Buckwheat Festival

So I love Buckwheat pancakes and have wanted to go the Buckwheat Festival in Kingwood, WV since we moved here. Doug warned me that it would be true WV experience with all the redneck you can throw into a festival, but I still really wanted to taste their Buckwheat cakes. The kids enjoyed the animals and were pretty exhausted afterwards. Later, the boys participated in their own WV fun and pretended they were hunting.

Baby Quilts

I've really enjoyed designing these quilts for 3 baby girls.

The cupcake one just popped into my head about 10am this morning, and Priscilla's baby shower was at 1pm today. So I had to be creative with fabric I already had.

The "AMY" quilt was for Melanie and I was inspired by her love for daisies and a picture that hung in her bathroom.

Emma told me that she loved flowers and pink and green, but her husband Will wasn't into "girly" girl stuff. So I tried to make it appeasing to both. Several other friends added their love with the smaller flowers. I love our quilting parties!

No Cancer for me!

Just FYI, it was all benign. It was a fibroidadinoma and a cyst from the previous surgery.

Waeeell.....

Waeeell...
it looks like i'm joinging the blog world. up until now amber has done it all and has done a fine job. too i might add. so tonight she's teaching me to invite, post and all sorts of crazy things.
anyway with amber out of action its up to dad to do the everything. so today was spent with one boy in his pj's all day, the other in only a diaper, crumbs all over the floor, toys scattered as if hurricane ike had just hit us, but...
the boys were fed, happy, playful and we had a great day together. so for now things are under control...


so taking a moment to quote jaxon, "you try that mom!" after climbing on the table to the hundreth time!

so had already posted this but it got vetoed by amber, she wanted to change it. so here's the changed version, (we moved the picture)

White Coat Ceremony

Doug had his White Coat Ceremony a couple of weeks ago to officially celebrate him working in the dental clinic. It's crazy to think we are over half way through dental school. We started this adventure with two of our favorite couples: the Johnsons and the Ulibaris. What a blessing their friendships have been to Doug in school and me at home.

The boys did pretty well during the ceremony. Jaxon, the care taker, wanted to make sure Dad would get his coat and kept asking, "Daddy get his coat?" I'd reply, "Yes, Daddy will get his coat." Talon, our enthusiast, clapped and squealed for dad and several other people.

Dougie baby, I really am proud of the dentist you are becoming and hope you are extra gentle on your patient tomorrow. She's a bit anxious to get some fillings but has confidence that you are talented with your hands. My suggestion is to hold her hand while you give her that numbing shot. =)

Lumpectomy #2

So, yesterday I had what hopefully is not becoming my "annual lumpectomy." I found another mass in July, same side as before, same area almost. Well, after meeting with my new favorite breast specialist, we decided to get this mass removed as well.

The surgery yesterday went well. Dr. Hazzard said that she believes the mass was actually a cyst that was probably caused from my previous lumpectomy last September. The cyst had a thick milky inside which was probably due to the fact that I was nursing Talon when I had the first lumpectomy. She also said that there was some fibroid adenoma tissue around there and got that out too. Of course, everything was sent to the lab to be biopsied, but we don't feel that there will be any scare of cancer, which of course is the most positive side of the whole thing.

Thanks to all you who have offered prayers in our behalf and have offered to help out during the recovering next couple of weeks.

Girls Weekend Getaway- the 212 Chicks Reunite!!!

My Freshman roommates from BYU and I all got together for Labor Day weekend in Cocoa Beach, Florida. It's been 4 years since I've graduated from BYU, and 9 years since we all lived together. The reunion was so invigorating, revitalizing, and wonderful in every way. I just love these girls and cherish the memories we've made and look forward to making more. I know Heavenly Father blessed my life with such endearing friendship, especially that 1st year at BYU.

It trully was amazing that all 6 of us made this reunion work in our lives. It's been the first reunion with no pregnancies, no kids, no husbands, and no distractions. There were moments of feeling like we were 18 all over again. Doug took the boys to go camping and boating with his family and I didn't have to worry about them at all. I was so excited to be there that my adrenaline kept me going 24/7 even preventing me from sleeping in. I'd wake up at 7am and just lay there so happy to be there with my friends and kept the energy until midnight...those of you who know what a sleeper I am, know that this is a monumental event.

We call ourselves the 212 chicks because we lived at 212 E. Richards Hall. Some of the girls commented that we all feel back into our "roles." That lead us to discuss what our "roles" were, hence the labeling in the picture. The following are 3 picture slide shows of our 3 days of heaven on earth!

Day 1- Movies, Shopping, Dinner, Memory Night

Day 2- Sonic, Beach, Sweet Pork Salads, Spa Night

Day 3- Church, St. Augustine

Utah- Idaho Trip

Utah- Idaho Trip

We had a great time visiting family and friends in Utah and Idaho. Some of the highlights:

1. Dinosaur Museum- Jaxon has just loved Dinosaurs recently and loved every moment seeing the giant creatures. We had a hard time keeping up with him running around pointing to everything.
2. Fountains at Gateway Mall- Jax was pretty hesitant about going into the flying water, so Dad had to help him get comfortable. Just as he did get the confidence to run through by himself, he took off, eyes closed and arms out, and slipped and fell flat on his back and head. That ended the trip.
   
3. Horseback ridding- Jax also loves horses and loved riding them with his uncles and cousins.
   
4. Nerf guns with cousins- They were trying to hit flying targets (skeet).
5. CATS- Jaxon just loved playing with the cats at his cousins house. And Talon learned to say "cat."
6. Jumping on the trampoline- Both Jaxon and Talon enjoyed jumping. Talon learned to say "jump" as he sat and tried to bounce up and down. Jaxon got really good at it and was always trying to get someone to jump with him.
   
7. Water- Playing with Grandma Sturgeons waterhose and playing in the pool.
   
8. Open house- My cousin Jon and his new wife Aubrey had their open house in mom's backyard. It was fun getting ready for the party with Jeannie, Aubrey, and my mom. I would love to go into the wedding planning business. Maybe one day.
   

I loved watching my kids excell at new activities. Each day was a new adventure and I feel that my kids grew intellectually and socially. I love our vacations to visit family. I look forward to next summer already!

"Mom, I want to go to the Gun Store!!!"

So never in my life did I think I'd my child would say, "Mom, I want to go to the gun store!" 45 times a day. Well, we've been working on obedience and I told Jaxon we would go to the gun store if he made "good decisions" and obeyed mom and dad the whole day. After a couple of discouraging disobedient days, he finally had a morning that he was successful at making "good decisions." P.S. I've decided that I want to say "Jax, because you've made good decisions, you earned a reward" versus "Jax, because YOU were a good boy, you GET a reward." Because the opposite, "Jax, because you were a bad boy" doesn't settle well with me. So we will see how well I can adjust to my new phrasing...wish me luck! Ok, back to the story.
So Doug found out he passed his National Dental Board Exam and took Jaxon to the Gun store. He just loved it. Afterwards they went to Wal-mart and Jax picked out this gun that he's been eying every time we went there.
He was sooooooooo thrilled! When I asked him to smile for the picture, he easily make this grin and I just think he is too cute!

Picking Fresh Blueberries!

We had a blast picking blueberries with our friends Yolanda and Ashton. I think Jax ate more than he put in the bucket because his diaper the next day was midnight blue.
We picked 2 buckets full and ate about a 1/3 and froze the other 2/3. There's nothing like blueberry waffles with homemade blueberry syrup and fresh baked bread and blueberry jam.

First Flight

Jaxon, Talon, and I took our first trip to Utah together. And let me say, we have stories. Here are some of the funny and not so funny moments:

• Double stroller: Talon in front dragging his blanking and waving his arms in excitement, toddler car seat in Jax's seat, Jax holding onto the stroller while the car seat continues to fall on top of him, mom with 2 backpacks horizontally pushing the stroller =).
• The drunk couple sitting in front of us that spelt beer all over as she (whom I call "crazy lady") was climbing over him to go to the bathroom.
• "Crazy Lady" turning around, pointing her finger ferosously, and rudely yelling "DOON'T YOU KICK MY SEAT." After Jaxon had been sitting in his carseat for literally 2 minutes...o-boy and we haven't even left the gate....this will be fun!
• Trying to go the bathroom? How in the world was I supposed to do that with a lap child?
• Jax finally falling asleep 20 minutes before landing the 4 hour flight.
• Last but not least- Talon's huge blowout all over my leg.

Oh, the joys of traveling. On the positive side, the Lord blessed me with patience that day and I was able to maintain composure. And the kids did the best they could in the circumstances. Thanks for your prayers.

Indian Night

So you know how I love to throw parties...well we had some friends over to eat take out from Doug's and my favorite new restaurant "Cafe of India". We honestly have spent more loan money there than any other restaurant, and it's only been open for over a month. And let me tell you it's worth the extra 6% interest we will pay on it after graduation! =)

My new friend, Melanie Daines (who's my cousins' wife's cousin...did you get that), helped me get set up for it. She found some Indian music online and we decorated our living room with sari's that Doug's sister Kim had purchased for me in India. We played a game to see which couple could dress one of them in a sari following written directions. The Daines won! (he's in the pink sari =)

Father's Day and Talon's 1st Birthday

How fun that Father's Day fell on Talon's 1st Birthday! Doug is such a great daddy to our children. I love watching him teach our kids how to fish, shoot a bow and arrow, and shake their little booties, as well as his "kid workouts" (he's created ways to lift weights (a.k.a. Jaxon & Talon) which he does daily). I love that he is a team player in parenting and lets me sleep in as much as he can. =)

Talon got a box of diapers and a book for his birthday. He enjoyed his birthday dinner of mac-n-cheese, frozen blueberries, and strawberry shortcake for desert. After we sang "happy birthday, he used his fingers to get rid of the fire...and didn't even cry. We love our happy, big-little guy. Talon's love and smiles makes being a mom so joyful. I love that he dances to my cell phone ringing, scoots on his bum everywhere, and makes cheesy faces when he's getting attention.

Katie Johnson's Baby Shower

Finally someone having a girl...and I could do a "girly" quilt! "Presents and Bows" was the inspiration for it. Britta, Abby, Emma, Cassie, and I each made a quilt square that looked like a present and added a bow to the top. I tried a new free hand spiral stitch for the quilting on this one.

Is there really anytime for blogging...

I honestly don't know if I will be able to keep this up. But I guess an attempt is better than not.

Here's a picture after the boys got "critter cuts". That's what Doug calls their haircuts.

Amber's 27th Birthday Party

So I threw myself a birthday party on May 18. To continue in my family tradition of "you get to pick your birthday dinner", I asked each of my friends to bring a dish I loved that they make. For example, I love Abby Johnson's "Asian Spinach Salad", so she brought that. It was the best meal ever! We had 25 adults plus kiddies in our 1200 sq. ft. townhouse. It truly was a celestial moment for me to have so many of my fabulous friends all in one place. Thank you to you all who brought the amazing food!

5th Wedding Anniversary

To celebrate our 5th anniversary, we had a weekend getaway to Canaan Valley, WV. Grandma and Grandpa McArthur watch the kiddies, which we really appreciated. Doug and I got pulled over on the drive down and officer asked us, "Are you going to prom?" We said, "uh, no...it our anniversary." He let us go with a warning. We had fun playing tennis and golf. It did down pour during our golf game, but we found shelter in a shed.

Grandpa Folsom's funeral

My grandpa passed away. He was a very talented Jazz musician who helped shape the Jazz program at Marshall University. My memories of him include orange roughy, sherbert, triscuits, hide the mushroom, his underground house with a pool on top, big smiles and hugs, and of course his short shorts that showed of his tan legs. It was nice to see family though it was under the circumstances. Mom, Aunt Chris, and Grandma Sandee played a beautiful musical number at the funeral to honor the man of music.

Tri-baby Shower

In April, I threw a tri-baby shower for three beautiful pregnant women- Jami, Mary, and Kim. They all are due within a week of each other and are all having boys! With the help of many friends (Abby, Liz, Amy, and Tara...THANK YOU!", we had yummy salads and paninis (grilled sandwiches), accomplanied with fresh fruit kabobs and sherbert punch. To keep the tradition going, I made sure that each expecting mom got a quilt. The girls helped make part of each others quilt so they can have memories of their friendship. It was fun for me to take on three quilts in 6 weeks, as I've only been quilting for less than a year. To see their faces the day they saw their quilts for the first time was the best feeling ever. Who knew that pieces of fabric could make someone so happy...wait what am I saying...fabric always makes me smile...but in reference to giving. We had a great time!

Morgantown McArthurs

Almost heaven, West Virginia is perfect place for us as we are supporting Douglass in his desire to become a dentist. The boys and I are actively learning and growing together. Doug is in his 2nd year of dental school at West Virginia University and is currently taking 31 credit hours. He does seem to squeeze in some time to do some of his favorite pass times like make knives and is almost done making an archery bow for hunting season which is coming up. He is currently serving as the Elders Quorum President as well. As far as my hobbies go, I love spending time going on walks with friends and their babies, planning dinner parties and baby showers, and I just got called to be compassionate service leader in our ward. Jaxon's most recent words with signs are "yes" and "no." This makes for some fun communication. Jax is getting really good at drop kicking the soccer ball and amazes us with his eye-foot and eye-hand coordination. Talon is genuinely a happy child and will smile at anything and anyone. He's a very long bodied boy and currently is off the charts in height. He was born big (9lbs. 8oz., 21") and is staying big.

We feel extremely blessed to be here in Morgantown, West Virginia. There are so many wonderful young families that are in dental school and other graduate programs that we frequently associate with. In my opinion, it doesn't matter where you live but who you surround yourself with that makes all the difference in life. How thankful we are for great friends, family, and each other.