The Foote Family

Um 'Scuse Me...

2010-02-12T13:54:00.007-06:00

but is someone missing their snow storm? Coz I don't think this belongs to us.

we can totally handle it though (well at least for a day or two)

some things just come naturally

he always wanted to help shovel the driveway in Cleveland, so looks like he found his own "shovel"

our very own winter wonderland

TMI

2010-02-10T09:56:00.009-06:00

So. I feel like we fell off the face of the earth there for awhile. Where do I start? :D

November was definitely crazy. We had a great time visiting Scott’s sister in the San Fran area. I busted out a couple of Christmas I-Spy quilts for Christmas presents, a baby quilt for a friend, and got things ready for Xander’s birthday party. Actually, my mom helped with most of those things – I couldn’t have done them by myself!

Aquarium with some cousins

a little monster birthday bash

and Scott even got to be there …but he looked a little different than we remembered ;)

Scott got a new driver's license (since his wallet was stolen in Colombia), we all packed up. Scott and Maggie flew back to Dallas while Xander, She-Ra, and I drove. BTW, the drive was a little bit of a nightmare. I barely moved along snow-packed and icy roads in southern UT and CO. The second day, I look in the rear view mirror to see my trunk bobbing up and down and just imagine everything flying out down the freeway. Turns out I was only missing one bag – the one with everything I was wearing that night to the graduation dinner and some new clothes I had gotten from an early Christmas. I turned around and I couldn’t believe the bag was sitting in the middle of the road in front of the gas station I had just been at two miles ago. But I didn’t remember leaving my favorite D&G sunglasses in the gas station restroom till it was too late. Dropped the dog off at my aunts. Left Xander with Scott’s parents at the hotel and got dressed. Went to the graduation dinner. Scott got a couple of awards, he tied for Class Clown =/

Scott’s graduation. Man, was this a long time coming! I’m SO proud of him

Scott’s parents took the kids home with them and Scott and I headed up to Cleveland for a job interview. Job: check. Down to Mississippi for Christmas.

grrr baby. grrr

Back to Dallas to pack the storage unit into a truck. Since we weren’t able to find a house while we went there before, we stayed in a hotel while we looked for a place. House: check. Great ward: check. Now things start falling apart. Scott’s car won’t start because it was over heating in TX and he put some water in it, which has now frozen. The job we were so excited about turned out to be a scam. So we both scrambled around looking for jobs but nothing worked out. One month and $3000 later, we came to MS to hang out with family while Scott finishes up his tests and gets licensed.

I think that’s about it. We appreciate everyone's help, support and well wishes!

HaLLowEEn

2009-11-01T23:17:00.005-06:00

Here's my two little devils ;) They had SO much fun! Xander got to dress up for school the day before and went to another party at a friend's house, so he got to spend plenty of time as a transformer - he kept wanting to see himself in the mirror :D Maggie was slowed a bit by the stairs leading to the doorsteps, but she pushed her way through, nabbed some candy, said thank you, and took off sprinting in any given direction. It was pretty hilarious to see her run so fast in that outfit. But what could be more fun than having people give you candy just for looking cute?

Bumblebee

Little Miss Witch

Halloween morning the stake here put on a 5k. I know that's small beans to many of you, but I've wanted to do one for a long time. I am not what you would call a runner. But I had high hopes of not finishing last. It was a lot harder than I was planning - it was all on grass and it was super cold. The grass was a nightmare for my poor knees and the cold, dry air burned. But I'm glad I did it! My parents and my brother and sister came and brought the kids to cheer me on and the kids got to run in a race too! And I just might be starting to like running...

Firemans and Tutus

2009-10-14T23:08:00.004-05:00

Well, thanks to Amy, I thought I'd try this fondant thing. She makes it look so easy...so I made this for my grandma's birthday and my mom and sisters helped a lot with the decorating. Not too bad for my first try :/

in the helicopter

We visited the fire station for the open house last week. They had so many fun things - for the kids, he had a blast! Then followed an afternoon of "Do firemans wear their hats to go potty?" "Do firemans take their shoes off to go to bed?" "Do firemans hang up their hats?" and so on. Needless to say, he now worships "firemans."

Something else I've been procrastinating. So we spent the last warm afternoon doing this. She had so much fun playing with all the pretty necklaces. Thanks to my wonderful SIL who taught me to make the tutu.

Adventures in Colombia!!!

2009-10-13T21:46:00.006-05:00

rafting the Rio Negro

I'm glad they didn't get the picture when I fell and busted my bum

Little Bit

2009-10-04T19:50:00.014-05:00

Just a little bit of what we've been up to...

we found Xander a preschool so this was his first day there

some Lagoon fun with friends
Maggie was NoT a fan

some Sunday pictures of my favorite little people

and a fab trip to the dinosaur museum - the sand was a hit :)

Lucky Number Seven

2009-10-02T22:15:00.005-05:00

So it's not like I forgot today was our seven year anniversary, but I was still totally caught off guard (and not dressed and completely gross) when this little beauty came to the door. Dang, seven years. That sounds like such a long time but it's gone by so fast. It has certainly been an adventure so far and I'm sure this next year won't disappoint. I just know there's all kinds of craziness and happy moments in store. Happy Anniversary and thanks for the flowers, babe. I love you. Call me sometime :)

Bienvenidos a Colombia

2009-09-28T20:51:00.015-05:00

This was Sunday riding the streets of Downtown Bogotá

One of the gyms were the Olympic athletes workout.

The Aquatics Center, this is were I work.

The Aquatics Center

We were waiting for the President of the Colombian Olympic Committee to come and welcome us... and I got a little bored.

There are military police every where you look around here, there is no way I'm going to be able to get coke out of this country, sorry Mom

Street vender's got to love em, I don't have a clue what I'm eating but it sure is good.

Here are a few pictures from the first couple of weeks. It has been fun so far but I sure do miss Jami, Xander, and The Mag. The people here are really nice, they love to stare at us and whisper grande gringos. The language is coming along I usually just nod my head and say si, there is no telling what I have said yes to. As far as work I mainly work with the swimming, cycling, taekwondo, inline skating, volleyball, and Para Olympic teams. On Sundays in Bogotá they close all of the streets and you're encouraged to go out and ride your bike or run through downtown it is called cyclovia. So Sunday me and my house mates rode 38 miles it was fun but I'm glad thats over. When I first got here I didn't know how much I would be able to go to Church, there are only a few LDS Churches in Bogotá, and taking a cab when you don't speak Spanish isn't the smartest thing to do... thats a story for another time. When we first got to our house we wanted to go walk around the neighborhood to see what it was like, I walked out the front door looked to my right and across the street was the LDS Church. I went to church last week and didn't understand a word for 3 hours straight but it was sure nice to feel the spirit.

I <3 waffles

2009-09-09T09:57:00.004-05:00

Love me some pancakes. But I've always struggled making them for some reason. I like them thick and crispy on the edges. Waffles have always intimidated me because I thought they would be even more difficult. Duh. You pour the batter in and take it out when the light goes off. How hard is that - unless you're feeding a crowd! I've been watching this healthy food blog for the last little while and couldn't wait to try this recipe for healthy pancakes and syrup made from fruit juice. My kitchen was mostly packed up so I tried it as soon as I got here. It is fabulous! Pancakes (waffles for me) with wheat flour that taste great and the syrup is amazing. I used apple juice because that's what we had but you can do it with whatever kind you want. I want to try coconut. Anyway check out this blog here if you're interested and here's a direct link for the waffles and syrup. Now all I need is a Texas-shaped waffle iron :)

heRe we aRe

2009-09-03T15:52:00.004-05:00

...once again. Hangin' in UT. For about 3 months or so...So here's a little bit of what we've been up to so far - not much since I've been taking a few mental health days. We're doing great so far though, the kids are loving playing outside, jumping on the trampoline and a few new toys to ease their suffering...including a bike for Xander (courtesy of Mr. Craig and his fine list). But we totally miss our awesome friends in Texas. and the weather at night. Thanks for all your help. and well wishes. and love.

the kids seriously chowing down on some corn

My brother Alex took Xander clear to Park City (thanks Alex) for this little miracle. They got home too late to do any riding, so sure enough, 8 o'clock the next morning we're outside in our pjs testing it out. He kept at it till about noon.

Me and Mags watching the show

first crash

and..gasp..a not-so-flattering picture of my new haircut. you know it's time for a haircut when your mom thinks you look "frumpy"

thanks

2009-08-14T18:00:00.007-05:00

Here, for your viewing pleasure (actually for my record keeping) is a picture of my kids watching TV. I know, probably not exciting for anyone else. But I just loved seeing this as Scott and I were packing some boxes this morning.

All this

packing
moving
leaving

is making me sentimental.

We have so loved

this special little house
this place (friends, duh)
this time in our lives

it makes me sad to leave it all behind.
Thanks for making it so great!

Packing woes

2009-08-05T14:23:00.002-05:00

So..yesterday instead of packing, I made some peach jam and we played outside. Too bad procrastinating isn't on my list.
Today I've packed two boxes so far and saran-wrapped the glider. Yea!

$4.16!?

2009-07-13T15:15:00.005-05:00

including tax. Again, probably boring to most of you. So please feel free to skip this uneventful post.

Today's trip (poor kids, some of it was well into nap-time by the time we got home) was much more fun than recent trips - and I haven't even been to Walgreens yet. BTW there's a decent diaper deal going on there. This group is from Staples, CVS, and Target. YEA!

The loot: 2 reams paper, 2 notebooks, 2 folders, 1 6-pk highliters, 1 mini stapler, 2 8-pks pens, 1 box photo paper, 1 2-pk scissors, 2 Finish geltabs 40-ct, 2 Old Spice deoderant, 1 Gillette Fusion razor.

Leftovers

2009-07-01T14:11:00.004-05:00

a little mud

we went to the zoo awhile back

and some swimming

Just some strays I felt like putting out there. And I've been trying to get a video
of this laugh she does, but I ended up stringing some pictures together instead.

The Plan

2009-06-29T06:58:00.008-05:00

If you haven't heard...our time here in Texas will be cut short. Scott has been chosen as one of seven of his class for an internship with the Colombian Olympic Team. He'll go after boards in September and be done December 1st. The kids and I will go to stay with my parents the end of August. This is such an exciting opportunity for Scott, but we will miss him..and our friends in Texas. After that...who knows? Hopefully a job somewhere, not in Siberia. We'll store our stuff here just in case.

Boat-errific

2009-06-28T20:44:00.005-05:00

Our friends, Eric and Laura, invited us for a little R & R last weekend. It was so nice! The kids especially had a blast playing in the water and Xander couldn't get enough of the "boat." Thanks guys, we had a great time! Hmm...no pictures of me, too bad :D Although....it was a gorgeous lake. and gigantic. so of course I got lost. after awhile all the bloody lake houses look the same. it only took about thirty minutes of praying myself back. I know, sometimes I'm not that bright.

she'd eat the peel if I'd let her

Laura is so sweet with the kids, she's going to be a great mom!

...and the ties I made for Father's Day.
They turned out ok, but I'll have to try some more.

Spring Recital 2009

2009-06-27T16:08:00.007-05:00

MiaLisa and I held our "Spring Recital" a couple of weeks ago. Everyone played well, we were very proud! It's great to see them show off their talent and hard work.

pee Wii hula

2009-06-11T13:26:00.004-05:00

Fort Worth Water Gardens

2009-05-21T21:30:00.010-05:00

A couple of weekends ago, we rode the train into FW to see the Water Gardens. The weather was perfect, and it was all just beautiful even though one of them wasn't turned on. It was a Saturday but we only saw a couple of other people, and it was soo nice we felt like we had the place to ourselves.

Love this! She sure can chow down on a water bottle :D

This is Xander's favorite. I told him the shadow in the water is an alligator coming to bite his hand off.

Happy Birthday to me

2009-05-14T15:16:00.003-05:00

(yesterday.) I would have settled for Scott coming home a little earlier than usual, but Sprinkles does not disappoint. Well, that cinnamon one isn't my favorite...but bring it on :)

And don't bother coming over looking for one 'cause they're GONE! Bwah-ha-ha! ... I have the stomach-ache to prove it :p Still, looking at them now, I could go for another one :D

Ode to Laundry

2009-05-14T13:38:00.001-05:00

I'm eternally buried in the stuff. Nuf said.

Stanford Quilt

2009-05-04T16:19:00.003-05:00

Scott's BIL um(in an attempt to be vague) works at Stanford. So his sister hired me to make a t-shirt quilt as a gift for someone. My mom quilted it and I did the rest. It definitely has kept me busy, especially with how much Scott has been gone. But I finally finished it last week and it is gone. I'm pretty proud of it - finishing something is always a good feeling for me - and I think it turned out really nice.

Party Shots

2009-05-03T22:29:00.003-05:00

Just some pictures from the party. We had a good time and I think it turned out nice :)

Birthday Girl

2009-04-29T16:28:00.000-05:00

I just love how this turned out...and this last year has gone by so fast - it's still on the fridge.

Sweet, sweet happy girl. I wasn't quite ready when you came a week and a half early. But then you've always made your own schedule. You couldn't wait to play with Xander and chase after him. You've always been more interested in playing than eating, but you always take a break to come climb in my lap and give me a hug. You are so independent and love to be outside. One day I'll bribe you to quit sucking your thumb. But for now, I love you sweet girl. You make me happy every day.

numbers

2009-04-29T13:28:00.002-05:00

one-year-old stats
18 lbs 13 oz 10th percentile
28 3/4 in 10th percentile

the Dr's solution: put cheese and a pat of butter on all her food

seriously!? no thanks
I'll keep at it with the avocado, coconut
and now cheese, whole milk
and whole milk yogurt

I prefer my children to
learn bad eating habits
MUCH later in life :p

but I welcome any suggestions :)

The Easter Motherload

2009-04-28T13:23:00.004-05:00

I do realize Easter was over two weeks ago. But...here ya go. We definitely had a fun time. Xander loved looking for eggs and finding toys and candy. He never seems to have enough puzzles!

2009-04-24T15:38:00.001-05:00

Towne Lake Park

Finally got me some

2009-04-22T22:21:00.004-05:00

of those Texas bluebonnet pictures I want to take every year. I thought it was kind of funny two other cars pulled off to the side of the road the same time we did. No smiles from Maggie, but we still got a few good ones.

...and a few not-so-good ones :)

little rascals

2009-04-14T15:59:00.003-05:00

This is what they've been doing today during "naptime" (Xander never actually went to sleep). It looks like Xander put everything from his bed into Maggie's. Just wonderful :P

Booty Call

2009-04-01T23:13:00.010-05:00

Um, yeah. Even in the age of adjustable-waist we get almost a full frontal of Lightning McQueen.

:D I don't even know what to say. I'm so mean!

Simple. Chewing on Xander's toys makes her happy.

picking the dandelions :p

And last but not least, the notorious front-tuck. Poor kid, it's just in his genes. His dad was a mighty big fan of the front-tuck himself. Nice job on the shoes though.

I want to do this...

2009-03-31T12:36:00.002-05:00

It's another online class from Jessica Sprague. This is the first of four episodes and it's on sale for $8.50. It is for hybrid scrapping (digi & paper). You are allowed to have a "lab partner," so anybody want to be mine and split the cost? Here's the info. She does some really cool stuff.

AWOL

2009-03-15T15:15:00.002-05:00

So. Scott's been....gone/invisible/MIA/studying for boards for the last....um...it's been so long I don't remember when it started. At least three weeks, anyway. It's been pretty rough on all of us. Ok. Actually, I've been barely hanging on. A couple of days ago Xander told us he didn't like Daddy's school anymore, and yesterday he was playing with his dinosaurs and one of them was school and the other one was himself and they were fighting. Poor kid misses his dad something fierce. But today, Scott takes the last four tests and will finish sometime soon, I think. (Just because he still sleeps here doesn't mean I get to have any sort of real conversation with him.) We are excited to have him back. And to have passed the stupid tests. Even though he'll still have school. and clinic. It will be wonderful to get back to normal. :D

p.s. Maybe staying in Utah for this whole thing last time wasn't such a bad idea :P

Homemade by me, or not

2009-03-05T13:54:00.003-06:00

Here goes:

The first five people to comment on this post will get something made by me! (and possibly an extra something that's not homemade) My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year (hopefully sooner than later.)
4. You will have no clue what it is going to be.
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me you did will win a marvelous homemade gift by me!

This sounds really fun! You know you're bored and want to make stuff for people. And for the non-adventurous, I'll try and post pictures of the stuff so you can see what you missed out on ! ;)

photo tag: look away!

2009-03-05T12:46:00.004-06:00

So we're going with the 7th pic from 7th folder and tag 7 people.

Sorry. I really am. But I told you not to look, so now you can't be mad at me for posting a picture of a dog's hiney. He used to be ours. His name was Donkey. And... he really isn't doing what it looks like he's doing. We got him just before Xander was born. Not the brightest idea. She-Ra never liked him much and he was just too hyper and disobedient. So this picture was actually me trying to get a shot of him to post online to find him a new family. Hope all is well, Donkey. But I uh, don't miss you.I Taggery-Tag-Tag: Jenifer Y, Julie M, Laura R, Kayla, Shannon E, anybody from Scott's school that wants to.

And...she's off!

2009-03-02T18:23:00.006-06:00

Of course, I'm still in denial, but she's really getting around now. I guess I thought she'd get better at her little push-walker first :P I know it's a little spooky to see a shrimpy little thing like her wobbling on two feet. I'm doing my best to fatten her up without adding butter and cheese to her food like the Dr suggested. Anyway, she's a beautiful little rascal.

*Please excuse my whiny-baby voice. I don't know what came over me.

And...I don't know if you can tell, but she's just missing the front middle two. We hope they're not far behind.

Brotherly Love

2009-02-21T12:39:00.002-06:00

Today I was holding Maggie on my lap when Xander came and gave her a swirlie rub on the head. He said, "That's my best friend, HUH!" He hasn't always been real fond of her, so it's good to know we've made some progress. Sometimes (often) I forget he really is a sweet kid! <3

Mississippi Cousins

2009-02-19T22:56:00.004-06:00

Yeah. I've got some catching up to do. We'll see how that goes. Anyway, we had a good visit with Scott's family after Christmas. Xander had so much fun playing with his cousins!

Kru, Xander, Annie

Xander giving Maggie a ride

Maggie wearing Annie's tu-tu. It's so cute I'm going to have to make her one!

playing with Mimi

Snow Day

2009-01-24T09:28:00.001-06:00

Xander had a blast playing in the snow. Well, mostly he scooped some up in a shovel and flung it (you know, like he does with dirt. and sand..... :P).....but obviously his favorite thing was eating it :D
I just can't relate. But I'm glad he had so much fun!
When he was done he came in, washed his hands, told me he was ready for a nap, and went to bed. Is that all I have to do for him to want to take a nap!?

...and a random pic of Maggie in her jammies.

Austa, Texas Stadium

2009-01-09T11:59:00.003-06:00

Poor Irving. Losing its only claim to fame. It's been a good long run. We'll miss ya.
Thanks to Scott's sister for scoring us some amazing tickets and a friend for watching the kids, we got to go to the Cowboys vs Ravens game. Besides being incredibly cold, it was a lot of fun. And we were kind of used to seeing the Cowboys lose, anyway.

Tag Monster

2009-01-09T11:30:00.002-06:00

I've been a little too ambitious lately. I've found so many things I want to make, many for the sake of saving money, and actually even finished a few. I found this Tag Monster pattern and instructions and couldn't help myself. You can see it here. This one was for a friend and hopefully Maggie's will be done soon. I love how it turned out.

Warning: Grandparents Only!

2008-12-25T23:55:00.001-06:00

...or you may be bored to death...

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Santa

2008-12-23T11:56:00.006-06:00

We did actually see Santa (there wasn't even a line), but no picture since the smallest package was $17! Xander climbed right up on his lap and told him he wanted a Mac for Christmas (from the Cars movie). Then we walked around and did a little shopping and Xander played on the new soft playground. It was nice to just be together, we sure are happy for Scott to have a break from school!

Swagbucks

2008-12-15T16:47:00.002-06:00

Have you heard of swagbucks.com? It is a free search engine powered by Google and Ask.com. Every time you perform a search, you have a chance to win swagbucks. Once you have enough, you can redeem them for gift cards and all kinds of stuff! I have been using swagbucks for a about a week, and I have won 14 swagbucks so far. That is not enough to get anything yet, but I figure I am doing the searches anyways, so I might as well get get something for it!

Click on the banner below to join. (By clicking on the banner, you will help me to earn swagbucks too!)

You can see the store and what you can buy with your swagbucks here.
FAQ's are here.

And...if it asks for a referral code, mine is 264858. Thanks!

Happy Birthday Xander

2008-12-07T10:27:00.004-06:00

We celebrated Xander turning three last night, even though his birthday isn't really until the 20th. I can't believe he is three already! He's such a good kid and is really turning into a sweet big brother. Happy Birthday kiddo and we love you!

p.s. I got a little ambitious making that cape and the cake - that might never happen again!

Proof

2008-12-05T13:37:00.005-06:00

that fall really does exist in Texas!! I couldn't let these gorgeous leaves go to waste, so we conned our friend Eric into helping us take some family pictures last weekend while his wife was out of town. He was such a good sport making Xander laugh and getting the kids' attention. We couldn't have done it without him. Thanks Eric!

...and, just an extra one I took recently while she was in a standing mood

Seriously.

2008-11-19T11:23:00.002-06:00

You've got to be kidding. I swear we just put her in the dang crib a little while ago. This weekend she'll be seven months old, but geez, will ya SLOW DOWN for a minute! = 0

Halloween

2008-11-04T13:49:00.008-06:00

Our pictures from the Trunk-or-Treat at church didn't turn out that great...so I took some later. Xander absolutely loved trick-or-treating but he had to take his costume off after a once-around since it was close to 80 degrees. Here are the pics from that night - Scott dressed up as Bishop Jones (yes, he really shaved his head like that!) and I was going to be a witch but the rest of my costume didn't make it.

Nice excuse

2008-11-03T13:28:00.002-06:00

Ever have someone cancel something for "religious reasons" when they belong to the same religion you do? Thanks.

Score

2008-11-03T11:52:00.004-06:00

I paid $1 for all of this! Thanks to Mardi, I've been "couponing" for the last month or so. It definitely can take some time but who doesn't love getting free stuff? Especially when it's stuff you use. Who knows what I'll do with the "Age Perfect" nonsense.... ;) Thanks Walgreens and Frugal is Fabulous. Here's the breakdown if you're interested:

Schick Quattro on sale $5.99, BOGO free coupon from the Sunday paper, and (2) $3 coupons from the Walgreens Easy Saver Catalog = overage $0.01
Wrigley's gum$1.19, BOGO free from Walgreen's ad, BOGO free from Sunday paper =free
Glade Wisp flameless candle $5.99, $2 rebate, $3 coupon from the paper = $0.99
Zest 3-pack $2
Almay one coat mascara on sale BOGO free, $6.99 rebate, $1 off coupon = overage $1
L'Oreal Age Perfect Pro Calcium Radiance Perfector $19.99, $19.99 rebate, $1 coupon = overage $1

Tagged by Mardi

2008-10-14T13:45:00.002-05:00

8 T.V. Shows I watch

1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Private Practice
3. Prison Break
4. Desperate Housewives
5. How I Met Your Mother
6. House
7. Bones
8.

8 Favorite Restaurants

1. Cafe Rio
2. The Melting Pot
3. Los Lupes (Irving, TX)
4. The Pastry Garden (Hattiesburg, MS)
5. In 'N Out
6. Olive Garden
7. Gandolfos
8. Beto's (or whatever it's called now)

8 Things That Happened Yesterday

1. playgroup at my house
2. piano lessons
3. quiet time while Scott & Xander went to the BYU game :)
4. fixed a hole in Scott's jeans
5. hemmed some curtains
6. made cookies, not very good though
7. dusted, sort of
8. some laundry

8 Things I Look Forward To

1. runnung 20 minutes w/o stopping
2. Christmas
3. financial security
4. organizing some food storage
5. Going couponing every week - it's addicting
6. every one sleeping in
7. hanging out with friends
8. General Conference

8 Things On My Wish List

1. owning a house
2. my treadmill NOT breaking
3. a grand piano and a room to put it in
4. be able to remove my head so I can cut my own hair
5. Go on a mission with my husband
6. good health
7. no more hurricanes
8.

8 People I Am Tagging

1. DaLena Thomas
2. Laura Ryan
3. Julie Mangino
4. Kayla Marie

Creeper

2008-10-12T19:58:00.004-05:00

Dang it. She's been getting around for a little while now, but I was hoping she would forget somehow. Savor the immobility!

I heart Avocado

2008-10-11T15:09:00.003-05:00

Last week I decided Maggie was finally ready for some "real" food (now that she's five and a half months but I swear it happened over night). So I threw some avocados in the blender and gave her some. The first two days she wasn't quite sure about it, but now she scarfs it like a champ!

Maybe she won't be a picky eater?

Bridal Veil Falls

2008-09-13T17:30:00.007-05:00

Mom, Abby, Ethan, and Carly *sorry Carly :o*

Maggie and Xander chompin'

Last night we grabbed some burgers and headed up Provo Canyon to see the falls. (Obviously that is not my photo, it was too dark and mine didn't turn out). It was so beautiful, even Xander appreciated it. He kept saying "Huge mountains!" It was a nice little hike, even though it got in the 50s by the time we left.
I never really appreciated the mountains til I didn't have them anymore and it was wonderful to spend some time there with family.

Ride

2008-08-25T19:11:00.004-05:00

Xander has always LOVED motorcycles. Probably because he remembers when we had our last ones. I'll never forget when Scott sold his and Xander screamed and bawled when the guy rode off with it.
He was so excited for a motorcycle ride with Grandpa, it was almost too much fun for him to handle. He even got to wear a (vintage) helmet. Thanks, Grandpa!

The Eyebrow

2008-08-25T19:07:00.000-05:00

I've always wanted to be able to do this....four months old and Maggie's got it down! Actually, I didn't even realize she was doing it until I was looking through the pictures. Funny girl.

Olympics Fan

2008-08-18T11:28:00.002-05:00

Aren't the Olympics exciting? (Especially when there's really nothing else on tv) So we've been watching them quite a bit. Xander found this somewhere, I think it's Ethan's, and knew exactly what to do with it. He ran around yelling "ta-daaa!"

It's Time

2008-07-28T16:33:00.007-05:00

So, apparently my kids are cursed with the 'old man doo'. This is what Maggie had to start with...
and I tried really really hard not to shave the rat-tail in the back since she's a girl (Xander had his first haircut when he was a week old). But I can't take it any longer because it turned into this...
So tonight for FHE we all helped cut her hair off - well, what little hair she had. Actually it's really thick there at the bottom :p Poor girl.

Petting Zoo

2008-07-25T18:27:00.009-05:00

Here's our version of the petting zoo at Fritz Park. It was very fun, but incredibly HOT! Xander is a big fan of animals. We went last week and he still talks about it.

Pet Peeve

2008-07-22T16:55:00.002-05:00

Um, EXCUSE me, but has anyone ever heard of a little thing called PERSONAL SPACE? If you have, you must be one of the few. And I'm not even talking about when a total stranger feels the need to rub your pregnant belly or poke at your young child. Granted, when you're standing in line for something it is acceptable to be clos-er to people, so that others know you're "in line." However, it is not acceptable to be so close to someone that you are constantly bumping them, looking over their shoulder to see what they are doing, joining in any conversation that may be going on between these other people, or breathing down someone's neck.

Standing in line at the Red Box machines for a movie is best done in the morning when there are less people around. Otherwise, I constantly feel VIOLATED as kids are pushing me over and their parents are looking at the movies on the screen over my shoulder...and so on. Hello! I stood in line for 20 minutes, now let me have my time with the box in peace! Am I nuts or is anyone else bothered by this!?

July 4th

2008-07-22T15:29:00.016-05:00

Well...our computer was broken for a little while, but now that it's fixed I thought I'd post about our Fourth of July. We went to the Lone Star race track with some friends for fireworks and a pony ride. All Xander heard was "horses" and he was ready to go. Because how do you describe fireworks to a two-year-old who's never seen them before? But once we saw them he was hooked! It was a pretty impressive display, no "Stadium of Fire," but definitely the best I've seen in a long time. And since we went on July 3rd to avoid the crowds, we had to go back on the 4th just for the fireworks.

Maggie and her friend Konnor

these two have so much fun with each other

watching the horse race

Xander riding a horse...

and jumping inside a horse

he even went down the giant slide

chasing each other

is it dark yet?

and Xander dancing while we wait for the fireworks!

ShaZAM!

2008-07-11T13:24:00.004-05:00

So, I know most of you probably aren't into digital scrapbooking, but I subscribe to this Photoshop Friday newsletter/tutorial thing. It's AMAZING! This wonderful woman, Jessica Sprague, shares her knowledge about digi scrapping and doing cool stuff to photos. Anyway, today she learnt me how to make the colors in pictures POP. And then I turned it into an action so it's even faster. So now that you want to learnt how to do this stuff too, check her out here. There is an index and you can find all kinds of things you can learnt to do with your pictures. Happy Friday everbody!

2008-07-04T18:25:00.002-05:00

Just trying to get a movie of the little woman laughing. She's done better movies, but I love Xander singing "My Heavenly Father Loves Me" in the background.

Knock on Wood

2008-07-03T16:23:00.004-05:00

Yeah, never mind about the AC being fixed. It might start feeling ok in here about the time I'm ready to go to bed. And don't worry about the "fix-it" guy who brought his nosy nine-year-old son for me to entertain while he worked outside for three hours. I'm so glad that's over. Wait. I probably shouldn't say that...

Heatwave

2008-07-03T09:01:00.004-05:00

Speaking of the heat...@#$%*! Ever wonder how hot your house would get if you didn't have the AC on? Though this was at ten o'clock at night with the fans blasting and it did get down to 80 by morning. I don't want to know how bad it would be during the day. Thank goodness the AC was fixed by nine this morning or I was going to have to be creative about where we would spend the day. Ah, the joy(s?) of renting...we really do have a pretty great landlord. I don't know how he got someone here so fast, but I sure am glad. I just hope this thing doesn't break again anytime soon - I think it's on its last leg!

Grab a Towel

2008-07-01T08:28:00.004-05:00

MSNBC staff and news service reports

updated 11:08 a.m. ET, Thurs., June. 26, 2008

CINCINNATI - Heavy perspirers, take note.

It may be "dry heat" out there, but Phoenix leads a list of America's sweatiest cities, according to an annual ranking from deodorant maker Old Spice.

The desert city's average high temperature was 95.1 degrees in June, July and August 2007, the company said. As a result, the average Phoenix resident pumped out 26.4 ounces of sweat per hour. That's the equivalent of more than two cans of soda. Las Vegas is America's second-drippiest city, followed by Tallahassee, Fla. San Francisco, with an average summer temperature of just 63.5 degrees, is the nation's least sweaty city, coming in at No. 100 on the list. The company says its findings are based on computer simulations of the amount of sweat an average person would have produced walking around in cities during the summer months last year.

So I don't know about you, but I've been feeling a little sweaty lately. More than two cans of soda in an hour!? Gross!! Dallas comes in at a mere #18. Seriously!? A dry 95 degrees is nothing! And now it's July...

You can see how other cities ranked here

2008-06-30T09:54:00.003-05:00

A few weeks a go for Maggie's blessing, Scott's parents and my dad and brother came to visit. We even got to celebrate Scott's 30th birthday while they were here - a pan of rice-krispy treats for Scott and ice cream cake for the rest of us. Uncle Jake spent several hours outside with Xander throwing water balloons and squirting each other with water guns (which is apparently a fast way to make friends with Xander). It was so fun to have them here, we're glad they could all come!

Happy Half-Birthday Xander!

2008-06-21T14:00:00.003-05:00

Poor Xander. He's just been feeling left out - with the baby, and then Scott and I both just had birthdays. And since his is so close to Christmas, we decided to do a little something for him. So I made this yummy rocky road cheesecake that I've been wanting to try. But apparently Xander doesn't like cheesecake, I guess he gets that from Scott. Still, I thought it was pretty great - not too sweet.

4 squares Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, divided

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 tub thawed Cool Whip

3/4 cup marshmallows

1/3 cup chopped peanuts or almonds

1 Oreo Pie Crust (6 oz.)

MICROWAVE 2 of the chocolate squares in small microwaveable bowl maybe 20 seconds; stir until chocolate is completely melted. Set aside and allow to cool.

BEAT cream cheese, sugar and milk in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add melted chocolate; mix well. Gently stir in cool whip, marshmallows and peanuts. Coarsely chop remaining 2 chocolate squares; stir into cream cheese mixture. Spoon into crust.

REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until set. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.

Disney Princess

2008-06-18T21:59:00.001-05:00

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Really!? Pocahantas? hmm...ok. I saw this on Shannon's blog and it's kinda fun!

Wii Fit

2008-06-17T15:06:00.015-05:00

Sorry, Eric and Laura, but these were just too good to keep to ourselves. We've recently discovered how entertaining it is to watch people "hula hoop" on the Wii. Laura is just especially entertaining :) Eric is doing "Dance Dance Revolution" in the picture and if you're interested in seeing Eric really dance, check YouTube for his break-dancing performance at the "Untalent Show."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ5WzhHtpxs

Rangers Game

2008-06-17T13:24:00.004-05:00

So I'm getting behind with this blog stuff and I just found these pictures so I'll back-track a little. Scott loves doing things with Xander, and Xander loves baseball. So during Scott's break last month he took Xander to a Ranger's game and they even got some good seats (you know, good enough to actually see what's going on). They got there early so Xander got to go out on the field and hit some balls. Needless to say, he loved it!

swimin' swimin'

2008-06-09T22:48:00.003-05:00

Xander doesn't just go swimming. He likes to say things twice sometimes and swimming is one of those things. So he goes "swimin' swimin'."

The dress

2008-06-01T21:04:00.003-05:00

They say it's all about the dress. Well, this is the dress I was blessed in way back twenty-eight years ago. It was a gift from my grandma and I'm so glad my mom kept it. It was so fun to dress up my little Maggie in it. And next week she'll be a blessing dress of her own. She's already growing up so fast.

close up

2008-05-31T21:08:00.003-05:00

"Hey guys!"

water play

2008-05-31T20:39:00.005-05:00

"Woah, is the water cold?"

"No way, come on in...ha ha ha!"

family ties

2008-05-20T14:50:00.000-05:00

...speaking of family ties, the older sister from the show "Family Ties" has been on Desperate Housewives lately. Anyway, Xander loves getting dressed for church because he gets to wear a tie like his dad. If only he wanted to pee in the potty like his dad...

First time to church...

2008-05-18T19:42:00.000-05:00

and we made her wear a hat!

How do I look?

2008-05-05T18:50:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Aunt Sherry for the sunglasses and Scott got him a new hat. He thinks he's pretty cool now :)

Birth Announcement

2008-05-02T16:02:00.000-05:00

So here it is. If you're related you might get one on the mail.

1st bath

2008-04-30T17:00:00.000-05:00

This girl hates to be naked but loves having a bath!

little things

2008-04-30T13:06:00.000-05:00

Yea for dandelions and presents from your new little sister!

Labor: the long story

2008-04-26T19:09:00.000-05:00

So...this is how it happened. For those of you that don't know, I was due May 1st. At my appt on Apr 22, I was dilated to a 2 and my Dr and I decided to schedule me for the 28th (and he was confident I was going to make it that far). Anyway, the next night at 3 am I passed a fist-sized blood clot and the Dr said to go ahead and go to the hospital. Many wicked contractions, an IV, and finally an epidural later, the Dr came and broke my water at 7:30 and I was dilated to a 4. Scott had an important final at 9, and again the Dr was confident that the baby wouldn't come til after lunch so Scott left me and went to school. At 8:45 the Dr came to to say he was going to the office and almost didn't check, but I was a 9. So he left to get some breakfast instead and I called Scott to tell him he'd better get back fast (on the Dr's phone b/c mine was already dead). She was facing the wrong way and had the cord wrapped around her neck twice, and we tried to wait for Scott, but she was anxious and came into the world at 9:09 am. Scott ran in a few minutes later after they'd cut the cord and got to hold her since he couldn't take any pictures b/c the battery in the camera was also dead. We got to see the placenta and the Dr said that the blood clot I'd passed was probably from an abruption(?) where the placenta starts to come away from the uterus, and between that and the cord being wrapped around her neck, it was good she came early and all.
That may be too much information for some of you, but I think that's about it.

Poll: Who does she look like?

2008-04-26T17:59:00.000-05:00

When Xander was born, it was obvious he has my nose. When we first saw Maggie we thought she looked just like Scott - but now we're not so sure...

Baby Girl Foote

2008-04-24T20:43:00.000-05:00

Surprise! Our beautiful baby girl was born yesterday at 9:09 am weighing 7 lbs 7 oz and 19 1/2 inches. We're still working on the name... Scott's mom flew in last night to stay with Xander and everybody's doing great! I'll write more later - just wanted to let people know.

neigh-neigh

2008-04-19T10:06:00.000-05:00

Xander has loved horses for a long time (and he makes sure we take a carrot to the horse at church). I keep hoping he will grow out of it or I'm afraid Scott will end up getting him a real one someday.
The people Scott works with at the school library gave him a cute stuffed dog for the baby. But it's no ordinary stuffed animal - when you push on its back it pops! So even though this dog is pink, Xander keeps stealing it out of the baby's bed. Then yesterday he got to go to school with Scott and they had just gotten a new shipment of these stuffed animals in the school store. I swear this boy has eyes like a hawk because he saw the horse before Scott did and grabbed it and hasn't let go since.
Then, when he got home and finished telling me about what he'd been doing with his dad, he took the horse to Scott's table and gave it an adjustment! It was pretty hilarious!

a day at the park

2008-04-12T18:04:00.000-05:00

Scott took off to school to study for the entire day, so we hung out at the park with some friends. It was a little chilly (only about 65 and windy) but we had a great time!

Gardening

2008-04-10T17:22:00.001-05:00

This is me gardening at 8 1/2 months pregnant. Actually, I can't take even take all the credit, Scott helped. I'm so excited to grow some vegetables this year, and the flowers just make me happy - hopefully I don't kill them all.

Pickle Anyone?

2008-04-10T16:23:00.000-05:00

This is Xander's dear friend, Adison. She got to hang out with us while her new baby brother was being born. Nothing like eating a pickle in a hammock.