Traeger Family

What a YEAR! (and a few months)

2011-08-03T00:30:00.000-07:00

I'm going to briefly try and explain everything that has happened over this past year! I did some quick calculations and over the past year (and a few months) this is what we've done:

225+ (I lost count) Dr & Therapy Appointments
Colton had at least 2 therapy appointments each week (feeding therapy and occupational therapy)

Bennett had a physical therapy appointment once a week for 6 months. He had a "Torticollis" (I'll let you google that) from a combination of his position in the womb and from having reflux. Thankfully we had a great pediatrician who got us on the right meds and the right formula for his reflux as well as a milk protein allergy. BUT it required A LOT of Dr. appointments and tests! Also because of the reflux he had 5 sets of ear infections by the time he was 6 months old. (Again lots of dr's appts and meds!)

Becky - As for me... because of Bennett's strong little body while I was pregnant with him, he pretty much was draining me of all my iron. (By the time he was born my hemoglobin was at 7.2 - normal is over 12) Oh and that was while I was taking 3 iron pills a day! (yeah my tummy wasn't happy!) So right after he was born they gave me a shot (no idea what it's called) to stop the bleeding. It worked - the bleeding stopped and my hemoglobin levels didn't drop further and I didn't need a blood transfusion but it also caused my blood pressure to rise. So, long story short, for the next 5 months I was seeing a Hematologist (for my anemia) and my regular family dr (for the high blood pressure). These appointments were almost weekly and they both ran lots of tests to determine... drum roll please... I'm anemic! Ha Ha Thankfully that was all, but I tried to tell them that from the beginning!

We also had a bad case of the stomach flu pass between us all right before Christmas. I tried my best, but on Christmas Eve, right after I finished putting out the presents I succumbed and started throwing up! We actually had to stay home from all of the family activities - it was so sad :(.

We also had 3 Surgeries! (not including the C-Section for Bennett)
Last summer, Colton stepped on a piece of glass and we thought we got it all, but a few weeks later we noticed he was still limping and sure enough after an x-ray they discovered a small piece... so the next day we went in for an outpatient surgery to get it out! About 6 months later, Colton also had his tonsils and adenoids taken out. AND if that's not enough... on the same day, Bennett got tubes in his ears! The same ENT did both the boys' surgeries! She was great and we're so happy we did it! Bennett has had only one ear infection since and it cleared up within 2 days!

Finally, due to our "unemployment situation" I let my part-time-fun-job become my full-time(still fun but not as much)-job. I logged 350 basketball games (NBA, College, & International). I would "go to work" (lock myself in our bedroom and sit at the computer) around 3pm and usually come out around 11pm.

Are you wondering what Seth was doing all this year... Well, he spent every day applying for jobs and contacting different people/recruiters/colleagues! And as you have all heard by now... HE GOT A JOB! Yep, we're moving to Silver City NM this Saturday! (I should be packing, but I realized if I don't write this before we move, I'll never do it!)

So... if you're wondering why my blog has not been updated... or why you haven't seen me even though we're in the same neighborhood (or ward for that matter :))... now you know! Ha Ha

I better end this now - it's past midnight and believe it or not, Colton has his last occupational therapy appointment in the morning and Bennett has an appointment with the Pediatric GI in the afternoon! No rest for the weary... :)

Bennett Joshua Traeger

2010-05-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

Bennett Joshua Traeger

Born May 19, 2010 at 9:31am
9lbs 10oz
21 3/4 in long

Mommy & Bennett are doing great!

One More Day...

2010-05-18T11:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, with only one more day until Bennett is born, I figured I better update our happenings over the last few months... (otherwise once he's born, I'm sure it'll get lost in the shuffle) So, here's what we've been up to in pictures.

Back in March we went to Disneyland. Thanks to Seth's parents we were able to make a quick 2 day trip to Disneyland with Colton. We had SO MUCH FUN!! (My sister, Emily, attributes it to having 3 adults to 1 child) Colton LOVED everything about Disneyland and still wants to go back. For a "Sensory-Seeker" like Colton, his favorite was, of course, the Teacups! You've got to watch the video of him (especially watch his tongue).

Colton, Seth and my dad rode the Teacups a total of 6 times! He would've gone for more but Seth and dad were getting sick! I did ride it the last time though and no barfing :)

Since Christmas, Colton has been wanting to go camping. In fact, all he wanted for Christmas was a camping tent! On Friday, he got to go on his first Father's and Sons camp out. He was so excited and had so much FUN! He got to go hiking and swimming and cook his hotdog over the fire - Oh and of course sleep in a tent with a sleeping bag! He's all boy for sure!

So while Seth, Colton, Marc, Parker and Austin were at Father's and Sons, the "Girls" had a nice relaxing dinner at Cheesecake Factory - Ok, Ok, with 3 little girls it wasn't that relaxing but we did have fun!

On Saturday, the boys got home early and turned around and we all drove to the Gila Valley Temple open house. I was so excited for Colton to get to see inside of a Temple! It was pretty crowded but I think he liked it.

And one more picture for posterity (since I didn't take one right before I had Colton) And if you can believe it I was even bigger with Colton!

Not sure what's up with my face!

UPDATE!

2010-02-18T22:17:00.000-08:00

We borrowed Seth's parents camera last night and shot some video of Colton so we could finally update our blog!

I was serious when I said I can't blog without pictures/videos.

January/February has been great and Colton has hit so many milestones.

First, he moved up to the Sunbeam class at church and really had no issues making the transition.

Second, he "graduated" from speech therapy! It was 2 years ago in January that this whole process began and we can't believe how far he's come! The best is hearing him say the word "graduated"...

Third, he got to give the scripture during Primary Sharing Time. We had been working on memorizing the 1st Article of Faith so that was the scripture he did - all by himself! (He started getting nervous about it right before Church though, so I had to promise him some chocolate chips as a reward). He did it though without any help and was so cute! I'm pretty sure that even six months ago I didn't think this would be possible.

Colton reciting the First Article of Faith

Colton singing "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam"

I've promised myself that when I'm having a hard day with Colton I'll watch these videos to remind myself just how great he is!

We are still looking for permanent employment but know that it will all happen according to Heavenly Father's timetable and not our own... although there are times when we wish He didn't "trust" us so much!

Our little baby boy is getting bigger... if you've seen me lately you know what I mean. I'll have to borrow the camera again and take a picture. Almost on a daily basis Colton walks up to me and says right to my belly: "Baby Bennett, can you hear me in there?" It still cracks me up! Oh and yeah, we're pretty sure he's going to be named Bennett! Still not sure on a middle name but we've got time.

It's a...

2009-12-28T18:07:00.001-08:00

BOY!

Six Years Ago Today...

2009-12-27T17:50:00.000-08:00

Pardon the Post Drought...

2009-12-18T09:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, so a month ago our camera died... and apparently I can't post without pics - ha ha

So, in the meantime, please enjoy this HILARIOUS skit by Conan O'Brien entitled "A Song for the Mormons" - it just cracks me up!

In Loving Memory

2009-11-19T13:57:00.000-08:00

Gram holding Colton at 6 weeks

My dear, sweet, Great-Grandma Wike passed away yesterday at the age of 96. She lived such a wonderful and full life. I love her so much! I'm so grateful that Colton got a chance to get to know her too. How many kids can say they knew their Great-Great Grandma?

On Sunday we went to her house and said goodbye. While I knew her passing was for the best and definitely her time, I wasn't prepared at how emotional it was to say that last goodbye. This did give us a wonderful opportunity to teach Colton a little about our purpose here on this Earth and what happens when we die. I am so grateful for the plan of salvation and for my knowledge of it. I can't imagine going through all the ups and downs of this life without an understanding of why.

Some of my favorite memories of Grandma Wike are going to her house once a week all through my childhood and eating lunch with her. (And with my Great-Great Grandma Francom - she didn't pass until I was 5). She always lived in the same house and some of my earliest memories are actually driving in the car on the way to her house. She made the BEST Fried Chicken! Also, she was a Grandma in every sense of the word... you could almost get away with murder while at her house!

We Love You Grandma Wike!

4 Generations

Halloween 2009

2009-11-06T23:16:00.000-08:00

This year was so much fun with Colton! He's the perfect age to enjoy Halloween, without being too scared. Of course this year he went as Thomas so we dressed up Seth as "Sir Topham Hat"... however a few people thought he was Abraham Lincoln - Ha Ha

Seth is such a good sport... always letting me dress him up!
Hanging out at the Trunk or Treat

My entry for the pumpkin carving contest (not the best pic)

My 4th Annual "Colton Pumpkin"... I wasn't very happy with how it turned out. My sister, Emily and another guy from our ward thought it was Barack O'Bama! Ha Ha

Excuse the poor lighting... but hearing Colton's voice is so cute!

The Joys of the Unknown

2009-10-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

“A testimony is to be found in the bearing of it. Somewhere in your quest for spiritual knowledge, there is that ‘leap of faith,’ as the philosophers call it. It is the moment when you have gone to the edge of the light and step into the darkness to discover that the way is lighted ahead for just a footstep or two.” -- President Boyd K. Packer

I love this quote and have been thinking about it a lot lately, not in relation to a testimony but in relation to having faith in the Lord and His timing. We feel kind of like we're in limbo right now... our way forward is only lighted in terms of months right now and while that is not how I prefer things (I like to plan ahead) I know that I have no control over it. Heavenly Father does and I know that he is aware of us and our needs. Seth received a blessing from my dad a few weeks ago. In that blessing he was told that Heavenly Father was aware of him and his family and that it takes time to "get all the right things into place" for a job for Seth.

While work for Seth might be up in the air and our finances are down to the bare minimum there is one thing we know for certain... come May 2010 we'll be welcoming another child into our home! Yes, I/we were shocked... after all this time and we got pregnant on our own??? Of course we are thrilled and then the all-day sickness started setting in - still happy just wish I could be more excited through the throwing up! I know it's taboo to tell people during the first trimester but it's hard to hide it when it feels like you suddenly dropped off the face of the world.

Hopefully this post will also get me back into blogging again - at least on the good days :)

He Did What?!

2009-09-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

It's taken me 3 days to be able to post this... 2 days to think it was funny and 1 day to procrastinate.

Sunday was Stake Conference in our new stake. Our ward was assigned the 9am session so Seth left an hour early to get us seats in the chapel (we hoped). Colton does so much better when we're sitting in pews; he's more contained. Unfortunately there were no more seats (even at 8:00) so we were sitting in the first overflow area - 2 rows behind the big aisle.

About 30 min or so into the conference Colton slipped between the chairs in front of us and stood in the aisle way of the chapel. I got up to get him and instead of just going out the side door he ran all the way across the back part of the chapel. At that point he could see me coming so he took off down the side aisle, headed straight for the stand. Of course I'm still in the back (feeling mortified) and I realized that if he saw me coming he would probably keep going - So I hid behind the entrance-way and peeked around the corner just in time to see him running across the front aisle (in front of the speaker). He turned the corner to come back up the aisle (towards where we were sitting) and about half-way up I came out from my hiding place to snatch him up. He took one look at me and raced back towards the stand and to my SHOCK and HORROR ran up onto the stage/stand. There was a youth choir sitting up there and he managed to get a few rows into the choir loft. He found a pretty young girl and then sat on her lap!

I had no choice but to walk up onto the stand and get him down. As I was walking up all I could think was "Don't trip!" My face was about as red as it could get. Oh and the speaker (during this whole time) was speaking about teaching our families in our homes i.e. family home evening, family scripture time etc... I had to sit on the stand, next to the speakers, in order to get close enough to him and the young woman had to carry him over a few rows to hand him to me.

Needless to say we walked straight out the side door and if I had had my keys with me we probably would have kept walking all the way to the car. I was so mad I couldn't speak and I'm sure Colton could sense it so he just looked up at me and said, "Sorry mommy." I'm sure that nothing I said sank in and if given the chance he'd do it again.

All I could think was Queen Creek North Stake, meet Colton Traeger! You'll get to know him pretty well while we're living here and yes things like this seem to happen a lot when Colton is around.

Well, the rest of conference was pretty smooth. The Stake President got up to give the final talk and much to my dismay spoke about "the little boy and his mother who had to get him down from the stage..." I can't remember much after that - I was hoping that no one knew who we were or where we were sitting. He did mention though that he was the same way as a child except for that his clothes probably had grass stains on it from wrestling in the grass after church. He thanked all the parents for bringing their children :)

In case you're wondering Colton was not harmed after church, but only because another speaker asked us to "leave conference better than we came!"

First Day of School!

2009-08-17T11:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm typing this... We just sent Colton off for his first day of school (pre-school) and on a BUS no less! AAGHH! He's only 3! As soon as the bus pulled away I started bawling! Good thing Seth was here to comfort me!

One thing that helped, though, was that Colton was VERY excited to ride the bus. When the bus pulled up he RAN to it (while we're yelling to not run into the street!) And, of course, here are a gazillion pictures of it all!He walked right outside and sat down on the sidewalk to wait for the bus At one point, he got tired of waiting so he just started walking down the sidewalk!

Now I can't wait for him to come home and tell me all about his fun day!

We're Alive!

2009-08-09T18:46:00.000-07:00

Barely!

Ha Ha - Actually we're doing just fine everyone is happy and healthy... July was a crazy month and it has spilled over into August. We had 4 family birthday's to celebrate, (Yeah, October is a good month to get pregnant in for our family) 2 Road Trips and LOTS of MOVING details to get straight. We're officially moving out on Wednesday (8/12) - we're moving in with my mom. (Yes, it's a good thing :))

Here's some pictures of our recent adventures:

4th of July

For the 4th we took a day trip to Willow Springs and enjoyed some fishing with my sister's family and my dad.

Colton really enjoyed fishing and just being outdoors - he's all boy!

The men relaxing! (While the women kept the kids out of the water!)

When it started to rain we decided to head home and on our way back we stopped at a lookout point and Christopher Creek

Colton - about to throw a rock at me!

Maddie's Birthday
We celebrated Maddie's 6th Birthday at my dad's.

Take a deep breath!

Watching Lane

My sister-in-law Anna is a real-life nurse now so we got to watch Lane a few days a week. Colton is so cute with Lane - it gives me hope that he'll be nice to a brother or a sister (no, not yet)

Colton's Birthday

Colton, actullay made it to his 3rd birthday without one trip to the ER! I really didn't think that was going to be possible, but he did it! Since December, he's been fascinated with trains. So I found some wood track (that worked with what he had already) on Craig's List and refinished them so that they all looked the same (and you can tell his apart).

The night before I set it up and put a blanket over it so it would be a surprise.
Believe it or not, this isn't even all of the track - I was able to get all of these pieces for less than 20 bucks! (I love a good deal!)

We celebrated his Birthday at my sister's house so all the kids could use their BIG water slide. They had a lot of fun and Colton LOVED all of his presents!My Birthday

I spent a few days at my mom's to get things ready for our move-in and Seth and Colton were going to meet me there on my birthday. To my surprise, though when I arrived at my mom's I found a cleaning crew there! My sister-in-law, Stacy, paid to have the house cleaned so that I wouldn't have to do anything but relax for the 2 days I was there all by myself! My mom felt bad for leaving me on my birthday. I told her, "I am a 32 year mother with a husband and 3 year old son. What does anyone in that position want for their birthday? PEACE and QUIET!" It was the best!While they were alone, Seth took Colton on the light rail in downtown Phoenix! He LOVED IT!

Saying Goodbyes

With our move to Queen Creek, we won't be going to the same Speech and Occupational Therapists, so this was his last week with Miss Brandy and Miss Pam. They were so wonderful for Colton and for Seth and I. Colton's been with Brandy for over a year now - before he could even talk! He's made so much progress with their help!

Miss Brandy (Colton looks so panged in this picture because he wanted me to leave - even he needs some "alone time")

Miss Pam

Finally, we said goodbye to the Sunburst ward today. Specifically to Colton's nursery leader, Sister Seamans. She's been so good to Colton and we look forward to meeting up with her at the Mesa Temple so she and Colton can hang out!

Then & Now

2009-07-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

We got to take a day trip to visit the Grand Canyon yesterday. Yes, it was my first time to "visit" the Grand Canyon - how shocking for a native Arizonan! It was beautiful - very breathtaking - and of course now I want to go back so we can do some of the hikes.

The reason, though for our trip was not just to see the Grand Canyon, but more importantly to meet up with a family from Toronto. We got very close to the Ardelean Family while we were in Toronto and when we heard they were going to the Grand Canyon, we knew we couldn't pass up the opportunity to see them. So, we headed out at 6 in the morning and got back last night around 8:30. Yes, it was a long day but very well worth it!

Here's a picture with the Ardelean family on our last Sunday at church:

And here we are almost 2 years later:

(From L-R: Colton, Seth, Becky, Christine, Andre, Kalan & Dragos)

The great thing was that it didn't feel like any time had passed at all - except for how much taller Dragos and Kalan are.

Colton also did great with the drive and all the stopping and "looking" - we couldn't have asked for a better trip!

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T16:49:00.000-07:00

One more thing...

2009-06-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

Today was just one of those days with Colton. He was either whining about not getting something he wanted, or he was trying to do things to get in trouble... yep, just an average day with Colton. (Oh and we've been working on potty-training so he was totally naked at this point).

Well, I'm a little embarassed to admit it, but around 5pm when I had absolutely had it, I looked at him and said, "That's it Colton, I'm going to spank your buns!" and then I added, "Are you trying to make me spank you?" At this point, he's got his hands covering his bum and he looks at me and says, "No, I trying to hide my buns."

Oh, I just started laughing and he ran around the room with hands on his bum screaming, "Hide my buns! Hide my buns! Hide my buns!"

Diamond Backs Game!

2009-06-13T18:46:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our brother-in-law, Lincoln, we got to take Colton to his first baseball game! I wish I could have captured the look on his face as we walked in -- he was in awe! The seats were great! 3rd row in the right field. Thankfully we brought enough snacks and treats to keep Colton in his seat through the 5th inning!
All the boys! Seth is holding Lane, Anna and Lincoln's six month old son.

Swimming Lessons

2009-06-13T18:26:00.001-07:00

Well, after a rough start... 7 days to be exact -- Colton finally likes swimming lessons! Somehow I pictured it going a lot smoother than it did, but with only 2 lessons left, he finally did it all without crying.

The problem, we found out, had nothing to do with the lesson part, it was having to hold on to the wall while the teacher took the other kids (one at a time) out into the water to practice by themselves. Colton H-A-T-E-D that part. All he would do was cry and occasionally pull himself up and out of the pool.

But, we kept going back everyday and I would sit as close to the pool as I could (about 25 ft away) and CRINGE for a half an hour. The funny part was that he didn't cry when we would get to the pool or even as we waited for his class to start - not until he had to hold on to the side. (Which, by the way, I can totally understand - but he needed to learn, right?)Each day as we waited for class to start I would ask him if he could laugh or blow bubbles instead of crying and he would just look at me and say, "No, mommy, I cry" -- like that's just how it's going to be so you better get used to it.

I'm glad we didn't quit since the second to last day he got in like normal, but this time not one peep! I think he was actually LAUGHING during part of it. I made sure it wasn't a fluke - sure enough the next day he was loving it again. So, I signed him up for two more sessions.Oh this kid of ours! We should know by now that nothing new is easy, but it's usually worth it!

Answered Prayers

2009-05-27T21:56:00.000-07:00

Throughout the whole process of deciding on school, moving back to Arizona, being in school and now graduating without a job, we know that we are doing what we are supposed to be doing. There has never been a doubt that this is where we needed to be. Before coming to Thunderbird, we prayed and felt good about the decision and even though we didn't know how the economy was going to end up, Heavenly Father did. So, even now, without a job, there are no doubts.

The great thing is that we've come by this faith through many other past experiences. Deciding to serve a mission, where to go to school, if Seth/Becky was the right one to marry, moving to Toronto, etc... All of these decisions came from prayer and while they might not have been easy, we know we are much happier than we would have otherwise been. We've been able to have so many wonderful experiences that we would not have had without exercising faith in our Father in Heaven.

We are so excited for our friends that have found jobs. We know that we'll find a job too -- Heavenly Father will answer our prayers; in His own time and in His own way.

Trains!

2009-05-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we were able to go and tour some real trains as part of "National Train Day"

Colton LOVES trains and ran from each one to get to the next - it was so cute to see him enjoying the real thing! We of course loved that it was free!

Graduation, Global Gala and Goodbyes!

2009-05-22T23:41:00.000-07:00

(It only took 3 weeks to post)

It's hard to believe how FAST the time has gone, but also funny to think how slow it felt at times too! Colton was only 13 months when we moved here and had just started walking - now he's almost three and won't slow down!

The graduation ceremony was great (but also really long - glad we left Colton with a babysitter). We took some pics beforehand so that we could have Colton in them.

My boys! (Aren't they adorable?)

Traeger Family 2009

Unfortunately, I took the pictures of Seth at graduation (I should never be in charge of pictures!) so here's the ones that sort of turned out.

From L to R: Ann, Ron, Hank, Carrie, Sheryl, Elva, Ken and Karl
Thanks guys for coming out to support Seth!

To start the ceremony they had the "Parade of International Flags" featuring 35 nations - Each flag was carried by a graduating student from that nation who then introduced their country.

Our friend, Petko, carrying the Bulgarian flag

I already warned you that my picture taking abilities are greatly lacking... well, I didn't even see Seth as he walked by during the processional, so I had to run up the aisle and try again!

This was my 2nd attempt!

By the time they got to calling the names I realized my best chance of catching something memorable was to use the video feature. Here is Seth's name being called and accepting his diploma (also got Dawson in there too!).

If you watch the video, you'll see Seth "tapping elbows" with the school's president. He asked that the students do this because of Swine Flu fears.

The family with the graduate!

With our friends, the Webster's. This was the only pic we got of friends after the ceremony. Thanks Wendy for sending this to us - of course our's did not turn out as nicely! :)

Graduation ended a little after 5 and by 7:30 we were out the door to the Global Gala for all of the graduates.

Don't we look like we should be going to Homecoming? Ha Ha

With Petko and Nellie

Just say No! ha ha - Petko wanted Seth to try a cigar - not gonna happen :)

Finally they let us take a nice picture!

We had a great time at the Global Gala but we were exhausted so we came home at 10:30. Aren't we the party animals?

With graduation, comes Goodbyes and the first of many were the Websters. They packed up and moved out only 2 days after graduation! (Wendy I don't know how you did it?!) Xander and Colton became great friends over the last (almost) 2 years and even 3 weeks later he still wants to go to "Xando's house"

Trying to "hide" in Xander's car - I have a feeling they wouldn't be able to get too far without realizing that Colton was in their car!

Goodbye Xander, Eliza, Wendy and Ben! We miss you guys already!

PHEW! What a weekend it was! (Glad it's over!)

And So It Begins...

2009-04-30T23:34:00.000-07:00

Graduation is finally here! Be prepared for a lot of posts and pictures over the next several days!

We started off the celebration(s) with a 'low-key' lunch with several of Seth's classmates and their wives/fiancee. This was actually put together so that we could finally meet Petko's fiancee, Nellie (I'm sorry if I spelled that wrong). She got in last night from Bulgaria and it was so great to finally meet her. Petko, Jake, Ben and Seth all became friends during their first semester. Petko was the only one without a wife, so the first chance he got he went home and proposed to his girlfriend of 6 years! Guess those "family guys" started to rub off on him. Petko has become such a dear friend and family member!
(This is a bad pic, I know, but the only one I got of these two today - Hopefully Wendy will email me the group shot - hint hint! :))

Later on was the Graduation Reception for all of the graduates. Seth received 2 awards. One for being a Campus Ambassador and the 2nd for being on Honor Council. While we were sitting there, it really hit us that we're done, FINALLY! (Now we just have to work on the job thing!)
Here is Seth recieving his medals! (With the Swine Flu going around, they asked the students to not shake hands or hug and they had them all come up afterwards to recieve the awards - instead of going across the stage and shaking hands with the President - So, I had to improvise this shot!)My beautiful and talented friend, Erika Decaster. Erika and her husband are BOTH graduating tomorrow!

Oh and did you wonder what we did with Colton?

He stayed with our neighbors, David and Linda. They are the BEST neighbors ever! We have loved having them right next door these last 2 years and we are going to miss them terribly!

Colton LOVES their son Brent and Brent is always so kind and sweet and gives in to all of Colton's whims!

The Happy Dance!

2009-04-20T22:56:00.000-07:00

Our computer is working again... It contracted an awful virus and had to go see a specialist who, after many tries, finally had to just clean it out and start all over again - reload everything that came with our computer when we first bought it! Thankfully it only cost us $80 for everything and I am so grateful to have it back... I feel lost without an internet connection. Is that bad?

Well, anyways we had a great General Conference Weekend and Easter with our families. Colton loved all the Easter egg hunts he got to go on and this year he actually collected the eggs, BEFORE he opened them. I think the light bulb went on that he could get more candy that way!
Of course it just would not be General Conference without "Pull-a-Parts" YUMMY! (Sadly I just discovered that this is the only picture I took all weekend... These must have left a strong impression on me! Ha Ha - they were good)

Easter egg hunt on the Thunderbird Campus lawn

I couldn't resist taking this pic of Colton as he walks towards the biggest prize (in his eyes) -- the handicap button for the door.

We got to have another Easter egg hunt at my Aunt Holly's and Uncle Matt's. Can you tell how into it he is now?

Here's Colton and his cousin, Cooper, going through their stash at Oma's and Opa's.

It was 2 great weekends to spend with family and listen to the words of our Prophet and Apostles and celebrate the resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Mortal Instruments Series

2009-04-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

"A thousand years ago, the Angel Raziel mixed his blood with the blood of men and created the race of the Nephilim. Human-angel hybrids, they walk among us, unseen but ever-present, our invisible protectors.

They call themselves Shadowhunters...

For a thousand years, the Nephilim have protected the Mortal Instruments. But that was before the Uprising, the civil war that almost tore the Shadowhunters' secret world apart. Though Valentine, the Shadowhunter who started the war, is long dead, the wounds it left behind have never healed.

Fifteen years have passed since the Uprising. It's August in New York; the streets blistering with heat. Rumors run rampant through Downworld that Valentine is back, at the head of an army of Forsaken warriors.

And the Mortal Cup has gone missing..."

I just finished the final book in this series, City of Glass, by Cassandra Clare. These are great books! I found them after reading Twilight... and the third came out last week. These are great books, especially if you liked the Twilight series. AND (GASP!) I think I might even like them more than Twilight :) There's definitely more action and it seemed faster paced. Plus, with the final book already out, you won't have to wait and wait and wait for a resolution!

So, if you've already read these books, did you like them?

Have you read something else that you liked? If so, let me know... I need a new series!
And now I must go and finish all of the housework I've been putting off so I could finish this book!

WHEW!

2009-04-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

What a weekend we had...

It started off on Friday night. I got to go out to dinner with just the girls from Thunderbird! We went to Claim Jumper - YUMMY! The IWFC club paid for dessert too - yes, I even ate a big piece of this chocolate cake: (It was a foot tall!)

On Saturday, we headed over to another student's house in Scottsdale for a BBQ and then went from there to Seth's parents house. They watched Colton while Seth and I went to the "Divine Performing Arts" at Gammage. They are a touring group from New York and feature classical chinese dance and music. We had 6th row seats too! It was very beautiful. By the time we got back to Glendale, though, it was midnight! (Thankfully Colton slept until 8 the next morning)

The next morning, Sunday, we headed out to Surprise (yep, that's the name of a city in AZ) to attend Lane Lincoln Eagar's blessing. He's the newest Traeger grandson - there are 3 in all now(Colton, Cooper and Lane)! Aren't they cute? (This was the only picture that wasn't blurry - hopefully Anna or Claire got a better one!) Oh and it just made me realize how BIG Colton is getting too :) He is such a cutie with Lane. He's always trying to share toys with him (wish he'd do that with the kids his own age).

We also decided to go to Seth's parents in Gilbert, that night, for dinner. You can't pass up Oma's Chicken and Rice!

It was a great weekend with friends, family and food!

Best Idea EVER!

2009-03-26T22:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know - another month has passed!

Last semester my friend Wendy had the best idea. She suggested a dinner swap - she would cook on Monday nights for her family and mine and then I would cook on Wednesday nights. I made sure, of course, that she knew I was not the best cook! It was such a nice change of pace not to have to cook one night a week and it was really easy to just cook more for her family. Well, this semester (I can't imagine telling time without the constraints of "semester") we added our friend Abby to the mix. Now I get Mondays and Thursdays off from cooking dinner! Oh and they are way better cooks than me :) Seriously how did I get so lucky! On Monday, we ate homemade lasagna and a home made baguette and tonight we had pork with a cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes! This is probably the only reason I'm going to be sad to graduate - no more nights off from cooking!

So, if you have a friend who lives close (Abby, Wendy and I are all in the same apartment complex) and whose family size is about the same as yours then suggest this great idea!

P.S. I just noticed that nice "smudge" on the camera... guess Colton's been sneeking it again!

Good Friends = Good Times

2009-02-18T16:56:00.000-08:00

I think I was around 9 years old when I was driving in the car with my mom. I had just watched another mom and her teenage daughter in a big fight. I looked at my mom and with all the naivety that a 9 year old has I told her: "I'll never talk to you that way!" Well, of course, my mom just laughed it off and said that I probably would, even though I promised her that I never would (yep, she was right)... but the thing I remember most about that day was that she told me there would be a time in my life when my friends would be more important to me than she would be and that the only thing she hoped is that I would pick good friends... Well of course she was right and thankfully from Jr. High on I always had a good group of friends.

Some of us got together last week for a play date at the park and then again on Saturday for lunch (without the kiddos)! We had a great time, it was so nice to see so many of them again. I realized that a few of them I've known for almost 20 years now! Yes, we also talked about how old we were getting... it'll be 14 years this May since we graduated high school.

Here's some pics:

Colton (looking a little wasted) and Tommy Maxwell. They're only a few weeks apart.

Lauren Folsom and Colton

With Micah and Tricia at Tia Rosa's
No Kids + Good Food = FUN!

Good to see you Trish!

For My Canadian Friends!

2009-02-13T15:01:00.000-08:00

This is what we saw driving to Mesa the other day. Luckily I had the camera in the front seat so I wasn't driving too erratically - although this guy probably thought I was a little crazy :) You might have to click on it to read his license plate.

Still In Love...

2009-02-09T11:51:00.000-08:00

Colton "CAUGHT" Seth and I kissing after church! Not bad for his first picture! Oh how he makes us laugh!

If the Cardinals Can Make it to the Super Bowl...

2009-02-04T17:15:00.001-08:00

I can Update our blog!!!!

I know, it's been forever since my last post! The twins are now 3 months old! It just got to the point where so many things were happening that something had to give and that was of course this blog. Instead of trying to cram everything we've done since Halloween into this post, I'll just include a slide show of our pics that you can peruse at your own risk - there will be a lot of them!

I just sent an email to a dear friend from Toronto, and realized that most of that email could be a blog post, so Wendy, if you're reading this, I wrote that email for you and then copied and pasted it for the blog. A few people have wondered if my neglectfulness towards this blog was due to a pregnancy... Unfortunately, we are not pregnant. We've been "trying" for a year now... but you know how the saying goes: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." I'll probably need to go to a fertility specialist soon; I've been putting it off, hoping that "this is the month" we'll get pregnant (every month I think I'm pregnant :))

So, if I'm not pregnant then why have I fallen off the face of the earth? Well...

In early December, Colton was diagnosed with a "Sensory Processing Disorder." I'm not sure how to explain this... I've read so much these past few months that everything is starting to blend together into mush, but here's a basic definition: "a neurological disorder causing difficulties with processing information from the five classic senses (sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste), the sense of movement (vestibular system), and/or the positional sense (proprioception)...

Sensory information is sensed normally, but perceived abnormally." It's not like being blind or deaf, Colton can still see and hear it's just that his brain processes it in an "unusual way that may" and does "cause him distress and/or confusion."

When we first got the "diagnosis" (it's unofficial, by the way, we need to get him into a developmental pediatrician for the official "word") I just cried all the way home. Partly out of relief that we were finally starting to get answers but also sadness because I knew this wasn't just some passing thing, or just the "terrible two's" :). Each week we have 3 different therapies that we attend. The first is Speech Therapy - which is going REALLY well. He's finally starting to put 3 and 4 words together now! We're so excited. Also, just last week, he said his prayers for the first time - made my heart melt! The second therapy is "developmental." A lady comes to our home and works with Colton on speech and developmental things. He doesn't do very well with this one since it's in our home. I think I'm going to talk to her about doing it at her office since he seems to do better when he's out of his "element." The third therapy is Occupational Therapy - we just started this one but he's doing well with it, so far. They do a lot of different "instructive-play" activities with him in all three of the therapies so I'm learning at the same time how to help him too! Everyday we do different activities at home like the "brushing technique" and "heavy work."

So, with all of that, it's just felt crazy around here. I even had to quit working at night so that I could have some "down time." Seth was also in Mexico from Jan 1 - Jan 25 for school. Colton and I stayed at my mom's during that time and we both got sick (luckily at different times). Today Colton woke up with a fever (3rd one in the last month) so I took him into see the doctor and we found out he had strep throat - YUCK! So, we're just at home trying to chill out and hopefully recover quickly!

I've been wondering these last few months if this might be the "reason" we aren't getting pregnant yet - who knows for sure - all in the Lord's time. He knows how much I can handle :)

Well, I hope with this long-awaited post out of the way, I can return to my "normal blogging" routine and read some of yours as well (I haven't looked at a blog since before Christmas!)

They're Here!

2008-11-05T16:40:00.000-08:00

Whew! What a week! Elections, babies and more babies! I still haven't even finished off the Halloween post but I've got to announce that my brother, Jason and his fiancee, Stacey are the proud parents of twin girls!Kayley Lynn and Kelsey Ann arrived yesterday morning at 11:05am. Kayley weighed 5lbs 13oz and was 19 1/2" long and Kelsey was 5lbs 3oz and was 18 1/2" long.

Now, if that wasn't enough good news... My Aunt Holly (yep Jason's aunt too!) had her 5th child, Kacie, less than 24 hours after Stacey - AT THE SAME HOSPITAL! My grandma (Nanny) got to visit all 3 of her new grandchildren (1 granddaughter and 2 great-granddaughters) at the same time! I've got some great pics of Holly and Kacie, that Nanny took, but I'll wait to post since I don't know if she wants me too! :)

So, just to recap, we have Kayley, Kelsey and Kacie! Talk about tongue twisters!

Halloween 2008

2008-10-27T19:05:00.001-07:00

Our ward's "Trunk or Treat" was on Saturday night. We had so much fun with Colton and seeing him "learn" how to trick or treat. It did not take long for him to catch on and he was so proud of all of his candy. Of course he was also upset when we took it away from him too! (I think it'll make great incentives to use the potty)

This year we all had fun dressing up. Our theme was Curious George.
As most of you know, Colton LOVES the TV show. When his costume arrived last month I thought he would never take it off... He did though, and I was able to keep it safe. I wanted to buy Seth's costume but it was too pricey. So, thanks to Savers, the Websters and two long nights I was able to pull it off. I was pretty happy with it once it was done, but there were a few times (while making it) I really wished that I had bought it! Seth is the perfect "Man with the Yellow Hat" and I was pleased that Professor Wiseman was SO easy!

This was the best shot I could get of Colton all night! He did not stop moving!

George and Thomas (Xander)

Colton and Taylor (He was the cutest Golfer!)

It was pretty easy to spot Seth in a crowd that night!

Colton, checking out his "stash"

We had a great time, but were exhausted by the end! I said this last year, and I'll say it again: How do you parents with more than one child do this???? Seriously!

The best part is that we've got 3 more Halloween activities this week so our costumes will get put to good use!

I Should Be Cleaning... BUT

2008-10-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

I had to share my great deals from this week! I've been a member of Coupon$ense for over a year now and I've gotten some great deals, but I'm pretty sure that this is my best week ever! Here's what I got:

3 Rolls of Paper Towels
3 Boxes of Puff Tissues
8 Pouches of Betty Crocker Instant Potatos
9 Buddies Bar Soap
3 Armour Sausage Links
3 Celestial Seasonings Herbal Tea
3 Brut Deodorants
1 Box Quaker Oat Squares Cereal
5 Boxes Cinnamon Life
2 Boxes Quaker High Fiber Instant Oatmeal
3 Boxes Quaker Instant Oatmeal
2 Boxes Quaker Breakfast Bars
3 Boxes of Kleenex Tissues
5 Children GUM toothbrushes
2 Brach's Halloween Candy
1 Powerade
3 Excedrin Back & Body
2 Excedrin Migraine
3 Excedrin Tension Headache
3 PertPlus Shampoos
3 Febreeze Noticeables Starter Kits

And now for the drumroll... I paid less than $5 for it all! Seriously! If you live here in the Valley and want to more about Coupon$ense, just let me know I'm happy to share!

Back from Taylor (again)

2008-10-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

We couldn't resist one more trip to Taylor!

Seth had a few days off from school so we decided to head up to Taylor for a long weekend with my dad. The weather was great - even a little warmer during the day than we thought it was going to be, but the nights were crisp and cool - the way it should be in October! Colton had so much fun running around, getting dirty and especially playing with Grandpa Mac!

On our way up, Seth, drove too close to the side of the road where the "ridges" are and Colton started laughing and said "Toot" "Toot". I told him, Yes! Even cars toot sometimes! ha ha

We went to a pumpkin patch and corn maze in Taylor, here are some of the photos

Colton & Uncle Taylor

HALLELUJAH!!!!

2008-10-13T22:27:00.001-07:00

Colton went to Nursery WITHOUT crying! FIRST TIME EVER!

We always leave him, but he will usually cry for about 15 min - before he settles down. It used to be 45 min, so we were happy with 15. BUT yesterday NO TEARS at all!

It only took 9 months!

Children's Museum of Phoenix

2008-09-27T12:36:00.001-07:00

This is the coolest place I have ever been - seriously! Colton could have easily played all day! And you know how Colton is... nothing (until this place) can keep his interest for long! The pictures just don't do it justice!

One of the "rooms" had these door handles all along the play area.

In another area the kids could ride tricycles through a "car washer" - Once Colton got the hang of it, he didn't want to stop!

Here is Colton taking one of his few breaks in the back of a pickup truck bed. In this area the kids could pick out a race car and then race them on a few different tracks that were on different levels. Think Pinewood Derby on Steroids!

Colton also really liked this room that had different balls and little cars that went on different types of tracks.

About the only time that Colton was not happy is when he thought he was getting real ice cream in a cone, but they were pretend.

Like I said, these pictures just don't do it justice! I think we're going to have to get a membership here - hey Emily, you should too and then we could meet up there - Austin would LOVE it!

Blackbeard the Musical

2008-09-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

Quick shout out for my friend, Rob Gardner...

I'm such a slacker, I meant to blog about this a few weeks ago, this is the last weekend that Blackbeard will be showing at the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix. I've heard GREAT things about it and I'm so happy that I get to go tonight and see it! If you're here in the Phoenix area and you want to get a great deal on tickets for tomorrow's shows (2pm & 7:30pm) there are a few options:

1. You can get any seat in the house (that's available) for $30 - Just call (602) 252-8497 and mention the "Last Chance" discount. This will also be available at the door, if seats remain.

2. If you don't care about seating, or want really cheap seats (like me) click here and you can get balcony seats for only $15!

Visit www.blackbeardthemusical.com for more information!

Back to Reality...

2008-09-04T19:35:00.000-07:00

The Fall Trimester is in full swing now. Seth started up again on Tuesday. We decided that before that, though, we should take a little vacation. First, we headed out to my mom's in Queen Creek and spent a few days with her and my sister, Emily and her kids. From there we drove up to Taylor, AZ and spent almost a whole week with my dad at his house there. He has a house on an acre lot, with lots of room for Colton to run around on. It was great! No TV, no Internet, and minimal phone service - I don't think I could live like that all of the time, but it was great during that week. We read books and went for walks/runs and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery and weather. My dad cooked for us every night and even took us out to lunch a few times!

Here is my Dad and Colton outside of "El Rancho" in Snowflake.

My dad also watched Colton one morning so that Seth and I could go to the Snowflake Temple. We had such a great time there - so peaceful and relaxing! Colton, however, while we were gone ended up taking off his diaper and peeing all over the floor in front of the buyer of my dad's house! My dad just kept asking us, over and over that week, "How do you guys get anything done?" Our reply: "We don't!" Colton got out of his bath one night and this is how we found him:

"Naked Cowboy"

He LOVED wearing my dad's boots! We also learned on this trip that Colton has a new favorite movie. One night, before he went to bed we started watching a movie. Colton was so mesmerized by it. Here's how he looked for the next 30 - 45 min:

Can you guess which movie he's watching?

Here's a pic:

You might have to make it bigger, but it's "The Sound of Music" - He absolutely LOVED all of the singing! It just cracks us up how much he likes it!

We also went to the Taylor Cemetery to where many of my McCleve ancestors are buried.

Colton is giving his Great-Grandma Jerry a kiss! He really liked the cemetery - just like his mama!

After spending 6 days at my dad's we drove over to Hawley Lake for our annual Labor Day Family Outing. We spent 3 nights there. It rained a lot of the time, but we still had a blast eating as much as we could and laughing as hard as our stomachs could handle!

My niece Kinsley

Fishing with Grandpa - Colton just wanted to play in the tackle box
The sun finally broke through on our last morning. Here's a view from our Cabin.

Our annual family portrait on the stairs before we leave (ok Emily you have my permission to post that pic of me fishing in the rain!) We've promised ourselves that next year we're going to take this picture on the day we get there (this way we won't look so tired and bloated!)

(L to R) Front: Dad AKA Grandpa Mac. Second Row: Jillian, Maddie (hiding behind Grandpa) and Parker. Third Row: Stacey (pregnant with TWINS!) Marc, Austin (he didn't want to take the picture, can you tell?) Emily and Kinsley. Fourth Row" Jason, Me, Colton and Seth.

We got home late Monday night and were glad to be in our own home and in our own beds! BUT we had a GREAT time!

Colton's Signs!

2008-08-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

I tried to put this in the post below but for some reason it wouldn't work...

This video just makes me so happy!

What Have We Been Up To?

2008-08-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

Not much!

Yes, as my sister Emily pointed out in her last comment, Colton must be 3 by now! Ha Ha - Here's a few of the things we've been up to!

We had a GREAT Birthday party for Colton!

He even got a skateboard from his best-buddy & neighbor, Brent!

And a BIG truck from Oma & Opa!

We've been trying to spend a lot of time with family this summer since who knows where we'll be next summer.

Colton has finally started to go for rides with Uncle Chad!

Here's a video too:

Speech Therapy has been keeping us busy and is going great too! At his last appt he said "Cock-a-doodle-doo" - I didn't realize how happy one animal sound could make me - I'm officially a mother :)

Other than that, we're just trying to stay cool - anyway we can! Here's how Colton likes to keep cool!

My Baby is 2!

2008-07-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow - where did the last 2 years go!

It seems like just yesterday that your daddy and I were anxiously awaiting your arrival! Little did we know that being a week overdue was just a tiny glimpse into your personality. We exhausted all of the "natural" methods for inducing child birth (for example: jumping on a trampoline, swinging on a swing, drinking coke mixed with Castor Oil - just to name a few!). You finally came all on your own. I was so excited when my water broke that I was dancing in the bathroom! I couldn't yell too loudly though, because it was 1am and daddy and grandma were both asleep!

We decided at5 in the morning to go to the hospital - I was a little worried that they were going to send us home to wait a little longer, but when the nurses found out that you were already a week overdue they let us stay. Not too long after that I got an epidural (I'll explain what that is when you're older) needless to say it's the reason you'll be having siblings! The rest of the day I just waited and mostly slept - it was great!

Finally around 6pm that night I started to push but after 90 minutes (yes that is 6 Curious Georges!) you still were not showing any signs of coming (again we got a little glimpse into your "I'll do it myself" personality). You had a pretty big head but you were also face up instead of face down. The doctor wanted to use a vacuum (yes, I see now where your obsession with the vacuum cleaner comes from) but I talked them into a C-Section. You see for those 90 minutes of pushing I was also throwing up - not fun at all - so I was pretty weak and tired at that point. The doctor agreed that a C-Section would be best so they got me ready. Your daddy almost didn't make it because the little booties they gave him for the OR didn't fit his feet! Luckily though he made it just in time and around 9pm that night you were born!

All 9 pounds, 3 ounces of you! The nurses thought you were so cute the way you gripped the oxygen mask - look at those white knuckles! I was just so glad that you were finally here. Daddy took you out to see Grandma McCleve while they got me stitched and cleaned up. When I got to the recovery room the nurse had to go and find daddy - he was having so much fun showing you off and talking on the phone to everyone that he forgot to bring you back to me! (Look how little daddy looks in this picture!?) The first few weeks of having you home with us was challenging. You had such a hard time sleeping flat on your back so daddy and I would take turns holding you all night. Each week seemed to get a little easier, though, as we learned to understand you better and you got to know us better! We were very fortunate to be in such a good ward too. There were so many ladies at church that couldn't wait to hold you each week

Your first girlfriend was Addison Devenney. Isn't she a cutie? Maybe you guys will meet up again at BYU or something... you never know :) Addison's mommy, Nikki, and I would take you guys each week to "Movies for Mommies" - it was so fun for mommy to get a chance to go out and enjoy talking with another adult! We did a lot together the first year of your life!

Not too long after your first birthday, Mommy and Daddy tearfully said goodbye to all of our Canadian family and we moved back to Arizona so daddy could go to school. Here you made a lot of new friends, very quickly, with all of the other T-Birds!
You've had lots of fun here in Glendale, especially being around so much family. You even went for your first ride with Uncle Chad on Sunday (the video though was too big to include here). We're still waiting to here your first true words. We do get to here you say "key" for monkey and cookie and "go-go" when you play with your cars. You also know five signs: more, thank you, please, eat and all done. This has helped you and I a lot!

We love you so much and are so excited to see what this next year brings for you (hopefully a baby brother or sister). We are so grateful to our Heavenly Father for entrusting you to us. You are so special to us - words just cannot express!

4th of July!

2008-07-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July! We went up to Taylor, AZ (where my dad grew up) and Colton got to experience his 1st 4th of July in the USA! Before we left, though, we decided to make more cookies for the neighbors - just in case they were wondering about our patriotism - haha! I think they enjoyed the double shot of cookies!

We left Thursday night (after Seth took a mid-term) and got up to Taylor around 1:30am. We only saw one elk but it was HUGE - thankfully Seth let a car pass us that had better headlights/brights or we would've been toast! We also decided that this is the BEST time to travel with Colton as he slept the WHOLE time!

We loved being able to be with my dad and reliving my own childhood of spending the 4th up in Taylor, AZ. My dad just finished building another house up there that he hasn't sold yet, so we were able to all stay there together with my sister, Emily and her family - which was a lot of fun! Colton loved being able to run around outside on an acre lot and I loved the fact that it was fenced! We all went with Grandpa to the "Cowboy Poetry Reading" on Friday night (unfortunately that one didn't last too long), went to the Connelly family BBQ (Otis Connelly, my dad's friend, barbequed 100lbs of Pork and chicken!), visited my 3rd great Aunt's house (see post below) and of course finished out the weekend with the Taylor Rodeo and fireworks on Saturday night.

Here are the Pictures to prove it! :) (WARNING - Picture Overload!)

Grandpa and Kinsley just hanging out

Seth and my dad flying a kite - it only held the kids' attention for a little bit. After that, the adults had more fun flying it than they did! .

Here we are at the Cowboy Poetry reading - as you can see the kids had more fun wrestling Seth down than listening :)

Everyone making Smores!

Do you think he knows how cute he is!?

Colton and Grandpa feeding a pony - Colton didn't like it that much.

At the Connelly Family Barbeque

Grandpa telling Colton about how he used to ride those bulls!

Colt0n wasn't too impressed with the Rodeo, but he thought it was worth it once the fireworks started!

Colton LOVED the fireworks!But they still couldn't keep him from falling asleep only 5 min after they started!

Thank you Grandpa Mac for your hospitality this weekend! We had a blast! I can't believe how many people we ran into as well! I saw a friend that I've known since the 7th grade (but I haven't seen her since her wedding) and a missionary from my mission. Seth ran into a friend from High School too - it was so much fun!

Margaret McCleve Hancock

2008-07-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

While in Taylor, we got to see the little log house where my 3rd Great Aunt, Margaret McCleve Hancock lived. She was an amazing woman. She had 13 children herself but was also a mid-wife and helped deliver over 1200 children!

While not a direct descendant, it was so great to be in her home and to see some of her belongings.

Oh Canada!

2008-07-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

Our Home and Native Land!

Just wanted to wish all of our Canadian family a Happy Canada Day! We are missing you guys a lot today. Especially when we started thinking about the ward picnic. So, in honor of our son's birthplace we made maple leaf cookies to take to our neighbors and friends (thanks Barbara Ann for the cookie cutters!) and tonight we're having Melissa's Black Bean and Corn Salad. Hope you guys had a great day! We miss you all!

Colton, of course, had to wear his red "Roots" shirt today - this was the best smile I could get - all he wanted was the camera! :)

Changes!

2008-06-30T19:34:00.000-07:00

This last week we finally had to take away all of Colton's "Fuzz"... he just would not stop putting it up his nose! It was more of a way (I think) for him to try and get out of or to put off nap time or bedtime, because that was usually when he would do it. So we decided that it had to go. Of course, I was a wreck cleaning out all of the fuzz from all of his hiding places, because I was just sure he was going to be so distraught over it's loss... However, he didn't seem to care at all when we put him down for bed so that made me feel much better.

Speech therapy and "developmental" therapy just started and is going well -- we haven't really done any of the "therapy" part yet, but at least all of the paper work is out of the way. The good news is that he is really starting to "talk" more (even though we can't understand) so hopefully soon words that we do understand will start to form.

Here is a pic we took this weekend:

Yep - he did it again... fell asleep with a chicken nugget in his mouth this time! He just cracks us up all of the time!

OH and drum roll please....

Colton peed in the toilet tonight! WOOHOO! I won't bore you with all the details but suffice it to say I think I might have to rethink my stance of Colton talking before I potty train him.... :)

JUNE!

2008-06-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

I figured I should just title this post June since it's almost over and who knows if I'll get a chance to post again! Summer is definitely here in full force. We are experiencing our 8th or 9th day of 110 degrees or more - which means LOTS of swimming! We just got back from spending another 2 weeks at my parents. This gives Seth a chance to do some studying during the week and then he came out on the weekends and we got to go to the Temple - YEAH!

Here's some of the photos from what we've been up to:

Colton hanging out at my Sister's "Community Pool" - it's really cool they have this pool that is just for kids - it's only 1.5 feet at the deepest!
Colton really enjoys our "Chicken Enchilada Soup" - But you couldn't tell, could you?

Family Photo Op - Right before we "ditched" Colton with the Grandparents so Seth and I could go out on a date! :) (BTW we went to see "Maid of Honor" - We DO NOT recommend it! We actually got up and left after the first 20 minutes and got our money back!)
Guess who found the Chocolate Cake? Anyone want a hug?
And, Finally, going for a ride with the "Cousins"

We figured out last night that 4 of the last 6 weeks we've spent at my mom's house in Queen Creek! It was so nice - but it's also nice to be home and getting back in the swing of things! I'm so excited, Colton starts his speech therapy tomorrow! Keep him in your prayers that he'll be able to start talking soon :)!

Oh and thankfully he's put fuzz up his nose only one more time! AAGHHH!

Blogworthy!

2008-06-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know, I know... haven't blogged in awhile. We've been gone for 2 of the last 4 weeks. We had a great mother's day with family and I should have had a nice post about motherhood and such and how greatful I am for my mother and mother-in-law (which I am immensely) but instead I've decided to post this:

He woke up today from his nap with the worst attitude! Honestly we thought he was sick since he was being such a stinker. But he didn't have a fever so off we went to church. It was apparent though that he wasn't feeling well so Seth took him home after sacrament meeting. Tonight we were having family prayers and Colton was more interested in playing with the light switches. After praying I went to get him down from the chair and in the process noticed something up Colton's nose -- it was pretty deep. So Seth got a flashlight and I got the tweezers.

And this is what we pulled out (I put a nickel next to it so you could see the size - PLEASE NOTE - the nickel was NOT up his nose!)

Yes this is "FUZZ!" (see this post for more info). We then decided after about 10 min to check the other nostril just to make sure - here is what we found:

Yes another piece of fuzz! At this point we had to make sure there really wasn't anymore. I couldn't imagine that there was, but well, you can see for yourself.

ALL of that was up his nose - past that little narrow part (don't know the word)! No wonder he was SO cranky! Now we've checked a few more times but that does seem to be it (at least that we can see) and he's been a lot happier since.

Happpy 29th Birthday Emily!

2008-05-24T14:10:00.001-07:00

I have the best sister in the whole world! Today is her 29th B-day and I just wanted to tell her how much I love her! She serisouly is the best. In so many ways she is my "older" sister. I can't count how many times I have called her for advice -- Especially on motherhood! She is the best mom to her 4 kids. I love her so much and I'm always amazed at how she is able to balance everything so well and with a smile on her face! I'm so glad we're living in the same state again and can see each other more than 2 x's a year!
LOVE YOU EMILY - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Here you go Emily!

2008-05-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

Twilight in HD

Ok, I know, two Twilight posts in two weeks, but this one is the actual trailer!

UPDATE: May 9th - Yes, I'm excited and apprehensive about this movie. I LOVED the books, but usually the movies don't portray it how I pictured it in my head. With that said, however, this preview actually looks a lot like what I was picturing when I was reading the books... I guess we'll see...

I'm Going to Miss This??

2008-05-01T22:49:00.000-07:00

I'm trying really hard to enjoy everyday and moment with Colton. There's a country song I recently heard on the radio. The title is "You're Gonna Miss This" - it's pretty much about how we are always looking ahead and not enjoying where we're at. The chorus goes like this:

You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days

hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this

Elder Ballard also spoke about this during the most recent General Conference. He said, "... recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction."

I TRULY believe that being a mom is the greatest calling in the world... BUT this post is about one of the challenges...

This morning I was in my bathroom putting in my contacts and Colton was playing in his room with his blocks. It took only 5 minutes. I came out and found Colton's diaper on the floor. I found Colton in the kitchen naked where he had just peed on the floor. When he saw me he got really excited and showed me his new trick. Now that the floor was "wet" he could slide on his belly! Yes, he was using his urine for a slip n'slide! So, since he was naked I just stuck him straight into the tub and cleaned him off. I left him in the tub so I could clean up the kitchen floor. After I got the floor all sanitized I went to get him out of the tub and to my surprise found that he had pooped in the bathtub! So I then had to run him into my bathroom for another BATH! It's a good thing I'm not pregnant yet or I would've thrown up a few different times this morning!

So, what do we do after all this? We go to the park with some friends because it's obvious that if we stay inside only bad things will happen! (Thanks Wendy and Xander for rescuing us from our bad morning!) After the park we took lunch to our husbands at school (who were busy studying for their last final!) Here's a picture that one of Seth's classmates took today. Colton loves his daddy!

(P.S. Today was Seth's last final of the semester - yes he has officially completed his first year! YEAH! Only one more to go! Oh and we're still waiting to hear back about internships so who knows where we'll be for the summer - we'll keep everyone posted!)

Twilight - the Movie!

2008-04-28T22:07:00.000-07:00

(I had to post something - and we've been under the weather around here - ENJOY!)

I Think I'm Going to be Sick!

2008-04-22T21:34:00.000-07:00

That game was just awful! I mean I HATE the Sterns and I HATE that Popovich keeps pulling out the "hack-a-Shaq" - come on already Pop and play basketball!!!!!!! BUT the Suns lost that one all on their own! How can we play this badly in the playoffs?! We scored 35 points in the 1st quarter and then we just crapped out! No points from Barbosa AND Hill?! We cannot play for only one half and hope to win the game! If I wasn't logging the game, I would've stopped watching!

Ok, I'm starting to feel better now...

It takes 4 wins (not 2). I still believe the Suns have it in them to do this - I hope this fires them up!

I know this series isn't over!

(I bet some of you didn't realize how into Basketball I can get?)

Our Week in Pictures

2008-04-20T20:03:00.001-07:00

4 Moms + 7 Kids + 4 Strollers = 1 Exciting Time at the Zoo!

Thank you Chava and Beth for having Wendy and I (and our kiddies) as your guests! It was a great adventure and nice to see the zoo one more time before it really heats up!

Colton has become obsessed with fixing things! Here he is working on the stroller (trying to figure out how the break works - yeah he figured it out pretty quick!) One time I came in and he was on his back looking up at it, just like a mechanic would do... he is definitely smarter than we realize!

Emily and my mom (along with the kids) came out to see us on Friday. We went swimming and had a great time! Here is Parker doing an amazing cannonball (which yes, I did teach him how to do correctly) :)

Isn't being a kid during the summer the best?!

This week we also learned that Colton really likes baseball - at least the bat and ball anyways! Thanks to my friend Brianne (who blogged about this idea awhile ago), I knew the best way to make a homemade tee was from a milk jug. Here is Colton perfecting his swing.

Here's a video that Seth took of Colton setting up the "tee" - in it you can see why we have to keep the bat up sometimes.

Yesterday, I was trying to keep Colton up a little later than usual so that when he went down for his nap it would be during the Suns game so that both Seth and I could watch it together (see this post regarding our TV situation).

I gave him a cookie after lunch so that he would stay up a little longer... this is what I found 5 minutes later:

I was laughing so hard! I put him right down to bed and I'm happy to report that he slept until halfway through the 4th quarter of the game! Woo-Hoo! At which point we all went over to the club house to finish watching the game... Wasn't it a heartbreaker though? AGH! At one point I screamed and hit the couch (I was so into the game) and Colton looked right at me and did the same thing! It was pretty funny - they are always watching us!

How much can be fit into one weekend?

2008-04-15T13:40:00.000-07:00

A LOT!

It was such a BUSY weekend that I needed all of yesterday just to recuperate (well as much as you can with Colton). We celebrated 2 Birthdays, attended 2 baby blessings, played in a Basketball tournament, and gave a presentation to potential Thunderbird students!

Here we are, rooting on Daddy. His team lost in the second round, but the good news is that they played well and were good sports!

Colton and I left Seth's BBall game to go to Mesa for my Great-Grandmother's 94th Birthday!

My Grandma Wike is so great, I have so many wonderful memories of her and playing at her house when I was growing up! Unfortunately, because of her age she forgets who I am (she tried to introduce me to my uncle Gary at the party - he's known me for 30 years!) but I still love her so much. She always says that her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren are her pride and joy. I know that we feel the same way about her too!

From Grandma's party we rushed back to Glendale and Seth and I gave a presentation to some potential Thunderbird students on "Family Life" at T-Bird... we don't have any pictures, but you can probably imagine what Colton was doing while I was giving my part of the presentation. I reassured these guys that Colton did not go to classes!

On Sunday, we drove to Phoenix for Cooper's baby Blessing. It was great. He slept through most of it but I'm sure Claire will tell him all about it when he's older. Here's the Traeger Family (minus Erin and Ben - we missed you Erin and Ben!)

We left the Luncheon and rushed to Queen Creek to make it for Kinsley's blessing. By this point Colton had had enough! We made it through the blessing and decided that we wouldn't torture him further by making him sit through another sacrament meeting so we went back to my mom's to wait for everyone there. (I'm sad though because I missed my mom and my sister bear their testimonies!) I think we were all so tired at this point that I forgot to take any more pics so I stole these from my sister's blog.

It was also my nephew, Austin's, 3rd Birthday so we celebrated after the blessing. Here he is blowing out the candles... isn't he funny!?

We made it back to Glendale later that night. Dragging our tired feet up the sidewalk but we realized how grateful we are for our families and to be living closer to them, but we also realized that if we stay in Arizona (or return in a few years) we better live more centrally located!!

Then & Now

2008-04-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

My friend Jen took pictures of my nieces and nephews on Wednesday... I swiped this one from her blog (http://pettyphotography.blogspot.com/). It's hard to believe that this girl here sleeping peacefully and happy...

... is this same 3 pound 6 ounce baby here:

It was such a scary time for our family. I am so grateful that both Emily and Kinsley have recovered and are doing so well!
Love you MeMe!

I still DISLIKE the Jazz...

2008-04-03T22:39:00.000-07:00

But very cute to see our Prophet enjoying a date with his wife!

Drastic Times...

2008-04-02T22:46:00.000-07:00

Call for Drastic Measures!

Now you see it... Now you don't!

Colton has become obsessed with the TV. Not watching the TV (except for Curious George), but with turning it off and on. He can turn it on and off from the actual power button on the TV, from the power cord switch, by unplugging it directly and, if he could reach it, by the remote control. You can see all of his hand smudges in the picture! Morning noon and night, if we were at home he wanted to be playing with it. One time (seriously only once) I picked him up and let him turn on the VCR (on top of the TV) so he then became obsessed with the all of the VCR buttons and wanted us to hold him up there so that he could play with all of them. It was really starting to get out of control... No matter what I did to turn it off, he knew how to turn it back on.

So, after our long weekend (see previous post) and then subsequent rest, Seth and I decided to move the TV to our bedroom. We did this while Colton was visiting Grandma and Grandpa, so he still has no idea it's in our room - we've been VERY careful not to leave our bedroom door open, or even let him close to the bedroom because if he knows it is in there, he will cry by the door FOREVER! ha ha This is actual footage of his tantrum about 10 min after coming back from Grandma's (this one is pretty mild too - Right Claire? - but it'll also give you an idea of how he throws his tantrums now)

Stay tuned to see if this helps!

Sleep Deprivation!

2008-04-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

"Sleep deprivation is a general lack of the necessary amount of sleep. This may occur as a result of sleep disorders, active choice or deliberate inducement such as in interrogation or for torture." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/)

Colton, actively decided, that he no longer needed to sleep.

(Quick Background - since 5 months of age Colton has gone to bed at 7pm and sleeps until 7am or later, with only a few occurences a month - of needing to get up in the middle of the night, usually for a quick sippy cup of milk before he'd go back to bed)

So, last Monday night we found it a little odd that he cried and wouldn't go to sleep until around 8 or 8:15... must just be a freak thing. Tuesday same thing, only he cried until 8:30... maybe he's just needing it darker in his room. Wednesday (put a blanket over his window) still didn't fall asleep until closer to 9. Thursday around 8:30 Seth went into the room to calm him down and he threw up all over Seth and himself. Aahaa! This must be it, this is the reason he's not sleeping, he's sick... Friday morning comes and of course he acts totally well and fine, but since he's done this before I know better and he only gets toast and white grape juice mixed with water for the whole day. And, my mom comes out to visit to keep us company so that we don't go crazy being stuck inside all day. Friday night he again does not fall asleep until 9 or so. However, this night he wakes up again at 1am and stays up until 3:30. I'm exhausted, at this point. He seems to be eating normal again, having his milk and keeping everything down so why won't he sleep! Seth was gone all morning on Saturday so I took Colton to the library to see if we could get some "Curious George" DVD's (the only thing he'll watch on tv - stay tuned for a seperate post regarding the TV). On the way home he fell asleep so I took him straight from the car to his crib and he slept for 3 hours! Allright, this must be it now, he must be willing to sleep again, right? WRONG! Saturday night was the longest night... he never even went to sleep at all until 3 in the morning (we tried everything - things we swore we'd never do like letting him sleep with us and taking him for a drive to get him to fall asleep - but nothing worked!) and then he promptly woke up at 7am! You've got to be kidding me!? At this point I felt like I was losing my mind (I don't do well without sleep) -- THANK HEAVENS FOR MOTHERS! My darling mother came and "kidnapped" Colton so that Seth and I could get a break. She took him until Monday afternoon. In the 24 hours that she had him I got about 18 hours of much needed sleep!

Seth and I (with the clarity that comes from sleep) decided that as much as we hated to do it, it was time to get a "big boy bed" (or at least a "big boy mattress") since his crib could no longer contain him and it was getting dangerous with him climbing out all of the time (or just hanging out on the railing). We also realized that our little boy was testing us big time and we were failing - so we needed to go back and pretend like he was 5 months old all over again and start from the beginning. I took the rest of the week off from work so that we could do this together and so that I wouldn't be stressed out from lack of sleep. I also took him to the doctor this morning and they confirmed that he is just fine - no ear infections, strep throat or new teeth trying to come through!

So, here we are, the second night and I'm happy to report that he only cried for 15 min before falling asleep (it took him over an hour last night and an hour today for his nap). He's not in his bed though, but on the floor by the door (I can see his little hand under the door still) - but we'll take what we can get!

We are so grateful to my mom for coming and taking him (even though I was reluctant) and for my Dad and Emily for helping out. Sunday night they emailed us this picture so that we would know he was allright and doing just fine.

Isn't he such a cutie?

Easter

2008-03-31T19:08:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter! The weather was perfect and it was so nice to be with family. Here are some photos... Thanks to my friend, Jen, for trying to get Colton to stand for the group picture at Thunderkids. You know Colton, if everyone else is doing it, then he definitely doesn't want to be doing it! (Thunderkids is a group we go to each week. This group is made up of parents whose spouse or significant other is attending Thunderbird). This week's activity was an Easter Egg hunt. So while the older kids were learning about the ocean, Colton and I went outside to hide the eggs. Colton, however thought he should pick them up after me, so it made hiding them a little harder. I think I really confused him when I then tried to get him to "find" them and put them in his basket... I'm sure if he could talk he'd say, "Sheesh mom! Make up your mind. Can I pick them up or not?"
On Thursday, we met Emily and her kids, along with my mom, at the zoo! We had a blast... but we didn't see too many animals (except for the ones we were toting around). We walked around a lot and tired out our kids though - it was great!

Colton is really starting to enjoy hanging out with his cousins. He loved being in the stroller with Maddie and he loves following Austin around to see what kind of trouble they can get into together. As you can also see, Colton was pooped and promptly fell asleep before we even made it to the freeway! (I took this picture while I was driving - that's why it's not centered!)

Here is Seth and Colton at our Ward Easter Picnic - we didn't even attempt the easter egg hunt here.

On Sunday, we went over to Nanny and Papa's (my grandparents) and Colton finally (3rd time) started to figure out the whole "egg hunt" thing. It definitely helped when he realized that there was chocolate in the eggs!

Colton and his cousin Zane were the only two doing the easter egg hunt at Nanny and Papa's since the next oldest cousin is 8 (I think) I don't think they minded it one bit!

After Nanny and Papa's we went over to Oma's and Opa's (ha ha - that sounds funny) But for some reason I didn't take any pics, but we had a GREAT time over there too! The food was delicious and we had plenty of leftovers to take home!

It is so great to be with family for the holidays!

Our Funny Boy!

2008-03-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

Last week, Colton woke up about 11 or so and we could tell by his cry that he wasn't going to go back to sleep without some help. This usually happens about once every 2 weeks - he usually just needs some milk and a diaper change. So Seth got him some milk and went to get him out of his crib. I could hear Seth laughing when he went into Colton's room, so of course I had to find out what was so funny...

Oh, wait, here's a little background first: We have this pink/white gingham check blanket that used to be my mom and dad's (wedding gift - so it's over 30 years old). When Emily (my sis) and I went away to college it was starting to rip (almost down the center) so we thought it would be cool to cut the rest of it and she could take half and I could take half. So, I've had this half the whole time and never sewed it up. When Colton was around 6 months he seemed to like it so I put it in his crib with him. A while later we realized he was pulling out the batting and playing with it in his hands (we guess for comfort). Since then he's carried "fuzz" around almost everywhere he goes. Even friends have said that they've found fuzz at their place after Colton has visited.

Ok, now that you have the background, when Seth went to get him out of the crib, this is what he found:

Yes, that is FUZZ coming out of both of his ears! I started laughing hard too and so Colton started crying louder... once he got his milk though he let us take the picture!

This same week, I was giving Colton a bath. Once he's all cleaned up I let him play (for as long as he wants) while I go and clean up his dinner mess. I hadn't been gone too long when I heard some splashing and went to check on him and this is what I found:

Actually, I found him standing up on the stool completely with a big grin on his face, but by the time I got back with the camera he had gotten down so I had to have him get back on for the pic! I'm still not sure what he was trying to do - this is why I can't wait for him to talk - I'm sure he's going to have a great reason for doing all of these things!

FINALLY...

Yes, this all happened in the same week... Colton and I had gone swimming. When we got home I changed him and left him on the couch watching "Curious George" and decided I could hop in the shower really quick and wash my hair. I was not gone more than 7 min (at the most). I walked back into the family room and smelled a poopy diaper, but I didn't see Colton. I closed the bedroom door and to my shock and dismay found that Colton had gone out to the patio and retrieved one of his poopy diapers (from that morning) - he got it out of the plastic bag and smeared it all over my bedroom door! I thought I was going to throw up! Thank heavens for spray cleaners with bleach and antibacterial soap for Colton! So, if you come over to my apartment and notice a poopy diaper by the front door, just know that it's because Colton can open the sliding glass door but not the front door! (oh and I was so disgusted, I just couldn't take a picture - I'm sure you can picture it in your head just fine!)

McCleve & Hoban - Together Again!

2008-03-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

My MTC companion, Robin Davis was in town for the week visiting her family for Easter so we thought it'd be fun to get together with our kiddos... It was so good to see her and all of her kids. Last time I saw her, her oldest was just a baby - Things can sure change in 6 years! ha ha We had fun catching up, although I think next time we'll figure out a way to do it without the kids... here's why:

Colton & I were less than 5 min from her parents house when I hear a funny noise from Colton. I take a quick glance at him and realize he's thrown up all over himself. He proceeded to throw up everything else as I pull up to her house. So, I leave Colton strapped in and run up to the front door. I give Robin a big hug and then ask for some cleaning supplies. We get Colton bathed and his clothes in the wash and take a big sigh since the worst seems to be over. (Colton had just got car sick)

About 30 min later, Robin is holding her youngest, Kevin, when he throws up all over her and himself. So she rushes to get him a bath and clean herself up and start another load of laundry. I decide that this is a good time to finish cleaing out his carseat. I took Colton out to the car so he wouldn't scream the whole time I was gone, plus he enjoys playing in the front seat and pretending he's driving.

I'm almost done cleaning when out of the corner of my eye I see Colton about to fall out (yeah, I didn't close the door - What kind of a mother am I!?) I rushed to grab him, but it was too late he hit the asphault! I felt so bad, I couldn't tell what hit first, his hands or his head... I just kept looking for blood and holding him trying to get him to calm down (and calm myself down). As we're walking back into the house I realize I have blood on my shoulder and that his mouth is bleeding. (See Picture Above) He had bit through the end of his tongue! Luckily, though, it didn't bleed too much and he seemed to calm down once the shock of it wore off...

Needless to say we only stayed about 30 min longer since it was now naptime and the kids were getting restless. We're going to try and get together again before she has to leave (maybe this time without the kiddies!)

I swear these things only happen to me... I wonder why we ever leave the house somedays!? Ha Ha

Remember The A-Team?

2008-03-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

"I just love it when a plan comes together!"

Lately, our plans always seem to get sidetracked, but not this time! We went to my parents house in Queen Creek for an early weekend getaway. Seth took a midterm on Wednesday night and had the next 2 days off from school so we loaded up our car (I am always amazed at how much stuff we have to take for Colton :) and headed out to Queen Creek for a few days.

My dad watched Colton Friday morning so that we could go to the Temple. We made the 6am session! Yeah, I know early! BUT it was great - especially knowing that Colton was still sleeping at that time.

Later that day my sister, Emily, and I took our kids (my 1 and her 4!) to the park and it was so fun to watch Colton playing with his cousins. He is finally enjoying the park with the slides, sand, swings and all of the other amenities that the park offers. While we were at the park, Seth and my dad went to the driving range at the local golf course.

I got to go running that afternoon (4 miles walk/run) and then later that night, after Colton was asleep, Seth and I went to see a movie. We watched "Vantage Point." I liked it, Seth thought it was so-so. I can't believe how much we fit into one day!

On Saturday we went to Parker's B-Day party and then on our way home we stopped to see Oma and Opa in Gilbert. It was a great weekend! Here are some of our pics:

Oh, and this probably deserves it own post, but my little niece, Kinsley born in November has RED HAIR! Yeah, finally another red head! You can't really see it in this picture, but she's making her Aunt Becky proud nonetheless!

Way to go Cory!

2008-03-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

Cory you did great! Personally I think that the Sterns' Sean Elliot was much touger on you than that other guy... but way to represent Westwood and ASU! Summer must be so proud :) Oh and I bet Annika loved her 15 min (sec) of fame too! She looked so cute!

Side Note: Cory is a friend from High School who was on the reality tv show "Pro's vs. Joes"... See his site here.

Happy Birthday Parker!

2008-03-13T08:19:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Paker! I can't believe you're 6 years old already! I was so excited when you were born - you were my first nephew! You have always been so cute and funny - some of the things you can come up with just make all of us laugh! Thank you for being such a great cousin to Colton. You are so patient and kind to him. We love you Parker - can't wait to see you today!

Mavis Beacon Anyone?

2008-03-11T22:48:00.000-07:00

71 words

Speed test

Oh my typing teacher would be so proud!

Introducing Cooper!

2008-03-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

This is our newest nephew - Cooper! He was born on February, 21st to Claire and Cody. This is Colton's first Traeger cousin so he's excited too - he was quite fascinated by his nose and eyes. I'm sure Colton will be even happier when Cooper can help him knock over all of the 2 litre bottles at Oma and Opa's.

Holding Cooper I realized just how BIG Colton is now! Then when I saw the diapers I was shocked! Granted Colton never did fit in that size to begin with, but Colton really is growing up and is in full "toddler" mode now.

Congratulations Claire and Cody! Now that you've entered parenthood you must have a blog!

Thank You Chava!

2008-03-04T12:40:00.000-08:00

So many things to blog about and get caught up on... but first things first. I'm laying in bed this morning (awake - but not wanting to be - you know the feeling?) when we get a phone call. It's our neighbor (and fellow "school widow") Chava, wanting to know if I'd like to bring Colton over to her apartment to play for a couple of hours! Seriously? You do know Colton right? He's the one who cries when we leave him anywhere? She assures me that this is ok for her and not too worry. Oh and did I mention that she just had her 2nd baby in Dec?)So, of course I take her up on it and rush him over there before she can change her mind! ha ha

Those 2 hours were the best! I got our bedroom clean - well, clean might be exaggerating, but you can now see our floor though - and I got to go for a good 3 mile run/walk! So, what I thought was going to be a "ho-hum" morning turned into a great one!

THANK YOU SO MUCH CHAVA! I can't wait to be able to return the favor and watch Boston for you!

Got Milk?

2008-02-26T22:22:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the laugh Summer! I had to post it on ours too!

Winter in Arizona!

2008-02-25T10:12:00.001-08:00

Yes, this is Colton on his first swim of the year - in FEBRUARY - gotta love Arizona winters!

Colton's Trick!

2008-02-16T12:05:00.000-08:00

I took this video of Colton a few weeks ago... needless to say I was not a happy camper when I realized what he was able to do. It did however explain some of the bruising... (NOTE: Colton was not hurt during the filming of this video - he preceded to do it 10 more x's after this!)

New Post!

2008-02-16T11:19:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been over 3 weeks since our last post! Ok, here's the last 3 weeks in a nutshell:

Colton can hear just fine. He passed his hearing test with flying colors.

Colton's speech is in the 9 month range... kinda what we figured, so they are going to have someone come to our house and do in-home speech therapy with him... should be fun. We'll see how it goes.

Seth did not get the google internship - they flew him out to California last week but let him know on Wednesday that he was not selected. Oh well, it just means we have to keep looking.

I finished a 4-week bootcamp! yeah - 5:30 every morning (Mon-Fri) I would go and work out at a park by our house with other women - it was a blast! I wish I could do it again but it costs moola that we don't have :D. I did take 2 min off my mile time! and lost some inches so it was well worth it to me!

Here are some pics from the last 3 weeks:

Every morning (after bootcamp) Colton wanted to put on my workout clothes. He especially loved the "earwarmers" - they almost fit him too!

Colton has mastered walking in Seth's shoes.

Colton and Xander on their way to a "play-date." When we ask Colton if he wants to play with Xander he gets all excited and says "Dando" Dando! We're pretty sure that means Xander

Can You Hear Me Now?

2008-01-24T21:00:00.000-08:00

Our January has been pretty rough! For the first 2 weeks Colton slept through the night only twice! So I finally took him in to the dr thinking it was an ear infection, but it was just 4 TEETH coming through! He's been gnawing on everything since September and now he's finally getting the last of his teeth! Hooray - except there are still the 2 year old molars to look forward too. :)

(This is how Colton folds his arms)

He had his 18 month checkup and I had been concerned for a while that he wasn't hearing normally - for example he has some toys that have music that he puts right up to his ears and he still doesn't have any words! We work on "mama" and "dada" everyday. So the first question the doctor asks is, "How many words does he know?" So I was able to explain my concerns and she explained that sometimes they can only hear certain tones, etc... and that we should schedule a hearing test (they're going to put headphones and electrodes on him to measure brain wave activity ? - that's how they can tell if he's hearing something or not) She also wanted to have him do a speech evaluation which I think is funny considering he's not going to be doing much speaking - ha ha - so that is scheduled for next month at Phoenix Children's Hospital. I'm interested to see what comes of it...

Now, with all of that said, as you can see from the video below we know he can hear and understand when we ask him if he wants to go to timeout and he shakes his head no. He just cracks us up. At his 18mo check up he got 5 immunizations (4 different shots) and that afternoon he had a fever (as predicted) we gave him tylenol and motrin for that day and into the next day. The next night his fever spiked to 106! So we took him to an Urgent Care where he was diagnosed with pnemonia! Yeah, we were shocked - he wasn't even coughing. So two more sleepless nights later and 4 more doses of antibiotics and we finally got our little man back to his usual hyper self!

See what I mean when I say that January was a bad month! (knock on wood since it's not over yet :)

Do You Need to Go to Timeout?

2008-01-24T19:35:00.000-08:00

LOST

2008-01-16T12:47:00.001-08:00

Me"WII" Christmas and Happy New Year

2008-01-03T18:37:00.000-08:00

Yes, we actually got a Wii for Christmas! Can you believe it? Good news is that we got it used and with extra stuff for a GREAT deal! We had so much fun playing it with all of the family. Seriously, my dad, brothers, sisters, niece & nephew, and all of my brother and sister-in-laws had a blast playing. Wherever we went on Christmas we took the Wii with us. It was quite entertaining. The best though is that Colton will now take one of the controllers and stand at the tv "trying" to play - it makes Seth and I laugh (and get a little scared) at how much he watches and mimics everything we do. We did SO much these last few weeks that it would be a novel if I tried to write it all down, so here's some of the highlights in pics!

This was from our ward Christmas party... As you can see, Colton took the classic Santa picture. Isn't that such a sad face?The Saturday, before Christmas, we packed up all our stuff and all of our Christmas presents and drove out to my parents in Queen Creek (1 hr 15min) to spend the week with all of our family. Our car was so loaded up that (as you can see) the only room left was for Colton and his car seat. He doesn't look too happy does he? (He was actually about to fall asleep)

My friends from High school - Danny and Micah - host an annual friends Christmas Party. It was so good to go and catch up with everyone. Tricia's in town from Iowa and I hadn't seen Lindsay and Kristy since we moved back - it was sooo good to catch up, even if for just a short time. It's hard to believe that we graduated almost 13 years ago!

After the friends party we went to the Griffin Family Party... yes, another Santa picture. Are we mean or what? Well, as you can tell from the next picture though he figured out quickly that this goofy looking guy was going to give him something and all of a sudden he was happy! Thanks to Nanny-G for providing the present for him to open. (It was a car!) Colton didn't know quite what to think of Christmas morning and unwrapping presents but he quickly caught on. Here he is literally "body slamming" his present from Oma and Opa (A Radio Flyer Red Wagon) Before we left to come back home we discovered my nephew Parker had a hidden talent bowling on the Wii. He beat his mom so she gave him a dollar! Isn't he cute!?

Monday Night by the Numbers

2007-12-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

29 - Number of Seth's Birthdays celebrated (picture from Oregano's)

1 hour - Amount of time Colton cried for when we dropped him off at Aunt Claire's and Uncle Cody's

10pm - Time Colton first woke up throwing up

6 - Amount of times Colton threw up

4 - Amount of times Colton threw up ON ME!

4 - Baths Colton took

3 - Loads of Laundry for all of the puke

1 hour - Amount of sleep both Colton and I got that night

1 Final - at 8am for Seth

How come kids only get sick at night?

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2007-12-10T11:05:00.000-08:00

Today my daddy turns 29 years old! Just want him to know how much I love him. He is the best dad ever... He is always playing and wrestling with me and teaching me cool things. Yesterday he even taught me how to cook! (Don't worry the oven really wasn't on)

Today my mommy took me to school so that I could surprise him with a balloon and card, but once I got there I forgot what I was supposed to do (the computers were so cool to look at) so mommy did it for me! But I sure do love my daddy - he's a great example to me of what to do and be when I grow up! Here are some more fun Pictures of me and my daddy:

Third Time's the Charm!

2007-12-09T14:49:00.000-08:00

So, we've been trying to take some family photots for awhile now... wanted something new for Christmas cards. Anyways, we finally set up a session with a friend from school and church for Saturday, December 1 and wouldn't you know it rained 2 inches that day! So, we rescheduled for the next Monday and then I got sick... so we rescheduled for yesterday and FINALLY we were able to do them! It was supposed to rain all day but luckily it cleared up! Jen did such a great job - she had to chase (literally) Colton around to try and take pictures of him! He is such a "busy" kid - seriously I can't remember the last time he sat still for anything. Here's a link to her website so you can see our cutie pics! http://www.pettyphotography.blogspot.com/ Oh, and just know that our Christmas cards will be coming soon. Hopefully before Christmas, but don't hold your breath - ha ha!

GO ASU!

2007-12-01T17:24:00.000-08:00

Where's the Ark?

2007-12-01T15:20:00.001-08:00

Wow! We've gotten a lot of rain these past couple of days! It has rained more in the last 2 days than the previous 11 months put together.

Quick update on Emily. She's doing great - She's home recuperating now and making daily trips to see Kinsley in the NICU. Kinsley is doing good too. She's back up to her birth weight and continuing to gain. They're hoping she'll be coming home for Christmas.

Colton and I have been fighting a cold all week and we officially lost last night! When Colton can't breathe through his nose, he thinks he's dying - ha ha. So, we both had rough nights and days today. Between the colds and the rain Colton is feeling a little couped up!

One more piece of news - Colton has a new trick... When we have our family prayer we always ask him to fold his arms, then we try to fold them for him and whoever's turn it is to pray starts before Colton realizes whats happening. The other day we knelt down to pray and as usual asked Colton to fold his arms and then HE DID! We were so surprised! Yeah, something is sinking in!!

She's HERE!

2007-11-21T12:07:00.001-08:00

Emily and baby girl (still no name) are doing excellent considering the circumstances. She weighed 3lbs 11oz and came out screaming (good sign). She's in the NICU but they didn't have to intibate (sp?) her. More details to come.

November is Prematurity Awareness Month

2007-11-19T22:51:00.001-08:00

Well, it's been a crazy five days. My sister, Emily, is 31 weeks pregnant and has Pre-eclampsia. I don't want to share too much since I don't know how much she would want other people to know, but she's in the hospital now and the doctors are doing their best to keep her and the baby safe... The hope is that she can make it to 32 weeks which is next Sunday. We had a family fast for her yesterday, and we're already starting to see the blessings from it. She's much more comfortable now so hopefully she'll be able to make it as long as possible. I just found out that the March of Dimes has designated November as prematurity awareness month. It's funny how you don't realize these things until it hits close to home. I love my little sister so much! I'm so glad that we are here in AZ and can help her and her family! Please keep her and the baby (they haven't picked out a name yet - she just found out she's having a girl!) in your prayers.

I Love Lucy! - Colton's favorite tv show

2007-11-14T13:27:00.001-08:00

Anytime Colton hears the theme music to "I Love Lucy," he goes nuts! This is one of my all time favorite shows (I dressed up as her for Halloween one year) so I love that he gets so excited. It's funny, though, because he could care less about the show, it's just the beginning that he likes. Here's two reactions we were able to catch on camera... Usually he's doing both the dance and the clapping and screaming together, but whenever I got the camera out he wouldn't "cooperate" - what kid does?

Happy Birthday Oma!

2007-11-13T12:17:00.000-08:00

Today is Oma's Birthday and we just wanted her to know how much we love and appreciate her! Yesterday we surprised her at work - Colton walked into her office carrying a flower and a balloon (it was the greatest picture I never took - ha ha - I brought the camera and went to snap a picture but when I turned it on I found out that I had left the memory card in the computer the night before - AGH!) Then we took her to lunch at Oregano's! It was great because we were actually able to surprise her! We love you Oma - Hope you have a great and restful day!

Thanksgiving is WHEN?

2007-11-11T22:40:00.000-08:00

Seriously, Thanksgiving is only 11 days away! Where has the time gone? Maybe the weather and all has thrown me off. It has been in the 80's and 90's (29 -35 degrees celsius for my Canadian Friends!)

Well, regardless, we've been keeping ourselves busy. Seth is really busy with school! A few times this week he's left before we got up and wasn't able to come home until after Colton was asleep! Colton loves his daddy too... every morning and afternoon (if Seth comes home) he cries when Seth has to go to school. It makes me happy that he loves him so much. Colton loves it when Seth lays on the floor and he can "sit" on him.

On Wednesday we went to the zoo with the "Thunderkids" group. All the mom's whose husbands are at Thunderbird get together at least once a week for an activity. Usually Colton is sleeping so we don't get to go, but since they were going to the Zoo I thought we could try and push his nap back... lets just say that he didn't like not having his nap at the usual time... here's one good picture I got with him.

The rest of the time he looked like this:

Isn't he so cute? Really though we did have fun and it was so nice to socialize with all of the other moms. Maybe one of these days he'll decide to change his nap time and then we can hang out more with them.

Today was our primary program in church. A little over a month ago Seth and I were called to be in the primary as teachers for the 5 and 6 yr olds. They are so cute and fun and there are 8 - 10 of them on any given Sunday! They all did a good job in the program - it's hard enough for me to sit still and I'm 30... For the closing song, the primary sang "I Wonder When He Comes Again" and then on the second verse the congregation joined in. This is my favorite song and by the time the second verse started I was of course crying... It really felt like we were singing to Christ personally:

"...Then, when that blessed day is here,

He’ll love me and he’ll say,

“You’ve served me well, my little child;

Come unto my arms to stay.”

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T20:59:00.000-07:00

Whew! What a day! I don't know how all of you mom's out there with more than one kid do this?!? I guess since they're not all the same age, huh?
Here's all of our pics - Enjoy!

The Fireman and his Daddy

Doing the Pumpkin Walk - Doesn't he look happy?

How do I get this off?

This is supposed to scare me?

I could not get Colton to stay in one place long enough to get a good picture... here he is after finding a good mud puddle to play in.

Here's the picture I used to make the pumpkin pattern

Hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween! (I'm off to the store to buy some Pepto after all of the candy I ate - HA HA)

Almost Halloween

2007-10-24T10:57:00.001-07:00

I love Halloween! Which is a funny statement coming from me since I don't really like dressing up. Maybe its just that this is the time of year when it finally starts to cool down at night in Arizona... or because carving pumpkins is so fun... or because now I have a kid to dress up! Colton is going as a firefighter this year. BIG thanks to Aunt Holly and Cousin Zane (he doesn't know yet) for letting us borrow the costume. And a BIG thanks Nanny-G who made the costume last year for Zane - it is an exact replica of Uncle Matt's real "uniform." Pretty cool, eh? Tonight is our Ward's halloween party so we'll take lots of pics to post.

Here are some pumpkins I carved of my niece and nephews:

Parker (I think this one turned out the best!)

Madison

Austin

Reminder to go to the Temple

2007-10-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist...

Isn't this a great picture?

Our Week(s) in Pictures

2007-10-15T22:49:00.001-07:00

It's been pretty quiet around here the last couple of weeks (well as quiet as can be expected with a 15 month old). We spent Conference weekend with our families (Seth was in Houston for a job fair). Colton got to hang out with all of his aunts/uncles/cousins and all of the family pets (5 dogs in total!)

I read all three of the Twilight series books... Ok I know a ton of people have already blogged about them so I won't bore you with how much I loved them - but suffice it to say I'm having withdrawals! I must thank Tricia for this. I read on her blog (back in August) that she had to go to a few different book stores before she finally found Eclipse in stock - Thanks Trish! (I've now got my mom and sister reading them too)

OH, one more thing about the books - for all of my Canadian friends, yes that means you, Wendy, Nikki and Barbara-Ann and anyone else who might be reading this, the author, Stephanie Meyer is going to be at the Indigo Books and Music (on Bloor) on November 2nd. You guys should go!

Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks. Enjoy!

Colton fell asleep trying to take off his shoes.

Colton was playing on the porch with some water and I caught him on all fours 'slurping' the water off of the cement! Notice the mud around his face? YUCK! (He's all BOY!)

Colton was Madison's "living doll" - she loved playing dress up with him!

On Friday, we met my sister, Emily and her three kids at the Phoenix Zoo. We're waiting in line for the train in this picture.

Maddie and Parker on the train.

I've stopped trying to keep this sliding glass door clean - ha ha!

Last but not least... Colton would "catch" me reading when he thought I should be playing with him and he'd try and take the book away from me. One time he went and got one of his books and threw it at me. Message recieved loud and clear - I now read when he's in bed!

Colton's First "Real" Haircut

2007-10-01T23:19:00.000-07:00

Colton's hair was starting to bug me so I took him down for his first "real" haircut (I'd given him a few trims before). He was so good! I couldn't believe how long he sat there without moving. Well, it could've been the sucker they gave him - but whatever it was I was grateful!

When I look at these pictures I wonder how I could ever get mad at him.

Time Flies...

2007-09-28T17:21:00.000-07:00

I had a dream the other night that I went to a class on how to write better blogs! ha ha - I knew I needed to post something...

Nothing too exciting has really happened. We're just adjusting to our new place and our new schedule. Colton has decided to go to one nap a day and the transition hasn't been very fun, but we're starting to get it figured out.

I thought since my last post was so "depressing" I should write some good stuff about Arizona. So, here it goes:

1. 2300 miles closer to family

2. 2 bedrooms!

3. Washer & Dryer in apt

4. Dishwasher

5. Still swimming and it's almost Oct!

6. I get the car everyday!

7. Seth usually gets up with Colton in the morning

8. Sunday dinners with Family (probably relates to #1)

9. Good Sales

10. We know that this is where we are supposed to be!

Here's some random pictures from the last few weeks:

Saying goodbye to Erin - she's in Macedonia for a year on a Fulbright (sp?) scholarship - we're so proud of her!

Check out the AZ sunset in the back window

Ode to Toronto

2007-09-09T20:58:00.000-07:00

So, I'm sitting here missing our "toronto family"...

We were so blessed to have been there for 2 1/2 years! I don't think that Seth and I could have ever imagined how many friends we would make when we first loaded up our belongings and treked up to Canada. Or how hard it was going to be to say goodbye to all of them. These pictures only show about half of the people we would have liked, but since our last Sunday was over a Holiday weekend a lot of people were on 'holidays.' I'm really not good at putting these kinds of feelings into words, suffice it to say that we LOVED our ward family and will always cherish the memories we made there!

Farewell to Toronto

2007-09-09T20:55:00.001-07:00

Grampa Mac's Cabin

2007-09-03T22:08:00.000-07:00

Every year for Labor Day, since 2000, my Dad has rented a cabin at Hawley Lake. And for the past 4 or 5 years he's rented the same one every time so my niece and nephews think that it's "our" cabin, hence the name "Grampa Mac's Cabin." We just got back today.

We had a lot of fun! Colton got to go fishing for the first time... he could have cared less - all he wanted to do was play in the mud! It was so fun to see his cute expression as he got dirtier and dirtier.

I even got to fish for a little bit, but unfortunately I didn't catch anything (OH - except for a big crawdad!)

Right after this picture was taken, Colton broke the camera! I'm not even sure what he did, but now it doesn't work at all - luckily the SD card was not damaged...

We got some good pictures this morning on my dad's camera so I'll post those as soon as I get them.

It was so much fun to just hang out with the family. We ate A LOT of junk food - my sister and I decided that camping is just an excuse to eat a lot of good food. We also played a lot of "Settlers of Cataan" (or Settlers of Contention when Seth and I play together)- I think Seth won almost every game! And I got to read a book - The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (it was pretty good). Colton LOVED playing with his cousins too! He just followed around after them, doing whatever they were doing. I think he's going to be sad when he wakes up tomorrow and they aren't here to play with.

Now that we're home it's time to do the laundry and adjust back to "normal" life once again. Seth's first day of school is tomorrow. I think I'm going to lay out his clothes for his first day - HA HA.

The Traeger's Have Arrived

2007-08-25T00:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Yes, we finally have created a blog... I know, I know, we're behind the curve a little when it comes to these sorts of things. Hopefully we'll keep everyone up to date with our happenings a little bit better this way.

I've enjoyed reading everyone else's blogs for so long now, I guess it's time for us to get writing too!

I promise to include fun pictures of us - that is, as soon as I find out where we packed our camera!

Traeger Family

What a YEAR! (and a few months)

Bennett Joshua Traeger

One More Day...

UPDATE!

It's a...

Six Years Ago Today...

Pardon the Post Drought...

In Loving Memory

Halloween 2009

The Joys of the Unknown

He Did What?!

First Day of School!

We're Alive!

Then & Now

Happy Father's Day

One more thing...

Diamond Backs Game!

Swimming Lessons

Answered Prayers

Trains!

Graduation, Global Gala and Goodbyes!

And So It Begins...

The Happy Dance!

The Mortal Instruments Series

WHEW!

Best Idea EVER!

Good Friends = Good Times

For My Canadian Friends!

Still In Love...

If the Cardinals Can Make it to the Super Bowl...

They're Here!

Halloween 2008

I Should Be Cleaning... BUT

Back from Taylor (again)

HALLELUJAH!!!!

Children's Museum of Phoenix

Blackbeard the Musical

Back to Reality...

Colton's Signs!

What Have We Been Up To?

My Baby is 2!

4th of July!

Margaret McCleve Hancock

Oh Canada!

Changes!

JUNE!

Blogworthy!

Happpy 29th Birthday Emily!

Here you go Emily!

I'm Going to Miss This??

Twilight - the Movie!

I Think I'm Going to be Sick!

Our Week in Pictures

How much can be fit into one weekend?

Then & Now

I still *DISLIKE* the Jazz...

Drastic Times...

Sleep Deprivation!

Easter

Our Funny Boy!

McCleve & Hoban - Together Again!

Remember The A-Team?

Way to go Cory!

Happy Birthday Parker!

Mavis Beacon Anyone?

Introducing Cooper!

Thank You Chava!

Got Milk?

Winter in Arizona!

Colton's Trick!

New Post!

Can You Hear Me Now?

Do You Need to Go to Timeout?

LOST

Me"WII" Christmas and Happy New Year

Monday Night by the Numbers

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Third Time's the Charm!

GO ASU!

I still DISLIKE the Jazz...