BYU-Oklahoma game

Justin has been bugging me to get our trip to Dallas for the BYU game up on the blog for a while. Why you ask? Purely for bragging rights to all our BYU fan friends and family, I'm sure. It was about the funnest game ever and we LOVED it. Plus going without the kids was a bit of a bonus. (Thanks Lesha and Dave!) We got to go with my mom and dad and had a blast with them!

This is the Oklahoma side right after BYU won. (Notice all the empty seats?)

...And here's the BYU side. All the BYU fans stuck around, we were all so excited.

Oklahoma fans were, I think, the nicest, most cordial, gracious fans I've ever encountered. And I have been to some games where we have had to deal with some pretty rough, foul mouthed rival fans. So thanks to Oklahoma fans for making the game even more enjoyable.

Fort Worth was Justin's mission so this trip had double purpose for us. He took me all over his mission and we even got to go visit a lady that he taught. (Love you Gloria!) This was his apartment in one of his areas. (Can you tell he looks thrilled to be posing for a picture in front of someone's apartment?)

Mia's Birthday

Mia turned 4 a couple of weeks ago, and being the slacker mom that I am didn't get it up on the blog before she pointed out that her birthday pictures weren't on the "bloggy" (every word ends in "y" these days). What the heck?! I don't blog very often and my 4-year-old still noticed the discrepancy. So here she is...

Very excited that she now has a girl bike. She was very done with the tonka truck hand-me-down bike from Matthew.

When I asked what kind of cake Mia wanted she immediately said "pink cookie monster".

A little random (okay, a lot random) but the great thing about Mia is that she is very decisive and doesn't take FOREVER deciding on something (nudge, nudge Matthew and Daddy).

She got to have her first friend party and decided on Strawberry Shortcake. We had 17 kids(ACK!!!) ranging from 1-5 in our small house at one time so... very chaotic!. Though, Mia assured me that it was the "most awesomest party in history" so it was a success.

My baby is in school!

I have to say that I have LOVED this summer. We have enjoyed every second as we have lived it up before Matthew started school. Incidentally, several things got put on the back burner, including my blog, as I spent all my time enjoying my kids so here is an update.

Matthew is now a kindergartener. He loves school and is so excited each morning to get to go. He says his teacher is nice and he likes his class but I think the majority of his excitement stems from getting to ride the bus.

This is him sitting with his class not even looking back at me as I (silently) bawl in the back of the room. He was unaffected by the separation which is a good thing I guess. Not too fun for me but I survived.

Princess Festival

This week Mia got to go with mommy to the Princess Festival. She dressed in her Tinkerbell dress and got to make a crown and a wand. She went around with all the other little princesses and the blue fairy to save Snow White, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Belle, and Sleeping Beauty from the dark fairy. The Foundation "In Our Own Quiet Way" which provides relief for children in Kenya, put the festival on for the girls and Mia and I had a blast. She felt very special and she even got a free real pearl necklace which she wore to church a few days after. Although the main highlight for Mia was the playground with swings. Go figure, I could have saved the money and just taken her to a park in her Tinkerbell dress! All of the volunteers were dressed in princess gowns and it was very well done. Definitely something my girls and I will try to go to next year.

Princess Mia in her carriage on her way to the ball.

Little Tinkerbell got to "fly" with Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. She even got to blow fairy dust to give her the magic of flight.

Mia's very favorite princess, Sleeping Beauty. She adores her for no other reason than that she has a pink dress; surprise, surprise. Mia was terrified of all the princes and wouldn't go anywhere near them. I guess she figured that those boys did not belong at our "girl's day".

The blue fairy and all the little princesses on their quest to save the storybook princesses. Mia is, of course, hanging away from the group in the very back. Less claustrophobic that way.

Trip back east!

Now that we have FINALLY transitioned to high-speed internet, I can post about our trip back east! It was the first trip Justin and I have taken sans kids since before our kids were born. It was a little strange to be without them. I didn't realize how much the kids' bedtime routine actually helped ME to go to sleep. I woke up several times during each night out of habit but it was nice to not have to get out of bed in the middle of the night for nightmares etc. We went to visit my brother, his wife and their adorable baby girl in Baltomore. We got to go to Gettysburg, Valley Forge, Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero (very sobering) and Carnegie Hall to list the major sights. My sister's choir group from Provo High (love you Shar!) was the featured choir at Carnegie Hall. Going to see her perform at such a prestigious place was the basis and main reason for our trip. It was a great trip and I am VERY grateful to my in-laws for braving my three crazies for an entire week.

This photo prop was for kids but I was able to talk Justin into a picture. He was not at all embarrassed to stand in line behind a group of small kids waiting to be George Washington!

One of the cannons at Gettysburg. This place was very cool and a must see for anyone doing a trip in the Pennsylvania area.

Going to the Statue of Liberty. Such a touristy thing but something everyone must do at least once in their lives.

All the construction at Ground Zero. It is incredible to see a huge hole in the middle of downtown New York City. Construction is slow-going and still underway eight years after 9-11. My sister's choir group sang at the site and did a great job.

A memorial at the fire station across from Ground Zero that lost nearly 200 firefighters in the aftermath of the attack.

Ellie turns 1!

My baby turned 1 on Feb. 13th, her great-grandpa Kimball's birthday. This year went SO fast. I know every mom in the world says that at every birthday their kids have but my goodness, it really has!

She looks thrilled doesn't she?

Matthew and Mia decided that since she is one and isn't walking yet, they would try to help the process along. We found out the other day, after several very confident steps to Justin, that she really can walk; she just chooses not to.

We had a fun party with family. We gave a big piece of cake to Ellie to devour just as we have the other two kids. She stuck her hand in it and with the most disgusted look on her face, yanked her hand away. She tentatively put some in her mouth and this picture is of her spitting it back out. After that, she wanted nothing to do with the blob on her tray and scowled at it the whole time.

Matthew is 5! AAHHHH

On Sunday, Feb. 1st, (yes, Super Bowl Sunday) Matthew turned 5! It is so crazy to me. I don't know why this age is so much more a wig-out for me. Maybe because of the whole starting school thing, who knows. I love my little boy so much! He is such a little sweetheart and has no qualmes about going and talking to any new little kid. I wish I could make friends so easily. Happy Birthday, Matt! I love you, buddy.

Matthew's new big boy bike sans training wheels.

We went to Chuck E. Cheese's the day before for a little family birthday party. (Note to self and all others: NEVER go to Chuck E. Cheese on a Saturday. Especially in the Winter!! AGGHHH is all I will say.) It was fun but a little of a let-down for us after having been to the Amazing Pizza Machine in Omaha. Ellie was less than thrilled at the gigantic rat trying to give her five with a paw bigger than her face.

She also wasn't too excited about the big truck that moved up and down and rocked.

I saw this survey on Lindsey's facebook and thought it appropriate to post here.

Here you go mommies - a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about your first born! Let's see how much you remember!
1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes
2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes
3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? SOOO excited, overwhelmed
4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Never ever ever (fight FOCA)
5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 23
6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? We had been trying so I was very aware of my monthly friend's schedule and took a test as soon as I was late.
7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? I screeched it at my husband
8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Yes, although I was sure he was a girl.
9. DUE DATE? Feb. 8th
10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Oh yeah
11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Chocolate milk and cottage cheese
12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? The weight gain
13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Boy
14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? No, I was sure I would get a girl but I was so excited to find out he was a boy.
15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? Let's just say it was less than a ton.
16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yep. Thanks Mom and sisters
17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew
18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? Pregnancy hypertension causing puffiness and weight gain. But I was able to be induced a week early so there is the silver lining.
19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Creighton University Hospital. A teaching hospital...nuff said.
20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 2
21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? My hubby
22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? My husband, a bunch of nurses and a med student who kept saying "this is so awesome!" and started to cry. I didn't want to deck him at all!
23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? natural
24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Yes, sure wish it worked.
27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 7 lbs. 2 oz.
28. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? Feb. 1st at 11:36 am Super Bowl Sunday. It was snowing like crazy; at least a foot. Justin kept cradling Matty under one arm like a football.
30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Matthew Justin Eliason among many many nicknames.
31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 5! AAAAAGGGGHHHHH!