Fro Yo

Just took this the other day, and I feel sad that it is blurry, like most of my pictures. I see the perfect little moment I want to capture, but this is as good as it gets as far as my camera goes. Blah. Pity party over. I'm glad I have a phone that can take pictures as good as these! Anyway, this is Hazels new favorite shirt. Its Elmo. And she insists on these shoes with or without rain many days. She is definitely a shoe girl!

We took a trip to out favorite fro yo place and I notices this sticking on the window...maybe next time I will convince Hazel. Haha

So Hazel is talking so well at 21 months, sometimes she blows my mind. She articulates her needs and ideas so clearly. Its really fun! She especially loves to sing and she sings all the time and any time I ask her to. This is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. (You can understand her better if you know what she is singing before).

Annnnnnnnnnd, thats it for this week. 

Apple picking

We have been doing this with our ward three years in a row! This was the first time hazel got to really be involved. We all had fun and it was beautiful. I think the apples are the best I've ever had. Juicy and sweet and crunchy. My mouth is watering.

Look what I did! I made 10 freezer meals one afternoon with my neighbor! It only took a couple hours and we both now have 10 crockpot meals just waiting to be eaten. So far they have been delicious and sooooooo easy. Yay!!

I've also have endevored to find the perfect homemade all natural granola bar that my family will eat. I found one! It just has dates and nuts and oats in it, and I added chia seeds. One victory for me. In the process of searching for granola bars I found out how to make chocolate from cocoa butter and cocoa and honey. It is a delicious treat that I've been keeping around. I also add chia seeds and flax seeds to that for a crunchy texture. Delicious! On my list for cooking discoveries is homemade ranch so it won't have all the extra junk in it and homemade fruit snacks. I think I'm gonna try to get some spinach into those...we'll see. Haha not the ranch, just the fruit snacks.

Highlights from the last year

Some highlights from the last year.

Apple picking with the ward. We are about to go again this week. Its our favorite fall activity.

We were all ninjas for Halloween.

Fall family pics 2013

Can't describe how fun it has been to have Megan living above us. 

(we miss her now that she's in London)

I'm trying to grow my hair out. Its a few inches longer than this now. go me. 

4 generations

Kyle and I got to take a 2 night trip away from the kids. First one ever. 

So fun. Breckenridge. 

Tatyana and Megan. Miss you both so much. 

I turned 30. Weird. Kyle did too. huh, How did we grow up so fast?

Hello! We're back!

So...I've been extremely absent from the blogging world, but I decided I should come back. So we'll see how this goes.

Let me explain, no, there's too much. Let me sum up. We're in Staten Island now. I think my last post we were still in Brooklyn (2 years ago). So through divine blessings Kyle got a job in staten island as a full time salary teacher of music at a charter school. It was an awesome change and it has been so nice to be able to pay our bills! (almost) And nice to see more of Kyle. He then got a position as the team leader the second year, which was a lot more responsibility. It proved to take too much of a toll on his ability to write music and on his time with his family, so he stepped down from that position and is a regular teacher this year! Its nice, however he also started classes in Brooklyn (funded by his school) to become a certified teacher. So that will be two night a week for the next two years. I'm trying not to think about how long that sounds, but it will be great that he will be certified and able to teach anywhere.

As far as his music career, he is collaborating with two other people he met in the BMI workshop to write a musical called Gruff.  It is about the three billy goats gruff and their woes and story of getting over the bridge. Its pretty funny and I'm excited to see it continue to grow and hopefully be produced someday.

As for me, I have been home with the kids. Which has grown to three since my last post. They are ages 5, 3, and 1 now. I also have a calling as the Relief Society President in my ward, which has proved challenging and rewarding in many ways. After Hazel was born I suffered from Post partum depression and have been fighting that battle for the last year and a half. Some days are better than others, but I intend to win, somehow. Kyle is also in the bishopric, but that doesn't seem to take much of a toll on the family. We really get to spend a lot of time together. Maybe because I guard our time with my life and it is worth it.

I'm sure I missed major events, but that is a sum up. Here are some recent pictures.

James is 5 and a half and just started 1st grade. He is his same old self. Fun, smart, energetic, high maintenance, emotional, and wonderful boy. If that sounds mean I don't mean it that way. He is just full of life and it is either the very best day ever, or the very worst day ever. Never just in between. He makes things exciting and keeps things interesting. (and sometimes challenging)

William is three and full of energy. He is kind and stubborn and mellow. He wants to be exactly like his older brother. He is kind and stubborn and mellow. He is very good at noticing the needs of others and helping without being asked.  But when he gets an idea in his head there is no getting it out. You can't bribe, punish, threaten or trick him into doing anything he has decided not to do. Luckily we don't get in the battle of the Wills (pun totally intended) very often, but if we do its a fight to the death.

My little miss Hazel. She is a sweet and spicy little girl. But mostly sweet. She talks way better than the boys did at her age and she makes her thoughts known! It surprises us how clearly she can communicate what she wants. She is very good at sharing and amazingly easy to discipline. She is not stubborn and so it is easy to win a fight with her. She makes us think we're perfect parents. (Really though, she just came that way.) And the boys are good at keeping us sharp. 

Hazel loves James. This picture wasn't set up. They were just sitting there like this.  She would do anything for her and he takes such good care of her. He's always gentle and sweet with her. 

When these three get together they can have so much fun. Those moments are ones that I try to hold onto since it feels like I'm always breaking up arguments.

This was totally posed. Haha

William Walking!!!

All around!

So, we've been pretty busy lately! It feels great. Everything feels great. So here are some things we've been up to!

James and I did a three legged race at a church Easter party. (This is when we were visiting Nate and Renee in CT) I was so proud of him. He totally got it and we didn't fall down once!

This is Kyle giving James a motivational speech as James prepared to do his first ever potato sack race.  James came in very last, but had fun the whole time. 

Kyle and William

William is exploring all over the place now. I just thought this was a funny picture. He was so proud of himself for climbing in there and sitting down just right.

We went on the Ferry to Staten Island!

Still on the Ferry.

Visiting the Staten Island Zoo! 

Taking a rest at the Twin Towers Memorial. 

Aquarium day! We met the CT cousins at an aquarium!I know its a flattering one of me:)

Park Day and flying a kite!

Beach day! We went to a nearby beach and played! It was only about 30 min drive! Too cold to swim, but great for building castles!

Bridge day! We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. Very cool.

Bridge...obviously.

I decided I need to venture out more with the boys so I took them to this festival thing that was going on in Manhattan....all by myself! Well, Kyle met us there...thats why he's in the picture:) I only got lost once. It was a mere half mile in the wrong direction..no big. This is a video of this really cool music group where we all were supposed to be part of the music. It was my favorite part of the day. The video doesn't really catch how cool it was though. 

William is getting more brave and takes his first step!! He has taken one step about 5 times since this, but he always goes back down on his knees. It will be a while before he's actually walking, but this was his official first step.

March

Well, we have had a great month! To start, Kyle quit Staples and began substitute teaching! It has made a huge difference to all of us to have him home more! What a blessing! Also with substitute teaching, we were a little worried about whether he would get enough jobs. We heard that some get called every day and others only once a week, so we were not sure how it would go, BUT the first week he got a job everyday!! The last part of the week he worked as an English teacher at a middle school for all the students who have been suspended. Well, it turns out he has a way with the boys that he taught and the principal asked him to stay on for the rest of the year as their full time teacher!!! So, because of budgets, they can only have him come three days a week, but still he has his own class and classroom and he creates the curriculum and everything! Then the other two days, he is still available to sub at other schools. This is such a blessing and a reminder to us that the Lord will take care of us. It has been really nice for Kyle to go to school, then he stays a little longer to write music, then he is home by 5. It is amazing.

As far as me, I have made great strides in learning to enjoy this foreign place. We have had some beautiful days and it has been nice to get out and walk to all the places we normally go to in the car. We still have to drive for a few things, but its fun getting into the sunshine!! I think that as the trees start blooming and leaves come out we will see a prettier side of this city too. Not so pretty in the winter. So, I feel happier than I have felt since we left Virginia, which is a really good feeling. I might be able to live here a while! I think that I have gotten over the culture shock that was pretty hard on me too, so that is a big help. I think things will just get better from here on out in this aspect!

To update on the boys, William is getting anxious to walk! He stands on his own and looks like he will take a step, but then he wimps out and crawls. He does lots of walking as long as he is holding onto our hands or furniture, so we are betting that he'll be walking soon....actually more like running! James is doing great as always. He is learning faster than I teach. He is always coming up with new words and new phrases that I don't know where he learns it all!! He even started saying, "What? Where'd I learn that?" and laughing. I guess we say that to him a lot.

Its been a good month...so here are some pictures and videos. Enjoy.

I started baking our own bread! This was a huge accomplishment for me since I thought I wouldn't be able to do it!, but it is delicious! and it makes me feel good.

This is just a video of James talking. Its kind of long, but I thought it was fun to catch my conversation with him.

This one is William playing a game on my phone. He is just supposed to point to these little animals that float across the screen. I was just impressed that he knew what to do!

William's walking progress

James doing addition. The counting with his nose was his own idea. Whatever works!