Lay aside the things of this World...

Xango Convention

2011-09-20T13:32:00.001-07:00

We had such a super fun time

at the

Xango Convention this last weekend!!

We loved getting to hang out and party

with our

buddies...

the jensons.

We listened to a Beatles type band...

which were awesome!!

Loved hanging out with you guys!

Then we enjoyed tons of fun announcements,

awesome music, fun shopping, inspirational speakers and

just and all out fun time!!

They even announced a change to their logo!! love it!!

We then went to

Real Salt Lake

Soccer Game

with tons of other

Xango people!!

It was really fun

and they won!!

We ended our weekend by

going to

Claire Lynne's blessing

(my sister's little gal).

It was a wonderful weekend...

and isn't she the cutest baby!!

First Day of school!!

2011-09-13T08:30:00.004-07:00

The First Day of School...

was a few weeks ago...

and I am just now getting around to

blogging about it!

I am not going to worry about being

behind in blogging...

or anything else for that matter...

because life is not a race...right?

it is about enjoying every moment of it!!

Here is my cute Aeryn and Ellie

with their BFF's

Krystal and Aaron!!

How we love these kids!!!!

My Cute Ellie after having her hair in braids all night!

We went berry picking a few weeks ago!

Boy was it so much fun!

Ellie and her BFF Aaron

did an egg drop science project

at school.

That had to build a contraption

to hold an egg

and then the egg contraption

was dropped from the roof of the school.

They wanted to put it in a jar

of peanut butter

and then inside a box

padded with toilet paper

and then a parachute

to slow it's fall.

It was really fun.

It survived...pretty awesome!!

Visiting Poppa's Grave

2011-07-09T18:40:00.000-07:00

My Poppa,

Robert John,

passed away June 24, 2007

while I was pregnant with

Xander John Peterson.

We used my grandpa's last name

as Xander's middle name.

He was an amazing man.

When I try to think of how to describe him

I think of one word...

integrity!!

No other word sums up

who he was.

I hope Xander will learn about my poppa

and try to be like him.

My kids enjoy getting to go to the

cemetary

where he is buried.

We brought flowers and just enjoyed being there.

The kids looked around at

lots of headstones

discovering people who had their same

birthdate.

Her are the flowers we brought.

the kids in front of poppa's grave

My mom with aeryn and ellie

Robert John

peaceful time just being together

the view from poppa's grave...

pretty amazing, huh?

Aeryn Randii Peterson

is named after my uncle Randy.

he passed away when i was pregnant

with her.

He had cancer...

he was too young...

but lived an amazing life.

He is buried in the mausoleum

at the same cemetary.

He is quite high, but aeryn wanted to have a picture

in front of where he is buried.

I could barely get his name and her face in the same picture.

The kids loved looking at pictures,

sayings, cards that are on the

different memorials.

It was a great experience.

We were able to discuss

how grateful we are for the

plan of salvation...

for the fact that we can live as

eternal families...

that this life is not the end...

that families go on forever!!

My kids amaze me with their faith in

our Savior.

Pacific Coast Beach Trip

2011-07-09T16:26:00.000-07:00

While visiting

grandma and grandpa

we enjoyed sometime out at the coast.

We love the sand

the ocean smell

the bbq and smore's

and mostly

the big giant sweatshirts to stay warm.

it really was cold.

my little xander!

my sweet aeryn...looking not so sweet!

I love the look of sand.

you just want to feel it

squishing between your toes.

then you remember

how much of a pain it is to

get all that sand off our

bodies

before we get in the car

cause it is

really a

PAIN

to get it out of the carpet in the car!

the waves were awesome!

xander's sweatshirt dress...

i remember being that little

when my poppa's shirts

touched the floor when i wore them.

i miss those days

and love having them with my babies!

my ellie is 9

turning into a young lady

wishing I could keep her small.

other beach moments

the kids love having their dad

dig a giant whole

then they climb in and someone

gets buried...

up to their chest.

ellie is pretty much standing up

that is how deep the whole was.

she struggled to get out

but she did it!

she is strong.

we couldn't go to the beach

without smore's.

my kids love to roast marshmallows.

it isn't easy to get them just right.

i used to like them burned,

but now I want them slow roasted...

so the inside gets gooey

and the outside is perfectly golden.

it takes patience...

something I don't always have...

but when it comes to a

perfect smore

I'll have patience.

when it was time to go

i looked at xander's feet

man they were dirty

but he had a good day

a very good day!!

Muir Woods

2011-07-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

We really enjoyed being able to go out to California a couple of weeks ago.

We took the kids to

Muir Woods.

Or as Aeryn calls it...

'the redwood forest'.

They LOVE redwood trees and were really excited to get to

explore the woods all around us.

Doesn't that cute face just melt your heart!

It sure does for me!

Xander is the sweetest boy ever!

I love him...

he is my baby...

and always will be.

Here are the kids.

We didn't pack enough warm clothes

and it was a little

chilly.

Everyone is wearing either

my sweater

my mom's sweater!

Here is my cutie family!

What a handsome hubby, huh!!

The kids all climbed inside this

fallen redwood tree.

The inside was all hollow and they

thought it was super fun!

Ellie and Travis with my dad

standing inside of a hollow out

redwood...but it is still standing

They are amazing trees!

Here is my kids with Grandma, Grandpa,

and Nana (my kids great-grandma).

I love my hubby!

He is such a good man.

He loves me

supports me

lotions my feet :)

let's me cry and whine

and holds me when I need it

and when I don't!

We did a scavenger hunt throughout

Muir Woods.

It was really fun.

This is Xander taking charge of the book

filled with all the directions.

He thinks he can read...

and we let him think that!

Mostly he likes to find the letter 'X'

it is his letter!

2011-01-31T22:44:00.001-07:00

I am finally posting on my other blog for a while...

you can find me there...

http://chubbyfortoolong.blogspot.com

Once upon a time...we got married!!

2010-09-03T08:32:00.004-07:00

As we have been getting ourselves settled in the new house, we have been unpacking things that have been in boxes for the last few years. One of the things that we found were two pictures of trav and I on our wedding day!! We put them up in our family room and I love it!! I love to look at how cute we were. :) I just thought I would share them....they make me giggle!!

By the way...I LOVED our photographer...Robert Kurtz!! He is so awesome and my sister's wedding photo is in his gallery of brides and grooms :)!! Love it!!

First Day of School!!!

2010-09-01T09:04:00.004-07:00

I know that I have been a horrible blogger!! My friend Steve reminds me that I haven't posted in like a million years. So I am making a goal to try to stay a little more up to date with my pics and postings :)

There is no better place to start then the first day of school. It is a fun year for us. Since we moved to Spanish Fork...we are in a new school! Ellie is in 3rd Grade and Aeryn is in Kindergarten. Ellie has made lots of friends and she rides her bike to school with a bunch of kids in the neighborhood. It was so funny to watch the long line of bikes and scooters going down my sidewalk as they all headed for school.

Ellie is starting to get a little too cool for pictures before the first day of school...but she still let me take one :)!!

Aeryn started Kindergarten and was so excited to be going to school. The night before school started, I was laying down with her reading stories, and she told me that she wasn't sure she could go to sleep because she was so excited for school to start. She was very specific about how her hair was to be done and what she was going to wear. Luckily she is in class with her BFF Krystal which helped her transition into class very easily. My babies are growing up so fast!!

This is Aeryn and Krystal in their classroom!!

Isn't aeryn's hair so cute!! She loves this 3 barrell curling iron that we have. It makes her hair look really cute!

Lay Aside the things of this World...

2010-07-29T09:44:00.002-07:00

And seek for things of a better!! (D&C 25:10)

I spend too much of my time focused on the things of the world, making my first priorities things that don't have eternal consequences. But so often, little glimpses of eternity remind me of what is important.....my family, my relationship with God and our Savior, and the way I treat people around me.

Today, I woke up to pee in bed...not from me, from a little person who climbed in my bed in the middle of the night. It sort of made me cranky this morning. I lugged my giant king sized comforter to the laundry room. It is "macaroni and cheese" orange...per Aeryn. I love it. Just walking in there reminded me that life is good....i have an orange laundry room!!

Disneyland Facepainting

2010-01-20T11:37:00.002-07:00

In October we went to Disneyland!! We went to the Halloween Party and we let the kids get their faces painted before we got them dressed up! It was a little expensive, but I have to say that it was so worth it! They did amazing jobs! The kids loved their finished product! And my fantastic sister-in-law got some great pictures!!

Fall Leaves

2010-01-20T11:34:00.002-07:00

During the fall, our tree drops the best leaves. They are huge and have great colors! I love to take pics of the kids in the leaves!! They are a major pain to rake up and Travis really does most of the hard work!

Amazing balloon art!!

2010-01-20T11:11:00.001-07:00

we went out to dinner one night, and there was a balloon artist there. he was amazing. He could do anything and they weren't just your standard balloon art. They were so unique and creative. He did sleeping beauty for Aeryn, Tinkerbell for ellie, and Xander got Buzz Lightyear! I would hire him for a party! He was awesome!!

Wicked!

2010-01-20T11:02:00.002-07:00

During the summer I bought the Wicked Soundtrack and we have been listening to it on a regular basis. Aeryn will hide under my computer desk, with the Wicked music on, and use a can of refried beans as her microphone. So cute to see! She knows all the words to the song.

So, we decided to take the kids to San Francisco and visit Grandma and Grandpa and then take Aeryn and Ellie to see Wicked at the Orpheum. It was Aeryn's birthday week so it was a big treat! We rode BART up to the theatre and the kids had soooo much fun! Aeryn wants to go back and see it again!! It ended up that my parents gave us the tickets for my birthday and it was the best birthday gift ever :)!! My mom even came with us and the kids were in heaven!

Why do my kids hate taking pictures? They make the most grumpy faces ever :)

Of course, Dorothy shoes had to be worn!!

Our new Kitty...that we got in October!

2010-01-20T10:57:00.002-07:00

So, just a little behind in updating the blog. Nothing new :)!! In October, we got a little orange tabby cat. His name is Tiger and is so sweet! We have really loved having him in our family!

This picture is next to a beanie baby size stuffed animal just so you could see how small he was. We got him when he was 6 weeks old. He is much bigger now.

The kids loved snuggling with him so much! He would sleep on anyones laps. He still loves to snuggle when he sleeps.

Hawaii, this summer

2009-11-20T15:56:00.004-07:00

This summer, my grandma took us all to Hawaii!! Even the kids! It was so wonderful! I will have to post more pics, but this is just my speedy update since I really need to get studying! The kids loved having a place on the beach. They woke up and went right to the beach!

Xander's Goggles

2009-10-04T17:15:00.002-07:00

My sister and her family gave Xander an awesome gift for his birthday. It was a tool set and it had these fun goggles in it!! He loves them and looks so cute...especially when he tried to put them on himself and ends up with his eyes scrunched funny

Ellie's Water Talent

2009-10-04T17:13:00.002-07:00

Ellie loves to use the bath soap and make some really gigantic bubbles. She says that she has a water talent like the different fairies from the tinkerbell movie! She actually makes some really cool bubbles and keeps her brother and sister happy.

Aeryn's first day of Preschool

2009-10-04T16:57:00.002-07:00

aeryn randii peterson. sausage. whistle. swing. (Aeryn wanted to type :) )

This is Aeryn's first day of preshool...back in August. I am just a little behind in updating my blog. She chose her outfit and looked really cute! She even wore one of her flowers from Hawaii in her hair!!

First day of 2nd Grade!!

2009-08-23T20:37:00.004-07:00

My sweet nephew singing!!

2009-08-23T19:24:00.001-07:00

Make sure to press pause on my music (down on the right) before pressing play on this video!!

Summer is!!

2009-08-17T13:04:00.002-07:00

My fantastic sister-in-law took a lot of pictures on our hawaii vacation and I had her do some feet pictures of my family....look at how cute this turned out. I am going to blow it and put it up in my room :)!!

Hawaii, here we come!!

2009-08-07T12:36:00.001-07:00

In a little over 14 hours we will be heading the SLC airport to go vacation in hawaii!! We are so excited!! I can barely wait!!

Temple Square!!

2009-08-06T18:37:00.005-07:00

We took the kids up the Salt Lake City temple so that we could help my sister with her kids while she was at a wedding. We walked around with the kids and explored all that we could find!! We spent a while exploring the visitors center. It was air conditioned inside the building and boy did that feel good since it was so hot outside!!

There was a really nice water fountain that the kids enjoyed looking at. The color of the water made me just want to jump in right then! But I didn't get crazy and swim in the fountain! :)

In the Visitors Center there is a lot of areas to explore! The kids wanted to spend a lot of time in the space room as they called it. This was the space room and there was this very beautiful statue of Jesus Christ. The kids wanted to just be there, I wonder if they felt the spirit. And then they realized that if you stood closer to the statue, everything you said would echo. That started to get out of control. The kids were making louds jokes to hear them echo. Good thing allison and richard finished up and we left!

Finding Xander!!

2009-08-06T18:35:00.003-07:00

So tired he just fell asleep in his chair!!

So tired he fell asleep eating his dinner!! :)

Watching fireworks!!

2009-08-06T18:26:00.006-07:00

We love lighting fireworks at my sister's house. We have so much fun. We just set up chairs in her driveway and let the men set off the fireworks. We often start before it gets really dark because the kids start to get really tired. This picture of Xander is after he got really dirty in the mud and finally was clean. Doesn't he look happy!!!

Xander even fell asleep mid firework lighting! He didn't even wake up when they would go off!! He is a sleeper like his mom...yes I love to sleep!!

Our little firework!!

Always finding the mud!!

2009-08-06T18:16:00.004-07:00

My sister and her husband have been preparing to landscape their backyard. And on the 4th of July we went over to celebrate and they have dirt and the kids decided to turn the water on and make a little mud!! It was funny and boy they sure got muddy!!

Look at this cute little muddy face...poor guy got hosed off in the backyard and really didn't like that.

Off to Cali!!!

2009-08-06T14:39:00.005-07:00

Ellie has celebrate all of her birthdays at her great-grandma's house (Nana) and it has been a very special memory. All the Au side of the family gets together for a summer kick off party. We have food, swimming, and lots of hanging out. Ellie begged us to take her back to California to celebrate again. We couldn't resist and decided to go again. There is nothing better than a child to be able to have the love and influence of a strong family!!

Xander loved hanging out with grandpa...he even fell asleep in grandpa's arms....there is nothing better!!

This is fun Uncle Peter who made all the kids laugh with the new puppet that Ellie got from Nana!!

Ellie was soooo lucky because her great aunt debbie wrote her a song for her birthday! A song about ellie. What was really fun was that Ellie's first grade teacher from Provo, Utah happen to be spending the summer in California and her in-laws were friend with aunt debbie. So Mr. Fackrell, as Ellie calls him, joined in with the song. It was really awesome!!

This is Ellie's best friend from kindergarten in California. It was so wonderful that Anna and her mom could come celebrate with us!! These girls had so much fun, they barely missed a beat!! You would never even know that we moved away!!

So fun!!

Ellie's 7th Birthday

2009-08-06T14:34:00.002-07:00

Ellie turned 7 this summer. I can't believe how grown up she is getting. It seems like just yesterday that I was waiting and waiting and waiting for her to be born. She sure has been a little firecracker in our house. She really wanted her party and build-a-bear. We took a couple of friends and bought a whole bunch of bears....crazy, but it was really fun!! She also wanted a key-lime cheesecake for her birthday from Costco. Her grandpa, whom she loves, loves key-lime which is why I think she chose this :)!!!

Another Cute face

2009-08-06T14:32:00.002-07:00

Xander so loves to get dirty and I just love this sweet smile!! I know that I am finally getting caught up on my blog and so this will be a long run of pics!!

Super Cute faces!!

2009-08-06T14:30:00.001-07:00

Don't you just LOVE that dirty face!! I sure do :)

80's Hair Color!!

2009-06-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

I had some leftover hair color from halloween...you know the spray on color that washes out. Well the kids found it and really wanted to color their hair. It was on a saturday and we didn't have really anything important to do that day, so I said sure :)!! I think we put all the colors in each of their hairs!! It was really fun!! We even put some in Xander's and gave him a mohawk!!

Look at that little hair-do!!! I wish he more hair...it is growing in so fine and slowly!!!

My favorite is this picture...it looks like something out of a catalog. These were supposed to be shorts...but between the new style being really long shorts for boys, his short little legs, and that these pants were a size too big and so they were hanging down...he looked like he was wearing jeans that were flooded!!

March of Dimes Walk!!!

2009-06-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

We were able to have a lot of fun at the March of Dimes Walk to raise money to decrease the incidence of premature births!!

Ellie really enjoyed having her bike there. There were a lot of people though and then it made it really hard for her to ride along the path. We eventually put the bike back in the car and that made it a little easier to get through the crowd!!

Xander is just our cutie! He really enjoyed hanging out the stroller as we walked.

I was trying to get a cute pic of Aeryn and I but she wasn't really interested. She was more interested in the donuts and juice that they had for everyone who was walking that morning!

After we did the walk, they had a lot of fun things for the kids to do. Xander really enjoyed getting a monkey holding a banana made by the balloon guy. Xander just kept saying..."nana, nana" and really wanted to eat a banana when we got home.

They also had this professional face painter who did amazing jobs. I think we waited like 45 minutes to have the kids get their faces painted. But amazingly, they were very patient throughout the wait. They wanted this SOOO bad. Ellie chose a rainbow and a frog...it was really cute.

Aeryn wanted a rainbow butterfly. It was cool because the lady used a sponge/crayon thing that had all the colors on it and just brushed it along their cheeks to make the rainbow effect. The kids already are excited to go back next year to do it again.!!

Trampoline Time!!

2009-06-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

My kids enjoy jumping on the trampoline so much. The girls are so nice and let Xander come and jump with them...they know that they can't really jump when he is on. But he loves them to bounce him. He giggles so much!! You can see here that after a while he was just tuckered out from all the bouncing. But if I tried to get him off he would get so mad...so he just got really tired jumping and jumping!!

Isn't this just the cutest picture of how much they love each other.... Funny thing, that lasts for 5 minutes and then the argument begin and I was lucky to catch it on camera!!

My kids enjoy jumping on the trampoline so much. The girls are so nice and let Xander come and jump with them...they know that they can't really jump when he is on. But he loves them to bounce him. He giggles so much!!

Green Beans!!!

2009-06-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

Xander LOVES to eat green beans...you know the kind right out of the can. I will make up a can for me and he comes right over and wants to eat it. He will even refuse ice cream over green beans. I love how cute he is when he is happy!! What a sweet boy!!

Daddy's Helper!!

2009-06-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

Travis has been so wonderful and spending the summer working on a remodel for our house. We are adding a pantry/laundry room that will be connected to our kitchen. My favorite part is that Xander loves to help out his dad with all the work. Xander has his own set of tools and loves to use those to fix his "handy-manny truck" that Grandma and Grandpa got Aeryn for Christmas.

But you better watch out when you put REAL tools down somewhere. Travis will put down a tool just for a moment to work on something, and Xander will get it and start helping out with whatever Travis was doing...or maybe even start his own project!! Here he is using some sort of scrapper tool to help Travis pull out the stairs.

No matter how hard I entice him to do something else....he always goes back to his dad!! What a cute little daddy's boy...and Travis doesn't mind one bit :)

To my mom!!

2009-05-10T16:15:00.001-07:00

I am really lucky to have such a wonderful mom!! She has always been such a great example to me....she is a woman of great love, a woman of great faith in our Savior Jesus Christ, a woman who cares for her children, a woman who is organized and knows how to keep a clean house :), a woman who is willing to help others, a woman who is a wonderful wife, and most important, a woman who is lives a righteous life based upon the principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!! I am grateful for mom and the wonderful friend and mom she has always been to me!!

Happy Mother's Day Mom!! I love you!!!

my mom and dad

my mom as a super cute teenage girl!!

my mom (and her dad...poppa) on the day she got married...so beautiful!!

Mud Puddle

2009-04-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

With the weather being so nice, the kids spent some time playing outside while travis was working on the yard. They were enjoying playing with the hose and decided that they should make a big puddle. It turned out to be quite gigantic and they were covered in mud!! The both kept saying it was the best day of their lives...until travis sprayed them down with the hose and then sent them in for a bath :)

Accident with the doll house

2009-04-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

Xander decided that it would be fun to climb up the doll house....It is a really tall doll house...probably a little taller than Ellie. The doll house ended up falling over on him. He ended up splitting his eye lid open. Luckily he didn't need stitches, but it swelled up pretty good and he looked like a boxer! :)

Playing in the dirt!

2009-04-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

Travis and I were in the front yard, doing some much needed spring clean up of the yard. Xander spent the day outside with us and loved to sit and play in the dirt...It was so cute to see him!!

Xander's Chair!!

2009-04-23T12:56:00.001-07:00

My parents got this chair for Ellie when she was about Xander's age!! It has been a wonderful chair. He loves to go sit in his chair and eat a snack, or read books...it is so cute!

Locks of Love

2009-04-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

Ellie has wanted to donate her hair to Locks of Love for about 1 1/2 years. I told her that was fine and we would do it when her hair got long enough. Funny thing....it got long enough, but I loved it so much I hoped that she would forget donating her hair. She didn't forget. So I told her I would go online and find out what we needed to do. I guess I took to long, because the other night, she googled "locks of love" and found out everything we needed to know!! A very determined girl!! So we did it!! She felt really proud of herself and we were really proud as well!

Doesn't she look so cute!!

Birds and the Bee's Talk comes sooner than I expected!

2009-03-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

Last night, while driving to dinner with my three kids (Travis was at school taking a physiology test....which he got a 100% on, by the way), we were enjoying some fun tunes on the radio. I wasn't really paying attention and some commercial was on....not sure exactly what it was for....and I happened to hear the word sexy in the commercial.

Next thing I know, Ellie, my 6 year old, who is in first grade, announces that sexy is a bad word. And so is the word sex. Very intrigued by this announcement, I asked her where she learned these words. She told me from some girls at school, who will not be named here on my blog....to protect their identities :). I then proceeded to ask her if she knew what that meant....well guess what, yes she did. She tells myself and Aeryn, my four year old and Xander...but he is only 18 months, and really interested in what sex means. Anyways, she tells me that is when a boy and girl take off their close and touch each other's privates. I told her that was a pretty good definition but that the most important part was that sex should only occur between a mommy and daddy who are married!! She seemed okay with that. I also had to inform her that this was not information that she should

sharing with other kids at school. I could just imagine the phone calls I will be getting if Ellie starts sharing with all the other first graders that she knows what sex is. She already knows correct terminology for the male and female reproductive parts and I truly hope that doesn't come back to bite me in the butt.....or sting me...................

I am fine with learning new things, but to add a real kicker, she adds that she thinks she learned a bad word and doesn't want to say it but will try to spell it....she says she is not sure what how, but she'll try.....F U X.....any guesses as to what that is. What is truly funny about this story is that I don't swear...even a little...I think the worst thing I say is crap. So after a long conversation and HUGE reminder not to teach that to other kids, I think we have opened a wonderful door of communication that will help us in the many years to come.

Walking for Babies!!

2009-03-09T16:03:00.000-07:00

Click here to help me reach my goal!

interesting :)

2009-03-07T20:09:00.001-07:00

72 words

Typing Test

Aeryn gets glasses!!

2009-03-05T15:44:00.000-07:00

Look at that pose...where did she learn that!!

The other day we found out that Aeryn is farsighted. She was so brave at the doctor's office getting drops in her eyes and having the doctor look in her eyes with big machines. She was so excited to get her glasses and we went and picked them up today. She wanted me to post these pics on the blog, for everyone to see!!

Xander takes his first steps

2009-02-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

We were so excited because Xander took his first steps and now he is really enjoying attempting to walk. He is so cute...plus see our crazy dog.

Here is the link on youtube :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umIxvY3YTws

Our New Puppy - Dex!!!

2009-01-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

Here is our cute puppy, dex. He is a rat terrier and very sweet. He loves to snuggle and loves to play with his tug of war rope!! He loves the kids which is so nice. Even Xander. We are working on potty training and we are finally having a good day...thanks to crate training!! I am grateful for friends who have done it before because I felt overwhelmed!

Sleeping with Ellie and Aeryn!

He is 8 lbs. and just a little guy! So much work, but sooooo cute!!

We got a dog!!

2009-01-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

So after the kids saw "Hotel for Dogs", they have been begging for a dog. If you haven't seen the movie it was so cute, you really should. Anyways, we promised them we would look into. We went to Pets Smart today and one of the local shelters had their dogs there for adoption. We search and search and saw a little rat terrier....I had not looked at them on the internet, due to their name...rat...who wants a dog with rat in their name. So, anyways, when we got there, the dog was really cute and wasn't yapping and barking like the rest of the dogs...so they got it out for us and let us play with it...the kids loved it, especially Xander. He is 4 months old and was rescued from a not so great owner....but he is a really sweet dog. He is getting "altered" and we will bring him home on monday. I don't have any pics, but the pic at the top is one that looks alot like him....we are still working on a name...so fun!!

I also found this explanation on the internet about these kind of dogs...."The rat terrier is a famed farm helper and companion. As their name implies, they were excellent ratters on farms and made fantastic hunting companions.

They are a more rare breed today because the breed died out quite a bit due to the invention of pesticides in the 20s - 40s used on farms.

They are often mistaken for a Jack Russell Terrier, although they never have a wiry coat, they are finer boned, have a more refined head, and are considerably less aggressive.

All-in-all, they are typical terriers, loving to explore and tear around the yard, but they also love to lounge around with their owners."

A photo montage of the last few months :)

2009-01-15T12:07:00.000-07:00

My Sister and I while painting our house...what a great help our families were!!

We went up to the canyon and had a picnic...it was sooooo fun and so beautiful.

We went up the canyon another time with my sis and her fam and took some great family pics...I loved it...we are doing this every year instead of a studio, they turned out great!

Isn't he so stinkin' cute!!

What a cute couple :)

Those silly girls, they love to get their pictures taken, especially if they chose their own outfits..I just give then a color theme and they do pretty good :)

See any family resemblance...I love my sis...she is my best friend, I am so glad that we live so close and that our lives are so intertwined!!! Sister-Thanks for being so great to me!

My sister and I tried to make fudge for the first time....we used an Alton Brown recipe from the food network...it turned out horribly, but we had so much fun!!

Aeryn at her preschool Christmas show...it was sooo cute! She even got to say a line from the "night before christmas poem" in the microphone and she loved that!

Playing in the snow in our backyard...they loved going out in the snow

We tried making a snowman but the snow was too dry it wouldn't even stick together in a little snowball. Our snow man turned into a snow lump with leaves for eyes and mouth and a carrot nose. It was so pathetic, but the girls loved it!!

Christmas morning...thanks Grandma for the awesome jammies, everyone was so warm and snuggly. We had a wonderful for Christmas. Ellie even told me she wanted to write Santa a letter to tell him thank you for the wonderful gifts...so sweet, huh?

These are from Christmas Eve. We went to my sister's and had tri tip, scalloped potatoes, veggies, yummy rolls....it was so fun and the kids enjoy hanging out!!

Everybody showing off their new jammies...squishing Ellie!!

On New Years Day we went sledding with my Sister's family and my parents...the kids got new sleds for Christmas and they were so excited to try them out. Even Xander loved it.

My dad trying to put a little more air in the inner tube...what a good Grandpa!

Grandma hanging out with Xander!!

Ellie was the queen of going down the hill...she just kept sliding down and then hiking back up....over and over without ever complaining...what a good girl. Aeryn had the best time...she would go down the hill with someone and then they would just pull her in the sled back up the hill...she never ever walked up the hill and she loved that!!

I know this was sort of a Peterson photo overload...but hopefully now I can keep slightly up to date...probably not, but it is worth a try!!

Xander 1st Birthday!!

2008-10-21T14:36:00.000-07:00

I am really behind at my blogging...so I'll do my best to catch up!! On September 28, we celebrated Xander's 1st birthday. He has really been the light of my life!! I couldn't imagine life without him. He loves his sisters, he has the brightest eyes and smile, and best of all...he loves to snuggle. Oh how I love when he wraps his arms around your neck and gives you a huge hug!!

On year ago...right out of my stomach!! Via C-Section!!

Eating Cake...hmmmm!! Lots of Frosting!! It was a spice cake and he sure loved it!!

These are his one year photo's we had taken!! So cute!!

Rocks Don't Toot!!

2008-10-21T14:34:00.001-07:00

The other day we were driving in the car and a little rock hit the bottom of the car and made a little "bang" sound. Aeryn, immediately asked "Who tooted"...she then continued. "Dad, you tooted" He told her it wasn't him....she then decided that it was me. "Mom, I know you tooted. Mom tooted...ha, ha, ha." Travis then tried to explain by say "It was a rock"....Aeryn's reply....... "Rocks don't toot!!" I couldn't stop laughing...and for a while we have been reminding each other that Rocks don't toot!!

Travis is doing AWESOME!!

2008-09-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

I know that Travis would not love that I am going to post about him....but I am going to do it anyway :) Travis is back in school and taking some hard classes....what makes them extra hard is that he has to get A's to be competitive for entry into the nursing program. He had his first test in chemistry last night and he got.......a 98%!! I was so proud of him. He is working so hard to do well in school!! I am so happy for him!! Good Job Trav!!

A little quiet time!!!

2008-09-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

It is 8:11pm and all my children are asleep!! I love my children, they were so cute today. I enjoy the hugs and the love that they share with me. But right now I LOVE the quiet. I was able to exercise AND shower. Travis is on the way to the grocery store to get some formula and also a treat!! I am watching an old episode of Gray's Anatomy and I my house is finally taking shape...i am getting stuff put away where I want it to go, instead of sitting in giant heaps in the middle of the room!! It feels good. When I finally get things finished, I'll take pictures and post them!!

It's Fall Time!!

2008-09-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

I have to agree with my Sister, Allison, I LOVE the fall!! I have had my fall wreath on my door since September first. I love to burn fall smelling candles...pumpkin pie mostly and I love to pull out my fall sweaters!! Thank heavens it is finally here.

Error!!

2008-09-09T12:21:00.001-07:00

Ellie started First Grade NOT Preschool!! I guess my brain not's working :)

Ellie's First Day of Preschool!!!

2008-08-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

Monday was Ellie's first day of school!! She looked so cute and was so excited to go school! She has a really cute teacher and I think this is going to be a great year for her! The bad thing was that on Monday afternoon, I ended up with the stomach flu. Aeryn got it next on Tuesday night and Travis was next at 2:30 in the morning on Wednesday!! Crazy...so far, ellie and xander are okay!! Well, wasn't ellie so cute!~!

Thanks Michelle!!

2008-08-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Michelle-

Thank you so much for taking care of me on Sunday at church while my parents were teaching their Primary Class. It was so nice of you and I sure loved being with you!!

Love,
Xander

p.s. I am wearing a bubble wand around my neck and would let my mom take it away for the picture!!

Cleaning the bathroom!!

2008-08-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

Today, I need to clean the bathroom and Ellie wanted to help, so of course I let her. She is getting so grown up. Anyways, I let her scrub the toilet...my least favorite part and she kept telling me that she LOVED cleaning the bathroom!! She said "This is the most fun thing ever." You would think that we never did anything fun!! Anyways, the girls together scrubbed the shower and bath and were really a great help to me.

Silly Faces!!!

2008-08-13T15:15:00.000-07:00

The other day I was talking with some girls at work about the point of a blog. A few girls don't have them and wonder if they are really worth the effort. I say yes!! Anyways, I was thinking the point of the blog was to help keep in touch with friends and family, but one of my friends Melissa said she felt that a blog helps you to recognize and remember the cute things that your kids do and sometimes that is very necessary when they challenge your patience most of the time. I have been thinking about that for a while and yesterday was a perfect example of Melissa's theory. We were giving Xander lunch and the girls wanted their pics taken. I told Aeryn to smile and she did, but I told her to open her mouth a little when she smiles....this is what I got.

I looked at the pic on my camera and started laughing so hard...I mean to point where I had tears pouring out my eyes. Every time I would look back at the pic, I would laugh harder and harder...The kids started cracking up including Xander and hence a few more silly pics. Melissa- thanks for reminding me to look for the cute things and sweet things in my kids :)!!!

Oh yah, Aeryn can cross her eyes whenever she wants and uses that to make people laugh...I caught one of the eyes crossed in this photo!!

Cheese and Peas!!

2008-08-13T15:09:00.000-07:00

Cheese and Peas....I thought that this would be a great scrapbook page, so I took pictures of Xander eating his lunch. Can you believe what a big boy he is...he is eating alot of big boy foods and he loves it. He would sit in his high chair and eat all day if you let him!!

He has such a great smile!!

I just thought he looked so cute...so I got a close up!!

We got hit by the Ice Cream Truck!!

2008-08-13T15:03:00.001-07:00

So, a couple of weeks ago, we were out bowling at Fat Cat's with my sister and her family and my brother and his family. We were having a great time until over the loud speaker they were looking for driver of a maroon Yukon. We knew it was us. And sure enough it was. A big delivery truck of ice cream had a faulty door that open and smashed the back window of our car while it was parked. They were really great to work with and we already have the window replaced and the back lift gate fixed....but boy was it a pain!!

I am finally updating my blog!!

2008-07-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

So it has been a long while since I have time to blog. We have officially moved to Utah (June 13) and we are living in our house in Provo. It is nice to be back. We are enjoying our space and especially being able to work on the house and get things back in order. We have painted the girls room and put these cut wall stickers up...they have a tinkerbell room. I'll take photo's and post them. It really turned out cute. We are working on our room, putting up baseboard and then we'll be painting. Plus Travis has been putting a lot of work in to making the yard look a little better. We wanted to do a lot of stuff to the house when we moved in, but we weren't able to, and now we have been taking the time. :) Ellie starts school on the 18th of August...so it feels like summer is already on its way out :). We found a preschool for Aeryn that should be great for her. Travis starts school on August 27th where he will be doing a few prereqs before he applies for the nursing program!! I guess that I rubbed off on him...he thinks what I do is great and that he would really love the schedule. So we are on the long hall of going back to school. So here are photo's from the last month :)!!!

These are in no order...some are sideways...because I am in a hurry and forgot to rotate them :)

This is from Ellie's end of school party with her best friend Anna!! They were so excited to get their hair colored!!

We went bowling here in Utah the other week. During the afternoons, it is free shoes and the kids each get a free round of bowling everyday during the summer!!! They really enjoyed trying to beat their dad.....even though they have bumbers and this cool thing to roll the ball on :)

This is Xander's first big bonk!! He fell over and bumbed his face on our bricks. He looks so cute with his little boo-boo.

Oh yes...Xander has started pulling himself up on stuff. He only gets to his knees but it is amazing how he can scoot himself around a little and then pull up or get into things I don't want him into...you can also see what a mess our house is. We have only moved stuff into the girls room...everything else is in the front room and we are living out of bags/boxes...hopefully not too much longer!!

For Ellie's birthday, she wanted to go to IHOP and get the Horton Hear's a Who breakfast pancakes. We brought Ellie's friend Anna and we went before school started. It was really fun!! The kids were so good and Anna gave Ellie this really cute photo of the two of them and we put it up in her room here!! Thanks Anna!!!

The waitress even brought her ice cream with a candle in it!!

We celebrated her birthday that day at Pump It Up with some school and church friends. It is a place filled with big blow up slides and obstacle courses. The kids had so much fun and boy were they sweaty when we got home :)!!

Ellie even got to sit in the blow up chair

a photo from her birthday breakfast.

Xander ended up getting a cold and was having a lot of wheezing. We took him in to the doctor and he needed a nebulizer. Our doc was worried he was going to be admitted to the hospital because his oxygen saturation was low. Thank goodness that she gave him one more breathing treatment and he did better. We did treatments at home and he just looked so cute!

I am Pocahantas!!

2008-05-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

My sister had this on her blog and I thought it was really fun...What do you think?

You Are Pocahantas!

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Some of my favorite pics!!

2008-05-17T10:46:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the recent photo's of our family!!

Xander's First Popsicle!!

YUMMMMM!!

Xander's First time in Nana's Swimming pool!! He loved it so much!! Nana had the pool over 90 degree's so he really liked how warm it was!!

Travis and the Girls

Ellie's Favorite Tulip at Filoli Gardens. We went there for Ellie's field trip. It was so great! All the flowers were beautiful!!!

Ellie and her friend Sarah at Filoli Gardens

Sitting with her class in front of the mansion! She loved touring through this beautiful mansion...she thought the house was great!!

We went up to San Francisco Pier and we got to tour these old ships. The kids thought they were really neat!! The loved exploring all the rooms on the boat!

I was tagged

2008-04-21T11:39:00.001-07:00

So I was tagged by friend Michelle...and I just finally got around to answering the "tag"...so here it goes!!

You're feeling: Great!! Travis and I just finished cleaning the girls room, doing laundry and the dishes...he really is amazing!!

To your left: A laundry basket filled with folded clothes that need to be put away....I am just taking a blogging break!!

On your mind: I have 30 minutes until i have to pick up ellie from school and I really should be doing other things besides blogging :)

Last meal included: blueberry muffin, kiwi, and glass of milk

You sometimes find it hard to: get my kids to go to bed....this drives me crazy...i just need some quiet time at the end of the day!

The weather: cloudy and cool

Something you have a collection of: children's books, scrapbook supplies, and rubber stamps

A smell that cheers you up: pumpkin pie (even candles) and cinnamon...i love candles that smell like either one of those smells...i burn them all year round.....oh yah and I LOVE the smell of chlorine/bleach.....it just makes me happy.

A smell that can ruin your mood: fish

How long since you last shaved: Yesterday morning :)...before church

Yesterday, The current state of your hair: Curly

The largest item on your desk/workspace (not computer): I actually don't have a work space right now, everything is spread all over the place!! I am excited to get back to our house in utah to be able to have a workspace!

Your skill with chopsticks: I love to use them....i started when I was a kid and my nana and poppa would take us toe Yuen Yungs all the time. My poppa really helped me learn to use them!

Which section you head for first in a bookstore: Kids books

Something your craving: something with a lot of garlic!! Like a huge bowl of pasta.

Your general thoughts on the presidential race: i was bummed when Mitt Romney dropped out....I think I should start a right in campaign....."Write in Romney!!!" Maybe I should make a movie for YouTube and start this campaign!!

How many times you've been hospitalized this year: None in 2008.

Favorite place to go for a quiet moment: Right now....I don't have any where to go....even the bathroom...the kids start banging on the door..."mom what are you doing, i want to come it"

You've always secretly thought you'd be a good: Talk show host!!

Something that freaks you out a little: My kids not being nice to other people

Something you've eaten too much of lately: Nothing....I am doing Jenny Craig for a month to help get really focused on my weight loss.....It is okay, but I sure am not eating too much of anything

You have never: Bought myself really nice jewelry...just junky costume jewelry

You never want to: Sail on a boat...I really get sea sick!!

Tag You are It!!!: My sister Allison, My sister-in-law Melissa

New pics!!

2008-04-19T11:26:00.001-07:00

So I took Xander to Kiddie Kandid's to get his 6 month pics done....He was so perfect. He smiled perfectly and was so happy! The girl who was taking his pictures thought he was wonderful!! The pictures went really fast, because she could get a great picture with one or two shots!! I don't mean to brag about him...but he really is an amazing baby. He is so layed back...just like his dad, and he is so happy. My favorite is the way that he smiles at his sister's. He LOVES them! He gets so excited everytime they come around and they love him just as much!! I feel like we were really blessed with Xander!!

This is my favorite picture from the bunch. He has the sweetest look in his eyes!

He always turns his head to the side when he is getting flirty with someone. He loved the girl taking his pictures and was giving her the flirty face!!

Doesn't he look like such a big boy....he looks like a school picture. He was sitting on this little stool. He was really cute!! He loved it!

Xander's 6 months!!

2008-03-31T13:51:00.000-07:00

Today we took Xander in for his 6 month check up. He was 19 lbs 14 oz and was 27 3/4 inches long. He is a big boy. He sure loves his sisters and they are so good to him. He loves to grab their faces and squeeze. Because of this, we always have to make sure that his nails are clipped because he has been known to scratch pretty hard :)!! We had a great Easter and I wanted to put some photos up!! Here he is just starting to be able to sit up by himself...he tips over very easily still :)

We had a lot of fun going over to Nana's house to decorate Easter eggs. The kids eventually lost interest but Travis and I had fun finishing the eggs!!

The kids looked really cute in their easter outfits. The girls chose their own dresses, I just told them that they had to coordinate. I thought they did a good job!!

Our little Butter

2008-03-10T16:18:00.001-07:00

So Xander is almost 5 1/2 months. We have lovingly nicknamed him butters....it started with my little buddy...they buddy...then budders...which has turned into butters....the girls both call him this. I love it, i think it is so cute. Here are few pics of the girls with him!!

Our Days at Disneyland!!

2008-03-10T14:41:00.001-07:00

We were very lucky to have a great vacation with my family at the end of February. We spent a week at Disneyland. All of my family came as well as my Nana!! We stayed at our time share in Anaheim and spent 6 wonderful and crazy days at the Disneyland Parks!!

i have a picture of my sister and I in front of this same statue...i had just graduated college and I was looking longingly at sleeping beauty and her prince. I also have a picture of Travis and I at this same statue during our honeymoon. And now we have a picture with our whole family there!! it was really fun!!

I loved this hat....and actually, both of my girls got the "girl pirate" mickey ears!!

Me and my niece Lauren... She was so cute...When I would wear my hair down, she would ask to touch my hair and she would tell me how pretty it was :) Sure makes a girl feel good!

My Nana sitting in one of the kids strollers while watching the Electrical Light Parade!

Aeryn and Ellie on the Tram taking us from the parking garage to the Park on our first day. They were so excited to go. Oh and I love Aeryns hair like this...she gets made when I do it, but this day she let me!!

Our family in a Pirates cage on the Pirates island. The kids loved running around on pirates island.

We got a picture of our whole family with Mickey Mouse!! Couldn't believe it turned out so well! We took this at Mickey's house...the kids loved running around his house!

Ellie and I, I was wearing Aeryn's mickey ears.

Xander's Stats!!

2008-01-30T15:33:00.000-07:00

We went to the pedi yesterday....he weighs 16 lbs 13.5 ounces and he is 26 inches long. He is a chunk!!

Xander is 4 months!!

2008-01-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

Today, Xander is 4 months old!! I can't believe that he is already 4 months. He is so big. Today I moved him into the 6-9 months clothes because the others are getting too small. He is very long. Tomorrow he has his check up with our pedi and so I'll update everyone on his size. He is so great! He has the sweetest and most infectious smile!! We are very grateful for him!!

7 years!!

2008-01-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our 7 year anniversary!! We were working on a church project so we really didn't do any special things that day!! But it was fun to think that 7 years ago, we were getting married and it was a wonderful day!! Here is a list of my 7 favorite things about Travis:

7. His Goatee
6. He can spell any word that I need....he just says....sound it out....and then he'll tell me how to spell it...like goatee
5. He knows where everything is....Travis, where's my keys, where's Ellie's shoes, where's my lipgloss, where's Xander's blanket, where's Aeryn's school bag.....He always knows where everything is.
4.The way he can make Xander laugh....
3. The way how he loves to spend time with us...his family...and would choose hanging out with us over anything else!!
2. The way he supports me and gives me loving encouragement!!

and Number 1. That is he is so patient and loving towards me....I always know that he loves me just by the way he looks at me.

I don't mean to gush over my husband but I am very happy that I married him.

Many Faces of Xander!!

2008-01-18T22:20:00.000-07:00

We took Xander to get this 3 months pictures taken. He was actually 3 1/2 months, but we were very excited to get some new photos...he has changed so much. He is getting really big, I am not sure how much he weighs, he sees the doctor next week. Anyways, I thought I'd put the pictures on my blog!!

This was my most favorite photo!! He really has the very best smile!

I love the look on his face...he makes this face alot...he looks like he pondering something...and he looks like a little old man sitting in the chair.

I think he looks kind of mischievous in this picture!!

He was almost laughing in this picture!! Bathing in the sun!!

I love my girls!!

2008-01-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

It finally was a rainy day without the 75 mile/hour winds and the girls were so thrilled to be able to play out in the rain with their umbrella's. As we were walking back to our car after a wonderful lunch at Jeffrey's (the best burger place), I was tickled at how cute my kids are...all bundled up with their cute umbrella's...you know how you look down and all you can see are their umbrellas and you hear their little voices from underneath....I just felt touched!!

Random Photo's

2008-01-03T16:51:00.001-07:00

Having Hot Chocolate at the Oakland LDS Temple and some of Grandpa's famous chocolate chip cookies that were so good. Sad thing was that one of my kids, in their excitement, jumped the Grandma and hit their head into her mouth and she broke a tooth...so she didn't really get to enjoy the cookies.

Our family in front of the Oakland LDS Temple to go visit the Christmas Light!

Our family....we are missing Allison, Richard and Gavin...we were thinking of them.

Travis and Xander playing Lego's Star Wars on the laptop, Xander's getting started young.

Aeryn and Grandpa at the Moss Family Christmas Party!! Aeryn wouldn't go see Santa, so Grandpa got her gift for her.

Carly and Santa!!

Uncle Robbie and Xander...Xander is 3 months old. Don't you love the look of concern on his face!!

Ellie lost her first tooth!!!

2007-12-04T17:39:00.000-07:00

Catch Up!!

2007-12-04T16:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't been very good lately at keeping up with my blog, so I thought that I would do a recap of the last month.

This is Xander at 7 weeks old...he is getting so big and really a good and low key baby...he'll probably be just like his dad.

We went to the beach...it was very cold, but we still had a great time. Travis was so great playing with the kids in the sand. He dug a huge hole. Aeryn loved sitting inside the hole. They had a great time!!

Christmas Tree Hunting...first we get breakfast at Alice's and then went to the tree farm to cut down our tree!! It was so fun!

Halloween

2007-11-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

Halloween was a fun time in our house. After changing her mind many times, Ellie decided to be Sleeping Beauty and Aeryn was going to be Genevieve from Barbie...12 Dancing Princesses. We got really cute costumes and the girls looked great. Xander was going to be the standard newborn pumpkin.

That night, I told the girls it was time to get their costumes on after we had carved our pumpkins. We were going over to Grammies house before we went Trick or Treating. At that moment Ellie told me she didn't want to be Sleeping Beauty anymore. She wanted to wear a poodle skirt that my mom had made for my sister Allison when she was young. So that is what we did. She put on the poodle skirt, a t-shirt, her sweater that she wears everyday, and then my mom found a scarf to put in her hair. She looked SOOOO cute. Like she was right out of the 50's. She was a perfect "poodle girl" as she calls it. It was very fun.

Here is a few more photo's of the kids on Halloween.

Silly Ellie

2007-11-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

Ellie loves to wrestle with her Grandpa at night. She thinks it is the best thing in the world. We don't let her if it is really close to bedtime because she gets too hyper. The other night, she was begging to wrestle. Travis told her that she couldn't because she always "comes completely unglued." She quickly told her dad that she would stay "completely....glued." We all laughed so hard, and she got to wrestle for a few minutes...I mean with that kind of logic, who could sat no.

Xander and his dad!!

2007-10-10T08:39:00.000-07:00

I just thought I'd post a pic of Travis and Xander!! Travis is definitely in love with his son! I know they will have a great relationship as they Xander gets older. Xander is growing so fast. I already miss the first week and how small he was. I love how they snuggle up in a tiny ball during that first week...then they figure out they have more space to move around and they aren't so snuggled up!! :) He is great baby and we are so grateful to have him in our family!!

What a cutie!! I am not biased or anything :)!!!

Our Future BYU fan!!!

Xander is one week old today!!!

2007-10-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

After one week, we are still surviving the excitement of a new baby. Thank heavens that I have my mom and dad around to help me with the girls while Travis has been working and I have been trying to take care of Xander! I really couldn't have done it without my running the girls to and from school, girl scouts, gymnastics, and all the other activities that go on. My mom is also become the queen of doing hair (and that is not very easy with the amount of hair that Ellie has). I really can't express the gratitude that I have for my mom and all that she is doing for me. She never makes me feel bad for all the time that I spend feeding Xander, pumping, taking naps, and needing to sit and rest to let my c-section scar heal up!! I really love her and my girls do to!!

My sister has requested that I upload some more photo's of Xander. So here they are!!

Xander wasn't sure how he felt about his first bath at home!! The girls loved assisting with his bath!!

The girls love holding and being with their brother. They are sweet and gentle with him. They have had great experiences with babies while Gavin, their cousin, was also living here with my parents!!

Aeryn wanted to hold Xander tonight while we were all sitting and watching T.V. She actually held him for about 30 minutes. And he was awake the whole time. He just hung out in her arms. I kept asking if she wanted me to take him back, but she just wanted to hold him. She was sad when she had to put him down when it was bed time for her!!

Our little Pumpkin!! I know that he is quite orange/yellow! He is a little jaundiced and it is working out of his body. Not a big deal! He is so cute!! He really is such a great baby! He barely cries...when he is hungry, he just grunts!! He has a perfectly round head and I love it!! It is so cute!! I hope that you have enjoyed these pictures!

Xander John Peterson has arrived!!!

2007-09-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

We are so thrilled to say that Xander John Peterson is finally here!! He was born yesterday, Friday the 28th at 12:39pm!! His vital statistics: 8 lbs 5 oz and 21 inches long and a 14 1/2 inch head circumference!! He has a PERFECTLY round head with just a little bit of brown peach fuzz. Everything went wonderful. Ellie and Aeryn were so glad to see him and loved being with him. They were a little afraid of me with my IV and other tubes, but they gave Xander alot of big sister love. Here are some photo's. I'd write more, but we must get back to our little baby!! We will continue to add updates as we have new pics!!

Side Profile

2007-09-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

My sister wanted me to post a picture of my profile so she can see the final belly size :) So here it is!! I think I am actually smaller than when I was pregnant with the girls....who knows....we'll see how big this baby turns out to be!!

Aeryn Started Preschool!!

2007-09-11T13:32:00.000-07:00

Today was Aeryn's big day. She has been talking about starting school for months. My mom got her this really cute outfit for her first day of school. She looked so adorable. When we actually got to school, she had a major meltdown. Screaming, crying, hysterical. I ended up having to stay and sit in the corner of the classroom. I was bummed because I had all these plans for what I would do with my 1 1/2 hours. Oh well, I guess that is the way things go. Hopefully it gets better before the baby gets here, otherwise I don't know what I'll do!!

Feeling a little Emotional!!!

2007-09-07T15:15:00.000-07:00

As I was driving home from work last night, I don't know exactly why, but I was feeling very emotional!! I should have been thrilled because it was my last day of work before the baby comes (3 weeks from today and I'll have the c-section). I was excited to be done with work, but was feeling a need to focus on important things in my life. I have been reading a book about opening your heart to other people which in turns help you to have a closer relationship with God. I've been trying that, maybe that is why I was more emotional. Anyways, I got thinking about my "Poppa". It has been 2 1/2 months since his passing and I was really missing him. He was really such a wonderful man. I love this picture. It is of me with my Nana and Poppa in Disneyland when I was 2 or 3 years old. I love this picture. We all look so happy. I am not sure how they were happy while hanging out at Disneyland with a 2 year old, but it must have been okay.

These are just some other pictures that I like. I really feel grateful to have had my grandpa such a huge part of my life. He was a great example and a I appreciate that. I always felt bad that he had to go through his battle with Parkinson's, but he never complained. I feel sometimes like I am kind of wimpy and get cranky, but I was reminded of his positive attitude with life.

I guess I just wanted to remember my Poppa today. I miss him alot and I am so impressed with the strength that my Nana has. She is continuing to live life, as Poppa would have wanted, and continues to be strong and graceful. Poppa...I love and miss you and I am grateful that my girls were able to know you!!

Ellie Started Kindergarten!!

2007-08-31T16:33:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was Ellie's official first day of school!! She has a wonderful teacher who Ellie seemed to feel comfortable with very quickly. I think I was more nervous and anxious about her starting school than she was. I was able to go with her on the first day for an orientation, but then on thursday I had to drop her off. I thought I would cry, but amazingly I didn't. I did miss her and feel sad to have her gone, but I have to admit that I got a whole lot of things done with her in school. I forgot how much easier just having one child is. Aeryn will start preschool on September 11th, and for 3 weeks I will actually have 2 hours twice a week, solely to myself. What will I do? Probably clean the house :( !! Who knows, maybe a little scrapbooking! Anyways, back to Ellie. She very quickly made friends with a cute girl named Anna. They are both fairly shy and seem to fit together really well. They do most of the class activities together and play together during recess.

The morning of Ellie's first day, Aeryn woke up very sad. She wanted to go to school with Ellie. She wanted to even go to her own school. It is hard for her to understand that she still has to wait 2 weeks before she begins. She wants so badly to be a "big girl" like Ellie. But then sometimes she says she is a baby and wants to be "snuggled". I love this picture of the two of them. Ellie posed them for this picture. I thought it sure turned out cute!!

I hate bubblegum!!!

2007-07-15T16:17:00.000-07:00

When i got home from work the other day...we got Aeryn up from her nap and she had a big wad of gum in her hair. No one has any idea where it came from. She didn't have any gum when she went down for her nap. Travis was a wonderful dad and got out the ice and very patiently got the gum out with very little cutting. i was ready to get the scissors at the start and cut out the gum. Thank heavens for Travis' patience!! He is a really good dad!!

Look at that disgusting blob of gum!!! ARGHHHH!!!

Playing with Paints

2007-07-11T16:27:00.000-07:00

Ellie had been begging Travis to build her a bird house!! This weekend he finally did. I enjoyed teasing him because he didn't just throw some wood together, everything is to the square and measured exactly!! I love his perfectionism. While I was at work the girls painted them.

This is Ellie's birdhouse!! She was so proud of her bright colors!!

This is Aeryn's birdhouse! I was stressed about paints getting every where while she painted!

They also found some face paints and when I got home they asked me to paint their faces. I couldn't resist.

Ellie wanted to be a butterfly and Aeryn wanted to be a doggie!! The little doggie then chased the butterfly around the house!! I even let them sleep with their face paint....but the next morning it was church. We woke up late and still had to clean their faces before church....it was a little bit of a pain!!

Primary Temple Trip

2007-06-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time on Saturday spending the day at the LDS Temple over in Oakland. We had a primary activity where the kids got a tour and were able to go in the visitor's center and watch a little video. Ellie and Aeryn had a wonderful time. They were so good and we had a wonderful family outing. Travis and I both went as well!! Ellie was able to be with her little friends from church and they love being together!

This is a picture of Ellie and her best friend Abby Richards in front of the temple. It was a gorgeous day and a lot warmer than we thought. I had the girls in sweaters and long sleeves, and they were dying of the heat !!

This is just a cute picture of Aeryn outside the temple. It was fun to tell them about the day that Travis and I got married, right there at the Oakland temple. They saw a bride coming out of the temple while we were there and the girls were in awe. They loved watching her!! It was a wonderful day!

Happy Birthday to Ellie!!

2007-06-09T18:38:00.000-07:00

I am a little behind on the blogging. Ellie's birthday was on wednesday...the 6th of june...and we had a wonderful time celebrating. She had a wonderful pool party with our family and a few friends!! Ellie has been so excited to be 5 years old. She loves telling everyone how old she is!! She really had a wonderful time. She even wore her crown around for a little while!

Aeryn had a wonderful time swimming with her dad. The girls both loved the water. Ellie got really brave and ventured to the deep end of Nana's pool (with her water wings on of course).

Ellie blowing out the candles on her ice cream cake. I got this recipe from my friend Claire. It was sure a big hit. I don't know that I will ever make a regular cake again...these ice cream cakes were so yummy and such a big hit. All in all, it was a really a great day!!!

Another ultrasound!!

2007-05-23T11:12:00.000-07:00

Today I had to have another ultrasound because they were getting some distorted images of the brain yesterday. I have this large piece of mesh in my abdomen from a hernia repair I had after Aeryn's delivery. The ultrasound tech and the radiologist were having a lot of trouble getting good images. They think they got what they needed today, but I practically had to stand on my head for them to be able to ultrasound around the mesh ;)

They told me that I was the first person that they have ever had to ultrasound through the mesh and it was causing some distortions. I was there for an hour yesterday and then another hour and 15 minutes today. But the great thing was that they felt bad and made me a DVD of parts of the ultrasound. I am trying to put a few on my blog to day so you can see.

Here is a photo showing that this is a boy. I hope you can see that this is our little boy. Today the girls have started calling the baby their brother!! Aeryn, this morning, was yelling into my belly button...."baby brother, baby brother, wake up!!!" It was very cute!!

Big Day!!

2007-05-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

Well I don't have a picture of the ultrasound because our scanner is not working, but I thought I'd make the big announcement anyway!! Well, we are having a ....BOY!! Can you believe that? Both Travis and I were shocked because we pretty much thought it was going to be a girl. We are very excited...a little nervous and overwhelmed. I mean, I know girls, I know a boy will be fabulous, but I know how to do deal with girls!!

The other thing was that Ellie had to go and get all her shots updated so we can send in the Kindergarten paperwork for the fall. She was so brave. She had to get a TB test and then 3 shots. She didn't even cry. You could see that she wanted to. But we went to Toys R Us afterwards and she was able to pick out one thing. She chose a barbie doll that you hook into your IPod and it a speaker for your ipod and the barbie also mouths along like she is singing. This really took the "sting" away. The sweetest thing was that Ellie really wanted to get a little present for Aeryn while we were at the store (Aeryn was home taking a nap). We got a little balllet dancing polly pockets, by Ellie's choice. I know they make each other crazy, but they sure do love each other!!

A boy.....oh my!!

Kids Say the Funniest Things

2007-05-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

The other day, while we were out running errands, Aeryn yelled very loudly "Ellie hit me!!" These two girls are constantly picking at each other and so I asked Ellie if she had hit Aeryn. She very innocently replied "Oh, well, not yet." I couldn't stop laughing and then the girls started laughing and the problam was temporarily resolved. My girls can sure get on each other's nerves, but I certainly love them. They can be so cute!!

Crazy Dad!!

2007-05-20T15:58:00.000-07:00

Travis is such a wonderful dad!! Travis and Ellie have a tendency to "but heads" some of the time, but when they play together...you better watch out, they are so crazy. Yesterday we spent another wonderful afternoon swimming at my Nana and Poppa's house. Travis had purchased a bunch of water toys. He bought a really great water gun that can soak the people at the other end of the swimming pool. He also bought these "splash bombs". They are balls that soak up a bunch of water but they don't sink. When you throw them, they make a huge splash!! I was laughing so hard as I watched Ellie and Travis fight it out with the splash bombs. My dad then got involved and these balls were flying hard and fast. I can't help but smile a huge smile when I see how he plays with the girls. He really loves them and they sure love him.
This picture was when Travis and Ellie came off the Rip Roaring Rapids ride at San Diego Sea World a few weeks ago....the two of them had such a great time. Ellie went on the ride 3 times... It was great fun!!

Our Little Flower!!

2007-05-12T21:12:00.000-07:00

Ellie was in her first ballet recital "show" tonight. She was a little flower and was so cute. I was worried that she wouldn't actually get on the stage because of her shyness, but she actually did a great job!! They did a little dance to a song from Alice in Wonderland..."You can learn a lot of things from the flowers." She did a most of the moves, but also a lot of standing around. She really loved getting dressed up and putting on makeup!!

I dropped her off with her chaperone backstage and then prayed that she would be brave enough to go dance!! I even got teary when I watched her. My sister Allison got teary as well. It was just so difficult for her, so "out-of-the-box." She says she wants to do it next year. Aeryn would even be old enough for the class!! Wouldn't that be fun if they could be in it together.

Allison was very cute and she thought of bringing Ellie a flower. Ellie was so thrilled to get a flower!! Aeryn was also so proud of her sister. Aeryn clapped bigger and louder than anyone else around us. She kept asking for 'MORE' when they were changing dances. She loved the show. I am so proud of my girls!!

Swimming at Nana's

2007-05-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite memories from my childhood is spending summer days at Nana's house. My mom would take us to Nana and Papa's house and we'd spend hours playing in the water. I remember being called "water rats." Funny thing is that my Nana had these old plastic measuring cups and spoons, and these were our favorite pool toys. Oh, we had all the tubes and such, but these measuring cups were great. Nana still has these same measuring utensils and my girls loved them.

Another favorite thing was playing "washing machine" with my dad! We had this big yellow rubber boat. All three of us kids would climb in the boat and my dad would shake it and say such things as rub-a-dub, three kids in a tub. We would laugh so hard. Another thing I remember is having the radio on, playing in the backyard (when the flowers are in bloom--it is gorgeous), while we would swim. Sometimes, when I hear certain 70's songs on the radio, it is almost like I am a kid, swimming in Nana's pool, feeling very carefree. Those were wonderful days. I am very grateful that I can take my kids to Nana and Papa's house to enjoy that same carefree feeling.

Close Encounter!!

2007-05-04T16:57:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the San Francisco Zoo. Travis only work a part day and the girls were anxious. So we decided to renew our Zoo Membership and go up to the zoo. We went over to visit the Gorilla's. We went to a window area to see the gorilla's. One of the gorilla's...we think a female....came up to the window.

She put it's hands up to the window and I put my hands on hers. The kids got nervous and backed away. She would stick out her tongue and shake it all around. I can't tell you the amazing feeling of being so close....even though their was glass between us. She stayed with us for about 5 minutes then other people started coming over...of course, and we left...so did the gorilla!! It was so cool!!

This is probably the only proof that Travis and I were there. I find that I spend so much time photographing the kids that I forget about us. In the this picture, the giraffes were right behind us. The girls thought they were very facinating. The giraffes were eating from the trees right close to where we were! I kept thinking this was one of the coolest days at the zoo...the animals seemed much more interactive.

We went to the petting zoo while we were there. There was one goat, with big horns, that was greedy for the goat food that we had. He kept banging Aeryn in the head with his horns. We quickly got away from him. Aeryn then found the love of her life, a goat named Rose. She let Aeryn pet her, brush her, and even hug her and you can see here. At one point Aeryn told me..."I love Rose." It was so cute!! Rose actually was a very sweet goat. She sure liked having her hair brushed.

I let Ellie chose which picture she wanted of herself. This wouldn't have been my favorite choice, but she wanted everyone know how much she enjoyed her first Twinkie. Sad thing, and I shouldn't even admit this, I had to bribe her with a Twinkie to get some cute photo's. She would turn away everytime that I tried to get a photo, hence the Twinkie bribe!! I guess mother's do crazy things sometimes...even use Twinkies!!

I'm a blogger!!!

2007-05-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

I LOVE reading everyone's blogs....so I'm contributing to the world of blogging!! I am sitting with Ellie as she paints her beautiful "suncatcher's", including fairies and butterflies. You know I really love my girls!!! They are so sweet! We are expecting baby numer 3 in October and everyone asks if we are trying for a boy. Not really, I am so happy with my girls. If you ask Travis, in all honesty, he is happy even if he has all girls. These girls love him. Aeryn would probably choose her dad over me. Ellie is a so interested in learning about medical information, especially the development of babies. She'll probably be an OB/GYN when she gets older!!

Aeryn is very sweet and gentle. She loves to just lay in our bed in the morning while we wake up. She will gently rub your face and tell you she loves you!! Today, we got ice cream cones at McDonald's. I shared one with Aeryn. As I was taking my lick, she told me to "be careful, it's messy." And very gently placed the ice cream cone at my mouth. She is a ham. Life is so great!! I feel lucky to be the mother of Ellie and Aeryn!!