Hansen Family

Tyler's 6th Birthday Party

2010-07-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the Tyler is already 6 years old! This is a fun age because he is getting really good at reading and being more helpful around the house. Tyler requested a Star Wars birthday party this year. We just did a small party with a few homemade games and activities. Luckily a bunch of 5 and 6 year olds are easy to please on a low budget. I made the cake with some of his starwars toys and wrote the star wars logo with frosting. Some of his friends came wearing their favorite star wars dress ups and Ty wore his Darth Vader costume that he got for his birthday from Grandma and Grandpa Hansen. Tyler and his friends flew their rocket ship (a blanket on the floor) through a meteor shower (balloons filled with starburst candy) and had to pop them to get the treat. Then they had to use the force to help them hit a hanging balloon with their light sabors while blindfolded. I was surprised how much the boys got into this. We also played find the asteroid and then when they were having light sabor battles in the backyard Andy came to attack wearing a Darth Vader mask. Luckily I had a bunch of water balloons ready for them to get him back, It was really fun. Happy Birthday Tyler!!!!!

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What we've been up to this summer

2010-07-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

Summer 2010 has been really fun so far. Here are a few of the things we've been doing (in no particular order because I can't remember the exact order).

Baseball game for the San Antonio Missions minor league team. Believe it or not it was "mormon night". All the missionaries were there and Ty Detmer was there signing autographs.

Andy and Tyler at the Fathers and Sons campout. A really pretty place about 20 minutes from our house called Pradise Canyon.

The ocean! We did a day trip to the Corpus Christi area and went to Mustang Island State Park. We played at the beach all day then ate dinner at a yummy local sea food restaurant before our drive home.

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A visit from Lisa! I've been able to see my best friend Lisa so many times since moving to Texas because she's been in and out many times working or passing through. Lisa and her co-worker Becca went to the riverwalk with us. We are eating yummy chocolates from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate factory (there is a RMCF on the riverwalk!). Tyler took this picture. The kids love it when "Aunt Lisa" visits, she is soooo fun!

Hiking at Government Canyon State Park. The wildflowers in San Antonio this spring and early summer were to die for (because of all the heavy rains we had this year). I wish I got a picture of the blue bonnets, they were everywhere durin the month of May.

Andy has spent a lot of time working in the garden and setting up our new swing set. It is so fun to have a backyard of our own after so many years of apartment living!

In or garden we have tomatoes, squash, cantaloupe, sunflowers, parsely, cilantro, carrots, cucumber, sweet potatoes, and basil. We just planted some pumpkin seeds for Halloween, we'll see if they work. A lot of it is all leaves and blossoms and not many fruits but we are learning more and getting better each growing season.

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

2010-06-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

As I was writing in my dad's Father's day card I thought it would be fun to list some of the things that remind me of him. As I was doing it I thought my sisters would get a kick out of the list too so here it is. I love you Dad!!!!! Happy Father's Day.

Things that remind me of Dad:
1.Old Spice Cologne
2. Cantaloupe and vanilla ice cream
3. watching him break up ice for the ice cream maker (and praying he didn't smash his finger with the hammer in the process).
4. Loading the boat with him when packing for Lake Powell.
5. "Taxi.... Hit it!"
6. Peeling potatoes with him
7. "Burp..Ribbit"
8. Going to ward choir with him
9. Blowing air into the newspaper bag and then popping it
10. The one song he remembered how to play on the piano from his childhood- something about an Indian?
11. squeaking air out of his lips to make one loud squeak and that meant it time to get ready for bed.
12. Raiding his stash of canker and cold sore medicine whenever I got one.
13. His great hugs!

Fiesta School Parade

2010-04-29T13:07:00.000-07:00

Tyler's school has a fun tradition. Every year during Fiesta (a holiday in San Antonio) they make a mini float with their families and parade them around the school. Tyler wanted to make the house from his favorite movie "Up". He LOVES that movie. It was fun to go and see all the floats along the "parade route".

Spring Break- March 2010

2010-04-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

Since we were not going on a vacation for spring break I decided to make it a fun week for Tyler to have off of school. Poor Andy had to work all week so he was jealous of all the fun we had.

Monday we went to a matinee movie (The Princess and the Frog) at the dollar theatre and had a special lunch. Tuesday we went to the Botanical Gardens with our friends the Huddlestons. It was sooo fun, we let the kids get all wet and dirty playing around at the duck pond and water fountains. We ended up staying there for over 5 hours because it was so fun for them.

I can't remember what we did Wednesday- I think we met friends at the park. Thursday we went to Sea World with our friends the Woods. I couldn't decide which picture was best of Zach so I included them all.

On Friday we went to the San Antonio Zoo with some friends who work with Andy. Apparently everyone else in the city wanted to spend the last day of spring break at the zoo too because it took me an hour in traffic just to turn onto the street where the zoo is-but it was fun once we got in.

We also spend lots of time buying plants/seeds and planting our garden. It was a fun week- I was totally exhausted by the end (pushing a double stroller all week tired me out) but it was worth all the work to see the kids have so much fun!

Christmas Day 2009

2010-02-24T21:32:00.000-08:00

Nothing too fancy this year- we opened presents, played with presents, and had Christmas dinner. I roasted a Chicken (the Turkey's were just too big) and made all the trimmings... mashed potatoes, gravy, and homemade stuffing (not stovetop!). Poor Andy got called to work in the morning just after the gifts were open and got home just in time for dinner so he was gone most the day. It was a bit lonely spending Christmas with just me and the kids but it was also a nice quiet low-key day. Tyler got a nerf gun that shoots suction cups and a baseball mitt. Lizzy got a bunch of Disney Princess stuff and a tricycle.

The kids thought it was so cool to drink from our "fancy goblets"

Christmas Eve

2010-02-24T21:17:00.000-08:00

We ate Christmas eve dinner with some friends. The kids had fun running around together and we even did some face painting. Then we read from Luke and all the kids acted out the Nativity. No one wanted to be Joseph so Andy got roped into it. Then we hurried home to put on Christmas jammies, read a Christmas story, and wait for Santa.

I'll get caught up eventually

2010-01-15T09:51:00.000-08:00

I need to catch up on our family Christmas and trip to Utah but Lizzy is being tricky and I can't get anything done so I typed this up really quick instead.

Top Ten Highlights from the Week (In Random Order)

1.Hearing Lizzy say enthusiastically “good job mom!” every time I go potty.

2.New church time! Yea, it’s no longer 2:30-5:30!

3.Telling Lizzy not to lie on top of baby Zach for the thousandth time.

4.Tyler’s account of what he learned at school about basic human needs (food, clothes, air, water and shelter): “Like if you see someone sleeping at 6 flags, they probably don’t have a home.” I wonder if his teacher actually taught that, or if it just came up from another kid’s comment. It caught me so off guard that I just started laughing, then Tyler defensively started saying “it’s not funny!”

5.Re-reading twilight (I know I’m such a pathetic nerd- I’ll read a classic novel next so my brain doesn’t wither away completely).

6.Watching Tyler play bike racing on Nintendo Wii Sports Resort. You have to move the wii remotes in a circular motion like bike petals while steering (Ty get’s really into it). Can you picture it? It’s pretty hilarious to watch but you can’t laugh at him or you’re in big trouble.

7.Pulling out the next size up of baby clothes for Zach. He looks so cute in his new (new to him) outfits.

8.Family celebrations for Lizzy when she goes “poopy in the toilet” followed by a “poopy prize”.

9.Giving Lizzy way to many gummy bears just to hear her say “Can I more gum gum bears?” (It sounds much cuter in person).

10.Looking forward to date night swap with our friends this weekend. Andy and I get to go out on Saturday, what should we do?

Okay top eleven because I thought of one more

11. The sheer satisfaction of wathching Tyler and Lizzy drink a days worth of fruit/veggie servings in one smoothie! This week we started having a daily "green smothie" (I am copying my sister Becc). Everyone likes them, even Andy. I had to bribe Tyler a little (he gets ten cents if he drinks the whole thing).

Halloween!

2009-11-05T09:40:00.000-08:00

We had a really fun Halloween this year. Tyler was a cowboy, Zach was a pea in a pod, and Lizzy was a princess or a strawberry (depending on what we could get her to wear at the time). Her strawberry costume is the one Grammuh Marilyn made for her last Halloween but it still fits this year.

Ward Party/Trunk or Treat:

Zach looks cute this outfit- Tyler wore it as a baby too and they look so alike in it.

On Halloween day we went to Sea World-they had it all decorated with skeletons and pumpkins. We went on some rides, saw some animals, and went to a fun Sesame Street Halloween show.

Check out Tyler's dance moves, I stopped recording right as he was doing a cool spin move but I caught some of it!

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Trick or Treating Texas Style:

Trick or treating was so different than what we are use to because it was so warm outside. People sat out on their driveways on lawn chairs to pass out candy so we didn't have to go to each door and ring the doorbell. All the neighbors were so friendly and some really "Halloweened up" their houses. Some of the displays at the houses were a bit too scary for Tyler and I thought he was going to have nightmares- luckily he didn't.

Still Growing

2009-10-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

6 weeks...

He had either a rash or a bad case of baby acne during weeks 6 and 7 and now is finally all cleared up.

8 weeks......

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Zach is changing more each week!

2009-10-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

I think about 4 weeks old...

5 weeks...

6 weeks...

Right around 6 weeks he started smiling, he smiles all the time- way more than Ty or Lizzy did as babies.

Looking for a pumpkin

2009-10-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

We went to a farm that claimed online to be a place to pick a pumpkin. It didn't have a pumpkin patch and the pumpkins were way overpriced so we didn't get a pumpkin there. We still had fun doing the hay ride, barrel train ride, and other fun games. Later we bought our pumpkins for much cheaper at the grocery store.

School Bike Rodeo

2009-10-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

Tyler's school has a cool tradition of doing a bike rodeo every year. I was amazed the P.E. program went through the hassle of getting the bikes as they were delivered to school and keeping track of them by class. It was fun for Tyler to ride his bike along the obstacle course and see other kids in his class ride too. The kids who didn't bring bikes were watching and cheering. Tyler was soooo pround of the red ribbon he earned for participating.

Texas Hill Country

2009-10-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

Notice the Beautiful green hills in this picture below. We live really close to Hill country and this is a state park called Lost Maples about an hours drive from us. The drive was beautiful up through curvy country roads along big green hills (poor Lizzy got car sick and threw up on the way). We were also one the the few cars among the many motorcyclists enjoying the scenery. I think it made Andy wish he were riding a Harley through the hills instead of driving a minivan, ha ha. When we arrived we ate lunch and hiked around a bit. It felt a little like being back home hiking through mountains or going up Millcreek Canyon. We sure do miss Utah mountains but for now we'll enjoy the Texas hills.

Tyler thought this heart shaped cactus was cool. He took that picture himself.

Random cuteness that didn't get blogged before Zach was born

2009-10-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

Trying on Tyler's goggles and cowboy boots

Swimming!

We had a big pile of dirt delivered for our garden (three cubic yards)
Tyler "helped" Andy wheelbarrow it to the backyard. I did not help because I was 39 weeks pregnant and it was 100 degrees outside. Andy did it all, what a guy!

We planted seeds and tomato plants in the garden box that Andy built. How cool to be planting seeds in late August- gotta love Texas.

Twinke Twinkle Little Star (or at least one line of the song).

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Have Any Ideas?

2009-09-15T17:07:00.000-07:00

FOR ALL YOU GARDEN EXPERTS- PLEASE READ!

The rest of you can ignore this post - sorry for its cumbersome nature.

We've just started our first veggie garden, but are having trouble controlling bugs/disease. We have peas, tomatoes, squash, and watermelon (You may be wondering why we started this late - it's because San Antonio has 2 growing seasons).

Anyway, I've been using a pyrethrin-based insectide with a gallon sprayer weekly for a few weeks. I just sprayed last night. Today I go out there and see ants and flies all over, but no other pests visible. There are also many new trail-like markings, which tells me the insecticide isn't doing what I want it to do.

There seem to be 4 patterns:

First, there are yellow/white trails on the top surface of many leaves, as in the images below:

Second, there are holes in many leaves, as in the picture below:

Third, there are brown wilty areas, especially at the leaf edges, as seen below (this phenomenon seems to worsen after spraying insecticide - is it hurting the plants):

And last, there are a couple plants that were completely transected at the base (no pictures, but easy to imagine - like a chopped down tree).

Any ideas? Thanks!

Zachary Andrew Hansen born 8-30-2009

2009-09-15T07:19:00.000-07:00

Moments after being born....

At the hospital....

At home....

Lizzy and Tyler love their new baby brother and want to hold him all the time. It was so great to have Marilyn and then my Mom and Dad here to help. They cooked, cleaned, watched kids, and spoiled us. It was also fun to hang out and go shopping with Marilyn before Zach was born (since he decided to come late). Thanks you guys, we sure miss you!

Lizzy is 2!!

2009-09-15T06:09:00.000-07:00

Lizzy had a fun birthday on August 26th. We had an early party for her with our friends, the Coombs. Then on her actual birthday Grandma Marilyn gave her some really cute baby doll toys to get her ready to have a real baby at home. Marilyn came to the rescue with Lizzy's cake and made a cute rainbow on it. I was so very pregnant and tired I did not do my usual elaborate birthday cake for her this year. I did make a yummy strawberry cake and it was, of course, Lizzy's favorite color- pink!

The Coombs gave Lizzy some fun dress ups and she was in heaven!

Lizzy loves playing pretend with her babies

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Tyler's First Day of Kindergarten

2009-09-15T05:45:00.000-07:00

I worried and worried about Tyler going to all day kindergarten but that is all they offer here in Texas. It turns out Tyler loves it!- I sure miss him during the day though. Andy and I both got to take him on the first day. Tyler was so excited, it was very cute.

8 Years and Counting

2009-08-10T13:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to us!

Then...

Now...

Do we look older? I just wanted to do a quick post for our anniversary. I can't believe it has been eight years! I am so lucky because I truly am married to my best friend. The past months of May and June after Andy graduated but hadn't started residency yet were so fun! (beside all the packing/unpacking/moving). For those months Andy and I were together with the kids all day and I never got sick of him- we did lot's of fun things together. It was hard for me when he started residency in July because I missed having my best friend with me all day. Now that he has started residency he has been very busy and I am amazed by his hard work and dedication to his family. Here is a picture of his anniversary gift to me.....

I really wanted a storage system like this from Pottery Barn Kids for our playroom but they are over a thousand dollars! Andy worked on making these shelves every day after work and every Saturday for the past 3 weeks. I helped him paint them a couple days ago and and here is the finished product. I am so impressed! And the little boy sitting on the shelves is pretty cute too. I love you Andy!

The first few weeks in our new house

2009-07-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

I still feel like pinching myself every day when I wake up in our house. We've lived in appartments for our entire 7 years of marriage- so pardon my over excitement.

I meshed together four little video clips of fun times during first couple of weeks here.

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The last clip of Ty riding down the stairs was not my idea. When I heard something fall down the stairs I came running in to see if everything was okay. I saw the box at my feet and yelled up the stairs for Tyler to not throw boxes down- but to my suprise Tyler answered from INSIDE the box and then crawled out laughing. He thought it was so fun he finally convinced me to let him do it again and again and wanted me to film it.

"Mom there is a snake behind you" Tyler said. I thought he was joking and then realized he was right. This picture is deceiving, it was just a little tiny snake about the size of a pencil. Andy bravely grabed it and put him back outside. Our neighbors assure us it is not a regular occurance. I see lizards scurry away when I open the door and there are all kinds of weird looking beetles outside too. I'm definately not in Wisconsin anymore.

Tyler's Pirate Birthday Party

2009-06-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

Tyler had a party on his birthday and it was really fun. We don't know a lot of kids around here yet so we thought it would be a good way for him to get to know his primary class and a few other kids in our ward. Tyler loved the party and he loves being 5 years old! On his birthday when he woke up and I told him he is now 5 he was soooo suprised. Then he wanted to go try on his clothes to see if they still fit. He is such a cutie and we love him so much!

The invitation (I blurred out the address and phone # since this is a public blog)

Andy made two pirate ships out of our plethera of moving boxes. The kids made their own pirate flags to put on the back.

The cannonball fight- the cannonballs are just crumpled up newspaper wrapped in black tape

Looking through homemade telescopes for pirate treasure

"Walking the plank"

They had to search through this goo to find the captain's lost eyeball

Then they followed a series of clues to find the treasure (a pinata, candy braclets, ring pops and chocolate coins)

Tyler hitting his treasure pinata

The birthday cake (I got the idea from family fun magazine)

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Finally done!

2009-06-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of Andy for all his hard work the past four years. He graduated with Honors in Research and now he is Dr. Hansen! It was so fun to have Andy's parents and my parents in town for the graduation. They have all helped us in so many ways to get through four years of med school. We love you guys!

Getting his diploma

The proud family. It is impossible to get my kids to look at the camara!

Best friends: Andy, Josh Hunter, Marc Crosby, and Jackson Lever.
It was fun for Andy to have these guys around the past four years, who else would stay up with him until 2:00 a.m. playing Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, and nintendo Wii?

The Dads: Rawl Crosby, Gary Hansen, Gordon Lambert

The Mom's: Nancy Dockendorf, Tricia Crosby, Carol Crosby, Marilyn Hansen, Me, Jackie Lambert.

Sam and Kate Crosby playing with Ty in front of the Medical College.

Lizzy is getting so big, don't you just love her curly hair!

Our camara battery died so I didn't take very many pictures, so if any of you out there (Hunters, Crosbys, Levers, Hansens, Lamberts) want to send me coppies of your pictures I'll take 'em. Then I'll post more later.

It's a ....

2009-04-08T12:49:00.000-07:00

There HE is! A picture of our little guy. We are so excited to have another boy. Lately Ty Ty has been saying: "I wish I had a little brother" and now he will! We have no idea what to name him yet, any ideas?

San Antonio here we come!

2009-03-20T06:10:00.000-07:00

Andy's "Match Day" was yesterday. All 200 members of the graduating class and their families piled into a big room and one by one got called up to receive their envelopes. When Andy got his, we opened it up and it said University of Texas, San Antonio! The Riverwalk, the Alamo, Sea World, Pottary barn furniture outlet, and no more subzero temperatures-I'm excited. It will be a fun place for visitors to come too, (hint hint).

12 weeks along!

2009-02-20T12:10:00.000-08:00

Here is a little pic from my early ultrasound. The ultrasound determined I am due August 29th! We are so excited. Poor Lizzy might have to share her birthday (hers is Aug 26th). I am so behind on blogging so stay tuned for major catch up posts.

Random Cute Moments

2008-12-10T07:29:00.000-08:00

Here are some cute pics and video clips from the last couple weeks.

Watch for Lizzy twirling around at the very begining of the montage. She loves to spin around but I only caught the last of MANY spins on video before she got too dizzy and collapsed on the ground. Tyler takes advantage of her inability to get up off the ground and tickles her.

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Tyler's Gym Class

2008-12-09T21:47:00.000-08:00

Tyler takes a "kidnastics" course on Saturday mornings. He loves it and loves going with his best friends Sam and Mikayla. These pictures were taken on the open house day when parents are allowed to come watch.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-09T21:11:00.000-08:00

When I was little my sister Sarah and I loved to sleep over at my Grandma Robison's house the night before Thanksgiving. What we loved most was setting the table. Grandma would let us choose which China set to use (yes, she has more than one). We would also help with the centerpiece, fold the napkins, choose the goblets, etc. I have a weakness for beautiful dishes and fun table settings. I think it must be because of those days as a little girl setting my Grandma's table, admiring her pretty china, and listening to her stories of when and where she got each set. That is why I was excited to do Thanksgiving at my house this year so I could use my china and make it just like when I was growing up.
Here is how the table turned out:

We ate with our friends the Crosbys, the Hunters, and the Robbins. We had lots of fun and really enjoyed our last Thanksgiving with these guys since next year we'll all be graduated and gone!

The kids had a lot of fun playing in Tyler's room. I love their faces in this picture of them all jumping on the bed.

Emily and Jon's Visit

2008-11-24T13:00:00.000-08:00

We had soooo much fun with Emily, Jon, and Abby when they came for the weekend of November 7th. It was a cold rainy weekend so we mostly just hung out, watched movies and ate really yummy food from Trader Joe's. We did make it to the Zoo and out for frozen Custard. Tyler had so much fun with Uncle Jon. Jon is an amazing artist (he has a masters degree in it) and he showed Tyler all kinds of fun things to draw. Emily introduced me to my new love: aged gouda cheese, yummy! Abby is so stinkin' cute. She is so petite with such a cute little run and she talks amazingly well for her age.

Frozen Custard, yummy.

Abby, Tyler, and Lizzy enjoing a bedtime bath toegther

Jon and Abby with ,of course, Lars the Monkey!

Emily and I made bows for our baby girls, isn't she a great bow model! Aawwww. Emily is a natural at bow making-within about 2 minute she had made ones cute enough to sell!

Abby and Lizzy had matching Halloween costumes made by Grammuh Marilyn. Don't those strawberries look good enought to eat? Mmmm

Halloween Festivities

2008-11-06T14:48:00.000-08:00

Tyler's school parade. All the little Jr. Kindergarteners looked so cute.

Trick-or-Treating at the Medical College of Wisconsin. The offices of the school get all decorated and the employees dress up to pass out candy to the families of the Med students and Residents. This is our fourth time doing it and I was sad thinking it is probably our last. Tyler was a Knight, a costume Gary and Marilyn got for him at the Shakespeare Festival. Lizzy's strawberry costume got So MANY ooohs and aahs from all who saw her. Marilyn did an amazing job making it. Thanks Grammuh!

Happy Halloween

2008-11-06T12:06:00.000-08:00

We had a really fun Halloween. The day was unusually warm and sunny so we went to the park to play and then back home to carve our pumpkins.

That night we had a Halloween party with our closest friends. There is a group of five families who all moved our here for med school at the same time and we all live in the same apartment complex. They are like our "extended family" out here in wisconsin. We always get together for birthdays and holidays and whatever in between. Each of the five families all only had one child when we moved out here and now bewteen the five of us we have fourteen kids! We hardly fit in one appartment anymore. Lucky the weather was nice enough for us to eat outside. We ate yummy soup and of course had our annual doughnut on a string contest.

Then on to Trick-or-Treating! In the past we only have gone indoor trick-or-treating so this was our first time taking the kids house to house at night. As we headed out I had a wave of memories of my childhood trick-or-treating days. Marc Crosby made me laugh when he said "I've been waiting for this day for a long time!" Tyler and Sam Crosby were professionals speeding way ahead of the group going house to house as fast as they could. Andy said they reminded him of he and Marc as kids trying to get as much candy as possible. After the kids were in bed Andy and I watched Young Frankenstein with Gene Wilder. A classic hilarious parody of all Frankenstein movies. Andy was a champ going to all the festivities because his research thesis was due the next day so he sacrificed a lot of sleep to have a fun Halloween with his family. He's a great guy and he works really hard.

Pumpkin Picking: Oct 18, 2008

2008-10-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

I'm going to miss wisconsin next Fall. There are so many cute litte farms near us. We had fun picking out our pumpkins, Tyler insisted on bringing his "knight sword" that goes with his cool Halloween costume. He used it to cut the pumpkins off the vine, just kidding.

Apple Holler: October 4 2008

2008-10-24T20:30:00.000-07:00

We went to a cute Apple farm called Apple Holler. They have a lot of activities for kids including a big wagon ride pulled by a tractor, pony rides, feed the goats, corn maze, etc. In the kids play area there is a HUGE box of corn kernels. If you look close at the picture you can tell that we are playing in, not sand, but corn kernels.

Random cute pictures

2008-10-24T19:36:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to post a few Random cute moments so now I will lump them all together. Some of this stuff is a month or two old but worth being posted.

Lizzy looks so much like a Lambert in this picture!

Tyler, Mikayla, Alyse, and Lizzy having a popcicle party in the bath

Our last bike outing with the Jeep which we have now sold, sniff sniff.

Our dishwasher door is practically on the floor now because she keeps jumping on it. She is so fast!

Pulling everything off the shelves, over and over all day long!!!

One day a couple of months ago Tyler called me to the Living room and I found that he had put Lizzy in "jail".

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Lizzy's walking!

2008-09-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

Lizzy has been taking a step here and there for a while but over the weekend she finally started walking!

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Go Milwaukee Brewers!

2008-09-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

Andy has been really into the Brewers this year and since there is a Brewers game on TV almost EVERY NIGHT I started to get really into baseball too. It is actually a more complicated sport than I thought- with a lot a strategy involved. The games are fun to watch. I even find myself watching a game even if Andy 's not home. Andy claims that I watch just to see my favorite player JJ Hardy. He is very easy on the eyes if you know what I mean. We got a chance to go to a game a few weeks ago, our seats were awesome!! We are soooo excited that the Brewers are going to the playoffs. Their first post season game is tomorrow, go Brew Crew!

A tradition at every Brewers home game... the sausage race!

I got a new Brewers hat at the game, it has become my "drop Tyler off at school uniform" since I never have time to do my hair that early in the morning.

I had to add a quick picutre of JJ Hardy, isn't he cute. Andy is going to make fun of me so bad for this but oh well. ha ha.

First Day of School: Sept 2, 2008

2008-09-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

Tyler is in Junior Kindergarten! Here in Wisconsin they start kindergarten at age 4. It was crazy watching my little boy go to Eisenhower Elementary School. He is in the same class as one of his best friends Sam Crosby.

Isn't he the cutest kindergartener you've ever seen!

Lizzy's Birthday

2008-09-03T19:52:00.000-07:00

My baby isn't a baby anymore! I can't believe Lizzy is one year old. She's had an eventful year with lots of fun times and a few hard times too. I made her a heart shaped birthday cake in honor of the scare her heart gave us and the surgery she had to repair it last December.

This is Lizzy's little cake I made for her to dig around in. (See the video at the end of this post)

We had a little BBQ and birthday cake outside with friends the night before her birthday.

On Lizzy's actual birthday I wanted to do something she would really enjoy. I took her and Ty to the Children's museum. We spent the majority of time in the baby section where Lizzy could crawl all over the place and play to her little heart's content.

Then we, of course, ended her birthday with the presents from mom, dad, and Ty. She got a baby doll and a rolling phone toy. Here are some video clips of her birthday for those of you with time to watch.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Bike Trailer

2008-08-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

I got a new bike for my birthday from Andy and I love it! I couldn't go biking as often as I would like because of the kids until... Marilyn gave Lizzy a bike trailer for her birthday. I've used it almost everyday to go biking since getting it. Ty and Lizzy love sitting back there, I highly recomend it to everyone. Last Saturday our whole family went biking on a trail by the Milwaukee river. We found a little place to stop and suddenly noticed there were frogs all over in the water. Tyler was in heaven and kept trying to make them hop by poking them with sticks- poor frogs.

Getting home to Daddy!

2008-08-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

I forgot one last thing to post. I gave Ty and Lizzy suckers as we waited for the plane to take off, it was a big hit!

Tyler and Lizzy were soooo excited to see their daddy when we got off the airplane. When Lizzy saw him she gave him a big smile and one of her famous squeals. Tyler giggled and gave him a huge long hug. I think I was the most excited to see him- I really missed my Andy.

Last of the Trip to Utah pics

2008-08-21T06:37:00.000-07:00

Strawberry Cake!! Here we are eating Marilyn's famous strawberry cake, it is my all time favorite cake recipe.

The wall of handprints in the "grammuh room" at the Hansen's house. The grandkids couldn't leave without adding their latest handprint.

My Mom, sisters, and Grandma Robison went to see Mama Mia and then the next day we went out to Lunch. It was so fun to have girls night out with no kids!

Tyler had fun snugglin' with Grandma

Lambert Family Campout

2008-08-21T06:34:00.000-07:00

The Lambert Family campout was at Cherry Hill. We had fun swimming and going on the water slides. I took pictures of the water slides but now I can't find them, they must have accidentally gotten deleted. Tyler was so brave, he went down the long mat slides all by himself! All 17 grandkids were together, it was a blast.

Trip to Utah part 2

2008-08-19T08:46:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun with Grandma Marilyn and Grandpa Gary. The Myers family were visiting from California so we were lucky enough to spend time with Heidi, Andy and their four kids: Sophie, Audrey, David, and Garrett.

Tyler had fun on Grammuh Marilyn's tire swing with his cousins. Lizzy and Garrett hung out together doing what they do best- eating toys.

Swimming in Grammuh Marilyn's backyard! Gramm and Gramp even got in the water with us, it was so fun.

We loved seeing Chris, Elise and their cute kids Thomas and Gordon. We went to a family reunion in Logan and then went to Chris and Elise's cute house in Logan to celebrate the August Birthdays.

The cousins had fun playing with each other and all of Tom and Gord's fun toys. With all the grandkids together except one, (Abby) we had lots of fun photo ops. We missed Emily, Jon, and Abby and can't wait to see them soon!

Trip to Utah part 1

2008-08-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

We are now home from our trip to Utah! Our two week trip was jam packed with awesome activities. We did a lot of fun things with the Hansen and Lambert sides of the family. I also got to see some old friends that I miss very much. On my second day there Tyler and his cousins did some Slip and Sliding on a HUGE slide in the Brewer's beautiful yard. Jenn- I hope your grass recovers from us!

I finally figured out how to do this so I thought I'd give it a try. Enjoy my montage. (There is much more to come from our trip in future posts).

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Slip N Slide

2008-07-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

We found a Slip N Slide on sale at Aldi for only $7. When we brought it home and got it out all our neighbor friends joined in. These are all the kids that are ALWAYS playing in the front of our apartment. Most of them are good kids and they are really nice to Tyler.

Memory Tag

2008-07-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law Emily put this on her blog and it sounded like fun so I'll play too....

As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember! Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Emmy Nomination for Pushing Daisies

2008-07-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

Yeah for Pushing Daisies! I hardly ever watch prime time TV these days but before the writer's strike Andy and I got hooked on Pushing Daisies. It got 12 emmy nominations including best supporting actor and actress. I hope Kristin Chenoweth and Lee Pace win.

Lake Michigan

2008-07-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

Since our usual beach at Lake Pewaukee is closed(the beach is flooded from all the rain) we had to do some exploring for other places to swim. Andy discovered a beautiful beach at the bottom of a cliff called Atwater Beach. It is only about a 20 minute drive from our house. We have usually not wanted to swim at Lake Michigan because the water quality scares me but this beach tests the water for bacteria levels to and posts a sign if the water quality is okay. We went once to check it out and loved it - so we brought our friends the Crosbys and Hunters the very next weekend.

The Dads taking the kids out for a swim

The kids had fun burying eachother in the sand and I like the picture at the bottom of Tyler and Kate Crosby. They are always good buddies, I think Ty has a little crush on her.

Build A Bear (or Dog)

2008-07-05T22:10:00.000-07:00

My Mom and Dad gave money for Tyler to go to Build A Bear for his Birthday. He loved it! He chose a dog and put a little heart inside and a barking sound. He chose clothes and everything. He loves his new dog and now we don't have to get a real one, right. Thanks Mom and Dad.

Gramm and Gramp's Visit

2008-07-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we were lucky enough to have Andy's parents visit. Gary had business in Chicago and then they drove to Milwaukee for a few days to see us. Tyler was so excited to see his Grandma and Grandpa. He constantly wanted to hold both their hands and do 1-2-3 jump . Grandpa and Tyler played the "oh my goodness game" and Marilyn got Lizzy to laugh harder than I have ever heard her laugh. They sure are fun!

We spent one day in Chicago with them that started at the delicious Brazillian restaurant "Brazzaz". Everytime we eat there I am in heaven the food is so good and it is fun to be at a fancy restaurant. We then went to the Museum of Science and Industry. It was a cool museum and had lots of fun things for kids.

Tyler's Birthday was while they were here so Tyler got to open some neat presents. Andy and I gave Tyler a Woody from Toy Story and Grandma and Grandpa gave him Buzz Lightyear!

Lizzy was watching too and would clap every time we said "Yeah"

We took Gary and Marilyn on a driving tour of the many beautiful lakes all within about 45 minutes or less of our apartment. We took my mom and dad on the same tour last year, remember mom? We also went to the Discovery world museum right on the lakefront of Lake Michigan. One night we had a friend babysit and the adults went out to eat. I hadn't been out to eat without kids in about a year, it was so fun! We ate at McCormick and Smick's, yummy sea food! Gary got a huge Lobster and oysters! I went with a milder choice,-trout in an amazing lemon sauce. I think I am 5 pounds heavier we ate at so many yummy places that week- Brazzaz, Mccormick and Smick's, Cheesecake Factory, and Culvers. We shoped at some cool little shops in downtown and they got me two really cute new shirts and some adorable shoes for Lizzy. When we said goodbye Tyler was so sad and kept saying "I really miss them." Now he daily asks me if we are going to the airport to catch an airplane to Utah so he can go visit all of his Grandma's and Grandpa's. Thanks Gary and Marilyn for a really fun visit!

Tyler's Birthday Party Part 3 (see parts one and two first)

2008-07-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

I told the kids that I had prizes and candy for them but Emperor Zurg came and stole them and burried them outside. We then passed out shovels and landed our couch space ship. They all ran outside to dig for prizes.

In all the comotion I didn't take any pictures of the best part of the party (Marilyn could you email me your pics and vidoe clip)? After they found their burried prizes I told the kids that they were almost ready to fight Zurg. After doing some excercises and flexing their muscles, I passed out squirt guns and Andy came running out dressed like emporer zurg. All the kids got really into it squirting zurg until he fell down and then they continued to squirt him. Marilyn posted a video of it on her blog click here to see it. Tyler was in heaven he had so much fun.

Then we ate rocket birthday cake and, of course, opened presents.

Tyler's Birthday Party (Part 2)

2008-07-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

We played "feed Mr. Potato Head" and threw balls in his mouth

Here is where their Buzz lightyear Space Ranger Training camp began. They all sat on the couch and we pretended it was a spaceship. They watched a 2 minute clip of Buzz Lightyear flying throught space and finding his arch enemy, the evil emperor Zurg.

They had the bravery test to see who dared to reach inside the black hole. They found that it just had prizes inside (and my hand which grabbed them when they least expected it)!

Then they had to save the little green aliens (suckers with a picture of the LGM taped to it) with the claw (salad tongs) You can kind-of see the jar at the bottom of this picture with balls and suckers inside and a little girl holding the salad tongs.

Tyler's 4th Birthday Party (part One)

2008-07-05T19:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Tyler is four years old now! A few weeks before his birthday Ty announced that he wanted a Toy Story birthday party. He absolutely loves Toy Story and he frequenly sports his Buzz Lightyear Halloween costume still to this day. He really get's into character when he is pretending to be Buzz, it is so cute. I had fun planning the party and got excited thinking about how much Ty was going to LOVE it. I planned games that I knew he would go nuts over and I wanted to make the day really fun for my special birthday boy. Luckily a four year old is pretty easy to please so everything at the party was homemade and cheap cheap cheap. I splurged and bought some prizes at the dollar store but that's about all the money I spent ( the med student budget doesn't allow for much). We were lucky enough to have Andy's parents in town too and Tyler was excited to have them there for his party.

The Invitation- we just invited a few neighbors that all live in our same appartment complex.

The kids wearing their Sheriff Woody badges. Tyler wanted to wear his to bed that night.

We had several games going at once. Here is one game of putting Mr. Potato head's face bak on.

Exciting Weather in Wisconsin! (by Andy)

2008-06-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

We were all starving late yesterday afternoon and had just decided on pancakes, sausage and eggs for dinner - quick and yummy! Just as we opened the fridge to gather ingredients, we heard what sounded like a giant trumpet. It was the city's tornado siren. We debated staying upstairs to finish cooking, but hesitantly decided to go down to the basement with our newly purchased weather radio. A line of storms was about to pass right over us, the national weather service indicating tornadoes, 100 mph winds, 3.2 inch hail, and rain up to 3 inches per hour producing flash floods.

We spent about an hour in the basement with the other tenants of our building, one of whom was late for work. We listened carefully (at leat I did) to the NWS radio as it tracked the tornadoes and storms across southeastern WI. Fortunately, we never got any of the tornado, but we definitely got a lot of water! The window wells quickly filled; they looked like muddy aquariums. Water streamed into the basement from around the windows, between bricks, and up out of the drains, but we stayed mostly dry. The tornado warning expired and we were able to finally eat our dinner...mmmhh!

Here are some pictures from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The first is an intersection right around the corner from our apartment:

Here's an new article if you're interested:

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=759827

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Tyler Doing Aerobics

2008-05-30T21:01:00.000-07:00

This is at "Kidsfest," an anual festival here in Milwaukee. There were various stages with activities and at this one the YMCA was teaching aerobics. Andy and I were cracking up at Tyler trying to follow the instructor.

A little update

2008-05-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

I think one of the wierdest things for a mom is when they go to get their baby from a nap and the baby is STANDING UP waiting. That just happened to me moments ago, Lizzy was standing up in her crib with a proud smile on her face as if to say "look what I learned how to do." She is almost not a baby anymore!

Tyler has been sick with the flu. Yesterday I stopped counting after his EIGHTH time throwing up! Later in the afternoon he went several hours without throwing up and seemed better so we decided to get out of the house and go to the Zoo. He is much better today but does not have much appetite. I keep finding him lying on his blanket in random places around the house so I think he must still feel a little under the weather. Poor little guy.

Lizzy crawling (this is a month old, sorry)

2008-05-20T10:10:00.001-07:00

How Wheels

2008-05-16T06:43:00.000-07:00

The other day we went to Toys R Us to get something for Lizzy and we let Tyler pick a little something out too. We found these orange car tracks you can hook together for only 89 cents each. They provide hours of fun. The picture is later when Andy started playing too and helped Tyler make ramps and hills under the track with blocks. This video is a few weeks old, Lizzy crawls now. I finally figured out how to post video's on the blog with our new camara so I'm catching up. Listen for Ty Ty saying "Woody and Buzz Lightyear!"

Blue Eyed Girl

2008-04-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

I had to quickly post these cute pictures of Lizzy. She is such an amazingly good baby and so smiley. I often feel like I am playing dolls with her because she is so fun.

Easter pics (A little late, I know)

2008-04-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

I have been a major slacker lately when it comes to bloggs and reading other blogs. I decided to skip over all that I missed and post Easter before it gets any later! Lizzy wore a cute hand-me-down dress from Heidi on Easter.
It was so cold that day she had to wear a sweater and tights. Easter should not be in March!

We dyed eggs on Easter Sunday before church with our friends the Hunters. Then my cute friend Jill did a little activity with the kids about the the ressurection.
Here are Tyler's eggs. He didn't want to leave them in the colors for very long and dipped several colors at a time so they turned out mostly brown.

Grandma Lambert

2008-02-17T15:05:00.001-08:00

My Grandma Lambert's obituary was in the Deseret News today. Click here to see it. It is a great description of what my grandma was like. Even if you didn't know her you can be inspirted by her throught reading it. I feel like it is an answer to prayer that the viewing is the day I get to Utah, and the funeral is the next day. I am counting down the minutes until I can see my parents, sisters, and cousins during this hard time.

Valentines Day Party

2008-02-17T14:52:00.000-08:00

Tyler and his friends had a V-day party. We made Valentine boxes and exchanged valentines, then decorated cookies. We snacked on heart shaped PB and J sandwhiches, heart shaped watermellon slices, and heart shaped cucumber slices. I wish I took a pic of the food, it was really cute. Here they are frosting Valentines cookies. Thanks Marilyn for the cookie mix, cookie cutter, and sprinkles. They were a hit!

Tyler, Sam, and Mikayla checking out the candy and cards in their Valentine boxes.

Tyler wanted a Mickey Mouse Club House theme for his Valentine box.

My V-day present from my sweetheart. Aren't they cute.

Latest Pics

2008-02-13T20:40:00.000-08:00

The other day Andy found that Tyler had given Lizzy a sword and was trying to have a sword fight with her. I am amazed by how entertained he is when playing with her, even when she just sits there!

Tyler went sledding (tubing really) with his friend Kailey. Around here it is pretty flat so there are not a lot of sledding hills. This is the only hill nearby for sledding and it is not very steep-so we didn't zip down very fast but Tyler still had fun. I miss sledding in Utah. We have loved this snow tube given to us for Christmas a few years ago by my parents. We love to pull it out every winter. Thanks Mom and Dad.

Nicknames

2008-02-13T19:16:00.001-08:00

Marilyn tagged me a while ago to list all my nick names and I am finally getting around to it. Here are all my many nick names.

Mandy (everybody called me this when I was little)
Punkin (by my dad when I was little)
Manda Panda
Mand
Mands
Mandy Moo (by Marilyn and Gary)
Amanda Jane (by my good friend Tricia)

Just a few of Andy's nick names for me:
Manders (most commonly used)
Girly pie
Girlins flirlins
Clockery O'girlinstein
Clockers

Libbie Utley Lambert

2008-02-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

My dad called me last night and told me that it looks like my cute Grandma Lambert won't last much longer. She laid down for a nap last Friday and didn't quite wake up all the way. She might pull through but for her sake I hope she can go be with her sweetheart in heaven soon. Grandma Lambert lived 9 houses down the street from me growing up so we were always close. I bet that all her 37 grandkids would say they are close to her, she was amazing at keeping up with all of us. I loved to cook with her, tie quilts, and play the marble game. I also loved to pick raspberries and other things from her garden and of course, have apple parties. She bottled fruit from her peach tree, cherry tree & apricot tree, and she always had a bottle of homemade jam, homemade bread and homemade cookies on hand. She grew her own rhubarb for rhubarb pie and made her own postum with herbs from her garden. She always turned things into a party like her "apple parties." One time when she was sick and threw up my mom said she called it a "puke party”. She always had a funny story to tell and as she got older she would tell the same funny stories over and over but they were still just as funny. I loved to drop by “conveniently” at lunch time and she would feed me a meal fresh from her garden. If I dropped by when she was reading her scriptures she always said she was studying for her “final exam”. I have a lot more stories I could tell. I sure love her a lot and I’m sure any of you who know her feel the same way!

Happy Birthday Andy!

2008-01-30T14:06:00.000-08:00

Today is Andy's 28th Brithday! I had to give a little birthday shout out to my husband and best friend. He has been a real trooper through this past month during his surgery rotation. He has been so busy and it is KILLING HIM to not see his kids very much. Some times Andy doesn't come home until after Ty is in bed but most of the time he get's home just in time to read Ty a bedtime story. He is such a great daddy and would choose to hang out with Tyler and Lizzy over almost anything. Tyler is always thinking of his daddy throughout the day saying things like "I'll show daddy when he get's home" or "This plate of food is for daddy". Tyler kept repeating last night while wrapping Andy's birthday presents "Daddy will be so exciting" (meaning to say excited) and "Daddy will share some with me".
Here are some of my favorite Andy-isms
-makes up little songs about me, Tyler and Lizzy using our names.
-does the dishes while listening to loud music. (but he really does more dancing around the kitchen than dishes).
- plays a mean air guitar, air bass, air piano, air ....
-Can't watch a movie without the captions and rewinds parts about a thousand times
-loves buying little "prizes" as he calls them for me and Tyler

The list goes on and on but I am out of time- I'm watching a neighbors kids while she goes to Jury duty. I can't wait for Andy to get home so he can open his presents that Tyler wrapped and decorated for him and we can go out on a fun date (thanks Marilyn).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDY. I LOVE YA!

Celebrate Me Home!

2008-01-11T11:39:00.002-08:00

I always think of the Kenny Loggins song "Celebrate Me Home" when I start to get homesick. Well, I finally get to come home to visit!!!! My mom found an amazing deal and I have booked a flight home from Feb. 19-March 3. I am so excited. All you Utahns better start planning fun things to do with me while I am there. Poor Andy can't come, he is doing his surgery rotation. This is his busiest rotation yet, he is gone from 4:30 am to about 7:30 pm! Since he goes to bed around 8:30 or 9:00 I see him for about one hour a day. We agreed that it is a perfect time for me and the kids to leave for Utah.

Bumbo chair

2008-01-11T11:39:00.000-08:00

I had to post these cute pictures of Lizzy in her new Bumbp chair. It is a neat little chair that supports her back so she can sit there all by herself. It might come in handy when we start her on solid foods.

Also Lizzy rolled over for the first time yesterday! She hates tummy time so bad she focuses all her effort on getting out of it. Now she can get out of it by just rolling over. Tyler was so proud of her he cheered "YEAH LIZZY" when I showed him that she learned how to roll.

A little late

2008-01-03T15:41:00.000-08:00

I know Christmas is over but I just learned how to do a link from my blog. I wanted to do this over a month ago but I didn't know how and thought it would be complicated. It turns out it is really easy! My brother-in-law John-david was hired to do a spot for Deseret Book (he is in the film and post-production buisness). My sister Jenn helped get it all together by decorating her house like Christmas in early November and getting costumes for the kids. They did a great job and the spot turned out really nice. Watch for my nieces Tessa and Sophie in it. Click HERE to see the spot.

Chirstmas Day

2008-01-03T07:48:00.000-08:00

We had a great Chirstmas here in Wisconsin. It was our first time away from our extended family for the holidays. We missed our families a lot but enjoyed a quiet day at home in our pajamas. Tyler loves all his presents, especially his Star Wars Lightsaber from Santa Grammuh (I just noticed we don't have a picture of it, I'll post one later). We had a yummy Christmas dinner, Andy made cornish game hens and I made some stuffing and sweet potatoes. We also had mashed potatoes, veggies, and rolls. It was a yummy fiest and a great day.

Chirstmas Eve

2008-01-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

Our Chirstmas Tree. Someday we will have a chimney to hang our stockings by.

Wearing our Christmas pajamas from Grammuh Marilyn. They all had Charlie Brown cartoons on them, they were very cute.

Cookies, milk, and an orange for Santa. Later Tyler added a piece of Cheese for Santa Mouse (from one of his favorite Christmas story books).

Chirstmas card

2007-12-24T09:33:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post our card in case I forgot to email it to any of you. Maybe next year I will be on top of things enough to send cards via the U.S. mail. Have a great Christmas Eve.

Lizzy is home!

2007-12-15T21:42:00.000-08:00

This afternoon the nightmare ended and our sweet baby is home again. I feel lucky Lizzy was only there for six days. I can't imagine how hard it is on parents whose kids are in the hospital for weeks.
This picture is when I held her for the first time since the surgery. It was so hard that first day to see her cry and not be able to pick her up. I was so happy when they let me hold her the next day but it still felt wierd because she was hooked up to so many monitors.

By day two and three she slowly got tubes and things removed and seemed more like our Lizzy again. It was hard to get her to eat and she was throwing what little she ate on the second day. She absolutely refused a bottle and we were desperate to get her to eat so I stayed night and day to try to get her to breastfeed. After many nights sleeping with my clothes on and alarms beeping every five seconds I am very excited to be able to be in my own bed tonight. Lizzy is eating well now and she is her old happy self. She has a lot of bruises, needle pokes, and skin rashes from all the tape but she doesn't act like it bothers her too much. Tylenol is all she needs for pain and we have to be extra careful when holding her. The latest echocardiogram showed that the hole is fixed and working great. The bad news is that her tricuspid valve is slightly damaged (The surgeon works through that valve to repair the hole). It happens about 40% of the time after this surgery and usually doesn't cause a problem. It is something that will require a close eye throughout her life but hopefully won't be a big deal. A big thanks to Marilyn who kept our apartment spic and span while taking care of Tyler. I missed Tyler so much this week but it was comforting to know that he was in good hands. Thanks again for all the phone calls, prayers, and support. I love you all.

Lizzy After Surgery

2007-12-10T16:52:00.000-08:00

This is Lizzy in the intensive care unit right after surgery.

She has:

2 IV's; one in her foot and one in her right wrist
an arterial line in her left groin area
a central line from her neck through her jugular vein to her heart
a Foley catheter in her bladder
a chest tube draining her thorax
those wires are a temporary pace-maker
a pulse-ox monitor on her left thumb
temperature and cardiac output monitors on her forehead and lower back

She is a little out-of-it from all the meds, and she mostly just lays there and groans occasionally. It is a little sad, but we know it won't last long.

Open Heart Surgery!

2007-11-26T13:37:00.001-08:00

Well poor little Lizzy only gained three ounces at her last weigh in. Dr. Samyn the cardiologist thinks she should have surgery to fix the hole in her heart as soon as possible. They are going to squeeze Lizzy into the December surgical schedule. We just found out that it is going to be on Monday December 10th. After the surgery Lizzy will be in the hospital for seven to ten days! Thank goodness My mom and Andy's mom are coming to help out! I am soooo grateful for their willingness to come, espically so close to Christmas. I know they will be sacrificing a lot to come during the busy holiday season. Keep Lizzy in your prayers. Keep me in your prayers too- The thought of my baby's chest being cut open makes me nauseous and weak at the knees but I feel confident things will be okay. I love you all!

Grammuh and Grampuh's Visit

2007-11-26T13:22:00.000-08:00

Grammuh Marilyn and Grampuh Gary visited for Lizzy's blessing and we had a great weekend with them. They showed up with all sorts of goodies and presents for all of us and we LOVE everything they brought. We ate at some yummy restaurants and had our own Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday after Lizzy's blessing. The food was delicious, I love Marilyn's cooking. Tyler had a lot of fun joking around with his grandparents, he especially loved playing with Grampuh Gary. We did lots of fun things including the Discovery World Museum in downtown Milwaukee and the Mitchel Park Domes where there are beautiful indoor gardens. Thanks for the fun visit Gary and Marilyn, we love you guys!

Lizzy's blessing

2007-11-26T12:53:00.000-08:00

Lizzy looked like an angel in the beautiful blessing gown from Grammuh Marilyn. Andy gave a very heartfelt and sweet blessing. We were so glad to have Gary and Marilyn and our close friends there for the blessing. I only wish all our family could have been there to share the wonderful day with us.

Han Solo

2007-11-25T15:09:00.000-08:00

Tyler put on my Baby Bjorn and said "This is my Han Solo costume!" He would shoot his gun at the storm troopers on T.V. while we watched Star Wars.

Winter is coming

2007-11-14T14:09:00.000-08:00

Tyler had fun trying on all the winter things as I pulled them out of a a box from the basement. He put on the ski goggles and said he was a storm trooper. He wore them for at least an hour- even sitting by Andy to watch a football game.

Another medical update for Lizzy Grace

2007-11-14T13:56:00.000-08:00

Lizzy had a bit of a disheartening visit to the Doctor’s on Monday. She has been starting to have more pronounced symptoms of the heart failure and so I called the doctor to let her know. She told me to bring her in and get another chest xray. Lizzie’s xray showed her heart had enlarged a little bit more. Dr. Samyn prescribed another medication called Captopril. Captopril will reduce the pressure on the left side of the heart so hopefully less blood will escape through that hole going the wrong way. She takes it three times a day so poor lizzy has to gag down medicine five times a day. She actually is really good at taking it- what an angel.
The worst part of our visit is that Lizzy had not gained ANY weight since the last visit which means that she truly is too tired to take in enough food. I am going to try more frequent short feedings and I have been advised to wake her up every three hours in the night to eat too. Hopefully along with the medication and more persistent food offering she will eat enough to gain weight. Dr. Samyn said it sounds like she will definitely need surgery and the sooner the better. The surgery schedule is totally full for December and kids who are already in the hospital waiting take priority so it looks like maybe January. Hopefully Lizzy will start gaining weight- the last resort is to insert a feeding tube. Does anyone have any advice getting babies to take a bottle? It would be nice to fortify her meals sometimes but she is not much of a bottle lover. We will keep trying. Thanks again for all your support and love.

My New Love

2007-11-04T20:39:00.000-08:00

When Marilyn was visiting us to help with baby Lizzy she bought a varity of yummy treats. One of them was Haagen-Dazs Mayan Chocolate ice cream. I instantly fell in love with that chocolatey cinnamon flavor. I finally let myself buy some the other day and I have some every night before bed. Thanks Marilyn- I will blame you for not losing any of the baby weight. Just kidding. If any of you haven't tried it you must, it's heavenly!

This is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween

2007-11-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

Lizzy made a very cute pumpkin.

Tyler was Buzz Lightyear for Halloween-complete with wings that light up! He loves his costume that grandma Marilyn got for him. We went trick or treating at the Medical college along with a zillion other children of med stuents and residents. The trick or treating went into offices and rooms throughout four levels of the college. It is a really fun tradition they do every year.

These are Ty's two best friends: Mikayla Hunter (a bride) and Sam Crosby (a power ranger).

I was hoping to post some video clips but I can't get ours to upload- I'll try again tomorrow.

Pre-Halloween festivities

2007-11-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Carving

This is a Halloween "haunted house". Tyler and some friends got together at our apartment to make these cute haunted houses. They are made from chocolate graham crackers and various halloween goodies.

Tyler mostly had fun eating it afterward.

Lizzy's medical update

2007-10-24T12:03:00.001-07:00

I will start at the beginning for those of you who don’t know the story. Our baby Lizzy was diagnosed with something called VSD (ventricular septal defect). This is basically a hole between the ventricles of the heart. The echocardiogram showed that it is a much larger hole than usual. We discovered it because the pediatrician heard a loud heart murmur and sent us to a cardiologist. We are hoping that the hole will close on its own because if not, Lizzy will eventually need open heart surgery to repair it. For now we are just trying to keep her eating well so that she will continue to gain a healthy amount of weight. Eating is hard work for a baby and because of her heart defect, extra fluid builds up in the lungs making it hard to breathe. This causes her to get tired and sweaty while eating but it is not bad yet and she is still eating really well. At her appointment a couple days ago she was started on a medication called Lasix which will help get rid of excess fluid in her lungs making it easier for her to breathe. This will hopefully prevent her from getting winded while nursing and she will continue to eat a sufficient amount of breastmilk. Her chest x-ray showed that her heart was only mildly enlarged and she gained a good amount of weight. Because of this good news Dr. Samyn (the cardiologist) thinks she does not need surgery right away. That’s all for now, her next follow up appointment is the Monday after Thanksgiving. Thank you so much for all the phone calls and support you have shown us since this all started. We ar so lucky to have such great family and friends. Please keep Lizzy in your prayers!

Pumpkin Pickin'

2007-10-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

We had fun last weekend picking pumpkins at a cute local farm. We went on a hayride and then picked a pumpkin for each member of the family, even a little one for Lizzie. Lizzie slept the whole time in our cool new sling (thanks Grandma Marilyn and Grandpa Gary). Afterward we went to Oscars, our favorite local hamburger and frozen custard place.

Siblings

2007-10-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

After church I was taking pictures of Lizzy because she looked so cute in her dress. Tyler got a little jealous and went and got his simalar blanket (Grandma Jackie gives one to each her grandchildren). He is always wanting to hold and play with her.

Tyler's Self-Portrait

2007-10-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

Tyler drew this today totally on his own and proudly presented it to us, highlighting such features as "mine eyes, mine nose, and mine legs and mine shoes!" We are very proud, as this is his first drawing of any human figure.

No catching up!

2007-10-18T15:12:00.000-07:00

Okay everyone I'm sorry I am the world's worst blogger. I have decided to stop thinking about all the pictures and things I have to do to catch up because that is why I keep putting it off. I am going to start fresh today without posting all my pictures from last summer. That makes it seem more do-able. I vow to be a more consistant blooger from now on!

Lizzy

2007-10-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

Lizzy is sleeping on the beautiful quilt that Marilyn made, if you look close you can see the embroidery on it. It is an amazing quilt!

Last Sunday Andy and Tyler made orange cookies for Halloween.

Lizzy's first visitors

2007-08-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

Josh and Jill Hunter came with their kids Mikalya and Alise

The Crosbys visited too. Here is Sam holding Lizzy.

Home from the Hospital

2007-08-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

We got home from the hospital yesterday afternoon. It is good to be home! Andy is taking good care of me, and Tyler doesn't seem too jealous yet. Ty Ty is always kissing her and saying "he's so cute" even though I keep explaining that Lizzy is a "she". Our first night was a little rocky (Lizzy still has her days and nights mixed up) but I got to take a nap today while my friends took care of Tyler. I posted some more pictures of the blessed event.

Proud Mommy and Daddy

2007-08-29T13:38:00.000-07:00

Big brother

2007-08-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

Our Family

2007-08-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Grace

2007-08-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our family, Lizzy!

Eyes open!

2007-08-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

Tyler is a big brother

2007-08-27T20:44:00.000-07:00

Weight: 8 lbs 1.6oz, length: 20 in

2007-08-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

Fathers and Sons with Marc and Sam

2007-06-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

Tyler had lots of fun roaming around with Sammy Crosby at the campout. I like the picture of them stuffing their mouths with chocolate chips.