The Occasional Woes of Home-Ownership

Well, our laundry line flooded, and it was no fun...no fun at all...I have no pictures to prove it, but trust me, it wasn't fun...I was home last Saturday night watching a movie, and Andy was coming home from the Temple, when I heard rushing water in the hallway...3 inches of water everywhere...no fun...my parents came to my house at midnight with a wet vac and we went to work, but I still spent my Sabbath pulling up the carpet and tearing out the padding underneath...no fun. I took a steak knife to the carpet at each end of the hallway, cut it, and simply pulled it up and took it outside to dry...now we need to find someone to lay down new padding and re-install, as well as rehang the doors to the laundry closet and food storage closet...no fun...oh well...

Here's what else we've been doing...

We've had such NICE weather and have been out in the yard a lot...the girls rode their bikes in the front while I pruned rose bushes...this was my first attempt at putting Kate's hair in pig tails--I know it's messy, but honestly I didn't spend very much time doing it, knowing that it wouldn't last long...surprisingly, it lasted about an hour...long enough for Andy to come home and see...

There's the new brick walkway and porch...


My baby's got skills...we might need to do a fist-extraction-intervention if he's successful at this maneuver...
I helped organize a baby shower for Allison last weekend, and we managed to squeeze 60+ people into my mom's house...it took Allison FOREVER to open all the presents, but she's ready! Here's our group from BYU--me, Val, Kerri and Allison
Lauren picks out her clothes every night for the next day...then she comes into my room every morning about 6:30, totally dressed and ready to go for the day...she is a 100% morning person--didn't get that from me...I had to laugh this night because she had them all laid out (usually they're just in a pile)
Charlie's an EASY smile--you don't have to pull it out of him...the red spot on his forehead in all these picture is where I gouged him last week--Ouch

He's still gagging on his phlegm a little these days--yum...still makes him throw-up...I walked out of the room, and walked back in to find this...grossIt rained a lot this past week, so the girls put on the rain gear and had a blast splashing around with their Christmas umbrellas...
Kate--our rapper chef...she LOVES their new kitchen..."I cooking Mom...I make soup...eat Mom."
The rain did the craziest things to Kate's hair...it was so CURLY for 3 days straight...and good curly...they get their nice hair from their dad...it's certainly not from me!

Andy and I bought a package of tickets to the Pantages Theater for 2009, and our first show was Phantom of the Opera this past Saturday night--FABULOUS...I think I'm in love with the phantom...the actor was insanely good, and I was so bummed when the show was over...next up is Grease (with Taylor Hicks from AI) in March

Charlie in his little-man shirt for Church...I'm obsessed with trying to get a really good pic of all 3 kids...I should just give up...I don't think I'll ever get all 3 of them smiling and looking at the camera at the same time...

I came home to this..."look Shannon, he likes politics too..."
That's it for us...I was walking on the treadmill this afternoon when Andy pounded on the door...he was holding a screaming, bloody Kate...she had been standing on the seat of her big-wheel and fell and smashed her face into the cement...I was so terrified that she had knocked her teeth out...her nose and mouth were so bloody...after bribing with candy, she finally let me wiggle her teeth, and luckily they're still intact...she'll have a bruised face tomorrow...her lip was already fat and purple...the joys of kids...

A New Year

I'm a little behind, and I strongly dislike that feeling, which is why I DO NOT scrapbook...I don't want to feel perpetually "behind" for the rest of my life. My efforts to update each Sunday aren't happening, so I'll do the best I can! Obviously these first pictures are from the Rose Parade...we were supposed to all go as a family and meet up with our friends,the Bunkers, in Pasadena, but the weather was quite chilly, and Charlie was quite congested, so I stayed home with the boy, and Andy took 2 thermoses of hot chocolate, the girls and blankets and had a fabulous time at the Parade...Andy said it was kind of tricky holding both girls on his shoulders at the same time...when I was a kid we did the 2 ladders with a board between them setup...maybe we'll try that next year...I love that Valerie is holding both Kate and Charlotte...they all had their hands full...I was bummed to miss it (and the 3 point cinnamon rolls Val!), but there's always next year..

Some cute pictures of our favorite boy...his eyes look quite dark in these pictures, but they're actually blue...although not as light blue as Lauren's...


A future Cougar? Oh to be so lucky!
I think you can see his blue eyes in this one...

Andy promised Lauren that they could go "camping" a few weekend ago...it turned out to be FREEZING (not Chicago -15 freezing), but LA freezing (50 degrees)...and probably in the 30s at night...they set up the tent, and finally went out there around 10 at night...as usual, it was Andy that "babied" out in the middle of the night and brought them both in! Lauren is usually fast asleep, but Andy usually gives up because he's so uncomfortable, and this time it was just too cold...who could blame him? Anyway, the girls always have fun playing with the tent...




We get some pretty spectacular sunsets out our front porch...we took a walk this night and enjoyed the colors...Charlie's first ride in the Bjorn...even Andy commented that he was heavy...I never did get the chance to use it...he got so big, so fast, that he has already surpassed my carrying capacity, and he's only 2 1/2 months...I'm looking at getting an Ergo baby carrier, not because I think they are particularly attractive, but because you're supposed to be able to carry much more weight...I was at the park with all the kids this morning, just carrying Charlie in my arms for an hour+, and realized that I can't do that for the next several months till he learns to walk, he's just too dang big already...(brown knit hat compliments of Laura Daines...)

Kate has the funniest grin these days...not sure if it's cute, or scary...I about died when I saw these 2 curled up together in bed...

Having a tantrum in time out...it's hard to be 2 and mad at the world all the time...actually that could describe my 4-year-old also!
I loved this...Charlie was thoroughly entertained by Lauren...he's not hard to please...put him in the bouncer and smile at him every once in a while, and he's perfectly content...how did I get so lucky?

Andy's parents were in town this past weekend for Charlie's blessing...we took them to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach and ended up buying an annual pass...what a great place. The weather was sublime, and it's such a pretty location...downtown Long Beach is a cool place, and it'll be fun to go back throughout the year and enjoy the Aquarium, the surrounding harbors, the restaurants and the beach...we had a fun time...



Both girls were completely soaked after playing in the spouting whales...good thing we had a change of clothes...Kate was freezing, and ended up laying right in the middle of all the kids playing to warm up in the sun...

The girls dancing around in the sun to warm up...We blessed Charlie this past Sunday...what a great day...the weather was perfect and we had family here to celebrate with us...I hosted my first big sit-down dinner in the new house, and it went well...we had to add a card table on to the end of our dining room table, but it worked...

Charles Hyer and Stephen Smith = Charles Stephen Hyer


My kids' Great Grandma Purcell

You can see the new brick on the porch in some of the pictures...we love it. We've started slowly chipping away at the planting in the front yard, and it'll come together eventually! The neighbors are probably thinking, "finally!"