The Moulton Family

Amity! How we LOVE thee! Let us count the ways!

2012-01-31T20:55:00.001-08:00

So this is my beautiful little baby girl two years ago...

Isn't she so sweet?

And this is her now:

She turned 2 the other day, and we couldn't possibly love this girl more. She makes us so happy every day.

Mommy did a little decorating. Nothing too fancy.

And I just had to hang up all kinds of cute pictures of her, which she loved.

Her loving brother, Russell, drew her this picture for her birthday, and wrote the words himself without help. It says, "Happy birthday. To Amity From Russell." I just love the way preschoolers think about phonetics. H-a-"p" = Happy A-m-u-"d" = Amity. Forgot the "r" in "from" and used a "u". Completely makes sense, doesn't it? So sweet. I think I will save this one.

I just had to make a collage of her cheesy grins for the day. They make me laugh so hard.

A list of things that we love about Amity:

- She is such a wonderful combo of sweet, bubbly and feisty.

- When I (mom) say good night to her after tucking her in, I tell her that I love her, and she whispers, "I luv you," back to me in the sweetest little voice.

- How she greets her daddy every day when he gets home by running to him and yelling his name. She watches out the window for him.

- She loves her brother so much. I love it when she wakes up in the morning and starts to yell, "BROTHER!!!" from her crib. (She calls him brother a lot.)

- This girl toots all the time, and she thinks it is sooooo hilarious. We did NOT teach her that. We try really hard not to laugh about tooting in front of the kids...

- She is such a fast little runner. She and Russ race all the time. It is one of their favorite games to play together. (She has gotten checked into a wall or corner many times. It's kinda dangerous.) She escapes from us in church all the time, and before we can actually catch her she is out of the chapel, all the way down the hall, out one of the main doors, and on the sidewalk.

- I love her voice when she yells, "Hooray!" or "Wee-hoo!"

-Food is one of her greatest passions. Her grandpa teases that she is a hobbit because she needs a "second breakfast." She particularly loves sweets.
- How she jabbers and jabbers away on the phone with her grandparents.

- Her hair is always such a mess because she will never leave her ponytails or hairbows in for a whole day.

And so many more. We just cannot say them all.

We Love you, Amity!

Big life changes in 2012:

2012-01-16T20:09:00.001-08:00

Well, 2012 is finally here. I can hardly believe it. Our little family is going to go through some drastic changes this year. It will be exciting and maybe challenging too.

-January: tons and tons of traveling, interviewing and shmoozing with lots of people we don't know to try to impress them.
-Feb. or March we find out where we will be going for Residency.
-April: baby number 3. A girl. No name yet.
-May: Travis officially graduates from medical school and can be referred to as "Dr. Moulton" by all his friends and family...and patients. Find a new place to live and start packing.
-June: Move away.
-July: Start residency. (Yay! A real pay check!) Ashley's 10 year class reunion. Hopefully she can make it. Can you believe it? 10 years?
-August/September: Russell starts Kindergarten, finally. I swear the kid has been 5 for three years.

Hopefully life will slow down after that...oh wait...then the holidays come again. This will be a busy year!

So Russell lost his first tooth a week or so ago. Yes, he is only 4. But he got his teeth really early, so I guess he is losing them early too. This is his natural concentrating posture, tongue hanging out and all. He is drawing a picture of his lost tooth. He hasn't added all the blood yet. Don't worry. He does later.

There it is. Daddy pulled it out because Mommy told Russ that if he didn't get it out soon he would probably accidentally swallow it in the middle of the night. (Russell didn't like that!)

And the gaping hole.

I know that these pictures are all backwards, but it takes too much time and energy to switch them around. We had our annual Ward New Year's party at Aunt Wendy's house.

Logan and Travis breaking it down.

Isn't my husband so cute?

I actually danced too, and afterward I started to yell, "My baby! I'm having my baby!" But no one believed me. I'll will say that booty shaking is a lot more difficult with a big old prego belly.

My neice, Ellie, reminds me of me when I was a kid. Love her.

My dear brother, Logan, with his amazing wife, Lexy.

This could have been a really poignant picture...sigh...

The funniest thing ever at our big New Year's bash: watching Darin beat Amy at the dance game.

My neice Alleyah. Amity's best friend/arch nemesis.

We love to play games at all of our family gatherings.

Christmas was spent half at the Moulton's and half at the Ward's. Those are the benefits of being a forever student. We still get really long Christmas breaks. Probably never again.

I love Amity's face in this one.

Amity and Russell exchange the gifts they got for each other

Gramma B. doesn't always let us take pictures of her. This is a keeper.

Amity reading her new "Potty" book and hopefully soaking in every wise word.

Amity wearing her beloved BYU jersey. (She asks to wear this a lot!) And this is a normal hair day for her after pulling out the pigtails that I so painstakingly put in her hair.

One of Travis's conehead mornings.

Amity watching a show with "Chedder.

Salt dough ornaments we made this year. Look at the concentration in her eyes.

And my sweet guy painting his ornament.

Well, that was our last month. (or at least what I took pictures of, since I'm not the best picture taker)

Bring it on, 2012! We are ready for you!

I've been having a hard time lately...

2011-12-04T20:18:00.000-08:00

Well, after lots and lots of nagging from others (Alexy!!), I have decided to resume blogging. I've been feeling like a hamster running on a wheel lately. I run and run but seem to get no where lately. I plan and plan and plan but never seem to actually get to the following through part. I'm highly distractible. (Thanks to my new-found friend, Pinterest, seriously guys, check it out. It's great.) I still wander aimlessly through the house forgetting what chore I was currently working on. It's not good. I'm working on it, but I have a long way to go.

In the mean time, my children have grown and changed a ton since I posted last, in particular, Amity. Her hair has gotten so long, and it is not super curly like Travis's, but it has some curl in the back and often flips out like a little fifties hair-do. I think it is cute. I try to do it all cute, but the girl rips it out during naps anyway and it is always completely messed up by the end of the day. Here are the latest pics:

Amity loves to eat sweets and to climb on the bar looking for sweets to eat. She fell off once, backwards, so I have to keep a close eye on her.

Russell's Halloween costume. We had the WORST HALLOWEEN EVER IN HISTORY OF MY LIFE! (And you know how I love Halloween.) Travis was out of town. (He has been out of town a lot lately for school stuff.) Well anyway, it's a long story that I am not going to get into, but I will just say that I did not even dress up and that Amity was supposed to be a chicken, but refused to wear any costume, and my house had feathers all throughout! That's just part of it.

A backup costume which she also refused after I tried to get her to wear the chicken costume that she refused.

Amity putting it on by herself.

So travis had a big test in Philadelphia, and I got to go with him. First time ever back East for both of us! It was a lot of fun. We went to all the constitution stuff, Edgar Allen Poe's house, Valley Forge, and the Pennsylvania State Penitentary. This is the room where the constitution was debated and written. That main table at the front is George Washington's famous chair that he sat in with the rising sun.

I loved the creepy, old graveyards.

The Delaware River behind us looking out to New Jersey.

A normal person's prison room.

Al Capone's prison room. Seems unfair, huh?

They love each other so much! Every morning their very first thought is to find the other. A lot of the time, Amity wakes up and starts yelling, "BROTHER!!! BROTHER!!!" from her crib so that he will wake up and come to see her. Every time she asks me for a snack and I hand one to her she says, "Brother?" to get a peice for Russell too. It is the sweetest thing. I love it so much.

Us.

Amity pretending to talk on my phone.

Travis just loves (and by loves I really mean hates) these pajamas because they are so form-fitting and really flatter her svelte figure. So I dress her in them as much as possible. (I think it's cute and funny.)

My little man with "Bear Bear." I know...if the other kids on the wrestling team find out about Bear Bear...it could be bad.

Light eyes, dark eyes. Amity has a modge podge of colors in her eyes resulting in a pretty dark tone.

Amity "hiding". One day I ran all over the house looking for her and yelling her name and she peaked her face out of the closet and yelled, "I HIDING!"

Taking care of her baby.

Our first outing in the snow.

Love these kids.

An elf showed up on our doorstep the other day with these new PJs.

I don't know for sure what Amity is doing in this picture, but I thought she looked funny, and it reminded me of me when I was a kid.

Well, that's a recap of the last little while. I missed a huge chunk of the summer, but oh well. Maybe I'll post some of those later.

What did I tell you about this kid?

2011-06-13T22:01:00.000-07:00

Can't leave him alone for 5 minutes! Isn't this more of a toddler thing? Not in our family. He didn't get into this much trouble when he was a toddler!

Scroll down for more posts below. After a LOOOOOOONNNNG blog break, I have a lot to say, and there is more to come too.

Oh, YAKIMA, How I miss thee!

2011-06-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

I missed some things about Idaho while I was in Yakima, but now it's my turn to miss Yakima.

A few things that I really miss:

-The delicious and abundant fruit, orchards, vineyards, berry picking, farmer's markets...on and on. Yakima is the fruit capital of the west.
-The early coming springs and long lasting falls. (Idaho has had much longer winters and crumbier springs than normal.)
-My old ward. Love my new ward too, but do miss our friends that took us in and made us feel important in Yakima.
-But most of all....

That little guy on the right. (Grant)

That little girl on the right. (Abbey)

And my medical school bestie, Kathryn. (I am NOOOOT photogenic. Especially when my hair is all greasy.) Anyway, the kids and I took a little trip to Yakima and got to visit our special friends, and we had so much fun. And while I was there, I noticed that Kathy's pins were stuck here and there all willy nilly all over her cute little craft room, so I made her this:

She kinda had a bird theme going on. A little birdie pin cushion. Free tutorial here.

But on the bright side, I have a beautiful yard here in Idaho. I mean beautiful.

And a sweet little girl to match.

Lots of these.

These.

And these.

These were all over the prettiest little tree in the front.

A view from afar.

There is something so magical about perennials. You don't even do anything, and then suddenly flowers pop up everywhere, and it is spring.

Love it.

The Fearsome Fours

2011-06-12T19:40:00.001-07:00

Four years...has it really been four years since that fateful day that we became parents? Wow.

Well, Russ has been obsessed with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lately, so that's the theme we took to heart at his birthday party.

Wow. Look at that mop on his head...

Started the day off with a ninja turtle t-shirt among othe presents.

It was a fun {stressful and hectic} party with a lot {too many} of kids Russell's age {too young}. We had pizza of course. I told the kids the whole story of the ninja turtles crawling through radioactive goo and the whole sha-bang. I even used Travis's old ninja turtles as props. (He even had shredder and Splinter.) I even made radio-active goo {homemade gak} for everyone to take home. These are the cupcakes I made. Since Leonardo is the leader {since mom was too worn out} we only made blue fondent masks.

Side note: homemade marshmallow fondent is fairly easy to work with and tastes good too. Look

it up if you've never tried it.

Well, now that Russell's four, you'd think that I'd be getting over those terrible toddler years, but alas, he makes more messes than ever. This is what I woke up to the other day:

"Peanut butter and bullet sandwiches" for his dinosaur buddies. And he really did stuff their faces with it.

Russell can do things by himself now that he's older. He can make his own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and of course he can put on his own sunscreen, as you can see.

S'mores in our back yard...mmmm...

Messy.

Russell's newest obsession: stuffed animals which he calls his "brothers." I think he wants a baby brother. He has to sleep with EVERY single one EVERY night or he is traumatized.

Another side note: I told Russell that he can't have a baby brother until I exercise and get skinny, and so the other day while I was working out with a Jillian Michaels DVD, he pointed to Jillian and asked me if Jillian was trying to have a baby too...hmmmmm.... "No, Russell. Those skinny girls on the TV are not working out so that they can have a 'baby brother.'"

Russell pretending that he is driving a car with Mity in the passenger seat. He pretty much forced her to sit in that basket. That poor girl is going to grow up tough.

Love these pictures. They were waiting for Grandma and Grandpa to come. Waiting...waiting...

Move it over, sister!

Loves his daddy.

Year 1 and 2 and 3 were so much easier than year 4 for me. Russell is way too smart and VERY stubborn (Dad says he gets that from me...whatever...). He speaks more like a 6 year old than a 4 year old, and I love it, but sometimes it drives me crazy! He really listens to what we say and then twists is all around and tries to use it against us later. For example, I might say something like, "If you don't pick up your toys, you can't watch any TV tomorrow." A day or so later Russell will say, "If you don't let me have a friend over, I will never make my bed again." Sometimes it backfires on him. Like the other day when I was trying to get him to do his chores and he said, "You are making me never want ANYTHING for Christmas EVER AGAIN!!!!" To which I replied, "Great! That makes my life a whole lot easier." He didn't know what to say after that.

We shall see what year 5 brings...

We love our little Russy Roo. He is such a joy in our lives, and we are LEARNING A LOT as we do our best to rear him up to be a good, faithful, and responsible man. Thanks, Russ!

And good night everyone!

Picture Overload & Venting Some Frustrations

2011-03-10T20:39:00.000-08:00

Just a few things I missed about Idaho when we lived in Yakima...

Now, there is snow on the ground, and it is fairly cold, but do you see the SUN SHINING? Yes, Idaho has bright, sunny winter days. It makes you much more likely to bundle up and brave the outdoors because of that tempting Vitamin D. In Yakima it was gray for several months in the winter. I swear I went several weeks without even seeing the sun. (Now this isn't a year round thing there, just in the winter. And don't get me wrong. We loved Yakima and miss many things about it. The early onset of springtime for starters...)

I also missed this stuff. Yes, I do like a white Christmas. Preferably deep and fluffy.

Our porch. Yay. Oh, how I missed you snow. But now I am ready for SPRING!

Why you should not fall asleep with an ink stamp on your hand.

My grumpy little guy...

This girl is like Miss America. She loves to wave.

Isn't she beautiful? I think so.

This girl is going to have a MAJOR gap between her two front teeth. The dentist said that the gums between them are pretty thick and may have to be clipped later in life if they don't allow her teeth to move in. Poor girl. But for now I think they are so sweet.

Sledding in the house.

By the way, Amity has been walking/running for quite some time now. She really took off around Christmas and has been going non-stop ever since. Just thought I'd update.

Like sister, like brother.

Some of Russell's new passions:

-"cooking" with my ingredients in the kitchen (note photo above)

-ninja turtles (he will be having a TMNT themed birthday party this month)

-making rockets with every peice of tupperware that I have...EVERY...DAY...

-listening to books on tape

-sounding out simple words (The other day he sounded out "press" on his seatbelt, and then yelled up to me that his seat belt said "press". He is a smart little 3 year old.)

-"grocery shopping" or basically, emptying out grandma's pantry cupboards into a laundry baket

-wrestling with his sister...and the Ward family saga continues with the next generation...

-surprising his mother with the precocious things that he says

This girl has a few passions in life too:

-the dishwasher

-the refridgerator

-the bathroom drawers

-the garage

-the coat closet

My beautiful cousins and I at the Ward Family Christmas party.

My sweet grandma.

Opening presents at Grandma Moulton's house.

Instant pro.

K-This isn't even all.

Spoiled kids. Mostly by grandparents.

Okay. VENTING PART 1:

I did a terrible job taking pictures at Christmastime. None of the tree. None of Christmas morning. None of the Ward fam at the cabin in Island Park...NONE. Partly because I forget. Partly because I'm being lazy. But also because taking too many pictures makes me feel like I'm missing out on the experience. Do you know what I mean. Like I am a bystander observing and documenting but not really a part of it.

Does anyone else feel this way?

Now, I shouldn't let this become an excuse not to take pictures. Pictures are important, and add so much to the home and to nostalgia later on in life. I need to find a balance.

I really envy those families whose homes are filled with beautiful pictures of their loved ones. It makes their house seem so much more intimate and homey. It brings a sort of happy spirit, and you get to know the family through the pictures. I love it.

Just something I need to work on...

I told you that the girl loves to wave.

Catching a football from daddy.

And throwing it back.

My knight in shining armor. I knew I'd find a use for that cardboard!

Charming, isn't he?

She turned 1 in January. See what I mean, though? I didn't even get a picture of the cake before she smashed it.

Just chillin' after inhaling a lot of cake.

With cousin, Ellie.

Again, she loves dishwashers and she loves to wave.

When I put gel in her hair, it curls pretty well. She has a little flippy curl in the back. I'm crossing my fingers that she will get some curls from Travis, but I don't know. My straight hair is so dominant...we'll have to see...

Can you tell who our favorite team in the whole wide world is? Go Cougs!

We recently met up with some of our best friends from BYU. We stayed in a hotel in Lehi and went to the dino museum and to a BYU basket ball game where we got to see Jimmer the Great!
Travis wants to name our next man-child Jimmer...hmmm...it is kind of cute.

Yet another failed attempt at picture taking. I did not get one shot of Paul and Melinda, our friends.

Our main man, Cosmo.

Okay. I have hit the JACKPOT at DI lately. Some wealthy family is dropping off all of their old clothes, and I am picking them up. All of these items where 1-3 dollars. All of the pants are Old Navy, Gap, Children's Place, Osh Kosh...that is a brand new boys swimming suit that still had the tag on it. Those black Addidas Sambas in the back...like $50 shoes. A lot of the pants are lined for cold Idaho weaher. Man, I am so excited!

Here are some crafts I've been working on. I got the ideas from the Idea Room.
Cute blog.

Venting Frustrations #2:

Mental Clutter. I have so much mental clutter I can't handle it anymore. I blame my mother wholely and entirely. I know that I got it from her. (Love you, Mom!) I start so many projects that I either don't finish or take me FOREVER to finish. I read about 10 books at the same time. I put things off. (Although I'm not nearly as bad as I used to be.) I start cleaning one room, and then I see something in the next room that I didn't finish, so I go in and look at that. Then and hour later I remember that I was cleaning the kitchen, so I go back. But while I'm there, I notice the bills sitting on the bar, so I start to pay them...It goes on and on. At the end of the day I have a to-do list where everything is half done but not finished, so I can't cross it off!!!! (Okay, now, not everyday. I do get things done once in a while, but far too often.)

Does anyone else out there suffer from this condition?

I've been reading a lot of things about productivity lately, and I really believe now that most of the time multi-tasking is bad. It is more efficient to put all of the focus that you can into ONE project at a time, check it off your list, get it out of your mind, and move on. Otherwise you just have too much mental clutter, you do a half-way job, and you don't reap the rewards for your work as quickly. Also, when you try to spend time with family and check e-mail at the same time, I really don't think your family gets as much from your company, am I right?

I am resolving to be more focused during my days and direct my energy to one task at a time as often as possible!!!

A late update

2010-12-20T21:12:00.000-08:00

Here are some fun pictures of Thanksgiving and visiting Grandpa and Grandma Moulton for Christmas. For some reason I don't have hardly any good pictures of Russ. His face is always turned or hidden.

Amity is 10 months here, and she took her first steps this month. She is almost 11 months now and isn't full blown walking yet, but definitely taking little baby steps between mom and dad. And she walks like a pro when you hold her hand. This is her with Grandpa Moulton.

This picture reminds me so much of one of Travis when he was a baby. I can see both of us in her, but certain facial expressions remind me of one or the other. This is more like Travis because my serious faces always had a nice deep scowl.

She is such a happy little girl. We love her so much.

And here is one of the only pics we got of our little Russ. He's in his new church clothes that he got for Christmas. Thanks, Grandma M.!

Amity is an early talker. She has really surprised us by how early she is saying words, and we can really understand her. So far she has said:

-mommy, mama *

-daddy, dada*

-hi* (while waving)

-bye* (while waving)

-mmmmm (referring to food that she is eating)

-kiss

-no

-baby
-yay!!
-and I SWEAR she said banana

The words with the stars she says all the time. She even puts bye and dada together and says bye dada! She said that to me the other day and I had to remind her that I am mama. It is so cute when she crawls all over the house looking for her daddy yelling his name as she goes. She is usually whining when she says mama because she is hungry or wants to be picked up. She hasn't said Russ yet, at least not that I could make out, but I think she is trying.

She is our little bundle of joy, such a people person, and so funny. Love you, Amity. What a fun holiday with our little sweeties.

Halloween and such...

2010-11-14T20:07:00.000-08:00

Russell stuck his hand on the hot stove and burned it pretty badly. Well, he learned his lesson I guess. The little stinker. This picture doen't even show the other two fingers.

Amity was a cute little cow for Halloween.

Russell was a super-hero.

Mity is starting to balance without holding on to anything. She is getting ready to walk. What a sweetie!

Russell has been really into tricks lately. He can do a flip on the tramp and the other day he actually did an aerial type thing. We were pretty impressed. But he did fall on his head a couple of times, so we told him that trick might be a little too advanced for him yet.

Russell has been saying a lot of funny things lately. The other day when we were at the fabric store, I let him sit at the catalog table and talk to another little boy while I browsed. Well, right as I was walking by, I heard him say, "I don't have a mother or a sister." Well, that is just great. Amity and I had been disowned, and we were in the same room as him!! And then the boy asked if he had any brothers, and Russ of course answered, "Yeah. 26 of them." His imaginary brothers are really getting on my nerves lately.

Then later at my dad's house, my dad popped out with his beloved Boise State hat on and said, "Russ! Look at my awesome hat!! The Boise State Broncos!!" And Russell said, "Grandpa, you are OBSESSED with that hat." I didn't even know he knew that word. We really have to watch it because he listens to every word we say!

Fall Fun

2010-10-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

Why I have been such a bad blogger lately. (I DO have a good excuse.)

2010-10-19T20:30:00.000-07:00

I'll tell you why. Because I have been on a business venture of my own. I've started a little preschool in my home.

There was a perfect little room down in the basement. (That is part of the reason we went with this house instead of getting a smaller apartment.

I've named it Pumpkin Patch Preschool. If you can't guess, it's because I love fall, pumpkins, Halloween and all of that sooooo much that I decided I wanted to think about it all year.

I have really missed teaching since I've started staying home, and this gives me the perfect little fix. It is only twice a week for 2 1/2 hours, and gives me just the right creative outlet. Plus it brings in a little extra money each month.

I know it's not super fancy or anything. But I think it is pretty good since I'm just starting out. It takes time to build up your stuff and get things just how you want them. This is my little reading corner. And I use those clothespins to hang up pictures. I had these chairs in my classroom when I taught second grade.

Here is my table (Thanks, Cuz!!). And you can also see my word wall.

Centers. Games. Art supplies.

And here we have circle time. Travis made the white board. And yes, I made the lovely curtains. The chair I got at D.I. for $2. I spraypainted it and made it nice again. It was pretty beat up.

Anyway, so now you know what I have been up to. It takes some time to write lesson plans and make all the materials. Next year it won't be nearly as stressful because I can use my stuff from the previous year.

I am so glad that I had the guts to do the preschool. I almost didn't do it just because I was scared. I wanted to, but it is scary putting yourself out there and advertising and all that. But I talked to a lot of other ladies that were doing it, many of them without a teaching degree or anything, and I thought, "Why couldn't I do that if they can. That's what I got my degree in, right?" Anyway. It took some courage, and I had to go into it with the attitude that I might fail, but that I would at least learn something in the process that would make me a more competant person.

Awesome craigslist finds. The bed frame and the bedding. Russ loves them!!

Daddy's static electricity experiment.

We made these!!!! This one is mine. I found the tutorial here.

It was so fun! It cost about seven dollars for all three. Get the material at Home Depot.

Amity has two teeth. They are so cute.

Kay, so these pictures are way out of order. Oh well, I'm not switching them around. It takes too long.

My new pet spider. Trav made the web on our front porch. We want to make the trick-or-treaters squeal!!!

Awwww....

Amity has been standing up and walking around household items for about two months now. She should be walking fairly soon.

Mom is getting back into her excercise routines. (About time.) She's got to lose the rest of that baby weight. (It would help if I would stop making cake balls.)

At the Utah State Fair.

Big horsey.

A true cougar fan. Don't pay attention to the face.

Mitty crawled in but couldn't get back out. Look at her teethy little grin.

Well, that's what we have been up to. Preschool is settling in now, so hopefully I will be a better blogger. Please, don't give up on me yet!!!!

Some New Family Pictures

2010-10-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

We recently got our pictures taken...by a pro!!! First time ever!! We have NEVER paid to get them taken before. All of our pictures are done by Travis or I, severe ameteurs. Actually, we didn't have to pay for these either because we have really, REALLY nice people in our ward back in Yakima that bought us a surprise photo session at a ward auction a while back. Seriously the nicest family ever!!!

These are a few of my favs.

Aren't my boys so cute!

Trying to get Mity to smile.

Mother daughter shot.

My handsome hubby and I.

Raspberries.

We scheduled the shoot right during Mity's nap, which is really too bad, because she is usually way more smiley than this. But that is okay. We got some cute shots of her anyway.

There's a hint of a smile. (Note to self: ALWAYS schedule photo shoots as soon after naps as possible.)

Awww...brother-sister love.

My sweet boy is getting so big.

He is only 3, but I swear he acts like he is 5. He says the darndest things. Today at a little neighborhood get-together, I went to check on him and found him wrestling (VERY aggressively I might add) with three six-year-olds. At first I was worried about him because they were all ganging up on him, and it was pretty rough. But I just let them continue when I realized that he was the aggressor and they were all having tons of fun. A couple of the other boys were yelling, "Hey, you little guy! Let go of my friend!"

Anyway, he has been obsessed with death and blood lately. Today he asked me, "Mom, do your bones have blood in them? Or is the blood just outside of your bones?" A little creeeeepy if you ask me.

We are BACK in the blogging world!

2010-08-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

So, I'm just doing all my catching up at once, so scroll down to see all my new posts.

(and you can stop complaining now, Amy!)

Well, we left our beloved Yakima and moved A LOT closer to home. We sure do miss our wonderful ward, our friends, and all of the delicious fruit, but it is so nice to be closer to family.

I've had lots of people wonder why I have not announced where we moved to on this blog...SERIOUSLY, people!!! Haven't you ever watched any documenaries on serial killers?! They are watching you when you least expect it, like right NOW!!! You have to be on your guard at all times!

Let's just say, I am pretty darn close to home, where ever that may be.

A family picture a week or so before moving.

Spending time with our good buddies, the Lichfields. Saying goodbye to them was the hardest part of all.

My best chum, Kathy.

Grant was like a brother to him. He talks about him all the time.

The family reading a bed-time story in Yakima.

Booger bubbles!!!

After church pictures.

Now that we have moved, Travis follows doctors around pretending to be one of them. Sometimes when we are arguing he says, "Did you go to med school?" Seriously overconfident, right?

My beloved brother, Jason and I and Mitty.

Russell's cousin, Josh. Popcicles on a hot summer day...mmmmm...

Josh again.

And look who came to visit!!! Yay!!! Our goodest Yakima friends!

The beauty of a house with a nice, big backyard.

Miss you Lichfields and Yakima 2nd ward!!! Hope you are all doing well!

We love you, Great-Grandpa Ward!!!!

2010-08-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

A sad thing happened on August 1st. My grandpa Ward passed away. I lived a couple of miles from them all growing up. It's been pretty hard. We all really miss him. It was especially hard visiting Grandma at the house the other day with him not there. His hats and work coats and overalls were still hung up all over the garage. His tools were all sitting unused in the shop. It almost seemed if I should be able to walk in and see him there.

But I know that it was right. He had a stroke a few months ago, and his health had been deteriorating since then. I will say that he lived a very full life. It's not like he has been laid up for years. I'm sure that is how he wanted it to be.

It has been hitting me lately that there are not many men like Grandpa left. He was a farming man. A very hard-working, don't come in till dark, farming man with wiry muscles and strong hands, not from lifting weights. Just from working hard on the farm. Those are the kind of men that I was surrounded by as I grew up. A lot of the men that you see around today just don't measure up.

Favorite Memories:

Grandpa used to tease us by letting us stick our fingers near his mouth so he could growl and try to bite them. He also used to get a kick out of our squealing when he made his teeth fall out.

When he sealed Travis and I, he was so sweet and emotional. I often saw him tear up the last few years. He was very close to the spirit.

Till we meet again, Grandpa!!

My! Look how they've grown!!

2010-08-13T12:16:00.001-07:00

Russell and Amity. Two peas in a pod!

Awwwwww...

Amity sits up by herself. (If you put her in that position.)

Amity explores at the lake. She loves the water! And this is even cold IDAHO water.

Eye of the Tiger, Russ.

Bob and Jolene! Close your eyes!!!! Russell rock climbs.

What a cutie!

Russell has gotten into gardening...in his underpants...the neighbors really appreciate it. I don't garden in my underpants.

Amity eats solid foods- with GUSTO!!! And lot's of smacking noises. Wards sure love to eat!

Russell's first dance with a girl at the church picnic. That's his friend, Zora. They've had a long-running romance.

Amity thinks Russell is soooooooo funny!!

What a looker!

Watch out! She spits!

Amity: Muscle woman!!! She does this all day long. Jillian Michaels, eat your heart out!

Just chillin'.

Amity has been scooting/crawling in little circles for about a month now. We are still waiting for her to just go for it and get some real distance.

Oh, how I love my husky little girl. Definitely not a dainty little thing.

Getting ready to go from tummy to bum all by herself.

Oops! Fell over!

Amity is usually very good natured. But she can still get pretty mad sometimes.

A HOUSE! A REAL HOUSE...with a yard and EVERYTHING!

2010-06-05T22:13:00.000-07:00

Hello. Sorry it has been a while. Here are some recent happenings:

Tantrums.

Don't poke your eye with that sucker stick, kid.

Hikes in dark caves.

Climbing around on rocks near waterfalls.

Working out our muscles.

Sneaky little boys waking up before mom and dad and toasting almost an entire loaf of bread. I know...dangerous...we tried to rig an alarm system on his door, but it didn't work. We are going to have to put a stop to this!!

And now...for the best part...YAY!!

I had to drive all by myself with two kids to look for a new place to live, and THIS is what I found for a really great deal!!! We are so excited. No, we are not buying, but this is going to be a great place for us for a couple of years. I am sooooooo happy. Can you just imagine how spooky I could make this front porch at Halloween?

Just a few of my very favorite parts about this awesome house:

This.

This huge garden plot and shed.

Huge deck with built-in seats and flower boxes.

This isn't even half of it. This place is so great and our landlords seem like such nice people. Plus it is out in the country and right near the church and school. We really are blessed to have found this place. We had been looking for months.

Anyway, we sure will miss Yakima. It has been a wonderful place with wonderful people, but we are excited for the big move!

Our Little Life Lately

2010-05-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. This is another post mostly of my cute kids. I have not been posting a lot of pics of Travis and I lately. Why? Well, because mostly Travis just studies and me...well, I mostly just feed my baby and clean house and well, we haven't gotten out a lot lately. I guess I have been crafting a lot lately and trying all kinds of fun new recipes and reading some cool books, but I'm saving that for my other blog. What other blog? The other blog that I'm making where I post projects I'm working on, recipes, things I learn, books that I read and love, and other things.

Anyway, here are the pics!

Mitty is getting so strong. She is starting to bat at her toys and she pushes herself up really well during tummy time as you can see here. And she also jabbers and coos a lot.

Doesn't she have such beautiful, happy eyes? Her lashes are very long too. What a pretty girl.

In this picture she was fixated on my camera and all the flashing lights.

The kids after church.

"Get me off of him!!!!!" Love Russell's cheesy smile.

Well, we did take Mitty on her first hike, so I can't say that we haven't done anything fun lately. She stared mesmerizingly at all of the nature from her little front carrier.

And I did my fair share of the work too, don't worry.

Anyway, stay tuned for more fun outings and such. It is getting very warm here, so we are just getting started in the outdoors.

And also watch for the forthcoming of my other blog. Hopefully it will be ready soon.

The Moulton Girls

2010-04-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

Amity and I. She's mad.

Amity in her Easter dress. Isn't she so cute. And she thinks that we are so funny!

It is so easy to get this girl to smile.

And laugh.

We love our Little Mitters.

He picked his own outfit today.

2010-04-07T17:44:00.001-07:00

Cute, huh? The shorts are backwards too.

Family Fun

2010-04-02T12:38:00.000-07:00

Russ, chillin' with Mitt.

So I now have to hide the bath soap. This is the second time Russ has completely emptied a bottle into the tub. But it is the first time it's made such awesome bubbles. Cute and fun...but NAUGHTY!!!

Wow...what a mess.

Primary Easter activity with friends from church.

Mitty is getting so strong. We practice tummy time every day.

Russell's montster truck cake. He turned 3 recently. This was his cake request. Yes, the wheels are made of donuts.

Aunt Hayley got him a golf set for his birthday. He loves it. Just look at that form!! (Kidding. I really don't know anything about golf form.)

Hey, I may look recovered, but I'm not. It's going to take years for me to recover from the emotional and physical trauma of this last pregnancy/birth. Seriously!!

Russ celebrating his birthday with his cousin, Tyson. They have very close birthdays, and we got to visit our families in Idaho for Amity's blessing.

K, so Russ put this bandaid on his head all by himself because he bonked his head, and a bandaid fixes everything, right? Well, he wouldn't take it off for probably three days. Finally, Travis convinced him that his forehead was all better.

She's a sleepyhead.

Flashback! First Sunday that Amity went to church. It was actually a while ago.

She's grown out of this dress already. What can I say? I've got really creamy milk.

Amity

2010-04-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

Isn't she just beautiful? We just love her so much!!

This picture was actually taken quite a while ago. You can tell that she is skinnier.

In her blessing dress. You can tell she has chubbed up a lot!

She loves that binky!!

All right, all right, you IMPATIENT people!!

2010-02-21T14:09:00.000-08:00

So, most of you were correct. Amity was picture #1 and Russ was picture #2. (It probably helped that Russell was wrapped in a blue blanket and that there were lots of pictures of Amity right below that you could compare...CHEATERS!) But don't they look alike? I think so.

We have noticed that maybe their hairline is a little different, and if you pull their chubby jowls to the side, you can tell that Amity's chin is a little pointier. We shall see what happens as Amity grows, and she is growing fast! Over 8 pounds and 21 inches long now. She is almost bursting out of her newborn clothes already!

Here are some of the latest pics of Amity and her beloved brother, Russ:

Just before taking a walk in our sweet double jogging stroller with inserted baby bivy. We love this stroller. One of the best investments we ever made.

Amity taking a nap on Russell's lap while he is sitting in my hamper of folded clothes.

Bathtime!!! Don't you love Russell's smile? Always the charmer.

Awwwww...they love each other.

Best friends forever...at least mom hopes that they will continue to be friends.

Which Kid Is Which?

2010-02-14T18:20:00.000-08:00

All right people!!!

Russell and Amity look A LOT alike. Can you figure out which kid is which?

Take a vote on our survey and wait for the results!!

Picture #1

Picture #2

I don't even know if I could tell them apart if I didn't take the pictures myself!

More pictures of Mitty Moo and a description of my experience with natural childbirth:

2010-02-04T20:56:00.000-08:00

This girl sleeps constantly!!!

But I sneaked a couple of shots with her eyes open.

This doesn't happen very often.

This is what she usually looks like. Feeding her is VERY hard cuz she falls asleep constantly!

Russell the Muscle holding Calamity Amity. What a pair!!

And here we go again!

Sooo...Amity is the sweetest little thing. She is such a great eater...except for the whole falling asleep during feeding time thing.

We love her so much. She looks so much like Russell, although she was quite a bit bigger than him! He was only 6 pounds 8 ounces and she was 7 pounds 12.8 ounces. So she is definitely filled out a lot more.

As for me, I am doing well. I HAD HER NATURALLY WITH NO EPIDERAL OR PAIN KILLERS. (Well, they did give me an IV with something in it when I first got to the hospital, but it only made me sleepy but didn't do anything for the pain and so we let it wear off, which only took an hour.)

I was in labor for 26 hours and let me just say...OUCH!!! But the WORST was at the end when I had to push. OUCH OUCH OUCH!!!!

Now, many people have asked me the WHY question. Why did I want to do it naturally?

Reasons:

- My doctor was pretty adament that it is better for the baby, although I'm not sure that the difference is super significant. ????
- I wanted to prove to myself that I was tough enough.
- I wanted to prove to my whole family that I was tough enough.
- I wanted to have bragging rights about it for the rest of my life.
- I wanted to put Travis through a lot of extra stress and pressure. (hee hee)
- I wanted to feel a kinship with all of my foremothers from generations past and know what they went through.

But I have to tell you...I almost lost it. It is just soooo easy to say, "Okay! That's it! Just take the pain away!!!" In fact, just ask Travis. I was begging for pain killers, but my doctor kept pep talking me into waiting it out and kept saying that I was over the worst of it. Pretty soon I was pushing and it was definitely too late.

So there was a lot of screaming and yelling. And I was definitely making snappy and rude comments to the doctor. And I also took one hard swing in Travis's general direction, but hit the control panel on my bed instead. (That spooked the nurses a little.)

I NEVER would have made it without the encouragment of my doctor and Travis AND all of the massages they gave me.

So in the end, I am really glad that I made it...but I'm really not sure that I would ever do it again. Maybe if my future labors are a LOT shorter cuz half the problem at the end was that I was just sooooo tired from such a long day without sleep that I thought I would never get that girl out!!

So anyway...that was my el naturel experience. And my family, I'm sure, will be hearing a lot of bragging about it for the rest of our lives! HA!

At Long Last!!!!!

2010-01-30T11:37:00.000-08:00

We are proud to anounce the birth of

Amity Reese Moulton

January 30, 2010, 5:11 am

7 lbs 12.8 oz, 19.5 inches long

Presenting, the adorable, Mity-Moo!

After what may have been Ashley's worst night on earth, she is so happy to have Amity out.

One proud papa.

More detail will follow, along with more pictures. Sadly, Russell will not be able to meet Amity till tomorrow thanks to pigs with fevers.

It's done!!!! (almost)

2010-01-17T12:15:00.000-08:00

Okay...so we have been VERY crafty around here lately. Here is the rest of our stuff.

This is a little bracelet that I made. I had a really hard time getting a decent picture. I still have to check the sizing and cut off the ends.

I also made this reversible nursing cover. I made one side sort of neutral/boyish so that I wouldn't feel like I was feminizing my future male offspring.

And here is the cute female side.

And now...for Travis's bassinet debut.........

TA DA!!!! Isn't it beautiful? I just love the way it turned out!

It swings on those little hooks, but there is also a little stopper knob that you can stick in it to hold it still. We still need to cut off the end of a couple of bolts and that center board on the bottom still hasn't been stained in this picture, but other than that, it is pretty much done.

Don't you love the little hearts? My husband is so talented, ain't he? We got the idea from some friends of ours who had one that their father had made. Travis liked it so much that he took a few measurements and changed it up a little and went right at it. When he first told me he was going to do it, I was like, "That's great, Travis. I support you totally. Follow those big dreams of yours." I didn't actually expect it to get done, but he has been using this as an outlet from all of his studying. Needless to say, he really surprised me.

We had to make a custom matress and sheets and bumper. Travis did the matress, and I sewed this cute little bumper and sheet set.

So...what do you think?

Which Ashley is bigger??

2010-01-15T22:01:00.000-08:00

So here are some pictures for a quick comparison.

Here I am on my due date with Russell.

Here I am a week and a half before my due date with baby girl. (Name not yet revealed.)

So which Ashley is bigger? It is probably kind of hard to tell, especially since one of the photos is taken at a closer angle. Let me know what you think. I won't be offended...promise.

I actually felt like my stomach was bigger with Russell. But I also feel like this little girl takes up more space in my stomach than Russ did, so I think that she will be at least a little bigger than him. I guess we shall see...

Anyway...we have been very busy prepping for baby girl. Here are some things that I have sewn on my sweet sewing machine.

The purple and brown squares are courderoy, and the printed squares are cotton. I love it! I copied a cute quilt that my sister-in-law made for Russ only with girly prints and colors.

The other blanket is just a little flannel bundling blanket, but I just loved the little piggies in the print. Aren't they sooooo cute!! I made a bunch of matching burp rags too!

JUST WAIT until you see what else we are working on!!! Travis is making the most beautiful bassinet for our little girl. He has been working so hard on it that sometimes he can't sleep at night because he sits up and thinks about it and how he is going to make it just perfect. It is ALMOST finished. I am also putting my new sewing talents to work making a bumper pad and sheets for it. Can't wait to post pics. Soon people, soon!

Anyway. I'm sure you will be updated fairly soon, cuz I could go into labor at any time now. Hopefully I will. This kid is soooooooo wiggly. She is a painful one to carry. Can't wait to meet her! Russ is dying to meet her too. He keeps dressing up his stuffed animals in her clothes and dragging them around the house pretending it is her. He's probably starting to think that I've been lying this whole time and she's never really coming out!!

Anyway...stay tuned!

Christmas Break

2010-01-15T21:40:00.000-08:00

Well, once again we had a busy and fun Christmas. It was difficult traveling 15 hours and back considering I was 8 months pregnant. But it was worth it. We needed to visit our families one last time before the kid is born cuz we don't know when we will be able to break away again.

First of all, Russell LOVES the snow.

And he LOVES sledding. Look at the pure joy on his face as he takes on this hill all by himself.

And when Daddy got on the sled with him, he said, "No! Get off! There is not enough room!" He wanted to go by himself.

And here is a humiliating picture for your viewing pleasure. Look how huge I am! I had to wear my father-in-law's snowmobile suit...and I STILL had to suck in a little bit to zip it up!!!!! But hey! Pretty impressive to go sledding at 8 months, huh? I only went down once though. Too uncomfortable and such a long walk up the hill.

Russell loves Santa!

And he REALLY loves presents. Look at that sweet trike we got him.

Well, Christmas is over, but I love New Year's because I am a huge resolution setter, and I love the fresh start and new beginnings.

So HAPPY LATE NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Not much going on...but...here's a new post anyway.

2009-12-09T20:38:00.000-08:00

Growing! Growing! Growing!

33 weeks and counting! Baby will be here soon!!! I can't wait! I am so ready to be a normal person again...ya know...sleeping on my stomach, tying my own shoes, bending over with ease, being able to go out for a run instead of a waddle. Oh', and this is NOT the same picture as in the last post. I'm just wearing the same shirt because we are poor college students who can't afford much clothing, and I'm just gonna get skinny again in a couple of months, so why spend more money?

It snowed!!! It only stayed for a few hours, but it was fun anyway. I really miss the snow. This place doesn't get much. Also...notice that Travis looks like a hairy bushman. He just shaved and got a haircut, and we got so much commentary at church. It was pretty funny. He was growing out his beard for Halloween but then let it grow out longer for a school thing.

Happy Birthday, Travis!!!! We love you! Doesn't that Butterfinger cheesecake I made look delicious? It was...oh, yes...it was.

Russell knocked Grandpa Moulton off the table, and he was beheaded. Sorry, Gramps!

Russell's latest tricks.

He thinks that he is sooooo cool and daring these days!

Watch out!! Unstable pregnant lady with a gun!!!!

Anyhoo...Travis studies a lot, and I sit around and obsess about our nations recent politics. I am VERY concerned with the direction that our nation is heading, but...that's a whole new post. I have also been busy sewing things for our baby girl, and Travis is making a beautiful bassinet. I will take some pics and post them soon.

My little boy is growing up!!

2009-11-29T16:27:00.000-08:00

So I was looking at old pictures the other day and could not believe my eyes. I stumbled upon this little picture of Russell. It was taken just over a year ago, when we first moved to here, Fall of '08. Look at his chubby little face!

When we moved here, I definately did not think that Russ was chubby at all, and he wasn't really compared to a lot of other kids his age, but just look at him now!

Doesn't he look like a little boy now instead of an infant? He has thinned out and grown soooo much! And pretty soon he is going to be a big brother. He will be such a good big brother. He follows me around during the day talking to his baby sister and showing her things. He tells her that he is going to help change her diaper and teach her how to do this and that. He also shows her tricks and gets really mad when I don't turn my belly in that direction so that she can "see."

I just love my little boy, and I'm so happy to be giving him a sibling to play with.

And the answer is..........

2009-11-08T22:26:00.001-08:00

Bob!!!!

See the resemblence?

At first I thought it was Barbara Bush because the almond ears look a little like earrings to me.

Oh, and Travis wants everyone to know that Russell read his first word today completely unprompted. Apparently he was walking with Russ down the church hallway when suddenly Russ stopped and pointed to a bulletin board and said, "BYU." Travis looked, and Russell was indeed pointing to the word BYU on some paper. I immediately thought that he just recognized the logo, but Travis claims that it was not the regular BYU logo and just the name typed in regular print. Anyway, Travis is obviously soooooo proud and excited that BYU is so ingrained into our child.

Go cougs.

Halloween and Other Fun...

2009-11-02T21:07:00.000-08:00

We have been planning this costume for months now!!!

Spooky kid, huh? He wanted to be a ghost. We made this costume out of an old sheet and some cheese cloth.

Our friends at our Halloween party.

Glamour girl shot!! I had so much fun wearing the fake eyelashes!

What a sweetheart. Just can't keep that thumb out of his mouth. Smeared his makeup.

We also had a little preschool Halloween party at my house. My friends and I are doing a joy school together. Sooooo fun. Got to keep my teaching skills up!!!

AND...ON TO THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!

Making gourd people is quickly becoming one of my favorite little family traditions that we do each fall. I was introduced to this by my sister-in-law, and it is so much fun. You should try it!

Gourd people 2009!!! Mine is that feminine little beauty on the left. The middle one is Russy's. He was insistant that his be a guy tackling another guy. (All that football stuff is really sticking in his head.) And Travis's...well, what do you think?

Alright everyone.

Who did Travis try to depict in his adooooorrrrable little gourd person...

A. Barbara Bush

B. Marjorie Pay Hinckley

C. Robert Moulton (his dad)

Leave a guess in the comment section if you want.

Yay for Halloween!!!!!

2009-10-25T14:10:00.001-07:00

Those of you who know me really well probably remember that I LOVE Halloween. Travis will even tell you... I checked out a Halloween idea book from the library back in August and have been plotting my Halloween festivities/decorations/food ever since!! (Travis thinks that I'm a little crazy sometimes.) So here are some things that we have been doing...

Of course, no Halloween would be complete without a little bit of pumpkin carving.

These are two of our finished products. We still have one more to do, though. Sorry if you can't see the one on the left very well. It's a skull. That one is Russell's. He picked out the design by himself. The other one is mine. Travis didn't finish his pumpkin because he was helping Russ.

Russell trying on part of my costume. I'll post pics of our costumes probably next week.

So I have been decoration up a storm. I've made a lot of my stuff. I get a lot of my ideas from http://www.familyfun.go.com/. I love that site. Check it out for all sorts of games/craft ideas for your kids. Plus recipes and all sorts of other stuff. This is just a standard old grapvine wreath, spray painted black with some ribbon and spiders attached.

More spiders to scare the trick-or-treaters!!!!

These two guys haunt our yard...

probably because they died and were buried right on the property. Didn't I ever tell you guys about that?

These bats were a great project for Russell and I to do together. As a teacher I am always thinking about what I can do to prep Russell for school, and one thing is to work on his fine-motor skills. You know...cutting, gluing, coloring, writing. These are skills that they really hit hard in preschool and kindergarten. Russell did most of the gluing for these bats.

The fun thing is, they have clothes pins on the back, so you can hang them almost anywhere. I will probably make more next year.

And we made these cute pumpkins out of an egg carton. He did most of the painting and helped me stick the stems through.

I bought this cool cylinder vase at Walmart to fill with all kinds of things as a centerpeice for my table or counter.

Then we added a spray-painted branch to make a tree. Then of course we added all sorts of horrible things to the branches...rats, spiders, skeletons...MUUU HAAA HAAAAA!!!

I made this ghost curtain pull-back out of felt and hot glue.

So sorry for all the pics of my decorating...as you can tell, we had a lot of fun. One of these days when we have our own house, I'm going to be known as the creepy lady down the street whose house is scary to trick-or-treat at. It's a dream of mine...

Russ being silly with his Halloween party stuff. We got to go back to Idaho and have a party with my fam. So much fun!!!!

Halloween sugar cookies!!!

Mmmmmmmm! In addition to these, I try to do a Halloween themed meal once a week. Ya know...monster claws with eyeball salad. Stuff like that.

Now to add to the list of what has been going on...I have been getting progressively fatter. Here I am at 25ish weeks. How am I ever going to make it through Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas without gaining about a million pounds?!!?

Oh, and by the way...we think we know what we are going to name the kid, but I'm not quite ready to tell yet. Maybe next time.

Okay! Okay!! An update!!

2009-09-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

We have been having a lot of fun lately. Here are some pics:

Last weekend we went on a hike up Chinook Pass with a beautiful view of Mount Ranier. Glorious, huh?

Me on the hike. 22 weeks, I think. Maybe 23. I forget. But I am sticking my belly out a little extra if you can't tell. Sheesh!! I'm not that big yet. Right? RIGHT?!!!

Travie and Russ. Russell is getting almost too big to carry anymore. Travis was feeling the burn!!

So Russell picked out his clothes and put them on himself this day. It was probably to warm for a sweater, but what the heck. Backwards and he didn't want to fix it.

Not to mention that there is a n 90 percent chance that Russell will put his shoes on the wrong feet. You'd think that it was 50/50 huh? Nope! Not mathematically logical, but true. This smile reminds me so much of Travis.

Oh, this was embarrassing. We went to our friends house for games one night, and Russ had two accidents in his pants. TWO!!! So he had to borrow one of their pink princess pullups. (They only have girls.) The next day he cried when I threw them away because he liked them so much.

This is stud muffin Russ dressed up for his uncle Shane's wedding. He was the ring bearer, and he got to dance with the flower girl. He REALLY liked that and talked about it for a week. He kept saying, "Kayla says I'm a good dancer."

My little man!!

Two of my friends and I have started a little joy school together because we all live so close and our kids are all the same age. We take turns being the teacher. It is so much fun!!! Russ loves it, and it is free!! Plus two of us are licensed teachers anyway. So this is Russell's first day of school.

He loves his new backpack and takes it everywhere!

So as you can see, we are doing well. I will update you again when all of my fabulous Halloween plans are put into place. (I've been planning for Halloween for a month or two now! I just love it!)

AND THE RESULTS ARE IN........

2009-09-14T15:11:00.001-07:00

It's a BOY!!! And we are naming it MAXTER PORTWELL!

Scroll down to the next post to see some pictures!!

JUST KIDDING!!!!

2009-09-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

It's actually a GIRL, and we don't know what we are going to name her yet. We were just playing a little prank on some people we know. (Hee.Hee. You know who you are!) I would post pictures, but they aren't the best pictures, and it is hard to see. I will post some new pics of my humongo belly very soon though. It's just that I'm canning today. Very busy.

Drumroll Please........................................

2009-09-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

WE WON!!!!!!

Yes, you heard it. That leprechaun suit along with the accompanying limerick that Travis and I wrote and Travis's marvelous cannonball that got the judges wet, helped us win $2000!! I guess all that sewing was worth it! (If you do not know what I am talking about, scroll down to check out the leprechaun suit.)

In case you are wondering, Travis entered a scholarship contest called the cannonball bash. He had to dress up in a costume, recite an original limerick that began with, "If I had 2 Grand I would...," then he had to jump in the water in his costume. Here was our original limerick, written by Travis and I.

If I had 2 Grand I would head
To go golfing until I dropped dead.
But since the wife I've been lov'n
Has a bun in the oven (large hand gesture over belly)
I think I'll buy diapers instead!

We tried to make it funny while also playing off of the judges sympathies. (Oh poor us! We are in med school and are about to have our second child. Boo hoo!) And it worked!! Yay!!!

Now...what to do with the money.... We probably should spend it on diapers.

PREPARE YOURSELVES TO BE DAZZLED AND AMAZED!!!

2009-08-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

I don't normally like to brag, but in this case...I just have to. I undertook a VERY difficult sewing project for my sweetheart, Travis. I had to make him a costume so that he can wear it as he dives into a swimming pool for a scholarship contest. This is what I have been slaving over for the last week...

Ta Da!!! Yes, my friends. Travis is a leprechaun. And doesn't he make a great one with that red hair and beard? By the way, those are real buttons with real button holes made by my trusty new sewing machine that I got for Christmas. (I love my machine!)

Here is a nice view from the back. How do you like the puffed sleeves?

Nice stiff, high collar, wouldn't you say?

Sweet little knickers, eh? With an old fashioned flap fly. I know...I'm amazing...

Enjoying the coat tails? I thought you would.

Mom, I hope you are proud, cuz this was HARD, and I had NO HELP! (Except for Travis, but he doesn't know how to sew at all.)

And for the most recent Russell news...

HOORAY FOR UNDERPANTS!!!!!! Russell is almost potty trained! He only wears diapers while he is sleeping. He has the #1 thing down very well. #2 we are still working on.

What does Russell do with his time?

This.

And This.

And this! Russ spends nearly all of his time playing with his cars, moving them from place to place in the house, and setting them up in meticulously planned little arrangements. He takes them outside, in the dirt, in his closet, and everywhere you could imagine. He also talks to them, makes up little stories and scenarios, sings to them, makes them talk to each other, and of course, makes car noises.

Russ has been saying the cutest things as he has learned to communicate more and more. Just yesterday we told him that we were going to a BBQ, and about an hour later he said, "We going to the barbecue sauce yet?" We love our little pumpking and are so excited to have another one to join the fun!

Updates!!!!!

2009-08-12T13:37:00.001-07:00

I'm 4 months pregnant. Sorry about the no face thing, but it's hard to get a full body shot when you have to hold the camera yourself, and you don' t know how to work the timer. We do not know what it is yet, but feel free to vote for what you think on our poll. We should find out in early September. My due date is January 26th.

What we have been up to...

This is in Yelm, WA with my Aunt Marianne. We had so much fun visiting. Woo! Hoo! Look at us ride!

This is Russell taking Kennadi on a ride! Do you see how his lips are puckered? Motorcycle noises.

I'm learning how to fly fish!! I caught about 16 that weekend!!!

Russell took swimming lessons. What a little fish!!

He can jump!! Oh, yes, can he jump!

And he makes a nice splash. He also holds his breath and opens his eyes under water, paddles and kicks, and dives for toys!

Whenever I let Russell play with playdough, he has me make a motorcycle and a "guy" to ride on it. But this time, he made me make a girl to ride behind the guy. He's got those manly instincts, I'm tellin' ya. He knows that it just makes sense for a manly guy to have a hot chick on the back of his motorcycle.

We just got back from a very LOOONG but fun trip. We first went to Idaho to spend time with my family. We went camping too. This is Russell taking a dip in Ice House Creek. I'll let you wonder how it got its name.

Russell spent most of his time in camp "driving" the four-wheelers, or atleast pretending to. What a little BOY!

Then we went to Wyoming and spent time with the Moultons. We also got to go to Yellowstone. Here is a nice buffalo for your viewing pleasure. (Actually bison.)

Elk. We saw lots and lots of elk.

The fam hanging out.

A very cool geiser. It erupts every 8 or 12 hours or something, and we just made it!

Anyway. We had fun. We are home now. Whew, what a trip. Travis is in year 2 of med school. Wish him luck!!

A favor to ask...

2009-06-16T08:13:00.001-07:00

Will some more people please comment about Travis's fish? His feelings are really being hurt. Thanks!

Some pictures for your viewing enjoyment.

2009-06-15T21:46:00.000-07:00

We took a nice hike to boulder cave with some friends. Here are some pics.

We had to change Russell's crib into a bed because he was climbing out of it every day. For the first few days he fell out a lot. Sometimes he woke up and sometimes he didn't. On this day, he just slid out and continued his slumber in the middle of his floor.

What a cutie!

The moon came out at the water park.

2009-06-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

Well, we got a group of buds from the medical school together to go on a little outing today. We drove up to Moses Lake and went to the water park they have there. We had so much fun, but we forgot to take our camera, so...sorry. But I do have a horrifying story to tell you.

See this little surf ride? Looks fun, doesn't it. Yes. It is fun. But there are some risks that you should know about before you attempt to surf on one of these. No, that girl is not me. But I was just like her today at the water park. Surfing away and having a blast...until disaster struck....

After falling off my surfboard I flipped over on my back with my feet pointing up the hill. Big mistake. The water shot up the back of my swim suit bottoms! I ended up kneeling at the top of the surfing simulator with my pants halfway down my rear! The worst part was that there was a rather large audience of people watching me surf, including many strangers and several of Travis's medical school chums, and I mooned them all! When I finally got my pants all the way up (a full five seconds later), I apologized to the entire crowd amongst their laughter and at least one video camera that hopefully didn't catch the incident.

The only other person that I know of that had such a wardrobe malfunction on the surfing simulator was a chunky little 8 year old boy. But that little boy and I had a lot in common as we were shrouded in humiliation and shame for the rest of the day at the water park.

2009-06-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

To take a break from studying, we took a drive up to Bear Lake to fish. Travis was the only one to catch anything and boy was it a monster!!!!! Shortly after this picture, the fish jumped out of his hand and into Russell's face. He did not like that much.

That didn't dismay him, he went up again on Saturday to celebrate being done with his first year of medical school. He has been slowly accumulating fishing gear over the last couple of years. He took his float tube for its maiden voyage and it payed off. Almost every cast had a bite and he brought in about 30 rainbow trouts. He took his limit of five home to BBQ and eat. It was good eating.

Most of them were only about 12 inches long but one of them really was a monster.

16 inches, way to go Travis. And congratulations on finishing your first year of med school.

Back to my cowgirl roots!

2009-06-04T20:43:00.000-07:00

So...I went to Idaho Falls for Memorial Day weekend. Travis couldn't go, but Russ and I went. And it is a good thing that I did because my poor dad really needed help on the ranch. We had a lot of brandin' to do.

Here is a little branding tutorial for all you city folk:

First you chase a group of calves into a small pen. Once they are locked in, you find a few good ones to separate from the group. You gotta do whatever it takes to get them to go into the chute, and believe me, they do not want to go! It is hard work. Sometimes you can just chase them in, but sometimes you have to pin them up against the fence with your hip and grab their tail with one hand and ears with the other and force them to go in. But watch out! They kick!! Very hard!!
One kicked my right in the stomach. And my nephew's shin got a good thump too.

Once they are in the chute, you have to push your hip into them so that they don't back out. It is better to be right up against their rear because it doesn't hurt as bad when they kick as it does when you are a foot or two away. This part can be gross because sometimes they go to the bathroom when you are pushing them forward. Ewwwww!

This is me trying to pass my time-tested techniques on to my nephew, Tyson.

Sometimes they get turned around. Then you have to either let them out and try again or figure out a way to flip them over in a 1 foot wide space (which can be very difficult).

Then my sister-in-law, Lexy, opens the gate to let the calf into the "machine." (I can't remember what it is really called.) Now I have to go back for more calves.

Once they are inside, the machine is cranked shut, and the calf is flipped over on his side. My dad is getting ready to vaccinate it.

My brother, Logan ropes the calf's leg and yanks it back so that he can't thrash. You can't really see it very well from this picture. He is in the striped shirt.

Then my brother, Darin, brands the calf. It moos a lot, but it's okay. When it is over, the calf is released and it trots out of the machine and back to its mother. My brother, Beau, is there too, and he has some job, but I can't remember what it is.

Russell came over to watch and was really put out when he got a little dried dirt/manure in his sandal. I think that he just made it worse when he plopped down and tried to get it out.

A hard day's work on the ranch!

5 years baby!! Can you believe it?

2009-05-17T22:37:00.000-07:00

Friday was our anniversary. We have been married for five years. I can't hardly believe it. It has gone by so fast. We have been through a lot together. College. My first three years of teaching school. A baby. Moving about a bazillion times. First year of med school. Wow. A lot, but much more to come. It was also a little between-semester break, so we decided to take a little trip with our friends, the Lichfields, to the Oregon coast.

We stayed in a little cottage/apartment thingy right next to the beach. It was a lot of fun. Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure.

A cool cliff thingy.

Russell's first jaunt on the beach ever.

Now ya'll! It was cold there. The wind was blowing and the sun was hardly ever out, but that doesn't stop us tough Idaho gals!! We'z is used ta colder than cold water! Just ask them Moulton boys who was the gutsiest one when we swam in String Lake in yonder Jackson Hole! Why me, of course. I can handle cold water, I can! This is me getting all wet in the middle of practically a hurricane on the Oregon coast. (Don't worry moms and dads. We know that the Oregon coast can be treacherous. We didn't go in deep. We just went in up to our shins and then ran and splashed around.) Now if only I remembered to take my cell phone out of my pocket.... If anyone is having trouble getting ahold of me, that may be why.

We went on a mini-hike. It was too rainy to go for a real one with the boys. It was very Twilightesque there in the rainy forests of Northern Oregon. I couldn't help but keep an eye out for vampires.

Oh, my cute boys! And Bears too, of course!

We also took a tour of the Tillamook cheese factory and got some icecream. Russell's first icecream cone.

On the way home, we stopped at the Portland Zoo. We got to ride in a train.

And we saw a baby elephant. So cute.

And...DUM DUTTA DUM.....

You know how I have been wanting some pointy-toed shoes? Well, for our anniversary, Trav let me get some. At first I was only going to get black ones, but then I saw these and well... they speak for themselves.

Ha! I love them! I think they are so cool. And not to mention, according to Stacey and Clinton from TLC's What Not to Wear, the pointy toe elongates the line of the leg making me appear longer and leaner. The animal print celebrates a beautiful pattern that occurs in nature without me actually dressing up like the animal. And of course, it adds a little pizaaz!! Thanks, Trav!
Go on, Amy. I know you are going to give me another lecture about my shoe choices. We always have been on different planets when it comes to this.

More Gardening

2009-05-17T22:21:00.000-07:00

So I stepped out my door one day and was thrilled to discover this...

Yay!!! That bush in our back yard was a lilac bush this whole time, only I didn't know it. I am so excited because I grew up with tons of lilacs in our backyard, and they are some of my favorite flowers. I was so excited that I was skipping around the house like a little girl. (Just ask Trav.) And I put this together for our table...

Aww....fresh flowers. A scarcity in our home.

I have been working very hard, and you can tell because most of these rocks...

used to be here, and not on the top either. No! They were all mixed in, and I sat in the dirt on my bottom sifting through each section of dirt and removing the rocks. Then I had some more dirt brought in from my friends house that I added. Finally I transplanted my basil and cilantro and planted some oregano, parsley, and spinich. I am waiting for some bell and jalepeno pepper plants to sprout too. I know. It is just a mini-garden, but it was all I could do.

Sorry the picture is sideways. It is really annoying, but I did not want to upload it again. This is my lettuce and my tomato plants with a geranium.

Ta Da!!!! My garden. I will keep you updated.

The latest craze around the Moulton house and other Russellisms.

2009-05-17T16:24:00.000-07:00

So for a reason unbeknownst to me, there is a new craze at our house. It is called the wiping very sticky and potent-smelling substances all over our face and hair craze.

Here are some photos for your delight:

Substance #1: Desitin- very stinky and hard to remove from clothes and child.

This is after Russ found the Desitin in his diaper bag. There's that cheesy grin again.

You can't really see the damage that he did to his hair from the picture.

Oh, and by the way. Russell really likes Desitin. He goes around telling our neighbors, "I have Desitin on my bum." To much information, Russ!

Substance #2: Peanut butter- He smelled like peanuts for the rest of the day.

Look how innocent he looks, the little devil!!!

He absolutely ruined one of our favorite snacks!! When I asked him why he did it, he said, "I don't know. It got stuck!" The silly part is that Travis and I were in the room when he did this, but were not paying attention. Can't take your eye off him for one minute!!

And now on to other things.

Travis has been studying so hard that Russ and I get a little sad and lonely. One night I decided that since Russ couldn't play with his dad, he and I would have a special little pajama party. We put on our pjs, got a blanket and popcorn, and Russ got to choose a movie to watch. Well, he insisted that we watch Frosty the Snowman in the middle of April...oh well. It was fun.

Russ has been working very hard to learn his letters and sounds. He is getting pretty good. He walks around the house singing his ABC's and saying things like, "B says buh! K says kuh!!" This is his little letter project. I got the idea from my friend, Chrissy's blog. Russy is gonna follow after his smarty pants father. (Uhhh...and of course his smarty pants mother.)

Congratulations, Hon!!!!!

2009-05-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

I just have to take a moment to brag about my dear, sweet husband because I am so proud of him. I hope that this does not embarrass him.

Alright, people. This guy is a smarty pants. These med school testing blocks are killer, I'm talking KILLER, and he is excelling. According to his teachers, he is taking approximately 43 credits- almost all science classes. Neurology, bio-chem, medical physiology, anatomy, osteopathic practices...the list goes on and on. Not only did he recieve straight A's this sememster, but he also received honors in 6 out of 10 of his classes which means that he was among the top 7 students in those classes!! He has been working so hard, and it has been paying off! (And I'm sure it helps that he is naturally gifted as well.) I love you, Trav. Thank you for working so hard for our family because I'm sick of being the breadwinner around here. (Hee.Hee.)

Some cute photos to add a little spice.

On our hike a few weeks ago.

On Russell's birthday. He looks tired, huh? You'd think that he just had the baby!

I always did love that hair!

What a great dad!!

Mothers

2009-05-17T15:20:00.001-07:00

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

Sorry Mom and Jolene! I know that you both are wondering whether we are going to send a card or gift, and believe you me, we are!!!! Travis and I are very bad at remembering dates and commemorative holidays. Travis's excuse is that he is a boy, and my excuse is that my mom always used to buy the birthday/father's day/Christmas gifts for me and then just have me sign my name on them. (You shouldn't have babied me like that, mom. It stunted my character growth.) But don't worry, people. The gifts are comin'. Oh, and by the way...we did call on Mother's Day. We aren't THAT bad. Sheesh!

So let's start with my mom. My mom is the most hospitable and unselfish person ever. If you ever come to our house, you can tell because she spends all of her time trying to make sure that everyone else is happy and comfortable, even if she is exhausted. She is also very easy to talk to and has always been there for me throughout the years. And if any of you didn't know me as a child, let me just say that I was a VERY difficult one. Sorry, Mom! Lately Travis has been telling me, "That sounded just like your mom!!" He thinks that I'm turning into her. I act all mad, but really, if I turned out to be like her, that would be a very good thing indeed, and Travis knows it too.

This is Jolene, my mother-in-law. How blessed that I married into the Moulton family. Their mother is top notch. Jolene spends all of her time taking care of other people too. She takes care of my sweet sister-in-law, Hayley, everyday AND my crazy father-in-law, Bob. Now that is a lot of work!! (Hee. Hee. Sorry, Bob!) And in between, she is always doing everything she can to help ensure that we are safe and happy too. I have always felt loved and welcomed by her, and I really feel like a natural part of this family. Oh, and not to mention that she reared the most wonderful boy that I ever could have picked for myself.

We love you Moms and miss you so much!!!

Recent Happenings

2009-04-19T22:25:00.000-07:00

Well, first of all, my mother will not believe this...I've started to really get into gardening. Yes, ma. I know that I fought you tooth and nail all growing up when it came to weeding the garden, but as I have finally grown up, I decided that it just may be worthwhile. I have planted several vegetable plants in some pots, and recently I ventured into the hanging flower pot arena. Here are the fruits of my labors. No, I did grow these from seeds. I bought the plants and transferred them. They should grow and overflow from the basket eventually. I'll keep you updated.

These are my petunias.

And these are my pansies. Don't you love the duo of colors on the pansies!!

This is the wreath that I made...okay...I bought at Jo-Ann's. It is pretty funny because I had an autumn wreath hanging up until just the other day, and people (ahem, Kathy and Travis) kept making fun of me because autumn was over. So I just had to get a new one. When Travis got home from school, the first thing out of his mouth was, "I see you went shopping." Ha! Ha! That's what he gets for making me feel embarrassed and pressured to keep up with the seasons!! I hope you learned your lesson, Trav. (Actually, I hope he didn't. It was a great excuse!)

We went to a family fun center. Russell was so excited to go in the bumper boats, until it was actually time to get in them.

Russell's creepy bunny mask.

I love that cheesy grin!!

Coloring Easter eggs with Dad.

He got the motherload!

Notice how he is soothing himself with his thumb. He was a little nervous about the large, creepy bunny. He only gave him a hug for the candy. He'll do whatever he needs to do to get some candy.

What a cutie!!

We went on a little hike a week or so ago. It was just about 30 minutes from our apartment. This is Russell and I having a little snack.

I love this picture of my two sweet boys!!

A long winded story. PLEASE READ because it is very interesting and relevant.

2009-04-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I had a crazy experience this morning that I just had to blog about. Here goes.

I had a doctor's appointment this morning. Just one of those yearly checks that you ladies all understand. Anyway, let's just say that Yakima does not have a very good selection of doctor's offices and I had to call around a lot to find anyone who would even take me.

Anyway. I dropped Russell off at my friend Kathy's house and went. When I pulled into the office, I just had this sinking feeling because it looked like an abondoned mini-mart that someone turned into a doctor's office. Seriously, the doors were these huge metal things with no windows. There were no windows anywhere. It was just a shabby looking building. I was really wishing that I had found a different place.

I went to the front desk and got my paperwork, and while the lady was making copies of my insurance card I noticed a poster on the wall behind her that said, "How to be a fabulous feminist!" Then it went on to list all kinds of things, some of them very stupid. It said things like, "Celebrate rebel spinsters. Be anti-war. Fight against racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. Have happy sex. Keep abortion safe, free, and available." Okay, so this poster ticked me off MAJORLY! If any of you don't know this about me, I am very interested in politics and watch political news religiously. Not to mention I do not like feminists. Well, at least not those crazy left-wing loons who run around masquerading as people who actually care about women. (If they really cared about women, they'd spend more time talking about how pornography and hip hop music and videos objectify women and less time about all the silly comments that radio show hosts make.) I was very annoyed that a doctor's office would be so unprofessional as to alienate the many conservative patients that might come in, such as myself.

In fact, I was so annoyed that I almost said, "Excuse me, but that poster is full of shBLEEP! Don't you think that you might have patients that do not agree with all of that garbage!" Now if any of you don't know this about me, I am not a swearing type of person. I very, VERY rarely swear, and I have never sworn directly at someone out of anger, so this would have been a new thing for me had I said it out loud. I wish I had though because it just gets worse from here.

I sat down in the really trashy seats that sink you all the way down to the ground and began to fill out my paperwork. (Oh, and by the way, there were more of those posters in the waiting area.) On the portion that asked for my phone number, I was shocked to find that I was asked this question, "Can we contact you at this number, or do we need to be 'discreet.'" That is when it suddenly all came together. I turned to the other people in this lobby and said, "Does anyone know what kind of clinic this is?" They all kind of shrugged and one lady answered that it was a women's clinic. So I stood up and went to the nurse at the front desk again and I asked her if this was an abortion clinic. She sort of looked sheepish and admitted that yes it was in addition to other female checkups. At that point I was shaking. I was so angry. I can't even describe it to you. I just couldn't believe that I almost monetarily supported that little dump of an office that "discreetly" killed babies so that girls's mothers and loved ones wouldn't find out about it. It just made me sick!!!

I told the nurse that I would be going somewhere else, and I ripped up my papers and left, slamming the door behind me. At this point I started balling. I can't explain it. It was such a sinister and underhanded place. It was just like the spirit was not there.

As I was pulling out of my parking space, I looked across the street to see a car covered in anti-abortion posters. Then I saw out my side window that two people were running towards my car. As they got closer I saw that they were two little old ladies with anti-abortion shirts on. I knew that they were thinking that I was crying because I just got an abortion or was thinking about it, so I rolled down my window and said, "Don't worry! I'm not getting an abortion. I hate abortion. I just needed a PAP. I didn't even know that it was an abortion clinic." We proceeded to talk about how awful abortion is and how the world is getting so crazy these days that people don't even think twice about terminating a life. The ladies had tears in their eyes, and they told me that I did the right thing by leaving. I think they were just so relieved to see that there are still some young people out there who believe in the right to life and consequences to our actions. They gave me a business card of another place that I could go for my checkup. I found out that they were Catholic, and I told them that I was LDS and that I was so glad that we could be allies in this cause. They even invited me to come and demonstrate with them, and I think that I may do it some day when Travis can watch Russ. I mean, if I can convince one girl to go with adoption rather than abortion, it's worth it, right?

So think about this. Isn't that feminist poster so ironic? They spend so much time trying to protect full-grown people against any kind of hurt, insult, namecalling, or bias, but they won't even protect people that are absolutely helpless. They want you to be anti-war because they don't think it is right to kill, but then on the other hand, they want to make abortions available for anyone, any time, for any reason. They want you to have "happy sex," but don't even talk about what kind of consequences that can have because they don't care!! Why care when you have an easy way around the consequences after a mess up? Can you see why I hate feminists? (Or so-called feminists.)

Anyway. I hope you enjoyed my very long-winded story. It was an eye-opening experience. I have always had strong feelings against abortion, but I think that just hearing about it or watching it on TV really separates people from it. Actually being there in that place really made me feel how dark and evil it really is.

Look what I made!!!! Yay!!!

2009-04-05T09:18:00.000-07:00

So, I have seen these around lately, and think they are so cute for little girls. I decided to make one for our friend, Zora. Maybe I'll make some more and sell them! Anyway...yes the model is Russell. I didn't have anyone else to show off my masterpeice. But I didn't put in his face for fear that Travis would kill me!!

Let me know what you think!

The Wicked Witch of the West!!!!

2009-04-03T19:43:00.000-07:00

So today while daddy was studying, Russell and I decided to run a few errands and browse at TJ Max just to get out of the house. While there, I was trying on some really cute pointy-toed shoes. I've never had a pair of pointy-toed shoes before. I always thought that they looked really cute on other people, but that they made me look ridiculous. Well, I've changed my mind, and I really do want a nice pair of black pointy-toed heels. So anyway, back to the story. I was trying on a pair and was walking around in them when Russell yelled, "Mommy's a witch!! Mommy's a witch!" I guess we have read him Hansel and Gretel a few too many times, huh?

Yep, that's me!

Need a cute, modest swimsuit?? Me too!!!

2009-04-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

Recently Travis and I had a little bonding session where we each told each other something that we were scared to tell each other before. Well...Travis worked up the guts to tell me that he thought the swim suit I bought a few years ago was ugly!! Can you believe that? Well, don't worry. It didn't hurt my feelings because I don't really like it that much either. I have such a hard time finding cute swim suits that give good support and are modest at the same time. Anyhow, I just took it as the perfect excuse to buy a new suit.

Well, I did find this little drawing for a new suit on one of my friend's blogs called Perch. If you also want to be entered into a drawing for a cute and modest Lime Ricki swimming suit, click on the link below.

http://onmyperch.blogspot.com/2009/04/lime-ricki-swimsuit-giveaway.html

Here Come the Terrible Twos!!!

2009-03-28T21:24:00.000-07:00

Well, we got to go home for spring break to see the fam!! This is Russell at Grandma Moulton's house. He got spoiled for his birthday by Grandparents and Aunt Hayley!!!

Russell loves his choo choo train from Aunt Hayley!!

Russ with Grandpa Bob.

We went to Grandpa Ward's house and got to play with the baby cows.

He is a newborn. Isn't he cute?

Russell loved his snake cake that mother slaved over. Forked tongue and all! It was like two feet long!!

Russell and his friend, Riker. They had a conjoined birthday party.

Russell was unable to blow out his single candle.

I love it when he makes this mischievious face.

Russell enjoying his bus. Look at their faces. They look like twins!

Anyway. Things are good here. I held my first book club meeting at my house. We had a very lively discussion about the book, The Five Love Languages. Travis is of course studying a lot still and being his cute self.

We just put Russell in a "big boy" bed. Wish us luck with that!! We are going to need all the luck we can get now that he is two!!!

A Super-Sewing Scheme, a Mighty Moulton Miracle, an Enormously Necessary Nerd-Alert, and a Perilous Potty Plot

2009-03-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

A Super Sewing Scheme

So, my super sewing scheme was sewing my sweet son a super-hero cape!! I'm not done yet. I still have to design and sew on his one-of-a-kind super-hero logo. My very first project with my spectacular new sewing machine that I got for Christmas. Thanks to all of you who donated to the sewing machine cause!! I'm so excited because I bought a new pair of pants, and I can actually hem them myself now!!!

A Mighty Moulton Miracle

No, no. Your eyes do not deceive you. My husband truly is the mighty 2nd ward pinewood derby champion. Travis and his shark car, Sherman, went undefeated. The miracle part is that Travis and I both had our doubts that Sherman was up to the competition, but he proved us wrong!

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!

It was a blood bath people!!

An Enormously Necessary Nerd-Alert

Help!! My house has been invaded by knicker-wearing nerds!!! Look how high they wear their pants!! This is an emergency!!!

This was their horrific Nerd boogie!

A Perilous Potty Plot

I'm not sure what it is yet, but I can tell by that evil gleam in his eye that he is Perilous Potty Plotting!!

Russell's New Sentence

2009-03-01T19:56:00.001-08:00

So...Russell is talking more and more and more and more. He speaks in quite complicated sentences. The other day he said, "Let's read the book about choo-choo trains." Today he listened very carefully to me as I commented about his dirty diaper. His new sentence for the day is, "I have diarrhea!" He walked around saying that for quite some time. Silly guy.

Russell and Daddy built a big road!! Russell said, "I did it!!"

Grandma and Grandpa Ward came to visit. Can you tell that Russell is sad to see them go? Oh, and Dad tried to get Russell to become a Bronco fan instead of a Cougar fan. Although we do like the Broncos...it's not going to happen, Dad!! Go Cougs!!

Just swinging at the park on one of our nicer days!!

Wheeeeeee!!!

Love ya'll!!

AND MY NEW CALLING IS...DRUM ROLL PLEASE...

2009-02-19T19:05:00.000-08:00

GIRLS CAMP DIRECTOR!!!

Yes, it will be fun. I am very excited!!! It is put on by the stake, so that takes a little pressure off too! Wish me luck!

WATCH THIS MOVIE!!!!!

2009-02-17T16:42:00.001-08:00

Have you seen Fireproof yet? You HAVE to see it. It is a tear jerker and very relevant in this tulmultuous world of ours. It is also very romantic, but not in a weird, sappy way. It is romantic in a very real-life and pertinent way. It is a must see. It will make you want to be a better spouse. And, just so you know, the kiss at the end is Kirk Cameron's real-life wife because he did not want to kiss anyone else, even for just the movie. Now if that isn't special, I don't know what is. It is no wonder hollywood marriages never work out. They are always kissing people and filming love scenes all in the name of their "work". That is definately fodder for many failed hollywood marriages.

Anyway...watch this movie with your spouse or even just your friends as soon as possible!! It is available to rent now.

Love,

Ash

Hi Ya'll (or so my friend Kathy would say)!!

2009-02-12T14:52:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics to let you all know what we have been up to.

This is Russell's new girlfriend, Zora. He is such a fast mover! His ex just moved away to California a few weeks ago!! Okay...okay...this was at the bowling alley with some friends last weekend. We all had a lot of fun. It's been a while since we have gotten out to do something. There is not much to do here in the winter. They don't even have mini-golf in this city!

Russell and his friend Grant have been taking gymnastics together. Russ loves it! In the morning before we leave he runs around saying, "Gymnastics! Gymnastics! I wan go gymnastics!"

Here he is jumping through some hoops. (Or maybe he is just sort of galloping through them.)

Hanging on the bar. All of his shirts are becoming belly shirts lately.

Climbing. Just prepping him for the rocks in a few years.

Russell has also been learning to put on his own clothes. On this day he begged me to put his shoes on over his pj's and then he put his own jacket on (as you can see). He walked around like this for most of the morning while he played cars. He even had the hood on. The other day Travis and I caught him trying to put on his own pajama pants after his bath, and we let him keep going. It took him a while, but he got them on all by himself!

Just before I took this picture, Russell said to me, "I sit in the boat wiff hat on." Don't you love his new pj's? I thought they were sooo cute. Monkeys playing basketball. He cried the other day when I made him wear his other ones.

Russell is also learning his ABC's. He is getting better everyday. He can also identify the letter A and B if you show him a group of letters. What a smartie pants, huh?!

Oh, and Travis and I are fine except that I have been very stressed about the direction the world is heading these days. I am very worried about today's youth, the break-down of the family, abortion, gay marriage, government spending...I need to stop watching the news. I really get into this stuff and it is STRESSFUL!

Travis is VERY busy now. He is in med school taking like thirty something credits. He is in the student council and is in charge of intramurels. He is on the ward basketball team. He is the eleven-year-old's scout leader, and he just got a new calling...Elders Quorum something counselor. (I can't remember which counselor.) He is soooo busy!

Oh, and I got a new calling to add on top of my old one (primary pianist). But I can't tell you what it is yet because it isn't official. You will have to wait and see, but it's a good one! And I'm gonna like it I think.

Winter Blues

2009-01-29T12:45:00.000-08:00

Russell and I are ready for spring so that we can go out and have some fun. But while we are stuck inside, we have been keeping busy. Russell is starting to potty train. He has a sticker chart and everything. He has gone potty in the toilet 4 times! Yay! But he has also gone on the floor two times. Eewww!

I enrolled Russell in a local gymnastics class a few weeks ago. He loves it!! I love it too, and it gives us something to work on at home during the week. He is pretty good! Although he did embarrass me once when he ran out onto the gym floor when it wasn't his turn. He turned to face an audience of parents and began to dance like his life depended on it, shaking his booty and everything. (Where did he get that? Hee. Hee.) They all loved it, of course. I'll have to get some pictures at his next class.

This is Russ "hiding" after he dumped out an entire box of Kix.

"Is it safe to come out?"

I also gave him a hair cut. I did NOT mean to cut it this short! Oh, well! I guess it will grow back.

Our Delightful Christmas Vacation

2009-01-13T21:50:00.000-08:00

Well, our Christmas vacation started off with a bang...seriously...a bang. We were on our way to Boise when BANG our tire pretty much exploded. (All right. I'm embellishing a little. It was more of a grinding noise.) Anyway, we were stranded just outside of La Grande, Oregon, on terrible roads, pretty much a blizzard. To make matters worse, the last guys who put the tires on used a lug nut that was a different size than the rest, so Travis's wrench wouldn't even work. We were out there for over an hour flagging people down while Russ was warm in the jeep watching movies on our computer. (Lucky!) Then it got even worse. When a guy stopped that actually had a wrench that would work, we found out that our donut tire was dead too. So, to make a long story short, we called the Moultons and the Moultons called a bishop in La Grande who called one of his ward members who called us and let us eat and sleep at their house for a night. They were VERY nice people. They made us really yummy food, and we enjoyed our visit with them. Too bad I didn't get any pictures. Russ was really getting attached to them right when we had to pick up and go the next morning. Thank you so much, angel family!! And thank goodness for the church and the networking that it provides, huh?

Angry Travis. This trip is already starting to get expensive.

So, our next stop was Idaho Falls where we got to have a brief rest and visit with the Wards. This is Russ and Grandpa playing with trucks. One just wasn't enough. The next day we got up and traveled to Jackson Hole and stayed over because the weather was kind of bad and we were tired. Finally, the day after that, we made it to Lander, WY. That is 15 hours of driving, people!!! Russell was a saint! What a good boy!!

While in Lander, we had lots of fun with the Moultons. Isn't our gingerbread house georgeous. MMM...I ate a lot of frosting!!! The Moultons fed us lots of yummy yummy meals such as steak and prime rib! We also did a lot of present wrapping and preparing for Christmas. We hit an awesome sale at Wild Iris, a very nice rock-climbing/outdoorsy shop. Those Moultons spoil us every year!!

Russell loves all of Travis's old toys. Russell also loves boxes.

More boxes...really, he loves them.

Then one morning we awoke to find Sponge-Bob nudy pants in Russell's pack-and-play. This has never happened before. Good thing "Bears" was there to cover for him.

What a little stud-muffin. I love this hat on him. So cute.

He and Daddy are twins!!

Of course we had to dress him up in his snow clothes. (Even though there was no snow in Lander. That rarely happens this time of year!! Too bad cuz we couldn't go snowmobiling on Bob's new sled!) After about a week, we packed up, said our goodbyes, and made our way back to Idaho Falls for Christmas day.

This is Russell surrounded by lots of presents. How spoiled!!!

Then the Ward family went to Island Park to stay in this beautiful cabin. It's huge!! Enough room for our entire family and their families! There was soooooo much snow. A big storm hit on Christmas day. We went sledding and snowmobiling and made a cave and threw the kids in the snow and ate...A LOT...and went hot tubbing and jumped out of the hot tub to roll in the snow etc.

Logan and Lexy love their little nephew Russell as if he were their own son. Get busy, guys!!

Russell with his closest boy cousin, Joshua. After a week of festivites, we had to leave to go back to WA. We were sad to go. We do not know for sure when we will be able to make it back to see our families, so it was hard. We stopped in Boise and spent the night with Beau and Rach on our way home. We love hanging out with those guys!

This is Russell pretending to grocery shop at some museum in Boise. Hopefully that fake peach didn't have a dangerous virus on it.

Now we are back at home, and Russ is busy playing with all of his new toys. This is him wearing Mr. Potato Head's glasses. What a kid!

Happy late New Year everyone!!!!!!

Thanksgiving...and getting ready for CHRISTMAS!!

2008-12-09T22:01:00.000-08:00

So, Travis's family got to come up to visit us for Thanksgiving break. It was really fun to have them. We hadn't seen them in so long!! Thanks a ton for the trip you guys!

Here are a few cute pics from the last couple of weeks.

Russell, Aunt Hayley, and I

Alright, so we let him open a few presents early so that we don't have to drag them around on our trip. Needless to say, Russ loves all of his new toys. I walked in the room one day to find this:

Hey! Plumbers make a lot of money. He'd make a great plumber because he likes to play in the toilet! Let the kid chase his dreams.

This is my studly little man waiting for me to get his car seat situated. He got a little impatient standing there, so he decided to take a rest against this parking sign. Don't you love the cute hat Grandma bought him? He wears it everywhere now.

This is our latest family picture.

PLEASE don't make me sit on this strange man's lap!

Fine! You got me, but I'm not happy about it!! (I just love the scowl on this face. It reminds me of..................me! The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.)

Happy Birthday, Travis!!!!!!

2008-11-20T12:26:00.000-08:00

I recieved a husband tag from Heather, and it was perfect timing because today is Travis's birthday!!! Yay!! So here we go.

1. What is his name? Travis Reed Moulton (Reed is a third generation name. Well, I guess that Russell Reed makes it fourth generation.)

2. Who eats more? This is embarrassing...but a lot of times...me!! NOT ALWAYS!!!! But Travis does have a lot more self control when it comes to food and sweets.

3. Who said, "I love you," first? Travis did. He said it after we had been dating for a few months and were walking around the greenbelt. I wasn't quite ready to say it back yet, but I did anyway so that I wouldn't hurt his pride. (Hee. Hee. I don't think he even knows that. Don't worry Trav, I got ready soon after!!)

4. Who is taller? Travis

5. Who is smarter? A tie!! Obviously Travis is a smarty. He's in med school! But I always remind him that I could've been a doctor just as easily as him!! He is really good at strategy games like Chess and Stratego. (I only beat him every once in a while.) I'm probably better with reading/writing type stuff. I alway revise and edit his essays for him. But I am so proud of him because he is doing very well in school, and I know lots of people are struggling.

6. Who is more sensative? Me...for sure. Travis can be sensative too, but not enough to overshadow his manliness! But he is definately sensative to my needs and feelings.

7. Who does the laundry? Me!! I am a stain-removing magician!! Travis helps when I need it, though. He takes out the garbage.

8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Travis. But we really switch around depending on our room situation. Travis is a sweetie and always lets me have the side that has more room to the side of it. So selfless!

9. Who pays the bills? Travis used to, but now that he is busy with med school, I do.

10. Who cooks more? Me. I love to plan out weekly menus, shop, and cook. I know that many of you women must think that I'm crazy, but it's a thrill!!

11. What meals do you cook together? Chicken Parmasian. A meal first introduced to our family by Travis!

12. Who is more stubborn? BOTH, but not so much that it gets in the way of our relationship. We can both give a little...depending on the issue.

13. Who wears the pants in the relationship? Well, I think that Travis mostly wears them, but I follow him around trying to put one of my legs in too. We really are perfect for each other because neither of us overshadows the other. We really have a great balance. And I needed a really complicated blend of a strong, manly man that at the same time allows me to be strong and opinionated too. Travis does exactly that!

14. What do you like to do together? Everything!! camp, rock-climb, hike, bowl, soccer, art, watch movies. We even read the last Harry Potter book out loud to each other!! But there are things that we can't do together. Dance. My dancing embarrasses Travis, and when we do couple's dances, I can't follow his lead. Clean. We have different cleaning styles. I like to do it all at once- even if it takes all day. Travis doesn't. Shop. Travis can be incredibly immature when we shop. He HATES it.

15. Who eats more sweets? Me. Hands down.

16. Guilty Pleasures? King of Queens and ice cream. American's Funniest Home Videos. Movie nights. Scookies.

17. How did you meet? At a blind "hang-out session" at BYU-Idaho. He actually didn't go to school there. He was just visiting from Jackson Hole to meet "chicks." Ironically, I almost didn't even go. It was the turning point of my life. That night I almost went shopping in IF instead. I stood in the parking lot thinking, "Which one, which one?" I reluctantly chose to go to the party because I thought, "Maybe I'll meet a cool guy." Good thing, or my life would be completely different right now.

18. Who asked out who? Well, he was scared, so after the party, his friends knocked on my door and asked me for my phone number. Normally I would have said, "Drop dead!!" But I was REALLY attracted to his curly red-brown hair (and him too). I always dreamed of marrying a man with curly red-brown hair.

19. Who kissed who first? He kissed me, of course. But I set up the scenario by asking him to take me for a nice drive up to Inspiration Point in Jackson Hole. By the way, we dated for three months before we even kissed once!!!

20. Who proposed? Travis of course! We went sledding at night and he lit the hill on fire with the words, "I love you!" How romantic...and original! Love that boy!

21. His best features? I can't pick. The most obvious...his georgeous hair...I've had lots of women tell me that they want to run their fingers through it. But also his plump lips, sense of humor, personality, and manly physique.

22. What is his best quality? This guy is the best dad and the best husband. He spends lots of time playing with Russ. Really sitting down on the floor and giving Russ his full attention. He makes Russ feel so loved and happy. He is also so good to me. Always kind, helpful, patient, and supportive. He is so easy to talk to. We tell each other everything. Each day when he comes home, we are just bursting to relate the news of the day to each other. He is my perfect man and my best friend. When we first got married, I had several of my old friends come up to me and say, "I always wondered what kind of guy you would end up with, and then I saw Travis and it just makes so much sense." It really does make so much sense. You can tell from these crazy pictures that we are so much alike. Marrying Travis was the wisest decision I ever made. I am so glad that I put off those cold and unapproachable vibes to boys for all those years, because I was saving all my energy and love for you, Travis!! Happy 27th Birthday!!

I tag: Kathy, Amy (ha ha!), Melinda, and Natalie

To Boise and Back!!!

2008-11-16T14:02:00.001-08:00

So, we found out that Travis had Monday and Tuesday off of school, so we just HAD to go somewhere!! We decided to drive to Boise to visit my Brother, Beau, and his family. It was so much fun, and we really needed the break. We did some Christmas shopping, ate at P.F. Changs, and even convinced my early to bed early to rise brother to stay up late and play some card games with us! (He had fun, although it did throw him off schedule a little.) Russell of course had a blast playing with his three little cousins, even though he was the only boy. (Now that's the life!) Here are some photos and explanations of our past couple of weeks.

Russell and Daddy rough-housing. There is a lot of rough-housing in our family. Lots of people (and their glasses) get hurt!

K- so this is Russ and me waiting in line at P.F. Changs. We had to wait for an hour and a half!!! But we had a gift card that we needed to use up, so we decided to wait anyway. Russ was a trooper. The best part was this: One of the hosts overheard me talking to another guest about how it was my first time eating there and that we did not realize that we should make reservations. I said that I wasn't sure that the food would be worth all the hassle. So while we were eating, the host came up to us and apologized and bought us free dessert! And boy was it a yummy dessert! Fried bananas with coconut ice cream and caramel!!! YUMMMMM! This place is delicious and has a fun atmosphere. Try it, but don't forget to make reservations!!

This was Russell when we were 20 minutes outside of Boise. He was done traveling!!! He screamed the rest of the way there!

These are soooo fun. We made these at Beau and Rachel's. It is something that they do as a family every year, and I think we will make it a tradition too. These are gourd people. You make them out of hot glue, gourds, and whatever other objects you find around the house. If you can't tell, the one on the left is Travis. He has a Stethascope. And of course that pear-shaped beauty on the right is me!!!

Okay, so this is a random picture of a wreath that I bought for 5 dollars at a second hand store. What a deal! It looks so great on our front door. I knew that I was holding out at all those craft stores for a good reason.

Love y'all!!

Halloween!!

2008-11-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

Hey, ya'll. We didn't dress up for Halloween. We thought that it might cause serious psychological damage to Russ. But we did take Russ Trick-or-Treating!! We also had a fun party where we watched a scary movie after the kids went to bed. Fun! Fun! I love Halloween.

This is Russ cuddling with Daddy when daddy was trying too study. Awwww...isn't that sweet?

Our little family trick-or-treating. Russell was really into it. He would knock on the door by himself and then he would say, "trick-or-treat" and "thank you" after he got the candy (with a small prompt from us). We knew it was time to go home when he started screaming because he wanted to start eating his stash.

October FUN!!

2008-10-25T20:31:00.000-07:00

So, a lot has been happening lately as we have been preparing for HALLOWEEN!!! We love October!!!

We carved pumpkins!! Sorry, we did not get any good pictures of them yet. Russ thought the seeds were kind of gross. He kept trying to wipe off his hands.

For some reason, Russell would not eat his turkey and vegetables this day unless they had whipped cream on them! STINKER!! (I usually would have said no to this, but I was being a softie.)

Well, I turned 25 on the 22nd. It was very depressing. I feel very old like I'm going to croak any minute. I asked for pumpkin pie instead of a cake.

My wonderful husband, Travis, got me some awesome presents. This new duvet cover, and these cool Puma shoes. Love 'em!! And these pictures are presented to you by my inlaws who got me this new camera!! Thanks Moulton Fam!!

We went to our ward Halloween party on the 26th. It was so much fun. I went as a deranged plumber, Travis went as a deranged redneck, and Russ went as a pumpkin. Here we are! What a special little family. The ward sure is glad we moved in!!

I know. Creepy, huh? People in our ward hardly recognized us. The whole thing kinda freaked Russell out. Someone in our ward dressed up as Sarah Palin, so I went up to her, shook her hand, and said, "Hi, I'm Joe the plumber." (Of course I said this in a really creepy voice and stuck my teeth out.) She said, "Nice to finally meet you, Joe." So I said, "Ya, know. My taxes are so high I can't afford dental insurance and look what happened to my teeth. You'd better get to work." It was great fun.

Russ hit the mother load at the trunker-treat!!

2008-10-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

All right. I was tagged by my dear, sweet friend, Kathy. So here goes...

5 Favorite Places I've Lived:

(I've only ever lived in 5 places.)

1. Coltman, Idaho (outside of Idaho Falls), lovely farm community
2. Rexburg, Idaho (Tough Idahoans like me flourish in the cold weather.)
3. Provo, Utah (Go BYU!! We lived right across from the stadium and went to every game.)
4. Pleasant Grove, Utah (A land of many deer. They were in our back yard all the time.)
5. Yakima, Washington (A very fruity place.)

I have loved every place that I have lived for different reasons.

5 Favorite Snacks That I Love:

1. fresh fruit...especially peaches!!
2. green peppers dipped in ranch
3. apples or bananas dipped in peanut butter
4. ice cream!! (pranlines and caramel or oreo or mint choc. chip)
5. oreos

5 Jobs That I Have Had:

(I have had some of the WORST jobs on the planet!!)

1. assembly line worker (I tighted caps on lotion bottles for almost 8 hours straight!)
2. phone survey taker (At 3 separate places...Let's say a lot of people chewed me out.)
3. farm laborer (Thanks, dad! I actually enjoyed this job!)
4. waitress at Pizza Hut
5. TEACHER!!!! Yay!!

If I Had A Million Dollars I Would:

1. invest it wisely so that it would take care of my family and me for the rest of our lives.
2. travel with Travie Wavie and Russy Roo. (We'd leave the kid home sometimes.)
3. save up for the home of my dreams. (Not too extravigant, mind you...but definately nice.)
4. buy a very nice wardrobe for me and a truck for Travis.
5. donate to one of those programs that takes care of orphaned and sick kids in 3rd world countries. (Those info-mercials break my heart!!! I always cry!!)

Things That I Love:

1. my family and friends
2. sports, recreation, and exercise (especially soccer)
3. crisp, cool weather, autumn, Halloween, Thanksgiving
4. reading a good book
5. good food

I Tag:

1. Amy Ward
2. Natalie Moulton
3.Heather Hawkins

New Toys for Russy-Roo and Other Updates

2008-10-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

I got a calling everyone! I am the new primary pianist!!!! It's a good thing Travis got me that keyboard last year for Christmas. I know. I know. You are all thinking about how I am not the best piano player and an even worse practicer. Your accusations are all true. But there are only about three people in our entire ward who play the piano, and they were desperate. I figure that primary is a good place to start getting over my fear of playing in front of people. This will probably be the hardest calling that I've had so far. Pray, family and dear friends. Pray.

I have also become the vice president of the medical schools spouses and significant others association. We plan all kinds of activities and fund raisers and service projects. I am also the chairsperson of the book club. Yay!!

Travis is a senate member of student councel, and he is in charge of intramurels (typical) and is also a communication channel between students and staff when it comes to rotations and residencies.

Travis and I play on an indoor soccer league every Wednesday. Fun! Fun!!

Travis is about to get a new calling too, but I won't tell what it is until next week!

Here are some new pics.

So last night I was browsing on Craigslist, and I found a killer deal. I've been looking everyday for a while now because I wanted some fun outdoor toys for Russ. Well, I found what I was looking for and more!! This really nice family was selling both of these for a price that I normally found for just one toy.

And then the family threw these in for free just because they are nice. They even drove it to our house in their truck. How sweet are they!! Russell and I are ecstatic. Now he will have plenty of stuff to occupy his attention in the back yard.

P.S. Don't you love his faux hawk?

Fall in Yakima

2008-10-12T16:03:00.001-07:00

Sorry that it has been so long. We haven't taken many pictures as of late. The fall weather in Yakima is wonderful. It's got that perfectly fresh chill in the air without being freezing. My friend Kathy and I are still working out each morning in the chilly air.

This is a picture taken of us at Travis's white coat ceremony. The white coat symbolizes purity and power. He also got his stethoscope, opthalmascope, and otoscope. He is constantly using these tools to make sure that we are healthy. Apparently though, Russell and I are lacking in the brain department because Travis's stethoscope did not detect any brain noises.

Russ got into my lipstick. It might look like he was trying to wear it, but he was only trying to eat it. Come on! Boys don't wear lipstick!!!

This is Russell waiting for Daddy to come home from school. At around 5:00 everyday he comes to the window to wait. On this day he decided to crawl into his hamper too.

This is Russ moldeling his new Sunday clothes. Aren't my boys so handsome!!!

Domestic Diva

2008-09-19T20:00:00.000-07:00

So since I live in the land of fruit, I've busied myself with canning and freezing all that I can. I have canned peaches, made frozen fruit cocktail, frozen bags of apple and peach pie filling, and dried apples! I know. I know. You are all amazed. Here are the fruits of my labor.

This is my freezer. All that on the right is frozen fruit goods that will last us for a year...hopefully. When people try my fruit cocktail, they always beg for more, so it might not last that long.

This is my "little baker" in his new apron helping me peel apples to dry them in a dehydrator I borrowed. What a cutie!

Russ and I having fun. I am the least photogenic person I know. Here is a sample of that with my flaring nostrils.

And this is a beautiful double-crusted peach pie that I baked all by myself!! I was so proud because the crust turned out just wonderfully.

Our Adventures

2008-09-12T20:06:00.001-07:00

So...we found someone in our ward to go climbing with, and he knows all the routes. Don't worry. Russ was safely at a babysitters, and we took every safety precaution possible. We went to a place that supposedly has a lot of rattlesnakes. We saw a dead one. It was pretty scary because we thought that it was alive at first, and Travis almost put his hand right on it...by accident.

This is Travis climbing a very difficult one! See that crack going up. At one point, Travis had both hands and feet wedged into that one crack. Very difficult!! I didn't even try this one this time because I was way too tired from the other two I climbed.

He made it up, though! Way to go, babe!

This climb was pretty hard too.

Overlooking the valley and the Tieton River.

Me on an easy climb. Peice of cake.
Can you tell that I've been working out? Please say yes, or I'll just curl up and die!

This climb was pretty hard. I had to wedge body parts into a crack in the rock so that I could shimmy up. Travis was very proud of me. He said that he even had a hard time on this one.

I made it!!! See the crack?

Ya, so all these knee bruises are from wedging my leg into that crack!!! Ouch!!

2008-09-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

Life Lessons: Part One

Do not leave a cup in the bathroom!!!
Okay...so who else uses a cup to rinse their child's hair in the bathtub? You know who you all are. Well, the other day I took my eye off of Russ for about 30 seconds, and he got into the bathroom. I usually have the door shut, so I wasn't too worried. Anyway, he took my rinsing cup, dipped it in the toilet, and when I came in, he was drinking a cup full of toilet water!!! AHHHHHH! I mean, he must have been very thirsty. I repeat. Don't leave a cup in the bathroom. Or at least put it up high. Or maybe make sure the bathroom door is shut.

Kitchen Fun!!

The pictures below show a day in my kitchen. I'm of course busy cooking dinner, and when I turn around this is what I see. Russ played this game for about ten minutes. He thought he was so funny. What a guy!! Too bad he couldn't fit the other leg in the pan!

Mom...I want to be a saucepan
when I grow up!!

Here I go!!

Steady! Steady!

That was AWESOME!!!!

Friends and Fun

We have made lots of new friends since moving here and have had lots of fun. We even went camping. Here are some of our shining moments.

This is Russell's new best friend, Grant. Well... maybe Russ likes Grant a little more than Grant likes Russell. Russ is always trying to put his arm around him, but Grant needs his personal space!

Russ loves his Mommy.

My new friend and exercise partner, Kathy and me. She is Grants mommy.

Rimrock lake, WA.

Throwing rocks in Rimrock Lake.

Grant and Russ...bushmen.

The family is ready to go on a hike.

...Maybe not...

ZZZZZZZZZ...

The End

2008-08-21T20:21:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!! I thought it would be nice to show everyone where we moved off to. Here are some pictures of our home. Be aware that it is not fully decorated, and that there is much more to do, but we are poor college students, and we can't afford to get all the stuff we want for our house.

We really love it here so far. The weather is nice. The people are nice...except for the gangsters that spray paint all over people's stuff. We are going camping for the first time this weekend with our new friends. Yay!!

Love y'all!!!

This is our little house. We love it.

Hi, Travis!!

It has two large bathrooms. And a really big living room.

Here is Russell's room. He dumped all his books off the shelf. Here is our bedroom. We just painted our bedframe.

Here is Russ just waking up from a nap. Isn't he sweet?

This is our big kitchen.

It has a HUGE bar that I love. We just need to get bar stools. Our washer and dryer are in the closet at the side of the table. I know that our kitchen table is not centered on the window, but if we center it, we have a hard time opening our fridge door.

Another living room shot. In the back we have sliding glass doors going out to our little porch and yard.

2008-08-15T22:47:00.000-07:00

Russ with Auntie Hayley and Lester, the creepy

talking puppet that Russell made friends with

this summer.

Summer-Time Craziness

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Okay...This summer has gone by in a blurr. It started off on May 31 when I had to say farewell to my beloved second graders. This was a hard time for me. Directly after school, I went home and helped Travis load a trailer with all of our stuff so that we could move back home with my mom and dad. Yay!! We lived with my parents for two months. Travis worked on the farm with my dad, and Russell enjoyed bonding with grandma and grandpa. I helped my mom "declutter" her house. (AKA forcing her to take trunk loads of stuff to the dump and D.I.) Then a couple of weeks ago, Travis power-hosed the cow manure out of my dad's trailer, and we packed up our stuff once again to move far far away to Washington for Travis to finish school. I had to say goodbye to my family, which was another very difficult thing for me to do. Now we are once again making our own way in this cold, cruel world. (sigh) Anyway, here are some pics from this summer so you can see how much fun we have had.

Russell wrestling with daddy. Yes, he is wearing an authentic vintage wrestling singlet that we found in my mom's basement.

Russell and Gramps eating Frosted Mini-Spooners. This was a daily bonding time for them. He won't eat them now that Grandpa isn't here to feed them to him. Russell learning to use a spoon.

Watching trucks go by with Grandma. Going down the slide. The water is too cold!

Russell's diaper about to explode with lake water. Russell eating a fudgecicle.

Mommy and Russ sleeping after the fireworks. It was WAY past our bedtime!! Farmer Russell!

Saying goodbye to grandpa and grandma Moulton. WE LOVE YOU!! Russ with Grandma and his new cuz, Annaleisha.