Michael and Jen

Deliciousness

2009-12-23T17:45:00.001-08:00

A good friend taught me how to make these and they are quickly becoming a Christmas tradition.

All you need is one bag of pretzels, one bag of peanut M&M's and two bags of Rolo's. Warm oven to 250 degrees. Lay the pretzels on the pan. Place one Rolo on each pretzel put in oven for 2 1/2 minutes. When they come out push the M&M done into the Rolo. Put in fridge for 1/2 an hour and then set them at room temp for another 1/2 an hour. Enjoy!

So easy and so yummy!!!

Terrible Twos

2009-11-26T11:08:00.000-08:00

I realized how much of a slacker I have been with blogging lately and although this is late, I had to post pictures from Ashton's 2nd Birthday which was the 21st. He is growing up so fast and is so much fun. I love this kid!

4 Whole Years

2009-09-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

Sydney 1 month old

"I'm Four Today!"

Today is Sydney's 4th Birthday! She is having a great day so far and had tons of fun at Preschool. Her birthday party will be tomorrow and I'll post more pictures then! She is learning and growing so much. She loves going to preschool and absolutely loves her teacher. I can't believe how big she is getting to be. Crazy to think she started at a tiny little 5 lbs. 15 oz. four years ago today.

My Workout Buddies

2009-08-13T22:29:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I was working out to Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. Ashton and Sydney were both in the room and decided to workout with me. It was actually kind of cute. Ashton had to carry one of the hand weights around. He kept picking it up and pushing it over his head. Sydney did more of the planks and push ups with me. When I was trying to do these crazy crunches with my legs in the air, I was sweating and slightly moaning and Sydney says, "Mom you can do it." It was so cute. What a good motivator. In the beginning of the workout before I felt like I was going to die I just had to take some quick pictures of Ashton. It was funny, Sydney picked up the hand weight and said, "it's so heavy mom." I think Ashton might be stronger than her. Today Sydney said to me, "Mom we need to play your game." Life must be so different from a child's point of view.

Free Giveaway!

2009-08-10T18:48:00.001-07:00

My friend Leigh is hosting a giveaway from All Modern Baby... check it out. http://piggybacktothepeak.blogspot.com/2009/08/giveaway-from-all-modern-baby.html?showComment=1249955051985#c44377341548616725">

Happy knitter

2009-07-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

I have really come to love knitting. I really love making scarves in the fall/winter, but what can you knit in the spring and summer? I came across this super cute baby blanket pattern and so I thought I would try it out. I couldn't decide what gender to make it for, so I decided to make it white for a blessing blanket. It turned out super cute. I can't wait to make more!

By the way, I am not pregnant. Although when I was knitting it the other day Sydney asked me if it was for her baby sister. So maybe she knows something I don't. Or maybe she is just having some wishful thinking. Apparently she thinks a sister would be better than the brother she already has.

Exhausted

2009-07-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

After too many nights of staying up too late and too many days of no naps, the kids are just exhausted. Ashton decided to stay up all night last night. It was like having a newborn again. It was so random and I'm not exactly sure what was going on with him, but he finally went to sleep at 4:30 this morning, which is why it is noon and he is still sleeping!!! Syndey woke up very early this morning, too early, and apparently decided she needed more sleep, because when I woke up this morning this is what I woke up to...

My Big Brave Boy

2009-06-28T17:18:00.000-07:00

Ashton finally stayed in Nursery today all by himself. He was less than excited at first and I do believe that you could hear the screams down the hall, but he has some wonderful nursery leaders and one of them adopted him as a buddy today. A huge special thanks to Brother Hill. Hopefully next week will go even better now that he has his buddy to go to. Yay for Ashton!!!

18 Months - An important milestone

2009-06-14T18:03:00.000-07:00

Ashton turned 18 months old at the end of last month, but he was sick one week, then we had Stake Conference the next week. So last week was his first opportunity to go to Nursery. It did not go well. Poor little guy just doesn't seem ready. Which is sad because Mom and Dad are very ready for him to go in and have some much needed playtime during church. We tried again today and it didn't go any better, in fact it might have been a little worse. We will keep trying and maybe one day he'll decide, like his baths, that hey, I guess this Nursery thing isn't so bad afterall. One can only hope. We took a few pictures of him after church last Sunday.

Bath Time

2009-05-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

So for 18 months now, Ashton has screamed his head off every single time it was time to take a bath... then one day last week he decided, I guess baths aren't so bad afterall. It was the first time he wasn't screaming so we had to snap some pictures.

And we will call him Buzz

2009-05-07T12:32:00.000-07:00

Before..

After...

Easter 2009

2009-04-12T19:25:00.000-07:00

Here are some picture from Easter this year. Sydney loved her dress and looked like a princess. Ashton was a stud in his vest and tie. It was a fun-filled day!

Phantom of the Opera, Bubba Gump... and a Blu Ray Player all in one day...

2009-03-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

Today was an amazing day. We went to the 2:00 matinee performance of Phantom of the Opera at the Buell Theater in Denver. It was so amazing... I almost can't even describe it. After the performance we went to Bubba Gumps for dinner. When Michael and I got home we went to go buy Twilight... and decided to just buy a Blu Ray player and Twilight on Blu Ray. I'm way excited. Here are some pictures from the highlights of the day.

Jen, Michael, Jen's Dad & Mom, Janeen & Dave

"Fat Lady" outside the Buell Theater

The Buell Theater

View from the parking garage.

Jen's Mom and Dad at Bubba Gumps

Michael and Jen at Bubba Gumps

Janeen and Dave at Bubba Gumps

Ashton Update

2009-03-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

Ashton has his doctor appointment with the eye specialist yesterday. She examined his eyes which he did NOT like! She determined that no surgery will be needed. His tear ducts are only slightly blocked and he should grow out of it. His eyes look teary for a long time after he cries mostly because of the shape of his eyelids, which she also said should change as he grows older and his face broadens. I am thrilled that he won't need surgery, no matter how minor it would have been!

Just keep swimming...

2009-02-25T20:31:00.000-08:00

Sydney finished up another session of swimming lessons today. She is making so much progress. She still is hesitant and very cautious, but is definitely getting braver. She loves her teacher Mr. Kenny and he is really good with her. Here are some pictures from today!

15 Month check -up

2009-02-24T12:10:00.000-08:00

Ashton had his 15 month check-up today. He is getting so big. I can hardly believe how fast he is growing! He weighs 22 lbs 5 oz and is 32" tall. He is in the 25% for weight and 75% for height. His doctor says that he will be tall and skinny. He is developing just right but is slightly at the lower end with his gross motor skills (climbing, etc.) which I'm ok with. Sydney wasn't even walking at this age so I'm not too worried. We have recently been concerned with his eyes. He gets really teary and the tears don't seem to drain. I asked the doctor today and she said that his tear ducts are plugged in both eyes, which actually means that one of the valves connecting to the ducts is not opening. We have to massage it with our finger 3 times a day for the next 3 months to try to see if they will open. If they don't open by his 18 month check up his doctor is going to refer us to an ophthalmologist and they will have to go in and surgically fix it. The thought of any surgery on my little baby just makes me heart race, but I know that it will be a very simple procedure and I'm just glad that it is something that is easily fixed. We are hopeful that the massaging will open the valves. Other than that he is a perfectly healthy boy!

2009-02-19T18:56:00.000-08:00

1. YOUR REAL NAME: McG

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first 3 letters of real name plus izzle): Mikizzle

3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color and favorite animal): Blue Liger

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (your middle name and street you live on/or neighborhood if it's a number): Corey Indigo

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name): Hepmi

6. YOUR SUPERHERO/CRIMINAL NAME: (Your 2nd favorite color, and favorite drink) Green kool-aid.

7. YOUR IRAQI NAME: (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, 1st letter of your last name, 2nd letter of your moms maiden name, 3rd letter of your dads name, 1st letter of a siblings first name, and last letter of your moms first name). Lphieay

8. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (parents middle names): Corey Lou

9 . YOUR GOTH NAME: (black, and the name of one of your pets): Black Murray

10 . YOUR HOOD NAME:....first 3 of your first name and add -iqua....: Gleiqua

11. What will you repost this as? (1st letter of middle name; last letter of siblings first name, first letter of your last name, and add lockly) Cyhlockly

What's Your Name

2009-02-19T11:57:00.000-08:00

Lori tagged me and I tag everyone who reads this too!

1. YOUR REAL NAME: Jennifer Hepworth

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first 3 letters of real name plus izzle): Jenizzle

3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color and favorite animal): Red cat

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (your middle name and street you live on/or neighborhood if it's a number): Mae Manistique

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name): Hepje

6. YOUR SUPERHERO/CRIMINAL NAME: (Your 2nd favorite color, and favorite drink) Green cherry coke

7. YOUR IRAQI NAME: (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, 1st letter of your last name, 2nd letter of your moms maiden name, 3rd letter of your dads name, 1st letter of a siblings first name, and last letter of your moms first name). Ephakjy

8. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (parents middle names): Kim Ann

9 . YOUR GOTH NAME: (black, and the name of one of your pets): Black Lilly

10 . YOUR HOOD NAME:....first 3 of your first name and add -iqua....:Jeniqua

11. What will you repost this as? (1st letter of middle name; last letter of siblings first name, first letter of your last name, and add lockly) Mnhlockly

Go Cougars!

2009-02-03T21:18:00.000-08:00

Last night we went as a family to the BYU vs. Air Force basketball game. The kids had a blast watching the Falcons mascot. Ashton wouldn't take his eyes off of him. When he finally came toward our section I took him down to see him. He just about jumped out of my arms to get away from him. Apparently just a fan from afar. Syd cried when she first saw him, but finally calmed down. I'm not sure what it is with my kids and mascots, scary things I guess. We also got to see and pet the actual falcon that Air Force has. Syd was scared (of course) and wouldn't touch it. But Ashton petted it and so did I. It was kind of neat.

As for the game, BYU killed Air Force, so Michael enjoyed that. I didn't actually watch much of the game, but I had a blast watching the kids get so excited about the birds! Apparently it was a pretty good game though. Better luck next time Air Force.

Goals for 2009

2009-01-15T14:34:00.000-08:00

I've never been one to make a lot of New Years Resolutions. But hey, what the heck... we'll give it a shot.

~Lose 10 more pounds (actually I'd like to do this by June, we'll see how it goes).

~Continue to go to the gym at least 4 times a week.

~Read at least 50 books throughout the year. (Anyone have any suggestions, I'd love some!)

~Attend the temple more regularly.

~Complain less, yell less, be more patient with the kids. Be a more positive person!

~Have more date nights with Michael.

I could probably go on and on... so many things I'd like to change and do differently. I suppose I'll be a work in progress. Here's to 2009!

He can walk!

2009-01-12T15:02:00.000-08:00

Saturday we left the kids with my parents and went to the temple. When we went to pick them up my mom mentioned that Ashton was walking all over the place. Michael and I looked at each other and said, "huh?" He had been walking along furniture up till this point but that was it. She said that he had walked across the room. I'm with the kid pretty much 24/7 and he waits till he is away from me to walk for the first time. Here are a couple of picture of him on the move.

Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam to shine for him each day.

2009-01-04T21:05:00.000-08:00

Today was Sydney's first day as a Sunbeam. She didn't even cry at all, which was a pleasant surprise. She loves her teacher. Her favorite part was singing time!

I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. Fish are friends, not food.

2009-01-04T20:41:00.000-08:00

Saturday we decided to take a trip up to Denver and took the kids to the Aquarium. The kids had a blast. Last time we took them Ashton was too little to really know what was going on. This time he got so excited watching all the fish. It was really fun.

Sydney was of course scared of the shark.

Ashton on the other hand went head first into the shark's mouth.

Christmas Eve at the Hepworths

2008-12-24T21:45:00.000-08:00

Opening a present from Aunt Lori and Uncle Kevin.

Sydney with Lori and Kevin. She loved her present!

Sydney loves Sleeping Beauty. She was soooo excited when she opened this present from Aunt Lori and Uncle Kevin.

Ashton in his new PJ's from his Grandma Penny. He was so cute in them!

My Grandma Warren

2008-12-16T08:58:00.000-08:00

My Grandma passed away this morning. We have been expecting her to pass because she had been so frail lately and the anniversary of my Grandpa's death is coming up next week. She told my aunt last week that she was ready to go be with my Grandpa. We were hoping that she would make it till Christmas because my Mom had reservations to go and see her, but she was ready to go. I always felt a special conncection to my Grandma maybe it was because I was given her middle name. I'll never forget all the times we visited my Grandparents in Arizona. Her yummy homemade apple butter and delicious apple pies. She taught me how to play Yahtzee and Rummikub. I'm sad that my children will never know her, but am so glad that we took pictures last year when we went out for my Grandpa's funeral.

Sydney had never met her before but she went right to her and gave her lots of hugs.

My Grandma and my mom.

My Grandma holding Ashton when he was only about a month old. She just loved him and thought he was the cutest little boy she'd ever seen. He was so tiny then.

Here's our whole family at my Grandpa's funeral.

Girls Night Out

2008-11-26T12:14:00.000-08:00

So I've had two girls night out in less than two weeks! So fun and a super big thank you to Michael for taking care of the kids! Last night I went with Lori, Anna, Becka to see Secondhand Serenade at the Gothic Theater in Denver. We got there right at 7 but there were three other bands that played first. Secondhand Serenade didn't even start playing till 10!!! It was fun and we were able to stand in the balcony and were pretty close. It was super loud and I was beginning to question if I am just too old to do the whole concert thing. But I had so much fun.

Twilight

2008-11-22T07:49:00.000-08:00

I had to blog about Ashton's birthday party first and now that I have, I can talk about Twilight. After Ashton's party I came home and helped Michael get the kids in bed and then headed off to the movies for Girls Night. I went with all Michael's sisters and his mom. It was so fun. I absolutely LOVED the movie. Of course it wasn't as good as the book, but that is usually a given. A few of the actors weren't quite as I pictured them and there is always so much that is left out. Overall I thought it was very well done and I loved that Stephanie Meyer had a cameo appearance.

Party Hard!

2008-11-22T07:25:00.000-08:00

Ashton's birthday was so much fun. He wasn't too into opening his presents, but actually did better than I thought he would. He LOVED his cake was was covered by the end. It was nice to have family and friends there to celebrate his special day. Here are some pics from the party.

All of a sudden yesterday Ashton started standing on his own. It was like he knew he was a big boy now!

Asthon of course was more interested in his cards and wrapping paper than some of his gifts.

Once again loving the wrapping paper!

He was very excited about his cake! What a mess!

Birthday Boy!

2008-11-21T11:47:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe my little baby is one today! This last year has gone so fast. Ashton is the sweetest boy I could have ever wished for. He is so happy and brings so much joy and laughter into our house.

His party is tonight so I'll have to post his birthday pics later, but here are some recent ones of him.

Rockstar

2008-11-01T20:30:00.001-07:00

Michael decided to go all out for Halloween this year and got tattoos on both arms. He's so crazy sometimes.

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

Halloween was a blast this year. Syd was a chicken and she was so excited about it. Ashton was a zebra and he was not excited at all about it. Screamed his head off, but then realized it wasn't coming off and decided to be a good little zebra. They were so cute and they got tons and tons of candy.

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

2008-10-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

With one week left in this session of swim lessons Syd has made tons of progress. From screaming and crying and clinging to me for dear life to walking to the pool smiling. She is loving every minute of it. She will now go with her teachers and "swim", she will put her face in the water and blow bubbles (sort of) and today jumped in the water for the first time all by herself. She is still super cautious and does everything in her own time. But I think that will be something that will never change. Here are some pictures from today's lesson.

This was right before she jumped in for the first time all by herself. Go Sydney!

One of the fun things in the class is that they have all kinds of fun water toys. She loves throwing Nemo and then swimming after him.

She loves when her teachers push her through the water.

And loves to practice kicking.

Bless her teachers for their patience. They have been so good to her through all her lessons. I told Sydney that maybe we should get them a little thank you present. She is very excited about that. I asked her what we should get them and she said chocolate. She knows best I suppose. So next Wednesday for her last lessson with them we'll have to get them a special treat. And then hopefully we'll sign her up for the next class within the next couple of weeks.

Our Little Fish

2008-10-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

Sydney started swimming lessons last week. We are making slow progress, very slow progress, but at least she gets in the water. She thinks she is so brave.

Sydney and her friend Morgan

Splashing around

Crawling like an alligator (in 2 inches of water)... she's so brave

A Little Bit Quirky...

2008-10-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Lori to list 6 quirky things about me.

1. I pick at the sides of my fingers whenever I am nervous, scared, excited, bored, or anxious, so it happens a lot. It is a horribly bad habit. I once had acrylic nails put on just so I couldn't do it.

2. I also pick at my lips when they are dry.

3. I have to sleep on my stomach with one arm under my pillow. The sheet has to be touching my check, the sheet, not the blanket and I rub my foot on the bottom of the sheet to go to sleep. Oh and I absolutely have to sleep with my hair down. If I for some reason forget and leave my hair up, I wake up with a horrible headache.

4. I have a rock in my head from when I was a toddler and fell and got a bunch of gravel in my head. There was a piece they never got out. Just call me rock head.

5. I have a vein in my left foot that is shaped just like a heart.

6. I am terrified of heights and by heights I mean like even 15 feet off the ground. I am absolutely terrified!

Ok, now that we know about all of my weirdness. I tag Jessica, Will, Shannon, Dianna, and Merilee.

Happy Apple Farm

2008-10-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

Thursday we went on a field trip with Sydney's preschool class to the Happy Apple Farm. They didn't actually get to pick any apples because the farm lost all of them in a late frost in April, but the kids did get to go on a tractor ride and got to pick a pumpkin. All the kids had so much fun and it was really cute to watch them carry around pumpkins that were half their own weight!

Look out World!

2008-10-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

So the other day Ashton decided to try the stairs... and up he went! He was so proud of himself. I'm so not ready for that, but if he waited for me to be ready for him to do things, he'd still not be crawling. Why do they have to grow up so fast? And yes, he is carrying a wand around, one in each hand. He likes to take things from his sissy.

Princess Sydney's Quilt

2008-09-27T21:15:00.001-07:00

So for Sydney's birthday I decided to make her a quilt. Here are a few pictures of it. It turned out ok for it being my first quilt and she absolutely loves it.

Princess Sydney Turns 3!

2008-09-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

Sydney turned 3 on Thursday and we celebrated today with a Princess/Pirate party. It was a tons of fun. She had a blast. All the kids dressed up as either a princess or a pirate. We played pin the tiara on the princess (just like pin the tail on the donkey), find the poison apple (just like an egg hunt, but a plastic apple instead), had a bubble machine blowing bubbles and we decorated her playhouse like a castle. It was a lot of work and I'm going to crash pretty hard I'm sure, but it was so worth it. Here are a few pics.

Shelby Turns Two - It was Beary Special!

2008-09-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

Sydney and Ashton attended cousin Shelby's 2nd Birthday party yesterday. It was a Build a Bear Party. Sydney had so much fun playing with Shelby. As soon as we walked into Build a Bear Sydney ran straight to this cute pink bear. So that decision was easy enough. We dressed her with a Disney princess shirt and jeans. And Sydney named her Cinderella. I helped Ashton pick his out. A cute turtle that we dressed with a sweater vest and shirt and pants. We named him Vern. Ashton loves his turtle. Mostly he just wants to put it in his mouth, but he does that with everything! It was a really fun day and Sydney and Ashton really loved seeing Grammy, Pa, Shelby and Aunt NeNe. Here are some pictures from the party.

Car Troubles.... Grrr....

2008-09-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

So yesterday turned out to be a fun day. We had plans for a playdate in the morning. So we left the house around 9:45 and went over to a friends house. Then we left at noon. We got all into the car, key in ignition, turn the key... nothing. No sound, no car starting, nothing. So I think ok... am I have a blonde moment? Is the car in park? Did I just forget how to start a car? Hey, you never know right. So I try again... nothing. Try again... NOTHING! Then it starts to make a clicking noise each time I try. So I figure the battery was dead. It was fine two hours prior, but now dead. Michael left work to come rescue me because he had the jumper cables in his car. So we try to jump it, nothing. We finally decide to leave the car there so he could take me and our very tired children home so they could nap. We called a tow truck and had it taken to the Dodge dealership to have it fixed. They discovered it was in fact the battery, but there had also been battery acid that had leaked out and had destroyed a few other essential car parts. Don't ask me what they were, that's beyond my car knowledge. But at least it was something that didn't take too long to fix. A few short hours later and I had my car back.

Tow truck - $70
Car battery, other essential car parts, labor, and extra money for mechanics vacation fund - $458
Having a car to take Sydney back and forth to preschool - Priceless

He does tricks!

2008-09-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

Asthon only has two bottom teeth, but he sure puts them to good use. Check out this video.

Our Little Preschooler

2008-09-02T12:30:00.001-07:00

Sydney's first day of preschool was today. When she woke up this morning I told her she had to get dressed so she could go to school. She threw herself on the floor and cried and said she didn't want to go. I thought oh great, this should be fun. But I started to tell her all the fun things she was going to get to do and she got a little more excited. Then I told her I was going to take pictures of her with her backpack and she was even more excited. On the way over she was very happy and asked lots of questions about what she was going to be doing. We went up to the front door and I helped her take her backpack and jacket off and she said, "Bye Mom!" No tears, no clinging, not even a hint that she would miss me. What a relief! She had so much fun and couldn't wait to tell me all about her fun day. It was kind of strange to have her gone all morning. It will be nice to have a few hours to spend with just Ashton a couple days a week. I still can't believe she is in preschool. She is getting to be such a big girl!

Whatever Works!

2008-08-18T09:06:00.001-07:00

Sometimes we have to be creative to get Sydney to do what we want her to do. Lately our battle is dinnertime. For reasons that I will never understand the girl just doesn't ever want to eat dinner. So I told her that if she took a bite I would take her picture. Worked like a charm. Apparently she is not shy in front of the camera. Here are some of the pictures I took. Lucky for us we have a digital camera and we were able to delete dozens of unnecessary pictures. Oh and I should mention that Sydney looks like a wild child in these pictures because she had been playing outside and totally messed up her hair and she had gotten soaked playing in the pool water so she is nearly naked. We gave her a bath after dinner so we didn't want to get her dressed twice. Just thought I'd explain so everyone doesn't think we are total white trash that let our children run around in their panties.

And yes she is eating on the counter. Like I said... whatever works.

And yes... we are eating on the couch. We are horrible parents!

On the move

2008-08-11T18:47:00.000-07:00

Ashton is finally crawling, well in his own way at least. He does an army crawl and pushes himself with his toes and pulls himself with his arms. He will do this along with rolling to wherever he needs to get to. So now the fun begins. I'm sure he'll be into everything and keep me even busier than he already does. Here are some pics of his crawling moves.

Ashton is the master of reaching. It's almost like his arms extends twice their length. It's crazy.

Oohhh!

Here's the push with the toes.

And pull with the arms...

Finally success!

The Last Lecture - Lessons Learned

2008-07-31T16:10:00.000-07:00

Many of you who will read this have probably heard about Randy Pausch. He was recently in the news a lot. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer and only given a few months to live. He lost his battle with cancer last week. He was on Oprah a few months ago and after I heard his story I had to get his book and read it. It is filled with advice on living, as he calls them, life lessons. You can not read this book and not be inspired. What an amazing man! I highly recommend reading this book. Talk about doing a lot with the little time that he had left. What an amazing legacy he left for his 3 young children. I only wish I had a fraction of his optimism and unbelievable outlook on life. One of the chapters in his book is dedicated to fulfilling childhood dreams. I felt inspired to take a look back to my childhood and try to remember what some of my dreams were and asked Michael to do the same. He was let's say, slightly reluctant, but I finally got 3 out of them. Here they are...

Jennifer's 3 Childhood Dreams

1. Become a teacher

2. Fly to the moon

3. Sleep in Cinderella's castle

Michael's 3 Childhood Dreams

1. Become a doctor

2. Drive a ferrari

3. Meet Michael Jordan

Maybe someday we will be able to achieve some of these dreams. I thank Randy Pausch for his inspiration and feel a great deal of sadness for the loss that his wife and children must be feeling at this time.

One Tired Girl

2008-07-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

So today I put Sydney down for her nap right at 12:30, as I always try to do. She likes to watch Curious George before her nap. So nothing seemed to be different. Around 1ish Sydney sneeks down the stairs as if she was done with her nap, like I'm supposed to be dumb and not know that she never fell asleep. So after 3 attempts of taking her back to bed, I thought she was finally going to stay. And she did. Ashton woke up from his nap around 2 and so I went upstairs to get him. Well what do I hear, but Sydney playing in her room. The little stinker hadn't ever fallen asleep. I figured by that time it was a hopeless cause. So she played for a while and then around 3:30 I put Little Mermaid on for her in her room. Around 4 I realized I hadn't heard any noise coming from upstairs in a while, so I went to check on her. This is what I found.

Denver Zoo Pics

2008-07-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

Sydney in front of the elephants.

Riding of the train. Sydney was very excited to ride on the train. It was nice to sit for a minute and get out of the sun.

Ashton wasn't quite sure what was going on. But he liked the ride.

It was really hot and so we enjoyed an ice cream. Ashton couldn't get enough!

Here's Sydney enjoying some good ole' cotton candy! She loves the stuff!

Downtown Aquarium Pics

2008-07-10T11:25:00.001-07:00

Sydney with her favorite fish, Nemo and Dorie.

Sydney and Ashton posing in front of a huge fish tank. Ashton loved looking at all the fish.

I snapped this picture right as Sydney turned around and saw the shark. Priceless.

Sydney didn't want her face painted, but wanted it on her arm. She got a yellow Nemo with pink and purple stripes.

Here we are eating at the Aquarium Restaurant. Sydney had Baracuda Burgers and Ashton chomped on some carrot sticks. I enjoyed grilled chicken (sorry, I just don't care for seafood) and Michael had stuffed shrimp (shrimp stuffed with crab) he said it was pretty good. The food is pretty pricey, but it is really neat to eat right next to the tank and watch the fish swim right by.

Mini Vacation Summer 2008

2008-07-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

We had wanted to go on a fun trip this year, but funds weren't going to allow for anything super spectacular, so we decided to go on a mini vacation up to Denver. We stayed 2 nights at La Quinta Inn, where we had a two room suite. It was really nice. The hotel also had a pool, kiddie pool and hot tub. Sydney was not a fan of the pool this time around and wouldn't let go of us, not even in the kids pool. There was also a game room where we played pool and air hockey. Sydney enjoyed this a lot more. She like playing air hockey and actually was pretty good. She also "helped" us out by putting the balls in the holes while we were playing pool. She is such a good helper. Ashton loved the pool and had fun splashing around. He sat in his stroller while we played pool and air hockey and loved watching the puck go back and forth.

We went to the Downtown Aquarium, went shopping at Park Meadows Mall (where Sydney got to throw pennies in the fountain), and went to the Denver Zoo. It was a fun few days!

4th of July

2008-07-10T10:48:00.000-07:00

This year we went to the Monument town parade. It was really really really hot, but it was fun. Sydney loved watching all the animals that were in the parade. She saw dogs, horses, camels, and even 3 elephants. She also loved the clowns, but wasn't quite sure when one came up to her, but she did ok. Ashton loved being in the stroller, but didn't really see much of the parade. He fell asleep after the first half hour and even managed to stay asleep through all the noise. Here are some pics from the parade.

Here's the whole gang, Michael, my mom, my dad, Sydney and Ashton chilin' in the stroller.

Ashton was stylin' in his sunglasses and his 4th of July shirt that says, "Born in the USA".

It was really, really, really hot. Sydney was in the sun almost the entire time watching the parade from the street. So here she is trying to cool off with some water. Her 4th of July shirt says, "I'm a star studded cutie".

Elephants from the Renaissance Festival were a big hit with the crowd.

Michael liked all the cars that were in the parade. Here's what I'm told is a SHELBY MUSTANG GT500KR. Looks like a regular old mustang to me, but apparently it is much more than that.

Summer Fun!

2008-06-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

June really flew by. Here are some pics from this month with different things we've been up to.

Trying to stay cool by the pool, Ashton is a stud in his cute swim trunks and stylin' sunglasses. He's not a fan of being in the water, but I think he will by the end of the summer.

This summer we decided to just get Sydney this little kiddie pool that she can cool off and splash around in, since that is really all she will do and thinks she is quite brave when she does. She has been, and probably always will be, our little scaredy cat, but I'm ok with that. At least we know we will have fewer trips to the ER that way.

I decided to take some new pics of Sydney and Ashton together. Sydney of course doesn't ever want to smile and Ashton has drool all over his shirt as always (even though I had a bib on him up until about 30 seconds before this picture was taken). Oh well, what can you do.

June 24th we decided to go to the Sky Sox game. It was pretty fun. The weather was pretty nice, although it did get a little windy and cooler towards the end. Ashton seemed to really have fun. There was a lot to look at and lots of new sounds. He feel asleep after about an hour.

Sydney was super excited to go to the game to see Sox the Fox. Before we left for the game I asked her if she was going to give him a hug, she said, "Yes, and a kiss." She was so cute about it we decided to get her a little stuffed Sox the Fox. The whole time before the beginning of the game she just kept looking for him. When he finally came out, she was so excited! She kept waving at him and showing him her fox. That was of course while he was 500 feet away. Then he came into the crowd and walked right behind where we were sitting. She got so freaked out and started crying hysterically. The whole rest of the game she kept her eye on him, always aware of where he was. I guess she didn't want that hug afterall. Like I said, she our little scaredy cat.

It's been a fun summer so far. We'll see what fun adventures July brings us.

Pee Pee in the Potty, Pee Pee in the Potty!

2008-06-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

Potty Update!

It's been a week and a half of potty training and I'm just about jumping on the couch Tom Cruise excited to report that Sydney hasn't had an accident all week. We even went out shopping today and I had to take her to a public restroom, not once, not twice, but three times to potty, which she did. She is doing amazingly well. We still put a pull up on her at night and for naps, but while she is awake, she is a sit on the potty kind of girl now. I don't think I've ever been so excited to hear tinkling or a plop in the toilet. I am so proud of her.

Potty Training Here We Go!

2008-06-03T09:31:00.000-07:00

After a few failed attempts at potty training, I finally decided this last weekend that it was time once and for all. So Monday we did a lot of talking about going on the potty and even made a special box for her pennies. So everytime she goes on the potty she can get a penny and at the end of the week we can go throw them in the water. (She loves going to the mall and throwing pennies in the fountain there.) So far this morning, we've done some sitting, with no success. Potty training is exhausting and it's only 10:30 in the morning. So far today she's had no accidents, although I know that won't last much longer and I should probably knock on wood as I type this. So let's hope that the potty gods will be kind to us this time around and we might actually get one out of diapers. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas that have worked for them, I'd LOVE to hear them.

Lesson Learned

2008-02-14T12:10:00.000-08:00

Everyday I am taught lessons by a two-year-old. They are often unexpected, but always very important to learn. Like, don't ever say that she can't open it by herself, she can. And don't ever say that she won't color on the walls, she will. She's two. So last Wednesday when I was busily cleaning up the house and collecting the trash to go to the street, who knew I'd be in for a very important lesson. I had finally got all the trash together and was ready to take it out. Ashton was asleep on the couch and so it was a perfect time to get it done. I told Syd to go to the window to watch me take the trash to the street. Sometimes she freaks out when I leave her inside alone. I opened the garage door and was taking the trash to the street when I heard a little noise. My eyes widened and I thought to myself, NO! See what I didn't tell you is that Sydney has recently learned how to lock the garage door, what she hasn't learned is how to unlock it. I ran up to the door and sure enough it was locked. First reaction, panic. I tried to remain calm because Sydney was totally freaking out. So I was locked out of my own house. A three month old and a two year old left inside, can we say panic? I tried to find something in the garage to open the door, but had no luck. Syd tried her hardest to unlock the door but had no success. The light bulb finally went off and I decided to try the back sliding door. Sydney DOES know how to unlock that one. So I went to the back door and after 15 minutes of coaxing, Sydney finally got the door open. It was freezing that day and had just started to snow. I was out in sweatpants and a t-shirt. Not too smart. I learned may lessons that day. Never trust a two-year-old. Never go outside underdressed. Keep a spare key. And teach Sydney to unlock the door. Never a dull moment with a two-year-old around. Can we say terrible-twos?

"I Went to the Park"

2008-02-05T14:43:00.000-08:00

Everyday when Michael comes home from work he'll ask Sydney what she did that day. And everyday her response is the same, "I went to the park." Which is a complete fabrication since it has been so bitterly cold and snowy lately and we haven't visited the park in weeks. I worry about this a bit, will she grow up to be a very sneaky teenager who can tell some serious "stories" or maybe I shouldn't worry and she'll just grow up to be a very imaginative and creative writer. Time will tell, but for now we just get a kick out of listening to her tell us of her daily adventures to the park where she goes on the slide and swing everyday.

2008-01-31T10:20:00.000-08:00

I often wonder what I ever did with all my free time before I had Sydney and now that I have Ashton too I think that I must have been incredibly lazy or at least very well rested before the kiddos came along. I go nonstop all day entertaining a very active two year old and looking after little buddy, who feels the need to eat every two hours on the dot. But as crazy busy as it sometimes seems, I feel happier now more then ever. Though every day is filled with dirty diapers, spit up, snotty noses, tantrums, and more dirty diapers, not to mention the endless cleaning of the house, it is also filled with tons of hugs and kisses and sweet baby smiles. It's filled with stories and singing and dress up and playing. And some days if I'm incredibly lucky I might even get a second to rest.