Happy Birthday Joe!

Today is Joe's 26th birthday. I wanted to do a shout out to him and say "Happy Birthday". We love you so much and you make Blake and I so happy. We love you very much! You always bring a smile to my face. Here are some of my favorite pictures of Joe. 

Hockey Man! Goof Ball in the snow Devoted Diamondbacks fan Stud Muffin =)

What Blake has been up to lately...

Blake has been up to some adventures lately. The other day I made some cookies (ok I didn't make them, they were already made I just stuck them in the oven) and I put them on the rack to cool. Blake then sidled up to our counter with his trusty step stool that goes everywhere with him and he promptly ate one bite out of each cookie, no more no less. I thought it was quite funny, he is our little taste tester. Usually Blake won't even eat a cookie, so I was actually astonished he had done this. 

Also, the other night Blake was really quiet upstairs. Usually this doesn't mean too much as he has a playroom up there and will often go up there and play by himself. This time was an exception. I went upstairs to change and on the wall of the stairs I see some purple crayon markings. As I continued up the stairs and onto the landing there were walls covered in purple marks. I just started laughing at what Blake had done, what else can you do? Blake had found one of his crayons for the bathtub and promptly wrote on every surface he could. I actually caught him in the act and scared him which made him cry. It was actually quite comical. What was not funny was cleaning up the mess. Joe and I got off as much as we could and now we will have to paint over what was not cleaned up. By the way, magic eraser does not work. Here is video of Blake's artistic abilities. (interestingly enough, Blake HATES to color. When we go into nursery to pick him up his project is always the only one not colored at all. Go figure)

Notice a difference?

Do you notice a difference in Joe? He recently switched to contacts! Yay! He seems to really like them and he looks studilicious without glasses (although he knows how much I really love him in glasses). Interestingly, his contacts makes his eyes look even bluer, so he is more of a stunner.

He's still getting use to them and is still on a time limit on how long to use them each day but he seems to be adjusting to them well. 

We're leaving Phoenix...

For the last couple months we have been working on buying our first home. We decided to purchase a house that needed to be built. After a couple of months of working through paper work and waiting on building permits, our house is finally starting to be built. Our seller called today to let us know that they are getting our foundation ready this week. We have already been to the studio to pick out everything that goes in our home, so this house is really ours as we put all our own personal touches on it that we can (money permitting). The cement should be poured by the end of the week and they told us that our home is projected to be done by the end of the year. We are hoping against hope to be in by Christmas. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

Our new home is in Gilbert, AZ (a suburb of Phoenix) in the Spectrum community. It is 1757 square feet with 3 bedrooms and a loft. With this move, we are getting that much closer to family which is so exciting. Below is our floor plan. 

This is our dirt lot before they started construction.  We went this evening to check out what progress has been made: not much. But it's better than a dirt lot. It was fun to stand in what will be my kitchen. We also had fun checking out our neighbors home and Blake loved running around that house. We'll keep you updated on the progress of our new baby. 

Baby update

Just a quick update about the baby. I went to the doctor today for my regular check up and everything looks good. She is no longer breech which is a good thing; I no longer have to think about a c-section. Unfortunately I got in trouble. The other night I was having cramps along with braxton hicks contractions. They started in the afternoon and didn't stop until about 1 or 2 in the morning. I was a little worried but thought since I was only 32 weeks, I couldn't be in labor. Obviously I didn't go into labor but it still had me a bit worried. I told the doctor about this and she told me I should have gone to the hospital. I may have needed shots to either stop the contractions or steroids to strengthen her lungs. So I have now been advised that if this happens again I am either to call the office or go to the hospital. Duly noted. 

On a side note. Blake has now commandeered another one of his sister's blankets. I had to actually finish this one while he was asleep because he kept stealing the fabric from me. He now has to sleep with it and carry it all around the house. But if you ask him whose blanket it is, he tells you "Kalli". So at least he knows but I just don't think he cares. 

Our girly man

Lately I have been busy sewing blankets for the impending arrival of our daughter. I finished one yesterday that Blake has commandeered. The front of it is made with really soft material and the back is all silky. Last night Blake had the blanket around him at all times and this morning when I got it out of the wash, he promptly took it upstairs for himself. I have a feeling that he will fight our daughter for this blanket. Joe and I decided I should make one just like it in boy colors for him, although he does take after his father. Last night Joe got out his blanket that he used to love as a kid that is pink also, maybe it runs in the family. 

Right now the blanket is safe in her crib, but we'll see how long that lasts. 

Trip to Reno

As stated in a previous post, we went to Reno for a wedding this last weekend. We drove about 24 hours for a day and half trip. Crazy. We don't regret a minute of it though, we had so much fun. We arrived in Fallon Friday night and went to a bbq for the bride and groom . It was so much fun. They have a lot of land and Blake was overjoyed to run around for a straight two hours. We then went to Reno that night and stayed with great friends, the Smiths. 

The next morning we went to the Reno temple for Cody and Avery's sealing. It was the most beautiful sealing I have been part of. We were so happy we made the trip out to see this very special occasion. That evening we went back out to Fallon Blakeless and enjoyed the reception. It was quite peaceful without Blake and Joe and I were able to enjoy each other's company without worrying about chasing Blake around. 

We went to our old ward the next morning and it felt so good to see all the people we love and miss dearly. Right after we left for home. To cut the trips length we stayed in Vegas which was nice. Monday morning we took my mom and grandma out to breakfast at a restaurant I have been wanting to go to. I am a Food Network geek through and through. One of my favorite shows is Divers, Dives and Dine ins. Awhile back they went to a place in Boulder City, NV. Since I saw that, I have wanted to eat there. We finally did on Monday morning. Let me just tell you that The Coffee Cup is an exceptional place to eat. The food is great, the prices right. It's not glamourous at all but oh so nice and cozy. If you are ever in Boulder City or driving through, stop in, you won't regret it. 

As a side note, we did not get to see anybody that we really loved in Reno except for a few people. Since we were technically in Reno for one day, of course we didn't have time. We promise that we will be back through and make time for each person that we love there (that means you if you're in Reno).

After the wedding at the Reno temple.  Blake and Kayla Smith having a blast together. Blake LOVED being at Linda's so much. His favorite activity: calling "Jacob!" At the reception, childless. Can you tell that we're enjoying ourselves.  Kayla thought it would be funny to be strapped in Blake's car seat, crazy girl.  The beautiful couple. We couldn't get an alone shot but this one works. That's her basketball coach from high school. Thought you would care =)