Go Steelers!!

Since Pittsburgh is my hometown, I just have to say: GO STEELERS!!!

Parker's 3rd Birthday

Thursday was Parker's third birthday. We had a party for him here at our apartment and started with a pizza lunch, then let the kids play for a while, and had cake and ice cream. Parker was really excited for his birthday this year and couldn't wait for it to come. He helped pick out his birthday cake, helped put on the M&Ms, and taste-tested the frosting for me. :-) The party was a little chaotic with so many kids and adults crammed into our apartment, but Parker had a really good time and I'm just glad he had fun.

Here's some of the kids that we managed to squeeze in around our little four person table. We have a little kid table too where 5 others were sitting.

Another party shot

My little guy is already three! Happy Birthday Parker!

This is one of Parker's birthday presents-a really cool set of dinosaurs (his first set) from Grandma & Grandpa Haroldsen

Then yesterday (and today) it snowed all day. We've gotten at least 6 inches, which isn't a ton but is still quite a bit. I had to go to the store today and I almost got stuck on one of the side streets. Anyway. Parker has been waiting and waiting for some fresh snow so that we could go out and play and build a snowman (we haven't had new snow since right after Christmas I believe), so he was really excited to wake up to lots of snow. Since I had Taylor all day yesterday and Ben was at class, I traipsed out with all three kids. The girls don't have boots (I haven't been able to find some for Maddie that are small enough-size three), so I stayed in the parking lot with them while Parker played just off the lot in the lawn. It was actually the first time Madisyn has been out in the snow and she really liked it at first. Then she fell a few times (face planted it twice actually), and then she didn't like it as much. But it was still a lot of fun and I'm glad Parker got to get out finally. We also went out again today with Ben, but I didn't take pictures this time.

Parker and his friend Emily

Maddie ready for some action

Taylor (who is 16 mo) and Maddie (who is 15 mo)

Brother and sister together

Madisyn, Parker, & Taylor

And here's a video of Maddie in the snow

Catch up

I haven't posted anything for a long time-it's just been so crazy since we got back from Portland. Ben started taking classes back at BYUI to finish his business degree (it'll take him a little over 2 years to finish), I've been playing catchup on SOO many things, I've still been babysitting Taylor (the little girl who is Maddie's age), and we've had quite a few birthdays and showers and baby births that have happened as well. So I'll just tell about a few little things that have happened.

Before we left Portland, Ben & Parker went to a workshop for kids at Home Depot. They are free workshops that they have the first Saturday of every month, and the kids get to use tools to make stuff. Parker is getting old enough where he really likes that kind of thing, so he had a good time with Dad. They made book shelf ends that are helmets (they put stickers on them later too).

One of Parker's friends (our downstairs neighbor's little boy) turned two on the 12th. For his birthday we all went to a really fun place called "Blast Off." It has a huge area of tubes the kids climb through, ball pits, slides, climbing things, etc. One of the ball pits was a really deep one and we didn't know it when we put Maddie in, so she sunk in with the balls over her head. It was pretty funny how she slowly disappeared (which she didn't like of course). Parker really wants to go back, so we'll see if we have a chance to in the near future.

I didn't get very many pictures of Parker because he was running around way too fast, but I got some cute ones of Maddie. I love the squished nose!

Madisyn got her fourth tooth while we were in Portland, but it wasn't the one we expected. Instead of getting her other bottom tooth, she got the one next to the one she already had. So her smile is a little lopsided, but still super cute! (this isn't the best of pictures, but it shows her teeth really good)

My cousin, Esther (who I do all the cake decorating with) had her third child on New Years Eve. His name is Maxwell Thomas Haroldsen and he was 8 1/2ish pounds. What a cutie!

Then my good friend downstairs had her second child. Before she had her, we did a baby shower for her here at my apartment. I had fun making her a cute cake, and us girls had fun having a night out together.

She had her baby a week ago, and they named her Ayrdrie (air-dree) Jane Rideout, and she was SO tiny-5lbs 14oz and 20 inches long. I guess that's the size Parker was, but it looks so tiny from what I'm used to!

Quite a few times lately, Madisyn has woken up with the craziest bed head ever! So I've taken a few pictures of it just for fun. Here's a couple of them.

I didn't get the greatest of shots this time, but her hair was sticking straight out on one side.

This one is the best though!

It was Parker's third birthday today, so after I get pictures uploaded, I'll put those on as well. I can't believe my little guy is already THREE!

FINALLY!!!!

I started thinking a while ago, that Madisyn (who is now 14 1/2 months) was determined to get carried throughout her entire life. She was never going to walk. She has had the ability to for a long time, but just either didn't care to or didn't have enough confidence to. But she FINALLY decided to start walking! She walks pretty good and has good balance, but still walks without a lot of confidence. But she loves walking all over the place and I love it too! I took this video of her on New Year's Eve. She loves to say "cheeeessseeee" every time she sees a camera (which she does at the beginning), and still sometimes gets mad when she falls down (which she does at the end). What a silly girl!

Pump It Up!!

This last Saturday Ben's parents took all of us (kids and grandkids) to a place called "Pump It Up." It is a really fun kids play zone that is full of multiple inflatable play structures like slides, trampolines, and obstacle courses. We had a blast. Both the kids and the adults are allowed to play on the structures and since we had the place to ourselves, all of us adults (including Grandma & Grandpa) had a grand old time playing on all of the structures. We had races down the obstacle courses, piled as many kids on to one person for the slides, had basketball games, and gladiator/king of the hill type competitions. I think us adults had just as much fun as the kids did, if not more, and I think this will be a Christmas tradition from now on.

Parker going through the obstacle course

Going up the climbing wall in the obstacle course (which was actually the hardest part even for the adults)

On the obstacle course

Ben & his sister Heather racing

Maddie & Daddy (Maddie showing some attitude)

Coming down one of the slides: Maddie, Ben & Parker

Parker going down a slide

Maddie playing with some of the little toys they had for babies


Gladiator game: Ben vs. Paul (his brother)

Wahoo-go Ben!

Here's the grandkids (minus a few): Parker, Maddie, Tyler, Nathan, (Cole hiding in the back), Taya, Clara, Ashlyn, Chloe, Isaac, Gavin, & Porter

Then today we went to the OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry), and had fun there with the cousins as well. They had all kinds of fun science things that the kids could do, and Parker was actually old enough to do most of it (although not old enough to understand it of course).

Parker using stencils (although he was way more interested in the pencil sharpener that was right by the stencils)

Dinosaurs-Parker's favorite!

With the cousins-Chloe, Taya & Gavin

They had a really awesome kids area that had so many different things in it. Here's Parker playing with the cars and blocks area.

And here's Parker playing in the water area-also his favorite

Christmas Day

We really enjoyed Christmas this year. It was a lot of fun with Parker being old enough to be excited, and for us to be here once again with Ben's family.

The kids had fun opening up a few presents,

and playing with them (and the other cousin's toys) throughout the day.

After lunch we all decorated gingerbread houses (as families since there are so many of us). Parker requested a castle, so we attempted to make that for him. Of course most of his help was testing the candy out to make sure it was safe :-), but we all had fun being creative and working together.

Paul & Camille & their kids made this house, which had the most color and the most candy by far than anyone else's (I took this picture half way through and unfortunately didn't get a picture of the final product).

Laura & Hussein's house

And Aaron & Megan's castle (I got pictures of the other houses, but only when they were in the workings, so I didn't put them on here).

In the evening the kids put on a play of the manger scene. Five of the kids escaped before we took this picture (or had just had enough by then), but here are some of them. Tyler (13), Gavin (6), Parker (2), Ashyln (4), Cole (4), Chloe (5), Naomi (5mo), Isaac (5), Clara (7), & Madisyn (1).

After much play, the kids all vegged out in the tv room and watched a movie (Horton Hears a Who). I thought it was cute how most of them were in there all together, so I took a picture of that. Here they are: Tyler (well, his legs that is), Isaac, Nathan, Clara, Cole, Ashlyn, Taya, Chloe, Porter, Parker, & Gavin.

Christmas Eve

We have had a lot of fun being here at Ben's parents' house. Parker has had such a good time being with his cousins-especially Porter (who is his age). He calls Porter his friend ("Where did that friend go?") and always wants him to stay and sleep with us when they go home for the night.

Ben's whole family is here for the holidays (all of his 9 siblings and their families), so we have had a lot to do. Three of his sisters have birthdays right around/on Christmas (the 22nd, the 24th, & the 25th), so we celebrated the three of those on Christmas Eve. We decided to made a huge pan of brownies instead of cake, and I decorated it with fondant & icing.

The brownie-cake

Laura, Heather, & Julie blowing out the candles

Then "Santa" came (Ben's dad), which made the kids really excited...


...except for Maddie. Even after showing her who it really was (Geary is one of her absolute favorite), this is still how she reacted.

A while later when the kids got on their Christmas pjs, she was all smiles again. Parker doesn't really understand "Santa" (we haven't tried that hard to explain), but he was excited to get presents the next day. :-)