An average sunday afternoon

I was in the mood to take pics and what better time then on a rowdy Sunday afternoon during a full family wrestling match.
I loved catching everyones expressions. I didn't have time to edit any of these photos, but figured if I took the time to do that it would be another month before they made it to the blog.
I sure love my family. THEY ROCK!

Diesel & Brooklyn

My mom

Sharli & Mckenna

Tyrali

Sharli

Erin

Andy

Mckenzie

T.J.

Derek, Carter and Tanner

Whitney, Elliot, Carter and Hayden

Somehow Whit and Diesel were the target of all the wrestling. That's probably why they're the favorite Aunt and Uncle. :)

Fall is in the air

The picture screams fall to me. A coat on, wind blown hair, and a small cold weather tear resting on his eyelid.
I love fall. It is by far my favorite season. The changing leaves, the changing weather, the upcoming holidays, the fresh start of a new school year, sweaters and hats, socks and gloves. It all warms my heart!!

We are throughly enjoying our stay in Utah. There is nothing like being surrounded by family during my favorite time of year!

I just finished a photography class with the guy who took our family photos last January (the pic on our header) The class was awesome! It was a great way to learn the basics of my camera.
Here's to quality picture taking....now I just need a photoshop class to refine my editing skills.

This was taken before the class, but I still love this shot.

Wonderful Weekend

The First Presidency of the LDS church

I'm not sure if there is anything better then relaxing on the couch with a pen and journal in hand, listening to the most inspiring and inspired people on earth. What a breath of fresh air. I have always loved General Conference, but this weekend I was especially moved. There was so much good information and so much that applied directly to my life. I have so much to work on.

There were several themes that seemed to stand out to me.

#1 LOVE. This seemed to be repeated and repeated in every way and in every aspect of our lives. From loving our spouse and kids to loving our neighbors to loving God and understanding His love for us. Dieter F. Ukdorf said...(I'm paraphrasing) What we think, what we do and what we LOVE is the person we become. What do I spend the day thinking about? What do I spend my time doing and who and what do I love???

#2 SERVICE. "What did you do for someone today?" - President Thomas S. MonsonI really want to start asking myself, my husband and my son this question at the dinner table. It should be something I'm spending my time thinking about. "Mans greatest happiness comes from loosing himself for the good of others." -David O. Mckay.

#3 THE BOOK OF MORMON IS THE TRUE WORD OF GOD.

Jeffrey R. Holland's talk was so powerful and moving. The spirit consumed me and testified to me that what he was saying and what I already knew and believed was TRUE! Christ's true church that he organized while on the earth was lost with the death of his Apostles. There had to be a restoration of his gospel and that was completed through a man named Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ. He was commanded by them to translate a book that is a second witness of Christ. It would work with the Bible to declare Christ as our Savior and Redeemer. What a wonderful blessing to have more instruction from God. I know this book is true. I feel wonderful every time open it to read and study. I know it changes lives for the better and has certainly changed mine.

#4 PRAYER

Direct access to heaven is better then any modern technology we have today. Through prayer we can accomplish a testimony of all of the above. We can recieve personal revelation and be a tool in God's hand to better the lives of people around us.

#5 REVELATION

Modern day revelation exists because GOD LIVES. (Russell M. Nelson's talk) God and Jesus Christ reveled himself to the prophet Joseph Smith because this is his ONLY TRUE CHURCH on the earth today. He actively guides his church today. That is why our church is called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.

#6 Parenting ("Intelligent use of agency requires knowledge of the truth."), Family, Consistancy, Recognizing the Holy Spirit, Integrity, Self Control....I could go on and on.

Such wonderfully inspired leaders of our church. I hope I can review my notes often and be better today then I was yesterday.

If you haven't watched conference yourself yet, go HERE.

90 years and counting

Happy Birthday to my Grandpa Larsen who just turned 90 years old! This man is so wonderful! He's full of one line jokes, goofy songs about the garbage mans daughter, and endless gospel doctrine.

He's known for his encouragement in creating large families and finding a way to support your family by being our own boss. He's generous, kind and loves so deeply.

His profession was a Urology Physician, but his hobbies were a huge part of who he was. He did everything in his power to make his family happy and succeeded.

His legacy continues to live on as we cheer him on to his 100th year.

Here's to you Grandpa and all the ways you have shaped the person I am today!

I LOVE YOU!

Bye Bye Binkie

While we've been dealing with his previously noted sleeping issues, I thought it would be a great time to get rid of the binkie too. I'd rather not visit Utah again with the curse of the binkie. Actually, I've loved the binkie - probably more then Elliot. It's the only way to get him to sleep when we're anywhere besides home. It's the calming mood setter on the way home from a busy day. It's the security blanket that fits in your pocket. Can you tell this was hard on me?

But, we did it. You can read the journaling for more info on the wonders of the "Binkie Fairy"

So long best friend. I guess it's time to grow up. :(

Ladder 13

Yesterday we got to visit the Indianapolis fire station - Ladder 13. It was really neat to get to see the trucks up close and see the firemen dressed in their full suits. They said that often times, during a fire, kids will run and hide from the firemen trying to save them because they are afraid of them in their full get-up. Elliot was pretty nervous at first, but did get brave enough to give him five and pose for a picture. Hopefully this will ease his fear of the firetruck sound that we sometimes hear at night.

The kids got to actually get in the truck. Elliot was in heaven. He didn't want to get out.

The kids in our Scrubmates club.

Scrubmates is a group organized to support the spouses of IU residents. They have tons of fun activities and get-togethers. What a sweet resource for all us lonely resident wives.

Thanks Scrubmates - the fire station was a hit!

Is it Halloween yet?

Just a little halloween rehearsal. What a cute chubby dragon.

Just how strong is your CURIOSITY?

1 hour? 2 hours? 3 hours even? Try a 3 1/2 hour wait in the blazing hot sun surrounded by a ghastly amount of people just as crazy as we were. If we would have realized sooner what we were in for we might have turned back, but our overpowering CURIOSITY to find out just what was inside the Disney train and figure out why whatever was in that train would drag so many people into the hot sun to wait in a line all evening long kept us there entertaining ourselves and making friends with people around us as the time slowly passed and the line crept on.

After it was all said and done...was it worth it? I have no problem admitting my curiosity's weakness - J.R. however was not so quick to admit defeat. He said he enjoyed it and thought it was time well spent. hummmm......I'll let you guys be the judge if you decide to wait it out like we did. Good luck with that :)

They had carolers trying to entertain the hot and tired crowd.

Sorry, they just can't compete with the Sun Valley carolers.

About half way and total worn out.

Poor Elliot got blisters on his sweaty feet so, off they went.

I was too hot and tired to care.

FINALLY. Just steps away from being inside.

A peek inside.

Getting ready for the 3D sneak peak of the movie.
It does look really good. We'll definitly find time to go see it.

Hess Fam

On yet another trip to Columbus to "deal" with our rental property we decided to make a quick stop at the Hess home. It was great to get to catch up on life after dental school, see their beautiful home and of course love on their sweet baby Jacob.
Thanks Mike & Beth for a nice visit! Miss you guys!

Brandon and his g.friend also stopped by at the same time.

Sleep Trouble

My 2 1/2 year old has started some new and not so pleasant sleep problems. I was hoping a mom out there might have had a similar situation and have a suggestion.

He has always been a very easy sleeper. Went down super super easy with our regular routine. But for the past couple weeks is having serious issues. He seems terrified to go to sleep by himself. I have to be lying next to his crib on the ground for him to settle and fall asleep. This is only at night. During naps he goes down with just a slight struggle, but eventually lets me talk him into sleeping by himself and does fine.
Because night time is the bigger problem, I've tried night lights, music, stuffed animals....I can't think what else to do to help him sleep alone again. I would be fine if it is just a phase, I am willing to sleep on the ground each night and ride it out, but I'm worried that I'm encouraging a bad habit. I want him to know he can trust me, but also know I sleep in my bed and he in his.
I think he's afraid of the sound of motorcycles, firetrucks or loud cars that occasionally are heard at night. Maybe a white noise maker to drown out those night time noises. But, do I continue to sleep on the floor while he adjusts? How long before it turns into a habit?
He also will wake in the middle of the night - probably after better woke by the loud car noises - then we have to start all over and it can sometimes take up to an hour for him to fall back asleep.

Any suggestions are welcome and encouraged.
Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Has anyone dealt with this? What should I do? Any good book suggestions on toddler sleep problems? I hate having bedtime be so traumatic and exhausting emotionally for both of us.

Food for thought

First Day

It was Elliot's first day of Pre-Preschool last week. I may be crazy for putting him in so early, but I'm looking forward to the 2 hours of free time and he's looking forward to the kids and change of scenery.

What a handsome fella!

STAMPIN UP PROMOTIONS

Hi girls!

I wanted to let everyone know that I'm placing a stampin' up order on Sept. 15. I will be able to get orders to people in Indiana & Ohio by the end of September and to people in Utah by the end of October (I'm coming home due to my brother's return from his mission) I'm doing a mass order this month because, thanks to the move and the issues with our house, I've neglected my demonstrator status and need to get the ball rolling again.

So,
Take a look at the cataloge online and think ahead to any Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas projects you may have in mind and send me your order.

Because it's been a while since we've all stamped and because alot of us are settling into new homes and jobs - I'm creating my own promotions this month as a house warming / I miss you CELEBRATION....

-Spend $50 or more and get 1 additional item at 20% off.
-Whoever spends the most will get all the hostest benefits
*Benefits include: *up to $35 in free product (amount depends on total sales)
*a level 1 &/or level 2 stamp set
*1 item from the holiday mini catalog for just $10 (if club order total is above $250)
-Schedule a date to host a stampin up party and get the 2009-2010 Idea book & catalog FREE.
(I am able to do parties long distance...I'll send you all the supplies for the project, you just send out invites & provide a location)

Don't forget to look through the new holiday mini catalog as well. There are very cute new "Simply Adorned Charms" that would be so cute as Christmas tree ornaments or gift toppers. Also a new ornament Punch that would make christmas cards a breeze.

If you're looking for home decor ideas or projects, look through the "Definitely Decorative" catalog for vinyl art and stenciling.

Let me know if I can help in your search for products.
Please have your orders emailed to me by Sept 15.
Thanks a bunch! Happy Stamping! www.stampinup.com
Chelsea
email: chelseahayniern@hotmail.com

Happy Bday Dad

Just wanted to give a shout out to my dad on his special day!

LOVE YOU DADDY!

Pickin Raspberries

Yesterday we went on an adventure to the Raspberry patch. I had intentions to pick enough for jam, but just a few minutes into it and I got impatient. Elliot had his own bucket that we were occasionally putting raspberries into it, but soon realized he was eating them faster then we could pick them and was even picking and eating his own too. What a chubby. It was really cute. That's when I realized how long picking raspberries really took, so I lowered my expectations.

We had a great time. It's always fun being on a farm and getting a little dirty. Elliot loved searching out the ripe ones calling out "Here it is." "Look mom." whenever he came across a good bunch. He was deteremined to hold the bucket with all the berries and had a few accidents where we spent as much time picking them off the ground as we did off the bush. No wonder it was taking us so long. But, I guess that was the point. We were there to make memories not jam and we certainly succeeded.

I sure love my family. What a sweet boy Elliot is. So curious and independent. He's growing up too fast.

His first pick of the day

The first of the binging spree...and it never ended.

His bucket had better use as a hat then a raspberry collector. But his belly was certainly not complaining.

Finally, a full bucket. It was about 3 lbs in 1 hour. Not bad for a hungry group like us.

Yep, still eating. We probably should have weighed him too.

Happy Birthday J.R.

My idea of emergency decorating while J.R. was napping.

Matt D. would be so disappointed :)

Technically the new T.V. was his bday gift, but I had to wrap a few other things just for the tradition of opening presents.

You'd be surprised how many green highlighters he goes through. This is the second box of all green highlighters I've bought for him in the last couple years...just think all the studying that went along with it - yuck.

Right now he uses my stethescope so I got him his own, but he took it back. I guess he likes mine better or maybe it's a sign he doesn't want me to go back to work...hummm...

Ice cream cake from Cold Stone.

Talk about rich, tastey goodness...let's not talk about calories, I'll be good next week.

Yes, I'm a week behind. For some reason I can't seem to get anything done lately. I don't know if we're really that much more busy or if Elliot is just more demanding?? Not sure, either way it's harder and harder to keep this thing updated.

Happy Birthday J.R! He had the entire weekend off so we celebrated all weekend long. Saturday night I surprised J.R. with a long date night. The Rushton's took Elliot and had him sleep over so we had the whole night to ourselves. (seriously awesome friends) We first went to The Melting Pot for dinner. Have you been there? We hadn't and were pleasantly surprised. It was really fun and very romantic. We were sat in a little secluded booth and got to fondue everything ourselves. The cheese, salads and dessert were amazing. The meat was pretty good, but I think we were so paranoid about getting the pieces done that we over-did most of it. But, it was still so yummy. Very pricey, but luckily I had a $25 coupon to help soften the blow.

Next we headed off to the Indiana State Fair and went to the Keith Urban concert. It was J.R.'s first concert - can you believe it? I was worried because I know J.R. isn't that into Country music, but afterward he said "that was not country, that was really cool" I love Keith Urban, but we were both really impressed by his guitar playing skills. Sweet! He's amazing. It's always fun to see musicians who are more then just great singers. He was lead guitar on every song and was just awesome! Our ears were tingling for about 2 days after...ohhh the lingering affects of a rock concert :-)

After the concert we would have normally been done and headed home to get Elliot, but NO - not tonight. We stayed at the fair and wandered around stopping for ice cream (as if we didn't eat enough that night) and stopping to ride a ride. We haven't been on a ride in FOREVER so this was pretty exciting. It really was scary too.

We felt like kids in love again that night. What a breath of fresh air for our relationship. To just be us for a night without responsibilities or worries. SO FUN!!

HUGE THANKS to our sweet neighbors and best friends, Jerry and Debbie Rushton and their boys. What a kind thing to offer to keep Elliot. They never cease to surprise me. I'm learning so much about being a good friend from them. What great people!

What concert would be complete without a t-shirt with someone plastered on the front.

Not sure the face...this was during the opening act. I think J.R. wasn't too sure what to think at this point. Don't worry, he gets into it as the night goes on.

It was so hot. Can you see the sweat beads running down our faces? Gross.

The "Freak Out" ride we went on. Can you believe they can charge $4 a person to ride this? Talk about a rip off. It didn't stop us though...we were crazy, free teenagers again.

I love you J.R! Happy 31st Bday!

You're one amazing husband and father and I couldn't have asked for anyone better. You're perfect for me and I love everything about you.

Thanks for the fun night!!

Enjoying the Summer

Just another day on our block. Enjoying the sun, kids and food. Still loving the Rushtons and their care free, laid back personalities. We had a spur of the moment cookout Friday night. We each grilled on our own grills, brought it all together and shared around in the Rushton's back yard. Such great company. What a fun kick off to a fantastic weekend....more to come.

(this is a quick page I got from scrap matters - I can't take credit for it's cuteness.)

Water at the zoo

The zoo is one of the two places I know to go here in Indianapolis, so we go once sometimes twice a week. Compared to the Columbus zoo there isn't many animals to see, but IN has a very cool water spray park that is super fun for Elliot and slightly shaded for me :) Oh yes, and don't forget the train ride and the merry-go-round. Favorites for sure!

While watching Elliot play I noticed that the water looked like crystals spouting up into the sun. I thought is was pretty so I took a picture.

Elliot was sitting on a spout and was surprised when he opened his legs and got it in his face.

The merry-go-round. It's a different animal each time we ride. Today it was the tiger...the one animal he mentions on a daily basis because he likes to growl at everything.

He was sick of me in his face snapping shots and was asking me to put it down and get wet with him. I said, "okay just one more. Look up here and smile" and this is what I got. Can you see the impatiences in those eyes? So cute!

Meet the Rushtons

You have not met the perfect neighbor until you have met the Rushton's. They are our "across the street" neighbors and we feel so lucky to know them.

When we first arrived and were unloading our truck Jerry Rushton marched right over to introduce himself, welcome us to the neighborhood and offer a hand with moving stuff in. A couple days later when we were trying to figure out how the lawn mower worked and trying to tackle the disaster of a yard we were left when Jerry marched over and offered to see if he could fix the mower for us, then offered to mow our lawn for us. Of course J.R. wouldn't let him mow our lawn while we sat and watched, but we did borrow his mower. While J.R. was mowing the lawn Jerry totally fixed our mower - even when to the store for parts and when J.R. tried to pay him for it he refused saying it wasn't a big deal at all. His wife Debbie also saw me cutting down our bushes by hand and brought over an electric trimmer that cut the work time in half. These people are just awesome! If I continued to tell you everything they have done for us while we've been here, this post would be a mile long. Ie: Dinners for J.R. when I was gone, and for me when he is gone. Babysitting for MD apts. Use of their truck at any time - he even offered to give us a key to it in case we needed to use it and he wasn't around. Borrow their fax machine. Shoot hoops on their court behind their house. Let J.R. drive their convertable for 2 days when we accidently forgot to pick up our car at the shop before the weekend. Seriously, the list could go on and on. Just amazing people!

The kids in the neighborhood are just as great. While we were taking a break from moving stuff into the house, we heard a knock at the door. There were 3 kids standing at the door introducing themselves and welcoming us to the neighborhood. How Polite!
We felt so loved and welcomed that I even dared ask Jerry for a ride to the airport after being their neighbor for just a few days. Of course Jerry took it a step further and offered to mow our lawn while we were gone for two weeks. We made him promise to let us return the favor someday. Crazy nice people. So giving, so kind without any secret agendas. This is exactly the friend and neighbor we want to be. I'm so happy for their example. For now on FHE lessons will be "what would the Rushtons' do?" (in a non sacreligious way of course)

The pictures below are just an average summer day on our street. Playing in the pool that turned into a water fight. Playing in the truck (not sure why that's fun, but I guess being stuck close together and watching Elliot push all the buttons and getting him to say "hamburger" makes kids bust up laughing) Elliot loves the Rushton boys. Josh, Jacob (twins) and Jared. You should see the fit he throws when I tell him it's time to come in for dinner. It's embarrassing, but I think they secretly love the attention. He's other good buddy is Mathew. He comes over every once and a while asking if Elliot can play. Mathew is 8. They can't even communicate, but Mathew likes to make Elliot laugh and Elliot loves having a buddy to play with. Such cute kids.

Mathew & Austin (brothers), Josh and Jacob (twins), Elliot

Debbie & me (i guess I was taking a short nap?? JK)

Debbie just got back from playing a church softball game. What a cool mom.

(Sorry, no picture of Jerry yet)

They keep him happy with treats and juice drinks

Sitting on the Rushton's porch. Elliot right in the middle of all the kids.

Elliot, Josh (or Jacob - I still can't tell them apart), Mathew

Jared, Elliot and the rest of the gang

The Sun Still Shines!

Wow, I must have been having a rough day yesterday...what do you know- just when you think it can't get any worse, the sun rises and it's a brand new day!

J.R. got home tonight at 6pm! We quickly ate left overs and took off for a family night on the town. I wasn't about to take this time for granted. We went to a place called "Great Times" it's got all sorts of fun things to do, but tonight we went MINIATURE GOLFING! We had a great time watching Elliot attempt to hit the ball. It was so fun being together. What a breath of fresh air!

Moral of the story....Heavenly Father's tender mercies are everywhere, I just need to open my eyes and notice them!

What a splendid day!

Ramblings on residency

MY FIRST POST ABOUT INDIANA!

4 years of residency, here we come!!!
It has been very eye opening the past few weeks. You hear horror stories from other residents and you try to prepare yourself for the future, but I'm sorry, nothing can prepare you for what you actually have to go through as a wife of a resident.

I just got back from visiting Sarah in Columbus for the weekend. I was so excited to see J.R. and to get to sleep next to him again...then the alarm went off at 5am and I realized the last week wasn't just a nightmare. We are still going strong and the alarm and the pager still controls our lives. I was so sad this morning hearing him leave knowing that since he was on call there was a very big chance I wouldn't see him till the next day. SO, I eventually got out of bed, wrapped Elliot into my arms and went on with the day, trying to keep us busy and our minds off the fact that "dad's at work" again.


I've been searching for a "How to survive residency" book and there's nothing out there. If I had the slightest bit of writing skills I'd write a 'how to' book for all those lonely resident wives out there. I keep telling J.R. that I need a task. I need something to work on or work toward that is tangable that I can focus on every day. I feel like Elliot is bored out of his mind and I'm tired of going to the zoo or the park with no one to talk to or laugh about how cute Elliot is with. Poor J.R. is missing out on Elliot. Some weeks he only gets to see him for just a few hours. A few hours a week??? That's crazy. Do we seriously have to do this for 4 years?
When we first moved here I thought the next 4 years would go by so fast, but now it seems like the days last forever!

As you can tell I might need a little encouragement along our path. Any suggestions or comments on how you survived a medical residency with cold dinners left out on the stove and pagers going off before you can even steal a kiss....PLEASE let me know.

There is so much unknown in our future that it's hard to look forward to something. Where are we going to live? What kind of practice will he have? Will he have to take hospital call? Will he only have to work 3 days a week or is that a big lie? Will we actually want to spend time together when we've spent the last 4 years living totally separate lives? Will our kids have any kind of relationship with their dad? Is it all really going to be worth it? Will our loans ever get paid off?

After all that ranting and raving, there are several quotes that come to my mind...

"Bloom where you're planted"
"Memories are made everyday - make sure they are happy ones"
"Fake it till you make it"
"Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day"
"Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same. "
"The only disability in life is a bad attitude"
"Got no checkbooks, got no banks,Still I'd like to express my thanks -I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night."
"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."
"A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes."
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives"
"Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy -- because we will always want to have something else or something more"
"There is a time and a season for everything"

And so, I will continue on our journey through J.R.'s education and try to stay possitive and look for the light at the end of the tunnel. There is always something to do and relationships to nurture. Maybe this is my time to work on my relationship with my Heavenly Father and Jesus. Even though I won't see much of J.R. at least our relationship will grow because my relationship with God is growing. (visualize the marriage triangle)

XOXO, Chelsea

Elliot loves wearing his cowboy boots and back pack

Eating "opikals" on the back steps

Playing in the back yard with the sweet water dragon/snake.

This is what J.R. looks like everyday.

Same scrubs, same lab coat, same pager, same stethoscope...

Dr. J.R. Haynie DDS - What a hottie!

SOS....AAHHHH!

I am just devastated! My external hard drive just failed and when I went in to see if the Geek Squad could recover the information they said there was no readable material on the drive. WHAT??? NOOOOOOOO!

I had all my photos and videos from our move to Ohio in September 2005 till about May 2009. That's 4 years of pictures and video...GONE...

-All of Elliots birth and first 2 years of life.

-All our Ohio pics and memories.

-All those years in Sun Valley.

-Trips to Nauvoo, TN, Utah...

It also had all my digital scrapbook supplies I've been collecting. And what's worse all the pages I've done so far. There were probably 50 or so completed pages...GONE

I feel like I'm going to throw up. The tears won't stop and I want to slam my head against that wall for not burning everything to CD's. AAAHHHHH!

Now that my tantrum is mellow I'm begging and pleading for anyone who has any photos or video of our family from 2005 till now to PLEASE send them to me. If you could burn them to a CD that would be great - that way I can have them in their biggest file. Email always shrinks the files too small to edit.

To make the day worse - After sleeping alone because J.R. was "on call" last night and ended up staying at the hospital...I woke up this morning to pouring rain and when Elliot and I walked out the door to go to the library I shut the door behind us locking my car keys and the house keys in the house. Seriously, can this day get worse? It's only 10am and I'm feeling totally out of control of my life. I need to get a grip.

Maybe tomorrow will be better....sigh

Trip to Utah recap #1

I must be crazy. 4 weeks in Utah?? Let me tell you, it has been AWESOME! And it's still not over :) I think being away for 4 years has really helped me charish my time in Utah. I know a lonely, friendless and husbandless (thanks to residency) Indiana is waiting for me when we go home. :(
Here a few pics from our first few weeks surrounded by family and lovin every minute of it.
This is just the beginning. Stay tuned for more fun and adventure!

Waiting for our plane in Indiana. Elliot is obsessed with planes.

He was in heaven watching them come and go.
Our #1 reason for the long visit! My new sweet twin nieces. Brooklyn Rae & McKenna June. Born May 20 (5 weeks early) Now they are 6 weeks old and still don't weigh as much as Elliot did the day he was born. Yikes. I just can't keep my lips off them. YUMMY!!

Elliot loves his cousins. He's constantly giving kisses on the head and asking to hold them. Cute!

Grandma was so great to hook the boys up with cowboy getups. SO CUTE!

My little cowboy. Yeehaw!

Little grumpy face.

Chillin' in the tree house at PVP

Hangin with the Haynie Fam at PVP

A rainy day at Bear Lake

We got chased off the beach by the wind.

Goofing off with friends at PVP

Doobie, J.R. and Andy were in a golf tournament at Bear Lake and took 2nd place! Sweet! They all got matching hats. J.R. also won golf balls for the long drive competition.

Me and Shar were a tad upset when they got home 3 hours late. The boys brought us food and dessert as a peace offering.

This is the best part of my day here. Just lounging, holding those sweet girls.

Visiting my other sweet baby twins.

We love you Landon & Lydia!

Our Zoo Craze

Gotta love the Zoo. From Columbus to Indiana to Utah, we just can't stay away.
It was strange to have to drive 1 1/2 hours to the zoo in Utah when we've lived just 5 minutes away from the zoo in Columbus.

Even Sharli, Andy and the twins joined us.

Cart & Elliot

Merry Go Rounds in both zoo. Elliot's favorite part!

I love these pics of our last trip to the zoo. We got rained out, but it made for pretty fun photos!

Dr. Haynie DDS

His official diploma. Sweet!

Just a few of his many awards. (embarrassing that they couldn't all fit in one picture)

The one in the frame is for being #1 in his class! It came with a fat check too. HOORAY, being GREAT really does pay $$

The supportive wives

All the "Mormons"

J.R's parents were so kind to come show their support

CONGRATS DR. HAYNIE!!

J.R. graduated Dental school #1 in his class and we couldn't be more excited for him! He has worked so hard these past 4 years and I can't believe it's over. Everyone told us it would fly by and they weren't kidding. We've grown so much and learned very important life long lessons while living in the Buckeye state. We love Ohio and will miss Columbus so much. We actually have even considered moving back once we're ready to settle. Hummm....it's not official, it's just crossed our minds. :-)

Seriously though, J.R. is INCREDIBLE. He blows me away constantly with his dedication and commitment to what he's doing. When he sets his mind to something, consider it done. My cheeks are aching from the smile that never ends. What an amazing man!!

I LOVE YOU HONEY! Thanks for being so great!

(J.R.'s going to kill me when he reads all this gushy boasting, but I don't care....he deserves it!)

A "WICKED" week

This has been a more then crazy week. Amidst all the packing, planning, and graduation activities, J.R. and I were in charge of our stake variety show. Now if anyone has had a stake calling you might know how big a project it can be. Especially when our stake is spand out over a huge area of columbus. After all the planning, preparing, planning and creating it came together. It was a huge success too. There were more then double the attendance from last year and all the performers were fantastic!
As if we didnt' have enough to think about J.R. decided to pull our ward choir together to perform a medly from Wicked. It came together pretty quickly and it was so fun to be able to sing with such great people and belt out loud on stage again. Everyone was incredible and J.R. was in his element. Music really is his love and passion!

(more pics to come...)

Our lame Cedar Point attempt

BUMMER. That pretty much describes our day at Cedar Point. Actually, we never even made it into the park. We drove the full 2hours to the park, paid the $10 parking...sat in the car waiting for the pounding rain to calm, ran to the entrance while being pushed along by the gushing wind, decided it wasn't worth the money, ran back to the car (1st stopping to take a pic) and drove the 2hours back to home.

I was so mad. I've been wanting to go to Cedar Point since we got to Ohio and we just never got the chance. Then when we finally had a baby sitter (thanks Ben) and it was the very last chance to go before graduation and moving....IT RAINED. And it wasn't just "rain" it was a major storm. The wind literally whipped our car doors open when we ventured out of the car. What a disappointment.

I guess that's life. Better luck next time perhaps.

Sarah & Glenn were great enough to come with us. We would have had so much fun. STINKY!!

Happy 2nd Birthday my Elliot!

To try to give you an idea how busy our lives have been lately...I'm finally getting around to posting Elliot's bday pics and it's July 5th. Yikes.

We had a great time opening presents and watching him ride his new bike around the house. He was so excited. We made pancakes before church and let him blow out candles. Later that night a few friends came over for cake and ice cream.

Happy bday my sweet Elliot. You are growing much too quickly. A few fun milestones...

-He repeats everything we say...

"mom, kumear" (mom, come here)

"tweets"(treats) "nak"(snack)

"jew" (this is the general word for anything liquid - juice, water, milk etc...)

"moobee" (movie - his recent new love)

"beebee" (binky) "binkit" (blanket)

"boooks" (books - the nightly routine that's followed by prayers, teethbrush, and bedtime)

"kenzin" (kenzie) "andin"(andy)

"tweest" (Twist. this is my favorite to hear him say...so cute)

"meeka moose" (mickey mouse - our daily morning cartoon- this is usually accompanied with a funny arm dance)

"bankeeks" (pancakes - his favorite bfast food)

"old you" (hold you...which usually means he wants me to pick him up)

"wear it go" (where did it go - I love when he says this cause he always puts his hands up and shrugs his shoulders)

He loves to watch Dora Dora, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Special agent Oso while eating bfast. He's really into movies too. He's obsessed with Madagascar and would watch it several times a day if I let him. (sometime he actually did so I could get all the packing and cleaning done) He loves the song "I like to move it move it" He actually calls the movie "moobit" (move it) because of the song.

He runs, kicks, swings bats & golf clubs, jumps, front rolls, climbs the bars up to the slides, hangs on the monkey bars, swings on the bars just above the slides before he goes down, everything active.

He counts to 10. Repeats his ABC's. Knows the sounds that go with the letters. Sings "popcorn popping" with help. Loves to sing and be sung to.

He knows about a million animals and their sounds and actions. He loves to find things in the pictures of his books.

He loves sticks and bugs and everything boy. He even likes to pretend with sticks and makes funny shooting sounds while pointing them around. (I have no idea where he learned it, but its really cute)

He's sat on the toilet several times and even grunts like he's trying to go. Today JULY 5th was the first day he told me he needed to go and then actually pooped in the potty. It was great! We'll see if that can be a trend. I'm planning on getting more serious about after our trip to Utah is over.

He sleeps 12 + hours at night -with bedtime at 8 pm and takes a 2 hour nap around 1pm. Somedays that is my sanities saving grace!!

He fills my life with so much joy! We have so much fun together. He is my sweetest blessing!

I love you Elliot. Happy Birthday!

(the cake I made for him - amateur, I know, but cute nonetheless)

I'm so lucky!

Whitney, We miss you!

Whitney (aka: Ty) came to visit us last weekend. We were so happy when we found out she had a cavity that needed filled just in time for J.R.'s boards. It was a good excuse to "force" her to come see us :0) It was so nice to know one of his patients was a family member who wouldn't go MIA the day of boards.
It was so great having her here! Elliot loved hangin with his Aunt even though he still couldn't get her name right - no matter how many times we corrected and practiced with him. Humph. He still loves you Whit!!

Thanks Whitney for the visit! I love you and miss you already!