Happy Birthday Brock!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to do a quick post of a few pictures of the birthday boy! We are so excited that we made it through the first year! I'm telling you, those first few months were pretty rough and some days felt like they would never come to an end! But I'm proud to say that we made it! That first year made me the most nervous since that's where my child-rearing experience was seriously lacking. But I had a great teammate (Chad), a fabulous assistant (Ella), and a very forgiving victim (Brock).

We had a good birthday for Brock, although we didn't do too much yet since his party is not till next weekend. I let him have a cupcake after his lunch and he certianly was not shy about eating that! Today, I let him have another one, and after I got him down, I went to wipe up all of the crumbs off of his seat. He saw what I was doing, came back over, stood up against the legs of his high chair, and began grabbing what crumbs he could from his seat and shoved them in his mouth as quickly as possible. I think he likes cupcakes! Of course, he was totally clueless to the fact that it was his birthday, but Ella was excited for him. We kept singing "Happy Brithday" to him throughout the day, and every time we did, he would smile at us (or maybe it was more of a, "you guys are nuts" face...I don't know).

Now, for those of you that are perhaps overly conscious about gender-appropriate toys (uncles and grandpas), and are troubled by the picture of Brock sitting in his sister's princess chair, not to worry. There is a very large box sitting in our entry way right now that contains a red, Lightening McQueen chair so that he doesn't have to use his sister's anymore! Maybe we'll let him open in tomorrow on Chad's day off. The rest of his presents, he will get to open at his birthday party, which is on Halloween. Don't worry, I will be sure to post pictures of the birthday party as well as the Halloween parties that the kids get to go to!

Of course, Ella is greatly anticipating several things over the next week. This week is red-ribbon week at school which includes many things! Funny Sock Day on Monday, Funny Hat Day on Tuesday, Backwards Clothes Day on Wendesday (as well as trick-or-treating at the library), Red Shirt Day on Thursday, and Career Costume Day on Friday. For Career Costume Day, she is going to go as an artist! Friday, she also has a Halloween party at school and some greatly anticipated guests will arrive (Grandma and Grandma Wyckhuyse, Aunt Brittany, Alexis, and Spencer)! They will then stay for Brock's birthday on Saturday. And of course, after the party, there will be another Halloween Party to attend, at church. Whew! I didn't see till now what a marathon week this week will be! I'll be sure to get lots of pictures and post them as soon as possible!

But for the time being, I think Ella and Brock will keep themselves (and me!) busy playing, having more stuffed animal parties and building fort after fort! I sure do love those silly kids! Be sure to check out the new cartoon, "Ella-isms", and poll for now! As you can see, we're having a tough time deciding on a name when there are so many, um, interresting onces out there!

You Know You're in Vernal When...

Hi everyone! I know it's been a long time since I've done this, but we're almost actually settled now, so I thought I'd update the blog with some pictures. To help those of you who have never been to Vernal, I thought I'd start off with a little list I've complied of ways to help you know when you've arrived.
Top Ten Ways You Know You're In Vernal, UT
1. Local children wear cowboy boots to school. And church.
2. Two words: Bull Ring.
3. The only minivans you ever see are in the school parking lot.
4. All trucks must include one of the following items: a large grill, smoke stacks in the back, or a bumper sticker that has to do with hunting, cowboys, cowgirls, or rednecks.
5. You can count on more than one hand the number of men wearing a cowboy hat, flannel shirt, wranglers, and cowboy boots at wal-mart. And it's not Halloween.
6. Dinosaur everything! Dinah Bowl, Dinosaurland Pediatrics, Dinoland Golf, Dino Pub, Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo, Dinosaur Inn...there's more!
7. You see flyers posted in the window of your bank for the national sheepdog competition.
8. High School students ask each other for dates via fast food marquees.
9. There is an add in the phone book for genuine hand-crafted Amish furniture (apparently they have a community in WY, not too far from here).
10. You fall asleep at night listening to the melodious braying of the neighbor's donkey.
Okay, all kidding aside. We actually are liking it here. Sure, it's a little different sometimes, but it's not like we moved to Mars. Chad and Ella both had last Thursday and Friday off, so on Friday, we took a drive out to Red Fleet Lake. It was only 20 minutes away and it was very beautiful! We took a picnic out there and then went for a walk around the water and on the doc. It was chilly, but we all enjoyed spending the time together. Then on Saturday night, we got invited over to our friends house so the kids could play while the dads when to Priesthood meeting. Chad couldn't go because he had to work, but Ella, Brock and I went over to our friends and had a great time, eating pizza, playing with their awesome toys (Ella is now requesting a car she can drive for Christmas) and playing with their puppies. Thank you Dalls and Battys! We had fun!
Chad finally has an official work schedule, and actually gets scheduled time off now! Horray! He now wants to save up for a gun so he can go hunting with some of his friends out here, and he even bought a camo hat to start his camo collection! Wow! Who would have thought that he would be the first to go country!
I am doing well, and we're hoping to get involved pretty soon with the ward playgroup to help us meet some more people. Although I like it here, I'm not quite ready to jump into the culture with open arms. I'd rather do my shopping online than start dressing my son in work boots, jeans, and a flannel for church. Yeah, I'm still scratching my head at that one: work boots in infant sizes? In case I need to send my baby out to chop wood, plow the field, or clean out the stalls?
As for Ella and Brock, they make me smile and laugh everyday. One of their favorite things to do is to get Ella's tent out, or to make a fort out of blankets and the card table! They also love to tease me...like when I'm trying to get Brock dressed after a bath, he doesn't want to be still, and in the time it takes to reach over and grab the diaper, he is off! And of course, Ella is standing in the hallway going, "Hurry Brock! Run away from Mommy!" They both think it's hysterical.
Ella is doing well in school and having fun. Last week, she came home telling us she was holding hands with her "secret love" at school and she was planning on kissing him the next day. Wow! Was I meant to be her mother or what? (For those who don't know, I spent every recess in kindergarten chasing a classmate, determined to kiss him.) I explained that we just want to be friends and not make anyone feel embarrassed by asking them to kiss. She asked if it would be okay to kiss him if he wanted to. I then explained that kissing at school is never appropriate, no matter how old you are, and she counters by asking if it would be okay to kiss someone when she gets old enough to go out on a date. Ahh! Do we really have to have this coversation? Her other obsession with kissing right now is in regards to Chad and I. Out of the blue, she decided to ask me if I ever kiss him at night. I told her that's the best time of day because she and Brock are sleeping. So every night she warns us not to kiss because she will be spying on us. And then in the morning, she asks about it. We try to explain that mommies and daddies are allowed to kiss, but she won't hear of it. How I dread the day we have to talk about the birds and the bees!
Brock of course, is a cutie. He is using the furniture to help him move around a lot more and I can tell that walking will be coming very soon! My guess is around Christmas. Of course he has learned some other things that he thinks are really great. You know, going through the bathroom trash is fun, pulling on the toilet paper and watching it unroll is awesome, and pulling everything out of the kitchen cabninent and then climbing inside is really cool. And oh yeah, when Mommy says, "Come back here!" it really means: look over your shoulder at her, grin really big and then take off crawling even faster. He did have a haircut today (which explains the diaper only photos) and he screamed the whole time. Unfortunately, the sides are a little long still so I've got to do some doctoring tomorrow, but it shouldn't take too long!

And of course, last but not least, our pregnancy is going well. We are excited to announce that this baby girl won't be the youngest on the Jordan side for very long because Chad's brother and his wife are going to have a baby a few months after us! We are starting to notice a trend....every time Johni or I end up pregnant, the other one isn't too far behind! What can you say about those Jordan boys huh? We know what their hobby is!

Hope everyone is well! Make sure you check out all of the new "Ella-isms", the poll, and our new cartoon! It's a good one!

Wedding Bells

We finally got Cheriss and Chris married this past weekend! The wedding was greatly anticipated, especially by Ella, who couldn't wait to get dressed up in her fancy dress (made by Grandma Wyckhuyse) and see Daddy wear a pink tie! All of the brother in-laws were good sports, but Ella thought that seeing the boys wear pink was hilarious. The wedding took place in the morning at the Draper, Utah temple, and we all made it and on time too! The kids stayed home with a baby sitter and had a blast with her. Chad and I of course went down for the wedding and I can't remember seeing my sister so happy as when she walked into the beautiful sealing room with her soon-to-be husband. Now, one would think that an August 15th wedding (also my dad's birthday) would be more than warm, but if you look at the picture, you'll see that was not the case! It was freezing cold and pouring rain at several different times, but they were still able to get some good pictures. Afterwards, we got some lunch, ran home to get the kids, and went back down to Orem for the reception. The decorations were beautiful and the kids all looked great! The girls (Alexis, Ella, Lilly, and Gracie) all had matching dresses, and the boys (Spencer and Brock) looked great in their suit/tux. The kids had a great time eating chocolate covered strawberries, cake, drinking punch, and of course, dancing the night away! Ella's dancing especially, was entertainment for everyone! No one in our family was lucky enough to snag the bouquet (better luck next time!) and Brock and Spencer were both hoping for the garter, but that too was caught by someone else. Brock was disappointed, but he figures he has plenty of time still. Spencer (he will be 5 next month) on the other hand, was so disappointed, he cried! Anyway, we sent the newlyweds off on their honeymoon with all of our love and support for a strong, Christ-centered marriage. Now, we are now focused on trying to get our house packed up to move! We are so excited to have a good job after such a long time that we are not at all nervous about moving to a brand-new area. Some of Chad's colleagues were surprised at my willingness to move to a VERY small town that I have never even been to before. He just told them that I'm a very obedient wife....yeah right! We all got a good laugh over that one. We sure are going to miss everyone here in Bountiful, and we know that all sides of the family were hoping we would get closer to them, but we are looking forward to the excitement that a booming metropolis like Vernal will bring! Ha! Ella is doing well, excitedly looking forward to starting kindergarten on Sept. 2nd. Of course, she is a great help to me as always, and always has some fun "Ella-isms" to share! And if you haven't heard, she has some interesting ideas of what to name her baby sister. Brock is moving around the house like a little rocket, and constantly pulling himself up to furniture around the house. His newest trick is letting out a big roar when you ask him what a dinosaur says! Our baby girl is doing well too, just nameless for the time being. Hopefully we can take care of that over the next few weeks. We are open to any realistic suggestions (or fake ones for a good laugh I guess) but can't say that we'll be disclosing the decision until her birthday! Chad is definitely working hard at the new job and working a lot. Hopefully when we get moved out to Vernal, he will be able to find some time for us too! As for me, I am excited for the move and am disappointed that I have to take a break from school, but am now looking forward to having more time for my kids. So one final question about the last picture there...the two guys on the outside look a little goofy to me, but I think I've seen the hottie in the middle before, anyone know where I can find him?

So, when did we get a teenager?

Wow! What a whirlwind of activities we have had the past few weeks. May and June were very rainy weeks and we enjoyed every minute of it, including a BBQ in the rain! Brock was bundled up so tight in an adorable hoodie that was way too big (we didn't have a jacket to fit him, thinking, who would need a jacket in the summer, right?) and Ella and the rest of the kids rode their bikes in their rain coats. Of course, Ella was drenched by the time the evening was over, but we had a blast. A few days later, we had some great surprise visitors...the Farfans! We were not expecting them, and they didn't get to stay long at all, but we had such a good time with the kids! We got some pictures taken of all 9 Wyckhuyse grandkids (which I still haven't seen, by the way, hint! hint!) and of course, no one could resist the opportunity to give me a hard time about the picture only being valid till January. I just keep blaming it on Chad! Anyway, after the picture, we had ice cream, Ella, Kaylie and Brandy got their picture taken with Hello Kitty, and they spent the rest of the weekend prancing around Grandma and Grandpa Wyckhuyse's calling themselves Team Kitty and doing little cheers together. It was cute! Not too long after that, we were able to make it up to Washington, thanks to Nancy, Carl, and Pat. We even were able to extend the trip a few extra days thanks to Loyal and Valerie. We are so lucky to have so many people that love us and want to take care of us. The weather was on and off rainy while we were there, so the swimming suits we brought stayed in our suitcases the whole time, but we still found things to do for fun. We went down to the park one day with Nancy, Cobe, Johni, and Harper where the kids fed the ducks, we got treats to eat, and we rode the carousel. We went to three of Cobe's baseball games and enjoyed watching him play. He had some good hits too! After the games we would go over to Russ and Johni's house for some food and to visit some more...well, we always enjoyed it, but Brock and Harper struggled a bit. Brock needed to borrow a few things of Harper's for a bit, like his high chair, and his walker, but Harper wasn't so sure he liked the idea. He tried to show us he was unhappy by pushing Brock across the kitchen...Brock on the other hand, was not at all offended, but thought it was fun! While Harper screamed in protest at his temporary replacement, Brock laughed hysterically. It was quite funny and so of course, we couldn't resist snapping some pictures. We had lots of dinners with our Brock family and friends and Ella had fun running around with all the bulldogs and loved to feed them treats. They discovered very quickly that a good place to sit at dinner was near Ella and Brock. They gobbled up quite a bit of bread and several graham crackers that had been dropped on the floor! We went out to the cemetery to visit Ella's Mommy Kirsten's "remembering stone" and she got to choose a bouquet of flowers to leave. When we got there, we told her to just set the bouquet down, but that wasn't good enough for her. She wanted to pull the bouquet apart so that she could lay them her own way and "make it pretty." We felt like this was an okay thing since it was coming from her heart and it was very sweet. Not too long after we got back from Washington, we had a chance to take Ella on her first camping trip. We left Brock with my parents overnight (no, I didn't cry...almost, but I didn't) and went up to Hobble Creek Canyon. Ella had a great time and she was such good helper with setting up the tent and sleeping bags. The creek ran right along our campsite and so we went down to it several times to play and stick our feet in. We did a puzzle, played a game, cooked dinner, and of course, made s'mores! She didn't fall asleep till about 11:30 that night but was up by 6:30 the next morning, climbing in between Chad and I, jumping on us, trying to tickle-fight, and more than ready to be awake (of course, she fell asleep pretty quick on our way back to my parents though!). So we got up and had breakfast, took a few more walks, and got packed up to head back. As we were leaving, the campground manager came over to talk with us, and come to find out, there was a bear in the campground the evening before! We never saw or heard it, but we heard what turned out to be the gunshot of the manager shooting it. Some adults tried to scare it off by yelling at it and throwing rocks at it, but it was not afraid and started to charge at the campground manager. So, unfortunately, he had no choice. But fortunately for us, we knew nothing about it! All in all, we enjoyed our trip and we will try to do it again next year. I'm not sure if we'll take Brock on that one either, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. So maybe now, you're wondering why I choose the title that I did for this post. If you take a look at the Ella-isms, you won't wonder as much anymore. All of a sudden, our Ella has turned into this teeny-bopper! She's been watching all of these "big-girl" movies like Princess Protection Program and Princess Diaries, she can't get enough of Hannah Montanna or the Jonas Brothers. She has a Hannah Montanna flashlight, jammies, and vitamins. Of course we draw the line there and refuse to buy her anything Jonas Brothers, especially clothes. Sorry, I'm just not ready for my five-year-old to be wearing a boyband t-shirt! That didn't stop her from begging and she even told me that she would even put back the pony shirt she had already picked out if she could just have the Jonas Brothers one. Still, the answer was no, and as we walked away, she couldn't help but grab the bottom of the shirt and give it a kiss. One word: Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! We were slightly horrified. And of course, every day we get at least a taste (and sometimes a feast) of the good ol' Ella attitude. You know, hands on hips, rolling eyes, and disghusted sigh followed by a "Daaaaaaaaad!" or "Moooooooooom!" Brock is growing too of course and just this week he showed us that he can clap his hands and give high fives! He is very proud of himself and we are proud of him too! Ella just adores him and almost always cries that she doesn't want Brock to take a nap. She wants him to stay up so that she can play with him instead. They are our joy, day after day and can't wait for the love in our family to grow with the addition of the next one. Speaking of, my belly is growing, although it's still hard for people to tell. Those darn 20 lbs Brock left me with are not being very kind. The things we do for our children! I have another appointment in about a week and a half, and after that one, we will have a date for when we will find out if it's a boy or a girl. We will be sure to let everyone know as soon as we do!

Surprise!

Well, we've had another few weeks of one event after another! Ella had graduation programs from both of her schools where we got to see her sing and dance, which of course is always a lot of fun. She did so well and we know that she is going to do very well when she starts kindergarten in the fall. We are so proud of her! Brock is doing well, he is just such a happy little boy! He's been teething recently, so he's had a rough time with that, but we're getting through it. Something else pretty big has surfaced over the past few weeks and it has definitely caught us by surprise! Sometime after the first of the year, we are going to add child number 3 to our family! Yes, if you haven't heard yet, we are pregnant again, due on January 10th. This puts Brock and our new baby a little less than fifteen months apart. Yikes! Of course, we are very excited, shocked, but excited. Ella could not be happier and is hoping that we get a girl this time. Her reasoning is that she wants the girls to be winning, not the boys. Brock is voting for a little brother though so that he will have a partner in crime. Chad doesn't care what we get, he's just proud of himself, and me? I'm just praying that God will bless me with patience, sanity, a self-cleaning house, and a baby that sleeps through the night from day one! Of course, this does mean that we'll have to adjust some of our plans a bit, such as moving to a little bit bigger place, and I'll have to take a break from school after this fall semester. We're not quite sure when I'll go back, I'm hoping for fall 2010, but we'll just have to see how it all goes! I've added of course a new poll to our blog as well as a new section I have called "Ella-isms." These are just funny things that Ella has said to us during different daily activities. She's a hoot and I'm sure she will teach her siblings some great things!

Ella the Honeybee

Just a quick update to start off with: my sister's twins are doing great and are home now! They got to go home last night and so far are doing very well. Of course, the night was a little bit longer than usual for Shelene and Eric, but I think they'll get through it. So this means that we can finally get pictures of Ella and Brock with the twins (all they were able to do at the hospital was look through the window) and we will be sure to get down to see them as soon as Chad and I work through our colds. If you are interrested in seeing some more recent pictures of the girls and their family, just check out the link to the right (Westover). They're adorable!
Well, we had a fun but busy day yesterday! Ella had field day in the morning at preschool and even got to take a sack lunch. She felt so very grown up and I was so proud to hear that she shared some of her crackers and one of her cookies with a friend who had no lunch. That afternoon while Brock was napping, I made her lay down with me and take a nap as well. Of course she protested over and over again, reminding me, "I'm NOT a baby!" but I still made her. She had her ballet recital later that night, and I knew if we wanted to be able to get through it with a smile, she would need a little extra rest. Her recital went great! Grandma Wyckhuyse was able to come up for it and we were so impressed with her precision! She is the absolute best at finding her correct spot once they get out on the stage. It was a lot of fun and she was excited. You know, we really appreciate the ballet school for allowing her to continue to come right now. We were going to have her quit to save some money but they told us that she was welcome to come anyway and she sure does enjoy it! She even gets to add a jazz class this summer, which we know she will LOVE! The picture with the older ballerina is the student teacher that has helped out in Ella's class all year long. Ella loves her! And sorry the picture of our family is a little cropped! There was so much going on that Brock was easily distracted and mom had to snap the picture quickly when he was looking!
As for everything else, we are doing pretty well. Chad enjoys getting to the gym as often as he can and spending extra time with the kids. And of course, we love it too. He sure did put up with a lot a few weeks ago when I was dealing with finals! Let's just say I was a little on the cranky side! But he's such a good sport and a great husband, he never once complained about it! He's the best! I am picking up running again and have decided to shoot for a half-marathon in October and a marathon in November. Any takers? It sounds so far like my mom is going to join me in the half but we would love some more company! If I can do it, anyone can! Ella is looking forward to "graduation" this week and then she cannot wait to start kindergarten in the fall! We already had kindergarten round-up where we met her teacher and she did great! When they announced that they were going to take the kids to go see the kindergarten classroom, Ella was the first one to jump up and follow. She is so ready! And of course, Brock is learning and growing everyday! He is rolling over a lot more and I'm nervous for the arrival of mobility! AHHHHHH! He loves to give kisses now (they are very slobbery) and occasionally he will even give them without being asked to. It's cute! Be sure to vote on the poll! It's another fun one!