THE PACKARD PALOOZA

Snowboogie'n in the Snow

2012-01-22T20:20:00.000-05:00

Emily and Phil gave us this awesome Snowboogie for Christmas, so we decided to do some boogie'n. That thing rocked for pulling the kids around the yard. We had them skidding on corners and flying off the sled - it was great! A good workout too..... Now we need to find a good hill that we won't kill ourselves on.

The boys like to get up on the trampoline and slip around on the snow. It's so funny to watch.

Princess Hair

2012-01-07T12:20:00.000-05:00

Sidney wanted me to post these pictures of her beautiful princess hairstyle we did this morning. Don't you think it's gorgeous? ;)

Pics to keep the fam happy :)

2011-12-05T20:02:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving morning creations.

Playing Kinect after Thanksgiving dinner at the Purcells house.

Watching movies at the Purcells on Thanksgiving Day. Can you tell they were very accomodating?

Nate and I at the OSU v. Duke game. OSU rocked Duke, which was good for all the fans! (but Nate loves Duke, oops) I made him wear his OSU shirt though.....

We really just went to see Coach K.

For FHE and scriptures the kids always want to sit on mom's lap, go figure.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T21:28:00.000-04:00

Carved Pumpkins with the Homers for FHE.

Owen's is the Frankenstein on the far left, then Tanner's ghost, and Sidney's is the cat on the far right.

Tanner and Owen insisted on being exactly what they were last year, but I wasn't complaining, how hard of costumes are those? Sidney went as a Barbie. I should have gotten a close up of her hair and face. Oh well, by the time we get this close to trick or treating they won't hold still for nuthin'!!!

Eating the spoils at the Homer's house.

And yes Tiff, I did dress up as Batman just for you! :)

O-H-I-O

2011-10-31T13:17:00.001-04:00

OSU v. Wisconsin

Nate convinced me that it would be worth the hassle of going to THE SHOE. Thankfully it was the best game that they've had all year and it was sweet.

This is a video of us in the middle of field, after we had rushed it! MOST Awesome thing ever. I had SO much fun! Such a rush. Boo on BYU stadium for not letting us do this. ever.

Us on the field.

Band at half time. They can do some amazing formations. Them scripting OHIO and dotting the I experience was cooler than I thought it would be.

Final score.

Mosh pit on the field. It rocked. Almost makes me want to like the Buckeyes. haha

2011-10-23T19:20:00.002-04:00

Telisha had the kids pose for her a few weeks ago. She had to keep the boys focused by promising that they only had to take a certain number. Here are the best of the bunch.

Owen looking sly.

Tanner and one of his awesome smiles.

The only one where they are both smiling.

They were ready to be done. So funny.

Sidney is starting to look so old, even though she thinks she is the shortest kid in her school class.

Another day, each of the kids got to pick their own pose for a "cool picture".

Tanner doing his subconciously natural spiderman pose.

This is Owen's "cool" pose. We think it was supposed to be like a "gross face", but cool. :)

Sidney did a nice little curtsy.

Telisha's mom sent these "googly eye" glasses for Halloween. Tanner was not excited about pictures. We were responsible for the pants.

Owen the intellectual/nerd.

Sidney also got a Halloween headband. The fluffs are orange, so it sometimes looks like her real hair.

Oh, yeah. I shot a deer with a crossbow. Awesome. I plan on getting at least one more.

2011-08-29T12:30:00.001-04:00

Columbus Zoo

My cute Tanner boy is looking so much older lately.

Franklin Park Conservatory- watching the butterflies eat.

Kids Fest at Easton Town Center Mall in Columbus. The BlueJackets brought a bunch of equipment for the kids and let them go at it as they pleased. It was fabulous. The kids wanted to sweat out there on the blacktop for an hour!

Aren't they just the most handsome ever!?

I'm hoping that they aren't looking at what it seems like they are looking at. We'll go with some wierd looking rock, right?

I thought that ripping up an old yellow pages book would be fun for them, and it was. :)

So is shooting the cross bow that Dad is borrowing.

Columbus Clippers game!

The car we bought so that Nate could drive to and from Seminary and work, EARLY in the morning.

And last but not least, Sidney's 1st day of kindergarten pictures. Wowwie, wow. Are we really here already? I think I'm ready?.......

Good luck Sidney, we LOVE you!

Floods and Family

2011-07-28T21:41:00.002-04:00

This was across the street from our house - am I'm the one sitting down. It rained for 2 hours, HARD, and thank goodness we had a sump pump system in our basement...so it didn't flood it. We had about 4 inches standing water in our backyard and the kiddy pool had been empty previously, but after the rain, it was completely full. That's how much it poured. The kids had a heyday playing in it. (I know it's blurry, but it was trying to focus through all the rain!)

Apparently the picture here previously was too obscene for some, so I took it out! Are you happy now people?

I could write a lot about this day, but I'll just make it short. IT WAS HOT!!! Hotter than I have EVER been in my life. Seriously. This was at the Dayton Air Show where we met up with a couple of my cousins and their families and my aunt and uncle. It was a fun reunion and they got to stay at our house for a couple of days. Yeah!

The Air Show was so cool. We saw lots of neat stuff. Our favorites were of course the Thunderbirds (like the Blue Angels). They had a great Tora, Tora, Tora reenactment, we saw the B-one and B-2 bombers - along with a bunch of other sweet airplane shows.

The next couple of pics are from a city parks program that we went to today. It was all about bugs and to top it off we got to ride on a tram all around the park.

The determined bug catchers.

We caught one butterfly with the net, and then later Owen surprised me by catching a little baby toad all on his own. No pic, bummer.

Summer Fun

2011-07-04T14:32:00.000-04:00

Tanner Bomb

A water pad at the Powell Festival. We didn't know there would be water at this festival, thus the kids in their clothes........

We found a free trampoline on craigslist and we've already had so much fun on it. Our favorite is jumping on it with the sprinkler underneath.

Went to Buckeye Lake to watch some fireworks on the water. Pretty good show too! Give us some credit for the red, white and blue coordination. Not all done on purpose, but worked out quite nicely.

Gotta throw rocks in the lake.....

Sean and Becky brought presents. Radical!

We're so glad Sean and Becky drove all the way from Texas to come and see us!!! We all had SO much fun!

Sidney is freakin 5!!!

2011-06-25T22:02:00.001-04:00

We made some Bear Bread the other day and here's how it turned out. Pretty swell.

Owen's looked more like a caterpillar than a bear, but he was very proud as you can see :)

The rest is just a bunch of birthday pictures of my 5 year old. I can't believe I have a 5 year old. Oh my.

The infamous Mermaid Cake. She's been planning this cake for months. Really, for months. She helped me make it, step by step - all according to the video she watched on BettyCrocker.com!

The following picture is a result of playing the Pretty, Pretty Princess board game. I hope this game doesn't have a permanent effect on the boys.... haha

I think all her birthday wishes came true! Thanks everyone for making her special day the "bestest ever!"

COSI

2011-06-22T15:05:00.000-04:00

We LOVE our Science Center! Esp. when they have big tractors there to entertain us. :)

The kids (and Nate) all got these fun construction hats. Side note: They were lying all over the science center where kids had taken them off, so Owen decided that he would just collect them. He ended up with 6 by the time we got home, and that was even after I told him to put some of them down.

This captures their personalities pretty well!

Owen being lifted by the crane.

The fun in the sun sure did drain them!

2011-05-24T18:26:00.000-04:00

Daredevil

2011-05-24T13:51:00.000-04:00

Sid just eats up this sort of stuff! I LOVE it.

Boys Will Be Boys

2011-05-09T09:34:00.000-04:00

Owen thinks it's great fun to bury Tanner in the bin. Sometimes Tanner does too, other times he doesn't.

The rest of these pics are taken next to Sidney's soccer practice field. I have to take all 3 by myself, so needless to say, instead of fighting the boys to NOT go in the mud, I just dress them accordingly. I think they enjoy it.

This face pretty much sums up how they feel about it!

Spring

2011-05-02T20:55:00.002-04:00

Owen insisting that Tanner smile and look at the camera. How's that working out Owen?

Standing next to a melting ice carved bunny and egg at the Columbus Zoo

I love the tulips that come out this time of year. They make me SO happy!

The boys and their pans. They can't put the pans down now that they've seen Tangled, and have learned that they are weapons of mass destruction.

And of course you have to have a picture next to the freaky bunny that they have at the city Easter egg hunt. :)

My fun kids

It's been a while

2011-05-02T20:42:00.001-04:00

So we know it has been awhile, so here we go. (Nate writing)

In mid-February we went down to Orlando for 8 days. We drove down and back (17 hours each way, but we had 3 drivers since Bree was with us) Telisha's whole family was also there, so we had a great time. We went to the temple Friday evening for Telisha's sister Breanna to receive her endowments. We spent Saturday morning doing family pictures (wait for it...) and then to Cocoa beach in the afternoon and evening. Apparently it's a pretty popular beach, but it was terrible. So cold, so windy, not a pleasant beach experience. But we made the most of it and had a good time. Monday through Friday we spent at Disney World. Wow. Telisha's sister knows a kid that works there and he got our family in for free for several days, and then we took care of the rest. I didn't think the kids would last 5 days, but they did great. The kids were really excited to see all the Disney characters and Sidney even got to go on a lot of the bigger rides. We had to teach her to stand up really tall, because if she did her head barely brushed the bottom of the height checker. We had a great time and were sad to leave family at the end of it all. Nate decided he could live in Orlando, especially up near the temple. Nice neighborhoods, SPECTACULAR weather (could not have asked for anything better) and close to a big city. What more could you want?

We got back Saturday evening, had church Sunday, and then starting on Monday Nathan was full-fledged into studying for his PhD candidacy exams. They are much like a Bar exam, in that after all the classes are done they want to make sure you didn't just find a way to sneek by in all your course work. It is much less standard than a bar exam, but still tough. Nate has a committee of professors to help him with his PhD work. The advisor administers an "8-hour written exam," two other committee members administer "4-hour written exams." So Nate studied almost non-stop for 3 weeks, even with studying half-time for about a month before the trip.. It was a long 3 weeks, but in the end we all got through it. When he got the "8-hour" exam his advisor told him he had 24 hours, and that it may take him all of that time. So starting at 2 pm on Tuesday he started, called at midnight to let Telisha know that he was not coming home from the office, stayed on it all night (there was an hour from 3-4 am where things are a little hazy) and finished the exam at about noon the next day. He then took one exam on Thursay and another on Friday. He found out he passed those on Friday evening, even doing really well on his main exam from his advisor (an MIT guy). After he passed those Nathan had to stand in front of the committee for an oral exam. He stood at a chalk board and answered questions about his field for 2 hours as they grilled him. Some were concepts questions, others he drew out a system on the board and had to explain what would physically happen, etc. He was really nervous about it, but passed. So that was awesome. A huge relief!!! Now he is in the process of solidifying his dissertation topic, with about 1 year to 18 months to get it all done and be Doctor Packard.

Breanna stayed with us for a couple of months until just a couple of weeks ago. It was great to have her here. She was such a help, especially while Nate was busy with his exams. We ALL miss her a lot! She moved back to Provo to get a job before starting up her Master's program in the summer.

Life is good. It is starting to warm up in Ohio. We'll be excited to get back to the west coast at some point, but for now we are trying to make the most of what we have and move forward each day.

We'll try and be more consistent on future blogging.

Christmas Picture Medley

2010-12-27T12:27:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve craziness

Christmas morning craziness

gotta love standing over the heater

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-26T17:40:00.001-05:00

Just a little video from Christmas morning.

Provo Tabernacle

2010-12-17T10:48:00.001-05:00

For all of you former BYU friends, if you havent heard, there was a fire in the Provo Tabernacle early this morning. It nearly burned the whole thing down. The walls are still intact, but the roof collapsed, which means the inside is probably completely torched as well.

Here is the article.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705363161/Provo-Tabernacle-burns-in-four-alarm-fire.html

And a video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz4noOQ_Pus

And a picture.

Sad day.

Anyways, just FYI.

Nathan

The Nutcracker

2010-12-11T14:02:00.000-05:00

Sid and I got to go to the Nutcracker! We dressed up and made a big to do about it. It was so fun and she LOVED watching all the pretty girls dancing. It was sad though, because the day before, I found out that she thought that she would be dancing on stage, and when I told her she wasn't she started sobbing huge, heart wrenching tears. She got over it the next day and was happy to watch, thank goodness.

This is after? Can you tell she's tired?

This one's just for kicks. Doesn't this remind you of the pic when I was little Mom? He just needs a gun in his hand. (Nate absolutely loves the vest and still thinks you should put it into production)

Funny Owen

2010-12-06T09:47:00.001-05:00

Owen had two funny incidents yesterday. He is a funny boy, but not usually because of the funny things that he says.

Incident 1:
Background: We have a 6'8" phathead of Lebron on Tanner's bedroom wall. The kids call him Bron Bron.

Telisha: "Owen, your such a man."
Owen: "No I'm not."
Telisha: "Why not?"
Owen: "Because I dont have grass."
Telisha: "What do you mean, grass?"
Owen: "Like Dad has grass on his belly. Bron Bron is a man too, huh."
Telisha and Nate: (Laughing)

Incident 2:
Background: Owen is talking randomly but saying the word "poop" alot. Telisha asked him to stop a couple of times, but he continues.

Telisha: "Owen, what should be the consequence if you say that again?"
Sidney: "You should spank his bum."
Owen: "Mom, dont spank my bum because then I would go poop and you would get it on your hands."
Telisha and Nate: (Laughing)

Hunting Season

2010-12-04T20:07:00.002-05:00

Nate's 1st kill. We became friends with some people in our ward and found out that they have some land with deer on it. Ever since, Nate has been desperate to go hunting for the 1st time. If you want the whole story you'll have to call....

The kids thought that it was the coolest thing that dad killed something that they get to eat later.

Hanging it.....

Skinning it.....(Nate had a final, so I got to do the lovely job all by myself. Sidney got a kick out of taking pics of the whole thing and really wanted to get some gloves on and help me pull off the "skin."

Processing it.....(i.e. cutting it into roasts, steaks, and stew meat.)

Done and freezer full.

My kill. Yes, the whole family was there. Well Nate and the kids were watching movies in the car while I was hunting and came out after I shot it. Sidney wanted to stay and watch while we gutted it, and what do you say to that? So we let her and she was enthralled by the process, asked lots of questions and never squirmed once. It was so funny to watch her, she loved it. (Also understand that I grew up going hunting w/ my dad and have gotten one other deer when I was younger. So, this isn't all that foreign to me. Nate's the novice. hehe)

Sidney says that Nate got the "mom deer" and that I got the "kid deer." She's pretty much right :) Nate's was bigger. That darn buck is still out there and Sidney thinks that Nate needs to go out there to kill the "dad deer." He'll have one more chance in 2 weeks......

When I was skinning this one the slug from the shotgun fell right out! Crazy! It was all quite an adventure.

Super Heroes

2010-11-14T21:39:00.001-05:00

Near Halloween we went to the "Boo at the Zoo" event. The kids had a great time. It was cold, but we endured. The highlight was the show put on by Batman and Robin, as they defeated the Joker and told the kids what it meant to be a true hero. Here we are before the show started.

Since then, a few times when Owen has complained that something was too hard to do, Sidney has spoken up and said "Owen, you need to be like Batman and be a hero. Be brave, you can do it!" They have checked out some superhero comic books at the library and love reading them.

Tanner enjoys watching sports more than the other kids. Since we don't have TV, I (PS, this is Nate writing) watch all my sports online (ESPN3.com is a lifesaver). Whenever I sit down at the computer, Tanner runs up to me to sit on my lap and he yells repeatedly, "BALL, BALL, BALL!!" So funny. He will sit on my lap for about 15 mins before he gets distracted and wants to get down. One time I wasn't even on the computer and he wanted to watch "ball." I turned on a replay of some random game, and he sat there watching for some time.

Owen thinks he is Mr Incredible, and that everyone he pushes, punches, or kicks is also indestructible like him. Unfortunately, Tanner is not. Owen shoved him and he hit the metal grate on the heater vents near the floorboards. Poor kid. It wasn't the first time, and I'm sure it wont be the last time that one of those two gets hurt by the other :)

And I have to put in a proud word for Sidney. She has really started to read quite well within the past few weeks. About a month or so ago she really got into reading, but for a while it was only 3 and maybe 4 letter words that she knew, like "and, the, she, he, sit, ball." Within the past few weeks she has really taken off and can now read whole books by herself, including some classics you should all know: "Go, Dog, Go", "Red fish, Blue fish" as well as a few others. Once she has a word down she's got it memorized and rarely forgets. We love it the most when she will sit down on the floor flanked by both boys and she reads to them all by herself.

WrestleMania

2010-10-29T12:54:00.000-04:00

The pictures speak for themselves. Crazy people.

Owen wanted me to take a picture of him being a "mean guy." He is holding his "shooter."

They wanted us to wrap them up like babies.

And then we tickled them to death.......hehe

Halloween Happiness

2010-10-29T12:15:00.000-04:00

We kept our tradition of eating dinner at the Homer's house before Trick or Treating in their neighborhood. We brought the worm juice to drink and it was quite a hit. (Columbus City area has assigned trick or treating nights. Ours was Thursday from 6-8. So funny. The govt. has control of everything!)

I wish we had gotten a close up of all of them so that you could see their painted faces. My favorite part about Halloween is getting to paint their faces and put makeup on them. Sidney's eyelashes are soooo long w/ mascara on them! :) Sidney was Belle, Owen was a Tiger and Tanner was a Hamburger! I assumed that Sidney would love the Trick or Treating part , but I didn't realize how gung ho about it Tanner was going to be. Owen poopooed the idea after fifteen minutes, but Tanner was still running from house to house after an hour! Sidney was very polite at each house and people were always surprised at how direct she would look at them and say, "Thank you and Happy Halloween," after they gave her the candy.

This was taken at the Ward Party. Happy (early) Halloween!

Lookin' Good

2010-10-17T13:27:00.000-04:00

We found a suit at a used kids clothes store for Owen this past week. He tried it on and it fit perfectly. He wears a tie and vest normally, but the suit looked so good.

Owen chose the first pose.

I chose the second.

Telisha chose the third.

Sidney chose the fourth.

Here are our pumkins for Halloween. We may have done them a little early. The fairy on the left is already in the garbage (it was so warm here that it shriveled right up) and the the middle one is starting to really mold.

October 2010

The Homers, who were the first to come over for Halloween when we first moved here, came over again and we had a good time. Its cool to see how grown up everyone is this year.

October 2009 - last year

Halloween Party in a Box sent from Grandma Berry had all the fixin's for cupcakes! Sidney loves "crafts" as she puts it.

Sidney's team picture. They never really had everyone there. Toward the end there would only be 3 or 4 of them at practice even. We are proud of how hard she played and are excited to see how she does once she is a little older (the boy on the bottom right is 6, Sidney is barely 4 1/4).

Fall Fun

2010-09-28T20:59:00.001-04:00

We went apple and pumpkin picking this weekend! It was such a relaxing FALL Saturday and we ALL enjoyed ourselves. And that's saying something.

Sidney was the best at finding yummy apples high up in the trees. And since Nate wouldn't pick me up.....

Tanner ate apples the whole time.

Owen's idea of pumpkin picking was throwing rocks. BIG rocks. :)

Helping Dad carry the pumpkin.

The room was under "Road Construction," Sidney said. She told everyone she could that she used "20 and 100 books" to make the road.

Sean and Becky Come

2010-09-12T20:20:00.004-04:00

Sean and Becky came last weekend. They were so nice to come visit us, and drove all the way from Texas to celebrate Labor Day weekend w/ us. It only took about 1 hour for Owen to "remember" them.

Owen and Tanner got a good ride swinging in the blanket. They loved having another guy to throw them around.

Becky and Sean bought the kids some gifts. Sidney got a lot of princess stuff, and the boys got some bubbles and some "Cars" cars. The cars were even cooler than they thought, as when you pull them back they motor up and really move fast on the kitchen floor. I wish you could have seen Tanner's face when he opened the cars up. Truly awesome.

Sunday evening the kids and I were trying to figure out ways to ambush Sean in the living room. First we just pretended we weren't going to do anything, and then "surprise" attacked. Next Sidney had the plan for her alone to go in and then yell go and we would come in. Next they were dressed up in my shirts, with their eyes the only thing showing.

Next they were dressed up in my basketball shorts, with only their heads showing.

Lastly, we prepared like Indian warriors, coming in screaming like maniacs. It was awesome. The kids had a great time.

This afternoon Telisha and the kids made some crafts while I helped a sick Tanner in the bathtub. Sidney made a sun out of Perler Beads, and Owen made a "Googlemonster" out of beads and pipecleaners.

Lastly, Telisha and I were planning on attending the #2 Ohio State vs #12 Miami football game yesterday. I decided to forfeit the MINIMUM $100 per ticket (buckeye fans are nuts!!) that I could have sold them for in order to go to this awesome game. Then at 10am Saturday morning I threw up. Awesome. Awesome. I was so mad. I tried to fight through it and be strong enough to go, but I knew it wasn't going to happen. Instead I got to call the babysitter and call it off, then sit on my couch and watch the game, all the while sick and sore, suffering through a BYU loss at the same time. What a day.

A new phase of life begins

2010-08-18T22:13:00.004-04:00

Sidney's in the blue shirt. She's a good listener and is very attentive to teacher's instructions (be it a coach, Primary teacher, or library class teacher).

So she definitely has my short genes. We'll just have to teach her how to be fast.

I'm foreseeing a lot of these pictures in our future. :)

Sidney was very excited to start soccer. She's been talking about it for months now, (we signed her up that long ago) and the time has finally arrived. We went to a Columbus Crew Soccer game and that only intensified her drive to play, and play now! The other day Nate went to a used kid's clothing store and loaded her up w/ all the essentials. When we showed her the next day, she was just giddy and couldn't stop talking about how she gets to do soccer and the boys don't. She went on and on about how Nate and I need to cheer for her when she scores a goal and that we should be screaming really loud too. After she saw the shorts she immediately put them on and told us that she was going to be downstairs. We soon realized that she was down there to exercise on the elliptical. We were cracking up because we heard her talking to Owen about all sorts of things and then tells him, "Just a minute Owen, I have to exercise for 8 more minutes." She then yells up the stairs, "Mom, can you bring me my water, because I need it for exercising." WOW.

So her first practice was today and she was all dressed to go before dinner. She told us during dinner that she didn't feel well and needed to get down, and Nate told me later he thinks it was because she was getting gittery and excited about going. I think he was right. The whole scenario was so funny to watch. She loved practice, because she loves learning something new and she loves making new friends. Nate and I are really looking forward to watching the wad of kids follow the ball around during the games.

Nate said the title should be some rap song that I don't know.....

2010-08-15T21:15:00.000-04:00

Fireworks @ Buckeye Lake...very redneck. Thus, we fit right in with our campstove smores.

They had a great firework show and my favorite part, being able to drive home quickly! No traffic afterwards - it was a miracle. (It seems like after any 4th of July show there is an hour of stop and go to the freeway, but not here)

Our friends, the Allens, came to stay w/ us for a night. We had lots of fun going to a juggling show, hanging out and playing in the water.

There is always a lot of this,

and sometimes we find one of these to play at too.

Our 1st Jeep Parade at our 1st 4x4 Convention. (My Dad and brother are the diehards) Hundreds of Jeeps drove past us and we had the privilege of being at the end of the route and we helped rid them of all their remaining candy. Sidney and Owen soon realized that if they showed any sort of enthusiasm they would be showered w/ candy. We got the mother load for sure.

The gang enjoying the parade.

My family came to town and I put them right to work! I wanted this hole separating my living room from my kitchen to help open up the house, and boy did the hard work pay off. It's a beauty! It changes the feel of the whole house and I LOVE it! Thanks to their expertise and a little HARD work, we finished it in under 2 days. Thank you!

Aunt Tiff is awesome.

Don't worry, we did a lot of playing and eating too. (Sidney and Owen eat ridiculous amounts of cookie dough when they make cookies w/ Grandma. That's why it's a lot more fun than making them w/ mom :) You'll see in the picture below that we pretty much wore Sidney to the ground, literally. Ok, so this was after a 12 hr party at Kings Island amusement park. She walked herself inside and this is where/how she ended up - in the middle of the living room!

Another camping trip to Alum Creek. We had some leftover sparklers to use. Poor Tanner burned himself we realized later. I guess we should have seen that coming when we let him hold it by himself....

Here is Tanner helping me blow some air on the fire. I think he does a pretty good job, don't you?

More fun in the sun....and some rain

2010-06-28T22:09:00.002-04:00

Columbus Clippers game caught us enjoying some shelled peanuts.....

...and some raindrops! Thank goodness for nice friends who supplied us with cool umbrellas a couple of weeks ago!

Took a weekend trip to Pittsburgh to visit Jessica and Adam and their family (Jessica is Nate's cousin) and to hit a Pirates game. View is gorgeous - esp from the nosebleeds, don't ya think?

They were awesome for letting us chill at their house, and it was great getting to know them better!

Tanner is the biggest fan of baseball so far - at least he sits and watches the longest.

The gang

Visited Pittsburgh's children museum and loved it! I wished the kids could have lasted longer than 3 hours, cuz I wanted to see more of it.

I don't know why they bother to give us raincoats to use, the kids come out soaking wet, look at this- like a little raincoat is going to help!

Owen loved getting stuck in this maze, a little tricky getting him out....

AND....SIDNEY TURNED 4!!!

She had a fun water/princess party with some church friends. She helped me make all the invitations, plan the games and was very particular about what cake she had (which she also wanted to help me make and decorate).

Here they are making some crowns,

opening presents (she said it was even better than Christmas! I don't blame her),

and having some birthday cake.

Already sporting some of the goods. What a cutie. Happy 4th Birthday Sidney! You Rock!

I love watching them husk the corn, and they love doing it. It brings back great (or at least great now) memories of husking the corn for dinner when I was little.

Oh boy, if this face doesn't this face sum up our sweet summer so far, I don't know what does.

Summer camping, here we come....

2010-06-06T20:24:00.001-04:00

It finally stopped raining long enough for us to brave camping for the 1st time this summer. We hope to make it out some more, considering they all slept though the night! Here the munchkins are, all sittin around the campfire like they've cooked hotdogs on their own their whole life. I love it! We all had so much fun taking walks, eating marshmallows (they don't like smores yet, so all the more for us) and looking at all the bugs Ohio has to offer. Not my favorite part, but Owen likes to touch them :)

Sidney and Owen proud of the 1st hotdog they cooked all on their own.

Even Tanner was a man and held his own plate.

Sid's buddy, Bree! So glad she came to celebrate Memorial Day with us. She always makes it a PARTY! Headlamps are a must.

We cooked poppy seed muffins inside carved out oranges. Yummy!

Their cheery little faces in the morning. Success!

Goings On

2010-05-21T12:54:00.000-04:00

We are building a fence! The above picture is us knocking down our chainlink on a pretty cold Sat. We took off our sweatshirts because we were doing all the work, but the poor kids were freezing. They used the sweatshirts to haul tools back and forth to mom and dad. Occasionally we put them to work. :)

Below is part of the finished product. We love going out there now and pretending we're in an awesome neighborhood. hehe It's a great place to go outside and eat dinner!

After dinner you can often find the kids tackling Dad, though they can't keep him pinned down long. He's not soft on them, so sometimes you get this face from Sidney.

And Tanner and Owen are usually pretty good sports about it...It's fun now that Tanner has joined in on the action.

Nathan took Owen to the Fathers and Sons Campout and they had a blast. Owen downed about 12 marshmellows and threw about 100 rocks.

He's such a chill kid when he's content and Nate said that he just sat around the fire for hours while

everyone chatted it up. So cute.

No, Nate did not buy me these flowers. But even better, they came from MY garden. I LOVE them. I found out that they are called Peonies. They give off a very strong smell, which is great - except that I'm wondering if that is why I'm getting headaches lately.

I helped Sidney make her 1st real fort. She loves it, but the boys are pretty much scared to go in it, even with me in there. I think it's too dark for them. Hopefully they'll grow into the idea and love forts as much as I did growing up! (My mom always let us sleep in them-inside or outdoors) Sweet memories.

I forgot to put.....

2010-04-14T19:59:00.002-04:00

.......that my Mom made all of those amazing Easter outfits for my kids!! Isn't she a wonder? I just had to give her credit where credit was deserved. Thanks Mom for making us all that much cuter. We love you.......(She's the one on the right)

Easter 2010

2010-04-04T20:30:00.001-04:00

Our friends the Homers watched Tanner for us while we all went to the Cavs game to see LeBron play! Owen wants to know why we keep standing him next to weird animal people.

The library easter egg hunt

The Duckling Day parade!

I'm too sexy for my vest............

Happy Easter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Come on Out!

2010-03-23T11:39:00.003-04:00

Hopefully this will work

Just wanted to give a shout out that anyone and everyone is welcome to stay at our house! We would gladly take visitors......Whether you're only passing through, or want to come party, we'd love to have you! Come on out to Columbus!

Happy 2nd Birthday Owen!

2010-03-23T11:31:00.000-04:00

Owen wanted shark cupcakes, so we had a shark/ocean themed little birthday. Do you think anyone got pictures of the awesome shark and fishy cupcakes the kids and I made? Nope. How annoying. Oh well, I'll remember they were cool. Had ocean water (blue koolaid) with icebergs (icecubes with swedish fish frozen in blue kool aid). The kids thought it was great waiting for the fish to melt out of the ice, but when they went to eat the fish it was a real let down because apperantly they didn't hold up too well and were very soggy and nasty. Too funny.

Owen was very patient with everyone "helping" him open his presents. :)

Played a shark balloon game, and ran around chasing each other with Owen's new bat and sword.

Sidney and her friend Lizzy. Yeah for yards to run around in!

Owen is very excited about all his new weapons. And he loves looking up at his glow in the dark stars on the ceiling at night. I think I want some now too. Happy Birthday Duder!

Thanks!

2010-03-07T13:02:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to post some pics of the kids with some of the cute gifts/outfits they've received recently....for the gift givers benefit.

Sorry, this picture is of us at our family's 1st Pinewood Derby outing (Nate's in Cub Scouts, remember?) Owen has longing in his eyes for the day he will one day make his own, or make his dad make his own.

Thanks Hailey for all the fun stuff. Do you think they cooperate for these pictures? Of course not.

Sidney trying to keep her eyes open for the picture. Our camera is great at making them blink at just the wrong moment........aaaahhhh

That is one HOT dress. Sidney LOVES twirling in it! Can you tell she is very proud of it! And Owen.....is Owen. :)

Tanner is ONE!!!

2010-02-24T21:29:00.002-05:00

Owen would hardly stick his finger in his cake, so we had high hopes for this boy. Tanner exceeded all our expectations and dug right in. Right now I'm wishing the frosting was florescent orange or something so that it didn't blend into his skin color, and you could see it better.

And here's the final product..........

Happy, Happy Birthday Tanner! Here's to being a year older and a few pounds heavier after that feast.

PS - videos failed....I know, pretty lame. Sorry Bree and Grandparents. Aaaaahhhhh

Winter Wonderland?!*

2010-02-17T15:56:00.000-05:00

Here's a picture of Owen's quilt I made for his bed.

We're not sure we signed up to live in this snow-encrusted tundra, but it is what it is and we are trying to enjoy it......I guess. The icicles get crazy big and our muscles are too from all the snow shoveling we've been forced to do :)

Tanner didn't like his cage much, it would tip over and he'd get a good face plant. Sidney loves being in the snow and Owen is pretty much content sitting in the warm house watching a movie. I couldn't even bribe him to come outside....and why try? If he's much happier sitting indoors, I think we are too for now.

Balloon Wars

2010-02-05T13:03:00.002-05:00

crossing my fingers that this works...............

Party in a Box

2010-02-03T13:55:00.000-05:00

My mom sent a Valentines Party in a box and boy was it a PARTY!

Of course there was candy in it, but there were also balloons, everything to make fun cupcakes with, necklaces, and more candy!

Not only do they love bouncing and throwing them in the air, but their favorite activity is sumo wrestling each other with them. Sid and Owen went at each other with them for an hour probably. (I had a video to put with this post, but I can't get it to load - boo) I know what to buy if we're getting bored..... :)

Here's Sidney carefully placing on the sprinkles....

And not so carefully eating them! Yummo! Strawberry frosting to make them even sweeter.

Who can go without horsey rides at a party?

They had fun with this for a little while at least.

A Freakin Awesome Christmas

2010-01-25T13:34:00.000-05:00

What a classic Owen look.

Not too bad for a timed camera and a tripod.

Cute picture, eh? Guess I need to plan better on having color coordinating clothes everytime we see family - always some family picture.....

Peek-a-boo Tanner!

Basketball playing turned into kids play. Seemed that Sidney and Owen were determined to NOT let us have an adult game of anything.

Cookie making factory at its best. Nice mid air shot mom.

Yes, my mom did fill her entire cup with whipped cream and let her eat it.....oh boy!

Christmas Eve Pajama Picture!

Sorry Nathan, too good not to post. I don't think that glasses are your best look - maybe the moustache though :)

Getting some laughs playing Would You Rather.

And sledding to top off the trip. WOW! Way too much fun......

Still can't believe Dad likes going head first. A little risky with all that weight coming fast behind you?

Our 5th Anniversary Celebration

2009-12-20T19:03:00.000-05:00

On the 21st of December Telisha and I celebrate our 5th Anniversary. In the past 5 years we have been very busy: graduated from BYU a combined 3 times, had 3 kids in 2 1/2 years, etc. etc. etc. We decided in celebration of these memorable years we would take a trip to.......................

HAWAII!!

Here are a few highlights.

We left on Saturday the 12th to Seattle, and dropped the kids off at Telisha's parents house. The kids were great on the plane. We were very lucky.

Early monday we left for Hawaii. We stayed at the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel on Oahu.

This was the view shortly after we got there.

The whole weak was 75 degrees and sunny. AWESOME!!!!! I miss the beach. Now that we are home I miss it even more.

Tuesday we sat around on the beach all day. Just sat there. Lots of sunscreen, but very pleasant.

Wednesday we went to Hanauma Bay for some snorkeling. We didn't buy an underwater camera. But the fish were awesome. We finally got the hang of it right as we had to go, but we loved it.

Thursday was the Polynesian Cultural Center. YOU CANNOT VISIT OAHU AND NOT VISIT THE P.C.C!!!!

Friday we went parasailing and to Pearl Harbor. Loved it.

Saturday was our last day so we decided we would sit on the beach again and relax. So nice. 78 degrees. Partly cloudy. Amazing water. So nice. We loved being alone for the first time really since Sidney was born. We didn't really miss our kids while there but we were so excited to see them when we got home. Thanks Mom and Dad Berry for watching them while we were away!

Here's to 5 years!!!

2009-12-06T22:52:00.001-05:00

Can't go without a Thanksgiving pic. The girls you don't recognize are my sister Breanna (center) and some of her friends from D.C. We loved having them here!

This post is dedicated to the many sides of Owen. He loves to bite off the top/suck on markers. He loves sporting necklaces and the first hat he can find in the morning. He LOVES wearing his shoes and safety googles to bed. (He's since given it up a little bit)

Our lastest trip was to Canal Winchester where they held a Christmas festival. Hay rides, train rides, free balloons and hot chocolate. What more could you ask for? It was a great family outing even with the ever so present screaming fits, demands for candy and urgent trips to the bathroom - at the most inconvenient times (i.e. right when we get to the front of the line to get on the hay ride!) Merry Christmas....

Where did November go?

2009-11-24T22:48:00.003-05:00

Owen LOVED the Lowes class where he built this car garage with Nate. He is still wearing his goggles to this day....more to come on that.

Here's our Halloween

2009-11-09T20:00:00.004-05:00

I've realized that we don't take many pictures while we're out. I think it's because we're either too busy manhandling everyone, too tired to, or we just plain forget. So here are the few Halloween ones that we did take.

Sidney was a girl after my own heart. She ran as fast as she could from door to door, getting as much candy as she could - she eventually wore down (I could have gone another hour, darn those kids, hehe)....Owen was begging to get in the stroller by the time we were close to home - but don't kid yourself, he was all over getting the candy too. There was no way that he was letting Sidney get it all :)
We went with a new friend from the ward, Lizzy, and trick-or-treated from her house. Much safer.

We forgot to get a picture of Tanner in his "costume" the night of Halloween, so this was actually taken a week or so after.
The bath after Halloween, so fresh and so clean, clean....

One of Owen singing his guts out....He does this in church. Some people think that he's throwing a tantrum or something during the song. haha

Callings!

2009-11-08T23:17:00.002-05:00

Telisha and I got our first callings in a "real" ward today. We have been in the bubble of Provo married wards for a long time, but today we have been washed with a baptism of fire.

The callings are.....drum roll please...

Telisha: Primary Teacher for 6 turning 7 year olds.

Nathan: Cubmaster.

What does a cubmaster do? No idea. But we'll find out soon enough.

Anyways, we are really going to try and post something soon.

Nathan

We can blog again!!!

2009-11-03T18:36:00.001-05:00

We figured out our problem - our magic jack phone system was clogging the line I guess, so turn it off for a second and we can download - YAHOO! Aren't you all excited?

Can't download nothin'

2009-09-20T21:01:00.002-04:00

When I can figure out how to put pictures on our blog, I will. Aaahhhh, does anyone else have this problem? I can't get my blog to download anything lately. Sad day. I have pics of the house too.....oh well.

Oh so cute

2009-09-11T12:59:00.005-04:00

Tanner bombers is about 7 mo. now

Sidney loves to take pictures with our camera, so I told her that we could do a photo shoot today. She posed, and then she tried to help me get the boys to smile...Owen is a hard shell to crack sometimes...:)

Owen duders

What WE Did....

2009-09-04T22:03:00.007-04:00

So while Nathan and Owen were gone.....we did A LOT of shopping, and errands, and housework, and fixing things, and laundry, and arranging the basement, so we decided to take a break and visit the City of Columbus. Since we live in "the ghetto" we're only about 4 exits from downtown. Exciting, I know.

We visited the Statehouse there which is a really cool, old building. (I didn't do much reading about it, sorry.) But Sidney had fun going up and down the stairs and the elevator, so it was a successful trip. Sidney did the honors of taking most of these pictures on this post, including this one. Great job for being under 3 feet tall, don't you think?
The funny thing about her taking the pictures is that if you watch her it looks like she is really wobbly and crooked and that she isn't holding the camera very still. Yet somehow she gets it done. I haven't even cropped any of these.

Ok, so she didn't take this one.
The funniest part of this whole excursion of ours is that we got completely caught off guard by the rain and had to run the entire way back (at least 6 blocks) to our car during a lightning storm. We were soaked and laughing our heads off by the time we were safely in our seats. Overall Sidney, Tanner and I had a great time while Nathan was off galavanting (is that a word?) in the woods!

Weekend from Heaven!

2009-08-31T16:05:00.006-04:00

So, Telisha is the nicest wife in the world! Why? Knowing that we would only be in Ohio for 7 days before I flew out to Seattle, she bought me a plane ticket so that I could go out and visit HER family and have a weekend of offroading adventures. Her dad and brother, now 15, have 3 dirtbikes and recently acquired and ENHANCED a Jeep Wrangler. We have all been dying to get together, and Telisha was incredibly generous to let me go out for a week as a graduation present. So...Owen and I (he was free to fly) left Thursday early from Columbus, arrived in Seattle around 10:30 am, and showed up at the house at about noon. Landon, the brother, did not actually know we were coming and was incredibly excited that we showed up. We did not get up to the mountains until after Dad got off of work, but arrived at about 8:30 pm. We quickly set up camp and got to sleep.

Here is our camp the next morning before heading out. You can see the red Jeep in the background.

Here we are at the summit, where there is a sign saying that the pioneers passed through there on wagon in the late 1800's. CRAZY!!

This is just a large rock near a fish ladder.

Here I am driving up was is affectionately known as "Titanic". It is that steep for about 100 yards, plus roots and rocks all over. If you think the camera is tilted, think again. That is the trail we are driving up. CRAZY!! If you dont beleive me, look at the trees, particularly the one above the hood.

This is my favorite picture from the weekend. The wheels look like we are floating. That is me up top.

Here is one video of some of the stuff we went over. This is on a part known as "Devil's Snare". It is not that bad at the start of the trail, but the farther and farther into it you get the steeper and more it gets. You are sucked in and cannot turn around and go back. You must finish the trail. It is only about 10 miles but took us 2 hours. It may not look that impressive from the camera, but look at how the axels are moving around. Plus it is still really steep. Landon is 5 ft 10 inches tall. He is standing on the trail just 5-10 feet downhill of the Jeep and his head is below the bumper. Really crazy stuff. Dont try this at home.

This was the craziest section we went down. Depending on where you place the measurement device it is over 45 degrees steep. That is insane.

We asked Dad if he wanted to get out and look at it, but he said "Hmm, lets do it." So we did. Here is the video.

So it you are wondering why he took that thing so fast, we were wondering the same thing. He was riding his brakes really hard at the start, as you can see why. As we got close to the drop he was thinking, "What did I do? Why didn't I look at that first?" But it was too late. Then because he was riding the brakes so hard he was sliding, but did not want to do that. So he let off for just a second and when going back to the brakes ally hit the gas with his extra wide boots. Hence, the loud revving noises and the accelerating through the turn. Dont get me wrong, the man knows what he is doing. He has even built his own off-road vehicle from scratch (The Berry Bug). He has been off-roading his whole life. I could not believe what happened. Hence I am busting a gut at the end, and Landon looks back scared for his life. If you did not get any of that watching the first time, turn the volume way up and watch it again.

This is our one and only dirtbike picture, just at camp. All I will say is that we went down the same stuff on the bikes as we did the Jeep. CRAZY. Its a long story, but somehow I landed on a felled tree about 3 1/2 feet off the ground. CRAZY.

Overall the trip was AMAZING. I may never get to do something like that again, at least not for two whole days without any kids or obligations, just ride ride ride, laugh laugh laugh, ride ride ride. Thanks Dad and Landon for showing me a good time. Thanks Mom and Tiff for watching Owen while we were gone. THANK YOU TELISHA, for letting me go and treating me so well. I love you tons and cant wait to figure out a way to pay you back for this incredible gift.

Our House and Parties

2009-08-26T22:35:00.004-04:00

Nathan's 26th birthday was squeezed into all of the mayhem and chaos - we did all the partying at Red Robin (gotta love the free burger & sundae this time) Thanks mom/dad for the gifts!
Sidney helped me make a cake with what little baking items we had. We ate the cake at Red Robins first because we were all so hungry we couldn't wait until after the food - the kids liked it.

Here's the picture you've all been waiting for...what our house looks like! - at least one from the outside. We decided that this could have been taken 40 years ago and probably looked the same

The house is quaint and is growing on all of us. The kids love that they have their own rooms and that they can go upstairs to "hang out" by themselves. (little do they know that I love it more) We will have to post some before and after pics as we continue to work on the rooms, slowly but surely. The more we fix and decorate the house to our taste, the more I like spending time in it, I think. hehe Our hearts still love and miss Provo though, esp the people......

HA HA HA HA HA!!!!

2009-08-23T12:15:00.005-04:00

Well, it has been a while, but here we are, in the grand state of O-H-I-O! Columbus, to be precise. We actually PURCHASED a home, are excited to be here. The home post will come later today. But, we packed up our stuff on Thursday the 13th, cleaned the 14th and 15th, had a relaxing Sunday with the Pickups for lunch, Emily Phil Alisha and Austin for dinner, and PJ Hailey and the Pickups again in the evening. We left first thing Monday morning and made our trek out EAST.
Sidney, Owen and Tanner packed in the van with Telisha, and I started alone in the 26 footer. (Crazy big. I was pretty good with it by the time I returned it!) Before too long Sidney wanted in with me, and we traveled together most of the rest of the way. She learned to eat sunflower seeds, and together we finished a whole bag (she really did eat almost half though). We also tickled and "told secrets" to each other, and when going down a hill of any size put our hands up in the air and screamed like on a roller coaster.

Monday night we made it just past Sidney, Nebraska (9 hours). Motel 6 left the light on for us. We were out by 9 on Tuesday, and made our way to Davenport, Iowa (7.5 hours). Wednesday we left by 8:30 for our longest day (10 hours) and finally made it to our new place at about 10:30 pm. About an hour out we hit the craziest lightning and rain storm EVER. There was a tornado warning up in Michigan, and we felt the affects. For almost 30 minutes I was afraid for my safety. Lightning was going crazy, popping down every 20 seconds at most, no joking. It was banging so close that the clap was instanteous and it was nearly blinding every time. Welcome to the Midwest!

Members of our new ward helped us move in Thursday night, and we spent all night Thursday just trying to make room so that we could lay down and sleep. Since then we have not stopped unpacking, cleaning, removing the 960 pounds of garbage they left here that I had to get out of our place and take to the dump (couches, file cabinets, drapes, junk, etc.) buying groceries to stock up again, buying more furniture to fit our place, etc. etc. etc. I am really tired. BUT, we are here!!!!!!!

Why are we here?!?!?!?

I, Nathan O. Packard, am a Master of Science! I defended my thesis on Monday the 10th, spent the next 4 days and one completely sleepless, on campus night making some additions/alterations to my paper, and BARELY turned it in on time. Thursday at 2:35 pm was the deadline (library and grad studies office closed for commencement) for having everything done so that I could officially graduate in December and NOT HAVE TO PAY FALL TUITION. So...the paper was officially edited, printed (cost me $150-3 copies of a 200 page document, high def color on 27 lb bond paper, plus binding) and then turned in at.....drum roll please...2:34:45. A whopping 15 seconds before it was due. Wow, I was sweating like crazy when that was done. I was running all over campus all morning trying to get signatures, printing, etc, and barely made it into the office in the library as the lady was about to lock the door and leave for the day. WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW. But I made it, and I am now a Master of Science.

I have a minor in Math, a BS in Applied Physics, an MS in Mechanical Engineering, and am now preparing to start a Ph.D. in Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering at THE Ohio State University!

"T" only has to add that the driving was fun for the most part, but putting 3 babies to bed in one hotel room was NOT! I did have fun with Owen and Tanner in the van - my favorite part was trying to throw food at Owen two seat aisles away while driving. My aim consistently got better, but Owen still had trouble catching....I got pretty good at chucking food behind my back if I do say so myself. The funniest part though was when I would miss, or throw something and it would hit Owen and bounce off he was not very happy about it. I'm sure he was really confused at why mom was launching things at his face and teasing him because he couldn't reach it. We miss everyone already and will post future pics of the house.

Sidney sleeping for the first night in our house on her makeshift bed....she already feels at home.

This post is for Bree!!!

2009-06-27T22:45:00.004-04:00

Owen rockin' the glasses
Bridal Veil Falls is somewhere up behind us....

The water is cooooldddd!
The butterfly lights that Bree sent Sidney are a hit. She and Owen think they are the best and Sidney colored the butterfly that Bree drew right away. (It's the one behind her).

They light up her room great and she wanted to read her books by butterfly light tonight.

Some of the things going on.....

2009-06-24T23:00:00.007-04:00

Catching a Salt Lake Bees baseball game....
hanging out with our buds.....

Owen's chicken pox and other sicknesses.....

Wrestling anyone and everyone......

Having fun with mom.....usually!

Going to a Beauty and the Beast play - just with Sidney

Going to the pool, yahoowee
Riding bikes and scooters everyday....

Playing with Dad...

And..... Sidney's 3rd Birthday!!! I've never seen a kid so excited to open presents before - it made it so fun to watch her- and everyone there was thoroughly entertained. We love our cute little "grown up" redhead.

Tanner laughs and other fun pics

2009-06-04T15:14:00.005-04:00

This is how we roll....Sid is very comfortable, don't kid yourself
This was at the Gateway Mall water feature, Owen loved it!Sid did too, it was just a bit cold for her...

FHE at Trafalga - Owen is having his 1st motorcycle ride and wondering why Dad is squishing him so much

Sidney liked the rides whether or not we put the quarters in them - sounds good to me :)

Tanner laughing for the 1st time

Our Cute Kids

2009-05-08T17:19:00.008-04:00

Cute Tanner at 2 months

Owen just "bein' chill" - something that we're grateful he's good at

I love it when they get along.....and they're both occupied!

Tanner looks a ton like Sidney did when she was little, in this picture.

Sidney finds her lot in life - as a makeup artist!

2009-04-17T22:09:00.003-04:00

So we tried for about a month to get Owen to walk to us. He refused. Then one day last week he decided to let go of the coffee table and go for a stroll. He is getting pretty good now, and it is lots of fun to watch. Sorry to both sets of Grandparents that he did not do it while you were here.

p.s. We usually have Owens pants on . This does not happen often.

I hate making titles for these posts....it's just more of us!

2009-04-14T13:23:00.003-04:00

Owen and Dad both thought that this was a great sport

Owen's favorite snack, he'll work on one for hours. Entertainment that lasts longer than his toy cars.

Sidney hasn't quite mastered feeding Owen yet, but she did pretty well for the first couple bites. (I like that she has her mouth open, showing Owen what to do, hehe)

Yeah for new Sunday Easter outfits. Pretty spiffy, eh? (My mom made Sidney's dress cuz I'm not quite brave enough - she did an awesome job, and I think liked doing it, cuz all of her girls are grown and gone)

This is Sidney's new glamor pose

All the kids squished in the back of the Ford Taurus - so we traded it in for......

Our 05 Kia Sedona. Yahoo, all Minivan owners unite!

I think they like the extra space!? I know we do.

Enjoying Life

2009-03-14T23:15:00.006-04:00

My Dad loves his grandkids and can't stay away long.....
Uncle LANDON

Our attempt at casual family pictures was maybe even worse than casual, no one could hold still for even 2 freakin seconds!!!

This was about as good of a picture as we got....oh well for now.

Sidney and her Georgie

Thanks to my mom for everything that she did. She will never know how much she really did and how much I really love her, but she did do a lot and I do love her a lot. We all had so much fun with her here.

Tanner's blessing day

How cute is he?

Even better!... how cute are they?

Happy Birthday Telisha!!

2009-03-05T12:51:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday Telisha Marie Packard. Number 25!!! WWWOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!

Telisha is amazing!! She is an incredible person who makes me happier than I could have ever imagined. She is BEAUTIFUL (HOT!), and everything I could ask for. Incredibly talented!Amazingly determined and steadfast! Compassionate and caring! Intelligent and funny! Athletic (HOT!) and fun to be around! I love you so much, and cannot believe how lucky I am to have you!

Telisha, I love you, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

He's HERE!!

2009-02-23T20:09:00.006-05:00

Welcome to the world...

The ONE, The ONLY,

Tyrese Bentley Packard!!!!

No, really it's not that, although you all thought it would be (or some other black name)!

Officially, we present to you Tanner Bennett Packard!! For reals!

We checked in at the hospital at 8 am on Monday the 23rd. Pitocin, epidural, and ready to go. Things ran smoothly until about noon when the nurse broke Telisha's water while checking her. At about 1:40 she was a 5, and at 1:45 she was a 10!!! Awesome!! We were ready to go. The nurse was ready to get him out, and had Telisha push once really hard. He did not move, so we knew that we were going to need forceps, again! So, we waited 30 minutes for the doctor to get there and get all ready, and then get going with the delivery! He officially popped out at 2:28, weighing 7 lbs, 1 oz, and 20 inches long.

Telisha will probably give more details later on, but for now, here he is. We are excited for this new addition, yet slightly scared at the prospect of 3 kids! Wish us luck!!

Nathan

More Pics

2009-02-09T17:14:00.003-05:00

We love Grandpa!

Who had more fun, Sidney or Grandma?

This is a pose of her own doing

yeah for Grandma's pjs

This kid is a daredevil - went sledding like a pro and all by herself

Our little stud

I think Sidney won this one...

once again, proof that she is a brave one

Like father, like daughter

Just Pics

2009-02-09T16:52:00.002-05:00

Sidney's beautiful song!

2009-01-15T20:50:00.003-05:00

She is amazing, is she not?

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-28T22:45:00.002-05:00

So Christmas was a lot of fun. We were more excited to see Sidney open her presents than we were our own. We got her a Razor scooter (it has been snowing and raining nonstop though, so it has hardly been used!), a computer (those learning laptops, that she loves) and a bunch of other coloring stuff. She is still so loopy that early in the morning though, so we get better reactions about things now than we did Christmas morning. She also got a box of 6000 stickers from her Grandma (if you know Sid, you know she LOVES stickers).

Telisha and I got a bunch of nice things like clothes, etc. The other things were really cool, but only within our little circle. It would be hard to explain the purpose of humor behind the rest of it.

It has been really amazing watching Sidney learn so much while with everyone around. She is especially smart at learning the carols. She can sing Silent Night all by herself. With a small help she can rock the whole Jingle Bells, and she even picked up "The King song" (Hark, the Herald Angels Sing) just from listening to the rest of us. It was awesome when we went caroling with the fam and she did a solo of Silent Night. She was awesome and did it all be herself. What made it even more amazing was that she had the hiccups during the whole thing! Everyone tried sooo hard not to laugh hysterically while she was doing it, but we all had a great laugh after she was done. She is really quite smart, and was able to pick up words like "reconciled" all by herself!

It has been a fun break, even with all the snow. It has been record snowfall here in Seattle, and now that the snow is gone, it is raining worse than ever. So...we will see if we ever get out of the house!

Hope that all is well for everyone! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Christmas in Enumclaw, WA

2008-12-25T02:00:00.001-05:00

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2008-12-25T01:52:00.001-05:00

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Its been a while!

2008-12-05T18:52:00.004-05:00

So...Thanksgiving is over. I had a crazy week of school (it's almost over)! We have had tons of fun, just nothing really to post, so...

Here is a video of Sidney and Owen playing together. Owen loves just sitting and watching Sidney do her thing, but also loves it when she stops and plays with him.

Thanksgiving was fun. We had a Packard family turkey bowl in the morning.

Hailey taught Sidney how to ride the razor! She loved it so much, so we have to get her one for Christmas! By the way- to all the aunts out there, Hailey is currently sitting at #1. Sidney loves her! What can I say, time+attention=love=favorite aunt! Now that you know the recipe, babysitting slots are available for signup now!

We spent the rest of the day with Telisha's cousins.

What can I say, it was a great Thanksgiving. I ate a ton of food(dinner was at 2, did not eat again until the next day), watched a bunch of football, took a nap, watched more football, and hung out. What more do you want! The next few days Tiff (T's sister) stayed with us. We got our Christmas tree! Notice the highlight of the tree! Everyone should have a BYU football ornament on their tree! School is almost over! We are heading up to T's house (Seattle) for the holidays! We are excited for it to come!

NOTICE!!!

2008-11-05T12:28:00.002-05:00

I put two new posts on today(NOT COUNTING THIS ONE). Dont miss the second one. It is GREAT!!!

Halloween!!!

2008-11-04T19:14:00.004-05:00

So we had 3 halloween parties in less than 24 hours. And they were all the weekend before the darn holiday. WOW! Too much for me!!

Sidney really wanted to be Ariel (The Little Mermaid- she watches it at least once a week!) On her own, she decided that I should be Prince Eric. We then concluded that Telisha would have to be Ursula, and Owen be Flounder. So:

Telisha was awesome and actually made all of it. She found fishy fabric for Sidney's dress, sewed it all up, and then made tentacles for herself out of hosiery, newspaper and paint. I think I look particularly sexy with black hair and eyebrows! It was tons of fun.

The first was our ward party on Friday night. There was a cake walk, a skittle spit, and a small obstacle course. Sidney won "Best child Costume". She always wins! People can not resist. She is too cute. Telisha really wanted to cut Sidney's hair a month ago, but knew she needed the locks to make the costume work well.

Saturday morning was the stake primary (nursery) party. Similar to Friday night, but far simpler. T and I did not dress up!

Saturday night was Smith party (Telisha's cousins). It was also tons of fun. Lots of games. Lots of food. Got to see people we had not seen for several months.

Come Saturday late I was burned out. I did NOT want any more Halloween. Overall, it was tons of fun, and I am glad we did it. Telisha is awesome!

For Family Night on Monday we carved our pumpkin. It was fun. Sidney really loved it. She chose the shapes for each part. NOW, before I get any comments about the pumpkins color, please not that this pumpkin came from our garden. It got to cold this year for it to grow until the day it was cut, so...GREEN! We had another one of similar size and ORANGE, but as mentioned, it was too cold and the plants all died, and we had to pick them 2 weeks before. Consequently, the orange one rotted, and we were left with green. I think it looks pretty cool though!!

Lastly, I just thought this picture of Owen was awesome!

She recently stopped taking naps...

2008-11-02T16:56:00.006-05:00

About 2 weeks ago Sidney decided that she did not need naps anymore. She just sits in her bed, sing Little Mermaid songs, and tries to get out. We decided that she still needed alone time in her room (at least her mom needed her to have alone time) so she sits in there and reads books, plays, etc. Sometime there are some consequences to that decision. Halloween night-at 6 o'clock-she was eating at the table and Telisha looked over and saw this:

She was snoring heavily. We tried to wake her up, and the following occured:

We laughed hard. We did get her dressed up. Since Telisha was sick (another story), Sidney and I went alone for her first time. After several houses (all of which the ladies thought she was adorable) we were headed to the car and she said "Trick or Treat again?" She loved it, and we love it because now we eat most of the candy!

O-H-I-O

2008-10-20T17:18:00.007-04:00

So, this past weekend I flew to OHIO and attended the College of Engineering Gradaute Weekend at Ohio State in the lovely city of Columbus. I flew out Friday afternoon and stayed with a graduate student of the advisor I would like to work for (both student and advisor are LDS and former BYU guys). Saturday was the visitation day- nice place. Afterward I went to another students house (also BYU) and chatted with him and even went with them to their ward Halloween party. It was great fun, and I was stuffed. Sunday was chill all morning with church in the afternoon and then a 6-9pm flight home. On the way from Columbus to Chicago I had sat by a TCU alumni, who happened to be at the game on Thursday. OUCH. Great guy, super nice, but...darn TCU. He told me then that he was planning to be in SLC for the game against UTAH next week. Guy has money he doesnt know what to do with. From Chicago to SLC it got even better. I was next to a DRUNK Utah alum-did I need to include drunk? Is that redundant? :) - So...he was drunk before the plane, had two more drinks on the plane, and wanted more but the flight attendant was a champ and didn't let him have anymore as he was already super loud and bothering everyone within 10 rows. So lets just say that last 3 hours was more than obnoxious, but I made it home okay.
So-- Ohio State University. A great school. Incredible history in the field I would like to explore- Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering. I would get my PhD there. I eventually would like to work as a civilian in the military doing either weapon/missile design/testing, or jet engine design. Something casual like that. Anyways, it is the biggest school in the country (almost 70,000 at their main campus), it's really nice and pretty cool. It would be nice because the lab I would spend 85% of my time at is actually about 5-10 miles off campus, and near where we would probably live(Dublin, Arlington, Hilliard area). I do have some interesting observations/dilemmas-
1) I cant cheer for Ohio State Football. I just cant do it. It will take some time to adjust, but we'll see. They play both USC and TCU at home next year, and I would have to root for both of them. They are rabid fans out there. Over 50% of the men at the ward party were in full gear, and it was an away game that night. So...we'll see.
2) As far as I know, Loralee and Dave will be leaving the great state as soon as we get there. Bummer. It's too bad there cant be some overlap (although I have heard they are desperate to stay in Ohio!! hmmmm)
3) It seems like a really nice city. Lots to do, and not all that cold either. We'll see. It is far from home as well, but what do you do.
4) They are on a 1/4 system. The last term started Sept 21 and ends Dec. 8. Then they have 5 weeks off for the holidays and dont start again until the 10 of January. Crazy.

Anyways- it is likely that is where we will end up. I am also visiting Purdue (in Indiana), but I really like the research they are doing at OSU.

Leaving Ohio behind- one more thought. I hear all the time, especially from my wife and women generally, that they love this time of year. The leaves changing, wearing sweaters, scarves, and mittens. So awesome!
Bah humbug. I love summer. Sandals, shorts, t-shirts. Pools, beach, ahhhhhhhhhh. Bah humbug on cold weather, snow, and anything associated with that, EXCEPT of course, Christmas, Thansksgiving dinner, and most importantly football.
I know I may get a lot of fodder over this, but it had to be said. All in favor, say aye! All in opposition, I dont care!

Announcing......!

2008-10-10T12:19:00.007-04:00

Well we went to the doctor's Tueday morning (I know it's Friday already, I had a really busy school/work week) and we found out that we are having a ....BOY!!!!!!! Hahahahahahhahahahha!!

I have to say, Telisha was pretty sure that it was a boy, although she was non-secretely hoping that it would be a girl so that Sidney had a sister near her age to play with. But, the men will now outnumber the women, 3 - 2!! Sweet. The poll that was up is a bit dissappointing. I blame it on the assumption that most all of the people that voted were women (as they do most of the blog writing and checking). Correct me if I am wrong, but girls want girls. The only male vote that came from a male I know of is Brian Pickup, and this was a sure thing as he is "right 95% of the time!"

Anyways, due date is still the end of Feb, early march. It was the 27th of Feb. Ultrasound said 1st of march, my dad's bday is the 28th of Feb, and luckily it is not leap year next year. I guess if we just have #4 as fast as #3 then we should be about that time. Hmmmmm.....

Telisha is feeling infinitely better than the past two, which has made the time go a lot slower. We discussed it the other night and decided that is because we are only used to a couple of good months, and now that we have had those, we arent sure how to gauge the time anymore. But..we are EXTREMELY grateful that it has gone as well as it has!

Oh- I almost forgot. For those that aren't aware of our "game", we reveal gender, but not the name. Too much commotion if someone else you know likes the name, doesnt, etc. So...we tell people after the sucker is born, and a name is on the birth certificate, and then if they dont like it, sucks for them!! Now, we do give out the first letter of that name

......... and the letter is... T!

So...if you think you know what it is, take a stab. We wont tell you either way, but both Sidney and Owen were guessed before, so who knows. Good luck!!!

Aren't they cute?....devils!

2008-09-29T13:41:00.006-04:00

So...we havent been on for a while, mostly because nothing big has happened. School is going ahead, Telisha is getting a little bigger, and life is mellow for the most part. Owen has his 6 month appointment today, and next week we find out the gender of number 3!! WOW!! So...we are excited. BYU football is amazing. I told Telisha last night that if we get to the championship this year or next (I know its a bit of a long shot, but still VERY possible) that it would be killer on me not to go. She says I'm crazy and that we cant afford it. So...if anyone out there is interested in sponsoring me, that would be great!

Here are a few pics from our kids. They have been great most of the time. Sidney is full blown into the defiant "NO!" and that has been tricky for all parties involved. Also, she forgot how to sleep. We have had her in bed before 8 most nights, she lays there and sings Little Mermaid songs until 9:30, and then wakes up three times in the middle of the night. Last night she was up at 3:20, 3:45, and again at 4 and only went back to sleep because we threatened to take away Georgie (her most beloved stuffed monkey best friend). Add to that that Owen was up at 10:30 screaming(we made him scream himself to sleep), 11:30 (gave him a bottle), 3:30 (thanks Sidney) 5:30 (made him scream) and again at 7:30 when Sid woke up. So...lets just say we are really getting some great shut eye!

Anyways, we really do love our kids, but 3:30 am does not always bring out my best self. They are cute though! Oh, and our children cannot keep their eyes open with our camera's flash. We have a million pics(no joke, I've counted) that would have been amazingly cute except for one or both of them cannot keep their eyes open. So sad!!

Sidney's Bike

2008-08-28T13:56:00.006-04:00

So we got Sidney a bike for her birthday in June, and we are just now getting the hang of it. We knew in the store that it was to big for her (she couldnt reach the pedals) but figured she would grow into it soon. She loves her bike, but just had a really hard time with it. So...I made some modifications.

First the wood, so that she could reach. Even with the wood she still had a hard time keeping her feet on the pedals. So...I attached some plastic, and now she is a pro. Sidney and I go out about 2-3 times a week after dinner, and it is alot more fun now because it doesnt kill my back to push her around.

Joke's on YOU!

2008-08-20T18:29:00.005-04:00

Hahahahahaha. That was awesome! I told Telisha the other day that I wanted to put a picture of Sidney or Owen's 10 week ultrasound on the blog to see what people's reactions would be. I got some good ones, although not as many as I expected. Maybe not as many people read this thing as I thought!! Hmmm. Anyways, c'mon! Do you really think we are that crazy! That is a 10 week appointment, which would make baby #3 due on February 27th! Before Owen even turns 1! Hahahahaha! Sorry, I had to. I couldn't resist!

So...WOW!!! We really are having a 3rd baby! Wow, I said it again. We ARE having a 3rd baby! The due date really is February 27th, which puts Telisha at 13 weeks on Friday! AWESOME!!! We are REALLY excited. It isnt coming exactly as we had planned, but hey, what do you do? Sidney and Owen each took about 5 months, so we figured about the same on #3! Wow, were we mistaken. First month, first try! Go figure. So...we REALLY ARE expecting #3 on Feb. 27th. To put our situation in perspective (not that we are complaining, we knew what we were getting into- it just sounds bad when you think about it) We will have 3 kids before the following happen:
1) I get out of my Masters Program (we still have 3 years after that for a PhD.)
2) 6 months before I turn 26!
3) 4 days before Telisha turns 25!
4) 4 months before Sidney turns 3!
5) 3 weeks before Owen turns 1!

The bright side of it all is that we hope to be done with all our children by the time we're 30, so by 50 they are gone and we can be alone again! Woohoo!

We love our kids, we are excited to have more, and in about 6 1/2 weeks I will be posting gender pics as well.

For those who remember what the first 2 were like for Telisha, this one has been INFINITELY better. Not that she is feeling well, for the most part, but that she at least isn't throwing up multiple times each day. She has only had to once, so that has been a great blessing. I do all the cooking and dishes, but it is a welcome price to pay for her to not be nearly bed ridden for 3 months.

We'll keep you all posted as we go. Wish us luck!
Nathan, Telisha, Sidney, Owen, and ????????

So Cute!

2008-08-18T12:13:00.002-04:00

Vacation Fun

2008-08-06T13:48:00.012-04:00

On Monday the 21st we set out on an 8 day excursion with a 2 yr. and 4 month old. Day 1 was spent driving through the deserted wasteland we call western Utah and Nevada. The roads were small, as it took is the direct route to the eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park in California. We arrived in the park at around 7 pm, and were ready to settle for the night. The problem was that our reservation was a 1/2 hour outside the south entrance of the park. No big deal, I thought, it should only take about 1/2 to get through the park! The ranger quickly corrected me and said it takes 3 hours. Yikes. So...we got really lucky and found a site in the park for night number one, thus saving at least 3 more hours (probably would have been 4). Telisha thought it would be a good idea to braid Sids hair so it wouldnt be a mess all trip. Here is what she did!

Tuesday, day 2, was probably the worst/hardest/most challenging day of the trip. Sidney was a mess, Telisha wasnt feeling well, and the park is huge! If you really want to do anything, you have to hike at least a mile, and with a 2 yr. old, that can take FOREVER. We stopped for lunch at a little creek and ate and played in the water a while. After that was the 1/2 mile hike to the Yosemite lower falls. We thought, hey, 1/2 mile isnt bad. 1 and 1/2 hours later, we made it back to the bottom exhausted and incredibly frustrated with a 2 yr old that could not handle the 1 mile trip. Note to self, never again! We did see several other BEAUTIFUL aspects of the park, including El Capitan, Half Dome, Bridal Veil Falls, and the giant redwoods.

Wednesday, day 3, left us exhausted and feeling like another journey into the park would be more work than fun. So...we hung out at our campsite all day. A creek ran right through, so it was nice to bathe and was dishes, etc. Sidney finally learned how to entertain herself and just have fun in the outdoors, and the day was very relaxed and vacation-like.

Day 4, Thursday, had us out of camp at noon and driving to Matt and Annie's in San Francisco. Oh how I LOVE California. The weather was perfect, the city was great, and the company was obviously superb. We went to the "street market" they hold every thurday night, and it was awesome. Tons of local growers pull all stops to get their tree ripened fruit sold by the end of the night, so great fruit at a great price was awesome. We bought enough for the week!

Day 5, Friday, took Annie and Us and the babies to the Jelly Belly Factory a little outside of San Francisco. It was pretty cool, and we split 5 pounds of beans and other candies. Sidney loved seeing all the candy and was pretty good about the tour and getting her own sample bag!

Saturday was the highlight. We went into the city and enjoyed fishermans warf, a chowder bowl, some street performers, and other city stuff. We drove down Lombard street (the twistiest street in the country/world?), and then made it to a SF Giants game. The park is awesome, the weather was amazing, and I love sports, so...!

Sunday was relaxing, with morning church and an afternoon full of Make a Million. Unfortunately, the women swept the series, and the men weren't so happy with the cards they were dealt. In one game, the women got 17 of the 20 40's. Thats % 85! How are we supposed to win like that?!?

Monday was another travel day, leaving at 10 am and arriving at home sweet hot hot home at around 11 pm. We left the AC off, and it was scorching in the house when we got back. Overall it was a good vacation, but it left Telisha and I feeling like we needed a vacation!! :)

Here are the rest of the pics from the trip!

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What a Weekend

2008-07-08T12:27:00.008-04:00

We had a GREAT 4th of July weekend. It was one of those times when your kids are great, we have fun as a family, and everything goes well. We dont have tons of these with an infant and two year old, but when they come, they are great!

We started with the Provo Colonial days on center street. Pretty fun, with exhibits on lace making, blacksmith, etc. Sidney tried to reach but her arms are just too short (she is 20th% in height and weight, so...). This massive family band was on stage jamming to old folk and country classics. Sidney decided she was interested, and sat quietly and watched them perform nearly a dozen songs.

Thursday night we went camping up Provo canyon with PJ, Sean and their wives. We had foil dinners, corn on the cob, and smores. The next morning we found a spot to pull out the launcher (thanks berry fam) and clay pigeons and do some shooting.

I was the star as I pulled 10 straight. I could have done much more but the kids were done and we had to go :( But, it was tons of fun to shoot again and know that I still got it. Telisha pulled 3/5 twice, and was content with that.

Sidney decided that she should be able to shoot as well, so with my help she had a good time holding the trigger and looking down the barrell. She especially liked it when I let off about 10 rounds as fast as I could with the semi-auto! She laughed pretty hard!

Friday night at the missionary fields south of the temple brought games, homemade ice cream, bubbles, and fireworks. Sidney had lots of fun!

After a long sleep and lazy Saturday morning, we went up to Heber to ride the Heber Valley Railroad. The 1 & 1/2 hour ride through part of town and along the lake was great. Sidney loved to "Choo choo", watch the scenery outside, and even got to be the conductor for a while. Her reaction made the trip more than worth it. We took chinese chicken salad(thanks Mosers) and ate it at the station, then went to Dairy Keen (not a spelling error) for some ice cream.

It was a great weekend of relaxation and "wholesome recreational activities"! Families are forever, and kids are mostly awesome to have!!! :)

One last pic- Sidney sporting her July 4th hairpiece from her aunt Bree!

Go up, thou Bald Head!

2008-07-02T10:40:00.005-04:00

So as all know Owen was born with a full head of solid red hair. Telisha loved it instantly, and Nate had come to enjoy it.

Unfortunately, within the past few weeks his locks have slowly started to go away, and his hair line has receeded fairly far. It still didnt look so bad, until just last week when it started to really come out in near clumps.
Telisha was really distraught about it, so we decided to take matters into our own hands. To those who remember, it was kind of like when Grandma had cancer, and rather than let it fall out we had a "ceremonial" cutting. Rather than suffering through clumpy, patchy hair, we took the shears to it and gave him a new look.

He doesnt look the happiest in this one, but it's not because of the hair. It was really late and he was really tired.

We like his new cut, and hope that it will come back soon (but this time blond!!!)

We love our children, and hope that in the future they will have the long full locks that they deserve.

Happy Birthday Sid!!

2008-06-26T19:12:00.001-04:00

Sidney turned 2 on the 23rd. We had her party on Tuesday, and it was awesome. Sidney invited some of her friends over and they all seem to have had a good time. To start they made some coffee filter butterflies. Watercolors and clothes pins.

After the craft we had presents. Sidney got some bubbles, coloring books, a bike, a little camping chair, and her favorite, a little velcrow glove and baseball.

Lady bug and caterpillar cupcakes with ice cream were a massive hit!

After dessert we went outside and had a search for candy and bugs. Each of the kids got a little magnifying glass (Sidney seemed to have the most fun with it!!!) and went around and had a good time.

Overall it was Telisha's incredible abilities as a party planner and mother that made Sidney's party an awesome event!!

Happy Birthday Sidney

Weekend of Water

2008-06-18T11:51:00.000-04:00

On Friday, BYU had a term ending party with water, games, and free food. So we took Sid and had a good time. The highlights were the dunk tank and the "water slide". I got in the tank and Telisha went after it. It only took her 3 balls to sink me. She has quite an arm when she really wants to hit something :) Also, the "water slide" was fun with Sid and I. I pushed her the first time, and when she stopped she just laid there wondering what to do next. I had to go get her and tell her we should go again.

On Saturday some friends of ours invited us to the local pool/waterpark for a going away party. They had 2 adults slides, as well as a fun kid area. Sidney really enjoyed going on the "BIG Slides" with me. I'm proud that we've got her wanting to do things like that, as there were lots of other kids there older than her who werent that excited about it.

Here are a few picks at the park- T in the water, Sidney and I laying out, and another with Sidney and her friends Aubrey and Lucy just hangin'!

Seattle Dinner Nap

2008-06-12T19:07:00.000-04:00

After being up at 4 am to catch an early flight, Sidney was exhausted and we noticed her falling asleep at the dinner table. Sorry the video is so bumpy, I couldn't stop laughing! She tried even to put more food in her mouth, and it just fell right out!!

2008-06-12T19:04:00.000-04:00

This is us (Nathan, Telisha, Sidney and Owen) at my brothers wedding. What a happy family!

We did it!

2008-05-20T14:30:00.000-04:00

Hey all,
We have joined the blogging ranks! Hurrah for us! Join us if you would like!
N, T, S and O