Kyle and Christy's Place

What the Heck?

2012-01-23T13:46:00.003-06:00

No picture post today but just had to write this down so I don't forget about it. Lizzie had her first tummy time on Saturday night after the other kids went to bed. She took it for a little bit and then decided to flip herself onto her back. At 5 weeks old! Then she did the same thing last night while we were playing a family game.

Mommy Time

2012-01-22T15:18:00.002-06:00

Gabbie had a really hard time with me in the hospital. She and Kyle had a few good talks after she broke down in tears. He decided to bring her up to the hospital Sunday after church so we could have some alone time.

She got her big sister present from Lizzie and loved it!

Silly girl. Those shoes are for your doll not the horse.

Taking over the bed and watching a movie while Mommy practiced her deep breathing.

Exhausted and ready for sleep but not ready to leave Mommy.

Thankfully I came home the day after. I don't know how she would have handled it if I was in the hospital much longer.

Meeting Family

2012-01-22T14:58:00.002-06:00

Once I was out of recovery, everyone came up to the hospital to see me and meet Lizzie.

The kids were a little sad that I was in the bed but seemed to do okay. They really wanted to go see their sister so they were pretty sad that wasn't allowed.

Noah with his best bud, my sisters boyfriend, as they waited to see Mom and Lizzie.

Our cousin Brayden waiting so patiently.

These pictures are how I first got to meet my baby. After those first few minutes looking at her after surgery and then not seeing her at all, these pictures were such a gift. Thank you Taylor and Mom for taking them for me.

Unexpected Gift

2012-01-21T08:30:00.001-06:00

A lot of you already know how difficult and different this pregnancy was for our family. The issues with antibodies seemed to take care of itself only to be replaced by other issues.

We went in for a routine fetal growth ultrasound around 30 weeks. Our baby girl was still breech and her measurements were pushing our due date back later in the month of January.

When I went in for my next appointment, my doctor was very honest with me and informed me that Lizzie had the cord wrapped around her neck and wasn't growing. The fluid around her was also decreasing each time I had an ultrasound. We decided to give her a few more weeks and do another ultrasound. When I hit 37 weeks, we did a final ultrasound on Friday afternoon, December 16. Our doctor said based on the results of that we would either have her by the latest on Monday or Tuesday or earliest on Friday if the results were terrible. The due date was later still and my fluid levels had gone down again. My doctor called us Saturday morning around 6:40am while we were at Bountiful Baskets and said he wanted to do a c-section that day and get her out of me.

We found a sitter for Gabbie and Noah until my parents, who were driving down to spend the week with us, arrived and headed off to the hospital for a c-section.

Getting his awesome shoes on before we headed into the operating room.

Kyle got to sit outside while I went in to prep. I can honestly say that I spent that whole time praying that everything would be okay. I had never had any kind of surgery and I was freaking out a little bit when I walked in the room and saw it all laid out for surgery. They administered the spinal and then asked me to try to move my legs and see if I could. I couldn't help but laugh to myself as I tried to move them and couldn't. It was either that or cry. The surgery part went very quickly. My doctor came in and said he was going to start then all the sudden I hear Lizzie crying.

Elizabeth Anne Christensen was born at 11:15 am on Saturday, December 17, 2011. She weighed 5 pounds 12 ounces and was 18 inches long.

Kyle said she literally looked like a blueberry when she came out. I'm grateful I didn't have to see all of that. She was put on oxygen and they took her over to the NICU because she was struggling to breathe.

I did get to see her before she left and we took a few pictures.

She was admitted to NICU shortly after birth while I was wheeled to recovery. As the drugs started to wear off, I started to itch like crazy. Kyle laughed at me because I asked him to help me itch parts of my body I couldn't reach while laying down. I was pretty mad at him at the time because he didn't help me. Apparently during my surgery, I lost some blood and ended up anemic so the first time I got up out of bed to use the bathroom post surgery, I blacked out on the toilet. Embarrassing memory. I was told as soon as I could get up and walk around I would be able to go to the NICU and see Lizzie. So I tried again a bit later in the day to sit up in a chair. I made it a bit longer but started to get dizzy and black out again so I got sent back to bed. I think the hardest part for me of recovering was not being able to see my baby. I got to see her for the few minutes after surgery and then didn't see her again until Monday. Not my favorite experience. I was released on Monday but we had to leave our little girl at the hospital for a day. More on that to come. I had some issues with uncontrollable shaking and pain in the first few days after I got home which we think was because of the meds I was taking.

I'm so grateful that things went as smoothly as they did. I know I was imagining the worst and am grateful for a worthy husband who could give me a blessing in the hospital when I was struggling the most. We are so blessed to have our sweet little girl in our family. Thank you to everyone for all your love and support during these past 9 months of pregnancy.

Sticker Fun

2012-01-21T08:00:00.002-06:00

What would Gabs and Noah do with stickers?

They would share one with each person around and then put the rest all over their shirts. The entire pack. Crazy kiddos.

Never a dull moment with these two. They keep us on our toes and laughing all the time.

A trip to the zoo? I think so!

2012-01-20T14:09:00.004-06:00

We knew we had to go on one final trip to the zoo before baby Lizzie was to be born. So we forgot about doing Saturday jobs and headed down to the zoo instead.

They love this tube. We would spend 20 minutes there if I would let them.

While everyone else was watching the elephants do tricks, Gabs wanted to get her picture standing on this elephant.

Three of my most favorite people!

I love when these two play together. They are so cute and get along very well, most of the time. Ha, who am I kidding. They fight all the time but get over it quickly.

Big bear hugs!

Apparently walking around the zoo was too much for Kyle.

Now they are hiding inside so the rain can't get them.

'I can't see.'
'Here Bubs let me point it in the right direction.'
'No Mom! I do it all self.'

Noah and I split off from Kyle and Gabs to go ride a turtle.

Then we found them again so we could ride swans together...

And peep out from a tunnel to find Mommy.

Birthday Girl

2012-01-20T13:53:00.004-06:00

This girlie turned 4 in the beginning of December.

Thanks to our Cooley cousins for this dress. She loved wearing it on her special birthday.

This is what her pictures look like nine times out of ten now...

Silly picture with Daddy and Noah.

For her birthday dinner she decided she wanted homemade pizza. She helped Daddy make the dough and everything.

Opening presents...

Another ice cream cake just a couple of weeks after Tayyer's birthday. Can we say cake overload?

We love you Gabba Dabba.

Things we love about Gabbie:

her active imagination
her love of helping
her desire to improve on things she struggles with
how much she loves her two kid siblings
her crazy knock, knock jokes

And so much more!!

A surprise for the birthday girl.

2012-01-20T13:30:00.000-06:00

Back in November, we got this phone call from our Bishop's wife telling me she had four tickets to Disney on Ice and they couldn't go so did we want them.

This was one of those tender mercies from Heavenly Father because Kyle and I had been talking about how we wanted to take them to it but we just couldn't justify spending money on tickets.

We piled in the car and told the kids we were going to a surprise for Gabbie's birthday. They each got to get a kids meal, which was a special treat for them. The whole way Gabs kept asking where we were going. Once we got to the Reliant Center downtown, she and Noah asked if we were going to see horses and pigs (the last time they were at the Reliant Center was for the rodeo back in March and they still remembered it). We quickly told them no but it was something even better.

We snapped a few pictures while we waited for the show to start.

Then Mickey and the gang skated out on the ice. Noah was ecstatic. I had the camera ready to go because I knew he wanted to see Mickey more than anything else.

And here's his face...he was so excited.

We got to see Ariel from Little Mermaid, Simba from Lion King, Tinker Bell from Peter Pan and Lilo from Lilo and Stitch.

This is what it is like trying to get a picture of the family. No joke. It's nigh on impossible for everyone to be smiling and looking at the camera at the same time.

Handsome guy.

She was so excited but super tired so she stuck close to us the entire time.

Noah kept saying he didn't want to see the big crocodile and mean mommy that I am, I had to get a picture of his face when it came out...

He is so fun. I love this little guy.

All the fun characters! Thank you so much for giving us tickets. It was a great birthday present for Gabbie.

Decorating

2012-01-20T13:22:00.000-06:00

I love decorating for Christmas. This year was especially fun because Noah really got into it. Both he and Gabs loved helping to hang things up.

Once Noah was finished with the tree, Gabs was able to hang up the star for us. But then we decided that it was too big to put up. Our ceiling was just a bit too small for the whole tree and star so we did a bow instead.

The Big 1-8

2012-01-20T13:09:00.000-06:00

I can't believe my baby sister is now an adult!

This cute girl turned 18 in November.

Growing up we had an unofficial tradition of getting an ice cream cake for our birthdays (I say unofficial because it wasn't something that happened for every one on every birthday). Taylor has lived with us for her 17th and 18th birthday and has had her ice cream cake tradition fulfilled. This year the cake turned out so much better than last years version.

And then my cake was forgotten when her boyfriend paid for someone to make her a cake. Kidding. It was probably a bad thing to have two cakes in the house but they both sure were tasty.Some of her friends decided to throw her a surprise party. The surprise part of it was kind of ruined when the communication broke down. They were practicing how they were going to jump out and yell surprise when she and Drew walked through the front door. It's the thought that counts though.

Happy Birthday Tayyer!

Oompa Loompa Doobity Do

2012-01-20T12:57:00.002-06:00

I will catch up! I promise.

Gabs and Noah had awesome costumes this year for Halloween. They were the cutest little Oompa Loompa's you ever did see. We bought some fabric and the shirts and pants to create this masterpiece.
Our neighborhood was so great for Halloween. The kids walked around our little section and got tons of candy. It was so fun to see how excited they got for each house they went to. It should be interesting next year with three kiddos.

Pregnancy picture

2011-09-15T08:09:00.001-05:00

This was taken at 21 weeks I believe. I am currently 24 weeks.

Total weight gain to date: 14 pounds (not sure how that is possible since you all know how big I get, but I'm loving it!) And believe it or not, No Swelling! Again not sure how that is happening but I'll take it.

Our baby girl is doing great. We had some issues with my blood work and antibodies but after going to a specialist twice, they have decided that she is not anemic but we will need to be monitored for the duration of the pregnancy.

She will probably be delivered sometime in late December instead of early January.

Her name is going to be Elizabeth Ann, Lizzie for short. Her name comes from quite a bit of our family heritage. I have a very special aunt who suffered through an aneurism earlier in her life and had to complete relearn everything that Lizzie shares her name with. She made a great many changes in her life that I respect and admire her for. Lizzie will also be named after her paternal Grandma, a fabulous woman who has taught me quite a bit in the time since Kyle and I met and married. We are looking forward to Lizzie learning a lot from both of these special women and from the many others in our family lines that she will be sharing a name with.

Gabs and Noah are super excited to meet their baby sister. Gabbie gets to share a room with her and she can't wait! They were both able to see a 4d picture of her from our most recent appointment with the specialist and that made it more real for them. Noah was a little freaked out because Lizzie's face was smushed and she looked a little like an alien.

Things are going great and we look forward to meeting a little girl in a few months (it seems to be coming faster than possible).

Quite Late But Still Important...

2011-09-14T15:47:00.003-05:00

Bubs turned 2 in July and I am barely getting around to posting the pictures. Lame, I know.

We decided to make a fish cake for him (I had seen this idea on one of the blogs I follow but I can't remember which one now). Here's my poor version of a fish swimming among some coral reef.

He got to sit in his favorite Lightning McQueen chair to open presents. He as super excited and ready to go at it.

Gabs needed to be a part of what was going on as well so she made sure to sit right beside him and 'help' him along the way.

These are some of my favorite pictures. They should be looked at in sequence to see the reaction he had to one of his presents.

Checking to see what is in here...
"No way! You guys are awesome!"

"Woah! It's a book all about Mater."

"See you later...I'm done. I'll be reading over here now."
Oh, back to open another one? This one is pretty cool, but it's no Mater.

Noah is a very fun boy to have around. He has some of the craziest ideas about 'fun' things to do (very much like Daddy). He is fearless which causes me quite a bit of hesitation to let him out of my sight. He loves to play dolls and princesses and princes with his big sister, of course she doesn't give him much choice, but he doesn't complain about it. His emotions are very tender and he can definitely use that to his advantage at times. He and Gabbie fight a lot. They love each other so much, but I think some times they just get on each others nerves. We frequently hear arguments from them that go like this: Gabbie-"I'm three." Noah-"Me too!" Gabbie-"No you're not three, you're two." Noah- "I'm three." On and on and on until one of them looses their patience and grunts or hits the other one. (currently trying to figure that one out so if anyone has advice, I'm all ears)

He is our favorite little guy and we are so grateful that we are blessed to be his parents. I am nervously looking forward to the years to come. Pretty sure he will give me gray hair before my time, but he's going to help me lighten up a bit I imagine.

Choo Choo Express

2011-08-05T13:55:00.002-05:00

The kids were begging Daddy to play trains with them when he got home from work so he graciously decided to humor them.

Again, notice how short Noah's attention span is.

Baseball in the Backyard

2011-08-04T13:47:00.000-05:00

We love the backyard at our new house. We can finally do the things we have always talked about wanting to do in our own yard, like teaching the kids how to hit a ball. This came about because Noah likes to walk around the house swinging that green bat at anything that comes close to him. We figured it would be better for all involved if we took it outside and showed him what the bat is really supposed to be used for.

He tried really hard but was only interested for about 2 minutes. Then it was Gabbie's turn.

Kyle tried to show her the correct position but she kept turning her body right after her had positioned her correctly.

And here is Kyle showing her how to hit keep your eyes on the ball the whole time.

I love our yard. I can't wait until the scorching heat is over; we have only been out there to play a handful of times. Come September or October, we will be out in the yard every day.

Hula Hooping Anyone?

2011-08-03T13:42:00.003-05:00

We have learned that not many of us in the Campbell/Christensen family have hula hooping skills.

The kids always want to try them and Aunt Tayyer was a good sport to go up on the stage with them and 'show them' how it's done. They didn't like her way all that much so they came up with these instead...

Who Do We Look Like?

2011-08-02T13:39:00.002-05:00

We literally can't sit our glasses down for a minute. For some reason, this is one of the kids' favorite activities....

So stinking cute. Our glasses are a little bit stronger this go around then the last one so hopefully Gabs doesn't break them again like last time.

A Special Actiivity

2011-08-01T13:23:00.003-05:00

We were introduced to the No Kill- Friends for Life Animal Shelter by a co-worker of Kyle's.
Each month they bring some of the dogs and cats out to a local park to try to raise awareness for their cause. You can walk or run with a dog while you make your way around the trail.

We thought this would be a great opportunity to see how the kids do around animals. It's not in our budget right now to take on an animal but we have been thinking about doing some fostering so we can learn together as a family how to take care of animals.

We got to walk Nedd, an adult male schnauzer. He was great with the kids. They loved petting him and taking him for a short walk.

Gabs was a little scared but she was trying to be so brave! So proud of her and her willingness to try things that are intimidating.

We also got to pet some beautiful cats too. Our allergies are so bad though, we will probably never own a cat. The kids had a wonderful time and still like to remind us that we told them when we moved to a house that had a bigger yard we could get a dog (didn't think that one would happen as fast as it did when we told them that).

Quite a Busy Month!

2011-07-31T17:12:00.003-05:00

With all the packing and moving into our newly purchased home then unpacking and setting everything up, blogging has taken a backseat. Hopefully we can get caught up and post some pictures of our house soon.

We attended a free musical at Miller Outdoor Theater, which was really too hot to enjoy, but the kids seemed to enjoy it. They both were doing some awesome dancing.

They also love to wear anything that belongs to Daddy.

Each one had to have a turn with the by-u hat.

Noah loves being splashed so we went to one of the local splash pads to cool off and fight the boredom.

While doing all of the packing up in the old house, we found some things we had been missing for over a year (amazing how that happens). Of course both kids had to try them on.

And Prince Noah doing some coloring after Father's Day. It was very low key for us with my parents visiting and the upcoming closing on our house. We made a special dinner for Kyle and the kids enjoyed making him a crown and giving him some Daddy coupons.

So many changes affected the kids too. This happened during the middle of lunch one Sunday after we got home from church.

There will probably be some more pictures coming because it has been awhile.

Helping Out in the Kitchen

2011-06-07T18:09:00.002-05:00

Anytime we are doing anything in the kitchen, Gabs and Noah want to help us. Their favorite thing to do is help knead bread.

Noah got to help me make bread while Gabs was napping.

Of course, he couldn't do it without sampling a little bit to make sure it tasted okay.

Then he got to help Aunt Taylor put the dishes away.

Here's another day where Gabs and Bubs were both there to help. There absolute favorite things is to get there hands all white with flour. Noah will stick his hands in the bag of flour if I leave it anywhere within the reach of his little fingers.

And making some pizza dough...

Finally making cookies with Aunt Taylor.

What Do We Do in Houston Heat?

2011-06-06T17:55:00.004-05:00

There is not a whole lot of things you want to go out and do during a Houston summer. We've had super humid, hot weather the last three months. It has rained once in the last six months. The average temperature is usually around 97-100. To top it off, the air conditioner in both of our cars is broken. Needless to say, it's not a fun experience for us to drive any distance. Luckily we can get the cars fixed as soon as we close on the house, which should be within the next week or two.

The only way to stay cool is to stay wet.

Gabs and Noah got invited to go swim at the Y with some of their friends. They were both super stars. Gabs kept putting her whole head under the water and tried to go deeper and deeper. Noah was just about as adventuresome as she was.

Taking a break in the splash pad...

Silly boy. He loves water.

When we don't drive to a local splash pad to stay cool, we hook up the swimming pool in the backyard. This awesome pool was a must at the start of the season, so around March. We got it and then about a week later, our lawn guys came and whacked two huge holes in it with their weed whackers. I was not very impressed. We can't wait until we can do our own lawn and if anything gets broken then it is our own fault.

He is so stinking cute.

What are you guys going to do this summer?

Sunday Temple Day

2011-05-18T18:42:00.002-05:00

We try to make it up to the temple with the kids at least once a month. We think it is important for them to feel the spirit that is on the grounds and to know why it is so important for Mommy and Daddy to go there on our dates.

They both get super excited when they learn we are going to the temple. Partly because they get to see (i.e. play in) the water fountains.

This time Gabs decided to bring along her own little baby.

Noah can never keep his shirt tucked in. It's a battle that I have just given up for lost.

These two were pretty wet when we got in the car to drive home. We also realized when we were about half way home that we had left Noah's monkey. When we went back as a couple for our date, they hadn't seen the monkey at all. Hopefully someone picked him up and gave it to a little one and made them happy. Luckily Noah wasn't so attached to it that he can't sleep without it.

I'll try to do a better job keeping this updated. With all the stuff we have going on now though I'm not making any promises.

Another Fun Day at the Zoo!

2011-05-05T08:30:00.004-05:00

The zoo is one of our favorite places to go. Whenever the weather is nice, we pack up the stroller and other zoo things and head on out.

Because we have such fair skin, the kids are always decked out in sun hats, sunglasses and sunscreen. Here Noah is ready for the zoo.

Daddy and Gabs getting some water from a lion.

We got to see the new baby giraffe.

Gabs and Noah got friendly with the rhinos. This is about as close as we ever get; they don't usually get close to where we could see them.

going for a ride...

Trying to see the chimps....

Look Dad, I see you!

Then we played the drums together...

Gabs and I pretended to be a family living in an adobe hut, eating dinner together.

Scary Daddy and Sis...

Noah stopped and stood on these blocks for quite a long time. He must have thought it was super cool because we couldn't get him to leave. So we just started taking pictures...

It was a great day at the zoo. These two are getting so big and crazy. Sometimes I wonder how we are going to handle the 'twos' with bubs. He is already a pro at fit throwing when he doesn't get his way.

Noah's New Blanket

2011-04-27T06:20:00.002-05:00

Grandma Christensen sent Noah his new blanket for his bed a while ago. We are so grateful for the thought that she puts into the fabric choice and quilting design. We love you Gramma Christensen!

Taylor got a new blanket for her bed when she goes off to college next year.

Bubs was super excited to see the 'chooochooo twains'.

And to see the books that Daddy had when he was little.

So he proceeded to sit down on the blanket and read them all.

Thank you so much Gramma C! He loves his blanket so much. It has to be on his bed for night-time or he can't go to sleep.

Texas Snow Angels

2011-04-12T08:27:00.001-05:00

Gabs decided that she wanted to do snow angels. As many of you know, we will never have snow for her to do real snow angels so she came up with this all on her own.

Then Noah decided to join in.

Fun snow angels.

Sneaky Little Boy

2011-04-11T08:18:00.003-05:00

One morning while Kyle and I were still upstairs, Noah grabbed the stool from the bathroom and pulled it over to the counter. Kyle came into the kitchen and found this...

Good thing our knives aren't very sharp at all. Noah had a very good talking to and got himself into a little bit of trouble for this stint.

Yummy Corn!!

2011-04-10T08:11:00.002-05:00

One of our favorite veggies in our home is corn. There was a little bit of corn left after dinner one night and Gabs HAD to finish it all gone.

Sharing nicely with little brother...

'Gabs hurry and eat this so I can finish the dishes.'

Art Projects

2011-04-09T15:01:00.003-05:00

Here are just some of the fun things we have down over the last few months around our house.

Finger painting with pudding. Noah was definitely interested in eating it more than painting when he found out that pistachio pudding tastes yummy.

Gabs is our little art star. She is never finished with a paper until it crinkles up on the corners from so much paint.

Here is a fun chalkboard find we got from our neighbors trash.

When I asked Gabs what she wanted to learn about one day, she said 'Dogs' right away. So we made some dog masks.

And on to making towers while watching Sesame Street.

I'm at a wall with ideas for crafts. What do you guys do?

A Day at the Children's Museum

2011-03-11T15:49:00.005-06:00

We decided to stop on the way into the museum and have all the kids pose beside the statue that looked like them the most, or in Gabbie's case the statue that had green. Here are the shots...

'What do you mean hold my hands up like he is?'

'Are you really making me do this? I'm seventeen for goodness sake.' (You know you loved being able to be a little girl again Tayyer!)

The weekend we went, they were having physics themed exhibits. The first stop was to make a 'holder' for a ping pong ball that would get down a zip line the fastest.

Here are Kyle and Taylor getting into the construction of their contraption...

Three guesses who the winner was.

Then on to the decorating of faces. They have this little station where you take regular crayons and dip them into a sponge that is coated in alcohol. Then you can mark on your face as if they were face paints.

Gabbie decorated Tayyer's face.

Daddy decorated Noah. Bubs was very patient. I was so proud of him for waiting while Daddy did his face.

This is what I got when I asked Gabbie to take a picture. Not sure why her hands are up like that. (I just asked her why she did her hands like that and what it means. She said cause she loves to and it means I love you.)

Mommy didn't draw enough so I need to add little dots on my forehead.

The finished product...Mr. Lion.

Then off to a visit in Mexico.

With a side stop in Japan. Taylor needed to stop off at school.

And the kids needed to work in a store.

Our museum is pretty sweet. The kids love it. I'm not so sure how I enjoy it when it is just me and two little ones who disappear almost as soon as we arrive. I'm working on not being so anxious when we go into crowded places.

Who's a Big Boy Now?

2011-03-09T17:22:00.002-06:00

NOAH!

He has officially moved from his crib to a big boy toddler bed. We got a really good deal on the bed because someone had returned it because there were a couple of things that weren't perfect. It was cheaper to buy this bed and mattress then get another twin. Go figure.He has been so impressed with his bed. Unfortunately, nap time has suffered. He doesn't like to stay in the bed when he could be up playing in his toys and getting into all of Taylor's jewelry.

Notice the clean white wall to the right of his bed...Yeah it's not so clean and white anymore. He got into Taylor's scripture pencils and a black dry-erase marker. We have quite the picture on the wall now.

And someone else was pretty jealous of the bed too. She takes every opportunity she gets to lie down in it.

We're still working on keeping Noah in the bed all night. I'm not sure how or why, but on numerous mornings, Taylor has woken up to Bubs asleep on the floor by his bed.

I can't believe how big he is getting. And oh boy how independent he wants to be. If Gabbie can do it, so can he!

How Do We Spend Our Evening Waiting for Daddy to Come Home?

2011-03-08T06:46:00.002-06:00

With Kyle's new job, we have had to make a few adjustments around home. We went from having him home around 4 or 5 to home sometime between 6-8 depending on the day. At first, it was a difficult transition because I was dependent on him being there so I could take a little break after a long day.

We have come up with a few fun things to do while we wait for dinner and Daddy.

This night we took out the blocks and decided to practice our balancing abilities. Gabbie and I took turns building towers on top of each other.

Noah participated by sitting on Mommy and then once the tower was up, headbanging me on my belly so they would fall down.

We sure had fun being silly. The kids and I laughed a lot this evening. Their cute little belly laughs are one of my favorite noises in the whole world. I love being a mommy!

What Happens When Naps Are Missed?

2011-02-28T13:59:00.002-06:00

Yes, the kids did do this to themselves. Yes, I do fix Gabbie's hair every morning but she yanks it (and a good portion of her hair) out whenever it starts to bug her (which is usually 30 minutes after fixing her hair).

These two are crazy together. They laugh for no reason at all; they adore one another, most of the time anyway.

The Beginning of a Long Journey

2011-02-17T12:28:00.000-06:00

So, it's been a while since I got on here. I guess that's kinda funny since it was me who initially created this blog. Christy has done an amazing job of making sure that we post often enough that everyone can know what we're doing. I guess, on that note, that I'd call this post something of a "husband hijacking." (I actually find it funny, rhetorically speaking, that this has become something of a new blog fad. In fact, I might ask my brother-in-law Justin if I can guest blog on his blog about this)

Anyway, I digress (which is common on husband hijack posts I might add). My point in coming on here was to talk a little bit about Christy.

It's our anniversary today, and I've been racking my brain for something that I can do for her. She likes getting flowers and chocolates, but hates what they do to her body. We'd both love to have a weekend getaway, but she asked that we not do that... partly because of the cost, but mostly because she made a committment to work at the welfare cannery this weekend and felt like she needed to uphold that committment (I'm actually the one who signed her up, but only because I've gone twice before and I thought she would really enjoy making peanut butter).

[See what I told you about Husband Hijaks and digression.]

I would have loved to get her tickets to the BYU-Texas game this fall, and call it an anniversary present, but not only would she murder me for spending that kind of money, she would be upset because I would be getting an anniversary present that is 90% for myself and 10% for her.

She really hates when I spend money on occasions like this, so it left me thinking, "what can I do for her, that would show her how much I love her, without spending a ton of money." (This thought has honestly been going through my mind for about 2 months now.) I got to today, realized that I didn't have anything, and decided that the best thing I can do for her is use one of my talents: I decided I would write. I decided that I would take a minute to explain to the world everything that is great about my wife Christy.

Many of you know Christy as a very supportive person, but I want you all to know a little bit about what kind of a supportive person she is. Over the past year, our family has been through a lot. Being 2 years into a teaching career, we realized that if we continued on the career path that we were on, we were going to go bankrupt. We evaluated every option available to us, tried every option available to us, and went (literally) crazy in the process. Around every turn, Christy not only stood by me, but was proactive in trying to help our family. Here are a few things that she did, during that time, that amaze me:

She used a $150 grocery budget to feed a family of 5 for over 9 months. (and still worried about making sure we had food storage)
She helped us move an entire house of people and belongings (across the street - into a new ward) so that we could save on rent.
She never complained when I was called as Elder's Quorum President in our first ward, and then Executive Secretary in the new ward (right after she had been called into the relief society presidency).
She convinced us to give up our cell phones so that we could save on phone costs.
When we realized that with all the cuts we weren't going to be able to make our ends meet, she obtained a job (which she hated) where she worked from 9am to 7pm 4 days a week.
When she went to work, she cried every day when she had to drop off our kids at a day-care center that neither of us liked, but that we could afford.
She stood by and allowed me to continue pursuing an overseas teaching career even when everything we tried to do fell apart and we even received apostolic counsel not to continue pursuing such endeavors (don't read too much into this... there are some specific things directed only at us).
She left work (and ultimately quit her job) to be by me as I was going through Sever Panic attacks while teaching at school.
She supported me in quitting my job and pursuing another career because we knew it was right, even though we didn't have a solid answer for a new job yet.
Through it all, there never was a day that our kids went without a home-cooked meal or were tucked into bed by one of us.
She even has gone so far as to support me in my therapy by going with me and committing to helping me deal with my anxiety.

If you can't tell, I really love Christy. I see these things, think about them sometimes, and I can't help but admit that I didn't have any idea what a great person I was marrying 4 years ago. I'm so lucky to have her by my side as a companion who walked up to covenants with me 4 years ago and has lived up to every covenant that she made. I know she'll continue keeping those covenants throughout eternity.

Speaking of Covenants, here are some other amazing things you should know about Christy.

Since we were married (she was endowed the day before), she has not missed going to the temple at least once in a month (usually 2-3 times).
There has only been one trip, that I know of, that we have taken as a family when Christy didn't make it to the temple while we were there.
At the beginning of last year, before everything above was going on, Christy made a goal to find family members who had not gotten their temple work done and take them to the temple. Since she made that goal, she has found and begun doing temple work for 5 generations worth of family.
In the last year, Christy has helped her younger sister Taylor move from the bucket of less-active church member to religious early-morning seminary goer and passionate missionary for both the living and the dead.
In the last year, Christy has helped her dad move from completely less-active in religion to being a regularly active member and tithe payer.

Now, what I love about Christy is that she never coerces any of these things to happen. It's just a part of who she is. People around her have "a change of heart" because of her example.

I love you Christy. I hope that all of the readers of our blog will also comment and say how much they love you. (I know you feel like people don't comment enough on our blog... we should be better about doing that ourselves.)

Taylor Learns New Stuff

2011-01-20T09:03:00.004-06:00

A few weekends ago, Kyle taught Taylor how to work on the car. She changed the breaks, rotated the tires, and changed to oil.

Good job working on your personal progress.

Merry Christmas

2011-01-19T09:51:00.001-06:00

Late on these posts again. Here are some of our pictures from Christmas.

Gabs and Noah opening presents from Grandma and Grandpa Campbell...

The kids wanted to pose for some pictures after they had finished munching some snacks.

Imagine him saying, "Cheese."

Christmas jammies...

Gabbie got into many of her presents this year and opened them before Christmas. Her friend Galadriel the Elf left her a letter on Christmas morning to read. Santa was disappointed in her for opening the presents, but he knew she would make better choices.

Daddy and I got socks for each other this year.

Gabs got a puzzle, which she proceeded to loose a few pieces of on our road trip to VA.

Noah would grab the presents from both sides, try to rip them, and then when it didn't work he would hand it off to Kyle and say, "do it."

Hope you guys all had a wonderful Christmas too!

I'm Too Big...

2011-01-18T09:49:00.000-06:00

...to break it into little pieces.

Real men eat it like this!

Who Turned Three in December?

2011-01-17T14:28:00.004-06:00

Our little girl is no longer very little. She is a wonderful girlie. Here are some pictures from her birthday this year. We woke up early on the Saturday of her birthday, opened presents, ate some ice cream cone cupcakes and then headed down to San Antonio for a day at Sea World.

Here are some pictures from the unwrapping of presents...

Then on to Sea World where we got to meet the penguin family,

see Gabbie's favorite characters from Sesame Street,

and try to take a family picture at one of the shows, but someone wanted no part of it.

Gabbie loved seeing the divers and trainers swimming with the dolphins and beluga whale.

She even got to pose with a few of the divers.

And ride the roller coaster with Daddy.

We finished up a very long day with a break at the playground.

Now here are some of the things that we love about our three year old:

she has a very active imagination and is always pretending to be something, most often princesses
creative
she tries to help and be involved in everything
she loves to read and be read to
she plays with her little brother all the time
she is super tenderhearted and loving
she is close to the Spirit and always reminds us when we need to be closer ourselves
her curly hair
her infectious laugh
she always makes you smile, no matter what mood you are in
how sensitive she is to other people's feelings
she is a great big sister
not phased by anything

We love you so much Gabbie Girl!

Santa Claus

2011-01-06T13:36:00.004-06:00

The kids got to meet Santa Claus when they were at Grandma and Grandpa Christensen's house. This year neither of the kids were afraid of him. Gabs was a little hesitant at first but then she jumped right in. Noah was ready to go from the first sighting of Santa in the hall.

Is it my turn yet?!? Please, oh please.

Victory!

Even Aunt Taylor had to get in on the fun.

Wait, you mean if I actually talk to him I get a treat? Awesome!

Bye Santa. See you next year.

Grandma Christensen is awesome with having this arranged for every year. Our kids are so blessed to have so many wonderful family traditions.

Jazz Game

2010-12-28T10:03:00.003-06:00

Kyle was lucky enough to get one of his wishes fulfilled while we were visiting Utah. His cousin called up one night and offered us some free tickets to the Jazz game. So, we decided Gabbie could go with us because she took a long nap. Noah had to stay home and go to bed though.

Aunt Nan and Daddy helped Gabs climb up the stairs from will call.

It was really loud and she wasn't one hundred percent sure if she actually liked being there.

Our cute little family without our little man.

When the Jazz won, they let down a bunch of streamers from the ceiling. Gabbie decided that she needed to pick as many of them up as she could.

Cute, cute girl.

Thanks for the fun game Cousin Owen.

Good Morning!

2010-12-27T09:55:00.002-06:00

We got to get up early for scripture study with all of the kids' aunts and uncles while we were visiting.

We also helped make breakfast on those days where we didn't eat cold cereal.

Gabs got to help Grandma grind some wheat so we could make scones.

Thanks for helping us to learn while we were visiting Grandma and Grandpa.

Visiting the Temple

2010-12-26T09:45:00.002-06:00

The week before we left for Utah, Tay received her patriarchal blessing. She got a strong impression from her blessing that she needed to go do baptisms for the dead in the Salt Lake Temple.

So we bundled up in some warm clothes, with the exception of Tay, and head up to Salt Lake.

Unfortunately, Utah was 'supposed' to be getting a blizzard. They shut down the temple and were only doing live ordinances that were already scheduled.

The kids were very good about just waiting around until Taylor got finished talking to the temple workers inside. Gabs did way good at being patient, probably because she was sleeping!

Well, at least we got to look at it, right?

Next time!

Road Tripping

2010-12-25T09:34:00.002-06:00

We made our way back to Utah for Thanksgiving this year. The next few posts will be of that trip.

Here were the kiddies on the start of the drive. As the pictures progress, you can see all the changes we made while driving and the kids' attitude transitions.

Mom and Dad's one and only road trip pictures.

This was on Saturday morning after we had stopped to eat some breakfast so we could get out of the car. Daddy took Noah's seat and strapped it down to the floor with wire and string. It might have looked very unusual, but it was actually more sturdy than when he was hooked in on the seat.

Peek-a-boo

Yum...Lunch

Man it's bright outside.

Awesome music dude!

I'm so stinking tired but I refuse to go to sleep.

Crash.

Yup, not me. Still awake.

We were all so ready to get out of the car by 24 hours later. We arrived safe in Utah and got ready to do some visiting.

Finger Licking Good

2010-12-24T09:29:00.001-06:00

For our art project one day, I whipped up some finger paint with flour, water and food coloring.

Gabs has finger painted before so she was excited and new exactly what she was supposed to do.

This was the first time we tried it with Noah. Perhaps he wasn't quite ready...

I tried to get him to paint his name on his picture but he was way more interested in eating the paint. Good thing it wasn't toxic.

Setting up the Tree

2010-12-23T09:21:00.002-06:00

For one of the Family Home Evenings in November, we decided to set up the tree.

This was Tay's contribution to the process...

We had one bulb out so we had to undo the pre-strung lights from one section and go through every single bulb. Kyle was a trooper and did an awesome job getting the lights back on the tree.

Noah and I decorated on another day while Gabbie was taking a nap, but we left the star for her to put on.

Now that it has been up for awhile, I am ready for the tree to come down. Noah is really bad about playing with the stuff on the there so it looks pretty messy and funny. I'm trying not to let it bother me too badly because in the grand scheme of things, it's just a tree. That's not what this time of year is about.

Some Way Old Halloween Pictures

2010-12-09T08:34:00.004-06:00

Yes, these are a few months late. But better late than never right!

Gabs went as a good witch and Bubs was a garden gnome.
This is a classic picture of Bubs; he picks up any food he sees and stuffs it in his mouth.

At the ward Fall party, the kids got to play lots of games and do trunk or treating. They even got to play on a firetruck.

Playing in one of those ridiculously overpriced jumper things.

2010-12-07T14:12:00.003-06:00

Back in October, Gabbie and Noah were invited to a birthday party. It was a weird invitation because we didn't know the little girl who was turning 7. Her older step sister, who had taken the discussions in our home, invited us over so there would be some kids around to play with her. Needless to say, it was a lot weird.

They had one of those moon bounce things that are huge out here. We frequently see them in people's backyards as we drive by.

The kids had fun jumping and trying to be like all the older guys. I had fun because I didn't have to tell Gabs that she would probably never get to jump in one of those things again because I wasn't going to pay for it. So it was a win-win situation.

Here are a few of the pictures I was able to get...

Just Like Daddy

2010-11-13T13:30:00.001-06:00

Noah adores his Daddy. He has the habit of taking himself and literally flinging his body down on top of you, whether you are sitting or laying down. While it can be quite painful at times, it is completely adorable.

Here he is watching some BYU football with Daddy.

Kyle has the habit of leaving his shoes all over the house. Wherever he takes them off, that's where they stay. Noah saw Daddy's shoes on the floor one day and decided he needed to get his shoes and put them right them.

Aren't kids so cute!?!

Sea World

2010-11-12T13:10:00.004-06:00

Back in October when things were really hard and I just wanted to quit my job, we decided to take a much needed break from everything in Houston. We got in the car and drove down to San Antonio to visit Sea World. It was something we wanted to do since we first moved down here, since it is not very far away. My sister had never been before and I had only ever gone once so we thought it would be a wonderful trip.

The kids and I took a few pictures at the entrance while Daddy and Tay were getting our tickets.

The first thing we wanted to do: see the whales. Gabs didn't even know what to expect. When we got into the stadium, we were able to see the whales playing in their 'pool'. It was awesome.

We decided to sit in the splash zone, just for the experience. Tay and the kids had no idea what they were in for.

Trying to take a family picture, but someone's fluffy hair kept getting in the way...

I got told to stop hiding behind Gabs. I really was trying not to, but she kept moving her head so she was blocking my face.

Tay after the show...

When we paused to figure out where to go next, the kids saw this dolphin statue and had to go play with it. Unfortunately my camera sucks so I didn't get the picture to come out correctly, but it was so stinking cute.

Then we had to go see the whale statue...

Towards the end of the day, the kids (i.e. Gabs) were tired of taking pictures and being in the park. But, we couldn't miss this show.

It was Sesame Street getting ready for Halloween.

Then on to the final ride of the day. Gabs was big enough to ride ONE. In line she was super excited about getting on the little roller coaster. She thought it was going to be awesome.

Those feelings quickly disappeared once we got on and starting going.

She kept telling me, 'It's too fast.' And when we asked her if she would like to come back again and ride it she said emphatically, 'NO!'

It was an awesome trip away from home, which helped rejuvenate me and motivate me to stick it out a little longer at work.

Taylor's Homecoming

2010-11-10T09:49:00.002-06:00

My cute little sister, Tay, has been living with us since July. We have been very blessed to have her here to help out. Things were really hectic and stressful with me working and she willing took on the load of things that were not getting done because I wasn't home to do them anymore.

Back on the first weekend of October, she had her homecoming dance. So I thought I would share some of the pictures of her for my side of the family.

We had a difficult time finding a dress that we either a: both liked, b: wasn't too expensive, c: was modest.

This is what we finally ended up with. Tay got tired of looking so she just went with this.

We had her go to a local hair school so she could get her hair done. When she walked back in the door, she was about to burst into tears because they had totally messed up her hair. The lady who did her hair told her she didn't know how to do an updo so she just curled every single piece of her hair. But before that, she told her she couldn't possibly fix her hair with all of the split ends she had so she proceeded to cut her hair, without even asking. The lady probably used about a whole can of hair spray and we had a difficult time trying to undo the mess she made.

This is what we came up with...

And Kyle insisted that I get in a picture with her, even though I hadn't showered and was in my comfy conference watching clothes.

Here she is with her boyfriend.

Thanks for posing for pictures Tay! We love you!

First Day of Preschool/Daycare

2010-11-08T12:36:00.003-06:00

When I had to go back to work, the kids had to be put in Daycare/Preschool. Gabbie needed a kinder mat for naptime, but Kyle still remembers his backpack from when he was in preschool so he really wanted to get her something like that.

Here she is on her very first day. She was so proud to be going off to 'preschool'. I can't believe how big my little girl is now.

This was her 'No Bubs. It's my first day of preschool' picture.

Cute little munchkins. I'll post pictures of Noah with Daddy's backpack from when he was little later.

August and September Highlights

2010-11-06T08:00:00.002-05:00

We have had the great blessing of having my little sister live with us this year. She has been a wonderful help with the kids and things around the house that I just didn't have the time to do being gone 12 hours a day for work. These first two pictures are of Bubs and Grandpa Campbell getting reacquainted when he dropped Taylor off.

Unfortunately, Daddy and Grandpa got sick so they spent a lot of time on the couches and in the beds.

Gabs has developed a new favorite activity. She goes in the kitchen and gets our hot pads to wear on her body. Then she calls herself the cooking girl.

We also went to a Japanese drumming concert at an outdoor theater. The best part, it was completely free. The worst part, Mommy's allergies were terrible and it was really, really loud.

Noah discovered watermelon. We had to watch him very carefully because he wanted to eat the green part.

Another fun place we found was a drive-in movie. We had so much fun getting dinner and treats for the movie. Daddy got to relive some favorite childhood memories.

And when we couldn't make it out to the drive-in, we had a redbox party on the floor.

Bubs discovered this lawn mower we bought for Gabs a few years ago. He was so cute pushing it around. He definitely needs a little more practice with it.

And this is what their relationship is like. Bubs is a huge teaser. He will come and sit beside Gabs even though he know she doesn't want him to. He'll crawl over top of her to get to Mommy or Daddy. He'll grab a toy she just barely had, but not because he wants it, simply because she had it.

They definitely keep us on our toes.

Wow it's been awhile!

2010-11-05T13:02:00.002-05:00

Our family has been through quite the whirlwind in the last few months. From being offered a teaching position in Saudi Arabia to Mommy going back to work to Daddy having some health issues. When I tell you that it has been a very trying, faith-promoting 3 months believe me it's so true. We have tried to keep our heads about us and enjoy whatever family time we have been able to come by.

Things are still not settled down, but we have made the decision that I will quite my job and stay home. Hopefully that will give me some time to update the blog and let everyone see how much the kids have grown in the last few months. Thanks for being patient with us. And thanks also for all the prayers that have been uttered in our behalf. We have felt the strength and love from those prayers through our trails. We love you all!

Cute Family Pictures

2010-07-29T08:25:00.000-05:00

We tried to take some cute family pictures while we were in Ohio. It was a little difficult because there was a wedding going on at the location we were at, but we still managed to get some super cute pictures.

Gabbie and her adorable older cousins...

Grandpa and the boys...

Noah was terrified of being up so high and mad at us for not letting him go home to take a nap.

Mommy and Daddy...

Cute Gabbie-girl

Gabs and Noah...

Cute boy...

No more pictures Mom...

Thanks for the fun times in Ohio guys. We miss you already and are looking forward to the next time.

Yummy, Yummy Cake

2010-07-28T08:17:00.001-05:00

What is a first birthday without a first birthday cake? So we picked one out for Noah that was perfect.

Waiting patiently...(what's going on Mom?)

It was the perfect choice of cake. Strawberry, all the way through. He loves strawberries so when I saw it I couldn't help but think it would be awesome (not to mention dirty)! And man was it good cake. As I'm sitting here typing this I keep thinking, "Man I need to go find a cake like that again. It was sooo good!

At first he was just eating the strawberries but then Daddy helped him dig in...

And the finished look, right before we carted him off to the bath tub.

Yay for little kids birthdays!

Our One Year Old

2010-07-27T08:05:00.001-05:00

Our cute little guy is now a cute one year old. He is so energetic and crazy. We sure love him.
Noah...

weighs 23 pounds and 8 ounces.
is in the 52 % for weight, 82% for height, and 88% got head circumference.
plays peek-a-boo all the time.
laughs out loud out of no where.
loves to dance. Anytime music comes on he will start grooving.
is mister independent.
fell down the stairs at Aunt Chelle's house and then promptly learned how to climb down them the right way, instead of head first.
loves to tease his sister.
is willing to try anything.
is a momma's boy.
has a love for buttons. He loves to push them!

Chelle he absolutely loves this monkey that you gave him!

And this is what happens when you try to give Noah pizza and put him in a contained place so he doesn't crawl/walk all over the place instead of eating (the pizza is off the plate all over the bed and he's standing on the plate).

Happy Birthday Bubs!

Happy Birthday Noah

2010-07-26T08:45:00.001-05:00

Noah turned one year old on July 10th. We were lucky enough to be in Ohio with our family for the event. We went to a park and played some fun games, ate lunch, and opened presents.

Noah with his cute cousin Jayne.

Noah's awesome party favor glasses.

We played some fun games from our childhoods: missionary tag, duck duck goose, and red rover.

Noah had fun riding on Daddy's shoulders for the games.

On to red rover...

Gabbie wasn't so sure about the game. She preferred to run off by herself instead.

Noah's cousins gave him some awesome presents. He loves his sock monkey and remote (so does Gabbie).

The two daddy's and big uncle decided to amuse themselves by seeing who could jump over the others the highest. Uncle Jeremy was the winner.

Noah and Jayne together again.

Birthday cake pictures to come...

Grandma and Grandpa Christensen

2010-07-25T08:40:00.000-05:00

We had to get some pictures of all the grandkids with Grandma and Grandpa. We had some normal pictures and some silly pictures. Notice that Gabbie and Noah were all about the suckers Grandma gave them.

All the cousins together during the trip from oldest to youngest...

Historic John Johnson Farm

2010-07-20T08:04:00.004-05:00

While we were in Cleveland, we took a day to go and visit the John Johnson Farm. This is a very historic place for our church. This is where the Prophet Joseph Smith spent a year of his life in the service of the Lord. Quite a few of the revelations received in the Doctrine and Covenants were given here at this location. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to the prophet here as well. It is a very sacred and special place. You can just feel the spirit when you open your car door to get out.

We were all quietly waiting for the sister missionaries to come lead us on the tour.

One of the awesome things about going to a historic site is getting to see things like they might have been back then. Gabbie and her cousin got to come up to the stove to see where the song "I'm a Little Tea Pot" came from. Gabs wasn't too interested in going up until her cousin decided to come up with her.

She followed Mills around the whole time. I think she got a little tired of Gabs but she was really nice to her and let her tag along.

All the kids thought this was a pretty cool 'quilting' machine like Grandma's.

Most of the guys who went...

One very special story about this home involves a tar and feathering. One night Joseph Smith was pulled out of his bed in the middle of night by a mob. They took him over into the forest and proceeded to tar and feather him. His wife and mother spent the rest of the night into morning trying to clean it all off. Because of these events, one of the Smith's twin children, that was already sick, died.

The next morning was the Sabbath. Joseph Smith stood on these very steps we took pictures on and preached to the people. There is more to the story that I encourage you to search out if you are interested.

We were really grateful to be able to take pictures of most of our family on those steps. It was a real testimony booster.

The steps were super HOT and we were all jumping up from them as soon as we could.

Thanks again Wilde family for letting us come visit.

Going Swimming

2010-07-19T08:48:00.000-05:00

While in Ohio, we had a day at the beach. The kids loved it.

First we had a wonderful picnic lunch provided and prepared by all the mommies.

These were all the cousins with Grandpa, and an aunt and uncle thrown in...

While we all played out in the water, Grandma and Aunt Chelle helped us take some pictures.

Noah is totally going to be our child that wants to try every sport imaginable. He picked up this bat and was banging it up and down.

The little girls playing in the sand together...

And those of our party who didn't want to swim.

What a fun little beach. I loved that there were no waves in the water because Gabs and Noah were more outgoing and excited to be swimming.

Road Trip

2010-07-18T18:31:00.005-05:00

Kyle's Grandpa passed away a couple weeks ago. While this was a sad time for the family, it was also a very happy time. We were surprised with a phone call from Grandma asking us to come to Cleveland where the rest of the family was going to be and spend some time together. This was on a Saturday morning so we packed up all our stuff and hopped in the car to head out for the two day drive.

We stocked up the car with the kids' toys from church, packed a cooler, and took off. They were both pretty excited to go see their cousins...

Gabbie decided to investigate the purpose of the shower cap when we stopped at a hotel for the night.

The next day of driving was a hard one. We were pretty tightly packed into the car and the kids were getting bored. Gabs asked for some snacks and the next time I turned around to see what she was doing, I saw this...

She had lined her teddy grahams up in a row, was making a merry-go-round, and having a family of a mommy, daddy, baby, brother and sister talk to each other.

Noah had a hard time taking naps during our trip in the car but whenever he did fall asleep he sure looked cute.

Daddy driving...

And this is what happens when an 11 month old gets bored in the car.

Here's the merry-go-round...

And this is what I looked like on the second day of our drive. I woke up that morning with terrible allergies and even after 2 different allergy pills and some other medicine, I still didn't feel better. Needless to say, I was not very happy about the picture.

More pictures from our trip to follow.

Running/Walking

2010-07-15T09:29:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago we finally went to one of the running trails near our house. We thought it would be a good habit to form and do some type of exercise every day. Gabbie thought it was awesome too because there was a playground along the trail that we promised the kids we would stop at if the kids behaved.

Gabs asked if she could get down and run with Daddy.

She didn't last very long but it was fun for us to hear her ask to run.

We stopped to play at the playground and I had to relive some of my childhood by jumping on the tire swing. Didn't work out as well as it did when I was eight years old.

And Noah playing on the ground. Of course he had to pick up the rocks and some sticks to taste.

We've been gone for a week and now I'm babysitting so I'm not sure how often we will be able to make it to the trail but I hope we can get there again soon.

Hurricane Preparedness Convention

2010-07-14T08:30:00.004-05:00

Every year right before hurricane season, the city of Houston puts on this emergency preparedness fair. We went this year to see what advice they could give us on how to stay safe.

There were a lot of giveaways and free stuff, but not a whole lot of information or advice on how to take care of your house during hurricane season.

They had these awesome mascots come that we were able to take pictures with. Here is Gabbie with the Reliant Energy bug...

and the Energizer Bunny...

This was her first time getting her face painted. She chose a kitty cat.

These awesome guys sang songs and told us stories about how to prepare ourselves for hurricanes. Gabbie was a little scared of them but went up to get their trading cards anyway.

By this point, we were all so ready to go home and didn't even want to take the picture so that's why Gabbie is no where to be seen.

It's great that the city is trying to make sure we have the know-how to stay safe.

First Steps

2010-06-29T21:50:00.006-05:00

From June 2010

What Happens When Daddy Gets a Squirt Bottle and Brush...?

2010-06-25T15:42:00.002-05:00

This....

Beware!!

Stewart Beach

2010-06-24T15:09:00.006-05:00

While we are waiting for Kyle to find a summer job, we have been trying to make use of the family time we get. Last Monday we headed down to the beach on Galveston Island. This was the first time we had been to a beach and the kids were so excited. There are a lot of picture so I apologize in advance.

Our cute big girl...

And our handsome little guy...

Gabs was so excited to be at the beach, up until we walked into the water. It wasn't what she expected and I believe it scared her when the waves hit her legs and the sand came out from under her feet.

We never quite figured out how Noah felt about the waves. We couldn't tell if his laugh was from excitement or the weak laugh he gives right before he cries.

After wading out once, we came back to the sand and sat down. The waves slowly reached us and there wasn't much force so the kids started to get more adjusted.

Gabbie loved the waves after she first went in. She knew what to expect and kept saying, 'Here comes a big one, Yay'.

Playing in the sand with their sand buckets from the Easter bunny was a favorite too.

Gabs and I packing the sand in to build a tower.

Noah trying to sneak away.

He decided that he liked the taste of sand and salt water. We couldn't keep it out of his mouth.

Bubby destroying the tower that Gabs and I built.

We had so much fun at the beach. However, we are not beach people. There was too much sand and too much dirtiness. We will probably drive down to Galveston once a year and just stick with the little kiddie pool in our backyard to cool off. Since that's all that we did at the beach anyway, it's not like we will be missing that much.

The Friend

2010-06-23T15:04:00.002-05:00

Our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, publishes a magazine each month specifically for kids. It is called The Friend. Gabbie and Daddy decided to read some of the articles in the June issue together and I couldn't resist bringing out the cameras for this cute photo-op.

NOOOAH

2010-06-22T08:52:00.003-05:00

We have our hands full with Noah. He is one of those kids that you have to constantly keep an eye on or you will end up with a huge mess all over the house. One of the frequently heard phrases in our family is "Noah, what are you doing? (going over to investigate), NOOOAH!"

Here he decided that he better keep Mom from trying to fold up the blanket...

This is what our floor looks like on a good day. He usually pulls out every single piece of tupperware that we own onto the floor.

"What Mom? Isn't this thing supposed to be a tool to slide with my hands across the entire kitchen?"

His newest trick, which scares me every time he gets near the stairs. He is not afraid of getting hurt. If he rolled down the entire flight of stairs he would probably cry for a few seconds, until he was comforted, then give you this look that means 'that was cool! I'm going to do it again'.

More cabinet investigation...

He definitely keeps us on our toes.

Computer Stalker

2010-06-21T08:46:00.002-05:00

Our computer had not been safe since this little man became mobile. He likes the blue button on the hard drive and will frequently come over to push it. No matter what you are doing. He will also try to push the buttons on the keyboard as well.

Here he is in action...

So we apologize if we are talking with you on the computer or something and all of the sudden we disappear. It's usually because Noah has decided to push the blue button which in turn shuts down the computer. Sorry about that. Our main goal right now is to teach Noah that he can't push the buttons on the computer. Not going so well but we'll keep trying.

First Hair Cut

2010-06-20T08:40:00.002-05:00

Daddy decided that Noah needed a haircut two Sundays ago. I wasn't in agreement but deferred to him because we have the agreement that he is in charge of the boys hair and I the girls. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures because Daddy cut his hair while I was showering to get ready for church.

But we do have some after shots.

Now he is all even (at least on the top,his back is still shorter than the rest of his hair).

Bathies

2010-06-19T14:30:00.003-05:00

Our kids love bath time. They love the water. When they have been especially good, we fill up the tub in the master bath and let them play in there. Gabs loves it because she thinks she is swimming.

These two tease each other so much. It's going to be difficult to tell if it is serious teasing or not once they get a little bit older.

This was in my stocking for Christmas last year and Gabbie feels like she has to use it every time she gets in the tub. It becomes hers, like everything else around with two year olds.

"Gabs, do a silly face."

Ta-da!

Rough Housing

2010-06-18T08:23:00.002-05:00

There's a little bit of rough housing at our house each evening. The kids play with Daddy while I make dinner or right before or after baths. They love this time and almost make Kyle play with them. The second he lays down on the floor, they are crawling all over him or throwing themselves on him.

Stinker

2010-06-17T08:17:00.003-05:00

When we were getting ready to move, we designated our 'library room' as the box collecting spot. One of those days I was packing up the pantry and all of the sudden I hear Noah from the other room screaming at me. "UGH, UGNH, AAAH"

This is what I walked in to find...the little stinker had climbed up onto one of the boxes to get into the food and couldn't get himself down.

We have to watch him like a hawk because he does things like this all the time. His newest favorite thing to do is to climb up the stairs, yell for you and then try to go down the stairs head first.

Father Sons Campout

2010-06-16T08:04:00.002-05:00

Daddy and Noah ventured out for the Father/Sons camp-out this year. They were going to go up Friday evening, eat dinner, participate in the activities for that night then drive home. I had Kyle take the camera so we could have some pictures to remember the occasion.

Daddy and Noah had one heck of a dinner....Daddy made enough for the whole family; it's a good thing Noah can put away some food.

This is one of Noah's favorite big guys. He loves to play with him.

These following pictures are too cute! Noah was so tired but there was so much going on that he refused to go to sleep, even though he could barely hold his eyes open.

Daddy can't wait until Bubs is big enough to go overnight.

Grandpa Christensen

2010-06-15T13:54:00.003-05:00

About two weeks ago we had a great opportunity. Kyle's dad had a business trip in PA and was flying through Houston. He had about an hour layover, so we loaded up the car with the kids and dinner and drove up to meet Grandpa Christensen. Noah and Grandpa had never met before and Gabs hadn't seen him in about a year. We were super excited!

Here they are in our own private little corner of the airport. No one was down in this section so we got to watch the terminal trains go by while we talked and ate dinner.

Noah and Grandpa loved getting to know each other.

And no real question as to where Kyle and Gabs get their smiles from...

Thank you so much Grandpa for planning your travel itinerary so you could stop and visit with us. We loved it and can't wait till we get to spend more time with all of the family in December.

Our New Home

2010-05-30T16:07:00.004-05:00

So, yesterday we moved into this house:

Here is a video of what the inside looks like:
(click on the image to play)

From Our House

Hats

2010-05-26T14:36:00.002-05:00

Our children love hats. Gabbie can always find the stash of hats, even when Mom and Dad don't remember where they are. It doesn't matter whether she has had her hair done or not, the hat is going on. Here are some of the most recent pictures with hats...

Kids are so cute!~

Christensen Family Funny Phrases!

2010-05-17T09:24:00.000-05:00

It's time for another edition of...

Christensen Family Funny Phrases!

Dad (in response to a question Gabbie has asked): "Sounds like a plan, Fluffy."

Gabbie: "I'm not a fwuffy, I'm Gaberella."

Mom: "Gabbie, do you love you brother?"

Gabbie: "He's not my bruder, he's my Noah!"

Mom: Sniffling and sneezing due to severe allergies.

Gabbie: "What's wrong wif yer life, mom?"

Gabbie (sitting in the back of the car in her car seat with Dad's church bags bothering her): Grunts.

Dad: "Gabbie, what's wrong?"

Gabbie: "Mom, move Dad's diaper bag!"

Gabbie - sitting on the floor in the kitchen throwing a fit

Noah - Starts crawling toward Gabbie

Gabbie: "Don't crawl to me!"

Noah - Stops crawling, starts laughing.

Gabbie: "Noah, I'm sad, don't laugh at me!"

Gabbie - runs butt naked from her bedroom at the back of the house into Mom and Dad's room

Mom - Wondering what's going on, walks into the bathroom in her room - "Gabbie, what are you doing?" - notices that Gabbie is trying to climb onto the toilet by herself to go potty - "Gabbie, do you need any help?"

Gabbie: "No, mom, I goin' potty by mysewf. Don't hewp me."

Gabbie (prior to beginning to potty train) - straining to have a bowel movement in her diaper.

Dad: "Gabbie, are you going poop in your diaper?"

Gabbie (red in the face): "Yes, Daddy."

Dad: "You should try and go poopy in the potty. There's something magical about going poopy in the potty."

--- Silence ---

Mom - starts busting up laughing.

Dad: "Did I just tell our two year old that there's something magical about pooping in the potty?"

Mom: "You sure did!"

Best Friend

2010-05-13T08:00:00.002-05:00

This guy is a favorite around our house....The kids fight over him sometimes but most of the time they just like to snuggle him and give him a place of honor.

(yes that is our bed she decided Ernie needed to sleep. And look, she loves him enough to give up her binky; because everyone knows Ernie can't sleep without 'blue binky')

My Children

2010-05-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

My Children

My children are very smart,
Both of them have a great big heart.
They both are growing up each and every day,
In their own unique and special way.
Both of my children are filled with joy,
I love them dearly both my girl and boy.
When I am sad and have a bad day,
Both of my children know how to make my hurt go away.
I love my children more than words could ever say,
I am very greatful that they are alive each and every day.
They mean more to me than anyone will ever know,
When the children are not around me the days seem to go by so slow.
Everyday brings a brand new start,
After all my children are my heart.
I thank God each and every day,
That he sent two beautiful angels my way.

Source: My Children, Children Poems http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/family/poetry.asp?poem=934#ixzz0nYWHSyye

Our Budding Artist

2010-05-11T08:00:00.003-05:00

Gabbie is to the point now where she is no longer content with simply smiling for a picture; she has to take the pictures.

Here are some of her shots. She does pretty good when her subject, i.e. Noah, is down low on the ground. It's a lot harder when the subject is taller than her.

Silly Gabbie.

What are the kids doing lately?

2010-05-05T08:45:00.002-05:00

Here are some of the things we have been teaching the kids lately...

Galveston and Kemah Boardwalk

2010-05-04T08:04:00.007-05:00

Okay, here are the last pictures from the visit with my family last month.

While everyone was here, we decided to drive down to Galveston and go to the beach since we have never been down there before. It was a pretty nice day, but very windy. We all got into our shorts and t-shirts thinking it would be really nice to just walk around on the beach (I had no intention of getting in the water myself, but we all brought bathing suits in case it warmed up).

Here's the sign for the beach. That's about as close as we came. Instead, we took a ride on the ferry.

The ferry connects Galveston Island with Port Bolivar and is the only way cars can get from Galveston to Bolivar.

We decided to walk on board instead of driving so here we are waiting for one of the ferry's to get back to pick us up.

(as you can tell from the sweatshirt my sister Taylor has on and the way my brother James is hunched up, it was really cold with the wind blowing)

My cute niece Jossie...not so little anymore.

On the ferry...it was so windy and cold!!!

We passed some military boats and were able to talk a little with my dad about his experiences on a boat in the Navy.

We all tried it outside for a little bit...

except for these smart guys...

Noah with his Grandma Campbell...

Jossie had so much fun on the ferry. Actually, we all did. James and Dad even saw a couple of dolphins in the bay as we were coming in to disembark. We were all pretty jealous of that.

After the ferry, we headed over to Kemah Boardwalk.

Here are all the cousins together on the shark bench.

Gabbie saw some random guy take a picture of a friend kissing the shark so she decided she needed to do the same thing...

Our cute little family...

and our modeling cousin...

This is what happens when you leave a drink with Gabbie telling her to hold it for you (never expect to get it back in that situation Taylor).

Stinkers...

We ended the day with our traditional trip to Golden Corral. We go there once a year, whenever my dad comes to visit. We were waiting for the other guys to get there and Kyle decided to play a game with Gabbie by laying his seat back and smushing her legs. She thought it was hilarious and has asked him to do it again on numerous occasions.

Thank you so much for coming to visit us guys. We had a lot of fun and can't wait to see you again!

Testimony of the Book of Mormon

2010-05-03T19:19:00.001-05:00

I want to share with all of you out there my love for this special book. I know that The Book of Mormon is a second witness of Jesus Christ. It is written by ancient prophets and was given to us through the power of a loving Heavenly Father. Joseph Smith was given power from Heavenly Father to translate this scripture. He did not write it; he simply had faith enough to follow the command of his Father in Heaven to do the work of translation in spite of persecution. The Book of Mormon teaches of Christ and I know from my own personal study, pondering, and prayer that it is true!

Please enjoy this video that bares an even stronger witness of this sacred book.

Wii Play Well Together

2010-04-16T08:27:00.003-05:00

Many of the days were spent playing the Wii together while my family was here visiting.

Kyle had to get ready to challenge my brother James to a best of 3 competition. They played bowling, baseball, and boxing. I can't remember who ended up winning but I'm sure Kyle does.

Then my sister Taylor and our niece Jossie played each other in baseball.

Taylor had some problems...

And Jossie has never played baseball before so she was really fun/funny to watch.

Hope you guys enjoyed visiting with us because we sure loved it.

We love visits from Family!

2010-04-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

After a very long drive from Virginia, my family arrived at our house the Saturday evening before Easter. Sunday morning we woke up and watched General Conference for our church, where all the leaders of our church speak to members around the world. None of the kids in my family have ever watched conference so we were very impressed that James, my little brother, Jossie, my niece, and Keiley, another niece sat through one whole session and played the listening bingo game. They were good sports to sit and listen with us so we could follow our normal routine.

After Conference, we played outside together while we waited for Easter dinner to finish cooking. All the cousins drew on the driveway with chalk and then started running through the bushes in the front of our house. Kyle got the camera out and we had a little impromptu photo shoot.

We told Gabs to give her cousin Keiley a hug and this is what she did. She must have seen Kyle and I do that so many times that she just assumed that's how you give hugs. Well, probably not. I think she just wanted to hug her that way.

These two had loads of fun together.

Cousin Brayden, Gabs, and Cousin Keiley

We tried to get all the kids together but this was the best shot we got. It is really hard trying to get numerous kids to look at the camera all at the same time.

Going on an adventure through the bushes in the front yard...

"Hey this is awesome...Mom doesn't ever let me do this!"

Then all the kids wanted to have a shoulder ride...

Our best family shot. Gabs and Noah were pretty tired of pictures by this point so it was almost a waste of time.

Me and my mom...

Thanks for coming to visit guys! More pictures of the week with family to come.