The Albright Family

CHEESE!

2012-02-15T20:13:00.000-08:00

I have tried so many times to upload a new video of Harrison crawling, but it won't ever finish! AH! It's so frustrating! But in the meantime...

Harry learned how to "cheese"!

Documenting the chubbiness before he crawls it all off... "please excuse the mess, the children are making memories." -quote from pinterest!

I LOVE it when I can take advantage of a nice day outside... can you tell Calvin took advantage of it too?

Harrison LOVES bath time. He loves to stand and watch the water run and he loves to sit up and play.

Back to the quote for a moment. Some days I look at my house after I finally put Harry down for the night and I am disgusted by what I see... a kitchen full of dirty dishes, a table covered in baby food, yogurt cups, and old milk, a basket full of clothes that need to be ironed, a quilt that was forgotten and laid aside for the day... It's pretty discouraging when I see this mess and think to myself, "I'll do it all tomorrow", and then go to bed the next night with a new, very similar mess. However, I have just recently come to the realization that being a stay at home mom with 2 kids is hard. I am not my mother, or my neighbor, or anyone else who can manage multiple kids and keep a clean house. I am Susan. I am doing the best I can. My children are fed, bathed, dressed, entertained, cuddled, disciplined, and put to bed everyday. Sometimes I hardly get time to check my email, take a shower, or sleep, but all of those things are overrated. So, those clothes CAN be ironed tomorrow, and I will sleep through the night next year, but today I am helping my kids make memories and keeping calm so that they those memories can be happy ones.

Keeping busy

2012-02-12T21:49:00.000-08:00

Can you tell how sleepy he is? Poor thing was so tired, but I needed him to have a full tummy for bedtime.

So, Nick got an ipad for Christmas. As cool and as fun as it is, I hate it. It's addictive and it had turned my sweet Calvin in a a whinny monster. He would play it all day if I let him and when I don't let him play he throws a huge fit which ultimately ends in screaming and timeout. It's the worst. It's been getting better and easier for him to not play and Friday he actually didn't ask to play it once! So, in attempt to keep myself from getting addicted I bought puzzles... and this is what was keeping me busy before Harrison started crawling.

I've done them a few times now, but I don't think it would be wise to try this again with a crawling baby!

Crawling

2012-02-09T09:04:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true, Harry is crawling now. This video is one of his first attempts and his legs are all crazy! He is crawling like a pro now, another video to be posted soon!

Yay for crackers!

2012-02-07T12:26:00.000-08:00

Sorry about that previous post. I tried the iphone blogger app on the ipad... didn't work so well. But Calvin got to it before I could delete it.

We were having some crackers as a snack on day and Harry was so happy to have both hands full of food!

Khjghjhfghiycb hijghjjuojhu

2012-02-04T09:02:00.003-08:00

Bath time

2012-02-02T16:57:00.000-08:00

Now that Harry can sit up well on his own, I can put him in the bath with Calvin. I don't know who was more excited, Calvin or Harry! They had a blast! And they played until the water was cold!

Calvin Tries To Teach Harry To Crawl

2012-01-27T14:21:00.000-08:00

My boys

2012-01-17T10:18:00.000-08:00

Look what Harry can do...

I put Harry in the crib while I was getting Calvin out of the bath and we came into the boys room to find this!

Love that chubby face!

Sometimes he pulls up and sits on his ankles... it looks painful to me, but he does it all the time.

Do not mess with Harry and his bottle!

Breakfast with my Sunshine!

I love it when they play together.

Silly boys!

Harry really wanted Calvin's book!

Calvin thought it was funny! I LOVE that smile soooooo much!

Purple in a world of blue

2012-01-10T17:20:00.000-08:00

There are three boys in the Albright family, but there is also a girl... ME! It should come as no surprise that I love the color purple, hair bows, fancy dresses, glitter shoes, basically all things girly. I grew up with 4 sisters. My mom always had us looking our best on Sundays with handmade dresses curly hair. So, with a house full of boys I decided that I needed some girly in my life... PRESENTING... my purple room!

The art on the wall is still a work in progress... but I LOVE my white bed and the floral comforter!

I love the big window. It lets in some great light.

This was a mirror that was left hanging on the back of the bathroom door and we turned it horizontally and put it above the dresser. I really love this dresser. Grandma Simmons let us have it and I love the history and vintage look to it!

My rocking chair for those late nights with Harry.

My sewing corner. The suitcases and boxes are slam full of fabric!

View of the closet

Storage under the bed

So true...

My nightstand! Complete with chapstick and ponytails inside!

The old suitcases are from my Granny's attic... real vintage!

Knit blanket from IKEA

Some of my Christmas loot... Rachel and Madeline stocked me with feather earrings!

And there you have it... my purple room! I'm all the girl that this family needs!

More Christmas

2012-01-10T08:26:00.001-08:00

Helping Dad put the tree together.

Watching movies with Josie.

Calvin and Kate... this was almost always the case with them.

Eating whipped cream!

We spend Christmas Eve at Granny's house. Calvin got a cute new jacket and a bath toy!

You can't be in Roxboro and not go to Palace Pointe!

Some of my most favorite people in the world!

There was a lot of this...

Rachel finally got to squeeze Harry! (Don't tell Gabe!) lol

There was also a lot of this...

I was so sad to leave Roxboro... it's never easy for me to leave, but it was fun to come home for our Maryland Christmas!

We were all happy that GiGi was there!

Adam and Kelly

We are also happy to have David back in Maryland!

The kids loved this helium fish that David was flying around.

I love spending time with family. I can't wait until next December!

Christmas Morning

2012-01-05T15:19:00.000-08:00

So these first few are technically the night before... but isn't he cute?

He was not amused... but Rachel and I were!

Opening presents!

Jayne was amused...

Granny Jo came over to watch Calvin and Harry open their presents!

Rachel! We were all so happy that she could spend Christmas in Roxboro!

Harrison getting a back massage.

What a great morning!

All the sisters got to sing at church and Rachel played the piano for us. I wish we had taken a picture, but we were just too busy enjoying the day together! It went by so fast. I can't wait until we can all be together again!

Thankful

2011-12-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

I know that Thanksgiving is over, but there are so many things that I am thankful for. Ever since Harry was born I have been trying to focus more on being thankful for the little things. I am constantly reminding myself when I start to get frustrated that I need to soak in these times when my boys are little and at home with me.

I am so glad that I decided to enjoy and be thankful for every moment I had with Harrison as a newborn, because he got so big so fast! I do miss my little baby, but I can honestly say that I have no regrets, because I was so focused in those moments that went by so fast.

I have also recently been making sure that I have enough time to spend alone with Calvin. He is so special to me. I love waking up in the mornings and snuggling on the couch, or building train tracks, or coloring, or even pretending to be transformers and acting crazy! I have been really good at stopping myself when I realize that I am spending too much time on the computer, and spending more time with my boys. Calvin is growing up fast too and I want him to remember that his mother spent more time with him than on the computer. (and my arm gets really sore when I am use it too long).

There are so many things that I am thankful for and it seems impossible to list everything because every minute I am reminded of something else that I am blessed with, but here are some things off the top of my head:

I am thankful for:

Nick, Calvin, and Harrison

a second vehicle

Internet, phone, skype

running water, hot water

full size washer and dryer

purple walls in my bedroom :)

food

toilet paper

music

church, scriptures, the Spirit in our home

loving parents and family

my wedding rings (sometimes Calvin wants to play with them and I tell him no and explain to him that Daddy gave them to me because he loved me and wanted to be with me forever)

clothes

friends

a hard working husband, a good job, and a pay check

money (as much as I hate it)

sleep (the little that I get)

self-control

patience (sometimes)

a sewing machine

The Savior and his Atonement

EVERYDAY that I wake up and get to be a mother, a wife, a friend, and a daughter

Well, this post has taken me days to write, because I give myself a limit on the computer and it's up again... but there are so many more things that I am thankful for and I am so blessed and I know that all that I have comes from the Lord and I thank Him daily.

my boys

2011-11-30T11:02:00.000-08:00

Calvin quit taking naps a couple of weeks after we moved into the new house, but if he gets some good playtime outside this is what happens!

He was too tired to eat!

Harry LOVES to swing! There are several playgrounds within walking distance and I can usually put Harry in the swing and go play with Calvin.

Calvin loves his brother so much! He always wants to play with him and help him and feed him. He loves being a big brother!

Harry started sitting up a few weeks ago. He can sit without support for a few minutes. And he can pull himself back up sometimes when he falls back!

I LOVE PANCAKES! Calvin and I made some chocolate chip ones the other day for lunch.

Two of my favorite things: pancakes and Calvin!

Another long day outside!

Nick and Calvin were outside raking leaves and Harry was enjoying the view!

Love this fat baby!

How is it possible...

2011-11-27T11:08:00.000-08:00

I saw a quote the other day, I don't know who said it, but I LOVE it:

"How is it possible that out of all the little boys in the whole world... we got the best ones?"

We truly are blessed and eternally grateful that Calvin and Harrison chose to come live with us and that Heavenly Father entrusted us with his sons. We love them more than they could ever know.

The boys room

2011-11-23T11:37:00.000-08:00

It looks like a tight fit, but everything has it's place and there is still room for the boys to play.

We kept the navy blue curtains that Grandma had up and painted the walls orange. Calvin loves it and so do I!

Right now the all of their clothes fit in these two drawers and the baskets.

Calvin really wanted to have his room painted dark blue, so we let him have one wall. We took a swatch of the curtains and matched the blue exactly. We took the closet doors down to paint and decided that it looked bigger that way. And Calvin can get to his books easier now!

Here are those cute letter hooks that Calvin and Nick painted in the last post. Calvin loves to hang his jacket there! And I found this Orioles light switch plate at Goodwill for a quarter!

There is still more that I would like to do, but I'm really liking the progress!

More rooms to come soon!

ahead or behind

2011-11-20T06:26:00.001-08:00

So, apparently feathers and sequins are in... why did it take us so long to get the memo? Brandon was pulling them off 3 years ago. Yes. He is that awesome.

Just like Dad

2011-11-16T08:33:00.001-08:00

My favorite thing about owning our house is that we can paint! Calvin wanted to help Nick paint SOO bad, but Nick is such a perfectionist that he didn't even want me to help! So, I found these cheap letters at Michael's and thought it would be a fun project for Calvin. He was so happy finally get the chance to paint with his Dad!

They have little hook on the bottom, we stuck them down low so that Calvin can hang his jacket on the wall. He loves it!

The other night Calvin came out of his room and told me that he saw an ambulance. I looked out of his window and didn't see one. Then he told me that he heard one, but I said that I didn't hear one. THEN he said "I think I heard someone get dead." Oh dear. So, I laid him back in bed and explained to him that ambulances help people who cannot get to the hospital fast enough, or by themselves. I told him that if he needed to go to the hospital that I would drive him there. Then he started talking about driving an ambulance. I told him that when he grows up he can help people and drive an ambulance. He yelled at me, "No, I don't want to drive and ambulance!" So, I told him that he can be anything he wants to be, then he says, "I want to be like my Daddy." It was so sweet I cried. I love that boy.

Funny baby!

2011-11-01T12:42:00.000-07:00

We found Calvin's box of old baby toys and thought we'd give Harry a peek... He went NUTS over this ring stacker! Love this boy!

4 months

2011-10-31T18:35:00.001-07:00

Harry had his 4 month check up about 3 weeks ago. I was really looking forward to finding out how big he was...

17.2 pounds (87th percentile) and 25"long (54th percentile)

WOW! That's a big boy! The Dr was impressed. He said that I could start him on rice cereal, but that he "clearly doesn't need it." LOL

Love this Jelly Bean, all 17 pounds!

Found it!

2011-10-26T10:50:00.001-07:00

I found the camera cord! Yay!! Ready for some picture overload...

Harry and his bunny! He loves this bunny! Bunny puts him to sleep every night!

Love those blue eyes...

Cutest thing ever!

Jayne came to visit!

We were all very happy!

Then Grandma came to visit and we went to the Natural History Museum. It was so fun to take Calvin there. He had a blast!

Love my boys!

Lost and update

2011-10-12T18:20:00.000-07:00

So, it's happened... I lost the camera cord. I've been so good and for almost 3 years I haven't lost the cord to our camera. It was bound to happen sooner or later, right?! Well I'm sure it's in a box of junk somewhere in the attic. I'll have to look up there tomorrow. It's a bit of a hassle to get up there right now and I can't pull the ladder down without Nick's help :)

I'm so bummed that I can't post any pictures, because I have some super cute ones! Harry Brandon is growing up so fast! He is the happiest little baby I have ever seen! He only cries when he is hungry or tired. And when he is tired I just lay him down with his bunny and he plays for a little then finds his thumb and falls asleep. It's so cute! Calvin was not as easy... he would have never fallen asleep without me rocking him or feeding him a bottle. I love this baby!

Calvin loves the house. We painted the boys room orange and we all love the color, especially Cal! He also loves all the boys in the neighborhood. The ice cream truck is also a favorite of his, he comes everyday and we run out with his money. I love to see him happy, and he is so happy running around playing with all the boys! He is in heaven! He is also doing better with the potty. he backtracked a little with the packing and moving, but now that the move is over and things have finally calmed down, he is back on track. He is such a sweet big brother. He always wants to play and hug Harrison! Sometimes when Calvin is in his room he will hear Harry make a little sound and laugh from across the house!

The sleeping situation is also 1,000x better than I could have ever imagined! Harry sleeps ALL NIGHT! From 10:30 to 8:30! Ridiculous, I know! Calvin never wakes up on the rare occasions that Harry does wake up at 5:30. I just wish that I could sleep through the night! My allergies have been driving me crazy! It's also not easy to nurse a baby who sleeps 10 hours a night.

Nick and I are loving the house. All the painting is finished. The organizing is slow going, but we are getting there. Our bedroom is my favorite room in the house! I can't wait to show you! There are still more things that I want to do and buy and I get a little upset when I can't have nice things and I get really jealous when I see other people have those nice things, but I am counting my blessings and loving life... because, the most important things in life aren't things!

Pictures to come as soon as I locate the camera cord! p.s. I know the "Harry Brandon" might sound strange, but I have been calling him Brandon at home for the past 2 weeks... just testing it out.

New house post 1

2011-10-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

Living room wall progression...

What do you think? I love the color! It's a yellow gold color... like the Redskins!

The many faces of Harrison

2011-09-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

My Mom made this outfit years ago and gave it to me for Calvin to wear for Easter... 3 years ago! I was looking in the closet the other day trying to decide what Harrison should wear and I saw this cute outfit. I decided that it would NOT fit him come Easter time. I decided to put it on and take a few pictures...

What a beautiful baby boy! I LOVE his dark blue eyes! And I love, love, love smocking. It's a good thing that Harrison is a boy, because if he had been a girl... Nick and I would be in some serious debt from all the smocked dresses I would buy! LOL
Thank you Harrison for putting up with the many flashes and propping for my pictures! Oh yeah, this is Harry's JellyCat stuffed bunny! Isn't it cute! It's so soft and snugly. Harry's favorite part was his long, floppy ears!

Loving my Life

2011-09-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

"Hello there"

(sorry about the drool... I know its gross, but he's just too cute!)
Sunday afternoon football... the Ravens put me to sleep too!
Napping with his frog blankie!
Twins!
Calvin loves Harry... can you tell?
There was a terrible thunderstorm last week and we let Calvin sleep with us... the boys ultimately took over the bed...
Love this boy!
Lazy mornings... my favorite!

Harry fell asleep during play time. He falls asleep on his own like this all the time. He is such a calm baby.

Can you see why I love my life?

Orioles Game!

2011-09-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

Calvin has been dying to go an Orioles game all season! He was so excited to get all decked out and go to the game. He was especially exited to go because my Dad and Logan drove up for the game. Calvin had a fun night out with the boys! Harry and I stayed home and had a much need Ugly Betty Marathon! lol Oh yeah, Calvin thought that he WAS Cal Ripken all night! Nick read him a Cal Ripken book that night for bedtime and he kept pointing to pictures saying "that's me" and "yeah, I threw that ball"! It was hilarious!

My Orioles Boys!

13 days...

2011-09-09T04:38:00.000-07:00

and this house is ours!

That's right! We bought a house! We just found out that everything it final and definite... this house is as good as ours!

I'm not one to brag but...
do YOU live in one of "America's best small towns"? Because, we will! This article is actually talking about the actual area that our new house is located! I can't wait to run everyday on the parkway and Calvin will be able to walk to his school which is two blocks away!
We are SO excited to move! Nick and I have been busy planning and packing!

The house was Nick's Grandparents house. We made an offer the day that it was put on the market and sweet Grandma Simmons accepted! We are thrilled and proud that we will be able to live in house so full of wonderful memories.

Harrison's Blessing

2011-08-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

Nicholas blessed Harrison August 6. We had the blessing at my house right before Anna and Michael's wedding reception... it was a busy day for the Phillips'!

During all the fun and chaos, I forgot to take get a picture of the 4 of us after the blessing. It was a wonderful blessing by the way. It was nice to have so many family members in the circle. Thank you to everyone that was there to bless Harrison. And a special Thanks to Mom and Dad Albright for driving up to be there for his blessing. Harrison is very lucky to have so many worthy Priesthood holders to look up to.

This is the same blessing outfit that Calvin wore 3 years ago! Luckily Harrison still fit into the outfit the other day and I snapped a few pictures.

Nothing too fancy... but Harry is so sweet that he makes all the pictures look great!

Brothers!

2011-08-30T07:03:00.001-07:00

Harry is HUGE! His 2 month appointment was last Friday and he was 14.4 lbs (83 %) and 22.8" (25%). When Calvin was 2 months he was 12.4 lbs (68%) and 24" (86%). Calvin was always tall and lean, but Harry is a chunk! He already looks longer to me though! He just keeps eating and sleeping and growing!

Speaking of sleeping... Harry has been sleeping through the night for 3 weeks now. He goes down about 10 pm and doesn't wake me up until 530 or 6am! SOOO nice! So far, Harry is proving to be the worlds best baby! He hardly ever fusses, and when he does he usually wants to eat or sleep.

And Calvin is the worlds best big brother. He ALWAYS wants to hold Harry and play with him. The other day in the car Harry was crying and Calvin said, "Mommy, Harry needs me!" What a sweet boy!

Jelly Bean

2011-08-24T11:26:00.000-07:00

Calvin LOVES to be next to his little brother! He is always asking to hold him or snuggle him. He is such a good big brother!

Harry found his thumb...
and then he fell asleep!

Calvin reading Peter Rabbit to Harrison.

You know that cute stretch that babies do, when they arch their backs? Well Rachel says it makes them look like a jelly bean, so

after calling him a jelly bean baby a few times it just kinda stuck! Thanks Rachel! LOL!

Here he is... my Jelly Bean baby!

Isn't he getting big?!?!

His 2 month appointment is this Friday... can't wait to see how big he is!

The porch...

2011-08-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

This was our project this summer... to have the porch ready for the wedding. We spent several hours for several days scraping the paint. I'm not going to say that it was fun, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I love that house and my family.

Calvin even helped a little!
Harry joined the fun one day... the loud noise kept him quiet for a while.

just listen to how noisy we were...

La Cocina!

2011-08-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

It's a MUST to go to La Cocina when we are in Roxboro! Best Mexican food around!

Happy Birthday Anna!

Anna let Calvin try on the birthday sombrero!

Calvin and Logan...

Logan brought Calvin out to the car and Calvin asks "Logan, can you come to my Gramps house?" So sweet! We convinced him to come and they wore each other out!

Roxboro!

2011-08-09T13:02:00.000-07:00

What a sweet baby! I was SO excited that this little sailor suit finally fit! Isn't it adorable? I know that his head is all crooked and weird, but he has a little smile and I couldn't resist!

BEST FRIENDS!

Calvin looked so comfortable!

Brothers!

Every one wanted to hold Harry! He was in heaven!

Anna and Harry Aunt Ruth could put him to sleep every time she held him!

Mindy! "Babies kinda rock my world!"

Good food!

"Precious!"

Calvin fell asleep while coloring!

Mom rocking Harry on the porch.

Slave girl peeling the beans! Calvin LOVED Logan! Granny Jo was in Alaska for the first week we were there, but she finally got to hold her baby!

Anna and Micheal at Cheesecake Factory.

Me and Nick

Me and Granny :)

Unfortunately my camera died and I didn't get pictures of the wedding, but Nick took this one on his phone... it was a LONG, humid, morning!

Harry's first month!

2011-07-14T08:10:00.001-07:00

Harrison was 1 month on Tuesday. I can't believe how fast this month went by! I feel like I just brought him home.

He is still eating really well and getting bigger every day!

He takes good naps during the day and we realized that he likes it really dark when he sleeps. Last night he went 6 hours before waking up! I haven't gotten that much sleep in months!

He LOVES his Daddy! Every time Nick holds him like this he falls asleep!

So sweet!

Harry's first Sunday outfit! Thanks Grammy! He is so handsome in this outfit, I wish it would fit him forever, but I was lucky to squeeze him in it last week!

Love that squishy face! My favorite baseball gown! I love it when babies sleep with their hands up like this! He's growing fast, so I am soaking up all I can! I love my baby Harry!

And I love my big boy Calvin!
We told him it was bedtime and he said "Not again!" LOL! Silly Cal!

Harrison Brandon Albright

2011-06-28T09:57:00.001-07:00

Yes, it's true, I named my son after Brandon Flowers. And I am not ashamed!

We were going to name him Henry Brandon, but then the name got too popular AND Brandon Flowers named his son Henry Brandon and I didn't want to look THAT crazy! So, Nick and I finally decided on Harrison and Nick was kind enough to give me Brandon for the middle name.

Here's our happy little Harry in the famous green sweater!

Calvin has adjusted really well. He still plays good by himself and lets me take little naps in the morning. And he LOVES his baby brother! He is always asking to hold him and he always wants him to be awake and play with his toes!
I'm doing fine. I'm still a little sore and extremely bored. I'm not supposed to lift anything heavier than Harrison, so I'm basically stuck in the house all week. Ew!
People keep asking me which I prefer... vaginal or c-section. The truth is I prefer neither.

I was told by two doctors that this delivery would be faster and easier... false! Granted, I didn't not believe them being the pessimist that I am, so I was not surprised when I got to the hospital after 5 hours of contractions and nothing! And then after 8 hours of labor I was only at a 5... not what I would have wanted. I would have preferred a short labor, with no complications, no tearing, and faster healing.

However, I do have my good days. It was really hard to move around the first week, but I'm a little faster now. Sometimes I do too much when I feel good and exhaust myself. I'm still really sore and it's still really hard to move around sometimes, but nothing I can't handle.

Harrison is a wonderful baby. He sleeps pretty good. 4 hours is the longest he's gone at night and I'm not complaining! He only cries when he is hungry or gassy. He eats like CRAZY! It's a little frustrating when he is this needy, but he surpassed his birth weight at his 2 week check up yesterday. He was down to 7.2 lbs at his last check up when he was 5 days old. But yesterday he was 8.1 lbs! Hooray!

We are all adjusting very well and couldn't be happier with this little guy and our family of 4!

Grandma and Granny Jo

2011-06-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

My Mom and Granny came up after we came home from the hospital. It was SOOO nice to have them here. I can't imagine what I would have done without them!

They sure did love that baby!

The day before they left I was feeling good enough to go out, so we headed to Calvin's favorite "restaurant", Burger King. He loves to play the electronic games.
Grandma went to help him out while Granny and I stuffed our faces with apple pie! It was good!

Harrison's first outing! He slept the entire time!

It was hard to have them leave. I know that 5 hours away is not that far, but I wish they lived a lot closer! Calvin was so done taking pictures!

Thank you so much for all the help, sleep, meals, and chocolate! We can't wait to see you both again next month!

First guests

2011-06-22T13:38:00.001-07:00

Nick scared everyone with the "emergency c-section" text. I had just gotten my epidural when his heart rate dropped the second time. They asked Nick to leave the room for 30 minutes while I got the epidural and he came back JUST IN TIME to know what was going on. So, it was a little scary because he almost didn't to be there with me! Anyway, Nick texted everyone that Harrison was about to arrive and Grammy was on her way!

Grammy with her baby Harry!

Papa was hoping Harrison would wait two more days, but no such luck! Sorry! So happy that Sister and Elder Albright got to meet Harrison before they left! They had just been set apart hours before! Harrison and Aunt Laura!

Harrison and Aunt Ashley!

He's Here!

2011-06-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

Harrison Brandon Albright

June 12, 2011

7 lbs 7 oz

19 1/2 inches

His heartbeat suddenly dropped a couple of times and the Dr decided to do a emergency c-section. Thank goodness I had Nicholas there with me. Nothing too serious, but it was still scary. He was there holding my hand the whole time.Until they pulled his baby out and then he held his hand :) The cord was wrapped around his neck and his leg, but he was just perfect and cried right away. So happy to have a healthy baby boy!

Presenting...

2011-06-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

the 2011 Anne Arundel County Champs...

GORC WILDCATS!

Nick started coaching for the Wildcats last spring with his friends Jesse and Lucas. This year Nick was the assistant coach/defensive coordinator. Calvin and I went to a few practices and a couple of games. They were really good!

Last year they made it to the championship, but lost in overtime. This year, the coaches were determined to win and they did! Nick, Jesse, and Lucas were obviously great coaches and very proud of their hard work!

Congratulations WILDCATS!

Calvin's Birthday!

2011-05-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

We started out the morning with the Albright tradition of ice cream for breakfast!

Calvin's first birthday guest! Aunt Debby stopped by and brought him a cool Tiger visor and M&M's!

Finally! Daddy comes home and the fun can begin!

Legos, legos, and MORE legos!

2011-05-31T09:11:00.000-07:00

Calvin has recently dicovered LEGOS. We always played with them when we were little and on our last trip to NC, Calvin found them! A few weeks after we came home I found a little stash in my purse... it was only like 6 blocks, but they kept Calvin entertained forever! He would just take them apart and rebuild them over and over! So... we decided to get some a few more than 6 for his birthday this year! He was very pleased!

He loves to stack! Calvin's wonderful aunts, Laura and Emily, helped make his LEGO cake! Calvin loved it! Opening his present from Grammy and Papa... a LEGO table! How cool!

Calvin had a great LEGO birthday! The table is now full of all kinds of lego pieces! He is a very happy 3-year old!

3 years...

2011-05-26T18:41:00.001-07:00

I don't know how this little baby grew up so fast... He is the cutest... the silliest...
happiest...

most handsome little boy we know!
And we cannot imagine life without him! Happy Birthday Calvin! You might be 3 years old, but you are my baby... forever and ever! We love you SO much!

Our Silly Boy

2011-05-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

Both Cullen and Calvin wanted to play in the "clubhouse"! How fun!

Happy cousins! I love that they can get along so well! About to add another boy to the bunch! They are going to have so much fun growing up together!

Making brownies for Daddy!

Calvin LOVED to lick the batter!

LOL! I bought him some water guns after he got some shots at his 3 year check up... he is only allowed to shoot them into the tub. Nick and I were sitting on the couch watching t.v. and Calvin was really quiet... this is what we found!

Love this kid!

2011-05-20T18:10:00.000-07:00

Calvin has always loved bath time... well except for a brief period where all he worried about were "floaties" aka the fluff from your socks that get stuck in-between your toes and then comes out in the water... but we are over that and now he loves bath time again. Anyway, he has been REALLY good about playing by himself lately... probably because his mom is napping on the couch all day long, but it's a good thing! He has such an imagination! He makes up little songs and creates dialogue with his toys... very cute!

I have TONS of videos like this, but this is the only one that I have downloaded on the computer right now!

This man...

2011-05-12T05:40:00.000-07:00

...is amazing.

We just want him to know how much we love him and how much we appreciate EVERYTHING that he does for us. I don't know how he does it with a job, 5 hours of sleep, lax practice, a very pregnant, exhausted wife, and a wild 3 year old, but he manages to keep everything under control. I honestly think that the perfect husband exists, and his name is Nicholas Albright. Calvin, Baby Brother, and I are very blessed to have him.

Thank you, Nicholas, for being so wonderful.

It must be contagious...

2011-05-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

I'll be 35 weeks tomorrow... I can't believe it! Well, I can't believe how fast the time went, but I am definitely feeling it! I honestly don't think that I have EVER been this tired and sore in my life!

Unfortunately, I've had trouble sleeping at night so I find myself napping any chance I get during the day! These little cat naps are usually on the couch while Calvin is running around, but he is pretty good at leaving me alone for a while. Sometimes he wakes me up to ask for a fruit snack or movie, but lately I've been waking up from these naps to this...

After moving his blanket I also found this...

He drew ALL over himself with pens and then stuck one in each sock for safe keeping while he slept!

This nap was actually a result of the fever that he had last week. Poor Cal, he was so pitiful. I don't think I have ever seen him as quiet and still as he was that day!

Easter

2011-05-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

I was super excited this year to use the "rag" basket that Amy taught me how to make! Calvin loves it!

Happy with his Easter goodies!

I'm not sure what this face is, but it makes me laugh!

North Carolina

2011-05-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

I'm so behind on posting. We were in NC last month!

The first thing Calvin asked for at Granny Jo's was...

a popsicle!

Distracting Granny from conference! We distracted Calvin with cartoons...

Took him for a walk and he fell asleep!

Granny and I had to distract Calvin a lot! Calvin LOVES to cut paper into teeny tiny pieces!

He could spend hours cutting paper!

Calvin and Gramps :) Papa used to walk around with Dad on his shoulders and knock on all the doorways 3 times! Calvin and Gramps did this every night... It was very cute!

We were sad to leave, like always, but we will be back this summer for Anna's wedding! Can't wait!!

Crib Bedding

2011-03-23T13:23:00.000-07:00

Pictures as promised!!

This is the boys room! I'm so excited to have two boys! Calvin is going to be the BEST big brother!

If you look close you can see Calvin's big boy bed and new bedding! My Mom knows how crazy I am about matching, so the comforter has the same orange as the quilt she made!

And since the boy's will be sharing a room for a while... I used the same olivey green as my inspiration...

And here is the crib! I know it's a little early to have this out, but I put it up for Gabe and we just left it up.

Rachel brought a pattern with her when she came and I used it for the fitted sheet and parts of the bumpers, but really you don't need a pattern. It was SO easy and a lot of fun!

A close up of the fabric colors. I was thinking of just doing solids, but Rachel helped me find these beautiful prints!

I LOVE the crib sheet! The sheets can and WILL be changed with a baby sleeping on it, but I am just going to buy some green and cream sheets at the store... anyone know where I can find nice jersey ones?

And here is the blanket that I crocheted... yes, Rachel did the impossible! She tried to teach me freshman year and I got so frusterated that I hadn't tried it since! But this time I stuck with it and I really like it! I can't wait to try more crochet projects!

And the pillow in the corner was mine as a baby! My Mom saved it for me!

There it is! Can't wait to wrap "Baby Brother" in his new blanket and lay him in his crib!

Baby things...

2011-03-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

So, if you can remember last time we were expecting I went a little crazy...

with Calvin's room and colors. I wanted bright colors... and I wanted EVERYTHING to match! It all turned out great, but it was not easy and it really stressed me out... see, I went crazy! But, it was all worth it! I loved his crib bedding that my wonderful Mom made and I love his matching quilt and little yellow blanket! I love that it all coincidently matched the Orioles team colors :)

However, this time I decided to go the easy route... WHATEVER I WANT! No stress, no worries, just fun!

It really is fun to look at all the cute things out there and not worry about it "matching."

Check out this cute frog-shaped blanket!! What little kid wouldn't love this?!?

Okay, some things I am still picky about... like this bib that Calvin had from Carters. I wish I still had it. It was such a nice bib! It had white and khaki stripes on the front... with NO words and had the waterproof layer thing on the inside... perfect for teething drool! Anyway... Carters still sells them! Gonna have to get some!

And these bouncers are SOOO cute!

I was too picky to buy any crib bedding, so I made it... but, it was TONS of fun! Rachel helped me pick out the colors and fabric! Pictures to come soon!

Spring time!

2011-03-21T13:37:00.001-07:00

The weather is getting warmer and Calvin and I couldn't be more excited! Nick texted me last week and told me it was 70 out... yes I had to be notified by text, because during the week we are usually inside... BUT... when I heard how nice it was we grabbed our lunch and headed outside!

All Calvin needed was a PB&J, a comfy Toy Story chair,

and a matching pair of Buzz Lightyear sunglasses!

Unfortunately, I asked him to take them off for a few pictures!

We enjoyed the nice weather and saw some squirrels and even a ground hog! And later that afternoon Aunt Linda came over with Cold Stone! Thanks Linda! We love you!

What a great day!

A few of my favorite things...

2011-03-15T10:35:00.000-07:00

sweet moments like this... and a man who loves his family more than anything! Really, this man is pretty much perfect.

Home.

Brandon Flowers, feathers, and Sam's Town.

The BEST face wash EVER!

Baby Albright #2... we will not be mentioning names any more. Sorry.

Baby Albright #1! LOL! The sweetest, cutest, funniest, and sometimes naughtiest boy in the world! I love him with all my heart and then some!

And here is my not so favorite body right now, but I realized that I am almost 7 months and have yet to take a picture.

Calvin lately...

2011-03-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

Nick bought a bed frame for our bed and Calvin was sooo excited to help!

He's all boy! Loves to play with tools!

Cute boy!

Calvin loves to go visit Gigi! and help hold the door open!

I've been slacking in the picture blogging world, but hopefully this month will be better!

Just a reminder...

2011-02-08T09:28:00.000-08:00

that I'm still obsessed with The Killers.

All These Things that I've Done is the GREATEST song ever written.

I think that it's a shame that All These Things that I've Done wasn't saved for their Sam's Town album, because it is the BEST album ever made. The lyrics on this album are amazing, Brandon's best work.

And I love every song on Day and Age. I honestly can't pick a favorite... Neon Tiger, Losing Touch, This is Your Life, A Dustland Fairytale, Human... they are all written so well. The Killers really out-did themselves on this album.

Sam's Town might be my favorite album, but Brandon's Day and Age wardrobe is my favorite.

I miss the Spaceman costume...

The World We Live In sequin blazer...

and lets not forgot the feather jacket...

I really miss the feathers.

Suprise!

2011-02-03T04:38:00.000-08:00

We are excited to announce that we are expecting another boy!

I am 22 weeks along and we are so excited! I am a very paranoid person, so when the ultra sound tech kept saying that he was perfect I felt relieved and very happy! We have a list of names, but we have 18 more weeks to pick one.

We are very blessed to have our little family growing and can't wait to have Baby Boy Albright 2 and a little brother for Calvin!

Calvin and the potty

2011-01-21T07:40:00.001-08:00

I waited a long time for Calvin to be ready for the potty. We even bought him a CARS potty seat to encourage it, but he just didn't care. I finally got tired of waiting and once we moved into our new apartment in November I told him that we were going to use the potty. He did pretty good and we made a potty chart with stickers to reward him. But, when Thanksgiving came around and we were in NC for a couple of weeks it was no longer his priority to earn stickers. I decided that it was just easier to wait until the holidays were over, because it was just going to be too hectic.

So, as soon as we were home for good I cracked down and during this month, he filled his potty chart! Look how proud he is!

We rewarded every ten stickers with a prize. He would get about 2-3 on a good day.

On Monday I made him a new potty chart. He wouldn't let me take down the old one to make it on the other side... he was so proud of it!

On Monday we started the new potty chart and I decided that he was getting 10 stickers too fast, so I made it 20. Well... it took Calvin 4 days, 4 DAYS to earn 20 stickers!!!

We have been accident free all week long! And by accident free I mean no puddles to clean up and no underwear to scrub or throw away!

He wears underwear during the day and when I remember during his nap. but 3 times now I have forgotten to change him and he is still dry after his nap!

He wears pull-ups, or as we call them "special underwear," to bed every night and if we get him on the potty before he gets in bed and after he wakes up those are dry too!

I might be jinxing this good streak, but I am just SO proud of Calvin and I hope that he can keep it up!

I love this boy!

2011-01-20T06:32:00.000-08:00

"SNOW!"

"Cheese!"

Toilet paper tower...

Super Calvin taking a break...

Impatiently waiting for his turn to take a picture...

Coloring in his bug boots...

I love this little boy more than I can say and he just keeps getting "bigger and bigger like daddy" so I am enjoying every second I can.

Calvin, you are my baby. Forever and ever...

Catching up...

2011-01-03T06:48:00.000-08:00

In November we moved into our new apartment. We love it. It is only a 2 bedroom, but it's big and roomy, has 2 bathrooms, lots of closet space AND a washer and dryer.

I wish I had pictures to show, but we still haven't gotten every thing in order. The recycling here is pitiful, one bin for 6 apartment buildings, so we have A LOT of boxes still. Hopefully now that the holidays are over I can get some cleaning and organization done.

We love our hand-me-down table! And Calvin loves to help with dinner. He even sets the table every night. So cute!

This is Calvin's new big boy bed. He loves it! He also LOVES this baby doll that he borrowed from Grammy! Hopefully we can get it back to her soon!

We went to Roxboro for Thanksgiving this year. It was so nice. There was still a lot of my family that had never met Nick and it was nice to finally be able to show him off! Calvin loves going to NC... he really gets spoiled there!

He destroyed Granny Jo's living room with all of his toys!! When we first got to her house, he ran to the tv and asked to watch a movie! Granny has a lot of movies to pick from!

And of course we had to go see Kate! They had so much fun playing and running around.

BEADS!

Calvin asked Grandma to read him to book! So sweet!

Playing the piano with Madeline! Madeline is one of Calvin's favorite people! Everyday when she would come home he would run and hug her yelling "Mad-a-win!"

The countdown to Brandon Flowers was finally over and after standing outside in the freezing cold for 3 hours, it was concert time!

It was the most AMAZING thing to see him in person... I couldn't believe it! I was so excited and happy that I might have cried a little bit...

The concert was amazing. It was everything that I expected it to be. We were lucky enough to have him sing The Killers new Christmas song before anyone else had heard it! Very exciting! It was hard to leave and go back to the real world... and it took me a while to get used to listening to music after hearing and seeing it sung in person, but I am fine now!

Halloween

2011-01-03T06:23:00.001-08:00

We went to Homestead Gardens for the Halloween festival. They had all kinds of rides and activities for kids.

Calvin was so brave on the pony with his Grammy by his side!

Feeding the sheep with Linda!

Calvin was excited to ride the pumpkin barrels! Look how cool and calm he looks before it starts. Well, about the second time around we could hear him screaming and the driver stopped and let me pull him out. Poor Calvin, not so brave without his Grammy!

He loved the slide though! Linda helped him up about 10 times before we had to drag him away!

Linda carried Calvin around all morning! We love Linda!

And here is Calvin is his cute tiger costume!

Calvin and the ice cream cone

2011-01-03T06:03:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time I did a very stupid thing... I gave Calvin a chocolate ice cream cone on my bed. Calvin made a mess and since I gave him the ice cream I couldn't get mad, so instead I took pictures and a video. Enjoy!

True love is...

2010-12-29T07:38:00.000-08:00

True love is taking your son camping and being just as exited as he is.

True love is having patience when your wife does not.

True love is when all he needs is to hear his Daddy's voice and be in his arms to fall asleep.

True love is taking time to go out on a weekend when you would rather be home on the couch.

True love is loving my family despite our Phillips' ways.

True love is standing outside in the freezing cold for 3 hours to make your wife happy.

True love is saving our spot against the wall while I stand in front and drool over another man...

True love is taking Calvin to Chuck-E-Cheese just because.

True love is not complaining when I don't get the house in order when he gets home from work.

True love is sneaking out of bed on a Sunday to get up with a crazy 2 year old and letting me sleeping in.

True love is waking up every morning at the crack of dawn and then driving home in traffic and never complaining.

True love is giving me a kiss every morning with crazy hair and bad breath before he goes to work.

True love is cleaning the house and vacuuming for me when I had a bad day with Calvin or if I just didn't do it myself.

True love is staying up late watching 30 Rock, even though you've already seen them all and rewinding the funny parts over and over just to make me laugh.

True love is knowing how important the little things are.

This is what true love looks like...

4 years ago we were sealed in the Temple and now our true love can last forever and ever.

I love you Nicholas. Happy Anniversary.

Library and Picnic

2010-11-09T05:58:00.000-08:00

I decided to walk to the library. It was about a mile away, but it was such a nice day! So, I packed a lunch and his books and we were on our way!

Unfortunately it was Columbus Day and we couldn't go inside, but it was still fun!

Calvin's favorite part was the food!

When we got back home, Calvin didn't want to go inside...

so we finished our lunch under a tree!

We went again a the next week when the library was open and had another fun trip and picnic! I'll do anything to see that smile!

2010-11-09T05:51:00.000-08:00

We found Nick's old collection of PEZ! This was only some of them, the rest we couldn't fit!

Calvin camping with his Dad!

He was so excited to go with him!

Gigi and Pa

2010-11-09T05:35:00.000-08:00

Gigi and Pa came to eat dinner with us and have Calvin's birthday!

Calvin was so excited to have Pa in his room! He even got Pa to play peek-a-boo with him!

Where did they go?

There they are!

Cullen was having fun too!

After that was present time! Calvin needed help from everyone...

Gigi helped him...

then Laura helped him!

A new yellow blanket! A present that both Calvin and I can appreciate!

I think he likes it!

More help from Gigi!

Toy Story 2!

Pa gave Calvin this awesome little bug that vibrates and moves... Calvin played with it the rest of the night!

We had a fun night! We love you Gigi and Pa!

Bath time!

2010-11-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Laura and I thought it was time to let Cullen and Calvin take a bath together!

They had so much fun!

Cullen obviously had those Albright photogenic genes... they must have skipped Calvin!

Cullen is so cute!

Their bath didn't last too long. We were getting them ready for dinner with Gigi and Pa!

We miss you Cullen and Laura!

Calvin lately...

2010-10-13T14:07:00.000-07:00

Calvin found tape... and stuck it on his face!

We are...

2010-09-15T19:18:00.000-07:00

the luckiest parents in the entire world...

because this cute, sandwich eating,

shaving cream culprit,

dryer hider,

decided to come be with us...

and be our baby forever and ever!

We couldn't love him anymore... oh wait, I think I just did!

Calvin and the beach

2010-09-03T05:50:00.000-07:00

This post is long overdue... we went to the beach a month ago!

Calvin was so excited! He was excited to be at the beach...

He was just as excited to see his Gramps!

Oh no!

Calvin has a boo boo!

Anna to the rescue!

These were the houses where we stayed. Our family was in the left house and my cousins were next door. It was so fun! Calvin liked to walk over and eat popsicles with Jacob and Josie!

I didn't take a lot while we were swimming... didn't want to get my camera wet!

Calvin really did like the water, but for some reason he was not happy this time to be in the water...

Anna buried his legs!

So silly!

Pulling his legs out!

I bought Calvin these floats, but it was too late to go back out, but he had to wear them! He didn't take them off until we got him ready for bed!

We had a Lord of the Rings marathon... extended versions! Here he is watching it with Madeline!

It was such a nice vacation. Thanks Mom and Dad for inviting us to join the fun! Can't wait to go next year!

Mississippi!

2010-08-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

So 99% of the pictures I took are of Grandma and Grandpa White's house (on the left) and Aunt Ruth's house (right). I'm obsessed with Mississippi. I love it there. I love walking from one house to the other... and everything that is there... I miss it...

Here is me and my Grandma White!

Prepare to gawk.....

This is her 3 carat diamond ring.... have you ever seen one that big... doubt it!

This is where Calvin slept! He was so happy to have his own little space!

It was SOOOO humid there! We spent the majority of our time outside. Someone really smart put some pools out for the kids to play with...

How sweet... Grant was helping Calvin into the big pool!

Calvin had some one who loved "pow-pows" as much as he does!

MacKenzie pulling Calvin and Kate in the wagon!

Calvin being exposed to Justin Bieber.... who later sang him to sleep...
but don't worry...
every other night Brandon Flowers sang him to sleep!

It was a 12 hour drive from NC to MS... Calvin did SO well! We drove all night thanks to my amazing mother.... she drove 10 hours... both ways! It was so much fun and I can't wait to go again... next time I should take more pictures of people instead of houses!

Lucky Boy!

2010-07-16T15:07:00.001-07:00

Calvin is so lucky to have two grandfathers that love him :)

He loves it when his Papa plays with him!

Calvin talks A LOT about his Gramps' "tractor"... even though he is really afraid of it!

So sweet!

He is a very lucky boy to have so much loves!

Lets go to the movies!

2010-07-07T05:11:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Nick and I took Calvin to the movies... He was excited... can't you tell!

No!! He really was excited, because we went to watch Toy Story 3! And I told him all day long that we would eat a lot of popcorn and candy! What a lucky boy :)

Yummy hot dog! Movie theaters have the best hot dogs!!

We usually don't take his blanket outside of his bed... bet he needed something to keep him calm and warm (it gets chilly in the theater)!

I had to put the camera away once the movie started, but he was really well behaved. The only time he ever moved was from my lap to Nick's lap and back again! He was so excited at the end of the movie when all the toys made it back home. He said "They're back! Yay!" He was so cute and we can't wait to take him again!

Only for Calvin!

2010-06-22T08:27:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to lie... sometimes I really don't like being a mom. It's a 24 hour job, 7 days a week! It requires a lot of hard work, patience, kindness, and a whole lot of selflessness. Thank goodness I had such a mother with just those qualities to give me the perfect example of what a good mother is! But sometimes I just find myself lacking a few of those qualities.

I would rather not walk Calvin to the playground when it is 95 degrees outside.

It's really hard to sit and watch Calvin eat a cup of pudding and spill it everywhere...

It takes A LOT of patience to read and sing to Calvin before bed when he sits next to me fidgeting with his toys.

And it's really hard to be nice when I am woken up too early by crying and whining...

But when I push through the tiredness and push the stroller through the heat, my reward is a very happy motorcyclist!

And when I get over the fact that he might get a little messy and let him feed himself, my reward is a very happy big boy!

And when I put my patience to it's limits every night to get Calvin into bed, my reward is one sweet, sleeping boy!

And when I unwillingly get out my my bed to go get Calvin and get ready for breakfast, my reward is one happy boy!

There are so many things that I would rather do with my day instead of walking in the heat or changing a dirty diaper, but at the end of the day I find that I am happiest when I give up my wants for what Calvin wants. And that is what being a mom is all about.

Father's Day

2010-06-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

I have a lot to be thankful for this Father's day...

This is Nick's second Father's day. Nicholas is the best dad that a little boy could ask for. Nick texts me all day telling me how much he misses Calvin! Every evening after work, Calvin runs to his Dad and Nick runs to Calvin! They are best friends! Any one who knows Nick can see that he loves every second that he gets to spend with his little boy! We are both very lucky to have him!

Nick and I are both blessed to have wonderful Father's too!

We are lucky that we are able to live right down the street from Nick's parents. Dad is always there to give us a good laugh and share chocolate ice cream with! he sometimes even babysits Calvin for us!

We are also lucky to only live 5 hours away from my parents. Calvin loves his Gramps! He might be a little afraid of his lawn mower, but never too shy to give him a hug!

We are so blessed to have such hard working and loving dad's!

I am also very thankful for my Papa on this day. He was very special to me and my family. Calvin and Papa didn't know each other for very long but it was very cute to see the way that they loved each other. Happy Father's Day Papa!

Happy Father's Day to all my special Fathers! I appreciate all that you do and love you even more!

Are you ready...

2010-06-15T11:05:00.000-07:00

for the awesomeness that is Brandon Flowers?

Even though I don't think you are and as much as I'd like to keep the awesomeness to myself, because I know that no one can appreciate this as much I do, I have decided to share him with you...

(click on image)

Calvin: The BIG boy!

2010-06-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

It's official! Calvin is no longer caged in a crib! It's been a week since we took the crib railing off and put up the guard rail! It's nice that his crib converts like that! Thanks Mom :)

This was Calvin's first night with the crib rail off! He was SO

excited!

He also needed some new jammies to keep him cool at night. Calvin is into "space rangers" thanks to his new favorite movie...

Here he is with his own Buzz and Woody from Toy Story! Nick and I can't wait to take him to see the new one in theaters!

Playing with his new friends!

No words for how cute this is...

You have to click on this picture to make it bigger... I had taken A LOT of pictures at this point and he was tired of me asking him to say "cheese"...

And there you have it! My big boy in his new bed! If only he were this excited about sitting on his potty seat...

Trip to NC!

2010-06-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

The first day we went to see Granny Jo!! Calvin LOVES his Granny Jo!

So cute!!!

Calvin could not get enough of her popsicles!

Picking strawberries with Grandma!

Calvin wasn't much help... this is mostly what he did!

This HUGE pillow was Calvin's seat in the living room!

He had a cup of animal cookies every night before bed!

And sometimes in the middle of the day!

Playing with Gramps' pecan opener!

When we weren't at Granny Jo's we went to visit MacKenzie! We both love her!

Isn't she the cutest!??!?!

Granny Jo taking Calvin for a ride in his dump truck!

Granny had tons a paper for Calvin to draw on...

but it was more fun to draw on his fingers!

Playing outside with Mackenzie!

So happy!!!

Watch Calvin climb the ladder to go down...

Yay!!

We found Calvin's Spider Man jammies that we left in October! He was very happy!

Photo shoot with Madeline...

Silly boy!

We went to sit on the front porch a lot too! Calvin loved watching the squirrels and the cars!

Granny always makes me special treats when I come to visit. This time she made me fried squash! SOOOOOO good!

Crunchy, salty, and perfect!

Calvin's first time eating soup! He was so good at it!

Granny's broccoli cheese soup is also perfect! Cal and I ate a lot of it!

Climbing on the window at Burger King! Granny Jo took him there for his birthday!

What a happy birthday boy!

Passed out! What a long day!

We were waiting for Uncle Wesley to pack the van so that we could go home...

We had a great time in North Carolina! I love that I get to come home and see every one! We can't wait to see them all at the beach in August!

Memorial Day 2010

2010-06-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

Swimming Pictures From Memorial Day

Cal and his Blocks

2010-05-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

Sorry

2010-05-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

I know that you are all expecting new pictures, but my mind has been elsewhere these past couple of weeks...

As sad as it is I have been preoccupied with Brandon Flowers and his new solo album. Here is the story: (feel free to just exit this blog at any time or just scroll down to the bottom)

Back in January The Killers cancelled their Asian tour. They released a statement saying that the cancellation was done with great regret and that it was due to an unforeseen illness of a close family member. Everyone thought that this was just a hoax and that it was really just a cover-up for the band splitting and Brandon Flowers going solo.They later cancelled some more shows releasing another statement that said that they had hoped to complete that part of their tour, but due to the severity of the family member's illness it was impossible. They also assured their fans that any rumors of the band splitting up were unfounded and that they were all just looking for some time off. A month later Brandon Flowers' mother died and hopefully a lot of people felt ashamed and stupid for creating such rumors. They finished their tour with a few more shows and then announced their hiatus. I'd also like to bring to attention that the entire world made a huge fuss about that ice skater who performed at the Olympics days after her mother died, but NO ONE said anything about Brandon performing after his mothers death!!! Anyway...

At the beginning of this month Brandon announces that he is releasing a solo album (as seen in my previous post) and I was not happy.

I have read many articles and seen many interviews of Brandon Flowers and I know that he is not the humblest of artists, but I had come to respect and regard him in the highest. In his mind, and mine as well, he is the greatest artist and his music is the best. He has later come to regret such moments of confidence with media as it does come off as cocky and egotistical. Well years of defending him and then this! I was very disappointed. I was mad at myself for defending him for all these years! He really was some big-headed jerk that used the other band members over the past 6 years to make a name for himself and then ditch them the moment he had a chance on his own... And then to top it all off, HE LIED! Denying all those rumors that he was going solo!!! I was very upset.

All these things were racing through my mind and I was really upset, like crazy upset (because, really, no normal person would care this much). Finally after almost crying while listening to Sams Town I decided that I needed to chill. I didn't know the whole story. No where could I find anything that said that The Killers were splitting. Nothing said anything about Brandon going solo, just that he was releasing a solo album. So I decided to just wait it out until I knew the whole story.

Well, here it is. Not that any of you care, I'm sure that no one has read this far... anyways...

The Killers are just on break. Brandon wishes that this album that is coming out was a Killers album. His head was just swarming with ideas and he had to release them. He is insistent that The Killers will return and then it will be a "wonderful collaboration between four guys who are ready to make the best record that they possible can." "We need some time to figure out who we are... But once we do, we're gonna come back swinging."

Bottom line...

Brandon is not a jerk. He is a creative genius and work-a-holic that just can't stop making music even if the rest of his band needs a break. So be prepared for Flamingo... I'm sure it's gonna blow your mind...

Sliding down the stairs

2010-05-06T06:58:00.000-07:00

This is too cute! Calvin and Cullen taking it easy on the couch!

Calvin likes to lay his blanket over the stair landing and pretend that it's a slide!

Whenever the blanket came off he would ask for help to fix it and I told him that I would help him if he said "cheese!"

Silly face!!!!!!!!!

Ready to slide! Seriously this little slide is endless entertainment for him!

Just in case...

2010-05-05T10:16:00.001-07:00

you haven't heard...

Brandon Flowers is releasing a solo-album...

(click on link or picture for a totally awesome preview)

I don't know how I feel about this yet, because I don't know all the details.

All I do know is that The Killers have been on break since January when they cancelled all their Asian tours. So, technically he is not "going solo" he's just been working on his own while on break.

So, I have decided not to judge him yet...

This also means that he will most likely have a new style coming out with his album, so...

no more feather jacket... and I do know how I feel about that.

Family Pictures! by Ashley!!!!!!!!!

2010-04-27T06:02:00.000-07:00

A visit from Anna and Granny Jo!

2010-04-26T18:07:00.001-07:00

Anna and Granny Jo stopped by on their way to Utah! We were so excited! Especially Calvin.. Anna and Granny got here just before Calvin woke from his nap. When he woke up he was so excited to see them! We had a great day filled with cars games, pizza, and lots of chocolate!

Calvin loves his Granny Jo!

So cute!

We can't wait to see them again soon!

Crazy Cal!

2010-04-12T06:10:00.001-07:00

Calvin loves the Redskins and he saw this fabric in a storage bin.. it's only a pillow case, but Calvin had to have it!

Calvin also got his first.. 3 booboo's last week! This was the first one, the others came later and are on his knee. I was outside with him when he got the scrape, but he didn't even notice.. no crying or anything.. he just kept playing! Mom said that Nick was just like that when he was little too! And later that night he REFUSED to have a band-aid on! Aren't kids supposed to LOVE band-aid?!?! What tough boys I have!

Calvin insisted on putting the gloves on his feet instead of his hands! LOL! Now he really has monkey toes like his mom!

In case you didn't know I am crazy... and I check on Calvin at least twice, if not more, before I go to bed at night. A few nights ago I called Nick in to see this...

He feel asleep sitting up with his stuffed animals! I love it! I laid him back down after we took some pictures, because it didn't look too comfortable!

playing with the cousins

2010-04-06T05:58:00.001-07:00

We all walked down to the park yesterday afternoon. It was SOOO nice out! Calvin is so happy to have his cousins here to play with!

Very excited to ride the dinosaur...

Ryley is SOOOO big on the monkey bars!

Jackson having fun on the swing!

So cute!

Tate is so good at saying "cheese"! All of Ashley's kids are... maybe Calvin will learn while they are here!

Easter Morning

2010-04-06T05:41:00.000-07:00

After a week of waiting for all of his treats (that I poorly hid) the Easter Bunny finally let Calvin have them! He was so excited when I got him out of bed, can you tell?

The first thing he grabbed... chocolate!

Forget all the toys (and clothes), all he cared about was all that candy!!

He was trying to share with me, but I kept telling him that it was all his candy... so all he did was unwrap one piece after the other...

We LOVE Cullen!

2010-03-29T12:46:00.001-07:00

Calvin loves his new little cousin!

Kissy face!!!

Even Nick wants some time with Cullen!!

Cal's silly face!

2010-03-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

Calvin and the ladybug

2010-03-29T12:36:00.000-07:00

Snack Time!

2010-03-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

Photos by Calvin

2010-03-03T09:47:00.000-08:00

When Chris and Laura brought Cullen home there were a lot of pictures being taken... and Calvin got a little jealous... so, Calvin decided that it was his turn to take pictures!

Enjoy!

So cute!

I have no idea what this is...

We told him to take a picture of Chris and Laura with Cullen, he got pretty close!

I tried to take the camera back and he got MAD!

This is my favorite!

Chuckie Cheese!

2010-02-26T06:46:00.001-08:00

Last week while we were all anxiously awaiting Cullen's arrival we took Calvin to Chuckie Cheese!

Calvin had been such a good boy and Nick and I really like their pizza, so it was a win-win!

Calvin liked the pizza too, but he really just wanted to get back to the games!

This ride was a vacuum looking things, I don't know, but Cal didn't like it too much!

But, he LOVED the school bus!

Taking a ride!

He liked to dog ride too!

His favorite was the little slide and bubble popping game, but there were too many people and distractions for me to get a picture! We all had a good time and Nick won a lot of tickets and got Calvin some tootsie rolls and a plastic snake that he played with on the way home! I can't wait to take him again!

Calvin and the chocolate

2010-02-25T05:37:00.000-08:00

Calvin LOVES chocolate, surprise, surprise! And since Nick gave me some for Valentine's Day we've had a lot to eat and Calvin likes to eat his chocolate in every way possible. Usually he likes to nibble and suck on it until it melts all over his hand and runs down his shirt, but this time I he just put the entire piece in his mouth! Poor little guy...

I told him so say "AHH"

He looks pretty satisfied to me!

SO worth it!

2010-02-24T06:06:00.000-08:00

4 years and 8 semesters: A LOT of money

Hard work and late nights: passing grades

3,000 mile road trip with 1 1/2 year old: A LOT of money, dead car, and "never doing that again"

Diploma in hand: PRICELESS (and SO worth it!)

Congratulations Nicholas! We are so proud of you and so GRATEFUL for all of your hard work!
Can't wait to get it framed and in your office!

snow

2010-02-15T09:28:00.001-08:00

It has constantly been snowing here for the past two weeks and we are really tired of it. We thought that we were through with all the snow, but apparently NOT!

I think that we got somewhere around 40 inches within a couple of days which is crazy!

We were snowed in for a couple if days before a plow came to the parking lot.

The snow packed into the front door!

Nick and Chris to the rescue!

There was an icicle on Mom's window and Laura really wanted it... unfortunately it made a mess and the icicles broke!

John came to help dig us out and we bravely trekked the two blocks to mom's house!

Laura and Nick with Calvin riding his shoulders! Calvin didn't want to play outside because it was too bright! Thank goodness for sunglasses!

Look how sweet! John helped untie Laura's shoes!

Cal's First Haircut!

2010-02-15T07:05:00.001-08:00

It might not look like a lot of hair, but it was pretty thick and getting hard to wash and style in the morning, so we decided it was time to cut it!

Laura found this cute little shop called "Crew cuts and Pigtails." They had 3 different chairs for the kids to pick from, a police car, a d fire truck and an airplane. Calvin was very excited to play with the train while he waited!

This is the before shot...

Flying the airplane!

They had little magnetic people that stuck to the wheel and the plane, Cal loved it!
They also gave him a little cup of animal crackers and put on his favorite movie, so he sat pretty still and was done in no time!

He doesn't like the camera much, so this is the best I have of the after! Its so cute!

best album ever.

2010-02-09T08:35:00.001-08:00

Just in case you were wondering... Yes. I am still obsessed.

Maybe I'm just spoiled...

2010-02-04T16:58:00.000-08:00

...but I need a sewing room!

I've grown in a house where my mom had an ENTIRE room devoted to sewing. Nothing but sewing machines on tables, shelves full of fabric and patterns, drawers full of thread and everything else you could imagine! I really LOVE to sew, but lately I have just not had the motivation to get there...

The green tub contains my sewing machine, fabric, and ribbon. The top boxes have patterns and some fabric.

This box is my new embroidery machine that had only been used once and stacked on top are projects that are incomplete and didn't fit into a bow or tub.

Here is my ironing board that is also used as a table for cutting out projects. And next to it is my sewing box FULL of thread and pins and scissors.

This is the process of taking out the machine...

empty box

My machine set up and my cutting station in the background.

At the end of this process I DO in fact have a "sewing room." BUT when my projects are completed for that day I have to return everything back to where it came :(

I know I am spoiled but whenever I get the urge to sew I look at my green tub and just turn around and walk out of the room! It's too much work!!

One day...

Next time won't you sing with me!

2010-02-03T12:32:00.000-08:00

So... he doesn't know all the letters, but it's still cute!