Catching Up

Have I mentioned that life is crazy right now? That we're in this weird transient, not settled, part of our life? we are in the process (fingers crossed) of buying a home here in the Bay Area, close to family & friends. We are so excited, and are hoping to be in our new home beginning of February. 

sooooo.... since we decided to move out of our apartment to look for a home, we are living with Brett's parents right now, before we get into our home. 

Living with his parents has been great. really, it has. It's been fun and a great change from our apartment living, including hiking up 3 flights of stairs and carrying bags of groceries + a squirmy baby + my diaper bag + whatever other junk I didn't want to leave in the car. It was not fun, that's what I'm trying to say. 

As fun as it's been at his parents, something happens to you when you're not living at your own place, with your own things + your own "house hold" responsibilities. Hmmm.. what's the word??

oh ya.. LAZY!! 

haha, I've been such a slacker on so many levels including updating this blog. 

Brett and I always joke that we will get better at "Y" or "X" or something equally as important when we "finally get into a house".

 

Well, we've said this so frequently over the past couple months that I'm afraid that our list of things we need to improve on is HUGE!

But, we aren't in a house yet, remember? so.. we don't have to start just yet. ;)

Anyway, as misplaced as our lives have been over these past couple moths, here are a few highlights:

 My newest niece Kennedy Jewel Blodgett was born 1/5!

(That makes niece/nephew # 29 for Brett and I, with #30 coming this July!)

 Parker goes to the Dr. for some shots and tells the nurse "Dank Doo" for his shots, and he has no tears. 

"That's a first" is what she told me. Little does she know, this boy was thankful for the awesome cameo band-aids she gave him, not some needles poking into his little chubby legs. 

 My adorable niece Nora in her newest Christmas hat

 Parker & Duncan

 Parker helped with this gingerbread house for like 30 min. And he was very careful putting candy pieces on + licking frosting off his fingers alternately! This boy loves to help his mom in the kitchen, whenever I'm in the middle of a meal or dessert making, he tries to pull his chair up to help me stir, mix, beat or whatever it entails.

I love it, and I want it to become a regular thing of ours- I want to raise a boy who loves to cook!

Family Pictures Galore

I know I've been so sloooow with updating the blog, but life is crazy crazy busy right now. We moved out of our apartment and are in the process of buying a house, so we moved in with Brett's parents for a few weeks until things are finalized! We are so excited for the changes and to be out of our 3rd story apartment (or our tree house as Brett called it). We are definitely ready for a home!

I have more Hawaii photos to post, but right now I want to post the pictures from our Christmas Card photo shoot with Denae. We love them~ hope you do to!

What really goes on at the photo shoot- trying to convince Parker to take one last picture :)

paradise part 1

 This year we got to tag along with Brett's parents and some of his siblings to Hawaii. Brett's dad was speaking at a business forum at BYU-Hawaii- so we all used it as an excuse to go! 

It was so much fun and such a relaxing trip. It was even more relaxing because Parker didn't come :)

He stayed home with my parents and was so happy to do so! 

These pictures are in no particular order- but you still get the idea 

 The Polynesian Cultural Center was awesome. Learning about all the island cultures was so fun. Brett even did a little Fijian dancing!

 So did his dad and brothers :)

This was our backyard of the house we rented. It was on the north shore of Oahu, and it had a perfect beach in the back! So dreamy

the men- with landon acting out how he got crushed by a wave

we hiked Waimea falls. the waterfall was a little weak but we still swam in the water

Denae & I in our matching 10k race t-shirts.

we went to church on the north shore- such a cute ward

these are Portuguese donuts called masladas. They are delicious!! You can get them filled with custard or chocolate, or plain. They are delicious. Brett loved them because he says they are exactly like something he had on his mission in Chile, now he wants me to learn to make them ;)

we ate so deliciously while we were in hawaii- this was one of my favorite meals though, at a small cafe. It was crab cakes with the best asparagus I've ever had. At one point I dropped a piece of the asparagus on the floor and I was seriously contemplating picking it up and eating it, until Denae and Jill talked me out of it!

we were to late in the day for a full tour of pearl harbor, but we were still able to walk around and see lots of things there.

we got shaved ice allllll the time! Denae has a blackmail photo of me- in the car at 10 am, parked in the local town, eating shave ice all by myself. That's right, I drove by myself into town and got myself some shave ice. It was the best!

(btw- pictures from here on out are courtesy of Denae :)

the girls at the beach

(even though I look pregnant in this picture, I am not :)

Boogie boarding was so much fun! Denae and I were trying to "keep up with guys" and out- do them. I think we succeeded.

The guys favorite thing: trying not to die from crashing waves, this can cause wives/mothers serious worries

This was at a cool little island called goat island. And you actually wade out to the island, you can walk out there! It was fun and at points the water was up to my waist!

This is the back of house we rented

And this is the front, it was so cute!

More pictures to come