Out with the Old

I got out my old breast pump to make sure it still worked. To my dismay, it didn't turn on :( This was my sister's pump that she bought like 8 years ago so I guess it has had a long life. I was still bummed because that meant I had to buy a new one. Farewell to my old pump!
I started checking Craigslist and scored! I got a new Medela pump in almost brand new condition for $80. This pump is $280 brand new and I talked the lady I bought it from down to $80!!!

My favorite part about the new pump is the bag for storing bottles. It's all about the little things right?

Thank you Craigslist for yet another amazing deal!

Nordic Roots

My mom got on this family history kick and wanted to make sure all the kids new their Norwegian roots. She bought all these costumes and got them to take a picture. Her picture didn't turn out great, but the kids had fun anyway.

All our Viking warriors!

The toughest of them all -

The little boys taking Grandma on in battle -

Thanks Grandma for some fun!

Mother's Day

I'm starting off with what I'm most excited about regarding Mother's Day - a special gift from my mom. My mom had a necklace made for each of my sister and me. It's just a simple pendant but it has four diamonds from her original wedding ring setting.

It may not be worth much monetarily, but it means the world to me. I absolutely love it - THANK YOU SO MUCH MOM!

Now on to how my hubby spoiled me. It started with homemade cinnamon rolls! The cinnamon rolls were so delicious. I'm embarrased to tell you how many I ate over the weekend...

I also got spoiled with a brand new diaper bag. I can't wait to use it.

He also got me a corsage to wear to church. It's an old tradition that I love. I never turn down flowers :)

We spent most the day on our own but we went to my mom's house for dessert. Chad brought some cinnamon rolls to share with everyone.

My sister and I with my mom after getting our new necklaces. These are definitely four of the best moms/women I know!

It was a great Mother's Day and I can hardly wait for next year!

Pottery Studio

I bought a Groupon (one of my top 5 favorite websites) for a pottery place. It was about to expire so we figured we better hurry and use it!

First you have to clean your pieces with a sponge and some water.
Then you pick out the paint colors -

Then you paint! Vance didn't last very long, but he did have fun.

His favorite part was cleaning out all the brushes and deciding to use a new color every 5 seconds. You can imagine how much fun that was for me!

Daddy is a little more patient and detail-oriented than Mommy so he helped Vance add the finishing touches to his projects.

I had Chad take a picture of me as proof that I was there too, but it wasn't so cute (pretty dang ugly actually) so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Swim Lessons

I am quickly losing motivation as I enter my third trimester and blogging has unfortunately been one of the things that has gotten put on the back burner (that back burner is looking a little crowded lately...in fact some days I think there is nothing on the front and everything's in the back ;) I am going to try and stay on top of it.

Vance was been taking swim lessons. He has always been part fish which wouldn't be so horrible if he wasn't fearless. Now that he's getting older I was insistent on getting him in swim lessons.
I enrolled Vance at Water Wings swim school. It's a little pricey but worth every penny in my opinion. He loves it and all the instructors have been great with him.

He isn't swimming by himself but he's definitely getting there. They try to teach the kids all the fundamentals and really push them. That's what I want! If I'm going to pay that much for swim lessons I'm expecting more than splashing around.

They have these platforms in the water and Vance can swim (and it actually looks like swimming) from one platform to the other. He is working on learning how to breath - we still have a ways to go before that clicks.

I think his favorite part is practicing back floats. Lots of kids fight it, but Vance just relaxes and floats until the teacher finally tells him his turn is over. They usually count to 10-Lightning McQueens. Vance has educated all of his instruction about Cars and his favorite characters.

They always end with something fun. They have a couple tricks/games they play with the kids. Vance always chooses "Blast Off" which basically means throw me up as high as you can and then I'll make a big splash in the water.

Below is his usual instructor, Miss Nicole. He loves her and she is so great with him! She lets him talk her ear off but then quickly reels him back in.

I don't know if we will always be able to afford Water Wings, but I would like to keep Vance in as long as possible. He loves it and it gives us something to go do together.

I tried swim lessons through the City of Henderson first, but it was pretty much a waste of money.

Vance had fun, but he learned pretty much nothing. You get what you pay for!

My mom insists I put a disclaimer out there. My sister Leslie almost drowned when she was two, so here is her two cents regarding swim lessons - PUT YOUR KIDS IN SWIM LESSONS!!! IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO SWIM AND IT COULD SAVE THEIR LIVES ONE DAY.

A Little Vance

As usual, Vance has been cracking us up lately. Here are a few fun Vance stories that I didn't want to forget.

Vance is a blanket boy, and he has a favorite green blanket. He likes to suck his thumb near the tag and it gets SO dirty SO fast. I'm ashamed to admit that sometimes that area of the blanket gets rather dirty and black before we wash it. The last time we washed it Vance was in hysterics. He was mad this his tag was white! He kept saying, "Mom - where did the black go? I want the blanket to be dirty again! Will the dirt come back? When?" What a silly, silly boy!

Vance has been taking swim lessons. At the end of the last lesson, Vance told the other girl in his class in the sweetest little voice, "Good job today!" He said it all on his own. I told him how nice that was and how proud I am of him. Then he said, "Thanks Mom because if I told her she did not a good job that would be a problem...right?!" Yes that would be a problem.

We were driving on a bumpy stretch of road. I was in the back seat with Vance and he shouted, "Mom! The baby is shaking!" No Vance that's not the baby that's just mommy's fat, but thanks for noticing.

Out last camping trip Vance was having a really hard time falling asleep. I gave him plenty of chances to behave and stay in bed, then I finally warned him he was going to get a spanking if he got out again. After about 2 or 3 trips (and spankings) back to the trailer he finally started calming down. Then he innocently asked, "Mom it was just an accident when you spanked me right mom? You didn't mean to?" Unfortunately no Vance. You were driving me crazy and you deserved those spankings.

Vance and Colton can be the worst of enemies or the best of friends it just depends on the moment. When they get along it's great and so rewarding to watch. The other night Colton spent the night and they wore matching pajamas. They also insisted on sleeping together in Vance's bed. Aren't they cute?!

On the Hunt

I am on the hunt for a new diaper bag. There are so many choices out there that I'm having a hard time deciding. I think these are my top three choices. What do you think?

Bag 1 -
Bag 2 -

Bag 3 -

I need some input. What's your favorite?

Women's Conference 2011

This past week I had the chance to attend BYU Women's Conference with my mom, sisters, aunt, and cousins. It is one of the most edifying things I do for myself all year long. The conference is two days long. Each day starts with an opening session and speaker. Then there are three sessions where you decided which classes you attend. After that everyone comes together for a closing session and speaker.

You can attend a class on pretty much any gospel topic as well as classes which address motherhood, marriage, and self-improvement. Other classes address problems you might be struggling with such as addiction, financial management, depression, divorce, etc. I would be shocked if you had an issue/problem that a class was not offered for.

Here is a picture of the final closing session. There are literally thousands of women who attend this conference. I am pretty sure it's around 20,000 women of all ages who have taken time out of their lives to come and be enriched. I am no spiritual giant and still love what this conference has to offer! It's really empowering!
Here is our whole group (minus one cousin) at dinner after the first day of conference. My aunt is the 3rd one over in the front row and my mom is next to her. Don't they making getting older look good. My aunt is in her 60s and my mom is in her 50s and I think they both look fabulous. The rest of us are all cousins!

Jennie was cruising in Europe (BRAT!) so she couldn't make it this year. Did I mention last year she was cruising the Caribbean (BRAT AGAIN!) and couldn't make it either?! We missed her, but we still had a great time. Here is my mom, sisters, and I waiting for a class to start. We don't go to all of the classes together because everyone is interested in different topics but we try to go to a few as a group. (Excuse the fat belly ;)

Another group shot at the end of the conference. It was so much fun to reconnect with family members we don't see very often. We spent all of our free time eating, laughing, and talking followed by more eating, laughing, and talking!

The car ride to and from Provo is one my favorite parts too. I see my sisters and mom a lot but we are normally busy with the kids and don't have a chance to talk about deeper topics. It's nice to have some "real" conversation with some of the amazing women who are role models in my life!

I thoroughly enjoyed most of my classes. I took lots of notes and hope I can make some improvements in my life. My favorite class was on communication in marriage. I have so many ideas I want to try and implement! Wish Chad luck for putting up with me for the next little bit :)

Til next year!

I Believe

Our local church leaders have been encouraging us to use technology to declare our beliefs and help share the gospel. I'm not sure why but I have always been one to keep my faith private. It's definitely not that I am ashamed or afraid to say what I believe.

I guess it's my hope that my faith and devotion to Christ is evident through the way I live. I don't want to have to vocalize it and put it into words. I want to live so that those without Christ in their lives look at my life and the happiness I enjoy and ask themselves "How is she so happy and fulfilled? What does she have that I don't?" I then hope that they answer by saying "Jesus Christ and His gospel."

Well I've decided to try and take some baby steps in verbalizing my faith. Don't worry - I don't plan to start preaching on the corner or praying out loud at McDonalds (although I'm sure my sermons would be moving). I am just making a goal to more publicly recognize the influence and power God and my beliefs have in my life. To get me off in the right direction, I'd like to share a short and simple version of my testimony. After this one post, I assure you my references to my faith will be much more subtle :)

I know without a doubt that Christ lived and that He died so we can live with Him again. I know we have a Heavenly Father who hears and answers each one of our prayers. I have a firm testimony in the power of prayer and the miracles and peace it can bring to our lives. I know the scriptures are true and if we study them we will be blessed with a greater understanding and testimony of the gospel. I know we have a living prophet, Thomas S. Monson, who was called by God. I'm thankful for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and for the woman/wife/mother/daughter/friend it has helped me become.

If you're interested in finding out more about the church and what I believe go to Mormon.org.