Happy Thanksgiving

I can't believe that I'm actually posting this picture for all to see, but OH WELL! Hope everyone had a happy turkey day. As most of you know my household has been infested with H1N1. George tested positive last Sunday and since then I've had super bad cold symptoms and as of yesterday so does Liam. We were all immunized and have been sick, but not as sick as we could be. My sweet, sweet Matty had H1N1 last June but now he feels like he is getting sick again...icky. So here is the story behind the picture.

Yesterday started off as any Thanksgiving Day would. Liam and Matt were chopping veggies, I put out the rolls but the entire time we cooked everyone was coughing and sneezing all over the food. It was actually pretty funny! We really had an H1N1 dinner. Here is the kicker....how many of you have a husband that can make Thanksgiving Dinner by himself? I'm proud to say that "i do." Matty made stuffing, yams, a small turkey from scratch...not to mention he creamed the potatoes perfectly (I'm a little picky about my potatoes cuz my mom makes the BEST EVER). Get this, he cleaned everything up too! That alone made my day. He set the table, got out a little sparkling cider and lit some candles. We were all in our PJs and snotting everywhere but it was the tastiest dinner ever and I couldn't be in love with my Matty more than I am right now. He is a perfect husband, amazing father & a caring doc. This will go down as one of our best turkey days ever (and it was Georgie's 1st)! I am so thankful for my family. The germs, temper tantrums, poopy diapers, boogers, sleepless nights, kisses, funny stories, two of the sweetest smiles around, walks to Maverik, family prayer, wrestling and my Best Friend!

p.s. we got a new dog! we love mastiffs and could bare being without one another minute. this is Ari! Our friend, Tina (who found Oddie & Jessie for us through Mastiff Rescue) resently taken Ari back from her previous owner for neglect and now we have a gorgeous baby girl to call our own!

crawling & soccer

George has started crawling!! Matt and I are in total shock because Liam refused to crawl and G is only 6 months old. Oh, and here are a couple of pics of our little soccer man. Liam started playing soccer or what looks like soccer and is loving it. Matt and I feel so blessed and love our little monsters to death!

I love this LAUGH

We are back from vacation. Oregon is the most beautiful place EVER. I highly recommend a trip to the shore. The beaches are clean, empty and bordered by gorgeous green mountains. I posted some pics from the trip on Facebook.

Here is a clip from the other night. George is getting so big. He is the happiest little guy with the sweetest smile. Liam is continuing to be the BEST big brother and loves his "Georgie." I'll have to post the song he sings G, its adorable!

This laugh is my absolute favorite laugh in the world. I hope it makes you laugh!

busy, busy, busy

Here's what we've been up to since our last post:

Liam turned 3 & loved decorating his cupcakes-red velvet with yellow frosting &green sprinkles

1 sweet rashy virus shared by the entire family

1 Hot trip to AZ,  sleepovers with cousins & a ton of nudity in Nana's backyard (kids only)

Lots of fun in the garden...especially Grandpa's

Liam started preschool

George is almost sitting up, weeks from crawling (he's only 6 months!) and eating baby food

George has ear infection #4 & is getting tubes on Wed

I sleep no more than maybe 3 hours throughout the night but love my boys more than my sanity

We spend our evenings on a blanket in the yard with popsicles & Liam says (every time) "look we are a happy family!"  

We are getting ready for some serious adventures (aka: vacation with kids)

My Booie is in labor as I type & I'm having an anxiety attack NOT being there

Dad

Matty is working a 30 hr shift today and when Liam figured out this evening that daddy was not coming home he had a melt down. So this is for you Matty.....We love you and appreciate all that you do for us. We miss you while you're gone but are so excited EVERY time you walk in the front door. We are proud of you....tomorrow can't get here soon enough. 

Best Buds

I had no idea that the boys would love each other so much so SOON! Matt and I were convinced that Liam's world would crumble down around him when George was born, but Liam is the best big brother ever. George adores Liam as much as Liam loves him....its makes me happier than I ever thought imaginable! Things are crazy busy around our house right now, but I had to post this

little clip of my boys.

 

Booie

This post is for "my Booie!" Atlanta is too far away and I miss her terribly. She lived just mins from me when Liam was a babe and now she is the last one to see George do all of his super cute George things! She here is a clip of him laughing Booie! Miss you and rub that belly for me. Every time G does something that I wish you could see I get so excited for MY nephew to make his way into the world. I honestly can't wait to kiss his face!!!

Out of my CAVE

I have been in my own little world the last few days...OBSESSED to say the least! I decided to try reading the "Twilight Saga" and let's just say that I have read every free moment that I could find and finished "Breaking Dawn" last night. I may or may not have read while nursing George! ( i know, but i figured that it adequately portrays my addiction) I'm absolutely embarrassed by how distracted these books made me. So there it is....I've confessed and now feel a ton better. To say that I'm excited for the next movie to come out is an understatement. 

Liam has had a great couple of weeks. For as crazy he can make me every once-in-a-while, man he makes up for it. He loves George so much. I know that he genuinly cares about him. Out of know where I catch him singing to G or touching his face and saying "I love you little brother...I really do!" It just makes me cry. 

G is now wearing Liam's old 9 month sleepers. I feel like he's huge...not a newborn anymore. He has decided to get a little naughty and not sleep so good lately, but I have hope that sleeping will return sometime in the future. I can't get the video I wanted to post (Liam singing to George) working so here is another one of the three men in my life...

Sweet Sunday Morning

We've had a rough couple of days having said "Goodbye" to our sweet, sweet Jessie Girl. I think I hear her in the house at least three times a day and it takes everything in me to not completely lose it. The difference between losing Jess versus Oddie, is that we've had to consider how it would effect Liam. The last thing we wanted to do is scar him emotionally, so we talked with the teachers and PhD students at his school and Kris (she worked at the Sharing Place where they help children after losing a loved one). Liam and I made a book of pictures of Jessie and we talked about heaven and that families are forever and after a few tears and Liam saying that he wanted to go with Matt to take Jessie to HF, he has been good. He didn't say anything about it on Friday but yesterday when we were walking out to the car to go dinner he asked me, "Is Jessie outside mom?" I said "no" and left it at that  and then he asked "is she in heaven with HF?" I said "yes" and then he said, "she is happy, I can't wait to see her again." 

That was it and he went about his business like a happy 2 1/2 yr old.

The boys and I have had a fun Sunday Morning in bed....singing songs & snuggling. George gets a lot of love from his big brother and is such a good sport about it. I can't get the video of Liam singing to download, but here is a clip of George at 11 weeks. He is super alert, smiley and talks up a storm...(of course I can never get it all on camera) here you go!

Lacey Jane Pappas

We had pictures taken of the boys in April and I just realized that I haven't posted any of them. Here they are! We loved working with our photographer, she was GREAT and her prices are super reasonable. Here is her information, I highly recommend giving her a call if you are thinking of having pics taken of your fam!

Checkout her website:

Lacey Jane Photography

   

We're Back

We are finally back from AZ and already missing the heat but love being home with Matty! We blessed George on the 3rd but I'll post pics when I get them from Kris (we are lucky to always have her as the fam photographer). Besides the blessing here are a few things we did: went to the Desert Botanical Gardens & the spring butterfly exhibit, swam at the Steenbliks', did a little shopping, hit the Phoenix Zoo & Tempe Splash Park but spent most of our time hanging in Nana's backyard. Liam was naked 75% of the time and couldn't get enough of kiddie pool (where he had control of the hose) and sand box (clothed) and he always had cousins to play hide & seek & chase through the house. George got passes from aunts to nana to papa to cousins all day long so he is cooing, smiling and talking like a champ. Liam also caught plenty of bugs & lizards with Punka...a new favorite activity that I'm not excited to participate in.

We are glad to be home and missed Matty terribly. Here are some pics from our adventures!

Not a Newborn Anymore

I can't believe it, George is not a newborn anymore. I really do feel like I was just prego with him. He has been cooing and smiling at me for the last 5 days but I have yet to catch it on video. Here is a little clip of what I did catch...sorry the lighting isn't great. I can barely handle his cuteness (I know that I'm bias)! 

We went to the zoo today to enjoy this AMAZING Utah weather. I was too nervous to take the camera to the zoo because it was my first true outing (busy place) with the two boys and only two arms so the pic is from once we got home and before I scrubbed the boys head to toe!

Happy Easter

Here are a few pics from our Easter Weekend. We decided to go and meet the Easter Bunny so that Liam could ask him for the alligator puppet he was hoping to get. Two of my sisters were in town along with my niece Hailey so we had a ton of fun just hanging out. 

Thanks to my sisters for hold G-man a ton (and chasing L) so I could catch up on my sleep....I'm a new woman!! A special thanks to Ha for finding Foofa. I had all of the Yo Gabba Gabba Train Set except her so I had been holding on the them until I could get my hands on Foofa. Liam loves them!

Just Ask

So here is my new state of mind.....if you're going to break into my car to steal a diaper bag and child's portable DVD player, just come to my door and ask for $40 cuz you'll be lucky if you get that at the pawn shop. This way I don't have to spend money to buy these items plus $200 to get a new window. 

When it RAINS......

Its safe to say that when it rains it pours, right? Well here is our rainstorm.... George and I have a cold. Its one thing for me to feel like crap, but he is only 3 weeks old and too young to take any meds. So the humidifiers are going, my hands feel cracked from the constant sterilizing and bath time with vapor bath bubbles has become playtime for both boys. I actually just put Liam in the bath due to regular 2 yr old boy yuckiness and got the bathroom all steamy before the bath so George and I could all enjoy a little spa treatment while Liam bathed. 

Here's the kicker...our refrigerator just stopped cooling yesterday (we didn't notice until 7pm...oops) so all of our food is in bins in the snow in our backyard and I'm waiting for the repair man to get here. Matt thought he had fixed it last night but lets just say that this morning my kitchen floor (that I had actually just mopped that morning prior) was very colorful from the melted  Popsicles that oozed out during the night. Poor Matt even got up at 230am to make sure it was cooling and he thought it was. So all of the meat/pre-cooked meals that we had stored in our freezer (we actually prepared for the baby....way to be responsible) may or may not make it and I'm sick to think of the hundreds of dollars wasted!

Oh, and I can't find my bottom retainer. I know this is super petty, but I got braces to straighten my bottom teeth while I was prego with Liam and if I go more than a few nights without it, it looks like I never got braces in the first place. I think I wore it Friday night but after a sleepless night with George I didn't put it in its regular place and its now playing hide-an-go-seek with me and I'm losing MISERABLY!

One more thing....Matt's cell phone is broken so we have to buy him a new one. This month just got SUPER EXPENSIVE! 

Anywho, these are the things that just happen right. Life is good!! Here is a video clip of my boys from earlier in the week(before the colds)...I can't get enough of them (even when Liam trys to drive me nuts)!

I've also got an amazing hubby who is the best dad ever and treats me like a queen!

-for some reason the 1st paragraph is BOLD-don't know what happened, but I can't change it

What's Been Happening

We are now officially on our own. My mom left on the 13th, Judes left on the 17th, Kris left yesterday and Jer came in for a few days right after G was born. We have been super spoiled with TONS & TONS of help from family and are so grateful for their love & support.

Matt and I have decided that his parenting thing is CRAZY....it makes us completely nuts one minute 

(and I mean looney!) and then happier than we could have ever imagined the next. 

We are in absolute love with our boys and want to thank our family for being so Amazing!! Here are some recent pics:

& George makes 4

Our newest little monster has made his way into the world (all 9 lbs of him...Yikes) and we couldn't be happier. He came two days early and labor went super well. Liam is in absolute love with his little bro and is adjusting to our new life. My mom has been with us for over 3 weeks and to be honest we are a little nervous for her to go. Its been so nice to have someone to hold the baby during part of the 'night shift' have three meals a day and my house SPOTLESS (not to mention that Liam has the time of his life with her). I know....we are Absolutely Spoiled!

 We named him George Frederik: 

-named after my dad who is a third generation 'george' (my mom had all girls so she couldn't use the name)

-Frederik is after Matt's great-great-grandfather, the 1st to emigrate from Holland

-both namesakes are the first members of the church for each of our families 

Its crazy how you forget how bad 'the recovery' from birth and starting breastfeeding (even if you were a pro the 1st time around) SUCK! Anywho, Matt and I are just happy that we are all healthy and feel so blessed to add a new member to our crew. Thanks to everyone for your well wishes, phone calls and visits!

No Baby

I've put off blogging in hopes that we could post pics of the newest Steenblik, but he is loving my uterus and I'm wishing I didn't have one. I take that back, I know how lucky I am to be prego and have easy pregnancies. My mom is here with us and as she says, "if we clean the house one more time the finish will come off of the cabinets." I can honestly say that EVERY square inch of my house is clean and I LOVE IT! Liam is having the time of his life with his Nana and Gus (my mom's dog) so life is good....but we are honestly going stir crazy waiting for this baby. Who stays at a 3 for over a week??

Anywho, life is good and I've decided not talk about how miserable I feel. The other night while I layed in bed from 2-5am I came up with the 'top ten reasons' why nobody should be 39 weeks prego, but it got a little graphic and decided at that point I need to be grateful for the monster coming my way and that we are all healthy! As Liam sings, "think happy thoughts, happy thoughts, that's what you've got to do!" (we love yo gabba gabba)

Here is a pic of Liam reading himself "Goodnight Moon" during a morning/cleaning episode.

WARNING!!!!

I have had the WORST experience with Piper's Quilts & Comforts in Sugarhouse and I want to make sure that I let everyone I know how dishonest they are. Here is the story in a nutshell:

I have been in the store a few times (despite the smell of kitty litter & cig smoke) and the owner and even employees have been overly nice. A few months ago I went in because I was interested in taking their beginning sewing classes. There were no more classes left so the owner convinced me that I could get one-on-one attention during one of her quilting classes and I would be instructed as if I were in the sewing class (which is cheaper than the quilting class). The next thing I knew I was being rung up for over $90- fabric, thread, the pattern and the class fee. When I got home I realized that they charged me for the more expensive class so I call the store and totally got the run around. I figured that I would take care of it in person when I went for the class the following Sat. 

I'll try and shorten things up....when I got to the class it started late and it was extremely full and I was asked if I could come back on Sunday during their knitting time (free class but I was still being charged for the expensive class) and get help then. I really didn't want to do that and I only had a few hours during the weekend when Matt was home to watch Liam so I could go. So basically she told me to start following the pattern....hello, like I know how to do that! After 15 mins of trying not to cry cuz I was totally clueless I got up and told them that I would come tomorrow (on Sunday-when I didn't want to come). I showed up on Sunday and 30 mins after the class was supposed to begin the teacher called the store and reported that she had been in a 'car accident.' I was told again to just start looking at the pattern. Accidents happen...I understand, but I was told that there would be all of these people there to help me and I was alone. I asked for a refund and would only be given a store credit and nothing was done about the quilting fee verses the sewing fee difference. 

I went in to use the store credit with my BFF the other day and while working on our projects with the fabric we had purchased we noticed that one of the fabrics had THREE HOLES in it. We took the fabric in to once again try to get our money back or get a credit (although I'm not stoked about using ANY of their fabric) and were told that if we had brought it in not sewn (we didn't notice the holes until we were almost done sewing and ironing the fabric) that they could have cut it into fat quarters and sold it but now they would be out $20 if they were to reimburse us. Here is my problem- they would sell fabric that had three holes in it ANYWHERE as fat quarters, she kept asking us what we were making and how it is used (baby sling) which was RUDE and absolutely pointless and the store will not stand behind anything they sell. The owner told us that we take a chance buying anything we purchase from anywhere....we should have inspected the entire fabric before sewing. 

I could go on and on, but after the confrontation she was telling me how cute Liam was and asking about my pregnancy....can you say PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE! She gave us 50% of what the fabric was worth, which did nothing for me because I needed two yards and the 50% only covered one yard. Oh....and her prices are way high. I go to TONS and TONS of super nice fabric stores with my mother-in-law in UT and AZ and the prices at Piper's are not fair. Do yourself a favor and don't get sucked into their charm and end up with a huge bill ( i know others that this has happened to) and faulty fabric with no guarantee that it won't have holes. 

GYMNASTICS!

Liam is loving the gymnastics class he is taking at the Fairmont Aquatic Center. Its only once a week for 30 mins, but it goes at least an hour....and its CHEAP! Anyone looking for something fun for their toddler should definitely look into this. Here are some pics from a couple of weeks ago. I will admit that my Liam is a little on the 'handful' side and after three classes he sings all the songs, follows direction and waits in line. Its been a MIRACLE. I love him (and I'm his mom so only I can say this), but honestly I didn't think the class would work out due to his......uummmmm.....energy! Look into your local county recreation centers, they have great programs that not many people take advantage of!

Here Comes Baby!

I totally starting to freak out about babe #2 making his arrival. The Steenblik's came into town and helped relieve some of my anxiety by painting what is going to be a playroom for the boys. Judes and I made a trip to IKEA and found some super cute decorations (all for under $100). Now my poor husband is trying to clean out our basement and organize all of the CRAP we have accumulated over the last almost 8 yrs. because frankly, lifting ANYTHING makes me feel like George is on his way out....not good! There is nothing quite like thinking that there is a arm or leg making its way out of your 'you know what!'

Has anyone heard about this new Federal Law mandating stores that sell anything for children to undergo new health testing? Well apparently as of February all children's items have to meet new requirements and although this is a good thing, stores that are already opened and fully stocked have to pay tens of thousands of dollars to meet the new requirements or close their doors. I found this out when Judes and I visited the cute store Tiara (in Sugarhouse across from the post office) because they had a 50% off EVERYTHING

sign up. They are closing their store and if you haven't been in there---IT IS SUPER CUTE. Needless to say Judes spoiled me and bought the diaper bag I have been wanting. We couldn't pass up 50% off, so I got a "Ju-Ju-Be" bag from JuJuBee (that is what Liam calls her.....cute huh?!) Oh, and this cute outfit for George. 

Pamper Me PLEASE!!

I'm not ashamed to admit it...i love to be pampered. Whether it come in the form of a sweet treat, pedicure or a few minutes childless to take a bath, I'm happy. If you are ever in need of a GREAT & CHEAP pedicure you have to go to New Diamond Nails off of Highland Dr. & 3900 S (by the soccer store). Pearl gives a pedicure to die for. 

Matt has the day off tomorrow and told me to go get a massage (my personal fav). So without batting an eye it was scheduled. I'm not thrilled at the thought of laying my mammoth sized-half naked body on a table for some poor soul, but all I can say is "sucker." I'm not going for the 50 min/$25 song & dance......I'm talking 2hr/$50. Yes...all 1?? lbs of me will be nude & comatose for 2 hrs tomorrow & I couldn't be happier. For those of you in SLC who have not had the pleasure of taking advantage of the Healing Mountain Massage School click on the link & check it out! 

Snow Fun

Matty being the amazing dad he is came home from working a night shift and took Liam out to play in the snow. I personally HATE the snow and all things cold so I watched from afar and took pictures. Liam became obessed with "Frosty the Snowman" this Christmas so here is one of the many Frostys he and Matt have made. Yes that is oreo all over his face....he confiscated an oreo eye from one of the snow snake/dinos in the other picture. What can I say he takes after me, if you see something tastey-EAT IT!

What We've Been Up To

So I'm trying to figure this blogger thing out...I know its not that hard, but I loved my mac website but have gotten to cheap to keep it up. I don't even know the last thing I blogged about but here is the latest: I'm super fat, Xmas was a blast in AZ & Liam is still my crazy little monster! Here is a pic from Xmas morning in our PJs and some of the AZ crew on a hayride at Old MacDondald's Ranch. Sorry for the generic post, but I'll get the hang of it or so I hope.