The Traveling Trio (plus Ty)

Ty had a birthday!

2011-10-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

ty and I on his b-day

I had my mom cut some iron on vinyl for his shirt--Thanks mom!

Ty and Byron have fun playing together...most of the time!

Time for cake!

quick someone distract him long enough for me to set it down!

I LOVE attention!

oh this looks fun

I think I'll take a bite

hey that's pretty good!

I think I'll have some more

Why do you want me to look at the camera? I've got a cake to eat here!

Wes "headbutt the cake Ty"

haha I'll headbutt anything! even a cake, isn't that funny!

even covered in cake I'm adorable

UTAH TRIP

2011-08-01T06:25:00.000-07:00

Todd had to go out of town for 15 days and suggested it would be a good time for me to go see Shanell in Utah! I left the kids with my mom (my dad's idea!) and headed out with Taylor on a road trip. We had a BLAST!

DAY 0NE
Start driving with the plan of making it all the way to Utah. Pull over in Clinton (an hour and a half from home) to take a nap because I just can't stay awake any more. Decide we'll never make it to Utah in one day and head for Aunt Vernet's house in Colorado instead. I always love staying at Vernet's!

DAY TWO:

Drive to Utah.

Go Grocery shopping with Shanell, make dinner, and go out for frozen yogurt.

DAY THREE:

Take a walk to the park, do a couple laps and then walk home.

Go shopping.

Go to a BBQ for one of Logan's friends who was leaving for Med School.

At the BBQ, the view was amazing!

DAY FOUR:
Do a 7 o'clock session at the Temple and then drop Logan off at work.
Go on a picnic at the park.

Go explore Temple Square including a tour of the conferece center and the new family history library (It's HUGE and awesome!).

Go on a hike.

Go get a pizza at THE PIE (So good!)

To the the state capitol lawn to watch The Sandlot projected onto a screen.

yes I actually do have a neck although it may not look like it in this picture

DAY FIVE:
Go garage saleing in the morning. Only bring one quarter with us each time and see what we can get them to give us for a quarter.
Put together Shanell's new table that she bought at a garage sale before and had sanded and painted (it looks great!)
Get Shanell to give me a hair cut.
Shanell teaches me how to make hamburger buns.
Go to the grocery store
Have a picnic with some friends.
Go to blockbuster for a movie and then the grocery store(again) to grab some vanilla ice-cream and rootbeer.
Watch a movie and have rootbeer floats!

DAY SIX:
Go to church
Take a nap
Go to a family dinner at Aunt Terri's

DAY SEVEN:
Go to a pancake breakfast
Drop Logan off at work
Answer Logan's call five minutes latter wondering when we're going to pick him up. HAHA
Go to Ikea
Pick Logan up and walk to the Gateway mall for some shopping.
Go home and eat leftover hamburgers and then head to aunt Terri's for dinner
Walk to Sugar city park for their fireworks display.

DAY EIGHT:

Drive to colorado and Stay with Aunt Vernet

DAY NINE:

Drive to MO and see my kids! Stay the night at mom and dad's

DAY TEN:

Go home and wait FIVE MORE DAYS for Todd to get home :(

My Sister's wedding.

2011-05-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

So Sydnie got married a couple weeks ago and it was so awesome to be able to be all together as a family again! I LOVED having my sisters around!

All of these pictures are from Michelle. If you want to see the rest from the reception just click on the link.

I made myself crazy trying to prep for making the cake staying up late googeling filling flavors and youtube videos on how to stack a cake, and obessing over what to use as for a cake stand (Todd made me one, isn't he great?). In the end I went with a strawberry cake on bottom (per Sydnie's request) with a chocolate swiss meringue buttercream in between the layers. The rest of the cake was chocolate with a strawberry swiss meringue buttercream between the layers (I used strawberry freezer jam to give it extra strawberry flavor...YUM). The top tier was just rice krispy treat covered in frosting (no one ate it, it was just for looks). Here is a photo of the final product. My friend Jenna helped me and she was amazing! I've never seen buttercream frosting so smooth.

Wes and Kaylee (Dave and Jenna's daughter) also got married the same weekend, although Kaylee has recently told Wes that she can't marry him because he picks his nose haha!

The entire family!

I finally uploaded photos to our (new) computer with a functioning card slot. I would say that I should be posting more often now but honestly I probably won't haha!

2011-02-13T18:35:00.000-08:00

3 months!

At the hotel in Kirtland.

Wes was loving the huge snowballs he could make!

Happy New Year

2011-01-15T11:56:00.000-08:00

Ah, a new year (ok so what if I'm a couple weeks behind)!

Last year was great, the past decade was great! A few things that happened last year include

Todd got through one more semester of college! It was a huge financial adjustment having him in class, but now he is that much closer to graduating (just 3 more classes!) and it feels great!
We found out we were expecting! After much prayer and fasting we were blessed with a pregnancy and were soo excited.
Potty trained Wes! He was just about 27 months when I decided I was done with the diaper thing...and so was he! After just a few days and only accidents we had it mastered.
Family Reunion! This summer was the huge Wilkins Family Reunion. It was pretty exhausting but such a blast to be around so much family all during the week.
Girls camp. although I was really dreading it, I actually had a LOT of fun!
TY Doyle Hart joined our family in October, and we love him so much!
We moved to New York, and we LOVE it here! It's been so nice to be around so many church history sites, including the Joseph Smith home and Sacred Grove.
Shanell came home from her mission and came to visit!
Shanell and Logan got married! Welcome to the family Logan!

And now for some things I plan on accomplishing this year

Read Jesus the Christ. When I was 13 I suddenly realized that I had been able to read for quite sometime and had yet to read the Book of Mormon. I felt disappointed in myself and began that summer with an intense study of that wonderful book! I've always wanted to read Jesus the Christ, but just haven't made it a priority and now I'm 24 and still haven't read it (sensing a pattern here)! When I went home I found out my sisters were reading it and so I (finally) jumped on the bandwagon. I'm about 40 pages in and am LOVING it!
Lose 10 pounds! I've never really had weight related resolutions, but there is some still some baby weight hanging around that has got to go!
Keep improving my cooking skills! I've been trying to make a point of trying new recipes as of late, and I hope to continue to do so! Last night I made these Lime Chicken Fajitas. They were delicious!

And...just because pictures make it better, a picture of me on Christmas day!

Missouri Trip!

2011-01-12T18:08:00.000-08:00

Wes "staying awake the whole time" on the plane.

Ty Slept the entire time through both flights!

Shanell asked me to make her wedding cake! A HUGE thanks to aunt DEBBIE and Samantha Francka for all of their help. I would have been lost without them.

Ty with Great Grandma Hart.

Wes with aunt Sydnie the day she left for Utah.

BYRON!!! so cute! we already miss this little guy like crazy!

Wes on his first day of Sunbeams in our ward here! I can't believe he is in primary already! (after church...he usually has his shirt tucked in at church ha!)

We had such a great trip! It went by super fast because we were soo busy, but it was so great to be able to see family again and most importantly to be there for Shanell's wedding! Todd was able to come in to St. Louis for the wedding too, and because of flight delays he got in just minutes before he needed to be at the temple! It was crazy but he made it and I was so glad. He flew back out that afternoon.

We stayed with Rachelle and Byron and it was so fun to be with them...THANKS RACHELLE!
Wes has already told me a few times that he wants to go back to Missouri!

Christmas

2010-12-26T13:52:00.000-08:00

Wes with his lightning McQueen winter hat from Grandma and Grandmpa Wilkins.

At the hotel where Todd works for Christmas dinner and gift exchange.

Todd took the boys on a ride in the lift and they thought it was great.

Christmas was great this year! After opening presents we headed to the hotel where Todd has been working for a fantastic Christmas dinner and then a gift exchange. Afterward Todd showed me around the job. We came home in the afternoon and relaxed and then finally had some cinnamon waffles for dinner (since we woke up too late for breakfast).

Wes, Ty and I are off to Missouri tomorrow to get ready for Shanell's wedding!

Shanell, SNOW, and other cuteness.

2010-12-08T17:04:00.001-08:00

Shanell came to visit me for a week! It was so GREAT to have her here after not seeing her for so long. We mainly worked on wedding stuff, but we also took some time to see the church sites in Palmyra (just 30 minutes from us) and see some other things here around Rochester.

Outside a homemade candy shop on park avenue (Grandma's is better)

Wes and I in the sacred Grove

It started snowing the day she got here, and hasn't really stopped since!

Wes and Ty today just hanging out.

Ty at 8 weeks!

Gingerbread house

2010-12-08T14:04:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago we got together with Amy & Nate, and Stacy & Kyle to decorate our gingerbread houses. This was my first time making gingerbread and I've got to say that the smell of it baking was enough to make me want to do it every year!

After we got home we added some coconut all around the base to look like snow (but I didn't take any more pics).

We ran out of Necco wafers...so Wes improvised!

Happy Birthday Wes!

2010-12-01T12:37:00.000-08:00

Wes turns 3 today!

He started the day off by making his birthday cake (he LOVES to help me in the kitchen).

Then, he headed over to play with his cousin Ryan, and Stacy and Amy.

Later, they came back so Wes could get his SNOW clothes on so they could go outside and play!

In just a couple hours we are going to go to the airport and pick up Aunt Shanell!

Then after a dinner of chicken tenders, oven fries, and broccoli, everyone is coming over for cake and ice-cream!

Today...and other days too.

2010-11-11T12:24:00.000-08:00

Wes at the Trunk or Treat in Marshfield. He went as a Robot and was walking around all night saying "code blue, need more candy!"

Lake Ontario

4 weeks

So, I had a baby, and then 2.5 weeks latter I moved to New York. It was CRAZY, and really set back my recovery, but I'm starting to feel better again so oh well. We should be here for about 6 months while Todd works on a hotel in Rochester and so far we really love it. Everything is so close and our apartment is nice and located right next to a park which Wes thinks is fantastic.

2010-10-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

He's got personality...that's for sure!

Ty Doyle Hart

2010-10-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

Ty arrived Wednesday morning at 7:49 via a scheduled c-section. We are so happy he is here and a part of our family!

Wes meeting Ty for the first time.

With cousin Byron Bolton.

Home from the hospital (wahoo!)

From storage room to baby room!

2010-06-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

For the first two years of us living here our "spare bedroom" was used as a storage room. It was filled with buckets of food that was a make shift guest bed with an air mattress on top. I also kept my elliptical machine and other random workout equipment in there. I also kept all of my craft stuff in there. It was a DISASTER.

When I found out we were expecting I knew I had to get busy transforming it into a nursery. I started by finding a place for all of those buckets of food (not an easy task for an extremely exhausted first trimester prego). Once that was done I went to work rearranging closet space to fit my craft stuff, and measured out our bedroom to find that the elliptical machine would fit perfectly. By the time we went to find out if it was a boy or a girl the room was a blank canvas.

As we were leaving the doctor's office I decided on a paint color and Todd started painting that weekend! The crib we got for free (Wes never had a crib:( ) from Josh and Jamie so we decided to paint it black and Todd had that done super quick too. Next I set to work making the bedding. I'd still like to make a couple extra sheets but other than that it is done.

This is a picture of the quilt before I bound it in the green fabric. It's all done now, I just haven't taken another picture!

I had my mom cut this tree out of vinyl to put beside the crib. It took a few hours to get it all put together but I LOVE how it turned out!

Finally, I designed and sewed a simple valence.

We also got a dresser from my mom that we are in the process of painting black to go on the other side of the room.

ON a completely random note. I had Todd build me some new shelves for our bathroom. They turned out just like I wanted them too, and now we have some extra storage space in there!

Todd sure has done a lot around here lately!

Summer time!!!

2010-06-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

Todd has been working out of town the last couple weeks so Wes and I have been trying to stay BUSY. My cousin Laura is in town so we have gotten together, along with Jamie and Mathew, a couple of times to go to the Willard Pool and the Rutledge-Wilson Farm Park in Springfield. Everyone had a blast, and here are a few pictures to prove it!

When I told Wes we were going to a "farm" he insisted on wearing his boots. His play shoes happened to be wet anyway (he threw them in the pool at my parents) so I said sure! He got a lot of comments on them :)

Half way done!

2010-06-04T08:16:00.000-07:00

For those of you who didn't know, we're having a baby BOY in October!!!!

We are extremely excited to be adding another member to our family.

I'm not as excited about my expanding waist line and weight gain.

I'm starting to run out of clothes that fit!

We have no idea what we're going to name him yet so any suggestions are welcome!

Garage sale finds.

2010-05-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago I decided to try and hit up a few garage sales to see what type of things I could find. It wasn't a very good day as far as weather goes but I did come home with a few good things.

Like this lovely jar that I snagged for $1.

I have it in my bathroom and stuck a candle inside. If anyone else has any good ideas about what I should use it for please let me know!

I also snagged this little vase for $0.10

I love the color, and it looks great in the guest bathroom.

I also got 2 mirrors for $5.

I originally thought I would paint this one silver and use it in the guest bathroom but now I'm not so sure. The mirror is pretty old and has spots all over it. I think it would look out of place with a new coat of paint. I love it how it is, I just don't know where to put it.

(p.s. don't say anything about my appearance...at least I got a lot done today :)

This is the other mirror.

I love it too, but I'm not sure where to put it.

Lastly, I've had this frame forever but I could use some ideas about what to do with it too.

Do you see a recurring theme here?

I'm not such a great decorator :(

Catching Up

2010-05-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

The beginning of April I took Wes to the Nature Center and He LOVED it! He had a blast ....

...running around while I tried to take his picture.

Later in the month we went on a road trip with Grandma Wilkins, Aunt Ann, and Sydnie to Utah.

We had lots of fun...

...touring the conference center

including the rooftop park which Wes thought was pretty great.

(on top of the conference center)

Wes also thought it was great that Stanley was staying with his grandma (aunt Terri whom we were staying with) all week so he always had someone to play with!

The one thing Wes told me he wanted to do while we were in Utah was to see the BIG temple. He finally got his chance on Thursday and he was so excited! The first thing he told me was "where are the doors? I want to go inside now!"

I told him he would have to wait another 10 years before they would let him in but he took a picture with the doors anyway.

Next we went to the visitors center so Wes could see the Christus. He thought it was awesome and didn't want to leave.

Finally,we drove to Idaho so we could drop Sydnie off at school. Wes got really attached to her on the trip and it was sad to say goodbye.

BUT...he was sure to give us this cheesy grin for the picture :)

Easter weekend

2010-04-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

Better late than never?

Wes throwing his eggs in the dye. I'm pretty sure most of his cracked.

The finished product!

He got more than a little bit on his hands and they stayed that color for a day or so.

After the second session of conference on Saturday my parents had an Easter egg hunt with some of the kids from their ward, and Wes of course. Here he is with all his eggs. He thought it was pretty great!

Easter morning.

The Easter bunny brought him this chair so he could sit outside with mom in the afternoon while we wait for Jack and Macee (our neighbors) to get off the bus. It will also come in pretty handy at Todd's softball games which start this Friday!

(In the background you can see the project we worked on Saturday night during Priesthood session, thanks mom!)

At the Easter egg hunt at Grandma Harts.

Wes, Ryan, and Mathew playing in the dirt after the excitement of the egg hunt had worn off.

4 years, 2 weeks and 2 days ago...

2010-04-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

...we got married in St. Louis! I'm SO glad we did! It seems weird to even think about life before Todd, He's the best!

Anyway, to celebrate we were finally able to sneak away to St. Louis for a couple of days while Todd had a two day break from school! We left Wes with my mom and just enjoyed spending time together. We went to all the places that are extra crazy with Wes like Best Buy, and Bed Bath and Beyond. We also tried out a few stores that I had heard a lot about but never been to before like Trader Joe's and Anthropologie. We went to the Temple (and were the ONLY people on the session...sad), and then had dinner at the Cheese Cake Factory. This is where we ate right after we were married, but I think we've decided to start a new tradition because we're just not that impressed anymore.

On Friday we were able to take a tour of Busch Stadium which I actually really enjoyed. We were able to see a lot of places that we wouldn't be able to see otherwise and learned a lot of interesting facts about the team and stadium. For example...the grass on the field is Kentucky Blue Grass which generally grows in cooler climates SO they have to chill the water to 41 degrees and then give it a little spritz anytime it starts to get too hot...CRAZY!

Todd standing outside the stadium waiting for our tour to begin.

Down by the field. We were NOT allowed to touch the grass.

In the Dugout!

Thanks for the great trip Todd!

2 years

2010-03-15T08:41:00.000-07:00

2 years ago (from yesterday) we closed on our first house!

We've loved the time we've had here, our neighbors are fantastic.

And hey...in only 13 more years we'll have it paid off!

1 Funny Story

2010-03-13T17:36:00.000-08:00

Wes has always been a great sleeper, but he was going through this phase where he would wake up every night and want us to tuck him back into bed.

ANNOYING.

Finally we told him that if he came INTO our room in the middle of the night he was going to get a spanking.

Around 2 in the morning we hear Wes right OUTSIDE our room yelling DAD, DADDY!

He is only 2 and he is already thinking about how to get our attention without technically coming in our room?!

Needless to say the next night we had to reevaluate the rules to be more specific.

He got a spanking for 3 nights in a row but then went right back to sleep.

He hasn't bugged us since (fingers crossed).

That crazy kid.

Slump

2010-02-18T19:42:00.000-08:00

I've been in a bit of a blogging slump lately.

Actually I've just been sort of in a slump. period.

Maybe it is all of this crappy weather we've been having lately.

I miss the SUN.

Enough with all that depressing stuff, here is an update on what we've been up to the past month or so.

SCHOOL. Todd decided to go to school this semester! He is taking 16 credit hours and is almost constantly working on homework or studying. Having him in school has been an adjustment, that is for sure. He built himself a desk in our master closet and usually when he gets home from school he'll go in there to study. If he isn't at school or studying he is down the street working at our neighbors finishing their basement. It has been such a blessing to be able to have him work so close to home, even if it is just for a few hours a week.

SEWING. I think I'm addicted to sewing. I love it. I've sold a few of my temple bags which was exciting. I've also got my substitution certificate so that I can start subbing at the school. I'm not so excited about that.

Wes has been working on learning all of his letters, shapes, and his counting. He does really well counting to 29 but has some issues with 13, 14, 15. He's also been working on memorizing the names of the prophets. He is doing really well with those too. Every night before he goes to bed he makes sure we look at the pictures! It is so cute. He can also spell his name, but lets be honest, WES isn't that complicated haha.

Happy Birthday Sydnie

2010-01-17T20:00:00.000-08:00

She had a birthday shout hooray!
You should be very grateful this isn't a video blog entry. haha
Nevertheless...Sydnie had a birthday last week and it was great. Todd has school ALL DAY on Monday (as in his last class doesn't get out until 9:30 p.m.) so I was able to spend the entire day with her. She was thrilled I'm sure!

I made her this headband.

She LOVES strawberry cake so I made her three!

Okay, Okay so it was really just one cake mix divided into three pans.

Do you know how long it would take us to eat three whole cakes?

Probably not at long as it should...but still.

Anyway...strawberry cake with strawberry icing. The icing was my favorite.

1 pound butter

2 pounds powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

8 oz strawberry syrup (the kind you use on pancakes)

I've also made this frosting with raspberry syrup on a chocolate cake

and the combination was divine.

Please be smarter than me and realize that a frosting recipe that requires an entire pound of butter will make way more frosting than you will need for 1 cake mix (even with 3 layers!).

I maybe used HALF.

Back to the cake...

There is something I should tell you about me and frosting cakes.

~~I don't do so hot with the sides~~ I'm horrible at frosting the sides.

Notice how there are no pictures of this cake from the side?

This cake had not 1 but three sides, I was destined to fail. I really should have just left them bare.

I didn't, they looked ridiculous, and Rachelle and I were left with the awkward task of trying to cover them up some how.

Sprinkles. When in doubt add sprinkles.

Somehow they make everything look prettier.

And candles, 19 haphazardly positioned candles.

Finally, why not throw a butterfly cookie you happened to decorate that day on top?

Ah, who cares? We're getting ready to eat it in 10 minutes anyway right?

Right!

Happy Birthday Sydnie! We sure LOVE YOU and are glad you're part of our family forever!

Christmas

2010-01-12T13:57:00.000-08:00

You know when Christmas is all done and over and you don't think you have anymore presents coming and then BAM someone totally random gives you a gift that you weren't expecting?

Ya, that's kind of like this blog post.

I know Christmas was forever ago, but ~~I've been lazy~~ we've been busy hanging out with family so I just haven't gotten around to it. SOO Merry Christmas! I hope yours was as awesome as ours!

Check out this SWEET banner that Todd's Grandma made us! I LOVE IT. She sewed all of those teeny tiny sequence and seed beads on by hand. It had to have taken forever and I think it rocks.

Every year on Christmas Eve we make sugar cookies. I guess technically you could say that they are for Santa, but really I just like to make them because I think they're fun. This year it was extra fun because Wes was able to help! He had a blast, and it was fun to watch him. After they were all cooked I was running around trying to get everything ready so we could leave ... so Todd frosted and decorated the cookies!

I've got to say he did a pretty awesome job too. The snowmen had faces made out of sprinkles and everything :)

This is what Santa Clause brought Wes. A bunch of random things I got on clearance throughout the year, a color set handed down from Mike and Joe, and a set of building blocks Todd picked up, a stocking full of fruit snacks, and some new toothpaste and a toothbrush!

Wes walking in to see his presents in his new pajamas he got from Grandma Hart. Aren't they adorable?

Wes with his stocking.

Check out how little he was last year...

...and how teeny tiny he was the year before that. Aww.

Alright back to his year. Here we all are (huh I'm not sure what that ladder is doing there).

Hey I got some dental floss! Wahoo. No, seriously, I am obsessed with flossing my teeth.

Of course you'd never know that by how horrible my teeth are.

I'll blame my mom for that, she has horrible teeth too.

Wait, I thought this post was about Christmas, not my dental records.

And finally, Wes opening a present, with his mouth full of candy of course.

OH...maybe that's why my teeth are horrible.

We really did get spoiled this year.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS and usually start thinking about what I want to give everyone in the middle of summer. Somehow I always seem to forget that we GET presents too, and then suddenly one day right before Christmas I remember and get really excited all over again.

BUT...and I know this is cliche...the best part of Christmas was probably watching Wes get soo excited. It was great, and I can't wait for Christmas this year!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update to let you all know we're still alive! We made it home before Christmas with enough time to set up a tree, wrap all the presents I'd been working on since June, and make lots of Christmas goodies.

Christmas with Wes was a blast and he even stayed up all the way until midnight on new year's eve!

Things have been pretty CRAZY since we got home, but hopefully this week things will settle down and I'll be able to give you some pictures from Christmas, a recap on our 2009 and a few goals I have for 2010.

Have I told you about...

2009-12-15T18:17:00.000-08:00

My friend Stephanie! She does things with a paint brush that are just AMAZING.
No, I mean really they are awesome.
Anyway, to celebrate the Christmas season she is doing a 12 days of Christmas and is giving away a painting everyday from now till Christmas.

If I don't win one I'll probably cry.

I really wanted to just keep it to myself so I would have a better chance of winning...BUT...that didn't seem very Christmas like.

SO...go check out her Blog and maybe if you're lucky you can win one of her paintings.

Merry Christmas!

New Shop = GIVEAWAY!

2009-12-14T19:46:00.001-08:00

I've decided to start selling a few of the things I enjoy making! I've created a website like BLOG at TerriannHart.blogspot.com and opened an ETSY shop at TerriannHart.etsy.com. Things are very much still in the beginning stages but I thought to give it a jump start I would GIVEAWAY one of my bags! There are 4 different styles and the winner gets to choose which one they like best. (Pictures solely to show bag design, I may or may not be able to purchase the same fabric as seen in the photos although I already have the top right bag finished and in stock.)

To enter once go check out my new blog and leave me a comment telling me what you think (suggestions for improvement?).

To have your name entered twice post a link on your blog and then leave me another comment with a link to your blog so I can go check it out too.

If you really want to win you can post a link on Facebook then come back and tell me about it so I'll know to enter your name a third time.

I will announce a WINNER when I get back home to Missouri on SATURDAY, December 19!

Good Luck!

I can't get him to take them off...

2009-12-11T11:33:00.001-08:00

Wes has worn these boots EVERYDAY since his birthday. If I ask him to grab his tennis shoes he throws a fit and wants his boots. I did manage to get him out of the house today without them but that was only because I was dressing him when he was still half asleep.

He can't wait to get home to show "papa Wilkins" and the "Moo-Cows" his new boots!

THANKS UNCLE RICK (seriously) He loves them!

No Onions

2009-12-08T13:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we rolled down Wes' window in the car and he started "ordering" his food.
"Chicken nuggets, drink of water please, no onions."

We assured him that chicken nuggets don't come with onions.

I think we eat out too much!!!

Approximately a week and a half until we're home and I'll have a kitchen again :)

Happy Birthday Wes!

2009-12-03T17:21:00.000-08:00

For Wes' Birthday we went to the mall so he could play....but since he was the only kid there he got pretty bored so he came over by me and had me take his picture (alot).

He did attempt to play for a little while, but then I convinced him we should go home to try and find Mathew or Ryan.

We did find Mathew, and they had a blast playing with all of the ballons.

After dinner we came home and had cake and opened presents with everyone. (click on the pictures to make them larger)

Party!

2009-12-03T13:27:00.000-08:00

Wes and Ryan decided to have a dance party in our room the other day. I walked in to them as Beyonce's "Single Ladies" song was playing...and they were singing right along with her. It cracked me up!

Day Trip

2009-11-29T16:17:00.001-08:00

On Saturday we went to Beaufort, SC. It was lovely. They had a nice little river walk with a playground for Wes, he had a blast. Unfortunately...I didn't realize that my camera had a dieing battery and this is the only picture we got. I was really sad too because I saw about a million things I would have taken a picture of too. Nevertheless, it was a really enjoyable day.

GIVEAWAY

2009-11-27T11:07:00.000-08:00

Remember this post? Well, my mom is having a giveaway for a $20 gift certificate. All you have to do is leave a comment on her blog telling her about your favorite item from her etsy shop or blog!

Twilight Fan? Check out some of her biggest sellers Here

Or...one of my favorites Here

Good Luck!

The New Buffet

2009-11-26T16:30:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple (blurry) pictures of what Todd and the boys have been working on ever since we've been down here in South Carolina. They totally redid the buffet area here at the hotel. It looks soo nice! That counter top in the center is awesome. Those pots and pans have clear glass lids so you can see what is inside and have a hydraulic closing system so that they slowly self close in case someone leaves them open. That counter top has heating elements built in that react only with those pots so that the food in the pots stay hot but you don't burn your hand. Isn't that cool! I can't wait for Sunday Brunch!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

(Thanks Jamie for snapping our photo)

Well...I didn't do so well at posting everyday, so I thought I'd just post a random list of things I'm grateful for.

Jesus Christ
Todd
Wes
Family
General Conference
Todd's employment
Health and safety
Education
Book of Mormon
Friends
Modern medicine
Books
Music
Cameras
I could go on and on and on..........

Since we were away from home this year we went to Golden Corral for Thanksgiving Dinner. I'm just glad I could be here with Todd and Wes.

Another Beach Day...

2009-11-22T16:44:00.000-08:00

We went to the beach again. This time Wes did really well at not getting in the water. Well, that is until he met a friend that was wearing a swimming suit and I got distracted by a telephone call.

Beach Day and 5K

2009-11-18T17:51:00.000-08:00

On Monday we went to the beach. When I say "went to the beach" what I really mean is "we went to the beach and I actually remembered to take my camera so now I have proof." We actually go to the beach quite often (today included), but I usually don't want to bring anything except the room key.

I digress...

On Monday we went to the beach and Wes brought his new bucket and shovel. The rules were simple...NO WATER. Two hours later we came home soaking wet and without a shovel, but we sure had a blast!

A couple weekends ago I ran a 5k. Amy, and Mary ran too. It was fun. Everyone did better than they thought they would and we are all looking forward to the next one (turkey trot anyone?).

Pain Reliever

2009-11-18T17:32:00.000-08:00

I get headaches.

Always have...always will.

I get headaches for silly reasons like when it storms, or someone wears too much perfume, or I use scented soap (or lotion, or laundry detergent even sometimes), or I forget to eat all day, or I don't go to the eye doctor for 2 years and my prescription is 4x too strong. You know, silly things like that. Those are usually just little headaches, common, everyday, the kind I can deal with and still function.

But sometimes, about once a month or so, I get a HEAD-ACHE. The kind that makes me want to lay in my bed for three days with all the lights off and an ice-pack on my head. I don't do so well at functioning when I get one of these. I have one of those headaches right now actually, but I sent Todd after some Excedrin Migraine so that I can semi function. It doesn't make it go away...but it numbs it enough so that I can do some things. Thank goodness.

Post Dating

2009-11-17T17:29:00.000-08:00

I've been really bad at posting everyday! Thank goodness I can post date my posts!

I Won!

2009-11-16T19:01:00.000-08:00

My Friend Lilly Miller had a giveaway had a giveaway on her blog a while back and I won! I was pumped because I've never won anything before. She makes one of a kind hair accessories and this is the one that I won.

THANKS LILLY!

Family Home Evening

2009-11-16T18:55:00.000-08:00

I love Monday nights! Isn't Family Home Evening the best?!

Good Mood

2009-11-15T19:13:00.000-08:00

This morning Wes woke up happy, which is rare, and something to be grateful for all in itself!

Saturdays

2009-11-14T19:12:00.000-08:00

I love Saturdays!

The Internet

2009-11-13T16:38:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful for the Internet. I know that this is a very broad subject but still, the internet rocks my world.

Blogging
E-mail
General Conference on-line
Bing
Etsy
Face-Book
The New Family Search
etc...etc...etc

The internet is full of information (which can be tricky sometimes). Every time I want to learn how to do something new I just do a google search, or search around the blogosphere and sooner or latter I figure it out. This week for Family Home Evening we took a look into the new family search website and found out tons of information about our ancestors, and how much work there is already done...and how much more there is to do. In a nutshell, the internet is awesome.

Nap Time

2009-11-12T15:41:00.000-08:00

Maybe this sounds bad...but some days nap-time is my favorite part of the day. I mean seriously. I know it isn't going to last forever and there have been a few days already when Wes hasn't taken a nap (and yes I cried a little to myself on those days) but while he is still taking naps I'm going to enjoy it.

Nap-time is my time to get everything else done that is almost impossible while he's awake. For example sew, bake, workout (if I decide to sleep in that mourning like I did today ), take a nap myself...rare, but every once in a while it happens, and etc.

Some days I feel like if it wasn't for nap-time, I would probably loose my mind.

Please tell me I'm not the only one that feels like this...

Happy Veterans Day

2009-11-11T17:20:00.001-08:00

I am so grateful to live here in the United States Of America and for all of our Veterans that make that possible! In particular I'd like to give a big Thank You to my brother-in-law Taylor. We're going to miss you when you go back in January :(

THANK YOU!!

Lately...

2009-11-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

I have been taking pictures lately. I promise.

Washing Machines

2009-11-10T15:54:00.001-08:00

Today I did two loads of laundry in the hotel's tiny washing machines. It was painless. I mean really all I had to do was throw the clothes in, add some soap, pay 2$, and turn it on. Then, 30 minutes later I moved it to the dryer and an hour latter....presto...clean clothes!

Can you imagine having to wash your clothes by hand?! BLAH!!! Anytime I am interested in buying a shirt that has a tag saying "hand wash only" I either a) don't buy it, or b) throw it in the washing machine anyway and hope it doesn't get screwed up.

So today, I'm thankful for the invention of the washing machine. I'll tell ya what, had I of lived before they were around I would of been walking around in my underwear A LOT!

House Keeping

2009-11-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

There are a few luxuries that living in a hotel provides, and House Keeping is probably my favorite. It is so nice when you forget to make your bed in the morning, or we leave our towels on the floor, and when we come back from being gone everything is clean again. I must admit that my FAVORITE part of housekeeping would have to be the turn down service. We come home from dinner and housekeeping has been in our room and drawn the curtains closed, turned on the weather channel, taken out the trash, given us fresh towels, turned down the blankets, AND.... left two Lindt Lindor Truffles on our pillows. Have you ever tried those things?!? AMAZING! Yes folks today, I am thankful for housekeeping.

Today I'm thankful for...

2009-11-08T15:31:00.000-08:00

(The sisters of the Hilton Head Island Relief Society and I at the General Relief Society Broadcast in September)

Today it finally dawned on me that Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away. I don't know what it is about being away from home all the time, but it tends to make all of my seasons run together and get all twisted up (I swear it still feels like July here).
I decided I would try to post at least once a day about SOMETHING I'm grateful for. Cheesy? Yes, but I'm going to do it anyway. They will be in random order, they will be weird, but so am I and this is my blog.

Today I'm grateful for Relief Society. Ever since I was a Young Women I have looked forward to going to Relief Society. There is just something about the idea of meeting together with my sisters to learn about the Gospel that I just LOVE. I love that there are women of all ages. I feel like I have nothing to loose, and everything to gain from meeting with women that are older than me. Whether they have already raised their kids and are now grandmas, they still have kids in the home, or have no kids I feel like I have something to learn from them.

The Relief Society sisters here in Hilton Head (and at home) are great. Every time we come down here they welcome us with open arms. They no longer make us stand and introduce ourselves, they simply acknowledge that we are back and ask how long we're going to be here this time. They invite us to their activities, they present us with opportunities to serve. They make us feel loved.

Today I was particularly touched as I saw the excitement in the eyes of all the sisters as they talked about going to the temple for the first time with one of their sisters.
I was also touched as I listened to the lesson as presented by Sister Dante. I love this sweet sister. Originally from Uruguay her English isn't perfect. She expressed her frustration at not being able to fully express herself. I understood her perfectly through the Spirit, in fact probably more so than if she had been perfect in her English.

For these reasons I am grateful for Relief Society. It strengthens my testimony. It provides me with opportunities to serve. It helps me draw closer to Jesus Christ.

Wes' Photography

2009-11-05T18:54:00.000-08:00

Wes has recently discovered a love for the camera, to bad it doesn't love him back. These are a few of his first "self portraits." The other day I came in the room to find him with the camera again. When I went through to see what kind of pics he took I ended up counting 29...boy am I glad digital cameras come with a delete button!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T15:29:00.000-07:00

New Blog

2009-10-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

I started a new blog where I'll post all the different things I like to try. I will use this blog to post my sewing creations, cooking and baking attempts, and anything else I try out. After thinking for a long time about what URL I should use (and discovering that all the ones I wanted were already taken) I decided to go with exactly what the blog is about. TheThingsITry.blogspot.com

Trick or Treat

2009-10-29T17:51:00.000-07:00

Today we went trick or treating at Coligny Plaza. It was soo much fun! I made Wes' dino costume and he actually keep the hat on for almost the entire time. Of course we went with our cousins....
Mathew, the mummy. Didn't Jamie do a great job on his costume?
Ryan as Dracula. He was so cute and even started saying "trick or treat."
Wes and Ryan holding hands, they have so much fun together.
There were soo many fun things to do. They had a huge blow up slide, a free photo booth, cupcake decorating, a costume contest (which Mathew won!) and the bakery handed out kits to decorate this cookie at home. Isn't it so cute!

Cousins

2009-10-25T18:19:00.000-07:00

Wes has absolutely loved having his cousins so close by. We were able to watch Ryan the other night while Nate and Amy went out. These are a few shots I snapped while the boys were playing with each other. Yes, they both climbed in that drawer all by themselves and were pretty proud too. They sure do have a lot of fun together, and we all have fun just watching them have so much fun.

2009-10-25T17:58:00.000-07:00

2009-10-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks Grandma Hart! Wes loves his new book and had fun putting together his candy necklace!

Back in Hilton Head

2009-10-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

We are back in Hilton Head for the 4th time this year! Wes is loving having Mathew and Ryan so close by. The weather has been fantastic this week and of course, the flowers are lovely.

I'll be sure to post some pictures of the boys soon.

This is late but...

2009-10-22T19:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Kelsie!
Kelsie turned 17 the beginning of the month, and this is the train wreck of a cake I made her. Funfetti cake with chocolate buttercream icing and white chocolate "scribbles" on top and some sprinkles just for fun.

An Oldie but a Goodie

2009-10-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

I took this pic last time we were in Hilton Head. This drawer was Wes' "toy box", but we also kept his blanket in there. I was sitting at the desk on the computer (probably blog stocking someone haha) and found him like this. It reminded me of that Seinfeld episode where Kramer has the Chinese men sleeping in the drawers :)

We're Back!

2009-10-06T13:18:00.001-07:00

Since we've been back I've been making the most of my time with family, and of course crafting. Saturday night I combined the two by going over to my Mom's house during the Preisthood session of conference to work on this lovely project. Mom provided all of the materials so all I had to do was paint, peal, and stick! I had fun with all the other ladies that came too. THANKS MOM! (want to see more of my mom's stuff? visit her etsy shop HERE )

Always wanting to try something new I decided to try out this cute baby bootie pattern. I'm sending these ones to my cousin in Idaho who is having a girl this month.

I modified and enlarged the pattern to include a leather sole for babies that are learning to walk. They still need a few finishing touches (see all the loose strings inside) and they need a home, they're too cute to sit in my craft room!
One of the things I miss the most while we are away is my kitchen. I made these ice-cream sandwiches for Hunter's birthday that we missed while we were gone. Brownie on the top and bottom with ice-cream and sprinkles in the middle.

Of course I have to throw in a picture of WES! Here he is enjoying one of the ice-cream sandwiches :)

2009-09-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

One of Wes' favorite things to do here in Hilton Head is be outside looking at the turtles in the pond. He gets so excited and is always sad when we have to leave.

One of my favorite things about Hilton Head is all of the beautiful flowers. There is always something blooming!

Did I Mention...

2009-09-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

That we are back in Hilton Head, South Carolina again. We got home from our trip Tuesday night and Thursday night we found out we were leaving SATURDAY :) We've been here for two weeks and should be back in Missouri soon. More pictures to come.

Days Three and Four

2009-09-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

The Boys outside the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Wes was pretty tired by the end of the day so he decided to take a little rest inside Hank Aaron's locker.

Playing outside while Todd looked around

Day Three

2009-09-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

On Day Three we explored Pittsburgh during the day and went to another Cardinals game at night. We started off by walking across the bridge and into the downtown area. Here is a picture of the stadium from across the bridge.

A picture of us on the bridge.

There were Three bridges just like this. Aren't they fantastic?

At the ball game.

There was a wonderful fireworks show after the game. These pictures don't do it justice, but it was great.

Wes with Grandma Hart after the game.

So long PNC Park!

Day Two

2009-09-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

On our way to Pittsburgh Friday morning we passed by this HUGE cross. Just as a reference, those are full grown trees underneath it and a billboard to the side.

A picture of Wes at the field before the game. He's great at saying "cheese" now he just needs to work on actually looking at me while he does.

A picture of the field from our seats.

Pujols

The view of the city from our seats. Isn't it Beautiful!

They gave out free pirate beanies to everyone that came to the game and Wes thought they were great. In fact, he likes it so much he wears it around at our house still and even outside when he goes to play with the neighbor kids after school. Like it? I have two more I'd love to give away!

Day Two

2009-09-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

This is a video clip of Michael dancing during the game trying to get on the jumbo screen. I couldn't get it to rotate, so you'll have to watch it sideways. Enjoy!

Two new Handbags

2009-09-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

This is the temple bag I made for Stacy last month. It has a zipper at the top, is fully lined, and has a pocket for the temple packet. It was actually a mistake...I made a wrong cut and had to improvise. I think it turned out pretty cute and hopefully Stacy does too :)

THIS, is a bag I made for ME. The handles on my trusty black bag started to bust so I decided it was time for something new :) This bag has EIGHT pockets, has extra stiff interfacing so it stands on its own, and is reversible. This side of the bag has a small pocket built into the seam (see the marker sticking out the top)..and one just like it on the inside, that is the perfect size for my cell phone...no more missed calls for me :)
The elastic loop hooks over the covered button to keep it shut. There are three pockets on this side...and three just like it on the inside. They are the perfect size for diapers, a note pad or a water bottle.

Day One

2009-09-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

Wes and Todd in the penguin exhibit. It was FREEZING inside and the penguins kept splashing Todd's back :)

It took a lot of convincing to get Wes to take this picture. Finally after we assured him it was a "toy" did he go and stand by it...but not with open arms.

This is how we kept Wes busy for most of the trip.

Our Most Recent Adventure

2009-09-09T10:05:00.000-07:00

Day 1: We left around 10:30 and headed up to the St. Louis Zoo. Wes thought the Hippo tank was great, but it took him a little while to warm up to it. After we left the zoo we went to Sonic to get a drink (walking around the zoo is TIRING) and then drove about 30 minutes past Saint Louis and stayed the night.

Day 2: We woke up early and headed to Pittsburgh. We pulled into town just in time to find a parking place and head to PNC Park to watch the St. Louis Cardinals take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The game was exciting with the Cardinals coming out on top :) Our seats were great, and Wes had a blast with his Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Rick, Laura, Ryan, Joe, and Mike (he doesn't like being around us so much).

Day 3: We wore ourselves out walking around Pittsburgh. There was also a college football game that day so there were people EVERYWHERE. The City is beautiful with a lot of bridges crossing the river, and a nice riverwalk that goes right alongside it.
Day 3 Continued: We were able to go to another Game with the Cardinals winning again :) After the game there were fireworks which were AWESOME. Once again Wes spent his time as far away from us as he could get.
Day 4: We got back in the car and drove up to Cooperstown, NY to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The town was little and had lots of little shops filled with baseball memorabilia. Todd, obviously was excited to be there.
Day 5: By day 5 I was pretty sick of baseball so I hung out with Wes outside while Todd continued to look around Cooperstown. Wes was practicing his "jumping" outside off of the curb and then would run up and then back down the sidewalk and "jump" again. (he needs a lot more practice). This particular time he ran to the end and posed just like this and said "cheese, mommy, cheese" Of course I had to open up my camera and snap this shot...that silly boy.

We were also able to drive home through Kirtland, Oh and drive by the Temple and visitors center. It was getting late so we didn't have time to tour or anything but it was still nice to see.

Day 6: We drove home...Hooray!

I have A LOT more pictures to post, but I'll post them on my blog.

2009-08-20T20:03:00.000-07:00

The zoo

2009-08-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we took Wes to Bass Pro and then the Zoo. He had such a fun time running around from animal to animal, and we had fun just watching him :)

Weekend Fun

2009-08-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

We took Wes to Bass pro and he loved it.

Wes saying "cheese"

2009-08-20T19:46:00.000-07:00

Our little fish

2009-08-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

I had a birthday...

2009-08-09T14:49:00.000-07:00

Me, on my 23rd birthday.

WE went to the lake the day after my b-day with my family to celebrate. The kids had a blast jumping off these cliffs and swimming in the water.

Getting ready to get in the water (in the new swimming suit I made). Someone ended up pushing me off the dock and I lost my head band :(

Wes and Taylor swimming by the dock. Wes wanted to spend just about every second in the "pool".

Todd skiing.

Kelsie, Sydnie, and Taylor hanging out on the HUGE tube.

The Allphin family happened to be there that day too so they took everyone for a ride on the tubes. Everyone had a blast and was pretty worn out by the time it was time to go home.

Busy

2009-07-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty busy sewing lately. Over the past few months I've managed to make...

9 dresses (5 of which were for my uncle's wedding)
7 skirts
5 shirts
4 "temple" bags
2 pajama bottom shorts for Wes
1 swimming suit top
1 t-shirt quilt
1 embroidered wall hanging

Some of these things are Christmas gifts (what would I do with 4 temple bags) but mostly I've just been sewing for fun. I found an awesome fabric shop with knits for $2 a yard and went a little crazy. I've told myself I can't go back until I've used everything up and I'm just about there. I've got some great new ideas in my head and I'm anxious to get them down on paper and then create them!

The wall hanging I worked on during the home-run derby and the all star game :)
Wes in his green shorts (I made myself a great shirt out of the same fabric)

The dresses I made for the wedding.

A couple of my favorite skirts and a shirt. I LOVE how comfortable the skirts are (yes that gray one is made out of sweat pant fabric!). I wear them around the house, to the grocery store, and just about everywhere else :)

I wanted to make Shanell a bag that she could put all of her temple clothes in and this is what I came up with. It has a special pocket to keep things separated on the inside, a zipper to keep everything safe inside, and lots of pockets on the outside. It took me a couple of tries but in the end I think it came out awesome.

REALLY?

2009-07-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

Over a month ago I ordered internet service from at&t. Today I realized I still haven't gotten a bill so I thought I should try and figure out why. After having to change my password for my "att.net" email (because I'd never even looked at it) and then having to change the password on my modem (which took about 10 minutes for the computer to do) I found out I had 2 emails from the billing department. Both of them said I needed to update my billing information in order to keep my internet service.

REALLY?

I've only had my internet on for 1 month and they've already screwed up my billing info.

They gave me a phone number to call or a link. Wanting to avoid the annoying phone call to India I opted for the link thinking it would take me right where I needed to go in order to update my information and fix the problem. When I saw where it took me I couldn't help but think...

REALLY?

There were no less than a bazillion different options which after at least 20 minutes just brought me right back to where I started and I still don't think I solved the problem. After going in circles I finally decided it would probably just be faster to call and talk to a person so I call the 1-800 number they gave me in the e-mail.

The FIRST lady I talked to said she didn't even see a problem... from what she could tell I had a zero balance, I knew that was wrong since I still hadn't paid for the 80 dollar router I ordered so she transferred me.

REALLY?

I'm telling you I've never paid anything to your company but you think I have a balance of 0... please let me talk to someone else.

The second person I talked to wasn't the right person either.

The third person (whose name was "Harry"...with an Indian accent ...right) said he would need to transfer me too.

REALLY?

Oh don't worry I'll make sure I get you to the person you need to talk to this time.

I knew he didn't get me to the right person the second she picked up the phone and said she was from the repair department.

REALLY?

I have a BILLING problem. By this point I start to cry. I'm sick. I've wasted over an HOUR of precious NAP time trying to figure this thing out. and holy cow this was the 4th person I talked to and it was OBVIOUSLY not the right person.

FINALLY

the 5th lady I talked to (who was American and from the BILLING department..go figure) fixed the problem in 30 seconds.

REALLY?

I spent over an hour trying to get this worked out and it only took you 30 seconds..............

REALLY?

GARDEN

2009-06-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

This is the first year that I have really gotten into my garden, (actually being outside as far as that goes) and I LOVE it! It has been so rewarding to watch it grow a little bit everyday. Wes would be outside all day every day if I would let him, so there are plenty of opportunities for me to check on it and make sure there are no weeds.

I was also able to grab some flowers from Todd's aunts house last year because they were remodeling and were going to be getting rid of them. I was so happy to come home from Hilton Head and see that they had come up and now FINALLY (after many weeks of anticipation) they have bloomed and they are BEAUTIFUL! The best part is that they will come back next year and I don't have to do a thing :)

The smallest cucumber I've ever seen! I can't wait until it gets big enough to eat:)

I've had blossoms on my tomato plants for a while.. but still no tomatoes

ZUCCHINI

Some of the FLOWERS in my front yard

St. George Continued

2009-06-06T17:32:00.000-07:00

While we were there we took Wes to this awesome little park downtown that had a little river and some fountains for little kids to play in. He loved it!

St. George

2009-06-06T16:50:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from our trip to St. George! Sorry I've been so late in posting but we haven't had the internet in a while :(

Big Boy Bed

2009-05-04T17:52:00.001-07:00

Wes got a new bed last week and he just loves it! Linzi was at a Garage Sale and called me to see if I wanted this bunk bed WITH two mattresses all for $75. I said YES and she got them to take $65 which was even better. After a coat of paint and some bleach water to clean the mattresses the bed looks great. The first night we had the bottom bunk set up (because Todd was painting the top one) and about an hour after we put him to bed we heard a loud thump and went in to find him curled up asleep on the floor. We just slid out the extra mattress from underneath and he slept the rest of the night. Now that we have the top bunk with the rails set up he can't fall off and it works out just perfect. As a side note... I did not ask him to pose for these pictures, he did it all by himself. I said "Wes I want to take a picture of your bed" and he went and stood in these two different positions for me and smiled...I was cracking up :)

In the Kitchen

2009-04-26T17:56:00.001-07:00

Finally today I was able to make some good tasting and good looking chocolate chip cookies for Todd. Seriously, in person they look beautiful and Todd says they taste awesome (he wanted me to hurry and make some more before I forgot but I said no). I was sure to write down exactly what I did so that hopefully next time I'll end up with the same end result...we'll see.

I also made pizza today for dinner. I've been working on the recipe for awhile and tonight it was way good so I thought I'd share.
In my mixer I mixed...
3 cups warm water
6 Tablespoons yeast
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
9 Tablespoons milled flax seed
3 Tablespoons canola oil
6-7 cups flour ( plus flour when you roll it out)

Combine water yeast and sugar, stir and then add flax seed and oil and let sit for a minute until you see bubbles from the yeast. Add your Flour and salt, roll out and put onto lightly greased pizza pan. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, remove and add toppings, and then cook for another 10 minutes. It makes 4 large pizzas so I freeze half the dough and use it the next time :)

You can find milled flax seed at walmart in the baking section. It is used as a substitute for oil and has 1/2 the fat, 6 grams more fiber(oil has 0) and 41/2 grams more protein (again oil has 0)...plus, I like the flavor.

I grind my own wheat and then do half wheat flour and half white.

Enjoy!

Sotball

2009-04-26T17:51:00.001-07:00

These boys have soo much fun together at the softball games each week! They usually end up pretty tired (note the picture of Wes asleep with a bowl in his mouth in the upper left hand corner) and filthy by the end and that is just fine with me!

Lego Table

2009-04-21T14:41:00.001-07:00

Neal and Stacy gave us this lego table which we LOVE. It has a lid so when Wes is done playing we can put it away and it looks nice. Wes likes to play with the legos but has also discovered another fun way to use the table. First, its fun to climb on.

Second, it is a lot of fun to slide the legos one by one into a big pile on the floor.

Finally, when all the legos are gone he slides down himself. He usually repeats the sliding down himself several times until he decides he is done and leaves all the legos on the floor and moves on to another mess :)

Shanell the Missionary

2009-04-14T14:32:00.001-07:00

Shanell and I at the airport

Me, Shanell, and Rachelle

Shanell and Wes

Shanell left today for her 18 MONTH Mission to Tempe Arizona (spanish speaking). My eyes are starting to water just thinking about it. We are only 15 months apart, shared a room almost our entire life, and are best friends. Needless to say I'm going to miss her. I've already thought about calling her at least twice but since she can't have a phone it would be pretty pointless. I know life will go on and before you know it she will be back...but for today, I'm sad.

Easter Day

2009-04-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

Wes' Easter Tin that Grandma Wilkins made him.

Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma Hart's. Since Wes had an egg hunt the day before he knew just what to do and it was too cute. He would carry his bucket around and then see and egg and set down his bucket so he could run to get the egg and bring it back.

Ryan enjoying some of his Easter candy from the hunt.

Ryan, Wes, and Grandpa Hart

Easter Campout

2009-04-14T13:49:00.000-07:00

We had such a blast this year at the Wilkins Family Easter Campout. It was too cold to actually camp but we still had fun Friday night and Saturday. On Saturday there was an egg hunt for the little kids, teenagers, and even the adults. Wes had fun during his hunt and was finally getting the hang of it by the end. In the adult hunt Todd was one of the lucky few that found an egg and we were able to bring home an antique embroidery that my great grandma had made during the 1940s! There was also an egg toss for all of the couples and somehow Todd and I Won! I actually dropped the egg several times but it never broke until the very end (on Todd's side :)

Wes riding the tractor

Grandma Wilkins and I

Todd and I after the adult egg hunt.

Rachelle, Shanell, and me

Connor's Cake

2009-04-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

Connor's Birthday was last month, but since we were in Hilton Head I just got around to making his cake. Shanell and I had a blast making this cake and Connor thought it was awesome :)

I wanted a new dress...

2009-04-01T18:01:00.001-07:00

So I made one...actually two. Wes tried to help and thought that the scrap fabric was really fun :)

I whipped this up to wear over my swimming suit. You would think that after living in Puerto Rico and Hilton Head and going swimming almost every day I would have a few cute cover ups, but nope, this is the first. I didn't exactly have a pattern so I wasn't exactly sure how it would turn out but I think it looks alright.

This dress I did have a pattern for and it didn't turn out as well. I guess it would be alright if I were a few months pregnant but since I'm not I think it looks kind of frumpy. Oh well...better luck next time :)

Family

2009-04-01T17:46:00.000-07:00

Wes was hungry so .... Todd helped him climb in the fridge.
Todd, Wes, Great Grandpa Leavitt, and Grandpa Hart (we tried to get him to fix his hair I promise)

It was so fun to have Todd's grandparents in Missouri for a week! They were finally able to see Wes :)

Happy Birthday Mike...and we miss you JO!

2009-03-25T18:57:00.000-07:00

I decided that this year for everyone's birthday I am going to put my cake decorating class to use. Mike said he wanted an ICE CREAM cake. I can't blame him, but I was a little nervous. The trickiest part was figuring out how to get the cake out of the pan so I could frost it with whipped cream and decorate it. Over all it turned out OK. I really need to work on writing with frosting (the Happy Birthday Mike looks RIDICULOUS) and the "rope" border could of been better but that's alright with me. The sad part.....Mike didn't even feel well enough to eat any :( Poor Kid, sick on his birthday.

Before we had cake we went to eat at this Mexican Restaurant in Marshfield. Wes LOVES chips and evidently he likes salsa even more. He started dipping the chip in the salsa all by himself and would just suck the salsa off and then dip the chip again(we gave him his own bowl). After a while I think it got to be too much for him (his eyes started watering) and we had to be responsible parents and take it away.
Last but not least is JO! She works in the gift shop at the Crowne Plaza in Hilton Head and Wes and I would go on a walk everyday to go see her. Wes would walk in and say "HIJO" and she just thought that was the cutest thing. As much as we love being home, we sure miss our daily walks to see JO :(

Sunday Stroll and Warm Weather

2009-03-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

The weather was so nice outside last week that I just had to take advantage of it. The pool was still a little cool but Wes thought it was great !

February

2009-03-15T13:56:00.001-07:00

I know it has been a LONG time since I posted so here are a few pictures of what was going on in the Hart house throughout February. We went bowling for Joe's birthday, went to a birthday party for Mathew, spent lots of time getting pushed on the broom at Grandma's house, Got PINK EYE, and made a birthday cake for Taylor (and Rachelle, but I didn't post a picture of that). Overall it was great to have some time in Missouri and then make our way back to Hilton Head again:)

Hilton Head

2009-01-22T16:00:00.000-08:00

Ryan and Wes having fun hanging out together

Wes and I both LOVE smoothies so I brought my blender (thinking we were going to be going to Rhode Island for 3 months) and we have been making smoothies in our hotel room. This picture is from the first time when I didn't think about having a straw for Wes...as you can see he ended up with it all over his face (and forehead) but he thought it was great!

In 2008 I...

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Went to the Temple with my sister
Got a new brother (in-law)
Learned to greater appreciate time spent with family
Sustained a new Prophet of the Lord
Went to a Spanish Ward (and wasn't completely lost)
Made new friends
Earned my Associates Degree
Visited family in Colorado and Idaho
Bought a beautiful New Home
Experienced Puerto Rico with a toddler
Got a jump start on my Food Storage
Took a Cake Decorating class just for fun
Tried lots of new Recipes
Fell in love with Sarasota, Florida
Went to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (3 times)
Started a Blog to keep in touch with family

2008 was such a great year for Todd, Wes and I and I'm excited to see what 2009 will bring!

Family Fun

2009-01-04T11:36:00.000-08:00

My cousin Laura came down from Idaho with her boy Emmit who is just a few months older than Wes. Michelle and her two kids were there too and all the kids had fun playing together. It was a fun afternoon and I'm glad the boys got to spend some time together and us moms had fun too :)

The second picture is a family picture we had taken on Christmas.

Christmas

2008-12-26T07:12:00.000-08:00

We took a family picture yesterday and before we got started Ann snaped these photos of Wes...THANKS ANN!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-26T07:00:00.000-08:00