SNOWBOARDING!!!

Look at my cute little boys. My mom paid for us to go snowboarding. That was just one gift. They also helped pay for our plane tickets. They also watched my boys instead of snowboarding or skiing with us. It was so much fun! It was powdery fluffy soft padded snow at Sundance. I wasn't sore or bruised at all the next day.

They drove us up to pay for us and get us our rental gear.

Matt shoved his gloved hands into his Echo bunny suit.

My dad works with him. Matt got the bunny suit for fun, but it's kinda his one and only marketing strategy. Yes he snowboarded in it. You'll see.

This is for you, Jake, and all of the Rays fans out there. It's even blue and white!Kat and I stayed together the whole day and met up w/ the others a lot.

Like I said, the snow was soo deep and soft. I spotted a good snow angel spot and boarded right to it and threw myself into the side of the mountain. Kat made one next to mine.

Here's Matt my crazy brother.

How's this for marketing for you, Matt:)

Everybody loved the bright pink blur. He looked so rediculous. Like usual (Matt says), the girls loved it, the guys hated it. There were bunny hunting season comments and girls asked to get their pictures taken with him.

I followed the bunny down the hill. I slowed down some to video JT. He has the Orlando Magic black jacet on. The bunny finally crashed on this video. It's hard to see b/c I was a little too far back. His head fell off so it must have been funny to see from the lift.


Kat and poor Mr. Echo:

After a delicious organic lunch my dad brought, Matt retired the bunny suit so we could go up and over the mountain. We froze but it was so worth it.

And a fun last picture

Our White Christmas

How lucky is Isaac. He got to wake up to a warm Christmas morning in his own home, then got to go on a fun adventure to end up with even more family and a real white Christmas!

I don't know how to pack light and knew my dad would be coming with his van. We were aloud 2 suitcases each, so why not? I packed all of the winter stuff we have. (That means all of our long sleeves and pants that we don't ever get to use.) Dylan was a big help and pushed his own suit case behind my dad. We first stopped at my cousins' house. They had a big snow man in their yard! Dylan stood by me because he just wanted to go home to his own bed. I don't think he understood that the airplane was a vehicle that transported us from one state to another. He just thought we were going up for a fun ride then when we were done, we'd go back home. He was sleepy and cold. He just wanted his Rays clothes. It didn't take long for him and Isaac to warm up to my cousin James. Dylan loved the robot and thought it was so funny. He said that James (who had the remote control for it) was NOT funny, but that the robot was. It was pretty funny. Isaac made himself at home finding chew toys etc. The airport guys handed me my stroller when I walked off of the plane, then they handed me the front wheels. Thanks guys. I was going to scrap it since I got it for free from my OB doc's wife and umbrella strollers only cost $10, but my dad assured me that we should take it with us. You can see it in that top picture. I was happy to have my baby sling! (I also used my Hooter Hider I made for Isaac. I highly recommend both for traveling!"

My dad and Uncle Bernard went to work with some bailing wire and voila, no need to run to Wal-mart for the way home! It's better than a regular umbrella stroller b/c it has a basket and it lays back. I use it at church for Isaac's morning nap on Sundays. So thanks Dad and Uncle Bernard!

On to our next Christmas adventure. My dad slipped and slided on Uncle Bernard's street. It brought back memories of living in Oklahoma. My dad didn't pass up many vacant snow-covered parking lots back then because they were prime sliding spots. He seems to have control over the sliding, but I still can't keep in my little squeals. Maybe I'm stupid for not worrying for my kids' safety, but it's still fun. Dylan requests "again, again" in this video. My dad was winding down on the slip 'n sliding here, but we were spinning and sliding in this mall parking lot. It's so much fun.Thanks for all your fun and help, Dad!

Then we went to Kat's cute condo before heading to Matt's to crash. What a busy day, I was exhausted from not sleeping much the night before. Oh yea, and traveling w/ two kids.

Christmas Morning

Santa came!

Thanks for the matching PJs, Lacey. We'll see if I really make this New PJs thing a tradition. Poor Dylan really looks like he just woke up. It was earlier than he's ever been up I bet. We got up early so we could be at the airport before the sun came up.

Isaac stole my carrot and didn't let go of it all morning, even through security at the airport. They were both soooo good on the plane. I wouldn't have bought tickets if I knew Steven wouldn't be going, but it worked out. Seriously, they were happy angels.

Dylan didn't get to open these "bad guys" until we were up in the air. The old man next to us occupied Dylan. I don't like play fighting b/c my hand might get hit on accident. This Grandpa-man was more than a good sport. In fact, I gave up my middle seat to Dylan so he wouldn't have to reach over my knees. It was so sweet.

We even had a good layover. I had Dylan wear a pull up all day just in case, but he didn't need it! He didn't even have to go on the plane (yay for me.) We had enough time to run around and play at the airport. It was perfect timing because my mom got to call my brother, Martin, in Mexico and they conferenced me in! He's on a mission for our church and we can only talk to him on Christmas and Mother's Day. I had to chase Isaac around with a camera in my right hand and the phone in my left hand, but it was seriously perfect timing! I was so proud of myself for packing toys and I felt so organized and happy about being able to talk to my Spanish-accent-having-little-brother. (Once I got to Utah, that was the end of that organized feeling.)

1st Karate Class

Here's a snap shot from a video that I took of Dylan and the Stu Crew. Jake used his Mac Book for the last post.
Dylan had so much fun the other night playing with Jake's wrestling guys. Rob was having the guys do head stands and Dylan was LOVING it.

We like just relaxing there.

Here's Brent and Dylan when Dylan was cleaning up. Each evening, Dylan takes off his Rays shirt, pulls up his Rays shorts, and makes cute little fists. While he admires his shoulders (thinking that's where his muscles are), he shouts "What time is it? WRESTLE DADDY TIME!!!" He and Steven wrestle or "punch punch punch." He plays with Jake's wrestling guys and sees that they have no shirts on. I'm not sure why he pulls his shorts up high, but it's pretty funny. I'll take a picture of it some time. He also positions Steven on all fours like real High School wrestlers for the start. He is really particular with the positioning. (He has been watching his Uncle JT and his friends.) Steven thinks we should put Dylan in Karate. We haven't looked into it, but I told Jake who gave Dylan his first Karate lesson.

Winkle Finkle Wittle Star

Hey, it's Jake.  I'm guest posting. This song is performed by Dylan Feger and the Stu Crew.

11 months

Isaac, you can throw a ball now. You can lift the flaps in "lift-the-flap" books. You like being tackled and chased. You're a pro at climbing stairs. You reach for Daddy too now (thank you). You know how to get into things now. You know how to get what you want. You are so stubborn. That may be a good quality in life b/c you won't give up; you'll be persistent.

You're pretty wiggly on my lap. If I'm holding you, you want me to nurse you or you want to walk around. You still dance when you hear muic. Going outside cheers you up if you don't know what you want. You like discovering new things and you really like playing with toys. When Noah's here, you two just play together in the play room for a long time. You're not interested in anything on TV. You're happy. You still love to nurse. You were doing well with sleeping through the night, but then we took you to Utah and you got way off schedule. You liked playing in snow and really liked eating it even when your hands got cold.

Your first word-like thing is pretending to sneeze. We pretend to sneeze and it sometimes cracks you up. Now YOU do it and it cracks US up. You tilt your head back, make a big wide mouth so we almost can't tell you're smiling too, and say "ah ah ah" then as you throw your head forward and down, you really make the "choo" sound! It's the cutest. Sometimes you walk around singing to yourself "AH do, ah do, AH do." Love it!

Isaac's 1st Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, we got together with Steven's side of the family like usual. Steven had set up a tree in his mom's hospital room. Andre had brought in a radio for Christmas music, and I had put up Christmas cards, pictures, and of course, snow flakes. She had a pretty big room, which she loved.

The Santa hats were a hit. It was a good visit.

We went home and opened our gifts. Usually we wait until the morning, but we were leaving for the airport too early to enjoy it. The funny thing is that I could only fit 6 pictures on my camera card at a time. My mom would have loved it because I only let one gift be opened at a time so that I could capture the emotions. Then I ran into the kitchen to dump the pictures onto my computer. Steven thought I was rediculous but let me be me. My mom likes Christmas to last and last so each gift can be savored.

Steven had gotten me a NEW CAMERA for Christmas but didn't get me the bigger memory card because it's the same card as my camera I had been using. (Same camera too, just upgraded because the other one had a broken part and couldn't go underwater any more.) We hadn't planned on my purse being stolen earlier that day. The two things I miss the most are my extra camera battery and that memory card. I don't care about that memory card now because I bought one at our layover in the airport. I sure do miss the spare battery from my mom and Don though. I was so excited to have a spare camera too because there are times I want to leave one with Steven but want to take one too. Who steals purses and charges $870 before we can cancel the credit card? Sheesh! (We're not responsible for that, it just made me shake and almost cry.)

Since I'm on this tangent, I'd just like to say how blessed I was to have my purse stolen THEN, and not at any other moment. Here's why: I could still fly w/ my passport and I wasn't going to be driving on my vacation, so I wouldn't miss my driver's license for a while. My phone was in my pocket so I was able to call Steven who found time somehow to call the credit and debit card people. My keys were in my pocket (because I left in a hurry and grabbed the spare house and car keys b/c mine were under a grocery bag and I hadn't found them that morning.) The thief could have gone in the parking lot pushing the key remote buttons and could have stolen my car. Even though Dylan said he was hungry and I felt so bad that I couldn't buy him lunch w/o money, we HAD gotten a pretzel earlier so we weren't starving while we talked to the pointless mall security and police and waited to get discriptions of the grinch-lady. I had the stroller so Isaac could sleep while we went to the stores to get details of the female Christmas thief. And, I had just gotten the replacement camera. There was cash and a visa gift card in there, but I guess it's good that I'm not a millionaire, because together that was just over $100 which isn't really that much I guess. I just wish I had blown it that morning instead of being careful with my money:) Kat let me use her money while visiting her. I haven't gotten that invoice/bill/whatever yet kat, but Steven's good for it:) She also took me to get a new purse and wallet. I had had that same old purse longer than I've been married. Seriously, it was time for a new one. Steven's glad I'm not a purse person b/c the girls at his office go crazy over new designer purses which are too expensive for us. I don't like my new one as much, so I still might try another 'til I find one that'll last another 6+ years.

On to Isaac's 1st Christmas Eve!

Brent had given Dylan this Christmas scarf. I put it on him because I had stripped his Santa outfit off of him. He and Dylan were so happy and so cute, as always. Isaac actually knew how to rip open gifts! He started opening his gift from Marcie while I was away downloading pictures from Dylan's previous gift. But Steven had him bring it to me before it was all the way opened. He did so SO proudly:) He took the airplanes on the flight the next day - perfect!

I like the composition enough, but Lacey could have gotten a really good (well exposed/focused) version of this if she had been here: Dylan was so serious about Christmas. He knew he had to wait to open presents and really waited until we gave him permission to open them. They had been under the tree for a long time! And he was so excited with each gift. Thanks again Marcie!!!Marcie got him a flash light, so did I, great idea, yours is more fun, Marcie:)

While Dylan opened his PJs from Lacey, Isaac sat eating grapes. I was going to ask Betsey if Nora eats all of the grapes, or if she chews on them and spits out the skins like Isaac does. Those were life savers on the airplane. Isaac LOVES grapes like Nora does.

Then they went to bed so the sugar plums could dance in their heads.

We Love You, & We Miss You, Abuelita!

December 28, 19?? - December 29, 2008

(She does not want anybody to know her true age if they don't already know it and requested us not use her birth year.)

Maria Feger's Slide Show we made for her funeral (and for her family and friends):

Note how she loved having her picture taken. There are so many pictures that we left out. Steven, Juliane, and Andre picked just a part of the ones she and we have of her. She has the biggest smile in all of the group shots. She is also the only one dressed up in the dancing picture at the beginning of the 2nd song. We're not sure if she was taking or teaching the dancing class.

and the 2nd half:

I had to put the slide show on two different movies because it's too long for youTube. She wanted Ave Maria and Gloria sung at her funeral. She also wanted fun latin music because she wanted everybody to be happy because she had lived a full fun life. She is happy again and is no longer suffering from her lung cancer.
http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewalbum.html?bm=175177

Christmas Craft Day

It got cold last night, so I made sure that we played outside before the cold really hits. It was so nice and sunny today. We put the babies down for their morning nap and painted ornaments.
Isaac woke up of course.

I bought these on sale a long time ago, I think I had planned on doing a craft with babysitting kids, the church youth, or a Sunday School class. For once I'm not teaching the youth at church. I miss them though.

Dylan picked me lots of flowers.

They ate lunch outside.

After lunch, we went in to make cookies. They each made a batch. We had one of sugar cookies and one of gingerbread cookies. They really helped. Dylan cracked the egg into the bowl before I gave him the okay. Most of it went in the bowl and only one piece of shell landed inside. He's good at paying attention.

Then it was time for the older two to take a nap. They both went right to sleep while visions of sugar cookies danced in their heads. The cookies magically cooked and cooled before they woke up. I heard Malia singing "Jingle Bells" on the baby monitor and we went up to get her and Dylan. The babies were excited that I took the gate down from the stairs.

Unfortunately Dylan was wet when he woke up. He needed a bath. Before I knew it, Malia was in there too. So we had a pool party in the tub.

Noah is a little bully. There was no escaping him in that confined space. Dylan was complaining that he was pulling his hair. He pins Isaac all the time. He had ahold of Isaac's cheek earlier. There may be nail marks in Isaac's cheek still. He had Isaac even though I had put Noah up in the stationary jumpy chair because he kept stealing each toy that Isaac was holding. I thought I had crazy kids before, he's so full of fun and craziness.

We should have had bath time after this mess, but oh well. Only Malia's cheeks got messy I think. They did a great job decorating cookies for their daddys.

Malia was double double dipping - two spreaders at a time.

I asked him to bend down and put his face by the cookies. He did:) We were able to give a plate of cookies to our carolers. Good thing we made them!
Dylan was a helper all day. He really wanted to help with the laundry, so he loaded it all by himself.