Temple Celebration

Ellie's Preschool Graduation

Spring is FUN!

Grandma & Papa's next door neighbors have horses and a bunch of kids.
Ellie loves to play there when we visit Brigham City.
They always let her ride the horses...this time bareback!

Spring means it's time for hiking and climbing.
Here is our first outing of the year!

We love to be outside!
Here is a little video of Ellie's 1st climb of the year.
She was AWESOME!

Easter

We had a really fun Easter!
Ellie got to color eggs with all her Runolfson cousins.
Grandma and Grandpa got a dozen eggs per kid...needless to say, there were plenty of eggs!

Here are Ellie and Ryan Easter morning.
They are happy with their baskets, but had the most fun playing with the grass.

The annual Packer Easter Egg Hunt.
The cousins had fun.
So did Grandma & Papa!

Ellie collected enough candy for the whole family.

Ryan wasn't after the candy.
He just likes the click-click of the eggs.

5 Year Olds are Funny!

I really can't believe that my little girl is 5!

Time really flies way too fast...at least when you are an adult.
Ellie is growing up way too fast for me. She starts kindergarten this year.
A couple of funny things she has done lately...

We have been helping my sister Amy move into her new house and spend a lot of time over there. Ellie has been great at entertaining herself, her brother, her cousin, and other people that happen to be there. One day we sent her out to entertain cousin Aiden in his little car. Michelle showed her how to push him around in it and we even blocked the stairs off so there would be no accidents. This is how it started off...

After a few minutes we went back to check on them and found this...

Apparently, she wanted a turn to ride too. And, of course, Aiden was happy to help.

She loves to hop in Ryan's crib with him. He loves it too!
His favorite place to be in hanging out in Ellie's room.

Last weekend we spent at my parents and Ellie was helping with some yard work. Amy told Ellie and Alysa that they would earn a penny for every stick they picked up out of the yard...There were a lot of sticks. When it was time to get paid, Amy went to give Ellie 2 one dollar bills. She got sad and sulky. When I asked what was wrong, she wouldn't tell me. A few minutes later, Amy came over laughing. She said she found out what was wrong with Ellie. Ellie told her, "I don't like dollars with 1's on them!" Can you believe this child?


Here is another shot of my flexible kid.
He is so bendy that he can go right from sitting like this on to his stomach doing the chinese splits. He can do the side splits too.

What have I been doing?

Here are a few fun projects that I have been working on lately...

OK, I know I went a little overboard, but they are so cute.
Now Ellie is all outfitted for summer.
My friend, Nichole, showed me how to make these cute skirts.
Yes, they are easy or I wouldn't be making them.

So eight skirts is probably a few too many!( There are a couple missing from the photo)
Thanks Helen for the fabric!
Now Ellie can wear a skirt everyday just like she always asks to do.

My sister Michelle is so cute and crafty.
She finds cute things for us to make.
This Easter wreath was so easy and Ellie even helped make the whole thing.
It was a fun family project.

Michelle also made these cute wall hangings for her living room, so I copied.
Here are mine...easy, made with scrapbook paper.
Love them!

I adapted them to go in Ellie's room too!
They turned out great!

So there you have it! I have been keeping myself busy with random projects.
Of course, my kids take up most of my time, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

A couple of cute photos!

Just a couple of cute things I wanted to add...

Aunt Amy just got back from Hawaii and brought this little outfit for Ryan.
Well, it didn't look so little before we put it on. I thought it looked HUGE!
I guess when you have a huge baby, you need huge clothes.
I just think he looks adorable.

One night at dinner, Ellie decided to fill her own plate.
Can you tell what my girl likes to eat?

Girls Weekend...and a couple of CUTE boys!

My friend has an awesome cabin up at Bear Lake and we decided to take a girls trip.
We did have a couple of boys tag along, but it was out of necessity. Nursing moms!
Anyway, we just went up and relaxed...if you call crafts relaxing.
We sewed, scrapbooked, crafted, etc. the entire time we were there.
Really, it was a blast to hang out with the girls for a couple of days.
By the time we got home, we were definitely ready to see our families again.

A Trip to the Zoo!

What could be better than a trip to the zoo?
A free trip to the zoo!
Hogle Zoo had an appreciation day to thank people for voting to give money to the zoo.
Of course we went and called Grandma & Papa, and Michelle & Aiden to join us.
It was a perfect day for the zoo. It was cool enough that the animals were all very active.
We had soooo much fun. The kids even rode the carousel and I wore my "zoo shirt".

My baby is 8 mos old!

Here is to my baby!
He is growing up so fast I thought I ought to record some things about him,
so I will always remember!

Something cute and something questionable!

Ellie uses her bins for more than holding toys.
Here, they are for sitting in, but she also uses them as cakes for decorating.
I don't watch too much Ace of Cakes or Challenge on the Food Network!

Pretty flexible for a big guy, huh?

I told my family about this, and everyone in Relief Society experienced it.
He is not used to solid foods yet, and this is him trying to get it out!
This is the questionable part!

Ellie learned this really cute song at preschool.
My mom said her dad used to sing it to her when she was little.
The lighting and sound are bad, but it is adorable!

Bear Lake, Baths, Baby Teeth & Birthdays

We had a BLAST up at Bear lake with some of our friends!
The kids only stopped playing to sleep and eat, and that was not without a few threats!
We played Wii, and found some hidden talents & a few weaknesses!

Can you believe I post these photos...sorry Ryan!
I have to have some sort of proof that you really are this big!
27 lbs and counting!

He did get his first tooth, which was a total surprise to me.
Ellie didn't have any teeth until 12 mos, so I wasn't expecting it.
My mom said he must be teething, I opened his mouth and there it was!
He got his first tooth without me even realizing it!
I tried to get photos, but it is really hard to see a tooth that small!

Ellie had a great birthday this year!
She celebrated with both sides of the family and had a friend party!
Her party was at Classic Fun Center and the kids had FUN!

I cannot believe that I am the Mom of a 5 year old!
Kindergarten here we come!
She got her vaccines yesterday and that did not go smoothly!
She really had to be held down and cried bloody murder when she got stuck.
I'd say that it was the worst experience with shots we have ever had, but now we are DONE!

Tons of FUN!

We did a lot of fun things in December.
Here is a quick recap.
We took the kids to Temple Square to see the lights.
Ellie was so excited to go to the temple.
She wanted to touch it, and was thrilled when she got to walk right up to the door.
It was really fun for her.
Ryan was good as always, and looked a bit like the kid from "A Christmas Story".
That's what I get for having a 25 lb six month old baby!

Ellie also had her first real dance recital.
She loves her dance class, but really didn't like the costume.
It was itchy, and she never stopped itching...not even on stage during her performance.
She looks really cute though!

Ang, Matt, Kirsten and Dalton came from Maryland for Christmas.
Last year, Ellie and Dalton had issues, but this year they were great friends.
They played in the snow, played Wii, and even got to have a sleepover.
Here is a good moment when they were playing a game on the iTouch.
They are better with technology than I am!

We had our annual reenactment of the Christmas Story.
Ellie got to be Mary, and Ryan was the youngest (not the smallest), so he got to be Baby Jesus.
Mary did not hold her baby, he is over 1/2 her weight.

Here are all the cousins on Christmas Eve.
They all got new jammies.
Of course, Ellie has to wear a nightgown, so you can't see her new jammies.

Our family on Christmas morning...early, before showers!

I'd say it was Ryan's favorite present, but he doesn't know the difference.
It was my favorite present he got!
It is the truth with this kid!

Daddy built a snow cave for Ellie to play in.
Even thought it was freezing cold, they stayed out for hours!
I love having a husband that will do that while I stay in the warm house.
I did venture out to take photos.

We had a great December and I have tons more photos to upload to my computer.
I will update again soon...I hope!

Another BIG post...

We got some family photos taken with Jud's family.
Here are a couple of cute ones of the kids.
Our family shot is on the blog header. They turned out really cute.

I hope they always remember how much they love each other!

My "Little Ellie" isn't so little anymore!

We also took some photos to remember exactly how chunky this boy is.
These were taken on Thanksgiving. It is amazing that all he has not even eaten food yet.
He weighed 22 lbs. 12 ozs. the day before Thanksgiving.
Off the charts in weight and head size, and 95% in height.

Look at the size of those thighs!
I can't complain though. He is taking all the weight off of me.
I haven't been this thin in 10 years.
Thanks Buddy!

My parents new next door neighbors have horses and are all rodeo kids.
They all ride and rope...even the 4 year old. It was amazing!
They invited Ellie over to ride with them.
Ryan even got in on the action for a second.

Ellie is really into horses lately.
It was really great for her to get to ride.

We had the CompHealth Christmas Party, and it was soooo fun!
Ellie got to see Mrs. Santa...

and Santa!

Here we all are!
It is funny that we all work together!
Amy is now VP, Michelle and I work from home, and Lisa works there too!
She & Ryan couldn't make it to the party.

We really had a great time.
Ellie has been talking about it non-stop!
We danced, ate, played RockBand, made crafts, saw Santa, made S'mores...

Preschool

Here is Ellie's preschool Halloween parade. They did little poems and songs. Really cute! She is the spider, and her friend Rylee is the little cheerleader next to her!

Out of Control October!

We had a fun filled October.
Here are some highlights, not even in order because I can't be bothered with that.
We went to the Cornbelly's corn maze for Ashley's bday party.
Ellie had a blast! It is so much fun,and we have tons of photos.
In an effort not to bore you, I only posted a few.

In the big rocking chair!

This is Ryan at the ward Trunk or Treat.
He almost didn't fit in the bear outfit.
I had him weighed on Friday (Halloween) and he was 20 lbs 12 ozs.

A trip to Gardener Village with Aiden, Brandon, Kenna, and Jake.

Ellie and brother and witch!

Ellie started school, and being the great mother I am, here are the photos...a month later.
She goes to Silverpups preschool at Riverton high.
She loves it!

First day, just playin' PlayDough!

Ellie and Kenna at the Trunk-or-Treat!
You'll notice that Ellie could never decide what to be for Halloween.
She wore 5 different costumes for different events.
The upside...they were all ones she already had!

Ellie and Rylee!

Another trip to Gardener Village.
This time with Kenna, McKayla, Jake and Jaden!

Ellie and Rylee in their preschool Halloween parade.
The were adorable! I will post a video!

Ryan & Aiden were twinners.
Just by chance actually, but they look way cute!
Can you tell that Ryan outweighs his 11 month old cousin?

Trick-or-treating at COmpHealth.
Amy & Lisa's work.

Halloween night at Parkinson's house.
Ellie, McKayla, Jaden, & Rylee.

Our group photo.
Jud and I tried to dress up, but we weren't very successful.
The costumes are actually the ones I made for the Sound of Music sing-a-long we went to.
You know, when they make clothes out of the curtains.
There are 4 more outfits that my sisters and their dates wore.
We tried to turn them into Hansel and Gretel.
Nichole called us TweedleDee and TweedleDum.
Guess who she thought was "DUM"?

Anyway, we had a great October. I will try to be better at posting, but you know me!

Tagged

I got tagged by Michelle to post the 4th photo from the 4th folder on my computer. Here it is...

OK, so really that is the 5th folder, #4 was empty!
Now I tag 4 more people...Whit, Nichole, Jamielyn, & Kym!

Twilight!!!

I am excited for the movie to come out. I took the quiz to see which character I am most like. This is who I turned out to be.

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

Utah Jazz!

Ryan went to his first Jazz game this week.
He was really GOOD!
He loved watching everything going on around him.
It didn't hurt that our friends gave us 12th row seats!
Thanks Dan & Sybil! We had a blast.
Jud even liked it too!

They played the Suns, and even thought they lost we had a good time.
Jud says it's OK, it was just preseason!

Ellie didn't get to come to the game, but here is a shot of her the day before the game.
She siad that the Jazz headband and wristbands (yes, they are around her ankles)
protect her at the park. I guess it worked!

In honor of the game here are a couple shots of Ryan all Jazzed UP!
Thanks Whitney! I love the photos!

A photo from SYTYCD Tour!

Here is a photo of the sisters after the SYTYCD Tour.
Thanks to Amy for our COOL SHIRTS!
We had a great time...4ever!

Tribute to a GREAT Husband!

I just wanted to brag about my awesome husband.

He is always thinking of others in everything he does and always considerate of me!

First, he stayed home with the kids while I went to Cats with my sisters.
It was so much fun. Who ever would have thought that I would like a musical about CATS!
I saw it in high school and came back again, of course, due to the fact that it has great dancing!
It was a fun girls night out!

Then, on Saturday he stayed home and kept the kids while I went to the BYU football game.
Shout out to the COUGARS! They are awesome!
We had fun at the game, while Jud was getting everything ready for Ryan's blessing on Sunday!
He even managed to go get his hair cut with both kids tagging along because
he knew I wanted him to.
What a MAN!

On Sunday the blessing was awesome!
It is so nice to have a great husband and the blessing he gave Ryan was so nice!
I might add he looked really good in his suit and new tie with his new haircut, too!
Ryan looked super cute in the blessing outfit that Jud wore when he was blessed.
Ryan almost looked like he was going to pop out of it.
(Side note: I had him weighed again on Monday and he was 17 lbs. 6 ozs.)

With Grandpa Al!
With Uncle Don.
With Grandma & Papa!

Last night we went to the SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE tour.
It was soooo fun!
It was well the money and the tickets weren't cheap.
Mom, Dad, Amy, Michelle, Lisa, Jud & I went.
What a great husband who enjoys the things I like!

I must tell you that I liked Joshua from the beginning.
He was my pick to win right from tryouts...I am brilliant!
The whole show was fun and entertaining.

Shout out to Mark!
His weirdness grew on me.
He may be my new favorite.
My sister Ang says that he should be the one playing Edward in Twilight, and

she is right! He would be perfect!

Anyway, I had a great week and thought I would report on something I did instead of just what my kids are up to. and let everyone know what I already do...
JUD IS AWESOME!

Labor Day & Peach Days

We spent Labor Day at Hogle Zoo...Ryan's first time to the zoo!
We had tons of fun, even Daddy got to come along.
This is the best family shot we could get, Ellie is not a fan of photos!

Here she is posing with her favorite zoo exhibit.
She could care less about anything else at the zoo, just take her to the snakes!

Papa was trying to get in trouble with me by feeding my not yet 2 month baby an Oreo.
Good thing Grandma was there to stop him.

There is a new baby giraffe at Hogle Zoo.
Ryan & I got our photo with Mom & Baby giraffe.

Next was Peach Days...my favorite!
We had a BLAST!!!
Ellie & I rode the fire truck in the kid parade.

Here's everyone sitting at the big parade!
Ellie collected quite a bit a candy and then we took off to ride the rides at the carnival.

Ellie has NO FEAR!
She will do anything, and since there are no height requirements at the fair...
she rode the Starship 2000 with Dad, Josh, & Trish.
She told me it was AWESOME!

Here are mom and brother.
We didn't get to ride any rides, but had fun anyway!

We can't wait for next year!

Ryan "The Tank" Runolfson

Well, yesterday I took Ryan to the dr. for a weight check.
I just had to know how big is is now.
You will not believe it!
He weighed 16 lbs 4 ozs, almost double his birth weight at two months old!
His weight is not the 90th or 95th %...no it is off the charts!
This is the good part, his cousin Aiden (who is almost exactly 7 mos older) weighs
17 lbs 8 ozs, only 1 lb 45 ozs more than my not so little baby!
I measured him at 25 1/2 inches, which for your info, is also off the charts for a 2 month old.
I guess he preparing for his future as a linebacker!

Tribute to Peaches

I am so excited for Peach Days coming up this weekend!
I am peach lover and a huge fan of Peach Days!
We go up every year to Brigham to celebrate...I think I have only missed on year
and that was while I was on my mission.

My parents neighbor and my old sunday school teacher has a big peach orchard.
He always saves peaches for me...THANKS GEORGE!
I just ate some of his peaches and they are the BEST!

It seems I have transferred my love of peaches to my daughter.
A few days ago I cut some peaches for us to snack on and she kept saying more
until we had eaten 5 peaches in one sitting.
We can't wait for Peach Days!

By the way, we are huge fans of the Canadian Harmony variety.
The Canadians did something right I guess!

Report on August

We did a lot of fun things in August even though it takes us a
long time to get going and get out the door.
I am not used to this 2 kid thing!
We are lucky to have the three of us ready by noon! Sad, huh?

We did venture out to Thanksgiving Point with some friends.
The kids had a great time petting the animals, riding the wagon, and
playing in the water by Noah's Ark.

Ellie, Ashley, McKayla, Jaden, & Rylee

I also wanted to show you just how fast my baby is growing.
At church he is bigger than the three month old babies, and he is only 7 wks.
Here is a nice shot of his back fat.

Here is Ryan with his Uncle Ryan.
Can you read the shirt?
It says "If you think I'm cute, you should see my uncle!"

Our ward hosted a Daddy-Daughter Date.
Ellie was so excited to get dressed up for the 70's theme and go...
but not as excited as Jud was, obviously.

Some of the other fathers kept their kids away from Jud!

Here is Ryan trying out some of the dress ups too!

We took a fun trip to the park with Lisa, Michelle, and Aiden.
Here are the kids swinging.

Ryan had his first swing on a big swing with sissy's help!
Aiden is a big boy now and can swing himself.

Here is an adorable shot of my boy.
Is he the cutest or what?

Photoshoot

My friend Whitney did a little photoshoot with my cute kids! She did an awesome job and was way more patient than a studio would have been. Thanks Whit!
Here is some of her work!

We had a busy, but GREAT July!
Having a new baby at home is so great, but challenging.
Ryan is growing up so fast, and Ellie seems so much older now that we have a baby in the house.
Our little family feels more like a family with 4!
Ryan has been a good baby except for about the last week when we found out that he is allergic to my milk.
No worries, you know me and my alternative medicine.
We took him in for accupuncture and ZD treated him.
He should be better by 7pm tonight!
I can't wait...it breaks my heart to see him fussy!
Getting up at night is hard, but worth it!
Here are some photos of Ryan in this last month.
He is already getting cheeks!

Ellie really has been a lifesaver for me this month.
She is almost always willing to run and grab a diaper or burp cloth for me.
We have not had too many issues with her being jealous.
Just a few times she wants me to take care of her FIRST!
She has had a ton of fun this month.
A couple of trips to Shady, a few nights at Grandma & Papa's house (when Jud went to scout camp), a baseball game, a new brother to play with and love, and lots more fun!
Here is the proof!

One more funny thing that I finally got on video.
Kind of hard to hear, but very worth it!

Just a few more photos...

Daddy is soooo proud!
Here is his Jazz fan!

Aunt Michelle can't believe babies are so tiny!
Hers has gotten big.

Uncle Jared & Ryan.

Ellie & brother wearing their matching shirts.
Grandpa Runolfson got them.
Hers says "I am the big sister"
& his says "I am the little brother".

Grandpa R & Ryan.

Grandma R & Ryan.

Daddy's Little Boy!

Papa holding his newest grandchild.

Grandma loving baby Ryan!

Ryan Packer Runolfson is here!

Ryan was born July 8, 2008

at 11:15 am.

He weighed 8 lbs 3 ozs

and was 20.5 inches long!

Here he is!

Ryan & Uncle Ryan!

Ryan & Uncle Josh!
Ryan, Mom, & Ellie!


Ryan & MOM!

Ryan with Aunt Lisa!
Ryan and Aunt Amy!

We had more visitors on our first day.
Grandma & Papa Packer, Grandma & Grandpa R, Michelle, Aiden, & Jared.
There will be more photos to come!

El Pollo Loco

Opening Day at El Pollo was CRAZY!!!
We had some great food,
talked to the owner who is a friend of my Dad's from California,
& got some photos with the chicken.

Opening Day at El Pollo was CRAZY!!!
We had some great food,
talked to the owner who is a friend of my Dad's from California,
& got some photos with the chicken.