The Polson Family

Pumpkin Patch!!

2010-10-22T11:08:00.001-07:00

Today was the first of two trips to the pumpkin patch for us. It was Lauren's turn to go with her preschool class. I am always so amazed at the spectical that is the pumpkin patch in California. It's a simple city block corner, usually all concrete, jazzed up with some hay and tents and transformed into a pumpkin patch. While they are fun to visit, everything usually costs an arm and a leg. Fortunately attending with a field trip tends to keep costs down and kids happy. For a small fee, Lauren got to feed the crazy goats, jump in the jumper and take home a small pumpkin! She really wanted to ride a pony, but that was another $8. Seriously people!! Plus, due to bad weather earlier this week, there was about 200 3-4 year olds running around. Crazy! But we had a great time and Lauren loves her pumpkin!

Lauren's First Trip to the Dentist!

2010-10-22T11:02:00.001-07:00

Last week, Lauren had her first visit to the dentist!! She is so brave, seriously, nothing really phases this kid. Of course, I think it helps that she gets to watch Emily do everything first. She did not shed a tear and was actually excited to have her teeth cleaned. In the end, a very successful trip...no cavities and the discovery that she has an extra permanent tooth in between her front two adult teeth. Apparently very common, but still a little weird to me. That will definately have to be taken care of in a couple of years!

Girl's Trip 2010!!!

2010-10-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

So this year, we, the "Hall girls" planned ourselves a nice little weekend get-away. Thanks to the generosity of Michelle's parents, we had a beautiful condo in Huntington Beach, CA to stay in. We spent 3 full days and 4 late nights doing wonderfully fun stuff. We started our out with a full day of Disneyland magic. I wish I could tell you the weather was magic, but it was not. It was actually brutally hot but we managed and had a great time. Although I was exempt from most rides, almost all the girls braved the biggest and scariest rides and some of smallest and wimpiest!

Each night was spent talking to all hours of the night. It was so fun to get caught up with everyone.

The second night we had a yummy dinner at Ruby's on the Huntington Beach Pier.

On Saturday, we ventured out on the Balboa Ferry (a 4-minute ride) over to Balboa Island and shopped and walked the island!

We ended with a craft-fest on Saturday night.... Martha would be proud!!!
Sunday afternoon we finally got to the beach before heading the the airport.

Thanks girls for a great trip.....A special thanks to the dads that stayed home with the kids...you're the best (and my in-laws for coming down to help with my kids).

A great tradition for sure!!!!

Baby Update!

2010-10-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

No, there will be no side profile shot included in this post! I wouldn't want to scare people. Actually, in reality, I am still feeling pretty good. Besides the fact that our hot summer has decided to come now, I think I will make it! My c-section is scheduled for Friday November 19th and we are all anxiously counting the days! The girls are crazy excited. I have put off getting out any baby stuff for a few more weeks just to keep them under control. Sometimes I think Lauren is more excited about all the "baby stuff" than about the actual baby! She loves all things baby...i.e blankets, bottles, pacifiers, clothes, shoes, etc. I'm sure she'll be a big help :) This month we are trying to fit in everything (doctor's appts, day trips, working at schools, etc) before the time comes when we get nothing done. We are super excited and of course will keep everyone update!

Soccer Season is Here Again!

2010-10-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

Emily has started soccer again this fall. Once again, she loves it and is always super excited for game day and practice. Unfortunately, her mom hasn't been so good about taking pictures. Not really sure what's she's doing here but we'll definately have to get some better ones. One thing we've noticed this year is she is a natural born defender. Last year, she liked to try and go up and score and she'll still try this year, but as soon as the other team gets the ball, she turns into a defensive machine!!! She loves to steal the ball or block someone! It 's pretty fun to watch.

First Day of School!!

2010-10-12T15:12:00.001-07:00

So this is only 5 weeks late, and I realize that there is a gaping hole between June and September but we've all got to start somewhere, and the first day of school seemed l is soike a good place. Emily started kindergarten this year and Lauren started pre-school. Both girls got to have a little celebration the night before their school started they chose the menu and got balloons. Emily chose spaghetti with meatballs (specifically homemade meatballs), corn on the cob, bread and fruit with chocolate cupcakes for dessert. Lauren was a bit easier with pizza and root beer floats. I think it's so funny because their choices represent their personalities in so many ways!!!! Both girls thoroughly enjoyed their individual celebrations, looks like a fun tradition.
Emily is is a kindergarten/1st grade combo class and is loving every minute of it. She just thinks she so big and cool!!! She is especially excited about homework (you know, the very advanced kind the do in kindergarten!

Emily's special dinner night!

First Day!! September 8, 2010

Lauren's Special Dinner Night!

Lauren's First Day! September 20th, 2010!

Girls Rule....

2010-06-23T22:07:00.000-07:00

and boy drools!! Just kidding, Jason doesn't drool but his world is about to get a little pinker....because we are expecting little girl #3 in November!! We are so excited! The girls ademently wanted a girl, I was actually a little worried what would have happened if it was a boy!!! I was even a little nervous it might be a boy, what do you do with a boy? I don't even know. Anyway, we're super happy and more importantly it looks like the baby is very healthy. Jason keeps telling me this means I don't really need to buy anything, but have you seen all the cute girl clothes out there?

Free Fun!!!

2010-06-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

Where we live, free is not a word you here too often. Even if something is advertised as free, there's usually a small catch but a couple of weekends ago, we found an advertisement for a street fair in Palos Verdes. It advertised a lot of things being free, including parking (unheard of). So we decided we'd give it a try. True to their word, most everything, besides food and the big rides were free. Parking was truly free and not 10 miles away and more importantly for our kids the pony rides and petting zoo were free. We had a blast!! The girls rode the ponies multiple times, due to a short line and we got tons of time in the petting zoo. We enjoyed the boothes, even got coupons for more free stuff!

Both girls loved riding the ponies, it helps that they were super small.

Emily feeding the goats, they were quite aggresive which made Lauren really nervous!!

I love this next series of pictures!!!

Happy to be close to the goats!!

Maybe a little to close!!!! WAY, WAY too close. Jason claims there was no actual contact but I'm have my doubts!!!
This was the cutest mini-garbage truck.. The girls thought it was so cool, we hope it's not a occupation consideration by them!

Spencer's Baptism!

2010-06-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was my nephew Spencer's baptism. Somewhat last minute, we decided to drive up to be there for the weekend. Our girls love to be with cousins and we thought it was a great chance to see one of their cousins get baptized. We invited Deb and she brought Kaitlyn, which made the weekend perfect for Lauren. We pack into Deb's car and made the drive. The girls were great travelers and we had a great weekend. My parents were also in town, which made for a a very special Father's Day!! The baptism was wonderful, the weather was perfect and the company was even better.

I can't even begin to explain how funny these two are. Lauren and Kaitlyn were made from the same mold and the LOVE each other. It's so fun to watch them play and be mischevious together!!
Emily with Spencer, the man of the hour.

My parents with the grandchildren (and great-grandchild) that were there for the weekend!

Last Day of School!

2010-06-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

The girls' last day of school was a couple of weeks ago. They don't do a graduation, but both classes had fun parties. It's pretty crazy to think that next year Emily will be in kindergarten, especially since here it is all day long! What will Lauren do without her? We have loved our little preschool and are excited that Lauren will still get to be there.

Emily and her two teachers!! She love, loves them!
Taking a swing at the pinata!

Lauren at the playdough table one last time (until next fall!)

Caught Up!

2010-06-10T14:56:00.001-07:00

So I'm fully aware that I have been painfully vacant from my blog. Sorry, I wish I had a good excuse but I don't. Don't feel like you have to read it all, it's mostly for posterity. And again I will renew my vow to do better!!

Field Trips!

2010-06-10T14:41:00.000-07:00

Both girls had field trips for their classes in the last couple of weeks. Lauren's class went to the South Coast Botanical Gardens. This place is amazing. It is 87 acres of gardens and wetlands. We, of course, did not see all of it but we've been before and it's really cool. They have all different kinds of gardens. The kids got to visit the Children's Garden, which is all based on nursery rhythms. Super cute and they get to touch quite a few of the plants. The highlight of the trip is always the duck pond, where they get to feed the ducks corn.

Emily's class went to the Redondo Beach Sea Life Lab. We had never been here before and it was pretty fun. It's quite small but the kids get to see a lot of sea life up close. They have several touch tanks and a wide variety of fish.

More Fun with Family!!

2010-06-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

So sad to say that for some reason I'm super lame and have no pictures of this weekend but I still wanted to document it. For Memorial Day weekend, my parents came to San Diego for my niece Kathryn's high school graduation. First of all, congrats to Kat!!! We're so happy for her. She is on her way to huge success playing soccer for Dixie College!!! We didn't actually get to go to graduation but we can imagine what it was like!!! It was so fun to spend time with my parents. We haven't seen them since Christmas and we felt so spoiled to see both sets of grandparents in one month!! We enjoyed just lounging and relaxing at Deborah's (always a treat), great food, swimming, shopping and lots of jumping on the trampoline! We also went to a fun Farmer's Market with everyone and a super cool park at the top of the mountains with a view of EVERYTHING in Escondido!! We also got to meet Liz and Travis's new baby boy Brayden. He is so cute and such a super good baby!! Congrats to them! Thanks to everyone, especially Kat for graduating, for a super fun visit!

Fun with Family!!

2010-06-10T14:18:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful weekend with Jason's parents!! As usual, we ran them all over town to see fun sights and have great adventures!! We, of course, celebrated birthdays with them, we took them bowling (one of our new favorites), we went to San Diego and did Sea World, after Sea World we went over to Old Town and did the Mormon Battalion and dinner at Fandango's! Fortunately, there was Sunday after that day to allow us to rest and go to the park and play games. Emily took advantage of Grandpa who expertly started her on her way to two-wheeled bicycling. There was lots of books read, games played and great times had. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for a great weekend!!

Panning for gold and pumping water!
A little ride in the covered wagon!

Birthday Extravaganza!!!!

2010-06-10T14:07:00.001-07:00

Because Jason and Emily's birthdays are the same day, it always feels like it's a birthday marathon. They are great sports and love to share the day which makes it much easier. This year was especially fun because Jason's parent flew into town on their birthday for a special birthday weekend. Their actual birthday was filled with a party at preschool and then the girls and I surprised Jason at work with cake and balloons, we picked up the grandparents, went to dinner and finally came home for some presents and cake. Both were spoiled sufficiently and had a great day!!! So glad they're both a part of our family!!!

Emily and Daddy and their loots!!

Big birthday for Emily-A big girl bike with no training wheels!!Finally, ice cream cake!!

One Lucky Mom!!

2010-06-10T13:57:00.001-07:00

I am the luckiest mom. I have the two cutest girls ever!!! For Mother's Day I was treated like a queen. For one thing, since I have two kids in preschool I got to attend 2 Mother's Day teas!! So fun and they made me so many cute gifts. It was such a special treat. Lauren's class made everything fish themed, including the cute pot with flowers (you can't see the fish on the pot!). The teachers used the kids hand prints to make all the fish...really the cutest. Emily's class focused more on the performance. They very enthusiastically sang about 8 songs. It was so funny and cute! I keep thinking I should put Emily in a little performing group, she just loves that stuff. Both parties has great food and so many special things to take home..
On Mother's Day, I was treated to lunch in bed (we have 9 o'clock church-makes breakfast in bed really hard), a long wonderful nap, a yummy dinner and fun gifts, including a much needed hair dryer (Jason picked out all by himself-very impressive)!! It was a very special day for sure and I am a very lucky mom!

Shamu, Shamu!!

2010-06-10T13:50:00.001-07:00

As promised, we did return to Sea World with the girls. It was so fun!!! The girls were so amazed with everything. It's so fun to see you kids discover like that. We are falling in love with Sea World....never really feels crowded, even if it is, great shows, really no lines and so many fun animals to see. Plus, it doesn't take a long, exhausting day to see everything. The Shamu show is always a highlight (although I miss seeing the trainers in the water...maybe someday) but we really, really like the sea lion and otter show. So funny!!! We will definitely be making return trips!! Come visit and go with us!

A Really Big Girl!!

2010-06-10T13:43:00.001-07:00

This last winter I decided that come spring I would enroll Lauren in preschool. She was having the hardest time leaving Emily's class everyday and she seemed ready to try it on her own. So in April, she started 2-day a week preschool. She has loved it. She truly thinks she is all grown up. She has a cute little class, albeit a little chaotic at times. Toward the end of the session, she started to want to go to Emily's class instead of her's which presented a few problems but overall she has done awesome and will definitely be ready again when fall comes.

Build a Bear!

2010-06-10T13:32:00.000-07:00

So I have to admit that I've never really subscribed to the whole Build a Bear thing. Just seems like highly priced stuffed animals, that never get played with except to be trapped into buying new clothes and accessories for. Kind of negative, I know. But we have a store in our mall and the girls have been begging for a very long time to do it. So at Christmas, Costco had a good deal on gift cards and I finally gave in and got each their own card. Well, it turned out that they had plenty to occupy themselves with at Christmas so we held onto the cards for a rainy day. With Easter approaching we decided that would be a fun item in their Easter baskets. They were crazy happy. So we took a night and made the trek to the Build a Bear store. I have to say it was pretty cute to see them pick out their animal, their amazement at the whole stuffing process and the thought and effort that went into the outfits. In the end, we came home with a cute bunny and monkey and two very happy girls. ( I will still say it might be a once in a lifetime thing though!!)

Easter 2010!

2010-06-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

Although we definitely try not to make Easter baskets the focus of Easter, it's just so much fun it's hard to contain ourselves. This year the Easter bunny sent the girls on a fun scavenger hunt to find their baskets. They were so funny..running all over the house. Ultimately, they found them and discovered their wealth of candy and quarters (which they thought was better than anything. Love the simple things!!!)

And of course, what would Easter be without cute dresses. Thanks Grandma!!!

The train, fun and family!

2010-06-10T13:06:00.000-07:00

This year for Spring Break I decided to take the girls to Sacramento to visit my sister. We went last year and had such a great time we decided to make it a tradition! This year though I wasn't too excited about driving the 8 hours by myself so we looked into different options and decided on Amtrak. I have only been on a train once and definitely never with kids but it turned out to be pretty fun. We had to take a bus from L.A. to Bakersfield and then took a train to Sacramento. We got one of the fun seats with the table in between and we colored, played games, watched movies and all kinds of fun things you can't do when you drive. Although it felt slow, the trip was actually the same amount of time as driving. And of course we were greeted by fun cousins at the end of the ride.

We had such a great week. The kids kept themselves entertained much of the time which was amazing. Whenever we go see cousins it makes me sad we don't always live by them....maybe someday. We went to great parks, went bowling, rode bikes, went to the Jelly Belly factory, dyed Easter eggs and had a great Easter egg hunt provided by cousin Maddie!! It was so sad to leave but we do always miss our daddy!

Lauren and Charles...just waiting...their bowling bowls took literally minutes to get down the lane!!

Mr. Jelly Belly Himself!Lauren's special creations!
Ready to hunt in the rain!

The Dentist....so sad!

2010-06-10T12:54:00.001-07:00

In March, Emily had her first dentist appointment. Despite all of our brushing and flossing efforts, she had several cavities (poor kid got my teeth). So she had to go back another day, get all drugged up and have her cavities filled. It was so sad. Fortunately, she had Freddy the Frog from preschool to keep her company. I was worried she was really going to have a hard time ( you should see her get shots) but she drank the drugging stuff like a champ, got nice and woozy-which we have video of but for her sake I won't share- and fell asleep nicely. They were able to work fast and in no time she was done. After a few naps that day and lots of jello and popsicles she was back to her happy self!!

A Few Days Away....

2010-06-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of March, Jason and I took a long awaited, long planned trip together. This is the first time since we've been married and it was amazing!! We rented a small beach house in La Jolla California. Thanks to my sister, the girls were more than well cared for and we had a relaxing week by the beach. We had a great time exploring San Diego and just spending time together. We went to Sea World (I know, mean of us without the kids but we did take them later), Old Town San Diego, went to the Mormon Battalion (highly recommended) and ate at an amazing Mexican place in Old Town, we enjoyed a session at the temple, lots of great food and explored the beaches of La Jolla. The time flew by way too fast but it was fun to get back to the girls, but we definitely think 8 years is too long to wait again!!!

She's a Big 3 Year Old!!

2010-06-10T12:31:00.001-07:00

In March, our baby, Lauren turned 3. She is definitely no longer a baby. She has to do everything that Emily does and more. It's amazing how much the second child picks up just from being around an older sibling. She is stubborn and independent and while those can be good qualities, they sure can make for some crazy confrontations. We are working on her patience and some days it seems to be getting better but she wants to do and be EVERYTHING NOW!!! It's exciting to see how she will develop and how much her strong personality shines through! That being said, she is the sweetest little friend, so good to younger kids and kids at school. Everybody likes to be around her and she's a natural born leader. She has the best laugh and loves to talk (just like her sister!)

For her birthday, all she asked for was a Mickey Mouse cake and a REAL alligator. So the first was pretty manageable, the second was a little tough. In the end, both worked out (although I found our that black frosting is next to impossible to make.) We went to Disneyland during the day for her birthday and went to dinner and had cake that night! Lauren with her semi-real alligator (thankfully she has a good imagination!)

The finished product!

A Very Happy Birthday Girl!!!

Out of the mouth of...Lauren!

2010-02-24T14:08:00.000-08:00

I don't often write down the funny things my kids say. I know that's a mistake but it's just something I haven't made a good habit of but I could hardly let this one slide. A little background, Lauren has been working on her "please, thank you's and mostly excuse me's" lately, she's really into it.
So this is how a little conversation went in our car last night:
Lauren: (burp)
Mom & Dad: "Lauren, what do you say?"
Lauren: "Excuse me?"
M & D: "Right, thank you."
Lauren: "We say excuse me when we burp or toot."
M & D: "Good job Lauren!"
Lauren:......"and when dogs poop!!"
M & D: ????? (what are you supposed to say to that)
Emily: (she did add some insight) "Dogs don't say excuse me, they only bark....and cats meow."
Such funny kids. I'll have to start writing down some more of the insights on life!

Just thought you'd want a image of this crazy kid!!

Cousin Crazyness!

2010-02-23T13:24:00.000-08:00

Cousin Kathryn came to visit us this last weekend. Guess I missed out on the photo shoot!!! Work it!!!

Rise and Shout, The Cougars Are Out!!!

2010-02-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, we got an email telling us that the BYU Men's Volleyball team would be in town to take on the UC Irvine Anteaters (stinks to be them). Anyway, Jason and I thought it would be fun to be able to take the girls to a BYU function, just to let the brainwashing begin! Jason had just been in Provo the week before and had picked up shirts for the girls, so they were set. Travis, Liz and Kaitlyn can up to join in the fun, which began with dinner at Cafe Rio!

There really was more people at the game than just us. Actually, BYU had a great crowd, probably 3/4 of the people there were BYU fans.The girls were trying to retrieve balls during warmup.....with no luck.

Future Cougar!!!

Girl's Night Out!

2010-02-23T13:07:00.000-08:00

In the beginning of January was my good friend Luisa birthday and to celebrate the girls had a Girl's Night Out to the nail salon. I decided that I would let Emily join in the fun. She was a little hesitant at first and declined the spa pedicure (crazy girl) but she was excited to have her nails and toenails done. The women at the salon were so good to her, two working on her at one time. I think she really loved it!

Our Cute Toes!!!

2010-02-23T12:56:00.000-08:00

Jason has an awesome little tradition on Valentine's Day. He has always gotten me flowers, but ever since the girls were born, they get a minature version of my flower arrangement. They love it so much. We're very lucky girls!
Lauren is in a little preschool class once a week and for Valentines they got to have a little party. She was so excited! She thought she was pretty big to be able to pick out Valentine's just like Emily. It was so much fun, her favorite part being the candy.

Passing out Valentines!

Emily's Valentine's Day celebration was a little sad. I can't even explain to you how excited she was for her pre-school party. She had her Valentines done a week before the party and everyday counted down. So, the morning of her party arrives and at about 5 am she got sick. I wanted to cry, she threw-up and looked up and said "Can I still go to my party?" It broke my heart. But her cute teachers sent home all her art projects for the day and a friend brought her Valentine box with all her cards home to her. In the end it was salvaged and she survived!
For our actual Valentine's Day, we went down to Deborah's and had a wonderful dinner with both my sister's and their families (and of course I took no pictures!)

Lost and Found!

2010-02-23T12:41:00.000-08:00

I just thought this was so cute! The girls had lost something under the couch, and with a little assistance, daddy came to the rescue!

New hope...

2010-01-28T15:07:00.000-08:00

So I've nearly given up on my blog many, many times, the latest being this month. But the other night, Jason and I were looking back at some of our first posts and realized how many fun memories we had recorded on this blog. Someday, of course, I hope to take it to book form (since I am the world worst scrapebooker) but for now I realized I need to keep making an attempt to record our memories. So....the blog has new hope (and some new posts).

Seattle!

2010-01-28T14:51:00.000-08:00

Our family's most favorite thing when we visit home is our trip to downtown Seattle. It always goes something like this; fish n' chips at the famous Ivar's resturant (really the only time we eat fish), feeding the seagulls our extra french fries (they weren't too hungry this year) and then getting on the ferry to take a ride on the beautiful Puget Sound. This adventure is only made better by having lots of fun cousins to go with.

Some of the girl cousins on the ferry. Look how beautfful our weather was!! Amazing!

Daddy and Lauren

The whole crew! Lauren and Emily really wanted their picture with this bear. Emily is giving her very best (and quite convincing) scared look.

Lake House and Family Pictures!

2010-01-28T14:38:00.000-08:00

We got a chance to go out and stay a night at Jason's parents lakehouse. It was so amazing. The weather was perfect our entire trip but out at the lake was so beautiful. The house just gets more and more amazing everytime we go. It is the perfect getaway!
We attempted to get some family pictures after church on one of the Sundays! The kids weren't really feeling it and we didn't come away with much.
This is exactly how it felt trying to get pictures!
This is really the only one that turned out and of course with our new additions, Lauren's baby (and Emily's princess shoes!)

Christmas!!!

2010-01-28T14:30:00.001-08:00

So once again, I did a bad job of taking pictures Christmas morning but that is probably because we were having such a great time. We opened presents at Jason's parents first and then continued the festivities over at my parents. The girls were thoroughly spoiled and loved it. We had so much family home this Christmas, it was so wonderful to spend time with all of them.

A Few of Our Favorite Things.....

2010-01-28T14:17:00.001-08:00

Visits to Santa....wish it was one of Lauren's favs but it's not, so no picture for her.
Reading Christmas books each night in December....Polar Express, our very favorite!
Christmas dresses from Great Grandma Polson....she always comes through with great dresses. Thanks Grandma!

Sick Day!!

2009-12-11T10:49:00.001-08:00

This last Monday, Lauren came down with a little bug. It was so sad. She is usually our crazy, wild kid. With a little fever, she was reduced to a sleeping machine. Anytime she laid down she would just fall asleep. Right after one of her many naps, she wanted to watch a movie on my bed. I took her in, set up the movie and came back about 10 minutes later to this. So cute, but so sad. Fortunately, she was back to herself the next day and no one else has been infected so far....keeping our fingers crossed!

Pre-Holiday, Pre-school Events!

2009-12-11T10:37:00.000-08:00

Emily's cute preschool had a couple of fun holiday events. Right before Thanksgiving they put on the cutest program. They had a poem they recited and a couple of songs to sing, complete with costume. It was so fun. I was impressed by how well the kids knew their stuff. The teachers had obviously worked hard with them. And then, the last day of preschool before Christmas break, a special visitor came to see the kids. You should have seen their faces....some sheer joy and some sheer terror...when the man in the red suit came in. They all got a chance to sit on his lap and tell him all their Christmas wished!! Since I got to work that day at school, Lauren got to come with me. She had the most dramatic look of terror when he came in. I wish I had it on camera. Priceless. She had nothing to do with him.

Emily and her friend!
Emily and the cutest Santa ever.

Lauren loved being at preschool!!! Can't wait til next year!

Trimming the Tree!

2009-12-11T10:20:00.000-08:00

Ok, so not really "trimming" it since last year we broke down and bought a cute little pre-lit tree, but we did decorate it. It was super fun this year since the girls really could do most of it themselves (it helps that the tree's about their size). I love the girls genuine amazement with every ornament, like they've never seen it before. They are so excited for Christmas this year...such a fun age.

Finished product...with really no help from Jason or I! Thus the clump of ornaments in front!I think Lauren in showing an ornament, which I cut out of the picture! Goofy kids!

Thanksgiving Fun!!!

2009-12-11T09:48:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving. Again this year, we spent Thanksgiving at my sister's in San Diego. We have gone to her house every Thanksgiving but one since we've been married and we love it!! This year one of my brothers and my other sister and their families joined in on the festivities as well. My girls were is cousin heaven. We always have serious withdrawals when we leave Deb's house, especially with so many cousins there this time!!! We had a pretty low-key weekend which was awesome. The food was the best and the company was perfect!!!

I didn't take great pictures.....too busy playing with family!!

Started out with some good Turkey Bowl fun!!

Ate wonderful food at a beautiful table....thanks to Ally!!

Serious cousin lovin'!!

Happy Halloween!!

2009-10-29T22:08:00.000-07:00

So I've decided to just ignore the nearly two month gap of lost information on my blog and forge ahead. This year I wanted to do family costumes again, but October got away from me, thus the girls got to choose their own costumes!!! In the end, they are very happy and I think they're cute.

Last night we attended our ward's annual trunk or treat. I have to admit, in the past we've done a pretty bad job of decorating our trunk. So this year, to make up for the lack of costume by Jason and I, Jason decorated the back of the truck as a cemetary, complete with real grass. The end product was pretty cool and earned Jason the award of "Best decorate trunk!" We're so proud!

Still here, again....

2009-10-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

So, I am the worlds worst blogger but we are still here and doing really well. Things have been busy but wonderful. One of these days (hopefully soon), I'll post pics and tell you all about it.

Trained!!!!

2009-08-24T12:27:00.000-07:00

So it's official. Lauren in potty trained. Minus the first two days, she has been amazing. We started two weeks ago today and by that Wednesday she was an old pro and hasn't had an accident since. I've been a little reluctant to claim victory only because Lauren has the personality that might decide she prefers diapers and well.... she'll just go back. But so far, so good. I think we're safe. And, I have to say that it is amazing not to be changing diapers!!! Yeah for me and yeah for Lauren!

Playing catch-up!!

2009-08-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

I realize that when I post, I usually overload post. Sorry. Eventually I want to download my blog to a book so I don't want to miss things, even if it's late. So after our crazy month, I had to get caught up. It seems we have our first quiet week in a long time, so I though I'd take advantage and get caught up. But lest we get bored, we have decided to potty train Lauren this week. Wish us luck. My niece Liz was potty training her little girl last week and we figured it was about time for Lauren too. Thanks for the inspiration. Plus, I want to get it done before we start into pre-school for Emily. I figure it's best while we're home most of the time. We'll keep you posted, hopefully it's all success from here.

Crazy Lauren!!

2009-08-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

The picture says it all!!!!

L.D.S. Night at the Dodgers!

2009-08-10T14:47:00.001-07:00

Since we've lived in L.A., we always try to go to L.D.S. night at the Dodgers. It's a fun (and cheap) way to take the girls to a baseball game. This year was extra special since we got to take Grandma Hall, Steve & Maria, and Liz, Travis & Kaitlyn. We also got to sit by Justin, Kim & Brody! I can't say I saw much of the game but it's great people watching. We left in the seventh inning with tired kids. Turns out the Dodgers won in the 9th with a walkoff homerun. Maybe next year we'll make it all the way through.

Brody and Lauren grubbin' on popcorn.

We ended up with no picture of Liz and Travis. Bummer!!

A Visit from Grandma!!

2009-08-10T14:21:00.001-07:00

For the past week, my mom has been here to visit. Although I can't tell you exactly what we did, we had a great time. She was amazing. She played with the girls so I could get a lot of apartment stuff done. The girls loved every minute of it, in fact we are having withdrawals as we speak. We did get down to Deborah's for a day of swimming and jumping. We went to several parks, a birthday party, a Dodger game and of course squeezed in a good chick flick! Thanks mom for all the help. We definately loved having you.

Grandma and the girls overlooking L.A.

A Celebrity!!!!

2009-08-10T14:17:00.001-07:00

So, we've lived in Los Angeles for over 4 years now and I've yet to ever see anyone famous. Maybe I don't get out enough. Well, when we went to pick up my mom and the airport, I finally did it. I spotted Maria Sharapova. For those of you who don't know, she's one of the best women's tennis players in the world. I was actually a little excited because I love tennis and watch it whenever I can. Anyway, I wouldn't take my picture with her but Jason took this cute picture of her and the girls.

Go Navy!!!

2009-08-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, right before Grandma Hall came in town, we went down to Seal Beach to go on a naval destroyer. This brings back memories for me, my dad used to always take us to see military displays when they came in town. I was so excited for the girls to get a chance to see one up close. Unfortunatley, it was free, which made it crazy crowded. They did have other military vehicles and the girls got to climb up in some of them. We stood in line for the naval destroyer for about a hour but quickly realized we probably had another 2 to wait before we would get on. We were with Jen & Tyson and Kristy & Tom and with five kids between us, we came to the conclusion that the outside of the boat was all we would see that day. Still, a really fun experience.

Water Fun!!

2009-08-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

Right after we got back from Idaho, we went down to Jen's and went to a cute splash pad in Westminster! It was super crowded due to safety day in the park but the kids had a great time. It was really little kid friendly which I loved, plus it was free. Always a bonus. We'll definately visit there again!

La Habra Children's Museum

2009-07-14T06:57:00.000-07:00

Saturday the girls and I joined Jen and her kids and went to the Children's Museum of La Habra. Thanks to Target, it was free and free is always good. The girls had a great time. It's a pretty small museum but had some cute hands on exhibits. We followed up the museum with free slurpees from 7-11 and some lunch. Thanks Jen for inviting us and for taking the pictures (since I'm a dork and forgot my camera.>

Big Changes, Again!!

2009-07-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

I know this is major post overload from me. But I wanted to get updated on our happenings before things get crazy. For those of you who don't know, we're moving again. I know, "What are we thinking?" Well, we're thinking we got a really good opportunity and we're going with it. We have just started managing an apartment complex and we'll be moving into a new apartment next week. It's a great opportunity for us to really save money in hopes of someday having a house. We are working for some great people so it should be a really good experience for us. Although it's not the most convenient time, we think it's a good change for us. We'll make sure we get out all the pertinent info (phone number, address, etc) soon. Wish us luck!!!!
P.S. I should have added this. We are still in the same ward. Major Bonus!!!!

Soccer, Baby!!

2009-07-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

Last night was Emily's first soccer game. She is playing in a little summer league before starting the regular fall season. I was a little nervous that she wasn't going to like it but she had a great time. She even got knocked down and run over a couple of time but jumped up and kept going. She played great defense and even saved a couple of goals!! Although she was by far one of the smallest, she played big and had a great time.

I love that with all her gear on she has no leg showing. Life of a short person!!!

McCall, Idaho 2009!!

2009-07-08T12:48:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful family reunion in McCall, ID. I wish I could put on all of our pictures but that would be crazy pictures overload. We had such a great time. The girls absolutely loved being with all of their cousins. Always makes us sad we don't live closer. The weather was amazing and we spent the entire week in the water. It was so great just to play and get caught up with family. The camp we went to was awesome, so great we already booked it for 2 years from now. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!!!

Lauren spent most of her week digging holes and filling them with water.

Emily had two favorite activities. She loved seeing how long she could balance on this knee board. She turned into an awesome swimmer this week too. She was constantly jumping off the dock and swimming to shore. Here her cousin Kathryn is swimming with her but toward the end of the week she got brave enough to go on her own. She's definately a water girl!!

The camp had these little kayaks and everyone had a great time (and great workout) taking them out!

Here's a view from the dock onto our private beach.
Yes, she is fully clothed. The last night she and Kaitlyn enjoyed an evening in the water in their clothes.

Just one of many beautiful sunsets!!

Special thanks to Diana, Jason, Mike and Jan for all their hard work. And to Rich and Allan for provided the watercrafts that provided hours of fun!!! We love you all and miss everyone already!

Salt Lake City

2009-07-08T12:38:00.001-07:00

As we passed through Utah on our way to Idaho we had the wonderful opportunity to visit with some family. We were able to see Jason's aunt and uncle and their two daughters as well as stay with my wonderful cousin. It's always so nice to have a chance to get caught up with those who we don't get to see all that often. Thanks Drapers for letting us just drop in and thanks to the Dowdles for letting us crash with them for a couple days. My cousin was one of my roommates in college and we always have such a great time together. And to make it even better, our kids had a great time too. As we left town to head for Boise, we stopped and let the girls wander around Temple Square in Salt Lake. I love it there. Although there's so much going on around the temple, it's always so peaceful on the grounds. The girls loved it and it was a great way to kick off our vacation!!

A Little Gem

2009-06-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

I know I said I was taking a break in June but I just had to share this (mostly so I don't forget it.)
Lauren always wants to sit on my lap at the computer. Super annoying. Today was no different, she wanted up, I was trying to send some emails, I told her no, she threw herself to the ground crying (only lasts about 10 seconds), I told her that was not a good choice.
Emily pipes in "Lauren, the Holy Ghost won't stay with you if you act like that."
I love it.

Still Here, I Swear!

2009-06-15T15:07:00.000-07:00

I was noticing it's been a long time since I last posted. Not really sure why. We haven't been terribly busy, just doing our thing I guess. And now that being said the next two weeks are going to be crazy busy. We leave next Friday for the Hall Family Reunion in McCall, Idaho. We are so excited yet have so much to do to get there. I have made a list but it seems that I add 5-6 things a day and only mark off 2-3. The math isn't adding up!! Oh, well, I guess one way or another we'll get there.
Just an update:
*Emily finished her first year of pre-school. She loved it. In fact, she's already asking when she starts again. Could be a long summer!
*Lauren has been awesome without her binkies! She struggled a little at the beginning but she was also teething. I think I will always do the "cold turkey" thing!
*We have had nothing but "June gloom" weather and I LOVE IT! Everyone one complains but I think it's great.
*Jason took a half day last week and we enjoyed our last day at Disneyland for the summer. It was pretty crazy. Not too sad we won't be able to go until September.
*We want to wish our cute friends Rachel, Alyssa and Kayla a very big congrats on graduating this week. We're so proud of you all! They all have big plans post grad and we're excited for them!
*We are super excited for our little vacation and can't wait to see all the Halls. Emily talks about her cousins every day.
You probably won't hear from us until after the reunion. Let's just pretend I'm taking June off!!
Happy Summer to everyone!

Big Steps!

2009-05-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

This weekend Lauren traded these......
for this!

We talked about it all week and on Friday she went to Toys R Us and traded her binkies for a new shopping cart. She actually gave her binkies to the lady at the cash register, it was so cute. She loves anything she can push around and collect all her stuff, so the shopping cart was the perfect toy. So far she's done pretty well without her binkies, we're keeping our fingers crossed. The only sad thing is that now with no binkies it really feels like she's growing up so fast. Such a big girl!

All About the Ladybugs!

2009-05-23T07:17:00.000-07:00

Emily's birthday party this year was a ladybug themed party. Lately she'd been really into finding ladybugs so we decided it would be fun! We had a great time. We started with a little game of Bean Bug Toss, moved to a game of Pin the Dot on the Ladybug and finished with the Ladybug Crawl race. For their efforts in the games, each of Emily's friends got a terrarium, tweezers and a net for our final event. Jason released real ladybugs and let the kids catch them. It was so cute, the kids were so excited. We ended the party with some "dirt" cake (freaked out a few kids, never really thought of that!) Thanks to all our wonderful friends who helped make Emily's day so super special!

Bean Bug Toss

Results of the Pin the Dot

Lauren with her great Ladybug form

Emily and friend geared up for the releasing of the ladybugs

Our cute birthday girl!

Happy Birthday Daddy & Emily!

2009-05-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

4 years ago Wednesday, Jason's birthday changed forever. Never again would he be the only special person on May 13th. In fact, for the most part I think he gets a little overshadowed (allow I really do try to make it special for him.) But for what it's worth, he'll take it. He and Emily will always have a special little bond that nobody else can claim. Wednesday we celebrated them and how special they are in our family. We spent the day at Disneyland, where they were wished Happy Birthday constantly. I think Emily told every employee in the park that is was her special day. She is pretty proud to be 4. We followed Disneyland with a fun dinner, ice cream and presents. Although it's crazy to have two birthdays on one day, I also think it's pretty special. (Forgive Lauren in this shot, she had just woken up!)

What can I say about Jason? Except he's pretty amazing. Pretty amazing at just about everything he does. He's an amazing father and husband. I truly feel blessed to have him in my life every day. The girls ADORE him. They attack him each and every day when he walks through the door from work and hardly let him rest but he's a great sport and devotes all the time he can to them. He's patient, loving, constant, humorous, super fun, amazingly spiritual and a wonderful provider for our home. We love him.

And then there's this girl. What a fun kid! She has the biggest personality and an even bigger heart. She is a wonderful friend, sister and little girl. Although she's only 4, she is a mother in the making. In fact, I'm sure sometimes Jason feels like he has 3 mothers. She loves taking care of people, being in charge and making the rules. Fortunately for the most part, Lauren complys with those rules. She is the best big sister. She is so good to Lauren, is a great example and very protective. We couldn't ask for a better oldest child. Just like her mom, Emily has a tender heart and is brought to tears easily in an emotional situation. On more than one occasion she has been brought to tears during a touching scene of a movie, generally anything that involves a lonely child ( Fox & the Hound, Stuart Little, American Tail & the list goes on.) It is super sweet. Most of all, I love how much Emily loves life. EVERYTHING is exciting and wonderful to her. The seemingly most mundance activities or events put the biggest smile on her face. I hope she never loses that excitement for life. We Love our Big 4 Year old!

Mother's Day at PreSchool!

2009-05-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

Today at Emily's preschool, all of the moms were invited for a special Mother's Day brunch. The kids had practiced a little program of songs and made several gifts for the moms. It was too cute. I mostly just loved home excited Emily was to be able to finally show me everything she had been working on. Emily has the cutest preschool teachers, they always do the most fun projects with the kids. They had a cute little brunch and had the room all decorated. It's crazy to think that this is just the beginning of all of the school projects and programs, but I'm excited too see Emily growing up so much.

Emily and some of her friends. She's apparently real excited!

Crafternoon Finished...Finally!

2009-05-07T13:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, so Jen and I had a crafternoon a few weeks ago to make these cute wall hangings. If you visit Jen's blog, you'll see that see finished, I don't know, 2 1/2 weeks ago. As for me, I finally did it. I got them done yesterday. Jason had to go to a Dodger's Game for work (rough life), so I had the night to finish my projects. With these projects finished the girls room is nearly complete. It's been fun to have a room to decorate and even more fun to be almost done.
Letters E & L, in case you can't tell.

This cute little board provides a storage place for our crazy big stash of hair bows.

Date Night!

2009-04-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

It's ok, you read it correctly. Jason and I had a date night. For the most part they are few and far between but we recently set up a babysitting co-op with some friends and now we'll get a couple nights a month. So fun. Friday we went to our favorite little hamberger joint and then went rollarblading down at the waterfront. We had the best time. The weather was perfect and the people watching was great (that's always my favorite thing at the beach). We love going down to the beach and dreaming about a little house on the beach for us someday. Someday! But for now I am satisfied with a wonderful date with an amazing guy!(Never mind the cool capris with the rollarblades. It a new fashion trend.)

Happy Easter!

2009-04-13T09:29:00.000-07:00

Cute sisters in their Easter dresses! I love Easter dresses but I decided next year I need one too. I always get the girls all dressed up and then go pick some old ensemble from my wardrobe. I won't buy a matching dress with them but Easter seems like a great excuse for something new and cute!
The girls woke up to cute Easter baskets ( which I did not photograph of course.) Later in the afternoon after church Jason took the garbage out and luckily he spotted the Easter bunny just leaving our little grass area. He came in and told the girls and they ran out to find that the Easter bunny had left them lots of little eggs with surprises in them. They were so excited. Emily just kept asking Jason where exactly he saw the bunny and which way it went. She really wanted to go track him down

Emily also sang with the primary in Sacrament for the first time. She loved it and did a great job!

Heard in Primary:(so I didn't hear it but her primary teacher told me) They were talking about Jesus and His sacrifice for us and they asked the kids: "If someone you loved was in danger, would you sacrifice your life for them." Emily raised her hand and said "If maybe my mom and dad weren't paying attention (I sure hope not) and Lauren fell in the pool, I jump in and get her."

I love the pure love and charity children!! If only we were all that way! Hope you all had a happy Easter!

Spring Break!

2009-04-13T09:09:00.001-07:00

Last week was Emily's spring break and instead of staying home and finding something to do everyday, I took to opportunity to drive up to my sister's in Sacramento. I was pretty nervous to do the 7 hour drive with the girls by myself but it actually turned out really great. The girls were amazing in the car and we made it both ways safely. At my sister's, Emily was in heaven. She loved playing with her cousins. Three of them are older than her but they were so sweet to play with her and include her in everything. She couldn't get enough! Lauren pretty much spent the week following the big kids and playing with new toys. The first day we were there we threw all 7 kids in the car and drove into the San Francisco zoo. It was a great zoo and the kids had really fun time. We couldn't get close to see the chimpanzees because they were agitated. It was weird, there were zoo workers all around their habitat keeping people from going too close. My sister asked what they do when they're agitated and the worker said they throw things. We stayed a safe distance away. My girls really loved the gorillas and the bears but most of all loved being with cousins. Thanks to my sister's husband, she and I even got to go out to dinner and Target (where else would we go when we get time to ourselves) one night. We had a great time, it was hard to leave but we had a daddy at home that we missed.

Point Vicente

2009-04-04T21:19:00.000-07:00

Jason had Friday off after his parents left so we took the opportunity to take the girls up the Point Vicente in Palos Verdes and see if we could spot any gray whales. I think we were a little late in the migration season and it was a pretty windy day, so we didn't have any success in the gray whale department but it was beautiful. We visited the little museum they have there and the girls got their fill of fish, whales and dolphins (all models of course.)

This was the closest we got to seeing any whales. Better luck next year!

Grandma & Grandpa's Visit!

2009-04-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

Jason's parents were able to come this last week for a fun visit. After going to preschool with Emily on Tuesday, the we took them to Disneyland for 2 days. We had a great time. I can't tell you how nice it was to have extra hands at Disneyland. Jason and I weren't quite sure what to do with ourselves. The girls loved having grandma and grandpa there and were so excited to show them all of our favorites. We had great weather and it wasn't terribly crowded, which made for an awesome visit. The time seemed to fly by but we had a wonderful time with grandma and grandpa and we can't wait to see them again.

A long, fun day!

One Crazy Month!

2009-03-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the overload of pics, but I thought I'd blog what we've been doing over the last month, minus a lot of things that fill our time but I don't take pictures of. My parents came to visit in San Diego in the middle of February. We were able to go down and spend a weekend with them. It was fun to have the come. They came from freezing cold Seattle to enjoy our warm So Cal weather. Unfortunately for them, it was a little chilly but we still had a great time. We made it out to Pt. Loma to see the lighthouse and take in the gorgeous views. Although it looks sunny and warm, it was actually quite chilly.

My sister's family came down on the tail end of my parent's visit and stayed the rest of the week. We were able to spend a day at Disneyland with them. Emily and Lauren had a blast spending the day with cousins. Now everytime we go they ask if the cousins are coming too. So sad!

The end of February was consumed by saying goodbye to one apartment....

and finding new hiding spots in our new apartment. We are finally feeling moved in, thankfully. Thanks to all those that helped with our move!
Lauren's 2nd birthday.
Emily had her last day of dance and we got to go in and watch her showcase all her new moves. It was fun. She has especially loved tap. I think it's just because it makes more noise.

Happy Birthday Lauren!!

2009-03-04T13:03:00.000-08:00

So I know I've been a pretty bad blogger lately, with moving and everything but I didn't want to pass up the chance to recognize Lauren's birthday. She turned 2 on Monday and is pretty excited about that. I took her to Disneyland during the day. They gave her a little Happy Birthday pin and then on each ride, the ride attendants would wish her Happy Birthday. It was too cute. She was so excited to have other people know it was her day, she told everyone 'thank you' when they wished her Happy Birthday. I can hardly believe she is 2. It's crazy that she's not a baby anymore. She is a funny kid. So different from Emily is so many ways, yet desperately tries to be just like her. She's my little 'opposites' girl, a Dr. Jekyl/Mr Hyde. She is such a dirty kid, always dirty face and shirt, yet she's constantly asking to wash her hands. She'll walk by Emily and reach out and knock her on the head, yet there's no one in the world she adores more. She has to do everything on her own, I mean everything, but she won't go to nursery by herself. She is stubborn but also so quick to say 'sorry' and give hugs. She is so friendly, says 'hi' to anyone that will listen but don't get too close to her things, she's protective. She is sweet yet defiant at times. She runs everywhere, with her tongue out. She wants so bad to be bigger, but she still wants her cuddles and kisses (I love that!!). Oh, I could go on forever. She keeps us entertained that's for sure.....We love you Lauren!!!

We're Moving.....YEAH!

2009-02-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

Ok, for those of you outside the state, sorry, we're still staying in Los Angeles and for those of you in the ward, yes, we're still in the ward. We are moving though, just to a new apartment (and when I say new, I mean new to us, nothing's new in L.A.) We found a cute little 2 bedroom apartment, within our current ward and we signed on it last week. We are pretty excited. The girls are super excited to have their own room and Jason and I are super, super excited to have our own room. I know most people think we're pretty crazy for staying in a 1 bedroom for this long but I think our patience paid off. Our new place is about the same size as our current place just with two bedrooms and it has two major bonuses. It's the same rent we are paying now and it has a GARAGE. Are you kidding? It's almost like having our own home ( I know, not quite but still exciting.) And we can more easily have overnight visitors, so plan you trip to Disneyland everyone. Anyway, we are really happy with it. It will be a busy February. Fortunately, our new manager is letting us slowly move into our new place and we don't have to be out of our current place until the end of February. We are taking the chance to paint and update a few things in the new place. It's so fun to have a home improvement project. I will be sending out some change of address cards later this month (probably by email). I think I have most people's email but if you don't think I do, leave me a comment with your address or email me at jason.polson@gmail.com.

America's Next Top Model?

2009-01-17T07:50:00.000-08:00

Result of a 3 year olds moments alone with the camera!!

That's Fierce!

Winter Swimming!

2009-01-05T21:11:00.000-08:00

Deb and Allen heated up the jacuzzi for the kids and they had a great winter swimming session. A few of them, crazy ones, even braved the very cold big pool.

A little backfire with the gun!

Family Fun!

2009-01-05T20:53:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Eve, went to K1 Speedway with my sister's and families and went race car driving. So I was kindof a skeptic, not so sure about driving little cars 45mph around an indoor track. I was so wrong. This was one of the most fun activities we've done in a long time. We did a series of races, the first practice, the second qualifing and the third was an actual serious race, complete with trophies. We had a blast. Jason was super good, placing in 2nd (his trophy is proudly displayed in our home.) I took a little bit to catch on, had a few little accidents but in the end I did pretty well too. Despite a few spinouts and run-ins we all walked away whole and healthy, with some very fun memories.
Can't say much for the less-fashionable hoodies worn under the helmet, but I guess they do they job.

Jason, ready to go.

The complete look!

A Very Merry Christmas!

2008-12-29T12:42:00.001-08:00

This Christmas was a wonderful adventure for us. It was the first year we haven't gone home to Seattle for the holidays. Despite missing being with grandmas and grandpas, we had a great time. Emily got really into Santa this year and that made it even more fun. Christmas Eve we made cookies and frosted them for Santa and left carrots for the reindeer. Emily loved this part. She was very concerned that Santa eat all of his cookies. After that, Deborah's girls read some Christmas books to the little ones and we sang carols. Emily was very anxious to go to bed so Santa could come.

Christmas morning-the traditional lining up on the stairs.

Lauren in her dream car!

Emily really wanted a dog ( a real one) for Christmas but she seems to be satisfied with the next best thing- Lucky, The Wonder Pup!

I think Lauren was a little overwhelmed Christmas morning-so much going on, but she slowly warmed up to the idea.

We definately got spoiled this Christmas. Thanks to everyone who made our Christmas so great, especially Deborah and Allen for hosting. We had the best time!

Christmas Dresses!

2008-12-21T19:45:00.001-08:00

Christmas dresses was always one of my favorite traditions as a little girl, so it's fun to have little girls to dress up. Special thanks to Great-Grandma Polson, she sends the girls their dresses every year. We love it!

Serious Skills!

2008-12-19T10:39:00.000-08:00

We think Lauren has a future as a hair dresser. What do you think?

Disneyland x2!

2008-12-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

We've been to Disneyland twice in the last 2 weeks. Disneyland is so fun at Christmas it was hard to resist. Last week we took the girls so they could see Santa. It's the best Santa, he looks so real. Emily loved it, Lauren, of course, did not. She refused to sit on his lap but did oblige and joined it the family shot. We stayed late and watched the fireworks and snow (fake, of course). Although it was crazy busy we still had a fun time.

Our second visit was an adults only visit. Wednesday was Tyson's birthday, so we dropped off kids and went alone. Special thanks to our families that took our kids. Unfortunately it was pouring rain the entire time but that meant the lines were super short. So, although a little wet, we had a blast. We had dinner in the Blue Bayou, which was very cool and then we enjoyed all of the "big kid" rides that we never get to go on. We did take a break from the rain and ride Small World, which was just as I remembered it, long and loud. Thanks Tyson for having a birthday.

Future Occupation??

2008-12-10T08:32:00.000-08:00

Lately the girls like to get out Jason's tool and "fix" the chairs. Future auto mechanics? Maybe they should just stick to chairs.

Little Helpers!

2008-12-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

The other night Jason decided to make smoothies and of course the girls wanted to help. Jason made a rookie mistake and left the blender plugged in with the lid off. And the result is, Lauren pushed one little button and made one big mess. I have to admit, from across the room it was pretty entertaining, shear panic, arms flying, little girls screaming, ending in tears for the girls and laughs for us. Notice the large chunks of frozen strawberries strewn about.

Trimming the Tree!

2008-12-01T12:33:00.000-08:00

In the past we have never stayed home for Christmas, so we have never had a Christmas tree (sad, I know). Since we are staying home this year, we invested in a small, pre-lit (love that) Christmas tree. Sunday night we dusted off the Christmas music and let the girls decorate the tree. They had so much fun. The test now will be to see how long Lauren leaves the ornaments on the tree. I have a feeling we'll be re-decorating quite a bit. Despite our 75 degree weather, we are so exited for the Christmas season.

Just like Dad!

2008-12-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

Thanks to some friends of my sister, each Thanksgiving we get to go to the Calloway Golf Test Center and play a little golf. This year Emily got to go with her dad. She had a great time, although Jason said she's a little stubborn. "I already know how to do it." So independent.

Christmas Star!

2008-12-01T12:21:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I don't usually post pictures of things that I've made but I just loved this so much I had to share. My sister taught this class at her Relief Society Super Saturday so when I was down for Thanksgiving she let me make one. It's just a metal star with scrapbook paper decoupaged on. It was not too hard to make and turned out so cool. I love it!!! Now I want to do some just for my regular decor.

Our Seattle Visit!

2008-11-18T13:34:00.000-08:00

Sorry we've been absent for a while, but we just returned from a wonderful visit to Seattle. It was chilly, rainy and cloudy. So perfect. Actually we had some really great sunny days too. We had a great time visiting family and old friends. It's never enough time but we were able to do lots of fun things. Sorry about the picture overload that follows but we just had lots to share. Just think there even things we did I forgot to take pictures of. We owe both our parents, family and friends a big thanks for making our trip so wonderful. Although we will miss being there for the holidays, it was fun to go at a time when it's not quite so crazy. Seattle is so beautiful and it will always be a special place for us.

The Lake House

2008-11-18T13:26:00.000-08:00

Always one of our highlights of our visits to Seattle is our trip to Jason's parents lakehouse. Jason's dad has built it almost entirely by himself and it's wonderful. It is so peaceful and beautiful. We always love to go stay a night. This time grandpa treated the kids to a ride in his little boat, Emily even got to steer. So fun!

Point Defiance Zoo

2008-11-18T13:18:00.000-08:00

We had a great visit to the zoo. They've remodeled it a lot since I had been there last and it was really great. It was a beautiful day, sunny but chilly, perfect.

Tuppance a bag...

2008-11-18T13:11:00.000-08:00

Whenever we are in Seattle, one of our favorites spots to visit is Ivar's. It's a little seafood resturant on the waterfront. The food is great but what we really go for is to feed the seagulls. They'll take french fries right out of you hands (if you're french fry isn't long enough, they might take you finger too.) The birds were particularly crazy this time, tourist off season I guess. The girls were very brave and had a great time.

Seattle Science Center

2008-11-18T12:56:00.000-08:00

When Jason got to Seattle, we took the girls downtown Seattle to the Pacific Science Center. It was a great day, not crowded at all. The girls basically had the place all the themselves.

Emily in the Butterfly house...she was a little disappointed that none of them would land on her.

Lauren loved this snake...yuck.

Fun with Bubbles!

Don't worry, it's fake.

The girls loved using umbrellas...crazy kids.

Carnation

2008-11-18T12:48:00.000-08:00

One of our days in Seattle, we did a little tour of the Snoqualmie Valley. I spent a lot of time there growing up since my grandparents lived in Carnation. We started at Snoqualmie Falls, went to Carnation, saw my grandparents old home, had lunch at Xtapa (not sure that's spelled right, my grandmas favorite Mexican resturant), went to Remilinger Farms and finished off by driving by Carnation Milk Farms. My grandpa worked for Carnation Milk Farms and we used to go visit when we were small (it's actually now used as a camp for special needs children.) It was a fun day. It was nice to show my girls some of the places I loved as a kid.

Snoqualmie Falls

2008-11-18T12:42:00.000-08:00

The falls were amazing this year. There had been quite a bit of rain before we came and there was so much water coming over. I don't know that I've ever seen them that big. It was actually difficult to see them at some points because there was so much mist coming up. It was very cool though.

Raking Fall Leaves

2008-11-18T12:33:00.000-08:00

Something we don't get to do very often, but the girls loved it. It was so fun to bundle them up and send them out. They had a great time!

With their friends, Mike and Woody!

VOTE!

2008-11-04T12:48:00.000-08:00

I am proud to have had the opportunity to have vote today. I am grateful to live in a country where we have a voice and hopefully that voice is heard. It's seems like this has been a very long race, I am definately ready for it to over. Right now, as much as the presidential election, I am concerned about the vote on Proposition 8. For those of you is California, you know the struggle. For those of you outside of California, your turn will come. This will not end with California. This has been a long and hard fought battle and I can only pray that the outcome is such that traditional marriage is protected. It has been a priviledge to stand up for my beliefs and values. And though this specific issue is nearing a finish line (one way or the other), we will have many other races to run in order to protect our beliefs. So get out and exercise your constitutional right. And if you live in California, Vote Yes of 8.

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-02T14:17:00.000-08:00

We hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween. We had a great Halloween week. We had so many fun things going on. It started on Monday with our spooky story time at the library. The girls got to dress up and go knock on office doors in the library to get treats. Such a cute little program, they love it. Wednesday was our ward's trunk-0r-treat. Jason and I even got into the action and dressed up. Crazy, we found it was a little more fun that way. The party was a big hit and the girls scored in the candy department. Thursday, Emily got to dress up for pre-school and they had a little party.
Finally, on Friday, we went down to San Diego. We've never been able to join in on the Haynie festivities for Halloween since it's usually during the week. So this year, we took advantage of the Friday Halloween and went to their ward trunk-or-treat and followed that up with the ever popular Haynie Halloween party. We had a great time. We had great scones and lots of hot chocolate (although it was 85 degrees that day). Overall we had a great holiday and got great use out of our costumes. Emily got the award for "Most creative kids costume". She was so proud.

Arghhh Matey!

2008-11-02T14:09:00.000-08:00

All Emily wanted to be this year for Halloween was a pirate.... So here are our little pirates!!

Petting Zoo!

2008-10-27T13:12:00.000-07:00

Usually when we go to Disneyland, we usually skip the petting zoo (I know, some of you are thinking "There's a petting zoo?"), but last week we took the girls in for a visit to the goats. It was pretty cute. They made Lauren a little nervous but she still made attempts to pet them. I can't blame her for being nervous, the goats were crazy. They were all jumping up on each other and over the fences. It was a little chaotic but still pretty fun.

So it has begun....

2008-10-10T08:37:00.000-07:00

I love Emily's preschool. Emily loves her preschool. When I signed her up I had only one reservation. I dreaded the day when we would see a varied array of diseases run their course through our home due to the fact that Emily spends a whopping 4 hours a week with 17 other 3-4 olds. So yesterday, 6 of the 18 kids in her class were absent, assumably home ailing from one disease or another. So, like clockwork, last night it happened. Emily got sick, tummy sick, the best variety. Now we will hold our breathes for the next few days, praying it doesn't pass on to the rest of us. If tradition persists, Lauren and Jason will get it. I will be spared, I think, for the sole purpose of taking care of everyone else. We hope all is well with you in your homes. If you're kids aren't big enough for nursery or school yet, just wait, you'll understand all too soon.
In light of all this, I do have to say I have the best husband. He is such a trooper when the kids are sick, in fact, he is the one that ends up sleeping with them and taking care of them in the middle of the night. Last night he and Emily watched "Chitty, Chitty Bang Bang" about 1 am. What a guy!

P.S. I just want to note that while I was posting this, the police department called. Apparently someone in our home dialed 911 and they just wanted to make sure we were ok. It's going to be a great day.

Sleepover!!!

2008-10-01T22:28:00.000-07:00

Monday night, Jason found out last minute that he needed to go to Utah Tuesday morning for work. He never has to travel much but we still miss him tons when he's gone. So, to help pass the time, Jen and the twins were sweet enough to come stay with us Tuesday night. We had a blast. The kids played, we chatted and crafted. It was great. The only draw back was the weather. The last two days have been some of the hottest and most humid of the summer (P.S. it case you missed it, it is not summer any more!). We did venture to the park but the kids mostly sat in the shade drinking water, they're no dummies. All and all, we had a super fun time and are so glad we have such fun friends to play with. Thanks guys!

Beating the heat with popsicles..
Sign of a good time....a messy room!

What an Angel!!

2008-10-01T22:23:00.000-07:00

So not really something that's said about her all the time (although she is a super sweet girl), she can be very mischevious. Although she looks innocent and very cute in this picture, she had climbed up on the computer chair, found the headphones and was pushing buttons at a feverish pace. Lucky for her the reflective material on the head phones gave a more angelic look than her behavior would attest to.

Preschool, Yeah!

2008-09-18T13:43:00.001-07:00

Emily started preschool this week and (double yeah) she loves it. She love her teacher, Miss Claire and has had no problems going. Lauren, on the other hand, cries and screams Emily's name when she goes. So far, we have some beautiful paintings to show for her efforts. Today, I asked her what songs they sang and she told me "Wheels on the Bus" but she told me that her teacher didn't know "I am a Child of God." (for obvious reasons). I asked if she had suggested that song and she said "Yes, but noboby could sing it." Hopefully, that's a good start to her lifetime missionary efforts.
Here she is on her first day, empty backpack and all. Funniest thing, that all kids associate a backpack with school even if they don't need it.

My Messy Baby!

2008-09-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

So, Lauren's in the whole "eat by myself" stage and to start out with she always does a good job. She starts by eating with a utensil, but never fails, it's too slow and she reverts to fingers. And this is the result. As you can see, she enjoys it very much and although it's fun for her, the clean-up is horrific. Needless to say, we've been buying a lot more wipes lately!

She's so proud!

Absent.....again!

2008-09-15T15:30:00.001-07:00

So sorry, seems I've been sporadic in my posting. To tell the truth, we have just hunkered down the last few weeks and recovered from our busy summer. But things are picking up againg so I'm sure we'll have more to share soon.

I've been tagged....

2008-09-15T15:10:00.000-07:00

So Jill tagged me and I am supposed to share 6 random things about me. I always have a hard time thinking of what to share but here goes......

1. I love to read. Lately I have been very into memiors. For some reason I find reading about other people's life experiences fascinating. I have read some really great ones in the past few months. Most of them left me very grateful for the life I have.

2. I am a little bit of a procrastinater. Always have been. I like to use the excuse that I think I'm better under pressure (but I think I just always start late.) Good news though, everything always gets done and I'm working on it so hopefully I am getting better.

3. I love almost any sporting event. Being raised with 5 brothers did that to me. I love to watch football, basketball, tennis, swimming, volleyball and yes, even golf. I don't really enjoy baseball on t.v. but I do love a game in person. All time favorite event: March Madness. Jason and I fill out our brackets every year and have a little competition. And the best part is, that I even enjoy playing most sports. I am always up for a little competitive activity! So fun!

4. I am a little crazy about laundry. I am a pre-soak, pre-stain treatment fanatic. I HATE stains, especially on my kids clothes. We have lots and lots of clothes that I don't like to be dried. Shrinking messes up everything. Being so weird about laundry means that I have to do it myself. Jason's off the hook on this one. I'm not really proud of this, it's just the way I am I guess. I do not mind the washing part of laundry, but I do not enjoy folding or putting away. ( I was reminded of this little tidbit because I am in the middle of laundry right now.)

5. I miss SEASONS! Being raised in Seattle (with plenty of weather), I miss having a little variety. I especially miss when the weather starts to get a little chilly in the fall and it's time to bust out the warm weather clothes. Just so you know, it's 88 degrees today in Torrance. Not exactly fall weather. I shouldn't complain because we are blessed with beautiful weather most all the time but I just long for a cloudy, Seattle-like day every once and a while! The grass is always greener right?

6. I feel so lucky to have the family I have. Cheesy, I know. Not just my wonderful husband and cute girls, but my parents, Jason's parents, our siblings, and extended family. We are so blessed. The more I am out and about in the world the more I realize how fortunate we are to have all the love and support we do. Not to mention, I have fabulous friends too, old and new.

Ok, so that's that. I will pass on the pleasure and tag Whitney, Luisa and Kim. You know who you are!!!