Fifinator Life

Snow day

2012-01-27T20:30:00.000-08:00

When we get snow in the valley it is a real treat so we enjoyed every minute of our 3 day snow storm!

helping dad build a snow family

pulling 2 kids around is quite the workout

the pro

Unfortunately after our snow storm came days of heavy rain resulting in flooding. We were able to avoid the high waters but parts of town are still recovering.

Last few days of 2011

2012-01-14T12:32:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas tree

Hayride at the Christmas tree farm

snapping peas for Christmas Eve dinner

Fifhause Christmas picture

Spence Christmas picture

Handing out the gifts

Caleb helping too

Big stocking are ready

Christmas morning, last few minutes with Grandpa and Grandma and Aunt Anna

Gift time at Grandma J and Papa's

A new bike

Lucky Jaden was allowed to ride inside

The Santa hat my dad's co-workers made him wear

Quote

2011-11-12T08:28:00.001-08:00

Jaden's quote while getting his hair cut this morning:

"No daddy! The fur keeps me warm!"

Crazy

2011-11-08T11:05:00.000-08:00

I love my kids crazy hair

Caleb

Jaden (at about the same age)

Halloween

2011-11-06T10:14:00.000-08:00

Sunday we carved the pumpkins:

Costumes:

A member of the marching band; the front...

..and the back

Caleb dressed as a dragon, scary!!!

For Halloween we started the evening attending a local Harvest Festival put on by one of the local churches. It is great for kids Caleb and Jaden's age and is set up like a mini carnival. We attended last year and it was exciting to see Jaden get even more into the games and winning little trinket prizes this year. Besides the games they have a petting zoo, carriage rides, bounce houses, and free food. We had so much fun we spent about 2 hours just going from one event to the other.

After the festival we went trick or treating at Grandma J and Papa's house and at a few neighbor's houses. They all enjoyed seeing the boys and were nice enough to put an extra piece of candy for Jacob and I in their bucket ;)

Fall and all it's glory

2011-10-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin patch fun:

Jaden getting lost in the corn maze

They were all thrilled I wanted to take their picture; thank you to Remmy for smiling!!

The lag in blogging lately is not due to having too little to write about but the complete opposite!! Fall brought the start of preschool for Jaden, dodge ball and marching band obligations for Jacob, ballet (back to taking classes 2 days a week and thoroughly enjoying it!) and the Great Pumpkin Run for me, Sunday school/church gatherings, and just the general busyness of raising 2 kids! Plus Jacob and I both have been busy with work obligations and I actually was at a 2 day conference in Portland just last week.

We are busy but the best kind of busy! Love to you all.

Backyard finale ... for 2011

2011-10-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

And now we can park the car in the driveway again :)

"Caleb Bob Walker-Man"

2011-10-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

Caleb is now officially walking!! Actually he has been for a couple of weeks now but I am just now getting around to posting the video.

You might be wondering about the title of this post, well that was the nickname Jaden gave Caleb the other night.

Something different

2011-09-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

I thought I would break up the backyard posts and share some pictures from our visit to OMSI/Forest Grove this past weekend. Jaden, Caleb, and Andrea spent the night away Friday to give Jacob some uninterrupted patio time.

Jaden and Lane

The hosts; Jenna and Tim

Lane, Melanie, Chrissy, and Kevin

Todd and a thrilled Jaden

Saturday was Chrissy's birthday, we celebrated by indulging in strawberry rhubarb pie

I miss having these families in Corvallis and am so thankful when we can all gather!!

Stage 2 .... plus

2011-09-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

Friday evening we started the work on the retaining wall. Here it all is:

Mom and I working to cut back a little more of the berm

Jaden assisting Papa; Dad created a retaining wall in their backyard so we asked him to help us get started

Progress

All done, looks great

Now onto the patio

Time to level the sand

The patio is taking a bit longer than we would like, mostly cause we keep changing our plans a little. We no longer need a step off our deck which means we need to remove a barrier we put up to hold the sand in. Jacob has also needed to make a few modifications to our "built to sustain a natural disaster" deck before more progress on the patio can happen. We are still hopeful the patio will be complete by the end of this weekend and some progress is better than none.

2 more pictures; Jaden's first day of preschool 2011:

Stage 1

2011-09-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

Before:

During

After

Jacob is out right now buying blocks for the retaining wall and flagstone for the patio. More pictures to come of our progress.

Last tribute to summer ...

2011-09-03T11:00:00.000-07:00

Now that it is September we bought the boys a swimming pool, ha. Our backyard is in total ruins and summer in Corvallis did not really begin until last week, those are my excuses of why it took so long. Literally we hit 90 degrees just recently and luckily it will be around 90 the next couple of days as well. A benefit to buying a pool in late August is you get it at 50% off, sweet.

That's right, it has a slide!! You are all jealous now.

Jaden loves to help dad mow, water, pull weeds, basically any project that involves helping dad.

Crazy boys

Speaking of the backyard we are starting that project tomorrow. Jeff is bringing a backhoe to pull out some old fence posts, a few tree stumps, and dig up all the weeds and grass. Our plan is to replant a section of grass, build a retaining wall, and add a patio off our current deck. This will take care of about half the yard this summer and next summer we will tackle the second half that luckily is not in as bad of shape.

The great outdoors

2011-08-27T08:15:00.000-07:00

Camping trip #1

In July we met up with Andrea's family at Devil's Lake for a weekend camping trip. Crystal and Jeff brought their boat so we all got a chance to get out on the lake. This was Caleb's first time camping and he did great. Jaden loved sleeping in the tent and his new sleeping bag.

I know this picture is poor quality but the concept of the picture is why I included it

Caleb paddling Papa's raft

Heading out on the lake

Enjoying the beach - Devil's Lake is in Lincoln City on the coast

Camping trip #2
In August our church hosted a weekend camping trip at South Beach in Newport. We arrived Friday night to a drop in temperature :( Luckily by mid morning on Saturday it began to warm up and ended up being very nice weather. Jaden enjoyed playing with all of his friends and sharing all the toys.

The water was actually somewhat warm - unlike his mom Jaden loves to swim in the cold ocean

We did eat a few handfuls of sand

Building a sand castle after playing in the water

Some of the gang, we unfortunately did not get a better picture of everyone

Happy 1st Birthday

2011-08-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday we celebrated Caleb's 1st birthday by enjoying a family dinner of homemade pizza, cupcakes, and opening presents.

Caleb enjoyed opening his gifts and of course Jaden was right there to help if needed

New bike helmet from Aunt Judy and Uncle Eric

Mommy helping to blow out the candle

He enjoyed his cake :)

Family picture, Jaden was thrilled

Compared to 1 year ago:

Luckily Caleb gained weight and I lost weight - wow what a difference a year makes!!

Caleb had his 1 year check up on Friday and he is doing well. Here are his stats:
Weight: 20.6 lbs - 16%
Height: 29 3/4 inches - 55%

Swim lessons

2011-08-15T20:35:00.000-07:00

Both Caleb and Jaden are currently taking swim lessons. Jaden is now old enough to take level 1 without a parent. He is a bit timid but still learning and becoming more comfortable in the water each class.

Here he is about to dunk his head

And here is Caleb

Caleb enjoys splashing in the water, watching mom or dad blow bubbles, and dunk his head. We are still working on back floats and kicking his legs.

Can you believe

2011-08-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

That next Tuesday this handsome guy will be 1

Tonight we had spaghetti for dinner and we decided Caleb was old enough to eat it as well. Here is the result:

Actually not too bad considering; he did go into the bath right after dinner

Can't wait for his party which I have yet to plan, oops. Well I know we will have a dinner celebration next Tuesday and possibly a family/friend party in later August after all of our trips are over.

Video time

2011-07-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

Illinois - Summer 2011

2011-07-17T20:41:00.000-07:00

I will let the pictures tell the story:

Excited for the airplane to take off; luckily both flights went 100% better than I anticipated!

Ate lunch at Miller Park

Boat ride on Lake Michigan with Amy

Milwaukee

Jacob and Anna, we were able to watch Anna perform as Liza in Peter Pan

Jaden swimming on his own

Each grandchild created stepping stones with hand and foot prints

Madison fun; visiting Jen, Rick, and Kelsey

Best picture ever! 1st motorcycle ride

Park fun

Caleb enjoying a nap

Cousin love

The last day of our visit included a hot air balloon festival

Summer - FINALLY

2011-07-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

Photos courtesy of Jaden:

I believe Caleb was trying to attack my hair, HA

On Saturday we dug out our swim suites and went swimming at our local outdoor pool.

What a stud

Spraying everyone; sorry random people in the picture

Jaden enjoyed the 2 kid friendly water slides

Jumping in

With my boys and proof that I swam as well (oh and Caleb splashed in the water as but no picture)

And after the last picture Jaden threw the camera causing the lens to malfunction, then I tried to fix it but instead made it worse. The camera actually does work now but the lens cover is broken.

The second best part, swimming being the first, no one got sunburned. Mom mission accomplished!

Also this summer (so far) we have attended 2 Knights baseball games, played LOTS of baseball ourselves, accomplished some yard work, and taken many walks. Now lets hope this 80ish degree weather continues.

Picture catch-up

2011-07-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

I was uploading pictures from our pool adventure the other day and realized there were quite a few pictures I failed to share.

Aww....Caleb sleeping (10 months)

These 2 have a lot of fun together, if Caleb is up before Jaden he crawls all over the house looking for his brother

Watching TV in his "little green chair" with his dog

Sandbox fun

And Jaden feeding it to Caleb; oh the life with little boys :)

What a Weekend

2011-06-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

Mom's 60th birthday was this past Monday, June 6. To celebrate Crystal, Ashley, Dad, and I planed a celebration weekend full of surprises.

Surprise #1:
Mom's sister Judy and cousin Laura flew up late Friday night from California to surprise her. We all met in Canby mid morning and they surprised her there. Mom could not believe it and squealed with excitement when they walked into the room. To allow the 3 of them to chat we ate lunch and hung around Crystal's house for a few hours.

Surprise #2:
Early afternoon we headed to the Rose Festival City Fair in downtown Portland. The kids enjoyed playing carnival games and riding a few rides. The weather was AMAZING!!!!!

Surprise #3:
Dinner at Jake's Grill. The before mentioned family, mom's cousin Mike, and friends Margaret and Dave joined us to surprise mom for a delicious dinner. We reserved a room that was separate from the restaurant and that worked out great for the kids. They all were very well behaved but it also was nice that they did not have to sit at the table for 2 hours.

Laura, Judy, Mom, Mike

The whole gang, minus Mike

Surprise #4
After dinner we enjoyed the Starlight Parade. Ashley and Paul graciously set up chairs for everyone while the kids were enjoying the City Fair. It was nice to watch the parade with out needing coats or blankets.

Mike plays the Tuba in the One More Time Around Marching Band

Mom and Dad stayed downtown at the Governor's\ hotel Saturday night while everyone else stayed at Crystal's. Sunday morning we all met up again for breakfast and more great conversation.

It truly was a magical weekend.

the big 3

2011-05-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

Celebration breakdown:

Saturday, May 14, we ventured up to Portland to see Elmo and gang live. Papa, Grandma J, Remmy, Garrett, and Crystal joined us for the show.

The stage; picture taken with my phone so not the best

Jaden, Remmy, and Garrett; the best picture I could get with 3 children

After the show we met Jeff, Tom, Ashley, and Paul in Canby for a birthday dinner and cake.

Admiring his delicious cake

Thursday, May 19, Jaden took cupcakes to school and had Ashley, Papa, Grandma J, and Amy over for a dinner of Mac and Cheese and hot dogs.

They give him this birthday hat at school, nice expression Jaden

Time to open gifts:

I told him to hold it up

Bag from Grandma J and Papa, the wheels even light up

Year 3 was big for Jaden, here are some of his accomplishments:

- became a big brother

- moved to a big kid bed, also changed rooms

- started preschool

- learned to use the toilet and wear big kid underwear

Lastly here is Jaden's quote for the day:

"You can use my bathroom mama, it is clean, daddy's bathroom is icky"

9 months

2011-05-21T10:07:00.000-07:00

May 16th = 9 months old!!!

Able to stand without holding onto a person

Caleb at 9 months:

FINALLY sleeping through the night more often than not

no teeth

ready to crawl at any moment

eating solids for breakfast and dinner, soon we will add lunch

likes banana, apple sauce, peas, avocado, squash, cheerios

enjoys watching Bailey and Tucker

claps

gets upset in the nursery at church but not at the gym

loves his mommy, daddy, and brother

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

2011-05-14T07:47:00.000-07:00

Bathroom redo

2011-05-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

Before

During

After

And.......

We added a little color to our dining room

Oops

2011-05-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

For some reason I forgot to include the following Easter pictures:

Easter 2011

2011-05-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

Comparison:

Easter Saturday 2010

Easter Saturday 2011 - temperature near 70 degrees

Our church hosted "Easter in the Park" on Saturday and because of the magnificent weather a huge crowd attended. I helped with the game area, more specifically bowling which turned out to give me quite the work out. Kids enjoyed an Easter egg hunt, face painting, crafts, games, and snacks. Jaden specifically enjoyed picking up each plastic egg and shaking it to make sure there was candy inside before putting it in his basket.

Sunday pictures:

We all went to church in the morning, hunted for real Easter eggs in the afternoon, and enjoyed a delicious ham dinner.

Swimming pool

2011-04-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

Jaden has quite the imagination these days and loves to pretend he is swimming using a blanket or basket as the pool. This morning when I went in to get him up this is what I found:

He explained to me that he was in the swimming pool reading a school book.

With his black bear

Caleb had to join in on the fun too

Oh to have the imagination of a 3 year old again.

13.1 miles and 27th birthday

2011-04-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

To celebrate our 27th birthday Ashley and I agreed to run in the Inaugural Corvallis Half Marathon; Jacob and Paul had the privilege of running it with us as well. I think Caleb might have been about 1 month old when we heard about the run so I figured it would also give me motivation to start running again and get back into shape.

Approximately 1,600 people participated in the run (a sellout) and it received great reviews from all who participated. The weather was decent, meaning it did not rain but was a bit cold. Jacob and I finished in roughly 2 hours 9 minutes averaging a 10 minute mile pace. We did run the entire time which was my ultimate goal for the race. Ashley and Paul finished about 8 minutes ahead of us; maybe my goal for next year will be to keep pace with them.

Jacob and I near the finish - Reeser Stadium

Talking to our "fans" through the fence

Finishers!!!

Jacob and I at mile 8

Jacob and I finishing

After the run we gathered at Ashley and Paul's house for dinner and cake. Unfortunately I was not feeling well (I think running 13.1 miles and nursing may not have set well with my system) so could not enjoy much of the food but it was great to gather with my family. And by Monday I was feeling great so enjoyed the rest of my birthday cake then.

Also on Monday the boys brought me breakfast in bed so I could enjoy my birthday gift :)

the Price is Right

2011-03-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

It is Tuesday and I am watching The Price is Right, don't judge me we all have our weaknesses. On Tuesday morning Jaden is at school from 9a-11:30a and Caleb is usually napping during much of that time. I take the quiet time to clean the kitchen, watch The Price is Right from 10a-11a, and blog, which explains why I did not blog last week as it was Spring break and Jaden was not at school. I think Jacob is amused listening to me talk to the contestants as if they can hear me, funny times.

Caleb is now sitting up on his own! Caleb and Jaden are very excited about this new ability as it makes playing together 100% more fun. As long as Jaden is around to entertain Caleb he is content for HOURS.

Last week I began to give Caleb his bath before Jaden was ready to help. Well once Jaden had finished his dinner and came to "assist" Caleb got the biggest grin on his face, I think he mostly likes to kick his feet in order to splash Jaden but they really do have fun together.

Last Friday we took a trip to Newport. Here Jaden is taking a break from touching the water creatures at the Hatfield Marine Science Center.

It was a bit windy but really when is it not windy at the Oregon coast, at least it was not raining.

Jacob says I never blog about him so look for a blog all about him soon. Here we are, like my zit, yeah it was real nice and red. We are coming to the end of our training for the Corvallis Half Marathon, the run is April 10th. Ashley and Paul had planned to run the race as well but Ashley has developed a knee injury so we will see if she can participate or not.

An update on the Price is Right; 1 of the contestants in the final showcase thing was only $26 off so she won both showcases, AMAZING.

Faith, Hope, Love

2011-03-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

For a LONG time I have been looking/wanting a piece of art work for above our fireplace that incorporated these 3 lovely words: faith, hope, and love. I could never quite find what I was looking for, mostly the pieces I found were on the small side for our vaulted fireplace wall. Now I have never been much of an artist so it never occurred to me that I could create what I was looking for. That is until this Fall sometime when I came up with a simple design in my head.

First I purchased 3 blank canvases and painted them red:

Then began the design work with a gold color:

I found a font I liked on the computer and created stencils:

Final product (hung by Crystal and flowers from Mike and Lyndzie):

Now to paint the white walls and do something about the not so attractive fireplace doors.

Jaden accompanied me to the craft store and when I told him that mom was going to do a craft project he stated "mom do craft project hand print." Not quite buddy, he was remembering his craft project for the grandparents at Christmas which included his hand print.

While You Were Out

2011-03-01T21:20:00.000-08:00

Remember that show? It was on TLC; they would send a person away for a couple of days and redecorate a room for them all without that individual knowing. Well Jacob and family conducted their own version for me!! I planned the trip to Seattle in November and Jacob decided to use that time to redo our master bedroom. I have forever wanted a bedroom set but it seemed we could never quite afford the furniture. Jacob schemed to invite family and friends to give money for our birthday gifts to go towards some new bedroom furniture and a decorating overhaul. Then right after I left on Friday the fun began:

Before:

Dad worked for a couple of weeks on sanding and painting a new dresser for me and then on the weekend of the re-do sanded and painted 2 night stands

Jeff installed 4 can lights to replace the ugly track lighting we lived with for 3 years

Garrett painting

Remmy helping to put the bed together

Happy the cable works

Adding a little color to our roman shades

Sweet Caleb; he was well taken care of

Crystal designed the room and helped to keep everyone on track with a check list

Ashley assembling the new lamps

After:

The white dresser Jacob bought and then my dad and Paul painted (Ashley and Paul housed the dresser so I would not see it) and art work from Mike and Lyndzie

New bed frame, duvet, lamps, and re-painted night stands from above picture

I feel so blessed to have such a loving family that would dedicate their entire weekend (plus) to this project. I love you all and am forever grateful.

Here is my reaction:

Weekend away

2011-02-25T20:21:00.000-08:00

For President's day weekend my dear friends and I took a trip up to Seattle. Chrissy and Kevin recently purchased a house and had plenty of room for us all to come up and stay for a couple of nights.

On Saturday we took a ferry to Bainbridge Island; not a cloud was in sight giving us incredible views of the surrounding mountains

And the city

The clear skies did mean it was incredibly windy and cold!!!

I do not know what I am doing in this picture but you get an idea of how windy it was; Melanie and I could barely stand still

Great group shot

Chrissy, Jenna, me, and Melanie

We walked around downtown Bainbridge looking at all the little shops and enjoying the cuisine at a local coffee shop

We ate very well all weekend thanks to Chrissy and Kevin's gourmet cooking skills. Friday night it was homemade sushi, yummy!!!

We also enjoyed time talking, watched the Eclipse movie, talking, and more talking.

I took this trip solo and kept thinking the whole time "Jaden sure would have enjoyed this boat ride, I should buy something for Caleb and Jaden, I hope Caleb is letting Jacob sleep." Such is the life of a parent. But it was good to have my first nights of full sleep in 6 plus months.

AND I came home to a room makeover which I will post about soon....

6 months

2011-02-16T20:31:00.000-08:00

Happy 6 month birthday Caleb

At 6 months Caleb is:

eating bananas

not eating during the night but still waking up multiple times

enjoying his feet

rolls from his stomach to back; very close to rolling from his back to stomach

naps 2 times a day

goes to bed around 7p and not up in the morning tell 7a or 8a

ticklish on his stomach, underarms, and neck

and sweet as can be

Afternoon at the park

2011-02-13T14:53:00.000-08:00

To enjoy our last bit of dry weather Jaden, Caleb, and I headed to the park on Friday afternoon. Rain was suppose to start again on Saturday (which it did) so even though it was cloudy we spent about 2 hours running around.

Here Jaden is getting a better look at the train's "smoke stack"

Always fun to jump in a puddle

And here was Caleb and I at the park

We probably walked about a mile (the park is very big) while enjoying the plethora of slides, swings, leafs, sticks, and puddles. Jaden was so worn out he fell asleep on the 15 minute drive home.

Happy 28th

2011-02-08T09:29:00.000-08:00

This past Thursday was Jacob's 28th birthday. We celebrated with a BBQ dinner and ice cream cake at Ashley and Paul's house.

Yummy Cold Stone ice cream cake

Birthday boy

Jaden getting a better look

And helping daddy blow out his candle

The boys bought Jacob a softball bat so that his team will hopefully have more than 1 bat to use. I hope his teammates take good care of it so that it will last longer than 1 season!!

They LOVE to sit together

2011-01-24T10:05:00.001-08:00

Garrett turns 5 and Remmy turns 7

2011-01-16T20:20:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday Jaden and Caleb attended Garrett's birthday party. When Crystal asked Garrett who he would like to invite the first people he said "baby Jaden and baby Caleb." That melted my heart, thanks Garrett for thinking of your cousins!!!

Playing birthday party games

And this is what Jaden did while everyone else participated in the games, yep sat in the corner. I guess all the "older" kids scarred him a little

Waiting to eat cake

Opening presents

After the party guests left Grandma J and Papa joined us for a family celebration for both Garrett and Remmy (both birthdays are 1-12).

Garrett received a sleeping bag from Papa and Grandma J

And Remmy received a bath set from us

Almost 5 months old

2011-01-10T20:36:00.000-08:00

New Year 2011

2011-01-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in the last post Jacob's family came to visit for 5 days over the New Year. Here are a few pictures from their visit:

Sledding at Willamette Pass

Jacob and I skiing

Playdoh has become a big hit

Sodor Island for Jaden's Thomas railroad track

We spent the week playing with the new toys the boys received for Christmas, made a trip to Wacky Bounce, headed up to Willamette Pass on New Year's Day, and Al and Jacob were able to work quite a bit together. We even stayed up tell mid-night to ring in the new year; Al, Jacob, and I toasted with the worst tasting champaign we had ever had, yuck!!

Caleb had a bit of hard time adjusting to the extra people in our house and not sleeping in his room. Jacob and I thought he would do just fine sleeping in with us so Leanna and Al could sleep in his room but we might have to re-think our arrangements for next time. He did get back to his normal self the last few days of their visit and Leanna got to spend an entire day just with Caleb when the rest of us went to the mountain.

Christmas part 3

2011-01-06T19:34:00.000-08:00

Al, Leanna, and Anna arrived late December 27th to celebrate Christmas and the New Year with us. Here are pictures of our gift opening with them:

Jaden always willing to help

Both sets of parents received pots that were decorated with the boys hand prints (apparently Tucker was very interested in what the box contained as well)

Jaden received a Thomas railroad set from Grandma and Grandpa.

Christmas part 2

2011-01-04T10:31:00.001-08:00

Christmas part 2: dinner

After taking a break to rest everyone joined up back at my parent's house for a delicious Christmas dinner. We ate ham, potatoes, fruit, broccoli, and had a plethora of dessert options.

Here are our "formal" pictures:

Garrett and Jaden played with their new toys while the adults enjoyed time talking and/or watching football. Once the "sun" went down a small group drove through the Pepsi light display and around town looking for Christmas lights.

It was a magical day!

Christmas part 1

2011-01-03T18:35:00.000-08:00

With the amount of pictures from Christmas and New Years I think I will do 2 or 3 parts. Here is part 1: Christmas morning

Look at what Santa brought

Grandma J helping

Aunt Judy helping Caleb explore his new toy

Christmas Eve we hosted snacks and dinner at our house but did not take any pictures. We joined Ashley and Paul at Willamette Community Church to worship that evening at their candle light service. Paul did a wonderful job with the music and it was great to hear Ashley singing in the choir.

Christmas morning began around 8a with gift opening and then a delicious brunch hosted by Mom and Dad. Caleb enjoyed watching everyone rip the wrapping paper and will be 1 styling little guy this winter with all the new clothes he received. Jaden's favorite expression when a gift was opened was "cool." It will be interesting to see how much he remembers of the festivities for next year.

Go Tell It On The Mountain

2010-12-21T20:43:00.001-08:00

I have been really humbled lately thinking about Christmas and our celebration of the birth of Jesus. How amazing is it that God sent his only son Jesus to save us from our sins. And the depth that Jesus loves each of us despite our mistakes.

We sang this song this past Sunday at church and the message really resonated with me. What a wonderful time of year to spread the good news:

He brought with Him forgiveness
He live to show us the way
He came to redeem all creation

And to wash all our sins away

Preschool party

2010-12-18T21:29:00.000-08:00

It seems making my public statement about leaving the camera in the car has prompted us to halt that bad habit, hooray.

Here we are singing Christmas carols at Jaden's preschool party

This picture is priceless - Jaden is not so sure of Santa

Jaden with teacher Karen

Parents were invited to come sing Christmas carols which the children have been practicing for a few weeks, enjoy snacks, visit with Santa, and pick up the holiday crafts they had been working on. Jacob and I both were able to attend, along with Caleb. So much fun!!

Christmas party

2010-12-14T21:28:00.000-08:00

Jacob and I have created this wonderful new habit, take the camera with us to an important event and then leave it in the car!! Wonderful isn't it? So the amount of pictures during this holiday season is small.

Luckily a co-worker of mine took pictures for us at the Home Life Holiday party.

Here we are with the raffle gift I won; I sure look excited:

Jaden looks like he might have had a little too much to drink:

And the family :)

The party was held at the local country club and luckily we had no crazy weather, except for rain, rain, and more rain. Last year an ice storm hit during the dinner so we all drove home while slipping all over the roads and the year before that the party was canceled due to snow. The person wearing the most festive holiday attire won a prize, unfortunately I don't really have much holiday attire. Caleb sported his but did not win.

We have been able to keep ourselves busy lately, as if life with 2 boys was not busy enough. This past weekend Jaden attended his first birthday party, well first party that he was invited to for someone his own age. It was for a friend from church and held at a local indoor play area. He now talks frequently about Zabel's party. After the party we ventured over to Story Book Land in Albany. Jaden is at the perfect age to enjoy walking around and looking at all the characters from many of the books he reads, including "Thomas blue train" (as Jaden would say). We definitely will be heading back each holiday season for the next few years.

Sunday

2010-12-05T11:20:00.000-08:00

I got myself all ready for church this morning, makeup and everything, but Caleb decided he was too tired to eat before we left so I am now all prettied up with no place to go. It was too risky to take him to the nursery and then have him get upset because he was hungry.

So now I am watching Bounty Hunter (the movie with Jennifer Aniston) while Caleb rests. Jacob and I rented it last night but I fell asleep while watching (at like 9p, which makes me laugh) so I headed to bed before it was done.

Here are some Thanksgiving pictures:

We all gathered at Ashley and Paul's house for a yummy dinner, game playing, ornament making, and football watching. It was a lovely afternoon; thank you to Ashley and Paul for hosting!!

2010-12-01T20:56:00.000-08:00

Snow in November

2010-11-29T15:38:00.000-08:00

It snowed in November in Corvallis, it never ever snows this early in the winter season (at least on the valley floor). Now it was only about 2-3 inches but for us Corvallis folk that is a lot and the town basically shuts down. Schools were canceled so that meant no school for Jaden, his first snow day :).

A few snowballs were thrown, we attempted to make a snowman but the snow was too dry, and learned that you can eat snow (as long as it is not yellow, Jacob's tip). Unfortunately we do not have a sled of any kind, sad, so we could not go sledding (aka. mom and dad pull Jaden around). I should get on buying a sled so we are prepared for next time.

After spending time out in the cold snow it is always great to come inside and drink hot chocolate

Visitor

2010-11-21T17:59:00.000-08:00

Fun at Wacky Bounce while Garrett visited for a few days:

Full car

Reading to Caleb

Picnic lunch

While Jeff and Crystal enjoyed their honeymoon Garrett came to stay with Ashley and Paul, Grandma J and Papa, and spent time during the day with us. Jaden and Garrett played and played and played; not wasting a minute of their time together. A wonderful time was had by all!!

Family

2010-11-08T20:51:00.000-08:00

Jaden loves Caleb, or Caboo as Jaden calls him, and I know Caleb will love his brother once he is able to express himself. One never knows how the addition of a new baby into the family will go especially when other children are involved.

Luckily for us Jaden is an AMAZING big brother. He helps give Caleb a bath, change his diaper, gives him his pacifier, sings to him, and loves on him daily. And Caleb enjoys watching Jaden run around being his crazy self. Hours of entertainment there.

As their momma I am so proud and honored to watch their brotherly bond develop. I can not wait to watch them grow together and for this bond to become even stronger. I know they will have many years of fun playing together.

Trick or Treat

2010-11-01T21:26:00.001-07:00

Pumpkin carving party:

Halloween:

Our weekend was full of Halloween festivities. We started Friday by trick or treating at Fiserv (the company Jacob use to work for) with Jacob's friend Cindy and then Jaden and I headed to the library for a city party. On Sunday we joined a group from church at the Calvary Chapel's Harvest Festival and for food at one of the couples house, and then trick or treating at Grandma J's house (Papa was out of town elk hunting).

Jaden is starting to get the idea of collecting candy and has a bucket full that will last him for a few weeks. Caleb wore the same dog costume that Jaden wore his first Halloween; Caleb was swimming in it (size is 6-18 months) so he wore it for pictures but that was it. Maybe it will fit him better next year!

Pumpkin patch

2010-10-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

You know it is October when everyone starts blogging about going to the pumpkin patch!! Here is our pumpkin patch 2010 edition :)

Caleb, Jaden, and I met up with Crystal and family (along with Ashley, Paul, and Mom) just outside of Canby for a fun afternoon in the sun.

Caleb's 2 month stats:

weight: 12 lbs - around 59%

height: 22.5 inches around 45%

head: don't remember measurement but around 70%

The poor guy received 3 vaccinations and 1 oral vaccine

And lastly Jaden has picked up some good football skills. This is a short video (taken on my phone so poor quality) of Jaden playing along with the OSU football team. He watches the TV and when the quarterback hikes the ball he begins to run!

2 months old

2010-10-16T10:54:00.001-07:00

Caleb is 2 months old

Gotta love the double chin and serious look! It is as if he is saying "really mom, another picture."

Jacob is out of town for the OSU vs. UW football game so we 3 are hanging together. We plan to meet up with Grandma J, Ashley, Paul, Crystal, Jeff, Remmy, Tom, and Garrett to go to the pumpkin patch this afternoon and luckily it is a nice fall day to do so.

Game Day

2010-10-03T21:26:00.001-07:00

What has been going on?

2010-10-01T13:03:00.000-07:00

Lets see:

Jacob: Working lots in between taking care of the little ones, joined a dodge-ball team, videoing for the OSU marching band again, and hoping the Bears season turns out better than the Cubs.

Jaden: Still enjoying preschool, wearing big boy underwear and very successfully using the toilet, playing lots of baseball, and loves his little brother.

Caleb: 6 weeks old, sleeping for about 6 hours straight at night, and taking real baths now.

Andrea: Working, went running the other day (made it about 1.5 miles, is a start), volunteering for the Great Pumpkin Run committee (about my 4th year doing this) and will actually participate in the event this year, and enjoying my 6 hour stretch of sleep at night :).

Enchanted Forest with Garrett

Playing together

Bowling for Papa's birthday

Preschool and life

2010-09-20T14:49:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday was Jaden's first day of preschool. I was a little nervous as the day approached but kept reminding myself of all the positives that go along with him attending. The main benefit and reason we enrolled him at 2 years old is for him to socialize with other children his own age. To learn those important social lessons; like sharing :).

1st day of school picture

Jaden has enjoyed preschool so far and had no problem staying by himself the first day. They say he is very easy going and seems to be getting along with everyone. Let's hope that continues!

Some cute things from preschool last week: on Thursday I asked Jaden what he had for snack and he responded "gold fish crackers," I was surprised he actually answered the question. And we often hear him singing songs that he has learned.

Plus when I pick him up he gives me a big hug, such a sweetie :)

In other life news I started back to work today. Last night I was a little emotional having to leave Caleb and Jaden but as the morning approached all went well. Jacob seemed to handle both boys just fine and Caleb drank his bottle with no problem. Luckily my schedule is part time so I can come home and spend the afternoon with my family (or morning if I work in the afternoon).

Caleb - 1 month old

2010-09-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

Caleb is 1 month old today!!

Here is some general information about what he is up to at 1 month old:

- still sleeps a lot

- up about 2 times a night

- just as easy going as his brother

- sleeping in his own room

- loves to be held (no complaining here!)

- trying to figure out being awake and happy during the day

- great eater

I go back to work on Monday so Jacob will be on his own with both boys for about 4 hours each day. We have tried a bottle with Caleb once and it went well so we should be good to go with him eating while I am at work.

Our life is crazy at times but it has been a fun ride and I laugh daily because of it :)

Art

2010-09-03T22:13:00.000-07:00

Awhile ago Jaden started creating an art piece for his new room, with the help of Aunt Ashley. Here is the progression:

The final product (with a little help from mom):

Pictures

2010-09-01T22:05:00.001-07:00

yummy chocolate cake, and yes Jaden managed to get it in his hair

Brothers

Amy brought Jaden this cool hat from Jamaica

Introducing....

2010-08-22T21:47:00.000-07:00

Caleb Lee Fifhause

I don't know if people read this blog who do not follow Jacob or I on Facebook, if so as of 1:21 am tomorrow, August 23rd, Caleb will be 1 week old.

Life with 2 boys is wonderful!! Jaden seems to be adjusting to his new brother quite well and even helped me give Caleb his first bath at home. Jacob's parents and sister were visiting while Caleb was born and took wonderful care of Jaden while we were at the hospital. They also helped to make the transition home very smooth. What a blessing it was that the trip they planned months ago worked how we had hoped it would :)

Crystal, Ashley, Mom, and Dad hosted a party on Friday to introduce Caleb to our close friends and family. It has been such a blessing to have family close to bring us food and help out in anyway we ask.

If you wish to see more pictures follow Jacob's photo album link in the blog list section.

Fair

2010-08-12T13:59:00.000-07:00

The Benton County Fair was last week and of course we had to go see all of the animals!! Jaden and I joined Grandma J for a couple hours on the first day of the fair. We got to see the horses, cows, chickens, rabbits, lamas, goats, pigs, and eat an elephant ear.

Jaden and Grandma J rode on the carousel twice:

I was banned from riding any of the rides due to being pregnant, not even the carousel. Oh well, next year ;)

5 years ago today ...

2010-08-06T08:03:00.001-07:00

Here is to another 70+ years :)

37 weeks

2010-07-30T07:16:00.001-07:00

We have reached the 37 week mark of being pregnant.

At the doctor yesterday all looked fine; measuring right on track and baby's heart beat is staying steady.

I have roughly 2 more weeks of work scheduled, my first day of leave is scheduled to begin August 16th. I have been busy getting all of my duties and materials organized so others can take over while I am gone. I am preparing for if the baby comes early but am not getting my hopes up cause really you never know. (remember that Jaden came at 37.5 weeks)

Maybe people should guess if the baby will be a boy or girl? If you feel like it leave a comment, I would love to hear what people think.

Fun in the water

2010-07-23T07:05:00.000-07:00

Recently we have had the opportunity to play in the water and enjoy our wonderfully warm summer weather. My sister, Crystal, bought a boat recently and generously allowed Jacob, Jaden, and I take it out, along with her, Paul, and Jeff, last Saturday afternoon. We cruised up and down the Willamette River enjoying wake boarding and inner tubing. Crystal, Jeff, and Paul are all pros at wake boarding; Jacob attempted but will have to keep working on his skills. Jaden and I enjoyed a leisurely ride in the inner tube and watching everyone else enjoy the speed of the boat.

Here is a video and picture of Jaden and I:

Aunt Ashley and Uncle Paul gave Jaden a fun ball that sprays water for his birthday. Here he is enjoying it:

Illinois visit summer 2010

2010-07-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a slide show with pictures from our trip to Illinois. We left July 3rd to be able to celebrate our nieces 1st birthday on the 4th and returned on the 9th (very very late). Both ladies are doing great and it was wonderful to spend time with the entire Fifhause family.

We were hosted the entire week by Jacob's brother and his wife in Bloomington Illinois. We had a great time attending a minor league baseball game, taking the kids on rides at a family fun park, visiting Springfield Illinois and the Lincoln memorials, and hanging around Bloomington.

Luckily the temperature while in Illinois was pretty moderate considering it is July and humidity was not too high. That made our activities outside much more enjoyable. And we made it back to Corvallis without having a baby while gone :)

Room change

2010-07-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

Jaden has made the transition from the nursery to his new room that was previously a guest/office space. We decided to move Jaden out and give him a 'big boy room' instead of moving all of the nursery furniture. This transition began after his 2nd birthday, as a mom I needed to keep him in the nursery tell he was 2 for sentimental reasons :).

As I mentioned above the room that Jaden was moving into included a guest bed but mostly Jacob's computer desk and many office supplies!!! Plus it became the room we would put items in that we did not know where else to put. In other words it was a MESS. So slowly we started cleaning it out, shredding papers, and finding storage locations for those items that had just been put in there. The room was already painted blue and gray so we just touched up a few spots and left that color scheme. Jacob also had stored some of his Chicago Cubs memorabilia in this room so until Jaden has an opinion otherwise the room is decorated with a sports theme with a shelf of Cubs stuff. (And yes, if Jaden wants to eventually get rid of the Cubs theme he will be allowed too!!)

The computer desk was sold and the office supplies have been moved out to our nook in the kitchen area. Eventually we will build a desk in that corner, but until I get both rooms ready that project is on the back burner.

The transition to Jaden's new room is going well but has had a few tough times. Now that I look back completely moving him out of his room may not have been the best idea but too late now. At first Jacob and I were sitting in the room with Jaden until he fell asleep, unfortunately this could take up to an hour or more but seemed to make him feel more comfortable about sleeping in his new room/bed. For a nap one day Jaden was playing in his room (he does not always nap nor does he have to but he has to at least spend some quiet time in there) and eventually was opening the door and coming out. So I decided to put up a baby gate at the door and with in a few minutes he was asleep. It appears that the baby gate offers Jaden some security with his room and has made all the difference. I had been hesitant to use the gate feeling it may be to cruel but in reality it is just what he needed/wanted, who knew. He still has some nights when he has a little trouble going to sleep in the room but Jacob and I check on him routinely and he eventually will go to sleep. His bed is a trundle bed so we have pulled out the bottom bed in case he falls out his fall will not be as far. Mostly though I think he has been staying in the upper bed.

Here is the room:

Rain gutter self for books and a bucket to keep a few toys in

The Cubs shelf

Coat rack made out of blocks that spell JADEN

And lastly:

Sometimes we nap in our bed and sometimes we nap on the floor. Playing can really tire one out!

More Seattle

2010-07-01T19:05:00.000-07:00

Here are 2 more pictures from our trip to Seattle:

13 innings

2010-06-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

That is how long Jaden's first Cubs game lasted, a total of 4 hours!! This past Wednesday to Friday we joined my parents in Seattle to watch the Mariners play the Cubs. Jacob and I attend an evening game on Wednesday (with Chrissy and Kevin, sorry no pictures) and then Jaden, Mom, and Dad joined us for an afternoon game on Thursday. Luckily after those 13 innings the Cubs won, they lost on Wednesday night.

Besides the 2 baseball games we enjoyed walking along the water admiring all of the boats and swimming at the hotel. We tried to eat dinner at the Cheesecake Factory but Jaden was not in the mood to sit at a restaurant so we took our food to go and ate at the hotel.

Now Jaden thoroughly enjoys playing "cat, ball, bat" at home (translation: catch, ball, bat) and running the bases in reverse order :).

30 weeks

2010-06-12T07:36:00.001-07:00

Here we are at 30 weeks, hard to believe there are only 10ish weeks to go. I continue to feel great and the baby checks out right on pace at each appointment. Jaden recently had his 2 year old doctors appointment. He weighed in at 30 lbs and measured at 35 inches tall, both around the 70th percentile for his age. He received 1 shot and handled it like a champ!!

The Boys

2010-06-06T20:10:00.001-07:00

Swimming

2010-05-31T09:33:00.000-07:00

Jaden has been taking a waterkids class at our local pool. When he was about 8 months old he partook in the waterbabies series, so this is the next step up. Parents still participate in the class with the kids and continue to work on back floats, blowing bubbles, kicking, and jumping into the water (this is were Jaden excels).

The classes have been on Saturdays and this past Saturday I took pictures while Jacob swam with Jaden. Typically I am the one who swims but this past Saturday I was not feeling well at all and definitely did not want to get into the pool. Thanks Jacob!!!

Speaking of not feeling well it appears I have passed my cold onto Jaden and Jacob :(. Jacob has only been affected by a sore throat (so far) but Jaden is feeling a little more under the weather. Luckily he has been sleeping lots and taking it easy. He has been very cuddly with Jacob and I, sort of a plus side to him being sick, but it is sad to not have his spunky spirit to make us laugh.

So, with a house full of sick people we have just been chilling inside for our Memorial Day weekend. Plus, in good Oregon fashion, it has been raining. Jacob did trim a few bushes outside yesterday and planted flowers in our flower pots.

Happy Birthday Jaden

2010-05-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

On May 19th Jaden turned 2!! We celebrated on Wednesday by having a steak dinner, opening a few gifts, and going out for frozen yogurt. On Saturday we had a small party for Jaden at Aunt Ashley and Uncle Paul's house. We enjoyed a delicious lunch of Chicago style pizza and birthday cake. Here are pictures from the 2 events:

This was our attempt at getting Jaden to take a picture with his gifts from his aunt, uncle, and cousins. As you can see, we failed :)
The spread

He was a little frightened while we sang Happy Birthday to him, pretty funny

Fun

2010-05-21T15:42:00.000-07:00

(I know some of you have seen this video on Jacob's Facebook page but when I recorded the video I had this blog post in mind and did not realize he would post it before me. So, you get to see/experience it twice, sorry)

What could this excitement be for?

Oh that is right, the Chicago Cubs!!

(They were playing the Colorado Rockies that evening. He was cheering for the pitcher who is not pictured)

House Projects

2010-05-19T07:11:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of our dining/kitchen/nook area:

Before:
(all of the woodwork was brown and the walls were white)

During:After:

Preschool

2010-05-16T09:51:00.000-07:00

We have enrolled Jaden in preschool, can you believe it? We love that Jaden has been able to stay at home with Jacob and I but also realize the importance of him socializing with other children his own age and to learn from other wonderful/educated people. Not many programs take 2 year old children but luckily there are a few in Corvallis that do.

We visited the Montessori school in Corvallis because they have a toddler program, unfortunately when we met with them that program was full. They discussed that he may be ready to enter their 3 year old program in the Fall because it is not only based on age but development which varies from child to child. It was great to talk to them but the program is 5 days a week and lets face it, I am not ready for Jaden to go to school 5 days a week :).

Another program that I found is called Sandcastle Preschool. They have a program for children age 2-5 and scheduling allows your child to attend 2, 3, or 5 days a week. Jaden and I were able to visit, Jacob was out of town, and it turns out I know the 2 year old class teacher and assistant teacher. Both of them I know because I went to school with their daughters. The head teacher is a very kind lady and I feel very at ease with her taking care of Jaden, she will be so loving.

Luckily they had 1 opening for the Tuesday/Thursday class, from 9a-11:30a. So, I booked it!!! As Jaden gets older we may increase the days he attends preschool but I think for a 2 year old 2 days is plenty. They have a schedule that includes reading, singing, free time, arts and crafts, and play time (either outdoor or indoor, depending on the weather). The price is reasonable too.

With baby #2 joining our family in August this will give Jacob a little relief from caring for 2 children while I am at work, too. Jacob does a wonderful job but does have to keep an eye on his work obligations while I am gone so with Jaden at preschool this will make it a little easier for him.

Now we just hope Jaden is up for the change come September!

Hello

2010-05-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

Week 24:
Currently at week 26.

And Jaden will be 2 years old in 5 days:

Eugene Half Marathon

2010-05-06T11:37:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Jacob and Ashley for completing the Eugene Half Marathon on May 2nd. This was Ashley's second half marathon and Jacob's first. They finished in just over 2 hours and beat Ashley's time from her previous race. Paul trained along with them but could not participate in the actual run due to work.

Bachelorette weekend

2010-04-21T20:26:00.000-07:00

My friend Christine is getting married in early June, so this past weekend we had a girls getaway in Portland. We enjoyed a 2 night stay in a hotel, shopping at the Woodburn Outlet mall, sushi, a cross dressing comedy show, swimming, and lots of conversation. It was a great weekend.

We all use to work at Home Life together and I sure miss having my friends in town. But we have been able to take a couple weekend trips lately to spend time together and soon we will get to celebrate Christine's wedding together.
Melanie, Christine, Jenna, Ashley, and Crystal

Christine and I waiting for sushi :)

Easter and Spring

2010-04-15T20:14:00.001-07:00

In the last few weeks we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus with a wonderful Easter weekend (including 3 egg hunts) and a trip to the Oregon coast to celebrate my birthday. We took Jaden to the Aquarium, played on the beach, and ate a very yummy dinner of fresh salmon and clam chowder.

Here are a few pictures to document our adventures:

20 weeks

2010-04-01T20:33:00.001-07:00

We were able to not find out the gender, our wish. I didn't even peak :). Everything is looking great.

Here we are at 17 weeks. My stomach has grown SIGNIFICANTLY since this picture was taken.

Random

2010-03-28T08:38:00.001-07:00

This post is a bunch of random updates that may or may not correlate to one another.

Jaden had his first experience with the stomach flu about a week ago. For about 5 days he would vomit or have other digestive issues that made his spunky smile disappear. We were able to get him to keep some liquids down and a little food so he was never in any dehydration danger but it was sad to have him so sad for so long. He has fully recovered now and in turn is eating everything he possibly can. Jaden is either making up for his 5 days of little food or he is growing; just yesterday he had a pancake, banana, popcorn, Nutrigrain bar, peas, carrots, cheese, crackers, grapes, fruit roll up, 2 cups of whole milk, and a hot dog. Some of those items were repeated a few times throughout the day.

Tucker's (our dog) behavior recently had become increasingly awful, this pushed us to finally get him some obedience training. His biggest issues are around proper socialization with other dogs so we decided a class setting would probably not be the best learning atmosphere and instead had a private 1 on 1 session at our house. The lady gave us some great tips to help him relearn how to properly socialize with other dogs (especially on walks) and to not pull on the leash while out for a walk or run. Jacob has been working very diligently with Tucker and we are seeing improvement, this is very encouraging. Tucker is also working on coming when called, this has NEVER been a strong point for him, especially when he escapes from the house or yard.

We have had some wonderful spring weather allowing us a little time to clean up the yard. No major progress has been made yet but a little weeding and Jacob did cut down a bush that we no longer liked. Our backyard has become a disaster zone through out this past winter and my mind is already thinking of ideas to do a total overhaul with it. Should be fun :).

The Chicago Cubs are coming to Seattle this year to play the Mariners and we bought tickets for 2 of the 3 games!!!! My parents are joining us for a the trip to Seattle to enjoy these games and the city. I can't wait and neither can Jacob or Jaden (this will be his first Cubs game).

I continue to sand and paint the window/door trim in our kitchen and dining area (don't worry I wear a mask). This project has been looming over me all winter and now that spring is here I am finally getting to it. Once the trim is complete we can paint the walls and Jacob will install the new baseboard. From there we will see if I can get to the living area or not, that maybe come a project for next winter.

That's our life for now. Maybe something more exciting will occur in the next few weeks and that post will include pictures.

Welcome March

2010-03-07T20:18:00.000-08:00

Our March has started out with lots of sunshine and many trips to the park to take advantage of this unexpected delight.

Jaden is now 21 1/2 months old and starting to say many words. A few of his favorites are door, bear, mama, dada, cat, cow, ball, and bat. He loves to dig in the dirt, help mom and dad with what ever chore we are tackling, chase Tucker and Bailey around, and read books. He continues to grow and bring great joy to our lives.

Our dishwasher began not functioning very well about 1 month ago. Despite having to spend the money we were excited to make this purchase because we have not liked our dishwasher much since we bought our house. But we had waited it out until it began failing to the point where the dishes on the top rack would come out as dirty as they went in. Now the stove is the only appliance left to replace but we are hoping it will not give out on us for a couple more years.

Baby #2 and I continue to do well. We are now 16 weeks along and my stomach has already begun to grow, maybe sometime I will take a picture if people are interested. On April 1st is when our 20 week ultrasound is scheduled, I can't wait. We have decided to not find out the gender of the baby. I am feeling less anxious about knowing the gender than when I was pregnant with Jaden and have enjoyed looking at names for both boys and girls. It will be great anticipation for delivery day.

Chores

2010-02-24T19:56:00.000-08:00

It seems that Jaden has inherited his father's desire to vacuum.

Admiring the vacuum and steam cleaner:

And this is what happens when we tell him that he has to wait until tomorrow to vacuum:

Happy Birthday

2010-02-04T19:54:00.001-08:00

Jacob!!! Yesterday was Jacob's 27th birthday. We celebrated with a family dinner at home including Ashley, my mom and dad, and of course Jaden.

Life...

2010-01-27T20:41:00.001-08:00

Life has been happening and as a result blogging has not. Plus I finally have the energy to blog.

For those of you who read this blog and don't know come August Jaden will be a big brother!! That is right, baby #2 is on the way. We had our 11 week check up today and heard the baby's beautiful heart beat, such a relief to always hear. At our first appointment we were able to see the heart beat via an internal ultra sound. The official due date is August 18th, so sometime in early to mid August we will add another blessing to our family. Now that we have reached the 11th week I am not feeling as nauseated and my energy is coming back. Jacob and Jaden were real troopers during those first few weeks of me pretty much not wanting to do anything but sit on the couch or lay in bed.

Christmas and our trip to Illinois occurred since my last post. Unfortunately I was sick over the holiday and Jacob eventually contracted the illness as well. Jaden had a wonderful time with his grandparents and Aunt Anna, he luckily did not get sick and was able to play all day long with his many toys and books he received. It was so great to have that time with Al, Leanna, and Anna.

So that's our life right now. Here are a few pictures to enjoy:

Can you tell we were not feeling well? HAHAHA.

LOVE this guy!!

2009-12-15T08:47:00.001-08:00

'The Nutcracker'

2009-12-06T19:45:00.000-08:00

My mom and I enjoyed a night out together and saw the ballet 'The Nutcracker' together. I had a lovely time with my mom and re-living my memories of 10 (or so) consecutive years of performing in 'The Nutcracker.' The ballet is a holiday tradition that many dance companies perform on a yearly basis, children dream of dancing up on the stage as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara, a snow fairy or the Waltz of the Flowers princess.

I could not help but smile throughout the entire show; smiling because I thoroughly enjoyed watching all the children dance and smiling remembering Crystal, Ashley, and I all dancing various parts throughout our dancing careers. I never knew I would miss dancing in point shoes, the ladies just look so pretty doing so.
I might just have to sign Jaden up some year to be a Party Boy!!!

Thanksgiving dinner

2009-11-30T17:58:00.000-08:00

We spent dinner at my (Andrea) parent's house with both of my sisters, their lovely families, and my parent's friends, Leah and Tom. With 4 children present it was far from a quiet meal, mostly due to our son. I don't think anyone minded, the extra noise definitely gave lots of energy to the day/meal!!

Congratulations to Crystal and Jeff on their engagement!

Now the Christmas decorating has begun:

Playing......

2009-11-27T14:57:00.000-08:00

In my diaper! I would not stand still for mom to take a picture so these are "action" shots:

What's been going on

2009-11-17T09:01:00.001-08:00

This past weekend we put up new curtains on three windows in our main living area. After replacing the windows we had not put any type of blind up but with winter approaching it definitely was time. These picture are from our dining room.

While mom and dad were installing the curtains Jaden and Tucker kept each other entertained:

Jaden enjoys vacuuming with his very own vacuum, we would have very clean floors if it actually worked:

I know Halloween was a few weeks ago but I just got to downloading the pictures to my computer. Jaden went as a cowboy:

Body after Baby - week 7 (missed a few)

2009-11-11T09:36:00.000-08:00

Here we are at week 7, only 2 more weeks to go. I have not posted in a couple weeks due to being on vacation and then a busy last week transitioning from full time work to part time!! I am back now and ready to update.

I have gone running 2 days in a row and have had no issues with my asthma, hip hip hooray!! Now that I am working less I hope to make running a big part of my weekly routine and intern that will help me lose weight. I am still working on not weighing myself daily and trusting that if I eat healthy/appropriately and exercise I will lose weight the healthy way.

Week 7 diet goal: eat more vegetables
Week 7 exercise goal: run - increase to 3 miles

I have been keeping track of my points else where so I will be updating that section as well.

FINALLY

2009-11-09T17:39:00.000-08:00

I went running and had no issues with my Asthma!! What a relief.

Here is too many more days of running!!!!!!!

Halloween - a year ago

2009-10-31T07:38:00.000-07:00

Just for fun:

Illinois and Washington DC

2009-10-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

We are home now from our 12 day trip to Illinois and Washington DC. We had a wonderful time but are also glad to be home. Our first stop was Illinois to visit the Fifhause family, including meeting our nieces, Addison and Chloe, for the first time. Unfortunately Chloe had to have more surgery right before we visited so our time with her, Mike, and Lyndzie was short but we were able to watch Addison for them and spent great quality time with her. On the day we were to leave Illinois Chloe was released from the hospital, we got to see and hold her at home for a few minutes before we took off for the second adventure of our trip.

The second adventure of our trip was to Washington DC area, both to sight see and to attend Jacob's cousins (Kelly) ceremony to renew her wedding vows with her husband Jason. Leanna, Al, and Anna also joined us for this part of the trip, Jaden thoroughly enjoyed seeing his grandparents and Aunt Anna. I had never been to Washington DC so had a wonderful time taking in all of the monuments, significant buildings, National Zoo, and museums, lots of history surrounds the area. I know these pictures are pretty small and only a few, if you wish to see more head over to Jacob's photo gallery (link is on my blog list, click on his name not the Washington DC part, this will take you to the home page) pictures are located under the Fall 2009 heading and the Washington DC heading.

Body after Baby - week 4

2009-10-21T04:19:00.000-07:00

I made it through the week of not weighing myself and at the end all was good. Lost a little bit of weight even. I am currently on vacation and do not have my scale with me so can not report on how much I have lost so far. I will definitely weigh myself next Friday and give a report. I feel my diet so far while on vacation is doing pretty well, eating salads and fruits when I can, also letting myself splurge a little bit because lets face it everyone deserves a little down time.

I kept pretty good tack of my healthy meals from last week and ended with a total of 15 points, that is an ok amount. I am up to 59 points total for that portion of the challenge. This week we are counting the number of sit-ups we can do (hopefully reaching 50 per day for 50 points).

Diet goal: eat healthy while on vacation, keeping portion size in mind

Exercise goal: 50 sit-ups per day.

Here is to another week!

Body after Baby - week 3

2009-10-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

Week 3 is underway. I have not weighed myself recently but am snacking healthier which has been my main goal for the past couple of weeks. I use to obsess over my weight and weigh myself daily, I hear this is not healthy for me. Is that true? I have even gone so far as say I might have had a slight weight disorder with how obsessed I was (am still fighting against). Not that I ever was super thin, my sister and I always referred to ourselves as "healthy," now how ever I am above healthy. To help me battle my obsession I have asked my husband to hide the scale except for on Fridays, so this Friday I will weigh myself after not doing so for a week. I will let you all know how it goes.

I walked/ran for a total of 14 points last week. I am also happy to report my asthma seems to be better which should allow me to run more frequently. I volunteered for a run event this past weekend and it sort of inspired me to run more so I again can race (at least participate in fun runs).

Week 3 diet goal: still working on eating fewer sweets.
Week 3 exercise goal: RUN!!!!!

Mama notes is encouraging us to eat healthier this week, for each meal that contains at least two different types of food groups I earn 1 point. I am off to a great start (and am not too worried about accumulating points, we typically eat healthy meals) as we had chicken, salad, and fruit for dinner. Point 1 earned :)

Weekend happenings

2009-10-13T11:43:00.000-07:00

It was a busy weekend for the Fifhause's. Saturday brought ballet class, house painting, OSU football against Standford (OSU won!!!!!!!!!!!!), and a visit from our dear friends Christine and Kevin. Christine celebrated her birthday a few weeks ago and as her gift we took both out to dinner. Jacob and I left the OSU game early so we could go out to eat before the game crowd. Jaden does not always enjoy restaurants and usually lets us know by yelling, but this time he was a perfect gentleman!!! We got SOOOOO lucky, it was wonderful, thanks little J.

Sunday all 3 of us volunteered for the Great Pumpkin Run hosted by Home Life, Inc., the non-profit organization I work for. This was my 3rd year volunteering for the event and we had more runners than previous years!! I work on the committee by creating the registration form and setting up the online registration, besides our day of volunteering. Maybe next year I will run in the 10 k event, we shall see.

I had to leave in the middle of the run to go teach Sunday School, I am teaching a 3rd-5th grade Sunday School class at the First United Methodist Church. I have volunteered for older grades in the past at my church growing up so this is different for me but I am enjoying the kids. Unfortunately none showed up this week :( We are learning about God creating the world, this past Sunday we were going to talk about the Sabbath (day of rest) so I guess everyone took the day of rest :) When finding out that no one was going to show up I headed back to the run to help clean up.

After our early morning we headed to Albany to celebrate Uncle Paul's birthday, Happy Birthday Paul. We met up with Ashley, Paul (of course he is the birthday boy), Mom, and then Christine and Kevin joined us as well for a nice lunch.

We have now started our week anticipating our trip to Illinois and Washington DC towards the end of this week. Can't wait to see all of our family in those parts of the country!!!

Ms. Newell

2009-10-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

Jaden wanted to send a little shout out to his friend Christine. He is VERY excited to see you this coming weekend!!

Body after Baby - week 2

2009-10-07T20:07:00.000-07:00

My goals from last week were to snack healthier and to run twice, I am happy to report I was able to accomplish eating mostly health snacks (apple with peanut butter is my new favorite food item). However I had a set back with running, I have sports induced asthma and unfortunately it is getting worse as I age rather than better. Last Wednesday I attempted to run 2 miles on my lunch break, made it less than 1 mile and had an attack. Luckily I was able to get into my doctor promptly and am on a new regimen of medication. I have not attempted to run sense the last incident (I am a little fearful) but think I will make the attempt tomorrow!!

Diet goal: cut out sweets (ice cream, cake, candy, pop, etc.) unless for a special occasion (birthday parties, etc.). I don't eat a ton of sweets but definitely could eat less.

Exercise goal: run 2 days, plus biking to work and ballet class. I am repeating week 1's exercise goal due to my set back.

I am also tracking how many minutes I run/walk during this week, this is the Body after Baby weekly challenge. For every 15 minutes I walk or run I earn 1 point!