New Tunes ;)

Justin has been trying to listen to music at work and was told about this amazing site. Have you ever heard of Pandora? Well, you can type in one song that you like and it creates a radio station tailored to you and your style of music. It is fabulous! I typed in New Soul (Yael Naim) and so many new songs I've never heard of came up and played and I liked most of them. What a great way to listen to new music without searching for it. Again, check IT out! And the best part about it is that it's FREE! Go have fun!

an update: apparently this site has been around awhile and isn't anything new to most people - well, for any of you who don't know about it - it was new to me too! ;)

Fire Station

A group of moms in my ward and I went to the Redwood City Fire Station and took a tour with the kids. It was fun seeing what the inside of the station was like along with the fire fighters schedule and even more exciting was seeing all the different components to the fire truck. The firemen were so nice and fun. Jorgen just wanted to run around most of the time but he definitely stood still and loved playing with the hose when it was his turn.

The firemen showed the kids what they looked like when they fight fires. I never thought about it but they look kind of scary to young kids. They made sure that the kids knew what they were wearing and why so it was definitely helpful to make kids unafraid of them. I guess it happens a lot when kids are afraid of this scary looking man (or woman to be politically correct) comes in to rescue them in a fire because they look so scary.

This fireman was super nice and explained things so well to everyone. I want to take Jorgen back on another little tour when he's older. It was so neat!

Jorgen was fascinated by the mirror in the wheels. You can see me and Shelley too if you look closely.

Oh yes, Jorgen's turn with the hose.

Lucky for us, we finished our tour and while we were saying bye to the firemen, they got called out to fight a fire. GO FIREFIGHTERS! What would we do without them?!?

After the tour, we went to the park next door and had so much fun playing in the water and on the playground. A great morning! Jorgen didn't even make a peep when he went down for his nap - my boy was tuckered out;)

Where's Jorgen?

The boy LOVES his stuffed animals!!

I love bath time! Today was the first time I bathed both kids together and it was a lot of fun for Jorgen. He got to help me and he had fun having company in the tub.


I love clean children! Oh, I wish I could bottle up the sweet baby smell. Shelley smells so delightful!

Justin jokes that our kids get their double chins from him! Shelley is plumping up just like Jorgen did! I love chubby babies! Jorgen loves his little sister! I love my kids! Could I use the word 'love' any more times than I already did? :)

Diaper Ride

Do you remember seeing those guys in high school that would low ride their pants? I don't know how they kept their pants up! Jorgen seemed to want to try that style this morning and seemed totally oblivious to the fact that his pants were hanging off of his bum and he kept tripping on them. I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan of low-riders and hope Jorgen's diaper-ride is the last I see of low riding pants.

Found It!

Shelley found her thumb yesterday! I was holding her and she was asleep but I knew she was getting hungry - well, instead of waking up and rooting or crying, her hand just made its way to her mouth and in popped her thumb. It was so funny! Jorgen found his thumb pretty early in life and used it to comfort himself a lot for a couple months and then stopped. We'll see what Shelley does. You can tell she's getting plenty to eat from her mama, take a look at those pop-on wrists! ;)

Escaping the Heat

Thankfully, the latest heat wave is gone and temperatures are back to normal here....at least for a little while. On Saturday, it was a super hot day so we decided to drive to a far away park where temperatures weren't so hot to cool us down. We found this fun little park and had such a great time.

Jorgen came to show me all the neat things he had found - the problem was, they were someone else's sand toys. He was good at giving them back and the people even let his play with a basketball that totally entertained him and Justin for a long time - Apparently the park isn't enough entertainment anymore, we need to bring loads of toys to play with at the park!

Can't get enough of this boy's smile!!! He is just too cute!

Jorgen has been known for his daddy-like-long tongue - Shelley hasn't proved to follow in the same direction...however, this picture could be the start of something - she just stuck out her tongue and held it there for awhile - enough time to get the camera and take a picture.

Cute little sun hat on a cute little girl!

Excess Baggage

Have you ever ran holding a twenty pound weight for four miles? It isn't any fun, let me tell you! On Saturday I ran for the first time in four years! I wasn't literally holding a twenty pound weight but it felt like that! This is my public declaration that the time has come to shed the excess baggage I've been carrying around since the birth of my darling baby girl. It's only been six weeks but I don't think I can carry this twenty pound weight on many more runs and I want to start running a lot more (totally inspired by my wonderful in-laws who are running machines now! Go Craig and Gloria!). I've been doing Yoga, Pilates, and Body Combat but my body needs a change and that's where running comes in - plus, if my kids continue to like the jogging stroller like they do now - it is a much better work out to run with them strapped in then doing yoga with a toddler climbing all over me;)

So, this picture is me, after my first run. Justin was shocked when he opened the door and saw my face, like a ripened cherry! I didn't chose a very good time or day for a run either - it was 85 degrees at 10am! The reason I chose Saturday for my first run was all because we were out of quarters! Our laundry was in the washers and we had no quarters to dry it so I had the fabulous idea to run to Safeway and get quarters. It was a good idea, except for the added weight the quarters gave on the run home - they got heavier with each step. Ok, I'm done whining! It felt wonderful to get out and I am so grateful that Justin watched the kidlets so I could go. Hopefully this isn't the last you'll hear about my running adventures - Maybe I'll do a race in the near future to get me motivated.

Zion's Camp

I just think this is a funny picture of Justin! Yes, that is my darling husband underneath that hideous beard:). This was his costume for Zion's Camp last weekend - it turned out pretty good I think. He was supposed to be a disciple present at the Last Supper. They talked about the Last Supper and testified of the Savior and it was a very neat experience. They also gave the boys pita bread, dried fruit and even dried sardines:D We missed Justin terribly those three days but were glad he had such a great time!

Berry Picking

Today we went to Webb Ranch and picked berries. It was a lot of fun. Jorgen loved picking berries and eating them. Unfortunately for Justin, we ended up eating most of the berries we picked before we left! We're definitely going to go back when it's strawberry picking time! I want my own garden!

For those of you who know Jorgen's obsession with Monty, Harvey, Eleanor, and Winnie - here is a picture withe them. What a cute bunch!

Jorgen, Me, Shelley, and Monty

What To Play With?...

To decrease the amount of time Jorgen spends playing in his room before he falls asleep, we pretty much emptied his room of any toys or books. He has, however, found other things to play with...

My Cuties!

Words cannot express the love I have for my two children! Justin has been gone the last two days at Zion's Camp with the young men in our ward (yes, over Father's Day) and so I've been alone with the kids. We miss Justin so very much and want him to know that he is the very best daddy ever! Getting Jorgen and Shelley ready for bed just isn't the same without daddy here. Tonight I asked Jorgen if he wanted to take some pictures with Shelley and he ran to get my camera without hesitation. He not only loves taking pictures and looking at them on the lcd screen but he LOVES his little sister and doing anything with her. If I would let him, he would play with her and cuddle her all day long. He loves to touch her hands and feet and point to her facial features (yes, just point - mostly - we're still working on the not poking her eyes out part:D). He always talks to her in the cutest, softest voice. Having a baby around makes live more exciting for him and even though it has taken away some of the time I've usually been able to spend with him alone, I know he wouldn't trade how things are now for anything! I can only imagine how much fun he'll have when she can actually play with him. I love both of them so much! They are my world! I could go on and on....

See, look at how much fun he has just looking at her...


Shelley is five weeks old. I'm still trying to get her recent smiles on camera though...

Farewell BBQ

As summer begins, a lot is changing. Justin's current research fellowship here at Stanford is coming to an end and the other three guys he works with are also moving on. Justin has loved this year at Stanford. He has the best boss and works with some great guys. Last night we went to one of their apartments and had a BBQ. We had a great time and Jorgen was the life of the party:D None of them are married, have kids or are really ever around kids so it was fun seeing them so enamored by our children. They really are such great guys and I know Justin will miss working with all of them. Hopefully we'll keep in touch!

John playing games with Jorgen

Justin, Shelley, John, Garth, Jorgen and Tim

John, Garth, Tim, Justin

And on a side note, with all that is changing, we still are figuring out our plans. I'll keep you posted:)

Announcement

I wasn't able to send our Shelley's birth announcement to everyone so this is it for those who haven't seen it. My sister, Shanda, is so creative and talented. Thanks Shanda for doing this for us! We love our baby girl!
Shelley is named after her Tutu and my mother, Shelley Bennett. We surprised my mom and didn't tell her we were going to name little Shelley after her until after she was born. It was so fun surprising her - she definitely wasn't expecting it!

Shelley's middle name, Eliah, comes from Guatemala and Justin's inspiration. I went to visit Justin, before we were married, while he was country director for HELP International in Guatemala. While we were together there and a few days after he had proposed to me on top of the ancient Temple IV in Tikal, we went to the Guatemala LDS Temple. One of the temple workers there was named Elia and I loved that name from there on out. We were going to spell it just like her name but Justin decided that for pronunciations sake it was best to add an 'h' to the end of it (it's pronounced el-eye-ah). I love the spelling of it because it is spelled like Elijah without the j of course. And many of you are familiar with the prophet Elijah from the Old Testament and the Spirit of Elijah and temple work so I thought it was fitting since we found her name in the Guatemala Temple.

So, there you go:D

Multi-Tasker

Justin has often mentioned that he is not a good multi-tasker. The other day, however, would prove otherwise. He was rocking Shelley to sleep to let me get some stuff done but since he had just returned home from work, Jorgen was DYING for some of his daddy's attention. So, Justin walked around holding Shelley while giving Jorgen a piggy-back-ride. I think my husband is a fabulous multi-tasker! Way to go! He is the best father and husband in the world! Our kids couldn't ask for a more loving, caring, and fun dad!

Cute Face

This has got to be the most common way I hold Shelley and it seems that every time I do this, Justin HAS TO get the camera! I figure I should post a picture of it now and again:D Justin loves his little girl and all the faces she makes. And I must admit, so do I!

Crazy Jammie Boy

A very generous friend of mine, Mallika, gives us her boys clothes that they've outgrown. Jorgen always loves getting new clothes from them. He especially loves his new Indian Jammies! It's been hot out lately and so these pajamas have been wonderful for the hot weather. They're super thin and light. I love the faces he makes when showing us his new jammies! Justin thinks he looks like a hospital patient or a doctor in these. I think he's just handsome in everything!

TO CUT or NOT TO CUT...

I need some help with a really superficial decision. I've been wanting to cut my hair lately but keep going back and forth on deciding whether or not to actually do it. If I do cut my hair, I want to do something drastic, say, cut off 10-12 inches (I want to donate to Locks of Love). I love my long hair and it took a long time to get it this long but short hair would be so much easier to do (I might actually do my hair:D) and it's just hair and will grow again. I do love my long hair though, it's easy to do if I don't have time to really do it and there are so many options with it.

So here are a few pictures of me with short hair from five years ago and one with my long hair now. Tell me what you think. Now, I may or may not listen to the advice I'm given but I'd love to hear it regardless. So, be honest!!! Thanks for the help:D

The straight version

The curly version
wow, my face is super pasty and white!

The long version

Missed Medeena

Our favorite neighbors, Malwana, Monsoor, and their daughter, Medeena, moved to a nearby city a few months ago and we haven't seen them since then. They stopped by for a visit and it was so great to see them. Jorgen and Medeena used to play together so much but back then Medeena couldn't walk yet so she had a hard time keeping up with Jorgen. Well, she has no problem now - they ran around together here for almost an hour and loved every minute of it. Medeena is such a cutie!! We sure miss having them as neighbors!

Touchdown

I love all the different ways my baby girl sleeps on me...this time she is asleep on my legs and doing what Jorgen used to do - touchdown arms! So funny!

More Nana

I just uploaded more pictures from Nana's visit.

Nana played trains with Jorgen so many times!!

Shelley love being held by Nana...

and I think Shelley is thinking here "are you sure my mom is going to handle me and Jorgen alright without you?" Nana was so much help and we definitely miss her!