My Cousin's Wedding

It was great to see my family together together this past weekend to celebrate Aubrey & Jon's wedding. We laughed, we cried, we ATE and we even danced. Even Grandma and Grandpa were busting it on the dance floor.  Here are a few of my favorite moments:

A house full of people, for the first time. JOY. 

Kelsey LOVES Brooklyn

Overexposed, but too fun not to include it

Congrats Aubrey & Jon!! Welcome to the family Mr. Hansen

Didn't she look amazing!!?? 

The dancing was my favorite part...Kelsey's too. 

Look at what they've started...

Good times everyone, let's do it again soon. Who's up next? For more photos, click here.

An Update: Consumed

My friend sent me an email asking how things were going because she hadn't heard an update on the blog. I know I've been terrible at posting, mostly because we haven't had our OWN internet connection until now, so access was sporadic. Also, I just got a new computer. Saweet! Not to mention the unpacking, organizing, and CLEANING of the house. I am overwhelmed by the DAILY amount of cleaning required and I am learning how to be more efficient. I can't talk about US without talking about the house right now because THE HOUSE HAS CONSUMED US. Eaten us alive, really.

That has changed now, thanks to some guests I had last weekend. My parents and grandparents came over Friday while they were in town for my cousin's wedding. My dad built shelves in the broom closet to make it a pantry, my grandpa found several projects around the house that needed a quick fix (and he bought us a bunch of odds and ends at Home Depot), my grandma and I organized the office, and my mom watched the kids. It was a great feeling to get a contractor's eye and advice about the house.

Here are the stages of the pantry:

I missed the BEFORE, but it looked similar to our hall closet. Only it had 2 high shelves with no rod.

And after my dad put the shelves in:

I don't like deep shelves because stuff gets lost and I didn't want the sides to stick out and in front of the doorway so this is how I wanted my shelves designed. I did want drawers but it wasn't practical with the doorway. I'm still trying to figure out how to do the spice rack.

Tal and I spent WAY too much time filling in the holes, sanding, painting the inside, caulking, and then painting chalkboard paint on the door and front facing edge of the shelves. Hey, if you're going to do something, might as well do it right. Even if it is only a pantry (which Tally kept repeating to me). It WAS pretty annoying to have all of our food out and on the table for over a week. We quickly outgrew the one cupboard above the dishwasher. Here it is with paint and FOOD!

And now with a bit of chalk...

Kelsey and I had some fun with it today. Which was nice since it was raining outside. She LOVES chalk. I need a thinner piece though to write on the shelves.

We also got our new table, conveniently delivered right when I brought my parents home from the airport.

The hydrangeas were beautiful, a big thank you to Aubrey for getting married and having great taste in flowers.

And here is the other side of the room, the kitchen.

I would love to get a less see-through glass for those cabinets and better pottery for display ;) Too bad I didn't know I would have this when I was in Nove.

We're having to adjust to YARDWORK. Instead of taking off to another country for the weekend, we are at home making our house look nice and pretty. I always knew owning a home would be expensive but MAN!! We have made so many trips to Home Depot lately they're starting to recognize us. Here's my laborer ;).

I took the kids outside with me on Friday (Tal at work, it was supposed to rain all Saturday) while I did some yard work (weeds, leaves, etc.) and it turned out to be a great experience. I met several of my neighbors who "kept meaning to come by" but hadn't yet (I know how that goes, I've been meaning to come by too). It was really nice to be out in the sunny weather.

All is well here with us. The kids have had pink eye and now slight colds. My parents are in Hawaii and Tal is back in Switzerland right now. Although I'm wishing I were there with him (Stupid unreliable volcano) I'm enjoying this rainy midnight alone. We are all (relatively) healthy and happy right now, and that's good enough for me. I feel very BLESSED. Nighty night!

Aiden up to 10 months

We just went to his 9 month check-up at 10 months. He hasn't grown any taller since his 6 month appointment but has gained a pound. He is 18 pounds and 27 inches.  

He does this "rocks" or "bones" move where he sticks out his fist like so

It also makes me think of Superman

He's studying the doll, not quite sure he's ready to play with it. Definitely a boy - by this age Kelsey was carrying one with her everywhere!

In an effort to wean him, I tried formula. I was out of sippys so we did the bottle. I thought it was so cute! I love it when they hold it themselves...

Quality time with dad

It seems like he's just taken off...the kid has a desire to be a big kid. Maybe he gets that from his BIG sister. One day, Aiden was standing up holding onto the kids table. I sat down near him and held out my arms. He took a step or two and then fell into my arms. His first official steps! I was trying to catch a picture of it so I handed the reins off to Kelsey. Here's what I got. 

 And a LOT of others that aren't worth posting. It was fun and frustrating at the same time. Here he is on his own.

Poor baby, mom was too far away for the catch. More bumps and bruises are sure to come. 

My handsome little man

Fishing at Cabelas

Today we went to Cabela's for their "fishing day." Tal's sister Camie invited us so we met them there. The kids had a lot of fun inside while Cam & Lee waited in line outside. Look at all the fish!

Carter looking at the animal display

Now time to fish! Kelsey fishing while modeling her new jacket. That's my girl.

Aiden's first fishing trip with dad. I love the look on his face. It's a mix between "who the heck are you and why are you holding me" and "what are you doing!?"

Everyone was a little bummed they didn't catch anything. The poles were pretty useless. At least that's our excuse. 

Don't you love the view behind them? So pretty & green this year! 

What handsome boys!

STARVING!! It's time for lunch! 

We went to the only El Pollo Loco in Utah (that I know of)...YUM! My fav

Veggie Tales

I always dreamed of having a house one day where I could paint the walls and pick out my furniture. That day has come, and I'm like a kid in a candy store - except it's not quite how I'd imagined it. I'm like a kid in a candy store who can't make up her mind because she's too afraid of making the wrong choice. I had a jalepeño jelly bean once and I've never looked at candy the same again.

So if you have any decorating tips, hear of any good deals, etc. I'm in the market for a living room, a dining room, and a master bedroom.

At home, it's life as usual. The kids have been loving their new play room and are at a good age for keeping each other entertained. Meanwhile, I try to unpack, organize, and put away as fast as I can. We only have a few boxes left!!

Here's Kelsey and I enjoying our healthy snack (she LOVES all these foods , which makes me so happy - I was such a picky eater).

Notice there are only a few tomatoes left and I had barely set it out

Here's the daunting task ahead of me: THE OFFICE

It's become the dumping ground for all the things that need more time to be organized. It also houses our smaller garage sale items. 

This is how I feel about it

Grandma, hurry and come into town - I NEED YOU!!
Luckily, I inherited the love of organizing from my grandma Lang and I am giddy to get this done. And to have pantry shelves put in (dad). ;)

We still only have one car (I got a car that I love, Mazda CX-9) so that means we've been waking up early to take daddy to work. Luckily, it's not a long commute. We are all healthy and happy, and feeling so blessed.

Simplicity among the chaos

Today I took the kids for a walk to the grocery store. 

We moved into a house not to far from lots of FOOD. It's all fast, none that great. But I'm digressing. Walking home from the store with the kids both asleep in their stroller I thought of Switzerland and my friend Jessi who just moved BACK to Zurich. I thought about a conversation we had about "if we moved back to SLC where would we live that is somewhat like Switzerland." We came to the conclusion that there was no place like CH. No little village with all the stores in one central place.  Not as many pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and right-of-ways - or pedestrians for that matter. No grüezi as you pass another on your way. But something about this little walk made me feel like I could have a taste of my simple Swiss life here. I may be a fish out of water but I'm starting to like it. Our new place could start to feel like home soon. We could start to feel normal and settled. But I have to get furniture for our empty rooms and pictures on the walls first. We're excited about our new place and can't wait to show our little treasure. Pictures will follow... once I start taking them again. You'll be amazed at how much Aiden has grown/developed since we left Switzerland and how much Kelsey is taking, imagining, and making sense! I'll keep posting, but I need to get internet. 

XOXO from SLC.