And we are back online:)

We finally got the VPN up and going on the computer, so I can blog again. I will be posting at least this  weekly update that is taken from our letters to Moe. Please forgive me for spelling and grammatical errors, writing this between taking care of/holding/feeding/... kids, can make for an interesting slightly scatterbrained version of what I am trying to convey. 

MOnday 4/22:

I talked to the fam today and they were eating my birthday dinner for me! Chicken cord on bleu, jello, and cinnamon rolls... yum! :) Mitch fell asleep watching Megamind... don't even have to put him down for his nap :) that never happens, and Jules is playing with her toes next to me!

Sunday 4/21: Well we try to talk to the Palmers and the fam/Ash on Sunday mornings, this week was no different. After chatting we realized it was getting off-ly close to church start time, so we raced getting the kids ready and decided getting a taxi and taking the subway were to much of a gamble... time-wise we were past those options. So since we now knew how to walk to church we made a run for it! The usual 30min walk became a 18ish min run (I told heavenly father it was not exercise... it was formal speed walking. I hope he agreed.) Well the good news is we made it for the opening song, even better, both kids were asleep in the stroller! The rest of the day was wonderfully uneventful. We successfully made Panda Express chow mein noodles, finished off my birthday cake, ate some left over cookies (a friend made), our fav. chinese street popcorn from the night before, and ice cream. It was one of our most healthy days in China...Americanish junk food tastes SO much better in another country!

Saturday 4/20: Dallin went into work for a few hours in the morning, the kids and I cleaned the house, did wash, and made my fabulous chocolate birthday cake using my own homemade applesauce to cut the fat (and how much i have to spend on butter here.) When Dal got home we took the subway and bus to get to the art district. However while we were waiting at the bus stop a friendly drunk chinese man was trying to make friends with the kids. We couldn't convince him to leave the kids alone so we walked to the next bus stop... which happened to be down the road and over a small part of a freeway-ish road. It was interesting. But  we made it. Crossing the road in China a game of chicken. Luckily I am pretty good at this game. The art district was awesome! We even happened upon Ai Wei Wei's exhibit opening! He is a big deal! He has had shows in the Guggenhiem and is a worldwide known contemporary artist! And of course the photographer there could not stop taking pictures of Jules! We found out that one of the reasons they love her so much is they only have white baby dolls, and she is the spitting image of them with her pale skin and big beautiful eyes! That night we had some friends from the ward over for cake and ice cream (which is where we acquired the delicious chocolate chip cookies :) Dal even set up a movie projector on our white wall. It was really fun! Pictured: Jules eating her first Chinese rice cracker. ( They taste like bugles).

Friday 4/19: MY BIRTHDAY. We spent a slowish morning at home as I slept in then dal made me breakfast and I talked to mom for a little bit. Once we got out the door (dal stayed home from work to play with me:) we headed to the National Museum and saw and exhibit that was visiting from the Met in NYC. They had a Van Gogh that was gorgeous. Now dal understands why he is a big deal. Ban Gogh in person is a breathtaking experience. We then ate at the Blue Frog. An american style restruant, where we ordered a pastrami and club sandwhich with mac and cheese for Mitch. He loved it! So did we. Jules slept. Afterward we went to Uniqlo and our fav. movie store, then home for the night. We watched a movie and ate a slice of cake we bought. Pictured: My birthday cake, art exhibit

Thursday 4/18: Baby Group day.

We used the subway and bus system to get to our friend Jessica's house. We went to Daylight Donuts (apparently they have some of these in Utah.. weird) the only donut shop I have heard of in Beijing. Mitch was in heaven! They even had drawings of route 66 inside! Afterward we went on a walk with another family from the ward who have daughter that is 4. Mitchell adores her! They had such a fabulous time.

Wednesday 4/17: We started running in the mornings and going to the market as part of our run! It is really fun! We spent most of the day after that inside until we met dallin at a friends house for dinner. We brought pound cake. And it was incredibly good! I made it with yogurt in my rice cooker!

pictured my tasty pound cake, and the kids... mitch was trying to be a baby

Tuesday 4/16: The kids and I tried to go to a meeting about first aid at the hospital, but I couldn't get a reasonable taxi man. And we had a following as we tried to get the taxi. People just kept following me trying to touch the kids, as I'm carrying both of them. Love Chinese people some days, they are so fabulous and their love for kids can really be so helpful, but other days.. like this day I had to swat a few. After that we spent the day inside. Did not want to deal with any more attention.

Monday 4/15: We had a family night about listening and played the game of whispering chain. Where you tell the person next to you something and they pass it to the next person... Mitch was really good at it! We tried to talk about listening to mom and dad and learning to listen to the holy ghost.

Here are some photos from the Ai Wei Wei exhibit:
This is our fav. piece since it reminds us of the ceramic made by the very talented Joan Palmer!

Each cow, such as this one had its counterpart the camel, pictured below to accompany it.

And we loved that they served MILK as the refreshments!

Juliet Vai Palmer aka Jules

Jules last few hours in her "itty bitty living space"!

If you can't read the numbers below it says that this beautiful girl weighed in at 9 lbs 9.6 oz.  after  her graceful exit from the womb. In my Perinatologist's words she "took over the ship". Meaning that she was very efficient at getting all the sugar she wanted from my bloodstream. Interestingly enough she has continued to show signs of being very efficient and adjusting quickly. Dallin and I decided she will probably be the "Ashley" of our family- the organized one who gets things done ( and arranges all the fun partying!)

 Our first family photo of four! 

(If you can't tell, Mitchie's shirt says BIG BRO!)

 Our beautiful girl! And she is as sweet and patient as she is beautiful!

 Our trip to the zoo before their daddy had to leave again. Jules found a friend. The slightly hidden giraffe behind us was born only four days before Jules! So fun! (Unfortunately for Jules she spent almost the entire trip to the zoo safely hidden from all the germs inside her cute carseat and carseat cover.)

 Jules received her first bath in her bathtub by Grandma MaryAnn and the crew who were very excited to help!

 My life as a full time mom has now officially begun! I am finally getting to do all the things I want to with and for  my children! And I am loving it! What a blessing it is to be able to be at home with my AMAZING kids! 

I really wanted to try taking Jules newborn pictures so two locations, one awesome grandma's help, an exhausted baby (and big brother) and 4 hours later here are the result! (These are a few of my favorites.)

We feel so blessed to have Jules in our family! She is a sweet, content, patient and beautiful little girl!





p.s. Next up will be a report on Mitchie and hopefully the result on Moe's mission! I still can hardly believe she is going!

Summer Fun

We have had a wild and wonderful summer! Here are some of the events from our summer 2012!

 Dallin turned 24! 

So as tradition he got his requested breakfast in bed and we toilet papered the bedroom!(I think Mitch may have enjoyed the breakfast and toilet papering even more than Dallin did.)

 

 It's A GIRL !

As one of Dallin's birthday presents we went in for the 20 week ultrasound to find out how our baby was doing and discover the gender! Afterward we invited the family over for dinner and gender revealing cupcakes!

Mitch was a little nervous to find out it was a girl, but as you can see he still enjoyed the cupcake very much!

Mitch also found some new favorites!

Mitch LOVES dipping his food in almost anything with strong flavor just like his daddy!

Mitch LOVES shoes! We think it is because shoes mean he gets to go outside! He adores wearing any and all shoes that he can find!

Mitch LOVES his bath time! He has been dying for Dallin to come back and give him the "FUN" bubble baths!

Mitch LOVES his blankets! It might be hard to tell but this morning he had gathered 4-5 blankets! (In Mitchie Judd's words they are his dum dums!)

Mitch LOVES parades!

Mitch LOVES swimming! (This is his swimming outfit, which he brings to me with his swim diapers and tells me "wimming"!) 

Mitch LOVES cars! The movie cars, matchbox cars, big cars, toddler sized cars, pictures of cars, ect.!

Mitch LOVES a lot of things these days! His other great loves include his stroller(dum dum)/walks, ROCKS, trucks (doo doos), coloring with anything and on anything (we are working on this one). He loves turning on all the fans in the house at the same time, playing in any form of water, being mommas helper and buddy, wrestling with dad, and playing with Emmy, Moe, his grandmas and papas!

Before nursing school......

After nursing school...

I am finally done with school! Now I just have to be a REAL mom who is home all the time... and how to survive in China with a very cute husband and two awesome children!

Timeline:

Play with Mitch and Dallin everyday... all day -and when dallin is not available Mitch and I will  probably make Ash and the gang or Mom or moe or anyone who is willing play with us!

Next...

send Dallin to China- Aug. 20th... Maybe

Do lots of Pinterest projects while dallin is gone... 

Be lazy

Maybe take the NCLEX

Get a million NSTs and go to a million and a half Dr. appointments plus a few ultrasounds

Welcome Dallin home a month later

Have another cute baby- Jules

Wait for her to grow up

Send Dallin back to China

Wait for Jules immune system to kick in...

Then eventually we will move to China too.... probably dragging my mother with us... and a few buckets of hand sanitizer and toilet paper (all I know is those two came in handy in Tonga... it probably translates to all foreign countries.

Well in the Grinch's words "I'm booked" so if you need me we'll have to work you into my busy schedule :)

....these are a few of Roo's favorate things!

Halloween!

 This is the ridiculously cute costume his grandma Joan and cousin elaina made him!

The Friday before Halloween is my amazing sister Ashley's birthday so we went to the Red Barn to celebrate during the day and out to dinner afterward. Mitch loved banging on the pumpkins... the rest of it he did not love so much since he was exhausted and had a cold. Of course once we started eating the apple cider slushies he perked right up!!!

 Since anything electronic that mom and dad use are Mitchell's favorite things to play with Dallin's dead computer has now become one of Mitch's favorite toys. (It doesn't hurt that he can see a reflection of himself in it!)

And did I mention Mitch can walk!!!! He is a maniac! We love it!