Auch Adventures

My Sweet Little Valentines

2012-02-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

It's not Valentines Day yet, but I had to share some pictures I took of my two cuties. Getting pictures of them nowadays is nearly impossible because of how often they move around, but I try!

Crafting!

2012-01-27T12:03:00.000-08:00

So my down time is crafting. I love to do crafts, and Pinterest has made it sort of an addiction at this point. Here are some things I did recently:

I made pillows for our boring brown couch. We have red, black, and grey tones in our living room, so I went with these colors and pattern. It's such a nice pop of color! Also, I just want to point out that I don't have a sewing machine so yes, I totally sewed these by hand in one night.

And here are some shoes I refurbished with Modge Podge and fabric. The tutuorial is here

Then, although I didn't take a a picture of them, I made these cookies. They were absolutely delicious!!!

These next few pictures are Lilianna and I making cookies for our friends. They were Valentines sugar cookies, and she was so happy to help me!

Potty Training Take 2!

2012-01-27T11:51:00.000-08:00

So here we go with potty training again! Lilianna is a very stubborn young lady. :) Fortunately, I'm more stubborn than she is, so even though I'm sacrificing schoolwork for it, I've been devoting all my daylight hours to housework and potty training this kid...mostly they are synonymous since I've cleaned more poop and pee off the walls and carpet than I want to think about.

This time around I'm still doing the "no pants" thing, but I'm trying to be a little more carefree about the whole thing. If she pees on the carpet, no biggie! I walk her back and forth a few times from the pee spot to the potty to reinforce where she should go, and then she helps me clean it, and we move on. The first day we started, she had some letting go issues and held it in all evening until bedtime, when she got her pull up on. That was a very full diaper. The next day she was still afraid, but was at least letting it go on the floor. That was better than seeing her in pain and crying with her legs crossed for hours.

Yesterday we made the most progress. She went a full day again without going once on the potty. She would sit on it when I asked her to, and she'd even tell me, "Go pee pee!" and run to the potty. She just couldn't seem to let it out in the potty, though. So in desperation, I put her potty on a chair and had her sit on it while she ate her dinner...*snort*...it's crazy but it totally worked! She was so relaxed that she let it go while eating, and was so excited and surprised that she had! We gave her an M&M and told her what a big girl she was. That was the only time she peed into the potty, but I think it sort of started to dawn on her that pee goes in the potty.

This morning she started to pee on the floor, but cried out, "Oh no! Mommy help!" I ran over and sat her on the potty, and she got the majority in it. Such a big girl! She was very happy and proud, and especially loved the sticker and M&M she got.

So here are some funny pictures for you. M&Ms are kept in the bathroom, along with stickers. Also, when she sits on the potty, I blow bubbles to make it fun for her.

I like chronicling these somewhere, so I'll keep updating on how the potty training goes. Basically, I've decided that I'm sticking to my guns, and no matter how much pee I clean from the floors, I'm not going back to diapers with her.

Rowan's First Birthday Party

2012-01-16T22:08:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting this up now, but here are some pictures of Rowan's first birthday! It was a really fun day for us, and the kids got some quality time from mommy (I crammed all my schoolwork into the next day so I could focus on the kiddos!) and we had such an awesome party. Lindsay and her boyfriend Dan came, bringing a hilarious (yet super annoying--thanks guys) dog toy for Rowan. Ashley, our cousin, came for the event as well and gave Rowan an adorable "5 Little Monkeys" book and activity box. Randy joined us as well, and was so sweet to think of the little Ro Ro and give him "The Hungry Caterpillar" book. With everyone there we had just a blast, and I know the kids enjoyed the attention!

So without further ado, here are the pictures with descriptions under them if they are needed.

Playing with one of his favorite toys--a jungle set

Lilianna and Rowan playing together

She's so pretty!

It's almost impossible to get a good picture of them together, but I take what I can get!

Yeah, I'm totally awesome and almost 1! (Night before Birthday)

Mmm! Goldfish, carrots, and peas for lunch!

He was obsessed with this balloon.

Look at those baby blues!

Wait...you gave me crayons? When you know I'll just eat them?

Lilianna and Rowan colored..well Lilianna colored and Rowan tried to run away with me while eating the crayons.

Happy First Birthday, Rowan!

2012-01-12T10:19:00.000-08:00

I am completely unprepared for my little Ro Ro to turn one already! Today is Rowan Alan Auch's first Birthday, and I cannot believe that one year ago I was holding my sweet newborn baby in my arms. His birth was so relaxed and easy, just like he was as a newborn. I have to say, though, that he has really grown into an energetic, precocious little guy! Last night he woke up around 1 am, fussy and unable to get back to sleep. I decided to take a moment for us and rock him to sleep, which is something I rarely do--for a reason. As I sat there with him dozing on my chest, I started to get all teary about how fast the year had gone by, and what a sweet little man he is. I reflected on how anxious I was the night before his birth, ready to meet him and just waiting for my contractions to get stronger. And now I have him in my arms, my sweet little bundle with fuzzy blond hair and big blue eyes. Then Rowan popped his head up, wide awake, and started talking loudly about something in baby gibberish, and was fully ready to jump down and start playing. Oh it was so Rowan! The moment completely embodied my energetic ball of cuteness.

He is currently trying to fit a basket on his head, and true to Ro form, gave up and started to chew on it instead. Rowan loves his sister, and would follow her anywhere. They get very upset if they have to sleep without one another, and pretty much do everything together. His favorite words are "Mama" "Dada" and "Cat", and he loves to talk baby gibberish, too, with Lilianna. He hates lying still, and has recently started to fight sleeping--probably because he's teething. He has 8 front teeth and 4 molars with two more on the way. He LOVES to eat, and always has. His favorite foods are bananas, corn, steamed carrots, pizza, and...well heck, he just loves everything.

He also loves cars. He is playing with one now, going, "room room!" on the floor. He and Lilianna like to chase each other with the big trucks and cars he got for Christmas. His other favorite toys are things that aren't toys, like toilet paper, Q-tips, and diapers. If he can't have it, he wants it, of course.

Tonight we will be having a little Birthday party for him with just a few of us that happen to be out here in Idaho. Pizza and a Cars (movie) themed party! I'll put up pictures after the party. For now, here are some pictures from Rowan's first year:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROWAN!

To Idaho!

2012-01-07T19:05:00.000-08:00

The move to Idaho was so fast! We got to Rexburg within 3 days (2100 mile trip ), and the children were thoroughly done with being in the car by the time we got to snowy, windy, but nostalgically lovely Rexburg. We were unpacked in no time (we really don't have much to unpack, haha) and we are loving our new little apartment! It's tiny, but there is more than adequate storage for everything, and its so easy to keep clean. So here are some pictures for you!

Dan and I started our classes this week, and already Dan is working almost nonstop on his homework. He's already on top of it, though, and I'm excited to get this journey in our lives going. My online classes will be pretty tough, too, but we're working together to keep the babies in the forefront of our lives, even amidst all the school chaos.

We love everyone back home and will miss you so much! I will try my very hardest to take lots of pictures and keep up with the blog so you can all be with us during the BYU-I adventure!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-07T17:59:00.000-08:00

I know this is really late, but with the move and everything I just now have time to sit down and do some blogging. So first things first--we had such and epic Christmas!!! Santa was so kind to our family this year, and must have worked super, super hard to wrap all the presents so nicely with hand-written calligraphy tags! The best part about this Christmas, though, was that we were all together as a family. We aren't sure how often that will happen for us in the next few years, so it was so amazing to have an epic Christmas with everyone present.

We had Christmas with Dan's family first, and it was a great time with his parents, Sam and Josh, and Nana and Poppop. I didn't take many pictures, but here is Lilianna with Nana, and then with her adorable kitty cat she got from her Granny and Grandpa. Also, Dan looked super dapper in his vest and shirt, I thought.

Then it was Christmas Eve, and I donned my ugly Christmas sweater vest (so cool) and Lilianna wore a tutu just for the heck of it. Such a fun day! That night, as is our tradition, we read the story of Christ's birth and talked about the reason Santa brings us presents, and remembered our savior.

That night, Santa brought this beautiful array of presents. Hand written calligraphy, I tell you!

Christmas morning was a blast! I put captions under the pictures to better describe them all.

Oma!

Dad reading my really cool, old book I got for Christmas

Lilianna got a Rapunzel doll and dress

I think this is Oma getting her Pyrex set, which was super cool

Dad's mug that has one of his funnier Dadisms on it--Go pound sand!

Lilianna dressed up just like "princess"

Dan's Slytherin scarf

Chuck Norris brought Oma some mustaches. Sweet.

Brandon wearing two of his gifts--Gryffindor scarf and headphones

Rowan riding his new horse rocker

All in all, it was such a great day. We had a yummy dinner with our whole family, and before that, went to church for a one hour Christmas service that I thoroughly enjoyed. Dan and I sang "O Come All Ye Faithful" during the service.

Thank you wonderful family for an amazing Christmas that was a perfect end to our visit in Pennsylvania!

Random December Stuff

2011-12-10T17:10:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd put up some random pictures and go through happenings.

I only have one week left of school, which is all my final exams. I cannot WAIT to be done and just relax during the last few weeks I have left with my family here. I am so sad that we will be going away. :( Rexburg is awfully lonely out there without the family members I love and rely on. However, I will have Lindsay, at least some of the time, and I look forward to that. I think we will have a good time.

So! On to pictures. I took some nice photos of my mom for her author's avatar. For those who don't know, she has written a book called The Unspeller and the Book of Days. It is free right now for just a month because she is looking for some reviews from readers. The second book will be coming in 2012! Anyway, because she wanted a nice picture on Goodreads.com, I took a few of her. Isn't she pretty?

Okay, so this one might not be "the one", but its freaking hilarious.

I also got a few more shots of the Christmas tree.

Here we are doing a snowflake craft. Again, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. It was making them that was the most fun, though! Lilianna colored the pieces of paper with Dada, and then I cut them into snowflakes.

Here are some shots of Rowan, just because he is such a handsome guy. He was sick when I took these (still is sick, actually) so the last was him being done with my impromptu photo shoot. But his face was so precious!!!

Here I am reading a book with the kiddos. Mom was trying to get a good shot of us...although Lilianna kept picking her nose.

And Brandon. Just 'cause.

I hope all our friends are having a lovely 2011 Christmas season! I will keep taking pictures and sharing the fun on our blog.

O Christmas Tree!

2011-12-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

Hey there friends and family! This past week brought a lot of Christmas decorating and fun, and I took lots and lots of pictures! Prepare yourselves. The first thing we did was put up lights outside the house. Funny thing though...I forgot to take a picture of the finished product! I'll try to remember to do that and post them. For now, here are pictures of putting up the tree.

This is Ethan with apple juice. We were laughing though, because when he walked outside to see what we were doing, he looked like some dude with a scotch being creepy and checking on the neighborhood.

And here is Oma!

The kids had a blast running around outside

Then on Saturday it was time to go and get the tree. This picture of Ro is hilarious because he just passed out after eating some of my pumpkin spice donut.

After we found the perfect (well almost perfect) tree, it was time to cut it down. I took a video for your viewing pleasure.

We were very proud of our super tall tree that we found. Sure, it has sparse spot, but it was meant to be ours.

Then it was time to decorate it. Mom mostly took videos of that, but they are awfully long to upload. I do have this really cute video of Rowan though!

And here is our tree. My camera was really having a hard time taking pictures of this tree. Clearly I don't know how to work my camera very well, but maybe I can fool around with it later and get some good pictures before Christmas.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T15:52:00.000-08:00

We had so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! We have been having a blast at my parents' house (and my grades in school show it, unfortunately) and just enjoying our two month getaway here before we get crackin' on Dan's med school ventures.

First of all, I'm sorry for the lack of updates! I lost my camera cord and was not able to upload anything. I finally just went out and got a universal SD card reader to use that I refuse to misplace this time. So on to stories and fun!

Before Thanksgiving, I wanted to decorate a little bit. I found some adorable ideas on my new love, Pinterest. But instead of just dreaming about them, I actually did two of the crafts I found. The first were these darling paper lantern pumpkins. They were super easy to make, and I did them while visiting and talking with my dearest Katie.

The next craft I did was a Thanksgiving wreath from sparkly card stock, a foam wreath thing, and lots of double-sided brown satin ribbon. It was fun and I think it turned out cute.

And here is Katie being a very sweet friend for Lilianna and doing a coloring craft with her. She bought two little stuffed animals that were white and meant to be colored. We got out some washable markers and Lili just loved it. She's giving it a kiss! Later that night Katie, my Mom, and I went to see Breaking Dawn Part 1. WOO HOO! It was really awesome!

These next pictures are from a little outing to the mall. The kids were so cute playing at the fountain!

And then finally it was Thanksgiving! I dressed the kids up all cute, and we first went to my aunt and uncle's house for a delicious, wonderful looking feast! Kudos to Kristi for all that hard work and perfect food!

Cranberry Gingerale. Oh how I love thee!!

Oma and Brandon chillin

Ethan

Pops and his favorite little guy, Rowan

Steven and Brandon

Because we're lucky cats, we got to go to a second amazing feast at Nana and Poppop's house! We had such a good time there. We had ham and turkey and lots of different kinds of food from our family members.

We really did have a fantastic turkey day, and I feel so blessed to have the family that we do. They are all loving, supportive, and just plain fun every time we get together. After Thanksgiving was over, my mom and I ventured out for our first Black Friday venture! DUN DUN DUN! Walmart opened at 10 pm this year (so really, it was Gray Thursday), and we jumped into the fray to get some seriously awesome loot. I got presents for the family and toys for the kids, and I think I did really well. It was packed with a lot of people, and getting through the crowd with a full cart was a little challenging, but it wasn't like people were in hysterics. I had a really great time. :)

When we got back I told Dan to go check out our loot. He gave me a confuse face and asked, "You got a lute?"

After Thanksgiving we had permission to decorate for Christmas, which we have been slowly doing. I have had to do a lot of schoolwork in the last few days, so I haven't done much. This week I will, though! The one thing we did do was put up the nativity scene. The problem is that Lilianna really loves it, and wants to play with it. Oma's idea was to put toys with the scene to distract her. Riiiiiight.

And finally, last night Dan and I decided that Lilianna really needed a haircut. Her hair is always in her eyes, and it was gettin to be a little like a mullet. So we cut it! I think it turned out super cute.

Halloween and Fall

2011-11-13T13:54:00.000-08:00

I've been really terrible about getting updates up in time! We're just having so much fun that I don't take the time to take pictures! But here are some more autumn and Halloween shots from the last two weeks or so.

She was "Navi" from "The Legend of Zelda" video game. She was moving so much that I didn't get many good shots of her, though!

Dan was a "Guitar Hero" with the video game guitar on his back.

I was a pirate, and Rowan was Link from "The Legend of Zelda"

Trick or Treat!

Chocolate.

She got into a chocolate cake on the counter. You can actually see her saying "uh oh!"

Pennsylvania Update

2011-10-30T17:09:00.000-07:00

Since most of our family is up here with us, I have not taken much time to do a blog update, but I should do one now for our Georgia friends and for the sake of keeping up with the blog! We've had such a great time up here. I actually have been having such a blast that I haven't taken too many pictures. Something really fun we did once we got up here was going to the pumpkin patch. It was SUCH a cute pumpkin patch, too. It was very Pennsylvania and amish and completely perfect for this time of year. Here are some of the pictures we took:

Then we went to visit their Granny and Grandpa (Dan's parents) for a week. We had so much fun! Lilianna loved their backyard, and kept trying to jump in their little stream. We also got to be in the Gettysburg Halloween Parade, which was an absolute blast! Granny is part of the Jazzercise dance team that competed in the parade dance competition, and we dressed up and walked beside them. Here are some pictures:

More pictures to come after Halloween!! :)

Halloween Cuteness

2011-10-09T16:17:00.000-07:00

I dressed the kids in Halloween outfits for church today. Aren't they cute? Sorry about how blurry the pictures were. They were full of movement and energy this morning!

Also, yesterday Rowan crawled into the fireplace and covered himself in soot. We thought it was hilarious.

5 Days Until We Leave for Pennsylvania!!!!!!

Great Weather--General Update

2011-10-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family! The weather down here lately has been really gorgeous, and as a family we have spent a lot of time outside. On Saturday we went to Chehaw (my camera batteries were dead, of course) and climbed around on the enormous playset they have there. Here is a picture of it that I didn't take, but I wanted you to see how fun and awesome it is.

Lilianna fell off the swing once, but besides that, it was a perfect day. We've been trying to enjoy our time left down here, while simultaneously bouncing in our seats while we wait for our trip to Pennsylvania. We are sad to leave Georgia, but very happy to get to see our family and friends in PA. I don't know when I'll have a chance to do another update after this one. We're in the middle of packing, I'm still in school full-time, and I now have TWO walking children that make a mess and get into everything.

Here are some pictures from the last week or so:

That is butter. She got a hold of a stick of warm butter and just...covered everything in it.

Hi, mama!

His "walking" face. So hilarious!

Peekaboo!

Also, Halloween is fast approaching, and I am beginning everyone's costumes. We are doing a theme from the video game I grew up with: The Legend of Zelda. Sweetness! Dan will be Ganondorf, I will be Sheik, Lilianna will be Navi the fairy, and Rowan is going to be young Link. Ethan will hopefully be joining us as adult Link. Here is the first part of Rowan's costume. I decided to crochet it:

I'm working on the hat and will be adding felt shoes and a belt later on. Lilianna's is already half made...we just need wings to go with her tutu!

So there is the picture update from us! We'll be busy in the next week or two, and after that I imagine we'll be taking lots of pictures and enjoying time with our families before we exile ourselves to Idaho again. Hehe.

Rowan's First Steps!

2011-09-29T08:22:00.000-07:00

We got a video of Rowan starting to walk!! Eeeeee!!

Fall Fun

2011-09-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

Well school has caught up with me again, and I've been very busy with it! But I'm taking a quick break from my assignments right now to give a little update. First things first...

ROWAN IS STARTING TO WALK!

Just thought I'd put that out there. Our clever, determined little man has decided to take his first steps in the last two days, and has tenaciously begun learning to walk. It's so exciting to watch him learn! Babies are so funny in the way that they just decide to do something one day. One moment he's crawling, and the next he stands up on his own and takes a few steps before sitting down again. I wish I'd caught it on camera. I'll keep it handy in the next few days.

Speaking of keeping the camera handy...I haven't really, lately. I've been so focused on school, the kids, and packing for our move in three weeks (woot!) that I have not used the camera as much as I ought to. Still, I did grab some random shots here and there throughout the week, and here they are!

Having some lunch. PB&J and Carrots. Mmm!

This is the most hilarious face. He loves to smile!

Okay, so she's not supposed to sit on the table...but she's so cute!

Wearing her sparkly shoes and headband like a big girl

Daddy playing with the children. Rowan thought Lilianna on his back was hilarious

Yeeeehaw!

My mantle can tell you a lot about my day. From the left: Sunglasses--it's still horrifyingly hot down here; Raid bug spray--cockroaches come from outside through our chimney and doors, and I have a serious fear of them.; Dan's wallet--he always puts his stuff there; Puffs snacks for the kids at the ready; Goldfish at the ready as well; Headphones from Dan listening to music after work and giving himself an hour to ignore the world; Carpet cleaner--because I have babies, it is used daily.

A $5 splurge for myself. Aren't these Halloween slippers awesome?!

My one and only fall decoration. We're moving soon, so I didn't want to put forth any more effort than placing a pumpkin on a desk required.

And there you have it! We have done several fun things as a family lately, like going out for ice cream and camping out in our living room watching movies. We also went to Amy and Rob's for a delicious barbeque on Friday night. I know, I know, I should have taken pictures. I will try to be better next time! But life is going well for us, and although I often feel overwhelmed with all that I have to do, I couldn't be happier with my many blessings.

Mulan Birthday Party

2011-09-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

Lilianna had her second Birthday party today, and it was a blast! Kristi was kind enough to host it at her home, because we felt pretty certain everyone would feel cramped in ours, and I thought it went over really well! Although the girl of the hour wasn't too keen on the many people. She kept trying to find solitary places to hide, poor thing. She's not used to being the center of that much attention! But she still had a good time once she warmed up, and the cupcakes were absolutely delicious!

I got a few pictures, but I was busy running around for the most part. I'll have to ask uncle Rob for some of his later, because I saw him taking some! (And I love his pictures--they always turn out beautiful!) So for now, here's the first batch of pictures of the decorations and Birthday girl.

It was hard to nab a picture of her not moving, but here is her cute outfit!

Paper lanterns!

Kristi made the cupcakes, as well. Snickerdoodle cupcakes...they were to die for!

Gift boxes. They say "Happy Birthday" in Chinese.

Oragami flowers we made and painted with tea candles in the middle.

We had "Mulan" playing of course!

Our "sushi", which was just a delicious wrap that seemed to be a hit!

She was a little sad; still getting over her cold!

Finding comfort from Elmo

Cupcake and candle!

Yummy!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Lilianna!

2011-09-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today, I gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl, born at 11:30 pm after 27 hours of labor, and weighing a healthy 8 pounds 4 ounces. She was so perfect, and I remember marveling at how she had gotten the best of both her parents, and I knew she would be a bright, happy little girl. Two years later, I have had the privilege to watch her grow into a toddler, and boy is she fun! She has always been just a bit reserved, but happy with the world and content to observe and take in everything that happens around her. Lilianna is sometimes too smart for her own good, and likes to do grown up things like use the remote or cell phones and take care of her baby brother, Rowan. Her favorite movies are Tangled, Mulan, and The Little Mermaid, and she loves Elmo and Grover and Abby as well. She especially loves to do puzzles, and gets angry is Rowan dares to chew on any of the pieces. I think its safe to say she is a Daddy's girl, too, since she leaps into Dan's arms when he gets home, and cuddles with him at night. She always goes to sleep better if daddy puts her to bed. Here are a few pictures of her as a newborn, one year old, and now two year old!

Newborn

2 months

1 year!


Happy 2 year old

Happy Birthday my lovely little Lili! We love you with all our hearts, and cannot wait to see you grow more and more every day.

Chill Out!

2011-09-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

The weather down here got unexpectedly cool after a tropical storm blew through, so of course I took advantage and had the kids play outside for as long as the cool weather lasted. Like a dutiful blogger, I took pictures! Lilianna was actually a little chilly in her outfit this day, but she seemed to enjoy running around and not being attacked by gnats and bugs and heat.

Little tree hugger!

Also, we switched Lilianna to her toddler bed, and usually she does alright with going to sleep on her own. The last few days, though, she's been fighting it, and I've resorted to "quiet time" if she refuses to sleep. Today she was running around as usual, and I decided to wait until Rowan woke up from his nap. I figured that would be sufficient quiet time, and I'd get her when I got him. So I heard Ro babbling, and went upstairs to rescue him. Before I did, though, I realized how quiet Lilianna was, and wondered if she had fallen asleep. Her door has a decent gap from the floor, so I ducked down to see if I could detect little feet running around, or if she had actually decided to nap. This is what I saw:

She fell asleep alright...right in front of the door!

School will be starting soon for me, and I admit, I'm not looking forward to it. It's been heaven to watch and take care of the kids while reading a book and playing with them when they want me to. In essence, its been nice to just be a mom! But alas, I must push forward toward my degree, so I will begin on the 12th.

Also, Lilianna will be turning 2 years old in 6 days!! Can you believe that? Lots of pictures will be taken, you can be sure!

Atlanta Zoo

2011-09-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

We went to the Atlanta Zoo yesterday with Amy, Rob, and Zachary. Having discovered that the drive there is really no big deal, we had no problem making a day trip to Atlanta, and I'm so glad we did! It was sweltering hot, but the zoo was very nice, and some of the animals were just beautiful and amazing to watch. I think I watched the gorillas for a quarter of an hour, just because they were so neat. Here are a few pictures!

Rowan sure was excited!

Looking at the turtles

It's fake...right?

Big bird...thing. I should have looked at the name...

Getting sleepy, but still having fun!

Amy and Zachary

Dan pushing the kids past the otters

Looking at the pigs in the petting zoo

It took a little coaxing to get Lilianna used to the idea of actually touching an animal

August Rush

2011-08-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

This month seems to be going by in a blur! And yet...nothing seems to have really happened, either, haha. I finished writing my novel, which was awesome and exciting. Only now that I'm done I am not entirely sure what to do with it...I know its good, but I've been through the process of sending manuscripts to literary agents before. I'm reluctant to do that without lots of feedback first, so I will probably just sit on it for a while.

We've also been consistently doing homeschool with Lilianna, which has taught her the color blue, the shape circle, A and B, and now all we have left for this months will be 1 and 2. So far so good, though! We have a blast with our activities. Here is Lilianna painting blue circles:

And Rowan, of course:

Here are some pictures of Lilianna and Dan playing in the mud, too:

I wish I had more to update, but really, we've just been spending time as a family and enjoying our children. Lilianna learns new words every day, and Rowan learns new objects to stick in his mouth, haha. Just from today he has chewed or eaten: A piece of velcro, newpaper, my flip flop, several pieces of lint, and currently, my arm. He eats everything. Oh, and he's climbing stairs now, too. I'm not kidding!

Lilianna's second birthday will be coming up soon (what?!) so I've started planning that. We're going with a Mulan theme, and I've got some really cute ideas for that. I can't wait to share them on here!

And there is our update. My motto for this month? The days are long but the weeks fly by!

Atlanta

2011-08-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

We left on Friday to spend two nights in Atlanta, and my was it relaxing and fun! We may or may not have spent a teensy more than we intended, after realizing the hotel we were in was very luxurious, and the idea of ordering room service for the first time ever was too tempting to pass up. So worth it, though. We lounged in our very relaxing hotel room with balcony, watching the jets take off and land in the airport across the street from us, and I read books while Dan painted, and the kids played to their heart's content. We went swimming in the indoor pool the first day, and then ordered delicious food from the hotel's restaurant.

Lilianna sleeping on the way to Atlanta

Rowan sleeping on the way to Atlanta

The view from our balcony. The walls were so thick that we couldn't even really hear the planes!

Our hotel room

Taking care of her business affairs

Daddy and Lilianna just after swimming

Look at the big hotel!!

Like...really big.

Looking up from our balcony

Hanging out on the balcony

My handsome husband

Lilianna going under my legs

All tuckered out from swimming

And awake the next morning! "Lets go mom!"


Fluffy pillows!

On Saturday we went the aquarium. It was gigantic! Unfortunately, it still was not big enough to hold the crush of tourists that swarmed the building in an oppressive wave. I got really cranky, haha. The aquarium really was incredible, though, and although we had to wait in line and shove our way through the masses of people to get glimpses of the fish, it was still very fun. Lilianna still hasn't stopped saying, "Fish fish! Fish fish!"

Inside the aquarium

Checking out the big crowd

Inside the aquarium tunnel thing. Too. Many. People.

So, okay, maybe I was a little frazzled by the crowd, but the aquarium really was beautiful, and Atlanta was a fun experience for us. I am so glad we got to take a little family vacation! Soon I'll be getting back into school, and we wanted to use our time together while we could.

Our Anniversary

2011-08-10T07:03:00.000-07:00

Dan and I had a lovely Anniversary! Amy graciously offered to watch the children for us while we went out to celebrate our love and wonderful marriage. First, we went to Tokyo hibachi grill. The best part about that was probably our waiter, haha! The food was delicious of course, but we had a super, super friendly (flamboyantly gay, lol) waiter who gave us TWO cherries in our Shirley Temples, along with these cute umbrella straws, because he found out it was our anniversary. He also took this picture of us, and just talked with us for a while. The restaurant was completely empty except for us (we go there just as it opened), so it was much more informal and we could enjoy just talking to him. So yes, the food was delicious, and we had an awesome time at Tokyo!

Then we went to the mall to hoof around and just take our time shopping. We got a few clothes for ourselves at Old Navy, which was also fun. Poor Dan almost never gets to go and buy himself clothing, so I know he had a great time doing that, too. After that we went to a bookstore, and admittedly, I got a little lost in "book world", haha! It wasn't exactly a date-worthy thing for me to have my nose shoved into an awesome Georgette Heyer story, but we both really liked looking without kids demanding our attention. For our anniversary gift we got ourselves...wait for it...a Dungeons and Dragons kit! This thing is so awesome! It's made for those who are new to the game, but Dan and I needed a refresher course, and it has a storyline that we can do ourselves. It has a really neat map, a set of dice, DM and player manuals, player sheets...okay I know, I know, we're total nerds. We love it though.

So to top off our evening out, we went to Maggie Moo's for ice cream. I got dark chocolate, and Dan got brownie batter ice cream. Both were superb!

When we came home, the children needed to be put to bed, and their messes cleaned up, but after that we relaxed and watched some TV, played a little D&D, and talked about all the great times we've had in the last three years. So to sum it up: I'm the luckiest girl on the planet.

Proof!

2011-08-08T11:37:00.001-07:00

So Rowan has been crawling for a while now, but we finally got a good video. Here he is!

Romantic Memory 2

2011-08-07T13:27:00.000-07:00

This is another memory before the children came along, and it was the night we carved pumpkins. I made homemade chili, and then we got all dressed up later to go to a ward Halloween party. So why does this night stick out in my mind? First of all, we had a blast carving that nasty pumpkin. Secondly--after seeing so many cute babies at the ward function, we decided we wanted one too. That was the night we agreed to start trying for a baby. :D

Romantic Memory 1

2011-08-05T14:08:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd make a few blog posts about some romantic memories I have with Dan during our marriage. This first one was our "One month-versary", where we had been married for one blissful month. Dan brought me flowers and donuts, and we celebrated by cuddling on the couch, watching a movie, and eating yummy food. Celebrations like that are classic us--simple, cozy, and personal.

Pretty Princess

2011-08-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

I made a tutu dress for Lilianna last night. I think I'll put a leotard under it next time, but these are still such adorable pictures!

Of course I would be happy to make them for any little girls that wanted to order them, too! :)

Giggles

2011-08-01T11:30:00.001-07:00

Busy with Livin

2011-07-30T06:55:00.000-07:00

Hey friends! Well, we've been busy just loving life in the Auch household. My family left Georgia to move back to Pennsylvania this week, which is pretty sad. I definitely miss them! We have had some fun things happen lately, though. Lilianna went to see her first movie in theaters--Winnie the Pooh! It was a darling movie, and she liked most of it (getting a bit bored toward the middle) and we had a fun time. It was nice to take my two lovies to a movie, rather than leaving them behind with a sitter.

Rowan had his 6 month well check this week as well. He is perfect! I always forget the exact numbers, but he was 15 pounds 7 or 9 ounces, and I think 26 inches long. 15th percentile for weight and 30th for height. He's just a little guy! But the pediatrician was very impressed that he can crawl already. He went to test him to see how well he sat up, and Rowan lurched forward and crawled across the table. Go Ro! Go! He has 5 teeth all the way through, but I say he has 7, because the other two have poked through the gums. He's just a sweet, sweet baby boy with a happy disposition and is quick to smile or laugh. He doesn't sleep very well right now, so that's a bummer. Between his bad sleeping and my 2 am writing sessions, I've been pretty exhausted, but its all good. :)

I cannot even put into words how happy I am to just be a mom and focus on my children and myself at home. The house is clean, the babies are happy, and by extension, we're all just less stressed, haha! School starts up again in September, so I'll just enjoy my break while I can.

Lilianna knows a few more letters now: A, B, C, D, E, S, and T. Also, she finally decided to start calling Rowan "Bab-ee" instead of "Baba". That happened right around the time she learned the letter "B" so I guess that makes sense. She cracks me up with some of the things she says. The other day, after a blueberry and carpet incident, I told her to "get back" because she was mashing the berries all into the carpet. She chirped back, "get back!" Later on that day I went to change her diaper, and she said, "get back!" Great. It's just another reminder that I need to watch what I say around my clever little miss!

We have also been playing outside more, since I don't have to sit in front of the computer all day doing work. We can only go out in the morning, though, and even then, only for maybe half an hour. It is so, so hot down here! But I took a few pictures, of course:

Hey mama! I'm just sitting outside!

Strong baby always pulls himself into a standing position

What are the odds that I'll fall balancing myself on this root?

Isn't she pretty?

NATURE!

Mooooom! I'm stuck!

I leaned on my back to get this pictures, but Lilianna kept copying me, haha

She loves "my babeee!"

Summer Semester is Over!!

2011-07-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

Hooray, hooray! I am so very glad that my summer semester is over. I officially just finished my last assignment. In celebration, Lilianna took two eggs from the fridge while I was putting Rowan down for his morning nap, and smashed them on the carpet. Awesome.

Fortunately, she is the most darling little girl on the planet, and I really couldn't be mad at her for discovering eggs. I mean, they are pretty neat. Also, in case you didn't already know it, here is a video of how smart my one year old is:

For those that do not know, my parents are moving back to Pennsylvania on Monday, so this is the last weekend we have with them for a while. Dan and I plan on visiting for a while before we go out to Idaho, so I know we will see them again before then. However, I am going to miss my family terribly. We hired a babysitter tonight so we could all go out and see Captain America. We don't normally get to go out all together, since someone has to stay behind to watch the kiddos. It will be really nice!

What an awesome way to celebrate my semester being over. YAY!

Harry Potter and the Gaggle of Girls

2011-07-15T13:29:00.000-07:00

Last night, like a crazy person, I decided to go and see the midnight showing of Harry Potter 7 part deux. We watched the first part before the second though, of course, and thankfully in the comfort of our home instead of in a big crowd of people. It was a nice contrast, actually. I did leave my children behind, which made me feel guilty, but since they were sleeping anyway, I guess it wasn't too irresponsible. Dan got some good video game time in, haha.

The first part of the festivities was making butterbeer. MMMM! Lindsay found an awesome recipe online and whipped it up for us while we watched the first part of Deathly Hallows. It was really pretty good! Just like the "real" stuff at Universal Studios, it was rich and heavy, although this version had nutmeg added to it, so it had a very subtle hint of eggnog in there-which I loved! Here is the recipe we used:

1 pint of vanilla ice cream, softened
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 bottle (24 oz.) vanilla cream soda (very cold)
Directions:
1. Allow ice cream to soften, about 30 minutes, and bring butter to room temperature, about 2 hours
2. Blend butter, sugar, and spices in large bowl
3. Add to ice cream and freeze
4. Heat cream soda in a pot until warm but still carbonated (at least 3 minutes). You could also just go with the very cold cream soda (my preference) and have a more frozen/slushy drink.
5. Fill each glass with a scoop of ice cream mixture and pour warmed or chilled cream soda over ice cream
6. Serve!

And here is the beautiful brew:

*Angels Sing* Butterbeer!

Here's Dad, partaking of the heavenly concoction

I swear we didn't put any alcohol in it, but Lindsay sure does look drunk

Mine was mostly froth. Eeeeeexcellent.

After butterbeer and the first part of the movie, we drove an hour to Tifton to see the midnight showing of the second part. We were so PSYCHED! There were four of us that braved the lack of sleep to see it: Mom, Aunt Amy, Lindsay, and Me. The hour drive there didn't seem like anything, and before we knew it, we were standing in line outside the theater.

Amy, Lindsay, and Mom chillin before the movie

We love Harry Potter! (Notice the scar on my forehead, lol)

The movie itself was just as awesome as everyone says it is. We had a fun crowd that cheered make fun noise before the movie, but as most Harry Potter fans, they quieted during the actual movie. Actually it was dead silent the whole way through, unless there was a part we were meant to laugh during. And we did. I laughed, I cried, I cheered. It was a Harry Potter fan's dream come true. :D

Granted, I didn't crawl back into bed until 4 am, but my daughter graciously slept in until 9, so I'm not too bad. I had to see the last Harry Potter movie at midnight, though. I mean, come on. It's Harry Potter!

Happy 1/2 Birthday Rowan!!

2011-07-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Rowan turned 6 months old. Can you believe that?? He's such a big boy! He sits up on his own perfectly, and loves to just sit with his toys and play with his sister. Rowan is also starting to crawl, if you can believe it. He gets on all fours and rocks back and forth. Occasionally he will take one or two steps forward before falling back onto his belly. But he always gets right back up and tries again. Sometimes he does get frustrated (like now, actually) and I have to go and rescue him. We've even seen him get into a sitting position from his belly. The kid is incredible. One of my favorite things he does is how he cries when he's hungry. He says, "Mama!" I don't know if its intentional or not, but I know he needs some milk when that little "Mama" comes out of his sweet baby lips.

Rowan is also one of the happiest babies I've ever seen. He's so quick to smile that we can actually make him laugh when he is crying. He does not like to be held upside-down like his sister did (we learned that quickly) but he does like to be an airplane and fly high in the air! I simply cannot believe that my new son is six months old already. Where has the time gone? I just love my little guy!

Here are some pictures of him that I took yesterday:

LIttle Video

2011-07-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

A friend on a mommy forum of mine mentioned how fun it would be to see a video of each of our children saying words that they know, so I thought I'd put one up for everyone to enjoy. Lilianna isn't much of a talker (she is so shy!) but I love how she says her little words. Here are a few that she knows.

July 4th

2011-07-05T09:24:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun July 4th weekend, and I hope everyone else did, too! To our loved ones far away from us, we miss you and wish we could have spent the holiday with you as well!

On Sunday we went to see fireworks, and a bunch of families from our ward gathered together in a field to watch them, away from the major crowd but close enough to get a good view. It was such a fun time! There was a good game of kickball going, and I lounged in a folding chair with Rowan, talking with friends and eating yummy food. The fireworks were just far enough away that they didn't scare the kids, but Lilianna was definitely interested...for a little bit anyway. I forgot my camera (doh!) but my Dad snapped this picture of Rowan and me with his phone right after I had finished playing a quick game of kickball.

Then on July 4th, the next morning, we woke up bright and early to go to the beach. As is our usual way, we got a late start despite getting up early, but the long drive was so worth it! The water was clear and gorgeous, and such a perfect temperature! I took lots of pictures, so here they are!

Here is Rowan getting ready to leave for the beach. He looks excited, doesn't he? Haha.

Pops had a video interview for a new job in PA, so we had to stop on our way there and wait for him to finish. Lilianna sat up front with Daddy and had a good time.

Daddy, this is your nose!

Having some water on the hot beach!

The boys groaned and whined the whole way down, saying we forced them to drive for six hours for nothing. Here they are, suffering greatly and enduring the pain as best as they could.

"Where's mama?" There she is!

I took most of these pictures while Rowan napped. Here's they sleepy little guy.

Brandon

Lindsay

They wanted to build a sand castle but we forgot buckets. Lindsay grabbed a cardboard box and tried to bring water from the ocean to the sand. I love this picture!

Pops

Again, the suffering. Those smiles aren't joy--clearly pain. :p Okay, okay, I'm done teasing. I'm so glad the guys had a great time!

I have no idea what this face was, but it was cute.

Dan

Making a sand castle with Lilianna. It turned out to be kind of impossible, since Lilianna was more interested in destroying it.

Captain America!!

Hi Pops!

She was afraid of the sand again, at first, but when she got used to it, she just wanted to walk and walk!

Oma and Lilianna

Dan and Ethan building their sandcastle

Lindsay and Brandon building their sandcastle.

Playing in the sand with Oma

Not the most flattering angle, but I was there, too!

Look at the sleepy little guy!

Lilianna was sleepy too. She was ready for a nap!

Almost finished with that castle...

Tada!

That!

The bros

Brandon and Ethan

Lindsay and all her cuteness

Me, relaxing with my baby boy

After we left the beach we all stopped for pizza, and then the children fell asleep on the car ride home, thankfully. Dan, Ethan, and I played word games on the way back, and it was just a really awesome day. I am so glad we made it down to the beach, and I hope we can go again at least once before we leave for Idaho. There is nothing like the clear water of the Florida beaches!

Toddler Sight

2011-07-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

I love Lilianna's ability to make me see the world through different eyes. I know pretty much every mother says that, but it really is the truth. Sometimes she will stop to study something so mundane to me, that I would easily step on it or walk briskly past. But she will consider the thing, and then marvel at whatever it is. Usually I have to stop as well, and in my pause, I realize that whatever it is we are looking at actually is pretty amazing. For example, Lindsay, Lilianna, and I went shopping at the mall today. Lilianna was obsessed with the fountain, and it is pretty cool. If we were in a store, I needed to hold her hand constantly because she would just run from the store and to the fountain again, oohing and ahhing at its splendor.

When we stopped for some food, we sat next to the fountain, and I expected her to gape at the cool streams of water issuing vertically from the chlorinated pond. When I glanced at her though, I saw her staring at the actual pool. I took a moment to see what she was staring at, and in my moment of consideration, I saw what she saw. Water is gorgeous. The way the droplets hit the calm surface of the pool was like breaking threads of tension, and the ripples that came from each drop sparkled and bounced off of other ripples. I could very well have stayed there and stared at the water just as long as she could have. The fact that the fountain made big gushes of water was cool, but it was water itself that was truly beautiful.

She also loves pincone needles, and if you've ever taken the time to look at seeds or pinecones, or anything in nature really, you will have to opportunity to be dumbfounded at the complexion and majesty of even the smallest of God's creations.

I try to keep my toddler glasses on, now. It makes life so much lovelier!

Waiting for Dan

2011-06-30T08:13:00.000-07:00

Well here I am at 12:30 at night, waiting for Dan to get back from the movies. Sometimes we trade off, one seeing a movie earlier in the night and the other going to the next showing so we don't have to bum our kids off on anyone. This time around Lindsay and I went to see Transformers 3, and then Dan and Ethan went later. I totally got the better end of the deal, since my shift with the kids was when they were zonked out. Consequently, I am a little bored after completing all my schoolwork. I'm not in the mood to write, so I took pictures of myself and decided to update the blog, haha!

Lilianna never ceases to amaze me with her progress and growth. She has consistently been using two words together now, and even says full blown sentences--except that we have no idea what she is saying. Usually the sentences are mash ups of made up words and words she does know. They probably make perfect sense to her, but even I can't decipher the language sometimes.

Rowan is growing SO quickly! Just in the last week he has gotten another tooth (two in total) and is sitting up on his own. I put the boppy behind him still because he has spills every now and then, but he is fantastically strong! He gets himself into a crawling position too, although it frustrates him. He can sort of scoot himself around by getting on all fours, flopping to the ground, and launching his little body a few inches forward. Go Ro, go! We are still getting over an ear infection of his, which caused way more problems than it was worth, probably. He had a fever for a few days before we figured it out, and then even though we got the antibiotics, it turns out that he is allergic to amoxicillan! I should have known though, if I had thought about my family history at all. All four of my mother's children had the same allergy. We have never had to use antibiotics before, though, since Lilianna almost never gets sick. But he is well on his way to recovery, and has been much happier the last few days.

Here are some more pictures!!! I feel like I don't take very many, but looking at all my blog posts, I look almost obsessive.

Here they are playing together! Now that Ro can sit up on his own, Lilianna has more fun playing with him.

Look at that big boy!

I love his blue eyes.

She looks like a little street urchin if I don't do something with her hair, haha. But such a cute urchin!!!

He fell asleep with a stuff bunny, and it was too cute. I had him in the swing next to me tonight, and he was chewing on the rabbit's ears. The next time I looked over he was fast asleep, holding his fluffy bunny friend. LOVE.

I was bored. Coke is what keeps me awake when I have school work and such.

Summer Fun

2011-06-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

Look at this little cutie! Rowan loves to play with toys on his tummy.

They both play so well together. Rowan gets very upset if Lilianna decides she doesn't want to play with him anymore.

Our friends Jamie and Jordan celebrated their puppy's first birthday with a party at the Saul's house. Lexi was a very gracious birthday girl, and Lilianna was fascinated with the Saul's chickens!

The sprinkler and slip n' slide were brought out and I fortuitously had a swimsuit in the back of the car. Lilianna LOVED it!

Here is Lilianna sitting with her friends at playgroup.

One of Lili's favorite things is the swing Oma and Pops have in their backyard, hanging from the tree.

Big News

2011-06-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not pregnant. Haha!

However, some really great things have been happening in our lives, and we finally wanted to share them with everyone that hasn't already heard. Dan has decided to pursue a career in optometry. I know, random, right? And we realize that we've done this before--that is, move around chasing a career--and we can't promise it won't happen again. We are just working hard to find what will make us happy and what will be best for our family!

And now for the biggest news--Dan got back into BYU-I! That means we'll be packing up agian and moving across the country again. We weren't initially thrilled about the idea of going back to Rexburg (okay, fine, we sort of loathed the thought), but we realize now that this is what needs to be done. If nothing else, Dan needs his degree, and we need to stop dipping our toes in the icy water of poor student life. We need to just jump in and do it. So we are. Originally we came to Georgia so Dan could join the police force. Once we realized that that just wasn't for our family, we knew a new plan had to be made. This has been a few months in the making, but we're so happy and optimistic about where we are going with this. Dan is very excited about becoming an optometrist, and I'm thrilled for him as well.

So here we go! Back to Idaho! We assume that we'll be moving in December, but it all depends on the "track" the school puts Dan on. It is a three track system, and they could very well ask him to come for Fall track, which would be crazy. Hopefully he'll get on the Winter/Summer track like I am and can begin in January.

Also, here are a few of the pictures we just got! We could only order prints, so I have to scan them in. I'll scan more later when I have more time.

We love you all, and thank you for all the support we are given from each and every one of you!

Zachary's First Birthday!

2011-06-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we celebrated Zachary's first Birthday! Hooray!!! I keep wanting to call him my nephew, but Zachary is actually my cousin, even though he's right in the middle of my two children age-wise. He was absolutely adorable, and the party that Amy put together for him was so much fun. Of course it was Georgia, so it was sweltering outside, but it didn't ruin the party one bit! Here are some pictures of the day:

These first two pictures are just ones from home a few days before. Rowan was sick in the first picture, but he looked so peaceful sleeping in that swing!

Lilianna and Rowan watching Elmo

Dan and baby Rowan!

Man of the hour! Here is Zachary escaping the heat in his birthday-mobile

Singing "Happy Birthday"

"Mmm...hey this is pretty good..."

Dan fanning Rowan--so hot!

Lili hung out with her Oma all day

So happy!

Zachary opening his presents.

"What?" Oma opened his onesie because he was so warm, and he looked like David Hasselhoff. LOL!

Playing with Oma

June?!

2011-06-02T12:10:00.000-07:00

How can it be June already? I'm not sure where the time went, but I want it back!

Our little family has been doing very well. I wish I had more to report than that, but so far it hasn't been terribly eventful around here.

There is a slight chance that Rowan has something called craniosynostosis, and we should find out the results for that sometime soon today. If he does have it, then I will post more about it. For now, I'd rather just assume that he doesn't, and update you with all the good stuff!

Rowan is 14 lbs 14 oz., 25 inches long, and very healthy! He loves to roll, giggle, and nom our faces.

Lilianna doesn't have an appointment until she is 2 years old, but she is just as fun-loving as ever! Last night I got her to eat a vegetable--it was amazing!

Here are some pictures for you!

Lilianna found my lipstick. Classic!

Potty Training Attempt 1

2011-05-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

This weekend we decided to give potty training a go. There is a method that takes three days, and its quite intenstive and requires constant dedication from the parents. The gist of it is that she couldn't wear diapers OR underwear, and had to run around naked. We would watch her all day and wisk her to the potty when she peed. It also said to try and make it fun. So here was the potty party!

Cake makes potty training fun!

Alas, we did not have success. Lilianna was a very smart little girl, and got the idea pretty much right away. However, after using the potty a few times, she got lazy and just didn't feel like bothering with it anymore. Haha! The entire second day was just horrible, because she refused to use the potty at all. She much prefered peeing all over the carpet.

So we have postponed potty training for a little bit while we regroup and change our tactics! I'm hoping if she's a bit older, then I can explain it to her and she can understand why going potty is good--other than cheering from her parents. The novelty of our happy clapping and dancing wore off fairly quickly!

I should be doing school work...

2011-05-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

I have loads of work to be doing, but I've been playing with my kids all morning, and now that Lilianna is content to be by herself, I find myself just wanting to share yet more pictures of my cuties! Can children be an addiction? Here are some pics:

Lilianna just loves to play outside! Like most kids, she feels that if one can go down a slide, one should be able to go up it the same way.

Kisses for baby Rowan!

The Purple Couponers! Here we are about to leave for grocery shopping, coupons and list in hand. Rowan and Daddy got to stay home and clean toilets ;)

Rowan loves to play with his big sister. They have a good time together!

"Oh hi. I'm Rowan."

And now I suppose I really must get some work done. Have a great day, friends!

It's the Little Things

2011-05-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

Or rather, its the little ones that make life worth the trouble.

Little Lili--Lilianna has learned a few more words lately, such as "down", "frog", "moon", and "flower". She has also learned her first letter! She can recognize and say "s" when she sees it. As I was cutting her grapes for lunch (Dan fail--he bought enormous seeded grapes) she kept pointing to my butt and saying "s!" I was really confused, and just kept saying, "Yes sweetie, the letter 's'. It makes a "ssssss" sound! Very good!" But she got more insistent, and I recognized the, "You're not acknowldeging my brilliance! Look!" So finally I went to the mirror in the bathroom and took a look at my bum. What did I see? I piece of red thread in the shape of an "s" on my butt! Smart kiddo.

Little Rowan--He is so strong! My gracious, I've never seen anything like it! He's barely four months old, and he can roll and roll around the floor...sort of making him mobile I guess. Our little superman! He also has the most manly baby voice, and Dan and I cannot get enough of his sounds. My favorite sound is the "ma" one of course. But for all his manlieness, it just so happens that his favorite toy is a pink flower rattle. Rock on, Ro, rock on.

It's the little things that make life less bearable too, though...

Little dispute--our neighbors keep taking our parking spot. *growl*

Little bugs--We keep finding fire ants in our home, and I finally called the exterminator today. There's nothing worse than being bitten on the toe while trying to focus on a complicated essay.

Little clothes--I'm still bigger than mine.

But I thank God for every little thing. :)

Our Baritone Baby:

Compare that video of Rowan to one of Lilianna talking around the same age!

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

I made a big fail and forgot to use the camera on Mother's Day, but I can still tell you about it! It was lovely! We accidentally slept in (Dan didn't set his alarm) so we got to church a little bit late, but I was still able to hear *some* of the talks above the chaos of taking care of two babies at church in the lobby. As usual, church was a very busy time! I am the Primary Secretary (in charge of some organizing stuff with the children's program of our church), so I usually end up running around making copies, taking roll, organizing classes, teachers, speakers, etc. Although Lilianna was not happy with being in nursery this particular Sunday, so I had to stay with her for much of the time too. No spiritual development whatsoever, but that's what family study is for, right? Haha.

When I got home from church, we made sandwiches and I got my adorable cards and gifts! Lilianna and Rowan "gave" me cards that suited them to a "t". The label on Rowan's envelope to me was "food" and Lilianna's was addressed to "mah muh". And then, the shining moment...I GOT AN APRON!!! My friend, Kristi, sells Sassy Strings Aprons, and I ooohed and aahhed over them at the craft show. Somehow, my stealthy husband was able to buy my favorite one without me noticing. I should have taken a picture in it right away, but as it was, I didn't take it until 10 at night, exhausted after a full day. Oh well, you can atleast tell that the apron is darling!

Isn't it adorable???

Dan also cleaned the house and did all the chores at night--I didn't so much as rinse a dish all weekend. Heaven! We also had dinner at my parent's house, and that was lots of fun, as usual. I love my mother so much! She has always been a strength to me, and it floors me how talented and intelligent she is. She also happens to be the best grandmother on the planet! She loves her little punkins! I love you mom.

So I have to say that overall, this was a really fantastic Mother's Day. I feel beyond blessed to have so much love and opportunity in my life. Thank you to all the friends and family that make my life abundant with joy!

Tutu Busy!

2011-05-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

This week was incredibly crazy! For starters, my lovely Mema and Pop-Pop came to visit us! HOORAY! I loved seeing them, and miss them very much, so it was a really special treat to get to spend time with them for a bit. I wish I would have taken pictures, but like the dummy I am, I just didn't think to. Hopefully Mema will email me her pictures! Love you Mema and Pop-Pop, and thank you for taking the time to drive all the way down here to see us! :)

Then, right after their visit, Dan, Lilianna, and I got very ill with a stomach virus half way through the week. That put us out of commission for a full two days, and so behind on everything! And being behind was not at all good, because in addition to the mountains of school work I needed to get done, this week I was also participating in a craft show. I make tutus as a hobby, but I figured I'd try my hand at selling a few as well. So I threw together a little "business" called "Ma Petit" and created like the wind! I was stretched pretty thin between everything. So much of my time was divided between mothering, barfing, making tutus, and cranking out school work. But the craft show was a really fun time, and I'm glad I did it. Here are some tutu pictures:

We also had family photos done today by an absolutely wonderful photographer!! She was very energetic and patient at the same time with our two little ones. I cannot wait to see how they turned out!

So that's what has been keeping me from posting updates. Trust me, you wouldn't have wanted to see pictures of us this week anyway. Lilianna was about the only one that looked cute sick (as she was in those tutu pictures). I do have to say, though, that Rowan is growing exponentially! He is rolling over like a pro now, and babbles and babbles all day long. He has such a manly little baby voice. (I mean, he is Dan's son, so who could really be surprised?) Dan keeps asking me why I'm taking so long to move him from the bassinet to the crib, and I guess the reason is because his growth has sort of snuck up on me. I feel like he is still my little newborn, but that simply is not the case! He'll be sitting up on his own before I know it.

For those that are curious, here is my tutu business:

petittutus.blogspot.com

School Woes

2011-04-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

If you have the choice of taking school online or taking school on campus--take school on campus!!! I have to moan for a bit, because...well that's what this blog is for, right? Journaling. And my life isn't always roses and sparkles like the posts show. Right now I'm taking 12 credits, but because the school I attend (BYU-I) has condensed semesters, its more like 15-16. My professors this semester are INSANE! They want me to put in roughly 9 hours every week per class, and I simply don't have that sort of time on my hands. They are really vague about all the assignments, so I end up missing crucial information. One of them wants me to meet for an online class discussion every week, and the meeting is 8:30 their time--10:30 mine! I have to stay up until 11:30 on Thursday nights. As if I wasn't exhausted enough!

And lets not forget the technical mishaps here. I have two classes that I can't get work done for, and its because something funky is going on with the technical aspect of everything. So of course, I'm going to end up cramming all that work in tomorrow, when everything is due. I'm just sitting on my hands here, being anxious about getting all my work done on time, but not actually able to do the work.

Being in school makes me feel like a fraction of a person. I can only give little bits to everything I do. I am 30% of a mother when I'd like to be 100%. I am 30% of a student, when I'd like to be a 100%, straight "A" student. I am 30% of a wife and housekeeper, and that's not fair to Dan, either. He ends up having to do all the housework, and I just feel so guilty for it! All those percentages make up 100% me, but only doing things to a fraction of my potential makes me feel like a fraction of a person.

Fortunately, I have these cuties to remind me that it is all worth it:

I know what I am doing is important. Not only is it good for me as a person to be continually learning, but it is what is best for my children's future, too. By getting my degree, I give myself the ability to support them financially should the need arise, and I am setting an example for them. I hope, as they grow, they will know how crucial education is to life, because I know that the knowledge we gain in this life will be all that we have in the next. The Lord put us on this Earth to learn and grow, and I have a testimony of the importance of that.

But if only it weren't so gosh darn exhausting!!

Okay, so there's my pity party. School is hard. *whine*

Florida Vacation 2011

2011-04-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a week! Brace yourselves folks, this is going to be a long post!

So first of all, our vacation did not start off on the most relaxed foot. We had planned to leave the house around 3:30 pm, after Dan got home from work early. I spent the day packing, but tried to keep it light and relaxed so I didn't start my vacation like a crazy, over-worked, cranky mom. All was going well, and then at 2:00 pm there was a knock at the door. It was our rental company's maintenance man and SURPRISE!! they were installing new carpet in our house...immediately. I started freaking out, because everything was kind of a mess as I was in the middle of packing, and they needed the floors and furniture completely cleared to get the carpet in. I angrily called the rental office and asked them to please do it another day, as we were leaving and I couldn't help with cleaning. They basically told me to go pound sand (Dad's expression, lol) and that they had the right to come in and do whatever they wanted with the house--whether we were there or not. So Dan and I left with our house being taken apart in our absence. Needless to say, I was a crazy, over-worked, cranky mom as we left for Florida.

The kids did alright on the 6 hour drive down. Lilianna does not like being confined to a seat, but ah well, we made it in tact. The house that Chris and Kristi had rented was gorgeous!! It had plenty of room for everyone, a hot tub (well, a warm tub. Lindsay and I couldn't get it to go any higher than 96 degrees) and a pool. We went to bed almost right after we got there, but it was so great to see Lindsay again!

The next morning we left at 7 am in order to make it to Harry Potter World in Universal Studios. As we found out very soon, Harry Potter World is a big hit, and it fills up almost immediately after the doors open. IT WAS AMAZING!! I felt entirely convinced that I could make objects levitate while I was there. We got butterbeer right away, and my word, I've never tasted a beverage so fabulous! The froth on top was divine. Throughout the two days we visited Universal, I think I drank a good four glasses of the magical brew. We also got chocolate frogs and played a game with the bertie bots beans to see who got the nasty ones. The Harry Potter Ride was by far the coolest thing I've ever been on. Even waiting in line was an experience, because you wait inside Hogwarts, and there were holograhpic--very realistic--images of the characters speaking to you. All the pictures moved as well. Some talked and others just blinked and moved ever so subtely...just like the real Hogwarts! The ride itself was designed to make you feel like you were on an adventure with Harry Potter on a broom. I have no idea how they made it feel so real!

There was also a live show by the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students, singing frogs, shops we explored, and a dragon roller coaster, which was the first thing we did upon arriving at Universal. We spent quite a bit of time in Harry Potter World, but that wasn't all we did!

We spent some time in Dr. Seuss Land, which was my second favorite place in the park. It's so whimsical and fun! Lilianna got to do a few things there:

And even Rowan got some of the experience...however unwillingly.

We were so busy having fun that I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I wanted, but here are a few more:

I couldn't believe how much there was to do and see at Universal. We were completely exhuasted at the end of each day--my ankles were completely destroyed! But I was impressed with how much Dan and I were able to experience given the fact that we had two small children to take care of at the same time. Thankfully, I had the help of my family. Best two days ever!! Sadly though, everyone else had to go home after that.

Dan and I had purchased tickets to Sea World, so we got a hotel in Orlando (a very nice Marriott with a little water park for kids) and spent two days in Sea World. It was oppressively hot!!!! We spent much less time there, simply because we were pretty spent from Universal, and Sea World had this ridiculous policy where we couldn't take strollers into any of the exhibits. Getting the children in and out of the stroller every time we wanted to see something was very tiring. But we still had a great time, despite the heat and stroller challenges!

Here are my cutie pies! Thing1 and Thing 2

Eating lunch on the first day:

Lilianna, the park navigator:

The shark exhibit was very cool!

And then, of course, we had to see Shamu's show! Shamu himself was very very large, and didn't do many jumps I could catch with pictures. I took a video of him, but these pictures are of Baby Shamu and his mommy. They were incredible!

The penguins were adorable:

But, by far, the crowning jewel of the entire four days for Lilianna was the Elmo Show. She was so ecstatic!! After the show we got to meet Elmo and friends, and she kept giving him kisses and hugs because she was so excited to meet her favorite character!

We did SO much on our trip, I know I couldn't possibly put it all on here. But I think you get the point. We had a blast! I wish it didn't have to end, but at the same time I'm pretty glad to be back home.

And yes, the carpet looks lovely.

Say what?

2011-04-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

For those of you with children, I'm sure you know what I mean when I say that toddlers pick up on the most random words sometimes. I've been toiling for days over trying to get Lilianna to say "Abby" for a character on Sesame Street. (She knows "Elmo" and has been calling all the puppets "Elmo", even though she can point to the right character if I say their name.) But instead of picking up on the ones I want her to learn she has picked up the following:

"Bum"--Dan told her to sit on her bum in the shopping cart, and she gleefully repeated, "bum!" Now, even if I just say "sit down!" she says, "bum!"

"Tah tooh"--When Lilianna takes something she should not, I hold out my hand and ask for the object. Every time (and I guess I didn't even realize it) I said "thank you" in response when she did hand it back to me. Now when she hands me something she says "tah tooh". I'm sure she'll eventually pick up on the real meaning, but for now "thank you" in toddlerese is "tah tooh"--as in, "fine, take it, you meanie!"

"No!"--Not used like you'd expect. She says "no!" only if she thinks I'm funny when I'm angry. If I say, "No, Lilianna, get off that chair!" She laughs and mocks me, saying, "No! Hahahahaha."

Huh-larious.

Not to be outdone, Rowan distinctly said "ew" last night as I changed his diaper. Okay, so maybe he didn't mean it, but it was pretty funny.

Easter Art

2011-04-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some things that Lilianna and Rowan did for their Granny and Pa, Nana and Poppop, and Mema and Pop-Pop for Easter:

For Granny and Pa!

For Mema and Pop-Pop. It's a "wreath" of their hand prints around what *was* an Easter egg, but the egg got kind of covered up.

For Nana and Poppop!

If anyone else would like some Auch Art dedicated to them, just let us know and we'd love to make something for you! We do arts and crafts just about every day.

The Easter Bunny

2011-04-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

We didn't plan on it, but while walking through the mall, we saw the Easter Bunny and had to stop and take a picture with him! Lilianna was not at all happy with the Easter Bunny (she was the same with Santa Claus), so I sat down next to him and "sheilded" her from the sinister, furry rabbit. Rowan liked his fuzziness, and did smile, but this is the only one where Lilianna wasn't giving our furry friend a scowl. Dan insisted that there just wasn't enough room for him in the picture. Good one, dear.

P.S. If you look closely enough, you will see Lilianna's itty bitty pig tails. Hooray for my baby finally getting hair!

She's smarter than you think...

2011-04-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

As Lilianna's mother, I naturally feel a certain responsibility for her development and growth. I work with her daily on learning new words, identifying objects, and learning new skills. For the most part, I can tell that she's a sharp tack, but every once in a while she'll poke my mothering ego with that stubborn will of hers. She's a quick learner, but that doesn't always mean that she's in the mood for showing off.

Yesterday I held a baby doll in my arms, and fed it with her toy bottle. "Here, Lilianna," I offered, "try feeding the baby!"

She just blinked at me, and then rubbed the baby's head, saying, "Soft, soft."

I rolled my eyes and put the baby down, figuring that she just wasn't in the mood for learning. But later, as I was prepping dinner, I heard Rowan begin fussing. With raw chicken and seasonings caked all over my fingers, I hurried into the living room to see if anything urgent was amiss. He looked fine, just angry, so I went back to coating my masterpiece dinner (heavy sarcasm here), and resigned to hearing him fuss for a minute while I finished and washed my hands. His crying picked up as he got angrier, and I went to the faucet to wash my hands. Just as I finished, his fussing slowed again, and when I walked into the living room I saw why. Lilianna had found a bottle that I had used earlier to feed Rowan (I usually nurse him, but...well its a long story. It was pumped milk...) His face was covered in milk, and she was clumsily trying to get the bottle into his mouth. Surprisingly, Rowan didn't seem to mind the milk bath, but he was pretty pissed about her bad aim.

So I guess the baby doll just wasn't real enough for her!

Another example happened just this afternoon. Last night Dan was trying to get her to say two words in a row. For whatever reason, she just hasn't picked up on this skill yet, and he was determined to prove that she was smart...dang it!! But Lilianna simply did not want to cooperate. She sat on the couch, reading a book, and Dan lay next to her. "Lilianna," he smiled, "say 'night night mama'."

Lilianna turned a page.

"Say, 'night night'."

"Nigh niiiigh," she responded back in her cute little sing-song voice.

"Now say 'mama'."

"Mamaaaaa."

"Okay. Say, 'night night mama'."

She turned another page. "Night night."

"Mama."

"Mama."

"Night night, mama."

Silent page turn.

Eventually, Dan gave up, and we read scriptures, said our family prayer, and she went to bed. We thought that was the end of it, but as Lilianna sat on the floor reading her books this afternoon, I dinstinctly heard a little whisper from her corner. "Night night, mama."

I resisted the urge to swivel around and clap enthusiastically, and instead pretended that I didn't hear her. Then she did it again. "Night night, mamaaaaa."

I'll bet you $10 (in the most Mormon, non-betting way possible of course) that she won't say it for us tonight when we ask.

Rowan's 1/4 Birthday

2011-04-12T10:08:00.001-07:00

Rowan is 3 months old today! HOORAY!!! I guess this is a tradition now, since I took pictures on Lilianna's 1/4 birthday as well...with the same boppy actually. (Go to December, 2009, and you can look back at hers like I did!) Here are some pictures of our adorable little guy. Happy 1/4 Birthday Rowan! I love you so much, and I feel incredibly blessed to be your mother!

Rowan's first laugh

2011-04-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

I was video taping Dan and Rowan, and all of a sudden Rowan laughed! It was the first time he had laughed, so we were thrilled that we caught it on video!

(Sorry for my silly giggles...I was just so excited!)

The Zoo!

2011-04-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning, we went to the local zoo at Chehaw Park. It's really a perectly sized zoo for kids, because its big enough that it has all the fun animals kids want to see, but small enough that you can go through the whole thing in probably two hours. It's also in a forest, so there's lots of shade. Personally, I think that is a necessity in the oppressive heat of Georgia. But really, the park is fantastic, and Dan and I are always impressed at how well-maintained it is. Lilianna loves animals, and while we were there she learned a few new animal sounds! She learned "ooh ooh, ah ah" for monkeys, "raaaawr!" for the alligators, and "moooo" for the cow...which was actually a bison, but I didn't know the actual sound a bison made, so I told her it was a cow.

Here is Dan pushing the double stroller. Rowan wasn't a fan of the zoo so much, so we put him to sleep and he napped through most of it.

Scary alligators! Lilianna kept saying "raaaaawr!" when she saw the alligators.

She loves pushing the stroller.

Here we are looking at the meercats. I LOVE the meercats! They are so darn cute, and they let you see them really upclose.

Meercat on the lookout

These were bobcats I think. They were so cute!!

This is a funny picture of me about to boss Dan around about how to use the camera. Caught red-handed.

I had a hard time getting a really good shot of Lilianna smiling, because she was so excited about the animals that she wouldn't stay still for very long. Even in the stroller, all she wanted to do was ogle the animals.

Busy Auchs!

2011-04-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

This week has been very busy for us! This week and next week are finals week for me, so I have been finishing class projects and studying for final exams that are next week. Once this semester is over, I have a one week breather, and then I jump back in. So I have not had nearly as much time for blogging or even pictures! However, life with my children still moves forward, and as such, funny things inevitably happen. We were reading an Elmo book, and Lilianna pointed to this picture and said "Mama!" Ouch. This is how Lilianna reads her books during the day. She sits on this tin popcorn container and just goes through all her books. She LOVES reading! It is by far her favorite thing to do. Here are some pictures of our youngest cutie pie. He's getting so big! He can hold his head up all by himself, and he likes to sit in the Bumbo to practice his head strength. What a manly little man! One day I needed a break from all the studying, so I took some time for myself and just watched "Toddlers and Tiaras". It's pretty mindless, but I like to make fun of the crazy mothers. Anyway, Lilianna saw some of the dresses they were wearing, and brought me her tutu. The only time she's worn this tutu was on her first birthday, when I made her. It has been in the toy box ever since...I guess because I figured she'd find an interest in it one day. And she did! She insisted on wearing it, even to our outing to Hobby Lobby. Our little fairy princess!

Lots of Pictures!

2011-03-25T07:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures I took yesterday. Lilianna sat still for all of 30 seconds, so I didn't get as many as the newborn who can't run away from me (bwahahahaha).

Just Another Day

2011-03-24T06:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was pretty busy for us. In the morning, Lilianna had her music class with Miss Jaylene. Classes just started, so this was her first time, but it was a lot of fun! It took Lilianna a little while to warm up to what everyone was doing, but I think she eventually got the hang of it. Usually we would go on Saturday mornings, but we missed last Saturday, so she made up the class Wednesday morning with the other group of toddlers.

Miss Jaylene gave everyone elephant ears to wave around as they sang "do your ears hang low?"and danced.

Lilianna scooted her way into Miss Jaylene's lap during the donkey story.

I had a Primary meeting after the class, and that went very well. Then we had to go food shopping. For those of you that aren't aware, I am a coupon user. It is a recent thing for me, but already I am saving so much money! The only problem with coupons is the cashiers. For the most part I've gotten very nice people who did not seem to mind the coupons. But I had heard some horror stories, and lo and behold, I got my first cranky woman yesterday. I knew she would be cranky when I got in line, but she was the only cashier open to me. She was an old white lady (a stereotype I had been previously warned against), and as soon as I told her I had coupons, she gave me the nasiest look. Then she told me I had to put EACH COUPON on its respective item. I had Rowan in the Moby wrap and Lilanna trying to escape from the cart, whilst trying to juggled the diaper bag and coupons as I looked for my wallet. I gave her an even dirtier look and asked if that was entirely necessary, as no other cashier has made me do that.

She said it was, so I started to put my coupons in place just so I could get the heck out of there. Then, she looked at my coupons and said, "Wait, wait, wait. You need to cut those out."

My coupons were printed, and some of them were on sheets of paper. She actually handed me a pair of scissors...like I was going to do that with Rowan's head in the way! I said, "I'm sorry, but I'm kind of in a hurry. My kids need to take their nap."

"Those are too big, and its a nuisance for us, so you need to cut them." She ordered.

Folks, I rarely do this, but I leaned forward with a stubborn glint in my eye, and very slowly said, "No, I don't think I will. Sorry."

I'm pretty sure she was sending me every curse she could think of, but eventually this old crank got my groceries AND coupons scanned, and I paid for everything. Out of spite, she wouldn't let me use my Red Baron coupons. They were too light because my printer was dying, and her rationale was that I could have forged it. It said "red baron" on it with a barcode and everything, but I just wanted to get away from her, so I let it go.

Grog.

Anyway, we made our way home, and the groceries were put away, kids took naps, and mom did schoolwork. Later that evening, Dan came home and we got a surprise Skype meeting with Nana and Poppop while I made dinner. That was so nice! We both miss them very much! After dinner, I took some pictures of Rowan:

Lilianna got a hold of the camera, and this is what she took. So talented.

At the Park

2011-03-21T07:16:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a georgeous day, so I took Lilianna to the park! It was pretty hot out, so Dan stayed home with Rowan while the girls went out for some fun.

At first, Lilianna wasn't really sure what to do with herself.

I put her in the swing, and it made her a little nervous, but she still smiled for the most part.

She got the hang of it and started to climb around. We came to this tunnel thing:

I made her crawl through it but she really didn't like it very much! Cautious little girl.

Then she found the steering wheel and had a good time talking and pretending she was driving like mommy.

Dance dance!

She really liked the slide.

And the dirt!

It was a really nice afternoon. Quite honestly we didn't stay for too long because the sun was starting to turn her pink, and it was pretty hot! But for the two girls who stay home all day pretty much every day, it was good to get out and enjoy the sunshine.

After going to the park, Lilianna took a nap while Dan and I cleaned the house. Then I took an exam for school and we went to Amy's house for poker. It was a really nice day!

The rest of our weekend was pretty much spent watching "24". We're obsessed, and HAVE to finish the season!

My Babies

2011-03-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

Sunshine for Maddie

2011-03-17T14:25:00.001-07:00

Baby Maddie passed away one month ago, and to remember her sweet angel, Kellie has asked that we take our little ones outside and play. Lilianna, Rowan, and I went outside in the beautiful sunshine. It was a perfect day, and I felt so blessed. Here are some pictures of my children in the rays of sunshine that reminded me of Maddie's adorable smile and special spirit.

I love and cherish them so much!

They just keep growing!

2011-03-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

This past week, Rowan turned two months old, and Lilianna turned 18 months old. Lilianna spent her first Sunday in the nursery at church, away from mommy and daddy. She loved it, actually! Every child I've ever seen go into nursery for the first time has cried and cried for their parents, but for some reason Lilianna didn't particularly care. It's actually really nice to know that she is secure enough that she knows mommy and daddy will come back for her.

Rowan holds his head up like a champ, and smiles and coos at me all day long. Here are some more pictures of my growing sweethearts!

Lol, this is the goofiest picture!

Outside Play

2011-03-10T06:57:00.000-08:00

First, our update! Everyone is doing well, and we are just loving life. Dan is working hard at his job, and we're also doing our best to make good plans for the future. While Dan does his best to further his career at work, he's also going finish his degree and try out some career options. Right now he's experimenting with graphic design. I have no doubt he'd be very good at it! He's a great artist, and he also has a great sense of what people want. I am enjoying my life as a mother, of course. For those who aren't aware, I'm also a full-time student in BYU-I's online program, and that is a challenge! I admit that I am not doing as stellar as I used to in the school department. Running a household with two babies and various other distractions, makes it hard to keep myself focused. But no worries! I will get that degree if it kills me.

Lilianna is growing at an exponential rate! She says many words now, like "baby" (Rowan), "ball", "do(g)", "woof woof", "meow", "dada", "mama", "nommie nommie" (food), "fish", "sof(t)", "no!", "night night", and many others. She also knows some signs. She signs "food", and signs and says "more" and "all gone". We're teaching her the sign for "potty" and "sippy" right now. One of my favorite things about her is when she nuzzles and gives kisses. Sometimes she'll just walk up to me when I'm on the computer and kiss my elbow to get my attention. Then when I pick her up she'll give nuzzles and kisses, and make the most adorable lovey noises.

Rowan is such a sweetie!!! He has started smiling and cooing when we talk to him. For the most part he still sleeps a lot, but his awake times get longer and longer. He's kind of a drama king though. Dan and I laugh when he cries, because its just so dramatic. It's like the end of the world even when he's just fussing. He makes this super loud, gasping sound that alarmed me when I first heard it. Then I came to realize that it was just Rowan being dramatic. Silly baby. I love my newborn and his soft, fuzzy head. <3 Okay, so now for lots of pictures!! Lilianna loves to play outside, more than just about anything. We don't get out as often as I'd like, because it is difficult with Rowan. But when we do, Lilianna doesn't stop moving for a second! Here are some pictures I've taken of her running around outside. Obviously its rather difficult to get a good shot of her. A toddler in motion tends to stay in motion. (Mom Bain, the pictures get bigger when you click on them. If you need even bigger images for your scrapbooking, just let me know and I'll email all these to you!)

We love Rowan, yes we do!

2011-03-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

Since I have so many posts about Lilianna, I thought I'd make one just for Rowan. Here is a cute video:

Dan is blowing on his face in the video. He was being so fussy! I feel bad watching it, because we're laughing when he's crying...but sometimes its better to laugh than to be frustrated! Besides, his cry is so cute.

And here are some recent pictures:

Meet my new friends

2011-03-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

Mr. Washer and Mrs. Dryer! They are brand spakin' new and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them!!!!

I have a load in right now, and they came just in time! Lilianna's diaper leaked last night, and Rowan pooped all over his sleeper. I'm so excited to have a washer and dryer!

Naughty Toddler

2011-03-06T19:41:00.001-08:00

This should be a commercial for Quaker Rice Crisps. "So good, you'll eat them off the floor!"

Can you believe she's only 17 months old? She looks so tall!

It's a new year, and another go at the blog!

2011-03-06T08:24:00.001-08:00

As you've all noticed, every once in a while I get a hankering for trying the blog again. I'm glad I have tried through the years though--it's nice to look back at posts I made! I've been using facebook to keep everyone updated, but I realized today that it's not a journal at all. A blog is more like a journal that I can look back on, and I wish I'd been more dilligent about it in the past. I'm not making any promises about consistency, but I will update when I feel up to it.

Which brings me to my excuse...I'm so busy!!! Even now, my sick toddler is hanging on my shirt, whining and wanting something. What she really needs is a nap, she just doesn't know it. :p

So what have the Auch's been up to in the last year? Since my last post, I've been pregnant:

We found out we were having a little boy!

Lilianna has become a beautiful little toddler:

And we had our sweet little boy! Rowan Alan Auch was born January 12, 2011 at 6:43 a.m. He is so perfect!

It has been a very exciting year for us. At present, we are all sick...except Dan of course. He was sick for all of one day, and even though we got sick at the same time, I'm still coughing and wheezing. Rowan and Lilianna aren't feeling too spiffy either, but neither of them got it as badly as I did, thankfully. Today we are going to watch movies and try to get the babies to nap well.
Right now Lilianna and Dan are making animal noises in the kitchen. Meow! Woof woof!

Yup, we did it again

2010-05-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

We did it again! Daniel and I are (somewhat unexpectedly, although we can't profess to being too shocked) pregnant. The baby is due sometime in January, although we aren't 100% on the exact due date. I guess we'll find out in two weeks when I have my first appointment and ultrasound!

We waited a full two weeks before telling you all (believe me, it took will power) just to make sure that this bean was for real there and hopefully to stay. The baby's nickname is "Spree" and we are very excited!

Morning sickness has started for me this week (bleg) so I feel quite pregnant. I will keep everyone updated on my pregnancy through the blog, because it is so very exciting!!

Magical Baby

2010-05-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I feel bad for not updating earlier...I kind of just forgot about the blog after the move! But I'm doing it again, and hopefully more regularly!

At the risk of exposing my terrible mothering decisions, I do have to tell a story that is frankly kind of amazing. As you can see from the picture on the left, sometimes when the house is really busy, I let Lilianna sleep on Oma and Pop's bed because it's quieter. Boots occasionally joins her because who doesn't want a warm, still sleeping companion?

As you can also see, I usually make a barrier of sorts around her, and up until today, she has never tried to traverse the pillow wall (do you see where this is going?). Ordinarily she will just sit up in bed and chirp and babble until I come and find her. Today as I laid her down, I remember the thought that went through my head was, "She's crawling. Maybe this isn't such a good idea..." But I shrugged it off. Because there was a pillow barrier and it simply wasn't possible for her to scale the defenses.

2 hours later, as I was watching TV with Dan, I heard some chirping. I'd checked in on her periodically of course, and when I heard the chirping I knew she must be awake. So I walked into the room and...the bed was empty. Not even Boots was there. I immediately freaked out, and visions of my baby screaming on the floor ran through my head. I looked at the foot of the bed and scanned the area around it, and nearly had a heart attack when she wasn't there either. Then I heard a little chirp to my left, and I looked over and there she was.

She was sitting on the floor, happy as can be, with a sock in her one hand and a pen in the other. I looked all over the room and I could NOT figure out how she got there! No one in the house got her, and were just as dumbfounded as I am. There are some laundry baskets around the bed, as well as some boxes. Nothing looked disturbed, but there she was, happy as can be.

Needless to say I feel like HORRIBLE mother, and she will be in her crib no matter how loud the house is. I should have gone with my gut, but thankfully she wasn't harmed.

But now I know--Lilianna has magical powers. Should I enroll her in Hogwarts now, or wait until she's older?

Big Plans!

2010-02-12T12:16:00.000-08:00

We're movin' to Georgia!!! For those of you that aren't aware yet, Dan and I made a quick decision to pack our stuff and head to Georgia to live with my parents for a while. Hopefully Dan's transfer will go through, and we'll be able to save more money this way. Plus I just miss my family! :) We're very excited, and our home is in a flurry with packing and getting rid of stuff. But of course, all the excitement doesn't stop me from taking pictures of darling Lilianna. Here are a few from the last couple of days.

Busy busy

2010-02-07T17:25:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I guess we've been pretty busy, because I haven't had much time to update the blog...or even take pictures apparently! Which is a shame because Lilianna is as cute as ever. Noteworthy baby things:

--She giggles quite often now. We have one video of it, but it's too long for me to upload onto youtube or photobucket. So if anyone wants to see it, give me a shout and I'll email it to you.

--She's eating solids once a night, although we're not sure if we'll continue that. I'm beginning to see a correlation between solid food and not sleeping well at night. Hm.

--She's making more sounds like "mama" and "oh no" and "hey". They're just precious!

--She knows when mommy isn't holding her. I haven't decided if that's a good or bad thing.

As far as Daniel and I, we're both just trying to enjoy life and Lilianna as much as we can. Work is pretty demanding for Dan sometimes, but he's great at it and I'm proud of him for working so hard and providing for us. I love being at home with Lily Bean, and have recently started writing again--it's really the only hobby I love, so it's nice to have that passion back.

For those of you that don't already know, Dan and I have made the decision to move back to Pennsylvania in November. Meanwhile Dan will be finishing his bachelor's online, and keeping an eye out for law enforcement positions on the east coast. We're very much looking forward to moving home!