Ice Skating and Hearts

We went ice skating for a graduate student family ice skating event and it was a blast!

Shelley and Jorgen getting ready to go out on the ice!
Shelley was a bit nervous but Jorgen was excited to do this again (he went for the first time over Thanksgiving in Dallas).
Aren't their little skates adorable!

Shelley had 'fun' but it was very short lived. She only lasted about five minutes on the ice in her skates.

I think she looks so cute and pretty uncomfortable at the same time.

Jorgen was a pro!But both children ended up enjoying being pushed in the stroller until we had to go. It was so fun that they allowed strollers on the ice! What fun!

On a side note: I made this super fun garland today to help celebrate the month of love! We don't have a mantel so it is hanging nicely on our magnetic pipe covering (or whatever it's called :D). Jorgen helped me make it and had the fabulous idea to double up some of the hearts. It was fun crafting with him, especially since he added a very nice touch to it!

Lady Shells

How to be a Lady!

by Lady Shells

Never forget your bug-eyed glasses when going out.

Always keep your lips moist and pretty by constantly applying chapstick.When eating ice cream, make sure to lick your fingers clean.
Close...

Almost there...

And in! So yummy!

But always remember to be extra careful to not eat too much ice cream at once, or it may cause a very cold headache.
Those are not fun!

And may even cause one to scowl.

Just for the record, this was Shelley's first real scowl and it was not meant to be a mean face or anything. We think it was because of the cold headache she received from eating too much ice cream at once. It was too cute of a picture not to include. She is so much fun!

And on a side note: Tonight while reading books before bed, the baby was kicking a lot and both Jorgen and Shelley were trying to feel her kick. It was so cute seeing their reactions when they felt her kick. Shelley automatically made an 'O' with her mouth the first time she felt her sister kick. It was darling. Also, after rubbing the tummy and talking to her sister, Shelley looked at me and said, "Baby OUT!" It was hilarious! She was quite serious and I just had to smile at her and talk to her about it. She cannot wait to have a real baby around. Shelley cannot get enough of babies! She was not at all into babies until a couple months ago and then when her Nana (Justin's Mom) gave her a baby with a stroller, high chair and bassinet for Christmas, she has not let that baby out of her site. Every book that has a baby she reads over and over again! It is so fun having Jorgen who is so in to every boy thing and then Shelley who is our little mother. What a fun combo!

Thomas J

We love our Thomas Jorgen!

Justin is the best dad, every time he has alone time with the children, he plays the funnest games and is so creative. I am always so impressed with his creativity - I learn a lot from him!

Jorgen loves blocks and we build a lot of towers, cities, castles, etc. Justin added a little Jenga-style to Jorgen and his tower building.
The completed tower with a very handsome boy!

Learning how to play Jenga and being o so careful!

Doing pretty well so far, and all bashful about it. :)

Timber!Jorgen also LOVES to help out in the kitchen. Every time I go to make a meal or a snack, he rushes over and asks to help. His new line is, "Mom, can I do that all by myself without you helping me." It is pretty cute to see how independent he always wants to be.

This is Jorgen after some tasty ice cream cake someone brought over! Yummy!

And don't mind the scratches on his face....poor boy fell on some slippery asphalt while walking the "Dish".

Some Recent Happenings

We been having fun around here despite being stuck inside due to the constant rainfall outside!

Justin and I were getting ready upstairs one day and both Jorgen and Shelley headed downstairs to play. On the way down they both picked out a book from the bookshelf on the landing. Justin went downstairs and found this:

Both of them were lounging on the couch absorbing their books. I love how they look so serious and interested in the content. Shelley is apparently learning to speak Malay and Jorgen is studying up on Christianity. What a pair.

Our darling Shelley Eliah all dressed up for the cold.
I cannot get over how cute her cheeks are; she looks so much like her daddy!

One morning, Justin got up with the kids and taught Jorgen about photography (Jorg took the picture).

He made some fun playdough people riding animals.
Justin always outperforms me in the playdough department, he is so creative and fun! What a great daddy our children have!

Shelley loved playing with playdough too. She is such a crazy, fun gal!Jorgen is such a wonderful big brother! I am so glad our girls have him to look up to and that he is so tender and loving.We had dinner one night with our adopted Grandparents. Tom and Dixie. They came bearing gifts and Jorgen and Shelley were in heaven playing with Grandpa Tom and Grandma Dixie!

We have been playing a lot inside due to the rain and our stuffed animals have become wonderful play buddies. There are two little munchins hiding in this picture.
There is one.

Now there are two.

We had a fun morning yesterday at a Beach Party!
One of our friends had the best idea to throw a beach party in the winter! The children had a blast and so did I! It is amazing how entertained children can be with a change of scenery and some swimming suits on. I was so impressed with my friend, Christina, and her creativeness with throwing this all together. It would be such a fun birthday party theme for any time of the year.
The children put on sparkly "sunscreen" (lotion) to keep protected from the sun. :)
Splashing around in the pool.

Playing with balloons and balls and playing games!

Making sand castles!

And just having a great time with such good friends!

I love how Jorgen and Shelley are looking at each other in this picture.

Best buddy hugs!

I hope you are all having a wonderful winter!

Christmas Break 2009

We had a wonderful Christmas Break this year! We left Stanford on December 8th and drove to Utah. On the 10th, Justin had to catch a flight to India where he was leading a Service Learning Trip for school. He had a great time, though he missed us terribly, of course :). He did not have a camera but we will hopefully round up a few pictures from others to post later on.

Jorgen, Shelley and I had a wonderful time with family! We spent a few days at the Hansen's and I was able to visit with two of my mission companions and had a fabulous time reconnecting! We were also able to be there to celebrate Nana's birthday!

All the attending grandchildren with their Nana!

Jorgen, Nathan, and Annie
Three peas in a pod

We then spent five days at my sister, Mckenzie's home. Unfortunately, I dropped my camera when we were there so we do not have any pictures to show for all the fun that was had by our cute kids as they played together! Jorgen and Taegan had so much fun playing and chasing each other around. Cousins are the best!

Justin arrived home Christmas Eve and we were so SO excited to see him! O how we missed him! He was supposed to arrive the day before but one of his flights got delayed but we are at least glad he made it home for Christmas! The poor thing brought some type of virus home with him so he was deathly ill on his birthday! I had to take him to the ER the morning of his birthday and the check-in lady thought it was kind of humorous that he was at the ER on his birthday, two days after Christmas. Poor boy! Thankfully, he was feeling better a couple days later so we went with Miles, Siena, and Melissa to St. George to visit Justin's grandparents. It was a quick but very fun trip! On the way there, we stopped by one of my companion's homes and visited for a bit. Tiffany and I served together for ten months of our missions (three different times) so she is like a sister to me!

This is how Uncle Miles dresses his little niece...

pants hikes up and socks tucked in....too funny!

My sister, Shanda, and her family came into town a couple days before we had to drive back home so we spent a day with all of them as well as Mckenzie and her family. I miss my family so much! It had been two years since I'd seen Shanda and I had never met her youngest daughter, Aylen. What a fun time we had!

The three Three year-olds playing with playdough and making funny faces.
(Wait, I just realized that Taegan just turned four....so it's two three year-olds and one four year-old;))

And being silly on the stairs.

Shelley and Zander

The boys
sans Zander

The best attempt at getting a group shot.

We were able to see another of my companions, Lorianne, and her husband one of the last nights we were there.

Jorgen wanted to play in the snow the entire time we were there but didn't get to really play in it until one of the last days. Thanks to Justin they had the best time!
(notice Jorgen's pink snow pants)

We are happy to be back in Sunny California but miss our family so much!
Happy New Year's to everyone!