Lilia 2.0

Lilia stared crawling Saturday, December 19th. This video is of her second successful attempt.

Crawler


*Update:  Google changed the way their URLs work in Picasa Web Albums.  Now they expire after 11 hours.  That explains why it would work for a while and then stop. The link above should take you to PWA.

Light Catcher

This was pretty cute.  Laura filmed Lilia trying to catch the light coming in through our living room window.

Light Catcher

*Update:  Google changed the way their URLs work in Picasa Web Albums.  Now they expire after 11 hours.  That explains why it would work for a while and then stop. The link above should take you to PWA.

Christmas Eve PJ's

Here is one of our Christmas Eve traditions. We read Luke 2 and then we open new pajamas. It is a lot of fun.

Snow in Dallas on Christmas eve

I told Mom that I ordered this snow just for her on Christmas eve I wasn't able to catch a shot of the snow when it was really coming down but it's still snowing here in the big D

New members of the family

Hi Everybody,
It is official, we have three new "members" of the family. We call them Sony TV, LG washer and LG dryer. The old TV was going out, and then one of the kids ran a magnet over it and killed it, so we got a new TV for Christmas. Then about a week ago the washing machine decided to run a river every time it was being used. It was 13 1/2 years old and was really tired. It has now gone to the old washing machine grounds in the sky. The dryer was getting older and someone in our ward needed it more than we did, so she now has it. I am grateful for the job that I got. Now we can pay off the new "members" of the family in time. I hope to take pictures and post them, but one of the kids unplugged the camera and the battery is dead. When it is up and running I will try to post them.

Love you all,
Connie

Octopus video

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/12/091214-octopus-carries-coconuts-coconut-carrying.html

This was shared by someone in one of my classes. Octopi are really smart and this is a cool video showing small octopi using coconut shells as tools to hide and then taking the shells with them.

Dante's progress in the "mobile" department

We had a request for some video of Dante crawling, so I've uploaded a few videos of Dante crawling and "walking". Dante crawls like crazy, but it isn't his favorite form of transportation. He still prefers to walk just like he did before he figured out how to crawl. He used to hold on with two hands to which ever adult would help him walk, but now he likes to just use one hand. He is getting more stable every day although he still has a little work to do before he can walk by himself. Not that he hasn't tried. We have to watch him closely because if he is using the couch to walk (or some other object) when he gets to the end, he just lets go and tries to keep walking. He thinks he can walk already. He's only 8 1/2 months old. I think he'll be walking around 10 month if not earlier.

Crawling Dante

Here is one of Dante crawling.

Here is another Dante clip

Video attempt

Attempt at adding video.

Bears playing hockey

Uhhh.... I'm surprised they can even skate much less take shots.

To a nerd like me this is pretty neat

The NY Times article discusses some of the highlights of this report about how much information the average American consumes.

First day at work

Well, it was my first day at work. I am now a reading aid at Diamond Ridge Elementary. I work from 11:30 to 3:00. Isaac is in preschool from 12:45 to 3:45 so we miss syncing our schedules by about an hour. One of my good friends has her son going to preschool at the same time so she has Isaac for that hour, and then I am able to pick him up after he is done. I have a lot to learn and I hope I get it down quick.

I am still doing medical transcription in the evening when it is there. Just wanted to update you on what was happening here.
Connie

She's asleep...

I know - it doesn't really seem like it given the vice-like grip on both crib and bag. She fell asleep this way for her nap today.

Thanksgiving Break

What a Thanksgiving break. The plan was to go to Idaho for Thanksgiving this year. Nathan had a fever on Sunday and Monday, but nothing after that. I called my brothers and sisters who were going and they said it was okay. So we drove up Wednesday after Isaac got out of preschool. About 10 minutes from my mom and dads house, Isaac said "mom, I have a headache". That was the first clue that Nathan was getting a fever earlier that week. We got to my mom and dads house and took his temperature. He had a fever of 100.4. Well, we had a quick dinner of Spagettios that night, and got back in the car and drove home. The next day, Isaac had a fever of 103, so we made the right call in going home. We have had a very relaxing vacation, (once we got past the fevers and driving for six hours in one day), as the pictures attest to. Jarom is laying in the sun with Caleb (the dog), Jacob is on the couch, Erin and Nathan made a fort and slept in it Thanksgiving night. It has been fun.

National Debt Clock : Real Time

This is pretty interesting and just fun to watch.
U.S. National Debt Clock : Real Time

Texting

How many of you text? Do you have a texting plan or just a pay as you go? I have unlimited texting and find its useful for certain types of communication. I know sometimes providers make you pay for each message and so I don't want to cause extra costs for anyone who would prefer another type of communication.

For Dad

Here are some pictures and videos we've taken recently.

Sonogram

Here's the first sonogram of our new baby.

GAO Internship

I got a call on Monday from Dallas. The GAO called to schedule and interview with me for the internship I applied for. I'm nervous about it but at least I have a week and a half to calm myself.

The nice thing about competitive internships like this one is that you are almost guaranteed a job after its completion. If not with the GAO then with another institution, impressed by the gold star on your resume.

The internship is located in downtown Dallas and would happen sometime this summer. Its a paid internship and I'm hoping that I would be able to stay with one of you during the 2 months of the internship. I don't want to get hopes up too high but I'm excited. I'll keep you posted while I go through the evaluation process. Wish me luck.

View Larger Map

pretty paintings

God painted me some pretty pictures this morning. I have never seen cloud formations like this before. These were taken within a three minute time frame. I almost missed it. I'm glad I didn't.

Great book for sleeping

Ok, so Stephen and I like to go to Barnes and Noble and look at books when we get a chance. I happened upon a book called "The Sleepeasy Solution" by Jennifer Waldburger and Jill Spivack. We've been having a hard time at nights because Dante was still not sleeping through the night. There were some nights when I was so tired that Stephen or my mom would get up for one of the night time sessions with Dante. I was desperate for a change. Everyone (including the pediatrician) said that Dante should be sleeping through the night since he was old enough and big enough to not need night time feedings anymore.

I started reading the book and I really liked the way it sounded. Namely that the book claimed it could get your child sleeping through the night in less than a week! It sounded too good to be true. The first night we tried the steps given by the book it took an hour to get Dante to sleep and I think he woke up 3 times that night. The next night it took about 20 min. to get him to sleep and he woke up once. The third night Dante went to bed without any crying and woke up once. Since then, he goes to bed without any crying and he's been sleeping straight through the night! (Wake-up time is about 6 am., but that's ok with a full night's sleep.)

The book also gave instructions on getting good sleep at nap time, so we are working on that now. There is information for crib sleepers, for weening night time feedings (when the child is just eating out of habit), for non-verbal bed sleepers, for verbal bed sleepers, for children who will only sleep with parents, etc.

It is a great book. I love it! Now I just need to get a copy of it! I recommend it for anyone who has been struggling with sleep time or if anyone knows friends who could use the book. Before this book, I had been given information by the pediatrician, but it was a fragmented and incomplete version of the book's information. I had also read a few things, but nothing compared to the information and support that this book gave. Did I mention that I love this book?

Question for Adam and Laura

Just a quick question. Does Lilia still use a "bath chair" at bath time? Dante has a little mesh recliner for bath time, but about a week ago he decided he didn't want to use it anymore. He rolls off of it, so we stopped using it. I was just wondering if Lilia is also at that point. I think the change might just be because of the introduction of bath toys, though.

Google Image Swirl

Here is a new website from Google. If you have time to kill you should try it out.

Happy Birthday Yesterday Jennifer.

I didn't get to the phone yesterday and wanted to wish you a happy birthday.

Hope it was happy.

Connie

Standing Dante?

It's been a week since Dante started crawling. Today he has shown that he can pull himself into a standing position if something is handy for him to use. He used his high chair to pull up on and he also used his bumper pads to stand in his crib. Craziness!

What the crap is the plan for Christmas?

Now that I have stated this gently, can we come together and make a consensus decision, if the economy is down and were all poor then let's just write letters or something and call it good, if we want to set a price limit of 5 bucks a family that is fine as well, I know that were all struggling with all the hope and change weve been through lately and we may only have change left. I know on Connie's side we have names assigned by year and we rotate through the other nine siblings, that might be an option, but we need to make a decision. Love you all. sean

Before and After

Erin wanted her hair cut and wanted a before and after picture done. I think I uploaded the pictures in the wrong order.

Crawling Dante!

Dante has started full-on crawling as of this afternoon. Stephen was watching him while I worked on homework. I came out of the office when I was finished and saw Dante crawling. I said, "Stephen! He's crawling!" and Stephen said, "He's been doing that the whole time. I thought I had missed his first crawl." Turns out, I was the one that had missed his first real crawl. Don't know how we are going to cope with a mobile little one! :)

Mowgli Child

This has been Lilia's favorite position lately. We are sure that she will start to walk around like a little Mowgli before she learns to crawl. I just thought this picture looked particulary funny.

It is so hard being 5

Isaac was supposed to be helping rake and pick up leaves. I guess he though it was too hard, so he laid down to "rest". He fell asleep on the front porch.

Photos from Stephen's branch

Here are a few photos from October of Stephen's family. There are pictures of Dante in one of his robes. There are a few pictures from Halloween and of Dante in his glow-in-the-dark "bones" that he wore under his costume. And there are some pictures of Dante and Stephen hanging out on the couch.

Oct 2009

More Halloween Pictures

HALLOWEEN PICTURES

Here are a few pictures I was able to take at the annual trick or trunk at church

Family Fast

Hi, everyone.

As most of you know, Stephen has been looking for work pretty much since Feb. when the Chili's he was working for closed. He has a job right now, but the work environment is bad and the agreed upon salary has not materialized (he is making a little over half of what he was supposed to be making), so we have been continuing to look for a better job and applying everywhere we can.

Stephen had a several job interviews with a company this last week and we thought he would get a job offer, but unfortunately, we found out yesterday that they decided his school schedule might be a conflict so they went with someone else. (Stephen is in school several nights a week and would need to leave before 5pm to get to class on time.)

We are trying to keep a positive attitude and continuing to trust in the Lord. We continue to pray and we go to the temple as often as we can. We find a lot of peace in the temple and in prayer.

Chris made a suggestion that both Stephen and I really like and that is to have a family fast. For those family members that are able to and would like to participate, we ask that you fast this Sunday (Nov 1) for Stephen as he continues to look for work.

Halloween Costumes

These are this years offering of Halloween Costumes. K through 5th grade could be a character from any book, they just needed to bring the book. Erin was originally going to be the white witch of Narnia, but we couldn't get her hair to go that wild, so she ended up being the Littlest Princess. Nathan was Dracula. 6th through 9th grade had to be something from Core Knowledge (what they are learning in school). Jarom is a Cowboy and Jacob is a "gym student". Isaac can be anything he wants to be, so he is a Cowboy as well.

Happy Halloween Dinner

http://www.notmartha.org/archives/2009/10/27/meat-hand/

Belle

We don't have any kids at home anymore but I thought since many of you have called and inquired about Belle's condition that I would take a few photos of her and post them she hasn't been very co-operative so I'm just posting two photos.

FHE pumpkin carving

We had fun tonight carving pumpkins. Sean was behind the camera, and then he was baking pumkin seeds.

Good day

This was a fun day. It was the begining of October and we had time off of school for UEA (the teachers union here in Utah). We went downtown and we hiked up Ensign peak. While we were hiking we met three different families who knew someone that we knew. One of them knew Aunt Anita in Houston. Then we went to memory park (war memorial) and had a picnic. After that, we went to the city library and looked around and borrowed a few books. It was great. The kids were all pretty well behaved. After that, we went home and the youngest zonked out because we wore them out running up and down Ensign peak.

Wedding Pictures

Here are links to our wedding pictures. The first two folders have the Houston pictures. There are some really good pictures of the whole family (or most of the family) and some really good ones of the brothers. And, of course, I'm kind of partial to the pictures of the bride and groom.

Wedding Photos Rob

Wedding Photos

The third folder has pictures from our reception in Carrollton. They are in random order because they are a collection of photos taken by several people.

Wedding Reception

Pics of a few family members & friends

My camera is very bad, but I try to take pictures occasionally any way. I took just a few at Josh and Jen's place the day of Jen's baptism. Most are blurry, but there are a few good ones in the bunch. My camera works better with the flash, but I didn't want to continue flashing a bright light in everyone's faces while they were trying to visit.

Jennifer Baptism