The Wangsgard Family

Precious Pics

2011-05-22T15:29:00.000-07:00

I was having fun taking pics of Kash the other day and thought I'd post this collage. He is 6 weeks old now! Cant believe how fast the time flies!

So sweet!

2011-05-17T12:17:00.000-07:00

Haley is such a good big sister! She is always wanting to hold the baby or do anything to make him stop crying. I will often find her singing to him when he's crying to try to make him happy and more times than not it does! Kash already loves his big sister so much!

Pictures and more pictures...

2011-05-16T12:27:00.000-07:00

So I dont why but blogging has just seemed to be put on the backburner lately. I think partly its because I think I have to catch up on everything I've missed...which is a lot. But I've decided to post some pics of what we've been up to even if there isnt a big explanation about them - so here ya go!

Kash at about 2 weeks - almost a smile - must have been a good gas bubble :)

First family photo with Kash - pretty good lookin bunch I'd have to say ;)

The kids on Easter - the Easter bunny brought Haley a new dress and Parker a fancy new suit! Kash was pretty much screaming but I had to get him in the pic too!

Parker seriously loves his new suit and has worn it every Sunday since - I cant get him to wear anything else. But who would want to when you've got a blue pinstripe suit in your closet :) He is pretty handsome!

Haley played soccer for the first time this Spring and loved it! She learned a lot this year and had so much fun! We really enjoyed being able to watch her.

And of course riding horses! (It was a really cold day)

Just had to add this one in! Love these kids so much!! (BTW I believe this is a posed pic - dont think I'd really let Parker sleep with the baby ;)

We've all been doing really great! It has been an adjustment for everyone since Kash arrived but we are getting it figured out. I'm going to be better at posting now that I'm not going to worry so much about catching up on everything.

We have a name...

2011-04-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

We finally agreed on a name (although Scott will tell you he knew we were going to name him this from the beginning)! We decided on Kash Jackson Wangsgard. I think it fits him well and we really like it. The only one who doesnt like it is Parker - he still thinks he needs to be superman, and I'm thinking that nickname will stick :)

Baby Superman

2011-04-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

Baby Superman has arrived! (The kids have nicknamed him superman since the ultrasound - and we havent come to an agreement on a an official name yet) He was born April 9th at 12:42 pm. 8 lbs 14 oz and 22 1/2 inches long - definately a superman! Everything went really well with delivery - I was actually scheduled for an induction and 8 that morning but ended up going on my own earlier at about 5:30, so just my luck I go into labor then! We are both doing well and healthy. We feel so blessed to have this sweet baby boy here with us and can feel his sweet spirit. Haley and Parker are both so excited to have baby superman here and have fallen in love with him already! We are just so blessed!

ITS A BOY!

2010-11-19T19:15:00.001-08:00

We are having another baby boy and so excited!! The ultrasound went really well and baby is doing perfect! We were able to bring the kids to the ultrasound which was really fun - Haley thought it was so cool to be able to see the baby and it was so fun to see her get so excited. Although she did get a little dissapointed when we found out it was a boy (she was so sure it was going to be a girl) and she said "I dont like little brothers - It was supposed to be a sister!" But that only lasted for a minute and then she was so excited again. We are really excited to be having another sweet little boy and it will be fun for Parker to have a brother so close in age to him.

Halloween!

2010-11-12T12:34:00.000-08:00

Halloween was a lot of fun this year! It started with a ward trunk or treat on Friday and then some trick or treating on Saturday with friends. Haley was a butterfly and Parker was the cutest 'woody' I had ever seen ;) They loved trick or treating - even though Parker got distracted by the candy - he always had some in his mouth.

Carving pumpkins:

The butterfly and Woody:

The hayride at the trunk or treat:

Checking out the loot with friends:

Future Hairdresser? I dont think so!

2010-10-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

So we had our first experience of having a child cut thier hair - thats right Haley cut her hair! We have never had a problem with this and so I didnt even think when I gave her some scissors and paper to do some cutting one afternoon. I went to work on the computer for a minute, and when I came back she was sitting in the corner hiding - I asked what she was doing and she simply replied "cutting my hair" I just looked at her and then she started sobbing! She had cut far enough back that we had to just chop it all - it was just starting to look so pretty long! She still looks pretty cute with a short cut though - and I'm glad that she didnt cut it really really short!

She added some bangs - and did a pretty good job of tapering down the sides ;)

The pile of her beautiful hair - so sad!

After:

Announcing....!

2010-09-28T11:26:00.000-07:00

BABY WANGSGARD NUMBER 3!

Joining our family in April!!

Yep I'm prego!! And we are so excited for a new little baby to come! Haley is especially excited - SHE had to tell everyone and still does - in fact on Sunday in Primary the Primary Pres. was giving announcements and asked if anyone else had any. Well Haley raised her little hand as high as it would go and the Primary Pres. said, "Yes, Haley?" and she says, "My mommy has a baby in her tummy!!" :) This is why we waited to tell her until we were ready for everyone to know ;)

We took Haley and Parker with us to my Doctor's appointment and told them there was going to be a suprise there. Haley was very anxious to see what the suprise was and kept asking if she could see it yet. Well the time came to listen to the heartbeat and that's when I said, "Haley, that's a baby's heart - mommy has a baby in her tummy! That is the suprise!" and she just sat there saying nothing with an amazed look on her face. She was all smiles but didnt say anything just nodded her head when I asked if she was excited. But, then afterwards on the drive home and later I was not prepared for the questions I would get. Here are just a few. Luckily she is still happy with my very simplified answers ;)

Questions from Haley:

"How did it get in there?"

"How is it going to come out? Are they going to drill a hole in your tummy?"

"Is your tummy going to get big like Daddy's?....But Daddy doesnt have a baby in his tummy."

"I want the baby to come out NOW - why can't it come out yet?" Me: Well the baby is too small and it wouldnt be able to live if came out now. "The baby is going to die?!" Me: No No No that is why its going to stay in mommy's tummy until its big. (I know- bad answer to the first question)

Parker heard this conversation and said " Baby Died?!" Me: No buddy the baby is still in mommy's tummy- its not going to die. Then after a pause and much thinking he says "Jesus Died" Me: Yes Parker Jesus Died but the baby is not going to die (can you see why I say I was not prepared)

Haley was figuring out how even she and parker were in mommy's tummy once and said this:

"I was in your tummy before I was born" Me: Yep thats right before you were a baby.

"Parker was in your tummy before he was a baby" Me: Yes he was! (thinking we were making progress)

"Daddy was in your tummy before he was born!" Me: No No Daddy was not in my tummy! And going on to a conversation about how Daddy was in Grandma Wangsgards tummy because she is his mom and I'm not. And then she went on that I was in Grandma Jackson's tummy and so on.... she thinks she's getting it all figured out ;)

Parker is very excited as well and he always tries to lift up my shirt so he can "see it, see it"

He will say, "Baby..Momma's.. tummy!" He will be a great big brother.

First Day of Preschool!

2010-09-10T18:04:00.000-07:00

Haley's first day of Preschool was today! It really didnt seem like anything too new since she went last year for 3 yo preschool, but she was so excited to get to go again!! When we got there she walked right in and said "Bye Mom" and I said "Dont I get a hug" and then with a sigh she walked over and gave me a hug and kiss (like I was totally interrupting her fun)! I thought it was kind of cute though and I'm glad she was so excited to go!

The before shot at the house (I dont know why but we always had to take one of these)

Getting there....'finally'! Notice how Parker wanted to be in all the photos as well ;)

Getting settled in the classroom - she's a pro!
Haley is such a sweet girl and I'm glad she loves learning and playing with her friends at preschool!

Iowa State Fair

2010-08-28T17:45:00.000-07:00

We were able to go to the Iowa State Fair this year. It is Huge! There are so many things to see and do you could easily spend the whole week there. Its even complete with a butter cow (I know only in Iowa). I think the kids favorite part was the seeing the baby animals and doing "Little hands on the farm" - its where they get to pretend to be farmers, everything from planting to harvesting and then spending the money they make at the little store they had. They really did love it - I only wish it wasnt raining!! They also got to go on a few of the rides and see all the animals and tractors (Scott and Parker's favorite). We were all very worn out that night, but it was worth it!

Posing by the tractor!

This is the kids doing the little hands on the farm. Their baskets are full and ready to take it to the buyers for their 'money'.

Haley got to help make a rope out of twine. She thought it was so cool and held on to her rope the rest of the day :)

Playing in the water fountains. I guess the rain didnt get them wet enough ;) (I love these pics though)

Iowa Storms

2010-08-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

We've had some pretty crazy storms this summer! Iowa has had to deal with quite a bit of flooding - Ames (where Scott works) got really flooded, the main roads were totally flooded out, and people didnt have drinking water for about a week. We were glad that we just had a mildly flooded basement (just got the carpet wet) - but it was still really annoying! We did take these cool pics one day after going to the store - it was clear when we went in and this is what it looked like when we came out. We hoped maybe we would see a tornado, but no such luck! :)

Parker's 2nd Birthday!

2010-08-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

Parker turned 2 on July 31st! I cant believe he is 2 already! We had such a fun day - one of the towns in our area was having a celebration so we spent the day there. The kids were able to play on the blow up toys, ride the "train", as well as watching some pretty sweet train displays. Parker loved getting his new boots and wore them all day! We came home and a little party with some friends and Parker and Haleys adopted grandparents (The Jones). Scott continued the tradition of making the cake (last year it was a tractor and a digger) and had a tractor and baler in a field - he did a great job! Parker got a pretty cute cowboy outfit - complete with wranglers and a hat (so cute)! And he also got a tool bench with a ton of tools to go with (best present ever!)

I just love this little boy and wish he would stop getting big! He is such a blessing to our family. I absolutely love his sweet little hugs and kisses that he gives me for no reason. He is turning into quite the Daddy's boy and wants to go everywhere with Dad. He loves playing with his sister and even shares with her sometimes ;) WE LOVE YOU PARKER!

Swimming Lessons

2010-07-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

Haley got to take swimming lessons this year and she loved it! She loved her teacher and had fun playing with the kids. She loved playing "ring around the rosies" and "motor boat" games. She learned how to float and put her face in the water (which was something she had always been afraid to do). She learned front glides and back glides and picked up rings from the bottom. I am so proud that she had learned to be more comfortable in the water!

Trip to Utah!

2010-07-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to be able to go to Utah for a few weeks this summer! We got a ton of playing in and pretty much exhausted ourselves! Special thanks to my Dad for helping me drive out with the kids before Scott came - it worked out really good! We spent our time playing with cousins, camping, boating, watching parades, and just spending time with family! It was a wonderful trip and was hard to come back home!

Here is a little slideshow of Haley's Birthday. We ended up having the Jackson family reunion that weekend so she got to go camping on her birthday! She had a butterfly themed party with the cousins which was so much fun! Her big present was a new bike which she loved. I cant believe my baby girl is 4 already - time has gone by sooo fast!

Even though Scott wasnt there he still remembered Haley's Birthday - which is also our anniversary (6th :) and sent Shane and Rachelle up to the campsite to bring us flowers! I loved it! It was so sweet! And thanks to Shane and Rachelle for driving up to give them to us!!!

The kids loved climbing in Grandpa Jackson's apple tree! I just love this pic!

The 4th of July parade in Huntsville! All the cousins lining up for candy!

Wakeboarding!! Yep that's me :)

Tubing with Daddy!

I had so many other pics but I guess that will have to do for now! It was so fun and we already miss everyone so much!! Love you all!!

Photo Shoot!

2010-06-15T18:08:00.000-07:00

My friend Katrina took these awesome pics of Haley and Parker! I love them! Thanks Katrina!!!

Dance Recital

2010-06-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

On June 5 Haley had her very first Dance Recital. She has been taking a dance class starting this last fall and has absolutely loved it. I knew that she would since it seems like she is always dancing or singing around the house. She loved her teacher "miss Mickey" and enojoyed making some new friends. She did so well at her recital and we were so proud of her! It makes me so happy to see her having so much fun! In all she had 2 dances as well has a tumbling part where she got to show us her somersaults!

One of her moves:

Haley with her friend Ally:
Posing with "Grandma and Granpa Jones" (our adopted grandparents)

Preschool Celebration!

2010-05-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

Haley had her preschool celebration/graduation recently. She didn't officially graduate since she will still be going to preschool next year but it was fun to see all the things she's been doing and the songs she's learned and things. She has absolutely loved preschool and she was always so excited to go. She is very sad that she doesnt get to go in the summer too.

Here are some pics of it - I wanted to get a video on but it hasnt been working so we'll see if I can get it on later.

Haley's class - The "Busy Bees"

She sang all the songs so well and had a big smile on her face!

Haley with her teacher Mrs. Coleman

Haley with her 'best friend' Elliot

One for the Memory books...

2010-05-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

I've just been noticing lately how much Parker has been changing and learning! He learns new words all the time and is just turning into the cutest little toddler. He follows his sister around like she is the coolest person in the world and gives the sweetest hugs and kisses. I wanted to write down some of the things he is saying right now because I know that before I know it he'll be saying full sentences and I will have forgotten this stage. I'm sure I wont get all the words he is saying right now but here are some:

"Momma"
"Dad-eeee"
"Ay-lee" He often will walk around the house yelling this until she responds
"Bum-pa" Dual word for grandpa or grandma
"Des-ta" Dexter (one of our dogs)
"Il-eee" Lily (our other dog)
"or-por" Corporal (one of our horses)
Note: During prayers all of the above must be mentioned :)

"Hi" Says this very clear, so clear that grandma has mistaken him for Haley on the phone.
"Bye" Also says this very clear
"Ny-Ny" : Night night
"Beepers" : Binki
"Bus" : a yellow school bus or anything resembling such. Semi trucks and large vans are also called this.
"Tah-tes" : Tractor
"Ba-wa" : Skid Loader - it took me a while to figure out why he was calling it this, but I think he is trying to say the loader part.
"Mon" : Mine
"Aawt" : What - this is very cute. When Haley says to him guess what? He'll respond "Aawt"
"Eeese" : Cheese or Please
"dat-dahh: Hot Dog - without fail whenever I ask him what he wants to eat this is what he says (whether he really wants one or not)
"Bi-byte" : Big bite
"Buzz" : Bugs
"Puppy"
"Airs" : Stairs
"det" : Get - says this in a very demeaning term toward the dogs if they are in his way :)
Eee-sus : Jesus

And I'm sure there are more than that. I just love this little boy so much and feel so lucky to be his mother. I still am amazed at how fast he is growing but I love seeing his little personality come out more and more. Love you Parker!

Omaha ZOO

2010-05-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

After we dropped my mom off at the airport in Omaha we decided to make the trip more fun and go to the Omaha zoo! I guess it is the second largest in the country next to San Diego. And it was pretty big with a lot of cool stuff! They had this huge Desert dome - you can see it from the freeway - as well as a huge Jungle house, Aquarium, butterfly house, cat complex, and more! It was awesome and we were all so exhausted when the day was over! Haley favorite thing was definately the Giraffes - from the moment we stepped into the zoo that is all she wanted to see - and they did not dissapoint, she loved it! My favorite was probably the gorillas - there was one that had a one year old baby and she just looked exhausted while the baby was crawling all over her (I could definately relate). Parkers favorite was probably either the monkeys or the fish. He kept saying "ish, ish". Also they were feeding the penguins and the kids got to be right up next to the glass to watch, and they both loved that! They also had a petting zoo which was fun. Haley found this little goat laying down that she became good friends with and after much coaxing Parker pet it as well. It was a wonderful day!

Grandma Jackson's Visit!

2010-05-05T11:54:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, April was our month of visitors and to end it off was my Mom coming! It was so fun to spend some time with her. It was really cute when we picked her up from the airport - there was a long hallway that we knew she would be coming out of but we had to wait and one end of it. The kids were so anxious to find Grandma! When they saw her coming they both bolted down the hallway and when she saw them she started running too :) I so wish I would have had my video camera or even just my camera to get some pics - it was like a scene out of a movie - but I forgot it of course, so it will just have to be one of those memories ingrained (sp?) in my brain! My mom was able to go to preschool with Haley and she was so excited for Grandma to come with her! It was just so fun and as always we were all so sad when she left!

Flying a kite with Grandma! I can't believe this is the only pic I took of her and the kids - ugh I'm such a slacker sometimes.

WE LOVE YOU GRANDMA JACKSON! WE MISS YOU!

I LOVE SPRING!

2010-05-05T11:38:00.000-07:00

Spring is definately my favorite season! I love to see all the buds on the trees, the grass greening up, and the beautiful flowers! I especially love spring in Iowa - it just seems to be so much greener then out west and I LOVE GREEN! Here are some pics I took around our yard (took them a couple weeks ago)

The kids on the tree swing Scott made for them. They love it and so do I! Its just made out of rope with a board to sit on - it looks like its been there forever. BTW the day I took these pics was a grub out day so dont mind the grubby clothes, dirty faces, and crazy hair ;)

These are there Easter outfits - a little late I know, but better late then never :)

Visit from Grandma & Grandpa Wangsgard

2010-05-05T11:24:00.000-07:00

April was the month of visitors for us and we loved every minute of it! We had Mike and his family for Easter and then a couple weeks later we had Scotts mom and dad! It was so fun to have them here. The kids loved waking up in the morning and going downstairs to cuddle with Grandpa and Grandma. We also had a fun day at Iowa State with them - there was a college celebration with a parade and carnival and things. It was a lot of fun and we were so glad to share it with scott's mom and dad. We were all so sad to see them leave!

Hanging out with Grandma - doesn't get much better than that!

Chilling out at the parade! We were lucky it was such a nice day!

Look a tractor! Or as Parker would say it "Tah-tes"

Riding the car ride at the Carnival. This truck was the only one with a horn and they both loved it! Both of them had so much fun - it was really cute! (I wonder how much one of these rides costs - it would entertain them all day ;)

In the bounce house (what a rip off!) By the time they had it figured out they had to get out - but they still had fun :)
WE LOVE YOU GRANDMA AND GRANDPA WANGSGARD! THANKS FOR VISITING!

Baby Poop...

2010-04-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

After Haley had gone to the bathroom the other day we had this conversation as I was helping her 'clean up'

Haley, "Mom those are just little...they are baby poops!"
Me, " Your right Haley those are little ones"
Haley, "Ya they are the babies"
Me, " Oh, OK.." (thinking this would be the end of the conversation - which it was for a minute)

About 2 minutes later after going to the bathroom AGAIN:

Haley, "MOM! Those ones are big! That is the mommy and Daddy!!"
Me, (trying not too laught too hard) "Oh yep those are big"
Haley, "They missed their babies, huh!"
Me, "I guess so"
Haley (as she is flushing) "Bye mommy and daddy"

:)

Easter Egg Hunt

2010-04-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

Spring has finally sprung and all the Wangsgard family is so much happier now!! We are loving the nice weather and being able to play outside so much!! Iowa is so much prettier when it starts to turn green! We also were lucky enough to have Scott's brother Mike and his family here for Easter. It was so much fun! On Saturday we had an easter egg hunt in our yard and it was fun to have all the kids here. Haley and her cousin Becky had so much fun together and Haley was so excited to have someone to play with all the time - she cried when they had to leave! Here are some pics of the hunt:

Get READY,

Get SET,

GO!!!!

Parker had so much fun looking for eggs and was so excited when he found one. He would walk around looking for them saying "mo, mo" (more, more). Also, when no more eggs could be found we were still missing one- we looked and looked but no one could find it - we decided to give up knowing it would turn up eventually. Well the next day Parker was playing outside by the trailer (which was out for Mike to take to nauvoo) and came running toward me "momma, momma" with the missing egg in his hand!! It must have been right at his level where no one else could see! If we'd a just known to leave it up to the one year old the day before ;)

Haley also had fun looking for eggs and was very nice to leave the 'easy' ones for Parker ;)

Easter Morning:
This is the loot from the Easter Bunny. Haley was so excited to get a kite! That was all she wanted!

Some toys to play outside with!

I love this picture - trying out the sunglasses with a mouthful of candy :)

Trying out the new kite - It wasnt quite windy enough to stay up for very long but she still enjoyed it.

Isnt it supposed to be spring?!!

2010-03-08T12:22:00.000-08:00

So I am seriously getting sick of posting pictures of the snow!!I have spring fever so bad but it's March now and the snow it still definately here so I guess I'll post these pics. Will Spring ever come?!!

This is the snowbank at the bottom of our driveway - and this was after a few days of melting!! I think it might be July before all this snow is gone!!

Scott helped Haley make a slide - who needs a playground when you have snow?!

The Cowboy Snowman! With it warming up a little the snow was finally wet enough to make a snowman - Haley loved it!

This ice sculpture was made from a pipe running along the deck that drips a little - kind of cool.

They love playing in their house and "make dinner". Haley will lean out the window to take my order - its pretty cute.

He's such a cheeser!

I know, I know!

2010-02-10T12:15:00.000-08:00

I know!! It has been forever!! So I'm going to try to catch up and back date some things. Its just been so long that it seems like an overwhelming task to get caught back up but I'm going to try and start today so we'll see how far I get!

Sledding!

2010-01-10T11:17:00.000-08:00

Haley and Parker had so much fun sledding with their cousins! They got to go at Grandma Jackson's and Grandma Wangsgard's. Cameron and Owen and Uncle Dallin came with and had a lot of fun, Although Parker would've rather stayed on the swings more than anything ;). Parker loved riding on the Grandpa Wangsgard's fourwheeler and was very upset when we made him get off!! We sure loved being able to visit family for so long and were very sad to leave. Parker loved all of the babies everywhere and was so cute with them! We were so grateful for the time we got to spend with everyone!

Christmas Day!

2009-12-26T10:54:00.000-08:00

Christmas was wonderful this year and Santa Claus found us even at Grandma Wangsgard's house! It was a lot of fun this year because Haley was actually understanding who Santa is and what he does! She was so excited to put out cookies and write a letter to Santa. The morning was wonderful and the kids had a great time of course! Haley was especially excited about the Tinkerbell movie (she was into tinkerbell this year- hence the pj's as well) and also a talking doll with a stroller, high chair, and bed. Parker loved his Truck that Haley gave to him and also his play farm - he kept saying "yeehaw yeehaw". They were both really excited to have a new sled that they both could fit in! Later that night we had that Wangsgard Christmas party which can only be summed up in one word - CHAOS!! We love the chaos though and it is so fun to have all the cousins together especially for Haley! We are so grateful that we were able to spend Christmas with all our family - it would be so wierd not to be with them all!

Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T12:52:00.000-08:00

My family always has their Christmas party on Christmas Eve and we were so glad to be a part of it this year. It was extra special because my Grandma and Grandpa Jackson were there. We had a little program and the kids sang Jingle bells, and also had a nativity. Haley was an angel, and Parker was the cutest sheep I've ever seen!! It was such a fun night of giftgiving and traditions! We ended the night with Christmas Eve Jammies!! Haley was so excited for her Tinkerbell PJ's and Parker would point at his 'Cars' PJ's and say "Tuck" (aka truck) It was pretty cute!

After I posted the slideshow I realized I missed a pic that I wanted to share. This is Parker sporting his Cristmas punch mustache! (Christmas punch is a long time family Christmas tradition)

Tree Decorating!

2009-12-01T12:38:00.000-08:00

We decided to get a Christmas tree and decorate even though we weren't going to be at our house for Christmas. I have such fond memories of decorating the Christmas tree when I was little so I guess I want to give my kids the same experience. It was a lot of fun and the kids loved it. Haley was especially excited when she got to put the star on. Also, we had quite the snowstorm (of course it was while scott was gon) and I was snowed in for a few days. The wind and drifts were the worse part and it all seemed to land in front of my house! Thanks to some wonderful neighbors we were able to get dug out! The kids didn't mind the snow though!

Thanksgiving!!

2009-11-26T12:24:00.000-08:00

We had our very own Thanksgiving dinner this year! Although it was bitter-sweet to be away from family we enjoyed celebrating on our own. I cooked my very first Turkey (which didn't turn out too bad considering) and we had all the fixins. Needless to say we had a LOT of leftovers! Haley was very excited to eat turkey and Parker of course made a HUGE mess but it was a lot of fun. I am so thankful for my little family!

Halloween Pumpkins!

2009-11-04T12:01:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of the kids in their Halloween costumes - My two sweet pumpkins! Haley has been very into pumpkins lately and was so excited to be one! Parker looked especially cute with his on and his little waddle, I wish I would have got some video of him! Haley loved carving the pumpkin as well! Halloween was really fun - we played in the leaves during the day and then took the kids trick or treating to a few houses. Haley loved trick or treating and still talks about it :)

Family Pictures!

2009-10-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

These are the best of our new family pics! They turned out great! Thanks to my friend Katrina who took them for us! She did a great job! Its quite a trick getting everyone to smile at the same time, but we got a few good ones ;)

(If you click on the collage you can see a bigger version of it - I couldnt get it any bigger on the post)

A visit from Grandma!

2009-10-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

It's taken me a while to get this on here, but a couple weeks ago my mom came to visit for a week! It was so fun to have grandma stay with us for so long and the kids loved having her here! We all were very sad to see her leave, but are grateful that she was able to come out.

The kids did most of the entertaining for her ;) but we did go to a couple fun places. We went to Reimman Gardens - which is part of Iowa State - obviously it has lots a beautiful gardens but it also has a butterfly house (which the kids absolutely loved) and also a little kids area where they had a fossil dig and dinosaurs. There was also these chimes that you could step on and they would play, Haley enjoyed that a lot.

Near the end of the week Paul (Scott's brother) and his family came as well! (We dont get visitors a lot, but I guess when it rains it pours!) While they were here we visited the famous Boone Train. The kids really enjoyed it. Haley loved having all her cousins here as well. She always asks when Dane is coming again - and tries to convince me that Grandma is at the airport waiting for us to pick her up :)

Horseback Riding

2009-10-11T13:17:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we took the horses and went for a very nice horse ride. We decided we better do this since Isabelle (our mare) was going back to Utah with Scott's brother - since she is half Scott's nephews. We went up to some trails about an hour north from us and it was a very pretty ride.

We rode for about 4 hours and the kids were champs. We thought we'd give them a break and stopped at a little stream on the way back and they thought that was pretty fun. I don't know what Parker liked more- riding the horses or splashing in the water! It was a good thing we were pretty close to the truck because they got very wet and muddy.

We all just love to ride so much (especially Parker and Haley) and were glad we were finally able to get out on a good ride. It was a good way to say good bye to Isabelle - we will definately miss her!

Kitchen Remodel....the cheap way!

2009-09-23T08:16:00.000-07:00

So this has been our big project this summer. We refaced and painted our kitchen cabinets! It was quite the project and the first time I hated that we had so many cabinets! We also ended up getting new flooring because it was on clearance at Lowes (we have now banned ourselves from that store ;) I am so happy with how they turned out - it looks so much better than it did before! Although it still needs new countertops and backsplash I think it has at least been brought out of the 80's!

This is what we did: We first had to remove the wooden handle all the doors and drawers, and then put another board the same width as the rest of the door in its place. Then we bought some plywood sheets and cut them into 2 1/2 inch strips to frame out the doors and drawers. Then we painted them white and added knobs and handles for a finished look.

With boards, paint and supplies, knobs and handles the total was around $250. Not bad considering it looks like we got new cabinets! Oh, and we didnt come up with this ourselves I saw it on HGTV (I love that channel :)

Before Pictures: (I was a little late getting my before pics - we had already taken off the top doors, but you get the idea) I did find a pic that Haley had taken a while a go that shows the top with the doors on)

After pics:

And yes, I know that I need a black fridge - need to get some more moneys first ;)Most of all I am just grateful to have my kitchen back!

First Day of Preschool!

2009-09-15T11:09:00.001-07:00

On Friday, Haley had her first day of Preschool! She has been so excited to start and she absolutely loved it!

Sooooooo excited!

When we arrived she did not have any problem walking right in a enjoying herself, meanwhile I was getting a little choked up! My little girl is just getting so big!

She was excited that her good friend Elliot (from nursery) was in her class - he is the one standing next to her. And her teacher is my good friend Katrina so that works out well since she already knew her.

She was so excited when I picked her up and wanted to tell me all about it, it definately wore her out though and she fell asleep in the car ride home :)

Iowans for 1 year!

2009-09-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

Well we have been here in Iowa for one year now! It's crazy how fast the time goes! And yet when I look back a lot of things sure have changed since that first cross of the border. My baby is no longer a baby anymore, my now 3 year old has had many milestones (#1 being potty training), we've added a new baby horse to our family, and made a lot of changes to our house (and yet many more on the list ;). Iowa has definately grown on us and we have made a lot of friends and have a great ward. We love how green it is out here and you dont even have to water! Although it does make mowing the lawn a chore (especially when the lawnmower is broken - but that's another story) We still definately miss all of our friends and family back in Utah and many tears have been shed in your behaf! Every birthday and family party or reunion that we've missed makes us very sad, but we know that this is where we are supposed to be so it helps during those hard times. So one year down, and however many the Lord intends for us left! We feel very blessed and know that we are being taken care of! Thanks to all for your love and support and know that we love you too!

Nothing like falling asleep to a good book!

2009-08-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

I actually took this a while ago, but I was going through pictures and just had to post it! I came to check on her to make sure she went to sleep for her nap one day and this is what I found - there really is nothing like falling asleep to a good book!

What a Princess!

2009-08-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

Haley was recently invited to a princess party and Cinderella was there. She absolutely loved it!

They played games and read stories with them. To say she was amazed is an understatement, more like awestruck! She just sat there at stared at Cinderella.

Each girl got to walk down the red carpet and Cinderella crowned them a real princess!

It was pretty cute and she loves playing with her crown and necklaces that she got. Now, whenever she sees Cinderella on anything she says, "Mom, I know her!"

Happy 1st Birthday!

2009-08-03T11:45:00.000-07:00

On July 31 it was Parkers 1st Birthday! We had a lot of fun that day. We started off his day with his favorite breakfast - pancakes. Then we went to Fun Days which is a little town celebration which was fun, mostly just to be together as a family. Haley probably had more fun than Parker but I think he had fun too. After that it was back home for some cake and ice cream. Scott was the cake decorator this year - I know its pretty shocking to hear that! But when you find out that it was a Tractor cake - not so shocking! Scott put a lot of creativity and effort into making it look realistic - from the pic you can tell that it is a tractor with a digger on it and it is digging up a field! I was so proud of my hubby! It turned out looking great! Parker definately enjoyed digging into the cake himself and ate every last bit of cake and ice cream that I would let him have (he would have eaten more if I'd let him). He loved opening his presents more than the presents themselves! I wish family could have been there, but it still was a wonderful day!

It's just crazy how fast the time goes. It seems like yesterday when we were bringing him home from the hospital! He is getting so big and learns so much everyday. Here are a few things that we just love about him:

His open mouth kisses.........My favorite!
His sweet little hugs
The way he jabbers
The dimple on his right cheek
His monkey crawl
His cheeser grin
How he eats more than his sister
The sweet spirit that he is!

First Haircut, First Word, First Step

2009-07-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

This post is actually about a month late! All of these things happened a little while ago but we've just been so busy and I've had other things I wanted to post, but I have finally gotten to it!

First Haircut:

First Words:

"Mama!" (Haley said Dada first so I was pretty excited about this one!)

"kuck a kuck a kuck" - translation: Yucky

and then a little later came:

"Dadadada"

First Steps:

(video soon to come - I cant figure it out on this new computer so I'll put it on when Scott comes home!)

3 YEARS OLD!

2009-07-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

Haley turned 3 years old on June 25th! She was so excited to finally have her "Happy Bir-day". She kept telling me all day "Thanks mom for my happy bir-day"! It was really cute. It also worked out perfectly that all of the packages sent by family arrived on her birthday so she really enjoyed that! Thanks to all! She had a really fun day and I just can't believe that she is 3 years old already!

Started off the day with her favorite breakfast - muffins!

Helping me make her teddy bear cake. I was excited that she wanted a teddy bear cake because it was really easy (and I'm not much of a cake decorator;)

Since Scott was gone until late that night (missed it by 4 minutes actually - his airplane got delayed) we went swimming the next day and she loved it.

Also, it was our 5th anniversary! It kind of gets overlooked since Haley's birthday is on the same day. But he brought home some chocolate for Haley and I (Haley has one that says Happy Birthday Haley) from the M&M factory. Also, he did his homework and found out that the gift for the 5th anniversary is wood, so he bought me a new table (dont have a pic yet)! I really love it! We've seriously needed a new table for a while!

Summer Fun!

2009-06-24T07:41:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks have been busy ones around here! My cousin Kim, her two kids, and brother Nathan came to visit! We had so much fun with them here! Addison is about 6 months younger than Haley so we had to do some refereeing between the two of them, but Haley loved having a friend! When they first got here we went to Nauvoo - It was so fun. It has been a while since I have gone so it was really neat. Haley loved riding on the horse-drawn wagon and seeing the temple. We took the trailer down with us and camped at the Nauvoo state park - which is a very beautiful campground. We had fun camping, the kids especially liked roasting hot dogs and marshmallows! And also all the fireflies - Nathan caught some for us and the kids loved it!

When we got back home we played around here. There is a train that goes through Boone county that we went on and the kids had so much fun! We went swimming one day and picnicking. We even made it down to the zoo - even though we didnt get to see everything because it starting pouring rain! It was just a lot of fun!!

Thanks Kim and Nate for coming!! We love you!

A little taste of Iowa

2009-06-04T12:54:00.001-07:00

This is definately what most of Iowa is like! Just in case you were wondering ;)

This reminded me how grateful I am for the beautiful piece of Iowa that we live in!

Camping!

2009-06-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we got to get away and go camping! Now camping out here in Iowa is very different than what we are used to (since there is no mountains) - but we found a little lake with a campground and all though it was very crowded (parallel parked trailers) we actually found a pretty good spot. The best part is that we were camped right next to the playground! The worst part was definately the bugs! I have never experienced gnats like I did this weekend! We were so grateful to have our trailer! We just bought this trailer from my Grandpa (for a great deal) and we love it! It is so nice - is fully functional with toilet and shower - love it!! Haley and Parker had so much fun swimming and playing in the sand at the beach while Scott and I got to relax a little! It was a lot of fun and hopefully we can do it more!

Apologies and Catch Up!

2009-05-03T16:09:00.000-07:00

This blog is to apoligize for the last 3 months of NOTHING! Our laptop computer stopped working (it wouldnt even power up) and so I have felt very disconnected with the rest of the world! Its amazing how much I use the computer and internet for things. I guess we never realize how valuable something is until it is gone! Anyways, we used some tax money and bought us a new computer so I am now connected again!! YAY! So I guess the rest of this blog will be trying to catch up on the last few months (although many wonderful things will have to be skipped.

March:
My Dad had open heart surgery with a double bypass! He is still recovering but doing much better now! Thanks to my wonderful aunts, Shauna and Suzanne, I was able to fly home for a couple days when my dad first came home from the hospital to help with the recovery and relieve my mom for a little while! This is a video we took of Parker on that trip - I know its pretty cruel, but I think its hilarious!

April:
Finally some sunshine around here! And we were also able to go home for a couple weeks becuase Scott had to work in Logan and Utah State. It worked out wonderfully! And the best part is that the company paid for most the trip (since it was "business")! It was so fun to spend time with family and friends and thanks to all who took us in, fed us meals, and everything else! I think that coming home is actually worse for my homesickness than anything because I am reminded of what we left! But it is good to be home now and I still know this is where we are supposed to be even though it is so hard to be away from family and friends!

We got to go fourwheeling down at the knolls (sand dunes close to Wendover). Haley had a blast!

The kids in their Easter outfits:

Lining up for the Easter Egg hunt at Grandma Wangsgards

Haley getting friendly with the Cousin (Owen) I guess she missed him! I'm not sure if he feels the same way though ;)

The Mendon Easter Egg Hunt - I dont know what she loved more - finding the eggs or eating the candy inside! Parker was happy with just one.

Recently:
We just got a new baby horse! A Philly (girl)! We are so excited and she is so darn cute! Haley loves seeing the "foal" (she corrected me many times when I called it a baby horse). We named her "Lexie" (thought it would go well with her sister's name - Trixie). Its been so fun! We have loved the springtime here - everything is soooo green and beautiful!

This was sooo cute the foal came right up to Parker and started smelling him - he wasnt quite sure about it though!

Visitors!

2009-02-18T19:34:00.000-08:00

We had some visitors to Iowa this week!! My mom, dad, and little brother - Kellan, came to see us! It was so fun to have them here! Haley loved having her Grandma and Grandpa around! And even though it was snowy and cold most of the time it warmed up enough to bundle up and go to the Des Moines zoo! The zoo also had a lot of indoor exhibits so that was fun. Haley loved seeing all the animals, and she still talks about it. We had a wonderful Valentines Day dinner (steak and shrimp) that we cooked on our grill! It was the best steak I've ever had! We also had a birthday party for all the February birthdays (My dad, Kellan, Scott, and I) and of course Haley had to help us blow out the candles! We were all so sad to see them go home (especially Haley) Thanks for coming Mom and Dad!

Fun facts about the kids!

2009-02-09T12:36:00.000-08:00

I thought that I would write just some few fun and random facts about what the kids are up to nowadays.

Haley:

Favorite word: WHY? ( its such a small word and yet it is so difficult to answer sometimes - and she doesnt let me off by just saying because - she says 'because why?!'
Favorite color: Pink
Favorite book: 'The very hungry caterpillar' (at least it is this week)
Favorite toy: her kitchen and play-do!
Favorite movie: The Lion King
Favorite TV station: PBS Kids (Mine too actually ;))
Favorite food: Anything with noodles!
She talks very well and can carry on a good conversation. Her latest phrase is "I told you" - Example: I'll ask her what she wants for lunch and she'll say "sandwich" and I'll say "how about mac and cheese" and then she'll firmly reply " Mom - I TOLD YOU - I want a sandwich!" Its actually pretty cute.
Her hair is long enough that I actually got it into a single braid the other night!
She is a very good big sister most of the time (sometimes she gets the urge to tackle him or drag him across the room)
She loves to go to nursery and is always singing the songs she learns there.

Parker:

Favorite food: Carrots or sweet potatoes
Favorite time of day: When he wakes up from his afternoon nap - most of the time I know he's awake because he's just cooing and jabbering in his crib.
He has one direction: backwards! He scoots around on his belly and mostly goes in circles.
He is finally starting to sleep through the night (well, besides a couple trips in to give him his binki)
He loves to watch his big sister and is always looking for her and what she is doing.
He gives the best little hugs
Has the biggest smile and the cutest little dimple on his right cheek.

I love these two kids so much! And although there is times that I just wanted to scream, they bring so much joy to my life!

Hardware Ranch

2009-01-13T13:34:00.000-08:00

We were able to get up to Hardware Ranch while we were visiting! Haley loved seeing the elk! Funny story though - Parker started screaming right before we got onto the sleigh - he had decided that he was hungry - so yes.. thats right.. that is a picture of me breastfeeding on the sleigh at hardware ranch! Scott helped me cover up with my coat and it actually worked rather well - I bet not many people nowadays can say that they breastfed in a wagon pulled by horses! I guess there is a positive side to everything - although at the time I was pretty embarassed!

The good part is that he fell fast asleep after he was done! :D

Snowman building

2009-01-13T13:19:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of Haley and her cousins building a snowman and sledding. She had so much fun in the snow! The last picture is of Cameron and Owen (the cousins). They just looked so cute together in this sled!

Catching up!

2009-01-13T12:09:00.000-08:00

Well, since we visited home last month for Christmas I havent had the chance to post until now (our internet was down too). So I thought I post a few pictures of our WONDERFUL christmas!! We were so happy to be able to be with family this Christmas and to get to stay so long! It was such a nice visit and we already miss everyone so much again! Anyways here are a few of my favorite pics!
The kids in their Christmas Eve PJs!
Haley is helping Grandpa Jackson with Christmas Fudge!
Haley and her cousins Cameron and Owen and Aunt Seantae
Scott's mom gave all the grandkids towels that she had embroidered their names on them. That is quite a lot with 20 + grandkids! Haley really loves hers!
Parker and his cousin Ethan. They are only 1 month apart.

Visiting temple square! Haley absolutely loved it. She couldn't get enough of the "pretty lights" and was so sad to leave!

Thank you!

2008-12-01T13:37:00.000-08:00

I know this post is a little late for Thanksgiving, but I just wanted to write about some things that I have been truely grateful for this year. Here's just a small little list:

My wonderful husband! (even though I can totally blame him for moving me half way across the country)
My two year old, who always keeps me on my toes!
My beautiful baby boy!
My beautiful new place out it Iowa!
The opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and experience something new!
All of my family and friends, who have been nothing but supportive!
The knowledge of the gospel and the comfort it gives me!

We love you all and Thank all of you for all you do!

Chicken pox?!!

2008-11-04T11:02:00.001-08:00

Yep - thats right! I'm pretty sure that is a chicken pock!!! I couldn't believe it. She actually starting getting some on her face the other day and I just thought she was breaking out, but when she woke up in the middle of the night with a fever and tummy ache I put two and two together. I called the doctor to see if it could even possibly be chicken pox since she has had the vaccine and I have no idea who she would have got it from, and they said that even though it is rare now they still see kids having it every once in a while. She has been so sad today, but her fever broke a little while ago and so she's doing a little better. She says, "I fat, I fat" and sticks out her tummy to tell me that it hurts. It's pretty cute. No worries about Parker though - they said that he should be fine because he's still got the immunity from me in him. Hopefully it will pass quickly!

Fall Leaves

2008-11-04T10:54:00.001-08:00

We sure have a lot of leaves at our place! Haley had a blast raking them, and jumping in them, and throwing them in the air! She was so cute! And as far as the raking goes - well lets just say their is still a lot of leaves on our lawn!!

Potty Training!

2008-10-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

So we have started the Potty training full force this past week with Haley! She is actually doing really good, but I must say that it takes a lot of patience to potty train! She has got peeing in the potty down - she has done really well with it - but as far as pooping goes, well lets just say we have not had success yet!
The other day she went poop in her panties and then tried to clean it up herself! When she came out into the kitchen and showed Scott the poop in her hands, he about hurled right there. I was downstairs and I hear Scott yelling at me, "Amelia... I need some HELP up here!" Right then I knew it was a potty training incident, but little did I know what I would come up to find. Haley had fortunately went into the bathroom before she tried to clean it up, but there was poop all over the floor and toilet and her! It was disgusting! So.. I started the bath Scott and I cleaned up the poop, and within about 5 minutes, she started screaming and saying "scared of poop"! Yes, thats right she pooped in the bathtub! By this time you could say that my patience was about gone! And yet I did what I had to do, cleaned the bathtub, and washed my daughter off for the second time. We still have not had success with actually making the poop in the potty, but at least I've always been there when she goes in her panties, or pull up!
Oh the joys!!!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

Our ward had their trunk or treat/halloween party on Saturday, so we dressed up the kids! Haley loved being a pretty princess and Parker was the cutest frog prince I had ever seen! We had a lot of fun at the party - Haley was excited about the candy and they also had a tractor ride. Happy Halloween!

The many talents of the Wangsgard children :)

2008-10-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

Say Cheese!

2008-10-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

I was having fun with my camera this afternoon and took these pictures. I think they turned out pretty good - it helps that he's soooo cute anyway!

Iowa... Home sweet Home... I guess!

2008-10-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

This is the front of our house.

This is our front lawn - doesn't it look more like a park! I love it and Haley loves it. I really need a swing set though!

This is the view from our back porch. This is the closest thing to mountains in Iowa!

A sunrise in Iowa, Scott took this one morning - the sunrises are so pretty!

Lake Michigan

2008-10-03T12:52:00.001-07:00

About a week ago, Scott had a training in Racine Wisconsin and the whole family decided to go! We took Haley to Lake Michigan (Racine is just off the shore) and she loved watching the water splash against the rocks.

She also loved playing in the pool at the hotel, and Parker hung out in is swing while we swam ( he is such a good baby! )

The Wangsgard Family

2008-09-30T12:37:00.000-07:00

The Wangsgard Family began on June 25, 2004 when Scott and I were married in the Logan LDS temple. Two years later (exactly) we had our sweet little girl, Haley Ray. She is the cutest little girl you will ever meet! She is now 2 years old and has so much energy and keeps both Scott and I very busy! Then just 2 months ago our son, Parker Scott joined us. He is just the sweetest little baby and had just started to smile and show us his personality a little bit. He is a really good baby!
About a month ago, we moved to Boone, Iowa (near Ames). Scott got a job working for Case - New Holland (CNH) tractor company, as a service technician trainer. He will be teaching technicians for CNH about various tractors, bailers, etc. He is really liking his job so far. It is quite the change for me, although so far I have really enjoyed it out here. We have a beautiful house, with a big yard, and a gorgeous view.
We really miss our friends and family back home but we are really excited for this new adventure we are taking as a family!