TRASK FAMILY

Halloween & October Fun

2011-11-09T16:21:00.000-08:00

Started off the fun visiting a pumpkin patch with the cousins. Sun didn't provide the best group photo op for the day.

Sweet little pumpkin!

Sitting on the bouncer with my "twin" cousin while the boys bounced around us.

Going on one of the rides with my buddy while mom pretends they are safer than they look.

Visited the Cal Poly pumpkin patch with Grandpa Bob. This was the most common view of the day, from behind. They loved all the pumpkins & it felt like they pretty much covered the whole area, which was not small.

Heading down the hill, Troy leading the way, the norm for the day. Luckily grandpa there to help sis keep up!

My sweet kids!

"Cheese"

The hunt for the "perfect" pumpkin or at least one up to Troy's standards was not an easy one. His major qualification, a long stem to hold it, but he was not easily one over . . . trust me we tried.

Following her big bro. Love this pic & hope she keeps wanting to follow his lead.

Attempting to get a good picture together just wasn't in the cards this year.

Ready to pose & ready to go!

Finally catching a decent picture on the move, unlike her brother who "knows the drill" she isn't a poser for me.

At one of the 2 parties we went to that weekend, fun times!

LOL

2011-10-10T16:11:00.000-07:00

After realizing it had been almost a year since I had last gotten a hair cut, I decided it was time for a change. In almost the same moment I was thinking about cutting my hair I decided to look into donating what I cut to Locks of Love. While I wasn't necessarily going for a big change, after reading up on L.O.L. I was set & 10 inches would be the cut. More info here http://www.locksoflove.org/

Luckily I have a great husband who took a little convincing, but supported me & thinks my "new do" looks good too!

So while posting pics of myself is not my fav, I figured this was noteworthy & likely a once in a lifetime event. Soooo BEFORE . . . .

Yes that is 2 ponytails I'm holding!

And AFTER!!

It's been a fun change, wish I'd done it during the summer when my hair was basically in clips on the top of my head all day, everyday. But enjoying something different for now!

Also thought while I'm on a new "kick" I'd post a few of the fun desserts or food I find as I "blog stalk" food sites for new recipes (mainly dessert . . . what can I say some things never change) & try them out. Now I don't have a fancy camera & am not planning to do a fun/cute photo session to show you the food, you can follow the blog link for where I found it for that. But since occasionally I like to try new recipes I figured I'd share the yumminess as I go along!

DREAMY OREO BROWNIES

While the pictures don't do this justice, let me just say the name fits . . . they are GOOD stuff! Brownie-oreo-chocolate . . . are you sold yet?? Delicious!

http://cookiesandcups.com/dreamy-oreo-brownies/

Plugging along

2011-09-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

I'll be honest, I've tried to write a new post quite a few times & struggled to get through it. A few days after my last post about sweet Ruby Jane she returned home to her Heavenly Father. She was brave & strong & held on as long as she could, but her time had come & her parents knew it was time for her to go home. I'm still fighting back tears as I write this . . . which is why I've put it off for so long. Let me just say what I've learned through seeing this family go through this experience. I was taking my kids & the time I get to spend with them for granted. Life is precious & you never know what's around the next turn. Time goes by so quickly & I'm trying to think more about how I spend it & what kind of memories I want to have of this period of life. Will it be a flurry of tending to little kids wants & needs or will I remember frequent moments I stopped doing what I thought "needed" to be done & just slowed down with my kids? I'm still working on this, but it is on my mind constantly & I try to do better each day. I'm also so grateful to know that I can be with my family forever after this life, but I need to do my part & live worthy of that blessing. How different a feeling the death of a loved one becomes when we know that instead of being goodbye forever, it's simply a separation of time & we can be with them again. This doesn't take away the hurt, grief, & sadness we feel as we long for & miss our loved ones, but what a comfort to know that we will be reunited again after this life! I have been forever changed by this experience & little Ruby's influence is felt on in many hearts, but definitely in my family's. I was able to attend the celebration service they held for Ruby & was amazed by the experience. While we went intending to offer support & love, it was us who received the comfort, strength & support. I have never been more impressed by a family in their time of loss, it was something I will never forget. I hope you will continue to pray with me for this family, that their hearts will be comforted & they will feel of our love & support.

Now I'll share a few fun things going on around our house lately. Troy started a Tiny Tots preschool program & has LOVED it! I knew he would, I was the one hesitating letting go of my first born, but he's doing great. He was a little hesitant the very first day (which I was totally fine with), but has made friends, likes his teachers & looks forward to it. And since it's only 6 hours a week I'm doing ok too, haha!

Miss Lexie turned a year and a 1/2 and got to start going to nursery at church. Again I was a little nervous to let her take a "big girl"step, not knowing how she'd do, but our little independent love was totally fine. We walked her in, she went straight to the toys & never looked back! As a matter of fact her second week there she didn't even want to leave when it was over. She is too funny! Ever since she started walking months ago her personality has emerged & there's been no turning back. She lets you know what she wants (often involving food), & loves being with her big brother all the time. She runs with this bounce in her step that's hilarious, which makes her look like she's going much faster than she is & has been repeating tons of words lately, it's only a matter of time, yikes! She's definitely in the exploring stage, where she finds things around the house that aren't exactly my favorite "play things" & she likes to show she's in charge & makes you work to have her come when you call her. But she's still our sweet cuddle bug & after she wakes up will completely relax & cuddle with you for quite some time, so we love that!

Lastly we're excited to welcome baby #3 to our family this coming April 4th. I'm grateful for the blessing of another child & hopeful that now at 12 weeks I can start feeling better & be back to more like myself soon, (like today maybe :>)! I'm also grateful for patient kids who play really well together, while mommy hasn't been at her best, & a supportive husband & family who has stepped it up & helped me tons during the "fun" 1st trimester.

Prayers for Ruby

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

I've been very touched by the story of a little baby girl named Ruby & the journey of her & her family. She is a good friend of mines niece and is in desperate need of a liver transplant. Their faith and hope through the great pain and suffering of their child is truly inspirational. Theirs is a journey no family should have to go through and yet they've stood tall & let us peek into their world, see the ups and downs and be reminded yet again that the Savior is there with us each scary step ahead.

I hope you'll pray with me, for sweet Ruby Jane & the miracle she needs. Now is the time for her!

Her amazing moms blog is

http://aniandmatttaylor.blogspot.com/

where she's been telling us their story.

They've also asked each of us to learn about organ donation and sign up today, no more myths just facts.

http://donatelife.net/

Finally I end with her post dated August 1st titled "PERSPECTIVE". All mothers, or really just about everyone, should read this.

The old me thought I was tired and stressed out. The old me was unsatisfied with my clothes, my weight, and my ugly carpet. The old me dreaded hearing the babies cry over the monitor, too early in the morning. The old me was bored watching cartoons, and folding laundry. The old me hated making breakfast, and pour endless sippy's full of milk every day. The old me dreaded running errands with two kids to get in and out of car seats and into shopping carts. The old me did not think it was a big deal to spend a Saturday at the beach, or paddle boating around the lake. The old me was tired and grump from walking up the hill to our house from the lake. The old couldn't wait until nap time, when I could have some time to myself. The old me hated doing dishes, and checking the mail. The old me rushed bedtime and skipped pages in bedtime stories. The old me sang lullaby's quickly, and was relucted to sing, "just one more."
What was the old me thinking?!
My heart is literally aching right now to have my old life back, but with my new perspective. What I would give to have my whole family home on a rainy Sunday morning, making breakfast, and delivering chocolate milk on a fancy platter to my little Kate. I want to forget about the dirty dishes, and get down on the floor with my girls and play, play, and play. I would be thankful for that cheap carpet, because it beats none at all. I dream of the day that I get to wake up in my bed, and hear BOTH girls waking me up early in the morning. I will make them whatever they want for breakfast, and turn the music up loud and dance while I make their pancakes (because I know that is what Kate will want.) I will get them dressed and spend time gently combing and doing their hair, and breathing them in. I won't rush them. What is the rush about anyway? I'll load them in their carseats, and give them kisses while I buckled them in. I'll be happy listening to Disney songs as we drive to Target, or McDonald's, or the park. I'll chase them, and tickle them, and push them on the swings. We will spend our evenings playing outside, and cooking dinner together in the kitchen. Bath time will be long and drawn out, just like it should be. Bedtime will have lots of cuddling, and a few bedtime stories read slowly while doing the appropriate voices for Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Baby Bear, and Goldilocks. Matt and I will fall into bed exhausted together, and thank Heavenly Father for this new perspective on life and what is truly important and ask that we might be able to always remember.
http://aniandmatttaylor.blogspot.com/2011/08/perpective.html

Overdue is an understatement!

2011-06-12T10:11:00.001-07:00

So I'm sure you've been there, you keep meaning to post about life & updates, then time passes. You now how more to blog about, plus what you haven't yet, then more time passes. As the pattern continues the list of "make-up" posts get longer & more outdated, you feel overwhelmed & a little guilty that you haven't done it . . . then more time passes.

So here we are, yes we are alive, yes we are having a good time of life, yes kids are growing too fast before our eyes & yes I am trying once again to get on this blog/journal bandwagon & be more regular about updating, because it is pretty fun to look back on & remember not only the pictures, but what we were thinking at the time.

So in an attempt at a "mini" re-cap here's the past few months, bear with me!

Valentines day picture

How they really felt about the photo-op

Me & my baby girl on her 1st birthday! We celebrated the

weekend before since we were out of town on the actual day.

My attempt at being "cutesy" for her party. Made the cupcake toppers

out of candy melts, saw the idea on one of the many blog sites I love

to stalk for ideas, haha.

Little Lexie's flower birthday cake.

Her first bites, really probably the first main experience with sugar.

It's been downhill since :)

"Why all the pictures mom?"

Not sure why we love to do this on 1st birthdays, but a fun tradition none the less.

New little nephew born, Tanner John, what a sweetie!

Had a girls weekend in good 'ol Socal with BYU Freshman gals.

We won't talk about how long ago that was (haha). Here we are

with tons of items from the "Friends" TV show set at the Warner

Bros studio. We got hooked up with quite the back stage tour,

we felt like celebrities. Then enjoyed spending time together

reminiscing & catching up the rest of the weekend, with no schedule!

Now I realize I'm posting about events in February & March,

like I said bear with me, more to follow!

3 years & 10 months

2011-01-10T14:16:00.000-08:00

Well we've had a busy holiday season as have most of you I imagine, so in an attempt to get documented the latest happenings I'll start with the most notable. The kids growing of course! What can I say but I love these kids & they obviously are pretty fond of each other.

I love her look up at big brother Troy!

Smiles facing forward, sis is still working on her balance, but growing so fast!

Our handsome son turned 3 right before Christmas. I'll admit that in an attempt to make his birthday special, some of the Christmas festivities on the "list" just didn't happen this year. But he'd been excited about his birthday for a good while & it didn't disappoint.

Some of the silly smiles he's come up with lately when we say "cheese".

His new bike, now that he's a big boy!

A funny moment caught on film. Daddy trying to show Troy "how to" ride his bike & Troy not exactly into sharing quite yet on his bikes first voyage out when the rain had ceased for a bit.

Troy is at such a fun age. He's a great helper, though he's starting to get a bit too smart for some of my mommy tactics to allow choices, but still get the result intended. He loves to sing & learn new primary songs, if you see us in the car that's likely what we're doing. He has done great starting primary & even got potty trained with very little "drama" before his birthday.

So proud of our big boy!

Little sis is still smiley as ever. She's much more interactive & gets to where she's going though not because she's crawling, little stinker. She's definitely on her own time schedule, haha! She does great scooting around & gets there, just not as quickly.

Here she is "standing" ok leaning. She babbles lots & is excited about eating, especially munching with her gums- since teeth haven't appeared quite yet either.

Smiles with daddy, priceless!

(Love the nose scrunching!)

Our little angel Christmas morning.

Lexie is our laid back gal! Her personality is fitting with her milestone firsts coming a bit later than Troy, she's just cool with hanging. Plus she's got plenty of entertainment from her brother running around. She just recently is starting to sit up on her own from laying down, she's just on her back smiling up when I come to get her from bed. We still have the crib at the highest notch, since we don't have to worry about her doing much more than rolling around still. She's again just chill when you're holding her, so don't expect her to help much, she settles in & lets you do all the work, (you'd think my muscles would be much bigger)! She has stayed around the 95% for weight & 40% for height on her last 3 appointments- 4, 6 & 9 months. We've loved having our happy girl a part of our family & can't wait to see her continue to grow!

Quick photo shoot

2010-11-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

Random fun photo shoot on a Friday morning! It's amazing the times they choose to be cooperative & others not so much. Gotta love the November attire, so hot we're still busting out the summer clothes!!

Love these kids.

My big eight month blue eyed girl!

Halloween 2010- "SUPER" family

2010-11-01T11:17:00.001-07:00

Yes we had a superman theme . . . Mark was thrilled . . . he found out the morning of the party :) I figured I'd better take advantage & coordinate while Troy still didn't have a strong opinion about what costume he wanted, it was simple yet fun!

Friday evening we headed to the ward party at the church.

The SUPERMEN, so handsome!!

The SUPERGALS!

Troy with his cousin Dylan

Lexie with her cousin Reese

Don't they just look thrilled on their first Halloween!!

It was hard to contain their excitement at the party, haha!

Troy on the other hand had a blast!

Here he is on the cake walk (don't ask me where the tongue came from, that's a first).

He played tons of games, ran around with his cousin & friends, & got loads of candy.

What more could he ask for?!!

The next night we headed out to the Ulrich cousins ward party.

2nd night in a row making it double the fun & double the number of cousins!

Troy with Buzz & Woody (aka Carter & Logan)

The whole gang, do you see a theme?

Jessie with her strawberry sis, Superkids, Buzz times 2, Rex & Woody!

Lexie's other cousin close in age, Khloe

(4 months youger & yes practically an identical twin of her mom)

Lexie at 7 months (oops 7 1/2 almost 8)

2010-10-05T15:51:00.001-07:00

Happy girl in her favorite sitting position!

Swimming in the September heat wave.

Enjoying a plum with grandpa.

Not as exciting rice cereal, but digging it a lot more these days.

If that's not comfortable sleeping I don't know what is!!

So my darling 2nd child is finally getting a post of her own. Sadly meant too at 6 months, started it at 7 & here we are almost to 8 months, gotta love life! She is still as sweet as ever! She is very content & chill, sits up great, but hasn't been too concerned to get anywhere other than what's within her "reach zone". She has a happy, huge smile that you're sure to see if you're around her for a few minutes, especially after a meal. She takes regular naps, though lately not very long ones, 1-2 hours or so. Ok I was probably spoiled by her brother & his mega naps, but still a mom can dream :) She gets to sleep well, wakes up once or twice a night, with an occasional through the night rest, but her contentment is the same either way. We like to say she is the perfect 2nd child, getting ample attention, but not expecting to be held all the time- thank you Lexie! She's held onto her blue eyes so far, I'm still waiting to see what will happen there. She likes to blow bubbles to communicate with us, mixing it up with occasional babble sounds. Then we all chime in to get her to say "mama" or "dada" & yes even "Troy, Troy" or "Troy boy". She has definitely grown quicker than Troy did, at her 4 & 6 month appointments she was in the 40% for height & 97% for weight, haha. At 6 months she weighed more than Troy did at a year, so we are loving our chunky rolls & adjusting too growing out of clothes much faster!! We are so happy to have this lovely girl in our family, she is such a joy & can't wait to continue to see all of her firsts in life!

This Magic Moment

2010-09-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight the kids were in bed, but not quite asleep. Lexie started fussing a bit & Troy (who has been very good about being quiet during bed/nap time while sharing their room) started making some noise. We turned up the monitor to figure out what was going on to hear Troy singing, Old McDonald then I Love to See the Temple, to his sister . . . to help her calm down . . . which she does & they both fall asleep. It's nights like these you count your blessings, are grateful for the small things as a parent & can breathe a sigh that maybe you did something right today!

Summer wedding!

2010-08-16T18:24:00.001-07:00

My handsome brother David & his stunning wife Tessa!

Welcome to the family!

Our happy family at the LA Temple.

(gotta love Troy's "smiley" face right now)

Dad & daughter, our little sunflower!

The men in my life!

The gals!

Cute cousins waiting for the couple to come out.

At the reception.

Tasty fingers

Mom & son, my handsome guy!

The original Ulrich sistas, don't we look related? Hmmm . . .

Some of the decor at the reception.

More decos

Yummy treats!

Summer Smiles!

2010-08-16T18:17:00.001-07:00

Precious girl!

Always so happy!

So much fun, love our girl!

Bright eyes!

Brother always wants to take pics with his sis & she loves to be close to him too!

Our little darlings!

So sweet & caring, he's a great big brother!

Summer fun!

2010-08-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

Don't ask me why I don't just post more frequently so that when I do they are not mega-huge, but oh well here goes again! This is some of our summer fun this past month.

Hanging out with cousin Reese on grandpas lap.

Swimming- keeping cool. Lexie's first time in the water!

In a shaded pool toy with smiles!

Enjoying daddy's day off by visiting the Redlands temple.

Father & son

Mom & kids

Our happy girl, along for the ride.

The happy couple.

We got news that day while we were at the temple that a new cousin was joining our family, so fun- welcome Khloe!

Enjoying the waves with Kaylie.

The girls! Lexie's first trip, a little windblown, but having fun.

The cousins enjoying the sand.

What Lexie really did most of the time there :)

Enjoying the 4th with daddy!

The cute red, white & blue kids!

Wet & Wild

2010-07-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

Loving this girl!

Growing so fast

Swimming with cousin, wild hair & silly face. She literally had no reaction, the water was warm so she must've just figured it was an oversized bath!

Again just chilling!

Silly boy!

Slip & Slide

Water fun!

No fear, he loves the water!

Ontario Orange Grove Festival

2010-07-09T10:48:00.000-07:00

Pony ride, loved it!

Feeding the animals . . . not so much.

Riding rides with cousin Dylan, a blast!

Scary shaking up & down ride, eek.

Dad & son boy

Lexie Michele- 3 months

2010-06-18T15:20:00.000-07:00

What can I say about our wonderful girl, if you just look at her eyes you know we are so in love & taken by her. She is a great baby, I can't say that enough, she's awesome. She is happy & loves to smile (Troy made you work for them, stinker), she gives them away. She's still very content to hang out, eats well & is chunking up more than Troy did- loving the rolls, sleeps great- just gets up once at night around 5 or so then up for day at 8. She's not a loud girl & I still keep her in our room or I might not hear her at night, always need a monitor in the day. Her blue eyes & dark hair kinda throw me off, thinking only blondie babies should have the blue so long, I keep wondering when her eye color will change & what it will be, I know it's still early though. We're just enjoying every minute of our precious doll. She coos & makes lots of noises now, it's adorable, plus she wants to sit up at every opportunity. She will be in her boppy straining to sit, her car seat too! I tell her to relax, but she keeps trying to see the world despite my advice. We love our Lexie loo, sister bear, precious, honey love girl!

Soooo sweet!

Such a cutie in her red kitty dress!

With her "twin" cousin Reese.

Trying to show her "after bath wet hair curls" on top of her head, just like her momma had as a baby. If I don't comb it though she becomes a pouf head.

Love all the fun girly clothes!

Can't get enough of her.

Hanging with my big bro!

What we've been up to!

2010-06-18T15:08:00.001-07:00

At some point I'll be consistent about blogging again, but in the mean time here is the latest in our lives all at once!

We traveled to Utah for my sisters reception/open house up there in May. A lot of the family was able to come & we had a great time together. The kids were amazing travelers, it was our first trip with the four of us & luckily it wasn't a disaster. We headed up Friday & home Monday, since we had a little time Saturday before the wedding business we headed to Hogle Zoo with the Taylor, Tabatha & their 3 boys!

All the guys watching the momma & baby elephant.

Checking out the rhino, yes it is that close, very cool.

Who can miss the giraffes? Even though it was licking the wall . . . interesting!

Playing on the tigers.

All of us!

Utah reception

2010-06-18T15:05:00.001-07:00

Jessica & Ben!

The bride with our handsome son!

Cute kisses!

The yummy treats!

Cupcakes, always a fan favorite!

1st "Family" trip to Temple Square

2010-06-18T14:50:00.000-07:00

The Family!

The whole gang at temple square!

Funny story, everyone went to Music & the Spoken Word that morning except Mark, myself & all the kids in this picture. We met up with them after it was over since 8 & younger aren't allowed in. When we parked & started walking to meet up with everyone I was holding Lexie, my purse & the hand of my 3 year old nephew, while Mark had 2 baby bags, a stroller with our 1 year old nephew, with Troy & his 2 year old cousin "holding" on to either sides of the stroller. That totals 5 kids- 3 and under. As we were crossing the parking lot a lady in a minivan hollered out her window, "Do you guys need some help? I can be right there?" She then parked her car & hurried up to us, but we were practically there so we just thanked her & kept going. Apparently we didn't look as competent as we were trying to be with all the little ones enough to cause alarm from those around us, haha. Wonder how different that scene would've played out in California instead :)

Dad & son in front of Joseph & Oliver receiving the Aaronic priesthood! Mark was so bummed the lighting messed up in this picture, guess I'll have to get going on learning photoshop!

On top of the conference center with our clan!

That night with dad, love my family!

Disneyland

2010-06-18T14:45:00.001-07:00

After the carousel!

Taking advantage of passes before they expire & Lexie's 1st trip!

Small world!

Rockets with daddy while sister was eating!

Another carousel, riding a fish this time!

Posing with my bud Mickey!

Yes we don't wait in lines for pics with the characters & have our child posing by a wall picture instead . . . he was just as happy :)

Birthdays!

2010-06-18T14:05:00.000-07:00

Cousin Austin's 1st Birthday- helping him eat his cake!

As you can see I wasn't alone in "sharing"!

Bouncing in the jumper.

Getting bounced in the jumper.

Helping daddy blow out his candles!!

Enjoying Life!

2010-05-12T10:09:00.000-07:00

WARNING PICTURE OVERLOAD!!!

It's been a busy April/May so far, here's what we've been up to.

Looking cute

Sealing of Auntie Jessica & Uncle Ben at the LA temple.

The cute couple, with our gang.

Trask girls.

Cutting the cake, it was a great day!

Shooting hoops when I should be going to bed.

Hanging out with dad.

Growing so fast!

Smiles!

(though only a smirk for the camera)

More hoops!

Getting ready for the Laker game, or just pretty much in their gear.

The end result of a busy month!

Mark will not be thrilled I put this on here, but I'm the blogger so . . . :)

Yes he is asleep standing up.

Mom was just trying to see how well I'd hold up my head & that was just plain too exhausting!

Lexie's Blessing

2010-04-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

Here she is in a photo session with Aunt Hayres & her fancy camera.

Yes she looks like an angel & she truly is!

Big bright eyes!

So sweet.

Love her blue eyes & dark hair! I'm sure it won't stay that way, but fun for now.

The "girls" before church.

We had a record 5 baby blessings that day, here are the dads with their little ones.

The "twin" cousins with their dads in their pretty white dresses.

Most all of the gang who came for the girls blessings, a few escaped too quickly!

Ulrich family

Trask family

LEXIE- 1 month

2010-04-15T16:47:00.001-07:00

I know exactly how you feel, sweet girl :)

Brotherly love!

Meeting Auntie Jess for the first time!

Lexie has been a wonderful addition to our family. She is a very good, even tempered baby. She is the perfect 2nd child, not too needy, not fussy when she isn't being held & patient, since she doesn't get my undivided attention like Troy did. She only fusses when she is hungry, has a dirty diaper, or needs to be wrapped up tight so she can go to sleep. Even her little upset times are very minimal, maybe they just don't faze me as much since she's my 2nd, but she is truly a joy. She sleeps for good stretches in the night, we don't get to bed until 11 or 12, but then she only wakes once before 7 or later. I can't ask for better than that at 1 month!! I know this is a common statement after kids, but I can't remember what life was like without her. Her time here has been a whirlwind so far, between getting back to feeling like myself again & adjusting to 2 kids & less sleep, but it's amazing how your concept of love can grow so quickly & easily. We had a little nervous time when at her 2 week check-up the doctor heard a heart murmur & referred her to a pediatric cardiologist. After things working out to get her in to see the specialist within 2 weeks, through the amazing technology we were able to see that she indeed did have a hole in between 2 chambers of her heart, but that it wasn't a problem & shouldn't needed anything done other than to watch it. I know our family has been greatly blessed, you never like hearing anything is less than perfect with your children, but I'm very grateful that she will be fine. We love our little girl and the joy she's brought to our family!

Easter 2010

2010-04-15T16:30:00.001-07:00

Family picture on Easter

Troy beginning his easter egg hunt at home, the sole hunter for now!

Finding his hidden eggs, he got better at it as the day went on.

Continuing the Trask family tradition of rolling eggs. It was just the boys this year, the girls were behind the camera & eating. :)

Beginning the egg hunt on the Ulrich side, doesn't the grass look awesome!

A little guidance finding the eggs.

The Ulrich cousins, minus Lexie, didn't feel like sticking her in the grass just yet!

Here's the little sweetie, exactly 1 month to the day!

I love her eyes, can't get enough of our sweet girl.

Wouldn't be complete without an attempt at a family pic. Troy was a runner this year, we snapped 1 picture & off he went running around the yard, of course his cousins were sure to follow, it was hilarious.

More pictures

2010-03-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

Our sweet girl, growing so fast!

Truly our bundle of LOVE.

Sweet, snugly sleeper.

The big brother, loving his sis. He seems so big & mature now, it's crazy!

Supposed to be heading to bed, Troy decides he's going to work, like daddy does. I figured he'd walk back to his bedroom anyway, but he truly headed for the door & couldn't understand why I wouldn't let him outside!

Welcoming . . .

2010-03-08T20:17:00.000-08:00

LEXIE MICHELE

March 4th

7:49 p.m.

7 lbs 11 oz

19 1/4 in.

She's stolen our hearts already, we couldn't be happier!

Lots of dark hair.

All warm & snuggly.

Making her grand entrance to the world . . . her first car ride.

How she really felt about it.

Troy seeing her for the first time

(due to the no visitors under 16 hospital policy).

Wow baby sister.

Holding her for the first time.

Brothers kisses- the only boy kisses allowed until she's 21!

Cousins! Reese was born the same day, different hospital.

Lexie beat her into the world by about 45 minutes, this was their first visit!

Almost here . . .

2010-03-02T21:04:00.000-08:00

Well if little sis doesn't make her appearance tomorrow, Thursday is the day! We are very excited to meet her & can't wait to become a family of four. I had my "nesting" day yesterday (I know it should probably be longer but oh well) & I feel more prepared now. Pictures will be coming soon, thanks for all the love & support. It will be an exciting week!!

Still alive & kicking in 2010!

2010-02-04T21:16:00.000-08:00

Well we're still here . . . celebrated Troy's 2nd birthday, Christmas, New Years & are starting in on the February b-day madness in our family (8 between both sides to be exact)! We've had great holidays, such fun times with family & friends, Troy is a lot more into it now which just adds to the joy of the season. January flew by, don't ask me how, but little sis is well & kicking at 35 weeks. It's definitely getting down to it, I'm much more ready this time around to be done with the pregnancy. I do love it, it's an amazing feeling to have a little person growing inside of you, nothing compares, but she sure has made her existence known a lot more than Troy did. Plus my 30 year old body ain't what it used to be (ha ha). We feel very blessed to be starting this new year with so much in our lives & can't wait for our darling daughter to join us. We still don't have a name (no we're not keeping it secret as has been hinted at), but we're actually discussing names, so we're getting more of a short list together. Certain things I like to be very prepared & organized about, other things I don't mind so much taking the time to figure it out, even if it seems last minute. So as we plug along with life here are a few highlights from the past little bit, better late than never right.

Family photo, the Sunday before Christmas.

Christmas morning, having fun opening gifts & getting lots of attention.

His new keyboard with a microphone, he loves it!

Most of the Ulrich cousins before the gift opening extravaganza began.

Getting the hang of opening presents, yes he (really all of us) is spoiled!

For documenting purposes only, 32 weeks, not my fav picture, but oh well.

Troy practicing to hold his baby sister soon, his teddy bear wrapped in his favorite blanket.

Hugging "Jessie" a D-land, this was the first time he really noticed the characters & the lines were short to see them. He didn't want to take a picture, he actually asked to give them a hug, it was pretty fun I must admit!

We can't forget "Goofy"!

First time on the rockets with dad & practically a first that he actually smiled at the camera when asked to!!

Troy's party

2009-12-15T21:41:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Troy's 2nd birthday with family this past Saturday. His actually birthday is the 22nd, but to avoid all the holiday rush of Christmas week, we partied a little early.

Not the best picture being an action shot, but man did he love the balloons!! They practically trumped almost any gift he got, they were a hit!

Opening gifts, notice the soccer ball, it didn't leave his side the whole time we did presents.

Playing with his new b-ball hoop with his cousins.

Sitting on his new dump truck, if you see the clothes stash behind him you'll know his parents were very happy this year, plus a smile when asked for it is hard to come by.

A cupcake, juice & a ball! What better way is there to end a party, he was in heaven!!

Things that make you go hmmm . . .

2009-12-04T22:16:00.001-08:00

So when you're not quite 2 year old randomly says to you "mommy, potty, go peepee" & say this mom reluctantly takes him to the toilet where he indeed does proceed to do as he said. Then as she shockingly checks his diaper to see if he had already gone, thus reminding him he likes to "play" by the toilet & that's why he wanted to go & it turns out it was bone dry, does this mean said 2 year old is trying to tell mommy something?? Especially since mom was in no way trying to push potty training (hasn't even mentioned or attempted anything of the sort) & basically was planning on having little sister here for a bit before any "big boy" changes of the sort were attempted! Does this mean that mom yet again gets to be reminded that she's really not in charge of the household . . . hmmm.

Don't get me wrong, I don't expect him in undies tomorrow or anything, actually I don't even plan on buying them yet, he got praise & a happy meal, hopefully that will suffice. Yet I just wonder if this little mans mom doesn't push this, if he's going to try to do it on his own anyway!! Hmmm . . .

Think . . .

2009-11-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

PINK!
We just found out that baby #2 is a girl!
We're very excited for our new little sweetheart to join our family in March!

Halloween

2009-11-09T13:32:00.000-08:00

Pinocchio! Our little man LOVED being in his costume this year! He even kept the hat on for most of the night. We weren't sure if people would know who he was, but it was a fun weekend & not too cold for his "not so wintry weather" costume.

Off to the ward party! Halloween bag & stake directory in hand, what more do you need?

The family, pre-trick-or-treating.

All the Ulrich cousins on Halloween, pirates on your left & soccer players on your right. Always a hilarious attempt to get them all looking at the camera, smiling we don't even go there, we just try to see all the faces! Troy was a bit more interested in the toys he was stowing in his bag before it was filled with candy.

Bringing up the rear with the trick-or-treating gang.

The chaos at the doorstep, this one had a talking something that Troy wasn't digging!

Just our cute boy, I guess technically in Halloween colors right! He's growing so fast, almost 2!

Update

2009-10-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

19 Weeks!

I'm not very good about keeping up on/documenting my pregnancy so here's an attempt, we'll see how it goes. I'm actually exactly 19 weeks here, in my mind officially "showing" not just looking like I have some extra around the middle.

An actual smile, teeth included. He's a rare "smiler" when it's asked of him, but there are occasional documented glimpses.

Riding with daddy on "Small World". He loved singing & clapping along with this ride at D-land. His 1st official big boy trip, where he could interact & remember the rides names, etc.

The merry-go-round, a favorite of course, but he was all business. No smiles, no letting go before-during-or after the ride.

We got to visit cousins in Utah for little Claire's blessing, he loves babies! I'm pretty sure that's a good thing for his lil bro. or sis., but time will tell. :)

Giving hugs to Jake, he's loved saying his name constantly & talking to him on the phone since the trip!

More love for his cousins, he had a great time playing & interacting

with them on their own turf.

Being a silly boy in the closet & his attempt at smiling while saying "cheese".

So time has flown by lately! I started feeling like an actual person again around 15 weeks, breaking through the fog of the 1st trimester. But it still seems like a whirlwind since. Troy is our happy little talker. We've joked that he's definitely not our "show off" baby, in that he would never perform something new (smile, crawl, walk, talk, etc.) in the moment we'd ask him too, mainly for family. But he sure loves to repeat words now!! He sits at his chair when he's eating & points around the room to all the words he knows. We quiz him on cousins, aunts & uncles names & he'll repeat them back. Most things sound accurate or pretty close, but a few favorites that don't are "merker" aka microwave and "myker" aka uncle Michael. He's getting much better at letting us know what he wants via words, not just pointing & grunting, which has been a good thing . . . usually. For instance when he was in sacrament meeting at church a few weeks back while pointing to the door he kept saying oh so quietly, "outside please, outside". We were not thrilled!! We're having fun adventures in our family & are grateful for our blessings!

CONGRATULATIONS!!

2009-10-04T23:07:00.001-07:00

My little sister got engaged yesterday morning!

Congrats sis & Ben, you lucky guy! We can't wait for you to join our family or for May to come. We love you both! Enjoy your "happy engaged Provo" living! :)

Early birthday!

2009-08-02T10:42:00.000-07:00

So before I turn the big 3-0 tomorrow, we have some exciting news! Troy is finally joining the ranks of "big brother", YIPPEE! We're very excited for a new little bundle to join our family sometime around mid March, 15th or so. Yes that means I'm barely pregnant, but our lovely little addition has very kindly made itself known since before I could even think pregnant & loves to remind me ALL DAY LONG that he or she is in existence. Much different than with Troy, unfortunately!

I had big plans of announcing it with a cute shirt or something similarly fun, but due to how lovely I was feeling decided I didn't want to "pretend" to feel fine around family anymore & so Mark's idea of "ghetto- paper on the shirt announcement" won out & you have what you see before you. Gotta love the creativity right!

We're excited to be expanding our family & to share our news with all of you!!

Beach bum!

2009-07-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

Running to the water, this was Troy the whole time. On his 1st real beach outing where he could enjoy it like a big boy, our little water lover was a blast to be with. Though we didn't get there until the afternoon when it starts to cool down sooner than you'd expect & with pretty good winds coming at you, he stayed tough & shivering came back for more!

Getting the feel of the water with daddy. He'd soon be running after the waves when the water receded.

Trying to hold on to him, he preferred at times to not be holding mom or dads hand . . . scary!

Playing in the sand was a favorite as well!

Oh the joys of being covered with sand everywhere & not caring one bit.

Loves from daddy! My sweet boys!

He's off again, water here he comes.

This is what you call a successful outing, within 5 minutes of being in the car he was OUT! He's not a very good car sleeper anymore, drove 5+ hours to St. George a few months back leaving at 5 am & he didn't sleep a wink. But exhaust him at the beach & a beautiful result occurs, even at 6:30 at night. What a sweetheart!

Summer loving!

2009-07-10T15:22:00.001-07:00

My sweet little silly face enjoying his $2 hat, a little big you say . . . nah he loves it!

"Smile Troy" or stick out your huge tongue, whichever you prefer.

A recent attempt at all the Ulrich cousins, 6 & counting.

Waiting for Mr. Turtle's appearance! (Yes he does sleep in a dog house)

His first task every time he goes to grandma & grandpa Trasks house . . . feed the turtle. Sleeping, hiding, these minor set backs never deter Troy from his task at hand. Luckily grandpa loves their little routine & stops whatever he's doing to let little guy do his thing!

Petting his friend while he tries to eat & mom just glad she doesn't have to touch it!

Hmmm are you trying to tell me something son?

Troy's little cousin Austin came over to play for a day while his older brothers went to Sea World. Troy just couldn't get enough of him!

"Stay there Troy"

"Ok, just don't get any closer he's trying to sleep"

"Honey, leave the baby alone"

Needless to say the hardest part of the day was trying to have Troy give him some distance! Luckily his little cousin has an almost 3 & 16 month older brothers who give him lots of "love" too, so he's pretty used to it.

Vacuum advice!

2009-06-26T14:25:00.000-07:00

Hello friends & fellow bloggers! So our vacuum officially hit the dust, not without many resuscitation efforts on my part. I've actually kept better care of this appliance than most others in our home, because when it comes right down to it I'd rather vacuum than basically any other chore. I'm not sure if it's the instant gratification of going from unclean to clean or what, but regardless I try not to analyze the few chores I don't mind doing as much. So I come to you for advice. What vacuum has worked best for you? Given you the least amount of trouble? Isn't as heavy as moving a car? Also doesn't cost $500, not exactly in the budget, though I'm sure the Dyson vacs work the best since they cost the most right?? ;) So . . . any advice to offer me as I begin the search, even if it's just what to avoid it would be helpful. I'm all about word of mouth especially when it means less time for me to "figure it out" & hope I like it! Thanks & happy Friday!

Air Troy

2009-06-07T21:24:00.001-07:00

Slamming it home!

Ok maybe dad was helping a little.

The joy of success & cheers after the dunk!

The silly son playing with the rice cooker bowl, basically his favorite toy of late.

"Smile Troy" & this is what you get, I fear he may have the smile/eyes close syndrome of some on the Ulrich side . . . we'll have to work on it!

This picture was taken to forever remember the huge wide open mouth when he eats. His mouth opens this big for every bite & always has . . . now that I've been spoiled, every sibling Troy has will need to do the same, he will get to help them if they need it! :)

Troy's new cousin!

2009-06-02T15:17:00.001-07:00

Baby Austin arrived last Thursday at 9:15 am. We're so excited for this new addition to the Ulrich side. There are now 5 boys & only 1 girl, hopefully things will even out in the future. In the meantime Troy's definitely got boys to get dirty with!

Sweet new infant!

Troy was a little more interested in the graham cracker.

Then he came around to give his cousin some loves! We sure love this little one already! Now maybe Troy won't be considered the "baby" anymore, mind you he's hasn't been the youngest he has a cousin about 2 months younger, but for some reason he still claimed the title baby the longest . . . he's not that small anymore! :)

Happy birthday Mark!

2009-05-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say Happy birthday & I love you! Thanks for being an amazing dad, a wonderful husband & a valiant servant. I'm so grateful that we have an eternity to be together! Through life's ups & downs you are my rock, I couldn't ask for a better man, you were definitely worth the wait my love. Enjoy your day!!

St. George

2009-05-27T10:26:00.001-07:00

So Mark & I are not big travelers, that's just not the stage of life were in right now, so when we get a chance to jet away overnight we'll take it. A few weekends ago St. George was that place. Mark's cousin Mallory was getting married so it was up on Saturday & back on Sunday. Troy did amazingly well for the amount of travel time, though he didn't sleep the whole way up even though woke him up when we left at 5 am . . . that is until we were actually in St. George, then he dozed off, silly boy!

The reception was in Mallory's parents backyard, which was amazing by the way. Troy loved their toy area & this little house especially.

Troy & his cousin Jake being silly on the trampoline!

Gotta love the face shots, did I mention it was crazy hot, even though it was from 6-9 in the evening!!

Trampoline action with cousins Jake & Brooke, we miss seeing them frequently!!

Chilling by the trampoline, Hayres, Kevin & Mark with Troy enjoying the rocks.

The beautiful bride after she threw the bouquet, check out that view . . . amazing! Or as my husband frequently refers to Utah landscape, "beautiful country"!

Troy's 2nd cousin William, don't you love his wedding attire, so cute & Troy was not thrilled with sharing daddy!

More fun on the trampoline, he couldn't get enough his cheeks were so red.

Visiting the horses further back on their land & Mark standing exactly like his father does . . . or should I say the Trasks do!

Petting the horse, it was very gentle & sweet.

Checking out the bird cage, yes it's big & yes there are tons of them in it, he was fascinated!

We had a great quick trip! Troy got to basically play at a park & go to the zoo all in one backyard. The reception was awesome, decorated so well with all the wedding colors, the food was the best (hopefully I'll be trying some of the recipes soon!!), & it was great to see the family!

He's back!

2009-05-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

My "littlest" brother Chad returned home from serving his mission in New York this past Wednesday! He has always been a great brother, so smart & kind, he excels in everything he does & his mission was no different. We're grateful to have him home & know he'll always be an excellent example for our little Troy!

Troy meeting his Uncle Chad for the first time! He came home to two new nephews & another one coming within the next month!

Carter giving his Uncle some love, he was only 10 months old when he left.

Congrats mom!

2009-04-30T14:32:00.000-07:00

Wanted to recognize my mom & all she does! She's currently a Viking Star (aka employee of the month at her school) & gets her name blazed to the new school sign for all to see. Sadly she probably gets more consistent recognition at her job sometimes than from her many appreciative family members who get spoiled by her so often, myself definitely included. So thanks for being a great mom, a hard worker in all aspects of your life, a great example of service, a loving grandma, an amazing friend, a wonderful listener, & the ultimate role model of divine womanhood!! Know you're loved, even when you don't get signs on the front of the house reminding you all the time!!

16 months!

2009-04-23T15:21:00.001-07:00

My little big man is growing up right before my eyes! I can't believe how much fun I have being his mom & hanging out with this little love all day. Don't get me wrong, my schedule is not my own, but it just takes a split second to think about what I was spending my time doing before he came to be so thankful he's my son & I get the privilege of being his mom!

Capturing a smile on camera is rare, he is NOT a posing child. Luckily he was in a laughing mood, mainly due to what we were doing below.

Now try not to focus in on both of our double chins (trust me it looks more mellow in b&w) & realize we were trying to get a picture together & he actually thought it was funny . . . hence the smiles!

So a few things I love about Troy & his personality at this stage!

- The rice cooker is his new favorite toy, not because moms using it mind you, just because it has a bowl-steamer-lid-& cooker that he can carry & mom won't tell him "no" when he plays with it.

- That he always runs to me . . . when he gets hurt or mad or just because, due to this fact I spend a lot more time on the floor just in case he wants to head my way, I love his hugs. I also realize that I won't always get to have him run to me when he gets upset for very long & so I cherish these moments.

- He will grab a book, back up into your lap & plop down. This doesn't vary even if you're in the middle of something, if he's ready to read obviously you must be too! :)

- His little waddle run . . . he's faster than he looks with those little legs!

- That his first consistent word is "cracker" sounds more like "cocker". Yes he does say mama & dada & dad & other fun things, but not quite as regularly as cracker (babble sentences frequent his speech as well)!

- That you have to work for his smile. He's a happy boy, but will look at you with a blank stare just a commonly as with a grin. He'll listen to you talk & see your "funny" attempts, but the smile only comes when he's ready & "feeling it", hence you know it's genuine. Luckily for me I can get him to laugh & enjoy it more often!

His "murse" he found the other day (aka daddy's shoe-shine kit), Mark was just loving how he was carrying it around like mom does her purse.

Luckily he switched off & it soon became his scripture case!

A common look when you want him to smile for the camera, at least he's fresh & clean & ready for bed!

A fun visit to the Chino Youth Museum with the little buddies! Yes he is a policeman with a carrot it his hand, plastic "snacks" that kept finding their way into his mouth . . . lovely!

Oh how I love this little guy!!

Ulrich Easter

2009-04-17T11:39:00.001-07:00

After church we headed back to the Trasks to say hello to more family then headed out to the Ulrich festivities. Troy found his basket in the house within 3 minutes of getting there, it happened to be nearby toys & now he knew that there was apparently something special with eggs going on today, so he grabbed it before it was the actual "search" time. Then we headed outside for some more egg hunting!

Love this photo, he looks so sweet!

Trying to convince him to put the egg in the basket & keep looking, notice all the competition in the background.

Ulrich cousins! The best photo of them together, not without many more attempts mind you, there were many snapping cameras, but the little ones on the end gave us a total of 10 seconds maybe to get the shot. When I took the egg out of Troy's mouth that was the end of it! Gotta love all the boys, with another boy cousin joining them in June, we need more girls!!

No Sunday is complete without skyping with Auntie Jessica in Utah. When grandma Janet pulls out her laptop, Troy is glued to her until it's put away. If she attempts to let someone else talk to her & Troy's not on the screen anymore he gets very upset. He also makes sure he's right in the middle of the action, as you can see. If Troy could skype at church I truly believe he would sit content the whole sacrament meeting & beyond! Crazy technology generation!!

Trask Easter

2009-04-17T11:01:00.001-07:00

Sunday morning before church we headed over for our

1st hunt of the day & a delicious breakfast!

Troy finding his eggs, pretty much two was his limit.

Once both hands were full he was good to go.

The turtle was quite the celebrity that morning, both Troy & his

cousin found him very interesting/distracting from the hunting process!

Cousin hugs! The best photo we could get of the two of

them together, we missed our cousins in Utah!

Trask rolling of the eggs, the tradition continues! Roll the

hard boiled eggs at each other & the egg that cracks is the loser.

We had a surprise winner this year . . . in his rookie season of egg rolling 2 year old Dylan defeated all who opposed him! His egg only cracked when he squeezed it himself after the competition couldn't keep up with his skills!

Troy trying to pick a winner to no avail, with his cousin posing for a victory photo in the background.

Grandparents & grandkids!

The happy family about to head to church! (Yes we know the sun's in our faces, but between tickling Troy so he'd actually smile on cue, while funny faces are behind the camera to help, this was the best we could get. The main man looks cute & that's what counts right!)

More from before!

2009-04-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

"Mom, seriously I can't believe you're spiking my hair in the bath!

Dad would definately NOT approve!"

I caught you taking naked pictures of my bare bum . . .

& no you can't post those on the blog!!

Having fun with "little buddies" at Jumping Jacks

& contemplating heading down the slide.

It's much more fun to try going up!

Running the gauntlet!

SUCCESS, I made it!

Playing with the balls, never ending fun & never ending clean up if you ask mom. Which is why this pic was taken while mom & dad were at Youth conference & grandma Janet was watching me!

This cracks me up, he looks like he's chillin' but apparently he would slip on the balls every once in a while & he was just resting!

Reading with great grandma Lila, she helped watch me too!

Getting my hair combed, for some reason very relaxing!

2009-04-05T21:30:00.000-07:00

So I love looking at blogs, but have been pretty lazy lately about updating my own. We've been having fun & living life, even taking pictures to prove it, I just haven't gotten around to posting. So here goes! Enjoying the outdoors in good ol Cali, mainly at the parks!

My guys!
Why is it so much more fun to go up the slide then down it???

Even the leaves/twigs make for fun when you're one!

My silly swinging grip!

"Help there's sand on my hand mom."
My Auntie Julianne helping me down the slide.
Riding the pedicab with my cousin Jake!

Tears

2009-03-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

Little Troy has a unique gift to turn on the water works like no other. When he's upset, down they pour, never mind that he stops crying & is fine a split second later . . . the tears continue rolling down his sweet cheeks (occasionally wetting his shirt like above). This doesn't make mom & dad feel too bad, they know 99% of the time he's just fine, but boy does it work on others (namely grandparents)!! I mean come on look at that face, life is almost over as he knows it . . . until he gets another bite that is! We love our Troy, tears & all!

Our silly boy!

2009-02-13T10:12:00.000-08:00

Standing tall at bath time.

Reading with Grandma "G" & wondering what all the fuss is about?

Sitting in the chair while mom spins me around!

Looking like a cool boy with sagging pants, because he's got a little waist.

His silly smile!

Enjoying his toys on the car ride.

Hanging with dad at the b-ball game.

Enjoying my Auntie Julianne's b-ball game with Grandma Janet.

The Catch up: Part 2

2009-01-14T10:23:00.001-08:00

The little man checking under the hood of his motorized car/truck/jeep thing!
C'mon Troy take a picture in your pj's it's Christmas eve!
I'll take your picture under my terms, now where's the remote!
Our Merry Christmas!

Christmas morning!

Ulrich family Christmas . . . I know, I know! Mind you this IS picking names!
Family fun!
Surrounded by toys, he plays with the ribbon!
Visiting with friends Sarah & Desirae on New years day! They traveled from Colorado & San Diego!
Ulrich girls! We had a family dinner at our place & amazingly we all fit!

The catch up: Part 1

2009-01-14T09:47:00.000-08:00

So I've been a serious slacker with putting any of the recent events on our blog. I would think about it all the time, but the more time past, the more I should be putting on & it got to be too much. So in an attempt to stop worrying about it here I go with the catch up as best I can!Laker game with the fam! It was an awesome & exciting game, we loved it!

Troy's 1st birthday party- presents galore!

Where he really was most of the present opening time!

His awesome birthday cake made by his cake decorating Aunt extraordinaire Tabatha!

What is this stuff?

I think I kinda like it!

"Mom, you're sure I can eat this stuff? You've never fed me anything this tasty before?"

Getting the hang of it!

Taking a break, cake eating can be tiring!

This is the best birthday party ever!!!!!!!!!

The happy family!

Post sugar high!

Playing with one of his new toys!

Slammin' it home! He's a quick learner :)

Sweet boy!

2008-12-12T12:39:00.000-08:00

A few recent pics that I love! In all the holiday hustle & bustle it hasn't been much of a priority to post lately, so hopefully this will tide everyone over until the 1st b-day & holidays! Merry Christmas!!

11 months & counting!

2008-11-24T17:02:00.000-08:00

Before the haircutting begins, my cousin Dylan & me!During my 1st real hair cut. I was sitting in a chair like a big boy, but I got over it!

After the cut me & my cousin with our new short do's!

My favorite thing to organize in the house. Truly I go straight to my "fun zone" after every nap & make sure the DVD's are just how I like 'em. If my mom ever tries to put them away, I hurry over to "reorganize" them on the floor again for her . . . I'm such a big help! Thanks dad for introducing me to this super "fun zone" when mom wasn't home!!

Being a silly cowboy, I must take after my uncles on the Ulrich side!!

Now what do I do with this hat?!?

Here's a half smile for ya ma!

Well Troy is growing & growing, though it may not seem like it as he's still our little short stack. Actually he's just in the very average range which makes him seem smaller compared to other little ones his age or younger who pass him up. He is a walking boy now, all over, down the hall, turning, stopping to get his balance . . . yes it has begun! He has been taking steps for a few weeks now, but crawling was still faster for him. Now he's gotten the hang of walking & seems to prefer it most of the time. We love seeing him go, he just seems too little to be doing it already! He also got a tooth on top last month (not a middle tooth but the one next to it . . . random) & now has another one to join it, the middle one next to it luckily! I was worried he would get his next tooth on the other side next to where the middle one would be & look like a vampire! :) We can't believe he is almost a big one year old. He sleeps like a dream & still takes his 2 naps a day. He is also still a hearty eater who gets praised regularly by other moms for his wide open mouth when you feed him. He leaves plenty of room for the spoon & a mound of food to fit in his mouth, he's a crack up! We sure love our handsome boy & can't picture a happier life than we have now!!

1st Disneyland Trip!

2008-11-15T10:46:00.000-08:00

We got a call on Tuesday morning from some friends in the ward, the Duncan's, to see if we wanted to go to Disneyland with them. They had a family member that could sign in 3 people to go for free & they only needed 1 person to get in, so they called us! We were very excited to take our little man there for the first time, since we were planning on waiting until he was older to remember & enjoy it more if our $$ was spent. But free?? Sign us up, we were there! He did really good, with no "break down" moments (which was amazing considering the lack of quality napping for the day) & only one little scare on a ride.

He loved the merry-go-round as do most kids!

Look at that sweet face! Mark only took about 30 pictures on this ride alone, don't worry I've spared you the minute by minute!

He did need a little rest against the bar by the end, we were cracking up!

Father & son in line for Pirates of the Caribbean, though you can't see the decor in the background & it was daytime outside still.

After taking use of the baby care center to feed him dinner in a high chair he was pooped. Yes we'd only been there about 3 hours or so & it was only 6:15!! The 5 rides we went on really wore him out! :)

So this was the "before" picture when I was trying to get a picture of him & he wasn't having it, as you can tell. At which point daddy promptly told him if he didn't stop crying we weren't going to Disneyland anymore! Gotta love the "parent" language kicking in already . . . even if he's only 10 1/2 months it's never too soon to start right?

P.S. One thing that kind of surprised us going to Disneyland through a child's eyes & not the normal adult view like in the past, was how scary & dark some of the little kids rides were!! I'll just give one example, where you end up at the end of Mr. Toads Wild Ride after the judge pronounces you "Guilty". (Let's just say it's very HOT there) The "happiest place on earth" huh?!?

Halloween & 10 months a little late!

2008-11-04T09:22:00.003-08:00

Our little Nemo at the ward Harvest Festival!

His sweet face trying to crawl in all of that costume, notice one regular fin & one "little" fin!

Halloween night, how he really felt about his Nemo costume. Not so fond of the fish head!!

Can you blame him?Our 10 month old! Not a "staged" photo, but I thought very cute showing his basket of toys & what he chooses to play with first basically every time, his books! Gotta love a reader! We continue to love seeing our little guy growing into a little boy more & more each day. He is taking lots of steps as he gets braver & more steady on his little feet. The most in a row is probably 6-8, not exactly sure but he will take multiple steps in a row all day long, though crawling is still quicker & easier for him. He is still a good sleeper who goes down very easily, even spoiling mom by sleeping in until 8 or 9 in the morning for a few weeks (thanks to the time change not so much any more). He still has a healthy appetite & has little to no foods he absolutely won't eat, just some he prefers much more than others. He makes lots of sounds including "da da", "ma ma", & "na na" to name a few. We can't imagine a happier life than we have with our handsome, healthy, loving son! We are a very blessed family, loving life!

Murder Mystery Dinner!

2008-10-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

We had our annual (except for last year) murder mystery dinner with the gang. I've been a part of 5 of these events since college & Mark has been privileged to come to the last 2 (he LOVES them)! This night's theme was at an archaeological site in the Tigris-Euphrates valley in 1895. We had a lot of fun & good food as always!

Mark- An American "six-shooting" railroad tycoon.

Jennette- A English country woman who inherited the family estates & is headed on a world tour.

Cree- A well-educated aristocrat from London, who is the right-hand man to our host at the Archaeological site.

Tiffany- The host's daughter, active in the social scene & designer of fashionable "underclothes". (also our real host & party planner all these years . . . thanks Tiff)

Stephen- A Major General who has had much success with his British troops.

Desirae- An Oxford scholar who is participating in the archaeological dig.

Adam- A Shakespearean actor who is very popular in the theatre.

Nora- A world traveller who is the heiress to her families fortune.

Too fast!

2008-10-17T17:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I can't deny it anymore, my little baby boy is taking steps . . . standing steadier & steadier . . . more often . . . not just falling to mom & dad when they hold out their arms . . . where did the time go?? I know it's not that early for this kind of thing, he's almost 10 months, but still where did my baby boy go? Don't get me wrong I am grateful he can play & explore & get to where he wants to be (most of the time depending on the destination) , it's a fun stage of his little life, but I still can't believe he's not a baby anymore! He's our little man now! Soon he'll be graduating high school & leaving on a mission (which of course I will have to accompany him on to make sure he's ok ;>) I know good thing I have a few years to get over that one! So these are my thoughts for the time, Troy, growing right before my eyes, too fast at times, but oh so lovable always!!

Fun, busy life!

2008-10-13T09:37:00.000-07:00

Handsome boy for church, standing steady like a big boy!

Enjoying his "after meal biscuit"

Playing with my cousin Jake when we visited them for conference weekend, we're only 4 months apart.

We like to share! Thanks for letting me play with your toys!!

Visiting with my sister Jessica who's a BYU student now (ahhh the memories of Freshman year)!!

Being a good traveling boy for my first loooong trip in the car to Utah!

My first BYU shirt, but definitely not the last!

Found these pictures on my camera as a surprise! Playing with my Auntie Julie while she babysits me with Grandma, so mom can go be "crafty for a day" at her Super Saturday activity.

More fun!

All in the matter of a minute . . . if that!

2008-09-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

The many faces of Troy!

9 MONTHS!

2008-09-24T09:22:00.001-07:00

Little squirt!
Squinting my nose!
LOVE to stand by one of my "fav" spots . . . the trash can!
Helping mom unpack!
Who couldn't love this mug?

Troy is now a big 9 month old boy! He crawls like a pro, pulls himself to stand on everything of course, likes to stand steady without touching anything/one, & loves to walk with his car/walker toy. Still going strong with 2 teeth, mom has been trying to give him new things to taste since usually when he's done eating he also likes to share part of mom or dads meal with them. You'd think he be bigger for all the food he actually eats, but he seems to be going strong as an average sized boy (which mom is so thankful of now that we live upstairs). He's found many new toys to play with around the house, whether they are toys that were normally in the garage or other fun things around the "less organized than before we moved" house. He has recently started "dancing/rocking" to music, which we love of course! He makes all kinds of interesting sounds as he talks to us, from higher pitch noises to grunting low babbles. While we do try to leave him to be watched by others a little bit now, we can't wait to see him again, even if it's just been a short while away. We love our little man, he brings so much joy to our home!

We've moved!

2008-09-10T14:35:00.000-07:00

We finally gave Mark's parents their house back officially. We didn't move far, those in the ward we are in the "Lakes" #19. Just wanted to give everyone the update. If you want our new address just send me an email & we'll have a new home phone # tomorrow. Things are mostly settled, thankfully & we're enjoying our new place!

8 MONTHS (a little late)

2008-08-27T09:31:00.001-07:00

I love this picture of my guys before church this past Sunday!
The family.Starting to smile for the camera when asked to!
Another precious smile!
Looking like a chunky cheek's boy, although also "smiling" for the camera.
Getting so big, he loves to stand now!

Well the 22nd came & went, my little boy is 8 months old now. His most significant accomplishment this past month is crawling . . . all over the place . . . the floors aren't as clean as they should be . . . oops. Ironically his first official crawling steps were taken when both mom & dad weren't around, it was one of the few times he's been babysat (I know- 1st child what can I say) & he showed off for his Auntie's Jessica & Julianne. Luckily they caught it on video on a camera, so I did get to see it after. This is the thanks I get for trying to be a good mom, "firsts" being done the minute I leave, no respect :) Well along with crawling he now pulls himself up to stand on everything he can get to as well. If he has mom help him stand, once he's a little balanced he lets go, not that he can go anywhere, but apparently already trying to stake his independence. He's so cute! He makes lots of noises of all variety, tries to carry on conversations, & sometimes when he remembers he has a voice & people are talking around him- tries to be louder than them. He notices when people leave & often crawls after them, occasionally whining or sad to see them go. He much prefers having mom, dad, grandma & grandpa Trask ALL around instead of just mom, more attention = more content. He's going to be adjusting a bit after we move in a few days. We still can't get enough of his smiles & laughter, he is still a very happy boy. He has his two bottom teeth growing away & gets uncomfortable occasionally with his teeth growing pains. He has been very blessed to be sooo healthy. Every once in awhile I think about how he really hasn't been sick, sure a few minor colds that just consist of a runny nose, but those were barely anything. I hope that continues!! He also is a tough little guy, along with moving more comes falling & bumping his head. He is tough & hardly ever cries about it thankfully, even when it's those times where it's quite a loud thump, no tears! We are still so grateful to be blessed with this amazing boy in our lives, what a wonderful privilege to be his parents!

The Latest

2008-08-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

Enjoying toes at the beach!
Finally some food . . . my first pretzel!
Hanging with my dad.
Entertained by a wind up little chick with my cousins Logan & Carter.
Now entertained by Carter! Troy & Logan are only 2 months apart, but seeming to close the gap as days go by. This was the closest I've experienced to having twins . . . crazy!
Me & my grandma "G"!
Swimming in Vegas!
Exhausted by swimming so long, he literally fell asleep in my arms & napped for an hour or so in the room afterwards! Mark took us on our first family vacation, a mini-trip to Vegas for my birthday. It was laid back & a lot of fun!
Out to dinner in Vegas!
Troy's tourist grandparents! They kindly joined us in Vegas so Mark & I could go to the temple Saturday morning. We were so excited, checked the session times & everything . . . unfortunately we didn't check to closed for cleaning dates & were only able to drive by it . . . what a bummer!!

7 MONTH PICS!

2008-08-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

Went to JC Penny again to take pictures since I didn't make it at 6 months. He's getting so big, but boy do we love his smiles. He has so many different expressions, you know exactly what he's thinking. The funny part about this photo session was that, above he RARELY if ever puts his hands together, they are often flailing about sporting the nickname "octopus" from his dad, but ironically he put his hands together for a split second & smiled . . too funny. Then on the bottom, with the baseball equipment, he kept trying to put the ball in his mouth (no surprise), but succeeded a few times, which to Marks horror was the most disgusting thing he'd ever seen, considering that ball looks about 50 years old & has probably been used in the baby photo department since then. Oh well, some germs are good aren't they? We love our little man!

6 month photo

2008-08-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

I got this picture done for free at Kiddie Kandids when he was 6 months. I wasn't sure I'd get in to do regular pics since it was right around the time the Trask's came home, (which I didn't), but this was fun too & he did really good that day!

SUMMER FUN!

2008-08-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

Summer swimming with mom.

Don't worry mom's right next to me.

Hanging out in the pedicab with Grandma G, made especially for the grandkids in the Philippines!

It is customized with the family name, yet hasn't quite made its maiden voyage as I'm still a bit too little, but pics will follow when it does. (Never mind the fly on my forehead, it's from the Philippines what do you expect?? ;> )

Summer napping before church . . . even though we start at 9:00 am, you think I woke up too early this morning?!?

Summer laundry, I'm always a big helper! Yes I'm in USC gear, the Ulrich side what can I say. BYU gear to follow :)

I got this on my head all by myself, now what!

Mom thinks she's real cute, leaving me in here!

7 MONTHS

2008-07-24T21:27:00.001-07:00

All smiles!
Waiting at the airport.
All the Trask cousins, together again!
Happy 4th of July!
Meeting Grandma "G" for the 1st time!

At the welcome home party for the Trask's!

This month has passed in a blur! We prepared for the Trask's homecoming so much that summer didn't really begin until they returned home on the 4th of July. Troy has loved being spoiled by more grandparents around & often wonders where everyone is if mom is the only one home with him. He is such a big boy now! He sits up totally on his own & moves & rolls around all over the place. He lunges for things & tries to crawl over your legs if you're playing with him, he is a mover no doubt about it!! He doesn't really stay up on his knees & hands at the same time prepping for crawling, but he gets where he's going any other way he can. When he can crawl . . . watch out!! Luckily the little boy has a tough head & as he's exploring his range of motion & falling forward & backward, he doesn't cry as he bangs his head on whatever is nearby, he's whined maybe twice. He eats his baby food & just seems to want more & more as he eats it faster everyday. His major breakthrough as of Monday 7-21 is his first tooth breaking through, one of the bottom front of course, so the joys & pains of teething have officially begun. He is a lovable, fun boy who loves attention, walks, singing & smiles. I still can't believe we were so blessed to have little Troy join our family, what a miracle!

6 MONTHS OLD!

2008-06-25T16:12:00.000-07:00

My little boy keeps growing up! Little could I have imagined how much this little man would change my life for the better in 1/2 a year. Not that I should be surprised as his daddy had the same effect on me! :) What a blessing motherhood has been & continues to be. It's amazing how much his smiles & laughter brighten my day. He is a very happy little guy! He's currently rolling all over the place & scooting a bit to get to his toys. I've tried to prop him up on his knees, but when I do he immediately lays his head down & laughs, his little legs are very ticklish, an unfortunate trait inherited from both his parents. So, no signs of crawling any time soon. Teeth haven't made their appearance yet either, though I sometimes try to blame a cranky mood on teething. He loves making & discovering new sounds, the louder the better, which is cute until it breaks into a scream occasionally. He is also very fascinated by fingers, especially his own. Sometimes when he is eating he will stop & start staring at his hand, then he starts moving his fingers around & is totally focused on them. It's a crack up! He also can have a very serious face when he is working at getting toys & more importantly getting them in his mouth. We sure love Troy, he's amazing, we feel so blessed to be his parents. We're looking forward to a fun summer in the sun & his grandma & grandpa Trask returning from the Philippines next week!

Troy's LOVES

2008-06-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

He LOVES his cereal!

He LOVES his toes!

He LOVES his daddy!

He LOVES his books!

He LOVES to snuggle with his soft blanket!

He LOVES his toys!

Growing!

2008-06-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

So content to chill!
Nevermind the drool, it is my constant companion!
Notice the bling!
Happy boy!
What is he thinking about?

5 months old

2008-05-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

It's my big growing boy in his favorite position . . . sitting up. It's crazy to think that he's been around for 5 months now which sounds like a lot, yet it's flown by. I truly can't even picture what life was like without him. He is such a good boy with lots of fun expressions. He smiles & laughs at us tons & loves to make noises of all variety. It would be so fun to know what he's trying to tell us as his changing tones seem to really be saying something. We also love all of his expressions, his eyes tell a lot & his eyebrows seem very quizzical at times. He wants to see everything & is really taking the world in right now. He has definitely gotten the hang of nap time & is very good on most days, bedtime has it's ups & downs, but he's an overall good sleeper. He scoots some & rolls most often when he wakes up from his nap. He's not an overly energetic little guy, except for flailing his arms about, otherwise he's pretty content with most forms of entertainment or attention. We can't get enough of his cheeks & everyday are amazed that we were sent the most amazing & handsome little boy to our home, we love him more & more each day!

The Past Week

2008-05-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

More smiles from the Handsome one!
Sitting like a big boy with daddy!
Hanging out with mom!
My beautiful little sister heading off to her last Prom of high school. She graduates in a month, then heads off to BYU next fall. We're so proud!
Sisters . . . what a difference a decade makes!

Smiles!

2008-05-06T14:35:00.000-07:00

I am a happy boy!

I'm getting so big, I love trying to sit up on my own.
Hanging out with daddy, it was a little warm :)
Sitting with my cousin Logan (or trying to), at our cousin Karsen's 1st b-day party!

Handsome Sunday boy!

2008-04-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

Troy's cousin Logan was blessed today, but we couldn't help having a little photo shoot for our little man . . . .sooooo handsome!!

Just chilling, we sat him down & this is the position he took, silly!
We LOVE his expressions!!!

4 months old!

2008-04-22T22:14:00.000-07:00

Hello there!
Chomping away!
Serious biting business!
What's going on?
Mom & me, just hanging out!

So another month has passed, it's just amazing what time is like with a baby! We continue to love every minute with our handsome boy. He loves to smile & is such a happy guy (though he does get his point across when he's hungry or tired). He's starting to play with toys a lot more & is getting better at it. He grabs for anything nearby & is figuring out that his hands & fingers are good for something other than munching on, though he still loves to fit as many as he can in his mouth. I finally moved him to his crib at night, instead of just during the day time naps. That was more of a mom convenience factor than him not being ready. Plus we've had a break through in the sleeping department, after a week of sleeping through the night (a good 6-7 hours in a row) I finally started putting him down much earlier. Last night he went to bed at 8:15 without a single peep . . . I couldn't believe it, what have we been doing . . . let the boy sleep already!!!!! Though he did "peep" tonight I now know that his bedtime can be normal & he will benefit from the extra hours (so will mom & dad :>). We are so grateful for his bright smiles, squeezable cheeks, & inquisitive looks!

3 month studio pics

2008-04-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

Mark's favorite, we love our little man!!
Here's our alert, little, happy boy!
Our chunky son, check out the double chin!
I was sad I didn't get in to do these kind of pictures when he was a newborn. I wasn't planning on taking any pictures with me in them, I didn't think they did them when babies were a little older. So I was surprised when they had me do this pose & even more surprised & happy that they came out ok. I love my precious son, he is my pride & joy!!

Love those fingers!

2008-04-07T13:37:00.001-07:00

Really digging in!
Oh so tasty, how many can I fit in my mouth at one time!
Just a snack, notice the wetness on the fingers! He cracks us up because he seriously tries to fit both of his hands in his mouth at once. He can sure cram a lot of fingers in there. We keep being told this is due to teething . . . we shall see! :)

Recent pics

2008-04-07T13:30:00.000-07:00

Finally starting to "get a grip" . . . of my toys that is!
Hanging out on my tummy.
You caught me praying mom & dad!!

Easter time

2008-03-24T11:28:00.003-07:00

Celebrating Easter at the Ulrich home. Little ones were hunting for eggs in the backyard, Troy wasn't much of a "finder" this year so we took a quick family photo!
Troy with his cousins! From left Logan (5 weeks), Carter (20 months), Troy (3 months), Kaylie (3 years, 8 months), Karsen (10 months). We love our family!!

3 months old!

2008-03-24T10:56:00.001-07:00

Look at that precious little face!!
Sleeping on his back . . . a very rare occasion, he was exhausted.
We love Troy's smiles, it makes our day!! It's amazing how time is flying. Everyday with our son is a fun, new adventure. He brings us so much joy and happiness. At this point he is napping & sleeping at night pretty well. The time is not consistent, but he is definitely getting some good sleeping stretches of time in both day & night. This past week he has actually started sleeping in his cradle, which he hadn't done up until this point. Though it's kind of ironic he's started now, since it's getting close to the time we'll have him sleep in his crib at night. . . oh well, he sleeps in his crib for nap time! Troy also rolled onto his back for the first time last Friday. He was waking up from his morning nap & when I went in he kept stiffening his body which was making him roll onto his side. Sadly I think it was gas related, but he wasn't too uncomfortable & I was interested to see if he could do it. Within a few minutes he had rolled from his tummy onto his back, it was very exciting, though I'm not sure he'll repeat it anytime soon. We are enjoying Troy's smiles, which we see daily, as well as his cooing. He loves to talk to mom, especially after he's eaten, but is starting to talk lots to others too. He seems to have a lot to say, must take after the Trask side :) Also about 3 weeks ago or so he laughed for the 1st time. He was talking to mom & then it just turned to a laugh, so I started to laugh to encourage it & he kept going, which made me laugh more. Needless to say my cheeks were sore & it was especially fun because dad was home to see it too! Well we are so grateful everyday for our precious little boy, we can't help but love him & think he's the cutest thing ever!!

Fun times!

2008-03-14T12:05:00.000-07:00

Little Troy's first "outdoor" activity. We watched his Auntie Jessica's high school softball game against San Dimas (which they won by the way. . . go Colts). Due to the winter season we haven't exactly been outside much except for the occasional "bundled-up" walk around Creekside. It was a fun, warm mini-outing.
Our little hero! Can't pass up posting cute pics, sorry for the overload today!!

Nap time

2008-03-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

So my son has found a new pacifier when the originals don't work for him. Is it a thumb (taking after his mom's early in life bad habit)? Nope it's as many fingers as he can get in his mouth. While I'm grateful he's learning to self-soothe & get himself back to sleep during nap time, kind of an interesting approach if you ask me. :) He started sucking on his fingers a few weeks ago, which was funny because he is so loud when he does. Apparently he's moving on to the whole hand/fist if he can fit it . . . quite the boy thing if you ask me!!