All I want for my birthday is.....

My KITCHEN finished! Josh and I started the kitchen remodel in September last year. August was pretty much filled with finishing this project. Good thing Josh has a little extra time on his hands. We finished staining the cabinets and had new granite installed on my 29th birthday! It looks awesome. The only bummer is that we stayed up until 12:30am the other night installing the sink/faucet since the plumbing was a bit off for the new sink. But it's all put together now. Thanks hubby for all your hard work. We will have a party to show it all off as soon as I finish painting the downstairs bathroom. I am so glad to enjoy cooking and baking in my kitchen once again!

My Baby Girl is now 2!

Yes, I know I'm a few months late. Sorry my little Otter-Pop. Glad you had a fun birthday though. We went to Chuck E Cheese with Grammy and Papa and aunt Shannon and then celebrated with the Proffit gang the following Sundayagain. Some of my favorite things about you are when you remind me to say "prayers" before every meal and at bedtime. I love how you request me to sing specific songs such as "popcorn", "cottage", "rock", "bunny" and I know exactly what one you want me to sing. You are a great communicator without saying much. This is a blessing and curse. You are a total charmer when you want to be. You make sure everyone knows you are there and are so friendly saying "hi" to everyone while batting your eyelashes. Your strong will and determination puts mine to shame at times. You are a lover and a fighter. Life would be so boring without you. Your daddy thinks you are awesome. You brother thinks you are fun and silly. Thanks for being a great playmate to him. I love you more and more every day. Thanks for reminding me that I need to be a stay-at-home mommy. xoxo

Late Summer Update

Wow, I am a bad blogger. A lot has happened over the past few months so I will try to be brief in trying to catch up. Josh was laid off from Dynasplint at the end of June....I know total bummer. However this has been quite the wake-up call to us and Josh has decided to go back to school to become a Physician Assistant. This job seems like it might be a bit more eceonomy proof and the job discription fits Josh PERFECTLY. It's a 2 year master program and he might even join the military to help pay for the schooling. We are still undecided on all the details but we at least have a goal of him becoming a PA as soon as possible. Anyways, we left for Wyoming a bit earlier than expected in July, enjoyed the 4th there. The 4th of July is the best in Wyoming since fireworks are legal. I swear each house was trying to "one up" the city's fireworks show. Max used to be terrified of fireworks but was lighting them off in the street with his uncles and cousins by the end of the night. It felt like being in a war zone. Josh and I managed to pull off another great Diamond X Triathlon. We almost had 50 participants!! After the Wyoming vacation with the Proffit family we headed with the Johnson family to Catalina. We had awesome weather, played games, and relaxed by the pool. Josh and I had fun playing with our new 2 seater kayak.
My 2 favorite stories from this summer are:

While in Wyoming, Max was asleep in the tent and at 2am he shouted out "I'm a cowboy" in his sleep. Josh and I were cracking up. The next week when Max was sailing over to Catalina Ryan asked Max when he could teach him how to surf. Max replied, "I'm not a surfer like you and Uncle Russ, I'm a Cowboy".

While preparing for the triathlon, Josh told ME to launch the seadoo by myself. I tried but didn't plug the drain in the bottom and flooded the engine minutes before the race started. Luckily we put it back on the trailer, got all the water out and then it started up again. What can I say, I'm a blond.

Happy 30th Bday to my Hubby!

You are the best guy a girl could ever want. I am so glad you are all mine. Happy Bday Baby. It can only get better from here.

Mom, I just Ran out of Run...

That's what Max told us at his last soccer game. He is not competitive at all which makes me laugh and makes Daddy go crazy. Max would rather flirt with his female team mate and pick flowers than chase after the soccer ball. So when his last excuse was "I ran out of run" all I could do was chuckle, give him more "run juice"-gatorade and encourage him to at least finish the game. Daddy might not get an athletic son but at least he makes us laugh.

A Weekend Away

Josh and I were in desperate need of a get-a-way from our children. I know how bad that sounds but they have been so crazy and draining lately that in order to keep our sanity as parents we needed to just get-a-way. Thanks to my mom and Aunt Elise for watching Max and Audrey so we could spend some time alone. We booked a deal online and got a great rate at the Hyatt in La Jolla. This hotel was amazing! We went to the San Diego temple where we were married almost 8 years ago. We saw a Iron Man 2, went to dinner, checked out new cell phone plans, went shopping, walked to the beach, checked out the tide pools, went in the spa, slept in, read books, had great conversation....you know---all the things that are hard to do with the kiddos around. After the vacation we came back much better parents. Audrey gave me a full body hug when we came home and Max told me about how much fun he had with Aunt Elise. I think maybe the kids needed a break from us too.

FHE last night

So we were racing as usual to feed the kids, bath them, pjs on and teach a lesson for FHE before I left for an HOA board meeting. Josh did a great job teaching the lesson about how Christ died and was ressurected 3 days later. Max was so into it and asked a bunch of questions! The neatest thing Max said was, "Do you know what?The other night Jesus whispered in my ear to help me fall asleep." It amazes me the faith these little spirits have! Max did have an ear infection last week and was having trouble sleeping at night. Josh gave him a Priesthood blessing to help him heal quickly and sleep better. I am so greatful to have the Gospel in my life and a righteous Priesthood holder to bless my children and me whenever we need it. Thanks Joshy, I love you so much for that. Heavenly Father truly cares about me and my family! Sometimes I just need to take the time to stop and listen to my children so they can teach and remind me of how blessed we are. Thanks Max for your sweet spirit and for teaching mommy a great lesson during FHE last night.

Is It Tomorrow Yet???

That was the question Max asked us at 3:30am on the day of his 5th birthday! He was sooooo excited to finally be 5 years old. He thinks that since he is now 5 he is big enough to do anything. He was really upset when we would not allow him to help move my moms couch the other day. He said because he was almost 5 years old he could lift the couch with no problem.....sorry bub, maybe when your a little older. I don't dare tell him an exact age becuse he will remember for sure and holds us to it. Like 2 years ago when my mom promised to take him on an airplane after he turned 5. Of course he reminded her about that recently and they will now be flying up to visit my sister Shannon in April :) I can't believe my little guy is 5 already. Wow, I am starting to feel old.
My sis-in-law did this fun Q and A thing with her boys on their birthday so I thought I would copy the idea.....

About the B-Day Boy

Today's Date: February 24, 2010
How old did you turn? um, 5 right mom?
How old do you feel? I feel like nothing!--but Happy
Where are you today? at home
Going to do anything special? Train ride with Mima but later because of thunder and lightning on Sat. Also, something special at Grandma Proffit's house and GO to LegoLand with her!
With whom? My cousins, Luke and Jack and Aunt Ewise and the WHOLE family. That's a lot of people...
Who was the first to tell you Happy bday today? My mom :)
Do you love this person? Yes, I LOVE YOU MOM and just girls, and some boys like my papa and my dad when he's in time out.
What are they getting for you? I don't know it's a surprise.

On the day you were born what day of the week was it? Friday
Did anything exciting happen that day? Really? Wow give us the story:
I just popped out. Does it hurt though mom? It hurt my tummy too mom. I think I kicked you and then I popped out.
How much did you weigh? I was this little (pinching fingers together) and was only 1 pound.
Who was at the hospital? Mommy, the Doctor, Me, Luke and Jack, Uncle Ryan, oh and Daddy.
Did you already have big brothers/sisters? No Audrey was just waiting in Heaven for a long time.

Birthday Wishes
Who is the person you wish could spend your bday with you but they can't?
Aunt Shannon and Barigit, Aunt Lisa and Uncle Ken
What big gift are you wishing for? A Nerf Gun like my friend Harrison has. I won't shoot anyone with it though but I will shoot it way up in the sky and it will go far, far away.
What are you going to wish for when you blow out the candles? I wish for a golf cart.

What Now????

As many of you know, last year everything seemed to go wrong with our house, cars, etc. We were constantly fixing things from the shower and water heater, to the transmission in my car. Every month was a HUGE expense. So thinking that was all behind us now was a big mistake too. Last weekend, while sanding down our new cabinets for the kitchen I noticed paint starting to fall off the downstairs bathroom ceiling. Apparently we had a leak from the kids bathroom toilet upstairs. I really wanted to pretend it wasn't happening but with all problems in life at some point they need to be fixed. We are in the middle of remodeling the kitchen (Josh just finished rebuiling all our drawers and putting new cabinet doors on the bottom. We hope to have new corian counter tops in soon too.) In the meantime we took a break on the kitchen so we could tackle yet another project. Josh and I decided to have fun and remodel both bathrooms since these are the last 2 places in our house that we haven't touched since moving here 5 years ago :) Here are some before pics. I just finished tiling and grouting and hope to post remodeled pics before the month is over. Wish us luck!---and no more new projects for a while at least.

Let's Be Spontaneous....

That's exactly what I told Josh on New Year's Day. Since buying a house, going to school, raising 2 kids, and work has seemed to get in the way of our spontanaety the past 7 years, I decided that we should just go and try being spontaneous like we used to. So we jumped in the car around 10am and head up to Big Bear to take the kids sledding. We were so glad to have the day off and just get out of the house. Of course we packed the DVD player, GPS, food, diapers, etc. so I guess we weren't THAT spontaneous since we still have to prepare a little bit before going anywhere.
In any case we were off headed for an adventure and what a perfect day it turned out to be. We used the GPS to go around all the traffic (apparantly everyone else wanted to go to the snow too). We stopped for potty breaks, bought a really cool sled at Kmart, grabbed some pizza for lunch and found a great sledding hill in a private little community. We made a snowman, had a snowball fight and chased after Daisy--it was her first time in the snow and she wasn't as big of a wimp as we thought she would be. Then we headed out around 5pm to find a Denny's for dinner and took a back road to beat the traffic. I wish I could have more days like that in the future.

Ahhh Christmas Cards....

I seriously LOVE getting Christmas cards. I've had so much fun reading about every one else's life through Christmas cards lately. Thank you to all my family and friends for sending one to me. I feel so special going to my mail box and finding a huge overflowing stack or cards (mixed with junk mail and bills of course). These cards make me realize how important each and every one of you are in my life. I rarely stop to read my mail but at Christmas time I slow down and enjoy the stories through pictures and cards.
Saying that, brings me to MY Christmas card---or lack of this year. For all of you who know me I have ALWAYS sent out a Christmas Card. I usually start putting them together in November so they can be mailed out by the first week in December. That was not the case this year. I don't know if it was because of working so much, taking care of 2 crazy kids and a husband, or the fact that I could not find a single picture of our family that looked decent. I seriously feel bad for abandoning my Christmas Card tradition. In any case I am Sorry.

To make it up to you, I made my family take pictures on the Sunday before Christmas, ordered pictures on Christmas Eve from Shutterfly and will be sending out New Years cards as soon as possible :) If for some reason you do not receive one please enjoy the posted pics on this blog and know that you are Loved by the Proffit Family. Again thank you for understanding and I hope we can still be friends....

A Belated Merry Christmas and HAPPY NEW YEAR to you ALL!!!

Is it Really That Time Already???

I can't believe that it is almost Thanksgiving and I haven't even posted pics of the kids from Halloween. My sis-in-law Elise is a better mom than I am when it comes to showing off my kids. She already posted pics of them from Halloween all over Facebook apparently--I wouldn't know b/c I haven't been on FB for about a month. Anyways, I always have a good excuse or it seems like a good one until I start typing and then I realize, "What the heck am I doing????" Am I really THAT busy that I can't take a few moments out of my day to re-cap what is going on in the Proffit family life?..No I am not. Not that our lives are THAT interesting but someday I'm guessing my kids will appreciate me journaling a few moments from our crazy days. So here goes:

While driving to Grammy's house so I can go teach piano lessons Max says from the back seat, "Mom, did you know that Jesus doesn't have to wear a bathing suit?" I chuckled and said, "No Max, I didn't know that. What made you think about that?" Then Max says, "Because Jesus just wears that robe thing and walk on water." I guess we are doing something right as parents :)

Max has turned into the BEST helper EVER!!! He makes my bed for me in the morning while I take a shower without being asked. He knows how to vacuum, dust, feed the dog, do the dishes, pour his own cereal and milk, and sort the laundry! Now if I could just get him to stop teasing his sister, stop talking ALL the time, Stop picking his nose and eating it (he says it tastes delicious!) and Stop taking off his PJ's in the middle of the night--I didn't know that sleeping in your underwear only started at this young of an age. Well, I guess there is always room for improvement.

Audrey, Audrey, Audrey.....I know that my mind shouldn't draw I blank as I sit and think about my little baby girl but I am right now. Maybe that's because I am Sooo tired. She seriously wears me out. She is active like Max but emotional like me. It's her way or a tantrum. I am not a push over but some things I just don't care about anymore....like, my moms malibu lights that she tears apart the second she gets outside. Or like bows she constantly pulls out of her hair, or the lace she tries to rip off of her socks as we are going to church. Or like the food she decides to dissect before each meal, or the dirt she manages to get all over every outfit even if outside for 5 minutes.

The other day Audrey sat contently playing for about 30 minutes inside her sandbox table. The only problem that was by the time I got out there she had about half of the sandbox sand in her hair and the other half was on the ground. Oh well, I had 30 minutes of my own to do the laundry and empty the dishwasher (the things I haven't taught Max to do yet!) Don't get me wrong Otter-Pop, you know how to give great big hugs, flash a daring smile with those dimples, and look cute in about anything. I only hope that you can experience the same thing I'm going through everyday with someone as sweet as you :)

Oh ya, Josh and I are doing great too....

Beaches, Parks and Babes

These are only a few pictures of our daily summer adventures. WE LOVE YOU CALIFORNIA!

Life's Good for the Proffit's!

Funny Things About Max:
The other day while my sis-in-law was babysitting him he told her he was so freakin' smart!
He talks SOOO much and is starting to talk back and get in trouble. He IS the class clown at school.
Sweet Things About Max:
He tells me that I am so beautiful while holding my face or playing with my hair. He wants to snuggle with me every morning and LOVES to touch my chest---must be a boy thing that guys never grow out of.

Funny Things About Audrey:
She LOVES stuffed animals and to say hi and wave to everyone at the grocery store. She stares them down until she gets their attention. She is my little social butterfly!
Interesting things about Audrey:
Now 14 months old, she decided 2 days ago that she was ready to walk, I mean run. As long as something is her decision she will do it. She is a very stong willed little girl. She just learned how to say "Bop it!" which means "stop it" to me and Max. She loves her Daddy and has him wrapped around her finger.

US:
Josh and I celebrated our 7th anniversary. We went to the Getty museum, the beach and 7th street prominade without kids (thanks Mom). We had a blast!
Now that Max is back in school, I'm busy teaching piano and doing real estate we are starting to look forward to the Holidays. In the meantime we are keeping busy remodeling our kitchen cabinets and since we are doing it all ourselves we hope to be done by Christmas. We average about 1 new cabinet a weekend! Max just started basketball on Saturday mornings and LOVES it. He does have an advantage over the other 4 year olds though since he is about a head taller than all of them. Now the challenege is to get Max to listen to his coach instead of his crazy Dad yelling at him to do defense and stick his arms up. I think we should just be happy that he's throwing the ball at the right hoop---heck with dribbling! Life's Good for the Proffit's!