San Diego!

If any of you have been around Alex the last couple of months, he probably told you about going to SAN DIEGO!  We told him a little too early, but the day finally came and we were off!

The first day we drove up to Liz and Ethan's church had saw their little girl Madeline Rae get blessed.  She is adorable (sorry the picture is far away) and it was SOOO fun, and completely surreal to see Liz again.  We lived together for my whole college experience, except the one semester I was married.  She is still the best hostess even with a newborn and her and Ethan have one cute little girl!
The rest of the trip was filled with SeaWorld, Wild Animal Park, the Zoo and of course beaches.  This top picture is after the dolphin show at seaworld, if you look at the hair and our shirts you'll see that we're totally soaked!  WE were in the "wet zone"  The below picture is Al feeding the Lorikeets...his highlight.
And the beach!  Does anyone know how to get fine sand out of swimsuits, blankets, towels, and hair?  I don't!  Lydia rolled in the sand like it was her favorite blanket..she even kissed it and licked it, YUCK!  And Alex enjoyed the water a little more, but got his fill of sand in the mouth and every other place.  I'm sad to say that I wasn't able to recreate his "perfect" sandcastle the whole trip...maybe papa can do that with him when he's older :)

We had lots of fun, happy to be back, and not too sunburnt.  Good trip

gymnastics

Alex had a gymnastics class this spring, and they ended with a little show for all the parents and grandparents.  I forgot to invite all the grandparents (oops!) so this blog is for you!

           Balance beam kicks, and flipping on Alex's favorite thing, the monkey bars!

Above is an action shot of Alex doing a summersault.  This took him about 6 weeks to learn, so Dave and I were cheering really loud here :)
And he got a ribbon and stamps on his score sheet...that made him proud too.
About a week earlier Alex told me that he didn't like gymnastics and we even left a little early before stickers and stamps (that's a big deal).  So we probably won't be doing it again any time soon.  I was amazed by how some little girls could do flips and jumps with little to no effort.  Alex would try and try and could hardly pull himself up on the monkey bars...I think he's got genetics against him on being a gymnastics star :)

Utah

          We started this weekend with Jaynie's graduation from CU Denver nursing school.  It was full of stormy weather and excitement when the chairs would blow over (it was outside).  So the kids paid attention for longer than expected.  Then, when the weather got too bad, they moved it inside and we decided to leave before actually seeing Jaynie get her diploma.  I heard she still got it.

  Then we drove to Utah and got in around 12:30 am.  Why such crazy hours?  Because we wanted to spend as much time as possible with Weston Mauger...our new little nephew :)

Adorable isn't he?  He was blessed on Sunday and we actually managed to get an OK picture of the whole family with their eyes open.  Which is a feat for the Mauger side.
Then on Memorial Day, before driving home, we took a quick trip to the grand metropolis of Tooele to visit a couple old roomies.  Here are me, Anne, and Jenn...we lived together my junior year (Jenn is sure it was our sophmore year, but she just took longer in school :)  And Jenn's little baby Maddy.
Then we drove back home and got in around midnight.  Our kids did great, the weather was terrible and we loved seeing everyone.

Lydia's Birthday

  Lydia turned 1 year on the 15th (thursday)  I failed to post anything because we somehow totally forgot to take any pictures of her at her actual birthday party :)  We got video, and I know some of my family got pictures, so we'll be good.   Now that she's a little older we're starting to see her personality.  Mom and Dad say she's Kendra's child, which is good because Dave's parents always say that Alex is Dave's child.  So, now we both get what's coming to us :)

    Lydia has no fear.  She'll climb, try new things, and talk to anyone who will listen and smile.  She's is EXTREMELY social, only acting shy for a moment to flirt.  She'll eat anything!  Even sidewalk chalk, rocks, dirt, and tree buds that fell on the ground.  (Don't judge me!  She's fast!)  She also is sure that she can not just walk but she can run, jump, swing, and kick.  Her confidence is astounding!  She's slowly getting more hair, which is mostly just exciting for me.  And, like Alex, she loves being the center of attention :)

You've done well, my young grasshopper

Dave finished our bathroom!!!  Sorry we don't have a before picture, but here is the final product!  Picture a blue toilet and sink, an old metal window, a mildew covered old glass shower door, a smaller shower where the base is uneven so there's always a pool of water in the shower, and huge water stains on the linoleum (sp?), that dripped through the floor onto our TV downstairs....yuck!  Was that a good enough picture for you?

  The biggest thing is that we didn't actually hire anyone to do this!  Dave did it with lots of help and advice from Gary and Ed...but I'm very impressed.  I now call him master craftsman :)

Pictures!

            Alex found that Lydia sometimes has some good ideas...this was her house until he moved in.  She looks OK with it though :)

           It's beautiful here in Colorado, we even got a little sunburnt.  This is in our backyard.

   This last picture is really only for Jen, although everyone can look :)  She wanted to see a picture of the living room after I finished all the walls and the couch and piano bench.  There ya go Jen!  

Lydia Walks

Yup, the title is true! Enjoy! The end is precious :)

Tagged, yet again :)

Rules

1. post rules

2. answer questions

3. tag 5 people

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?

    I just started work at Arvada Vision Clinic, was driving an awesome little blue Ford ranger, and was teasing one of my friends that they had a crush on that dorky band guy named Dave Mauger.  We were also getting ready to go on the church trek.

2. 5 things on your to do list today

      Go to gymnastics for Alex

      Visit Grandma

       tape and mud the bathroom (we're tiling)

       Sign Alex up for preschool

       Clean clean clean

3.  Snacks I enjoy

      cereal

      brownies

      pretzels & apples

4.  What would I do if I were suddenly a billionaire

     We would buy a villa in Italy and live there every summer, inviting friends and family to stay with us when they were able.  And we'd also travel the world.

5.  3 bad habits

     playing with my hair

     picking at sweets until they're completely gone

     taking on too much

6.  5 places I've lived

      this is hard, I'm pretty limited (don't laugh!)

   14825 W. 49th Ave Golden, Colorado

   5179 Arbutus st., ARvada, Colorado

    Helman halls, provo, utah

    Campus plaza, provo, utah

    Villa Rose, provo, utah

7.  5 jobs I've had

     Construction clean-upper (that's the technical name)

     File Clerk

     Opthalmologist technician

     Waitress

      Medical Coder

8.  5 things people don't know about me

     I don't own any white socks

     I sleep in flannel pajamas year round (lucky Dave eh?)

     I don't wear makeup, except mascara

     I completely idolize my brother and sister

     I'm not afraid to try anything, ever.

I tag...Erica Wilkinson, Catherine Hatch, Michelle Talley, Ellen Alleman, and Ann Marie Nebecker

new old couch

  I went a little crazy this week and decided to reupholster one of our old couches (actually Gary and Jaynie's old couch)  I don't know how old they are, but they're still in great shape underneath the old fabric.  And I even found a couple of Michelle's old toys in there.  It was pink, so I'm hoping that's not Dave or Steves'

So, at the top is the old couch, then below is what the internet guides call the pull out your hair and scream stage :), also known as the "what have I done"  or, "what have YOU done " in Dave's case
And here's the final product!  Yea, the wall is different, when I started putting on the new fabric I had to switch the whole room around...it's very Zen now  :)
If anyone else wants to try this, it is SOOOOO easy! Just takes time.  You just take off the fabric slowly and keep it in it's original form and it's your pattern for later.  I barely needed a sewing machine, just a staple gun!

Kite festival

  We had a kite festival here in Arvada again this year.  This is by far my favorite festival because it's always beautiful weather and it's totally free!  (Dave is still rooting for the Italian festival).  We got to go with all the grandparents this year, which made it even more relaxing than sitting on the grass looking at kites in the air already is!
We kind of messed up and didn't actually bring a kite, so we went to the food booths to see if any smart minded business man had set up a kite booth.....no such luck.  (I know, next year it's mine!) But they did have a booth where little kids could make their own kite.  Alex's is a paper ladybug with bamboo skewers and a spool of thread.  It worked out alright, and Al thought it was amazing :)  Dave's trying to get it higher than himself in the picture above.

  And this is what sweet Lydia did the whole time :) Or, almost the whole time...was just look in the sky at the 30 or so kites.

A pokey Easter

Happy Easter!  The kids actually did have really cute easter outfits, but I never got a picture with them in....but here is the MAJOR hunt with the cousins.  Jason, Melissa and I (Kendra) hid around 130 eggs.

  

And then of course we had to dye 3 dozen more for sunday mornings' Easter bunny egg hunt (We go a tad overboard :)  Alex didn't understand why we put eggs into the dye and not our hands, so he didn't last long.

   And last, we are dog sitting this week and Alex is so in love with the dog that he tells perfect strangers at the store how we just bought a dog this week that will stay with us forever.  As you can see, this dog happily takes any form of torture Alex can dream up.  And Lydia is the perfect size for some serious face licks...lovely.

Backache

  We had a crazy Thursday here.  Early in the morning Lydia woke up and Dave went to get her.  At the top of the stairs Dave's feet slipped, he landed on the top stair and dropped Lydia, and they both went tumbling.   The whole fall I hear "bump, bump, bump" and  "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!  I'm sorry!"   At the bottom of the steps I found Lydia laying on her belly and Dave trying to pick her up.  I grabbed Lydia and Dave rolled onto his back asking about Lydia but barely able to breath because he was in pain.

    I took Lydia to the couch and checked for broken bones or bruises or blood and she was already smiling at me.  She was perfectly fine except for a tiny bump on her lower eyelid...you can kind of see the carpet burns here (our stairs are carpet)

   So, I go over to Dave, who is still on the floor and tell her she is alright and he is rolling on the floor in pain.  I ask him if he's OK and he all of a sudden stiffens and starts trembling and gets red in the face.  I start yelling his name and there's no response.  I'm crying and yelling and decide to call 911 and finally he looks up at me and asks me why I'm so sad.  He also says his back hurts.  Although Dave is still insisting he's fine I call 911 anyway and they take Lydia and Dave away in an ambulance, Dave on a huge backboard with neck braces and all.  Alex and I follow in the car.

   The whole time Alex was having a blast.  He drew pictures for Dave while he was on the floor, he kept telling me it would be OK, and he kept shouting "follow that ambulance!"

   So, after hours and many tests, we find that Dave has a compression fracture on his vertebrae (T12 for all you anatomy folks).  Lydia's perfectly fine, just a shiner on her left eye.  Dave is OK and would rather have pain than feel loopy on the drugs.  So, a day later we're all good and can even joke a little bit about how pathetic we are...now everyone in our family has had a hospital visit due to falling down those stairs.  Not a good record :) 

Happy daylight savings!!!

 Sorry about the title, I couldn't think of anything clever, and I am a little happy about the time change, it means my kiddos will now sleep in an hour later!  Until the sun comes up earlier again.

   I'm a target junkie, I'll admit it.  This chair was a pick-me-up present to myself after a hard day of potty training.   The kids love 'em.
    Who has the best snow hat????? LYDIA!  The best part is that she truly knows how awesome it looks!  What kid does this when you put an itchy hat on their head and it's 60 degrees outside??

  Al and Lydia with their beards.  We staged Alex's, because we had to get one picture of him in here right?  But Lydia did that on her own.  
  This one will make the grandparent's smile.  I'm going to have to buy a lock for the bathroom door or something, because as soon as she's a few inches taller, she'll be starting up the bath and climbing in all on her own!

pictures pictures pictures!!!!

Here we are!!!  This'll be a quick attempt at catching up.  We have two cameras and I forget which pictures I post, and which I don't...so this is a few months time in the Mauger household.

First, sweet Lydia swimming, she's a daredevil and I have to be on my toes because she doesn't mind going under.

 So we put Lydia on the toilet because we're gonna start her early :)  I did read a book that suggested 6 months (ugh!) was a great time to start.  She loved sitting on it, and we got some cute, not too revealing shots. 
Here's crazy Al and his permanent chapped cheeks, Colorado winters.
We flew to St. Louis and Al got a seat all to himself because Lydia was throwing up and the flight assistant wouldn't let us sit with Lydia on the single seat row.  So Dave decided to sacrifice for Al :0   He enjoyed himself fully!
And here's cousin Madeline singing to High School Musical songs (I'm told that's cool)  and Alex is rockin' out!  We'll work on the dance moves when he's older :)
That's it!  Hope you enjoyed them.

Tagged

I'll make this quick....I've been tagged, apparently I have to say 7 things about myself, and they should probably be interesting too :)  So, here we go!

1.  I have had 2 surgeries on my right little toe because it kept trying to grow bigger

2.  I am extremely attractive to mosquitos and spiders and have had more than 50 mosquito bites on my face at one time.

3.  I play the piano everyday, and I have played it since I was 8 years old...but I still get extremely nervous to play hymns for church.

4.  I wrote to Dave every week on his mission and he wrote me every week.  We have all the letters saved in order and I still read through them occasionally.

5.  When I was in 5th grade I said I wanted to be an auto mechanic when I grew up.  I don't know why but I still have the paper to prove it :)

6.  When my sister  and I were little we hated cleaning our room (we shared a room) and so to make it more fun we would pick up every single toy with our feet...it took ALL DAY!

7.  I am very clumsy, I always have a fresh wound from something and bruises all over my body from tripping and bumping into things.  I once spilled every single thing I ate for lunch...chips, drinks, soup, applesauce...everything.  But, my father and brother are clumsier than me :), interesting that they both chose life saving jobs eh?

TV

  I was looking through my pictures and realized that I didn't record a BUNDLE of events..so here we go!  This first one is Alex's 3rd birthday.  He got this lovely rocket launcher from Aunt Nichole...and I have already been hit with these stinkin' rockets too many times to count :)  But we can thank Uncle Jason for teaching Alex how to aim them.  Aren't older siblings supposed to get over torturing their younger one when we all get older?

     This is just a sweet shot of Sonya and Al holding hands...so cute!
   Finally, our new television box.  Why a new television you ask?  Well, our old one broke so we sent it in to the shop.  He looked at it, said it would be too expensive to fix, and we could buy a new one for the same price.  It was only 5 years old so we asked him what was wrong.  He said there was a souvenir penny from The air force academy (one of those flattened ones) stuck inside......ALEX!!!!!  We went about a year ago to the academy, so I guess we should be happy it lasted as long as it did.

And here's sweet lydia, who will eventually also be shooting rockets and sticking pennies into our electronics, but right now she's just learning to eat with her hands and trying to cruise on the furniture :)