We know how to party!

After (once again) enduring the long drive,  we spent our first week in Utah trying to recover from the drive and get our playing in before Colby started at the clinic.  We had a couple of fun lunches with Grandma and Grandpa Stewart, took the boys to see a movie and had a game night with the Frost family.  The week ended with a surprise party for Colby's 30th birthday.  Colby spent the day going to a movie, going out to lunch and playing video games with his brother Dan.  He returned to his parent's house to find family, friends and FOOD waiting for him. Thanks to Ron and Susan for letting us use their beautiful backyard for the festivities.  (I haven't been great at taking pictures the last couple of weeks, so these are a sad representation of all the fun we have been trying to pack in!)

Although I ordered the cake from the local bakery, I can take credit for the clever caption.

There were plenty of kids at the party, but we didn't see much of them.  They spent most of the evening playing on the inflatables in the backyard. (I hate to admit it, but I don't think my boys even ate dinner!)

There were also lots of friends at the party.  It was great to see these four back together again! 

Me and my friends, Kami and Lisa.

The past couple of weeks, we have also been able to attend a couple of major family events.  First, Colby's youngest sister Chelsey graduated from High School. (sadly I don't have any pictures because I was wrestling a tired baby all afternoon- but I was really glad that I could be there.)  We were also able to meet our niece Hazel for the first time.  Hazel is the CUTEST little baby and we were so excited to finally get to hold her.  This morning we were also able to go to her baby blessing.  Taylor gave a beautiful blessing and Crystal made some GREAT food- we were so glad we were able to make it.

Abbi has been especially interested in Hazel and is always trying to eat her hair bows.  We have tried a couple of photo shoots with these two cute little girls and I haven't gotten a GREAT picture, but this one is pretty good.  (Hazel makes Abbi look like a giant!)

So far, Colby's schedule at the hospital has been pretty busy-  but I'm sure we will have plenty more fun things to post about before the Summer is over.

Schools Out for Summer!

All three of my boys are finishing up the school year this week.  Because it is the end of the year, the last couple of weeks have been filled with all kinds of festivities.  Here is a run down of what we have been doing to celebrate the end of preschool, kindergarten and the third year of medical school.

Kindergarten

Ammon got to participate in the kindergarten music concert.  The theme for the concert was, "Sing Me A Story."  We happened to have a Harry Potter costume hanging around that was perfect for the concert! Ammon had a minor wardrobe malfunction (as you can see in the video below) and spent a lot of time messing with his scarf.  Despite the clothing issues, Ammon did an excellent job and we were very proud of him.

We also got to attend, "Fine Arts Night"  at Ammon's school.  We were able to see some of the projects that Ammon has made in Art class this year.  He even made his own clay pot!  Here he is posing in front of some of the art work (looking a little shabby, I know, we had to go straight to Tae Kwon Do so he's sporting the gym clothes).

Our little artists very own rendition of Starry Night.

Ammon also got to participate in  field day and go on a field trip to the Des Moines Art center. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of these fun events.

Preschool

I was able to go on a field trip with Carter to the Saylorville Lake visitor center.  We went on a hike and learned about different plants and animals.  Here is Cart with his cute little preschool class by a replica of an Eagle's nest (I'm not really sure what Carter is doing here, sadly this is the best picture I got of the fieldtrip.)

Carter's school also had a fun icecream party and program. Carter did a wonderful job singing and even got to introduce one of the songs (see the video clip below). He is really going to miss his preschool teachers!

End of Third Year

Since we have lived in Des Moines, it seems like our time spent here has been measured in school years rather than calendar years.  We are pleased to be able to say that Colby is officially done with his 3rd year of school. This is a big one because it means that he will graduate NEXT YEAR!  Although I am excited for this milestone, I'm not really looking forward to him starting his fourth year NEXT WEEK!

Last week my friend Sara had a "Favorite Things Party."  In true Oprah fashion, everyone brought 3 of their favorite things to share (3 of the same item) and went home with 3 different "favorite things."  It was super fun and a great way to end the year!

Maryann, Auprielle and I show off our "winnings."

Sara and I pose for a picture.

Although starting the fourth year of school is exciting, it definitely has it's downsides too.  Colby and his buddies will be traveling a lot next year and some of them won't be back in Des Moines until graduation (and I know Bryce is going to come to graduation, right Bryce?) We had a little celebration with some friends to congratulate the boys on making it this far, and to wish them luck next year. Ben, Jason, Colby, Phil and Bryce showing off their super cool T-shirts.

Yes, I know it's cheesy, but Megan and I couldn't resist having these matching T-shirts made for them.

The wives (we missed Aunna, who had already taken off for Memphis).

The Family

The kids.  (I just realized that my captions are getting progressively shorter and less creative, I guess I didn't have the stamina for this super long post tonight- humor me!)

I also couldn't resist ordering this cheesy cake.  Ever since I first saw these custom cakes (with edible pictures!) I have wanted to order one.  I thought this was the perfect occasion.  Turns out I have TONS of leftovers (and it's definitely not on our "healthy food" diet) so any of you Iowans who would like some cake are welcome to come on over (especially you, Fluhmans, who snuck out of Fudruckers without the two huge pieces of cake I was trying to send with you!)

I think the cake says it all,  

We are going to need it!

Muscle Man

Yesterday, I was able to go to field day with Ammon.  After  his team won the tug-o-war, Ammon turned to me and said, 

"hey Mom, do you know why my team won?

(lifting up his shirt and flexing his muscles)

Because of THESE."

For Grandma and Grandpa

Grandma and Grandpa Stewart recently requested a few videos,  these might be boring for those of you who aren't grandparents of my kids (I personally think they're adorable.)  This first one is of Abbi trying with all her might to crawl (but not actually crawling).

This video is of Abbi eating solid foods (or more accurately NOT eating solid foods)

I had to throw this one in because it's so darn cute and Carter hasn't gotten much play on the blog lately. Hope you enjoy G & G.

I can't resist!

I know it's cheesy, but I just can't resist posting pictures of this cute little face with these captions:

All I want for Christmas is....

My two front teeth!

Signs of Spring

I first noticed that Spring had come to Johnston, Iowa when Van Dee's ice cream shop opened for the season.  Every Winter I look forward to seeing Van Dee's "open" sign light up and seeing  uniform clad kids lining up for their cones.

Soon we were headed to the park in shorts, 

and we traded in our footsie jammies for some lighter, Springy ones.

We broke out our sunglasses, 

and started taking Sunday afternoon walks.

I even hit the local Hyvee sale for some fresh berries, and made some strawberry jam.

If all of this wasn't evidence enough, the arrival of the dandelions in the lot by our house confirmed it, 

I think it's safe to say that Spring is finally here!

Six Months!

I can hardly believe that our little Abigail is six months old today!  We have had so much fun with Abbi the past six months, she is a little firecracker and we are so happy that she is part of our family.

Name:  Abigail Claire Frost

Also known as:  Abbi, Sis, Squirt, Little Momma, Little Princess

Hobbies:  Drooling, Spitting up, Wrinkling up her big brother's school work, chewing on EVERYTHING, and wriggling around on the floor (it is amazing how much ground I can cover and how FAST I can move considering that I can't crawl yet)

I have learned a lot of new tricks the past six months.  I can now sit up, roll over and over and over, hold my own toys, grab at anything that is within my reach, laugh, smile and SLEEP THROGH THE NIGHT!! 

One thing I have NO interest in is eating solid food.  Mom has tried to feed me rice cereal, sweet potatoes and applesauce.  I spit most of it out and after the first couple of bites I just refuse to open my mouth. (I just don't want it,  you'd think she'd get the hint).

We love you sis! Happy half birthday!

Teeth Problems

The last couple of weeks, we have been having teeth problems at our house.  First,  Ammon's top tooth has been loose, so loose that it started hanging crooked in his mouth.  Even though it was causing him pain, he refused to let us pull it out.

Finally, after many nights of wiggling the tooth,  Colby got it to "fall out."

Abigail has also been having teeth problems.  I have suspected that Abbi was teething for over a month, but this past week our happy little baby just wasn't herself.  My suspicions were confirmed when I caught her gnawing on the corner of our entertainment center.  Since then, she has been chewing on anything she can get her mouth on...

And drooling on everything else.

The day after Ammon's tooth finally came out,  Abbi's first tooth finally came in.  Now we have two, much happier, kids at our house.

On a side note:  Because Ammon doesn't believe in the tooth fairy he has been leaving his baby teeth under his pillow for the "tooth daddy" to come and leave him a dollar.  We decided that maybe the tooth daddy came and got his tooth and gave it to his little sister.

Happy Easter!

We had a great weekend filled with all the usual Easter fun.  Although Colby thinks it's nerdy, I still insist on dressing the kids up in matching clothes for Easter and Christmas.  It was worth the fight, because they looked as cute as can be. 

We had a visit from the Easter bunny (who, for some reason Ammon believes in even though he knew right off the bat that the tooth fairy was bogus).

True to her Frost genes, the first thing Abbi tried to do when we showed her her Easter basket was eat the peeps.

Then, (with Mom's help) she modeled her sunhat for us.

Sunday evening we got together with some friends for dinner, banana splits and an Easter egg hunt.

The kids loved all the SUGAR!!

I was so excited for Abbi's first Easter (and first little Easter dress).  She looked so cute I couldn't stop taking pictures of her.  (The boys also looked cute, but they weren't in little dresses).   I won't bore you with ALL the pictures I took of her first Easter, but here are some of my favorites.

Abbi loves to be on her tummy so she can see what's going on.

I know she really doesn't need shoes yet (and normally she is barefoot or just in socks), but I couldn't resist these cute little Spring shoes. 

Isn't this about the sweetest thing ever?  Abbi loves her daddy,  she rolled halfway across the room so she could lay by him.

The "I dream of genie" hair-do. I always wondered why so many moms did this style, but now I know-  the top of Abbi's head is where the longest and the most hair is.  A lot of the rest of her hair has been rubbed off!  We hope all of you had a great Easter too!

Shmack to Sleep

Abbi has recently become a pro at rolling over.  She will roll clear across the room sometimes. Since she has been rolling, she has started rolling onto her stomach to sleep at night.  At first this concerned me (you know the whole "back to sleep" thing) but now, she has started sleeping better at night  (whether it is related to sleeping on her tummy or just a big coincidence is unknown).  In fact, last night was the sixth night in a row that she has slept through the night.  I feel like a new woman! I'm not kidding, I forgot how nice it is to sleep for 8 hours straight (I don't sleep well when I'm pregnant either, so it's been a while). I feel like I have boundless energy.  This morning I was up, had the boys fed and dressed, got Ammon on the bus, put dinner in the crock pot and folded a load of laundry before Abbi woke up at 8:45.  So I must say, "back to sleep shmack to sleep."  I could definitely get used to this.

This is also a great shot of Abbi's bald spot (it's actually much bigger than a "spot," but what do you do?)  There is a possibility that Abbi's wonderful new sleeping habits are due to the fact that she has actually started to swallow some of that rice cereal we've been trying to feed her. I have had LOTS of helpers with the rice cereal.  I love that Ammon is getting old enough that I can put him to work!

*just a side note: We do feed Ammon, and he actually eats a lot but that hasn't helped with the malnurished  look he has going on here.

30 is the new 20, right??

It is with great apprehension that I write this post, commemorating the celebration? of three decades of my life.  That's right, the big 3-0.  I am surprised at how much I have been dreading today.  Prior to this one, I have never thought much about my birthdays, or getting old. But I have to admit that today I feel like I am entering middle age (don't laugh, I know I'm not that old yet- but I really do feel like I'm not young anymore.)  As I shared my feelings about "thirty" with my friends the past couple of weeks I got various responses and encouragement.  Here are some of my favorites:

"You're healthy, you look good, you smell good, you're sexy, why does it matter if you're twenty-nine or it you're thirty? I'm the one who should be crying, I'm almost thirty and I'm still in school."    Colby

"Yeah, but think of all the amazing things you've done in your life.  You have three beautiful children, you're healthy, your husband has a good future" Amelia

"Women in their thirties are great,  they have the wisdom of life experiences..." Aunna

"I'm a little apprehensive about turning 30 too." Jessica

"Well, Meg's older than you." Amanda

Thank you everyone for the pep talks and encouragement.  As this day was approaching (due partially to the fact that my birthday falls on General Conference this year),  I kept recalling the talk given by Thomas S. Monson in November conference about change,

"Day by day, minute by minute, second by second we went from where we were to where we are now. The lives of all of us, of course, go through similar alterations and changes. The difference between the changes in my life and the changes in yours is only in the details. Time never stands still; it must steadily march on, and with the marching come the changes."

The last couple of weeks, I have been reflecting on the changes that have taken place in my life and thinking about the experiences I have had and all that I have been blessed with.  I have come up with a list of 30 of the highlights of the past 30 years.  Here they are, in no particular order.

1. Falling in love with Colby

2. Marrying my best friend

3. The day I found out I was going to be a mom.

4. Winning a blue ribbon at the Science fair in Kindergarten (I can't even remember what my project was, but I do remember that we had to use the lid to the popcorn popper)

5.Going to see The Little Mermaid with my family at the movie theatre and sneaking soda cans in the sleeves of our sweaters.

6. All the Summers we spent playing Ghost in the Graveyard and jumping on the trampoline at the "old house" in Layton.

7.The day we could "finally" bring Carter home from the hospital.

8. The births of each of my children

9.Having a daughter.

10. July 5, 1994. My first kiss.

11. Graduating from college

12. Running the Des Moines marathon with one of my best friends, Celeste.

13. The day Colby graduated with his Bachelor's degree

14. The Stewart family vacation to Catalina Island

15. Winning 1st place in a writing contest in 3rd grade and getting to ride on a float in the 4th of July parade.

16. Our Carribean cruise with the Frost family after Colby's graduation.

17. Against all odds, making cheerleader in Junior High.

18.The six months I spent living in Russia, teaching English in a kindergarten.

19.The small miracle that was selling our first house, by owner, two days after I put a "for sale" sign in the front yard. This just confirmed what I already knew, we were supposed to move to Des Moines.

20.The trip to New York that I took with my girlfriends in college. This was also the first time I bought my own plane ticket anywhere.

21. Touring Europe with my parents.

22. Any of the road trips I took with my friends...  from shopping in Vegas to getting terribly sunburned in CA.  Oh, and I can't forget Spring break in St.George.

23. Sundays on Grandpa Stewart's farm, especially if the "California cousins" were in town.  Playing in the attic or the barn and putting on marvelous productions.

24. Singing in the choir in High school, and our choir trip to Nashville

25. Getting all dressed up to go to a UPhA Mother/Daughter luncheon with my mom at Christmas time.

26. Being on the High school drill team

27. Spending 18 hours in the car with my dad last Summer as he helped me, pregnant, with 2 kids, make the treck from Iowa to Utah.

28. Any day spent skiing.  With Colby, with my dad, with all the Frost boys-  all good times.

29. Catching a pop fly in my softball game in 4th grade.  Possibly the only time I touched the ball during a game in the 3 years that I played softball.

30. Renting a moped on our honeymoon and crusing all over Venezuela.

31. Winning at the state tumbling meet in 1994

32. Being a part of the world's best book club

33. Playing Memory or Go Fish with my boys

34. Flying to San Diego for the weekend of our fourth anniversary and celebrating (kid free!) at Seaworld

35. My Senior trip. "Accidentally" missing our flight and convincing our chaperones to rent a van and drive to Disneyland for the day.

36. The countless evenings when at 8:00 the kids are in bed, it is finally quiet and I can sit down and hang out with Colby.

I realize that I actually listed 36 items, but I just couldn't narrow it down.  Although I'm not pumped about turning 30, as my father-in-law told me, "it's better than the alternative."  There have been so many wonderful things about the last 30 years I can only hope that my next 30 will be as good.