History in the Making

Always Something to Tell

2011-09-12T00:28:00.000-04:00

Our first produce from the garden

Kaitlyn's birthday wish: Camel Ride. :)

Kansas City Royals Game!

My daugher, the author

Liza was cold and instead of getting her a sweatshirt, I put her in mine.

Kaitlyn's first day of school!!!

It's taken a bit to get my act together and back in the groove of life. We have so many fun and adventurous things going on and the best part is we've never left the city! We're SOAKING it up here in Lees Summit. We have been out on the lake skiing with friends a lot and the hubs was able to do it before work regularly until he pulled a muscle in his low back 3 weeks ago! He rested well for 1 week but couldn't help getting out there again and re-injured it... bummer. So I gave him a massage tonight and he's still taking meds and trying to stretch. Poor guy! He's never hurt his back before and it's a shocker to him. He's gotten some good perspective on what my lower back is always feeling like though, so at least it's been educational. :)
Hubs says he had his best birthday yet. He didn't really want anything except some necessities so we didn't have a big plan for the b-day. I figure my signature gift is always great food so we had corn-flake crunchy french toast for breakfast, taco salad for lunch, and RIBS for dinner with Apple pie... YUM! A gift to us all. But he did decide on a b-day present that day at Home Depot. We purchased supplies and built a fire pit in the backyard. It's AWESOME! We've had a couple fires out there already and it's been so much fun with the weather so nice. We all worked in the yard and trimmed the trees, weeded, built a fire pit and felt like it was really productive and fun. We feel like we're playing house a little since we're renting so it makes the home chores fun.
Kiatlyn is LOVING school. Her favorite part is being picked up at our driveway by the school bus. Mr. Mel, the bus driver, is so nice and she gets a huge kick out of it. She's slowly learning kids names at school and starting to re-regurgitate real info to me about what she's been doing. We have a neighbor that comes over every morning for an hour and 1/2 to ride the bus with Kaitlyn because he mom's a teacher so we've been enjoying the friendship they have together. Kaitlyn's so sweet and smart. She loves to make story books about puppies and kittens. She's currently working on Charlie the Cougar kitten's adventures... keep you posted.
Liza's... so Liza right now. She's been a joy to have since Kaitlyn's been at school and loves the 1 on 1 time together. She's a great helper and such a great companion during the day. Once her sister comes home, she is all over the charts with emotions. One moment she's sweet, the next she's destroying something or bullying. It's a full time job just keeping them alive in the same room sometimes. We're working on it with a sticker chart for being nice. :) That said... I feel for you all because I feel like I'm watching myself when I see her sometimes. Sorry about the sibling abuse that I'm positive went on thanks to me. Let's just remember that Liza and I are have/had extreme sweetness to balance it out.
Mary's decided to start a dance class in the basement. You heard me right. We took the kids to a festival in town and there was a little dance company performing. I was so excited to show them what that was like and excited to get Kaitlyn involved in dance. BUT, they came out to perform and I was appalled to see the 3-5 yr old wearing skimpy 2 piece costumes and doing embarrassing dance moves to totally inappropriate music. YIKES!!! I was floored and realized that I'm not in Kansas anymore... errr, or I'm in Kansas now. So Inspired by Emma and Caroline's recital at the church last Christmas, we're doing a 3-4 class and 5-6 class. My basement is one huge room with linoleum tiles and we purchased mirrors for the length of a wall. Wish me luck! I've also figured out a playgroup with 10 other mom's each week that rotates and we get to socialize while the kids enjoy and a mom's morning out with a few mom's each week so I get 3 mornings to be productive each month. Good stuff.
In other news... I got another calling today. Prepare yourselves. Call it Karma, but I've been called as the Choir pianist. Gasp! I was petrified today at practice. They called me before church and I was doing it after church with no practicing. It's just what the dr. ordered I think. Lots of humility and hard work ahead.
So between our busting at the seems garden, fire-pit, forest trails, play dates, school schedule, zoo pass, boating, church, and loving each other, it's been a great time. No luck on the baby-front yet so send the prayers and please come visit us. It's a joy here, sheer joy.

Hello Missouri

2011-05-11T22:33:00.000-04:00

We are officially Missourians. I have to say this our change from being IN residency to A resident is a beautiful - beautiful thing. We are renting a home for the year and I can't even begin to talk about the joy that I feel about private property. Nor am I able to talk about the concept of THE GARAGE without tearing up. Yes folks... I'm happy. Our dinner table looks over a lake, so Zach's happy. :) Kaitlyn has a rope swing, so she's happy. We now have a 3/4 acre lot and Liza is hyper aware of anything that crawls, flies, or creeps so she's... scared, but to soften the blow there is a slide, so she's also happy. I'll send pics of our smiling faces.

Dissertations and Dinners

2010-11-16T21:48:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is Zach's thesis dissertation. He took his boards last spring which was SOOOO nice to have completed and for him to not have to spend spare time in the basement studying. But he's still been working on his thesis which has taken it's fair share of time. So tomorrow is a REALLY exciting day for the both of us. The thesis defense is from 5-? It goes as late as it needs to but we're required to provide a meal. Well we decided to give them a taste of Utah and I'm making Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salads. Not the easy coke/brown sugar recipe, but this is the 3 days of cooking variety. It's an incredible copycat recipe my friend Kristen led me to and it's ROCKING! I've finished the rice and meat and tomorrow is guacamole, beans, tortillas and all the extra prep. Every time I try the rice and meat my knees buckle and I throw my head back in joy.
It's really fun for me to be able to directly contribute to something... I know it's food but it's a huge love language of mine. Wish me luck on the rest of the recipe and getting it set up and still warm when they need to eat it. :) My incredible friend from church is making a lemon lime cheese cake for me... I could cry I'm so grateful. I'll give you an update when the marathon is over. :)

Houstin we have a problem...

2010-11-15T09:09:00.004-05:00

I honestly can't keep up a current blog list. Last night while I was diligently adding to my list I accidentally canceled the entire gadget instead of just the address I was putting in. I am a fairly capable individual I'll have you know. But I have this incredible ability to make my blogging life more difficult. Sooooo, if your address isn't over there in the column and I know you... :) Can you please give me your site info because I'm determined to be a better communicator.

This is how we felt last night when the list was deleted. The crying came after the screaming...

I spent the last 45 min. finding some of you... but I'd like to have all of you... and I can't keep searching because the children have fed themselves breakfast and Kaitlyn even helped herself to her own vitamins. hummm... Let's hope the noise coming from upstairs is both of them putting on their clothes, brushing their teeth, braiding their own hair, learning to read and scrubbing my baseboards. :) I'm just going to keep thinking happy thoughts and get going.

I have Conquered Tofu!

2010-11-12T09:52:00.001-05:00

So I'll have you know that I've had a long and at times painful relationship with tofu. We should be a match made in heaven, it's got everything I love in a food product. Tofu is nutritious and versatile and CHEAP! The trouble has been that in the past it's not been a great substitute for Chicken or Ground beef because of the texture and taste. WELL, I THINK I'VE GOT SOME GOOD TIPS I'VE FINALLY FIGURED OUT!

Tofu Tip #1: Don't cut the block of tofu! It will never feel like meat in your mouth if it's in perfect cubes. This has been my mistake from the beginning. Instead, either break it apart with your hands which makes it crumble or put it into a food processor and chop it up into bits. I'm a food processor fan.

Tofu Tip #2: Fry it with Onions. I've experienced fried tofu from others that tastes great, but I've never been able to achieve it. Throwing it in with minced onions insures it tastes like something!

Tofu Tip #3: Don't fry it too long! Tofu turns into hard plastic when it's left on the stove frying. Also the oil can't be too hot. This is all trial and error.

Tofu Tip #4: I like to use it in recipies that already have lots of flavor, specifically mexican dishes. Works great as a filler in Taco Soup, replace the chicken in Enchiladas, and last night we devoured it with taco salad. :) Hurray! You could also easily do the same with a teriaki sauce or curry and coconut milk.

Here's the Taco Salad Recipe:

I block of Tofu: Crumble or food processor
1/2 onion: chopped or food processor
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 package Taco seasoning
1/3 cup Salsa

Saute the onion and tofu together in the oil. When onions are cooked add the taco seasoning and let it combine for a couple minutes. Turn the stove off and mix in the salsa. Use it for the chicken or beef substitute in enchiladas, burritos, or salad.

I love London in the Fall

2010-11-09T06:54:00.005-05:00

Life always keeps going on at a faster and faster pace. I noticed 2 posts ago (last year) I said I'd be a better updater... well that didn't work out. We've got so much to be grateful for it's good to stop and take a moment to write it down and record it.

Kaitlyn is nearly 4 1/2 and is growing like a weed these days. We do school together at home and she can read about 40 words. It's really rewarding to see her growing up and asking all kids of questions. Yesterday she said, "Daddy, will you be my prince? Every princess needs a prince." She changes out of her clothes about every other day and into a ballerina tutu and then dances around the house. She swims like a fish and is picking up a lot of speed on her bike.

Liza's turned 2 and speaks in sentences at 2 volumes: moderate and ear piercing. She cracks us up with her constant stream of thought which usually centers around Princesses and wanting to see neighbors, family, and dogs. She doesn't make a move without a purse on her arm and frequently gets her shoes on and her purse and tells me "Bye Mama! I going to the temple, it's Sunday." She's creature of habit and every night she asks me to sing "I love to see the temple" and "I am a Child of God". It melts my heart.

Zach has 5 months left in school! The end of a decade long process. We got married 6 months before he began dental school and we'll graduate a month after our 10 yr anniversary!!! This is a big year. He defends his thesis in a week and a half and I'm going to cook the dinner we have to provide to the panel.... :) I'm looking forward to it - I think. We're set on where we are going after school and after we settle some legal matters, we'll make a big announcement but we'll be returning to the States. We've LOVED living in Canada and we'll miss our friends here but it will be nice to get in closer proximity to family and friends and to not have to cross the border. :)

As for me... my parents just came to visit us last week after being released from a church mission. It was SO NICE to have them here and be around our kids and see how we do things. We really love having house guests and grandparent guests are the greatest. While Mom was here we finished a project I started when Zach's Mom was here... a quilt for Kaitlyn's bed. It's my first one attempted on my own, but as you can see, it required help to start and stop. So I can't say I can sew yet, but I'll keep you posted.

Psychoanalysis Session #1

2010-03-30T16:06:00.004-04:00

FOOD = HAPPINESS. I don't mean in the normal way. I mean in a feed me or I'll scream sort of a way. And who wants to be screaming at the kidlets. It's just a hypoglycemic state that needs some balancing out. So in an effort to maintain "love at home" I need some suggestions on good snacks... MOM SNACKS. I feed the kids stuff all day but don't stop to munch something. So I'm looking for your best complex carb/protein packed/sugarless suggestions out there. My sugar levels appreciate your concern and comments. :)

Hola

2010-03-14T20:37:00.004-04:00

This is just to say I'm alive and kicking! I'm turning over a new leaf in Blogging and plan to give some updates more often! It's so easy to just enjoy what's going on right in front of me and not write it down. I really want a record of all the awesome things that my cute kids and Zach and I are doing so I'm going to start up NOW.

We're off to an indoor waterpark in Niagara Falls tomorrow for our Spring Break. I think the kidlets are going to loose their minds when they see how incredible their life could be if we LIVED at a waterpark full-time. I know Kaitlyn would be all for it. :) I'll send updates of the event.

Happy 2010

2010-01-10T15:57:00.006-05:00

Here's to starting FRESH in 2010. We had such a great Christmas break together. Kaitlyn learned Santa Clause is her friend and Liza developed a very serious fear of the man in red. This was our first time staying home for Christmas in 9 yrs. We of course missed seeing friends and family and the usual holiday traditions, but we made the most of it and relished not standing in lines at the airport, living out of a suitcase, and being scheduled to the hilt trying to fit everyone and everything in. We spent 2 1/2 weeks at home loving our little family here. We played games, slept in, ate great food, watched movies, and literally just loved being together. Good times and great memories. We will be going home next year for Christmas which also made this year that much better because we knew it was a rare occasion.

We got to actually participate in all of the ward and school Christmas parties. It was really fun to not miss out.

Happy New year! We got to go to a party at some friends house and it was the real deal. Kaite even stayed up the whole time. We watched, in true Canadian form, the US/Canada Hockey match to celebrate, there was tobogganing in the back yard (not sledding, eh), and really great food. Great times, good costumes, crazy kids.

Kaitlyn's first snow man. We named him Larry.

My 3 yr old is so big! We went to the ward for a Christmas day dinner the bishop put on for who ever wanted to come. It was fantastic and made our Christmas day feel official.

The spoils of Christmas morning

The only present Zach didn't take back was the fantastic breakfast. Cinnamon Rolls, Egg Casserole and fresh fruit. YUM, YUM, YUM. I live for food like this.

Christmas eve we went to another party with friends and it was the greatest. Santa even showed up. Liza might need therapy.

We took the girls bowling for the first time. HILLARIOUS. Kaitlyn is an incredible bowler if the ball just can stay fast enough to make it to the end and have enough force to knock the pins over. GREAT MEMORIES!

Mostly we did a lot of this though. SNUGGLE AND SLEEP. What a good time.

The end.

2009-10-27T22:59:00.001-04:00

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Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-10-16T10:44:00.000-04:00

You're reading it right, we've just had a lovely Canadian Thanksgiving on Monday. I successfully provided the entire turkey feast this year... it was exciting... the turkey was only 2 hours late to get out of the oven while the rest of the food was getting cold. That's at least an improvement over last year when the turkey came out totally dry because I added no fluid. :) You live and learn. We planned on 4pm for dinner so it wasn't a big deal to eat at 6. :) Zach's parents and grandparents drove out for 5 days and joined in the festivities so it's really felt like a holiday. Plus, it's supposed to start snowing any minute now. Very festive.

Since the cold is coming on strong, I've been a baking/cooking fool. Butternut Squash Bisque, pumkin pie(actually that was Zach), apple crisp, stuffed green peppers, bran muffins and Banana Pancakes. yum... I'm making myself hungry. I've decided that's my favorite way to show love... foodf, probably my favorite way to recieve it too.. Just like Dad. I don't know how the love language book missed that one, Dad and I are all for it. That's why I love the family cookbook so much. Thanks again to everyone and especially Marisa. Since I can't personally cook for you here's a great recipe I've found lately that isn't in the cookbook:

Oat Bran Muffins

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups oat bran (I just used regular bran)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup chilled applesauce
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Line or grease 12 muffin cups.
Blend together brown sugar, oat bran, flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Add eggs, chilled applesauce, and vegetable oil. Mix until well-blended. Spoon batter into muffin cups. Let stand 10 minutes.
Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

We continued a year old tradition of going Apple Picking at a farm outside of the city that is really fun. We got a HUGE bag full of Empire, Gala, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith. I'm salivating already about what we'll be eating. I'm thinking we'll keep it simple and delicious by just having baked apples stuffed with granola tonight... again, yum. Anyone want to come visit us in Ontario? We love visitors. It was so great to have Zach's family here and make great memories. Hope you all enjoy what's left of your Fall. :)

Triathalon Man!

2009-09-20T22:08:00.003-04:00

Zach signed up for a triathlon a few months ago and after all the training yesterday was the day. His classmate was a really good motivator to do it and they raced together. We camped over at the lake it took place at and we're not sure that either of us got even 3 hours of sleep the night before. yikes! It didn't seem to phase Zach, but I had to take a nap on the beach after. :) tough work for me!

The horn is about to go off, the excitement in the air was thick!

This was right after the race ended. Zach wasn't even too tired or beat up. (it was a sprint, but STILL!) Tough hubbs. It was really exciting to be there and hopefully next year I'll be racing with him.

There was no stopping them from the temptation of sand and mud puddles. Yes, I'm the mother that put them both in white... oh it gets worse!

SERIOUSLY! I still have these clothes soaking downstairs. She was having such a good time, it seemed almost worth it. Liza has defiantly passed the phase where she'd be happy to just watch. In the past 2 weeks she's grown up so much! She repeats many words, although you can't understand them usually, eats like a 5 yr old, and squawks when she's unsatisfied for any reason. Watch out! But she's so happy and her laugh is the sweetest thing in the world.

It has been a great summer. We were all over the place.. hence no blogging. It's so nice to be home again and get back into the swing of things. We went to D.C. and stayed with my sweet cousin and her family, home to Utah a couple times for weddings, reunions, and family, and camped all over Ontario. It's been nuts, but a good kind of crazy.

The Perfect Weekend Break!

2009-07-20T21:28:00.005-04:00

I just had the most exciting/relaxing/enjoyable weekend anyone could possibly have! Sadly, I was missing my hubs and cute 3 yr old. Luckily I had some stand-ins to care for my separation issues. I have 6 best friends from high school and we're still best friends and LOVE seeing each other whenever possible. WELL, one of them got married last weekend and we all congregated for the big event. 2 days of travel for 2 days of weekend bliss was TOTALLY WORTH IT. I can honestly say I enjoyed every second of it. I almost teared up when the plane was flying through the valley. I've never really felt homesick before but it hit me starting with Spanish Fork all the way to the airport. Liza came with me but thanks to the greatest family ever I never really saw her... J/K but it's close. She was really happy while I attended wedding festivities. The first night we all met up at Cheesecake Factory and as I drove to get there I had the windows down, the music blasting, and a huge smile on my face. It's incredible how great it feels to turn music up and let wind blow because there are no children in the car. I wouldn't trade it for singing "wheels on the bus" but every now and then it's SO refreshing. After the wedding on Friday I spent the rest of the time with my sisters and Zach's family and it couldn't have been better. Spa night, movies, early morning water skiing, nieces and nephews, the friends, the family, the sun, the heat, the temple, the sleep, the late nights, the food, the JOY! I am really blessed to have so many people to love!

Falling off the Wagon

2009-07-12T22:49:00.005-04:00

I fell hard. I've been in a rehabilitation process for months now. Thanks to the encouragement of a couple stanch supporters... you know who you are... and the addition of a new template - THANK HEAVENS- I'm back on the wagon. I tell you what! Change is my favorite thing. Once I switched my template I had absolutely NO desire to even come to the blog but a little re-decorating and we're in business.
So true to form... I've lost all of your blog addresses again. I'm on a mission to start hoping through sites but if you don't see your link please leave it for me. THANK YOU!!!
My little sabbatical was not without adventure. This is what we've been up to for the past 4 months:

Lots of This! It's no wonder I've been MIA. I've got a whole song and dance routine worked up with the Lyrics "Pee-Pee on the Potty"

The Bruce Peninsula over the 4th with my Brothers family. BEAUTIFUL!

SOOOOO much of this. Thank you Canada for having such great beaches!

It doesn't matter how many times we've been to Niagara Falls, we never get sick of it! Zach's sister came for 10 days with the cousins and then we came back the next week with another sister. PARTY TIME!

The Williams Wild Adventures

2009-03-29T16:27:00.002-04:00

Well Family of ours,

The Williams have done it again. We're on another crazy adventure. This is Zach's Spring Break from school and we decided last week we should go see something new. So, we booked a couple cheap hotels, crossed the border, and booked it down the interstate to.... Gatlingburg, TN. That's right. Just a short drive past Pigeon Forge. Now there's a destination! Seriously! You wouldn't believe how much family fun entertainment is packed into that nook of the Great Smokey Mountains. Some friends of ours in London came to Gatlinburg with their family and said it was fun. We got looking around and found that Knoxville and it's surrounding area looks like a PARTY and we'd never been to this part of the country. It was an 11 hour drive which would have been fun enough, but as luck would have it Kaite managed (Zach writing now, as Liza is demanding to feed) to do a number all over the car seat and clothes. Car sick?? We don't think so, maybe just a very sensitive gag reflex, but the sheer volume was incredible. THis really nice, young guy at the gas station in Tennessee bought us some paper towels and jugs of water and brought them out to us as we were cleaning her up and said he'd been there before with his kids. Another guy in the bathroom that couldn't have been more than 25 or so yet saw me cleaning up the aftermath, I apologized for the disaster and he said not to worry, he'd been there before with his 4 kids. The whole event would've made great lyrics for a country song. The people may tawk kenda fonny but ye shore caint beat da hauspitality.

We are currently in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. The Smokey Mountains didn't disappoint. We would definitely go back. Gatlinburg is a gem of a town, a mix between cozy ski village and a family theme park with plenty to do. We spent St. Patricks Day there and didn't have to shield Kaitlyns eyes from anything. We kept the kids out late which left them wound up for a night all together in the hotel room. During the hour of getting to sleep every time Liza would make even a peep Kaitlyn would whisper loudly " Liza, be happy!!!" and then Liza would become quiet upon which Kaitlyn would whisper "Tank you!!"

After arriving this evening we spent a little time at the beach to Kate's delight, and tomorrow we had promosed Kaitlyn an entire day at the beach which she talked about all the way over the Appalacian mountains. That and the big, big slides at Mickey Donalds are definitely highlights for her.

Zach and Mar

My 2 Sweet Girls

2009-02-27T15:58:00.003-05:00

My great friend Kristen came over this morning and took pictures of the girls. WHAT A SWEET THING TO DO BECAUSE THESE PICTURES ARE KILLING ME I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.
THANKS KRISTEN!!!

I just can't get over this look on Liza's face.. I'm not sure what she's trying to say but she tries to say it a lot. :)

This expression is NOT hard to interpret on the other hand. I'm thinking: "You may get me to sit here and even hold Liza but her crying is so not my problem."

My sweet Kaiters

This is the Liza that I know and love. She is really such a sweet happy little baby.

This is the happiest picture we got of them. It's shocking that about a hundred of pictures later, we end up with 1 picture that has 2 smiling girls. It's like a special gift children possess.

My favorite.

Our Recent Family Fun

2009-02-17T22:23:00.003-05:00

I think it would be fun to include a "great hair" picture for Kaitlyn in every post. There is obviously a theme going on here. I think I could do a book of pics from her life thus far just of crazy hair. She's got the market cornered

Grandma Bentley came to visit 2 weeks ago and we just sent her home :( Boy we had great times. These sugar cookies were a highlight. This is Melanie's sugar cookie recipe from the Garden cookbook and talk about DELICIOUS!!! She's not kidding.

We all decided Liza looks like my mom from the eyes up. Probably more than that but the eyes and forehead are really a like. Smart girl, Grandma's a babe. I love this picture of them.

Daddy-daughter time is the greatest. Zach's such an incredible Daddy and it shows. Kaitlyn woke up from her nap today and immediatly wanted Daddy to be home to play with. He and Kaite have a tradition of being thrown around on the couch and playing every night. We're lucky

ahhh Grandma and the girlies.

More cookies! I have a cookie fedish lately. these are actually Melanie's cookies again but in their suggested ball format which was equally delicious. Kaitlyn is really sweet with Liza, she especially loves to see Liza's toes. Go figure.

First things first: Bumbo chairs are miraculous. Liza's been sitting in one since she was 2 months old and yet it somehow still fits Kaitlyn. Liza fell asleep sitting up in it. It was HILARIOUS. Plus, this is a great shot of the cute Mary-jane tights. love them.

"Bibbidy Bobbidy Boo" She can't actually say that but I'm working on it because I think she makes a fantastic fairy princess. Zach's sister Jessica gave her these dress-ups for Christmas and she uses them EVERY SINGLE DAY. What a cute princess.

My little peach fuzz. Just these last couple weeks I've started feeling like I'm coming back into myself if you know what I mean. the first few months with a newborn is rough. I am always trying to catch up and stay afloat but I finally feel like atleast some days I'm alert and coherant. Always good news.

FACT!!!

2009-01-19T09:34:00.005-05:00

So, once when my family was all together at my parents house and we were getting a little bored or slap-happy or something, we came up with a game called... FACT! The best part of the game is when you say FACT you have to do it with extreme matter-of-factness and swing your index finger up to the sky. You might have to be there, but I'm bringing it to you for your reading enjoyment. So a FACT! can be virtually anything that others might not know about you or others. Yeah, we were a little desperate for some fun, but now it's a tradition.

FACT!: I have a thumb sucker! Last night was her first full-on fist clenched, thumb inserted moment that I've seen. Ahhh gee. Good thing Zach's in an orthodontic residency.

FACT!: Liza is 3 1/2 months old and laughing and smiling like crazy. I thought the hair would fade, but it's not really going anywhere yet. Her blue eyes are adorable.

FACT: when Kaitlyn wakes up she has the GREATEST hair on the planet. The sheer volume is covetous.

FACT: When Kaite speaks she sounds EXACTLY like a Britt. Just try saying Mommy and Daddy in your mind with a Brittish accent and there you go. It is CRACKING me up. She also has impecable spanish accent skills. Any word in spanish sounds fantastic, but in english she's still tough to understand sometimes. Living in a foreign country is apparently rubbing off, even if it is Canada.

FACT!: Siblings are born with an inate ability to create the most work possible for their parents. Example: When Liza is screaming in the car for an hour for no apparent reason, Kaitlyn has knocked off to sleep. Right as Liza's starting to slow and Zach and I are allowing our eyes to uncross, Kaitlyn wakes up crying and proceeds to throw up twice all over herself and the car. That's not an accident, that's a perfectly syncronized performance my friends.

FACT!: In stark contrast to the plane ride to Utah for Christmas, the plane ride home was LOVELY. No tears, no spit-up, no worries. Thank Heaven. This is us STILL SMILING on the last leg of our plane ride to Detoit.

FACT!: This shirt makes me look like Where's Waldo... I kind of wish I had it for a certain dance back in High School. Those who participated will appreciate the look I'm sporting... you kno who you are.

FACT!: (All parental bias aside, ofcourse) This is the cutest 3 month old on the planet! She's just hit the phase when she stops eating to look at me and smile... KILL ME!

FACT!: I would love to hear some exciting FACTS! about my friends. The playing field is WIDE open, there are no rules to what constitutes a FACT! but the wierder the better.

P.S. FACT!: I cannot remember a time when I was able to touch my toes. Seriously. Sad but true.

Family Traditions

2009-01-18T13:24:00.002-05:00

Kaitlyn is SERIOUSLY impressed by Duma the waterskiing dog! Who wouldn't be?
Here's the fam, living out our fantasies... yep, this is the level we're on.

Yesterday morning, Mary and I set out determined to uphold a long standing family tradition of attending the annual boat and outdoor recreation show. This year took us to Toronto Canada and I must say that we were not disappointed. Owing to the plentiful and large bodies of water there was an assortment of massive cruisers and also our favorite lines of competition wakeboard and waterski boats. Kaitlyn was like a kid in a candy store with all the lights, color and dauntingly massive yachts that each had their fair share of interesting buttons and spiral stairs to play on. Her favorite trick was to turn off the lights on everyone inside or lock herself in the head (means bathroom for you non-boaters, or washroom if you are in Canada). We enjoyed the indoor wakeboard show that was on a giant hockey rink filled with water like a swimming pool with rails and ramps for the riders to launch from. Lots of Ooo's and claps from Kaitlyn made it all the more enjoyable. Her favorite however was the waterskiing beagle from Chicago who nicely posed for a photo with Kaite on his board. Liza just mostly slept and barfed all day. After 6 1/2 hours of carting around kids all over the show we headed for home. Winter in this part Canada from Toronto to just north of London is brutal due to the snow belt. We ended up driving through a storm on our way home so our 2 hour drive turned into a 4 hour drive. We stopped for dinner only to have one of our children decide that they wanted no more driving in the snow storm and decided to cry to the point of losing the Wendy's dinner she had eaten an hour before all over the car. When she wasn't crying the other one would start in, I think it was just to fill the peaceful silence. So we had dirty pants and pukyface that were tag teaming the parents the last 90 minutes of the drive. All said and done we would do it again for the Boat Show. Sick, but true... it was that fun... and memorable.

Day of Faith

2008-12-04T14:56:00.002-05:00

This video link is of a Harvard religion panel that took place last month. 5 students with different religous backgrounds talk openly about their beliefs. I love religious and cultural studies and really enjoyed listening to each of the panelists. This link is for the "Mormon" that was interviewed. If I had the opportunity to express my faith my answers would be right in line with hers. She explains about the temple, sacred garments, Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ. ENJOY. http://vimeo.com/2120177

ATTENTION!!!

2008-11-18T14:53:00.000-05:00

IF YOUR BLOG LINK ISN'T IN "MY FAVORITE PEOPLE" COLUMN PLEASE LEAVE ME A COMMENT WITH THE ADDRESS. I'D LIKE TO ADD LOTS OF PEOPLE BUT YOUR PRIVACY FEATURES KEEP ME FROM VISITING YOU. SO, IF YOU'D LIKE ME TO "COME OVER AND PLAY" LEAVE ME THE GOODS. :)

Coming back up for air after 6 weeks!

2008-11-14T09:28:00.000-05:00

Awe! Little Liza Smiling!
Kaite and Liza with their matching sheep blankets a friend gave them

She looks so big to me!!! I Can't stand it.

I have a picture of Kaitlyn doing this exact same face-go figure!

Holloween was obviously a HUGE production (note the sarcasm). Notice how Kaitlyn has bunny ears on her hat, I had to slip them on with out her knowing because she REFUSED to wear her costume. I on the other hand was glad to sport my favorite wig because when you haven't showered, this look is quite a nice change. :)

Hello All, I am back among the living... atleast the majority of the time, woo hoo! Week 3 was the low point for me, lots of crying and very little accomplished, but then I learned to embrace my lack of productivity and now we all in a much healthier place. It also helps that both girls aren't sick anymore. Since Liza's been born we've gone to the doctor 8 times. Yuck! We've been doctor free for a couple weeks now so I'm back to my HAPPY PLACE!

O.K. here's my best story TO DATE:

After visiting the DR. 3 times for Liza's mysterious diaper rash problem, we were told a treatment to try. this was NO ordinary diaper rash. It was much closer to a 2nd degree burn, like I'd dipped Liza's tush in a pot of boiling water. I had been given 2 diferent diagnosis, done the treatment for both and after 2 weeks was back into the dr's office to ask what next. The poor kid would bleed when I changed her diaper, wipes were too harsh and she would just shake and cry! (This was probably the biggest contributer to the 3 week meltdown.) So, a nurse had told me it DEFINATLY sounded like a yeast infection that was being passed back and forth between us when I fed her-even though I had no symptoms and Liza had no oral symptoms. Gentian Violet was the treatment recommendation. This stuff is a dark purple/blue solution that dye's EVERYTHING it touches. I was desparate and would try anything. I put it on myself and when Liza eats, she gets it in her system as well and it kills all yeast. Sounds like a good plan. So I strip down and strip Liza down and put towels around me to catch any spit-up. I was only going to put a little on but Zach wanted his moneys worth and said not to be stingy... great plan Zach. We quickly realized the flaw in our plan... The 1st law of parenting: it is absolutely impossible to keep a baby from getting messy when you want them to stay clean. In the process of latching on, Liza successfully rubbed the violet dye ALL over her face. REMEMBER: IT DOESN'T COME OFF. After she got on, things went better until Kaitlyn strolled into the room. She doesn't pay too much attention to Liza, but thinks the milk thing is pretty cool and likes to comment on it when Liza's eating. With this in mind, she stolls over to give me her play-by-play commentary about how Liza's drinking milk-not noticing the blue part yet. At that moment, Liza chokes and pulls off to cough exposing her blue face. Kaitlyn looks at Liza, then looks at me and... starts to dry heave. I wasn't ready for her reaction and started to laugh but was still trying to get her to STOP so she didn't puke all over. Luckily Zach was close and removed her from the scene. I was still laughing while she left thinking about what must be going through her head. A few minutes later, I was burping Liza and Kaitlyn wandered back into the room cautiously. She stopped at the door and I was explaining that it was blue medicine and this was good for Liza. Kaite looked like she processed it well and was "keeping it down" fine. Then without notice, Liza spit up tons of milk... BLUE MILK. Poor Kaitlyn was glued to her spot in the doorway staring with wide eyes when the dry heaving started again. This time I didn't have anyone around to get Kaitlyn to leave and it was like she couldn't take her eyes off what was making her so sick. I couldn't get up bacause I was covered in spit up and worse then that, I was laughing so hard I couldn't call loud enough to get help. I finally composed myself to tell Kaite to turn around and leave which she thankfully did. My 2 year old dry heaving was just too funny. To this day, 3 weeks later, she still comes over everytime I feel Liza to shake her finger and say "No more blue", still traumatized by the experience. FYI: in the end, there was no yeast infection afterall. Liza, can't tolerate desitin diaper ointment, which I was ofcourse smothering all over her. After I stopped the desitin, she healed right up. Yikes! But, as a reminder of our experience had a blue mouth for 5 days. :)

Liza's 2 weeks old

2008-10-21T11:00:00.001-04:00

Well, 2 weeks later, we are all still surviving. My mother-in-law just left us this morning and I haven't found out yet if we'll make it on our own because sesame street has been on the whole time. :) We'll see! The last 2 weeks haven't been without adventure. We've already endured really bad yeast infections on both girls and Kaitlyn was diagnosed with hand/foot/mouth yesterday. FANTASTIC. Lots of hand washing and hopefully Liza won't have to get it too. I still promise that I'll add the labor and delivery experience when I get a chance for your entertainment and enjoyment. But for now the peace has left us and I should help these girls.

picking a pumkin last week

Elizabeth Ivie Williams has Arrived!!!

2008-10-11T10:59:00.001-04:00

Liza came Sunday Night, October 5th at 11:42 pm after 7 hours of labor. That is a 17 hour improvement over Kaitlyn's delivery!!! HURRAY! There is another whole blog regarding my delivery experience but I don't have tons of time, so we're skipping details for now.

WEIGHT: 6 lb 14 oz, LENGTH: 18 in. She has been so sweet and it feels like she's been around for so much more than 1 week. She can wake the dead with her crying when she wants to but it actually just cracks me up because Kaitlyn was very quiet. Kaitlyn looks so much like Zach and suprise, surprise I looked a lot like this when I was born. Brown hair and all. She's a Bentley! Here's some pics.

Home for 2 days and she looks so old already!!!
Dad is VERY proud
Kaitlyn's first time seeing Liza at the hospital... "I'm not so sure Mom"
This is right after Kaityn kissed her on the head... So cute!
What she looks like RIGHT NOW, let's hope it sticks long enough for a shower. Love you all and I'll do more later!

Hey! Where's the Baby???

2008-09-30T13:53:00.000-04:00

What do you do when your Due Date arrives and there is no baby to speak of??? By all means, GET A NEW HAIR CUT I SAY! This could be a risky move, to be sure, in case the cut goes south but I really like it and let's be honest, I was so far gone anything is an improvement. So for your viewing enjoyment, here are some post-cut photos.

"Mom, what are you doing?"
The ackward side shot. similar in nature to the extremely ackward passport photo.
"I want to be in the pictures!!!"
I've noticed that almost all of my pictures show my baby belly covered up completely, so here you go! And YES, my daughter is in a belly shirt, a diaper, and boots. CLASSIC! I won't deny it, she looked like this for atleast 2 hours and we both enjoyed it.

Also: I've been anxiously awaiting what would happen when my baby timer on the side hit "0 days till baby comes" to see what it would do and to my horror, it's adding on more time. That little glitch could really be improved. :) Can't complain though, I feel fine and let's just remind ourselves that I'm not sleep deprived or heavily medicated yet so that's a bonus. :)

My 40 Week Prego Party

2008-09-29T18:02:00.001-04:00

Last weeks theme was having a good time every day. We did some really fun things and I can honestly say I totally enjoyed it. Here's a glimspe at some of our activities.

Zach and Kaite at the beach for our final summer bash. This was the first time Kaite was really good at playing in the sand!
There is no stopping Kaitlyn when it comes to the water. She would walk right in and drown without blinking an eye, smiling the whole time. It's a little tricky to keep an eye on her but it's so much fun to watch her play and be so happy.
We hit the playground a few times which always brings sure happiness. The weather has been so nice all week it was a huge boost.
Kaite just cracks me up and I can't help but put her hair in little piggy's.
Don't worry, I only tried this manuver 1 time before realizing it was a poor choice at 40 weeks. Smiling at the top, wide eyed at the bottom!

On Saturday we went to an apple picking farm and had such a great time. The apples were low enough for Kaitlyn to pick herself. We forgot the camera but will go back in a couple weeks (maybe not me) to pick pumpkins as well. Now I've got a basket of apples to keep me occupied for the next few days. The only downer of the apple experience is that I sustained a back injury from pushing Kaitlyn in the stroller that had me in complete pain for 2 days with muscle cramps and spasms. Not a good thing when you are going into labor soon! I am so grateful that I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints because Zach was able to give me a Priesthood blessing and I've been sore but fine ever since and I know it's a small but profound miracle for me right now. I'm grateful for the ways the Lord blesses me and I see his hand in my life. The gospel is the foundation of our home and our marriage and it's the most important thing we have to treasure and to share. I'm planning on just being really grateful this week. I'll let you know how it pans out! :)

Our 1st Canadian Summer

2008-09-21T18:07:00.001-04:00

Thoughts at 39 weeks Prego

2008-09-20T21:23:00.001-04:00

I have had a change of heart... thanks to all the advise from you great friends and realizing my window is closing for 1 on 1 time with Kaite. I am going to enjoy every day before Liza comes along. THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS, we are naming her Elizabeth Ivey Williams and calling her Liza. That's the final plan and I'm 99.9% sure it's sticking but if you see a post announcing her birth and her name is Fredricka, well-that would be the .01% that I can't control. :) Plus, added insurance is that Kaitlyn can say Liza so it's too darn cute to pass up.
I am also practicing hypnobirthing techniques to prepare me for relaxing through labor, and it REALLY helps. It mostly just makes me feel empowered to help myself when I go into labor. With Kaitlyn I had no way to help myself relax through any of it and had such a hard time! (that was just relaxing to a 3 so I could get an epidural!!!) Yeah, I'm excited to have a MUCH better experience and I totally recommend reading the hypnobirthing material if you plan to go natural or not because it's a great resource.
So I've been on this energy high for the last 3 weeks or so, buzzing around the house organizing every closet, making meals for myself, and generally just NESTING like crazy. Yesterday it all came to an abrupt halt and I felt like Forest Gump when he decides he's finally done running across the country and that he's tired. It just seemed to dawn on me that I was tired and wanted a nap. PREGNANCY can be STRANGE. We're just happy to be here and excited to tell everyone about Liza when she shows up. Thanks for the great advice and PLEASE keep it coming. Everyone has advice to share, even if you don't have kids yet.
OH-I ALMOST FORGOT: My advise to all of YOU! It is imperative that you get a spa treatment when you are 39 weeks prego! I was in HEAVEN. A manicure and a pedicure was JUST what the dr. ordered!!! Bless the Vietnamese and their fast fingers.

My Thoughts at 37 Weeks Prego

2008-09-07T20:47:00.000-04:00

So... I'm 3 weeks away from the big D-day, or B-day, however you want to see it, and I'm thinking I'm not so excited about the "D". I have come to realize that a woman must be READY to go through with delivery. As in, the choice between leaving the babe in and being uncomfortable or pushing her out and being miserable is an easy one... I'd rather be miserable and get this over with. I have to say- I am NOT there yet. At church today everyone kept asking if I was excited and ready for this baby. I'm excited and there is a room set up, but I'm not to the All Important Point of Pain yet. Does anyone else get this? I think I'm kind of lucky that besides not being able to bend over and having heart burn, I'm doing pretty good so long as I'm properly medicated every night before bed. :) But I'm starting to want to be completely uncomfortable so the delivery looks like a good thing and not the endless night and day disaster it was with Kaitlyn.
I'm pretty sure I'm setting myself up here and in a week I'll be drinking caster oil and jumping on trampolines to get this all over with. It just seems so convenient that she's fed, warm, sleeping, no diapers, and I haven't lifted a finger. It's going to be a big adjustment going back to a newborn with a 2 year old too. I'm pretty sure almost everyone that reads this has already been here and I'll survive. This is a good time for give me your best advice on getting ready for #2. Ladies, help!

New York, New York!!!

2008-08-28T22:36:00.000-04:00

Our trip to NYC was AWESOME!!! We saw all the sights and sounds and smells of Manhattan. It was an awesome time. We were there for 5 days and did a Citypass tour and got to see lots of museums and key locations. Our favorites: Empire State Building (with audio tour), Central Park, Time Square, Natural History Museum, and Rockafeller Center. Our least favorite: Figuring out the mass transit system with a stroller :) and The Guggenheim Museum. I apoligize to all of you that LOVE modern art but we couldn't get a great appreciation for it. Zach had a harder time than I did but it was still a little rough, in the end we were happy to get outside and hit the pavement again. Here's some Highlight pictures:

LOVED CENTRAL PARK. The whole time I was thinking of the movie Enchanted and One Fine Day. I couldn't believe how much I recognized just from the movies I've watched.
Zach's Cousin Emily and Her hubby Nicholaus that we stayed with while we were there. They were so awesome to put up with us coming and going and taking over the front room. You guys are Fantastic!!!
Zach is having his way with the Wall Street Bull.
Here we are about to take the harbor tour around the island and to see the statue of liberty.
TIMES SQUARE. Talk about an exciting place to be. Even during the day it's lit up like crazy. We were there right at dusk and watched the transition to night and I was astounded. Talk about cool. Kaitlyn just kept pointing to the T.V.'s and saying "SHOW-SHOW". Kaitlyn was a really good kid through this whole thing. She missed days of naps and we always got home way too late but she just kind of figured she was along for the ride. I swear she has a tougher time at home than she does on the road. Maybe I should go for a gypsy life. That's a thought.

All in all: GO SEE NYC! We had SUCH a great time and I am so excited to go back some day soon.

You know your a sucker when...

2008-08-13T09:35:00.000-04:00

Let's just state the obvious... every parent is a sucker. It's encompases the highs and lows of the position. So much joy when they ask and you give in, and then so much regret when it all goes south. Luckily it doesn't always go south.

YOU KNOW YOUR A SUCKER WHEN: You agree to climb into your 2 yr olds crib to sing songs to her at 8 months pregnant. This little stunt resulted in a pulled hip flexor that still has me limping. Aye, Yae, Yae, Yae! What I wouldn't do. (I do want to say, this was a first, I don't climb in every night.) The cutest part was that after I finished the song she said "momma up" TRANSLATION: Your services are no longer required and you may go. I was pretty happy about it because as doing little extra favors for 2 year old's go... once you've agreed to do it there's a pretty good bet you'll be asked again. Perhaps this was a one time deal now that she knows Momma doesn't fit so well.
YOU KNOW YOUR A SUCKER WHEN: This strategic manuver (But look how cute I can be)gets her a completely separate meal than the one you prepared. Arg! I wish I could say it doesn't happen, but the poor kid would starve since she generally won't eat ANYTHING we're having. What's the trick my friends???
YOU KNOW YOUR A SUCKER WHEN: The opportunity to see Kaitlyn climb up a latter and practice washing the dishes, even though you'll have to change her entire outfit because it will be soaked in the end, is TOTALLY worth it. I like to think she'll never want to stop and when she's 8, 9, 12, 14 she'll still get all excited at the end of each meal and gather up all the dishes for a good scrub while she thanks Zach and I for the delicious meal. WELL I CAN DREAM CAN'T I?
YOU KNOW YOUR A SUCKER WHEN: There is nothing else you'd rather be doing than clean up after your kids, even though you don't like it. Because the big picture reality is, it's all going to go WAY too fast and being a Mom is a huge blessing. So good luck today picking up toys, cleaning up dirty diapers, catching throw up with your bare hands, clean clothes and inevitably your hair, and remember to smile and remember how great it is to see the big smiles and hear I love you's.

We Survived Our Trip to Utah!

2008-08-02T23:24:00.000-04:00

So I drove to Utah with my brother's family for our Bentley reunion while my parents were on a break from the temple for 2 weeks. Poor Zach couldn't come because of his school schedule. My brother Dave decided it was the perfect opportunity swing by Mount Rushmore. Why Not? We had a great time with every seat in the mini-van occupied, there was always something interesting to think abou that's for sure. I've got to say that I've never seen 4 kids do such a great job traveling though. THANK HEAVENS! If you haven't been to Mt. Rushmore, it's a great sight. I enjoyed the Black Hills almost as much as the mountain itself though because the area is so beautiful. By the way, this is Karalee, my sister-in-law, but might as well just be my sister. LOVE HER!
"Mom, why didn't you tell me about Otter-pop's before???" Kaitlyn discovered the one and only otter-pop... my personal weakness. It's a miracle I've never bought them before and she's had them, it's probably because I can take care of a box of 500 without any help. It's just a harmless otter-pop I tell myself and that's all the convincing I need. Atleast Kaitlyn got something from me, since in almost every other way she is just like Zach.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAITLYN! 2 years sure has gone fast! I wised up this year and skipped making a birthday cake for her. Last year I slaved away on butterfly cakes that she wouldn't touch. I did a pre-birthday test run before we went out to Utah with a delicious cake and again, NO GO. Glad I checked. So what did we do you ask? Notice the platter of watermelon on the bottom left of the screen. I stacked them up in a lovely cake-like formation and stuck 2 candles on the top. I was quite pleased with it and as you can see, so was Kaitlyn.
Our daily ritual of calling Dadda on the phone to say hi and I love you. Kaite got so good at holding the phone to her ear and listening for a pretty long time. She still doesn't say much so it's a one sided conversation but darn-it she's cute. Even without the speech she's growing up so fast and trying new things. She especially loves her dolls and stuffed animals and feeds, changes, and rocks them to sleep. One at a time. It's good preparation for the new baby I figure. She can just mimic what I do with her baby or puppy. We'll see how it goes. Any suggestons for how to prep my 2 year old for a new little sister? I need to get on it. I'd love any advise. I'll have to add more later, this is a desparate attempt at posting way too late at night.

Happy Canada Day!!!

2008-07-01T17:19:00.000-04:00

The Beach at Lake Huron on a perfect day. Kaitlyn LOVED it which was sort of surprising because it was darn cold this morning but that wasn't stopping her. Right after this picture she was in the water up to her chest and laughing every time a wave hit her.

We went with our neighbors and Chris is Kaitlyn's age and they have a great time together. He is a little older and she will do anything he does which is really fun and funny to watch.

I actually look tan next to Kaitlyn, what a bonus. It was the perfect day with perfect weather.

The party continues, check out the sweet waves on the lake. I tell you there's no beating our close "fresh water ocean". Perfect for kids and I'm a major fan.

Here's our sweet set-up. Neville and Karen live 2 doors down and he's a year ahead of us in Zach's program so we have lots in common and the kids play great. They are really fun. We even set the tent up and were able to put kids in for naps and to be contained to play-I recommend it to you all.

So Canada Day 2008 has, so far, been a HUGE success. I love the chance to celebrate 2 independence days. We'll have to think of something fun to do for the 4th as well. I can't believe we've only lived here a month. It's going to be a really fun and memorable 3 years. :)

Exciting Canadian Facts:

2008-06-23T21:36:00.000-04:00

I have been tallying up the interesting things about London and Canada in general that I find most interesting...

1. "Eh" is highly catchy. BEWARE! You will be suseptable. There are no limitations to the uses for "Eh". I fear when you talk to me again I will be completely beyond repair... and I might like it.

2. $1 coins are called "Loonies" and $2 coins are called "Toonies". ALSO: although canadian coins look different than US, no one cares about you using US coins. "IT'S ALL THE SAME TO US" is the answer I got.

3. In general, people here are SUPER courteous and polite.

4. Corn dogs are called "pogo's"

5. They serve gravy with fries

6. Humidity is by far the worst thing that happens... EVER. Everyone complains.

7. Farmers keep their lands absolutely PRISTINE. The country side is so tidy it looks fake.

8. Lots of Londoners refer to Quebec as "Ka-bek" Apparently the french style. Although people we met from Quebec say it like we do in the states.

9. Milk is sold in bags. As in, you slide your bag of milk inside a pitcher and cut off the corner and use it like that. The liter bags are quite handy.

10. Tons of parks and all of them have Splash Pads for the 2 hot months in the summer. London is VERY kid friendly.

11. In London we have not only a street named "Wonderland" but a housing development called "Sherwood Forest". It feels very fairytail-ish in that area. :)

12. Gas is $6 a gallon (sold in liters). OUCH!

13. Sales tax is 13% and about everything is 50% more expensive.

14. Half of our local channels are in French

15. We are loving it... although we are currently taking donations to pay for food and gas. :)

Our New Life Has Begun

2008-06-16T11:36:00.000-04:00

Zach's First Day of School! Check out the sweet scooter he gets to ride to save on gas prices!

Canada's "Beach" 45 min. away from us on Lake Huron. This really is a nice beach with waves and everything. The town even has surf shops and boardwalks. We were quite impressed. I'm a huge fan of waves AND fresh water. Too bad it's still pretty cold.

Our living room/dinning room area of the house.

Kaitlyn's hair LOVES the humidity as you can see. She's in heaven without her skin being so dry all the time. She also really likes our community backyard and the playgrounds.

The Kitchen View. These really aren't the greatest pictures ever, I know but atleast I did something. Right?

So we are on week 3 here in London and I've got to say, we are LOVING it. My pregnant self hasn't even cried in about a week so that's really looking good. I really do just cry a lot when I'm pregnant. But the upside is that I also laugh a lot too so I guess it's a trade-off.

Well folks! I went to my ultrasound appointment on Friday and we have a ruling on #2.... IT'S A GIRL! The ironic thing is that the tech is legally restricted from telling me the sex and you don't actually meet the radiologist here in Canada so she wouldn't even tell me. I convinced her to really work on getting a good shot so that I could figure it out for myself. I am no radiologist but I've been around the block once so I made the call and she backed me up without doing anything to get her fired. Apparently people around here sue if they are wrong about the sex so no one says anymore. Woo hoo. I'm able to just day-dream about my 2 girls running around.

I am putting together a list of interesting and funny Canadian facts for all of your enjoyment so stay tuned for my little tid-bits to come.

We Have Arrived and are Alive

2008-06-01T17:35:00.001-04:00

Well, I’ve got to admit I can’t believe we are all here and the last week has come and gone. The only way I can sort out anything to tell is by doing a timeline of events:
May 16 - Zach practiced general dentistry for the last time and said goodbye to his staff and patients.
May 23 - Packed up the GI-NORMOUS moving truck with the help of Pop, Jim (Calkins), Charlie, Zach’s Dad, and the one ward member that showed up on time. J Other ward members came but we were finished. I can’t thank Kathy and Sharon enough for coming over in the morning and afternoon to clean my apartment and for Teresa and Zach’s Mom for taking care of Kaitlyn for about the whole week. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
May 24 - Left SLC at 4 am (thought it would be 3 am but you know how that goes) Set off on I-80 towards Omaha. We made it there at 9 pm. Kaitlyn was a traveling angel. Zach’s Mom and Dad made the drive with us and talk about LIFE SAVING. It’s a good thing the moving truck could only go about 65 because we stopped and gave Kaitlyn so many breaks that our mini-van driving time was worse then theirs. J
May 25 - We left Omaha at 8 am (we needed to recover from the previous day) and drove straight through to Detroit which incredibly enough took us until Midnight! Poor Dave and Kar stayed up for us and had their basement set up better than the Hilton, it was such a great way to finish off 2 long days of driving. Kaitlyn did great again but I had a heart attack when we stopped for lunch and after changing her pants I was putting things away and Kate fell out of the car right on her face on the asphalt. Of course she got over it in a few minutes, although the left side of her face is still healing, I on the other hand am still shaken up from being right there and having it happen. I’m sure it won’t be the last time.
May 26 - We slept in until 9 am and left around 10 to head for the border. Luckily we didn’t look too suspicious and after a 45 minute meeting with the customs agent about all of our visas and other paperwork they let us through around 1:30. We drove to our new city of LONDON. On the drive in we passed every major store we are used to seeing in SLC. There really isn’t any visible sign that we’re in another country besides the speed limit being in Kilometers. We found our way to Platt’s Lane where we live and pulled up to our town home and… it was not what I expected. The exteriors are older and ours looked pretty shabby, the yards hadn’t been cared for and there were tall weeds around. The playground across the street looked old and faded and I thought “well at least this isn’t the inside.” Now, let me just say that I made the mistake of conjuring up in my mind what it would be like based on our experience in Omaha and the pictures I found on the internet. I also had the floor plan from the management and made the mistake of picturing it MUCH bigger than it really is. So that’s a preface. I walked through it and went upstairs and the 3 bedrooms are more like 2 bedrooms and a 3rd space we’ve affectionately named “Mary’s Walk-in Closet” because it’s so small and our master bedroom is too small for our dresser so it had to go in the 3rd one. The basement is 2x4’s and cement, not finished at all. I saw the whole thing, went upstairs in the bathroom and started bawling. It was a great cry. I really needed it too. Packing, moving away, driving 3 days, little sleep, stress, etc plus the added disappointment of my new home feeling more like a mouse cage welled up and I was out of commission for 5 minutes. The beauty of hitting my low point right at the start is it’s all gotten better from there. While we moved in and I directed traffic, Mom put the kitchen together, Kar took over as full-time babysitter for Kate, Zach and Dad and Dave had their hands full with the entire truck’s contents. We couldn’t have done it without Dave and Kar coming to help. Kar also served as our PR rep. By the time she left, she’d met all of our neighbors and introduced us all. J
May 27-28 - We spent unpacking and working out the details of money, school insurance, etc. Which are still not resolved but in the works.
May 29 - WE TOOK OFF! We decided we all needed a break and drove to Niagara Falls and Palmyra for a 2 day trip. For the record, Niagara Falls is tons cooler than I expected it to be. It’s HUGE and the Canadian side was so well manicured and looked more like how clean and pristine the church keeps all of their buildings and facilities. What a cool place. We went on the Maid of the Mist right up to the falls complete with a drenching when we got there. Kaitlyn screamed her head off the whole time but it served to wear her out and she slept for the next couple hours. We had so much fun in Niagara that we only made it to Rochester and found a hotel.
May 30 - Palmyra trip. There is such an incredible spirit at the church history sites there. Mostly felt for me when we walked through the sacred grove. We all had an great experience. Even Kaitlyn was overcome by the peace and fell asleep for the morning. When we were done it was already 3 pm and we decided to head for home. 2/3 of the way there at the junction for Toronto I hear “Why don’t we just go to Toronto?” That’s all it took. We headed off to Toronto and found a hotel. We are a little crazy.
May 31 - TORONTO. It’s not as big as NYC even though that’s what all the Canadian’s refer to when they try to give us a comparison. Not that I’ve been to NYC but Toronto just feels open even in the heart of the city. We all decided it feels A LOT like San Francisco, complete with China town, Greek town, India town, Tour boats, a castle, a huge Beach, and it wasn’t a degree warmer than 70 the whole time there. We had a great time looking around and seeing the sites. We got home at 7 pm and hit the sack for the most part.
June 1 - Today! We went to our ward which is small but strong. There are 2 families that live here in Platt’s Lane that we’re getting together with for FHE tomorrow night. I’m not sure how many callings we’ll both get, it looks like they need the help. I guess we’ll find out next week. We’re on our way for a walk since it’s turned sunny and a little warmer for the first time all week. Zach starts his first day of school at 9 am tomorrow morning! Wish us luck.
I’d love to hear from any one and I’ll try to do a better job updating instead of the crazy long e-mail. Our info is:
TELEPHONE: 801-738-0212 (yes it’s a UTAH number)
ADDRESS: 568 Platt’s Lane London, ON N6G-3B1 Canada
Love you all!

Drum Roll Please...

2008-05-14T23:26:00.000-04:00

Well I went to my Dr. appointment today to find out what I'm having. The verdict is: We really don't know for sure. Don't you love that. I got to my appointment (miraculously) and this baby was dead set and determined to LOCK THOSE KNEES. After much proding the Dr. gave me a fairly confident decision that we are having a GIRL!!! Personally, I'll believe it when I see it. :) I'm having an ultrasound in Canada when I get there and will be able to find out what I'm having for sure. In the mean-time... Elizabeth is on her way. Probably. :) I'm excited either way.

The Adventures of ZM&K

2008-05-01T23:02:00.000-04:00

Kaitlyn is a DARE DEVIL! The girl is game for anything that is fast. Yep, that sums it up... FAST. Examples: The blow up slides at carnivals that are really tall and steep, Being pushed good and hard on swings, Goes for the biggest slides at the park, and most recently... 4-wheeling. She was a WRECK when we got to this location to 4-wheel. She hadn't gotten any sleep and was hungry and unconsolable but once we put her on the machine her worries were swept away and she was the happiest girl around. I love this about my little Kaitlyn, it is so fun to see. It does make me wonder a bit about what her hobbies will be as she grows up though.

We are postponing the inevitable at this point, well I am. Packing I mean. We leave 3 weeks from Saturday and I know suddenly our move will be a week away and I'll realize I haven't done enough preparatory packing but I just refuse to cause unnecessary chaos early in the game. What is the optimal time line for moving anyways? I was thinking 2 weeks before start pulling out the boxes. I just hate when every room is lined with boxes and it's all pretty much a mess. We have limited space as it is. I'll give you an update and some pictures for your entertainment.

As for little prego woman, I find out what I'm having in a couple weeks. Woo Hoo. I've got to be honest, these are my thoughts: Girl- I'd be a little relieved. Only because I know what to expect, it will feel comfortable to have another girl and I wouldn't have to buy a thing.. always good on the student budget. I find myself day-dreaming about a girl if that means anything. Boy- I'd be really excited but almost scared. That's silly, I'd love every minute of it, but just will have a lot more questions about what this little guy would be like. Zach thinks we're having a boy. OFCOURSE I will be VERY happy with which ever we get, it's fun to not know right now.

Woops!

2008-04-29T23:40:00.000-04:00

So you win some, you loose some! I finally figured out how to start a new template but... I lost ALL the stuff I had saved before. FOR EXAMPLE: all of your addresses. Could you please just leave a quick comment with your blog site on it so I can add you all back as my friends! GRACIAS!

Alms for the ignorant

2008-04-24T23:01:00.001-04:00

ALRIGHT! I can't take it anymore. I don't know what I'm doing here. Blogging I mean. I go to your blogs and there are all kinds of awesome things I would love to incorporate in my blog. Is there some magical place to go with instructions on how to make my blog personalized beyond what the "customize" button in the top right is allowing me to do? How do I get music? How do I add pics from the web? How do I make my background look like darn cute scrapbook paper? I must admit... I have been avoiding asking these questions because I feel like my Mom when she calls me from Mexico to ask how to fix her printer. There is only so much you can do over the phone, ya know. Bless my wonderful mothers heart she doesn't get some things to do with computers and I have to say... I have a sneaking suspicion the same gene is rearing it's ugly head! SAVE ME FROM THAT FATE. Any advice is good advice, don't be shy. Have pity on this new blogger, please.

(3 hours and still in the same spot later) Yes! We have sound people! That doesn't mean I don't still need help. This is virtual pan handling, I'll admit it.

Carpool Lane - Move over, here I come!

2008-04-06T21:23:00.000-04:00

Mary, the mother of 1 1/2 children, now owns a MINI-VAN. Sad but true. The sad part is I really like it. Many out there are still of the opinion that you will never-ever own a mini. That was me, but after having one as a rental in Hawaii I fell in love with the convenience. I've been converted. I know you are disapointed but if it makes you feel better, I still consider the X-terra mine and this is Zach's new upgrade. :) Due to a HORRIBLE exprience with our Passat for 3 years, we have parted ways and now own a sweet Grand Caravan. The best part about it all... I purchaced it myself while Zach was gone skiing yesterday.
It's not like it was a shock or anything, we'd been looking for vans for a week after our Passat broke down on our way to Moab last weekend. We had to call AAA for the 6th time since owning our VW. Let me give you all some advice... Never own a VW. It will save you a lot of head aches. They look great but when you are stranded on I-70 with your 20 month old you will wish you could crush the stinkin' car between your bare hands. Needless to say, it was frustrating experience. SO, Zach goes skiing and I head down to the dealership with Kaitlyn. I must say, I had not enjoyed any dealership experience throughout the week but if you are looking for a car- I LOVED my experience with Henry Day Ford. LOVED IT. Is that normal to say about a dealership? Anywho, Zach kept calling about the van and what was going on and I totally lied and said I left, they wouldn't honor their deal, I wasn't happy with the van, etc. While in reality I was driving away in it. He came home at 5ish and there it was. He wasn't mad at all but was really excited it all worked out and was very proud of me for getting a great deal. I figure it was pay back for all the times in school he'd come home from the Auction with a new car and have me going about what he'd bought. He loved to pull my chain about it, so this was pay back.
Now you all know, we have room when you want to come visit us in Ontario. DON'T BE SHY! COME ON BY! That may be my new slogan. :)

It's Nice To Get Away!

2008-03-25T15:08:00.000-04:00

We have just been on an awesome trip to Maui with Krehl and Amy Stegelmeier. We scuba dived, snorkeled (for me), hiked, spear fished, lots of beach time, body surfing, actual surfing, whale watched, spent 3 days in Hana hiking and hanging out, ate great food (unless your pregnant and everything tastes bad), and mostly had a great time with Krehl and Amy. After about 5 days I was starting to really miss Kaitlyn but since she didn't seem to miss us much I just made the most of our trip and we had a really relaxing time.

Our first day in Maui and loving every minute!
Amy and I snazzed up for our LuauThis could sum up most of the trip acually.
7 sacred pools in Hana. Lots of Cliff Jumping
Maui sunrise on the Beach!

Since being back, I'm happy to say I feel pretty normal again! Hot Dog! The last three months were tolerable but I'm really happy to almost feel like me again. Even though I knew this would be the case with #2, nothing really prepares you to look 5 months pregnant at 13 weeks. Strange. I know I should be organizing my life and maybe even packing up stuff we will not need for a couple months but I find myself completely disinterested. I'm a self-proclaimed procrastinator which doesn't help although Zach's influence has improved my worst symptoms for the most part. I figure I've got a month before I have to face the reality of moving for the 7th time in 7 years. Shocking isn't it! To think 3 of those years were spent happily living in one place. This last move from NSL to Holladay I didn't even bother unpacking about 15 boxes. WHY DO I EVEN HAVE THOSE BOXES? I am of the opinion that if I haven't missed them for a year, I'll never really remember what I am supposed to be missing anyways. The trouble is that curiosity gets the best of me and I open the box before the DI drop and low and behold: tokens of my sentimental journey through life have been hidden for a year and I LOVE THEM. So I never get rid of it and when we move to our new home, I don't have anywhere to put those things so they stay in the box until... down the road we are moving again and I rediscover my treasures. It's not so bad with my crap but does anyone else just want to throw away half of your husbands stuff that you lug around from place to place. There is no sentiment and I am itching to get rid of all the stuff taking up space. I'm not talking about pictures or journals or favorite things from childhood. I'm talking about your college Biology text book that I've been informed will come in very handy one day. And maybe it will.

Take Two!!! Twice!!!

2008-02-26T00:18:00.000-05:00

We had so much fun the first time around that we had to do it again!!! News item #1: We are moving to Ontario Canada over Memorial Day Weekend to attend an Ortho School Residency. HURRAY!!! We are really excited about this program. It's a great school and we will get to have an international experience. I've always wanted to continue my persuit of world travel so I see this as a duel purpose decision. We've got the education arm... and then we have the travel and leisure arm. Ask me which is more important and I will have a tough time choosing. The Canadian residencies are interchangable with the US programs which we didn't know until this year. There will be 2 other residents with Zach and we're excited to start this new adventure. We will be a mere 1 1/2 from Detroit where Dave and Kar live and a couple hours from Niagra Falls/Buffallo New York area. The city is London and has a lot of similarities to our Omaha expreience. We will probably even live in a town house style community that looks JUST LIKE Village Green. It's wild.

Our second take two is that we are excited to have a Canadian Citizen join our family in October. Woo Hoo. We've had some worry from overly optomistic parents that our soon to be baby won't be able to become the president of the United States because of the birth location but don't you worry... our brilliant child can be the president so you can all breathe easier. I'm only 9 weeks along so there isn't much to tell other than I just feel strange. That's my best description. I'm really blessed to not get sick or throw-up... just not right. That's me. Tired and strange. Loving every minute of it. :)

So there you have it. There are always new and interesting things going on with us if you just wait long enough. Alisa, I wrote this post for you. FYI. :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008

2008-01-28T22:28:00.000-05:00

We've been hiking a lot this winter and are loving all the snow. I have no complaints about it snowing in the winter... without snow it is just an ugly, cold, waste of time. :)

Christmas was a HIT this year. We had a lot of fun with the family that came in town and missed Mom and Dad and Rick and Marisa that weren't here. Otherwise it was a 100% head count for the Williams and Bentley families. One thing we didn't expect... Kaitlyn could care less about Christmas presents. She didn't want anything to do with wrapping paper or new toys. The old ones were GREAT no problem. NUTS! But she like them now just fine so it wasn't a complete waste. I can honestly say we enjoyed every minute of the Holiday Season. 10 points!

This was one highlight of our adventures... snow shoeing up Millcreek Canyon. We had such a great time with Dan/Rach, Sharon, and Charlie that we went back up on New Years Eve at 10:00 pm to hike it again, only this time we wised up and took sleds and headlamps to make the trip down more exciting. IT ROCKED! A new tradition.

here goes nothin'

2007-07-06T01:05:00.000-04:00

Well this is a first. I don't know what I'm doing at 11 pm creating a blog but it is more fun that going to bed right now. The sooner I go to bed, the sooner Kaite's surgery comes. 6 am we have to be at the hospital and I've got to say I'm a bit nervous. It's for the best though. We just returned from our awesome trip to Glacier and what a great time we had. That's my first picture and my first news. Cute pics and great memories with Pop and Nan. That was a nice little diddy, I'll keep ya posted on Kaite's post-op.