Before & After

Shhhh.... This is one of Nathan's Christmas gifts.

All the bikes at the store were kind of bleh, and we decided we didn't want to spend so much on one, and then only have him ride it for a year. So I found this on Craigslist for $10:

We took off the lame decals, touched up the paint(already had the paint!~ so FREE), recovered the seat and cushion thing that is there to protect your face if you wreck ($2 or $3), replaced the handlebars ($6), and installed a kickstand ($6).

It looked great, but plain. So I called up my bro, who designed some decals, and had them printed at work (FREE for me) Thanks!

I think we put in $10- $15 into it, but it looks cool, and will last him awhile. Tyler is a little jealous that his first bike wasn't this awesome.

So for less then $25 TOTAL, here it is:

Hopefully you think it looks better after~ I sure do! I may decide to add more decals... I need to look at it some more.

p.s. I HATE MOVING! We have taken one trailer full to Utah already(well my Dad took it and unloaded the entire thing with my bro), and think we will have two more to take. I am ready to get this over with already. The kids have been extra clingy/whiny, and I am sure it is because most of our stuff is gone...one more week!

This is how I found the kids the other morning. Ava always kicks Nathan out of his chair. Look at her lounging!

A week ago we had our ward Christmas party. Santa came and Ava was so excited. She was sitting with all the kids on the floor, and kept scooting closer and closer to him. Then it was their turn...as soon as I sat her down on his knee she started crying! I couldn't believe it. I thought she would have loved him!

We decided that with Christmas just 2 weeks away, it was time to put up our tree. Usually we have it up by the end of November. With moving and such in the works, I just haven't been in the most Christmas-y spirit. Plus I was worried that as soon as we decorated we would have to pack up the truck and move. (If we end up moving earlier then expected we are putting the tree in the truck fully decorated!)

(connecting the star)

I told Tyler that it reminded me of Charlie Brown's tree. I was too nervous to use the metal hooks, so we bought a pack of these ribbon things. They work well, but are not the cutest, so next year I will make some cuter ones. Anyway, we didn't have enough, and I didn't want to go drive to Lowe's and spend money on something that I may not ever use again. So the tree is bare, but the kids love it, and that is all that matters, right?

We are pretty sure we have a renter for the house. We have been busy doing the things we should have done two years ago before we moved in! This is the second time this has happened, so I told Tyler next time I am not moving in until EVERYTHING is done (second time I've said that too...) I touched up a bunch of paint, Tyler has been replacing broken blinds, and then of course there has been packing.

We finally ordered and installed the awning for our back door. Every time it would rain, the rain would come through the door. We replaced the threshold (twice I think) and weatherstripping, but it would still leak. We would hate for our floors to get ruined , so we thought it would be best to get an awning. It is nothing fancy, but it will work, and I think it looks nice. Too bad we didn't do it earlier though. Tyler was installing it on the coldest day this past week~it was getting ready to raining so we wanted to test it out.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Tyler keeps saying that we need a new post.

We haven't been doing much....just going crazy.

We have shown our house a bunch of times, but still haven't rented it. I didn't think it would be this hard! We have a family who seems really interested, so we are crossing our fingers! We have boxes all over, and we are not sure (if this family rents our house) if we would move before or after Christmas...so we still haven't decorated! We should probably get on it though...

Thanksgiving was nice. We went to my Grandparent's here in town, and were so glad we went. We were the only ones over there, and I love that the kids know and love their Great Grandparents. We had a nice quiet dinner, and relaxed- it was pretty low key.

Then we came home, packed up the car, and headed to Utah the next day. My family usually does their Thanksgiving on Saturday, so we got to feast two times. Mmmmm! I love Thanksgiving!

On Sunday our cutest nephew, Luke, was blessed. We had to be in Cedar bright and early. It had snowed the day before, and the pavement/steps were so icy when we got there. You should have seen Maria and I in our heels, trying not to die walking. You could so tell we are from the desert. After church we headed to the Yoders, and had ANOTHER FEAST! Melissa is such a wonderful hostess she had been up all night cooking and preparing for all of us. Everything was so yummy, and we were so glad we were able to be there!

While we were there we had to attempt the annual Murset Family photo. I decided that we need to lower our expectations, since all the kids are always so wiggly, and not huge fans of the whole picture idea, it will be a while until we can have a picture of everyone looking at the camera.

This is my favorite of the four of us. Ava's face cracks me up! I think we have a better one then this of us, but for now this is my fav.

These are the ones of all of us:

This was after a major meltdown. Tyler was the only one ready(HA!) Kevin, and Mark were mimicking the child.

I think this ended up being the best one... Good Times.

Sorry it took so long to update. We will try and be better bloggers!

Update?

I really do want to update this blog....there is just not much going on! I wish we had something exciting to report. Sorry!

Happy Halloween!

We decorated our pumpkins and made sugar cookies a couple days ago and then went Trunk or Treating in our church parking lot with two other wards. It was fun.

This is also fun. Watch.

Look Who's Walking!

Just in time for Halloween...our little Frankenstein, at least, that is who she walks like.

Ava has known how to walk for awhile now, but still preferred to crawl. The last week or so she decided to start walking even more. She will crawl a little, then stand up and walk across the house. It is so cute, and she gets so excited!

I am so excited...it finally feels like fall! It is cloudy and cold out, I have pumpkin pies in the oven(they smell SOOO YUMMY), and we get to Trunk or Treat tomorrow! Don't be surprised if we have a Christmas tree post in the next few weeks~ Tyler is listening to Neil Diamond Christmas music as I type.

Happy Birthday Ava!

Ava had her first birthday this weekend! I can't believe it has already been a year.

We decided to make it easy on our families, and head to Utah for the weekend so they wouldn't have to come down here for a party. Our ENTIRE family was there, except for Tyler's Gma.

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. The party was ladybug themed, and a real one even came. Nathan kept singing "A ladybug came to Ava's party..." It was so fun to watch her get into her cake. Nathan has always been really clean, and wasn't sure what to do with his cake when he turned one, so we didn't know what to expect.

Ava got so many fun gifts! We were so glad that everyone could come. Thanks everyone who helped and took pictures- I brought the video camera, but totally forgot the picture one. I owe my parents BIG TIME. They did so much to get the house ready, and the food all set up, and then cleaning up afterwards, not to mention having us crash their tidy, quiet, house for 5 days... Love You Mom & Dad!!!

Thanks everyone for coming and celebrating with us~ we love you all and miss you already!

Some of the other fun things that we did were:

Nathan got to go for a REAL motorcycle ride thanks to Uncle Josh, well it was a Vespa, but that counts, right?!?

Lots of playing with cousins in Hurricane which included an entire day of running around outside, jumping on the trampoline, playing the Wii, reading with Grammy, swinging, sliding, bubbles, and LOTS more.

On another (not quite so fun) note: Ava had her one year check up. She weighed 21 lbs 4 oz, and was 30 inches long. The appointment was followed by a round of Mini Golf. Nathan got his first hole in one, all by himself. This was only his second time golfing too. I was proud.

To end the trip right we took the kids to the corn maze last night. They didn't really get it, but it was nice a fun fall thing to do. We planned to go out for ice cream afterwards, but they were both totally out before we got on the main roads again.

Our New Nephew

Friday morning I got a call from my Sister in Law. She had her baby, Luke!! I could tell in her voice from just the "Hello" that she was either in labor or had just been through it. I wanted to go up to see them so bad so Tyler and I packed up and off we went.

They had her scheduled to be induced in a week, but her doctor was going to out of town(cruising of course...). We were both hoping that he would come in time for her to have her doc, and our wishes must have worked. He made quite the entrance, and came 3 hours after her water broke at home. You can read the full story on their blog HERE.

He is so adorable. I hogged him pretty much the entire time we were at the hospital. You forget how little they are when they are first born. I just love babies!

As soon as I got the camera out, Nathan took over and he and Madelyn had a photo shoot. So I didn't get very many pictures.

We love you 4 so much and are so glad we got to come and see you.

Going Ons

I feel like I have been so busy lately!

I started packing up, and then decided I was done for a little while (we still haven't found renters, and I don't want to be living completely out of boxes). I have also been trying to keep the house extra clean in case people call and want to come take a look at it with only a moments notice. The house is pretty much always clean, but it has been a bit cluttery with all the projects I have been working on, and I CAN NOT FUNCTION when things are disorganized...

I decided to make the kids some warm jammie pants, and whipped out 6 pairs in a day. I also started and finished Ava's birthday quilt at the same time. There was flannel all over the house! Everything turned out so cute! I am super excited for the weather to cool down more so the kids can wear the cute pants. Nathan picked out ALL of the fabric. He was so excited about his dinosaur pjs...they are his favorite.

Nathan's PJs:

Ava's PJs:

Here is the quilt!

And a close up:

This "patch" quilt is so simple! I really shouldn't tell how to do it, because then you may think it is less fabulous. I did one this same way for Nathan a while ago, and it is super cute too. You can see it HERE. If you want to know how to make one let me know, and I will do a post about it. Thanks Clair for teaching me how!!!

Ava has been taking more steps lately. Yesterday she took about 4 steps a few times...I had the phone and she really wanted it so she was distracted. Seems like she walks more when we have something she wants...

The weather is cooling down, and I am loving it. We went to the park yesterday, and it was so nice, that we went to a different one today! We had a picnic, and fed the ducks, the kids had a blast. While I was packing I found 2 boxes of Ritz crackers that were in the back of the cupboard, and they were stale so that is what we fed the ducks... I had a stack in my hand and Ava grabbed one. She kept reaching it out like she was going to give it to the ducks so I helped her throw it in. She got so sad! I guess she wanted it eat it... I forgot the camera but promised Nathan we will go back again soon. I will try and get some cute shots then.

Fabulousness

Don't you just love that necklace???My super talented sister-in-law made it! She is going to be having her 2nd baby any day now and since she will be super busy once the baby comes, she decided to post a ton of new jewelry on her Etsy site. Get some Christmas shopping done early, and check out her site! She is amazing, and you will not be disappointed if you buy from her.

Click HERE to see her stuff!

New Mower

We got our new mower yesterday. We had to charge it for 12-24 hours before using it. It worked really well. It starts instantly and is fairly light to push. It took a little getting used to because the cutting width is much less than the gas model we had so I had to make about twice as many passes. However the times saved from starting it I think evened out the total time mowing.

This picture cracks me up every time! This is Nathan's cute personality to a Tee- dancing around, always happy, I love it.

I have been organizing all our pictures. We are terrible at printing off pictures now that we only take digital ones, and they are just all over the two computers. So I have been organizing them by date, into specific folders. It is taking FOREVER! Anyway that is where I found this one of Nathan. He is just so funny. People are always coming up to us after church and telling us stories. I get so nervous when someone comes up to me and says "Nathan was so funny in Primary today..." Here is more proof of his character:

Tyler and Nathan had been playing Mario Cart, and Tyler had decided to be done and eat lunch. Nathan didn't want him to be done yet, so he started using both controllers at the same time. Look closely at the pictures, and you can see he is pushing the buttons on the second remote with his toe.

In Ava news...she is getting so close to walking. She has taken one step a number of times, but that is it. Saturday was her last day of nursing too. I think I was more sad about it then she was. She hasn't really been a snugly baby, so that was the only time I would get to snuggle her. But since she has been on the bottle 100% she has been sleeping better and will snuggle more too. What is up with that? She is learning words, and says a few things, but only we would understand them. She LOVES to be around Nathan. If he is sitting on the floor, she will crawl super fast to him and give him kisses all over and lay on his chest. It is so cute!

We are still trying to find renters, so if you know of anyone looking to rent, please let us know! In the meantime I am going to start packing...TODAY.

Cash for Clunkers (lawnmower style)

So Monica paid the power bill online and the window was open to their website nvenergy.com and I saw they have a lawnmower exchange program. Basically you turn in your old lawnmower and Clark County will pay $250 toward a new Neuton Battery Mower which retails for $349. So I went to the Henderson City offices and filled out the paperwork then the next day I took our mower to the recycling place to get the paperwork finished. Then I called Neuton and paid $99 (which included shipping) and in a few days will get a brand new mower. I'm pretty excited about it.

Old Mower (the one on the right)

New Mower

A little background on the old mower--I got it off craigslist. I wanted a self-propelled rear bag model. The ad said brand new, barely used. It was not new nor was it barely used. I had to put more money into it to get it running than I paid for it. Anyway, I liked that it was self propelled and rear bag, but it never really ran well. I had to spend probably 5-10 minutes each time I cut the lawn to start it and keep it running.

This new battery powered model is not self propelled, but it does have a bag and starts instantly with the pull of the lever on the handle. I've wanted one of these for a while now, but the economics didn't make sense.

I've been watching the Cash for Clunkers (car style) story in the news and I don't really agree with the concept for a variety of reasons I won't get into here. Am I compromising my conservative values by participating in a program which taxes others and subsidizes my purchase of a new "green" mower? Or should I just not worry about it and enjoy my now smaller "carbon footprint"? gag me.

On another somewhat related note, how come it seems like conservative talkers on radio and TV ridicule many things related to saving energy? I'll give a couple examples--Pres. Obama on the campaign trail said we should make sure we inflate our tires properly and if we did the country would save x number of barrels of oil a year. He was ridiculed for it. Why? Another was a suggestion by someone that we should paint our roofs white to reflect the heat so we wouldn't have to run the A/C so much. Again ridicule. Can somebody explain this? Isn't convserving and being economical much of what conservatives are about?

Conservatives in my opinion could own much of this issue by making it about personal responsibility and self reliance. As soon as we can afford it, we're buying as many solar panels as we can fit so I don't have to rely on a power company or anyone else for my power. I can run my A/C if I please and I don't have to hear someone on the Green Network whine about my carbon footprint. Also it wouldn't affect me nearly as much when the president's plan for electricity rates to "skyrocket."

I understand that the primary reason for conservatives not getting on the green bandwagon is because the technology right now is prohibitively expensive and may not be cost effective. I look at it as an investment though.

I know this makes me almost sound like a granola eating, prius driving, environmentalist, but I'm not. I just think the conservative movement could be a lot stronger if we would embrace the self sufficiency aspect of this and not jerk our knees so much at good ideas that come from someone with whom we normally don't agree. We could also do it minus the "holier than thou" crap you see all over the place.

BTW, I believe we should respect the earth, but weren't we given dominion over it? Also, I don't believe that man is causing global warming. If I hear one more person talking about climate change...

Anyway, am I the only one with this view?

Quick Trip

Yesterday we made a quick trip to Utah. The kids had appointments up there today- I know I am crazy, driving 2 hours to see a doctor, but we also wanted to see some family.

I met up with two of my gorgeous Sis-In-Laws, and did a little shopping. I was mostly there for the visiting, but I did happen to find an adorable tutu/princess outfit for 7.99- it will be perfect for Ava...she was instantly in love with the wand, and shook it around the entire time.

Since the kiddos were so good we took them to the splash park when we were done shopping. Nathan has never liked water being dumped, or sprayed anywhere hear his head, so I didn't know how he would do. There were lots of kids there, and he adores his cousin Madelyn, so he went for it. He had so much fun. Ava fell asleep on the way there, but woke up shortly after. I was too lazy to go back to the car for her swimsuit, so she played in the water fully clothed, and we both got SOAKED! We miss the Yoder's already, and wish we got to see them more often. After the splash park we headed to Hurricane to see the rest of Tyler's fam. It was nice to see everyone...We love you all!

The appointment for the kids went really well. They are both very healthy. Here are some stats...

Nathan at 4 years:

41 lbs

42 inches

He was so brave for his shots, and I was super glad. Luckily, Tyler was there to hold him. I can't believe how big he is!

Ava at 10 months:

20 lbs 5 oz

29 1/2 inches

She is getting so close to walking! She will just let go and stand up on her own for a long time. And when she is ready to sit she can do it so gracefully. Her hair is also long enough in the back now for REAL pigtail---SO CUTE! She doesn't even fuss when we do her hair, it is a good thing too. Since I do hair, she would just have to "suffer" if she didn't like it. jk

We are glad it was just a quick trip. We forgot the playpen, and Ava is a total crib sleeper, so I was up the enitre night with her...I am SO tired, and looking forward to having us all in our own rooms and beds tonight!

My Little Buddy Is 4!

Tyler and I talk about how we often expect too much of Nathan. We always think he is older then he really is because he is so smart. Well yesterday he turned 4, so I guess I can expect a little more from him, right?!?

We made a chain ring countdown thing about a month ago. Each day he got to tear off a ring. He was soo excited for his big day and talked about it every single day.

A few days before his birthday my Grandparents came over and we had a birthday get together for Nathan and my Gpa. We loved having them over before they headed back to Kolob.

For Nathan's party, he decided he wanted a Firetruck birthday so that is what we did. I asked him what he wanted for his Special Birthday Breakfast, and he said Lucky Charms...that is what he eats every morning, so I got off easy. After we got all ready, Tyler took him to see Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. We didn't tell him that he was going to see it, so he was really excited when they got there. He had been wanting to see it so bad. Later that evening we had a fun party. We had friends, pizza, salad (Nathan loves salad now), swimming, water balloons, a firetruck cake- yes, I made it, ice cream, and of course PRESENTS! I love this kid so much, it is so hard not to buy him everything in sight. He got some great stuff. (Thanks friends!!!) Tyler has also been enjoying Nathan's gifts.

Nathan is my best little buddy. He loves to snuggle. He has always been so helpful, and well behaved. I got a little weepy the night before his birthday thinking about how 4 years ago I was in labor, getting ready to meet my Nathan. The time has gone by way too fast.

Here are some things about him:

*He is so smart! He is learning to read, and we are so proud of how quickly he is picking it up- We are using "Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons" I HIGHLY recommend it.

*He has an amazing memory. He memorizes things so quickly- like just seeing/hearing it once or twice.

*He is so polite, and well behaved.

*He is soo curious, and asks "Why?" a million times a day.

*He is very clean. He never liked bibs, and really has never needed them. He enjoys playing in the dirt and such, but when he is done he wants to be clean.

*Loves to help

*Is such a great brother

* Cracks us up multiple times a day

*Uses BIG words

*He has the best "cheese" smile.

* He is super handsome, and a total ladies man.

*He is very aware of others feelings & has a BIG heart.

There are so many things I could write about him. We love him so much, and are so glad he is ours. He teaches us so much everyday. Happy Birthday Buddy, I love you so much and can't believe you are 4 !

P90X Is Kicking Our Trash!

Tyler and I have decided it is time to get in shape.

I am fine with my weight, and have some good muscle-ness just from chasing/carrying kids all day long, but sometimes I get winded just going up the stairs, and that is weak. I don't want to be tired doing something that simple. I have never been a sporty girl, but I have always tried to be fit (running, dancing, etc.)

Tyler was always sporty. Soon after Ava was born he injured his knee, and it hasn't been the same since. So he hasn't been playing ball at all. Plus he says I feed him way too much. What can I say, I am a pretty good cook. He has been trying to lose weight for a while now, and was able to lose 5 pounds or so on Slimfast, but we decided it was time to get serious and start working out.

We have been doing P90X for 5 days now. We have been so sore! The first day I wasn't that sore at all, then the next morning I felt it. I could hardly walk down the stairs and after reading with Nathan we couldn't even sit up to get out of the bed. So Tyler and I were hobbling around, and then we would laugh at how ridiculously sore we were, and then our abs would start hurting so bad from laughing. It was pretty funny. I am glad I am starting to be able to actually move now. So if you see us limping and hobbling now you know why. I hope we have some nice results to post in a few months!

Funny Kids

(this is a picture they took in Primary,

he got this in a frame with a picture

of the temple for being the spotlight)

Today Nathan gave his first talk in Primary. I got there a little bit early- just in time for the Spotlight. The primary lady got up, they turned out the lights, and she had a big flashlight to shine on all the kids, and then she stopped on Nathan (I didn't know he was going to be the spotlight) and he jumps up and says " YES! I am in the spotlight!" (almost in song) while hooraying with his arm. I was laughing so hard! Then he went up to the front, I will have to get a copy of the questionnaire that he answered. He said that one way he would get ready to get married in the temple was by wearing his nice Sunday clothes to church. Must be working because he hadn't been sitting with the Sunbeams, nope he was sitting with two very pretty girls in the CTR 8 class!

His talk went really well, and I was in tears from laughing so hard. Tyler was reading it to him, and he was doing fine and being serious until he said "...We have Family Home Nimning, oops sorry, I mean Family Home Evening"- we have been working on pronouncing it better- from there it was all giggles and so casual, he even said "We play games and stuff..." All the teachers kept turning around to look at me. It was seriously so hilarious. When his talk was over, and he said "Amen"  and then he blew really hard in the mic, just because.

After they dismissed the 8 year old hotties came up, out of their way, to give him high 5s and to tell him how well he did.

Tyler's Home Teaching companion is in the primary, and last week when they went out his comp said, "Nathan is so funny..." As soon as Tyler said that my heart dropped. I thought Great! We are going to have the class clown. And it looks like we are going to have 2.

(Sorry, she moved right when I took this, but you get the idea)

Ava also likes to crack us up. She is already super funny. She fake gags, cheeses it all the time, LOVES food, puts toys in her mouth and then crawls around (just like a little puppy),and she does yoga poses- downward facing dog is her favorite. The first time she did it Nathan said "LOOK she is going down dog!" We have only done yoga a handful of times in this house...sheesh. She is so obsessed with food. I was making rolls the other day and she was trying to get them out of the oven...she was hitting it so hard. And if she is in the other room and hears the fridge open she will be there before you can shut it.

We don't know where they got their silliness, but it sure is fun. Tyler and I were both very shy kids, so it is nice to see that they are both so confident, and outgoing. We sure love these cuties!

Pioneer Day

(getting ready for the parade- do you like her piggies?

Daddy said she looked like she had antennas)

Yesterday we went to a really fun Pioneer Day Celebration. A few of the stakes got together, and did this HUGE shindig- I think I heard they have been doing it for about 10 years. We went down to our Stake Center and sat with the wonderful Evans family for the parade. They say if we ever get tired of our kids to send them over. Ava chilled with Crystal the entire time (I am in YW with her, so they are friends...) It was soooo humid! The people on the floats had squirt guns to keep the crowd cool, and Ava & Crystal got soaked!

(the Missionaries with this HUGE flag)

(our group)

They also threw out so much candy and we got a ton! Nathan was so funny if he picked up a piece of candy he didn't like he would just throw it back down for some other kid to get. The Evans girls gave him all their candy too, so he had plenty. He and this one little girl ran for this piece of candy, and he got there first, but felt bad so he handed it to the girl- such a ladies man.

(Nathan "fishing")

They served breakfast, had games, snow cones, and tons of stuff. Then the fire department came and hosed everyone down. It was great to watch! The water was shooting like 100 yards! We were standing out of the way so it was just misting us. I don't remember going to anything like this in Utah, so it was awesome.