The Bair Family

2012-02-04T20:13:00.000-08:00

Ultrasound Pictures

Here's some of the latest sneak peeks of our little miracle babies. Twin "BB" is the boy and Twin "AA" is the girl. They are both about 2 pounds each now and thriving.

Being 26 weeks preggers with twins feels like being 36 weeks preggers with one baby. We've tweaked my insulin meds to help with my diabetes and I get to start wearing the full (over the belly) compression support tights to help avoid more swelling and potential blood clots from my vericose veins. I would be lying if I said that I am loving this pregnancy. It takes moments like these, when I get to see these pictures, that make me feel like it really is worth it.

Here's 10 weeks and counting down. April can't come soon enough.

2012-01-02T21:18:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning we took the obligatory Bair Family "staircase" picture. The girls could hardly sit still long enough for me to take a picture.

Santa comes to our house with wrapping paper and he has a helper, Clumsy the elf. The girls enjoy reading notes from Clumsy each year and tearing through the paper to see what Santa left them.

My parents came out Christmas morning and enjoyed the fun and then went to church with us.

My mom made me get in this picture. I hate pregnant pictures, but I guess with it being the holidays, I will make an exception.

After church, we had a nice lunch and Jason's parents came out for that. I don't know why I only have a picture of just Linda with the girls, but Don was there--must have slipped my mind. She gave them both an MP3 player, which is something they REALLY wanted. They were so excited!!!

Here they are in the Christmas dresses. It was a great day, but exhuasting for me and I literally slept almost the entire day the day after Christmas. Partially I was in a sugar coma thanks to that 1 Krispy Kreme donut I ate. Gotta love Gestational Diabetes.

Looking forward to a great new year with lots of challenges and excitement!! Happy New Year to you too!

2011-12-17T21:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours. Here's a picture of the girls taken last week with Santa at our ward Christmas party.

At the beginning of this month, I was miraculously able to be well enough to teach the Presidency Message this year for the first Sunday in Relief Society. I focused on Christ's life and the miracles he performed and the gifts he gave us. I had some great stories read by some sisters and a beautiful musical number that was sung, and this was my little handout. I think it sums up my lesson to a "T." I'm sure I'll be released from this calling soon, and I have to say that I'm sad about it, but excited for someone else to have the opporunity to serve.

I put the poem below in case you can't read this incredibly small print. I had these printed at Costco on photo paper 4x6's but should have done a 5x7, but you get the idea. It was truly a creative moment.

We took the girls to Big Al's (big bowling/family fun center here) right before school got out for Winter break. Jason had been on call all week and we hadn't seen him in 4 days, so it was a welcome surprise. Here are two pictures, one at the bowling alley and one at their pretty tree display-complete with Arcade in the background.

The other big news this month is that we had our ultrasound to find out the gender of the twins and overall health on December 7th.
One boy and one girl.
At first we thought we'd have 2 boys (just a hunch) and so when we heard the first baby was a girl, we were shocked and excited! So, now I have to keep all the barbies and babies and get to ADD trains and trucks. My house is going to be a crazy place for the next few years. Now, if we could just agree on names.....

I had an extrememly long ultrasound which actually was really uncomfortable...and they still weren't able to see all the things they like, so I'm going back for more in a week or two. At this point, it looks like both babies are healthy and measuring about the same. They think both of the kidneys are good, which is great news!!

I'm now on a good mix of drugs for the acid reflux and continual "all day sickness" but I'm getting better. I'm also monitoring my blood glucose levels, which for now, look fine. My doctor wants me to gain more weight (hello, has he seen the increase in my hip circumference lately??). I've upgraded from 1 to 2 pillows at night and find myself dreaming about being comfortable and sleeping on my back.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Put Christ back into Christmas

'Twas many, many a year ago when Christ first came to earth
And each year December rolls around when we celebrate His birth.

He came to earth, then died for us, to save us from our sins;

So let us, as we celebrate, allow His Spirit in.

For as we become so busy with our special preparations,

We tend to lose the sight of the real reason for celebrations.

Let's hold on to the miracle of our loving Savior's birth

And bring back to our memory the reason He came to earth.

So instead of being commercialized, with gifts to outdo all,

Let's give the gift of "ourselves", whether it be big or small.

Let us not so dwell upon the gifts that money can buy

But let us give a "heart gift", and His Spirit will stand us by.

As we go about our preparations in the next few weeks ahead

Let us hold deep within our hearts the greatest miracle instead

Of whose gift is the greatest, the best that money can buy;

Let us count our blessings and then let each one try

To bless those lives around us, and bring the Spirit in

Put "Christ" back into Christmas:

Let The Miracle Begin.

Happy Fall

2011-11-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

Fall for us this year meant lots of Soccer! Soccer for Ashley started the last week of August and she had practices 2x a week and a game (sometimes 2) every Saturday until the end of October. Her team name is the "Firecrackers." She enjoyed her season very much and I'm sure will want to play again next year.

Alyson dressed up as a "community worker" for their Career Fair at school, which was the culmination of a unit they had about communities. She decided to be a tennis coach (For BYU) and here she is. I couldn't see her eyes with that big hat, but she loved it. It did take me swallowing my pride to let her wear all this cougar blue, of course, Jason was in heaven.

Here's Jason lighting our pumpkins. We actually carved them this year.

Here we are on Halloween night. Both of the girls wanted to be witches this year. Ashley is a "Cat" witch (the package says so) and Alyson is a "black night" witch. Glad we got that figured out. They had a great time and the weather was amazing for us.

Jason's parents came out to join in the fun and went around with the girls while I stayed home and handed out LOADS of candy. This pictures is a bit blurry, but it is the only time I could take it in between trick or treaters. I basically just sat by the door for over an hour. It was great fun to see all the kids dressed up.

So, our neighborhood really goes out. Linda took some great pictures of some amazing decorated homes. There were a few the girls wouldn't go to last year, but here's a more "mild" one.

The girls ran from door to door, partially caught up in the excitement by their good friends up the street, Ella and Nate. Nate is in Alyson's 2nd grade class as school and Ella is 1 year younger than Ashley. They all play so well together.

The aftermath. Look at that loot! They are exhausted but had a great time. Happy Halloween

Double Blessings

2011-10-27T12:43:00.000-07:00

"Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come." Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

How true this is. Just take a look at this photo!

Jason and I are expecting twins in April 2012! Like the quote, "some blessings come late, but they DO COME!"

The girls are so excited and can't wait to find out if they are boys or girls or a boy/girl mix. They are talking about which one of their babies will be cuter...Alyson's or Ashley's. We laugh a lot about that. I'm still very overwhelmed and feeling the yuckiness of pregnancy, even though I'm all but done with my first trimester.

It's been a long time coming and we tried for so many years to add to our family, explored adoption and so many procedures, only to find out that the Lord had a different path in store for us. I all but gave up along the way. With the support of good friends and family, I survived the frustration of infertility. Before we moved last year, I got rid of all my baby stuff and tried to rid myself of the feeling that kept pestering me for the last 4 years that we weren't done with our family. Now, I can very safely say that these two babies will definately complete our little family. They are arriving later than we had planned, but you know, sometimes you just have to be happy with what you have and be grateful for every little thing along the way.

Catching Up...

2011-10-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

Here are some highlights since my last post....

May 2011:Ashley turned 5. We had a fun family party complete with a birthday dinner at Chevy's. Ashley likes the "orange" rice. She's definately got Daddy's taste buds.

Ashley Graduated from Preschool--Kindergarten Here we come!

June 2011

Alyson finished her 1st grade year with lots of friends and fun. She missed the last three days of school (they were added due to snow days earlier in the year) to go to the beach, Depoe Bay, for a week. Jason's brother's family came for a few days and the girls loved playing with their cousins. We never seem to have enough time to play games all night, but we had a great time with them and with Jason's parents who stayed with us. We love this place!
Alyson, Madison, Ashley, and Kylee

Dad enjoying the pool. My parents came down for the last two days and we had the best weather I 've ever experienced on the Oregon Coast. It was like we were in California. So warm and so nice. We tried to fly a kite, but it was not windy enough. Saw whales, relaxed, and just had an awesome vacation. Can't wait to go back in a few years. We try to go every 2-3 years.Alyson got really good at jumping waves
And jumping into the pool...
And digging holes...
Ashley loved flying kites on one of the many local beaches we went to...Here's outside our condo. The seagulls were NOT shy.

The view from Cape Foulweather.

Fogarty CreekRight after our trip, Alyson had her 7th bday party! Her birthday is July 2, but her party was on June 28th. Every 3 years we have a big friends party, and this year, she decided she wanted a cooking party!

Watermelon Stars

Rainbow colored Frosting for Cake Decorating (each in an individual ziploc-the best idea I found ever!!)

We made Veggie People. We had one girl make one that she called, "Lady Gaga!" Here are a few samples...

Here's the fixings for the Veggie People...Here's the topping for their cakes

Each girl took home one of these 8 inch round FUNFETTI cakes decorated whoever they wanted. We put them in a bit cellophane bag with a spatula and crazy straw and pretty ribbon once they were decorated and the girls took these home (as well as the aprons and hats) for their party favors.

Grammy came out and took pictures since our camera broke right before her bday--I actually dropped it at the beach when I was taking a picture of that seagull because it scared me and the lens wouldn't come back out...Thank you to Grammy for capturing this special day for Alyson.July 2011 brought the most amazing fireworks! Oregon fireworks have a alot of legal restrictions, but Washington doesn't (which I think it odd considering they are both so similar).

Anyway, the neighbors put on a huge potluck, for which Jason grilled you name it on the grill for everyone.

Then the fireworks show started. Our street had some pretty amazing ones, but because we live in a hilly area--and at the bottom of the hill--we we able to see an entire show of fireworks from all angles. It was amzing. I felt like I couldn't keep up with all the beautiful displays! It did sound like we lived in downtown Baghdad though and the fireworks didn't stop for a LONG time, but it was a great time.

Later in July we went to Sunriver with my family, it was our 10th year I think--or maybe 11th? Everyone was there except Elder Kyle and Elder Travis who are on missions and Aaron who was at BYU. We missed them.

Here we are at Cultus Lake, a favorite day trip. We love to play volleyball, use the paddleboat, play on the beach, eat a picnic lunch, or ride the wave runners.

Jason and the girls

Matthew, Sarah, and Trevor.

The girls enjoying an ice cream by the South Pool in Sunriver

Of course, no Weight Family reunion would be right without a healthy competition of some sort. After years of the Amazing Race, we have now graduated to "Minute to Win it" competitions. Here's the girls doing "Junk in the Trunk" where they have to shake all the tissues out of the tissue box that is strapped to their hips. It was hilarious. Chap Stack

August 2011 brought a visit from Denise and Matthew and a quick trip to Round Lake, which is about 1 mile from our house.

Here's "Pothole Falls" (above) and what the hike/area looks like (below). Both of these pictures were taking in late Spring. We like to go here often because it's an easy hike for the kids and lots to look at and see.
Mom and Dad with Denise and Matthew at the Dam at Round LakeDenise and Matthew
August finally brought some heat to our area and a trip to Cottonwood beach, just a few miles away on the Columbia. We also enjoyed lots of afternoons with the neighborhood kids with the slip and slide, riding bikes, eating popsicles, and having fun.

Cottonwood Beach

Slip and Slide

At the very end of summer we took a very short boat trip to Lacamas Lake (about 1 mile from here--right next to Round Lake) and Grammy and Poppy came up with the boat. We only had about an hour to spend, but it was nice and we enjoyed cruising and the girls jumping in the water to cool off.

After this it was time for Back to School. Whew! That was our summer. I'll catch up on September and October in the next post.

The Best Easter Song!

2011-04-24T15:21:00.001-07:00

If you click on this, it will show it full version. The primary kids in our ward sang this today. It is by Roger and Melani Hoffman, called Gethsemane. Really beautiful, especially when the kids sing it. Not a dry eye in the house.

Alyson's Surgery

2011-03-29T22:08:00.000-07:00

Alyson had her Tonsils and Adenoids out this past Friday. What an experience I hope to not have to go through again! She was a trooper while we got ready. I had her backpack full of coloring books, games, and items to keep her occupied while we awaited her surgery. She was excited to wear the new hospital pj's and only got scared at the very end. As they wheeled her away, the nurse said, "Look at the princess! Princess Alyson! Wave to everyone Princess Alyson!" That helped, but I could still see the fear in her eyes as she went out of sight. Jason showed me around the hospital a bit and we got somethign to eat while waiting.

She did great during the surgery! Everything was well. The dr. said her tonsils were bigger than he expected and he was very glad that we had them taken out. He told us that she'd be in recovery for about 20 minutes and then we could go back and see her. All of the sudden, we were asked to come back right away! She had a really hard time coming out of recovery. After trying to pull out the IV several times and screaming, she finally settled down for a LONG 90 minute nap. During which time Jason and I sat there with her, he held her hand and we listened to all the other kids come out of anesthesia. It was so hard for us. We just sat there cringing everytime we heard them each cry and scream for their Moms and "I'm so dizzy!" and "Why does it hurt!?" Those nurses just won a top spot in my heart.

She did pretty well until Sunday afternoon (2 days post-op) when she started to become dehydrated and not tolerate meds or liquids. We really worried about her. Jason gave her a blessing and we thought we'd wait another hour or two and then take her into the ER for an IV. Almost like clockwork, she was able to take a couple sips of water and kept it down. Then she had a small amount of a popsicle and kept it down. The blessing was a miracle.

Today, she ate some bread and is starting to talk again and be herself. I'm so glad to have her back. So is Ashley, she has missed her playmate and best friend.

The clock never lies.

2011-03-15T21:52:00.000-07:00

Every night just after 8:30 I start to shut down. I become my alter ego, "Mean Mom," and "Nagging Wife," and I can't seem to get anything productive accomplished. I wander around the house picking up things here and there that need to go else where and put them in my pretty red Ikea box. Even worthless happy meal toys or ones from the dentist office look prettier in these red boxes.

I close the lid and mentally I'm spent. I sit down only to realize the floor hasn't been swept, the laundry needs to be hung up and put away, the crockpot that is soaking needs to be cleaned, and all the other countless chores.

And yet, I sit.

I take deep breaths and while contemplating my nightime snack, I thank Heavenly Father for my two girls. I thank him for my good ear and I thank him for my amazing husband. I thank him for a job, a roof over our head, and the blessings of that day. Then I get emotional. Then I get over it. I have done my best and for me, today, it's going to be the best I can do. And, I'm OK with that. I go in to my girls room and sing to them, rub their backs, and cuddle for a minute before saying goodnight. Tonight, Alyson said, "Mom, my favorite thing is my pillow, Frenchy (her stuffed animal), my bed...and You."

Sometimes I love 8:30.

A Beautiful End to Not So Beautiful Day...

2011-02-19T21:37:00.000-08:00

This is the view from our subdivison, looking west this evening. Today we woke up to bright blue skies, a glowingly white Mt. Hood and surrounding hills. If only the NW was like this all the time, no one would ever leave. This kept me saying, "Just keep Swimming, Just keep Swimming!"
Today brought an emergency visit to the pediatrican with a diagnosis of a UTI for Alyson (sort of serious when you only have 1 kidney), a chipped tooth for Alyson who got a rock accidentally thrown at her, burned bread, unfinished clean laundry that mixed with the dirty laundry pile which now is a "let's jump in pile!" Two messed up prescriptions, New nightlites that have the wrong lightbulbs (I bought the wrong ones..), a late dinner of noodles, kids still awake as I type at 9:50pm, an Angry Mom, a missed appointment, a messy kitchen, and WAAAY too much chocolate and diet coke which will make my upcoming date with my swimsuit not so fun.
This Sunset saved the day. Jason took this picture on his phone on his way home from the pharmacy, the SECOND time!! Thank you for this tender mercy!

Our January

2011-02-06T19:55:00.000-08:00

Jason was in Seattle for the last part of the month, Alyson was sick for the first part of the month, We had some incredible spring-like weather, and swim lessons!

After a really rough New Year's, we found out Alyson has ashtma and needs her tonsils out. Things are getting better for her since we've had the inhaler and we have an apt. with an ped. ENT to see about her tonsils.

While home from school, we had a pony fashion show. We dressed up all our ponies and combed their hair, and paraded them about. This was spawned off by the pony toy in the McD's happy meal that we got, but it was great fun!

We had some amazing spring-like weather with SUNNY blue skies, and temps into the mid-upper 50's! No rain for almost a week. I could see Mt. Hood everyday while running errands and Mt. St. Helens from our street. Nothing like Vitamin D to scour out those winter blues. Here we are at the park with our new scooters from Grammy and Poppy.

While Jason was in Seattle, I took the girls to get their nails/toes done. Alyson had just finished tap so that is why she is dressed in her dance clothes. They had a great time

I have been super busy with my RS calling. Sometimes I just sit there during our meetings and I think, "what is the deal, why so much drama!?" It has been a great learning and growth experience for me. I recently taught a lesson on HOPE that was probably one of the most inspirational moments for me. If you want a sneak peek, here are two videos that I showed as part of my lesson. They are amazing!

Elder Holland’s Talk, “Good Things to Come”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nczw6xHJ0I

Hillary Week’s Song, “He’ll Carry You”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp3vsycYYcU

Onto bigger and brighter days in February! Bring on Spring, Mother Nature!

Healthy New Year!

2011-01-01T21:26:00.000-08:00

What do you do on New Year's Eve?
This is one holiday that we don't really have any traditions. Things we've done in the past...watch a family movie, play a game, get chinese food, and most likely celebrate the East Coast ball dropping at 9pm. For us, our only tradition seems to be getting sick. If you don't believe me, check this out:

Two years ago, we all got the dreaded stomach just a few days after Christmas.

Last Year, Alyson was sick and on New Year's Day, we were in getting Chest X-rays only to find out it was the 2nd time for pneumonia that year. Not so good for a 5 year old.

This Year, Alyson was sick again. Par for the course, right? So far, we have dodged the pneumonia diagnosis...
I did discover this great thing by Pedicare that is a vaporizer that works like a glade plug in. Now, only ONE room smells like Menthol.

Instead of Happy New Year, I'm going to wish everyone a Healthy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T09:53:00.001-08:00

Here we are with Santa at a church party last weekend. Christmas will be a bit different in our new house and not having family here Christmas morning, but the girls are SO excited, their anticipation is palpable. Here's hoping you and yours have a Happy Holiday as well!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Christmas Tree Adventure

2010-12-04T17:41:00.000-08:00

Living a new place, we still wanted to go to Furrow Farms near our old house to cut down our tree. We could justify the hour drive to get there because we have such great memories. However, Jason is on call and got paged several times so we decided to try some local places first.

KING of the MOUNTAIN! Actually, it was a small hill next to the tree lot, but they thought it was pretty cool! The girls had fun running up and down the aisles looking for the "perfect" tree.
We ended up buying a perfect noble fir at a tree lot just a mile from our house. I know, we didn't do the hot chocolate and donuts at the tree farm, which is Bair Family tradition, but we decided since all the close Bair family either got fake trees or moved, this would have to do this year.

Or you could say it was in protest of the Christensens moving away and Jason not being able to throw the football with Steve and the boys after cutting down the tree.

Or the girls not hearing Poppy say, "TIMBER!"

Jason didn't really enjoy tieing the tree to the car, but we made it home.

It was freezing, super windy, and definately NOT fun trying to drive home with the tree tied to the top of the car. Ashley gasped everytime the branches came over her window. As I watched the trunk of the tree move further and further back, until it was out of the sunroof's view, I began to worry that we were starting to loose the tree. These "gorge" east wind gusts here are seriously super strong!

The girls enjoyed decorating the tree with ornaments.

Big tradition for Alyson, she gets to put the star on the tree every year with Daddy. This year was especially great because Daddy was home to help us decorate the tree!

We made it home and got it decorated just in time for Jason's pager to go off again and he had to leave to go back to work. The tree lot is looking pretty good this year.

Goodbye Halloween, Hello Thanksgiving...really?

2010-11-17T19:55:00.001-08:00

I just can't believe it is that time of year. Maybe it's the move, the adjusting, the weather, I don't know. Sadly, what makes me finally realize that it is Thanksgiving next week is that my violin lessons are rescheduled.

It just feels like there is no possible way it could be the holiday season already. I'm not playing in any concert this year. Although I am loving the extra family time, I guess I didn't' realize how much it helps me get into the spirit of the season. All the "usual" things we have done around the holidays are different this year. Different good, but I'm all about tradition and sometimes change is hard.

For example, we have to find a new place to get a Christmas tree, where will we put the tree in this house, a new way to put up outside lights (can a wreath just be it this year??!), all the decorations, etc. It is exciting but overwhelming at times. I did purchase my first Christmas present today. Online. Go me!

True to form, I'm catching up with everything and finally posting my Halloween pictures.
Here are just a few:

They were Masquarade girls from the movie Barbie and the three musketeers. I found these great masks at Walmart and they were such a great deal that I couldn't pass up this easy costume idea (not the outfits are old dance recital dresses and past Halloween outfits). They had a great time literally running from house to house up and down the street. Halloween is a busy time here, but everyone is so very friendly and I can't believe how many houses go all out with decorations, etc.

So, next week is Thanksgiving.... Happy Thanksgiving.

I'm still in denial, but yes, I'll eat that pumpkin pie if you would like.

He's Up!! He's Up!!!

2010-10-11T10:13:00.001-07:00

The last Saturday in September was such a great day for us! After a whirlwind summer, we were finally able to enjoy one sunny afternoon on Poppy's boat. For Jason and I, we both grew up with boats and summer just doesn't seem like summer unless there is a boat trip involved.

A boat is a wonderful family time investment and I will never forget the endless washing, waxing, polishing, and policing of our boat growing up. Thanks Dad Bair for taking us out.

Here are some highlights during our day:

The girls just love the boat.

Alyson and Ashley get a turn to help Poppy drive!
Jason getting ready...ok, the water was really quite cold!

HE's UP! HE's UP!!! I wish I could have gotten a closer shot, he was smiling SO big and his scream of joy was heard around the lake. The guy seriously got up on his first try. I was holding both girls on my lap and taking pics from Linda's camera that had been duct-taped together from Trek. Thankfully, it still worked! I am so glad we captured this moment! In case you are wondering, this is the first time I've ever seen Jason ski. Ever. You can imagine how excited I was for him!

Jason is outside of the wake, no fear. If we had been at the lake longer, he would've dropped and skiied on one...but now we will wait until next year.

I just finished my run and Jason is about to go out on his. In case you are wondering, I did ski. I had a GREAT couple of runs, popped out of the water faster than I ever have (thanks to some weight loss!) and skiied as much as my body would allow. I felt bad for the poor fishermen out there hoping to get a good catch, with Jason and I circling the lake several times, LOL!

The next day, Sunday morning, I gave Jason a hug and deliberatly "rubbed" my thumb into the back of his shoulders and he screamed from being so sore, it was a good feeling. LOL!

Life on NW 30th Ave

2010-09-21T22:05:00.001-07:00

I am learning to appreciate the neighbors. There are many kids on the street and never a dull moment where someone isn't available to play. My kids think it is the best thing ever. Me, well, it is growing on me. Between yesterday and today, the following has happened on our street:

A neighbor offered to let me use her washing machine since ours literally stopped working. (Had it 'serviced' only to find out we need a new clutch. That costs $250, so I will finally get my new front load washer.)

Another neighbor picked up Alyson at the bus stop because I was still with the repairman.

Another neighbor wants to come to church with us (hello, how I miss SPRINGVILLE ward) to see what it is all about.

Another neighbor invited my kids to a "super hero" birthday party next week.

Another neighbor lent me a book to read.

Another neighbor brought us some cookies~ "just because"

Another neighbor's dog and cat came over and sat on the grass with my kids. My kids, in turn, completely adored petting and rubbing the life out of them. It's like rent-a-pet for free.

Although I don't have many "Friends" here in our new town, I feel like I have friends here on my street and life will go on.

Alyson's First Day of School! FIRST GRADE!!

2010-09-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of First Grade for Alyson at our new school, Grass Valley Elementary!

I was a wreck after the bus left and cried for a while at home. I didn't think it would be this hard. Saying goodbye at preschool prepared me some, but the WHOLE day being gone is a lot different! I can't wait for her to get home to hear how her day went!!

Lining up to get on the bus! She's excited to sit next to Lena and I'm excited that Lena is taking her under her wing. Lena is in 2nd grade.

These are some of the kids on our street, Lena (next to Alyson) lives across the street, Connor lives next door, and Nate lives up the street (with hood on). Alyson's friend Audrey was there too! There were 16 kids that got on the bus at this stop!!

Ready to leave to go to school! Thumbs up from Alyson!

Following in Alyson's footsteps, I took Ashley to get her nails and toes done. She LOVED it! She had her toes painted pink and fingers purple and even got a few flower decals on her nails with glitter. What a day for Ash! We ended our morning out at the new library for story time. Certainly is a small town, the librarian knew most of the kids by name and also knew that we were new!

Ashley's First Day of School!

2010-09-07T09:12:00.001-07:00

Ashley's first day of school was September 1! She is going to a new preschool this year and we hope that her new teacher, Mrs. Van, will be great!

Here's Ash in her new classroom!

Before we left for school, we had to take some pictures. My little girl is growing up!

While Ashley was at school, Alyson and I got our nails done! Alyson's first time in a Salon and she had a great time. This might have to become our new back to school tradition...

Here's the short video I took of Alyson using the "massage" feature on the chairs.

Anderson Island!

2010-09-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed three days with Jason's brother's family in Anderson Island, in the Puget Sound. We drove up to Olympia (where they live) and just past their house about 20 minutes north to the Steilacoom ferry!

Here we are at a fresh-water lake, Lake Josephine. It is located in the middle of Anderson Island. Here's the "Old Swimming Hole." The kids had a blast! What a great day!

Playing Games with the cousins!
Has anyone seen a ghost? This game kept them busy for a while...

Waiting for the Ferry (on Anderson Island)
On the deck of the Ferry
Views from the Ferry

Yes, it is windy. Check out my hair!
Playing Settlers of Catan and getting beat by Jason badly!

The house we stayed in
S'mores are so much fun and YUMMY!
Air Hockey Anyone? These two were hilarious to watch because the puck would slow down in the middle and neither one could reach it.

Summer Pics

2010-08-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

Alyson had her 6th year check up! The amazing thing about this appointment is that Alyson is finally on the growth charts!! Well, for weight that is. For height, she is still way off. You will notice that she is 4 foot 2. And in case you are keeping tracking, I'm 5 foot 2.

Oh man, she's catching up! Here are the girls at my Mom's with Tickle Monster (AKA Matthew Stafford). They loved playing with Matt and Aaron those last few days. We will sure miss these guys in NC!
Family Fun!
The Staffords. I have no idea what pose this is. Aaron and Matthew are doing some type of superhero pose...?

We rented two 6 seater Surrey's at the Salmon Springs Fountain and road from their, across the Steel bridge, on the EastBank Esplanade and back across the Hawthorne bridge to the Fountains. It was really fun. Something that I'll definately do again!

Ash with Grandma and Grandpa! Watch out Grandpa's the only one with the brake!

The "I'm too cool to ride in this thing" group but "I'm still having fun.."

The Pick Up place, Salmon Street Fountains

Before the ride. Aaron, the perpetual joker--nice eyes!

Can you tell Ashley is NOT happy about this? She thought we were going to Grandma's pool (which we did later that day) and she was NOT about to go on that bike thingy!

SUNRIVER!
It seems I didn't take as many pictures as in years past. These ones below are some highlights.

The girls at the lodge

Here is one of the games from Minute to Win It Competition. Dad was given this task where he put his nose into the bowl of vaseline and then into the bowl of cotton balls. He then had to deposit the cotton ball that was on his nose into the other bowl without using his hands (shaking it off his nose). It was pretty funny.

Eat the Oreo. You have to get the cookie from your forehead to your mouth without touching it.

Bumper Cars and Bowling at the Family Fun Center in Bend while the boys/men when golfing.

Cultus Lake, our 2nd year going there. Here is the much used paddle boat!

Ashley and Alyson LOVED the jet ski this year! Here's Jay and Ash

BEFORE THE MOVE

We did two sessions of swim lessons. Both girls progressed up a level. Ashley went from "don't get me wet!" to jumping in unassisted! She calls herself the jumper monkey. Alyson can swim by herself now and tread water. The girls did this every morning, including the morning we moved. It keep things crazy, but they enjoyed it!

Farewell Party at Circle Park (We missed you Steph!!)
Both Barb and I moved the exact same day! How crazy is that. OK, this picture isn't the best and it was windy (check out my hair) but I love that we look so tan (thanks sunset) and this was the last time we were together. Miss you Christensens!
Enjoying our backyard the last few times. Thanks to Chels for doing my kids hair.

Alyson's 6th birthday!!

Alyson had a family party at our house with my parents and my sister's family. The big and new exciting gift this year was a BETA fish! She named it Shayla. It has survived the move, and a week of our absense at Sunriver.

Beach Trip~Bair Family Reunion

Another Minute to Win It competition. Empy the tissue box as fast as you can with one hand!This was the aftermath (above).

This picture was taken "mid-game" (above)

This picture was taken "pre-game" (below)

Depoe Bay with the Cousins

Sunset and Bonfire with the Christensen boys on GlenEden Beach (where we stayed).

Our attempt at a family picture.

Who knew it could be so HOT and BRIGHT at the Oregon Coast at 10 am!!

Why take pictures when you can run from the surf?

I just love this picture of Tyler. Love it!

The girl cousins...

What a fun trip we had! This was the first time we've all been together for a reunion in several years! Here's to 2012!

The house we stayed at (above) and the amazing Sunset (below)!

Getting Settled

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

I feel like we have fallen off the face of the earth. But alas, we haven't. Just moved to Camas, WA, which is about 35 miles NE of where we used to live. We moved the third week of July, went to Sunriver the next, and now we have been in our house for 2 weeks (3 weeks total if you count the Sunriver trip). My awesome sisters came to my rescue in helping me figure out where to put things and arrange things, which I really needed help with.

Even though I thought I had prepared for our move to be smooth, etc. It wasn't! Jason's work schedule kept him for helping at all and we didn't even move part of the garage or den (his only responsibilities) until after the "big" move. What a pain! Alyson came down with a terrible cold and fever that weekend we moved which made it hard for my Mom and Sister to watch them and for me to be away all day. The shining light was the movers we hired, Lancaster Relocation, who were EXCELLENT and unloaded our truck and helped us organize our furniture in no time. Next time, I will hire them to do it all. The Elder Quorom in our ward helped us load the truck and ladies from the RS came over in droves to help me clean. I can't belive how many people showed up to help. We are so blessed.

Our first few nights in our new place were tough. Why did leave such great friends, family, etc? Well, the next morning it became apparent as Jason made his morning commutte of only 12 minutes instead of 60min+! So, now I know it was worth it. Last night he was home at 5:30. It was a first. I thought something was wrong because he was home so early, it was pretty funny actually.

We are enjoying getting to know the neighbors and their kids as well as our new ward. We've been there one Sunday and both feel like it will be a great fit for us, but it will still be hard to replace Springville Ward!

I'll post some pictures as soon as I can find our camera cord.

Dance Recital June 2010

2010-06-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

Alyson in the 5-6 Ballet Class, dancing to "One Small Voice"

This is her favorite move (below) and I'm so glad I caught it!

Ashley's Dance is a "Shirley Temple" Medley. This is the 3 year old Creative Dance class. Such a sweet little group of girls. These pictures were all taken at the dress rehearsal.

Alyson and Ashley together at the dress rehearsal.

Ashley Turns 4!

2010-05-18T06:58:00.001-07:00

We had a great day yesterday celebrating Ashley's 4th birthday! Last night we went to Pump it Up for a family party and more celebrating! Here are some highlights!

After an hour of play, we were in the "party" room where we had pizza, cake, and presents! Ashley was treated like a queen in this inflatable throne!!

Jason and Alyson going down the slide!
Alyson "action" shot!

Ashley crashes into the bottom! We had so much fun!

Just ONE of the MANY play structures....

Action "Video" shot...

New House!!!

2010-05-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

We had quite the celebration yesterday! We woke up thinking we would be celebrating Roo's 4th bday but we had no idea what was in store for us....

We left the house at 9 to meet Jason in Vancouver (The "couve" he calls it) to look at three different homes. After going back and forth about what to do, we decided that we would rent/lease for a while at first to get our feet wet and make sure all is well at Jason's work long term. The second home we looked at just felt right and was above and beyond my wildest imaginations! We were the 6th of 6 applicants for this home and it was a long shot since most lease agreements are on a first come basis. After spending over an hour in traffic (mid day), I finally arrived back home about 2pm only to recieve a phone call from Jason saying that we got the house and we would be signing the lease agreement that night! AAAHH!! Super exciting!!!

Here's the backyard. The path in the corner leads to a LARGE corner that has a two story playhouse with sandbox underneath, 2 large garden boxes, and around the corner, there is quite a bit more grass. This home backs up to a greenbelt with a trail behind it and greenspace on the other side. This neighborhood is great with trails, parks, open spaces, etc.

Here's the kitchen...
Here's the front of the home...
We'll post more after we move, which is most likely going to be around the July 4th weekend.

It's working!!!

2010-05-12T09:44:00.000-07:00

We have had our fair share of sleep problems in our house. I guess you could say we are the family of power napers, late night dwellers, and "don't need much sleep" except Mom. We have been plagued with Alyson's Night Terrors, Nightmares, sleep walking, talking in your sleep, etc. We have finally discovered something that works! We bought our girls a full sized mattress that will eventually go in a Full over Full bunk bed. They have been doing SOO great at staying in their beds at night...and all night! I snapped this picture because I was so touched with I checked in on them the other night.

Funnies by Ashley

2010-05-10T14:09:00.000-07:00

Three recent funnies for you courtesy of Ashley

Ashley to me: Mom, those cracks in the road are from big trucks! And, Mom, if you look really close, there is tape on the other side so we don't fall through.

While driving with the windows rolled down, I look back at Ashley and she's is panting like a dog with her tongue out.
"Ashley, what are you doing?"
"Mom, I've giving my tongue some air!"

Mom, I love this book! This book is so funny it makes my cheeks laugh!

Crazy Changes

2010-04-25T19:03:00.000-07:00

Lots of changes around here.

ONE--After living here for 6 years, we are putting our house up for sale and getting everything ready. The big moving sale is coming and so is the decluttering. I still remember moving here with Alyson being just 2 weeks old. I still love our neighborhood and the flowers that come up every spring. I will miss friends and family dearly, but thankfully, we can visit often!

TWO--We hired a neighborhood boy to do the lawn. Yes, you heard me. I am not mowing the lawn. Allergies sort of ruined it for me but I would still suffer through. It is hard to believe, for even me. Our mower gave up the ghost and we are going to wait to buy a new one until we move. I guess I'll have to mow someone else's yard a few times this summer so I can get in my fill!

THREE--I started a new "health" blog with some new and exciting things that I'm doing! I am becoming a certified health coach! After I take the test, I will be certified through the national institute for health! Check it out!! http://www.nancyshealthblog.blogspot.com/ and here is my other website, http://www.incrediblehealth.tsfl.com/esuite/home/incrediblehealth

FOUR--Jason is finishing his senior project and will FINALLY get his MBA in just a few months. Graduation, here we come!!

FIVE--I'm going to be a great aunt again x2. My neice and my nephew's wife are both expecting! Here's hoping for girls girls girls! Lots of pink to pass on ladies!! Congrats to you all and to my big sis for being a Grandma x4 now!

Welcome to the SUNNY San Diego!

2010-04-25T17:44:00.000-07:00

What a great trip we had. Here are some highlights.

We love the sand!

La Jolla Shores and La Jolla Cove beach.

Ashley's famous, "HUMMPFH!!"

Alyson "poses" for the picture and Ashley is still crabby.

Tamarack State Park in Carlsbad. We love you Poppy!

The "Fire Pit" at the Resort. Adult pool in background.

Ashley eating her "NACK" or (Snack) as the rest of us would say!

Poppy and the girls! This Resort had some great pools. Check out the video at the bottom.

SEA WORLD!

Ride: Journey to the Atlantis

After the BIG plunge, Here is Alyson on her VERY FIRST roller coaster ride. Grammy is taking pictures because Mommy is having a full fledge panic attack...look at this ride!

OK, so you go up and down a big slide, but no one told me about those loops in the back. Oh man, I'm dying. Thank goodness Grammy had the nerves to photograph this because I was FREAKING out! Did I really just let my 5 year old go on THIS ride??!!

Shamu!

The Shark Tunnel was one of their favorites! We did it twice! They LOVED it!!
You can't really see these words, but they say:

"Sharks don't eat people very often..."

Seriously, not a good thing for a 5 year old who is now learning to read.

Yes, those are pink flamingos behind us!

We made it to SEA WORLD! Thanks to AUNT ReNAE for getting us THREE free tickets!

The Broken Yok Restaurant. Grandpa has been going here for years. We decided to take him out for breakfast one morning. They have an "open air" upstairs that is called "Top of the Yolk"

Here we are, at the "Top of the Yolk"

Seriously, YUM. It was a great breakfast!

View from Point Loma

Grandpa with us at Point Loma. It was super windy that day but the view can't be beat.

Alyson already burried her feet and now is digging a new hole!

Ashley LOVES to put her feet in the sand!

Here's Pacific Beach, just a mile or so from Grandpa's. Jason is out with the girls.

Out back at Grandpa's. I love this picture. Three generations of great BAIR men!

Back at Grandpa's, here's one our games of "Old Maid!"

Alyson loves the dolphins, especially after seeing them at Sea World.

No training wheels and look at her go. We rode this train all around Mission Bay, from Grandpa's House to the OCEAN! The girls did GREAT!!! Thanks to Rick and Judy for letting us borrow the awesome bike and to Grammy & Poppy to going with us. It was a great way to spend our last day in San Diego.

Grammy & Ash! Grammy taught Ashley to say, "On your left" when passing other bikes.

She got pretty good at it!

A park along the trail, the girls take a break and CLIMB!

How my kids sure love Grandpa Great. Alyson cried the night we left, saying, "But MOM, if we leave now then he'll be all alone." She is such a sensitive little spirit!

Our car turned over 20,000 miles on this trip! Here's the before and after.

This is one of the features at the "Children's Pool" at the Resort were Grammy & Poppy stayed. The girls had SOOOO much fun on this slide!

Spring Break-San Diego!

2010-04-06T09:37:00.000-07:00

This is a tree on the temple grounds. Look familiar?

San Diego Temple

Having fun in the back!

Alyson loves to wash the windows!

Here we are, on our 17 hour road trip (one-way) to San Diego!! We had a LONG drive there (21+ hours), discovering that Ashley gets car-sick (no fun) and sitting in LA traffic (do NOT underestimate LA traffic). Our ride home was much less eventful and went smooth, only 17 hours, as promised!

No more Training wheels

2010-02-16T19:39:00.000-08:00

Well, almost. Ashley was angry that she still needs training wheels, but I promised her I'd take a picture of her anyway! If I put a caption for this picture it would be "HUMPH!"

Who knew the middle of February could be so beautiful! What a great day to be out riding...notice NO coats!! Here's Alyson showing off her newly learned skills!

Valentine's Party!

2010-02-09T12:51:00.000-08:00

We decided to bet the dreary Winter days with a PARTY!

We played Bingo, decorated bags, passed out Valentine's, played parachute games, and decorated cupcakes. Myhands were too busy and very messy to take pictures of the cupcakes we decorated, but you can be sure that there was lots of fun and sugar involved!
We played parachute games....

Here's the girls and all the hearts they decorated and hung up. This was an entire day's work, not to mention a whole roll of tape, because you know you can never have too much tape. They loved every minute of it.

Here are all the cute girls with their bags that they decorted with Valentines inside!

Here are some of the decorated bags!

Ashley, was the first to get BINGO!! She is SOOO lucky!!

Here's our bingo cards...

B-I-N-G-O!!!

Kindergarten Exhibition Night

2010-01-30T21:28:00.000-08:00

This past week was Springville Elementary's "Exhibition Night." All students were invited to bring their families to the school to see what they have been working on so far. In Kindergarten, they are doing a study on nature and trees specifically. They have "tree journals" and do all kinds of exploring, anything and everything relating to trees. Here's our little Kindergartener (well, she's one of the taller ones...) at her desk on Exhibition night!

24 is on again!!

2010-01-16T10:19:00.001-08:00

My Sunday evenings will now be filled with thrilling excitement while I watch 24 again this year! Can't wait to see what Jack Bauer has lined up next!!

My New Fav. Group

2010-01-12T20:15:00.000-08:00

Vitamin String Quartet. Below is a sample of one of their songs...Can't wait until they publish their sheet music!!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-11T10:40:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2010-01-11T10:24:00.000-08:00

Going to Bales to get a cake on Christmas Eve that says "Happy Birthday" was an adventure! I had three different people tell me, "Oh, I'm so sorry that someone has a birthday on Christmas!" I responded...." It's actually three days after, but we are celebrating it tonight."

Their response was "Oh..."

Then I just smiled as I waited in long lines.

This year, I surprised Jason and took him to his favorite restaurant, "The Melting Pot."

We had a great time even though he was embarassed that I had balloons for him and made him pose for this picture.