"German is So Talkative Lately"

The title of this post is the words spoken to me last Sunday when I picked German up from nursery. German has never been shy around us, but around other adults he tends to go quiet and observant. So as various friends and teachers tell us how much he's talking we're naturally very proud of his progress. The following is a small sampling of some of the things that German has said to us in the recent past:

"My mommy is a princess." (I think this is thanks to my dad!)

(While talking to Gma Clark on the phone) "I am German and this is Eli."

"No, he's not Eli Clark, he's Eli Britain."

"May I have a snack and a drink of water before my nap, please?"

(While Joshua was rolling up our new tent) "Hey, that (the tent) is a hot dog!"

"Here mom, I made you some lion for dinner on the barbeque and me some frog for dinner." (My plate held a lion puppet and his a toy frog)

So, I realize that these little snipits may not sound very cute or funny to the reader, but in context and at the time they sure were funny little comments!

Our Garage Band!

Eli on the piano

German with the maraca

Joshua on the drums

All I have to say is that my three men are the funnest men in the world!

Camping Fun!

What's better than sleeping on the hard ground with no padding or pillows?
Not much when you're camping with good friends and my 3 wonderful men!

We went camping with our good friends the Niederhausers this weekend and it was a blast!

The Highlights:

Josh and Chris entertained German and Madison with the construction of a log cabin

We all enjoyed throwing rocks and wading in the freezing cold water of the creek

The kids built roads and houses in the dirt for their cars

and of course the food, smores and fireside fun

Eli also enjoyed the dirt and sticks, but mostly he decided that it would be a good opportunity to start waving! He waved first to Jackson from across the campsite and has kept going with his newly discovered talent. (Including today at church while watching the music being conducted!)

Where has July gone?!

We've been busy the past few weeks, something somewhat uncommon for us! My nine year old brother, Adam, took his first unchaperoned flight from Boise to Phoenix and stayed a week with us. Let me tell you how nice it was to have him here. He always offered to push the stroller, he played with the boys while I cooked and cleaned, and he helped me brush up on my times-tables!

About a week after Adam's arrival, my parents drove down to see us (and eventually take Adam home) and visit for six days. It sure was a treat to have Grandpa and Grandma H here to spoil us! I'm only sorry that it was so HOT, but they knew what they were getting into! We enjoyed seeing the area's sights and a night at a Dodger v. Diamondback game.

Grandma H had to fly home and go back to work, but Grandpa and Adam convinced us that we should continue on their trip with them. So last Tuesday Joshua, myself, and the boys loaded the car and set off for the happiest place on earth! We had a great two days at Disneyland (it was surprisingly not that crowded for the middle of the summer) and one day at the beach. We're all fried and exhausted, but it was a lot of fun and memorable. Thanks again Bumpa for all the fun!

Happy Birthday U.S.A.

Can I just say that I love holiday weekends?! I love spending time with my men; we're only sad we didn't get to spend time with our extended family:(

Our weekend agenda:

We started Thursday night off with a late night swim (okay, late for kids - like 8:00pm). Then Friday we had red, white, and blue baked scones for breakfast and then headed off to the airfield to see some airplanes and helicopters. Our fellow Utah friends (the Youngs) let us crash their BBQ and that was lots of fun (thanks Tiff and Dylan!). We left their house and went to see the fireworks in Tempe. We woke the boys up from their peaceful slumber in their carseats to see the show. This was at first against my wishes, but I gave in when Joshua said that he would let me sleep in the next morning, if we could wake them up to see the fireworks! Nothing makes you feel better than starting the day at 8:30am! Today we've taken it slow, gone swimming, and now we're off to run some errands.

Hope you all enjoyed your fourth!

Eli is a Crawler!!!

Monday morning we were all hanging out while Joshua was getting ready for work and Eli really wanted a toy that German had left on the ground. He took off crawling - or army crawling, more appropriately. He's been doing a great job experimenting with his new found talent and German enjoys setting up toys for Eli to crawl to.

Motorcycle Racing

This is just a typical night at home with the boys! If it's not motorcycle racing, then it's marching around the apartment or sailing on a boat or building "an awesome train track" or playing "hegos." Needless to say, German and Eli love playing with their dad. Starting around 3 o'Clock in the afternoon, everytime a car horn is heard outside German asks if it is "Gag" and then when it is he runs and hides (the first step to a great night of playing!). Eli is just learning how fun these nights are, unfortunately for him, he seems to tire out a lot earlier than German.

These boys are so much fun! I wish you all could know them as well as we do - German says the funniest things that make me laugh all the time and Eli has the world's most contagious smile. I have to pay great tribute to my husband for working so hard so that I can stay home and teach these people. It is very fulfilling to see their progress and I'm grateful to Joshua for making it happen. Plus, he's so much fun to be married to!

To all our loyal viewers out there...

It's hard to tell, but this is German's "Freight Train" that he recreated from a book of the same title. He loves this book; it's also the first book that he 'reads' to other people- so cute!

Eli loves food!!! Last night he ate one and a half baby food containers, then he had a round of rice cereal and then he still wanted to be nursed. I'm shocked this kid is still on the small side.

Sorry it's taken me nearly three weeks to update our blog. Life keeps handing us one technical difficulty after another! (First our memory card and now our internet connection - oh well!) There really isn't that much to tell, or maybe it just seems that way to me because I'm living it everyday, but life is good and we are enjoying it. We go swimming everyday and are getting really tan, despite our sunscreen efforts (thanks to mom for the beautiful skin!). German has gotten really brave and jumps in all the time. His favorite time in the water is when our friend Madison comes and pushes him around in a tube! Eli is also a little water bug, but he prefers to nap at the pool!

Both the boys are growing up so fast! German has officially graduated to a normal chair and Eli has taken over the baby/toddler chair. It's fun to eat dinner with both our boys there, but mostly it's fun to eat dinner with both my hands free! German continues to talk up a storm and use his imagination all of the time. He loves to pretend cook and go to work or the dam (the Hoover Dam that is!). Eli is always ready to laugh and smile at anyone! He is somewhat of a momma's boy whenever anyone else wants to hold him though. He's eating like a champ and enjoys being able to sit up so he can see everything.



Joshua and I are just fine, nothing really new to report! We've cooled down our house search and now we're just waiting until we feel like it's the right time again. We are thoroughly enjoying our time as a family and say to one another very frequently how much we love our boys and spending time together. We have a lot of joy!

Our Memorial Day

Holidays like Memorial Day are our more difficult days here alone in Arizona. We miss being with family and friends and enjoying a Hallberg BBQ! We woke up Monday morning and were determined to make it a fun day for our family. So we packed up the boys and headed to the mountains! We went on a 3 mile hike (1.5 miles each way) up a mountain ending at 'Wind Cave,' where we enjoyed a picnic lunch. Joshua got the most exercise by carrying Eli in the baby pouch and German on his shoulders for most of the trek! German really liked all of the lizards and big rocks to climb.

On the drive home we decided that it wouldn't be a true Memorial Day without a BBQ, so we called our friends the Youngs (friends who also moved here from Utah and far away from family!) and made an impromptu meal. It was a great evening! We missed all of our loved ones, but we really did enjoy our day and evening.

Photos of the Week

It's difficult to decipher that this is something other than German playing on his wagon while wearing Joshua's hard hat, but it is actually German riding his motorcycle with his helmet on! If you had been lucky enough to be me, he would have told you that he was carrying his lunch and wallet and that he was on his way to work (German is a big fan of his Gag- that's German for Dad). This boy has such an imagination!

This isn't Eli's best photo, but you can see that he's on his tummy- which despite the worried look on his face is his preferred place to be so he can see what's going on! Because he can't quite crawl yet, he's developed a system for mobility- he turns on his side then twists his body a bit and then flops back on his stomach, having moved a few inches forward in the process.

Blog Stalking

So of course I found this little blurp while blog stalking and I felt it was appropriate to share in order to make us all feel a little bit more secure and normal!

Blog Stalking written by Amelia http://ameliorateme.blogspot.com/
My name is Amelia. And I am a blog stalker.
I check my friend's blogs. Then click on the links to their friend's blogs. Then click on their friend's blogs. And before I know it, I have found a blog I am addicted too, checking it with the same regularity that I run down my own blog roll. It's a blog that would be labeled as a "family" blog, a "personal" blog, a blogger that keeps a low-profile on the internet and blogs to merely keep in touch with their family and friends. A family and friend that I am not. And I do this without said bloggers knowledge.
I break my blog stalking into the following areas:
a. Entertainment. I LOVE reading well-written blogs. Occasionally, through my insane blog link clicking, I will find a blog that is so well-written, I keep coming back for more.
b. Cheap laughs. I can shamelessly laugh at how stupid their blog is. The blogger is most often clueless as to the happenings of the world around them and has a 50s view of women, marriage and motherhood. Spelling and grammatical errors abound.
c. Wishful friendship. I have become attached to the blogger and cannot bring myself to stop checking. We've never met, but I feel like I've known them for years. This category generally concerns me because, if I were to see this person on the street, I could see myself stopping them and striking up a conversation. "So how was the Jones Family Reunion in St. George? Uncle Henry sure looks like a riot!" "Is little Tina adjusting to preschool? I would be heartbroken too if I had to leave my adorable new baby brother at home!" "How is Rich's new job going? He seemed pretty concerned about the transfer."
d. Pure stalking. This category is not as creepy as it sounds because I somehow know the blogger. I went to high school or college with them, was in an old church group or job with them - basically, I have met them at one point or another in my life but was not good enough friends with them to randomly comment. I read because I'm curious. But it would be too embarrassing to reveal that I have somehow found their blog and have taken an interest in reading it since I really don't keep in touch with this person.
e. Degree of separation. I feel like I know this person because my friend has mentioned them, my brother was roommates with them or my husband dated them. I check because I know some level of intimate details about their life. It would be mortifying - for myself and said connection - if this person knew I checked their blog.There is NO chance I would ever comment on any of my blog stalkees. I mean how would that comment go, "So your sister used to be roommates with this girl who is the best friend of my cousin's inlaw's brother...and then I found your blog and know the name of all your children, what your new calling is in church and the details of your Valentine's Day date with your husband." There is basically no way to get around that without sounding creepy. Maybe one day, I'll comment on a category "d" blog if I run into this person and purposely bring up "So...how can we keep in touch? Do you have a blog or anything?"But with this recent trend of "blog security," I find myself getting increasingly annoyed that my blog stalkees are going private. Most often it's because they are afraid of who is checking their blog. I can see the fear (hey, I AM part of their fear), but I tend to think that out of the hundreds of thousands - millions even - of people who have blogs, the chance is unlikely that a true creep will blog stalk me. My life just isn't that interesting. Naive thinking, maybe. But honestly, as long as I'm not stupid and post information that is too personal, I'm being relatively safe.I know I have my own blogstalkers - I check my blog stats. I can see what areas people visit from (hello Arkansas!). I hope I have interested the blog stalker enough to keep checking. Hopefully not because they want to kill me, but because they find my blog mildly entertaining. So - creepy labels aside - I want to know. Any fellow blog stalkers out there?

"Can I wear a tie?"

In response to German's question, Joshua searched his tie rack for the perfect fit. This is what we came up with and I think it totally fits German's personality! (Look out President Harker - that's an inside joke for all you mission friends out there)

A Few More Photos I Stole From Angie...

Doesn't our boy look like Clark Kent?

What a sweet person!

Sydney is such a cutie and loves the babies.

Eli is Growing Up

Our little Eli has changed a lot in the last couple of weeks. He is a 'squirmer' (says German) and I have little doubt that it won't be long until he's crawling. He loves his mobility! Yesterday I laid him on the carpet on his back and I few minutes later he had rolled/twisted his way into the kitchen.

The other big milestone of the week was that Eli begann eating solids. Unfortunately, he does not enjoy them. I've concocted three different recipes of rice cereal and bananas and he is not interested at all. He makes a face like he's totally disgusted and then spits it all out. I can tell he's just not into the new texture and method of consumption. If anyone has any good ideas about how to make him like baby food, I'd love to hear what you've got!

Our Trip to Utah

We made the dreaded roadtrip again last weekend to celebrate Joel's graduation and see our families and friends. It was worth the time in the car to see everyone and spend some time with them.

Unfortunately, we're having some technical difficulties with our camera and I'm sad to report that we think we've lost all the pictures from the weekend. I try not to think about it for fear of bursting into tears! Especially because we got some good shots of German riding on Uncle Joel's motorcycle and German has been talking about the motorcycle ride since we got home. He drives his wagon around the apartment making motorcycle sounds and telling me that he's a 'motorcycle guy.' I did steal one of Angie's photos of the Hallberg clan to post, mostly as proof that we were there and because people are more likely to read this if there is a picture attached!

We enjoyed being with all the Hallbergs, with the exception of Mel and the boys, all the Clarks, Brian and Kira, and the Louds. Our boys love their grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins. We realize that the only negative about our choice to move to Arizona is that we deprive our boys and ourselves of closer relationships with their extended family. In case you ever doubt it, we love you all and miss you more than we tell you.

We probably won't get to see Brian & Kira and Josh & Shelby for a while so it was good to see them all. German keeps asking about you all at random times and I think he must somehow remember going to your houses (a lot!) while we still lived in Provo.

Congratulations to My Big Brother

I just wanted to write and let everyone know how proud we are of Joel. He thinks it's no big deal that he finished his bachelors degree, but we think it's a pretty big deal considering he and Angie have four children and he has worked full-time their entire marriage so that Angie could stay home with their kids. I guess I'm most proud that they are following the counsel of the prophets to have children and keep the mother in the home and that Joel has sacrificed a lot to make that happen. He's a good example! I guess I trained him pretty well:)

Two Boys Resting

German told me that he and Eli wanted to 'rest'. These two laid down next to each other and started playing and laughing. I think resting was the last thing that was going to happen!

Eli is Getting Bigger...

Our little Eli is growing up. The doctor told me the other day that I had the okay to start solids whenever I want - how can that be, he's still a baby? You can see in the picture that he's reaching for the ball, which he loves. Eli loves to stand (reminds me of how Uncle Adam was as a baby) and he's working on sitting - it won't be long. We sure love this little bundle of joy and he loves us in return. I often find him watching his brother and laughing at his jokes.

A Tribute to Elsie

German has a lot of good friends here in Arizona, but the one that he plays the best with is little Elsie. They are a lot alike, except for the obvious gender differences! When all of the other kids have finished eating and are off playing, these two are still chowing down. They also have the most fun together. Yesterday we found them sitting on the arm of a chair, yelling and laughing. They truly enjoy playing together. All the AZ moms who read this would probably also tell you that these two are the most physical when it comes to a toy that they want!

Here you go Kira...

Kira has informed me that it's time to update the blog, so here it goes:

I added a couple of recent pictures of the boys playing. The first is as German told me 'German working.' I just wonder what he thinks dad does all day when we tell him that dad's at work. The second is of little Eli playing with his floor gym - which was my greatest yard sale find.

We haven't really been up to anything super interesting the last couple of weeks. Not that life is boring, just nothing out of the norm. We went to the "Desert Botanical Gardens" yesterday with our friends Kim and Andrew and Andrew's mother. It was a nice time and boy were there lots of cacti! We forgot to find a joshua tree to take a picure of the tree and my two Joshua's.