News Archives

2009 News Archives

December 25 - Merry Christmas
We had a wonderful Christmas at home together.  Emma woke up first, but was only interested in eating.  When Laura woke up, she wanted to see what Santa had brought.  After waiting about 20 minutes, she tried waking Kristen up, but no luck.  Dad went in to help but Kristen wanted to sleep some more so he told her he would carry her down to the couch and she could sleep there while we went through our stockings.  By the time we got downstairs, she was awake and very interested in the stockings.  Santa brought a Barbie bike for Kristen and Laura got a Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey.  Despite being a very good baby this year, Santa didn't bring anything for Emma.  I'm sure he must have not realized it until he got here, but I'll try to remind him next year.  The girls still appreciate each of their gifts and wanted to play with each thing immediately.  (Or in the case of books, read them and cookies, eat them.)  After opening all the presents Emma took her nap and Dad assembled a few of the gifts.  The girls got an art station from Granddad and Grandma Harrison that they absolutely love.  (Kristen would paint forever!)  Now somebody's got to clean up this mess!  Christmas Morning Video & Painting Video / Pictures

December 24 - Almost Christmas
Christmas is almost here and we are ready, thanks to Kristen and her amazing wrapping skills.  Unfortunately for the girls they know what most of their presents are, (Kristen wrapped most of them).  It seemed like all month long if they wanted something at the store Dad would say no, but we'll get it for you for Christmas (like marshmallows, pudding, cookies, candy).  They also each picked out one thing at the Disney Outlet store in Ontario that they wanted for Christmas (and Kristen wrapped them).  It doesn't allow for a whole lot of surprises, but I think they'll be happy with what they get.  Most of their gifts are little things and we didn't want Christmas morning to drag on a long time, so on Monday, the girls started opening one present each day.  Well, it was supposed to be one each day.  The very first day they opened their biggest gift from us (jewelry boxes, Sleeping Beauty for Kristen, Cinderella for Laura).  The next day I think they ended up opening 4 each (pudding or jello).  And somebody did the 12 Days of Christmas for us and delivered a gift each night.  It was really fun and the girls loved to see what we got each night after the doorbell would ring.  (We never caught them.)  We're so grateful for our Savior and this time that we celebrate His birth.  We are looking forward to having Dad home and enjoying being together!  Better go to sleep so Santa can stop at our house.  Pre-Christmas Presents Video / Pictures

December 19 - Ward Christmas Party
Despite the fact that this was a crazy day and we didn't have enough time to do all the things we wanted to do, we did make it to our ward Christmas party.  They encouraged people to dress up in the time period of Christ's birth and although I would not have done it, Bret wanted to.  So as we were hurrying to get out the door, we grabbed a few things to wear.  Bret dressed as a shepherd and the girls were all sheep.  I did dress up and although we didn't a get a picture of me, you'll just have to imagine how I looked.  I had a couple people say I looked like Mary, but one of the young men came up to me and said "Sister Harrison, you look like a terrorist."  There was a reading of Luke 2, and they had a few people acting it out.  They were short a wise man and asked Bret to fill in.  He was willing to help but not thrilled when he realized the other two were the bishop and 2nd counselor.  (Who would want to hang out with those guys?)  Santa came at the very end and the girls all got to sit on his lap.  After it was over (and all cleaned up), Bret went to watch the New Mexico Bowl at Jace's (thanks for DVRing it!)  Although we lost, he said it was an exciting game to watch.  Pictures

December 14-18 - Can't Say No To Disneyland
Grandma & Grandpa were going with Aunt Jen to Disneyland to celebrate her birthday.  And since Bret was working in LA, I decided to go too and tag along with them.  Our hotel was about 40 minutes away from Disneyland (although it's an hour by the time we got there and parked the car).  Bret was working long hours all week so he didn't come to the park with us, but we got to see him most nights before going to bed.  After waking up in the morning, getting myself and everybody else eady to go, we'd drive to the park.  Upon arrival at the parking garage, I would unload the stroller and stuff for the day, then strap on the front pack and toss Emma in, and the girls would climb into the double stroller.  (It seemed to take me forever while everybody around me would park their car, hop out and start walking.)  From the parking garage I walked to the park and would call Jen to see where they were at.  I don't think I ever got there before noon.  (And in case you're wondering where the pictures of the girls hugging and kissing the cones are, since we parked at the parking garage we came in the other entrance.)  Over the days I heard a few times from strangers "you've got your hands full" or "you must be super mom".  I think I only took 8 pictures on day 1 (half of which were the same thing) so thanks Jen for taking pictures!  The first day ended with Kristen crying and throwing a fit so we left right after the parade.  (It definitely made me think about how much Bret does help me and how thankful I am for him.)  Each day the girls did a little better and we never had another major meltdown.  Kristen and Hannah loved being together for everything and were pretty much inseparable the whole trip.  While in the Tiki Room on Wednesday, Emma clapped for the first time.  She was very excited and happy to be in there and started kicking her feet and clapping.  Wednesday was everybody's last night, but there were still a few more rides Kristen wanted to go on, so we decided to come back again on Thursday (she really had to twist my arm).  It might seem a little crazy to try to do Disneyland by myself with the 3 girls, but amazingly they were the best behaved on that day.  It was a lot busier that day, but we enjoyed just taking our time and doing whatever we wanted.  A few more memorable parts of the trip: Kristen going on Grizzly River Run for the first time; Being first in line to ride on Alice and still waiting 20 minutes; Tricking Emma by taking off the front pack and sliding it onto Aunt Jen so I could go on Star Tours; and Hannah throwing up in the Tiki Room.  On Friday we had a late check out (since Bret was still working) so we went to the mall to kill some time (yep, front pack and double stroller again).  Every time I go to the mall, I am reminded that I do not like malls.  I don't really know why, but I figure if I can't get it at Costco, Target or WalMart, I really don't need it.  (Although we did buy a couple things at the Disney Outlet store.)  Luckily Bret got to the mall before I went crazy.  We ate dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe which the girls loved, then hopped in the car for our long drive home.  Electric Company Video & Ka-Boom Video & Laura & the ATM Machine Video / Pictures

December 12 - 'Tis the Season
We have been having fun enjoying the spirit of Christmas in our home.  Kristen loves to bake so we have been making lots of treats recently.  Luckily we have been able to give them away to friends before eating too much of it ourselves.  We also bought a gingerbread train and you would think the girls would love eating the candy (well they do), but more than that, they love the icing.  Emma is growing fast is now trying to do the stairs.  If I can catch her, I try to keep her away from.  She can wave and say mama and dada.  Kristen's Table Manners Video & Emma's First Oreo Video & Kristen Feeding Emma Video / Pictures

December 4 - Grandma Dee Is Coming To Town
We were lucky to have Grandma Dee come visit us this past week.  The girls loved playing with and showing off for Grandma.  Grandma loved being with the girls and also enjoyed cooking and baking in the kitchen.  We had lots of things planned that week and it was quite busy, but lots of fun.  We had December's Cub Scout Pack Meeting at our house in the backyard.  Bret did a great job setting up the projector and everybody enjoyed hot chocolate, popcorn and candy while watching Down & Derby.  With Grandma's help, we were also able to take our family picture for our Christmas cards.  Thanks for coming, we loved having you here!  Pictures

November 27 - Deck the Halls
The Christmas decorations have been up in the house for a couple weeks now (I think it took a whole week to put it all up), but our tradition is to get the tree the day after Thanksgiving.  We went to Target and Kristen picked out the tree (picking a different one than Dad recommended.)  We got pizza and came home to decorate.  The girls had bought candy canes earlier in the day and were so excited to put them on the tree (so they could take them off and eat them.)  They both wanted to put the star on top, so Dad held both girls while Laura handed the star to Kristen.  The girls got a little tree for their room (it's artificial, so we'll see how long it stays up.)  Kristen picked out pink lights and they both love it!  And the great thing about having the Christmas tree up, a place to pictures!  Pictures

November 26 - Turkey Time
We stayed in town for Thanksgiving and Grandma Donna (Bret's step-Grandma) invited us over to her place.  We got to meet Lynette's sister-n-law Sheila and two of her sons.  Donna ordered the meal from AJ's Fine Foods and it was amazing!  I made a pumpkin roll for dessert, (because it's not Thanksgiving without pumpkin roll.)  The girls had a great time playing and Bret got the honor (or nobody else would do it) of carving the turkey, and he did a magnificent job.  We have so much to be thankful for and are truly blessed!  Pictures

November 23-25 - Disneyland Dreamin'
Bret's been really busy at work recently and we decided to take advantage of him being home this week and decided to go to Disneyland.  Although it was a lot busier than we like, it was worth it to be there together.  We tried a different hotel for the first time and although it was a little farther walk, the price was right.  The weather was perfect and the girls did everything they've been talking about the past couple months.  We even saw Cruella DeVil!  We've only seen her once before when Kristen was a baby.  Ever since Halloween, Kristen has been talking about seeing Cruella at Disneyland.  I didn't want her to get her hopes up because I knew the chances were slim.  But as soon as we got there on the second day, we saw her.  Emma did great and was really happy.  People were always saying how cute she was (reminds me of when Kristen was a baby.)  On the second day we went back to the hotel in the afternoon for naps and then went back and stayed at the park until it closed at midnight.  My poor kids, but we were able to go on Dumbo twice in a row without much of a wait.  It was probably harder on me than it was on them, I was so tired!  We let the girls pick what they wanted to do, and we just followed along.  We had only planned to go on Monday and Tuesday, but then Kristen asked if we could go to California Adventure on Wednesday.  So instead of driving home that morning, we went and played some more.  It didn't occur to us until we got into the car at 4:00 that it was 1) rush hour in LA and 2) the day before Thanksgiving!  Traffic was very slow for the first 3 hours, hardly getting anywhere, but we finally made it home after 8 hours (normally a 5 hour drive.)  It was a memorable vacation and as always, I love Christmas time at Disneyland.  Cruella DeVil Video,   Pictures 

November 23 - A Reason to Celebrate
Over six months ago Bret began studying for his CPA exams (there are four different tests).  He studied all the time, and even used vacation days from work to study.  He would study for an exam, take it, and then begin studying for the next.    This morning we received the e-mail notification that he had passed his last exam.  We were so excited that we decided to go to Disneyland to celebrate.  (Okay, so we were already going that day, but we were sure glad that it was good news.)  We feel so blessed that he been able to get through this so quickly.  I know that this is one of many blessings we have received because of Bret's willingness to serve.  More than once he was gone multiple nights before an exam for scout stuff rather than staying home to study.  Although he needed to study, he knew it was more important to fulfill his calling.  We tried to have faith, and thankfully he did pass them all, on his first attempt.  Now it's just a matter of filling out some paperwork so he will officially be a CPA (Certified Public Accountant).  I'm so proud of you babe! 

November 18 - Health Update
Within a few hours of posting about Kristen being sick, Laura threw up around 5:00 pm, and then it hit me around 10:30 pm.  It's no fun taking care of sick kids, or being sick yourself.  But taking care of a sick kid when you are sick yourself, really sucks!  It was a very long night with not much sleep.  We're doing better now and I'm just praying that Emma doesn't get sick too.

November 16 - 7 Months Old
This post is 8 days overdue, but better late than never.  Emma is 7 months old and getting more fun each day.  She sits up on her own and crawls around on her knees.  She actually gets around pretty fast so I have to be careful of anything down on the floor.  The other day Emma was in the family room and I ran upstairs for a few minutes.  When I came back down, Emma was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.  I'm going to have to figure something out so she doesn't start climbing the stairs yet.  Lucky for me I took 4 pictures of her, all with super big happy smiles before she crawled away.  We spent Saturday in Yuma for my first staff orientation for Wood Badge.  Bret and the girls played at the Colvin's house while I was at my training.  When we got home we went out to dinner (Olive Garden) to celebrate our anniversary.  (Thanks for watching the girls Linda!)  Poor Kristen got sick while at the North's and threw up four times before we got back.  (Sorry Linda!)  And she continued throwing up all through the night.  She's still a little sluggish today, but is doing better.  And Miss Laura has had reoccuring bad dreams about a black cat lately and ends up in my bed every night.  (Kristen's dreams are about monsters.)  Laura loves both of her sisters and is very concerned if she doesn't know where they are.  Her favorite food is peanut butter and jelly, (which is easy for me.)  Sadly these are the only pictures I have taken all month, but everything is going great.  Pictures

November 11 - 9 Years
Happy Anniversary Babe!  The past nine years have been incredible and I couldn't be happier.  Thanks for being my best friend!  Love you!  You're the BEST!

October 31 - Happy Halloween
This week for Family Home Evening we carved pumpkins.  We had a Disney princess carving kit from last year that we never used so Kristen wasn't going to let us get away without carving pumpkins again this year.  Kristen was very excited to go to the store (sadly, she doesn't even know what a pumpkin patch is) and pick out her pumpkin.  Laura picked Snow White, Kristen drew a face on hers and I carved a very simple Mickey Mouse (big surprise).  After Kristen saw Laura's Snow White pumpkin, she decided she wanted Ariel.  And since Daddy is such a nice guy, he gave his pumpkin to Kristen and carved Ariel for her.  Laura has been sick this week, but when we asked her if she wanted to go tick or treating she did not hesitate.  Kristen actually picked out most of our costumes this year.  She wanted to be Sleeping Beauty (same dress as last year) and Laura to be Snow White (she got the dress for her birthday).  When we were at WalMart looking at the costumes in the baby section, she thought Emma should be a puppy.  Kristen wanted me to be a queen, but I went with Cruella DeVil since I'd be carrying Emma all night anyway.  Kristen wanted Dad to be a prince, but he went as a king, Elvis.  Our ward had a trunk or treat on Friday night and I won the prize for best overall costume!  I was really excited, even though I wasn't paying attention and didn't hear them announce it.  After walking around the parking lot (very slowly) the girls were exhausted.  On Halloween we just went down two streets (Bret was carrying Laura halfway down the first street.)  At one point he was carrying both girls.  As we neared the end, Kristen was running up to the doors (after she took off her princess shoes which left a few owies.)  They definitely had enough candy and Emma was done so we went back home.  I didn't get a picture of the girls with all their loot because they stripped down right when we got home.  I think Bret must have learned how to pass out Halloween candy from my Dad, because the bowl was full when he answered the door for the first time and then it was nearly empty.  When it was all gone we turned out the lights, and turned away a few who still rang the doorbell.  Kristen wanted to share some of her candy, so her and Dad set up a couple chairs outside and waited for trick or treaters.  We had a great Halloween but I'll be glad when all the candy is gone.  (And hopefully I'm not the one that eats it all!)  Pictures

October 26 - October Treats
I haven't posted all month and now it is time to catch up.  I had some problems downloading my pictures from my camera, (I had filled up my hard drive) so I finally sat down and cleaned it up (just enough to add my new pictures.)  I was also surprised when I had over 300 pictures, thanks to Kristen's photo documentation of everything in our house.  We've had a good month and kept pretty busy.  General Conference was at the beginning of the month, which made for a nice weekend home together.  We celebrated my 30th birthday while Daddy was gone at Wood Badge.  We did Emma's six month photo shoot (a day late), and I ended up taking pictures of all the girls.  Then Kristen wanted to do an Easter egg hunt, so we boiled eggs, dyed them, hid them in the backyard and had egg salad sandwiches for dinner.  We'll just call it a birthday egg hunt instead.  Kristen bought a Halloween Craft & Treat book with her birthday gift card, so we've spent lots of time in the kitchen.  Kristen continues to be such a big help and just this morning Kristen reminded us to have family prayer before Daddy left for work.  Kristen had the flu last week and now it looks like Laura may have it.  (After all, we have taught Kristen to share with Laura.)  Laura has become a little chatterbox and loves to talk.  If we can't understand her, Kristen is kind enough to translate.  Emma has four teeth on bottom and has started eating baby food.  She loves to sit with us at the table and will eat anything she can get her hands on.  She's not totally crawling yet, it's more the army crawl laying on her tummy.  (But she can definitely get to the things she wants.)  Bret had the chance to serve on staff at Wood Badge this month and absolutely loved it!  He was a troop guide for the Bear Patrol and they were all awesome!  I wish I could have been there with Bret experiencing it all, but I loved hearing all about it when he came home.  He was with a great group of staff and he said the course was perfect.  Emma Semi Crawling Video & Birthday Egg Hunt / Pictures

September 25 - Disneyland Challenge
I first heard about the Disneyland Challenge a year ago when I met Craig Colvin at Wood Badge.  He was on staff and discovered my love of Disney and told me about this Disneyland Challenge that he puts together each year.  He added me to his list and I couldn't wait to go.  He has a beginners challenge which is the same every year (and you can only do it once) and an advanced challenge that he creates each year.  Because the advanced challenged is on a Saturday (when our passes don't work) we only did the beginners challenge.  The beginners challenge lasts four hours and we had so much fun!  Emma was a trooper and did great hanging out with us.  (A huge thank you to Grandma & Grandpa and Jen for taking Kristen & Laura!)  Craig had quite a few teams signed up, but there were lots of last minute dropouts, so there were three whole teams.  (But the advanced had more with about 32 people.)  And I'm proud (yet slightly embarrassed) to say that we took third place.  Thanks Craig for putting this all together, can't wait until next year!  Pictures

September 24 - Club 33
We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to experience Club 33 on this trip.  (Thanks to Bret's employer.)  If you have never heard of Club 33, you can read more about it on this unofficial site.  We invited Craig & Laurie Colvin to go with us.  Our reservation was at 5:30, so we got off of Pirates of the Carribean at about 5:20, raced into the bathroom to change clothes and voila, we were ready.  Grandma & Grandpa and Jen were kind enough to take all our girls so we could enjoy a nice evening.  (This was an early birthday present for me.)  I wanted to take pictures of everything, but I didn't want to seem too lame, so I held back a little.  The food was amazing and the service even better.  Our waiter, Jeff (who has worked there for 30 years), was awesome and gave us a tour and told us about everything.  We even stepped out onto the balcony for a different view of the Rivers of America.  After three hours, we exited the obscure door and walked out of the empty park.  It is now officially the most we have ever spent on a meal, but you're paying for so much more than the food.  Chance of a lifetime and worth every penny!  Pictures

September 23-25 - Days at Disneyland
Summer is finally over and we made it back to Disneyland!  We began as we always do (actually just Kristen and Laura), by hugging and kissing the green cones on the way into the park.  Finally 30 minutes later, we met Grandma & Grandpa and Jen, Hannah and Cole at Pooh Corner.  Kristen and Hannah were inseparable.  Our second day there was Grandma's birthday so instead of getting a free ticket into the park (since she already has a season pass) she got a gift card for $72.00.  Although, most of what she bought was toys for the house for when grandkids come over.  Grandma and Grandpa also got to sneak away for some time by themselves.  This was a wonderful trip, but we did a couple new things for the first time and it really changed the feel of the trip.  Bret and I were able to go to Club 33, and also participate in a Disneyland Challenge, (which will each have their own post soon.)  We did see some characters that we had never seen before, and Kristen and Laura each experienced a new ride.  We watched Fantasmic Friday night which was and is always amazing.  Grandma & Grandpa had gone off on their own, and we staked out a place to watch about two hours beforehand.  We parked the strollers and I sat and fed Emma while Bret and Jen took the kids on some rides.  It was a hot day and I had just finished off the last bottle of water we had in the stroller.  A guy that was standing behind me had left to buy a drink for him and his wife and bought me a bottle of water too.  I was so happy and thankful that there are still nice people out there.  He wouldn't even let me pay him for the water.  So we'll have to remember this and be sure to do something nice for someone else.  We had forgotten to renew Kristen's pass, and remembered as we were leaving the park Friday night.  So after getting back to the hotel and getting the kids to bed, Jen and I went back over to Disneyland.  We stood in line for over an hour and after getting Kristen's pass it was 11:50 pm, ten minutes before the park closed.  We decided to take advantage of not having any kids with us and go on a big kid ride, and we were right by Adventureland (since they moved the bank) so we went on Indiana Jones.  It was fun and then we got ice cream and walked around the shops for another hour until 1:00 am.  I'm so thankful for a wonderful family and a loving husband who supports my Disney obsession.  (Picture overload ahead!)  Cones Video, Parade Dancing Video / Pictures

September 20 - Because Now I'm Four
Now that Kristen is four, she can do so many more things.  A week ago I left all the girls downstairs while I ran upstairs for a few minutes with Bret before he left for a meeting.  After a few minutes Laura came up, and another minute later, we were ready to go back downstairs.   I was quite surprised when I saw Kristen put Emma down at the top of the stairs.   She has never carried her before!   So, I tried to nicely tell my very sensitive daughter that she's not supposed to carry Emma, and she told me, "but I'm four and a big girl now."  There have been other occasions where I've caught her doing something that she is not supposed to do and she'll answer, "but it's okay because now I'm four."   I've also tried to use it to my advantage, "Now that your four, you get to make your bed all by yourself."  Kristen loves to draw and is always making "presents" (pictures) for us.  I feel bad not keeping them all, but there are just so many.  I have saved some over the last few months and have finally scanned them.  We have also started playing school each day and learning new things.  She gets really excited and loves to be a big girl.  Right before her birthday, she got a new booster seat for the van.  It's so nice that she can climb in by herself, buckle herself in, and unbuckle herself when we get somewhere.  Our Primary Sacrament Meeting Presentation was last Sunday and Kristen did a great job with her speaking part.  She memorized it right away (it's not very long) and has enjoyed saying it often.  The cool thing is that Laura picked up on saying it too ("I want to follow Jesus Christ").  We bought little flower cupcake molds (thanks for the idea Kirsten!) and the girls keep taking them from the kitchen to play with them.  Kristen's Drawings, Kristen's Part & Pictures

September 13 - Five Year Anniversary
We officially started our website five years ago!  (Thank you to Bryce and Michelle for the idea!)  We thought it would be a great way for the family to keep tabs on us when we moved away.  Although we didn't have children at the time, I think the biggest benefit of having this site is for grandparents to watch these little girls grow.  Bret began this whole thing and it quickly turned into one of my weekly chores.  Over the last five years, we have posted 267 news items, most of which also had pictures.  Over time, my posts have become more wordy with details that I want to remember, but that's a good thing!  Although I don't write many personal things, it has been a great way for me to journal and keep track of what the girls are doing and our family vacations (trips to Disneyland.)  I hope I can keep it up and that you enjoy seeing what the Harrison's are up to.

September 11 - Uncle Paul and Grandpa!
We enjoyed a quick visit from Uncle Paul and Grandpa this week.  The girls loved playing with Uncle Paul, he is so much fun!  Bret and I also had lots of fun, staying up late and talking with both of them.  This was Uncle Paul's first time to our house and we tried to convince him what a great place this is.  We ate hot brownies with homemade ice cream, and made pizza too.  We were so happy to have them visit!  They are getting their beads tonight at Camp Chawanakee.  I really wish I could be there with them, but our Primary Sacrament Meeting Presentation is this weekend, so I have to be here.  Pictures

September 6 - Having Fun
I think one of the most exciting things around here is that Emma's hair is so long that I have to put it up in rubber bands, just to keep it out of her eyes.  She looks so cute and I think she looks older too.  Now instead of doing two heads of hair when we go out, I have to do three (I don't count, my hair only gets "done" on Sundays.)  Emma is growing so fast and loves to laugh.  We made a little video of her laughing, (sorry it's so dark, I should have turned the lights on.)  Bret was blowing in Kristen's face and it made Emma crack up.  Laura is such a light sleeper and she wakes up every night when Emma makes any little noise, so we have moved Emma's crib into the office.  It's harder for Bret when he needs to study in there, but it saves me from having to listen to Laura in the middle of the night say "Emma woke up me."  Also picture worthy this week was the toilet paper.  After a trip to Costco I had not put away the toilet paper, but I did manage to get it to the top of the stairs by the bathroom.  We put the girls to bed and came back downstairs and when we went up later, we noticed they had opened it and built a barricade in their doorway.  I had to take a picture and the funny thing is that in the middle of the night when Laura woke up, she just stood on the other side crying for me.  The other day when we were in the car, I don't remember what we said, but Kristen said "You guys really crack me up."   Emma Laughing Video & Pictures

August 30 - Kristen Turns Four
Kristen's birthday fell on a Sunday this year, which was great having Dad around for it.  When she first woke up she noticed the birthday pictures that were hiding around the house.  Then we went downstairs to make blueberry muffins.  I had thought about making them early that morning, but then thought, baking is her favorite thing to do, why do it without her?  So we made muffins and while they were baking she opened presents.  She was so excited to get a game, treats and lots of new art supplies (which have already been confiscated.)  We ate muffins and also made cupcakes for her to share with her Sunbeam class.  Then we got ready for church and we sang to her in primary and she got her birthday pencil that she has been looking forward to for months.  When we got home we still had a little bit of pepperoni left, so we made pizza again, and this time Dad was around to eat it hot out of the oven.  For dessert, Kristen put four cupcakes on the special plate and put a candle in each cupcake.  She ate the frosting off all of them, but she didn't even eat an entire cupcake.  I suppose I should have made her a cake, but I was feeling all caked out, and since the girls only eat the frosting, I didn't need a whole cake lingering around talking to me.  Because her birthday was on a Sunday, Daddy took her out to breakfast on Monday morning.  She woke up that morning, got dressed and came in and announced to Daddy that she was all ready to go (no way she'd let him forget.)  I think she was really excited.  They had a great time together and our little girl is growing up fast.  Pictures

August 27 - Kristen's Pre-Birthday
We feel so loved because Grandma & Grandpa made the drive for our beading.  While they were here, they wanted to have a little birthday celebration for Kristen (complete with balloons.)  We made pizza, (since that's her favorite) and she requested pepperoni.  They bought a giant birthday cookie at Target, (since we already had leftover cake from the previous night.)  The girls ate all the frosting, but I really liked the cookie.  Pictures

August 26 - Wood Badge Beading
We had our beading ceremony at the Stake Court of Honor.  Bret went through Wood Badge with four guys in our ward, Gordon Thelin, John Williams, Jace Larkin and Bob McLaws who also got beaded that night.  Mom and Dad even made the drive out just to be here for it.  My course director Johanna, and her husband (my SPL) Dennis Newmeyer were there and a part of the ceremony.  My troop guide Susette Tenney presented my regalia (stuff) and Dad got to assist and be a part of it too.  (Mom was great to sit with all three girls.)  Bret's troop guide, Jim Hawley did his.  Johanna and Marilyn Hawley explained a little bit about Wood Badge and the significance behind the beads, neckerchief and woggle as it was presented to each of us.  After they did all that, Johanna asked the ever important question "Are there any Beavers in the house?"  Dad was the only Owl and wouldn't sing alone, so we sang with him.  Shannon came from my patrol, I was so excited to see him there!  David from Bret's patrol, and Brigham (who was on course with me, but is serving on staff with Bret) a fellow Buffalo were also there.  It was wonderful having support from all of them!  It was such an amazing night!  Thank you to Stephanie and Heidi for taking pictures!  Pictures

August 26 - Stake Court of Honor
Last year our Stake started a tradition of having a Stake Court of Honor and awarding the "Top Unit Award" for the Goodyear Stake.  The top unit gets to display the award, a silver fleur de lis, for the following year and then give it back.  We won last year and really wanted to keep our title.  The scouts had an fantastic year and worked hard at preparing their presentation for the stake.  Due to some technical difficulties (and long winded people) the night went a little longer than planned.  But we had an awesome night and we are so proud of these amazing young men.  They are the future leaders of the church, and we are in good hands.  I shot some videos that evening, but I seemed to start recording late and I don't have a very steady hand.  Hope you don't get sick watching them, but I wanted to share our excitement.  Bret and I also both received our wood badge beads that night, but that will be another post once I track down some pictures.  A huge thank you to Grandma & Grandpa for being here, we couldn't have made it through the day without your help!  Skit Video, Cheer Video, Winner Video / Pictures

August 20 - Daddy's 30th Birthday
For Dad's birthday we made all of his favorite foods for him.  We made him breakfast before he left for work (breakfast burritos, with bacon), packed him a lunch (ABLT, avocado, bacon, lettuce, tomato) and homemade pizza for dinner with root beer to drink.  Unfortunately for him, he had to work late and had to eat his pizza cold.  And luckily for the girls, they got to stay up late to eat cake and watch Dad open presents.  I had planned to do root beer floats instead of cake, but Kristen insisted that we make a cake (so Dad got to eat both.)  Kristen also had fun drawing Dad lots of pictures and making him presents that he could open.  We love you Daddy, you're the BEST!   Pictures

August 14 - Girls, Girls, Girls
Nothing really exciting, just a few random shots of the girls being girls.  Pictures

August 10 - Updated Pictures
I needed to take 4 month pictures of Emma and also wanted to update our family picture, so Sunday before church I got everybody ready (one at a time) and took the girls pictures.  We didn't get to do the family picture before church because of time and Emma and Laura were both napping until it was time to leave.  Dad had a meeting after church, so I didn't think we would be able to get a picture.  But, when Daddy got home from church, we were all still dressed (in church clothes,) so we gave it a try.  I'm amazed at how well the girls do with just our camera on a timer.  I couldn't get any smiles out of Emma because she had her hands in her mouth and was drooling all over (second tooth on bottom is coming in.)  Emma's eyes have turned brown, so we now have three brown eyed girls.  They are such beautiful happy girls!  Pictures

August 2 - Silly Little Girls
Just wanted to include some pictures of these silly little girls.  I guess Laura is definitely a middle child (for now) because it seems all the pictures are of Kristen and Emma.  Kristen is always doing funny stuff and she asks me to take pictures of her doing those things.  And I try to take pictures of Emma because she is growing so fast.  Poor Laura gets forgotten, I'll try to be better taking pictures of her.  We have lots of fun at our house and these are a few shots of what goes on.  Kristen likes to put on her swimsuit, or princess clothes, even dress up in her church dresses.  Laura runs around in her pajamas a lot and Emma just lays around on the floor.  Splash Mountain Practice Video / Pictures

July 31 - Going to Work with Dad
Kristen was very excited this year to go to work with Daddy.  (Laura was sad she didn't get to go too.)  She painted and decorated a picture frame and they even took her picture and printed it out for the frame.  Someone made balloon animals and Kristen got a pink bear holding a heart, and she even brought home a white bear for Laura.  When Kristen's balloon popped the following day, she wanted Daddy to go to work and get another one.  (Like they have balloon animals all the time.)  They provided snacks for the kids and pizza for lunch.  They had a great time and Kristen felt so special hanging out with Dad.  Pictures

July 27 - Stake Pioneer Day Camp Out
This past weekend our stake held a camp out to celebrate Pioneer Day.  Although it was over a 3 hour drive, we took advantage of the chance to go camping as a family.  (This was Emma's first camping trip.)  We got there and set up camp.  The girls love jumping on the bed and bouncing around in the tent.  Laura didn't nap very long in the car and was a little grumpy that evening.  She was crying that she wanted to go home, but then Daddy built a campfire and gave her some chocolate and then she was happy.  We had our usual fajitas for dinner and that night the stake held a fireside with smores for dessert.  Daddy helped the girls roast marshmallows and we brought some Reese's peanut butter cups to try on our smores instead of the traditional Hershey bar.  We liked it a lot better!  The girls were super tired, but when we got back to the tent they wanted to watch a movie, so we put on Toy Story 2.  When it was over Laura wanted to cuddle with me, and to be considerate of all our camping neighbors, and keep her from crying, Daddy slept on the little air mattress with Kristen while I had Emma and Laura.  The stake was serving breakfast at 7:00 so we were up early and right after breakfast were pioneer activities for the kids.  Our ward primary got an assignment to do a booth tying a quilt.  But since that was way beyond me, I opted for butter in a jar.  So each of the kids there got to put whipping cream in a jar and shake it until it turned to butter, then put it on some bread to try it.  (We even made honey butter when we got home.)  It was a lot of fun, but Bret and I were so busy doing that, that Kristen and Laura were wandering around on their own entertaining themselves.  We love camping because the girls really enjoy it.  Before we had even left Kristen was already asking when we could go camping again.  We had a wonderful time and I think this is a great tradition.  Pictures

July 27 - Catching Our Breath
It seems we've been very busy the last couple weeks and today I'm going to catch my breath and post some random pictures.  Last week we said goodbye to the Jones family before they moved to Oregon.  Ella came over one last time to play and then they had a little goodbye party at the Eastman's.  It also took me a few days to get everything ready for the camp out, and the night before I was hurrying to make another skirt and bonnet.  Emma is growing so fast and is still a great baby.  She is quickly outgrowing the bassinet and will be moving into the crib soon.  She is rolling over and can even laugh.  Emma has also been drooling a lot and yesterday when I put my finger in her mouth, I discovered she's got a tooth coming in!  Definitely not my little newborn anymore.  Speaking of kids growing up.... One morning Kristen came in and woke us up and said she wanted to make muffins.  When we came downstairs, she had already put on her apron, got the muffin mix and poured it into a bowl, got out one egg, milk, oil and the 1/3 measuring cup (which was the right one) and the muffin pan,  She's not a little girl anymore.  Pictures

July 13 - Life is Great
Nothing really exciting has been happening, we're just enjoying life.  It's hard to believe that Emma is already three months old.  She is such a great baby and a joy to have in our family.  Last weekend we got a babysitter so we could go on a date.  We went out to dinner and took Emma with us (she normally sleeps during that time anyway so I wasn't worried about her.)  But shortly after we ordered dinner we were reminded of what it was like taking Kristen out with us just after she was born.  Emma began crying so Bret took her outside and walked around with her while I hurried to eat my food, and then we switched.  She was fine walking around outside, but as soon as we went back in the restaurant she would start crying.  I know there is a time and season for everything and I do enjoy my little ones, but lately I've been dreaming of the time when they will all be a little older and Bret and I will have more time together alone.  That night when we got home we pumped up the air mattress in the family room and did a movie night and slumber party.  (Emma and I opted to sleep in our own beds.)  The girls had a great time and Dad loves the cuddle time.  On Saturday we had some new friends over for dinner and had lots of fun.  That night Bret had to chaperone a youth dance, so we went out again, this time we left Emma at home.  (It was late enough that she was asleep for the night.)  It was a fun evening, but if you really want to feel old, go to a youth dance.  I had never heard of most of the songs and it seemed very different from when we went to dances.  We don't get out much now that it has gotten really hot (it has been 115 the past 3 days.)  We try to stay inside where it is nice and cool.  The girls favorite movies right now are Toy Story 1&2, The Three Caballeros and any Mickey Mouse Clubhouse movie.  Life is great!  (And to explain the picture of Kristen's socks on her bed....She normally has some (too many) stuffed animals in her room and she likes to sleep with them all in her bed.  It was time for bed and we had already turned out the lights, but she stayed up playing (in the dark) with her stuffed animals.  So I took them all away (aren't I mean?)  But it didn't seem to bother Kristen because apparently you can have just as much fun with socks.)  Pictures

July 5 - Fourth of July
What a long day this turned out to be!  We started off at 8:00 am at the ward breakfast at church.  It was a lot of  fun, but the humidity made it feel really yucky.  They had great food and some water games for the kids to play.  Kristen wasn't too interested in the games until they took turns getting sprayed by the hose.  Since this was our first Fourth of July all together (Bret is usually gone at Scout Camp), I wasn't too sure what to do.  (My tradition was always dinner at Carl's Jr. and watching fireworks on TV.)  But this year was extra special since Dad was with us to celebrate (and because it is one of his favorite holidays.)  We went shopping at Target to get Kristen some goggles and Laura a little life vest.  Then we went to Garden Pizza for dinner.  (It just opened near our house.)  For any locals reading this, you've got to go try it.  They have the most amazing thick crust pizza!  Kristen had opened her goggles in the car and put them on and was very excited to show the guys at Garden Pizza her new purple goggles.  After dinner we came home and got ready to go swimming.  Friends in our ward had rented the community pool from 7-9 in the evening and invited us to come.  Kristen was ready first and apparently we took a long time getting ready because she climbed into the trailer and fell asleep (and was snoring too.)  (Granted it was her bed time and yet we were going out swimming.)  She woke up and got some more pep in her and loved the big pool.  They had a diving board that she would jump off of and swim to Daddy.  Laura would jump from the side of the pool to Daddy, but didn't like going under all the way.  This was Emma's first time swimming but I didn't get any pictures of her.  At 9:00 we hopped out of the pool and headed home.  Wait, it's the fourth of July, we can't go home yet, we've got to see some fireworks.  So we parked along the street near the stadium and climbed into the back of the van to watch the fireworks.  Since I didn't plan very well and bring extra clothes, the girls were lucky that I had extra diapers/panties in my purse so they didn't have to hang out in their wet swimsuits.  Unfortunately for Emma her extra clothes got wet at the pool.  We could hardly get Laura to sit still to watch the fireworks.  Kristen enjoyed them, and Emma was indifferent (she was happy just sitting with Mom.)  Kristen fell asleep on the drive home, but I think it was almost 11:00 by the time Laura finally crashed.  We are grateful to live in this wonderful country and for all those who have fought for our freedom.  It was a long but wonderful day.  Laura has learned something new this week.  We have not attempted potty training because she had shown no signs of interest, but then  she has started saying "I go potty."  At first she would sit and do nothing, but several times she has peed in the toilet.  But the only time she ever tells us this is when she is supposed to be going to sleep, either for nap or at night.  So she has definitely learned that by saying that, it is a "get out of bed free" card.  I'm not up to tackling this at the moment, so we'll see how much she wants to do it on her own.  Pictures 

July 3 - Swimming Lessons
The girls have been taking swimming lessons for the past 2 weeks and it caused some mixed feelings.  Kristen liked it for the most part, but still cried every time she got her eyes wet.  Laura on the other hand cried most of the time.  Some mornings they even said they didn't want to go, but by the last two days, Kristen was so excited to go!  She never cried, did everything Miss Kasie asked her to do, and loved jumping in the pool.  (The same thing happened last year, loved it by the very end.)  I think part of the problem is that they aren't able to practice in the pool other than the 30 minutes they're there for their lessons.  Although Laura cried through it all, she did learn to monkey along the wall, and could do everything with Miss Kasie's help.  I have a few long videos with Laura crying the whole time (which are pretty funny,) but I posted the short one with minimal crying.  Laura & Emma also had a doctor's appointment this week with shots.  They're both growing well and doing great.  Emma is almost 3 months old and she weighs 12.5 lbs.  And Laura is only half an inch away from being able to ride the Matterhorn (translation: she's 34.5 inches tall.)  She weighs 25 lbs. which doesn't seem like much since she eats so much.  (She has been known to eat as much as or more than Bret.)  We're so lucky to have our three wonderful girls!  Swimming Lessons Kristen Video & Swimming Lessons Laura Video / Pictures

June 21 - Happy Father's Day
Daddy was gone all week at scout camp and we are so happy to finally have him back home.  The girls were a big help in making today special for Daddy.  Kristen helped me wrap the presents last week and she told Daddy about it as soon as he got home.  I kept reminding her it was for Sunday, so first thing Sunday morning she hid the presents (because that's what we do) and wanted Daddy to come find them.  We had a simple breakfast of muffins and cantaloupe.  We made it a little tricky for Daddy by wrapping the present, putting in a box and wrapping it, and putting it inside another box and and wrapping it. again  It was fun watching him and of course the girls helped with the unwrapping.  One of his gifts was a french fry cutter, so he wasted no time and tried it out immediately.  At church the primary kids sang "Daddy's Homecoming" (I'm so glad when Daddy comes home...) and "Called To Serve" in Sacrament meeting.  I had tried practicing Daddy's Homecoming with Kristen at home, but she would always tell me to stop singing.  Bret said Kristen sang every word to Daddy's Homecoming and did the actions too.  (I was playing the piano so I couldn't see her.)  When he told her how proud he was of her she said "Ya, but I didn't know the other song."  We feel so blessed to have such an amazing Daddy in our home.  He is wonderful with the girls and loves doing anything with them.  We love you Daddy, you're the BEST!  Father's Day Video / Pictures

June 15 - Family in Fresno
We got sad news that Sister Thompson had passed away on the 7th, so we made plans to travel to Fresno for the funeral on Saturday.  When I told Kristen that we'd be going to Fresno she said "and then were going to Disneyland?"  I said not this time, then she responded "but if we go to Fresno and get Grandma and Grandpa and take them to Disneyland, they'll be so excited!"  It's only been a month and I'm already going through withdrawals.  We drove through the night on Thursday and played at Jen's house on Friday.  Kristen & Laura had lots of fun dressing up in the princess clothes.  They also loved running and bouncing through the obstacle course, and looking at all the little baby frogs in the backyard.  We let Daddy take a nap (since he stayed up all night) and Laura joined him.  My Mom & Dad stopped by with some corn from Fresno State (a.k.a. the best corn ever!)  So we had barbequed chicken (a few had tilapia), corn and fruit salad.  It was a delicious meal!  While the kids were playing, a few of us bigger kids had fun challenging each other to shooting hoops.  We had a great day there and I think Jen wishes we lived there so we could do it all the time.  On Saturday Krista was so kind to watch Kristen & Laura while we went to the funeral.  I'm so glad we came and were reminded of what an amazing life Sister Thompson led.  She was 93 years old, which means she was 73 when she started teaching me piano (and then later the organ.)  They said she had more than 1,400 piano students through the years.  It was also like an old 8th ward reunion as we saw many people there that had moved out of the ward.  After the funeral we picked up the girls and headed out to Carol's for a Gage Family Reunion.  (We hadn't planned on coming to town for it, but it ended up working out.)  We got there when it was almost over, but people were still there, and food too.  As soon as we got there Kristen saw the pool and stripped down naked before I could even put our bags down.  So I got them in their suits and Daddy hopped in the pool with them.  We had lots of fun seeing everybody but are so thankful for the internet because we can keep track of each other all year long.  Then we headed back to Dee's and played games.  Gavin, Mike, and his friend Candice were all there.  We played Cranium which I normally hate playing, but Bret and I won, and then we played Things, a very funny game.  It was a long day and the girls were exhausted but we had fun.  We spent all day Sunday driving back home and vowed to never drive during the day again.  They weren't all bad, but Kristen threw-up (she did last month too) and they just seem to do better when they sleep the whole time.    Bounce House Video & Basketball Video & Pool Video (no sound) / Pictures

June 8 - Miss Emma Is Two Months
It's hard to believe Emma has been with us for two months now.  She is a wonderful baby and makes cute little oos and ahs now.  I can handle the Arizona heat in the summers (because we stay inside where it's cool,) but I'm having a more difficult time dealing with the sun rising so early.  Mostly because when Emma wakes up to eat at 4:30 or 5:00 (early morning or middle of the night, however you want to look at it) she thinks it's time to stay awake because the sun is already up.  She is very happy at that time and just smiles lots, but I'm always still tired and want to go back to sleep.  What's worse is when Kristen & Laura are both up that early too.  I've got to invest in some dark shades for my windows.  Pictures

June 1 - Laura Turns Two
Today was Laura's birthday and she had a great day.  We decided to start a tradition that I grew up with, Daddy taking you out to breakfast on your birthday.  So Daddy and Laura left for Village Inn and of course Kristen wanted to go too.  But when I told Kristen that she got to stay home with me to plan the party, she was really excited.  While they were gone we made a big birthday banner, filled balloons, wrapped a present and made cupcakes.  After we wrapped the present, Kristen hid it for Laura to find.  I was emptying out the dishwasher when they got home and after a few minutes I realized everybody else had gone upstairs.  When I went upstairs I saw Kristen and Laura with the present already opened.  (Bret was in his office, so we both missed it.)  Laura has started putting lots of words together and talking lots more these past few weeks.  She doesn't seem so little anymore and is growing up fast.  We love our sweet little Laura.    Pictures

On another note, you know you're a real Disney fan when...Click Here and Scroll down to "Give a Little Whistle."

May 31 - Cute Little Emma
Emma looked so cute all dressed for church today, and I had promised more pictures of her, so I thought this would be the perfect time for a little photo shoot.  She did amazingly well!  I only took 7 pictures and she was smiling in 4 of them.  She is almost eight weeks old and over the last week has started smiling.  She smiles mostly at Kristen, so I was quite shocked when I got such great smiles today.  We must also give Aunt Krista credit for the beautiful flower growing on top of Emma's head.  (I love them, thank you so much!)  Emma really is a wonderful baby.  She often sleeps six hours at night and of course she still sleeps most of the day.  She is usually very content in the car, stroller or if she is being held.  She lets me know when she is hungry, but other than that, she doesn't cry a whole lot.  I feel so blessed to have such a great little baby.  She is growing so fast and I need to take more pictures so I don't forget these precious times.  Pictures

May 29 - Wrapping Up May
June is almost here so I thought I better recap the rest of May.  One Saturday (my laundry day), Kristen got her sheets out of the dryer and made her bed, all on her own.  I was so surprised and very proud.  She did a pretty good job.  (She got the fitted sheet on right, but the top sheet was turned side ways.)  Kristen is continually doing things that makes me realize that my little girl is growing up.  Memorial Day weekend we spent eating outdoors and drinking homemade lemonade.  (Kristen loves making lemonade with Dad, and she adds the sugar all on her own.)  On Saturday we ate hamburgers, corn on the cob, and deviled eggs.  And on Sunday we did kabobs.  We went to a friend's house for Memorial Day and had some incredible homemade pizza, and then homemade ice cream for dessert.  (Sounds like our whole weekend revolved around food.)  We are keeping busy and loving life.  Emma is growing so fast and I'll get more pictures of her up soon.  Laura is also growing up as she now uses the phrase "I do it myself."   Kristen's Lemon Video / Pictures

May 12-14 - Emma's 1st Disneyland Trip
On Monday we (along with Grandma Dee) left Fresno and headed south to Anaheim for a couple days of Disney fun.  (Mom, Dad, Jen & kids got there Tuesday morning.)  Instead of waiting 3 months like we did with Kristen & Laura, Emma got to go to Disneyland just after turning one month old, and she did great.  I wore a front-pack with Emma in it for most of the time and she was very content to sleep cuddled up against me.  She slept so well that she wasn't wanting to eat all day long, so I never really had to sit out of rides just to feed her.  She came along with me on most of the rides, except for two that she couldn't go on.  It was also a trip of firsts for Kristen.  She has reached the 40 inch mark, which allowed her to try out some new rides.  She did splash mountain (3 times), thunder mountain railroad (just once) and star tours (twice).  She also got lost for the first time, and it happened to be the day that I forgot to put on their stickers with our cell phone numbers.  It was in the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail (at CA Adventure) so at least she was confined to that area.  Bret spent most of Wednesday in the hotel room working on some stuff to meet deadlines, so he said we could stay an extra day.  Luckily the hotel had a room available and for a good price.  Everybody else left Thursday morning to go home and we headed back to the parks.  We were able to handle all 3 kids by ourselves and it didn't seem bad at all.  We were also surprised to run into my cousin Liz (whom I haven't seen for many years) just outside the Golden Horseshoe.  It was noticeably busier on Thursday so we did more shows that didn't require standing in long lines.  And so we enter the summer months when it is too busy to go and countdown the days until September when we will go again.  Cones Video & Conga Line Video & Slides Video & Feeding Ducks Video / Pictures

May 10 - Emma's Blessing
We made a quick trip to Fresno to bless Emma in Cedarview Ward.  Unfortunately I got sick just before we left and wasn't feeling all that great.  Emma did great on her first road trip, I hope she can keep it up.  Bret gave her a wonderful blessing and we were so happy that our whole family was able to be there.  I also love going to church at the cedar building because I have so many memories there.  (Bret and I met in the overflow during Sunday School (course 13) 16 years ago.)  Although people move away and it's not the same as it used to be, Cedarview/8th ward will always feel like home to us.  Pictures

May 8 - 1 Month Old
Where has the last month gone?  Today at Emma's one month doctor's appointment she weighed in at 9 lbs. 10.5 oz.  I attempted to get a picture of her today and did a little photo shoot, but she wasn't very happy.  She was fine if I was holding her, but cried as soon as I laid her back down.  We also celebrated Mother's Day since we would be gone.  Daddy helped the girls make heart shaped cupcakes and then I opened my presents.  I got a popcorn popper, which we tried out right away.  (It's a great snack without all the butter that comes on microwave popcorn.)  It was so cute when I walked in the door and Kristen surprised me by saying "Happy Mother's Day!"  My family is the BEST!  Pictures

May 2 - Unbirthday Party
Yesterday while Dad was at work, we blew up some balloons and filled a few with helium, just to play with.  Then Kristen kept talking about having a party and when Bret got home from work, she said "Surprise!  Happy Birthday Dad!"  She even made a cake for the party (Laura helped her a little.)  She found some candles that we have used in the past, #1, #2 and put them on.  Although I thought Kristen wanted to do this for Dad's birthday (4 months early) we sang to her and she blew out the candles.  It was a fun day!  Pictures

April 28 - M&M
Our little Emma is almost 3 weeks old!  We have been on our own for over a week now and Bret has been back to work and other commitments in the evening.  So that is why I have not posted recently.  This is the time where sleep is more valuable than updating the site.  Although the delivery and recovery has been so much easier with #3, having all 3 kids at home by myself is NOT easier.  (Not that I thought it would be.)  And I will admit that I have taken considerably less pictures of Emma than I did with the others, but I still plan to do a monthly photo shoot.  I was able to finish her birth announcement and send them out (by e-mail, I only mailed a few to grandparents and those without a computer.)  Emma is a good little eater and now that her cheeks have filled out a little more, she looks more like Kristen & Laura as babies.  Emma is already being spoiled as she likes to be held and sleep in Mommy & Daddy's bed.  She has only spent one night in the bassinet, which was when she was 2 1/2 weeks old.  At first it gave me hope, but she hasn't done it again since.  She has already been branded with the nickname M&M.  She is also my little Houdini as she can pull her arm out of her sleeve when I have her swaddled.  I love listening to Kristen use a "baby voice" when she talks to Emma.  And every day when Kristen gets dressed, she tells me "I'm all ready to go to Disneyland."  So I guess we'll have to go sometime soon.  Kristen & Emma Video / Pictures

April 19 - Fun Times
Bret took Kristen & Laura to a birthday party carnival yesterday that was super fun.  They watched a magic show and there were lots of carnival games to play.  But our silly girls mostly just sat there eating chips, (they don't get chips very often.)  And today was exciting because Kristen gave her first talk in primary (which I was sad to miss.)  Bret worked with her on it on Saturday, and she had gotten pretty good at remembering what to say.  It was really cute watching her practice.  Bret even set up a microphone and speaker for her so it was more realistic.  After he practiced with her, she wanted a turn to whisper to him what to say.  It was so cute!  Her talk was about Jesus' resurrection and that we will all be resurrected.  She was a little shyer in primary and didn't say anything on her own, but repeated just as Bret told her.  We're so glad that Grandma & Grandpa got to be there to see it before they went back home and miss them already.  Pictures 

April 15 - Happy Easter
Some people think about taxes today, I was thinking about Easter.  I'm actually not slow in getting this post up, just slow in celebrating Easter.  Last week for Family Home Evening we talked about Easter and the Resurrection of Christ.  But I didn't have it together to do the Easter egg hunt on Sunday, and I figured the girls won't know the difference if we do it a few days later.  (Besides, they've been hiding and hunting plastic eggs for almost a month now.)  So today we boiled eggs, dyed them, and then hid them in the backyard.  Kristen and Laura were both so excited to look for the eggs.  Kristen always seemed to move one step faster than Laura, but she surprised us several times by putting the egg in Laura's bucket (bucket...basket...whatever.)  We hid them several times, and Kristen even took a turn hiding all the eggs.  After turning on our AC last week, the weather has changed once again.  It was quite windy (you can hear the wind in the video) and a bit chilly today.  I'm glad that we still did the Easter egg hunt, even if it was a few days late.  The girls had such a great time and I wouldn't be surprised if we end up doing it again before next Eater.  Easter Egg Hunt Video / Pictures

April 13 - Emma's First Bath
Emma set a record with our kids for losing their umbilical cord the fastest.  Hers came off at 4 days old (why did they used to tell us to wipe alcohol on it?)  So today she got her first bath.  She didn't really like it, in fact she cried the entire time, but she looked so cute when it was all done.  Hopefully she will get used to it, because there will be plenty more baths in her future.  I also took Emma to the doctor today and he said that she's perfect.  Not that we didn't already know that, but it's nice to have a second opinion.  Pictures

April 12 - Family Photos
Our attempt at getting an updated family photo.  Not a perfect shot, but good enough for now.  Pictures

April 11 - Disney On Ice
Disney On Ice was in town this weekend and we thought the girls would really enjoy it, and it would be something special for them since Emma arrived.  So Daddy, Grandma Dee, Kristen & Laura went to see the show and had a wonderful time.  The girls even got crowns with ears on them.  The show was titled "A Disneyland Adventure" so they portrayed lots of different rides and played the music from the rides.  I think because the girls are so familiar with it all, they loved watching and were totally captivated.  During the show a bad guy comes and captures Mickey & Minnie, this really worried Laura.  She kept covering her mouth and saying "Oh no, Mickey, Minnie."  I think she was very relieved at the end to see that they were okay.  I think we've definitely found a new tradition for our family!  I look forward to being a part of it next year.  Pictures

April 10 - Other Stuff
Here are some shots from the past couple weeks that I haven't had a chance to put up yet.  Ramil, one of Bret's mission companions was in town and stopped by with his family.  (The last time we saw them was over 4 years ago when they were sealed in the San Diego temple.)  The girls had a great time playing with their new friends and we enjoyed hanging out with Ramil & Sherry.  The girls have enjoyed having Grandma Dee visiting over the past 3 weeks and have been on lots of walks to the park and even went on a few picnics.  Pictures

April 9 - We're Home
I'm happy to report that we are home.  I will admit that I'm usually walking out the door (or being wheeled out) of the hospital as soon as the baby reaches 24 hours.  Although today I had to wait a couple extra hours for my doctor to come and discharge me.  We feel so blessed everything went well and that Emma and I are both feeling great.  Kristen and Laura were so excited when we arrived home with "Baby Emma".  They have loved holding her, giving her hugs and kisses, getting diapers, blankets or pacifiers for her, and just sitting and staring at her.  Kristen keeps telling us "how cute" baby Emma is.  She is such a great big sister and I know Laura will be too.  We're excited for our family to grow, even though we are now outnumbered by kids (and Bret especially feels outnumbered by all the girls.)  Pictures

April 8 - Emma Joyce
We arrived at the hospital around 1:30 a.m. and contractions had been 3-5 minutes apart.  After being admitted and getting the epidural around 5:00 a.m., things slowed way down.  It was kind of discouraging because I thought that things would be going faster.  They gave me pitocin and got the contractions going closer together, and of course by that time the epidural was not so strong.  So the last hour or so I was breathing trying to get through the contractions.  And the pressure was strong enough that I was not trying to push, but Emma wanted out.  As soon as my doctor arrived, he said to go ahead and push.  So I did, and out came little Emma.  She arrived at 11:43 a.m. (April 8, 2009), weighs 7 lbs. 13 oz. and is 19.5 inches long.  She is perfect and I'm feeling really great, just tired.  Emma Video / Pictures

April 8 - Almost There
We started down this road 10 months ago, and now we are almost there.  It's about 1:00 a.m.and we are headed to the hospital.  Hopefully Emma will arrive before too long and we will have something to post in a few hours.  Here are some pictures from the past 7 months.  Pictures

April 1 - Budding Photographer
I am always surprised each time I upload the pictures from my camera to find that Kristen has been taking her own pictures.  Of course there are many that I don't save, like the pictures of the ceiling or the floor, but sometimes I am so impressed with what she can capture.  Laura loves it when Daddy holds her up high and she gets to fly like Dumbo.  He was doing this the other day and they were coming down the stairs and Kristen snapped a quick shot.  She caught them both smiling and got them both in the frame.  I'm glad that she loves taking pictures, and I'm sure there will be plenty more pictures from her in the future.  Pictures

March 21 - Indoor Camping
Dad was heading out on a campout this weekend and Kristen thought she was going to go too.  So, to help soften the blow, we set up the tent in the family room so they could have their own little campout.  We had pizza for dinner and watched a movie.  Both girls were all over the princess bed (blow-up with sleeping bag), which means I guess we'll have to get another one for Laura soon.  Luckily this old tent (we bought when we first were married) is small enough to fit inside and I can set it up all by myself.  Pictures

March 14 - Swinging at the Park
Our ward activities committee put on a potluck at the park and we are so glad we went.  It was tough getting the girls to stop playing for a few minutes so they could eat some lunch. The girls had a wonderful time playing and their favorite part was swinging on the swings!  I was so impressed at how well Laura held on to the swings.  The girls were partial to Bret pushing them, especially Laura.  If I started pushing her on the swing, she would say she was all done, and then go over to another swing by Daddy to have him push her.  Daddy is so special!  Kristen would sing songs as she swung higher and higher and Laura would usually laugh as she got higher.  Girls On Swing Video & Laura Kisses Daddy on Swing Video / Pictures

March 13 - In the Kitchen
I didn't realize it until I uploaded the pictures, but apparently we've been eating a lot, or at least that is all I've been taking pictures of.  The weather has been nice so the girls have spent lots of time playing outside, but it usually ends with Laura crying.  The girls like to wrestle with each other and they basically take turns making each other cry.  Kristen learned how to spell "Harrison" last week, without help from us.  (But it is on the wall in our family room.)  She spelled it out the other day and I was shocked, she said "H-A-R-R-I-S-O-N, spells Harrison."  She loves writing words and trying to spell things.  It's rubbing off on Laura because she has been able to learn the sound that each letter makes.  Bret has been working on a client in LA and has traveled there for a few days each week.  If the timing were better, the girls and I would've tagged along and played at Disneyland, but not this time around.  But his traveling should be winding down real soon.  Pictures

March 1 - Getting Bigger
Although this title does apply to me, this post is actually about Kristen.  Today she gave the scripture in primary.  I can't believe my little girl seems to be getting so big!  I helped her say the scripture in Doctrine & Covenants 88:119 "Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God."  She repeated it as I whispered it to her, speaking into the microphone in her cute little voice.  Bret was so excited when I told him that it was her turn to say the scripture.  The sad part for him was that he got sick Saturday night, (we think it was food poisoning) and so he missed it.  Not to worry, she will have many more opportunities to say the scripture, prayer, and give talks in primary.

February 19-21- Disneyland Getaway
Since it had been almost 3 months since we last went to Disneyland, it's only natural that I was hoping we could go again soon.  Kristen was also wanting to go (uncoaxed from me.)  Bret has been super busy, so I had pretty much given up on thinking it wouldn't happen.  I contemplated just taking the kids myself, but didn't think I had enough energy to do that.  However, Jennifer planned a trip to Disneyland to celebrate Hannah's 4th birthday (with Grandma & Grandpa too) so at the last minute I decided to tag along.  I knew if I didn't jump on this opportunity to go, we wouldn't make it until May.  Hannah had preschool Thursday morning, so after that they were going to leave and we could go to Disneyland that evening and on Friday.  Although I knew it would be somewhat busier than we're accustomed to, we still wanted to go.  I packed up the girls and the car and we left Thursday morning.  The girls did great on the drive and we drove straight through without stopping.  We got to the hotel about an hour before Grandma & Grandpa & Jen arrived.  We all headed over to the park just before 6:00 pm, which is 7:00 Arizona time, which is the girls bedtime.  Even though the girls were tired they were excited to be at Disneyland.  We went to the Tiki Room and then on Pirates.  Then while we were sitting waiting for Fantasmic to start, we ate dinner.  Laura enjoyed watching Fantasmic while sitting on Grandpa's shoulders and I had Kristen close to me.  When it was over everybody was ready to go back to the hotel.  The girls fell asleep as we walked back.  We did wait in more lines on Friday than we normally do, but it wasn't too bad.  We were still able to go on lots of rides and had so much fun.  After a very long day we headed back to the hotel to sleep.  Although the kids went to bed, I blame my Dad for keeping me up until 1:00 am, but it was a lot of fun sitting around talking.  I have always recognized and appreciated Bret for all that he does, but I think it moves to a whole new level when he's not there and I have to do things myself.  I even packed just the bare minimum because I knew I would have to carry it up to the room myself, so everything fit into one suitcase, including Kristen's princess blow-up bed.  I am so grateful that I went with my parents because they were a huge help.  I am also thankful that the girls were so well behaved, it made it so much easier to enjoy the trip.   The drive home went well and we were all glad to be back home with Daddy.  Thanks Grandma & Grandpa and Jen for such a fun trip, we had a wonderful time!  Disneyland Cones Video / Pictures

February 14 - A Lovely Weekend
Friday evening after work we headed for the hills (Buckeye Hills) to go camping.  Kristen had been wanting to go camping for so long and gets very sad every time Daddy goes camping and she has to stay home.  So we promised them this would be the weekend, since it was the only free one this month that Bret didn't have something for scouts.  Bret had to work so we got a late start and set up camp in the dark.  We built a fire and roasted marshmallows and ate smore's.  I don't think the girls actually ate a whole smore, but they did eat the marshmallows and chocolate.  We had two air mattresses in the tent but it wasn't long before Laura ended up with us.  Then sometime during the night I moved into Laura's sleeping bag on the other bed with Kristen.  After breakfast we went on a little hike up a hill.  I'm surprised at how much Laura walked before wanting Daddy to carry her.  It was about nap time (for Laura), but we were all pretty exhausted, so we headed back home.  We weren't gone real long, and it was quite the effort to pack everything up for that short time, but it was so worth it.  The girls loved it and had such a great time.  I didn't charge my battery on my camera before going, and I'm really bummed because although I still got some pictures, I missed out on the opportunity for so many great videos.  The girls jumping on the beds inside the tent, Laura walking around eating "mewo" (marshmallows), both girls sitting in the dirt, Kristen filling up her sweater with "baby rocks" and just wandering around looking at everything.  I'm so glad that they enjoy camping and being outdoors.  It was a great trip and I loved being with all my loves on Valentine's Day.  Pictures

February 11 - Little Glimpses
I've been trying to focus more on the little things that the girls do that bring a smile to my face.  So in that effort, I've tried to catch a few pictures of them, just being them.  One of my favorites is Laura in the pantry.  Every morning she gets the step stool and moves it to the pantry and looks for something.  Often times the step also assists her on top of the counter so she can get into the cupboards.  A few bowls have been thrown down, but nothing has broken so far (knock on wood.)  Kristen is still my little helper in the kitchen and loves to make muffins, cookies, cake or whatever she can think of.  I have also realized that we have way to much "stuff," including toys.  The house is a mess within minutes of the girls waking up and I don't have enough energy to keep it clean all the time.  So I no longer answer the door during the day if I'm not expecting anybody.  I need to get back into the FlyLady swing of things and start decluttering, because it's true, "you can't organize clutter."  Bret has been pretty busy with work, school and scouts but the girls get so excited to see him whenever he is home.  Pictures 

January 26 - Keeping Busy
I don't know where the first month of 2009 has gone.  When I look back at the calendar, and especially the lack of pictures, we haven't done anything super exciting, but we have been extremely busy.  I've had lots of primary stuff to do for the new year, but hopefully it will slow down soon.  We were super excited to have Grandma & Grandpa Gage come visit us for a few days.  We had fun just relaxing and hanging out around the house.  At least I remembered to take one picture right before they left.  The girls had a great time playing with them and can't wait for them to come again.  Laura made her transition from the crib to a big girl bed on Christmas night.  Here we are a month later and I think it's been great.  She even goes down for her naps really well without coming out of her room.  For the first few weeks she would wait in her bed after waking up, but now she will come downstairs to find me.  Apparently I'm losing my touch, but thanks to Bret (and his Blackberry Storm) this post does have some pictures to go along with it.  Pictures

January 7 - Football, Sunbeams & Throw-up, Oh My
Of course this time of year brings the end of the college football season.  Bret is of course saddened as each bowl game passes by, and we will be having our final last hurrah tomorrow night.  Kristen & Laura were both sick last week.  Laura threw-up first, then Kristen followed.......8-9 times that day.  The poor girl couldn't eat or drink anything, it would all come right back up.  After such a long day, I was very thankful when it appeared to only last 24 hours.  Laura threw-up only once and in the kitchen (wood floors, thankfully) and Kristen was always able to recognize when she was going to be sick and would throw-up in the toilet, yeah!  So even though it wasn't a real fun day, I am still thankful because it could have been a whole lot worse.  This past Sunday was Kristen's big transition at church from nursery to primary.  I was really worried about her, especially because we talked to her about and she was sure that she wanted to stay in nursery with Laura.  Well, she did great in primary, even with me conducting and doing sharing time she only got out of her chair once.  And she went to Sunbeams and had a great time, I think the m&m's might have played a part in that.  Laura switched to the other nursery and did great too, even without Kristen in there.  I have been quite busy working on primary stuff and Bret spent his time off cleaning the garage.  His break is now over though as school started again this week and he'll be getting busier at work.  Sorry there are no pictures for this post, but since throw-up was a big part of it, be thankful.