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A new decade 12 Nov 2012 5:58 AM (12 years ago)

Boyd turned 30 last week.  At his request we didn't do much to celebrate.  We've been so busy lately and getting over colds, so he said he'd rather not try to squish in a big celebration.  Instead the kids and I met him for lunch that day and then we had cake and ice cream after dinner, and that's it.  He's been asking for a rum cake for years but I've never wanted to go buy rum to make it with.  This year I found out that a wonderful thing called rum extract exists, so we gave it a shot.  It was definitely an easy cake to make, smelled absolutely delicious baking, and tasted quite yummy.  JB called it a doughnut cake, because apparently birthday cakes only come in the shape of other non-birthday cake objects. 

We sure love ya babe, and are thankful for everything you do!  Happy Birthday!!

Halloween 12 Nov 2012 5:49 AM (12 years ago)

As the kids grow up, certain things become more fun.  One of those things is Halloween.  For weeks they were entertained by putting blankets over their heads pretending to be ghosts, coloring endless numbers of Halloween themed pictures, and doing other spooky crafts with friends and family.  Our ward did not do a Halloween party/trunk-or-treat this year (apparently they only do it on years when the holiday lands on a Sunday), so we found other ways to celebrate. 

A couple weekends beforehand we went to a Pumpkin Night in the Park at our favorite local nature center.  They had over 800 carved jack-o-lanterns lighting their miles of walking trails, bonfires lit to stop and warm up at, a dance floor for the little ones to get moving and grooving, a special indoor blacklight spooky ocean scene, and a stage where various performances took place including Elvis (who came back from the dead for one night, and one night only!).  It was incredible!  Volunteers were dressed up along the walking paths.  Pirates were on 'ships' (paddle boats) on the little lake shooting their cannons at each other, some were perched up in trees searching far and wide for their buried treasure.  Witches, gigantic spiders, and others were also found there.  The great thing was that it was all geared towards young kids so none of it was really scary.  JB loved the blacklight display and asked to go through it many times.  GB could have danced the night away, especially when Elvis was singing. 

We took the kids trick-or-treating down in Nick and Laura's neighborhood.  It gave us a good excuse to go see their new house, and also enjoy a good neighborhood full of kids and a good trick-or-treating environment.  JB caught on to the whole process of knocking on doors for candy really fast and kept trying to run ahead of us to the next house before GB was even off the front porch.  They lasted for about an hour and got some good results - lots of chocolate and not a single tootsie roll to be found!

They wanted to be monsters this year.  GB insisted that she be a "nice" monster.  JB came up with the idea of teeth on the bottom of his hood as well as a tongue sticking out.  The picture also doesn't show the spikes going down his back.  A warm night and costumes that fit over their coats made for a perfect night out.

Boyd's official! 9 Nov 2012 12:39 PM (12 years ago)

October 26th was the official end of our scholastic journey.  It was the day Boyd (and 600 some odd others) was sworn in as a member of the MN Bar.  We are so proud of him and his hard work.  I know he's very glad to be officially done with jumping through the hoops of law school. 

A small handful of friends that graduated together all took jobs within blocks of each other in downtown Minneapolis.  They get together for lunch occasionally, and I know we have many years of get togethers ahead of us.  Here are three of them at the ceremony:

JB's 4! 9 Nov 2012 12:30 PM (12 years ago)

I can't believe I have a four year old!  He is just exploding with new talents and capabilities every day.  All of  a sudden he can color in the lines; draw rockets, people, trains, cars, houses, robots, etc; make his bed; and do so many more things than he could before.  He loves to work on his colors, numbers, and ABCs with his LeapFrog book.  One of his favorite chores is to vacuum with our smaller vacuum, which is kind of funny since he used to be horrified of the vacuum.  He also likes to help me with the dishes.  His favorite toys are Legos and his remote control car, and he keeps saying he wants Tinker Toys for Christmas.  He loves to play Bingo, and his best friend's name is Jackson.  It's hard for JB to be by himself.  He loves to be around other people.  Sometimes this is hard for me because I really enjoy the quiet alone time I have (or really want to have) each day.  But I am glad he likes to be near me, and I'm glad he thinks I can answer all his questions.  He has really good questions, and I'm impressed with how much he listens. 

He changed his mind about what kind of cake he wanted about a million times.  First it was a Lego cake, and then we cycled through a ghost, bat, car, and spider.  Finally, only a few days before his birthday, he settled on having a boat cake.  I don't know where he got that idea, we don't spend much time around boats, but okay.  After thinking about it for a bit, I decided to make a cake in the shape of the WonderPets' flyboat.  He loved it!  And I'm glad, because I love him.

Another walk 9 Nov 2012 12:03 PM (12 years ago)

It seems like we have a lot of pictures from walks this fall.  What can I say?  We like to go on walks.  They don't cost any money and it gets the kids moving.  This was over Conference weekend between sessions. 

This is what happens after too much walking.
 

Fall Walk 27 Sep 2012 11:12 AM (12 years ago)

One of the fun things about moving is finding all the fun new places to go and enjoy.  Around here there are millions of parks.  That's one of the things I love about MN, all the parks and ways to enjoy being outside.  Boyd found a little gem of a place a few miles away called the Springbrook Nature Center.  They have all sorts of summer camps and activities there, including a weekly class for 2-5 year olds where they learn about an animal or another part of nature.  This class continues throughout the year, and I love that you pay on a weekly basis so you can go if/when is convenient.  They also have 3 miles of beautiful walking trails.  This is why we went to the nature center last weekend.  To spend an hour breathing fresh air and taking in the scenery.  I think we covered about a mile and a half, during which the kids ran and ran, playing tag along the way.

Goodbye Toddler Beds 27 Sep 2012 10:51 AM (12 years ago)

Time to say goodbye to those toddler beds, and hello to bunk beds!  JB was outgrowing his little bed, and since our rooms are too small to fit two beds in one room, and the third bedroom is necessary as a play room, we decided a bunk bed was in order.  We found a good deal during the Labor Day sales and it was finally delivered last week.  The kids just love it!

Happy 2 years, little princess! 27 Sep 2012 10:45 AM (12 years ago)

Time sure flies!  This little one turned 2 the end of August.  We're so blessed to have her smiling face in our lives.  She's so sweet and thoughtful, readily giving kisses to anything or anybody she thinks is hurt or sad.  She love to carry around her black beanie-baby kitty, and is starting to enjoy the girly things like dolls and dress up.  She loves to be outside (who in our family doesn't?) and has a good little arm on her.  She can already catch a ball better than her brother, and usually would rather walk/run instead of being pushed in the stroller.  She's always eager to help, loves to read books, can sing her ABCs, and knows she's adorable. 

Happy Birthday, GB! We love you.





(And here are the crazy people she calls Mom and Dad.)

State Fair 27 Sep 2012 10:35 AM (12 years ago)

The MN State Fair is awesome!  There's nothing more to say, other than for 10 years I waited to make it back to the Great Minnesota Get Together.  It's not like I went every year growing up either, just a handful of times that I really enjoyed.  There's so much to see and do and eat on (and off) a stick. You could never do it all in one day.  Every time I returned home to visit for the summer, I always left to get back to school just days before it started.  Then once I got married, I always tried to figure out how we could visit during those last weeks of August so we could attend the Fair, but we always had to get back home for school then too.  Even while in Iowa I seriously contemplated making the drive by myself while Boyd was in classes, but it never seemed to work out.  So this year I made sure to get tickets and couldn't wait to introduce my family to all the MN State Fair has to offer.  Boyd was pleasantly surprised that it held up to the high expectations I had given him for it, and agreed that it was better than any fair he'd been to.

Originally we had purchased only enough tickets for the kids to go on a few rides at the KidWay, but they had such a blast we couldn't resist loading up with more.  We were pleasantly surprised at how many rides they could go on themselves, and that they were actually okay getting on a ride without mom or dad.  Especially GB, who usually doesn't like us to leave her anywhere. 

We had so much fun.  And not just on the rides, but looking at animals, eating yummy food, watching a parade, and so much more! 

Suzzies! 20 Sep 2012 9:05 AM (12 years ago)

My parents love to tell the story about how when I was a little girl I would take my socks off, spread my toes as wide as I could, and use my finger to scrape out all the lint.  Only it wasn't called lint in our house, the pieces of sock left behind between my toes were lovingly referred to as 'suzzies'.  (Maybe the word I was going for was 'fuzzies'? but my little toddler speach turned it into 'suzzies', I don't know.) 

Now my little girl does the same thing.  She is always taking her socks off and getting the stuff out from between her toes.  She doesn't like anything dirty on her feet at all.  One night, as I went in her room to help her get her jammies on for bed, I found her, sock on the ground, toes spread as far apart as possible, and her little finger scraping out every last speck of anything that was in there.  I couldn't resist laughing, giving her a huge hug, and introducing her to the term "suzzies".

Como Zoo 20 Sep 2012 8:56 AM (12 years ago)

Shortly after we returned from our long vacation, Jeremy and Rachel stopped by to say hi to us on their way to Boston.  Jeremy's sister and her family live in the area as well, so they spent a couple nights there and we all met up on a Saturday afternoon at Como Zoo.  It was super busy, but super fun to see family on our own turf.  Thanks guys for taking some time out for us on your long trek out east!

The Bar Exam is Done... 26 Aug 2012 6:16 PM (12 years ago)

....bring on Family Vacation 2012!

Boyd doesn't start work until September, so after he took the Bar, we headed out west for a three week vacation.  He finished the Bar on a Wednesday evening, we hopped in the car bright and early on Thursday morning, made it to Logan, Utah Friday evening, and that's where the fun began.  Waiting for us there were Shannon, Daren, and their little girl, along with Boyd and Daren's brother Seth....who was getting married to his lovely fiance, Kara.  We were all staying in a hotel together over the weekend so we could help the lovebirds celebrate their wedding day at the Logan temple.  Let me just say, I am sooooo very glad I got to spend a few short days with my BFF.  We do not get to see each other nearly enough.  And just to prove it, we didn't get a single picture....argggg! 

Actually, that seemed to be a trend during this vacation.  No pictures.  During those three weeks we went to a wedding, spent time at my grandma and grandpa Bullough's (we actually do have a few pictures of this):

At the SLC zoo.  I just love giraffes!! Apparently GB does too.

where we stayed for four days, went to Seth and Kara's wedding reception, went to the Black family reunion, stayed with Boyd's brother Brett and his family for a few days, had dinner with one of Boyd's childhood friends, visited my Dad in Colorado, and then headed home.  Did I mention that we drove the whole way?  Our children are wonderful little travelers!  We were supposed to go up to Oregon to see my mother's parents after our time at Brett and Michelle's house, but there seemed to be a stomach bug going around and we didn't want to chance passing it on to them.  It was really hard to give up that part of the trip, but it was probably best, seeing as by the time we said goodbye to my Dad he was suffering from some form of the flu.  We are so glad we had the opportunity to spend so much time seeing so many family members.  We truly are blessed to have y'all in our lives.


(Maybe later I'll be able to steel some pictures of the reunion from my SILs.)

Boxes 26 Aug 2012 5:56 PM (12 years ago)

We feel like we've been living among boxes for a long time now.  Boyd started collecting boxes before graduation.  They slowly multiplied in our Iowa City basement.  Then they slowly began being filled with the contents of our home.  As we packed our life into them, the kids found other uses for them.  Boxes became the building blocks to huge forts and castles for JB and GB to crawl through.  During that last week of packing, they figured out how to prop an empty box up against a filled box and use it as a slide.  Then, during the last two days there the left over boxes became huge coloring pages.  Why do we even bother buying our kids toys?  All they need is a box.  Or two, three, or four.

The best of friends 26 Aug 2012 5:46 PM (12 years ago)

These two are becoming so close.  It's so special to see your children play together, help each other, and gain a relationship that will (hopefully) last a lifetime.  Don't get me wrong, they also fight their fair share.  But this was one of those times when they were best friends.  Right before we moved there were a few days in a row when they thought it was great fun to drag all their pillows, blankets, and stuffed friends out to the living room.  This is the way they'd watch cartoons, read books, or "play" Angry Birds on the Roku.

And here's another one just because:
Geez, church can be exhausting....

4th of July 26 Aug 2012 5:39 PM (12 years ago)

I think the 4th of July is such a fun holiday.  It's in the middle of the summer when there's a great variety of things you can do as a family to celebrate.  Through the years I'd love to incorporate ways to help teach the meaning and history behind the day, but for right now we've kept our celebrating pretty traditional and simple.  We haven't gone to see fireworks since JB was a baby and we were living in Provo.  Since this was our last summer in Iowa City, we couldn't go another year without seeing them.  It was fantastic!!!  Probably one of the best shows I've ever seen!  Even those who had seen numerous Iowa City fireworks displays said it was one of a kind.  It was sweltering hot, very humid, and we were dripping with sweat even after the sun went down, but we had a great time. 

JB was absolutely fascinated with each and every burst of color in the sky, and the noise didn't bother him one bit.  He kept saying "Ooooo," and "Awwwww," and "Hey!  Look at that one!"  GB was a little less enthusiastic of them.   She clung to her daddy and buried her head into his chest for most of the show.  The extra fruit snacks and Capri Sun's helped, too.
 

Bookworm 20 Aug 2012 12:31 PM (12 years ago)

GB just LOVES books!  I noticed she was being extra quiet in her room one day and this is what I found:

There was a Little Girl 20 Aug 2012 12:27 PM (12 years ago)

...with a little curl...or in this case, lots of little curls!  This was GB's first time having her hair curled.  She loves her tiny pink curling iron, and she got so excited to see her hair all curly.  I've done it a couple times since this and it just gets cuter every time.

Times are a Changin' 20 Aug 2012 11:13 AM (12 years ago)

We all knew this time would come.  The time when we would graduate and once again move on to different things.  Iowa City became home so much faster than we had ever expected.  One major reason this was so is because we had such awesome friends and neighbors.  We were lucky enough to live right by at least one, and sometimes two (depending on the school year), families that were members of the Church.  (And don't forget the Howards - just because they weren't members, doesn't make them any less cool.)  The Courtrights were one of these families.  They were there when we moved in, and graduated at the same time as us.   The kids were good friends, us adults were good friends.  I'm fairly certain there aren't too many families in the world that can get together at any place, at any time, and with any amount of notice and have such a good time.  They were beyond friends, they were family. 

The men graduated this spring, which meant it was time to say goodbye.  After many celebrations, BBQs, and thankfully not much time to think about what was happening, the Courtrights were headed to TX where Steve was going to work at A&M.  Later, we were headed to MN where Boyd has a job at a law firm in Minneapolis.  It was really sad to say goodbye.  Luckily there's a really good chance we'll see each other relatively soon thanks to other family members living in the area. 

Memorial Day Weekend 20 Aug 2012 9:10 AM (12 years ago)

Uncle Zach came down to Iowa to visit us over Memorial Day weekend.  A great many things happened during this visit.  We attended a going away dinner for our totally incredible friends and old neighbors, the Courtrights, went to Nauvoo, and found/responded to job listings (Zach) and rental listings (us).  None of us knew at that time that over the next few days Zach would interview and get offered a job he loves (at least so far) and that we'd find the place we now (I'm writing this in August) call home. 

We had a great time in Nauvoo.  Even though we'd gone down often to attend the temple, we usually didn't get to take much time to go through the touristy stuff.  The kids don't have the attention span to go through and see all we'd love to see, so we picked our favorites.  And of course we let the kids take some time to play at the Pioneer Past Times.  I sure wish they would have had that little gem there when I was a kid!

Before leaving Nauvoo we had to go get custard from our favorite ice cream place, Annie's.  And don't forget grabbing some fudge from the Fudge Shoppe.  Yum!

Bring on the sun! 20 May 2012 6:18 PM (12 years ago)

It's gotten a lot warmer here.  This means we've spent a lot more time outside and already worn a lot of sunscreen.  JB's gotten good enough on his bike that we can go for long bike rides (he rides, Boyd runs beside him, and GB hold up the back with the stroller).  It's been great to get outdoors. 

These bike pictures are from when Grandpa was here during graduation.  But they're the only ones we have (because who wants to hold a camera on a long walk?) so they are being included here.

There are few things in life that little kids like more than water.  Since we've been in the 80s nearly every day this past week, they've gotten to spend a lot of time in the water.  Hot temperatures also mean they get to enjoy a new found love of theirs - Freezies, Freezy-pops, Otter-pops...Call them what you may, they love 'em!  JB's sticking his tongue out in the picture above so everybody can see his green tongue. 

Graduation!!!! 20 May 2012 6:00 PM (12 years ago)

WE DID IT!!!!!

WE ARE DONE WITH SCHOOL!!!!!
(although Boyd still has to study for the Bar every day for the next couple of months...)

CONGRATULATIONS BOYD!!  WE LOVE YOU!

And many, many hugs and kisses to our parents for coming out to celebrate with us.  It was so nice to have you here!

Reading with Daddy 20 May 2012 5:42 PM (12 years ago)

Easter 20 May 2012 5:36 PM (12 years ago)

Every year for Easter we have an Easter egg hunt in the backyard with the neighbors.  It's something we dearly look forward to, and it was sad that this will be our last year doing it with them.  Not only are we graduating, but our neighbors are graduating as well. Here in a few weeks we will be going our separate ways....them to TX and us to MN.  But we're not going to think about that yet.  Back to Easter.....

Here are pictures from the backyard egg hunt. 






 And this is what happens after the egg hunt!


 Easter Sunday.  The kids were much cuter when they were fresh before church, but the idea of getting ready early enough to take pictures before church is just mind boggling.






The kids devoured their chocolate bunnies while I made dinner.  My brother came to spend the holiday weekend with us.  That night our good friends Nick and Laura also joined us for dinner.  It's so nice to have family and friends that are becoming more like family with us during times like this.




 And thanks Zach for making the long drive down to visit us.  We so appreciate it, and the kids loved every minute you spent with them.  You helped so much with teaching JB how to ride his new bike, and getting him to put his socks on by himself.  You're a great uncle, and we are so excited to be moving up closer to you!!


P.S.  This is what happens when Uncle Zach leaves.  GB has never fallen asleep anywhere other than her bed while at home.  I guess there's a first time for everything.

Science Experiment 20 May 2012 5:17 PM (12 years ago)

Question:  If I can drink my juice with a straw, can I drink my banana, too?

Hypothesis:  I can drink my banana with a straw.

Experiment:  Step 1 - Take straw out of juice.   Step 2 - Insert straw in peeled banana.     Step 3 - Try to drink banana with straw.

Results:  Drinking a banana with a straw doesn't work so well.  :(

Spring Break Trip 20 May 2012 5:12 PM (12 years ago)

Spring break was in March, which although only 2 months ago, feels like ages ago.  To do something slightly more productive than sitting around at home, and tons more fun, we hit the road to CO.  We hadn't seen my parents' new place yet, so we piled the kids and some clean clothes in the car, and drove the 15 hours to Grandma and Grandpa's house.  We have such good little travelers!! 

I love my parents' house!  They have some split levels, and after seeing GB have much more confidence on their stairs than ours, I've come to like split level homes a lot more.  Their yard is tiny compared to what they had before, but the kids still had hours of fun blowing bubbles, playing in the rocks, and drawing with sidewalk chalk.  It was the first real warm weather of the spring, so it was really nice to get outside. 

The trip did have some not so good parts.  GB broke out in eczema because it was so dry, and that took a while for us to figure out what to put on her because she was also sweating so bad from the increase in temperature.  Then my dad got a horrible cold and had to quarantine himself in his bedroom for the last two days. 

Somehow I didn't take many pictures.  I've gotten horrible at trying to carry a camera around and take care of two kids at the same time.  So these are the only pictures I have of the trip.