tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4670839266001398052024-03-13T21:55:03.095-07:00The Galilee ExperienceAdam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-87313209779693008442015-09-16T19:07:00.002-07:002015-09-16T19:17:52.420-07:00 Summer synopsis and baby updateAs I look at the emptiness of this blog over the last 5 1/2 months, I've come to realize two things.<br />
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Firstly, new technology (aka. Instagram) has a way of changing the way we record events in our lives drastically, and sometimes it's not for the better. As much as I love posting pictures for friends and family to see each day, it is NOT the same as writing on a blog or in a journal. Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but they still don't capture the more intimate details of the every day grind. </div>
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Secondly, I've realized that Wesley is most definitely a second child, and therefore has not gotten the same treatment of constant monthly updates that Max had as an only child. I have mommy guilt of epic proportions, but alas, having two kids at very different stages of life keeps me busy. Such is life.</div>
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Anyways, here are the highlights of our summer</div>
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<li>We've pretty much gone swimming 2-3 times a week all summer. Got a babysitter for Wesley on some of those days, just so I could give Max more one on one attention.</li>
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<li>We celebrated Max's 3rd birthday! We kept it pretty low key again this year since I refuse to throw my kids birthday parties until they are 4 and will actually remember them. I can't believe he's already 3! We love him so much, I am so thankful he joined our family.</li>
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<li>Max took his very first swim class in July. They mostly just played games and worked on blowing bubbles and kicking their legs in the water, but I'm glad he had fun and adapted well.</li>
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<li>Spend the 4th of July with the Halls and Cramers. We went hiking, swimming, ate delicious bbq, and watched fireworks from our bedroom window. A perfect way to celebrate our country!</li>
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<li>We went to our usual Rockies games. Such a fun tradition, and it's fun to see Max learn to love baseball too. </li>
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<li>Adam left for two weeks to England for work, so I got to experiment being a single parent this summer...it was harder than I thought! Single parents and military spouses are beyond amazing for what they do. </li>
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<li>While Adam was gone, I flew with the boys alone to WA to be with my dad and Tanya. They live in the most beautiful area and we had such a great time! Adam flew to Seattle after his business trip, and he and I had the three most lovely days as just the two of us. We stayed in Seattle for a night and walked around the city and ate the most delicious (and expensive!) food. We also stayed two nights in the mountains of northern WA at a cute bed and breakfast. During the day we took ferries to the San Juan Islands, took a 45 min flight over the islands, and did some hiking in the freezing cold Cascades. We are SO grateful to Tanya for taking the boys so we could have these few days alone. We really lucked out with her, she is awesome! </li>
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<li>In August Max started preschool! He is now going 4 days a week in the afternoons and loves it! So does mommy, especially since I can sneak in a nap nowadays while Wes naps. Win win situation. </li>
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More pics of our Seattle trip to come!</div>
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It's been a fabulous yet busy summer, and I can hardly believe how fast it has gone! Since Wes is nearly 8 months now, I should probably write an update of him...<br />
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<li>Since he was about 2 months, Wes has not been a good eater due to reflux. Luckily he is slowly gaining weight, but we are so ready to give up the bottle. Too bad he needs to drink formula for another 4 months! </li>
<li>He loves solids, especially anything he can feed himself like soft fruits, teething crackers, etc. Oh, and he LOVES yogurt. </li>
<li>Still waking up 1-2 times to feed every night, but usually goes right back to sleep and then sleeps in and takes long naps during the day. I really can't complain too much.</li>
<li>Sits unassisted very well, and launches forward to get toys. Starting to scoot on his tummy some, but not quite ready to crawl yet. </li>
<li>Has had amazing fine motor skills since he was like, 2 months. Loves to play with toys, and especially Max's cars. It drives Max crazy though, which is kind of hilarious!</li>
<li>He gets fussy if he's tired or his reflux is bothering him, but overall he is such a happy baby. We are all crazy about him.</li>
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Here are a few pics to show how much he's change over nearly 8 months...<br />
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Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-909067637494977712015-03-04T13:00:00.000-08:002015-09-16T19:15:25.830-07:00Wesley's birth story, Part II Since Wesley was going to be a late preemie, we talked with the doctor and decided to try for a vbac. After a couple of hours of pushing and closely monitoring the baby, we finally decided to go in for the c section. I would have LOVED to deliver him naturally, but I guess my body's just not right for child birth. Adam and his mom both got to come in for the surgery, and after all the labor, pushing, and intense pressure I felt during the c section, it was such a relief to hear my baby's strong healthy cry. I couldn't believe he was here, and so early too! Luckily, Wesley was healthy enough not to need to stay in the NICU, and I got to finally hold and cuddle my sweet little boy.<br />
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A few hours after the surgery, we were informed that there had been a complication, and essentially my bladder was leaking and I was going to have to go in for surgery right away. There were lots of tears on my part, especially after being told my uterus might be taken out during the surgery (fortunately, I got to keep it!) I felt so angry and cheated...I was SUPPOSED to have had a planned c section, and I was SUPPOSED to have this time to recover, sleep and snuggle my newborn. How could this have happened?! </div>
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After a blessing from Adam and one of the OB docs, they wheeled me into the OR. Thankfully the surgery was overall a success, but the recovery was rough. First off, my urologist informed me I would have to wear a catheter and stent for three weeks...I was ticked! And secondly, around day three at the hospital, I threw up the entire day, couldn't even keep my medication down, and ended up with a blood transfusion. Just my luck. </div>
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Finally on Saturday I was able to go home, and thankfully got to bring baby home too. The next couple weeks were difficult for me. Maybe it's my low pain tolerance, but I was just so sore, exhausted, and embarrassed lugging the catheter around. I hated that Adam had to help me change out my catheter, I hated that I could barely take care of myself, let alone a newborn. I don't think I've been more humbled in my life than in those first couple weeks...if there was one thing I took away from this experience, it was <i>acceptance</i>. I had to learn to accept and find peace with the fact that I really needed Adam's help taking care of me, that I couldn't do everything on my own. I had to accept that the baby came early even though I was enjoying my pregnancy and hadn't prepared freezer meals, bought diapers, or finished decorating the nursery. I had to accept the catheter, rather, embrace it, for three long weeks. In the end, it wasn't my fault or anyone else's that I delivered so early and had so many complications with the cesarean. It is just the way things happened, and Heavenly Father had a plan for me and my baby. It wasn't easy, and I'm not even sure we'll be able to have more children after this experience, but I eventually found peace with everything. Sometimes things aren't going to go the way we want, and there may or may not be a purpose in our trials, but learning to accept the situation is essential for having the strength and faith to overcome them.<br />
I am fortunately now catheter free, and enjoying life at home with both boys. Wesley has so far been a sweet baby who sleeps most of the time and loves to cuddle. Max has been pretty patient with me, and is generally good at entertaining himself. He has been extremely sweet with Wes and loves to hold him occasionally and give him lots of kisses. Sure, there is the sleep deprivation, some soreness from my surgeries, and the daily frustrations I run into with having a two year old, but I finally see the silver lining. :) And I feel so blessed...<br />
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Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-33988637209743891172015-02-15T10:14:00.002-08:002015-02-15T10:14:33.603-08:00Wesley's birth story Part ISince baby is sleeping and Max and Daddy are at the park, I thought I would take the opportunity to write this all down, before I forget details. And, to forewarn you, this is going to be lengthy and TMI.<br />
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Wesley Adam Hall was born January 27th at around 10:20 in the morning. 5 weeks early, yet still a whopping 5 pounds 13 oz. </div>
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I had originally set the date for a planned c section on Feb 23rd. I was excited to have everything scheduled out, and was planning on putting on some make up and looking cute for the big day. However, the Lord clearly had another plan for me and this little guy. On Sunday, Jan. 25th, I remember sitting in relief society and turning to my fellow pregnant friend, Candice, to ask if she ever got super painful contractions this early. She said "yes" but that it was probably just braxton hicks contractions. I felt reassured, and continued to ignore the painful but very sporadic contractions. All through Sunday and Monday, I continued to have contractions anywhere between every 15 min to an hour. Instead of resting and taking it easy, I got a sudden burst of energy, and did a ton of cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning out our car and our pantry cabinets. Coincidence, or maybe a sign? </div>
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On Monday night we went to bed around 9, and every 20 minutes I woke up with short but painful contractions. I tried to sleep through some of them, but finally went downstairs at 1 am to eat a snack and grab numbers and info from Obstetrix, as well as maps of the hospital....just in case. I still wasn't convinced I was in labor though, and went back to bed until 5. At that point I kept waking up moaning through each contraction, so I finally bounded out of bed to take a hot bath. You know, because hot baths can TOTALLY stop labor...evidently I was in major denial. Luckily Adam had the sense to call Marilyn, and she convinced us to go to the hospital. I showered, woke up Max, and left for Pres St. Luke's Hospital without my bags, thinking they would just end up sending me home and I would be miserable for the rest of my pregnancy with these painful braxton hicks. </div>
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In the car, the contractions started coming every 4-5 minutes, and I pretty much yelled the whole way to the hospital. Max thought it was hilarious I was yelling, and decided to take part in the fun. Once we got there, I told Adam NOT to get a wheelchair and take me to the ER because it would take too long, so we made a dash for the 3rd floor where the nurses were waiting for us. </div>
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Marilyn and Dennis came in to get Max and pretty much got to see the crazy, super dramatic side of their daughter in law. Let's face it, I have a super low threshold for pain. The nurses checked me...I was fully dilated! Finally, after what seemed like forever, they put in the epidural. I remember being so angry it was taking so long to work, but gradually the pain faded,and I suddenly felt so much awe and respect for women who go completely natural!<br />
More to come soon...</div>
Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-6328941478105142882014-11-25T12:23:00.001-08:002014-11-25T12:23:48.067-08:00October funOctober was a fairly warm month for Colorado this year, so Max and I took advantage of the great outdoors and went to the park a lot and visited a few farms.<br />
We went to our traditional "Flat Acres Farm" for some good old fashioned pumpkin picking, tractor riding, and corn-mazing (is that a word?).<br />
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Another day, toward the end of October, a friend and I met up at a farm out in Parker that was holding its annual pumpkin festival. Max had a blast with all the animals and activities they provided. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Max and his cute little girlfriend, Roxy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spiderman "bawoon"</td></tr>
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We lucked out in October with so much family visiting! I wish I had taken more pictures, but here are a couple of Max and Kylie playing in the leaves. These were taken at GG's house, shortly after visiting Great Grandpa Hall's grave site. Such cute cousins, we loved having them in town! </div>
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Adam was partly in charge with the Young Men for our ward Halloween party, so he and I decided to go all out this year with costumes. We dressed up as Hook, Wendy, and Peter Pan. Had a blast at the party, and Max loved trunk or treating for the first time!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sexy Captain Hook </td></tr>
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For Halloween Day, I tried to be a fun mom and made ghost pancakes. That evening we got our traditional Chinese food, attended our neighborhood's pathetic little Halloween party (lol), and took Max trick or treating. I think overall Max had more fun answering the door and handing out candy than anything else. </div>
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And last but not least...I forgot to announce on here that we confirmed in October that we are having a baby boy! He is due the end of February and we couldn't be more thrilled!</div>
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Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-67711134655578930112014-11-18T18:55:00.001-08:002014-11-18T18:55:29.493-08:005 year anniversary in New York<div style="text-align: center;">
Many thanks to Adam's parents, we were able to leave Max for a long weekend getaway to New York City in September. For some reason, neither of us have ever made it to the big apple, except for layovers to other destinations. So, to celebrate the big 5 years, we decided to tackle our bucket list and fit as much in as we could of New York in three days. It was a crazy venture, but it sure was nice to have some much needed time as a couple. </div>
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We mainly hit up all the typical tourist sites. Not usually my travel style, but our time was too short to really do anything else. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Received a wonderful, heart warming welcome from the people of New York at Times Square.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brooklyn Bridge</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">City hall???</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the last night, we found a fun, authentic Brazilian restaurant right down the street from our hotel in Queens. It was both delicious and entertaining, as they had these old guys playing and singing a bunch of Brazilian songs. Adam was in heaven.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />Best sweet and sour chicken ever at a delicious, authentic Chinese restaurant in China town. Yes, the food warranted its own picture. </td></tr>
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Being 18 weeks pregnant, I insisted we eat a lot of delicious food and spend our money trying new restaurants. We ate some yummy authentic Brooklyn pizza as well. It was well the worth the almost hour walk to get there. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Patrick's cathedral. I have an obsession with cathedrals, I was so happy we found this gem. </td></tr>
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911 memorial. It was seriously so vast and incredible, I cried the moment I laid eyes on it. What an amazing tribute to all those people who died or lost loved ones. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam in chess heaven at the chess club in Central Park...if only he'd had someone to play with!</td></tr>
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Central Park was seriously amazing! Both Adam and I agreed we could have spent the entire weekend exploring the park alone because it was huge and offered so many things to do. You don't truly realize how big it is until you're there. Also not pictured...visiting the Metropolitan museum (amazing and huge!), seeing Phantom on Broadway (I cried during that as well, so incredible), and many other restaurant adventures..what can I say, I need and love food! We had an amazing time...probably won't be back to New York any time soon though. I discovered after navigating the streets and getting sick in the subway, that perhaps I am an ol' suburb girl at heart. And, at the end of the trip, we were so happy to return to Max, we love our lil guy and missed him more than we care to admit. Thank you M and D for making this possible! </div>
Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-56988327210668674252014-11-05T18:22:00.001-08:002014-11-05T18:22:06.219-08:00Vacation to St GeorgeI am so completely behind on blogging, but I'll try to catch up on the last couple month the best I can...mainly for the sake of keeping a record of our lives.<br />
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Over Adam's birthday weekend in August, we drove to St George to visit my dad and say goodbye to the house I lived in during high school. Dad and Tanya are planning to move to Washington within the next year, so we decided this was the perfect time to visit.<br />
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Despite a harrowing night in our hotel in Grand Junction with a 2 year old who WOULD NOT sleep because he was scared of the "monsters," our trip turned out great and very relaxing. We went hiking, played at splash parks, swam in the river, visited the temple, played games, and overall just enjoyed being together and getting to know Tanya and her kids a little better. Max loved getting up every morning to go feed the chickens, and still to this day talks about Papa and the tractor. He and Frankie loved playing in the non-heated hot tub during the day, and chasing each around.<br />
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Overall a successful trip! Thanks Dad and Tanya for the wonderful memories, we love you guys!Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-89729500366753941562014-08-05T12:14:00.000-07:002014-08-05T12:14:46.352-07:00Max's 2 yr birthdayHow is this little boy of mine, just born yesterday it seems, already two years old?!<br />
We love him to pieces.<br />
A little update on him before I post pictures:<br />
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Max is very spunky, energetic, stubborn, and tender-hearted. One minute he'll be crying hysterically over losing a toy or shoe in the car; a minute later he's blowing kisses and saying "sorry" for the major tantrum he just threw. It makes it hard to stay mad at him when he's done something naughty because he acts so sweet afterward.<br />
Max LOVES nursery and talks about it all the time. He's not saying full sentences, but loves to point out things he's learned in nursery, like pictures of Jesus, temples, church, etc. He loves to dance and wants us to play the "lala" song by Shakira a hundred times a day it seems. Right now, bedtime and naptime routines consist of only two books--we always either read "Vroom" or "Where the Wild Things Are." He won't let us read him anything else! His favorite movie currently is Monster's Inc, which we pretty much watch once every day. "No mons-toes?" he asks all the time, making sure that monsters aren't really there to scare him.<br />
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Time has flown by so quickly. We love you so much Max, we are so grateful you are part of our family, bring us joy, and make us laugh with your pranks every day!<br />
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This year for his birthday, we basically just had dinner and cupcakes with Grandma and Grandpa Hall, opened presents, and went to the Lollipop park. Nothing too fancy, but we still made it a wonderful day for him.<br />
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<br />Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-61885825097903154052014-07-30T13:07:00.002-07:002014-07-30T13:07:59.831-07:00May: San Diego trip and Mother's DayIn the beginning of May, we made the annual trek to meet up with family in San Diego. Except this time, it was all new family for me! I admit I was really worried about us gathering with Tanya's family under one roof, but it turns out her kids are super sweet. We ended up having a great time!<br />
We spent a day at Balboa park, where we pretty much just sweat and looked for ice cream. We stayed in a really nice, spacious town home that was just uphill from the beach. We spent the majority of our time soaking up the sun at the beach and freezing our buns off in the ocean. We also did a family bike ride, although most of us young moms stayed behind to watch the kiddos. Our last night there, we wanted to get some good Mexican food in Old Town since it was Cinco de Mayo, but couldn't find any decent parking whatsoever, so we ended up walking around downtown San Diego until 9 pm to get dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. It actually ended up being a fun, crazy night, but we (especially Max) were completely exhausted when we got home the next day. Kudos and much thanks to Dad and Tanya for the fun weekend! Oh, and of course, we were forgetful and only took a few pictures...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Max LOVED being with Uncle Spencer</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Max and Frankie at Hard Rock Cafe</td></tr>
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For Mother's Day this year, Adam did breakfast in bed for me, and had bought me a beautiful sweet smelling candle (I LOVE candles!).<br />
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And then, lucky us, I got a present from mother nature as well!<br />
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Seriously was not too happy about the snow. Especially after we had just paid nearly $500 to get our frozen pipes fixed...but all turned out just fine!Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-29601787818161302182014-07-30T12:44:00.000-07:002014-07-30T12:44:27.724-07:00Easter 2014Similar to last year, we had a low key, relaxing Easter at home. We attended a very spiritual sacrament meeting, and also watched a wonderful new LDS Easter video that, of course, left me in tears. :) After church, we did a mini Easter egg hunt for Max at the little park near our house. Max also received a special candy basket from Papa and Grandma T, so he was thrilled with the all his treats and new toys, and was completely hyped up on candy. That night we ate cheesy potatoes, roast, rolls, and lemon raspberry cake. I went all out this year!<br />
We only took a few random photos of the day, as well as some video of Max's egg hunt, but that is just way too long to post.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hasn't quite grasped the concept of posing and smiling for pics yet...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My handsome boys</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Bubbles!"</td></tr>
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<br />Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-4345040523207417272014-07-29T12:13:00.000-07:002014-07-29T12:13:43.253-07:00Playing Catch-up: Spring 2014The last four months have gone by so fast, but I will try my best to catch up since this is my only form of documenting our lives.<br />
On March 2nd, Eva Lynn Nicoli was born!<br />
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My sister Marni had lost a previous baby girl that was born at only 24 weeks gestation back in 2012, so we were elated that Eva was healthy and born full-term to Marni and Emilio. We are so happy for them, and just love Eva to pieces!<br />
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At the beginning of April, we drove to Salt Lake to meet Eva and spend some time with Marni. We had a blast spending time with cousins, staying with my uncle and aunt who had a plethora of toy cars for Max (he was in heaven there), visiting the Dinosaur museum, and of course, snuggling with Eva. My aunt Leona even arranged a nice family home evening and dinner with all her kids and grandkids--it was wonderful seeing all my cousins again and seeing Max play with their children. Here are some pictures of our time in Salt Lake...<br />
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More updates coming soon!Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-2671759412627148622014-03-19T12:08:00.002-07:002014-03-19T12:08:57.217-07:00Winter 2014January and February were mainly spent indoors, watching way too many movies and baking sweets. This winter has been fairly mild, but Max and I kept getting colds and this awful cough that would never go away. Not to mention, I've experienced a couple of disappointing chemical pregnancies that have kept me in hermit mode. However, I have some amazing friends who invited us to some awesome activities in February and have really kept my spirits up! You know who you are.... :)<br />
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Sometime in February, we went to the zoo. It was a gorgeous day and the animals were in mating season.</div>
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I have a friend who volunteers at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. She invited us one day to walk through the museum and let the kids play at discovery zone. Max LOVED the museum!</div>
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I decided to add some pictures of mine and Max's daily shenanigans. </div>
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My dad, Tanya and her two girls came to visit us just last week! We took them skiing, swimming, went to the movies and the zoo, did a daddy-daughter date, and ate tons of food. I am so happy they made the drive to come visit us! It was great getting to know Tanya's girls better, and they were so helpful with Max. I wish I had taken more pictures, but here are a few from our day of skiing up at Copper...Adam took Max tubing while I skied with Marilyn for a couple of hours. </div>
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Happy (almost) Spring Everyone!</div>
Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-48848407393905584522014-03-18T12:38:00.000-07:002014-03-18T12:38:27.029-07:00Thanksgiving/Christmas 2013Let's just pretend it is not already mid-March and I'm just barely updating the blog from Thanksgiving time, okay?<br />
I regret that we have no pictures from Thanksgiving Day, only a huge hospital bill and some remaining pounds gained from that very eventful day to keep those memories alive. It started as a beautiful sunny day, with my two boys wishing me a happy birthday. We took a walk to the park, let Max go down the slide, and then the screaming began. Max kept crying and grabbing his arm, and we had no idea what was wrong. Eventually we took him to the ER at Children's Hospital because he was so hysterical and the pediatrician's office was closed. Two hours and an x ray later, we found out it was just nurse maid's elbow. Ha! Poor guy was still in pain the rest of the day because the ER doctor couldn't pop it back in place.<br />
The rest of the day, luckily, turned out pretty swell! We drove down to Colorado Springs to be Adam's grandmother and cousins. We ate a delicious thanksgiving feast, followed by cake, pie, and presents from Adam's loving family. They are pretty awesome! Adam and I ended the day a movie and decorating for Christmas.<br />
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For Christmas we traveled to Riverton, UT to be with Adam's sisters and brother. We stayed at Sara's house and had an amazing Christmas Eve with them! Sara made arrangements for us to visit the fire station to sing carols and bring cookies to the dedicated firemen working that night. Afterwards, we ate delicious food and had the littles act out the nativity. Max was overwhelmed at first by all the excitement and new faces, but he soon warmed up to the family, and had a blast playing with the girls...and their toys. :)<br />
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On December 30th my dad married Tanya in a beautiful French restaurant up in Salt Lake. Tanya is really a wonderful person, and she makes my dad so happy, so I was really glad to be there and celebrate with them. The wedding ceremony was beautiful, the food was wonderful, and the music, dancing, and company truly made for a special night.<br />
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<br />Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-7048358031290777702013-11-27T19:20:00.001-08:002013-11-28T05:37:50.013-08:00Gratitude 2013<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Blessings I am grateful for on this Thanksgiving Eve....</span><br />
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-Atonement of Jesus Christ </div>
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-My loving husband and happy, healthy boy </div>
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-The two angels in my life who I know are watching over me and my family, Mom and Lucianna. </div>
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-Music</div>
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-Humor</div>
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-Eternal families</div>
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-The comforts of our home: running water, warm bed, appliances, etc.</div>
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-Modern medicine--which contributed in extending my life so I can say that as of tomorrow, I have lived 26 wonderful years so far! (and hopefully many more years to come)</div>
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-Good wholesome books: I made it a goal this year to read 15 books (random number, I know) and I am so glad I did! I love that books can be educational, enlightening, and/or can take us on great adventures! </div>
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-Skiing and the beautiful snow</div>
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Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-90290471584496318862013-11-18T18:50:00.000-08:002013-11-18T18:50:15.992-08:00Halloween<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This year we attended 3 Halloween Parties, all of which were so much fun! A friend from our ward, with twin girls Max's age, invited us to their Halloween party the weekend before Halloween day. We ate delicious food and had a great time meeting some new friends. Sadly, we didn't take any pictures that night. That same weekend, we attended our ward Halloween party. It was awesome! So many great costumes, delicious food, and games and trunk or treat for the kids. This year we decided to dress up as Sheldon and Amy from <i>The Big Bang Theory. </i>Surprisingly, more people guessed my costume than Adam's costume. I think I share an uncanny resemblance with the actress who plays Amy. Yikes! </div>
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I knew that this year, Max would throw a fit if I put him in any costume that was even remotely uncomfortable, so we settled with some superhero pajamas instead. </div>
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This year we also attended Kim W's (her last name is too long and difficult to spell) Halloween party just a couple weeks before Halloween. She had a fun little bounce house, lots of yummy treats (which are exhibited all over Max's face in pictures shown below), a pumpkin patch, and a beautiful leaf-covered yard. Max had a blast sneaking all the candy corn and rummaging through the leaves. It was also fun for Adam to catch up with some of his childhood friends. </div>
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Lastly, of course, is Halloween day. The day we'd been looking forward to all month, and we started off with Max vomiting all over our carpet. Poor kid! He cried pretty much all day-broke my heart. Turns out...we all got extremely sick later that weekend, and were pretty much in bed all Saturday and Sunday. </div>
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Luckily, Halloween ended up pretty well--turns out that Max loved helping hand out candy to all the cute kids who came to our door. Hope everyone had a happy Halloween! </div>
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<br />Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-2542375843134336902013-11-13T12:42:00.000-08:002013-11-13T12:42:10.012-08:00Flat Acres Farm/LibraryIn mid October, I took Max one day to the Flat Acres Farm out in Parker. Max was free, but it was a little expensive for me to get in. However, the farm did not disappoint. It had swings, several mazes, a pumpkin patch, bouncy castles, hayrides, animals, etc. Max loved running through the mazes, going on the swings, and kept trying to pet the turkeys and rooster. Overall, it was a successful outing.<br />
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This pic is blurry, but was taken at the library a couple days before Halloween. FLASH pajamas! I took Max to story time--he started screaming when I took him in (stranger anxiety?), so we left and just played out where they had all the toys. </div>
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More Fall/Halloween posting soon to follow! </div>
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Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-82064500246112163952013-11-11T11:55:00.003-08:002013-11-11T11:55:47.835-08:00Fall 2013Where to start? Fall in Colorado has been interesting, to say the least. In beginning to mid September, we received a lot of rain fall and hail storms, which caused major flooding in Northern Colorado. We were lucky enough only to get a few flash floods and nothing seriously damaging in our area. In October in snowed a few times, and now, in November, when we would normally expect some snow or at least wet weather, it is sunny and 65 degrees. It's absolutely beautiful, and while I'm anxious to go skiing and play in the snow with Max, I'm going to enjoy every moment of these warm autumn days.<br />
Enough of the weather...we have enjoyed the last couple months immensely! Max in general has been sleeping great (minus some sickness) and has been a joy in our lives. On the week days, I have tried to get out as much as possible with Max--we go to park almost any day that it is warm, and have explored some fun farms with pumpkin patches.<br />
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In late September the Suman family came to visit Colorado! We all drove up to Loveland to play at a pumpkin patch/petting zoo--the kids all seemed to have a blast.<br />
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In October, over Conference weekend, my dad and his now fiancee, Tanya, came to visit us! I'm really sad we didn't get pictures of the two of them, but we did have a lovely weekend. We played games, watched conference and some fun movies, and went hiking up at Roxburough Park together. Here are a couple pictures from our hike..again, wish we had taken more.<br />
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Thanks to Dad and Tanya for coming to visit! They are getting married on Dec. 30th, and while I have been so apprehensive to change since my mom passed away, I'm glad to see my dad happy and smiling again. Happy Fall everyone!Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-64490207029844798422013-09-03T12:09:00.001-07:002013-09-03T12:09:35.853-07:00Summer HighlightsI clearly did not get the chance to blog this summer as much as I would have liked. So these pictures will have to do. It's been a wonderful summer, full of birthdays, reunions, days at the pool, and of course, lots of grilled vegetables.<br />
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Back in early June, we decided to kick off Max's birthday month by heading up to Evergreen, where we went with my mom just a few days before Max was born to hike and help induce labor. It was actually very special to go back and reminisce on the memories we made there with my mom. Evergreen has almost become a sacred place for me to remember my mom. I miss her so much, it hurts sometimes. Anyways...on this day, we ended up hiking around the lake and then ate at our favorite pizza place, Beau Jo's. It was a little rainy, but absolutely beautiful up there. </div>
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MAX! On June 25th, Max turned 1! We celebrated the weekend before with Grandma and Grandpa Hall with a delicious pasta dinner and homemade banana cupcakes. Oh, and of course, presents. We took a lot video on this day, and consequently, hardly took any pictures. Sorry! Also, on his actual birthday, we just decided to make it a fun day and took him swimming. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The birthday boy eating his very first cupcake. </td></tr>
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In early July, the Cramers and James and Jessica all came out to visit! We did not take any pictures, unfortunately, but we did have a great time with them! On the 4th, after a day of swimming and BBQ-ing at our pool, Adam and I left Max with a babysitter and met up with everyone at the Rockies game. It was seriously the perfect way to celebrate independence day, I mean, what could be more American than baseball and fireworks? Even better, the Rockies won that night!</div>
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Late July we drove out to Salt Lake for the Christensen family reunion. On our drive, we decided to stop and hike Hanging Lake. Such a beautiful place, and even though it made our day long and left us with a cranky baby, it was still totally worth it! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical Max, always running away from us. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking up to the waterfall. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My boys! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazing lake, right? Trying to get Max to smile for the camera.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So proud of my man for hiking up the whole way with Max on his back. Love these boys.</td></tr>
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Other highlights of this summer, that we failed to document, were </div>
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-Adam's birthday, which we celebrated at his parents, with the missionaries. I also made him, at his request, homemade orange chicken. Yum!</div>
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-Visiting Marni during our trip to Salt Lake. We went and got mani/pedis for some sister bonding time. I love my sister!</div>
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-Trying out different splash parks in our area. Max loved those!</div>
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Hope everyone had a great summer! I'm over the heat now and ready for fall!</div>
Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-90929750577322471062013-07-15T20:04:00.000-07:002013-07-15T20:04:49.501-07:00Max's one year statsOkay, I know I can't keep track of Max's stats forever, but I thought I would at least finish updating his first year of life.<br />
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STATS: Weight-20 Ibs, 14 oz (25th perc)<br />
Height-29 1/2 in. (45th perc)<br />
Head-a whopping 47.3 cm (75th perc)<br />
Yup, with being relatively tall and and having a big head, I would say he's definitely our child.<br />
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Other updates on Max<br />
-Picky eater, hardly eats meat or vegetables (I really do try!), and would only eat fruit, yogurt, and cheese if I let him.<br />
-Sleeps from 7 pm-5:30 am every day. It doesn't matter what time we put him to bed, he ALWAYS wakes up before six. Suggestions???<br />
-Loves to go on walks, and always wants to push his own stroller. Isn't he helpful?! :)<br />
-Obsessed with being outside! Loves swimming, seeing animals, picking up rocks, etc. He is ALL boy.<br />
-Says a lot of words: "This? That? light, mom, dad, grandma, airplane, yes."<br />
-Gives the BEST hugs. And he says "awww" every time he gives them now because that's what I always say.<br />
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So cliche to say, but I just cannot believe he is already a year! I am sad that it's going by so fast, and that he's not the tiny baby he was just a few months ago. But, I am loving the toddler stage right now. It keeps me busy, and most days I seriously go to bed completely exhausted from chasing him around all day. At the end of the day, however, when he's in bed, and Adam and I are able to relax, I can't help for a moment but look at his toys on the floor, or a little sock he left in a kitchen drawer, and miss him.<br />
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Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-69083783489125826262013-06-24T08:13:00.000-07:002013-06-24T08:13:37.583-07:00One YearOn the eve of Max's first birthday, I can't help but reflect on this year and how quickly it went by. Granted, the first six weeks were some of the hardest and longest weeks of my life due to no sleep and adjusting to being a mom. But, seriously.<br />
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How did my baby go from this<br />
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to this curious little man?<br />
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One of the greatest things I have learned from being a mom is to enjoy every moment, and to make the most of every day. That's not always easy when you've had a sleepless night and a very cranky baby the next day. But babies grow so fast, and I'm sure in the blink of an eye, Max will be all grown up. I'm no where near the mom I would like to be yet, but I am so thankful God gave me this chance to be Max's mom. I love him so much and look forward to many adventures with this sweet and fun-loving little boy. Happy one year, Max!Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-85266912120335177422013-05-29T14:21:00.003-07:002013-05-29T14:21:34.078-07:00Playing catch up:April 2013Yikes, where has the time gone? I can hardly believe it's already the end of May! Life has certainly gotten busier for us these last few months as we've tried to keep up with baby Max while completing some house projects.<br />
In order to catch up in the blogging world, I will first start with my dad's visit to Colorado back in the beginning of April. My dad hadn't visited since last September, so we were thrilled that he decided to come for conference weekend. The first day he was here, we went on a nice hike out somewhere in Parker (cannot remember the name of the park). It was a beautiful cool day, and Max did exceptionally well in our new hiking backpack. The next two days were spent listening to conference and driving to some places that were memorable to my dad. So grateful to spend precious time with my dad, especially since I haven't done that since before my mom passed away. Here are a few pictures from our awesome weekend...<br />
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Next adventure in April, was our trip to San Diego with my dad, Spencer, Marni and Emilio. We stayed at this beautiful town home just a block or two away from La Jolla beach. It was gorgeous. And warm. This was Max's first time playing on the beach, and he <i>loved </i>it. We just sat him on a towel with some toys and snacks, and he was in baby heaven. Seriously. We visited a beautiful national park overlooking San Diego, toured Balboa park, ate delicious food, made smores atop the roof one night, and relaxed on the beach. The perfect vacation (minus a few sleepless nights :) ). Thank you so much Dad for making it all possible!<br />
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Next stop: Max updateAdam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-43032946928830405652013-04-23T09:07:00.004-07:002013-04-23T09:09:17.953-07:00Easter 2013We spent a quiet, relaxing Easter just the three of us. Because I'm such a holiday geek and love to celebrate and stick with tradition, I insisted on buying candy/healthy snack for Max, and hid eggs for he and Daddy in the front yard. Max is far too young to understand the concept of Easter egg hunting. But, Adam took him around to find the eggs, and then we sat on the front lawn while Max enjoyed playing with eggs and eating little snacks. We had all morning to take a nice walk and enjoy the sunlight, and then went to church, where we loved listening to all the Christ-centered music and talks. It was such a beautiful and reflective Easter day as I pondered on the gift of the resurrection and the hope that I can see my mom again someday.<br />
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I hope you all had a lovely Easter as well!Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-1896435175233648142013-02-25T09:29:00.000-08:002013-02-25T09:38:43.041-08:008 month updateIt's that time again...Max is now 8 months old! I can hardly believe it. *Cue for parents with older children to roll their eyes.* I hate to admit it, but Max has always been kind of a cranky baby, but the last month or so he's improved immensely. Not that he hasn't ever been a happy baby, but he just tends to get bored or tired really easily, and gets frustrated that he can't be as mobile as his parents. He has also been sick a lot and teething the last couple months, so those could explain his grouchiness as well. Anyways, now that he's become more mobile and doesn't need as many naps, he seems to be much more content, and very giggly.<br />
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<i>UPDATES</i>: -Army crawls and rolls to get around. -Back to waking up once a night to feed (no idea why, any suggestions?) -Naps really well---about 3 hrs/day -Can pull up to standing by himself using the couch occasionally, and would stand all day if he could. -Taking 5 bottles a day, and about 2 "solid" meals a day. -Hears every creak, drop, and other noise hardly audible to the human ear. We call him our Sherlock Holmes because he seems to notice everything. No joke. -Went swimming at our local rec center for the first time last week. Cried at first, then warmed up to it and loved it. -Has two bottom teeth now.<br />
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<i>LIKES/OBSESSIONS: </i>-Standing up -Water and bath time/swimming pool. -Being outside. -Watching "Baby Signing Time" -Playing with Mom and Dad. -Pulling off his socks and chewing on them. -Mom's hair<br />
-Stroller rides outside (when it's warm) -"5 little monkeys" song -Our remote controls/laptop/Nexus -Spitting at us (it's pretty funny and cute right now, but we need to eventually stop that habit)<br />
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<i>DISLIKES: -</i>Car rides/car seats -Green beans -Being left alone in a room -Getting his diaper changed (he's too busy for that)<br />
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We love Max, and are so grateful we get to raise this rambunctious and sweet little boy.<br />
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<br />Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-20066292624899477892013-02-14T15:09:00.001-08:002013-02-14T15:09:29.064-08:00My lovesOn this cold and snowy Valentines day, as my sweet baby boy naps, I can't help but take a moment to reflect. I feel so blessed on this day to have my little family. Though days can be difficult, and life has definitely thrown me some curve balls over the last year, I am so grateful for each moment with my loves.<br />
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Max is such a feisty, energetic boy that never ceases to love me despite my shortcomings. I love him so much and can't imagine my life without him.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sporting Mom and Dad's hats</td></tr>
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Adam is an amazing husband and father. He completes me in so many ways, and helps me strive to be a better person. I love you, Adam.<br />
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Lastly, I can't help but mention my dear mother on this day. She loved Valentines day. All growing up, and even through college, she would always put together a package of treats with a sweet note telling me she loved me. As I got older, it really made me love and appreciate her for all her sweet efforts and thoughtfulness. I love you, Mom.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this pic of Adam and my mom</td></tr>
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While V day is thought to be a day of romance, I think of it as a day to remember all my loved ones. I am so grateful for ALL of my family, the Chandlers and Halls, and love each of you. Happy Valentines Day!Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-91303480951706737722013-01-08T09:54:00.002-08:002013-01-08T09:54:59.531-08:00Nana<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Missing this amazing woman, mother, wife, nana, and friend today. She barely had the strength to hold baby Max these past few months, but what a loving Nana she was, and I know she'll be watching over Max as well as our family every day. </span></td></tr>
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Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467083926600139805.post-7120083878348849382013-01-07T08:54:00.000-08:002013-01-07T08:54:34.815-08:00Chandler Family Christmas, 2012Please forgive me-- my thoughts are jumbled and I want to include a lot of this past Christmas, so this might be a little choppy and lengthy...<br />
We originally planned to fly out to Vegas (and St George) for Christmas on Dec 22nd, but the week before my mom AND Mama were admitted into the hospital. Mama had a stroke, and my mom got pneumonia. So, we drove out a week early to help take care of them and help maintain my parents' house.<br />
While there, my grandparents, my dear cousin Missy and Aunt Lola were there. And most exciting, my brother and his wife and children came to visit from Ghana! Needless to say, it was so special being with so much family, and seeing how loved and supported my mom is by her family and friends.<br />
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I got to spend my mom's last night in the hospital with her, and while it was a VERY long night, with little sleep due to all her pain and discomfort, I'm so happy to have helped. My mom has done so much for me throughout my life, and it gave me a chance to serve <i>her</i> for once. The next day my dad made the difficult decision to bring my mom home from the hospital, which meant no platelets or transfusions. The Thursday before Christmas my mom made a turn for the worst, so we all gathered into her room to say goodbye and give her a blessing. However, a few hours later she miraculously began to be alert again and wanted to walk around. I truly believe the Lord gave us a miracle that day, because she continued to stay alert and energetic through Christmas and her birthday. It was more than we could have hoped for. :)<br />
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The Sunday before Christmas we received carolers from the neighborhood, who made me cry and touched me with their love and kindness towards my mom. My parents truly have some amazing friends that were so sweet and generous to our family, particularly throughout the Christmas season. Thanks to each of you for touching our hearts and sharing your food, homes, and music.<br />
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Christmas Eve we gathered with all of my siblings, the grandkids, my grandparents, and cousin and his family. We had a delicious seafood dinner, and I made my mom's amazing peppermint ice cream dessert. After cleaning up, we sat in the living room and read of Christ's birth, and sang a ton of Christmas songs. We also enjoyed a cute little Christmas "show" by my cousins and niece and nephew. I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas eve with so much family, music, and laughter.<br />
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On Christmas Day, the little kids surprisingly were very patient and waited to open presents. We ate a delicious biscuits and gravy, prepared by Brook, and then gathered to open presents. Max didn't make it to opening up presents, and napped right through it all. Because we had 20+ people, it took hours for everyone to open presents and clean up all the trash. Pretty funny how full my parents house was. :) Some fun and random memories of the day:<br />
-Grandpa Mortensen, who carries around a small radio to listen to Fox news ALL DAY, was getting mad because all the stations would only plan Christmas music and not his precious news.<br />
-Playing (and losing) Jenga with Adam and the little kids.<br />
-Slaving away in the kitchen all day for a nice Christmas dinner, only to realize we had no time to eat the wonderful dinner because the movie time was sooner than we thought.<br />
-Seeing Les Miserables that night...so good! I highly recommend it!<br />
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It was so wonderful and special to be with so much family, and especially that we could be with our mom for Christmas. The rest of the trip we shopped, relaxed, and threw a neighborhood party for my mom's birthday on the 28th. We are already missing our family, but also grateful to be home in Colorado and to be back into a routine. Merry (belated) Christmas everyone!<br />
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<br />Adam and Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07693155623565171922noreply@blogger.com3