We've RELOCATED!!

We finally got Internet and so I am back on the Blogging map! We are doing well, though we realize how much we hate to move(7 times in 6 years!) So here is my tribute to our latest move:

[Isn't it sad when people start to ask you for moving advice?- I really have]

Great Moving Tips:
1.Disconnect and connect ALL utilities in advance (this includes gas- so you can have hot water!) Try to schedule cable and Internet guy to come in the same 4 hour window!
2.Cook and freeze at least three extra meals. Store them in old pie tins, you can then heat them up when EVERYTHING is packed.
3. Give your kids markers/crayons on packing day and also unpacking day, so they can draw on everything they see!! (well, minus the walls)
4. Start studying for your drivers exam- each state has it's "unique" rules (or can I just say stupid).
5. Prepare your families names and birth dates for the ward clerk- addresses and old ward/stake is even more helpful! I might as well make a document on my computer and then I can just print one off each move.
6. Start making a list of all the address changes you will have to make.

Let me know if you have any to add- I am sure I will need them


You Know You Move Too Much When:
1. Your child starts to make friends with the movers..
2. As you unpack you find two different sets of number tags on them (from different moves), or they are written on and crossed out so many times you don't know what is really in them.
3. You Know the moving process so well you could be a mover, or you feel you could do it better (except that you wouldn't if you did.)
4. Your friends are tired of erasing/ crossing out your address in their address book.
5. You really do "spring cleaning"! You literally do an "inventory" of all your belongings yearly.
6. You start not to care what your driver's license picture looks like cause it will change soon enough, and you hope you remember what you read from studying for last year's driver's exam!
7. You have a collection of license plates.
8. Your parents now see more of the United States than they would have.

All the fun we have had:
They wouldn't let me get my license cause my middle name on my Ohio licence and my SS card did not match. So they thought producing a marriage license would solve it all!?!?
Connor failed his first driver's exam- due to the three kids we toted to the DMV and the silly NC laws we didn't get familiar with before attempting the exam.
Waiting for the cable guy three times (each with a four hour window!)
Dylan is serious candy to these mosquitoes -10 minutes outside and he is COVERED in bites.
Can I say HOT and HUMID!!!!!
Connor's main complaint at work from the plant employees is that they are out of popcorn in the employee break room.
I have been asked three times in one week "have you found a church?"
I have been called "sweetypie", "baby", and "honey" all by complete strangers.
Ashlyn cries about wanting to go to Cami and Kristen's house.
Dylan will take just about any friend right now- old or young.
I have already found a handful of connections in our ward (one plus of moving).
Cockroaches!!!
Dylan and Ashlyn fighting about what to listen to at bed time (they are new roommates!!)
It has taken us two weeks to find the pool.

All and all- we are settling in and starting to figure Raleigh out. The people are so nice here. However, No one will ever replace those we have left behind!

Summer Nights

I have come to feel a little jipped. I have been excited to move all winter long and now that summer has FINALLY come, it isn't so bad (granted there are only three months out of the year here that are warm.) We have enjoyed fun family activities -well, the very few moments we are not working on the play that is.

Dylan played on a T-ball team. He loved every minute of it! He was one of two kids who could throw the ball from the pitchers mound to first! We are such proud parents, can you tell?? He was sad when it all eneded because it made him feel so big and he called them "my team." Connor and I have also been playing on a softball team so he really enjoyed having his own feild time! My favorite part was when he would run into home and pass by us giving us all high fives, and always seeming to leave Ashlyn hanging. Luckily, she is patient and would hang out until he finally heard us and came back.

Dylan also took swimming lessons. The first day was rough, but then he went to town. After he got his cool, shark googles, there was nothing that could stop him! He is my little fish. He really believes that he can swim all by himself (making me happy that he is so confident, but scared because I don't know if that is REALLY true.) Ashlyn has even ventured off the stairs, and would rather swim and jump in deaper water. We spend all the time we can at the pool before we have to leave. Everyone looks at me like I am crazy coming to the pool with three little kids on my own, but how else do you do it?!

Here is our last hurrah to Cleveland. We will miss the sunny days!

Opening Night

This week we opened the play This is Kirtland. We had a successful first two shows. Now we just have 6 more shows. Here is Connor singing Dear Emma. I have heard from many that he plays a wonderful Joseph (as myself- but I am biased.) He was worried about following Nate as Joseph from last year as everyone thought he was amazing. I can't tell you how cute he looks in all of his makeup! Good thing I am the one who gets to steal kisses between scenes (Shh, don't tell Emma!)

I play Julia Murdock, the woman who died giving birth to twins who were then given to Joseph and Emma. This song is the only scene I am prego in, so there are a few jokes about it:
After the opening scene I "go get pregnant"
I have a very short pregnancy
Didn't I just do this?
I am very pregnant but have a 5 month old too!
Wide load coming!
I die and come back to life (I am in a few more scenes after my prego scene- unprego)
I have two husbands, both who are younger than me!
I am a mistress to Joseph

Here are the kids at just ONE of the many practices they attended. Ashlyn who wishes she was up there dancing right along with us.

Here is a sideshow of all the fun and crazy moments of our experience. This has been a very hard time for us, but rewarding spiritually. We have learned so much about Joseph and these Saints. We have had many spiritual experiences and we have made so many wonderful friendships! This really is an amazing show written and directed by our close friends. I am so impressed with the concentrated talent in this area- all for a great purpose! We are so excited to share this with our friends and neighbors.

Race Car driver???

We went to a little get together at our friend's house. If I were a kid I would have been in heaven. They had a lot of fun water games going on, but Dylan had only one thing on his mind- the battery powered jeep! And he did not want to do anything else. In the driver seat or in the passenger seat, he is just happy to be aboard.

Here is Dylan showing us his reverse skills. They are probably better than my own! Maybe he even has makings for a race car driver, he does like to drive fast every chance he gets (especially in Poger's sports cars!)

Ashlyn found a new love- the sprinkler. She figured out how to get a drink- at least as much of the water that actually got in her mouth!

Summer fun is hard to beat with all our great friends, that we are going to miss!!

Scary feet, Scary feet

I mean scary face. (That is a Monster's Inc. joke.) Just a little clip of Ashlyn. She says funny things and does a very funny scary face!

And this is what Ashlyn's room often looks like by the end of the day!

Today I found Ashlyn behind the couch eating a whole bag of crackers (for those of you who don't know, this is her favorite food and if the saying "you are what you eat" was really true, she would be one!) And I couldn't take them away because I was laughing so hard because of the glasses. I asked her where she got the crackers (I didn't give them to her) she said "kitchen." She had retrieved a stool from another room and grabbed them right off the counter! THis is funny because we never willingly give her crackers because she would rather eat crackers over anything else.

House of little Dancers

I am way behind on my posts so here is to my little Dancer- well I have more than one. Here is Dylan from his Dance concert about a month ago. He was in a little boy's creative dance class. He really loved it and asked to go to Mrs Tracee's house (her studio was in her basement.) However, she has moved and when I told him we couldn't he was quite sad. The boys were little gardeners and he did such an amazing job. There really is a little dancer inside of him along with all of his athletic ability!

As for Ashlyn, she would have died and gone to Heaven if she got to dance too. When we go to play practice she is begging to get on stage and dance with us.


Dylan's cousin, Isabella, also danced in the concert, so here they are! And boy do we miss you Tracee!

Best Dad and Best 6 Years

This is a few days late and a few days early!

Connor and I had our 6 year anniversary. I am so proud of all that he has accomplished and the man he has become. He has been the rock in our family and the life of the party. Let me tell you, we are officially a party of 5 that never seems to end! We have traveled all over the US and life still seems to get sweeter by the day. I am grateful that he is constantly serving me in every way that he can. It is a rare occasion when he is in any way selfish.



He is the greatest example I could ever dream of for my children. If they turn out just like him (looks are already on his side) then they will be amazing. Connor is constantly inspiring me to become a better person in every way. He is driven in all aspects of his life. He never seems to amaze with with all his talents and abilities. There seems to be nothing he can't do, and do it well.


With Father's Day coming up, I would like to exclaim to the world what a wonderful father I have for my children. Even when he is exhausted he comes home and gets right to "play." If there was ever a man who could hold up the house on his own, it would be him!

Our future always seems to be bright with a man like Connor at the head. Here is to the best dad and the greatest husband!

Northwest Wedding

The reason we haven't been bloggin:



My little Brother, Jameson, got married to Kamrah on May 24th in the Portland Temple. It rained and rained the days before,but then the Sun came out all day for the wedding! What luck, or maybe it was just the Heavens Smiling! Check out her dress, she made it herself! (Wish I had known her when I got married!) My little sister, Carrie, and other family watched our kids during the sealing. We also did a lot of driving between Portland and White Salmon, WA (Kamrah's home town) and so we had some great bonding time. Connor even learned most of his lines for the Kirtland play (Dylan now has all our songs memorized for the play- maybe they should cast him too!) The reception and ring ceremony (Kamrah is a convert to the church) were at her friend's Bed and Breakfast. It was gorgeous!

A few funny things-
1. Cousin Morgan fell in the reflecting pool at the temple. Good thing we had all our luggage in our car!
2. Dylan has an affinity for peeing outside. He really would rather not use the toilet if he had the choice. The temple grounds must be lush, because he dropped his pants and "fertilized" the plants right then and there during our picture session.



We made the best of our trip and also saw Connor's brother, Joel, and his family near Seattle . Carter is just 5 months younger than Dylan. I felt like I didn't see Dylan for three days while he played all day with Carter in Carter's playroom. Boy do I wish they lived closer! Kadi showed me all the best places to shop, Mason and I became buddies, and Connor got some quality time with his brother.

The 4 1/2 hour flights back and forth weren't as bad as I had imagined it to be with three little ones. However, the three hour time change just about killed us. The rest of this week we have really been trying to recuperate! I think everyone hated us when our kids were waking up at 4 am, but now we are up till 11pm at night.

We are now back to daily play practice. A blessing and a curse. It is much harder than I imagined to both be in the play and somehow entertain our children during all the practices. Boy, Cami and Nate made this look easier than it is!

Third time's a Charm?

You'd think a family couldn't get strep throat three times in only 8 months! Cleveland has it in for us I guess. I don't know if it because I am working in the nursery, but I have ended up starting it the last two times! I thought I had kept it to myself, low and behold, 6 days later Connor came down with it, then Dylan had a throw up party yesterday. I had them swab Ashlyn at the same time for good luck. Ironically, I was very grateful to hear that she did have it! Now we can relax and all be on the pink goo all at once (well- my doses ended this morning, so cross your fingers.) I mean, it can't get any better than trying to take care of a family on your death bed, then ending up nursing an extra "kid" to health. Thankfully infants RARELY get it. However, with Ashlyn all over him, who knows.

Do you think we are out of the clear for a little while?

The New Me

I went running again today, but Dylan insisted that he had to go. I haven't run with him since the fall, and boy has he gotten heavy. But it is good for me. It is nice to have a cheering section in the stroller (I make him tell me that I can do it), but I hate having to give up my iPod to the strollee (is that a word?) When we were going up the hills (a plethora of them too) he asked me why we were going so slow- how would that make you feel? I would like to announce that I have turned over a new leaf- I am now an early riser runner!!! (I hate to wake up early and love to stay up late, so this is a BIG deal.)

So raise your hand if you are sick of hearing about running and think Michal should just create a whole blog exclusively for her running stories so you don't have to hear all about it.

My Cute Dude

I took Dylan to see Go Diego Go Live a few weeks ago. I can't believe how much I enjoyed it! I might have been more excited than he was when we first got there. He loves to hear stories about Dylan helping Diego rescue animals. He even loves to wear his new "Official animal Rescuer Patch" and now had an "animal science book." If you know Diego you might just laugh.

Here is a picture of Dylan in the fall. I wrote a post then about hif first black eye (he got while running way too fast, of course.) I finally found the picture to go with that really old post. Here he is the next morning. He couldn't open his eye and he was pretty upset about it!

He is growing up too fast!

Potty Trained?

I have dreaded training Ashlyn, not because Dylan was so hard, but because he was so easy. I tried to train him at 18 mo. when I was ready. And you can imagine what a flop that was!! Then a few months before he turned 3 he kept telling me each time he was peeing in his diaper. I couldn't let the chance pass (no pun intended) and he practically potty trained himself in three days. I know many of you are green with envy. But I have put my time in with Dylan in other ways!


I thought my potty training luck must have run out on Dylan and I was dead set on the fact that Ashlyn would be a night mare. She also has had a bad record of letting it go on the carpet and wanting to go potty when she doesn't need to. However, Thursday she practically went poo on her own and I was also running out of diapers. Now is as good as any, I thought. So we have stepped into the world of underwear (well actually I got her underwear 6 months ago when she first was interested in the potty.) But this time I think it has stuck. The only accidents she really has had was largely my own- I often forget I am potty training her. It is helpful for her pants to be off so I remember what she is wearing underneath! So here were are four days later and she will take herself to the potty- well at least a few times! I trained Dylan at my mom's house all on my own. So I told Connor it was his turn. Don't you think that is fair? So much for that.

So to sum it all up, either I am an AMAZING potty trainer (hidden talent) or we must have a good potty gene in our family. Either way, I don't think the are worth gloating about. I hope this all doesn't come back to bite me because it is premature.

I would have to say she sure does look cute in underwear- still chunky with baby fat and all!! Talk about wanting to squeeze some checks! Now I have two kids that I want to do that to!!!

Solo Mission

I know some of you might think we are crazy, and there was a moment when I thought we were, but here is a video of Dylan's second day without training wheels!!!

I don't know if the day will ever come when Dylan will disappoint us rather than completely surprise us with his physical abilities. The limits seems to be endless. Now that we have a second child, it is more amazing to think that Dylan was batting pitched balls and throwing spiral footballs at Ashlyn's age! I wish I had been more proactive about signing him a contract with a sponsor or team for the future!!! Do you think they would do that??

I was a little worried at first. Dylan has a habit of being very impatient when it comes to learning new things. He is so good at just about everything that when he can't get it, he gets upset. I knew biking would take practice, and surprisingly, he was very patient. He even begged to go out and "practice." Another great thing is that Connor is getting a great work out too.

Rain or Shine

You guessed it... RAIN.

It is raining and supposed to rain for the next week. So I decided there was no better time to go running than right now- the time was good (baby fed, Connor home, dinner made.) I am sure you are all sick of my running stories, but I have fallen in LOVE!!!! At least I will spare you the details such as miles, time, pace, and heart rate.

We have a great parks system here in Cleveland and the North Chagrin Reservation is just minutes from our house. It has a large pond, all kinds of wildlife, nature center, hiking trails that cover the reservation, and a paved trail.

This evening I went out for a run, it was raining but because of the foliage, I didn't get as soaked as I would have running on the sidewalk. I took advantage of the hiking trail since I didn't have to push the kids. I was in HEAVEN!!! I even saw a deer! Though my lack of knowledge of the area combined with the abundance of trails I literally almost "LOST" myself back to my car before my time was up! I felt like I was running in the Rocky Mountains, minus the terrain of course, it was just beautiful. It is so beautiful I don't have to run with my iPod to keep me entertained!!

So I need to add to my list of "Things I love about my Jogger":

9. When I pass someone, I feel AMAZING!!!

10. Somehow I get more side aches without my jogger.

Here is a picture of Corbin's first Run. As you can see, he didn't think it was as great as I thought it was. I mean doesn't this jogger create bonding moments for my children???

Oh and Just for laughs...

This Is Kirtland- Here we come!

What a day! We spent more than half of it at the church, but we better start getting used to that because...

Connor has just been casted as the Joseph Smith in "This is Kirtland"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cami has been telling him for the last year that he has to try out for the play so that he can be Joseph (her husband, Nate, has been Joseph for the last two years.) I think Nate was ready to ditch the wig and let someone with light hair play the part! So Cami was right, and we will spend the next three months at the church. I am sad I don't get to play opposite his part, but I am relieved to not be expected to play Emma (Soprano part - Connor can LITERALLY sing higher than me!!!) I have been casted as Julia Murdock. It will be great, except I have to be PREGO AGAIN! The last thing I want to be right now!

We also had a ward graduation party for all the graduating dental students. Connor and his band got to play, and boy did they love to finally be rock stars!!

So to sum it all up, Connor is "THE MAN." He was a grub (didn't have time to shower) and he still swept the part and rocked the house! Funny how one man can be the cool drummer and Joseph Smith all rapped into one.

The play will be the first three weekends in July. We will house anyone willing to come and see it!! Once-in-a life time opportunity!