Bobby and Mikelle Glas

Brooklyn hits 15 months!

2012-02-05T17:07:00.001-07:00

Our princess is also getting too big for her own good. At her 15 month check up, she was only 15 pounds, 75%, so slowing down a bit, and 32 inches, 90%. Bobby hopes she keeps growing and gets his height. Here she has a hot dog she stole from Alec. We are learning not to leave food where she can see or reach it, because it will disappear!

Poor girl though is just like her mom. When she is tired, she gets slap happy. It is so funny because she will just walk around laughing. She is teething, so a little grumpy currently, but still mostly a happy baby. This picture was taken while playing with mom. Mom would close the sliding glass door while Brooklyn was outside and Mom was inside, and when she would open it again, Brooklyn would get this supper surprised/happy look. It was hilarious, and she played it for a good 10 minutes. Oh the joys of childhood.

Papa

2012-02-05T16:52:00.000-07:00

This picture gets its very own post. Look carefully and see if you recognize this man, and if you do, what is different? That's right! Mikelle's dad shaved off his mustache!! Mikelle's parents got called to work in the temple, so naturally, the facial hair had to go. It is taking some getting used to, since he has had it as long as his kids can remember, but we like it and they are loving the temple calling. Oh, and speaking of callings, our family just got a lot busier. Bobby got called to Ward Clerk today, and Mikelle got called to second counselor in the primary. Big changes are coming our way!!

Jackson's 4!!

2012-02-05T16:33:00.000-07:00

So, our little boy isn't so little anymore. He turned 4 January 24th. We're not sure we like 4, he is more whiny and doesn't like to follow directions, but we are trying to work on it! At his 4 year well check, he was 36 lbs., 50% and 40.5 inches, 50%. So, growing steadily. This is the first year we did a friend party, and we think it went well. There are a few things we would have changed, like we never sang happy birthday and we didn't get a good group picture. There was just too much going on, and it was forgotten. But the kids were good and seemed entertained, and the decorations were great!! Mikelle made this banner with the help of her mom and Kristin.

Mickey was the theme, and Jackson was so excited for his Mickey party. Mickey Mouse even called him on his actual birthday. It was so cute to see how excited Jackson was. We are hopping to take the kids to Disney Land this summer to make it even more special. And we are planning a Minnie party for Brooklyn one of these years, so we can use a lot of the stuff over again!!

We were able to find fun Mickey Mouse bowls for the food and a fun frame with a picture of Jackson wearing Kristin's Mickey ears. We tried to keep it simple, so we just frosted cupcakes and put Oreos on top that looked like Mickey heads. Papa Halterman did a great job!! Mikelle's parents and Kristin were able to come help with the party, and we were so thankful!

For the main course, you can't go wrong with pizza. We had a lot of different ideas about how to make the pizzas, but in the interest of time we decided to keep it easy and just make Mickey heads out of pepperoni, and deal with square heads not circle.

The party started with a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while we waited for all to arrive. Then the kids colored Mickey pictures, we had a scavenger hunt where the kids found Mickey ears, Mickey shaped Rice Krispies Treats and Mickey cups. Then we had lunch, played outside, ate cupcakes, opened presents, then destroyed the toy room!

Brooklyn couldn't miss one minute. We tried to get her to nap while we were setting up, but no luck! That girl knows what she wants, and usually gets it! Kristin came all dresses up! We can always count on her to liven things up a bit!!

Tessa also came dressed up. How cute is she?! These two are the best of friends. They always want to get together and play, and thankfully they have had lots of play time while Aunt Kendra watches Jackson and Brooklyn while Mikelle does some more physical therapy. Thanks Aunt Kendra!! You're the best.

And of course, we had to try and get a shot of Brooklyn with ears too. She wasn't too thrilled to be wearing them, but at least it's a decent shot. Jackson is already planning for his party next year, monsters!!

Post Christmas

2012-01-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

After Christmas we were able to go to Prescott for a little bit. We finally checked out the zoo. It is small, but lots of good animals to see up close.

There are also a lot of toys to play on, which were Jackson's favorite (although in this one he looks like he's trying to strike his sister)!

We took one morning and hiked the Peavine Trail. Brooklyn was so excited not to be in the stroller the whole time!

And Jackson just kept walking. Our children love to be outside. We were lucky it was so warm up there and we weren't in the snow everyday, although some snow would have been nice!

Jackson shared Lightning McQueen with Brooklyn, and helped her ride it. As long as someone did the button for her, she held on and had a blast. Jackson is such a great big brother, most of the time!! He loves to help his sister.

And of course, a trip to the park was a must. This slide is kind of steep, and a little scary. It took us a few minutes, and a trip down with Tia to get Jackson to feel comfortable on this slide, but then we couldn't keep him off of it.

The is our little monkey. Climbing all over the place, and sadly, trying to chew on the floor. Poor girl has teeth coming in like there's no tomorrow. She just had 3 break through in the last few weeks, and has 5 more trying to.

She is also our fearless child. The slide we had to coax Jackson down., she climbed up, and went down backwards. She loves to slide and swing. We went out to the mall a few times to let the kids play, and she just acted like a big kid. Up and down the slide, mostly backwards on her tummy, but a few times face first. She tried to do that back at the house on the stairs as well! She's going to have a lot of falls in the next few years!!

The one thing we didn't do, and Brooklyn was really upset about, we didn't play any golf! She would try and carry these clubs and bag around the house. Up and down the stairs was really problematic. It was so funny because she wouldn't just carry one, and they are almost as big as she is! We think Bobby trained her and was trying to tell us something!!

Christmas

2012-01-10T20:53:00.000-07:00

Santa brought this amazing apron to Bobby! Now there are no excuses for not helping in the kitchen!

Brooklyn did okay with presents, but mostly just wondered around playing with toys. Mostly the old ones, but a few of the new.

Jackson was too funny. He got exactly what he wanted, which was Spencer, a train from Thomas, but spent most of the time playing with Brooklyn's gifts. He loved her tea set, and made us all yummy drinks! But this year was fun since it was the first year he really got into Santa. We wrote him a letter, and he even drew him a picture we left out with the cookies and milk.

This picture doesn't show it too well, but these three had Christmas mo-hocks. Bobby came home one night and decided him and Jax needed them since Bobby was off work for 2 weeks. And what little hair Brooklyn has just naturally spiked for us. So cute. We got lots of comments at church!

We had Christmas dinner with Barry's family. Mikelle's parents and sister, Kristin also joined us. We even had Mikelle's Grandmother, Grandad and Uncle Rob for a little while. It was a lot of fun, and the sweetest part, was Jackson putting a bow on his head and running around telling everyone he was the best present ever!

Tessa got a fun game for Christmas, and of course after she let Jackson see how it worked, he wanted a turn and so did Trenton. We worked a lot on sharing Christmas night!

Pre-Christmas

2012-01-10T20:34:00.000-07:00

To get ready for Christmas, we spent a lot of time in the car looking at Christmas lights. This was Jackson's favorite thing to do. One evening, we went into Scottsdale to the train park to ride the train through the lights. It was crazy crowded, but so worth the wait. There were so many lights and other fun things to do. Mostly Mikelle waited in line while the kids and Bobby did all the fun things!!

Here are Jackson's awesome antlers he made at our ward Christmas party. This year they did a brunch, and everyone came in jammies. It was a great idea and went really well. The one down side was that a little girl got sick in the middle of it, and guess who was sick all the next week? We hate the "choke-up" bug around here. (That's what Jackson calls it).

Grandma Halterman gave Jackson his own gingerbread house to decorate. He loved it. Mikelle helped, but just by putting the frosting where he wanted it. He was very creative, even made a little garden in front, I'm sure just for his Papa!

We took the kids to see Santa, and of course Jackson did great, and Brooklyn freaked out! But we took them to Arizona Mills, where they had this cool sand castle for Santa's Village. It was real sand. Santa even sat on a sand chair. Too cool, especially for AZ.

This was Christmas Eve day. We went for a hike up South Mountain. The kids loved it, although Brooklyn would have preferred to walk. It was a little steep and rocky though for that. It was a gorgeous day. Unseasonable warm here in Phoenix, that means unseasonably cool for the summer, right?!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T16:35:00.000-07:00

For Thanksgiving we actually hosted our first Thanksgiving! Over all it turned out really well. My pie crusts, not so good, but edible and the pumpkin pie from scratch made up for it, I think! Bobby's dad and sister, Bridgette and her husband Nick, were able to come for about 4 days. It was great.

Mostly we just hung out and watched a little football. A nice recharge time for everyone. We did go to the train park in Scottsdale one afternoon, but the camera was MIA, so no good pictures. But it was lots of fun and we plan to go back in the next few weeks to check out the light in the dark!

Jackson loved all the extra attention and the different people to play with. I'm not sure what he will do next week after a whole weeks of extra attention.

Chitwoods Visit!!

2011-11-28T16:11:00.000-07:00

Cora loved playing with Brooklyn's toys and Jackson loved playing with Cora. Brooklyn wasn't sure how she felt about it all. She was jealous anytime someone was holding Cora, but she didn't hurt her, so that's good.

Cora held her own though. She was not to be bullied by her older cousins!

Cora isn't sitting on her own yet, so we had to find places to prop her up . Good thing she liked the ball pool for a few pictures!

Here are the three little monsters. Trying to get a picture of just three of them was next to impossible. But it's pretty good all the same.
It was a fun few days, just relaxing and spending time with family.

Days

2011-11-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

Since the weather has been so great, we have been taking full advantage of it by going for walks everyday. Jackson of course prefers his bike, so we let him get some practice in too. He is getting really good, but it still takes about 30 minutes to go around the block! We are trying to get him use to the idea of wearing a helmet, but that doesn't go over too well every time!

Brooklyn has decided she wants to work in construction, so we are putting her to work all over the house! Poor girl is destined to be a tomboy with all the boy toys we have around the house. At least Jackson is mostly good about sharing.

Brooklyn has also decided if Jackson gets suckers, so does she. And she loves them, although the stick is almost as good as the sucker itself apparently!!

And this face, we like to call her crazy face. She just started playing with Grandma Halterman one day while Grandma was feeding her. Not sure where it came from, but it is hilarious! And if you do it back, she will start all over again. Plus, she loves that we are laughing with her, so then she does it some more. This girl loves attention.

Desert Botanical Garden

2011-11-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

Jackson loves to get Cultural Passes from the library to check out fun "cultural" spots around Phoenix. And it's a great break from playing with mom all the time! This time Jackson chose the Botanical Garden, and the kids really enjoyed it. Highly recommend to anyone who wants to be outside for a bit, but not at the zoo, again!
Jackson just loves being a big helper. He made sure we went into the "hut" to be in the shade and have a drink.

Love this picture of our happy kids. It was such a great day to go. The weather in Phoenix this time of year is great.

This picture cracks me up. I wanted a picture of Jackson and a butterfly in the butterfly pavilion, and he gives me the thinker pose! Not the best picture to see the butterfly, but cute all the same.

A sweet lady took our picture in the butterfly pavilion. She said she knew how moms never got to be in pictures and almost grabbed the camera from me.

Jackson loved anytime he could sit down. I think it was more walking than he was prepared for, but at least he was a trooper and keeps asking when we can go back!

Brooklyn's Duck Birthday!

2011-11-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

For Brooklyn's birthday we were going to have it at the park, but it was too windy and cold, so we just went and played a little then came back to our house. Jackson's favorite part was beating up Uncle Barry!!

Brooklyn loved the swings, and Tessa yelled, "Best day ever" while swinging. Swings really are the best.

Brooklyn was being a little fussy, so grandma tried to help her find her happy face,. She did a little dance, make some silly noises, and Brooklyn put her hand to her face, like she couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. It was soo funny.

The kids also loved playing with bubbles, especially Alec.

The side-walk chalk was also a big hit, although Jackson thought it was fun to mess everyone's pictures up. He even put dirt on Aunt Kendra's picture.

Brooklyn's cake.

Grandma and Papa helped with the decorations.

And there was lots of yummy duck food to eat. Duck shaped pizza, blue jello with ducks on top, quackers and "duck food" (trail mix).

Brooklyn loved her duck cake.

She thought it tasted good too! But she also thought the plate tasted good, so ... (It was pretty good though).

She loved all her fun gifts, but the bow tasted the best! Oh to be little and amazed by all the little things. It was a great party, although we missed the rest of the family who weren't there. Maybe next year!!

1 Year Old!!

2011-11-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

Our little princess in one, already! And keeping with tradition we had to take Brooklyn's picture with daddy and writing on their tummies. Lucky for us she didn't mind getting her picture taken. She is walking all over the place. Still a tad unsteady, but holding her own.

She is slimming down a bit, only 24 pounds 2 ounces, 90% and 31 1/4 inches, 100%.

Overall still very happy, but is trying to cut some top teeth so she can eat like a big kid! Which will be nice since she eats a ton. We gotta keep up her thighs!

She is getting into all sorts of trouble. She loves to climb, on anything, and loves to climb into baskets. And she is a total Drama Queen. She's going to give us a run for our money! But still a blessing to our family.

Halloween

2011-11-01T10:35:00.000-07:00

So this year we broke out of our mold, no superheroes for Halloween. Jackson wanted to be Scooby-Doo, so we all got on board. Brooklyn was our bee monster, although Jackson said she was a sweet honey bee! Either way, she is too cute!

No introduction needed here! He loved the costume, but the head made his head sweaty, so didn't like to wear it all the time. Scooby never looked so good!

Bobby was Shaggy and Mikelle was Velma. Too bad we were missing Fred and Daphne, but we still looked awesome! Bobby was so sick of his gotee, though it was perfect. It is already gone as of this morning. The kids loved trick-or-treating. We went with Barry and his kids and had a lot of fun.

Our ward did a trunk-or-treat Saturday night. It was great, and Jackson couldn't wait to do the donut game. He was so excited he won a donut!!

Brooklyn sat in the stroller for the whole party, only getting a little fussy at the end. Jackson, as always, was such a good helper and big brother, singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" to help he find her happy face!

2011-11-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn wasn't too interested in helping with the jack-o-lanterns. She hated the insides, just like her daddy and brother.

She did think the pumpkin and the seeds tasted good though! It was hard to keep them out of her mouth.

Grandma Halterman found this Spiderman to make into a pumpkin. Jackson and Bobby love it! Perfect for Halloween.

Jackson and Bobby made a very happy jack-o-lantern. Jackson got to choose the shapes for the details, and Bobby carved it out.

Random Days

2011-11-01T09:12:00.001-07:00

One of Brooklyn's favorite moves. She thinks it's so funny. She will just keep doing it over and over and laugh. She's even got Jackson doing it!

Bobby taught Brooklyn to ride in the dump truck. She loves it, but now is constantly trying to climb in it. The dump truck might have mysteriously disappeared! We don't want to see the inside of the hospital anytime soon.

Brooklyn loves care bears. So funny how things come full circle.

Yee-haw!!

Brooklyn loves Jackson's horse and he is so great with sharing.

Jackson's prince costume for Tessa's Tangled party. He had so much fun, especially on the train!! Such a boy.

Loving "real" food, although we're not loving cleaning her up!!

Brooklyn loves to put hats on and wear them, although she doesn't like to keep them on too long. She looks so cute in them though!!

AZ Museum of Natural History

2011-10-18T16:37:00.001-07:00

Jackson has been wanting to go see the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum, so today we finally went. He loved the museum, and Brooklyn liked it for the first hour!

He had lots of fun finding dinosaur bones in the Paleo Dig Pit! Brooklyn helped a little too, but mostly wanted to eat the rubber that was covering the bones.

Jackson is just like all boys, loving dirt and dinosaurs. Perfect since this was relatively clean, but still seemed like he was playing in the dirt.

Panning for gold was a little lost on him though. He liked playing in the water, and floating the bowls down the stream, but we didn't pan very much! We did find a few pieces though, so at least he had the experience.

Pumpkin Festival

2011-10-18T16:25:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to Prescott to go to a pumpkin festival at Freeman Farms in Chino Valley, AZ. Jackson has been waiting to go with Grandma and Papa to get pumpkins, and he was not disappointed! It was a little warmer than we would have liked, but other than that we had a great time.

Brooklyn was so good and content to be pushed in her stroller. She hung out with Papa and listened to some music, while clapping along! She loves music. And it was great for Jackson to just be able to go while sister sat.

He loved the merry-go-round. He rode it at least 3 times, but was still a little disappointed when we had to go get pumpkins and he couldn't ride it again.

And of course he had to get a jack-o-lantern on his face. He sat so still , but did confuse the artist when he said he wanted a green pumpkin. It's so funny how everything has to be his favorite color! The artist assured him it would have green leaves!!

He was a little leery at first to pet the animals, but Papa held his hand and showed him they were nice animals.

The hay ride was great. They even let us keep Brooklyn in her stroller, which was awesome.

Jackson always has to "drive" a tractor when he sees one he can climb on!

The train ride was so fun. During it, they got "held" up by robbers, but they gave the kids candy instead of steeling anything! Such a cute idea.

These John Deere bikes were great. Such a fun idea, and of course getting him off them was a challenge, but when we lured him with pumpkins picking and fresh apples to eat he happily got off!

2011-10-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

Jackson is starting to show Brooklyn the ropes. He likes to have her on the trampoline, but just for a minute or two since he can't do all his "cool moves" with her on.

He has shown her all about the sandbox, which is his personal favorite.

But we don't let her play in there too much, since she likes to eat the sand and all!

And he even let her use his sidewalk chalk.

When she wasn't trying to eat it, she was actually drawing on the ground with it! She did have a problem sharing with her brother though, since she needed at least one in each hand, sometimes two! Baths were definitely needed after crawling around in chalk and dirt all afternoon!!

2011-10-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

Our little munchkin is 11 months now! The time has gone by so fast. She will be walking like a pro before we know it. She is already taking 5-6 steps without falling!

Hasn't started to slim down yet, but maybe soon. She is in 24 months- 2T clothes. We can't even believe how big she is. It's a good thing her cousin Cora likes hand-me-downs since Brooklyn has grown so fast she only wore some of her clothes once or twice.

She is still happy as a clam most the time. She has three teeth, all on the bottom, and is getting two on top, but not the middle two, so we are a little worried she has her dad's teeth and might be missing some. Only time will tell though. We are keeping our fingers crossed!!

Grandma Schummer Visits

2011-10-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

Bobby's mom, Grandma Schummer, was able to come visit for a few days over Conference weekend. It was a nice relaxing weekend filled with lots of shopping for toys and playing! Jackson loved the finger paints she bought him and of course the cars! Brooklyn got a new doll, which she plays with all the time. She loves to give it kisses. It's so cute, but of course we have yet to get a good picture of her with it.

We were able to go to the park Saturday after the afternoon session. The kids had so much fun with Grandma Schummer. The slide was a big hit!

Jackson helped Brooklyn ride his bike. He is such a great big brother. Always giving her kisses and hugs, and usually sharing toys!

Brooklyn liked the bike ride and thankfully Grandma Schummer helped her ride so mommy didn't have to bend down!

It was such a nice day to be outside too. It's finally cooling down around here to play outside. We are sad Grandma Schummer lives so far away and we don't get to see her too often.

The one problem with the park was Brooklyn. She puts everything in her mouth, so we were constantly taking rocks, leaves, sand and grass out of her mouth. And she gets so mad when she doesn't get her way. We have a little drama queen on our hands!

Last Swim of the Summer

2011-10-02T17:46:00.000-07:00

Despite swim lessons, Jackson is scared of the water and refuses to get in without floaties, even if you are carrying him. I guess we need more time in the water. Too bad summer is over and it is actually cooling down a tad here. Plus, Kristin moved and we lost our free pool, but that's not the only reason we miss you Tia!!

Love these legs!

2011-10-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

Just a little behind in posting, but here is our Brooklyn at 10 months. She is still crazy big, and still growing.

Love this picture! Shows off her buddah belly quite nicely!!

Aunt Kristin loves to give Brooklyn the good stuff, and it turns out she loves Oreos! Maybe not the best idea to give them to her on Grandma's white couch, but we were so careful!!

2011-08-19T17:00:00.001-07:00

Brooklyn in 9 months now. She is 23 lbs. 2 oz, 100% and 19.5 inches, 100%. I'm not sure where our little girl came from! The Dr. is predicting she will be a tall girl! Must take after the Halterman side!

She never stops. Crawls all over the house getting into trouble. She loves to climb the stairs and play with Jackson.

And you never find her without something in her mouth, anything she can find goes in! She is such a happy baby. Still only two teeth, but she knows how to use them!

Here is Jackson on his 1st day of preschool. He was so excited, and loves it. He only goes 2 days a week for 3 hours each day, but it is good for him to get out and socialize. No tears for him or mom. Hopefully that will continue!!

CA Trip

2011-08-19T16:51:00.001-07:00

This summer our big trip was to CA. We got to see Bobby's Aunt Sandy, although no pictures were taken, oops. We went to see Cora, Amber's baby blessed, yet again where was our camera? But we did get some fun pictures. Jackson loved the beach and the ocean this year. He couldn't get enough, even though we only got to spend a few hours there.

Brooklyn is a natural water-baby. She had no fear when it came to the ocean. She just crawled right in, and loved the water in her face. The sand didn't stop her either.

We spent one morning at Birch Aquarium. Jackson loved every minute of it. He got to touch a sea star, but passed on the sea cucumber! The sharks were too cool, he liked the leopard sharks. We even saw shark eggs with a shark moving around inside about to hatch.

Bobby didn't have any fun the whole time!

Jackson is such a ham! Luckily Brooklyn slept through most of the aquarium, so no screaming babies for us!

We went to an Angels game one night, where they won in the bottom of the 10th inning. And we got to see a cool fireworks show after. The kids enjoyed themselves and did well considering it was 10 PM before we even headed to the car.

We also went to Downtown Disney for a night. It was a lot of fun. We thought about checking out Disneyland, but heard it was too crazy in the summer rush, although our hotel was about 5 minutes from it. A good trip all in all, although too short.

We spent a few minutes exploring the town Bobby grew up in, Rancho Santa Margarita, from about 2years - 2nd grade. It was fun to see around and play in the nice cool afternoon sun. Not something you get in AZ!

Amber and Sean came back to AZ with us for a few days, and the kids just loved Cora.

Especially Jackson. He always had to kiss her, and make her smile. He is just too cute.

2011-07-19T10:28:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn is eight months now, and is getting into lots of trouble. She is crawling, and trying her hand at the stairs. She also likes to stand, and pulls herself up on everything. She will be walking before we know it. We're not ready for her to grow so fast!

We couldn't get very good shots of her for the 8 months pictures, she kept trying to roll over and crawl, but she is still huge and getting bigger everyday. It may be good if she walks soon so Mikelle doesn't have to carry her so much!

She has her two bottom teeth, and uses all the time. She puts everything in her mouth, and chomps hard! She is such a happy little girl, and just loves her brother. He makes her laugh all the time, and is always so concerned when she cries. He is a great big brother.

4th of July

2011-07-19T10:18:00.001-07:00

For the 4th we went to Prescott. It was a great little vacation to get out of the heat and see Mikelle's parents.

We went downtown to the craft booths. We avoided most of the crowds, and the rain, so we can't complain. Jackson wouldn't try the cotton candy though, so the adults had to suffer through eating it!!

We did the Gherald Brownlow race, Bobby the 10K and Mikelle and Kristin the 2 mile fun run, although they walked. This was how we all felt after, but it was fun all the same!

Brooklyn at 7 Months!

2011-06-26T15:15:00.000-07:00

Here is our little princess at 7 months. She is growing too fast. She is around 21 lbs. and is now crawling! She loves to swim and play with Jackson. She is so happy and loves to smile. She is getting her 1st tooth and already using it on anything she can get into her mouth!

Memorial Day

2011-06-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

For Memorial Day weekend we went camping in Williams, AZ with Grandma and Papa Halterman and Aunt Kristin. We had a great time riding the A.T.V.'s, hiking and just being together. It was much colder and windier than expected, but we still had a great time.

Brooklyn decided she likes banana peels, although I think it would have been okay if we never discovered that! She did great while we were there, but it helped to stay in the trailer with Grandma and Papa to escape the cold and wind!

We bought Jackson a baseball glove and T to start practicing his mad skills. He loved it. He still hasn't decided if he's a lefty or not, but Bobby got him a lefty glove to help him decide! He had a lot of fun, and Papa and Bobby played with him a lot.

2011-05-22T15:10:00.001-07:00

Our little Brooklyn is 6 months now, and really not so little! She is 19 lbs. 12 oz., 97% and 28 3/4 inches long, 100%. She is eating solids, but not too sure she likes them yet. She is such a good baby. Happy most the time and content to sit and play with her brother. He loves to play with her, but only if she doesn't take his toys!!

She sits up fairly well for her age, only falling occasionally. No teeth yet, but any day they will start popping up.

A quick hike in Prescott on Peavine Trail. Bobby didn't carry both kids the whole way, but far enough!

Jackson is all boy, and his new obsession is tools. He loves to wear these goggles and loves to have mom and dad wear them too. One day we will get a picture of Bobby wearing them!

Easter 2001

2011-05-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

This year was the first year Jackson really got into Easter, and it was great. He loved the egg hunts. We did at least five on Saturday and three Sunday. We did it inside and out, with real and fake eggs, and he would have kept going if we had let him! He is just so fun to be with, and has so much energy.

He also really enjoyed dying eggs, as did Kristin and Papa!! Jackson wanted every egg green, his favorite color. He would put it in the purple, then take it out and want to put it in the green, so we had a lot of green eggs but he had fun, and there was no dye spilt!!

And of course we all had to look cute for Easter pictures. We had matching colors, but Bobby was thankful he and Jackson were in green, and not pink!

On a side note, Mikelle spent last week at home, mostly alone! Our Ward was great and they helped by bringing in meals and taking Jackson almost daily. It went well, so she is back in Prescott this week, then after Mother's Day she will be back in Phoenix full time. She still has a lot of pain, but is able to manage if she takes things slow and easy. Hopefully in time they can figure out what to do about the pain. Until then we will just keep trying new things!!

2011-04-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

We are finally potty trained over here! It has taken a little while, but Mikelle has been in no shape to take on that task. In the end though, it worked out as Jackson has done awesome.

The first day of training, Jackson insisted that Brooklyn wear underwear too. She looks good in Thomas The Train!

Up in Prescott Jackson has been Papa's good helper, mostly in the garden, but you never know with those two.

Jackson and Brooklyn have loved being in Prescott. Mikelle is hoping to be back in Phoenix for good after Mother's Day. She is doing a few days this next week in Phoenix as a trial run, and if it goes well she will be back in May. She is still having a lot of pain, but less, so that is good and she is getting stronger every day.

Brooklyn will be 6 months May 2nd. She is so big, and mostly sitting up on her own. She doesn't like strangers, or being in a room alone and we're not sure how she will react to losing grandma's attention 24/7. Hopefully for Mikelle's sake, she'll be fine!!

2011-04-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

While it is becoming summer in Phoenix, we have been trying to take advantage of the cool mornings. Kristin came to help take care of the kids while Mom is camping, so it was great to have her at the park. Jax has been shying away from slides lately, so Kristin helped him see how fun they can be! Really she's just a big kid at heart and the kids love that!!

Jax is getting more adventurous and loves to climb. We were impressed with all he did at the park.

Brooklyn slept through the park, but loved playing in our ball pit once we got home. She is doing so well, and is such a cutie.
Mikelle is getting stronger too, and we are hoping to be back in Phoenix for good at Easter time!

RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

2011-04-02T06:48:00.000-07:00

Since we moved to AZ we keep saying we need to go to the Renaissance Festival, but never go. This year Kristin was insistent, so we made it happen, and had such a great time. Bobby had never been, and Mikelle hasn't been in about 15 years. Things have really changed with actual buildings, a stadium and tons more people! Jax loved every minute of it, and tried a few things we didn't think he'd go for. He loved the stocks, but maybe because it was his idea!

This boat ride was fun for Jax. This sweet lady and her boy were going, and offered to take him. He loved it, and it was man powered like all the rides there.

Kristin of course found the swords and was a bad example to her nephew!!(Not that Bobby wasn't rooting for Jax to play with the swords)!

We had to get a sword and shield for him to play with. As of yet, nothing has been broken, but just wait! They are wood swords, and heavy.

Jax also got an ax painted on his arm. This surprised us since normally he won't have anything to do with stuff being put on his body, like temporary tattoos or even stickers. He loved it though. He walked around all day with his arm out so not to smudge it! We couldn't convince him it would be safe by his body. He showed it off to everyone and was so proud of it.

Bobby had to get a turkey leg, but really they are so good!

Jax didn't want to ride the elephant, which really made Kristin and Bobby sad, but we think it was just too big for him. He did love the camel though. He rode it with Tina, a friend we met through Bobby's work, and her niece Chloe. It was great to have another child there, even though she's 5, and the more adults the better!

Cousin Time

2011-03-18T16:17:00.000-07:00

Trenton and Kira had spring break the last two weeks, and both got to spend some time with us at Grandma and Grandpa's house. They were such good helpers with Jackson and Brooklyn, and Jackson loved the extra playmates. He keeps asking to see Kira or Trenton and where is Tessa? He loves his cousins, so it was great for him to have more time with them.

Day Out With Thomas!!

2011-03-18T16:07:00.000-07:00

For Jackson's birthday we got him tickets to see Thomas in Globe. Grandma kept Brooklyn, so it was just the three of us. We had such a good time. We got to ride Thomas, play with trains, jump on bounce houses and make noodle necklaces!

2011-03-18T14:59:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn turned 4 months the second of March, so here are a few pictures of her! She was 16 lbs. 15 3/4 oz., 97% and 26 3/4 inches, 100% at her 4 month check up. She is such a chunk, but at least she is proportioned! She is such a good baby and a great addition to our family. Sleeps all night and is mostly happy during the day. She travels well and loves her older brother.

2011-03-10T20:13:00.000-07:00

Jackon loves being in Prescott with Papa and Grandma, even though he misses his daddy. Papa is a good sport and takes Jackson outside a lot. One day they walked down to the mailbox to get the mail and put it in Jackson's wagon. He was so proud of himself. He is such a good helper. He always wants to help do dishes, put laundry away or bring in groceries. It is so cute and we can only hope it keeps up!

Aunt Suzy gave us a great idea about making snowmen inside, so last time it snowed in Prescott, we had to try it. Jackson loved it! We had to work super fast, but it was perfect for his attention span, and later when he wanted to do it again, we were happy to oblige.

A random picture, but we love it. We walked along the Peavine Trail in Prescott one Saturday, and Jackson just loved every minute of it. We saw ducks and walked on bridges and slid down dirt hills, or just Jackson did that last one! The weather was great, a nice family outing.

2011-03-10T20:01:00.000-07:00

Here is our chunky monkey at 3 months. She is growing way too fast. She is such an easy baby though. She loves to smile and is giggling more and more.

Really Mikelle just can't help but dress her up. Can you blame her though? Look how cute she is!!

Jackson just loves his sister. Here she has "tackled" him, and he thinks it's the best thing in the world. He is such a great big brother.

And of course we have to teach them young how to ride horses! Again, Jacskon just can't get enough of "playing" with his sister. He tickles her all the time, and loves when she looks at him and gives him smiles.

2011-03-10T16:24:00.000-07:00

Poor Jackson. His biggest problem so far is that he has no hips, and pants don't stay up! I have bought many belts, none seem to fit his tiny waist. Papa fixed the situation though!! I just wasn't thinking outside the box! I was finally able to find something I like, C.belly belts. They will be great when we finally potty train, fingers crossed this summer since we start school in August!

Another great man invention, thanks Unlce Barry and Papa!! What do you do if it snows and you don't have snow boots and want to go out in the snow? Bread bags, perfect!!

2011-03-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

Jackson showing off his new spiderman slippers. He hates to wear socks, and it gets cold in Prescoot in the winter, so we were able to find him something he will wear to keep his feet warm! He even called Bobby to tell him he got spiderman slippers. He is so proud of himself and his slippers!

Little sister had to get in on the spiderman action. Poor girl!

Jackson Turns 3!

2011-01-24T12:49:00.000-07:00

Jackson turns 3 today! We can't believe it. He is getting so big. We had a little Thomas The Train birthday for him over the weekend.

We went to the park with his cousins. We were going to go on a train ride, but some of his cousins had been sick, so we thought it better to stay close to home.

They all seemed to have a great time, and hopefully we can take Jackson to see Thomas in March when he is in Globe.

Brooklyn even got to have fun at the park, thanks to Kristin. She took her down the slide and on a few other toys. You gotta start them young!

We also let them jump on our new trampoline, thanks to Bobby's mom this was our Christmas from her. Trenton and Jackson had soo much fun. They are both 100% boy!

Jackson got lots of fun presents, loving them all. Good job everyone!

We just loves his little sister. He always wants to hold her and help out with her. Such a sweet boy. We love him, even though he is three and has the attitude to go along with it!!

2011-01-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

Here is our Brooklyn at 2 months. The doctor was worried she wasn't getting enough food. She's only 13 lbs. 14 oz. 97% and 25.5 inches long, 100%!!

We don't make small babies over here! Those cheeks are just like Jackson's, although Jackson was in the 50% for height and weight at 2 months!

She has been smiling for about a month now. She gave Uncle Jared her first smile, and Papa her second. She's gonna brake a lot of hearts in a few years! And it really is the cutest smile. Just wraps you around her finger, even at 3 in the morning!

The doctor says she will be giggling soon, and we can't wait, although she is growing too fast.

Here is her super cute hat she got for Christmas from Grandma. Good thing too since she has needed to be so warm in Prescott since we have been spending a lot of time there.

Christmas in Prescott!

2011-01-24T12:20:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn's Christmas shirt. She's already so festive.

Van and Jackson got horses for Christmas. Van named his Jumbo, and Jackson calls his horse! So original. They love these horses. When one was riding, the other had to ride too.

Van and Jackson had so much fun together. Here they are watching "Cars", a favorite of both boys. They are starting to play together, and not just in the same room. Jackson really misses Van these days.

Prescott got so much snow when we were there between Christmas and New Years. At least a foot at Mikelle's parent's house, and it stayed for weeks. This is the coldest it has been in years. They rarely have snow that lasts so long. We took full advantage of it though! Jared and Barry made this huge snowman, in the middle of the driveway. It made shoveling more fun!!

Family picture.

Jackson, Bobby and Kira had fun making a mini snowman.

Sledding was fun too. Here was a warm up as Bobby pulled Jackson around the yard. The next day they found a great hill and went for hours.

Brooklyn's Blessing!

2011-01-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

This bonnet is one that Mikelle was blessed in, also her grandmother, mother, sisters and nieces.

Mikelle bought this dress as soon as we found out it was a girl. She loved it, and it worked great with the bonnet. Brooklyn looked like a little princess.

We blessed Brooklyn on December 19, 2010. Bobby's mom and step-dad, and two sisters were able to come. His mom was here for a few days and we had a great time. It was a fast day, full of family and fun.

Thanksgiving

2011-01-23T19:37:00.001-07:00

Well, we are so behind, but hopefully in the next few days we can get all caught up! For Thanksgiving Amber and Sean were able to come play! We had a lot of fun, but they weren't here for long enough. They were a great help with the kids, which was great since Mikelle is having issues with her back again.It's not broken, but there is a lot of pain, arthritis and bulging discs, and she is in Prescott most of the time with her parents.

We spent Thanksgiving with Mikelle's grandparents in Mesa, and the next day we went to the park with all the cousins around Phoenix and had a big picnic lunch. It was great to see everyone, and the kids had so much fun.

Here is Brooklyn's Thanksgiving outfit.Too cute!

Jackson's favorite position, cuddling. Thanksgiving was a long day for him, no nap, but he did fall asleep for a few minutes in Papa's arms while rocking. He loves his Papa.

Brooklyn's Here!!

2010-11-14T14:10:00.005-07:00

So I'm sure most of you know Brooklyn has arrived, but here it is in writing! She was born on November 2 at 4:32 PM. Mikelle went in that morning to her doctor's appointment, and she was basically in early labor, so the doctor scheduled her c-section for that afternoon. Brooklyn was 8 lbs. 13 oz. and 19 inches long, at 17 days early! We know how to grow big kids!
Everything went well with the surgery, but when Brooklyn was born, there was some fluid in her lungs, so they whisked her away to the NICU to put her on oxygen. They also discovered that her blood sugar was low so had to start an IV. She spent two days there, then was able to come to Mikelle's room for the last day in the hospital.

Mikelle's mom has been staying with us, and she has been a life saver. Bobby's dad also got to come for a few days once we got Brooklyn home, and Mikelle's dad got to come for a quick visit. Her cousins could hardly wait to come see her, and just love her so much. They come over and go straight to see her. Forget the rest of us! Brooklyn has just loved seeing everyone.

She is overall a good baby. Eating well and sleeping well. Jackson is still a little leary of her, but is also very concerned for her. He always wonders where she is or why she's crying. And is is very upset about the "bug" on her belly button! Once the cord falls off, maybe he won't be scared to touch her tummy! And he calls her, "My Brookyn". It's so cute. And she's already got Bobby wrapped around her finger, and he's teaching her all about video games! She is such a great addition to our family and we are so thankful she got here safely.

2010-11-01T10:25:00.006-07:00

We can't believe Halloween is already over, and November has started. Our Halloween this year was a little weak, but we had fun all the same. Friday night we decoratedd pumpkins. Bobby carved one, with the help of the munchkin! And Jackson and Mikelle decorated theirs with stickers. Jackson felt it was only appropriate to put pumpkin stickers on the pumpkin! We tried to get Jackson to help us clean out the pumpkin, but he hated the feel, and just kept making disgusted faces!

This year Bobby was Captain America, and Jackson just kept telling everyone who he was. It was too cute. Jackson was Thor, but couldn't tell you that if you asked. He loved carrying the big hammer around, but only for a minute till it got too heavy! And of course, he only wore the hat for so long, then it was hard to tell who he was, but he was dang cute all the same! Mikelle went as a witch, with pictures to come later! It was a last minute costume, since we weren't sure she'd make it to the party, but still no baby. We'll see what the doctor says tomorrow, November 2nd. He thought she'd be here by now, but we are trying to wait patiently!!

We went to our Ward Trunk-or-Treat Saturday night, and Aunt Kristin joined us as a black widow. It was fun, but we felt it went a little too long. Jackson had fun playing some of the games, but by the time it was time to trunk-or-treat, he was ready to go, so we only hit a few cars, and he was more excited about eating the candy then getting more! Bobby then went to a work party, but Mikelle, Jackson and Aunt Kristin went home.

2010-10-27T17:29:00.007-07:00

As Halloween approaches, we are so ready over here. We love Halloween! Jackson and Mikelle went to The Desert Botanical Gardens with Kendra, Tessa and Alec for the pumpkin festival. It was a lot of fun. The kids loved the hay ride and of course choosing their own pumpkins. It took Jackson forever because most of the pumpkins were dirty, unacceptable!! Our little O.C.D. boy! The weather is finally cooling down, so that was nice too. Bobby was in charge of costumes for him and Jackson since we have no idea if Mikelle will be participating or not. (The doctor thinks not, but we'll see)! So naturally, Bobby will be Captain America and Jackson is Thor. They will be so cute, or handsome! Jackson is shown here in a dinosaur costume that we borrowed from his cousins just to play with. He's not sure how he feels about it. He's not big into hats or hoods, and things on his hands, not a fan. But he's worn it a couple times and seems to like it, for about 5 minutes! The haunted house was done by Mikelle and Kristin. They did it over Conference weekend up in Prescott. Mikelle's mom thought it would be fun to keep the kids entertained, and it worked!! Trenton and Kira did one too, but we don't have any pictures, sorry.

2010-10-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

2010-10-11T10:54:00.005-07:00

This weekend we decided it was time to face the fact Halloween is coming. We went to a little farm in Glendale, Tolmachoff Farm, and had a lot of fun. Kristin was able to come with us, which is a huge help since Mikelle is moving a little slower these days and Jackson a lot faster! And luckily the weather wasn't too hot, just around 90! There was a lot to see and do, especially for Jackson. He got to ride a train, jump in a bounce house, pet animals, do a corn maze and play on toys. He loved it. He especially loved holding the baby chicks. We had to work on not squeezing, but in the end everyone was fine!

Mikelle's pregnancy is progressing nicely. She is due in about 5 1/2 weeks, but the c-section is scheduled for the 11th of November, just a little over 4 weeks away! She is ready to be done. The doctor doesn't think she will wait that long, but time will only tell. She is measuring big, 37 1/2 last week and has already started dilating, is effaced 30% and the baby's head is pushing down. The doctor said if she gets more dialated, the baby may just fall out if she sneezes. We can only wish labor was so easy!

2010-08-30T10:23:00.003-07:00

As summer is finally winding down, although not fast enough in AZ, Mikelle was able to go on a girls weekend with some old roommates, Elise, Emily and Shannon. They went to Bear Lake in Utah and had a great time. Mostly they sat around and talked, but they also went down to the lake where Mikelle got sunburned, went to a super fun play, and also went to the Davis County Fair. It was a great trip, although there was not enough sleeping! Bobby took a few days off work to watch Jackson, and they had lots of fun too playing while the boss was away!

2010-08-12T16:20:00.003-07:00

Just a quick update. All is going well with Mikelle's pregnancy. She is 26 weeks now and finally starting to feel better! The doctor is planning on a c-section to take the strain off her back from labor. So far her bones are holding up and the doctor isn't worried. And of course Brooklyn is growing fast and doing just fine! There's not a whole lot else going on. Bobby's dad came for a few days last week, and Jackson still wants to know where Papa Glas went. It's too cute. We had a lot of fun while he was here and hopefully will see him again for Labor Day.

2010-07-09T17:46:00.002-07:00

As we posted earlier, Bobby has been in LA on business, so Mikelle and Jackson decided to go out for a few days over the 4th of July. And it Just so happened that Amber and Sean were in La Habra (just outside LA) visiting his family! Double bonus. We had so much fun. We went to the beach, watched The World Cup and mostly just vegged the 2nd and 3rd. The 4th Amber and Sean left, so we actually went into LA and saw a little of the town. The 5th we went to Six Flags Magic Mountain and had a lot of fun. Of course Jackson could only ride a few rides, but he loved them, and poor Bobby had to go on all the rides with him because he was too small to go alone. The 6th Mikelle and Jackson just hung-out, since it rained most of the day, but it was still a nice break from 100+ degrees! It was a lot of fun, but we wish we had more time, and Jackson really wised we had gone back to the ocean and the big sand box!!

2010-06-26T21:12:00.003-07:00

Bobby is working in LA for a few weeks, so Mikelle and Jackson escaped from the heat and went to visit her parents in Prescott. They had lots of fun playing at the park, and in the sand, and in the garden. Of course they helped Grandma get a few things done as well! Jacskon is getting so big and adventurous, especially when there are older kids around showing him how it's done!! He is all boy, and never stops. As much as Grandma and Grandpa loved having us there, I think they like a break from all the extra running as well!!!

2010-06-26T20:46:00.005-07:00

Last weekend we met up with Mikelle's parents and her niece, Kira, and nephew, Trenton, in Williams, AZ to go camping. We had a great campsite, about 5 miles away from one of the fires up there, but we were never in any danger. Plus, the kids loved watching the helicopters flying overhead. It was Jackson's first camping trip, and he loved it! We spent a day at the Grand Canyon, which Bobby has never been to. It was so much fun. Plus, Grandma and Grandpa brought lots of fun toys for the kids to play with. We came home tired and dirty, but that's what makes a good trip, right?! At least Jackson thought the idea was to leave as little dirt as possible at the camp ground!!

Glas Baby Girl

2010-06-14T16:41:00.002-07:00

A lot of you already know Mikelle is Pregnant, but for those of you who don't, she is!! We are having a little girl, due the middle of November. We got to find out earlier than usual on the sex since Mikelle's pregnancies are high risk and the MD does lots of ultrasounds. She is doing well, beside from the constant nausea, but we still have a long way to go.

2010-06-14T16:25:00.003-07:00

This past weekend Mikelle and Jackson were once again in Prescott. Suzy and Van were in town, so they had to go play! Van got sick the day they got there, so they only had a little time to play, but the boys had fun. Mostly Jackson loved being the bigger kid, and kept taking toys Van had that he wanted. Luckily Van was okay with it most of the time. They did have fun doing Starfall on the computer and playing duets on the piano.

2010-06-14T15:41:00.002-07:00

Over Memorial Day Jackson and Mikelle went to Prescott to play. It was nice to get out of the heat for a few days. While there Jackson helped out Grandma and Grandpa in their gardens. He loves to be a big helper and play in the dirt and water!

2010-05-04T14:27:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we went to Prescott for the Whiskey Row Marathon. Of course, none of us ran it! Bobby did the 2 mile fun run with Kristin and Mom and Jackson tagged along. They had a lot of fun, but it was cold.

Random Pictures

2010-05-04T14:18:00.007-07:00

Jackson has a "security" item just like most kids. His is his Lovey, and he loves to wear it on his head. At least it helps him sleep at night!

He has started to get into tools lately. Which is perfect because he got this cool hard hat from Grandma and Grandpa Schummer. He loves to take the hammer around and hammer things. Daddy's big helper!

One of Jackson's new favorite games is to hide. His Aunt Kristin helped him find a very clever place to hide, even if he needs help getting into it!

2010-04-22T15:38:00.003-07:00

So we have been huge slackers, but we don't have a ton to report on. These pictures are from Easter weekend. Amber came to play!! We had lots of fun, and even got to watch most of Conference thanks to Jackson deciding he likes to give and get mani's and pedi's. Bobby hated it, but the girls all thought it was cute. Since then, Kristin has moved in with us while she gets her feet under her in a new job at a dental office. Jury is still out on how she likes it. And the most exciting thing to happen lately, wait for it, the police came to our house today because our neighbors called in that we were being robbed. Luckily we weren't, it was just a general contractor trying to fix some electrical problems we have been having. Needless to say, the cop in our backyard freaked Mikelle out, but it is good to know our nosy neighbors are watching out for us!!! We do lead one exciting life!!

2010-03-21T14:30:00.004-07:00

Life around here has been mostly boring lately. Bobby has been working about 65 hours a week, so Jackson and Mikelle just play around the house. Last week though Mikelle and Jackson went to Prescott to see her parents. They had a lot of fun, especially since there was snow to play in! Barry and his family also went to Prescott for a few days, and we were able to find a great place to sled and have a snowball fight. Jackson loved sledding, it was just hard for Mikelle to lug him back up the hill with her, since he didn't like to walk on the snow. Uncle Barry and Grandpa helped too. Tessa only went a few times, then decided she did not like it. Overall, Jackson loved his first sledding experience, but got tired early on so he just had a rest with Grandma, then was back again. He doesn't seem to mind the cold. The weather was perfect, Mikelle even got a little sunburn! The snow was deep, and we kept finding "rabbit holes" where we would sink into the snow, up to our waist even.

2010-02-27T20:41:00.004-07:00

2010-02-08T12:31:00.003-07:00

Not much to update on. Mikelle and Jackson were in Prescott last week while Bobby works 60+ hours at work. He's enjoying the job, but the hours are crazy. We are hoping once taxes are over, the hours get better! Two random pictures. One of Jackson riding the fake geese at Grandma houseand one of him sitting in his chair watching TV.

2010-01-26T21:28:00.002-07:00

After the zoo, and naps we went to Barry and Kendra's house to party! We had a Cars birthday, since our little one can't get enough of "Queen" and "Mate". (He is turning into such a little talker!) He loved it, and even kept his party hat in for a few minutes! We went really simple this year, just family, presents and of course food!! We didn't do a cake, just a rice krispy treat car, which Jackson tried and loved! It was fun, and he even opened his presents! Finally he is getting the hang of it.He was just full of surprises. I guess he is just getting so mature! The one downside was that he wasn't feeling great, and got worse on Sunday, his actual birthday. Bummer to be sick on your b-day, but he seems to be feeling better tonight, at least Mikelle is hoping!

2010-01-26T21:18:00.003-07:00

Well, We officially have a two year old! It is crazy, and the time went by too fast. For his birthday, we started off with a trip to the zoo. Mikelle's parents and Kristin came, plus we brought Barry and Kendra's kids. It was a great day to go, even a little chilly! Jackson wasn't feeling his best, and fell asleep on the way there, so he and Grandpa missed most of the animals, but Jackson got the best part, tractors to climb on and goats to pet! We had a lot of fun, and got to see most of the animals!

2010-01-23T21:43:00.003-07:00

The last two weeks, Kristin has been staying with us. We have been playing hard, but also working hard. This week Mikelle and her spent time trying to get projects done around our house, but also Barry and Kendra's. Jackson has loved all the extra attention, and Mikelle has loved the extra help.

2010-01-23T21:30:00.005-07:00

We have finally started utilizing the Phoenix Public Library more, and have started using Culture Passes, which are free passes to museums, zoos and other fun things to do around Phoenix. We got lucky the last few weeks and got a few coveted ones. We were able to go to the Children's Museum of Phoenix, and we had so much fun. Of course Jackson loved the cars, but the big kids made it hard for him to play. Although, he could paint rocks with water, go through a noodle forest and ride the bikes all day. There is so much to do, and all hands on. Anyone that has kids will love it!

2010-01-23T21:25:00.004-07:00

We just have to say how much fun it is to live a mile from Barry and Kendra. Jackson loves to play with his cousins, especially Tessa. Whenever we tell him we are going to see Tessa, he says, "Yea, Tessa!" and runs to the door. They like to hug, hold hands, and kiss sometimes, it is soo cute. They do fight occasionally over toys, but usually they just have fun.

2010-01-05T11:24:00.002-07:00

Okay, last post to catch-up on the Holidays. Jackson found one of Aunt Kristin's cowboy hats the last day we were there, and he wouldn't take it off. It was soo cute, especially since he really hates hats. He just kept running around with it on, and it would fall off, so then he just put it right back on. It was hard to get a good shot, but finally we got a few when he stool still!!

2010-01-05T11:18:00.004-07:00

Lets see who kills me first! Amber and her new husband got these awesome underwear for all the boys, men, for Christmas! They were all Superhero themed, and we all thought it was hilarious, although Jared was a little confused when we opened them! So, of course we had to get pictures. It was awesome to have them doing Christmas breakfast dishes in their new underwear!! Sean fits right into our family!

2010-01-05T11:13:00.003-07:00

We were hoping Jackson would be all excited this year and get into opening presents, but not so much. He even got cool toys, like a bike and a big truck, but what Van got was better. Van opened the very first present, little toy Thomas the Trains, and that's all Jackson wanted. We had to open all his gifts for him, and he didn't even give most of them a second look. He stole Van's trains and that was the end of Christmas for him. We could have saved lots of money by just getting him some toy trains! Maybe his birthday will be different in a few weeks! Although, after the novelty wore off, he is now playing with his other toys, but the trains are never far away!

2010-01-05T11:07:00.002-07:00

We are finally back with a report from the Holidays. We had a great Christmas and New Year. We were able to go to Prescott for Christmas where Jackson loved to play with his cousin Van. He kept wanting him to sit on the couch with him, or the ATV, but when Van wanted his toy, he was not so willing to share. Although, Van was so nice to share his toys with Jackson!! Van is 11 months younger than Jackson, but almost as tall. He is so cute and Jackson is sad he had to leave.

2009-12-23T09:35:00.002-07:00

Here is our first picture of Christmas!! Yesterday Jackson got to sit on Santa's lap. He did much better than last year. No crying, but Mikelle had to hold the candy cane in front of him to get him to look up and smile. It was too funny. You can see him reaching for it, but at least it's still a cute picture!!

2009-12-23T09:20:00.003-07:00

Last week Kendra and Mikelle took Jackson and Tessa to the Arizona Museum for Youth. They had lots of fun. Tessa liked to eat the plastic food, and Jackson liked to go down the slide backwards on his tummy. They have so many fun things for the kids to do, and it's all mostly educational!! Plus, it's great when you can get in for free with passes from the library! Too bad it's so far away in Mesa, but so worth the drive if you have little ones.

2009-12-15T09:18:00.003-07:00

And lastly, it was Jackson's first time on a real bike. Bobby's mom had a child seat on her bike, and Jackson loved it. He didn't even fight the helmet, and he hates anything on his head.

2009-12-15T09:14:00.002-07:00

And of course the first things Jackson found were the toys with wheels on them. It's great that kids are so entertained by the little things. He loved an airplane that made noise, and he carried it around like a suitcase. He also found the toy cars, and the car he could sit in and push. He of course was so mad when it was time to get out of it. He also liked the mini ATV. Really, we don't think he wanted to come home to his boring toys.

2009-12-15T09:09:00.004-07:00

We didn't get to see Bobby's sisters or Jackson's other cousins, but we did get to see Uncle Billy, and after about 2 minutes, he and Jackson were great friends. It was fun to see how fast he knew family. Bobby's cousin Jo Lynn was also there. It was good to meet her and of course Jackson loved having one more person to tell him how cute he is! While we were there one night, Bobby's mom and Jo Lynn were rear-ended, but they were okay. His mom had a slight concussion and Jo Lynn sprained her neck and back. They were sore, but didn't have to stay in the hospital for more than a few hours.

2009-12-15T09:06:00.004-07:00

Finally, more pictures from San Antonio. The trip was long, almost 15 hours, but portable DVD players and food helped! We discovered that Jackson loves Push-Ups. Not that they are ideal in the car, but they kept him busy, and he got really mad when we "took" his Push-Up to push it up so he could eat more of it. He is so funny!

2009-12-10T09:38:00.001-07:00

We were able to go to San Antonio to visit Bobby's mom and step-dad. It was a fun trip, and we'll post more pictures, but Bobby's mom got us family pictures. We had fun, but Jackson wasn't too sure he wanted anything to do with it. Luckily the photographer was awesome and got good shots of almost all the poses.

2009-11-22T13:51:00.006-07:00

Last Saturday, the 14th, Mikelle ran her first half marathon. It was called "Run From the Sun" and it was to help fight skin cancer. She ran through Downtown Mesa, and got to run right by the Mesa Temple. We were both training to do the San Antonio Marathon/Half Marathon but Bobby hurt his leg, then lost his job, so to save money we cancelled the trip to TX. (Things are looking good on the job front though with lots of interviews!). Anyways, the race went well. Mikelle finished in a faster time than expected!! The weather was great, with a little rain even to keep the runners cool. Bobby, Jackson and Kristin came to support the whole time. Aunt Kristin said it was too cute as Jackson would yell run and also run along side runners as they passed him on the race loop!! Mom and dad also came to cheer her into the finish line. She was grateful for her cheering section. Going up and down stairs the next two days were a little rough, but other that she had a great time and is glad she did it, although she's not sure she wants to continue running such far distances!!

2009-11-04T14:24:00.003-07:00

Grandma Halterman came too. She wasn't planning on staying, but she just can't resist us! She was wearing her Elmo shirt, and looked so cute! Jackson loves Elmo, he calls him Melmo. He just kept pointing and saying Melmo all night. Plus, he still wasn't too sure about his parents costumes, so Grandma and Aunt Kristin got to have lots of Jackson cuddle time.

2009-11-04T14:21:00.002-07:00

Kristin , April Brimhall and one of their friends, Lindy all came down for the night. They dressed as black widows. Cute and sexy! We dragged them along to our party and trick-or-treating before their REAL party started! And all the boys were checking them out!

2009-11-04T14:16:00.004-07:00

Jackson was Beast, 1960's comic book version. And of course, no one knew who he was, except Bobby and that was all that mattered! Jackson's costume was simple, although we probably worked the hardest on it, but Bobby still though Jackson looked awesome. Again, that was all that mattered! This was Bobby's Halloween. So, is Halloween really just for kids?

2009-11-04T14:09:00.003-07:00

Here is Bobby as Wolverine and Mikelle as Phoenix. They are from the comic books, just like Bobby wanted. On Halloween we went to our ward Halloween party, then trick-or-treating. We had a lot of fun, and of course a lot of comments on our costumes, although very few people knew who Mikelle was supposed to be. Oh well.

2009-11-04T14:06:00.002-07:00

So we have been slow to get Halloween up, but I think most of you have seen it on Facebook anyways. Before the pictures of the costumes, just a cute picture of how much Jackson loves candy! He got to trick-or-treat at our local library the Tuesday before and he couldn't get enough. He loves suckers but in this pictures he is trying a tootsie roll, yum!

2009-10-19T13:45:00.002-07:00

While Kristin was here, we were also able to go to a little farm in Gilbert, AZ. It is called Mother Nature's Farm. We had a lot of fun, but again it was soo hot! But Jackson loved it, so if you are looking for something to do with your little ones in the Valley of the Sun, they would love this farm!

The Park

2009-10-19T12:26:00.003-07:00

This past week Kristin was in town, so she and Mikelle took Jackson, Tessa and Kira to the park. They had a lot of fun, but the heat came back last week, so it was hotter than they would have liked. Kira mostly tried her hand at the monkey bars, and was getting really good until the blisters formed! Jackson and Tessa were all over the place, but the swings seemed to be the big hit. Jackson just loves his cousins and they have so much fun together, most of the time!! The other bonus for taking Kira and Tessa to the park was that Kendra's mom was working on Mikelle's bridesmaid dress and Bobby's Halloween costume, which looks awesome. You will all just have to wait for pictures!! Thanks Sister Hansen!

2009-10-12T14:11:00.002-07:00

Mikelle and Jackson were able to go to Prescott for a few days last week with Kendra and her kids. We had a lot of fun, but the favorite thing all week was picking their very own pumpkins from Grandpa's garden. We just hope they last till Halloween! If we were in Prescott where it was nice and cool, maybe, but down in the valley of the sun it's a little iffy!

2009-10-12T14:05:00.003-07:00

Of course we need a picture of us with Bobby's dad! And here is a picture of Bill, Jackson and Joan. Jackson took a few minutes to warm up to them, but once he did he had so much fun playing with them. He just cuddled up to them like they were old friends. Jackson's smile is great in the picture, because it is full of mischief, and he totally gets that from Bill!

2009-10-12T13:50:00.004-07:00

We were lucky enough to have Bobby's dad and his girlfriend, Joan, come for a visit the first of October. We had so much fun, although it was a quick visit so we were sad to see them leave so soon. We went to the Wildlife World Zoo in Litchfield Park, AZ. It was great. Less crowded than the Phoenix Zoo, plus there was an aquarium where you could touch some of the sea creatures. The sting ray was by far the grossest. All slimy, blah and of course Jackson would touch the water, but not the creatures! And there was a small petting zoo which was fun, although the llama tried to eat Bobby's shirt and they kept following Bobby's dad since he had food for them. Jackson touched a deer, some goats and he petted the llama's bum, nice! Jackson just loved it, especially the turtles and snakes. He kept saying turtle, and hissing like a snake, soo cute! The two problems were that Jackson kept trying to climb into some of the enclosures where the wood fence wasn't very high, and trying to keep up with him. He has gotten fast, and forget about keeping him in a stroller for more than a few minutes!

2009-10-12T13:46:00.002-07:00

Most of you know how Jackson loves to play with cars, but for those who don't you can see this kid doesn't mess around when it comes to cars. He loves to lay down and watch the wheels, even if it's outside on the hard concrete! We figure we don't need to do anything to our backyard for awhile as long as we have cars around!

2009-09-23T13:01:00.002-07:00

So, this video is old, but we finally downloaded our videos and it was too cute not to share. Jackson loves to play with hid dad, and one day we found that he thought it was hilarious for Bobby to spit a little ball out of his mouth. Jackson has such a cute laugh!

2009-09-23T12:52:00.003-07:00

Jackson loves to dance, but it is so hard to get him on film because he stops when he sees you filming. But here is a little taste of his moves! He is dancing to the Madagascar song, "I Like To Move It, Move It!"

2009-09-20T15:12:00.002-07:00

The other night Mikelle found Jackson having lots of fun in our pantry. We normally keep the door locked, but obviously slacked off a bit. It was cute as he would put stuff back into the pantry, then pull it out again. We let him have fun until he started to crush our food! Oh the fun or terrible two's. How come no one tells you it starts way before they are two?!! Although, we only have four months left till he is actually two, sad. He is growing too fast.

2009-09-20T15:07:00.003-07:00

As summer is slowly winding down here in AZ, we are trying to catch a few more times at the splash pads around here. Last Saturday we took Tessa and Kira with us, and had lots of fun. Although, Kira kept saying she was cold! Jackson loves to take cups and try to catch the water. Usually he just gets a face full of water, but it is fun to see him try. Maybe next year he'll like the buckets dumping water on him!

2009-09-10T20:30:00.002-07:00

So, more pictures from the house. We have finished Jackson's room, minus some shelves for the closet. Mikelle's mom did the drapes and the wall hanging. They turned out soo cute. She also bought the giraffe run for the floor. It blends in more than we thought it would, so Mikelle said it would be easy to solve with new carpet! The light, or the sun, makes it perfect. We love his room, and now we can say one room is done in the new house!!

2009-09-10T20:26:00.002-07:00

Over Labor Day weekend we had quite the rain storm that Saturday. It was great, and Jackson just loved playing in it. Of course Tessa wanted to play too. It was so fun to watch them, the only down side was it was Trenton's 5th birthday party, but Kendra just had to switch gears a bit, and it worked out fine. The pirate party, a success!

2009-09-04T09:05:00.003-07:00

Also while Mikelle and Jackson were in Prescott they went to spend the afternoon with Suzy and Van at Suzy's parent's house. They have a pool and a trampoline, so they had lots of fun. Kristin and her boyfriend JJ Campbell came along too, and Jackson had a blast. Jackson liked the slide into the pool, as long as Grandma held on up top, and JJ caught him at the bottom, before he went under! Once he went under, and then he was done until he forgot the trauma, but then he went back down! JJ and Kristin had fun dunking each other, and lets be honest really JJ did most of the dunking. Van had fun, he even got a snack in the pool! What we do to keep babies happy. He is seriously so cute! Jackson loved to "swim" in circles, and he is getting really good at jumping on the trampoline. We just love Aunts that give mommy a break! Thanks Kristin.

2009-09-03T13:29:00.001-07:00

Aunt Kristin just can't keep her hands of Jackson and his hair. While he looks too cute, can you tell what he's thinking? Kristin would so be dead if looks could kill! Jackson gets that from his mommy.