chris.reese.girls1.2.3.4

Chris and I have survived being parents for two years and Paige has survived us. She is such a big girl now. Every day she amazes me with how much she knows and how much she talks! Here are some examples: - A few days ago we were playing in her room. She suddenly comes up to me, kisses me, and says, "See you in the morning!" and walks out of the room and shuts the door. It was 10am. - When we go to the bank drive-thru, she always says from the back, "Ummmm, nuggets, please!" - When we're in the car and I get frustrated with some other driver she'll say, in perfect likeness of her father, "Dude!" or in likeness of me, "Gosh! Seriously!" - Since we've been potty training, she's very cognizant of my abilities to use the restroom unassisted and whenever I flush, she says, "Yay, mommy!!" and asks if I get a candy. - When she colors now, she sits with pen in hand, making very small marks, and says random letters; example: ...

Sears guy came again today and raised my dishwasher from the dead. He was kind of mean to me last time he came because he said the dishwasher looked like someone had fallen on it, which wasn't true, and I don't think he believed me. But today he was nicer and managed to take the boxes full of parts that had been delivered to my house over the last week and magically put them together to make a working dishwasher. I'm trying not to be bitter that it took said Sears man three weeks to fix my little problem...at least I can sleep better at night knowing the dishes are safely tucked into their bed for the night too!

Paige and I made a quick trip to Yakima earlier this week to visit family. Paige is such a lucky girl to have three grandmas (on Chris' side) all in the same place! Even though it was a quick trip, it was great to see everyone, and Paige loved relishing in the attention and love. (Pictured: Great-Grandma Apken, Grandma Apken, Great-Grandma Hendricks) Another reason we headed over to Yakima was to catch Aunt Roxcy and little Josie before they headed back to California. This is Uncle Lane's family and they had flown in to visit for Thanksgiving. Chris and his Uncle Lane are a little over a year apart and basically grew up together. We miss seeing them and it was great to see Josie. She's pretty adorable...and growing up so fast! Josie, Aunt Roxcy, Charise, Paige

We spent a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving in Vancouver with my brother, Bryce, and his family. His wife, Becca, and I made the entire feast on our own and felt very accomplished in our efforts. We had never attempted such a feat and it required a million phone calls to all our mom's. We even made my mom's famous rolls, cranberry sauce from scratch (Becca), and real pies from scratch!! What I loved most about this Thanksgiving was how low-key and relaxed it was. We hardly ever left the house, nor did we feel the need to. Becca and I shopped early on Black Friday (with Camille during her brief visit) and the boys were back and forth from Home Depot to work on some projects in Bryce's new house a number of times. Paige loves her cousins Ty and Caden and enjoyed all their fun toys. THANKS GUYS! Becca and Chris trying to get the bird out of the pan...surprisingly difficult, but funny! I am pumped about this littly guy! He was yummy!! Baby Caden, Ty Ty, and Paige in the big tub. They...

Monday...dishwasher broken...my favorite appliance we upgraded just six months ago...Sears cannot fix until after Thanksgiving. This is my new nightmare . In my entire married life, I've only left dirty dishes in the sink overnight a handful of times and now it's a daily routine. Handwashing dishes is insane!! It's my own fault too. And it's seriously busted, folks. My handy husband took it apart and broke the news: it needs an entirely new door. Please Sears...I need you! (At least the bottom rack of the dishwasher is serving nicely as a drying rack)

It's been a long week, folks, but I've survived (barely). On Tuesday, Paige threw her standard tantrum when getting her diaper changed, and I decided I was ready to give up fighting her. We went straight to Target and bought big-girl ELMO panties, a new potty, a toy for going #2, and headed home to get started. So for the next three days we didn't leave the house (except for a brief hour on Wed for some help at mutual) and every 30 minutes treked to the potty. I have to say...Paige is doing really well. She wanted the Bert & Ernie toy so badly she did go #2 that same day, although she hasn't gone since, but we've only had a few accidents otherwise. On Friday, I had to drag myself out of the house, so we went to run some other errands and she even went potty at her first public restroom. Chris and I went out last night (which I soooo needed) and the baby-sitter said Paige asked to go potty a couple times! This was probably not the best week to start this, see...

As many of you know, Chris started a new job in September with Allyis. His company was recently awarded as one of the top family-friendly companies in the Puget Sound. Because of this award, Allyis was highlighted on our local news’ Evening Magazine show last night. The footage was taped during the company’s family Halloween party last week and Paige makes her big debut in her Dorothy costume. If you’re interested in watching, click on the link below…it’s a 2 ½ minute segment and Paige is about halfway through the bit. HAPPY WATCHING!!! http://www.king5.com/video/eveningmagazine-index.html?nvid=190809&shu=1

For those who requested the inside to the Jello fiasco, here it is: It was the night before Paige's birthday and I had been in the kitchen making Sunday dinner and all the prep for the party, including the Elmo cake. I was ready to go to bed, but decided to hurriedly make the Jell-O jigglers (JOJ) for the party to get one more thing done before Monday. I had never made JOJs before...and I used a recipe calling for real gelatin...I wanted to be sure they would hold together well. So, everything's all mixed up and I pour the hot, RED mixture into a 9 x 13 pan and then realize the JOJs would be like 2" thick, and that is not what I had envisioned. So, I quickly transfer the liquid into a sheet cake pan (while dripping a bit on the counter and floor...but it was only a little and it was fine). Then I realize I need to get the pan into the fridge, which is about 5 full steps away. I give myself a small pep talk and then go for it. I get started towards the fridge and Chris (o...

Here are some pics of the last week or so...Just so you can keep up (and I can go back and remember the craziness of it all!) I know I had pics of Paige on her birthday in her costume, but here she is on Halloween looking so adorable. I really hope for the rest of her life she takes to heart the saying, "There's no place like home." I guess that is what every mother wants. One of Paige's favorite parts of going trick-or-treating this year was the fact she can now reach the doorbell on her own. This is her practicing on ours. Twice this year I made Halloween sugar cookies. It's one of my favorite things to do at Halloween, Christmas, and Easter. When I made them for the second time this October, I let Paige help and it made her so happy! It kept her occupied for literally one whole hour. I gave her a small portion of the dough and she rolled it out, cut out the shapes, licked it, ate it and repeated those steps over and over for a good sixty minutes (don't wor...

We had a small birthday party on Monday to celebrate Paige's two year milestone! My sister's family (Rochelle), Gma and Gpa Apken, and the Hadleys all came to help us. We ate Elmo's favorite: cheese pizza, along with Jell-o jigglers, bananas, and goldfish crackers...don't worry, the adults were served a more mature menu :). We played fun games and danced to songs. I think the kiddos enjoyed it (except for Carson...he was pretty sick). I was exhausted at the end, but I guess that's a good sign. Paige really had a great time and it was rewarding to see her play and laugh and enjoy the party just for her. She received some wonderful presents...including an Ellie dog and Ernie and Elmo dolls, which have each become permanent fixtures for bedtime. Here are some pics...we let the kids wear Halloween costumes so as to eek out every last penny they are worth! We missed our other family members far away who couldn't be with us. Maybe next year... Madelyn, Paige, Carson, ...

This is the week of parties. It started yesterday with a ward party and continued today with Addison's birthday party (my niece). And with the sun shining today, we accomplished one of our Halloween traditions: picking the pumpkins . This year we only bought one giant pumpkin...Paige's great-aunt Connie gave her a small one we will also carve. The sun was out and made it so enjoyable. So, needless to say, with Paige's second birthday and Halloween all in the next few days, I will have a bit of blogging to do, so check back soon!

I've never actually cheered against BYU, but on Saturday, the 13th, that's exactly what I did. It was the highlight of my trip and worth the cost of my plane ticket alone. The Utes upset BYU at home amid 3,000 screaming blue fans. It was the best game I've seen the Utes play this year. It was amazing how crazy excited we were when the clock finally hit 0.00 and the Cougs had officially been shut out. My amazingly talented and buff younger sister played superbly and even had a save in the last two minutes. The Utes came to play and they looked like a different team from the last three games I had seen. So, to the BYU soccer fans...it was a good game, but it was exhilirating to see the Utes get the win...which I know they hate!! This is me being a sore winner!!! :)

While we've been gone the last ten days, Paige has been able to spend quality time with two of her aunties. It's not very often she has them all to herself without other nieces and nephews around. Auntie Camille aka "Mealy" went to Pine Valley with us and was so great in watching Paige while my mom and I sewed away. And seeing as Camille is an El Ed teacher, she was really good at entertaining her. Paige also got to see much of Aunt Erin aka "Ernin" and was one of the best fans in the crowd at the BYU vs. Utah game cheering her on. Now we've been home for three days and I can tell Paige was certainly spoiled while we were away...she doesn't understand why I won't give her what she asks for. Darn! So, thanks to ALL of Paige's aunties for spoiling her as you do. What a lucky girl.

I decided to take advantage of my "Betsy Ross"-talented mother while I was in SLC and request sewing lessons. So while chilling in Pine Valley, together we sewed Paige's Halloween costume and it turned out great! It was my first time sewing from a pattern and it was a bit more difficult than I had originally expected. The thing is lined for goodness sakes...this is no "off-the-rack" dress!! Anyway, I was super proud and excited to be continuing on my path to domesticity. So, in just a few short weeks, Paige will be trick-or-treating as the adorable Dorothy clad with ruby red slippers.

My little Paige is certainly learning things quicker than I can defend them. Yesterday on a simple outing to the garage freezer for a new loaf of bread, Paige discovered how to lock doors. Yes, she locked me out of the house. It took me a minute to figure this one out...but after going out the garage and around to the back, I was able to coach her in unlocking the sliding glass door. She seemed almost too proficient in removing the safety dowel and then unlocking the latch. I was stressed because I had water on the stove, but she was a quick study...too quick. Needless to say, our first outing that morning was to Fred Meyer to have some extra keys made. And you can bet I won't be leaving the house without a key in hand. I guess this is part of the toddler learning curve, which apparently parents who have had toddlers are all too aware of this type of situation. People...you need to share your wisdom!! I guess I can join the ranks of "wisdom" and try to foresee the next ch...

Those of you who know my family understand how devoted they are to BYU....we always wear blue. I went to many games as a young girl and vividly remember the infamous BYU-Miami game of '90 and how jealous I was my brother got to go and I didn't...hello, I was nine years old! My brother has since named his son Ty...a la Ty Detmer. Detmer is a legend in our house. There was also a time my dad forced his 3 oldest children to hike up to the actual Y on the mountain...scaling the hill the entire way, not realizing there was a trail until we got to the top. He had us all tied together with a simple rope...I remember crying most of the way, I think I was only four or five years old. Later, after my family had been relocated from SLC to Washington, my dad made arrangements for us to go down to our church Stake Center and watch all BYU games via satellite (this was before DISH network, people). He carted all five of us down every weekend in the fall to cheer for the Y for years and years...

Chris has officially accepted a job with Allyis. They are a technology subcontractor and Chris will work as the Finance Accounting Manager. He will start September 17th and we are thrilled for this new opportunity. Many of you know Chris has been through the interviewing gamut for the last 6-7 months and we were in the midst of a hiatus...but the recruiters came calling with this one and it could not be ignored. Chris is ecstatic to work at a small company and "effect change" (this has been his main requirement on every job that has come through) and I'm pumped to have him home for dinner!! I'm sure it will take a little getting used to, but a regular forty-hour week sealed the deal for me! Deloitte was not exactly what we thought it would be, but it definitely springboarded him into an area of his career that he is excited about. Adios Deloitte and 80-hour weeks... I get my husband back!!

They change at the flip of a coin or spur of the moment. Maybe that's just part of being a girl. Or maybe it's my adorable baby's innate sense of who she was born to be. I just hit my one month mark of being at home full-time with Paige and it's been a crazy month. I never thought I would be more busy at home, but I'm going harder during the day and getting less sleep. Overall, I'm enjoying the daily moments I never got before: cozy with books in the "reading corner" for as long as Paige wants, her helping me cook breakfast in the morning and asking for cheese at every turn, begging all day long for "daddy" and me figuring out how to make her want "mommy", her and I getting dressed together and her trying on all my jewels and begging for makeup. The closeness of the last 30 days is so fleeting, and in a few years she'll be thinking I'm a complete idiot. I guess I will just enjoy the moments while they last.

NOTE: NO SPOILERS ON THIS POST I finished Eclipse today (the third book in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer). I adore this series. It's certainly in the running with Harry Potter. These books make me want to pretend I have no day-to-day obligations. Instead of parenting my crazy toddler or picking up the dry cleaning, all I want to do is curl up in my bed with kettle corn and immerse myself in Bella's world. Jacob...Edward...Jacob...Edward...Jacob...Edward Awww.....I love them so much! Many thanks to Stephenie Meyers (BYU grad, yeah!) for creating this wonderful world. I seriously want to plan a trip to Forks and La Push. It's only about three hours over on the peninsula, with a ferry ride or two to get there. Isn't it funny I really think I may run into a friendly pack of vampires, or a protective pack of wolves? They do exist, right?! Now, I love my husband dearly, but I keep thinking if Chris be comes one of the Cullens he would overcome all human weak...

Is it mid-August already! I can't believe people are talking about back-to-school. Hello...it's 71 degrees today...that's not how August should be! After my last day at Boeing, I spontaneously flew to SLC to help my in-laws move (one day notice; that is so unlike me). Since then I have been running like a chicken with my head cut off until about 4pm yesterday. I've finally worked on my blog a bit, but I guess change is inevitable, and it will be pretty dynamic until I get to the point where I love it. Here is a recap of the past few weeks: crazy, but fun. On my last minute trip to SLC to help my in-laws pack and move back to WA, I did squeeze in some time to spend with Amber (old roommate from BYU). We had a great visit...love her! While in SLC, Paige was able to spend time with her only Apken cousin, Grant Jarvis. I hope he will forgive me for blogging this pic and exposing his "goodies". He's only five months...he doesn't care, right!? After return...

JORDAN & DARBY 07.21.07 I spent last weekend amid a flurry of activity for Jordan and Darby's wedding. It was a truly wonderful and joyous occasion and I envy them as they make their way to Hawaii tomorrow...oh, so nice! This is my favorite pic of Jordan - Her dress fit her personality (and amazing curves) so well. It was absolutely gorgeous! She was this happy all day! I think she was ready to be Darby's wife. We only let Paige come to the reception for about an hour and it was almost too long! Everyone wanted a chance to see her and she put on a good show as usual. After she left, Chris and I were really able to enjoy the party! Willie Thomson and his FAVORITE hurdle girls...he said it himself! What a guy. It was so nice to visit and catch up. We love Willie!! He is the originator of "ty-ty". Example: "What's wrong Charise? Why can't you three-step these hurdles, are you ty ty?" The bridesmaids (minus the brides-man, Pat Mongrain): Char...