Evans Heaven

All Hallows Eve

2011-11-07T21:05:00.000-07:00

We had a great Halloween month! The Evans household can't seem to let a good holiday go to waste! We had a lot of activities planned, the kids enjoyed every minute of it. I'll fill you in and then add all the pics! One of our favorite things to do is read stories! So we have a lot of fun halloween stories we read every night in October. Luke has his favorite book he calls his 'Scary Book.' The pic below is Aves and Luke reading that book together (so cute).
For our second year now we did caramel apples, which the kids like to decorate but then Avery wanted all the caramel off before she would eat her apple! hey she eats healthy. Drew and Avery's preschool went on a fun field trip to a pumpkin patch with a hayride, slides, corn mazes, bouncy houses, and tractor rides. They each picked there own pumpkins which we painted later. They were pie pumpkins which we have used to make pumpkin muffins and cookies much better than canned pumpkin. We had a bonfire with some friends, we roasted hot dogs and marshmellows. The kids stayed up late singing halloween songs and listening to scary stories. We carved our pumpkins, played with homemade pumpkin spice playdough (smells soooo good, get the recipe off of theidearoom.blogspot.net).
We visited my parents in Logan Utah, where they have an awesome pumpkin walk with the coolest displays (it would be fun to do one in our yard). My fav was the calvin and hobbes display, which sadly none of the young kids understood! We went on a "witch hunt' in the woods on my parents farm. We also spent HOURS making homemade apple juice which turned out really good! The kids had a blast dropping the apples in a apple crusher that andy had to crank with his own hands. This job was true man labor, it was crazy. But the juice turned out really yummy.

Lastly, we did Trick or Treating, After a delicious bowl of chili we were off. I am not sure what the kids liked better going door to door for candy or handing it out. Our neighbors set up a fire pit on there driveway and give away hot cocoa, so after the crowds left we went down with the kids and spent a fun time in front of the fire. The kids were excited to get into there costumes. Drew was a monster truck (made from a cardboard box with real lights attached) Avery was Dorothy her fav part were the red shoes, and Luke was a Lion! We had a blast this year and can't wait for next Halloween. Now bring on Thanksgiving!

Happy Mothers' Day!

2011-05-08T22:04:00.000-06:00

I have three kids all 4 and under. From 6am to 7pm sharp my kids are my life. From running around cleaning spills, diaper duty, taking turns playing cars, basketball, and dolls, filling sippy cups, finding binky, cleaning more spills, diaper duty again, wiping bums after someone goes potty, fill snack bowls, making lunch, filling sippy cups again, cleaning more spills, trips to the doctor, trips to the store, kissing owies, braking up fights, diaper duty yet again, playing cars, basketball, and dolls...to cleaning more spills. I collapse at night and really find myself thinking about how fun it was to be with my kids. I wouldn't have it any other way. I have learned so much from being a mom. First off, kids are so quick to be forgiving. I make mistakes and get mad when I shouldn't, just when I think I have 'damaged' my kids they come to me with hugs and lots of love. Secondly patience; it may take Avery 20 min to put on her seatbelt or Drew my want to wear his pants on backwards and shirt inside out...but its okay! My house isn't always in perfect shape when Andy gets home, there is usually toys scattered around...but that is okay too! My kids are healthy and happy and we have so much fun imagining and exploring together. We have our bad days but mostly our days are good. I am constantly reminded why being a mom is the best! So here is my list of why I love being a mom:
1. The random hugs from behind
2. little voices begging me to play with them
3. strong determination to accomplish things (like putting your seatbelt on all by yourself)
4. listenig to a 4 and 3 year olds logic and reasoning
5. the 'forever long kiss' (as we call them )
6. watching them read stories to themselves
7. reading them stories
8.Giving answers to every Why question out there
9. The wave good bye when i lay my baby down for the night
10. waking up to Drew and Luke yelling "mommy"
11.playing 'tickle monster'
12. watching my kids play together
13. Listening them bear there sweet testimonies
12. Hearing them pray
15. Watching them try to force a sad face when they can't help but smile
16. seeing there faces light up with excitement
The list is endless and while being a mom can be exhausting and frustrating at times there is definately more good then bad! The best is yet to be. This poem sums it up for me

You are the trip I did not take;
You are the pearls I cannot buy;
You are my blue Italian lake;
You are my piece of foreign sky.
Happy Mothers Day!!

Yes i know Christmas is over...time to move on!!

2011-03-29T21:07:00.000-06:00

So a ton as happened since my last real post, but to spare you the details, i will share with you our 'winter schedule.' Winter is somtimes a hair pulling season for mothers, especially if you get to be home all day with three super active kiddos all 4 and under. So to stay sane i have to have a good schedule for me and my kids to do to fill our sometimes long days.

Mondays -Treehouse Museum

The treehouse museum is so cool. It is a museum where you basically step into different stories. They have a train area, farming area, utah state history section, a big treehouse the kids can play in, they have a big theater room where kids can dress up as storybook characters and act out a story while a narrator reads the story, they have singing time. They have a craft room, they have a music rooms the kids can make music in. I mean it has been the greatest discovery in the Ogden area and it is really cheap, mondays it is like a dollar a kid. We Love It!!

Tuesdays is preschool day.

Drew goes to preschool three days a week for two hours but on tuesdays Avery has her own little Joyschool she attends with kids from the neighborhood. This is a special day because she is a big girl like her big brother and gets to go to preschool all by herself!!

Wed Laundry day, the kids help me do the laundry, and we just play inside with our toys, sometimes we play with a friend ...

Thursday is our library day, i don't have any pics of that but we enjoy looking at books and my kids love to be read to. The library also does a fun story time and they have lots of fun activities for the kids to do.

Friday is our either watch a movie with popcorn day or swimming day. Of course i can't just take my kids to the a regular pool how boring is that, it has to be a big aquatic center with an indoor waterslide, and playset built in the swimming pool, complete with a lazy river and water guns every kids' favorite things!! Thought i had a picture of this place but i guess i don't, i will try and post it later. So thats our week it is pretty fun and keeps us busy during those slower winter months!!

Santa vs Christ

2010-12-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

During the Christmas season we find and should focus on all the symbolism relating to Christ. We know what the candy cane represents and the wreath, and the bells and the tree and of course the star...but what about Santa Claus. The main character for children during this special season. I have a book entitled, "I Believe in Santa Claus" It explains the similarities between Santa and Christ, which I had not thought of before but which I find interesting. So here it goes!
He wears Red. (Isa 63:2)
His Hair is White. (Rev 1:14)
He Comes in the Night. (1Thess 5:2)
He Loves little Children. (Matt 19:14)
He knows we are Good. (1 Tim 2:3,4)
And He brings Gifts. (James 1:17)
So I guess I do believe in Santa Claus!!

2010-12-10T07:46:00.000-07:00

So I was reading about Christ's birth in the Book of Mormon. Nephi was asking the angel to tell him about certain parts of Lehi's dream. The angel responded by telling Nephi about the condescension of Christ. I started to think about the Shepards and what it must have been like to hear those words from the Angel that the Son of God was born in the city of Bethlehem. The scriptures say that the shepards came with haste to see the Child. We know that the shepards probably were taught there whole lives that one day The Savior would be born and to prepare and watch for it. I tried to put myself in their position and feel what it would be like to witness this event. I found that we now are not too far off from how the shepards felt as we too have been taught our whole lives that Christ will again come. We too have been taught and are preparing and are watching for that grand event. Except it will be even more grand than when he came the first time. As joy will replace sorrow and peace will replace turmoil in our world. I often imagine being told that Christ has finally appeared again. How will I feel? What will I do? Will I be prepared? Will I hear the angels from heaven rejoicing over this momentous event that they could not restrain? I would like to think I would be just as the shepards and leave immediatly to witness that grand event. Because really nothing else will matter. I think I would have a list of emotions from humility to excitement, peace, to pure joy (to say the least). At this Christmas season I hope we can all imagine ourselves being apart of the first true Christmas. May we all be ready and prepared for when we hear the declaration from the angels announcing once again that Christ, God Son has come.

Day 6: Christmas Giving

2010-12-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have a book called, Christmas Treasures, it is a collection of stories from general authorities. There is one story by Gene R Cook, where he lays out what a person might do to make Christmas great. Since I have been trying to think of things I can do this season with my family, I thought you might as well. Enjoy!
1. I will do acts of charity for others
2. I will seek to give of myself spiritually to others
3. I will find someone to help and to pray for
4. I will secretly fast for someone who has a problem
4. As an offering to God, I will find someone who really needs a blessing and provide it.
6. I will extend my love to all
7. I will comfort the sick
8. I will visit widows and the homeless adn share with them the scriptures
9. I will sing with someone who needs to sing
"For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we these an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least ot these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:34-40).

Fellowship of the Unashamed by Henry B. Eyring

2010-12-05T07:16:00.000-07:00

    I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, or slow down, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talk, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, positions, promotions, plaudits, or popularity.
    I don't have to be right, first, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power.
    My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I can't be bought, compormised, detoured, lured away, divided, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
    I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, and paid up for the cause of Christ. I must go till he comes, give till I drop, preach until all know, and word until He stops me. And when He returns for his own, He will have no problem in recognizing me. My banner will be clear.

Pretty straight forward. The best gift to give our Savior is our hearts this Christmas Season.

How did they come up with putting Tinsel on trees?

2010-12-04T08:00:00.001-07:00

Well here's your answer!

'The Story of Christmas Spiders'

In a quiet cottage in the woods lived a gentle widow and her eight children. The widow worked very hard to keep her children warm and well-fed, but money was not plentiful. When the air grew crisp, and the snow began to fall, the widow knew Christmas was coming. But instead of feeling joyful as the holiday approached, she felt sadness and sorrow. She knew that she did not have enough money to buy her children any gifts to open on Christmas morning.

"I cannot afford new toys or books," she thought, walking home through the woods one night. "What will I give my children?"

On Christmas Eve the family ate their simple Christmas dinner together, and the widow tried to conceal her worries. After tucking her excited children snugly into bed, she pulled her chair close to the fire and tried to erase the visions of their little disappointed faces from her mind. After all, what fun is Christmas morning without gifts to open?

"Perhaps a Christmas tree would make my children happy," the widow sighed.

She put on her coat and hat and walked through the woods in search of the right tree. She chose a small but beautiful evergreen, chopped it down with her husband's ax, and brought it to the cottage.

For hours, the widow carefully decorated the fragrant tree branches with colorful fruits, bits of ribbon, and Christmas cookies. Then she blew out her candle and went to bed, hoping the tree would make her children's empty Christmas a little bit brighter.

While the tired widow slept, tiny spiders crept from the cracks and corners of the cottage. They had watched her hard at work, decorating the tree for her children. Onto the branches they jumped, spinning delicate strands of silky web which gracefully covered the small tree from trunk to top. It was a beautiful sight.

When the family awoke on Christmas morning, they could not believe their eyes. The webs of silk had been turned into pure silver, covering the tree with dazzling brightness! During the night, Santa Claus had come with gifts for the children and saw the tree covered with spiderwebs. He smiled as he saw how happy the spiders were, but knew how heartbroken the widow would be if she saw her tree covered with spiderwebs. So he turned the silky webs into pure, shining silver. The next morning, as the widow watched her children sing and dance around the beautiful shining tree, she knew it would be a wonderful Christmas after all!

From that day forward, people have hung strands of shiny silver tinsel on their Christmas trees in honor of the poor widow and her tiny Christmas spiders. -- By Stephanie Herbek

Kids can teach us alot about Christmas

2010-12-03T08:00:00.002-07:00

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

2010-12-02T08:00:00.001-07:00

Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus

Editorial Page, New York Sun, 1897

Editor: Francis P. Church

We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

Dear Editor---

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?

Virginia O'Hanlon

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the scepticism of a sceptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to have men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest men, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernatural beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

DAY2: Little Levi

2010-12-01T08:00:00.002-07:00

This is a true story our neighbor (in Flagstaff Az) told us about her little boy. We hope you fill as uplifted as We did.

Levi had terminal cancer at age 3 and he was dying. While in the hospital he had a piggy bank that people would put money into, he had collected about $.32; this was his prize money.

While at home he enjoyed going outside and saying hi to his neighbor Sam. Levi would go stick his fingers through the fence. "Sam, Sam." Sam was often sitting in his lounge chair in their backyard. "Sam, how are you today, otay?" Giggling as Sam's dog would tickle his fingers. Sam couldn't come to the fence anymore, he had been in a diesal truck wreck that should have killed him. Sam loved kids they would invite Levi in for candies, cookies and milk, and TV...

Levi was in his room playing with his piggy bank (prize money). The coins would jingle together and he'd laugh. "Mom, can I have a bag?" Levi's mom went into the kitchen then entered his room, "Here's a baggie buddy." "Tants yous" Levi replied. "you gonna put your money in it?" Levi's Mom inquired. "yeah" said Levi. After shoving a handful of change in it, he rose to his feet saying, "can I go to Sam's house, mom?"

Levi gave his money to Sam in hopes that he would feel better. Sam still remembers the $.32 miracle, whenever he felt bad, he thought of Levi, a dying little boy giving the last little bit of himself. Sam said that thinking of Levi helped him through some really rough times.

When our sweet neighbor told us this story of her little boy (this happened 25 years ago) I couldn't help but feel humbled. A boy dying of cancer takes his prized money and gives it away to someone he felt was in more need of it. This to me is a perfect story for the season. It reminds me of all that I have been given and what I need to do to brighten or help someone else in need. Merry Christmas!

DAY 1: Letter To Santa

2010-11-30T08:00:00.004-07:00

Dear Santa:

I’ve been a good mom all year. I’ve fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor’s office more than my doctor and sold 62 cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my Christmas list over several years, since I had to write this letter with my son’s red crayon on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows if I’ll find any more free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my wishes: I’d like a pair of legs that don’t ache (in any color except purple, which I already have) and arms that don’t hurt or flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store.

I’d also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the 7th month of my last pregnancy. If you’re hauling big-ticket items this year, I’d like fingerprint-resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, ‘yes, mommy,’ to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don’t fight and three jean skirts that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.

I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting ‘don’t eat in the living room’ and ‘take your hands off your sister because my voice seems to be just out of my children’s hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.

If it’s too late to find any of these products, I’d settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.

If you don’t mind, I could also use a few miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would also be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling my name, and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back.

Yours always, mom.

p.s.: one more thing…you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough tgo always believe in Santa.

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

2010-11-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

2010-11-14T21:26:00.001-07:00

Starting Nov 30th is when our advent will begin. So stay tuned...and please join us as we celebrate our favorite holiday!

Contrary to popular belief and despite our best efforts, we're still alive!

2010-07-11T19:52:00.003-06:00

This post is a prelude to Drew's 4th birthday which is tomorrow! There has been so much going on that we have just forgotten about our little blog. But not today because there is so much to share.

We knew it was going to be a different day when we saw Drew come down the stairs looking like this.

We had just gone for a walk around the neighborhood in today's 90 degree weather. Drew told me that he was sweaty. Two minutes later Drew comes down the stairs covered in baby powder. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what he was doing. I asked him what happened and he told me that he tripped on a power cord in our room. I asked if he fell into Luke's bath towell and he said yes. That's when I remembered that while dressing Luke last night I spilled baby powder on his towell and unfortunately Drew became the victim.

Our next excitement happened no more than 3 minutes later. Cami was on the phone while Luke was playing near her. She hung up and picked up Luke to get him ready for dinner. She gave him a drink and Luke started fussing. Cami got concerned because Luke would not calm down and was having a hard time breathing. As this went on we noticed that he started losing color in his face and trunk and we decided that we better take him to the hospital. We live about 25 minutes from the hospital and thanks to cami's urging we were able to make the trip in about 15 minutes. When we got to the Emergency room there was no usual 2 hour wait. Cami and Luke were taken immediately back and there were nurses and doctors everywhere. They hooked Luke up to some oxygen monitors and took an X-ray to see what was obstructing his breathing. It was chaos. I had an opportunity to help Drew and Avery exercise faith as we said a prayer for Luke in the car. When we came inside we asked Drew if Luke would be okay. He said "yes, because of Jesus." After about 45 minutes the X-ray results were in and there was nothing. The great mystery will for ever remain. We were able to finally calm him and his oxygen levels were fine so out the door we went.

How did Avery feel about all this? She didn't like it one bit. "My doctor!" was her choice of words when we asked her if she was happy to not be the one on the hospital bed. When we got home at 6:30 (a total 2 hour ordeal) Drew and Luke went immediately to bed, but not Avery. She stayed up for another 90 minutes playing bubbles and enjoying undivided attention from both parents.

Keen insight into the habits of Andy. What do I do to unwind from a highly stressful afternoon...you guessed it! A Cereal Sundae!

Here are some more pictures from our adventures:

"Hey Avery what do you think about using the waterslide before testing the water temp?"

Dad and the Kids at the Water Park

Avery playing up South Fork Canyon in Provo Canyon before our 4th of July Celebration

Luke having the time of his life at Stadium of Fire

Osmond Second Generation has a new life long fan!

We Have started to settle in!

2010-04-29T21:46:00.000-06:00

Hello blogging world! We have made it and are almost finished unpacking. It has been a whirlwind month with us closing on our first house and also Andy starting a new job. The kids and us love our new place but Avery is the most excited about it. She has been graduated from the crib to her very own "big bed." She also got her own room which has really helped the kids sleep longer in the morning. Can you say sleeping until 6:45 instead of 6? Yippee! Here's a Picture of Avery's room. We painted it a light purple that is hard to see in the photo, but Avery will put her hand against the wall and say "pretty purple." We're glad that she likes it.

I would imagine that you would like to see pictures of our new house. I'd love to tell you that I have a bunch, but for some reason I don't yet. We'll get them up on the next post which might just be in another month!

Here's a couple that I could find.

Luke is growing up so fast! He's also becoming very handsome!

Here's Andy in the kitchen, he and Avery were making cookies for her nursery teachers because they kept her in there the whole time even with her screaming bloody murder.

Here's a shot from our living room into the back yard. This is what the kids love the best. No more Flagstaff snowbanks to trample through bring on the spring!

Here we are getting ready to walk to church! Isn't living in Utah great?

Every time we drive into our neighborhood we have to pass the church and every time we do we hear a little voice in the back yell "Temple!" We decided that we'd take Avery to the Ogden temple so that she could start to sort the two out. The Tulips were in full bloom; we're working on getting our garden to look the same!

Here's our girls at the Ogden Temple

Who can resist not kissing those cheeks!

And lastly, but maybe most important Cami won Deal or No Deal! It was a challenge to see who could win more tickets. If you hit the jackpot you can get up to 200 tickets. Andy went first and set a high bar at 3 tickets, Cami went next and won 103! She took the last offer from the bank when she had two values remaining. it was either going to be 7 or 200 tickets. As it turned out she had the 7 in her case so she made the deal of a life time! Way to go Cami, watch out Howie!

Oh What Do You Do in The Wintertime? When all the world is white...

2010-03-17T22:28:00.001-06:00

Boy am I excited for spring, today it was shortsleeve weather and absolutely beautiful! I am going to miss the beautiful sunny days of Arizona. We have had a long cold winter in our little apartment here in Flagstaff, here are some fun things we have done to stay sane.

Burying Luke

Sometimes We have movies and popcorn in a fort.

Take lots of pictures!

Drew likes to turn his bed into his 'car' that he likes to drive to Grandmas' house but first we have to pack and load it with all his toys and other random things before we go. This bed isn't half as full as it usually is when we play this game.

Our view outside the window

Avery Loves to play with her hair...her way of course! Drew is in the background 'driving his car.'

We have spent a lot of time playing the kids' room with our cars.

So, we have all these boxes lying around, and so I decided to make a house out of some of them...of course eventually it became a tunnel for Drew's cars.

Chunky monkey

So once a week we have a craft and this week, we did a hat for Avery and Drew painted little wooden dump truck and cement mixer.

Playing in cupboards..a game Avery came up with.

The 'elevator' Drew and Avery love to go into my closet and push imaginary buttons, shut an imaginary door and then they tell me if they are going to go up or down.

We have had a great winter full of lots of fun activities but nothing is more fun than hanging out with my kids!

We have put together a great schedule

mondays we go visit the library, the flagstaff library is really great, it has a wonderful kids section with lots of toys, books, and puzzles that the kids can spend hours in.

Tues drew does a sporties for shorties class at the local rec center, he learns how to play with other kids in a sport setting, they learn rules to simple sports like dodge ball, and they run around a track, they learn and have a lot of fun.

wed is our laundry day and I bought a water activity table for the kids to play with.

Thursdays they have an open gym at the local gymnastics place which Drew and Avery absolutely love, it gives them a chance to run around for hours.

Fridays we just hang out at home and we usually play with playdough or do a craft or make something yummy.

We're Moving...Again!

2010-03-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

I figure it's about time to announce our big news to our blogging friends. Andy has landed a job with Pfizer! Its a long story but we really feel that doors were opened for us. We'll be moving up to Ogden, UT at the end of the month!

We are going up to look for properites. If you want to see which one's we're thinking of check out:

Any input is welcome!

http://www.jetrealty.com/ and search by MLS #'s

Here are the ones we like:

921874, 938403, 903649, 941442, 936629, 942903, 879420, 918733, 919319, 910176, 922294, 927065, 943598, 931596

It's a big list but we'll be narrowing them down this weekend!

All about Avery

2010-01-31T22:27:00.000-07:00

So just as our last post said, we celebrated Avery's 2 year birthday yesterday, but today is actuallly her b-day so I thought I would post things about Avery that makes her special to our family.

Her birth was a surprise to everyone as her gender was kept secret, when the family found out we had a girl they were all ecstatic!

She's been through a lot in just two years, but it has added to her character and we love her more for it.

She is always one ready for adventure and loves her big brother so much she has to do all that he does.

She puts up with a lot, like being dressed up in silly costumes:)

she has quite the imagination, she loves trying on clothes and hats, Drew is always watching to see what she will do next.

She loves food, Drew is our picky eater but not Avery, for her 1 yr birthday cake she dived right in!

She loves to smile and giggle! She is also our little daredevil, always climbing (and getting hurt). Drew has learned to watch her, if she falls he stays away but if she doesn't he is along with her climbing and doing all the other crazy things she comes up with!

She makes everyone smile and laugh, especially her brothers Drew and Luke.

We Love You Avery and we are so glad that you are in our family!

Avery's 2!

2010-01-31T09:55:00.003-07:00

We celebrated Avery's 2nd birthday. It was a fun filled day. Grandma and Grandpa Lucherini came and we started the day meeting up with them at their hotel for some free breakfast. Then we headed over to the Northern Arizona museum were they have a fun kids room to play in. We played lots of games and had pizza, cake, and opened alot of presents. It was a great day!

thanks Grandma and Grandpa for a great birthday party and thanks Bethany and Nana and Grandpa Evans for the fun gifts!!

Winter storm number 2

2010-01-24T20:06:00.001-07:00

So we got hit with a pretty incredible winter storm last week. I am sure everyone heard about all the rain in L.A. well we got what they got except just in snow! (which i think is way worse)! We got hit with 4-5 ft. the drifts in front of my window is so high i can't see out! The freeways closed, malls, banks, pretty much the entire town of Flagstaff (Flag as the locals call it) closed down. It just kept on snowing! At night we got hit with 50mph winds, that was fun, i quickly became thankful we had a warm apartment to sleep in. We knew the storm was coming so we were able to gather some food storage for the week which proved to be a blessing. (the last winter storm our grocery stores became barren.

The roads were a mess, which made going to and from work for Andy a pain, however the kids had a blast!

Here are some shots of the fun!

Here is an updated picture of our little luke he is 4 months old and definately my most smiley and vocal baby. Also this is Avery before church with her cute pigtails...I love pigtails!!

Let It Snow

2010-01-19T22:10:00.001-07:00

Hello Blog readers. We'd like to begin today's entry with a thanks to all who have participated in our poll. It is very important that we get honest answers to preserve the scientific integrity of our results.

Today we are cheering for more snow! It's been a quite unusal weather pattern that we are in the middle of. The way that the storm is working is that there are three consecutive storms and each one is going to leave more and more snow. When we're all done on Saturday we're expecting 4 Feet!

Don't worry about us, we love the snow!

Over the river and through the woods to Grand Ma's House we go!

2010-01-13T21:08:00.000-07:00

Hello faithful blog followers! We decided that we'd take some time to tell you about our Christmas vacation. We headed up to Cami's parents farm in Idaho. It was a ton of fun.

We had some kids who were very excited to wear their Christmas Pajamas and it was almost impossible to pull them away from the christmas tree for this picture!

This present is a prime example of Andy's quality wrapping jobs.

If you didn't belive that this is a farm, please observe the hay and the manure in the background!

This is a cool shot that we were able to take while at the Logan Temple. Cami has such the Artistic Eye!

So today I'm 4 months old...

2010-01-09T22:55:00.004-07:00

So I know that many of you readers out there aren't exactly sure who I am. As a way of introduction my name is Luke Thomas Evans. Today is my 4 month birthday and I wanted to set the record straight about what life is like here in Flagstaff.

Today I decided that I would roll over from my stomach to my back. Though I was perfectly happy with the current state of my life, I decided that I would prove to my uncles that I am capable of doing more than just laying around and eating. Imagine my suprise when every time I rolled over Drew would say: "Good Job Luke!" and then roll me back over. I showed him by crying until my Mom picked me up. That's all I've got for you today. I'll check in next month!

Flagstaff winter part 2

2010-01-09T21:30:00.002-07:00

We had quite a blizzard, that night we got hit with 30-40mph winds and one point they closed the freeway. We were suppose to get our kids christmas pics at the mall, but that was rescheduled as the mall closed down. Andy had a hard time coming home from work, he couldn't see where the road was. Glad he made it home!

The kids thought the icicles were pretty cool...they were huge!

Flagstaff Winter

2010-01-09T20:56:00.003-07:00

It started snowing at 7am and did not stop until noon the next day.
we probably had at least 2 1/2 ft of snow. Drew and Avery had a blast being
shuttled around on a sled by their Daddy.

We had an amazing amount of snow. I love going outside at night right after it has snowed, it is so peaceful and beautiful.

Bath paint

2010-01-09T20:51:00.002-07:00

So I got this cool activity from a friend's blog (which is a great blog), Where you can make bath tub paints by using cornstarch, dish soap, and food coloring! The kids thought it was great! and it was easy clean up, all you do is wipe it off!

My little Monet!

Santa is coming!

2009-11-29T17:12:00.005-07:00

This posting is for our faithful readers in Lake Oswego

2009-11-05T13:30:00.002-07:00

Happy Halloween! We had the three cutest trick or treaters in all of Flagstaff! Here's some pictures!

Hello Again!

2009-10-04T23:24:00.006-06:00

Our sweetie Pie

"Mommy, Can I have some more Jigger Jellies?" Drew asks

(he is referring to Jello Jigglers)

Finally Pig Tales!

So Cute!

Circus + Cotton Candy = Happy Boys!

Drew going to the Jordan World Circus

Safety First!

"Mommy, I really didn't know you had the camera!" -Drew

Avery's always staying on the safe side

This picture went like this: "Avery Strike a pose!"

Drew is actively developing the next Car Czar!

Cute Boy!

Cute Boy #2!

Avery is actively developing the next doll czar

Luke at 3 weeks

So cute!

Everyone say hello to Luke

Our very own sleeping beauty

Luke Thomas Evans

2009-09-09T19:01:00.003-06:00

Hello Everyone! We are proud to announce the birth of Luke Thomas Evans on 09/09/09 at 8:44 am. He came in weighing 8.0 lbs and 20" long. Both mother and baby are doing great!

Flagstaff, Changing People's views about Arizona one day at a time

2009-06-20T20:20:00.008-06:00

Happy Saturday! We are having a great time down here in Flagstaff and Cannot believe all of the amazing sights that are just minutes from our house. Today we went to Sunset Crater National Monument. It lies about 20 Minutes North of our House. The legend is that Spirits of the Native American Ancestors travel through this area each year and that if you take anything (e.g. rocks) from the area you will be cursed! Don't worry, we left everything this time!

I guess for this person the curse came true!

Here is a picture of Avery next to a huge ponderosa pine
The trail let you walk through the lava flow, it was a unique trial of small rocks. Watch out for rocks in your shoe!

This Volcano happened 1000 years ago. In geology terms this formation is an infant. The lava was cooling at this point, so hot it could melt and shape trees like this one.

2 weeks down and all is well!

The Farm

2009-06-14T21:03:00.013-06:00

For Memorial Day Weekend we were able to spend some time up at my parent's farm one last time before we moved to Flagstaff. It was a great weekend with all the brothers except Bryce. We were able to do a lot of work around the farm, cleaning it up and making it look really nice. This has always been a fun place to come for the summer with my family as my Grandparents live here. I hope that it will just as fun if not more for my kids.

It is beautiful and very green this time of year, this is the view from my parent's new house...pretty awesome!

One of the fun things about the farm are the ATVs and all the land to explore, here nathan, andy, and I went off for a bit of an adventure.

Here Nathan gets stuck going down the side of a hill

One of Drew's favorite activities is to push around the wagon, he actually was a lot of help

Avery did a good job bossing everyone around

Drew goofing off with Kayla

This is just a cool picture of a shed we burned down and almost the entire farm

We're in Flagstaff!

2009-06-14T20:47:00.005-06:00

Here are some Pictures!

This is a shot of Walnut Canyon National Monument about 5 minutes from our house

The people were Cliff Dwellers and Avery thought it was pretty neat!!

Drew loved running around and throwing rocks down the cliff. ****Disclaimer**** if there were any hikers below us that may have been hit by a small boulder, we appologize.

Obama's Fiscal responsibility

2009-04-28T20:03:00.002-06:00

Here is a link that I found interesting, it was posted on facebook, Thanks Ryan!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWt8hTayupE&feature=haxa_popt00us09.
Interesting perspective huh?

The Trip to California

2009-04-19T19:40:00.008-06:00

Hello friends. We are freshly back from an exciting vacation to Cali! We went down to celebrate Bryce's graduation from Marine Boot Camp. We figured that since we were already down there we might as well make a visit to Seaworld and Disneyland with the kiddos.
We drove down with my parents in their RV. Drew loves this RV he calls it Grandpa's Truck. So For most of the way this is how Drew rode.

And this was how Avery rode (although for most of the time she was not happy to be in the car seat). My Brother is now a Marine...CONGRATS BRYCE, we are all proud of you.
here Avery decided to roll around not only in the ocean but the sand as well. She had a blast. by the way I am not just fat but about 5m pregnant...yeah!

SeaWorld Turtles gotta love them.

Drew during the ride of Its a Small World in Disneyland he was in awe.

Hello fellow fools!

2009-04-01T08:41:00.003-06:00

Happy April Fool's Day. Speaking of fools, Andy's been supeoned to appear as a witness in a court trial today. He plans, when asked, to point and say "it was that man!!!!" Here's some pictures of our cute kids for your enjoyment!

The one with the fixed stroller

2009-03-28T20:11:00.003-06:00

On March 3, 2008 we purchased a double jogger. We were way excited to have one because we like to go running together. We bought the Stroller for $150 and had used it almost daily. Two weeks ago on March 14, 2009 our stroller broke. We went to see how long a warranty we had on the stroller and it said 1 year from the date of purchase. Yes you guessed it. Our stroller lasted exactly 1 year and 11 days! In an act of desperation Andy broke off the old broken braces and inserted re-bar into the joint. One busy afternoon, $6.54 worth of re-bar and the Stroller is as good as new. Well okay, it doesn't fold down anymore, but hey we took it jogging today and it rolled as good as ever. The third picture is of my new holes I had to drill to put the stroller back together. Here are some pictures courtesy of our new camera supplied to us by Paige. Thanks Paige!

Avery's #1 Birthday

2009-02-01T11:49:00.003-07:00

Hello everyone!

Yesterday we celebrated Avery's first Birthday! We were lucky to have Nana and Gpa Evans, Gma Lucherini, kyle and kayla, and Chris and Paige all come over for the party of the year. We had great fun opening presents, but the real party started when we broke out the cake for Avery.

We finished the day by going to a gym with big inflatable toys that Drew thought was really fun!

Avery is turing 1!

2009-01-25T08:55:00.004-07:00

Who Me?This is my better side

I'm going to get pretty tired of this endless attention!

Hello internet subscribers!

On Saturday we are going to be celebrating Avery's First Birthday! We have been so blessed to have her join our family this year. Yes it has been an emotional rollercoaster with her needing surgeries and other medical needs, but we are grateful to be here today with her. The big news that we may not have mentioned is that the bumps on Avery's back have stopped growing! We thank you for your prayers and support as we endured those darn things.

Andy is finishing his MBA on 6/13, is it too early to start a count down?

Yesterday we went up to the aquarium and had a blast. Here are some pictures from it!

Avery's a great help around the house, she even gives Drew baths!

Ho Ho Ho!

2008-12-14T21:18:00.002-07:00

So you probably thought that we were dead or something... well the truth is that we're mostly busy with the kids, and when they are finally in bed we usually just crash. Life is really good for us. We're planning on going out to Denver for Christmas, and we're looking forward for some fun!

Avery went to the doctor Friday and we discovered that she had gained a pound since her appointment one month ago. This was exciting news because the doctors have been very concerned about her weight and this progress was great news. Here are some pictures!

NEW BLOG

2008-09-25T22:44:00.002-06:00

Sorry i never update this blog, i will try to do better! But lately i have really gotten into politics and other social issues. They have become a concern for me and i wish to share my concerns with others. So please feel free to check out momsforamerica911.blogspot.com obviously all topics are open for discussion. I want to know your thoughts and concerns etc..hope you enjoy!

Vacation!

2008-08-21T21:38:00.004-06:00

Here we are at the Snake River just outside of Jackson, WY
Jackson, WY
This is Drew's face whenever he climbs a tree
Here's some cute pictures of Avery (cute is all we have!)

Happy Birthday DREW

2008-07-12T21:31:00.003-06:00

The life of drew:

Newborn
4 months
8 months1 year
16 months

20 months

22 months

2 years

Okay two years goes soo fast...too fast! I can not believe how quickly My little Drew has grown. We had a busy week leading up to his b-day bash. From rodeos, parades, fireworks, petting zoos, to swimming, swimming, and more swimming, we celebrated his birthday today with presents and cupcakes. We went up to a really neat park in Provo canyon (it remains a secret b/c hardly anyone is ever there) there is a great place for Drew to play in the river and lots of rocks to throw. we decided to spend the evening having a BBQ, presents and cake there.

I'm Tired of everyone ignoring me!

2008-07-02T21:22:00.007-06:00

I have a story to tell also. Avery's not the only one who gets scrapes and bruses.

I try to stay clean, but the mud is just everywhere.

What is she doing on my post! She sure is cute isn't she.

Did I mention my fat lip?

Thanks for stopping by!

We've had a blessed week.

2008-06-15T21:24:00.003-06:00

Before

Poor little Avery. I don't know where to begin our saga. I suppose that I should with where we left off on our last blog. On Thursday (6/5) Cami was able to call up to the Neurosurgeon's office to try to get an appointment. The receptionist informed Cami that if she could come up to SLC they had had a cancellation and could see Avery that day. Imagine my surprise when I called Cami on my lunch break to have her inform me that she was in meeting with the surgeon. After a week of sad and scary news we finally had some great news! The Surgeon said that the Tumor was not near her spinal cord and that she wouldn't need to be operated on by him. He also said that any surgeon could operate on her and that it shouldn't be a difficult surgery. In fact, it just so happened that one of the plastic surgeons was still in the office! So Cami was able to see both a neurosurgeon and a plastic surgeon in one appointment. Both doctors looked at the MRI and said that the surgery should not be a problem. Cami, feeling relieved that it wasn't going to be too difficult, asked when we could do surgery. The doctor said "Monday." We couldn't believe how fast this whole thing was taking place. Cami called me and asked what we should do, the next possible appointment was going to be July 3rd, so we were concerned that the lumps would just get more complex. We also felt that the hand of the Lord was opening doors for us so we decided that we should go ahead and do the surgery. We consulted with both the dermatologist and our general pediatrician and both said that it was a good idea to go ahead with the surgery. So we went for it. The surgery went a little bit long, which of course drove us nuts, but when the doctor came out he said it was a success. Now we have to wait for the test results and cross our fingers that it doesn't come back.

AFTER

*** As a special side note. Thank you to everyone who added your faith to ours in helping little Avery get through this surgery. This picture here below is only 2 days after the surgery. Avery is already starting to smile. We have been amazed at how quickly she has recovered. After only 2 days she was off the pain medications, and really not acting like her whole back had stitches on it. I guess she is a great example of how you cannot control what happens to you, but you can control how you act. We thank you for your love and support.

One last thing to mention, if you live in Provo or Orem watch out. I got a new bike for father's day and I will be making land speed records as I bike to and from work. Also on Friday (6/13) I received a promotion to becoming a Service Manager II. What that means is that I get an extra week of time off each year. Life is good we have been blessed.

Our Little Avery

2008-06-04T21:45:00.002-06:00

Okay, so i feel i need to update everyone on how Avery is doing. First off When Avery was two weeks old her pediatrician noticed two fairly large lumps on her back. He determined it to be brown fat (left over fetal fat). So he measured it and would keep his eye on them. Well at her 2 month check up, we noticed that her lumps had doubled in size and a third one appeared. So to be safe he had an ultrasound scheduled for her as well as a visit with a specialist. Dr Vanderhoff up at Primary children's hospital. Unfortunately the ultrasound was inconclusive it only showed large masses of muscle. So an MRI was done on her that actually happened this morning. So at about 5:30a Andy, Avery, and I headed up to the hospital. It was really hard b/c Avery wasn't allowed to eat 4 hours before the Test. She had to have an IV placed in her hand which was painful for her as they had to try a couple of times. Then they sedated her, which I hated to watch b/c she was crying but the sedation medicine was making her cry sound weaker and weaker, i could barely stand it. Her actual MRI took two hours!! Then i was able to feed her. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity we were able to talk to the radiologist who explained to us that what she has is very rare, they are not quite sure what the lumps are yet. They think it is a complex fatty tumor. Now it is usually a benign tumor which means it is NOT cancerous (thankfully) It will probably require surgery (which means i have to watch get another IV and go through sedation again). The tumor has also infiltrated her muscles and is close to her spine so it will be a risky surgery and a lot of muscles will be removed from her back which can cause potential problems. For now we are scheduled to see a Neurosurgeon (to perform a biopsy), Oncologist( to decide the best way to treat this), and a geneist( gene doctor- decide what syndrome Avery possible falls under) hopefully between these three specialist we can know what exactly these lumps are and how best to treat them. We are doing all this up at primary children's' hospital. So far i have been very impressed with the many nurses and doctors that work with these sick children everyday, I do not know how they do it (emotionally). (we also have been seeing the pediatric orthopedic surgeon, as Avery was born with a clubbed foot). I feel confident with the doctors up at Primary's they are some of the best in the nation. I am so grateful for the medicine and the medical technology that we have here in America.

Andy is in class and he's bored...Rejoice!

2008-05-16T19:15:00.005-06:00

We're really trying to help Drew learn how to interact with Avery. From this example it looks like Avery really appreciates our efforts. I could be wrong though.

My Word 2007 Test

2008-05-08T22:05:00.002-06:00

Hello Everyone!

I'm trying a new thing! I hope it turns out well.

Here's a picture of the kids.

Pictures for our friends, at their request.

2008-05-04T21:41:00.004-06:00

We have been taking pictures for spring, we hope that you enjoy!

Just another day in Paradise

2008-04-27T21:11:00.003-06:00

We had a busy weekend cleaning up our house and the complex. It's quite a list that we accomplished. We were able to clean all the rooms (yes even the bathroom), the car, take out the trash, get our old computer taken care of, trimming the grass, and of course play! We were able to take Drew and Avery for a jog and it was all around a very productive day. Here are some pictures that everyone will enjoy.

$25.50 well spent

2008-04-20T19:23:00.005-06:00

This hot stud is trying to fly a kite...way high in the sky!Have you seen pictures like this before on our blog? Drew loves water

This was taken at the children's museum in SLC. See, he love's water!

At the children's museum they had a helicopter simulator, Drew though it was a ride and was waiting for it to move... it never did :(

We finally had a weekend where Andy didn't have to go to school or work. So we decided to have a family fun day! I DESPERATELY NEEDED TO GET OUT OF PROVO! So we went to...Salt Lake. We were planning on going to the zoo, but because there were 40 MPH wind gusts, we decided that we would go to the children's museum instead. We all had a blast.

It was a day well spent. We all went to bed at 8:00 pm.

Bad Parenting 101

2008-04-19T07:23:00.005-06:00

Please do not call DCFS on us, we really are good parents (at least we think so!) We just think its funny how Drew likes to help out. Avery sure seems to like him, because she will always smile at him when he's around.

The Carnival is in town!

2008-04-18T21:16:00.007-06:00

Tonight we went to the local carnival! It was expensive ($1.50/ticket) but anything for the kids! We were able to drive cars (shown above), more cars, and motorcycles! Drew absolutely loved it. We had to drag him back to the car. We were scared that he would be scared to death because in December he was scared at Chuck E Cheese's. Overall the carnival was fun, we felt like we were in Mexico, but we just thought we were back on our Honeymoon! Here are some pictures.

Drew and Avery are way excited. Drew wouldn't even look at the camera

Hey Drew You're supposed to be driving, not day dreaming!
We're on the prowl for our next ride, watch out carnie's.
The faster the cars went, the bigger the smile got!
The Motorcycles were pretty intense, they went up and down as it went over bumps and Drew had to hold on for dear sweet life. There were also loud noises on this one (I think I wasted my $1.50).

CLICK ON THIS PHOTO FOR THE ZOOMED IN VIEW!!!! This happened to me when I told Drew that we were going to go home. We're working on that behavior management as seen below.

Hey don't forget about me! I'm the cutest little girl in the world! I was there too, but I was just sleeping. Mom and Dad waited until I woke up at home to take some shots of me.

The following section is for the Grandparents

2008-04-14T22:38:00.005-06:00

Here is Avery in her Sunday outfit.

Everytime Cami walks in Avery smiles

She likes Andy too!

There's a handsome young man we took this pic at the same time as his video found below.

First outside play day of the year!
Avery was too tired to play :(

Kids do the darndest things

2008-04-14T22:30:00.003-06:00

This video is a classic clip of how Drew has adapted to Avery's presence in our house. We find that he actually likes her swing more than she does. He'll actually turn on the swing before he climbs on so that he can reach the peak of enjoyment. He'll play this game over a hundred times a day, my favorite thing about it is when he kicks back to enjoy the sweet feeling of success.

-Andy

Good fun

2008-04-13T21:50:00.005-06:00

Drew and his friend are trying to audition for "So you think you can Dance!" Who do you think would be cut first?

Finally a day together

2008-04-13T21:07:00.007-06:00

Saturday was Andy's final day of classes for Winter Semester at USU and we decided that we had reason to celebrate! So we went to the park to allow Drew some time outside, to let Andy try out his new kite (thanks Lonnie and Mary), and so that Cami could work on her tan. The fun thing about Provo's Riverside Park is that there are two play grounds. One is for bigger kids and the other is for the little guys like Drew. Which one did Drew play on? You guessed it, the big kids one. There was a swinging bridge that almost gave Andy a heart attack every time that Drew went across it. We have found that Avery loves being outside in her Stroller just watching her brother play. We took these shots next to the river in between Drew's attempts to dam the river with his rocks. The weather was perfect it was a nice break from all the snow we've had this year. Amazingly enough it snowed on Tuesday and here we have 65 degrees on Saturday. After we caused the river to over flow and cause major flooding all the way to Utah Lake, we decided that we'd try to get some shots of the kids. It was a fun day at the park. We ended the evening with pizza and ice cream and can't wait for summer!

OUR FIRST BLOG!!

2008-04-09T17:18:00.000-06:00

Andy and I decided to start a blog so we can stay connected with all of you guys! Andy and I have been married 4 years on May 22. We both graduated from BYU in April '06. We are still enjoying the Provo scene as Andy is finishing up his MBA in July '09. Currently Andy is working as a Service Manager at Wells Fargo in Orem and I am enjoying life as a mom to our two beautiful kids Drew 1 1/2 and Avery 2 months old. This blog will mostly be about them as they are our life and source of entertainment (anyone with kids can understand). We hope you enjoy!