consistency. I plan on playing around a little with the ingredients, like maybe adding yogurt but try it and see how you (and your kids if you have them) like it!!

Enjoy!!

Birthdays, celebrfations and new pics

2010-07-07T18:42:00.008-07:00

So Blogger and I have been having some minor altercations and as such, I am sorry for not posting for a bit! My birthday has passed, Adas' has as well and her party, Fourth of July and new family/kids pictures...so where to begin! I suppose I should start chronologically rather than alphabetically (sorry cue Sherlock Holmes quoting here...)

Adas' party was a hit! We loved having family and friends there and I think I planned some pretty good activities for the kids taking into account their collective ages and attention spans. As promised, it was horrifically Princess and the Frog themed and Ada loved her gifts!! I am just glad Ada didn't have any boys show up, that would have been interesting with the tiara crafting...

My birthday was great! I got lots of great stuff, including the run tone ( and easy tone) shoes I have been ogling for forever! Thanks to my great hubby and Dad! Books, jewelery, flowers, all stuff I love! Josh and I went on Monday, my birthday, in the morning to Mondauk park near our ward where we used to run pre-kids so we thought it would be great to do again and follow it up with Panera breakfast just like old times. It went great but it was a bit too hot for the kids...even in the morning! Tuesday Josh had off from work and we went that night out to our new favorite restaurant The Melting Pot! We loved it and I don't know how but we got a really cool out of the way (they called it Lovers Lane) table where we could be by ourselves. Don't know if it was luck or not so I am giving the hubby the credit! Wednesday night Eclipse came out so we went to see it and luckily it wasn't as bad (in terms of no throngs of teenagers screaming for whoever they thought was hot) as we thought it would be on opening night and so it was a great movie and no lines, so Josh was happy too!

4th of July- went on a picnic where I used to run all our home meets for HS xc. It was very nostalgic and nice to have Josh see it! The womens' Cheltenham XC team is holding their 1st alumni race in Aug so I need to really start ramping up my running workouts or I will not be pleased with myself!!

Family pics- just got new ones taken so enjoy! Ada was giving us the Josh look the whole time, like "this is so not worth my time" and Roarke loves making people laugh and having fun so he was much better.

Even though my eyes are closed, Adas pose it awesome!!

All she kept doing was playing with this chair and then she didn't really want to stay in it! She would if we asked her, but only for a short time...

Just posted this pic in the gerber photo contest so vote if you want to, I have been told by so many people to enter him so I thought why not...

Some more 'tude

One of the few pics where she wasn't choking him...accidentally

Awww, even some cute pics of us!

This was the only pics Josh would let me post. He was doing a super manly Mr. Universe pose, but he would only let me take it if I promised to not subject our bloggers to him being a goof...good thing I love him so much!!

Roarke enjoying the grass

Ada and Suzie: they've become really good friends!

Proof that Roarke needs a brother...or even that Ada needs a sister...either way...

Trying to stay cool on the 4th and chase butterflies with a badminton racket

Happy Fathers' Day Everyone!!

2010-06-20T18:37:00.007-07:00

This post is entirely devoted to Fathers on this great day. I love my husband more than words can express but I will spend eternity trying! I love all of the fathers and fathers in law in my life and I am forever thankful for all they have done to either raise me or my husband. Please enjoy the pics!

Wow Skye, such a great sister pic

Freddy Kruger

Pops' "I am so happy" smile

Mee-wow

priceless

Roarke LOVES playing with balloons!

Me in my luau get up

I really like this picture

And he loves the Lei

Ada has a serious shoe fetish and I know she didn't get it from me!!

Blueberry pie. We also had a homemade key lime pie which we didn't get a picture of as it was eaten way too fast! Any of you who know my mom know she is a master key lime pie maker so it was fantastic!!

We had steak AND lobster! What a meal!

These are the lobsters. I was so surprised that Ada actually ate them this time!! She also ate some edamame (soybeans) and corn as long as we let her dip them in BBQ sauce so...we let her of course! I also gave in and let her have a bite of pie, but after that she closed her mouth and turned her head and resolutely asked for her berries! I love that she eats good things!!

Awww, the one time where they aren't fighting!

The pie being made

Yeah ain't we cute...?

The decorations

Ada will actually let me put hair clips in her hair for a few hours which makes me so happy!

P.S.- we have a video of surprising Pop with his Fathers' Day extravaganza if you want to check it out!

Walking

2010-06-13T17:41:00.005-07:00

Roarke is walking now (well he's been stumbling along for quite some time now but he's now at the stage where he's really doing it alone and without falling; he actually will choose to walk much more often!!). Ada loves playing in the sand and someone at church recently gave us a free turtle sandbox so we just had to go out and buy more sand! Ada loves it and now so does Roarke! This is Ada playing at the park near us before we had our own sandbox.

Playing with the sand
Posing for the camera

Roarke loves to chase Ada around; she doesn't like it when he catches her and tackles her to the ground though...

When Meemaw comes home and takes her shoes off, Ada will go find them and try them on!

She loves having her picture taken!

Roarke will stick anything in his mouth! We actually had to leave church early today (right after sacrament) as he was screaming bloody murder even though he had his taggie blanket!! When we got home I gave him some childrens' motrin and about 10 seconds later he was out cold! Poor little guy, he had a tough hour and a half of screaming so I'd be exhausted too!

Also, we have a new video up of Roarke walking around the kitchen so that's been uploaded to You tube! I know I used to have them all easily on the blog, but that gadget no longer works so if you want to watch our videos, click on the you tube link on the side of the page or go to You Tube and look up greenfighter3 and it'll bring up all of the videos.

Another note: Ada is having a party on June 26th at 10 am so if you want to come just let me know! We let her pick the decorations so she chose her favorite movie: Disneys' Princess and the Frog!!

Mothers' Day and other assorted happenings

2010-05-24T10:54:00.006-07:00

Hello Family and Friends!!

Well it's been a long time since you've had an update, so here I am obliging you all!!

The Beard Familys' new dog Snickers!! She's a King Charles Cavalier spaniel and about 13 weeks old. Yes, she was the runt of the litter as she is sooo tiny!
Before Ada new she shouldn't be in the crate, as it is supposed to be the dogs' alone place!!

Awww, holding her. Had to teach Ada not to lift her up by her hind legs or her neck...

Can't believe I never posted these!! This was the spread created for my mom and I on Mothers' Day. The boys and Skye did EVERYTHING! Not helping with the kids and dinner was tough (not that they didn't do a wonderful job) but it was hard not to help when they didn't know where something was or the like...just means my mom and I will have to pull out all the stops for Fathers' Day!

Skye put all of our names at our places!

My mom is lactose intolerant and fat intolerant (as she is always trying to be super healthy) so Skye made angels food cake!

We have a birthday bag, and this is it's cousin the mothers' day bag!

What we walked into

randomly cute pictures of Ada; it is easier to get pictures of her as she stands still!

My little bookworms! We also take the kids on Tuesday mornings to the library where they have reading time and crafts for kids 1-2, so Roarke tags along! Adas' favorite part is the computer time though...guess we'll have to eventually spring for KidSpiration or something!! Guess she inherited her mothers' love for computers!

Here Daddy! Read to me!

Roarke doesn't quite get the idea yet, that's why all of his books are board books and we don't let him check out library books yet...

Check out our new videos on YouTube too!

Skyes' Birthday and other assorted adventures

2010-05-03T13:04:00.012-07:00

We have been a bit busy lately, with the move, Josh driving like an man on a mission across the country (not really stopping for more than 2 hrs at a time to sleep), Skyes' birthday and now the aquarium! Here are some pics of what we have been doing lately. Gazing at fish
In the shark tunnel

Not sure where we were in this picture, but somewhere near a fish tank!

Almost everyone wanted in on this picture!

My happy little man just chilin while Daddy chases Ada around

It was a lot like this...what can I say she was excited!!

Checking out the penguins

Here is the shark we all touched!! Even Roarke touched it and looked at me and squealed!! Priceless!! Later we touched sting rays, sea cucumbers and star fish too.

More fish, sharks, sea turtles and sting rays!

Playing in the sea weeds

The Megalodon jaws

Roarke did this a lot in the beginning until he saw the fish and knew I was right behind him

Sometimes I feel like he is a goat. He will put anything in his mouth and bite it. I think he is just like Sunny in the movie a Series of Unfortunate Events!!

Ada in her favorite pot

Skyes' birthday! Yes, there is the infamous birthday bag behind them all!!

Dangerous

I am sorry in advance Mom, but other than the fact that your eyes are closed this is a great picture!!

So excited!!

Be sure to view our new video too!!

Picture...overload...

2010-04-20T10:28:00.005-07:00

Sorry everyone for being so absent during the last few weeks! During the day when both of the kids take a nap, usually I relax, talk to Josh (who is STILL in Idaho by the way for another week and a half) or read...or sometimes nap! Then at night when I used to blog, I now use that time to work out for an hour on the elliptical or other assorted machines/free weights downstairs in my mothers' basement! So to make up for my absence and lack of pics and videos, I now have a bazillion pictures and a few videos (and if you're wondering where the video bar went, I had to remove it as it would only show OLD videos and I could not get it to work so until I can, you can go to YouTube and look up greenfighter3's videos!!)

My sister Skye got student of the month at my old HS alma mater Cheltenham HS. Here she is flanked by the mascot. It was being filmed and Ada, who has no fear of life sized animals/characters in suits kept growling at it and saying it various body parts while also saying please with arms outstretched (like eyes, toes, ears, etc). Guess she won't have any issues at DisneyWorld!!
Meemaw and Roarke at the student of the month celebration

The talented Aunt

Roarkes' face is very intense...wonder who he gets that look from!

much better

If we don't keep this gate up, Roarke eats the cat food and plays in the water, while Ada "feeds" the cat by dumping TONS of food into her dish. But the kids NEVER get tired of seeing and chasing the cat, so she runs back upstairs and hides...not so great for the litter box which is behind this gate...so sometimes we have to find and get the cat to put her behind the gate for a while so she can eat and/or actually use the litter box! But who is really trapped??? The cat or my kids?

Loving the fact we can be outside with minimal effort (aka- open the sliding glass door!!)

Looking through the telescope the right way

But she likes this way better!

She yells, "WHEEE!" everytime, sorry neighbors!

This is an older pic that never made it to the blogosphere...yes daddy was taking a nap and Ada sat down to read a book between his legs and the next thing I know she was asleep...about an hour too early!

awwwww, she loves her daddy!

Easter with Aunt Skye and Uncle Will

He found an egg!

Still looking for eggs. I don't let my kids pretty much ever eat refined sugar, so I filled the eggs with goldfish and cheerios and gerber yogurt melts and Roarkes' previous favorite, gerbers puffs!

Another oldie that never made it. Here I am about to eat our St Pattys' day cookies!

He was less than excited to take this picture...

Easter pics

2010-03-31T12:57:00.004-07:00

We are kickin' it here at Meemaw and Pops' place (my mom and stepdad) in Elkins Park, Pa for a while until we get a little more sorted out. Josh is going to transfer, but where is still up in the air but right now we are seriously considering Temple. I am trying to find a well paying job that I wouldn't mind taking my kids with me. I found one place I loved but they offered me next to nothing and another place where the facility was somewhere I would never take my kids but they offered a lot...why is job hunting so difficult?! But pray for me/us as I have another prospect at a good facility...so let's hope they make me a decent offer!

We went and got our Easter pics taken professionally this time (something more than Wal-Mart anyway) and surprisingly enough Ada was not ready for it, but Roarke is always a sucker for a well placed smile. No more pictures!
yes, I know I am adorable. Start melting... (well at least I do!)

One of the few profile shots where she wasn't all teary eyed

Taking the flower back

Letting Roarke "see" the flower

Awwwwwww!

Cute and not sure what's with the toe pointing...

So smiley!

She finally let us take a picture where she was sitting. We'd get her in position and then as we moved away she cry and reach for Daddy. She's such a daddys' girl!!

She only did this the first time we asked her and then adamantly refused to do it again.

Letting her hold an Easter egg! She looks so full of awe!

Las Vegas

2010-03-05T13:04:00.005-07:00

My grandmother was getting sealed in the Las Vegas Temple (as she lives in Vegas and works in the Vegas Temple) so as we are relatively close, we decided to go and see her as she still had not met Roarke and had only met Ada once. And since I lived there as a kid and had not been back since I was about...hmmm...12 I think, I wanted to see how one of the fastest growing cities in the US was doing. Josh could not go as he is in school right now, so I was going to fly from Idaho Falls as that airport has a pretty sweet deal that if you fly allegiant air from that airport to Las Vegas it would only cost about $100/ticket. So that would make traveling alone with the kids much easier. However, Devin and Leo wanted to come too and as they couldn't fly, we all decided to drive. With a small part of our refund, we outfitted the car with a DVD player which is attached to the inside of the car. And Josh being the savvy deal maker he is, said that we shouldn't have to pay full price for the display model so as they couldn't take any money off the price, they threw in some nice wireless headphones for free!! So that was very nice on the drive as well. And let me just say this about the drive with 2 small kids with only one parent: it is not something I want to do ever again!
One the trip Ada had crab and some shrimp, which she ate, but I don't think particularly liked. Roarke has really started crawling (which we will try to get a video of soon) not army crawling only like he has been. He also sprouted a tooth while on our trip, so now he has one tooth on the bottom (which again, we will try to get a picture of but those of you who have kids especially know how hard that is!). So enjoy the pics and videos of Ada chasing peacocks at Bonnie Springs!!

This stroller is so awesome! And Roarke loves just chillin' in the back.
A very big, nasty looking horse at Bonnie Springs

Where did the peacock go?

Running around outside the Vegas temple waiting for Great-Grammy to come out

Now, I know Meemaw was waving, but this picture makes her look like she is a Nazi or something!

A mother-daughter pic without me as I was taking the picture

She loved looking at all of the very pretty flowers, which she didn't try to pick but liked to get really close to smell them!

Just glad to see the sun!! I just wished it would have been hotter. It was a right side better than Rexburg, of course, but I want some HEAT!!

Ada and Meemaw got so close on this trip. We shared a hotel room and every morning Ada would wake up next to me and Roarke and would sit upright and scream, "Meemaw!!"

A view of Vegas from the Temple

It was a great trip, all things considered. a trip to Ethel M candies (so amazing and the BEST Chocolate and hot chocolate...still remember my first mexican hot chocolate!!), Bonnie Springs (which I was sad to see how gross it was! Mom said it was just the same as when I was a kid, but having kids myself...I didn't want Ada to touch anything!!!), and seeing family we haven't seen in a while was great. Looking forward to our trip back to Philly in just a few weeks!!! Mom, order us up some sun!

A 1st Haircut

2010-02-21T21:39:00.006-07:00

Roarkes' hair was getting far too long if Ada wouldn't even kiss him anymore as his hair would get into her face. So we had time today and decided to clip his precious locks. Once Josh turned on the clippers, he was okay, but then when they touched his head however, that was a different story. He clung to me like an orangutan baby and it was so cute. His hair is now shorter, and he doesn't look as young as he used to look! Which I suppose is a good thing as he's almost 7 months old, crawls everywhere with Ada and has even tried standing up (which was followed shortly thereafter by falling down and hitting his head...) but he's my littlest baby, and I liked his long flowing tresses! But he looks even more like such a little stud and his eyes had better stay that color!! I love it!

Ada inside Daddys' sweater
The before picture
And after, while Daddy and Roarke bond again after the ordeal

It's so short!!

Very cute

Crawling around

Ada eating lunch

A new Valentines' Day treat! Biscuits with cherries! We also went out to eat (which we couldn't remember the last time we were out by ourselves to eat) and had sushi which was great!!

Current Happenings

2010-02-01T22:05:00.005-07:00

So we've been having a bit of fun whilst mainly stuck indoors lately. Not much has been going on, except for the fact that we're moving. Isn't it funny that after putting in a maintenance request, waiting 4 weeks for nothing to happen, then writing a very strongly worded letter to the apt manager, they're finally doing something about it...moving us downstairs. Yeah, directly downstairs tomorrow. So our new address will be the same except for it will now be apt 222. So at least we will still have A/C and only have to walk up 16 stairs. So, soon we will be over that drama and just pray that we will not have any problems with the new apt and enjoy our pics!!

Little man has got a pitcher hat
yep, she knows she's adorable

yeah he looks a little drugged, even though I swear he's not!!

Ada decided that when Daddy was napping she should empty the entire contents of her laundry basket full of stuffed animals on him. I also had to coax him to let me take this picture as he thought he looked stupid and he didn't want a stupid picture of him on the blog. But seeing as he looks neither stupid nor compromising, I have added(it and he knows it too).

Playing peek-a-boo. She grew tired of this game a while ago, but Roarke laughs hysterically when she does it so it's now become a fun game again.

Practicing with a cup. He gets it, but the look on his face when juice comes out of it is awesome! Ada tried to help too often and usually ends up hitting him in the eye or elsewhere on his face with it...but she again has good intentions!!

Swimming and Teething

2010-01-19T10:46:00.005-07:00

Well this has been a very...exciting past week ( or more...it seems like more...). Both kids are teething, as you can see Roarke is putting everything in his mouth from biter biscuits to brushes (I think he likes it as it's got a lot of bristles to gnaw on!). Last night he was up every 3 hours or so and then Ada decided why not wake up early too? She usually sleeps from 9-8:30 or so, I know I am lucky, but the stars were against me today. But both kids are really great and it kills me to see them this way. I can't really do anything to help but give them Tylenol every few hours as this seems to work much better than orajel. Also, Roarke started swimming lessons too last Monday. He LOVED it by the way. So I had Roarke and Josh had Ada, and I think Josh felt a little self conscious being the only man within miles and he didn't much like singing the songs like, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean!! But we all had fun and are glad we found a place nearby where we can do this.

pretending to be shy
gnawing on the biter biscuit

and then Adas' brush and her CTR bracelet

ahhhh, this feels so good!!

a very unhappy Ada as she had 101 degree temp and stayed on the couch for 2.5 hours!! Which is huge for her as she likes to be able to move around a lot.

Awww! She feels so miserable.

Now she's feeling better! This happened before her fever from teething so much though, right before we left for swimming lessons.

Roarke all bundled up to go swimming

Her favorite CHEESE face

JAWS

2010-01-10T19:24:00.008-07:00

So if you'll look closely, this is what we saw when we woke up this morning. Roarkes' hair has quite the wave to it that when just seen over the top of his crib, is very reminiscent of JAWS. I even got a video file of it and I am currently working on setting it to the JAWS theme music so be on the lookout for that!

Roarke, aka JAWS
very strong legs and very impatient to get into the bath tub

making a mess as usual

REALLY wanting her picture taken too

Look at our little stud! Doesn't he look ready to play rugby or something preppy?

a much better view

Christmas in Idaho

2009-12-28T13:58:00.005-07:00

We hope everyone had an awesome Christmas! We had a great time, although it would have been better if we would have been able to be with family, and we missed everyone during this holiday. Back at the ole homestead, all of my brothers and sisters and their kids and spouses were all there, except us this year (every year it's someone...keep your fingers crossed for next year though!!) We did have some friends over for Christmas dinner and they tried raspberry vinaigrette and cranberry sauce for the first time and liked them both...can't believe the amount of people who have never been privy to such awesome and amazing palette pleasers! We had fun and can't wait until next year.

Christmas morning, Roarke decided that it was time to wake up...at 6:45 am when we thought we might be able to sleep in as Ada doesn't wake up til at least 8:30...but nothing doing there. So Josh and Roarke kicked it for awhile until Ada and I awoke and started opening presents. Then as Ada sat on her turtle, we noticed she REALLY needed to be changed...so we stopped and changed her then began again. Ada loved ripping open the presents, and Roarke, being very grabby right now, would hold onto a piece and then we would pull the present away and continue this until the present was open. So much fun was had by all!!

Roarke eating his new bear

taking a second from eating it to at least look at the camera

Ada on her bounce and light up Vtech turtle - thought we should get the kids stuff that allows them to be more active inside during these very cold and harsh months where we are stuck inside...

Got her a necklace and earrings that have "A" on them

Making sure that she got everything from her stocking, she even upended it just to check!

Roarke spent most of his time either like this, watching Ada open presents, or in his new jumperoo

Checking out her new cabbage patch doll that Grammie got her (although we almost forgot about this, as it has been in the closet since she was much younger!!)

Playing with Roarkes' rolling backpack which is a duck; Adas' is a pig.

I tried making some new rolls, this one is a Knot roll

and this one a cloverleaf roll, obviously I am moderately impressed with myself...

Our Stockings. We used to share the 1st one as Josh thought it was silly and wasteful for each of us to have a stocking, but now it is his stocking until we get him one that looks like mine; perhaps next time we go to DisneyWorld, there will be a Mickey stocking like my Minnie one...

Our Nativity set

Some pictures for your viewing pleasure

2009-12-21T22:34:00.006-07:00

Hello All! A lot has been going on lately but rather than bore you all to tears with my usual litany, I thought I might as well take a hiatus from said monotony and just show you!

Our beautiful kids
Roarke looking like such a stud!

His favorite position right now. He loves to be on his stomach, as long as there is something somewhere in the vicinity to shove in his mouth. He is either REALLY teething or he has a serious mouth fetish.

Looking cute in his Santa outfit, but Ada likes to take his hat.

Just chillin'

Our Christmas cookies, devoid of red or green but very tasty!

Ada is helping Daddy prepare for his lesson next to the Christmas Tree

See? Told you she likes to steal Roarkes' hat!

She likes to hug him for a few seconds and then she pushes him away...at least she has good intentions right? Or maybe she just wants the picture evidence that she is a good big sister (just kidding she's great!).

These are her usual hugs; they are very abrupt and quick.

More Love

2009-12-07T21:57:00.006-07:00

Well as it has been FREEZING outside recently, we have been spending more time indoors already (and by freezing I don't mean a mere 32 degrees; we're talking like a high of 18 and a low of -10!!). We have also been spending more time indoors as Josh, Ada and Roarke have been kind of sick for the past week (Josh even had to take 2 days off to help recuperate as he was working too much and when he called us every night, he sounded like a Barry White impersonator!)

So I also tired my hand at making the pumpkin roll Josh has been hankering to have me make for a while and I must admit I was intimidated at first, but it wasn't so bad and it turned out very well! pumpkin roll slices
he likes to sit up in the corner of the couch and watch basketball with his Daddy and cries when the commercials come on...Josh is in Heaven! He is also measuring in at about 26.5 inches already so Josh is hoping he'll be really tall and play basketball!

Trying on Mamas' winter boots and she doesn't want to give them back

It is hard to take pictures of Roarke as Ada gets very jealous! She will get in front of the camera (which has made me miss some really great pictures of Roarke, but I would much rather have 10,000 close-ups of Ada) so here she is almost yelling "CHEESE!!!"

Ada likes to hold Roarke now and even tries to burp him! But it only lasts a few seconds so the camera always has to be nearby and ready in a flash!!

A Late Post regarding Thanksgiving

2009-12-03T11:08:00.003-07:00

We had such a great time on our vacation! It started out with a LONG trip across the country by planes and automobiles (sorry but we couldn't fit in a train...). We left the apartment at 4 am and Roarke fell right asleep, but Ada decided something fun must be going on so she stayed awake for almost the entire time! When we got onto the plane, the flight attendant informed us that two lap children cannot sit in the same row...so luckily the plane was very full so Josh and Ada went two rows ahead of Roarke and I and Ada even had a seat to herself near the window. Roarke and I had an extra seat too, but he couldn't quite use it yet...but I did use it to lay him down so he could roll around a little and play by himself.

Then we got to Philly and got to see Meemaw and Pop, along with Aunt Skye and Uncle Will. We were all so excited to see them and spend time with them at the zoo (not many people go to the Phila Zoo in the Fall/Winter, but it was fun and not nearly as cold as Idaho so we didn't think it was too bad!). On the way back from the Zoo, we stopped at DUNKIN DONUTS!!! Josh ate 4 donuts before we even made it home (about a 3 minute drive from dunkin donuts to Meemaws' house). We had a Beard Family Thanksgiving Dinner on Monday night and it was soooo good! We miss cooking like that (and from the McLaughlin Family Thanksgiving on Wednesday night too!!) as Josh works almost every night so neither of us have dinners anything like that!

Tuesday we drove from Elkins Park to Reading to Joshs' younger sister Amandas' house (which by the way Thank You So Much for hosting the Thanksgiving Festivities! It was awesome!). We stopped off for some more Dunkin Donuts on the way too. We got to hang out with almost all of Joshs' side of the family (except for his younger brother Aaron as he's on a mission right now). It was so awesome to see them as they hadn't met Roarke yet!! We also got to play some Wii games including The Price is Right (I have to admit I am terrible at that game but Joshs' Mom and sister Amanda were such pros!) and American Idol (that was so much fun, and almost everyone got in on that action, even Josh!!). My step-dad Bill got baptised on Tuesday night and Josh got to perform the baptism (which was awesome) and I got to sing with Sister Akerman and my sister Skye (who sings so beautifully!). The ceremony was amazing and we thought that as we were travelling so much and we didn't have much time to spend (there is never enough time) we would leave Ada there to play with her cousins and Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents.

Wednesday we had Thanksgiving with the McLaughlin side of the family and it was great!! Too bad we had to leave so soon! We miss everyone already and hope time will pass very quickly until we can all get together again!! Thanks Everyone for EVERYTHING!!

Cousin Abby
Aunt Amanda with Roarke

Ada found Ruggers' antlers

Playing with Cousin Lexi

Eating some lunch

Some deep knee bends were needed for this stunt!

But he liked all of the visual stimulation. Everyone loves the Zoo!!

Simply Adorable Sunflower

Chillin' at the Reptile House as it was very warm

Our little Annie Oakley with Meemaws' b-b gun and cowboy hat

Don't forget to check out the new videos (3 of them)! We also just had our family pictures taken and we have to wait for them to come in so we don't have them right now. But if you want to see them early, email/call/ask and I can email you the link!

Rolling On Over

2009-11-14T22:57:00.006-07:00

As the title suggests, Roarke is rolling over. He is not incredibly proficient at it yet, but we have seen him do it on various occasions. He completed this milestone the day before he turned 3 months old. I had been betting that he would do it before he turned 3 mos, and he did, not a second too soon! Here's what else we have been up to lately!

Building forts inside
Playing together, for the most part

Considering giving him his own toy

She's awake! And she must be growing a lot more too as she sleeps from 9 pm to almost 9 am! She's 32 inches now!

Helping Daddy build the fort

Just being with her Daddy, and Ada insists they be attached at the hip when he's around...

First fort, not as good as the other but very fun!

Maybe she's wishing it's doing something other than snowing outside...

Visual Stimulation

Ready for bed!

He likes to sit in the crook of the couch and play with his toys. Ada liked to do the exact same thing.

Rolling over and so happy to have done it!

His new shoes! Now if we could only get them to stay on! And it's not his fault, Ada likes to pull them off and say, "shoe!!"

Happy Birthday Josh!!

2009-11-02T14:46:00.005-07:00

Yesterday Josh turned the big 26! He is still just as great and studly as ever and here are the cool pics to prove it! (You are getting so much better at celebrating your birthday and not trying to pass it off as just another superfluous celebration!!) Also added are our Halloween pics!

Ada wanted to help get the pizza out of the oven until she found out it was hot, now she is prepared!
Instead of a cake, I got Josh a cupcake we haven't tried yet from our favorite date night stop, The Cocoa Bean Cupcake Cafe. He was very surprised and thought I hadn't taken care of getting him, or making, a cake. The box was small and hidden! This cupcake is called Party in my Mouth.

Ah yes, it is so true!

Thanks Tuthills!

Thanks Mom and Bill! He was looking happier, but he's not a huge fan of multiple pictures, especially not of just him, nor on his birthday!

Ada has no problem with it!

Starting to open presents and his infamous Birthday Bag!!! No birthday is complete without one...or it's song...

I think Ada was more excited than Josh!

The family all dressed up, except Josh who came over to trunk or treat on his lunch break!

My Gwen Stefani sister

Good Job Dad! Showing the right amount of enthusiasm for free candy and dressing up!!

Roarke however, was not

Trying out her new shades with her costume

Britt and Alicia, the outfit from China you got for Ada before she was born finally fits!! But she didn't like it as much as I would've liked...

Hope everyone had as much fun as we did!!

Ketchup

2009-10-29T21:30:00.007-07:00

Ketchup Queen, she squeals PLEASE whenever she sees the ketchup bottle
Trying on Roarkes' next snowsuit (obviously he needs to get a lot bigger first!)

Ain't she adorable?!!

Halloween cookies, Josh made the ghost one.

This one is called Brain Freeze. It didn't turn out exactly as planned; the icing kept slipping!

Yes, that is an eyeball in Joshs' drink (a gummy though so don't get too grossed out)

Sorry, but this is as creative as I got for our main course. Chicken Parmesan dubbed bloody chicken with moldy cheese (dyed the mozzarella green)

Ada playing with one of the gummy eyes. Once she heard us say it was an eye, she put it over her eye, Priceless!

It's...squishy!

Trying on Daddys' winter hat, I think it fits!

Ada is slowly letting me do her hair, but sometimes we find that her barrette is no longer in her hair, but in her mouth!!

PLEASE take my picture Daddy!!

Cuddling on the couch

Ever since we were first married, every week we have had pizza one night a week. It used to be on Monday nights, but now Josh works on Monday nights so it has been moved to Sunday. Ada LOVES pizza!

Based on our blog title, you must think that there is something significant about Ketchup, and you would be right. This is something new Ada has discovered, and when Josh put it on her hot dog during lunch, the look on her face clearly said, "Where has this been all my life, and Dad why have you been holding out on me?!!" We also went today and got our swine flu vaccines. Luckily, I got to get the nasal version, but Ada had to get the shot and kids under 9 have to get two! Not both at the same time, but no more than a month apart. Josh had to leave to get to work on time, so he and Ada will go next time and I'll stay home with Roarke rather than send Josh there with both kids like I was for a while (although Roarke fell asleep in the back of the stroller and Ada finally stayed in the front so all was well...)

Tuesday nights Josh is off of work so we had some of our Halloween fare early. I have been fairly delinquent in my postings and I know I am going to take so many pictures on Saturday that I will more than likely be able to make a flipbook out of them all, so I figured that I had better post what I have thus far or else these pictures will then become less significant and they'll fall by the wayside... so enjoy the first set of pics!

Fall

2009-10-17T15:41:00.005-07:00

We were able to to go to the park today and take some great pictures with our kids playing in the leaves (although we had to teach Ada that in order to do it properly, she needed to throw some leaves around). We hope you really enjoy the pictures!

Roarke trying to sit up on his own
Father and Son, 'nuff said.

She had no problems kicking the leaves.

Pausing for a second

Mama and Ada

Wearing my slippers

Her new fleece footed sleeper

1st snowfall, and I don't know if Ada really knew what to make of it all. But she did touch the snow and said, "Cold!"

Ada and Roarke

Smiling and happy

Pushing Roarke around

We are also having a lot of fun in the pool lately. Ada has started her lessons once a week and for the most part loves them. She just hates floating on her back. Going under the water, climbing out of the pool, jumping back in the pool, sliding down the water slide, blowing bubbles, even going under water- fine; but put her on her back-no way. We have even tried it in the tub, but all she wants to do is kick the water, which is fine in the pool, not so much in the tub...Anyway, love to all and enjoy the new videos!

Celebrating Halloween Already

2009-10-02T13:43:00.004-07:00

It has been pretty cold here in Idaho, much colder already than we would like. We were thinking of taking Ada to pick our family pumpkin this year, but a few days ago (being September and way too early to get a pumpkin) but the temps get down to 25 at night so they have been frozen! So we got our Wal-Mart pumpkin which Ada picked out. And see the pictures and the new video of Ada coloring (I know, yes, much less dramatic than the last video, but I think to most of you, that's a good thing!).

Ada in her cat balaclava-which is supposed to cover everything but your eyes, but Ada won't wear it like that...yet.
Ada talking to her new friend Daryl

Checking this new guy out

This picture is a keeper!

Adas' new LL Bean backpack, which she LOVES! Thanks for sending it Emily and Jon! We hope this will help her during church and on the plane in about a month and a half.

Roarke all bundled up in his Tigger outfit.

Something we decided to try for Halloween (but by changing the Jell-O color it can be for any holiday). If anyone wants the recipe let me know!
(this version we called Slime Popcorn-Josh thought calling it Bugger popcorn was going a bit too far...drat!)

Riding on Daddy; Ada loves this! He is her favorite toy.

Me, not so much, as I don't rough-house with her like Daddy does.

New Things

2009-09-26T16:03:00.003-07:00

This was a big week for Ada: She went to the dentist for the 1st time! And while Josh and I were a bit trepidacious about this new endeavor, it went very well! I had heard that the dentist was not a necessity until about 2 yrs old, but this dentist, a pediatric dentist (which I highly reccomend as they deal with kids all day so Ada was a walk in the park for him) told us to come in. Yeah, why not bring in a nearly 15 month old who hates to sit still for more than 20 seconds? So in we went. She laid down very well, but was very wary until they showed her the TV directly over her head as she was laying down, with Finding Nemo on. She just pointed and laughed at it; it was priceless. The doctor was almost over the top, but who isn't who deals with kids all day? She cried when he looked in her mouth, but it kept her mouth open so that worked out, and he was quick. She got a goodie bag, which she did not put down and threw a fit whenever we took it away from her - like when she ate or slept, we're horrible parents!

Using her new toothbrush
Her goodie bag

Smiling Roarke- he has really found his laugh!

Every kid needs a laundry basket to play in!

And a sting ray to hug apparently!

Check this kid out

2009-09-16T07:57:00.005-07:00

Everyone, you really need to watch the new video. Josh went to get Ada this morning as he heard a strange noise coming from her room; it sounded like she was knocking on her own door (and her crib is too far away to do this). Upon opening the door, she immediately ran out. Wondering how she accomplished this task, Josh put her back in her crib and watched her get out. So that's definitely something to see. We just received Roarkes' cloth diapers and Adas' bigger ones so here's to washing diapers way more often!! So also check out our pictures below and see what else we have been up to!

Ada in a great outfit

He can hold his head up now!

Conehead...can I have some fried chicken embryos?

Ada is our little Monkey, and Roarke is our little hedgehog, like Sonic

A preview of coming attractions

Daddy daughter pic

Trying to be quiet

Look who's ready for school to start...but we're not yet Ada!

3 years and counting

2009-09-07T12:02:00.007-07:00

We have just passed the 3 yr mark and it has been an exciting 3 years! To recap th last 3 years: For our honeymoon we went to the British Virgin Islands, Cooper Island to be specific; 1st anniversary we drove across the country to end up where we are now in Idaho; 2nd anniversary we went with Ada to Bear Lake in Idaho for a few days; and well 3rd anniversary wasn't as dramatic but it was great nonetheless. As Roarke is, and was so young, we were just thankful to get out of the house! Luckily, Devin and Leo watched both him and Ada so we could go out to see a movie and go to our favorite date night stop called the Cocoa Bean Cupcake Cafe where the cupcakes are very expensive, but awesome and where their cocoa is so refined their hot cocoa drinks almost resemble coffee! We saw the 2nd Transformers movie and although it was a bit long at 144 mins, it was a great movie. There are no pictures of that great anniversary but here are some pics of the kids to make up for it!

Ada has never let me "do" her hair before, and this I had to put and re-put back in her hair at least 7 times before she left it in...for a while.

A better view

Her surprised face

Roarke looking upset in the Boppy

Such a big guy! Holding his head up for a bit already.

I just thought this was awesome. She emptied the entire contents of her toy box on the floor, got a book (she loves books; she "reads" them nonstop!) and started to read.

New

2009-08-30T15:45:00.005-07:00

We have some more pics for your viewing pleasure and we hope that you love our updates!

Ada loving her dog Pop got for her
Squeezing the stuffing out of it

Loving her new big girl bed

Not sure if she liked it though...yet.

Great picture I somehow managed to take before Ada either poked Roarkes' eye or ran off

Yes that is the bag the wipes come in on her head

MC Hammer pants. He's just so skinny!

So sweet

This is usually what happens when Ada puts her own hat on

Her new PJ's

More Pics to satisfy

2009-08-22T21:31:00.004-07:00

We have been neglectful so here I am trying to make up for it! Meemaw and Pop were in town and here are some pictures of our adventures:

Meemaw and Ada

Yellowstone National Park

Beehvive Geyser

It's freezing here!!

The Family at Yellowstone

Rparkes' 1st laugh captured before his blessing

Pictures of Roarke

2009-08-09T10:36:00.003-07:00

Here he is! We will be going home tonight so wish us luck!

Baby Roarke!

2009-08-08T20:44:00.002-07:00

Well, we were induced today and we can now offically welcome our newest addition: our son Roarke Jules McLaughlin. He weighed in at 6 lbs 14 oz and 19 in long and was born at 3:10 pm today. We are all still recovering, but pictures will follow soon!

Playing in the water

2009-07-20T20:31:00.003-07:00

We took these pictures last week when we went to a ward activity in I.F. as we got a new bishop recently. It had been raining a lot and so we had games in his front yard which was, needless to say, completely inundated! It was freezing water but Ada had tons of fun anyway!

Vacation and Happy 4th!

2009-07-04T21:35:00.004-07:00

Happy July 4th Everyone! We just returned from a trip to Salt Lake and we had a great time. It really made us miss bigger cities and all they offer, like better food options and even aquariums! At the aquarium in Sandy Utah, I think Josh had more fun explaining all of the classifications of the various occupants in the place than many of the other kids had just from being there. Ada was able to touch a sting ray and then we got her one from the gift shop which she held much of the way home. We were also able to go to get seafood, which we have been craving for so long it was very sad for us to have gone so long without it. We decided to try Joes' Crab Shack, and I was saying many a silent prayer that it would live up to our expectations...and it did! Although, Ada was not too fond of any of the food we tried to get her to eat there...so enjoy our pictures and videos and hope ya'll had a happy 4th!

Trying on matching rain boots and a rain coat (both much too big) at Old Navy in the Gateway Mall
At the aquarium looking at sharks

Swimming with her water wings at the hotel

Our little girl has no fear of the water; she just jumped right in!

Daddy teaching Ada the really important things in life

Ada Turns 1, and I turn old

2009-06-27T21:16:00.008-07:00

This week we had Adas' first birthday party at Porter Park here in Rexburg (it was thankfully, one of the few non-rainy days for the past few weeks). We had a good turnout and Ada got tons of gifts (Thanks everyone!). So view the pix of Adas' birthday, of her first ice cream ever, and of her new carseat and thus new favorite toy: the box it came in! Thanks also go out to all those who sent me gifts/cards as I turn the big 25 tomorrow.

Look for the new video of her birthday but be forewarned, it's a long one!

Ada tearing into her gifts
Surrounded by gifts!Having fun Playing with her blocks

Cake everywhere!

Her new fort

Daddy cut her a window

Getting used to the new carseat as her old one is going to her new baby brother- when he arrives!

Birthday ice cream at Coldstone

Loving strawberry and sprinkles

2009-06-21T07:30:00.003-07:00

Not a whole lot has happened this past week but Ada did ride on the carousel by herself, (with Daddy holding her), drank milk for the first time (hence the milk face) and learned to say cheese (first she said it as she LOVES cheese, but she also likes to take pictures and smiles better when we tell her to say cheese!). Her birthday party will be this week so many more pictures will come towards the end of the week.
Josh is loving Fathers Day already and hasn't even seen Adas' present yet (a onesie from Old Navy saying I Love my Daddy). But he got a game he wanted and a new dress shirt (he wanted to get a different color other than blue or white so we got him green- he's just glad we didn't go with teal or yellow!). Happy Fathers Day to all you Fathers (or soon to be Fathers) out there!

Carousel riding
Saying cheese. You can almost see her saying it!

Lovely milk face!

Fashion Forward

2009-06-13T21:10:00.006-07:00

Ada and I helped Aunt Devin out this past week by being a part of her fashion show. Ada did very well, except when someone else tried to hold her for a second; she cried for a minute and wanted me back, and then hugged me for about 5 minutes. It was great ( in that I felt wanted and I will remember this moment when she's a teenager and feels much the opposite). I on the other hand, felt like a curly blue circus tent, but the people awwww'd just the same - more for Ada I am sure! Josh was our very own paparazzi, but the pix turned out very dark so we took this one afterwards.
Ada with her toilet paper roll bracelets Daddy made her.

Our most recent family picture, with a little too much light...

Playing with life-size Stitch

Playing dress up. She has figured out how to put this on by herself and she is so proud!

More dress up and her new monkey PJs.

I think this pregnancy picture is marginally better than the last... but you can tell how hot it was that day!

The spray park and other fun adventures

2009-05-30T21:20:00.005-07:00

This past Saturday the Spray Park opened and we took Ada there the first day. She is not the biggest fan of flowing water (beaches or showers) but loves pools and bath tubs. However, she is now a pro and walks around waving her hands and yelling her excitement to all, which causes her to be slightly intimidating to other kids her age. We have gone without Dad (Josh) but Ada has more fun when she can be picked up more and I just sort of let her do her thing while walking around after her. Josh loves to come and play with us and Ada loves playing with all of us. Afterwards we go on walks around the park to dry off, and that more or less makes up our day (besides cooking, cleaning and generally cleaning up). So here are some pictures of our recent exploits.

Ada "wearing" her bathing suit

One of the new summer outfits

Holiday Outfit- Ada picked this one out

Testing out the waters

Okay, maybe I like this...

A not so cute pregnancy picture, but we hope to take much better ones.

Trying out her new water wings and putting her arms up (she loves to do this)

I don't know why but I love this picture! She just looks like she is pleading with me to not take off her new toy.

Walking shoes

2009-05-21T10:42:00.004-07:00

We bought Ada some walking shoes, and I was made aware of the Stride Rite shoes which came highly recommended (thanks mom and fam!). For those of you who don't know, these shoes are great as they help to teach the wearer how to walk properly, rather than the flat soled shoes which are much cheaper (but right now Nordstroms' is having a sale where they are half price!). But we found a great deal on them and Ada loves wearing her new shoes! We put them by the door where all of our shoes go, and she loves to put her shoes on too before we leave. Now she can walk around in the grass, playground (and slides), stores and anywhere she wants (which is everywhere). Take a look at some of the new pics and the video (sorry for those of you who think we take too many videos, as they are short and somewhat non-noteworthy, but we love them and we share them for those relatives who live far away and don't get to see Ada as much-which is unfortunately most of you!!).

The new shoes
Playing in the toy box

Her sun hat which we try to get her to wear often

Ready to go outside!

Wow, sunglasses and a hat! Ready for the Park!

Celebrations all around

2009-05-12T11:38:00.003-07:00

When I was little, my mom always did these really creative and fun things like actually celebrating cinco de mayo and any and all other holidays (which may have prompted my youngest sister to one day ask my mom when she was very young why we never have any mint picnics?) So we did a cinco de mayo themed dinner (see pics below) and it was a lot of fun and really good! We also are blessed enough to have free babysitting as my sister Devin and her husband Leo live in town with us and love to watch Ada for us; so we went out last Tues to see X-Men Origins and we are hoping to see Star Trek this week (Josh is a trekie-whilst I have never gotten into it as I am a die hard Star Wars fan and the two are well known enemies even though we have managed to make it work). Mothers' Day was great as Josh kept alluding to the fact that he was getting me something really big when all I told him I wanted was flowers and a card! Apparently he couldn't wait and set up my present after he bought it when he came home from work, around 5 am and then proceeded to wake me up at 6 to see it. I was not expecting it, but he was so excited. He bought me/us/our family a Wii. It has been a lot of fun as I have long since told him that if we were to get a game system for our family, this would be it, as it encourages fine and gross motor skills plus ensures that you get up and move around. They even have games for kids as little as 3 yrs old! It will be so great when Ada can finally play with us. But Josh couldn't leave my present at just that as I didn't get it on Mothers' Day, so he also bought a huge and very loud (but sweet) singing card and a DVD on our list (yes, we have a list of DVD's we are trying to get). So enjoy the pics (and the new video of Ada brushing her teeth with a toothbrush!).

Ada and her Daddy
I found out a way to make Churros with crescent rolls!

Pretty cool right? I found non alcoholic sangrias!

And these I am very proud of...I found a way to make the taco bowls in the oven rather than deep frying them!

No more school and 10 mos

2009-05-02T22:42:00.003-07:00

It feels so good to finally be finished with school (although I have one more test to take-which has to do with my teaching certificate and not my degree). I just want to say thank you to my husband, who 6 months into our marriage, was completely okay with me going back to school in a completely different field! It has been exactly 2 years since then, and now that I am finished, my hindsight is kicking in. Not to say that I am sorry for getting my M.S. but more that I can now more clearly look back and see the work and strain it has put on more than just myself (however, I may feel a little sorry when the student loans come due without a job, but Josh, who is more often than not a bit of a pessimist, states he will never be sorry I got my masters). To be finished, and to be able to be just a mom is great, albeit sometimes a little crazy just in that with this awful weather getting outside can prove highly difficult.

I was away with Ada in Philly when my degree was delivered, and Josh was great enough to call me just to say that it came and that he would get it in a suitable frame as soon as possible. He also thought it was a little disconcerting that I have my undergraduate and graduate degrees on the wall before he even has one (but to be fair, I got my undergraduate degree before I even met Josh). Someone during my student teaching said that maybe I would want to go for my doctorate, but to be emphatically frank, no thanks!! Maybe if I were planning to support the family with my career path, but as I am now turning over the reigns to my loving and much more hardworking husband, that would be a bit overboard.

Other than that, Ada and I are at home most of the day while I try to get her to eat new foods. She has eaten avocado, baby meatballs, chicken and plain organic yogurt (thanks mom). She is not too fond of the avocado, but in small pieces and followed quickly by cheese, I have managed to get her to eat it. The meatballs worked well at first, so I gave them to her alone (without her cheese chasers) but then she decided to spit them out or grind them in her fingers! It's hard not to laugh at some of the faces she makes, especially when she all of the sudden decides she doesn't want the item in her mouth anymore! She makes big messes sometimes, but it's always funny to turn around and see what she has managed to do in such a short period of time (you know, that I just turned my back for a second phrase?). So check out the few pictures and the video of her walking (she's really quick now so we had her walk the distance twice!).

walking around
wearing Daddys' new Red Sox hat

Easter, More Vacation, A Wedding and More!

2009-04-23T09:07:00.006-07:00

So as you can tell, we have had a very interesting past few weeks. My sister got married, our Easter pics have never been posted and a lot of others haven't yet made their debut. So here's a chronicle of our past but recent adventures.

At the wedding
Out with Meemaw

Loving her new stroller (a Phil and Ted double non-tandem jogging stroller-I highly recommend this to anyone with children close in age-as we will soon have!)

Playing with her new friend Suzie

Pre-Easter picture pic

She loves her monkey we made for her at the Build-A-Bear factory!

Ah, us hours into our move and very exhausted

Ada taking out the items in her basket

I found one! Don't worry it was not filled with candy, she's a bit too young for that, so we filled them with Gerber Yogurt Melts and Puffs!

Finding more Easter eggs around the house

Also, check out our new videos (3 of them).

Vacation Thus Far

2009-04-12T18:39:00.005-07:00

We have been in PA since April 8th and we have been having fun! Enjoy!

At the Philadelphia Zoo

On the carousel
Drivin' a tractor

Yes she is our little monkey

Really tired and sleeping on Meemaw

Petting a goat

We also took her to get Easter pix taken so expect those to be coming your way soon!

We just found out we will be having a boy and we are thinking of naming him Preston Jules McLaughlin so more on that too later...

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

2009-03-30T10:45:00.005-07:00

A lot of changes in the McLaughlin household! We are all so excited for me to be finished with my student teaching and school in general. Can I tell you how weird it feels to not have to do any homework, study, take tests, or be anywhere for most of the day? I have been in school since kindergarten with only a year off since then. Now to be finished, well it seems surreal and unbeliveable. Good, but strange. I hope to get used to this fast though!
On another topic, we all need to sing a sad eulogy for Fred. For many of you who know us well, know that both Josh and I have always named our cars and called them by their respective names. Another odd idiosyncracy maybe, but it works for us and (even though Josh laughs quietly at me for this) makes them feel like part of the family in a very small way. I got Alfred, or Fred, right after I graduated from college. I had him to entire time Josh and I dated, he drove us around after we were married, he faithfully drove us across the country, brought our first child home from the hospital, and never had any problems. We always tried to take care of him, washing him often, cleaning out and polishing his interior, getting oil changes, and not letting people eat in him. People have called me a bit OCD with the car, but it helped when we traded him in for a slightly bigger car.
Josh was so excited and we were able to haggle our way into a really great deal. He loves driving the new car, which I have called Celia (which may need to change as Josh hates the name). She's a lot bigger than Fred, and when we were switching our stuff from Fred to Celia, I was really sad. He was sucha great car, and I just wish I could know he was going to go to someone who could take care of him...
Other than that, Ada has been doing well and really learning to walk just by holding on to something with one hand. She didn't like it at first as she was so wobbly and din't feel like she could move forward without falling, which let's be honest, happened often. But she's better at it now and has now moved to on to every once and a while letting go of things and walking a few steps towards it until she falls down. I also now have more time to realize I am pregnant as the baby kicks, or I notice the kicking, more. We will be preparing to move into a 3rd floor apt (yeah, 3rd floor with soon two small kids who can't tackle stairs). We move in on the 6th, which should prve fun as Mondays are so hard for Josh as he gets no sleep. Then on the 7th we find out what baby #2's gender is. and on the 8th Ada and I leave Josh to go home to Philly. It will be a great vacation and we are so excited (not so much to leave Josh or to have to leave at 3 am on the 8th) to visit my side of the family. So we have a lot going on, and I would really like to know I passed my PRAXIS II tests so I can get my teachers certificate, but it is really nice to just be at home being a mom.

Getting messy

Bath time with Dad

Saying our Goodbyes to Fred.

By the way, Celia is a Ford Expedition

St Patricks' Day

2009-03-19T15:50:00.004-07:00

Out here you don't find too many Irish, and so I was explaining to my students about St. Patricks' Day and the food/celebrations etc, and they all stopped short when I said Irish potatoes. In potatoland, the word potato does not make anyone excited, so many people were curious why I was. I explained what they were, thinking that would make at least a few people say, "Oh yeah! I've had those before." But alas...nothing. So I had to make some for everyone. Most of the students liked them, if I could get to them to say to take small bites as many just shoved it all into their mouths and then were coughing up cinnamon that is. Other than that, we had a green feast of Salad, Martinellis' dyed green, green Jell-o with marshmallows and the leftover irish potato candy. I am nearing the last week of my placement and of course I will be so sad to go, but also leaping for joy next Friday. This semester has been hard on all of us; Josh has not been able to get the study time he needs (but not really wants when Ada is all smiles for her Daddy). Ada has taken a large step forward: She has learned to stand on her own. No, she has long ago surpassed the pulling herself up to stand alone phase; now she is fully in the realm of standing up from the floor to a standing position by herself. She now and again will let go of something and take a few hesitant steps forward...and then fall or lower herself to the ground (crawling being much faster). So take a look at what we have been up to and don't forget the new video of Ada (climbing up from the floor unaided to get to Daddy). Enjoy!

Look! No hands!
Our Green Feast. Can you tell why I love this holiday?

A Holiday Toast

A Bubble Tiara

Awwww, she just adores her Daddy!

Moving right along

2009-03-07T10:40:00.003-07:00

Ada has really started taking off! She crawls so fast now and makes us feel like our house is always dirty as she will find the small pieces of whatever on the floor and eat it...
She now has two teeth which are completely in and has started letting go of things and trying to take steps. It usually doesn't end with her walking so she gets upset most of the time.
I am trying to finish all of my schoolwork so I can really study more for the (hopefully) last standardized test I will ever take. I hate taking tests, and I have not taken a paper based test in a long time (since HS!) as the GRE and Praxis I tests were all computer based tests. But BYU-I is not set up to have people take computer based tests yet so next Saturday I report to the BYU-I campus and take two 2 hr tests back to back...I am so looking forward to it. Otherwise student teaching is almost over, I am starting my 10th week out of 12...and it's down the stretch I come.
Josh and I will be so happy when it is over so we can both calm down a little and have at least some free time once in a while. My sisters wedding is coming up and Ada and I are really looking forward to a trip...but it's so sad to take one without Josh. But happiness and finality are on the horizon so just keep praying, thinking, and hopeing time goes by fast and everything turns out well!

Also, we have our next baby appt on Wednesday and we will be 18 weeks!

Daddys' favorite shirt of Adas'
Don't you just love this face?!

Eating cheese for the first time

Looking so comfortable and wrapped up

Eating some bread too

Peas

2009-02-22T22:50:00.004-07:00

This week has been interesting; we both had off from school on Monday, and Devin and Leo watched Ada so we could have our belated Valentines' Day. We went to see the movie Taken, and let me tell you that while it was a great movie, having a child myself and being pregnant, it was all I could do at some points to not break down and cry hysterically (which I did later last week as I stayed up late to watch Sophies' Choice and ended up crying hysterically for the longest time and fiercely trying to resist the urge to run into Adas' room at 12am to hug her, so don't watch that movie pregnant!)
Then when we started school, I discovered that almost 1/2 of the school was out on Tuesday for Strep/flu/bad head colds; there were a lot of students gone all week long and it happened all over town which made getting medicine hard (and there is only so many kinds of medicine I can take!). Blessedly, again Ada has not gotten sick even though Josh and I are still feeling stuffed up, tired and achy! Ada is also becoming more and more adventurous, and almost standing up from sitting all by herself! It is so great to watch her struggle and strain to stand up without touching the ground, us, or anything else! She can stand up know for a few seconds before we can't count anymore as she reaches and grabs us or she falls back down. So hopefully, we are thinking she will more than likely be walking before the next baby comes (which I have already felt move!!!).
So look at the pictures we have (most are from the hilarious feeding where we discovered that Ada still hates peas and cringed and screwed up her face so much every time she found some in her food!) and enjoy the new video!

Taking a bath

She is adorable!

Here not so much, but hilarious and cute!

Yep, Daddy, I still hate these!

A toothy grin

2009-02-15T22:39:00.003-07:00

For those of you who have been anxiously waiting (Mom) for Adas' gums to finally bear fruit you are in luck! She finally has a tooth and we had a reprieve from drooling (not completely-we should be so lucky) for about 2 days and now it is back in full force. We are through speculating though about subsequent teeth as we have been sort of announcing the arrival of teeth for some time now, so they will come when they come and we will keep you updated. We tried to take a picture of the illustrious new pearly white, and we succeeded (sort of so look closely in the pic) but any of you who have ever tried to take a picture of a tooth in an infant will most likely know that it's not easy! We sort of celebrated valentines' day today-we got each other cards and Josh got me some Dove candy in a heart tin (even though we said to just do cards for now). I say only sort of celebrated it as Josh doesn't get home until 8am and then goes to bed around 9, wakes up around 5-ish and has to be back into work at 8:30...so celebrating today was kind of silly. We both (yes!! a day off from school!!) have Monday off and my lil' sis Devin and her soon to be husband Leo have so graciously agreed to watch Ada while we go out and see the movie Taken (seriously...what movie with Liam Neeson hasn't been a great movie?!). So we were all very excited for Adas' first Valentines' Day and we got her a shirt she wore 2 days in a row (and why not right? this will be the only time she can wear it!). So enjoy the pics! Look closely for the tooth...
Ada likes to be upside down and she also likes to bounce (infinitely harder to take a pic of that)

A little too close to the camera

Daddy overrun by girls!

Ada and her friend BraeLynn

Playing around

2009-02-05T11:47:00.004-07:00

Well I used to post much more regularly, but as life is busy and I am frequently tired after a long day, blogging usually takes a backseat to homework, sleep and being with my family. As I have been working with first graders, you can imagine that they are the epitome of cleanliness and hygiene. They always cover their mouths when they cough/sneeze (and clean their hands afterwards), and they never wipe their noses on their hands or sleeves; they are so great at it that I have been battling a cold for the past few days. It normally would not have affected me that much, but then I need to go to school and talk over the din and act happy and peppy every second of the day, which some of you will be surprised to know is a struggle even for me sometimes! We also went to the doctor today for a checkup for the new baby and as so many of you know how much I love getting my blood drawn (coupled with the fact that I am feeling lightheaded and sick anyway) I convinced the nurse to not take my blood now, but next month (when I am sure I will have wished it was already done...). If I would not have been feeling so crappy, I might have been worried when the doc tried to listen to the babys' heartbeat but couldn't quite find it. Luckily, the only room available for our checkup was one of the ones with the ultrasound machine already in it, so he just looked at the baby right then and there just to check. We found out that the placenta is right beneath the skin on my stomach, which covers the baby...so that might make it very hard to ever hear the baby's heartbeat just using the exterior ultrasound/heartbeat monitor gadget. But it was great to see the baby and to see that everything is fine, and the baby helpfully moved around a bit while we were looking in. So sometimes even though Ada does some adorable things, they sometimes do not get chronicled as I would like. I have been trying this past week to remember to take more pictures so here's what I have come up with. Playing with Mamas' scarf
Playing on Daddys' feet

Playing and crawling around in the kitchen (noticing a trend? yeah, she plays with everything and crawls everywhere!)

Caught sleeping before her nap

Trying to stand up

2009-01-25T18:06:00.002-07:00

Ada has now reached the stage where crawling (or really honing her crawling skills) is no longer a necessity to her. Standing is where it's at, and crawling just doesn't do it for her. However, she is not walking unless someone has got her -she holds onto our hands-but she sure likes to try to right herself. We have found her in her bed many times standing up and looking around or talking until someone comes to get her. She is just moving right along, and although this is so much fun, we wish she would take more time to really better learn to crawl. She has figured out how to unplug certain things, like the tv and our cell phones, but does not yet try to stick her fingers in the socket, so we are still not completely babyproofed yet!In my student teaching, I am now also teaching handwriting as well as math, and as most of the students are very quick, I am still learning to balance the faster learners with the slower ones...I guess that I will just have to learn through doing. Drexel has decided that I am allowed to stay in the classroom while my teacher is out having surgery/recouping, which is a huge relief. And Josh is being just as great as ever and has accepted a calling to be Sunday School Secretary even though he gets home on Sunday mornings around 7-8 am and church now starts at 9...so he is just a trooper. So enjoy the pics and new movie or just us having fun!

Here she is standing up in her crib; she gave me quite a start!
Her favorite new toys...our shoes!

Playing on the floor

This is the first time I saw her, but this time she was only on her knees. Check out the new video of her standing up on her own.

No pics yet, but some info

2009-01-18T22:26:00.002-07:00

Haven't really been taking many pictures lately, so sorry all you avid blog readers of ours...but I will try to rectify the situation. The past little while has been rather hectic: starting my student teaching, Josh starting his new semester, coordinating with our friend who watches Ada during the day, doing homework/classwork (2 hrs a night-silly me for taking 7.5 masters credits my last quarter!!) and just being a family. I found out my CT (cooperating teacher) has a hernia so she will be out for 2 weeks having and recovering from surgery, so she will need a sub. However, as the sub will most likely not be a certified teacher, Drexel may want me to move into a different classroom...so everyone pray that this will come to a good and non-switching rooms end!
Josh has been hiking it to school (and most of the time back as well) everyday, but-knock on wood-this winter hasn't turned ugly yet, unless you count in the 30's during the day w/o windchill and below 0 everynight pretty). I feel terrible but he won't hear of me walking so it is an impasse. Ada is so close to crawling it's insane!! She might get a knee or hand moving forward, but then can't get them to keep moving in sync so she flops down on her belly and army crawls it to whoever or whatever she seeks. No teeth yet, but she has picked up a liking for shoes so my dad joked that she is like a little puppy who is cutting her teeth...but at least no shedding or accidents in the house.
We have no pics yet, but we do have a video so enjoy Ada rocking while I try to take some pics!

Baby #2 and Ada

2009-01-07T16:40:00.003-07:00

We just went to the doctor for the first time today for Baby #2 and we found out that I am exactly 9 weeks today and that the baby is due 8/8/09, so mark you calendars! Here are also a few pictures of Ada and us having fun. I have started my student teaching, which so far is a lot of fun as I work with a really good teacher and I love the first grade students! Josh started classes today and so far he says they are pretty much what he thought they would be; not too hard but not too easy either. So enjoy our pictures and hope you are all having a lot of fun too!

Us on New Years'
Ada laughing and just having fun with Dad

Playing on the floor

Baby #2's first picture! August here we come!

A Whirlwind Vacation

2008-12-27T21:22:00.013-07:00

For those of you who didn't know, we just came back from vacation to both Florida and Philly. It was great, but decidedly not long enough. We only were able to spend a few days with relatives in Florida (in both Sebring and Boca) and another few days with family in Philly. For those reading this blog who actually like Rexburg, I tip my hat to you; I suppose someone needs to like it! But being back on the East Coast made us really miss it and then to come back to Rexburg (or Idaho in general) with tons of snow already-which wouldn't be so bad if people learned how to drive in it, salt the roads (yes people I said SALT, if they would spread just a little of this wonderful stuff accidents and road conditions would greatly improve and it's not like people around here have their nice cars to worry about most are rusty buckets of bolts as this state does not require either a yearly inspection or emissions) and learn how to effectively plow this wonderful white stuff that comes EVERY year! I am not even bringing up the subject about the now non-existent sidewalks and the icy parking lots, but if this happened in a bigger city, there would be lawsuits left and right!! But I am getting slightly off topic: There are of course many pictures of our adventures, and rather than talk about them and then post the pictures to further chronicle the events, I will just show you, as pictures are worth a thousand words!

Not sure if you can read what it says, but as it's a pregnancy test, you can most likely guess what the outcome is if we posted it to the blog!

My family at the Light Show in the old John Wannamaker Bldg in Philly

Susie wants Adas' binky!

Devin in the process of getting proposed to from her now fiance Leo

A Family picture outside of the Art Museum/Rocky Steps; it was freezing!

A Family for Christmas...all there except Britt and Alicia

Daddy is cuddly...except for his beard

Did I hit the jackpot or what?

Uh-oh, this could be dangerous...

Ada opening presents early

Meemaw looking so happy

Garndpa "Pop" Bill

Ada with antlers. We took her to the mall in Boca and we got her new earrings: Snowflakes! Us at the beach with her Papa Ada with Daddy in the sand A happy family-except Ada. She didn't like the waves very much and eyed them suspiciously whenever one came near! Testing out the waves At the Pool at Grand-Nana and Grand-Papas' I love this picture! Ada in Disney World getting her inner Minnie On

Me getting eaten by my favorite Disney character Stitch, but don't worry it's just a hat.

Princess Ada

Me in the Swiss Family Robinson House

Waiting for the Jungle Cruise ride

Captain Josh. Doesn't he look dashing?!

Country Bear Jamboree

Riding the Tram from Goofy Parking to the Gate of the best place on Earth!

Ada trying out her new wraparound sunglasses with Grand-Nana

And check out the new videos too!

Waiting for a breath of hot air

2008-12-13T21:18:00.004-07:00

It has been snowing a bit here lately, nothing major but enough to make the people around here freak out. Even though snow should really be part of the territory (no pun intended), there are a lot of people who are transplanted here going to school. And then the state of Idaho, or at least Rexburg, really has no idea what to do or how to deal with the snow! And let me tell you it is no picnic to drive around with people who can't drive in the snow! Anyway, we are very excited about our trip to Florida and Philly. To be again on the East Coast (yeah, can you tell we miss it enough?!!) and to be in Florida will be awesome: Disney and warm weather and family, it's great! Then to go to Philly, to be with more family, we are so excited!! So enjoy the pictures of this past week!

This is my favorite face that Ada makes!
Playing with Lucy

Playing with Mama

We just gave her a cup, she didn't quite know what to do with it at first. Then the juice she sort of drank, but then just would spit it out! This is her doing much better with it!