The Websters

Vancouver

2011-11-12T20:41:00.000-08:00

We had a great time last week on a family trip to Vancouver, British Columbia. We went to go see a close friend, Melissa Leonard, get married and the wedding was great. Then we spent Halloween there. We got to do some sightseeing in the city and the trees were so beautiful. I sometimes miss the change of seasons, so visiting somewhere where it actually felt like fall was a nice change. By the end of the cold and rainy week, however, I was ready to be back in SoCal. Here are lots of pictures:

At the Vancouver Aquarium looking at belugas Some dolpins... ...who were actually my kids:-) In a bubble looking at frogs Notice Ethan's hand under Annalisa's chin, trying to lift her head up for the picture Ethan looking at the jellyfish Turtles On a boat ride looking at the city Granville Island Public Island, where we ate a great lunchThe beautiful cityAt the Maritime Museum- notice that Ethan wanted to wear his pirate costume, even though this was the day AFTER Halloween- we thought it fit the day's activities... Captain steering the ship with his hook They had an actual boat dry-docked inside the museum Exploring the boat
Just outside the Maritime MuseumBig anchor with Vancouver in the background Our friend Reuben was a skeleton jesterHis dad Chris and his random costume Our little pirate princess outside of the Leonard's houseCaptain Hook and a pirate princess Inside a building in Ft. Langley, the first British trading center in Canada She liked the little rocking chair

We are now looking forward to Thanksgiving in St. George and then Salt Lake city for the week after that. I love vacations!

Cupcakes

2011-11-07T20:00:00.000-08:00

Being pregnant has really made me lazy with my posting. We also just got back from a trip to Vancouver, which I will post about once I have all the pictures downloaded.

For now, here is something fun that we did to find out the sex of the baby. Now, let me just say that Cory wanted to wait the entire nine months to find out. Although that MIGHT have been fun, I'm just not that type of person. I NEED to know so I can mentally prepare. Boys and girls are very different...

Anyway, so I had the ultrasound technician write down on a slip of paper what the baby was and put it in a sealed envelope. Then I went to a local bakery and gave them the envelope. I told them to put either blue or pink frosting inside the cupcakes depending on what was written. Then we all went to a park and found out together that it is a...

Taking a bite

And the frosting inside was...

BLUE!!! We're having a boy!

The before shot. They were really good cupcakes...

Ethan's 4th Birthday

2011-08-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this post by saying that I am not a crafty or artistic person. I like to do them when someone else does all the preparing and tells me exactly how to do it. I really don't feel like there are too many crafts that I enjoy or that I feel are worth my time. With that being said, for each one of the birthdays, my mom made me a birthday cake. I really appreciated it and looked forward to it every year. I couldn't even tell you what most of the cakes were decorated like, but I remember feeling very special on my special day. So when I started having kids, I wanted to continue that tradition, regardless of my craft deficiencies.

This year for Ethan's birthday, I wanted to make him a Lightning McQueen cake. I had originally planned to just do an outline of a car. However, I was intrigued by an online tutorial that showed how to make a 3-D cake. I thought to myself, "I can do this...I watch Ace of Cakes and it looks easy enough...I don't have fondant so frosting will have to make do, but this is going to be awesome." I also had the dilemma of figuring out the red frosting. I kept having thoughts of a pink McQueen...so I opted for red sprinkles instead.

Here is the final result- you can tell I'm not a professional, but I was SO excited to show Ethan:

I felt pretty good about the finished result. And Ethan loved it! He even said later that night, "Thank you for my Lightning, Mommy." Totally worth the 3 hours I spent! Here are some more pictures of the big day and activities later in the week:

Eating at Giggles N' Hugs, a fun kids restaurant

Annalisa had fun too

Blowing out the candles

Look at that face

As Ethan said, "I'm eating his Ka-Chow"

One of his presents

At the Natural History Museum and Butterfly Pavillion

Annalisa looking really small

Looking at the butterflies

Ethan pointing at one of the big butterflies

Sitting for a picture

With friends Korven and Westin

Dinosaur bones

More bones, bad lighting on the kids...

At the Peterson Automotive Museum with Dad

Riding in a real race car

Summer activities

2011-07-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

It has been an interesting summer here. We have not gone on one vacation...which is weird for me because I grew up with plenty of summer vacations (thanks Mom and Dad for making those a priority!). With Cory being new at his job and having limited vacation days, and me keeping busy with managing the building, we just haven't been able to get away. We hope to do some trips in the fall and I am determined to get us camping up at Seqouia National Park in August...

That being said, we have been up to some pretty fun things. Each Friday in the summer, a group of moms in the area do something organized, like going to children's museums, aquariums, etc. The kids have enjoyed going on train and pony rides, exploring the aquarium at the California Science Center, playing Red Rover in the mountains, and picking strawberries at a farm. Here are a few pics:

Ponies at Griffith Park (she looks like a natural)
Ethan waving

First time with braids (she definitely got Cory's fine hair)

On the Ferris Wheel at the Pier with cousin Ava

Exploring tide pools in Malibu- we saw lots of hermit crabs

Painting- illustrates each of their personalites- Ethan- meticulous and full of concentration, Annalisa- just having fun making dots

I love these little painting bibs from IKEA!

The kids played in this IKEA kid's display for almost 45 min.- pretending to sleep in all the beds

Picking strawberries at Underwood Farms...well, Annalisa ate as she went;-)

All Aboard!

Another pony ride at the farm

Ethan pulling his friend Weston

Annalisa enjoying the ride

We also got to go to the Barnum and Bailey's circus yesterday courtesy of Cory's boss. I have always wanted to go and the kids really enjoyed it. And with that, I will leave you with one of my dumb jokes- Have you seen the circus yet? I hear it's intense...(in tents, he he he...;)

Disneyland pictures

2011-06-23T14:22:00.000-07:00

Carousel with Melayna
Watching the parade

Driving cars in Autotopia

She loves Mickey Mouse!

Lightning and Mater- the cause of Ethan's only meltdown of the day

Oops...left the flash on

Cheesy grins

I love her shirt- it was a hand-me-down from a friend of mine

Left the flash on again...

Disneyland!

2011-06-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

Cory's brother and his family came to visit us a few weeks ago and we decided to all go to Disneyland. Cory and I were anxious to give Ethan a better memory of the place (last time, it rained the whole time and Ethan had a UTI).

The day started off nicely, with a short wait for It's a Small World. Then we went on Alice, the Jungle Ride, and Pooh Bear before lunch. Annalisa loves Winnie the Pooh and kept freaking out about that ride. We took the kids on Pirates, but unfortunately, I forgot how big the first hill is. Annalisa was on my lap and got pretty scared after that hill. She cuddled so close to me and was even whimpering periodically. I don't think it did too much damage though because this is how she tells people that she went on a pirate ride at Disneyland, "BIIIGGG hill, then a little hill. Then sing yo ho song..."

We took the train to the front of the park and headed over to California Adventure (does anyone who has ridden that train think it's random that there is a fake Grand Canyon and then some dinosaurs?) We took the kids to see the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show, which they loved. After that got over, the day was starting to really warm up and we made the mistake of waiting in the longest line of the day- Toy Story Mania. Annalisa started screaming and wouldn't stop for almost 20 min. Finally, another mom came back in the line and offered her a Little Pony fruit snack. She calmed down instantly...lesson learned? Even when your two-year old is screaming like she is dying, she's just fine and can stop crying instantly;-)

We then saw a life size Lightning McQueen and Mater. This is when Ethan lost it. We had to leave and all he wanted was to play with the toys they sell. He calmed down though after about 15 min. and the rest of the day went smoothly. We went back over to Disneyland, rode Autotopia (Ethan drove and now keeps talking about how when he gets bigger, he will drive a REAL car), and then sat and watched the parade. Cory's brother's family then went looking for souvenirs and Cory, knowing our children all too well, wanted to avoid a store where Ethan would want EVERYTHING...so we went on the Jungle Ride twice in the dark. The day ended with the fireworks and then the kids falling asleep on the way home.

Overall, what a great day we had! We didn't rush around and we still got to go on almost all the rides we wanted to. I was so grateful for the experience.

P.S. I have had this post as a draft for weeks now, but have delayed because of my laziness in transferring the pictures. I decided to just post it and add the pictures soon...;-)

Simplifying and being outside

2011-05-14T21:03:00.001-07:00

I have been thinking a lot about how my kids behave and what I can do to promote their amazing little imaginations for the few years that I get them at home. I REALLY love this blog- http://learningmommy.com

The author has really got me thinking about simplifying things in a child's life. They are so bombarded with millions of toys, games, movies, etc. that they seem to not have enough time to CREATE. I have started my own "Imagination Box" where I keep old toilet paper rolls, magazines, cereal boxes, etc. I have decided that when my kids play with plain toys, their imagination really comes to life.

The other day Ethan had a playdate with a 5 year old. We had started a really good game of being pirates in the ocean and pretending to run away from sharks. When the older boy came over, he didn't really want to join in our game, he just asked me if I had any video games or movies. How sad that a lot of kids lose that imagination so quickly...

Which leads me to my final thought for today...being outside. I feel so grateful to live here for that reason. Now you might be thinking- she lives in a huge city with 10 million people- what does the outdoors have to do with her lifestyle? I have beautiful weather all year round and I have noticed when my kids don't go outside for a few days, they are cranky and irritable. I actually live in a really beautiful part of West L.A. and we have a park and huge baseballs fields across the street. On of my favorite days was "exploring" the field with Ethan searching for squirrels, naming them, and Annalisa staring at ladybugs. I am so excited to be able to go camping this summer...

Birthdays and visits

2011-04-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

Lots of birthdays this past month! Annalisa got really used to saying happy birthday- her friend Lucy, both grandpas, Cory, me, our friend Daniel, and then she had her 2nd birthday! Here are pictures of the big day complete with a Pooh bear cake, dinner at Giggles n Hugs, and lots of fun. She is such a cute little girl and growing up so fast...

She is getting better at smiling for the camera Running with Pooh bear between her legs (sugar does weird things to my kids:-) A few weeks ago when cousin Aislee came to visit

Easter egg hunt last weekend- she is actually really good at finding eggs

Annalisa sometimes struggles to go "number two", so Ethan offered to hold her hand while she "pushed it out". Cutest thing ever...

Eating cake

My attempt at Pooh bear

About to blow out candles

Cheesy smile

She loves hamburgers!

Playing on the slide at Giggles N Hugs, an awesome kids restaurant

Ethan holding the door open for his little sister

Again when Aislee came- she went to the American Girl doll store and bought a matching outfit with her doll. So cute!

Annalisa just loves her cousin!

Celebrating my birthday by eating at this great restaurant, complete with a massive strawberry shortcake for dessert.

Holes and dustbusters

2011-03-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

I always seem to be updating...today I am just going to talk about a few things I thought about today;-)

So is anybody else annoyed when they open up a nice men's shirt from the store and have to take pins out that make holes? I know it looks nice all folded and what not, but if I wanted a shirt with holes in it, I would ask our homeless man that lives down the street...

Secondly, I am a mother of two small children. How come no one ever told me about dustbsuters?!?! I have decided that they are a must for any young mom. Spilled Chex? Vacuum it right up. Some frosted mini-wheats that have been thrown after a two-year old's tantrum? Suck it up. I have a love-hate relationship with brooms and dustpans, so this is a perfect solution. Thanks Amazon Prime! (free with Amazon mom subscribe and save, which hopefully ALL of you are using to buy diapers).

Actual famous person?!?

2011-03-09T14:12:00.000-08:00

I need to preface this post by saying that although I live in the best place to spot famous people, I never do. Until today...

I was walking home from the park with the kids when a car stops from pulling into a parking lot to let me cross. He smiles and waves me forward. He looks kind of familiar...I look closer and realize that it is Harrison Ford driving a Toyota Prius!!!
I try to stay calm, but I look over at the parking attendant and mouth, "Is that Harrison Ford?!?! He smiles at me and nods. I walk over nonchalantly to talk to the attendant and then watch Harrison Ford get out of his car, look over at us and smile, and then walk into a store. I talked to the attendant and apparently Harrison Ford is there all the time. What the?!? I live across the street! He also said Reese Witherspoon and Tina Fey were there yesterday.

So a few minutes later when I was over my "high" of seeing one of my favorite actors of all time, I thought about why it is such a big deal. He just looked like a normal guy going into a store. Being famous is truly a weird concept...

Pictures!

2011-02-07T15:57:00.001-08:00

You wanted pictures so here they are (in no particular order):

Annalisa riding a pony at a birthday party last Saturday

Ethan loved it!
Annalisa did too even though she doesn't smile as big

They even had a little petting zoo at the party

Excited for the BYU/Utah football game

Decorating cupcakes at Thanksgiving

Smiley eyes:-)

With cousin Ava at my Grandpa Porter's funeral in December

Trying to keep the kids entertained at the funeral

Cory taking the oath to become an attorney

Disneyland in December with Cory's family. Unfortunately, it rained the ENTIRE weekend, but we still had a good time

It's a Small World ride

Annalisa really liked it. For Christmas, they make it a completely different ride. Everything is Christmas themed and they sing Jingle Bells as well as Small World.

Ethan and Melayna watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Show

Looking at ducks and pigeons at one of our local parks

Making and decorating cookies on Christmas Day

He really is a natural

Airport park

There are bleachers where you can watch the planes take off and land. The kids really love it!

Settling in

2011-01-20T21:07:00.001-08:00

So here is a picture of the kids at our favorite park that also has a duck pond. Sorry for he lack of pictures, but I only take pictures with my new phone and I am still figuring out how to download them. So more to come soon, I promise.

It almost feels like we are starting a semi-normal life. Our apartment complex is full now and so I can take a break from showing apartments. It's funny how I sometimes feel like I am living in a house...I have become really handy and have fixed things for the tenants and I am responsible for keeping the building clean and secure.

So, after a very unsure few months, Cory got offered a full-time job at the law firm where he had been doing some contract work! What a relief and a blessing! It's a great firm where he has some amazing mentors and it is close to where we live.

The kids are still adjusting to the transition. They love the parks around here and today we even got to go to the Santa Monica airport to watch planes take off and land. They loved it! I finally put Ethan in big boy underwear and he is doing great. I guess waiting until he was 3 and a half was a good strategy for us:-) Annalisa's personality is really starting to show. She is not as social as her brother, but she is great at figuring things out on her own. Now if we can just get her to give up her terrible two's screaming...

Lots of good news

2010-11-29T18:52:00.000-08:00

I have hit an all-time low in the blogosphere with my lack of posting...

We now live in California, west LA to be more specific. I got a job managing an apartment complex here and Cory has a temporary job with a firm closeby that we are hoping turns into a permanent job. Also, Cory passed the California bar!!! What a relief! He gets sworn in on Decemeber 10th and then he will officially be an attorney. I am pretty excited about it.

We had a great Thanksgiving with our friends Daniel and Hope and some of their family here. We are enjoying having our own place to live after almost 6 months of being transient. I have actually missed some of the duties of running a home, which is a surprise to me. I have also enjoyed getting out of my comfort zone and doing a job that I have no experience in. I am picking things up though and I even leased my first apartment last week!

As for photos, we do have some, but I haven't even looked at most or them or transferred them to my computer, so text is all you get today:-)

Still the unknown

2010-08-27T20:32:00.000-07:00

I am still in Utah with the kids and Cory left last week to stay with friends in California while he looks for a job and an apartment for us there. Hopefully I will have something to report soon...

We have really been enjoying the summer with family. We had a great fourth of July and even got to go camping for a night up at the Spruces campground with our friends the Osbornes. Last week, we celebrated Ethan's third birthday by going to Wheeler farm and then the Cougar Kickoff in Provo. I can't believe I have a three year old. He learns so much every day! Annalisa is also growing and she is almost walking but not quite. I am so grateful for my family!

Ethan's birthday cake (he even tried to make a basket with the basketball cupcake:-)

Great smile!

He loves his duck

Excited to open presents with daddy

Happy with his gift

Baseball and mitt from Grandma Porter

Annalisa smiling at Wheeler Farm

The whole family at the farm

Cheeseball on a tractor

Pointing at the ducks

Annalisa taking a few steps

Fourth of July

Ethan with his first sparkler

Delayed graduation pictures

2010-07-04T11:54:00.000-07:00

Things have been so busy what with visiting family and friends and still applying non-stop for jobs. Here are some promised pictures of Cory's graduation. What an amazing day!

Three years and two kids later, he is done!

What a great school
It took place overlooking the beach- what a perfect setting

Our friends, the Graves

Good friends

Getting his diploma and hugging Dean Starr

Shaking hands with Dean Starr- such an amazing man

Speaking

The grad

The setting of the ceremony

Where have we been?

2010-05-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

What a crazy month it has been!!! I can't even begin to describe all of the things that happened so I will just focus on a few: Cory finished classes, we went on a cruise and to Vancouver and Seattle, we packed up all our stuff, Cory graduated magna cum laude from law school, we moved all our stuff to a storage unit, and then we drove to St. George, which is where we are now for a few more weeks before moving up to Salt Lake for a month. Whew! That was tiring just to type! Cory now spends all day studying for the California bar at the end of July while I help the kids adjust to being technically homeless:-)

So I do have pictures of all these events, but today I will just post some of our celebration trip. We went on a cruise from San Diego to Vancouver. Then we stayed one day with our good friends the Leonards and got to see their youngest get baptized. The next two days were spent with my brother Eric, his wife Cheryl, and their daughter Ava. It was so much fun walking around Seattle and being with family. Oh, and where were our kids during all of this? At home in California where my sister Camille and her friend Cindy watched them for the week. How grateful I am for that break! Vacations are the best thing for stress management for me. Here are some highlights:

Eating filet mignon and lobster- delicious! Docking at Port Angeles, WAFor you Twilight fans- restaurant where Bella and Edward eat Our ship- Holland America Statendam Sunday dinner with the Leonards Reuben's baptism- what a wonderful experience! Cory and Adam playing night b-ball- my sweet camera shot Mt. Baker from the Leonard's back porch SeattleThe Troll under the bridge Ava chillin in the shadeWhat? We went to New York too?Nope. Not really:-) Just Alki Beach. Eric and Cheryl live here- but this is for our friend actually named Kent:-)Ava with Uncle Cory Pike's Place- they throw huge fish around here The Underground Seattle Tour and our guide- notice the "skylights"
These are the top of the skylights on the sidewalkEating at Anthony's- so good!!! Fish made out of baseballs at Anthony's More Seattle

Graduation pictures to come...

Pictures

2010-04-26T14:17:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of Annalisa's one year pictures that we got taken last week. She only lasted for about 15 minutes...I think portrait studios give my children anxiety:-) We did get a few cute ones though and to me, she looks like a little doll. Enjoy!

Tivo=better parenting

2010-04-19T16:00:00.001-07:00

I have come to the conclusion that for a family who loves sports, Tivo is the only solution that allows us to watch what we want in the most efficient way possible. The fact that Cory can come home from school and spend time with the kids until they go to bed and THEN watch the Braves win is such a great thing. He can unwind without watching commercials and without being glued to the game for 3 hours. And of course, I love being able to watch American Idol in 20 minutes instead of two hours (seriously, could they have any more dead time or long commercial breaks?) So thanks to my cousin Nathan and his generous Tivo offering:-)

Another note about technological items: a good friend of ours is letting Cory borrow his itouch to study for the bar this summer. Now, I was skeptical about all the hype and everyone freaking out about how these things are awesome and the apps are awesome, etc. Blah, blah, blah, Apple is so cool, blah blah.

However, I must admit that they are pretty sweet. A touch screen and it knows when I move it sideways...amazing. I love playing the tapping version of guitar hero while listening to showtunes. Oh, and it is very helpful in Cory's studying:-)

Cupcakes and glow worms

2010-04-04T20:42:00.000-07:00

Annalisa is now a year old and I really think that time goes by so much quicker with the second child. She is as happy as ever and talks and interacts with everyone we meet. We went to a local kids club activity to see some snakes and lizards (perfect for a little girl's birthday, right?:-)

Then we headed home for some cupcakes with peaches (she still has a slight allergy to dairy products) and then opened a couple of presents.

Here she is looking at the pond and standing up so well on her own
I love her smile!

Cory and Ethan watching the show

First touch of cake

Looking at mom to make sure it's okay

Trying some

She's not a big fan of it

Still happy as can be though

Getting ready to dump it on the ground

Opening presents

I held up multiple toys at the store and she chose this lullaby glow worm. I think she just really likes that it plays music. Of course, Ethan really likes it too, as evidenced by this picture and that Annalisa is trying to hold on to her new toy. They'll get this sharing thing down eventually, right?:-)

Outside the zone

2010-03-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

I have always enjoyed the fact that I am easily adaptable to new situations and that I like the challenge. So when a friend of mine told me that her dad needed help decluttering and organizing his home in Texas, I was excited at the prospect. I flew out there for a week and got back last week. I learned some very surprising things about myself...

Just before I was about to leave, I got really emotional about leaving my kids. I have never been away for them for even a night and now I was going for an entire week. Growing up, I never got homesick, even when I was living in London, so this emotional-ness was unexpected. I realized that I am so much more attached to my children than I thought was possible.

I also learned that leaving my comfort zone is such a good way for me to not only appreciate what I have, but grow as a person. I was flying to Texas to meet someone who wanted me to completely organize his house and I had no real professional experience doing so. I quickly adjusted to the situation though and it was a huge success. I know he is really happy with the results. And I enjoyed being able to offer my help (and the much-needed money was nice too:-)

Finally, I really did enjoy what I did for him. I know how easy it is to fall into a trap of accumulating so much stuff that you don't really need. I like living simply. It helps me to focus on my relationships with people rather than things. And when you have things organized in your home, it opens up both space and time to be doing the things that matter most.

Here's a picture of us getting ready to clean out the shed...That was an adventure!

Spontaneity

2010-03-03T16:09:00.000-08:00

Cory and I have really been enjoying our date nights every other Friday in the babysitting co-op we are in. Last Friday, we decided not to plan anything and just wander around a strip mall that we had never been to before. We decided that we had to find something to eat and ended up going to this place called Pita the Great. Our lamb kabob was amazing and the title of the store turned into a great discussion about whether our food was solely Greek influenced or if Persian flavors were intermingled...

We had so much fun looking at the random stores and ended the night getting a donut at one of the shops while reading a random local newsletter that was printed by the donut store. I love feeling like we are at the official dating part of our relationship, when we only had to worry about trying to impress each other. Look at us then- so young and innocent:-)

Any good cheap date night ideas? We need one for this Friday...

Nothing too important...

2010-03-01T16:20:00.000-08:00

I have been struggling lately to find both the time and wittiness needed to post. I guess I can just write about anything, but for the family that is away from us, I guess I feel some sort of obligation to give a weekly journal of what's happening with the fam, particularly the kids.

So in my attempt to not only do some introspection, but fill up a blog post as well, here are a few things that have been on my mind...

I am more amazed every day at how clueless I actually am and how good I've become at making myself sound like I know it all...

I sometimes get lost in memories of the different stages of my life and have a tough time not longing for those times, but instead enjoying the now...

I understand how easy it is for a mother to not feel appreciated for the work that she does and how progress reports or a promotion at work are more tangible results than a child learning how to feed herself...

I easily get frustrated when involved in intellectual conversations because I am reminded of my college glory days and how my knowledge has evolved into something entirely different...

Now that these small thoughts have been expressed, I think I need to make a few things clear...

I have learned to appreciate the many blessings I have. I know I have been given certain talents to help others and I enjoy not only the opportunities that I have to serve,

but the full life that I am creating.

Cutest kids ever

2010-02-06T15:26:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed with the responsibilities of raising two kids and supporting a husband, I just need to look at these pictures to be reminded of the fact that I have the best job in the world...and that my kids are hilarious:-)

Pigtails...and learning how to bat

Tongue sticking out when she concentrates- like the rest of her family

Ethan cleaning the table at McDonalds- he's a little OCD
Huge bite (we are still working on the whole licking concept)

Annalisa's treat from McDonalds:-)

A Danish Day Trip

2010-01-21T22:25:00.000-08:00

So two weeks ago we decided to go on a little family day trip before Cory started school. We drove to beautiful Santa Barbara and played on the beach. Then we drove through the mountains to this little town called Solvang. It was a Danish settlement that has now become a major tourist spot. All the buildings were in true Danish style and I felt like I was back in Europe. We tried some new foods and walked around with the kids to see the windmills and charming little shops. Then Ethan played at the park with some girls he didn't even know (what a flirt:-)
It was so nice to just have a family day and to see an area that I have been wanting to see for awhile. And I guess it was good for me to feel Danish for a day (my mom's ancestors come from Denmark).

Cory walking down the street

Another view

In line for aebleskivers...mmm...so good with ice cream

Home for the holidays

2010-01-10T20:56:00.000-08:00

We had such a great time driving all over Utah for Christmas break. It was so fun to play games and watch movies with family and friends. Ethan ate up all of the attention and Annalisa just smiled away. We took Ethan sledding, but I think he has adjusted to the warm California weather because he was freezing the whole time. Here's some pictures to tell the story better than I ever could...

Ethan's handsome new church outfit (thanks Grandma Porter!)
I don't know what we're looking at...
Tuckered out after being out in the cold

The snowman we left at my brother's apartment

Sledding...Ethan is trying to smile

Annalisa liked my necklace

She liked the wrapping paper more than the present

Christmas morning

Back scratching line on Christmas Eve

I love pigtails

That smile sums it all up:-)

Chuckle, chuckle...

2009-12-02T13:19:00.000-08:00

I laughed so hard when my sister sent me this yesterday. Classic...

Ode to a dumpster

2009-11-14T14:15:00.000-08:00

One great thing about living in an apartment complex- the free stuff that people leave by the dumpster! Check out my latest finds:
A kid bookcase- this was actually in bad shape, so I had to sand it down really well and then paint it white. Practically new bookcase for only $12 for paint! As you can tell, Ethan was really excited about it:-)

A grill in great condition- just needed a cleaning and propane refill for $13.

I just love getting free stuff...

Yoga

2009-11-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

Three things I have learned from yoga:

1) It is very difficult for me to tune everything out
2) I am really good at ignoring my body, not listening to it
3) I am great at the balance poses- wouldn't have guessed that!

I can also put my hands flat on the floor now instead of just reaching my shins...I haven't done that since 5th grade:-) Thanks to my friend Karen for the free yoga classes!

Short Halloween

2009-11-01T19:45:00.000-08:00

After my experience with Halloween this year, I think I understand Ethan a little bit more...we took him trick or treating for his first time. This is how it all panned out: I prepared Ethan for a few weeks. Every day I would look at his pumpkin and then he would say Halloween...trick or treat...doors...costume. I even heard him saying it in his crib before bedtime.

Then the big day arrives...he freaks out because I remind him that he is going to be a monkey (I really think he doesn't understand that he is dressing up). He screams as I put his costume on but settles down once he sees that he looks so cute in the mirror. Then we meet up with friends Halloween night. We go to the first door...Ethan just stares and doesn't say a thing. Then he becomes so distracted by all of the decorations that he quickly loses interest in the actual trick or treating. He doesn't ever have candy so he doesn't get excited about that, but we get to a house that gives out bouncy balls and he carries it around all night:-)

We get to this one house that is playing loud music and has colored lights and Ethan dances and doesn't want to leave. After 15 minutes of dancing, we head home. The whole experience took weeks of planning and was over in less than an hour. I guess that's how most holidays are...

So here's some pictures of the event. Ethan is a monkey so we revolved all of our costumes around that. Annalisa is a monkey too and then can you guess what me and Cory are? The sideburns and turtleneck are clues...

Ethan dancing

Hey Hey We're the Monkees:-)

Visit to Utah

2009-10-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

We spent the last weekend in Utah for my brother's wedding. Ethan loved the plane, but Annalisa had a rough time. Probably because I followed the worst advice ever...I tried to nurse her as we were taking off so that her ears would adjust with the swallowing. She wouldn't latch on and so her ears hurt and she was starving. She has never cried that hard in her life. On the flight back, I fed her right before and gave her some Tylenol. She did great! I think that's the way to go from now on... It was so great to see family and even get to go to a BYU game (even though they lost horribly:-( I don't have any pictures just yet, but I will post some soon.

Also, I read this short article that explains so well how I feel about big government...if any of you were feeling political today:-)

http://www.hillsdale.edu/news/imprimis/archive/issue.asp?year=2009&month=09

Six months and counting...

2009-10-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

Can I just tell you how grateful I am for my little girl? I was told by a few people that girl babies are often harder than boys...Annalisa sure has proven that wrong. She is the best baby anyone could hope for. We got her pictures taken and I just love every single one. We also went to the doctor today and she had four shots, cried for 10 seconds and then soothed herself by sucking her tongue. She is 90th percentile for length, 50th for weight, and 25th for head size (what a difference from her brother!) Favorite things to do: chew on everything, rub her tongue on her bottom tooth, squeal a lot, watch Ethan run around, and smile at Daddy.

Her cute little feet

Not sure of this pose

Big grin before toppling over

I love her crazy hair

Not very happy, but you get a good view of her tooth

Cory likes this one

Sucking on her tongue

Close up of her cuddling my shoulder

I love this one and the photographer was just taking random pictures while I was trying to calm her down.

A new hobby

2009-09-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

For Ethan's birthday, his Grandma Lorrie got him a little table. Now he spends a lot of time drawing with his crayons...as much as I love sports, it's kind of nice having him do something different.

As for Annalisa, she got her first tooth three weeks ago and her first fever over the weekend. Her eyes are changing from blue to hazel and she is growing even more hair. Her face looks more like her brother every day. What a joy she is!

By the way, Ethan's table is from IKEA. This is the first thing I have ever gotten from there (I know all of my Utah friends are aghast, but IKEA is far from my house here). I did have to assemble it of course, but oddly enough, I love putting stuff like that together. One of the drilled holes was too low and so I had to improvise to fix it. I really do consider myself the handyman of the house- I guess it comes from watching my dad and brother build and fix stuff. And Dad, you thought I was just running around and being loud, but I was paying attention sometimes:-)

Picture ordeal

2009-09-07T09:05:00.001-07:00

It was time again to get some professional portraits done. I went to Kiddie Kandids for Ethan's first birthday, but it was pricey and so I decided to try JC Penney this time. I paid a third less but it was not a good experience...I made an appointment two weeks in advance, but still had to wait for 40 minutes. Have you ever tried to entertain a two year old in a small space for 40 minutes?

Anyway, by the time we got in, Annalisa had woken up and started screaming because she was hungry. Then Ethan saw all the balls in the room and started freaking out because he wanted to play with all of them. The photographer did the best that she could to get some good pictures and she did get a few, but I had wanted pictures that were more formal...instead, all of Ethan's good pictures have balls in them. I was there for over an hour and a half and I still had to go back to pick up my pictures. Kiddie Kandids took less than a half hour and I left with my pictures in hand...I guess more money does mean better quality in this case. I just hope that this is the type of experience that I will laugh about later:-) Here's a few of the shots:

Cheesy smile because he doesn't have a ball

Real smile

Almost a full smile

Pity smile

Starting to lose it

I actually really like this one- he thinks he's old enough to really play

He looks so bored

Happy again...

Happy Birthday Ethan!

2009-08-18T22:16:00.000-07:00

I really can't believe that two years ago I became a mom. It sure has flown by. Ethan has grown and changed so much. He had a great day yesterday. He got to play with balloons, his friends, and open presents from Grandma while she watched on Skype.

Now, I knew the cake situation needed to be different than last year...Ethan screamed and cried when he tried the cake. So this year, I wanted to rectify the situation. I thought to myself, what would make Ethan like cake? Answer? Any type of sports ball. Result? A basketball and baseball cake. Here is the finished product and a timeline of the cake eating:

Ethan smiling for the camera

Trying to blow out the candles

I guess it looked pretty realistic- he is trying to pick it up:-)

Feeding Cory

Feeding himself- one finger in frosting- that's as messy as it got

Ethan took some big bites- once we gave him a fork

Can you tell which ball he likes best?

Great friends that came over for partially eaten cake

So I guess I should know by now that my son is not the personality that will ever dive into a cake and get really messy. That really is just fine with me:-) Happy birthday my little buddy!!!

Help me out...

2009-08-11T17:07:00.000-07:00

I've told you all before about how I am now making video reviews on Expo TV. Well, I am in this contest where the most viewed videos can win extra money. So, if you get a minute (literally), watch my short video review in its entirety and you could help me out big time. Oh, and I didn't know that this video was going to be the one entered, so it isn't my best work, but oh well:-)

Thanks!

http://www.expotv.com/videos/reviews/15/150/Baby-Einstein-Baby-MacDonald-A-Day-on-t/299451

"Cool" quote

2009-08-05T14:14:00.000-07:00

I've been reading this book called Presidents and Prophets that talks about the interaction between the prophets of my church and all the U.S. presidents. I came across this really interesting quote by President Calvin "Cool"idge:-)

"We do not need more material development, we need more spiritual development. We do not need more intellectual power, we need more moral power. We do not need more knowledge, we need more character. We do not need more government, we need more culture. We do not need more law, we need more religion."

I couldn't agree more...

Free babysitting...well, sort of

2009-08-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

So I have a newly found respect for parents that have more than one kid at a time. Last Friday night, Cory and I watched five toddler boys and two little girls. Now, why would we put ourselves through this insanity? We have a babysitting group consisting of five couples who take turns every other Friday watching everyone's kids so that the other couples can have some quality date time together. Great solution for saving money and putting in two hours of hard work for eight hours of babysitting in return. However, I did my best not to underestimate the craziness that would ensue. Luckily, no one got hurt and I think Cory wasn't scarred for life:-) I am just glad that I will not have five toddler boys at one time- that's five times the climbing, jumping, wrestling, hearing the word no, as well as the sharing issues.

Oh, and here's a picture of Cory relaxing with the kids- two is definitely manageable:-)

Laughing

2009-07-21T15:21:00.000-07:00

Before I get to the video of Annalisa laughing, I just wanted to write about a book that has helped me so much with her. It is called Secrets of the Baby Whisperer. Now, when I had Ethan, I didn't read any books on taking care of infants. I used the advice of my mom and sister which was enough to help me with Ethan, who was such a good baby. However, I am so glad that I took the time to read this small and helpful book. It has helped me to understand Annalisa better and as a result, she has been an even better baby than Ethan. I like how practical and down-to-earth the book is and how the author acknowledges that every baby is different. Anyway, I would recommend this book to anyone getting ready to have a baby, either their first or other. This book also helped me to switch to one-sided nursing, the best thing ever!

Okay. You've been patient...here is the video of Annalisa laughing. Enjoy!

Free movie and my cute little girl

2009-07-14T14:05:00.000-07:00

This morning I took Ethan to his very first movie in the theaters. A theater near us has free family movies every Tuesday and Wednesday morning so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to try it out and not waste money if he didn't like it. At first, he sat in his seat in awe. He lasted for almost 45 minutes! (I think it helped that the movie was Madagascar 2 and Ethan loves animals right now). As we were watching though, I couldn't help but notice things in the movie that I was glad Ethan didn't understand. He also jumped quite a bit during a loud part at the beginning. I am just more sensitive to those things now that I have a son who will soon be able to be influenced by it.

Anyway, Annalisa slept on my lap for most of it and then when Ethan wanted to leave, we went outside to see the turtles and there was this couple also looking at them. It was Kourtney Kardashian and her boyfriend Scott! Now the only reason I know who they are is because of this reality show about their family that is filmed in Calabasas.

And finally, here are some pictures of Annalisa being really smiley. She really is such a great baby- I feel so blessed!

Summer fun

2009-07-07T13:32:00.001-07:00

We are really enjoying spending our first summer here in California. Ironically, we haven't been to the beach yet, but we have had lots of fun in the sun. Last weekend, we had a barbecue in the park with some friends. Then on the 3rd, Cory got to play baseball with a bunch of guys and loved it. We went swimming a few times, got to see a small parade in Westlake Village, and then saw fireworks at a local park Sunday night. It was Ethan's first time and he loved them! Yesterday he kept pointing outside and saying boom. I was a little bummed because we couldn't do our own fireworks, but I completely understand why. I don't want to have to evacuate again because our mountains start on fire...

At the park where we had the barbecue

Riding the bee with friends

Playing Rock Band a while ago- Ethan likes to drum like his Mom:-)

Annalisa at the parade- she had both pointy fingers in her mouth right before I took this- she still hasn't figured out which one she prefers

Walking back to our car after the parade

All natural

2009-06-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

An ode to blonde:
It was great looking like I was someone who surfed and laid out on the beach.
It was great looking like my I.Q. wasn't that high.
It was great being the brunt of any blonde joke imaginable.
It was great paying money to disguise my gray (yep, 25 and a little gray).
Finally, it was great looking great!

Now it is time to move on and accept my natural self. I cut off all my blonde and hopefully now I can grow out my hair and sell it:-) I love having short hair for the summer! It it so much cooler.

Other things happening: Annalisa is sleeping through the night and being such a good baby. Ethan is learning his colors and growing more teeth. Cory likes his job downtown and actually enjoys the down time he gets on the bus to sleep and read. Oh-and I have found my true calling...being a drummer! I played Rock Band with some friends the other night for the first time and I love to drum! If only I had a set of my own...

My friend Sarah had to thin it quite a bit- apparently I have the hair of a lion...

She loves playing with her tongue.

Great website to discuss...

2009-06-11T15:56:00.000-07:00

So I just started using this website called ExpoTV and I have decided already that I love it. It's a website where people can post video reviews of products they have bought. Now, I like reading written reviews before I buy anything major and this is one step further- now I can see the actual product on camera and hear what people have to say.

Another great thing- I can review my own products! I definitely have my opinions when it comes to things that I have purchased and so this is a good outlet for me. Also, I get paid for doing it! Anyway, if you would like to join to see reviews or post some of your own, it's free and easy. Just click on this link so that I get a lot of referrals:-)

http://www.expotv.com/raf/lport311

A wedding and a blessing

2009-06-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time visiting Utah last week. We were able to spend some time with my family because my sister Julie got married. We decided to bless Annalisa while we were there and it was so nice to be able to have our family attend. We had such a good time watching Wipeout in the backyard, playing Bocce ball, and talking about Camille's new hairdo:-)

Then it was off to St. George for a few days with Cory's family and our friends Jeff and Whitney. We went swimming, got to see Wolverine, and eat some sweet barbecue.

As for now, Cory has started working for the Attorney General in L.A. and researching a few projects. I am still adjusting to life with two kids and trying to find ways to make ends meet. Here are some pictures of the Utah trip.

Mother's Day and Finals Week

2009-05-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

Little girls and polka dots- such a great combo:-)
Cory has been studying like a madman for the past few weeks trying to get ready for his finals. Every time I start to miss college life, I remember finals and then I don't miss it anymore...and law school finals are ten times harder than any ones I ever took. Cory still took the time to make yesterday a special day though by watching the kids and helping out. What an amazing husband I have!!!

Also, I forgot to mention my celebrity sighting. Now, I am apparently horrible at spotting celebrities so this was exciting for me. Cory and I went to breakfast at Marmalade Cafe with some friends of ours and at the table next to us was this guy:

Travis Barker from the band Blink 182. Now, this experience taught me a very valuable lesson: looking at this picture you might think he was doing something scary or illegal when we saw him. Appearances can be deceiving though and he was having a nice breakfast with his two little kids. It just reminded me about how often we judge people based on appearance and how we never really know what someone is like based on that alone. Just a random thought for the day...

Busy days

2009-04-22T20:52:00.001-07:00

The time really has flown by since my last post. Life is certainly more full with two kids. Annalisa is adjusting to her new schedule and I am learning to live off a few hours of sleep. We have had so much help from family and friends though which has been such a blessing. First from my mom who came for a few weeks and then from Cory's parents and sister Kailee for a week. Here are a few pictures of what we have been up to.

In her cute little onesie
Ethan giving her kisses

Ethan honking her nose:-)

Wide-eyed for Grandpa Webster

First bath
Ethan fell-even though we didn't think it was possible, his head got bigger:-)

Sweet battle scar/bump

She's finally here!!!

2009-04-02T19:30:00.000-07:00

Annalisa Webster was born on Monday at 10:41 p.m. She weighed 8 lbs. 8 oz. and was 20 inches long. She looks a lot like her mother. She has tons of dark hair and finger toes like Cory. We are so excited to finally have her here. I was going to get induced on Tuesday morning if she didn't come on her own, but my water broke Monday at 5:15 and we went straight to the hospital. After five hours of labor and some intense pushing (she was posterior), she was born. Here are some pictures and we will be posting more in the future of course. Oh, and Ethan loves his new little sister. He will randomly point to her and say baby. He is also very aware of her when she is crying. Pretty soon they will be able to play together:-)

Any time now...

2009-03-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

I figure I should write a quick post because things might be pretty hectic soon around here. I went to the doctor on Thursday and I have already started dilating so she could come any day now. Cory has this week off of school so of course she'll probably wait until next week to come:-)

Things have been going good. Ethan now walks all over the place and is getting some new teeth. Cory and I just had our birthdays and it feels just to same to be one year older. I also started teaching piano lessons with our new Yamaha Clavinova that plays like a dream. All in all pretty basic stuff. My sister and her now fiance came to visit a while back and I forgot to post some pictures so here they are. Mostly Ethan with some birds, us at the beach, etc.

Moved all the way across...the parking lot

2009-02-16T13:58:00.000-08:00

We love our new place!!! Ethan enjoys having his own room and his parents don't mind having their own room as well. We had six guys come over and help and they moved everything in just over an hour. Then Cory's parents came later that day to help us unpack and organize and just hang out. We are so grateful for all those who helped out. It was such an easy move for us and we really appreciate it. Here are some pictures of the move and what we have been up to the past few weeks:
Ethan loved playing in the empty cabinets

The solution to not pushing the love sac through the door-the before shot...

And after the drop

Kailee looking at the seal we saw at the pier

Ethan looking at the birds at the pier

The Ronald Reagan Library- where Air Force One is now stored

Our friend Jayden's second birthday party

Ethan at the outdoor magic show- you can even see where he fell and bruised his face

Playing at the library

Anyway, we have plenty more to prepare for...I can't believe I am due in less than six weeks!

Pictures and other stuff

2009-01-25T20:14:00.001-08:00

So I promised some pictures from the break so here are a few- in no particular order... Playing a Jumping Jacks in St. George- a place filled with blow up toys.

With his cousin Aislee- notice the head comparison:-)

Cory sledding at 2:00 in the morning...

All bundled up.

Going down the slide- he loved it! (Not just Cory, but Ethan too:-)

Family portrait- complete with the ball

Ethan hamming it up

Little Kael Osborne chillin at the Jazz game with us

Our New Year's Eve dinner

Ethan opening up one of his presents

The Crazy Porter family

A little more subdued

Eating dinner

Bowling alley with my mom's side of the family

He's pretty excited about a ball in the background.

In other news, we are finally moving this Saturday into an apartment with two bedrooms and for a good price. I have been working at it forever and it is such a relief!!! I can't believe that I will have more than one bedroom. I won't even know what to do with that much space. I hope Ethan likes having his own room because I would sure like to have my own room before another baby comes in 2 months...

Home for the holidays

2009-01-04T17:13:00.001-08:00

We had such a great holiday break this year!!! These are pictures from the lights on temple square- the Los Angeles Temple Square. We then got to spend time in St. George with Cory's family playing Would you Rather, watching it snow on Christmas Eve, and seeing a few movies. Then it was up to Salt Lake to be with my family. We got to go see a Jazz game with Jeff and Whitney and Kael and visit our friends Micah and Katy who just had a new baby girl. We stayed up until 3 on New Year's playing a ping pong tournament, the name game, and having a sledding competition on the hill in our backyard (Cory did hit the house first, Jared;-) We feel so blessed to be able to see our family and enjoy being together. Ethan had a good time playing with cousins. Ethan also got bundled up for the first time and went sledding with his daddy. We got to videotape it with our brand new video camera (thanks mom and dad!) Overall, we had such a great time. We will post more pictures soon.

A few sick men

2008-12-06T18:46:00.001-08:00

The last few days have been interesting as both Cory and Ethan have been sick. It has been kind of fun to have Cory home though, even if he is sick. He is starting to feel better and I guess this is a better time to be sick than next week during his finals.

In other news, both Cory and I finally got new phones after 3 years. Our new phones are so sweet! I can do everything I would ever want to do on a phone. Sprint was having a holiday deal and so we got them for free. They are both Palm Centros. Here are some pictures I took of Ethan when I was trying out the camera:

This is him cuddling with his chicky.

An almost-pouty face.

I also got to finally see another famous person at the store the other day. Ironically, it was someone that should have been easier to see in Utah: Bryon Russell from the Utah Jazz and a few other teams since then. Him and his wife were buying frozen vegetables. He was one of my favorite players back in the day-even though he did struggle guarding Michael Jordan, but hey, who didn't?

This is sweet (literally)

2008-11-29T11:32:00.000-08:00

So my friend Chalyse makes gingerbread houses each year with her family. One year she made an exact replica of our apartment in college. This year she created the J. Reuben Clark Law School. There really should be some kind of prize money for this or something.

Anyway, just thought I'd share that...it's nice to have friends that do amazing stuff that you can brag about:-)

Our Thanksgiving was good this year. It was my first outside of Utah. We spent it with our friends Daniel and Hope and their family in San Bernadino. It was a great day of eating, watching Christmas Vacation, and then playing a competitive game of Taboo. Ethan had a great time playing around in an actual house instead of our little apartment. Who knew he was so good at climbing stairs? Photos to come, I promise...

A quick weekend getaway

2008-11-20T19:03:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we flew to St. George-yeah, that's right, I bet most of you didn't even know there was an airport. Ethan loved his first plane ride even though his mom had a tough time on such a small plane. It was so great to only travel an hour and a half instead of driving for 7 hours. We got to hang out with Cory's family all together before his brother Jarrett left for his mission to Des Moines, Iowa. We watched the BYU game, played games, and had a huge dinner together. It was a nice little vacation, especially because we will be staying here this year for Thanksgiving. I feel a little weaksauce because I don't have any pictures, but I will take some soon...

Ultrasound results

2008-11-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

My relationship with Halloween

2008-11-04T16:27:00.000-08:00

We went to some sweet parties this year for Halloween. I was so excited because me and Halloween have had a rough time the last little while. Last year I got really sick and then in college all anyone ever wanted to do was watch horror films. It's a lot funner having crazy parties instead. Our first party was at the Baillio's. There were some awesome costumes and sweet decorations. Here are the hosts:

Here are some of the other guests: The food was great! I tried to be somewhat crafty and attempted to make cupcakes with little ghosts on top. Too bad the whipped cream melted pretty quick and made the ghosts look more like the wicked witch of the west. And here is our costume:
We like to be riddles for Halloween. This year Cory was an e "male" and I was his attachment(can you see the paper clips?) Ethan was Superman and he even had a curl in the middle of his forehead.

On Halloween night, we didn't go trick-or-treating because Ethan is not quite old enough. We went to a dinner at our friends the Gaddis' and had some meat-plosion as they call it and good caramel apples.

In other news, we will be finding out soon whether we are having a boy or a girl. I will let you all know when we know...

Full-time job

2008-10-10T10:03:00.000-07:00

So I have had a full-time job over the past few months trying to see a doctor with our state insurance plan. If you have any questions about what government run health care would be like, I believe that I have become an expert:-)
Now the reason that I have been trying to see a doctor is because I am pregnant and due at the end of March!!! I finally saw a doctor two days ago and was able to hear the baby's heartbeat. That is one of my favorite things...We are excited to add to our family!

1 year photos

2008-09-30T09:02:00.000-07:00

I finally got some one year pictures for Ethan at Kiddie Kandids. I must say I was skeptical about whether they could make Ethan smile on demand, but they did a good job. Ethan looks so cute in all of them. My little boy is getting so old...
The photographer wanted him on his tummy- this was as close as we got.
I love this one on the ladder.
This one was kind of awkward because Ethan couldn't figure out if we wanted him to stand or not.
I think he is starting to look more like his daddy.
And of course, here is the first of many baseball shots:-)

Amazing portraits

2008-09-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

So my cousin Anthony was always an amazing artist. When I was growing up, we would always be telling him different things to draw and he could do literally anything. I told him that someday he would work for Disney. Well, he is definitely on that road, but he has his own business called Precious Pencil Portraits. He does drawings of anyone and his prices are excellent. He did one of my parents and it looks so amazing. Here is one that he did of my grandpa and grandma.

This is a great idea for a gift or even a fun thing to do with a wedding picture, engagement picture, baby picture, or a candid photo. Here is his website if anyone is interested:

http://preciouspencilportraits.com/

Some ideas on women

2008-09-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

I hope you will indulge for a minute as I talk again about something that is important to me: the role of women. Being a woman myself, obviously this is a topic that interests me. In light of recent political developments, I find myself questioning a woman's role once more.

With the announcement of Sarah Palin as vice president, I was so confused for one reason: she is a strong female political candidate who is also a conservative. I didn't know they existed. I never had many political women role models to look up to or admire. I guess it has to do with how I distanced myself from modern feminist ideas. Now don't get me wrong: I believe women should be treated equally and be given the same opportunities as men. I am grateful to the feminists who got me the right to vote. I'm glad to have choices. I think this quote says it well:

"In my own opinion (key word), the foundation of feminism is this: being able to choose. The core of anti-feminism is, conversely, telling a woman she can't do something solely because she's a woman—taking any choice away from her specifically because of her gender. "You can't be an astronaut, because you're a woman. You can't be president because you're a woman. You can't run a company because you're a woman." All of those oppressive "can't"s.

One of the weird things about modern feminism is that some feminists seem to be putting their own limits on women's choices. That feels backward to me. It's as if you can't choose a family on your own terms and still be considered a strong woman. How is that empowering? Are there rules about if, when, and how we love or marry and if, when, and how we have kids? Are there jobs we can and can't have in order to be a "real" feminist? To me, those limitations seem anti-feminist in basic principle." -Stephenie Meyer

I've talked about this before- just because I chose to marry young and become a mother does not make any less of a woman. However, many modern feminists believe that it does.

So, let's just say that even though I disagree with some of Sarah Palin's policies, it is refreshing to see a women who has five kids, is pro-life, and pro-family. It sure gives me, as well as other women, something to think about.

For an interesting short debate on the topic, go here: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oew-manguward-marcotte9-2008sep09,0,7056203.story

Pitching Practice

2008-09-07T16:17:00.000-07:00

Ethan had his year appointment the other day and these were his stats:

Weight: 15th percentile

Length: 10th percentile

Head circumference: 97th percentile

So....he has a really big head I guess. Obviously, Cory eventually wants Ethan to play baseball even though his head will not be an advantage in terms of being a large target for the ball to hit. Maybe he will end up like his dad with a screw and plate in his cheek...or maybe I should just have him play another sport...

Either way, we do want him to be able to throw the ball and not be told he looks like a girl (I don't even throw like a girl thanks to my bro Eric:-) So we have pitching practice almost every day and he seems to favor his left hand. As the Websters always say, being lefthanded is good because he will make more money in the majors:-)

Those Loud Helicopters

2008-08-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a good story. On Tuesday, I just had put Ethan down for a nap and I started hearing helicopters flying pretty close. Rich people like to fly their helicopters and so I figured that was what was happening. Every time the helicopters would come close, I would get annoyed because they were so stinkin loud. For all you mothers, you know what it's like when you put your kid to bed and you become the noise nazi because if they wake up, there goes the rest of the day...

Anyway, I finally looked out the window and this is what I saw:
The hill next to our apartments was on fire!!! I freaked out a little bit and called Cory who was at school. He sounded worried because he had already heard about it and decided to come back home to help get stuff ready in case we needed to evacuate. I got into emergency mode and started grabbing our important files, stuff for Ethan, and other essentials. I kept looking out the window and the fire had escalated into this:
It looked like a bomb had just gone off with the huge black mushroom cloud of smoke. Then I could see the line of flames as the smoke lifted a little:
Gratefully, there were at least 6-7 helicopters that kept coming to drop water.
They were saving my life and all I could think about was how they were going to wake up my son.

We did end up leaving for a few hours just to get away from the smoke. I am glad our place didn't burn down, but it sure makes me think even harder about having emergency stuff on hand and ready...

Ethan's Birthday

2008-08-25T16:33:00.000-07:00

So when you picture a first birthday, the usual pictures always come to mind---the kid diving into his cake, frosting everywhere, and a huge sugar-filled smile. Well, that wasn't exactly our experience with Ethan. He turned one last Sunday and he is teething so he wasn't really that happy to begin with. I wrapped some presents and he was happy to open them--not for the present, but for the paper.

We Skyped my family so they could watch the celebration. We all sang happy birthday and then let Ethan have his way with his very own birthday cake.

The results were very interesting...he hates cake! I don't know how he's my son:-)

A wedding, July 4th, etc.

2008-07-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of what we have been up to the past little while. First, we went to the wedding of Luke and Julia Allen- friends of ours from California who actually got married in Midway. It was a beautiful setting and the bride of course looked amazing.

Our friends Mike and Melissa also came to the wedding- the only people we knew there.
White tents for dinner and people coming around with appetizer trays beforehand.

After the wedding, we had to rush to the Stadium of Fire. I had never been before and I loved the fireworks. It was also pretty funny to hear all of the girls start chanting "Mi-ley! Mi-ley!" before she came out. I personally would have liked to watch a BYU football game before the fireworks. There was also this huge dance with over 1300 girls on the field at the same time.
We had these glasses that made all of the white light break into colors.

And you might be wondering- where was Ethan during all of this? My mom watched him for us. And here he is with his 4th of July shirt- a flag made out of baseball stuff- perfect:-)

Porter Gathering

2008-07-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend all of my brothers and sisters were in town for a little reunion. We had so much fun swimming, playing a ping pong tournament, and hanging out in the mountains. It was great to see everyone together for a few days. We also did a tribute to Vanner, our car of 22 years that is about to die. Here are some pictures of the great time we had. Thanks family!!!

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The past month

2008-06-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

We have been really busy here in Utah with Cory doing his internship and me substituting for a first grade teacher for the past month. I have decided that high school is definitely the correct career choice for me; not that the first graders weren't adorable and actually wanted to please me, but because of all the drama of not being able to help pass out papers or borrow a friend's crayon. I'm guess I'm just not nurturing enough to not tell them to tough it up and move on with life:-)

We do have some good news to share. Cory had a phone interview last week with one of his professors who offered him a job as a teaching assistant next year! We are pretty excited not only because it will be a great opportunity, but because we will have at least a little bit of income.

One last thing- one of my favorite things about 1st grade is that I didn't have to take away any cell phones; I think Ethan thought I missed that:-)

A video and a weird resemblance

2008-05-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

We are now enjoying some time with my family in Utah as Cory works for a judge in Salt Lake. It's been really fun to see them every day and experience all of their randomness. Here is a video of Ethan flying with my brother Brian. Ethan grabs the phone at the end which is pretty funny.

Speaking of my brother, the other night he told us that he thought that Ethan looked like the Stay Puft marshmallow man on Ghostbusters. At first, I was like, yeah right...but this picture comparison is making me start to think otherwise:-)

Some Cory-ness

2008-05-03T16:40:00.001-07:00

So I realized that this blog has been lacking a little Cory-ness. I write about my life and Ethan's, but there is a third and very important member of our family that rarely gets mentioned. So here's a Cory update:

Cory is in the middle of his law school finals, which is a very stressful time. Imagine this: you have to completely memorize hundreds of pages verbatim and then be able to quote them exactly while applying them to various cases. He basically has to analyze every little detail- which is hard enough when there is an hour limit on each case and it's hard to even type that fast, let alone be brilliant.

In his free time, which is very little, he likes to play with Ethan, watch the Braves on mlb.com, watch the Jazz, and prepare lessons for priesthood on Sundays.

Things he is probably looking forward to this summer:

Working for a judge in the real world of law

Playing softball with his best friends

Not having to study every waking minute of the day

Spending more time with his son (and beautiful wife)

Leslie's Baby Shower

2008-04-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday my friend Lisa Howell threw a baby shower for a friend of ours who is having a little girl in May. Since she didn't live nearby, we decided to have the shower at my place. I knew it would be quite the experiment simply because she invited lots of people and my apartment is pretty small. We ended up having just enough room for 15 adults and 6 kids. Cory and I had to shove our giant Love Sac into the bedroom though and it was quite entertaining because every time you move the Sac, it just gets puffier and puffier. Here's a shot of some of the women who came:And here's Leslie opening some of her gifts:

The coolets part- Lisa made a cake out of diapers which was awesome and we used her chocolate fountain for the refreshments which was a big hit. Although it was fun, it has made me realize that I really am going to need a house at some point if I want to have big parties. My parents sure knew what they were doing when then built our house- it's perfect for parties! Someday...

Belated Easter wishes

2008-04-01T11:36:00.001-07:00

We had a really good Easter last week and I have finally decided to put some pictures up. Originally, we weren't going to do much, but I really love Easter not only for the chance that it gives me to reflect on the resurrection, but also because I love Easter candy! So Saturday night I decided that I was going to put together some Easter baskets. I didn't really want to buy baskets so I just used some actual baskets that we had lying around the house.I got Ethan a little blue lamb to enjoy because that's all that he can eat at this point.
Here's Cory with his Spring Break beard- it has so much red in it that Ethan's hair becomes less of a mystery.
Here's Ethan trying to eat the peanut M&Ms bag- the closest he'll get to chocolate for a while. He literally was attacking the bag for quite some time- he reminds me of his dad in so many ways:-)

The choice

2008-03-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

So I watched the movie Mona Lisa Smile this past week and something about it really hit a chord with me. The movie began as a pretty predictable flick about women in the fifties breaking the "chains" of tradition i.e. marriage, family, etc. I thought to myself, "Oh great, another movie about how being a wife and mother isn't as respectable as having a career.

Then one character surprised me- Joan. She was the smartest girl in the class and her teacher encouraged her to apply to Yale Law School. She gets accepted and then decides to get married and start a family instead. Her teacher expresses her disappointment and Joan answers by saying this:

"I know exactly what I'm doing and it doesn't make me any less smart. You stand in class and tell us to look beyond the image, but you don't. To you a housewife is someone who sold her soul for a center hall colonial.(?) She has no depth, no intellect, no interests. You're the one who said I could do anything I wanted. This is what I want."

I just love how she acknowledges the fact that she is glad that she now has choices, but that she has chosen to become a wife and mother. Every woman has the choice to make between life goals and she can decide whatever she thinks is best for her. I just get tired of people who say that becoming a homemaker is the least deisrable of goals. Why isn't it as respected as any other profession? I have seen the good that my mother did in raising six children who are out making a difference in the world. I didn't become a homemaker as a backup because I couldn't do anything else. I could do whatever I wanted to do- it's the fact the I CHOSE to be a wife and mother that makes it so meaningful to me.

Anyway, that was longer than expected. Thanks for indulging me:-)

March Madness

2008-03-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not just referring to the massive amount of college basketball going on. This month has been crazy! I had a great birthday and even got to spend some girl time hanging out with Cory's mom Lorrie, Kailee and Angela who came to visit from St. George. We got to go to the American Girl store and it was nice to be reminded of my own doll, Kirsten. I kind of regret going through that phase quickly and moving on to sports...well, not too much (without my football knowledge, who knows if I would have convinced Cory to marry me:-)
As for my son, he has had quite the month as well. We are now starting solids, he can roll over all he wants, and he even sits up on his own. So that's it for my post...until I think of something else interesting to say.

Dodgeball Tourney

2008-03-10T17:12:00.000-07:00

Okay. So I hope I can explain this properly because it was one of the funniest things I have ever seen future lawyers do. A few weeks ago, the law school at Pepperdine had their annual dodgeball tournament. They put up tarps and netting in the atrium of the law school. They had over 36 teams sign up, including a team of professors, with really original names- here are the huge brackets that were on the wall:
Some of the teams went all out with the costumes- for example, there were the Cereal Killers who were all dressed up like cereal mascots, Malibu's Most Wanted who were celebrities who had been arrested, and my favorite, the Law Books (obviously not the best choice for winning, but very creative).

Cory got asked to be on a team called the Argyles who just wore argyle socks as their costume (low maintenance but they did win a game).

Anyway, I have come to the conclusion that this was so entertaining because law students don't seem to have enough outlets for their creativity and so go all out for something like this. If you plan on visiting Cali next year in February, this should definitely be on your must-see list:-)

A new toy

2008-03-06T15:45:00.000-08:00

They really know what they are doing at Fisher-Price. Ethan got this singing and music toy for Christmas (thanks grandma Lorrie!) and I haven't had him use it much because he can't really sit up by himself quite yet. Today I put him in front of it and let him go for a little while. To my surprise, the toy is at a perfect height and angle for him to sit up and lean against. He loved it and sat up by himself for almost 5 minutes! And I was reminded of how quickly he is growing up... He looks just like his mom in this picture- we both stick out our tongues when we are concentrating:-)

Tagged by Jamie

2008-03-05T10:27:00.000-08:00

Here goes...
1. What was I doing ten years ago?
I was in eighth grade and vice president of the student body. I was just as tall as I am now and had braces as well as poofy bangs (it took me a while to lose those). Definitely a guy magnet:-)
2. 5 things I need to do today:
Take care of Ethan, get pictures developed, go to the beach with my friends Liz and Matt, take Cory some food on campus, and call my insurance about yet another huge doctor's bill.
3. What snacks do I enjoy?
Sunchips or any chips for that matter, green starbursts, milk duds
4. What would I do if I were suddenly a billionare?
Keep a few million of it and live just like I do now, except have a sweet house and travel all over the world with my hubby and baby. Give the rest of it to immediate family, the church, and BYU for scholarships for a very long time (in exchange for sweet football seats for life).
5. Three bad habits:
Picking at my lips, not eating near enough vegetables, and getting really frustrated when people say the word "anyways".
6. Five jobs I've had:
Teaching sophomores world history, tutoring student athletes at BYU, scrapbooking for a lady in Provo, handing out samples at grocery stores while wearing a bow tie, and an early morning paper route for almost 5 years.
7. Five things people don't know about me:
a) I have a huge scar across my forehead
b) I hate chocolate and mint put together
c) I love camping and river rafting and if I was stronger, I would love to be a river guide on the Snake River in Wyoming.
d) I don't have a middle name, even now being married- it's just Lisa Webster
e) I don't like shopping- unless I know exactly what I'm getting and can be efficient about it.

Now I tag Baillio Babe and Tiffany!

Happy Birthday to Cory!

2008-02-21T16:20:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Cory's 25th yesterday. I've decided that it's really hard to enjoy birthdays when you are older because they seemed like so much fun when we were all kids. So I decided to put a little nostalgia in Cory's birthday celebration this year. I brought him cupcakes at school and made him a football field cake (that was one of my favorite parts of my birthday- my mom made awesome cakes). I even found out how to make Winger's and we had that for dinner.
I had Cory's family call using their webcam and they all sang happy birthday to him and watched him blow the candles out.
At the end of the day, Cory got to something he loves- play a good ole' football game on xbox. I think he's teaching Ethan how to beat every team by at least 50 points:-)

Six month check-up

2008-02-19T20:27:00.000-08:00

Ethan is now half a year old! I can't believe how quickly it has gone by. He now weighs 18 pounds and is 26.5 inches long. It's amazing how he has grown that much on breastmilk alone. We will probably be starting some solid food in the next little bit which I hear is quite the adventure. He can now roll over from his back to his tummy and makes all kinds of noises. We are so grateful for him. I'll post some pictures in a bit...

Engagement Anniversary

2008-02-12T15:07:00.000-08:00

In honor of our two year anniversary of when we got engaged, I thought it would be a good idea to retell the story of how Cory proposed. We got engaged on February 10 even though yesterday I was under the impression that it was February 11 (aren't the boys supposed to forget dates:-)

It was a Friday night and Cory had an intramural basketball game at 10. About two minutes into the game, he called a timeout and the boys huddled together. I was sitting on the sideline talking with some girls from the ward. When I looked at the huddle, they broke apart and there was Cory on his knee with a ring box open in his hand. I stopped breathing as he came over to me, got down on his knee again, and asked me to marry him. I felt a bouquet of flowers get put into my hand and a camera flash (Cory had staged people to help out) and I just hugged him in complete surprise.

After a few seconds, Cory pulled away and asked what my answer was and I realized that I hadn't even said yes because of the surprise of it all. I said yes and we left the game to go call our families with the good news.

Now, leading up to this day, Cory had really done his homework. His main priority was to surprise me because I always think that I can figure things out before he can. He had gotten me out of the house with the help of my best friend and driven up to West Jordan to talk to my dad the week before. He had also taken my best friend ring shopping with him for advice. I didn't see the ring until he proposed and he chose a better ring than I could have ever imagined.

So, two years and one kid later, I am still so grateful that he decided to ask me to marry him:-)

Politics as usual

2008-02-08T16:42:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted anything for a while because I haven't really taken any pictures and then I realized that I don't need pictures to say things that are on my mind. I just need to make sure and use a thousand words:-)

So I've been getting in a political mindset lately because of a combination of things. First, the primaries are well on their way and my favorite candidate has decided to sacrifice for the party which means that I will have to vote for someone who I despise but who has more in common with my ideology than Obama or that woman. Also, last week I was able to go to a Moot Court competition which was judged by the one and only Chief Justice Roberts and it reminded me of my debate days and how much more intellectual I was then.

Finally, Cory has been getting me the West Wing seasons to watch and although I disagree with a lot the liberalism that permeates every aspect of that show (example- when passing a bill that requires a pregnant woman to listen to adoption options when considering abortion, the press secretary states that women shouldn't have to be lectured at when having an abortion because it interfers with their rights, blah, blah, blah), it is really fun to listen to the debate on issues. Except... that it reminds me why I avoid politics now. I don't really like the anger that wells up inside of me when people misrepresent issues, claim that all religious people are intolerant, or use the bill of rights to justify just about anything. So I'd better not write about politics too often because I do not like who I become when I get frustrated...I need to work on that:-)

The weirdest movie ever...

2008-01-31T21:24:00.000-08:00

So I didn't watch this movie with Cory and so I feel the need to write about it right now. Time Bandits has got to be one of the weirdest movies of all time. The tagline talked about traveling through history so I'm thinking, Oh good my history major might come in handy for something...boy was I wrong. It's a mixture of Willow, Neverending Story, and Monty Python, but not the cool parts, just the random parts. A few times I thought I was watching Labrynth again and that David Bowie was going to suddenly emerge and sing a little ditty. For anyone who has seen this movie, did you think it was half as weird as I did?

Sunset

2008-01-16T15:00:00.000-08:00

We went to the beach the other night to see the sunset and we got some of the cutest pictures of Ethan. Here is the sun setting behind him.
Here he is sucking on his bottom lip- one of his favorite things to do lately.
Such a cute smile!
When he gets excited, he always brings his fists to his mouth.
I am so grateful for such a happy baby...

Webcams are sweet!

2008-01-14T21:15:00.000-08:00

So my new favorite toy is the webcam that me and Cory got from my parents for Christmas. I love talking to people with it! The avatars and special effects are fun as well. It makes me feel like Back to the Future II when Marty McFly gets fired on a video conference phone call (that show is set in 2015- does that mean we should have flying cars and hoverboards in seven years?) Anyway, we use Skype so if you ever want to chat, let us know!

Christmas break

2008-01-11T09:57:00.000-08:00

We had such a great time over Christmas with both of our families. The only downside was that both Cory and Ethan got sick. However, when we got back to California, Cory said that he was actually ready for the new semester. Thank goodness for breaks...

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Four month check-up

2007-12-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

So here's the stats for Ethan after going to his appointment. He weighs 16 lbs (70th percentile) and is almost 26 inches (90th percentile). He did really well with the shots again because he is one tough little guy. Here's a picture of him holding his head up. I love his old man wrinkles on his forehead.

San Diego

2007-12-12T10:36:00.000-08:00

So last weekend we went to San Diego to see the BYU game. We stopped and visited with my aunt and cousins before the game and we sat by my Aunt Tina and Uncle John at the game. We had so much fun! We also hung out at Liz and Matt's hotel afterward before driving back up to L.A. I think Ethan has now gone to more BYU games than I ever did in my first 10 years of life:-)
This is my cousin Krista holding her 1st cousin once removed- I think that's right...
And this is Kendra holding him
My Aunt Tina and Uncle John and Ethan's wide open mouth
Our friends Matt And Liz who will soon be moving to Sacramento which I'm quite upset about

The Bumbo

2007-11-30T11:05:00.000-08:00

So here's a picture of Ethan sitting up all by himself... but really with the help of what is called a Bumbo. Kudos to my aunt Karen for giving us this one. I plan on using it at the beach in the near future.

Dancing video---->

2007-11-26T13:08:00.000-08:00

So my sister Camille put this together and we thought it was hilarious. I don't remember us ever taking a picture with those ridiculous faces, but they work perfectly for this. Enjoy!

Three month update

2007-11-20T12:16:00.000-08:00

So Ethan is now three months old and getting so long! Here are a list of some of the things he is doing right now. First, he laughs more and more, probably at how silly his parents look when trying to make him laugh... Second, he holds his head up all by himself. Lastly, he can lift his head 90 degress when he's on his tummy. It's funny how excited we can get over such little accomplishments.

Halloween

2007-11-12T15:14:00.000-08:00

Here's a few pictures from the Halloween party given by our friends Sarah and Austin (for more pictures, click on their blogs to the right). The party was complete with a fog machine, dry ice, and great food. Cory and I dressed up as a pair of blue jeans which was pretty much the most low-maintenance costume ever. We look as silly as ever but I've decided that to be a true blogger, I'm going to have to post pictures that show all sides of us:-)

Law School Prom

2007-11-12T15:03:00.001-08:00

So it's been way too long since I wrote anything and I have no excuse except for a near death fire experience as well as a deathly illness. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating...
So here's an update along with some pictures.

A few weeks ago, a few of us decided that instead of going to this dinner cruise sponsored by the law school that was ridiculously expensive and would no doubt end with a ship full of drunk law students, we would have our own Law School Prom. The girls got all dressed up as did the boys and we went to dinner at Claim Jumper and swimming afterward. We had a really good time.

A little white tuxedo

2007-10-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Ethan all dressed up for his blessing. We blessed him in St. George and were glad that the BYU-UNLV game was that same weekend so that more family and friends could be there. He was great all day and even tried talking to his Grandpa Webster about it:-) A little sidenote...we still haven't evacuated or anything even though Cory now gets tomorrow off of school as well.

Quite the fire

2007-10-21T15:41:00.001-07:00

So you all might be watching the news and wondering how things are really going here in California. We had just to evacuate from the church because the fire was getting closer and ashes were blowing all around. All of Pepperdine has been evacuated because the Santa Anna winds are making the fire even worse. Hopefully they can get this under control but the winds are supposed to stay around until Tuesday. One good thing out of all of this is that Cory doesn't have to go to school:-) We'll keep you all updated. Here are some pictures from our apartment patio.

Two-month check-up

2007-10-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

So I thought I would give an update on how Ethan is growing. We went to his check-up yesterday and I was way off on my weight estimates. He is 13 lbs (90th percentile) and 24.5 inches (95th percentile). The doctor said at this rate he will be 6'2" and 200 lbs. Perfect size for a BYU quarterback... Anyway, he is healthy and took his five shots like a man. I'll be posting pictures from his blessing soon.

A short video

2007-10-11T14:33:00.000-07:00

I love all of the emotion that Ethan is starting to show. He is so much more responsive to things. Hopefully this video gives some idea as to what he's like when he is awake and happy.

Our first month

2007-09-24T10:05:00.000-07:00

What a great time we are having here in California! Cory is keeping busy with law school and I have been trying to get used to having a little boy to take care of. We have already taken him to the beach and to his first BYU football game at the Rose Bowl. Call me crazy for taking a 3 week old baby to a stadium full of 75,000 people:-) We have also met some great couples in our ward who we have a lot of fun with. We sure do miss everyone but are enjoying our new adventure. I think that's it for now...

Ethan Cory Webster

2007-09-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

Ethan was born on August 17 at 3:30 a.m. He weighed 7 lbs. 10 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. He has red hair and long fingers and toes. Here is one of the first pictures. Ethan definately looks like his dad with his eyes open.