9.17.08 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANCE

Lance and I making the frosting and cookies for his party.

I said, "Lance are you messy?" He said, "Yeah!" and showed me his hand.

"Cheese!" Lance loved all the attention.

"Oooooh!" Lance loved all of his gifts!

This year we had a really fun time celebrating Lance's birthday. He turned 2 years old and had a "FAVORITE THINGS" themed party. His favorite 3 characters and Curious George, Nemo, and Elmo. So everything was based around that.

The curious George Cookie. Lance had been eyeing this for a while!

Finally he gets to eat it!

Nana watching Lance put together his new puzzle!

I made birthday cookies with Curious George painted on one of them especially for Lance. I also set up a few games for the younger kids to play. The games included : Pin The Nose On Elmo, Fishing With Nemo, and Color George. The kids seemed to like the games and it was really cute to watch them try to understand the rules and play.

Lizzy and Ali Coloring George.

Fishing with Nemo. They "caught" little cookies!

The kids playing Pin the Nose On Elmo.

Lance is helping Lizzy put on the blindfold.

We set up Rock Band on the Play Station II for the adults to play while the kids played their little games. The kids eventually ended up in the living room with the adults and wanted to play Rock Band too!

Lance, Ali, and Lizzy playing Rock Band.

John, Johnny, Lance, and Nana.

Lance got a lot of great gifts this year and was very excited about all of them! He got lots of fun books (he loves to learn and read), puzzles (which he can actually do by himself and he LOVES), 2 DVD's - Curious George the Movie and Finding Nemo, a basketball hoop, a tricycle (still a little too big, but he'll grow into it), and winter PJ's and clothes!

The gift that Mommy and Daddy (especially Mommy) was the most excited to give Lance this year was a Potty! =) Now that Lance is 2 he got all the potty training gear you could think of! He got his own potty that Lance and I decorated with George, Nemo and Elmo. He got his own step stools and soap. He got training pants and a chart and stickers to reward Lance with every time he goes potty on the toilet!

Lance was actually VERY excited about this gift and understood that it means he is getting to be a big boy. A couple of days before his birthday while we were decorating all of the potty gear he actually said, "Mommy, potty in the toilet?" and he started taking off his clothes. I thought, why not?! So we took off his clothes (Lance feels that to go potty on the toilet he needs to be naked) and he sat down and went! Wow! I couldn't believe that he really did it! He was so excited that he started jumping up and down yelling, "Potty on the toilet! Potty on the toilet!"

Mommy showing off her baby bump!

Lance is going to be such a great big brother.

He is growing up so fast and really is becoming such a big boy. He is so cute and so much fun. At his 2 Year Well Child check-up they weighed and measured him like they always do and he is STILL in the 90th percentile for head size! =) He is actually in the 75th percentile for height and 50th percentile for weight. Tall and thin... that is what the doctor said. We don't think he looks very thin but that is probably just because he in the 90th percentile for head size and still is sporting those cute chubby cheeks!

Lance we LOVE YOU!!!

9.01.08 - WORKING ON THE YARD

Lance trying to be strong like Daddy.

The latest project at the Bennett home is a big one. one of the reasons we bought this home is because it has a 3/4 acre lot and the front portion is big enough to be sub-divided and eventually sold as a separate lot. The house didn't have a sprinkler system and actually had a goat that lived in the front yard... strange I know.


Tractor Allen's orange tractor.

So, there is a lot of work to be done. The yard is basically just weeds and needs to be ripped out, a sprinkler system needs to be put in, the driveway needs to be ripped out and a new one poured in a different location. 2 trees need to be removed, and the water and sewer lines need to be set up for the new lot... wheew! That's a lot of work! Not to mention planting grass, some flowers, and making the exterior of the home look presentable.


This hole was right outside our front door and was at least 8 feet deep.

That is the project. Michael found this really nice retired man who owns a bunch of farm equipment that has been helping us. Lance calls him Tractor Allen because he has an orange tractor that he has been driving around our yard to rip up the weeds, even everything out, and move dirt and rocks. Allen is really nice and has given Lance a few "tractor rides" (which Lance of course loves and requests often).


Michael chopping down 2 trees.

Lance has really enjoyed watching the "guys" (as he calls them) working in the yard during the day from his bedroom window. It is nice because it keeps him quite entertained!


There used to be 2 trees right here...

Michael has been putting a TON of work in on the yard and has been doing a lot of it by himself when he comes home from work at night. He will set up his bright tri-pod light outside and work until 11:00 PM. He is amazing. I don't know how he does it. He works for 3 different people, is a scout leader, and a realtor and still finds time to do so much in the yard. He has basically trenched and installed all of the sprinkler system (and this is his first time ever learning)! He has also bee working a lot on the driveway. We ripped out the old driveway and broke it into pieces (using tractors) and now Michael is laying it on the South side of our house to create a boat pad and also laying it along side the new driveway to make it wider and more decorative. It looks so great and I can't believe that he has done all of it by himself!


Looking out over our front yard.

It is pretty funny because since all of the yard work has begun Lance has started calling his Daddy "My Michael." It is so cute! I think the reason he picked up on it is because I will call for Michael to come and eat dinner and say, "Michael! Michael!" so I can figure out where he is (because it is usually dark outside). Lance will copy me and yell, "Michael, Michael are are you?" (translated to "where are you?"). Now Lance will call him by his first name on a regular basis and almost always calls him "My Michael."


This is the driveway they are about to rip out.

I am so grateful for my hard-working husband. He does so much and never complains. He is such a good man and a great father... I am so lucky. =)

8.01.08 - SNEEKY SNEEKY

INTO TROUBLE AGAIN

Lance is tall enough now that he can open up the drawers in our bathroom, pull out whatever he wants, and try to be like Mommy and Daddy.

He loves to reach in, pull out Michael's deodorant, and put it under his arms. It's funny because my deodorant is right next to Michael's and he never once has reached for mine. He wants to be just like his Daddy!

One thing of mine that he does find intriguing is my mascara. This is the second time I have caught him on camera with my mascara all over him! His hand-eye coordination is improving at least... last time he mostly had it on his cheeks and tummy!



Lance is really starting to speak well and can tell us just about anything. He will even tell other people about the things he has done during the day. He often will want to talk on the phone to whoever I am talking to and he will tell them about his activities. Here is an example of a typical conversation...



"Hi Nana (or Grandma, or Collette, or Katie). I ooove you. I see George! Mommy... Rolley Polley come out please! On my hand! I play Lizzy-Ali house!..."

Translation = "Hi Nana! I love you. I watched the Curious George Movie. Mommy and I played outside with the Rolley Polley bugs. They roll up and I say "come out please!" until they unroll and walk around on my hand. I also played at Lizzy and Ali's house today..."

He gets so excited to tell people about his day and he is pretty good at talking on the phone. He definitely knows all of the family members and often asks for them by name. He will say, "Aunt Becca - Angie go?" (Where did Aunt Becca and Angie go?) or he will say "Gama home?" (When is Grandma coming home?). or "Nana - Papa's house?" (Can we go to Nana and Papa's house?).

Angie moved in with us a little while ago... so she and Becca share a room and Kathy still has her room. I counted today and we have 7 adults and 2 babies, not including the one on the way, living in our house right now! Wow! It's a good thing we all get along! =)



He really is so spoiled and loves to be with the Covey's and Bennett's. He will even walk around the house looking at the family photos and point and everyone and tell me there names. I am so glad that we live here and that he has a relationship with all of his grandparents, aunts and uncles.


IT'S A GIRL!!!

At my 18 week appointment we had another ultrasound done to see the status of the tear and take a look at the baby.

Baby looks good and they were able to see the gender... A GIRL! We are so excited! I thought that it was going to be another boy (because having a boy is all I know!) but Michael thought that it was going to be a girl all along. He was right and I am very, very excited!

Michael teases me that the only reason I'm so excited for a girl is because I can pretend she is my little doll and dress her up. Exactly Michael! But it won't be pretend, it will be real!!!! =) I was such a girly-girl when I was little, it will be fun to see what this little one is like. I am already imagining what she will look like and planning on all of the pretty blankets and bedding I am planning on making. I definitely have time on my hands, so I will put my sewing skills to work.

The ultrasound came out looking really good. The tear looks about the same and our baby girl looks healthy and happy. Everything looks to be developing well and there are no problems with her. We are so grateful and pray that my body will hold on long enough for her to be born and to be healthy.

I am still taking it really easy at home and I spend a lot of time reading and sewing. I am finally able to eat more than just cold cereal for every meal (literally) and it's nice not to feel so sick. I am still definitely very sensitive to smell and we actually do all of the cooking in the garage so the smell doesn't linger in the house all day!

Kathy has been so incredibly helpful and has done all of the grocery shopping, cleaning, and a lot of the cooking too. She also hangs out with Lance in the mornings so I can sleep and is always willing to help me out in any way possible. She has been my angel. I am so grateful that she lives with us. Thank you Kathy!

7.04.08 - SUMMER FUN & EXCITING NEWS

SWIMMING WITH THE FETTERS

Ali and Lance trying to keep warm... they are so adorable.

This summer Lance has been able to spend a lot of time with "the cousins" (Lizzy, Ali, and Aiden Fetters) and has just loved it. He loves playing with other children, especially his fun, and sometimes crazy, cousins... the Fetters! We went to the Scera Pool in Orem a few times and it was a lot of fun. Lance loves the water and he tries to be like his older cousins and do all the fun stuff they do. I think it has helped to build his confidence and give him the desire to try new things (like jumping off the ledge into Mommy's arms).

Ali putting Lance in the choke-hold and Lance puckering up for a kiss!

The choke-hold was meant to be more of a hug... Lance understood.

Ali and Lance are only a year apart and they are so cute together. They are close to the same size and love being together. Lance will be at home with me and say, "Mommy, Lizzy-Ali house?... Peeeease?" He always wants to be with his cousins and it is so fun that he is old enough now that he can specifically ask for them by name.

BOISE WARD FRIENDS GET TOGETHER

Scott & Natricia, ___ &___, and Michael playing cards.

Some of Michael's friends from childhood through high school (many were in his ward) decided to get together and reminisce old times. Michael, Lance and I drove up to Boise and got together with these friends:

Scott & Natricia
Kevin & Hailey
Cameron & Lori
Jeremy &
TJ & Summer
Jared & Nikki
Holly & Dan
Tracy & Tony
Monte & Patti

It was really great to get together. I actually learned more about my crazy husband and heard some pretty funny stories. Nothing too surprising. But very funny none the less!


Monte Christopherson and Lance became instant friends.
They were playing a game where Lance would take whatever Monte had with his teeth!


FELT FAMILY REUNION

Lance in Daddy's sunglasses.

This year for the Felt Family Reunion we all got together up in Park City, UT and stayed at the 2 Marriott Hotels located there. It was so great to be together with all of the Felt Family again and spend a few relaxing days enjoying each others company. We got together at a park, swam in the pool, played tennis, and enjoyed the beautiful outdoors of Park City.


Lance is very sweet. He found this Lady Bug, thought it was hurt, and was trying to "kiss it better."

Tammy and Kirk Williams out on a great devotional the morning of the 4th of July. We talked about this wonderful country that we live in and also focused on remembering Grandma Felt. We all shared memories of her and Grandpa and spoke of how fortunate we feel to be a family and have so many blessings.


Michael and Lance in the hot-hot sun at the Mariott Hotel pool in Park City.

They even brought cinnamon rolls and milk to share for breakfast tin remembrance of Grandma. Kirk and Tammy went from Bakery to Bakery test tasting every cinnamon roll for miles around until they found one that was similar to Grandma Felt's.Of course the cinnamon rolls were good... but not nearly as good as the "real" cinnamon rolls.

Also on the agenda of activities was a Family Talent show. My brother and sister, Johnny and Katie, were the hosts and it was really great and funny. Lots of the younger children sang or danced or played the piano. Johnny did his "magic show" where he sings his own theme music, makes his thumb disappear and other funny tricks like that. I actually had a talent too... more like an announcement really... I'M PREGNANT!!! =)


EXCITING NEWS... BABY #2 ON THE WAY!

I am 3 months along and finally sharing the news! Michael and I already told our immediate families (which we didn't do with Lance until I was 3 months along) but I have been so sick, and Kathy and Becca are living with us (so even if I didn't tell them I'm sure they would have guessed) so we decided to let the family know.

I have been pretty apprehensive about this pregnancy all along and just found out about a week ago that I have some complications that may last my entire pregnancy. I have had some pretty serious bleeding and through an ultrasound the doctors were able to see that I have a subchorionic hemorrhage that measured about 8cm wide, 8cm long, and 4cm deep (that is really big for such a small baby). This basically means that there is a tear between the uterus and the amniotic sac. The baby looks great and unaffected by it, but it can be potentially dangerous to both the baby and I if the tear gets bigger. Dangerous for the baby because it could continue to tear and cause a miscarriage, and dangerous for me because if that does happen I could loose a lot of blood (which is bad because it wouldn't take long for it to be fatal). So, pretty scary.

I have been put on bed rest in order to keep us safe. That means no lifting of anything heavier than a gallon of milk, being careful not to take too many steps, or walk up and down stairs, or have any pressure put on my stomach, or strain my body in any way. So, that doesn't leave a lot that I can do but at least I am not confined to my bed. I can walk around the house and make meals but I have to be very careful. I'm sure I'll have read a lot of books by the time this pregnancy is through!

My OB is my uncle, Ryan Jones. He is one of the best and most well known doctors in Utah Valley. I was pretty hesitant to have him be my doctor (because he is my uncle) but I kept having the feeling that I should. I feel so lucky to have him as my doctor and he has been wonderful. He is just the doctor I need because I know he will look out for me, will tell me the truth and what to plan on, and won't let me get too worked-up over little things.


INTERESTING APPETITE

Digging in.

The other day I asked Lance what he wanted to eat for dinner. He walked into the pantry, pulled out the peanut butter, sat in the middle of the kitchen floor and said, "Mommy spoon peeease." So, I got him a spoon and Michael and I watched as he opened the lid of the peanut butter, scooped a huge spoonful and ate it!


Big bite!

It was so funny. We just stood there and laughed at our crazy little boy. We got him some milk and he sat there for quite a while enjoying his peanut butter and milk. An interesting dinner, but we've seen worse.


Wash it down with milk.

MODELING FOR MOMMY

A typical summer day. Shorts and a tee shirt.

Every couple of months I get this urge to pretend to be a professional photographer (although I have never taken one course) and to take multiple pictures of Lance. He changes and grows so fast that I want to be sure to document everything (and I think he is so cute and we could never have enough pictures of him).

So here are the latest "model shots" at our front door of our home. Lance has always been good at looking right into the camera, even when he was just a baby. He actually really likes having his picture taken and says, "Cheese!" when he sees the camera (even if it's not on).


Reaching for the camera so he can see the digital image on the back.

He is getting to the point now where he understands that the digital picture will show up on the back of the camera and he doesn't want to wait for me to take the picture in order to see the "little picture" on the back. In the picture above he is starting to get upset because I want him to stand still for a minute so I can take his picture and THEN I will let him see the picture. He still doesn't quite get why he has to sand still first. =)

5.01.08 - FAMILY TIME

KING LANCE

Wearing his usual "hat"



Sitting on his throne.

Lance is continuing to grow and learn and it is so much fun. He just gets more animated and smarter by the minute. For quite a few months now he has loved when we call him "King Lance."

Lance loves anything that is his size. The lip of the wood burning stove is a perfect height for him to sit on... so he often does. It lookes like a little throne when he sits on it, so we started calling him King Lance. He picked up on the nick name and would say, "Mommy... King Lance!" whenever he would sit on it. He also says that whenever he stands on something tall or climbs into something. It's so funny.


Lance also thinks that anything that could possible fit onto his head belongs there. He loves to put his cereal bowl on his head, even if it still has cereal and milk in it... and is constantly saying, "Mommy, Daddy... hat!" He is so proud when it puts on a "hat" and loves to show us. He has been known to pull things out of the cupboards, find baskets, boxes, or anything else and run around the house yelling, "Hat! Hat! Hat!"


BOATING IN HURRICANE

Lance gets pretty spoiled when with Papa & Nana...
Nana, Jacob, John & Christine, Papa, Katie, Camille and Lance


Michael has been dreaming of a boat for a long time now (probably his whole life) and was finally able to get one! For the last few months of 2007 he did a TON of research on boats and search online for a long, long time until he found a killer deal and an awesome, brand new boat!

Michael arranged for the boat to even be delivered to our door-step so it would be ready to surprise the new owners on Christmas morning! Wow! Way to go Michael!


Twinkies... that is all Lance ate all afternoon.
Michael showing off his skills on the wakeboard.

There are 4 partners for the boat. Us, John & Kathleen Covey, John & Christine Covey/Dave & Tessla Welch, and Aaron and ____ Webber. We each get 1 week a month to claim the boat and we are able to swap weeks, weekdays and weekends as needed. It has been so great. Having partners is the way to go because we all get to split the cost, the gear, and everything else. It makes it much more affordable and do-able.

We have just LOVED the boat and decided to take it out as early as possible! We thought that it would be worth a trip down to the warmer weather of Southern Utah just so we could try out our new boat! It was so much fun!


THANKSGIVING POINT

Lina's daughter Ann, her sister, Nana, Camille, Christine, Johnny and Lance.
Lance kissing Ann on the cheek. He knows her name and will ask for her!


After Grandma Felt passed away Lina had her daughter and sister come to visit her from the Phillipines. We spent the afternoon with them at Thanksgiving Point at the Animal Farm and had a wonderful afternoon.




Lance and little Johnny got to hang out together, look at farm animals, and ride a little horse! These two boys are so cute and I am so excited that they are so close in age. They will be best buds for life!





Lance really loves animals and making animal noises. He knows a lot of different animal noises (even though he doesn't know what half of them look like) and it is so cute to "quiz" him and hear him make the sounds.

These are the animals he knows:


Cow - Moooooo!
Horsie - Nhaaaaaaa! (he even makes his voice shake)
Monkey - Oooohh Oooohh Eeehhh Eeehhh! (while scratching his tummy and head)
Sheep - Baaaah (shaking his voice)
Squirel - (smacks his lips together)
Puppy Dog - Ruff Ruff!
Kitty Cat - Meooow Meoow (which also usually includes licking)
Goat - Baaaah (shaking his voice)
Donkey - Heee Haaww! (he learned that today!)
Owl - Hooo Hooo!
Gecko - (sticking out his tongue and spreading out his fingers)
Snake - Ssssssssss (pretending his hand and arm are a snake)
Frog - Ribbit! (squating and jumping)
Fishy - "swimming swimming" (and sometimes doing fishy lips)
Bunny - "hop hop" (and hopping)
Ducky - Quaack Quaack!
Chick - Cheep Cheep!
Turkey - Gobble Gobble Gobble! (flapping his arms and turning around in circles)

... there are probably more but that is all I can think of at the moment!