Sayer Lilya-Photographer :)

Slow and steady wins the race, right?  I don't have access to my Christmas pics right now, but I thought I'd better post some of Sayer's handiwork.  Sayer has been really fascinated with cameras and taking pictures.  Even when we take his pic he wants to immediately see it and critique it.  For Christmas, we decided to buy him his own digital camera.  It's a cute little kid camera with rubber all around it so it won't break if (when) it drops (or gets thrown), which it does (frequently!).

By the end of Christmas Day he'd taken about a million pictures, with a little help from his cousins.  He was so excited that he'd click and run at the same time, so we had to have a few lessons in holding still.  The blurry ones make me smile!  Here's some of my favorite ones:

This was Mom's demonstration on how to properly take a picture:

And this is how well it worked.  Oh well.

Yes, this is Sayer's version of a self-portrait!

More Christmas to come!

Saying Goodbye...For Now!

I have been seriously slacking (as usual) when it comes to this blog.  I will work on getting caught up on Christmas (I know, I know), Sari's birthday, and everything in between, but today I have to express my gratitude for having the privilege of knowing Grandpa Lilya.

A few months ago, we got word that Jake's grandpa had cancer.  About a month ago, the doctors gave him just a few days to live and we were told to say our goodbyes.  We were blessed as a family to have him for another month.  Family has been pouring in from all over the country to see him and be with each other.  It's been sad to see him slowly get worse and worse, but what a blessing for us as his family to have the time to say good bye!  Jake was blessed to have last week off and spent a lot of time at his grandparents' helping on some projects Grandpa wanted done.

This is the first grandparent that Jake has lost, and although I lost my Grandpa McBride, I was only three and don't remember him well.  So, in a way, this was a new experience for both of us.  We've spent a lot of time talking about Grandpa Lilya and the many things that make him so wonderful.  He is such a sweetheart and always had a smile for us, even when he felt so awful that he could barely lift his hand to squeeze ours.  Jake has always looked up to him and will miss him so much!

It has been an experience trying to figure out what to tell Sayer.  He's never dealt with death and I don't think he understands the concept.  We told him that Grandpa was really sick, and that Heavenly Father really needed good missionaries in Heaven, so Grandpa would probably be leaving us soon to be a missionary in Heaven.  Say loves talking about missionaries and is constantly telling us how he'll be a missionary when he grows up.  He responded with, "I want to be a missionary in Heaven!"  Not sure he understood... :) In a way, though, I'm grateful for his innocence.  He didn't really understand what was going on when we visited Grandpa, so while Jake and I were a little hesitant and unsure how to act, Sayer hugged and kissed his great grandpa like he always has.  I could see how much it meant to Grandpa each time Sayer hugged him, and I'm so glad for the sweet spirit of my little boy!

Today, I am grateful more than ever for the knowledge we have of the gospel.  How on Earth do people say goodbye to loved ones without the assurance that they'll see them again someday?  Because even though we're sad and we will miss him so much, we know that someday we'll get to see him again.  I am so grateful for my membership in this church and the comfort it gives us.

 

 Goodbye for now, Grandpa Lilya!  God be with you 'til we meet again!

California

What a busy couple of weeks!  Jake is working in California right now and his last "half" (which is what they call their working cycles) was only five days, so we decided it'd be fun to go with him.  It seemed like the perfect solution: he had to leave Wednesday the 15th, which was the day of my last final of the semester, and he'd be done by that Monday.  He was working in Santa Barbara so we thought it'd be a fun little getaway for us before Christmas and the madness of student teaching.

Boy, was it an adventure!  First of all, fifteen hours in a car with two young kids is the exact opposite of fun.  Thank heavens for Grandma Lilya's portable DVD player!  We got there at about 1:30 in the morning so Jake got about five hours of sleep before he had to be up for work.  The first day was actually pretty fun; we were staying in a little town called Lompoc and the kids and I spent the day exploring the town and drove to the beach (which was about a half hour away).  It was cold and foggy so we didn't swim, but Say got seashells and dug in the sand.

Then it started raining.


And it rained.

And rained.



And when it was done raining,

it rained some more.

If you've been watching the news in the past few weeks, you'll know that California is flooding!  They got more rain than they've seen in a decade-about 18 inches in the span of a week.  Yes, we were there for that!  Being a girl from Idaho, I've seen about five minutes of rain at a time my whole life, so this was completely new to me.  We literally didn't see the sun while we were there.  EVERYTHING was wet and flooded-by the second day the roads in Lompoc were flooding and it just got worse.  The worst part of all was that I was stuck in a tiny hotel room with two kids and no place to go!  We spent a lot of time walking around the few stores in the town, but every time we went in one we got drenched between the car and the building, so we gave that up pretty quickly!

I felt so bad for Sayer.  He was sooo excited for days about going to California.  I tried to make up for it by taking him to McDonald's a few times to play on the toys.  That was about my only indoor option!

 This symbol was on the high chair at McDonald's.  Seriously??? Does it need to be made explicit that using your child in a high chair as a bowling ball is a bad idea?

Such a silly girl!

I had a hard time getting them to sit still long enough to get a good pic!

Notice the parking lot in the background.  If you can't tell, it's got about two inches of standing water.  And it's still raining.

Needless to say, we were all beyond ready to go home!  We thought about stopping in Vegas for a day to play, but decided against it.  For one thing, it was raining there, too, and for another, we just wanted to go home!  It took us a bit longer on the trip home, and since Jake had to work until three the day we left, we stopped for the night in St. George.  We spent about 22 total hours in the car on the way home (LA traffic =YUCK), listened to the same six Phineas and Ferb episodes about thirty times, and about died of boredom-but we made it safe and sound!  Just more reasons to be grateful for Idaho!

Halloween and other stuff

Gosh, it seems like I never post anything anymore!  I'll have to do a couple of months' worth of catch up with this post, once again.  I've just been so busy this semester; actually, it's probably been the busiest semester I've ever had!  I'm getting closer and closer to December and my final weeks on campus.  In January I'll be student teaching and in May I'll graduate!  So really, my time actually going to school is almost done.  I found out this week that I've been placed at Blackfoot High School, which is great since it means NO MORE DRIVING!  I've been making SIX trips a week to Pocatello, which isn't so great on the pocketbook or on my sanity.  I'm to the point now where I get there and don't remember making the drive because I've zoned out the whole way :)

I'm also back to square one with the daycare thing.  I was so apprehensive about taking the kids to the ELC but it turned out to be a great experience.  The staff is wonderful and the kids love going.  So of course, now that we're all comfortable and everything, we have to change!  I'm in the process of finding them a new daycare in Blackfoot (since that's where I'm student teaching), and not looking forward to the change at all.  Don't think I haven't considered driving them to Pocatello every day, because I have!

Despite the downsides, I've had a really great semester.  I'm so lucky to have been able to spend so much time in Marci's classroom (for my part-time student teaching class); she's such a fantastic teacher and friend and a great resource for me! (Only don't tell her I said that or she'll get a fat head, ha ha ha).  She's really let us take control of the classes and I've taught pretty much every day that I've been there.  Even when I've made mistakes or tried things that didn't work out, she's been patient and helpful.  I'll be really sad to say goodbye in a few weeks.

I had to throw in this pic.  One of the first things we did in Marci's classroom was help her set up for the year, and she put Sarah (my partner) and I in charge of some bulletin boards.  It was quite comical and we joked a lot that ISU needed to have a course on decorating classrooms!  After much effort and way too many staples, we came up with this:

 

We're pretty darn proud.  Even though we really just did what she told us :)

Jake is still working away from home.  This time he's in Northern Idaho, and in order to have Thanksgiving off, he had to work two weeks straight.  We're on day six of those fourteen, with eight more to go.  In a couple of days it'll officially be the longest time we've spent apart in the almost seven years since we've met.  It's also the longest he's ever been away from the kids, and it's really starting to get to them, especially Sayer!  But he gets to talk to Dad on the phone a lot and I keep reminding him that when Dad comes home we'll have a whole week with him.

Whew!  I think I'm putting myself to sleep with this post, so onto the good stuff.  Halloween this year was so much fun for us!  Not only did Jake get to be home (which was a surprise, because we thought he was going to have to work), but the kids' daycare went all out for Halloween.  All of the kids dressed up and they went trick-or-treating all over campus, even Sari's class!  It was so much fun and I was sure to get pics.

 

Sayer was a lion for school.  This is actually the same costume he wore last year.  His actual costume for Halloween was a tool man, and we got him an actual tool belt and real tools, along with a hard hat to wear.  But I didn't think he would be able to keep track of all the pieces going around campus, so I had him wear this one instead and he wore his tools for the trunk-or-treat.  Sari was our little rockstar, and I LOVE how her costume turned out!  It was a pain and took me forever to make but I'm glad I did it.

 Here's Sayer posing with two of his teachers, Miss Misty (the doctor) and Miss Sarah (the princess).  He absolutely loves them!

This is Sari with one of her teachers, Miss Callie.  We sure do love her!

 This is just a random shot of Sari.  She's crawling like crazy now and gets into EVERYTHING, of course.  She also pulls herself up and walks along furniture, which is fun :)

Wearing brother's hat!

A few weeks ago, Jeff and Emily (my "godsister") came for a visit and we got to see baby Miley!  She is soooo adorable and has the most gorgeous hair and eyes.  This is the best pic we could get of the two of them.  I like to think Sari is trying to steal some hair for herself.  And by the way, Miley totally looks like Jeff in this picture.  Maybe it's the little scowl she had going on :)

Say and Sari are best buds.  One of Sayer's favorite things to do is take Sari for rides on his "broom broom".

Just a classic pic of Say.  I love his cute little pouty face!

I also forgot to blog about the fair!  This year Nicole (my sister-in-law) invited us to go to the fair with them.  Sayer and AyBree are the best of friends and they had a lot of fun!

Isn't she a doll?

And of course, we had to stop to test drive the John Deeres.  Notice Sayer is wearing his John Deere boots that his dad bought him.  They're about three sizes too big, but he doesn't care.  He wears them everywhere.

 

Catching up and new phases

For some reason I've had a mental block about blogging and picture taking all summer. Part of it is because I don't have a camera (still!) so I'm stuck either using my phone or my mom's camera. Hopefully in the next couple of days I'll have some pics to post; for now, here's an update on us!

We have had a lot of changes this summer, and we're feeling it! It's kind of hard to explain but everything has a different feel. Sayer turned three in July and has officially left the toddler stage. We now have a little boy who comprehends more, remembers EVERYTHING, and has amazing deductive reasoning. He can count to nine (he always forgets ten), tell you the names of his entire family, and is currently mastering his phone number. He can tell you every kind of tool needed to plant a garden, build a house, or fix a car; what's more, he can use most of them if they're not under lock and key! He is a little more obedient and a LITTLE less wild. He absolutely loves tractors and will ride around with his dad or grandpa for hours. He is really funny to listen to; today when I picked him up from school he told me, "Everyone called me SAWYER" and gave me this disgruntled look that was so funny I just laughed, even though people calling him Sawyer is my biggest pet peeve!



He and Sari are amazing together as well. Sayer is so protective of his baby sister and takes care of her constantly, whether it's getting her a blanket or binkie or telling me when she's hungry. Occasionally I'll wake up in the morning to find Sayer in the crib with his sister, tucking her in or just making her laugh! He has really taken on the big brother role and I'm so glad he is our oldest. Sari loves him and lights up whenever he's around.

Sari is now seven months old and has left that newborn phase. She smiles constantly, just like her brother, and has a really sweet disposition. She is now sitting up and putting everything in her reach right into her mouth so we have to watch what we leave lying around! She does get impatient sometimes and has the funniest little scream. Still no hair to speak of-good thing she doesn't mind the bows, because there's nothing worse than your baby girl being mistaken for a boy :)



I have officially begun my final year at ISU!!! This school year has a different feel, mainly because this semester will be my last one on campus before I student teach. I feel like I've entered a new phase too, because I'm actually in the classroom this year and putting my skills to use. I have a pretty intense class load, including spending every morning in a classroom at Franklin Middle School. I was really apprehensive about this because of the time involved but I have a hard time leaving every day. I am working with seventh grade literature students and have been paired with Mrs. Marci Bartu, who is an awesome cooperating teacher! I'll be sad to leave her class in December.

The start of the school year also meant taking my kids to strangers for the first time. I refuse to use the word "day care" because I have an issue with it, so we call it "school". Sayer absolutely loves school and most days he cries when we have to leave! His teachers are Miss Misty and Mr. Bryce, and he tells me all the time they're his "best friends" :) I really wasn't worried about leaving him because I'm so used to nursery, but Sari is a different story. Luckily, she has great teachers, Miss Tabitha and Miss Callie, who are great with babies and love to play with Sari. My schedule allows me to go in and nurse her at lunch, so that makes it a little easier to leave her every day.

We haven't seen much of Dad around this summer! Jake has been lucky (or unlucky) enough to be in Wyoming all summer for work. It's great money on the positive side, but it means he's only home on weekends so that's a lot to take! But we appreciate him so much for being willing to be away from home so much.

I think that's all! Stay tuned for some pics (I hope).

My little cuties

This weekend my family did family pictures. Since everyone was in their nice clothes, Kandice decided to take a few individual shots for my mom's "grandkids" wall. I think they turned out pretty great :) Can't wait to see the family shots from our photographer!


Here's a few shots of the three boys: Aedan, Dewey, and Sayer. These three were born within a couple of months of each other and always have fun together. They had fun playing with the wagon Sayer got for his birthday.




Say and Sari. He really wanted to hold Sari for the pic!



LOVE Sari's ears in this pic. She has the most adorable Dumbo ears! I blame her Grandpa Lilya :)


My handsome three-year-old...post-ice cream.


My plan was to feed Sari right before pictures so she'd be nice and happy. With all the excitement in getting ready and talking with the fam, I totally forgot. Mother of the year, right here! She tried so hard to be brave...


Uh oh....


Here it comes....


SO sad...


And finally, one smile! It was worth it!

Here you go, Kandice...

So I'm being bullied by my big sister because I've been slacking on this blog; I guess that means it's time for an update on our lives! I really don't have an excuse for not blogging; laziness, I guess :)

Sari is now almost five months old! I can't hardly believe it. She is such a sweet baby and always so happy. I love this age because she is so interactive, but can't crawl or walk yet so she's not into everything! She was a little fussy for a few months because of reflux, but she's responded really well to the medication. It's amazing to me to see, even at this age, the personality differences between my two kids. Sari is definitely a girl and has a major attitude, especially when she's being ignored. If she cries, she's either hungry or bored, and both are pretty easy fixes! So we've been lucky this time around. She has this funny little scream that's not really an unhappy noise; usually it's what we get when we aren't paying enough attention to her. She still doesn't have much hair, but what she does have is curly and looks like it might be red! Her eyes are still iffy-today they look brown but they've been getting lighter over the last few days so who knows.



LOVE that smile!


I hope she never gets tired of the bows and flowers!



At her four-month checkup, she was 13 lbs. 8 oz, and 24 inches long. We were a little sad because it was her last appointment with our pediatrician, Dr. Parsons, who is retiring next week :( We absolutely love her and are sad to see her go!

Sari is also not the "baby" anymore! Jake's sister Mindy and her husband, Daniel, had a baby girl, Halee Enid, the first week of May. Sean and Diana (my brother and sis-in-law) welcomed Hank D the second week of May, and Kandice and Brett had Brianna Shea on June 16! They are all adorable and I'm sure they will be the best of friends for Sari. My mom and I got to watch Kylee and Aedan while Kandice was in the hospital, and Diana brought Hallie, Dewey, and Hank over to play as well. We went to Arby's for lunch where my brother Boyd is the manager. It was so fun! The little kids all LOVE Uncle Boyd and went running as soon as they saw him. It was cute to see how his face lit up because he kinda likes them, too :)



Sayer will be three in a couple of weeks. Oh boy, does this make me feel old! He has changed a lot in the past few months and we are really starting to feel the change from having a toddler to having a little boy. I can't believe how quickly he picks things up! His vocabulary is excellent but he still has some really funny phrases and words. For instance:

• "woovies" (movies)
• "axanent" (accident)
• "nas wight" (last night)
• "tomaryo" (tomorrow)
• "shubbo" (shovel)
  
• "Mom, whatchu DOin?"
• "I'm sad right now"
• "No, don't well at me, I'm nice Sayer!" (well=yell)

There are tons more but it'd take me a year to write them all down :) He and Sari are the best of friends. I was worried before she was born that we'd see a lot of acting out and jealousy from him, but he has loved her from day one and is very protective of her! It's pretty cute to see her face light up when he talks to her. This pic is kind of old; it's from Sari's very first day at church. She was about a month old.



This is another pic of Sari's blessing day. I forgot to post this before; it's funny because when I was putting her dress on I realized how small it was. If we'd waited another week, it might not have fit! No wonder she looked like this all day:



Sayer has also finally learned to pedal his bike. He got a really nice bike for his birthday last year, but couldn't quite master the pedaling part. So we'd have to push him around forever and it got really old. Then one day a few months ago, I realized he was actually pedaling on his own!



He also loves riding with Grandma and Liberty:



Now just to get back at Kandice, I have to post these:





Our good friend Callie came down for Memorial Weekend. She is hilarious! We've lived next door to the Tew's my whole life and they're great friends for all of us. Callie recently graduated from cosmetology school and was nice enough to come give Kandice and me new 'dos. Kandice's was wayyyy shorter; Aedan wasn't too sure how he felt about that :)



I didn't get any after pics, but we both looked fabulouso! Thanks tons to Callie for making us look so great!

Other than that, we are just trying to enjoy our summer! I'm a little nervous for fall semester because since I will be going five days a week this year, I have decided to put my kids in daycare instead of having family watch them. I haven't done it yet because I have a slight phobia of strangers watching my kids and daycare really scares me; any suggestions as to how to get over this would be greatly appreciated! ;) I was lucky enough to get them into the Early Learning Center on campus, which is really great and makes me a little less nervous. I am very excited that this will be my final year at ISU and I will be student teaching in the spring!