Our backyard

They have several of these play structures on the beach.

Dallin wishing he could play too.

Here is our apartment complex in the background.

Our trek to NJ

We've made it to New Jersey! I'll post some pictures of Nate's trip first. The first day he and Braden drove to Sioux City, Iowa to stay with their aunt and uncle. They stopped at Mount Rushmore on the way.

The next day they stopped in Nauvo, Illinois to see the temple there and church history sites.

The next day they stopped in Kirtland, Ohio.

Then on to Long Branch, New Jersey. The boys and I made it here just fine. I am so grateful things went smoothly. I was so nervous about our journey here, but we didn't have any tantrums or crying.

New Jersey doesn't feel homey yet. I don't think it every will. It is really different. Our apartment it great but not really kid friendly. We have to park in a whole different building on the 3rd floor. We live on the 3rd floor of our building so it is a big ordeal to go places especially grocery shopping! Hopefully we will get the hang of things soon.

I miss my daily walks with Alicia! We walked on the boardwalk by our apartment yesterday and it was a beautiful walk. I'll have to get a walking buddy or two once everyone gets here.

Nate got a sale his first day here, which is really exciting. We've had rain the last couple days so it has been kind of a bummer for them, but they are all really good sports and work hard. They sure work hard for the money they make.

No internet?!?

Nate told me that there is no internet access at our apartment in New Jersey. We have no TV either, not that big of a deal, but internet! What in the world are we going to do? I mean I planned to be out and about a lot, but I need to blog about it. So, heads up, I may not be blogging much this summer. We may have to look into getting it, if it isn't too expensive.

For Nate

Dallin started crawling while Nate was gone this week, so this is for him. I mean, anyone can watch it, but it is especially for Nate who won't see him crawl for a couple days still. We made it to Utah fine. We didn't stop once, surprisingly. I was determined to beat the Salt Lake rush hour, so I drove through Dallin's whining and just threw him crackers and even cookies (drastic measures) when I wanted him to shut up. Nate should be in New Jersey tonight. He took pictures along the way that I will post when I get there.

Easter Egg Hunt

Our community did an Easter egg hunt for the kids, so we took Tanner and met Alicia and kids. We didn't take a basket to collect eggs in, so we grabbed the baseball glove we had in the car and he used that. He had a great time with David. He will sure miss his best friend when we go.

Waiting for the go

BFFs

And they are off

I stayed behind with the babies.

Their eggs

So Vain

Dallin loves to look at himself. Guess most kids do, and don't know it is them.

Spring?

It was in the 40s today so we got to walk outside. I know some of you (Melissa) are laughing because you are getting 70-80 degree weather where you are, but for Rexburg, this is a nice spring day. Sad, I know. Not sure if we are actually done with the snow and freezing temperatures, but I am hopeful that spring is actually here.

Banoffee Pie

Nate saw a pie made on the Today Show that he had to have, so I made it today. So against my diet with all the butter, cream and sugar, but I guess once in a blue moon it is ok. Click on the link to get the recipe: Banoffee Pie

It is really yummy. The toffee is what makes it amazing.

Nothing else to post about, so. . .

If anyone wants to know how I predict American Idol to go. I am thinking that they will go home in this order. This is partially how I'd like it to go and partially how i think it will inevitably go. I've been a fan of Megan's from the start but she's been disappointing lately, so I think she'll go soon. And I am not crazy about Danny but I think he'll be in the finals. Go Adam! (even though you are an extremely strange man) So what do you think?

Lots of Baths this week

Episode 1
"Did you give Dallin something besides Cheerios to eat?" Nate asked me.
"No. Why?"
"Well, what is that?"
Dallin had brown goo around his mouth with a Cheerio stuck to it, and brown streaks up and down his tee shirt. I stepped closer. "Does it smell like poo to you?" I asked Nate.
"Oh man! Yes!" We looked into the chair he was sitting in and there it was. The blob escaped his diaper and had collected Cheerios that Dallin was grabbing at, and apparently eating!
Strait to the bath for Dallin.

Episode 2
"Tanner, don't lay on Dallin! You are squishing him!" I say to Tanner for the fourth time. But Dallin just giggles, encouraging the wrestling to continue. Tanner is getting quite worked up and starts coughing. Belch. Gag. Heave. Puke all over Dallin's back.
Strait to the bath for Tanner and Dallin.

Car seat review

Bad picture, but oh well. The Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 is actually for ages 1 -10, not newborn and up like I said. Must have been thinking about the Safety First Alpha Omega (Jordan and Michaela, check that one out). Luckily I don't need this one for a newborn. I'd probably go with a travel system anyway with a newborn since that is practically the only way you can take them in a stroller or put them in a grocery cart. Just some advise for first time carseat/stroller shoppers.

Anyway. I like the car seat. Tanner will use it. It's fairly easy to adjust. Sturdy. Reclines some, not as much as I'd like, but fine. I like that you can remove the back and it can become a booster seat later. Did you know that kids are supposed to be in a booster until they are 4'9"? That is between 8 to 12 years old! The head rest makes it so he can sleep comfortably in the car. Tanner loves the cup holder. So, I'd recommend it to anyone who has a kid outgrowing their baby car seat.

I made granola!

This was my first time making granola, and I don't think I will ever buy again. It was so easy and I usually have everything I need on hand. You can alter the recipe so easily too. I added pecans and cranberries. Some other things that I think would be good are using some maple syrup instead of honey, and using different seeds and nuts. You could cut the amount of oil in this one and still be ok.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup raisins/dried cranberries
  

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine oats and coconut; set aside. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, oil, honey and cinnamon; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over oat mixture; stir to coat. Spread in a large shallow baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool. Add raisins/cranberries. Store in an airtight container.

Stats and car seat

Dallin had his 9 month check up and he is 31 inches long (99th percentile) and 21 lbs (46th percentile).


He has out grown his car seat, so I got this Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 seat. Can be used from 5- 100 lbs, so newborn to big kid. Hopefully this will be the last one I buy. This will be our 3rd. Wish it was around when I had Tanner. I would like one of these for each kid, I think. I guess I haven't used it yet to know if it is as great as it seems. I'll let you know, in case you are looking for a car seat.

First day out

We've been able to go outside to walk again. It's great! Alicia brought her camera and took these shots. It is kind of sad we are leaving soon, we are coming into the best time of year in Rexburg.


I think this is a funny face on Dallin. He's here with Sydney.

This is Tanner's "Cheeeeese!" smile.

Tanner's feet.

Nothing blog worthy going on

I have just been packing and preparing to move lately. Don't want to bore you with all the details, so I will just post a picture of Dallin. He still isn't crawling at 9 months. I think it will be in the next month though. Tanner didn't until he was 10 months. I just have slow boys, but once they are up and going they are really up and going, so I am ok with the delays.

"Like Jordan's!"

When I brush Tanner's hair I brush it to the side. Lately, Tanner has been pulling it up saying "Like Jordan's!" So then I have to do a fohawk. It is really cute, but he has really coarse hair that likes to lay flat and go forward, so the fohawk only lasts about 5 minutes. Even with product!

Nate comes home tomorrow! I'm so excited! It hasn't been a horrible week because I have done everything I can think of to keep busy, but we've definitely missed him.

He had a pretty good experience in L.A. No sales but came close a couple times. It was a lack of knowledge that costed him the sales. He was kicking himself later. But now he knows and can correct it later. They say it usually takes 40 hours of knocking doors to get a sale and he maybe did 15 hours. He'll go to Idaho Falls to get some more practice. Anyone know anyone there who might want a free security system???

So lonely

Nate is in Los Angeles this week doing pre-summer sales to get some training and practice. We're hoping he does good so he can feel confident selling this summer and get a running start. I've been really impressed with his dedication to learning about APX and how to sell. We're praying he does well enough that we can get through graduate school at least debt free. Luckily ISU is relatively inexpensive, so that shouldn't be too hard.

Anyway, I hate being alone with the kids. The saying, "Absense makes the heart grow fonder" is so true! I know I sure appreciate Nate more after he has been gone, especially when the kids don't sleep good due to sickness, and when Tanner is especially unruly. Guess moments of separation like these are good for a marriage occasionally (very occasionally) since I gain a greater appreciation.

Poor Dallin

Dallin has been sick with an ear infection and bronchitis for a few days and you can just tell he is miserable and exhausted. In this video he is trying to sleep sitting up.


We spent the day in Pocatello yesterday to look at housing options and see the city and it really is not so bad. Actually I am pretty excited to live there. There is definitely more shopping options than Rexburg. No Target or Old Navy though. :( We ate at Craigo's; we are so happy they are there. That is our favorite pizza place in Rexburg. I have yet to scope out the parks, but I saw a few.

The news we've been waiting for for WAY TOO LONG

Nate heard from Eastern Washington yesterday and he was put on the alternate list, so we are planning to go to ISU. If he comes up on the alternate list we'd consider it still, but for now we are tired of waiting. We are making plans now for a life in Pocatello. We are totally fine with this. We weighed it out and they were both really good for us in different ways. Now we look forward to being close to our siblings that are in ID and UT and cheaper housing, cost of living and tuition. Now we will just have to find the good in Pocatello. At first glance it doesn't look like a very nice place to live, but neither did Rexburg and we've grown to like it here.

Look what I have been doing

Packing. Already. We don't leave for 6 weeks, but I want to do it very gradually so I don't exhaust myself or neglect the kids for long periods of time. We will store everything for the summer except the bare essentials. We should know tomorrow if Nate gets in to Eastern Washington University. We'll keep you all posted.

Dallin trying to help.













Can you guess what Tanner is doing behind our chair? This is his official pooping spot. I should just stick his toilet back there, and maybe he'd go.

Not so BRAVE or CRAZY (whichever you were thinking) after all

So, I bought plane tickets today. LOL. I am flying to New Jersey with Tanner and Dallin. I totally chickened out, thanks to many of you. :) So I will make the 4 hour drive to SLC (visit Matt and Mickie while there) and a quick 4 hour flight as apposed to a week long trip. I feel much less anxiety now, even though there still is some since I will be taking 2 kids on a flight by myself. Michaela, you can still come. Wait, no you can't, I got the last 2 tickets. Darn it!

Hopefully, my kids will be smiling like this on our flight.