Meg & Ryan

Weston Michael

2011-12-08T17:08:00.001-08:00

Weston Michael Spiers

9 pounds 3 ounces and 21 inches long

He is the perfect baby and we feel blessed to have him as the newest member of our family.

When Megan was pregnant, the doctor didn't think he would make it past the first trimester and the first time

we heard that heart beat it meant the world to us. We know he is an extra special little guy. Shortly after

being born the doctor referred us to a pediatric cardiologist because she heard a heart murmur during his

first checkup. We got right in with the most amazing cardiologist who told us he has an "innocent pulmonary

ejection murmur" that shouldn't effect him in the long term. We will be taking Weston back in to see the

Cardiologist in 2 months. We truly feel the Lord has blessed us with this sweet tough baby boy!

Addison loves her little brother and has been so tender with him. I am seriously

lucky to have two really good kids. Addison got to share a picture of her

brother with her preschool class and bonded with all the other little girls who

have baby brothers and they love to talk about the things their brothers do. She

also got a pair of black sparkle Toms shoes from her baby brother and her

favorite movie 'Despicable me', so that wasn't too shabby either.

Weston was over due 3 days and luckily Megan

was induced and was only in labor for 7 hours and

was up and moving around by that afternoon. The

recovery this time around has been much easier.

Grandma Linda came and stayed with Addison

while Megan and Ryan were in the hospital with

Weston and Addison was in heaven.

We are now just trying to settle and get through the busy holiday schedule!

Addie part 2

2011-07-16T21:48:00.001-07:00

After over hearing me talking about all the things I am currently stressed out about Addie says to me.....

A: "Mom, I am going to glue all the pieces of your heart back together and here's some water for the fire in your soul. Now you'll never be sad again!"

I honestly don't know where she comes up with these things.

Favorite Addie quotes

2011-07-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

singing on her microphone while the cleaners were at the house "this one is for the cleaners" proceeding to makeup a song and sing it over the mic to the cleaners who don't speak a word of English

Doing cannonballs in the pool "Mom, watch my bowling ball"

cleaners are back and A is outside swimming "Hey, The Cleaners, watch my trick"

me: Addie, I can't understand you
Addie: sigh "I can't understand myself"

Talking to a girl her same age at Target
" I love your cute little voice"

Grandma driving Addie to dance and misses the turn
"Grandma, you are not a very good getter"

Uncle McKay threatens to shoot all the bunnies he sees in the backyard to tease Addie. We come home one day and see a bunny hop across the front yard

Me: Tell KK you saw a rabbit in the front yard

A: No, it was a deer not a rabbit

Me: what are you talking about? It was a rabbit

A: No, no, no, no it was a deer (trying to throw Mckay off, so he wouldn't hurt the bunny)

Mckay threatens again to shoot the bunnies in the yard

A: That bunny has sharp teeth and will bite you

I can't believe my little girl will be 4 next week! She is a crack up and is so quick witted, she always has us rolling. I would like to be better at recording all the cute and funny things she says, so I can always enjoy this time in our life.

It's a boy!

2011-06-26T11:14:00.000-07:00

We are so exciting that we will be expecting a new little BOY to join our family the end of November! Addison guessed she would be having a brother, so she was really excited and said she can't wait to teach him how to "dance like a robot". I am sure it will be awesome.

I am excited for something completely different but currently everything we own is purple and sparkly, so we will have to work on that!

So excited!

Mother's Day

2011-05-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

i am so incredibly fortunate to have megan in my life. when it comes right down to it, in addies day to day life, i play a supporting role at most. i come home at the end of the day and everyone is excited to see me and i gget to hear the highlights of the day. we play for a little while and i read bedtime stories. i come out relatively unscathed from the daily battles in the trenches of toddler warfare. over the past few days, however, i have been fortunate to have some extra time at home, and to get a better glimpse of what life at home is like. here is what i have learned. 1. all the little things that lead me to believe we have a gifted little girl, are due in substantial part to the dutiful cultivation of an amazing mother. 2. toddlers are exhausting in every possible way and it takes a saintly disposition to survive day to day. meg will dispute this one, but she has just such a disposition. 3. the traits i most admire and love about megan, addie is taking on, and i somehow admire and love them more in the process. 4. mothers deserve to be treated better, by children and spuses alike. 5. i love megan more now than i ever have in the past, and i never thought that was possible.

happy mothers day sweetheart.

2011-05-06T06:41:00.000-07:00

Happy 5 Year Anniversary to Ry.

We have lived in 3 states 3 countries and driven across the country 4 times, drove from California to Alaska and back and seen Visited 11 (maybe more) different countries. And added our little Addie to our life. We really have enjoyed the last 5 years to the fullest and can't believe that we are about to start the next big phase of our life with so many crazy changes on the way, I am sure it will be just as exciting. I love you and couldn't imagine even one day without you in it.

Our Roman Holiday: Day two

2011-03-23T07:46:00.000-07:00

Vatican City

The second day we decided to dedicate the whole day to the Vatican and St. Peters Basilica, totally worth it! I had found this incredible guide to the Vatican City that even had insiders tips of how to get there via the train and what to say or what to do to make sure you see everything and skip pointless lines and re-entries so may I suggest Ron in Rome if you are ever coming to Rome. http://www.roninrome.com/

As we were walking down one of the numerous halls lined with statues of mostly naked men Addie said "Mom, ask me about these statues" I said Okay tell me about these statues to which she responded "I think they forgot to put pants on". We got such a great laugh out of that. Her commentary was honestly the best part. She also said while looking around at all the crosses "Mommy, Jesus has the bleeds" it was very tender.

Highlights:

Sistine Chapel, its a much smaller room and much different than expected but really amazing wants you sit down and just look at the ceiling in order, really incredible.

The spiral staircase just so cool!

The hall of Constantine, it was really incredible. The whole vibe of the room was just so interesting especially after all the research we did on Roman history.

However the Gallery of Maps was by far one of my favorite rooms, it was almost too overwhelming to take it all in.

But being surrounded by amazing works of art Michelangelo, DaVinci and Raphael, it was just amazing.

St. Peters Basilica was so big and gold and on display is the famous statue of Mary holding Jesus, Pieta by Michelangelo really was beautiful.

We really enjoyed the whole experience and I was so excited to acutally be there surrounded by so much history.

When in Rome: day one

2011-03-23T07:14:00.000-07:00

u
We found some killer deals on flights to Rome leaving out of Frankfirt Han, which one would believe would be in Frankfurt but much to our dismay its outside of Frankfurt, WAY outside. So we started our journey with a 3 1/2 hour bus ride to the Frankfurt Han Airport which is an old US military base that we gave to Germany. We were flying Ryanair so we had to wear most of of our clothes on our person and everything else went into our backpack. and then RUN to the plane to make sure we got seats together. It was quite the adventure. Once we got to Rome, we had to wait for an hour in line for our bus to drop us in the city center. Then we walked around trying to find our B&B, after being yelled at in Italian by a crazy old security gaurd we finally found it tucked away behind a locked gate on the 3rd floor of an apartment bldg. On the website it had said that we would have our own room and a b athroom and wireless internet and every website i checked had glowing reviews on the Matisse (B&B) but when we got there we realized that you did in fact get your own bathroom but it was down the hall and the internet was borrowed from the guy downstairs but he "really doesn't seem to mind". Fortunately the smallest room did have a teeny bathroom in it, so we took it and decided to move on and start sight seeing. So we headed out for the rest of the day with an intense travel plan that I had put together unfortunately about 3 miles in we realized we were lost and decided to wing it. Luckily we happened upon this giant monument and once we climbed to the top we could see all of Rome and decided to head to the Forum and Colloseum and I was able to get some really great pictures. We wrapped up our day with Pizza and italian sodas. We headed back to our room to rest up and get ready for our next big day.

Norwegian Christmas Workshop

2011-03-22T20:28:00.000-07:00

We had a blast going to the Norwegian Christmas workshop with our new Norwegian friends. We drank hot toddies and ate cookies and made crafts. It was such a fun way to get into the spirit of Christmas. I hope to make it a new tradition for our family.

One of our new friends from Norway the Georgsans had a sweet little boy named Oskar and even though Addie and Oskar didn't really speak the same language that didn't stop them from having a grea time together.

We can't wait to plan a Norway trip to catch up with all of our new friends!

2011

2010-12-29T12:19:00.000-08:00

This year has been one of my best yet!

-Ran my first half marathon (the furthest I had ever run in my life and started crying mile 6 and then kept running because I hadn't even reached the half point yet)

-Ran my second half marathon, Disney Coast to Coast!

-Lived abroad

-learned to speak enough German to have a conversation

-Traveled to Rome

-Traveled Prague

-Traveled some more (Berlin, Dresden ...)

-Ran the Mud Run with my siblings at Camp Pendleton

-Starting singing again

-Got healthy

-worked out regularly for a solid year (goal: 4-5 times a week)

-shaved ten minutes off of my second Half marathon

-Ryan got a job!

-Went to Florida with my Sister and my Mom

-Swam with dolphins and string rays

-Drove across the country again.

Its been a crazy year! I have done a lot. It felt so good to sit down and realize how much I had accomplished in just 12 months. I feel really blessed and always want to acknowledge the Lords hand in all of this. My life has been such a blast these last four 1/2 years!

Heres to 2011, Bring it!!!

2010-12-29T03:44:00.000-08:00

Lately Addie has been showing a huge interest in reading more than just a short word. So we started with a simple children's books online and she was reading full sentences!! Huge success!

Christmas Markets Heidelberg

2010-12-05T15:13:00.000-08:00

As we have mentioned before, the Christmas Market in Heidelberg begins literally less than 100 yards from our little apartment. On one of our many walks through town we decided to stop and pick up a Bratwurst for Addie (who still refers to them as "hot dogs" much to Ryan's chagrin). She loved it! What you can't tell from the photo is that the Wurst itself is almost twice as long as the baguette it is on. She would have eaten it all if not for a tragic moment in the grocery store when it hit the floor and Mom and Dad declared it inedible.

Mom and Dad needed some dinner as well, so we went for potato soup in a bread bowl! (note Addie in the background in her Hello Kitty gloves still working on the 1/2 meter bratwurst.

We also ran into Santa along the way, and he and Addie had a very serious chat about something. He spoke perfect German and English (as one would expect from Mr. Claus)

Note: above - Dad holding the "hot dog" so that she could better focus on her conversation. below - the last picture before the tragic fall (which occurred a solid 3 inches or so later).

We are loving Heidelberg, particularly during Christmas time.

(Stay tuned for updates on this last weekend's Christmas Market tour: Frankfurt - Wuerzburg - Nuremberg)

Heidelberg Christmas Market

2010-11-30T03:15:00.000-08:00

Did you get into my makeup?

2010-11-30T03:12:00.000-08:00

This is MY castle.

2010-11-30T02:58:00.000-08:00

I think Addie may be developing unreal expectations. She really wanted to dress up like a princess and go up to the castle, so thats what we did. Its a pretty intense walk up with an umbrella stroller. My goal is to run up the hill to the castle before we leave.

Schloss Heidelberg

My Christmas/ Birthday Wishlist:

2010-11-18T02:28:00.001-08:00

To whom it may concern (cough cough Ryan):

Here are the things I am currently in love with/want for my birthday/christmas.

Toms shoes (size 8)

http://www.toms.com/womens/new-styles/gilded-herringbone-women-s-classics

http://www.toms.com/womens/ash-canvas-classics-shoes

http://www.toms.com/womens/black-canvas-classics-shoes

Target ruffled ballet flats (size 8)

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/177-1088669-2885759?asin=B003DQT3XS&AFID=Froogle_df&LNM=|B003DQT3XS&CPNG=&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B003DQT3XS&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001
and
http://www.target.com/Mossimo-Supply-Co-Ruffle-Ballet/dp/B002RZTAVQ/ref=sc_pd_gwvub_2_title
and
http://www.target.com/Mossimo-Supply-Co-Ruffle-Ballet/dp/B002R9NZKO/ref=sc_pd_gwvub_1_title
Airbrush tanning system

http://www.sunjunkie.com/spray-tanning-compressor-airbrush-pr-268.html?osCsid=d64f840098f928410197e226a4d83cf4
or
http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?skuId=2219955&productId=xlsImpprod2240065&navAction=push&navCount=1&categoryId=cat90022&CAWELAID=518637814#reviews

or
http://www.paascheairbrush.com/cgi-bin/store/detail.cgi?r=5

Mp3 player
http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/SanDisk-Sansa-Fuze-8GB-1.9-inch-MP3-Player-Refurbished/4342770/product.html
Nike running shoes (the black ones you saw at the gym w/ the hot pink sole that you thought I would like)
http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?&l=shop,women&cp=EUNS_KW_NS09_DE_Google_B#l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-339197/pgid-385710
or
http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?&l=shop,women&cp=EUNS_KW_NS09_DE_Google_B#l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-339086/pgid-385712

Koblenz

2010-11-17T02:23:00.002-08:00

The day before we went to the Halloween extravaganza at Burg Frankenstein, we visited the small city of Mayen for their medieval fair. It was a lot of fun.

That night we drove to Koblenz and stayed the night there. Koblenz is situated at the confluence of the Rhein and the Mosel rivers, both of historical significance for Germany. In honor of Kaiser Friedrich Wilhelm I, a huge monument was constructed at the point where the two rivers come together.

We stopped by the local church to hear the choir sing, then walked over to a bakery for breakfast where Addie ordered a "Spookie". For the rest of the day and some time thereafter she continued to inform us that she had a ghost in her tummy . . . occasionally accompanied by spooky noises.

Here are some pictures from the monument "Deutsches Eck".

The day had only one downside. After our bathroom break before driving on to Darmstadt and the Burg Frankenstein, Ryan noticed his wallet was gone. We scoured the monument and asked every street vendor on the way if they had heard anything about missing wallets. At some point during the process Meg and Addie said a little prayer, and as a whole we all had the feeling we'd find the wallet one way or another. It had been about an hour, and we were giving up, so we decided to say another prayer and try one more time. We then passed by a vendor Ryan has spoken to before, but this time her husband was there with her. Ryan approached them, and the husband asked if we had checked the garbage cans. We had, but on that recommendation, we decided to check them one more time, a little more seriously. In the next garbage can we looked, beneath some wrappers was Ryan's wallet, untouched.

It was a great teaching moment for Addie, about the power of prayer and the importance of having faith and staying calm.

Happy Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T14:27:00.001-07:00

We spent Halloween night in Darmstadt, Germany. The castle there is called Burg Frankenstein (Frankenstein Castle). They did a family friendly early evening. The characters were out in full force but not harassing the small children, just the adults and/or teens. It was really impressive, of course you really can't ask for a better backdrop for a haunted house than the ruins of a castle with a colorful history including an inhabitant who in the name of alchemy was reducing down human and animal body parts in hopes of creating an elixir which would grant the drinker eternal life.

Addison loved it. By the end she had "pounded" it with a troll, hugged a zombie, danced with a witch, and had a lengthy conversation with Frankenstein the monster before he turns evil and seeks to kill Victor not the green guy with bolts in his neck. (Note: Because Frankenstein was the star of the show, it having been rumored that Mary Shelley got the idea to call her scientist Frankenstein because of this very castle, they had at least three different versions of the Monster and one Victor Frankenstein milling about the castle grounds. Addie most liked the one that looks most like the version from the movie with De Niro.)

It was a pretty great Halloween.

The biggest differences we noticed between this and US haunted houses, was a) it was in a real castle that is believed to be haunted; b) the characters were allowed to touch you. They would walk up and put their hands around your throat. We saw teens pinned to the ground, carried away and locked in coffins and boxes, tied down to an inquisition style rack and stretched until he said stop (at which point he was tickled mercilessly), and at one point a skeleton wielding a real sword walked up behind Megan and ran the sword up the inside of her calf. And this was all at the Halloween for Kids version where they are all on their best behavior.

*They adored Addison though, and even at the end as we were leaving they were still pinching her cheeks and giving her high fives and ooohing and awwwing over her. One of my favorite moments of the night was when the skeleton in battle armor was pushing anyone who stood to close away to protect "Die Prinzessin". She was even giving them all hugs. They were so sweet with her, it was awesome. She kept saying "the monsters are just so totally awesome" *

Proof that she did this of her own free will!! haha

Halloween parties!

2010-10-31T02:13:00.000-07:00

Halloween 2010!

We have been loving all the Halloween celebrations we could find!

The Halloween Carnival and trunk or treat at the church was awesome!

They had the youth in charge of carnival type games in each room of the church.

They also had an awesome photo room, with an awesome backdrop to get your picture taken.

Afterwards we headed outside for trunk or treat... so much fun!

On friday we headed to the Germany-American Institute for the their version of a Halloween party...

We got a good laugh at the Germans trying to carve a pumpkin for the first time! The games they had were: Squirt the candle out with a water gun, trick or treat door, bob for swine flu.. I mean apples, and eat the apple off the string (much harder than a donut) pumpkin carving and coloring. Addie had a blast

All in all Halloween in Heidelberg was a success, and only got better as the weekend progressed. Stay tuned!!!

Dads new do...

2010-10-31T02:10:00.000-07:00

Ryan and Addie laid down to take a nap. When Ryan woke up he realized that Addie had not been sleeping but playing "hairstylist"

Tort laws + Germany =

2010-10-31T01:29:00.000-07:00

We love Heidelberg. We are all having so much fun. Addie and I are getting better at taking the buses and trains and knowing our way around the city. I go to the gym everyday with Ryan and Addie goes to the day care. Its actually down the block a bit and there are usually an average of 2 kids there when we go. Almost everyone in Heidelberg speaks some english so they talk to Addie in both German and English but the kids only really speak german. She has picked up many phrases and its really cute to listen to her speak german. I have been going to the classes and they are completely in German, most of the time Ryan comes with me. They always come up to talk to me and talk so fast I can't understand much but i usually just smile and nod. We love the kettle bell class, its intense.

We also love all the parks around town and they are everywhere. We always laugh at the rides or toys they have at the park, because they would never be allowed in the States. Spinning metal of death, metal slide with insane drop off, tower of doom... you know the fun stuff.

The slide was a little wet but Addie really wanted to go down it, so i took one for the team!

I also love the cross walk signs. This was the guys the used in communist Germany. I am not entirely sure why they have them in part of Heidelberg.

Laguna Beach and the tide pools!

2010-09-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

We took a break from our undying commitment to Disneyland (we have been to Disneyland every day for the last 2 1/2 weeks) to go to the beach! Addie loves the tide pools and throwing sand. She was in heaven and we always love watching the sun set on the water.
I was so excited that I was able to get so many great pictures. I haven't even touched them up with photoshop yet! Addie is just so dang cute and can't for the life of her say "sea anemone" instead she says "sea enemy". She cracks us up, she always some funny outlook on everything. We love our little 2 year old! We will miss California while we are in Germany, good thing we are coming back.

Syndrome vs Mrs. Incredible

2010-09-06T10:50:00.000-07:00

I was wearing my mask almost the whole time, funny that almost every picture i took I'm not wearing it. People loved our costumes! It was really fun and we are already working on costumes for next year.

I love running with my sisters (we miss morgan!) I am lucky to have sisters who are willing to do fun things and make an effort to be together.

I shaved ten minutes off my time. However the next day I was feeling pretty good, which tells me I didn't push myself to the limit. I would have liked to have shaved 15 minutes off my time... Next time!

Now to train for my next run in MUNICH!

I can;t believe Summers almost over! (collage)

2010-08-22T22:58:00.000-07:00

This summer has been a blast! Bouncing around between Palo Alto, San Francisco, Gilroy Gardens, Palm Springs, Orange County, Plain City, Salt Lake City and Sacramento has been so FUN! We are all about fun and traveling. Addison is the best kid for us, she just goes along no matter where we are headed and has a blast.

Utah and Tony Grove

2010-08-22T22:40:00.000-07:00

We just got back from visiting friends and family in Utah. It was so fun. We love spending time with Steve and Cindee. We also got to see some cousins up at Tony Grove. Addie had an immediate connection with Abigail Coney. As we were leaving she gave her big hug and said "i will just miss you Abigail" It was so tender that it only took about 2 hours for her to feel that way.

I always love catching up with Mary and Dan, since we don't get to see them as often as we'd like. So glad I got see Kathy before she has her baby!

ode to Pickett Cousins!!

2010-08-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

ryan:
We are going to see your cousins

addie:
Hooray!!! Austin will be so happy to see me, he will wrap his arms around me and say, I'll save you.

Ryan:
wrong cousins.

Addie:
But Austin misses me (sobbing)

Of course she had fun with Dads cousins too! But it was too funny.

She loves Austin, Tay and Graham so much. She talks about them everyday. Every time we pick out an outfit or do her hair she says "i want it just like Taylors" I think she will sink into a deep depression without her cousins this next year. So glad we will be living so close to the Picketts in a year! We are also excited to be heading down to Southern California to get some time with the Plewe cousins!

Job Offer!

2010-08-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to say that after a great summer and Ryan interning at a firm he loved, we have JOB OFFER!

We are so excited to be moving back to Northern California in a year to start our life as "big kids". Of course we will miss the years of being students but we are going out in style and can't wait for our sweet 4 month relocation to Germany! We feel like we just haven't stopped moving and having one adventure after the next (with several more to come!!) but we have been anxious to take the next step. It couldn't be better that Ryan loves the firm and even better loves the world of start up companies! The partners laughed every time he described his projects as "fun".

Happy 3rd Birthday Addison!

2010-08-05T11:27:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little Addison has turned 3 years old. We are always out and about on her birthday and this year we are staying with Jeff and Tracy Pickett (my sister) in Northern California while Ryan is doing his internship at Cooley Godward and Kronish.

Addie decided she wanted to have a Pirate Princess and Pirates party. She loved having her cousins Taylor, Austin and Graham and Mason and Landon Pickett there to celebrate with her.
I had swords and eye patches for all our cute party guests and after dinner we went on a treasure hunt.

Following these 6 clues to the treasure chest:

1. Where Birds rest and lanterns glow find ye there a clue below

2.
travel now through the gates of two
there you'll find a clue

3. Oh pirates and princess you've made it through
doubtless now you seek a clue
in this chest lay bombs of five
pop them fast to stay a live. (they pop six black balloons to find the next clue)

4. Ye have made it quite far Ye scurvy lot
somwhere in the garden X marks the spot

5. You now have the key to unlock my chest (they find the baseball bat)
But still you must pass one last test
Spin five times and give a twist
A birthday girl is in your midst
Sing me hearties
sing it strong
sing that birthday girl a song
once you've sung it and sung it right
the treasure is within your sight
6. Line up
Be ye not fools
the youngest first
these be me rules

Thats where they find the treasure chest pinata! It was a real hit and the kids loved it.

After that we had cupcakes! What a great way to spend her 3 rd birthday!

Addie-isms

2010-06-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

1. Dad: Addie, you can't go outside without a shirt on, there are bugs and they will bite you. Addie: But, but, but, no listen, no listen, I want to tell you something. I have a pretend shirt on. Dad: Well sweety, a pretend shirt will only protect you from the pretend bugs, but the real bugs can still get you unless you have a real shirt on. Addie: Oh . . . Dad . . . I want to tell you something. . . Dad: Ok Addie: I have a pretend shirt on.

2. Mom and Dad are sitting in the living room looking out the sliding glass door toward our room. Mom looks out the window and sees a blinking blue and red light saber sticking out of the door. Dad walks over to see what is wrong and this conversation ensues:

Dad: What's wrong??
Addie: Dad, there is a monster in my room.
Dad: A monster?
Addie: Yeah, a monster.
(by this point Mom has joined the conversation)
Mom: A monster?! What did it look like?
Addie: Like a ghost. Like a dinosaur ghost.
Mom: A dinosaur ghost?? What color was it?
Addie: White, no blue, no blue and white!
Mom: Wow, what did it say to you?
Addie: It said, *yells* "Addie! Go sleep in Austin and Taylor's room!"

She is so funny.

Four years!

2010-05-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary Ryan.

Four years, why are we always in a hurry or en route to a new place or packing on our Anniversary...

We have so much fun and life has been such an adventure.
We have lived all over the world.
We have the sweetest little girl in the universe.
You are the perfect fit for me
there is no one in this world I would rather spend every day with.
You make everything better, from the happiest moments to the very saddest and hardships we endure they are better with you by my side.
You have introduced me to parts of myself I didn't even knew existed.
I am incomplete without you...

( you are loving all this disgusting lovey crap, aren't you?? hahaha)

I love you and can't wait for the adventures we'll have this coming year.

Belated Valentines day post and Picture update!

2010-04-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

I love holidays and i love trying to make them super special for Ryan and Addie. I made heart shaped pancakes and decked out the kitchen in streamers, balloons and valentine gifts for my two valentines!

We met Al Gore today....

2010-04-08T16:29:00.000-07:00

he was a total jerk...

however I still thought it was cool to get a picture with him and then he totally acted like a jerk and i feel the same way addie did in this picture. Addie my friendly little girl who talks to ANYONE didn't like him at all... too funny

welcoming the NCAA Champs home!

2010-04-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

Who wouldnt want to be welcomed home by this?

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/06/425002/first-look-dukes-homecoming-celebration.html?index=121

Germany

2010-04-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

So you may have heard and or saw in our last post that we are moving to Germany for the Fall Semester.
I have been researching everything about Hiedelberg and I am pretty excited about what I've found. Tons of gyms for me and a pre school at the University for Addison. We are going to be living in Old Town which is seriously amazing. We will be living in a small one bedroom but its an incredible opportunity and we didn't even hesitate. The stipend Ryan is getting will cover our housing plus a little extra (that i plan on spending on chocolate haha).I plan on doing hair while we are there and it shouldn't be too hard to build a small clientele. Becoming a hairdresser was one of the smartest decisions i have ever made and it continually pays off (literally). I have done hair all over the world.... Have scissors, will travel!

Ryan will be studying law (still) at the University. All of his classes will be taught in german, luckily he is fluent. However, I am not. However it is a University town with a military base near by. We'll actually be attending an english speaking ward.

It should be really fun! Come visit!

The Past Few Months

2010-04-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

The last two months have been crazy and fun and full of adventures (as per usual)

Orlando:

For the annual Skeen girls' trip Meg went down to Orlando for a weekend full of sea life, roller coasters, and a half marathon. Swimming with dolphins has always been on Meg's life-list, as was running a half marathon. She was able to check two items off that list in one weekend. What a weekend!

Alaska :
The day before Meg got back from Orlando, Ryan flew out to Anchorage for the Alaska Law Review to spend a week meeting with attorneys and judges in Alaska. The high temperature for the week was around 30 degrees, four days in it snowed a foot and Ryan got to experience the snow removal services of Anchorage. It was an amazing experience. Ryan met a lot of amazing people and remembered yet again how much he loves Alaska.

Washington DC:

A week after Ryan got back from Alaska we took a trip to Washington D.C. We had some troubles with our hotel and had to switch last minute, but all in all the trip turned out great. The great deal we had found for out hotel, turned out to be oversold, and not available, so the website we booked through agreed to upgrade us to a nicer hotel and cut the cost of the hotel by 20%. So we called a cab, and rolled up to a 4+ star hotel with our TJ Maxx bag full of food and out big blue cooler. Classy. Addie loved all the Smithsonians. For weeks all she would talk about was the dinosaur poop and the skeletons. In addition, because of the hotel change we had to ride the metro, which turned out to be a close third to the dinosaur poop and skeletons. Also, as we left we came across a little farmers' market. One of the booths had a line that literally went around the block. We decided there was no way that we could leave without determining what the big deal was. The big deal was a local French bakery with amazing pastries and the best quiche we'd ever tasted.

Moving to Germany in September for a semester:

We received word from Germany confirming our stipend for the fall if we want it. We're going to go for it! Heidelberg from late September through mid January. We also think we have found a German preschool for Addie to attend, which would be amazing.

Met Elder Christofferson:

Elder Christofferson of the quorum of the 12 is a Duke Law Alum who clerked under Judge Sirica (sp?) who heard the initial Watergate trial. The law school invited him out to speak about his life in the law. It was a great interview, then later that evening all the LDS law students were invited for a fireside with him at the law school. We really enjoyed the opportunity to hear his advice and just to meet him. He is an amazing man and we could definitely feel the spirit associated with his calling as he spoke.

You'll note how pale Meg is. She had been throwing up all day (no, not pregnant) due to some nasty food poisoning.

Duke is in the national championship:

Go DUKE!

Addicted to cycling:

Meg has been working out like crazy. Initially to prepare for the half marathon, but now she has the itch. She's working out 6 days a week. She loves spinning classes. Ryan went along to one and has started running to try and keep up. Meg is in way better shape (says Ryan) and is so impressed by Meg's half marathon.

Easter:

Today was Easter. Addie went to an Easter egg hunt yesterday with her friends and we had another little Spiers family hunt this morning. Addie loves the "Easter Egg Bunny" and had a great Easter weekend.

Ode to my sweet little girl

2010-03-25T07:29:00.000-07:00

have one great little girl!

Sometimes i realize what a lucky mom i am, and what an incredibly talented little girl i have.
Some of it is probably because shes an only child but she's seriously awesome. Addie has been potty trained for sometime now and it was pretty easy. She is reading and sounding out small words now like its going out of style. She has known her letters since she was about 18 months old and sounds came pretty quickly after. We started playing hooked on phonics and next thing i knew she was sounding out words and reading. Shes a little genius... (i might be a little biased)
I also love how sweet she is and how much she wants everyone to be happy. The ultimate punishment for Addie is knowing that she made someone feel sad. She has an incredible imagination and is always making up songs and playing pretend. I love how she walks around the house narrating every action in song. Although one of my very favorite things about Addie is how adventurous she is! Yesterday we went to the store to get stuff for a picnic and she requested sushi! She is always up for an adventure and to try new things and ready to go anywhere in the world we take her.
She has traveled as much as some adults... She has seen most of the United States including Alaska, shes been to Switzerland and Germany and can count to ten in 3 languages and we are currently working on a 4th.

Favorite things Addie has said:

"mom, you're my best friend"

after taking her to the Smithsonian in DC we asked her what her favorite part was and she said
"i saw dinosaur poop!"

"mom, are you sad? Do you want me to take you to the doctor?"

after throwing a fit she will suddenly stop and say
"I'm feeling much better"

"I am so proud of you Mom"

she is constantly telling EVERYONE
"You are so beautiful" , "I love it, its wonderful"

"Hi, I'm Addie and I'm 2"

2:59:48 Half marathon

2010-03-08T09:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I completed my first half marathon! I had only run about 6 1/2 miles going into this, so i was really nervous. The night before I had my sisters (the veterans) giving me a pep talk. They taught me all the secrets to running (gu, the jelly beans that give you energy, drinking gatorade at all the stops and wearing a trash bag at the beginning so i can tear it off when i am not cold anymore and rubbing pretty much my entire body in vasoline) I also invested in some special socks that have padding in the toes and heels and they were awesome. The night before I felt like i was going to throw up i was so nervous about not being able to do it. So i kept telling myself over and over again in my mind that i would be able to do this.

The race started and they had fireworks going off, i was so psyched and ready to go! But Tracy just reminding me that "slow and steady" (great advice from both of my sisters). I just kept and a nice jog and got my music pumping. Did I mention i ran the entire thing in a tutu and a crown?
By the first bathroom stopped i realized i had been trying so hard to keep myself hydrated i had to use the restroom but i already felt like my body didn't want to stop so i passed it by and waited for the next one. After stopping to use the restroom i decided that was not a good idea and that i wouldn't be stopping for the rest of the race. Tracy and I got going again and i was doing great and we passed by all the Disney characters cheering us on plus the volunteers who are yelling and even using your name and it was really giving me a lot of energy. I loved the cheer squads. They also had different choirs and drummers and marching bands playing along the way. Seriously don't know what i would have done without all the energy that gave me.
By mile 7 i was feeling like a rock star for having officially run more than i had ever run in my life.
But then mile 8 hit and i was in a lot of pain and could feel my knees swelling and everything hurt and i knew i would feel better if i just stopped but there was NO WAY on earth i was going to give up now. That was when my own personal cheerleader, Tracy started pumping me up and one point even held my hand and said come on pick up the pace. And I did. I started telling myself i can do this, i am strong, i have to do this. Tracy said she kept looking back and could see me talking to myself after the race I told her i was just saying "strength" over and over again.
When we got to mile 9 i decided i had to walk so we walked for three miles (till this point i had only run and hadn't stopped) When i saw mile 10 i got really choked up and realized that was really going to do this and it was a reality and i wasn't even anywhere near the car that picks up those who fall behind and can't make it, a victory in itself.
We finally hit mile 12 and i saw Tinkerbell, Silvermist and Rosetta standing there and i leaned over to Tracy and said if Tinkerbell can't motivate me I don't think anything will. Tinkerbell is Addison's very favorite thing ever. Tinkerbell=Addison, hence the motivation. We picked up the pace and I finally spotted the sign for the 13th mile and Tracy says okay you did 13 now you can do .1! I got super emotional and totally lame. I also loved coming around the corner and seeing the gospel choir singing. I even made it in under 3 hours 2:59:48 it was close but i swear it counts! haha

I think the biggest surprise is that i expected to run through Disneyland on flat ground and that wasn't at all what we did. we were running the freeways and up on ramps and went from Disney to Epcot. The energy was awesome. Tracy was awesome. And most of all I am so proud of my mom for completing it! I am looking forward to doing it again and now that I've done it I feel like it will be easier to train for.

2 Items of Interest ( a post by Ryan)

2010-03-04T16:29:00.000-08:00

1) So next week is premier week for new episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba (see item 2 for an explanation of why I know this). Weird Al Yankovich will be making an appearance. I feel like my childhood is meeting Addison's, how odd. Also. . . about time! Am I right?

2) Meg left town for Orlando and the girls' trip today. We both miss her already. We got home from dropping Meg off and had contained the tears when we heard something. Addison said: "You hear it?? It's a helicopter!" I then made the mistake of saying "No sweety look, it's an airplane!" She pointed at it, said, "It's an airplane . . . an airplane with . . . with my mommy on it . . . I WANT MY MOMMY!!" And the tears returned.

So it is just Addie and I for a few days. Nick Jr. is helping me out so far (thus my knowledge of Yo Gabba Gabba premier week) but my plan for tomorrow is to join Meg in our new "less TV for Addie" plan. Also in connection with Meg's trip, Addie got to come to a two hour class on contractual, structural, and equitable subordination in bankruptcy and corporate reorganization today. We went in before class and met with Prof. Schwarcz so Addie could get to know him a little. Of course she warmed right up to him, and he was really sweet with her. For about a solid half hour she sat in the front of the class next to him while he taught only interjecting an occasional comment when she questioned his logic. It was pretty adorable. The class was recorded, so as soon as I can figure out how to create clips from the recording I'll post a video of Addison's day as "Professor Spiers".

cat, rat, mat

2010-02-15T17:52:00.000-08:00

Addie has been doing really well with her letters. Ever since my sister in law Sarah Spiers recommended hooked on phonics we have been playing this great HOP game. Today i wanted to see how far we had gotten and so we were sounding out words. She totally sounded out Cat, mat and bat. I wasn't sure if it was a fluke so i had her try it again for Ryan. As long as she is willing to focus she can totally sound it out and tell you the word. So proud of my little girl!

Valentine's Day . . . Bah Humbug!

2010-02-13T19:04:00.000-08:00

Valentine’s Day is a pseudo-holiday at best. It may as well be called Adam Smith Day, and we should celebrate with the delivery of widgets from some invisible hand. Luckily, although Megan may debate the use of that classification, for me it has become a sort of ersatz day for the celebration of Megan in lieu of her birthday. For as long as we’ve known one another, her birthday has fallen in the middle of my finals period and I’ve been unable to dote upon her as she deserves. At this point I hear Meg’s voice calling from deep in the recesses of my mind reminding me we met nearly ten years ago when I was a freshman at the U, and that, well frankly, that’s a really a long time to have been in school. I’m not sure when her voice got there, in the back of my mind, whispering like some sarcastic version of my conscience. All you who have been in a relationship for some time surely know what I'm talking about. It's the way you know how to finish their sentences the quiet echo to everything you say . . . except when you’re wrong. There it is again, “psshhh, so not echoing very often, huh?” Megan is laughing at that one by the way, and, well, so am I. That’s the beauty of marrying your best friend, even when she isn’t with me, she is. She is a part of me, more often than not, the better part of me. She brings out the best in me. Takes all my best qualities, and balances out all my bad. There is no one else I would rather be with. On a weekday night after school, on a weekend getaway to anywhere in the world, or even in the middle of the night with a sick kid, so long as she is there, it is better. “ok, ok, that’s too cheesy. I think I’m going to throw up now.”

I love my wife more than I can possibly express. She is the most loving, loyal, passionate, and beautiful person I know. I can't imagine a better companion and am eternally grateful that I have her in my life.

Super Bowl Cupcakes

2010-02-08T07:28:00.000-08:00

I made some cupcakes for our tailgate party at the Gochnours. Just showing some love for the Saints. So excited to see them win. It wasn't the most eventful game but happy with the win all the same.

I also made a really cute saints hair clip for addie but have yet to get a picture of it.

Addison and Hailey

2010-02-08T07:22:00.000-08:00

Snow!

2010-02-08T06:57:00.000-08:00

What we woke up to. They even canceled church because of this snow. I think the biggest problem is that they don't have the man power to salt and keep the streets clean. We couldn't even get out of our parking lot. So we called the Mills and grabbed some lids to sled on and enjoyed some cocoa after wards. Addie and Hailey had a blast sledding down the hill. Addison was so sad to leave the snow in utah and was so excited to get a second chance at it this season. She was fearless to jump on the sled and she was really into throwing snowballs. Unfortunately it was always solid ice and i was usually the closest person to her.

We had Hailey over, Addie's very best friend. I came down stairs and found them side by side on the potty just chatting. They sat there for about 15 minutes while they finished their business. I thought it was so funny. Best friends do everything together.

Addison has a very active imagination

2010-01-23T10:02:00.000-08:00

She looks out the window this morning and says "the sun woke up, Go sun! Woo!"

"Dad! Dad! Dad! Help!"

What is it Addie?

"I can't even fly!"

a few minutes later....

"You're King Dad, come on King!
King, can i have a sippy please?
Thanks King."

She cracks me up.

Christmas 09 and New years

2010-01-08T17:55:00.000-08:00

I have so much to update on! I swear that I will upload pictures and be a better blogger this year.

But tonight Addie was saying her prayers and said "i am thankful for the book of Morgan" we got a really good laugh at that. Auntie Momo is pretty wise.

The highlights:

*Addie sings the best version of the Taylor Swift song Love story "i wear t-shirts, I wear t-shirts, I am the captain and I wear t-shirts"
* Addie's obsession with her cousin Taylor
*Addie got to meet Tinkerbell at Disneyland and it was a dream come true
*Addie ate eel and octopus for the first time and loved it as well as eating most of my veggie roll. This kid loves sushi!
* "Tinkerbell Tinkerbell tinker all the way" Addie's versions are always better!
* Making Snow Angels in Utah
* The Spiers clan visited the Zoo Lights in SLC
*Spending Christmas with her Grandma Cindee, Grandpa Steve and Great Grandmas and Grandpas
* We have been watching the Tinkerbell movie on repeat
* Spending time with Gigi and Papa in sunny California
* Reuniting with my sisters (and KK) some of whom i haven't seen in a year!
* signed up for the Disney Princess half marathon in Orlando in march
*signed up for the mud run at camp Pendelton, Go Doug'lisha!
* worked out with Kelly and almost died i didn't know my back muscles could hurt so bad in a good way!
* Petting Zoo in San Juan with Gigi and Addie and the creepiest chickens I have ever seen
* enjoying a month on the West Coast
* Witnessing my Grandma Baldwin play Rockband
* Getting to see the Baldwins over Christmas, of course
* the countless hours spent on band hero at the skeens
* and as always the best New Years party ever given by mo Mom
* Erin's baby shower and seeing tons of old faces and catching up

It is always hard to come back, I love the west coast at least we have some awesome friends to come back to.

2009-12-15T08:56:00.000-08:00

Addie was watching our wedding video and she said "look its a temple and Mommy is a princess and Daddy is a princess too!"

I love her.

2009-12-14T08:10:00.000-08:00

The girl has grown up so much. Just another growth spurt. While we were cleaning up after the christmas party I got my girl in the primary room on the piano. I caught part of the performance and every time i watch it, it cracks me up.

She the cutest little thing that ever existed. At some point I promise to upload the video of her singing "single ladies" she even tries to do the hand thing. I love the girl.

As always I made a ginger bread house again this year. Its not as large as last year but i just didnt have the time. I don't compete in the ward gingerbread house contest, since I am the judge!

I felt like the Ward party turned out well. It was a lot of work but people seem to have fun. It was all consuming for about 2 months. I wish I had pictures of all thge decorations and the fun photo ops i had set up but alas, i was running the party and didnt get a chance to enjoy it!

I also just celebrated my 27th birthday. It fell on the day of Ryan's longest finals and the day before the ward Christmas party. So we didn't really get a chance to do anything. However my girlfriends made it a special day with all the birthday wishes and stopping by for an impromptu get together. I love you girls!

We are super excited to go home for christmas and to see both of our families. Its been an entire year since I was in California!

New Moon

2009-11-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

I just realized i have yet to post about New Moon! We gathered together the most dedicated New Moon fans from "the Pond" went to new moon at 12:01 premiere. (where we met up with the biggest Twifans from the D1ward)
Lindsay Mills and I even made Team Volturi shirts! The hubbys watched the kids and off we went. I loved the movie, and i have decided to officially declare my allegiance to

Team Movie Jacob

I still love the Team Book Edward but how can anyone deny the love for Taylor Lautners Jacob over Rpatz as Edward. I am really excited for Eclipse, it was my favorite book hands down.

Potty train.....ed!

2009-11-19T17:23:00.000-08:00

I have been nervous to say this out loud but i think i gave it enough time. Last time i said it things went downhill real fast. *fingers crossed*

Addie has been in undies for 2 weeks! I think i am declaring for real that she is pretty much POTTY TRAINED. On the real toilet and everything!

and as Addie says every time she uses the toilet, " I potty trained, Go Addie" and all it took was those pumpkins that come in the candy corn.

Addie's new tricks a post by Ryan

2009-11-11T20:50:00.000-08:00

So here is an update of Addie's latest skills:

She knows her abc's and has started spelling every word she sees. She recognizes Addison, but that's about it so far. And she is learning the sounds the letters make and has most of the consonants down!

She counts everything that in sight that is not a letter.(up to 13 and sometimes we get a stray 16 or 17)

Loves to play pretend with her toys, which you can tell because she switches to her "pretend" voice. It is hilarious.

And the highlight of Ryan's week:

We were walking through the grocery store trying to keep Addie busy in the shopping cart, so we broke out a fresh can of play dough from her Halloween bag. She is playing with it and chattering away, then she yells "DAD! HELP! HELP!" So I ask what is wrong and she hands me the play dough which she had sculpted into what actually looked like a hippopotamus and says "Look, a Hippo!"

She's pretty much a genius.

The final Halloween 09 post

2009-11-09T20:50:00.001-08:00

We Love Halloween

2009-10-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

Halloween decorations from around our house. I love Halloween, its my all time favorite holiday. I carved the S pumpkin with a old school potato peeler and the white part shines in with the candle inside. I also cut out a small piece in the back of the pumpkin inside of cutting off the top. Plus some painted pumpkins that Addie did and the cute potions centerpiece i made (idearoom.blogspot.com)

We went to The Sea of learning here in Durham for their Halloween celebration and to decorate halloween buckets. And it happened to be the day the SWAT team was visiting at old navy (next door) with the K-9 unit and McGruff the crime fighting dog. So we got Addie's ID made. The SWAT team guys were really friendly but they were all monstrous. But Durham is a pretty rough place, so I am sure they see a lot of action and have to be super tough. (that is not sarcastic)

Next is Hailey, Addie's BFF and Addison at the Butterfly exhibit at the museum of life and science. The butterflys are my favortie part, its a humid room that has butterflies flying around and sometimes they land on you. Its pretty much the coolest thing ever.

another project update!

2009-10-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

The dress I made for Addie.

and a before and after pic. I bought this table (and 4 chairs) at the thrift store for $35. I recovered the chairs and stained it. The top was not actually wood so using a rag, i created a faux wood grain. It needs some touch-ups and looks better in person but I learned so much and are currently working on my parents old oak coffee table. I will post before and afters soon!

Going back to Cali . . .

2009-10-06T21:17:00.000-07:00

So we've officially accepted an offer for a summer associate position in the Palo Alto office of Cooley Godward Kronish. We are so excited!

What I have been up to..

2009-09-26T21:38:00.000-07:00

Ryan has been flying across country every weekend and for a while there he left me for two weeks (but all in the name of getting a job, GO RYAN!). And the tortured artist in me has come out and I have been all right brain lately and here are some of my creations.

before:
After:
The new entertainment center:
before:

after:

Addie update

2009-09-26T21:18:00.000-07:00

Addie and Hailey after we went to Cloudy with a chance of meatballs. They look super awesome in their 3d shades! And we made it through the whole movie... Hooray!
Addie loves Mac n cheese!

She is the best shopping buddy ever!
At Falls Lake, Addie thought getting her feet buried in the sand was hilarious.

And last but not least, potty training is hard work. She decided she wanted to use the big potty and got her footstool and climbed on up, and well, ran into some trouble. She was screaming for me and was really upset that i ran to grab the camera instead!

now this I'm into...

2009-09-07T06:48:00.000-07:00

simple..

2009-09-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

Addie had a hard time going to bed tonight but every time she comes out of her room she just sits at the top of the stairs and waits for me to put her back in her room and doesn't even put up a fight.
But she really wanted me to lay next to her so she got me a pillow and covered me in a blanket. Every time i would start to get up she would push me back down and say "hold you". When i asked her if she wanted me to sing her a song, she decided she wanted to sing me a song, after a couple different renditions of ring around the roses she was ready to sleep.

she held my hands while she fell asleep and as she was falling asleep (like big heavy eyes and mumbling) she said i love you mommy and 2 seconds later she was out like a light.

it was one of the highlights of the last two years of my life

and even better, Addie is so close to being potty trained. This was a really good week and she seems to understand it all of a sudden... hallelujah

She's two!

2009-08-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

Addie's second birthday!

Because Addie had her birthday while we were in Geneva, we threw her a little party. I can't believe what a beautiful little girl she is! She has grown up so much this year. I love that she can talk to me and loves to play the drums and any other other instrument she can get her hands on. She loves to be in the water and doing anything that requires being outside. One of my favorite things she has started doing is walking around the house with the drumsticks and raising them above her head and tapping them together while she says "1,2, 3". She is so obsessed with Yo Gabba gabba (yo gab). Although her favorite movies currently are Bolt, and Josie and the Pussycats.
She can count 1-10 and loves to sing her abc's (her own rendition that leaves out most of the middle), she knows all the letters in the alphabet and loves to point them out to me

wherever we go.
She is currently learning her colors and how to use a potty!

I love my big girl!

POO POO Success!

2009-08-12T13:49:00.000-07:00

Addie has taken the next step and we are officially 1 and 2-ing on the potty! We bought her some underwear and are hoping for more success. I swore that the last box of diapers i bought at costco would be the LAST i bought for Addie, lets hope this really works...

On another note, we are so excited to see our friends and addie is dying to have people to play with. Taylors pond is up to like 10 LDS families....

"bye bye poo poo, see ya soon!" Addie age 2

2009-08-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

Addie has finally started potty training and she really loves having her own special potty that she picked out.

She went on the potty twice this weekend, all by herself. Unfortunately, she also went in front of the potty, next to the potty and once on the step stool in the bathroom. The step stool really confused her, she was really upset that it snuck up on her like that.

"bye bye poo poo, see ya soon!" Addie, 2

Interlaken = lame

2009-07-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

So the last stage of our wild run across the country brought us to Interlaken.

Pluses: It was in the German speaking portion of Switzerland. We ate fondue! It was really gorgeous.
Minuses: Most of the people working there didn't actually speak German! They spoke English, Korean, Japanese, or Chinese (like the 4 bus loads of Asian tourists; I guess if you know your market...) After working in a tourist town, we have come to see through the illusion of such towns and unfortunately that's all we saw in Intelaken. Tourist crap. But, it was gorgeous and the fondue was great. Pictures!

Fribourg

2009-07-12T15:54:00.000-07:00

Stage two of our whirlwind journey across Switzerland. Addie was finally asleep in the back seat so we took the chance to visit Fribourg (which was beautiful!). Here are some more pictures of the things we saw. Keep Reading The Posts Below!!!

Lac Leman and the castle Chillon

2009-07-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

Chillon Castle on Lac Leman

We loved this castle, and as we pulled up to it, I had remembered clearly seeing it when i was here with my family many many many years ago. It was a fun memory. My mom loves this castle and has a picture of it hanging in her entry way by the stairs. Addison loved climbing into all the rooms and going through narrow hallways. She didn't cry and was a perfect angel the entire time we were there. She loved looking out the windows and thought the "potty" was really scary.

I took tons of pictures from the teeny tiny windows all over the castle. Here is a view of Montreaux from the top of the castle.

Some more of the view from small holes and cracks in the castle. I tried to take pictures from anything i could stick my camera through.

one week.

2009-07-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

As of today (sunday the fifth of July) we have

been here in Switzerland for a week. Although I

feel like I've been here much longer, I am also so

sad that we only have three weeks left. I love it!

Since my last post we took a boat ride on Lake

Geneva and explored old town and many parks. I

also have made some incredible purchases (like the cutest (non) leather bomber style jacket!) I

have been looking for the perfect jacket for 6 + months and finally found it and not only did I find

it, i got in on sale for 50% off!! Okay

well back to the site seeing and the

historical Geneva. We

are walking distance from the train

station downtown but far enough that

we are near many

apartment complexes. We are living

on the top floor and our two outside

walls are all windows

with the most amazing view!
We have

been grocery shopping and saving

money for clothes and watches and

chocolate instead of going out to eat.

We live on cheese, baguettes and

instant mashed potatoes and apples.

We don't have a kitchen, but we have

the small minibar fridge and a water

boiler for tea (something i have never seen before). The water boiler works well for mashed

potatoes and if i can find top ramen for under $2 i will buy it. They sell a can of Pringles for $3.25

at the regular grocery store (Migros and Coop). The Swiss seem to be very particular about

everything being swiss made.

Its like swiss pride around here, it kinda reminds me of Texas.

Today we went to church, to the english speaking

ward. Its started at 2pm, which was really hard for

Addison. Apparently a family whom my mom was

good friends since she lived in geneva when she was

a girl, is still here and is the stake president. I didn't

get to see them but I am sure I will at some point in

the coming sundays.

I am posting several random pictures, some on a

super steep hill coming down from "old town" and

some in our room and tons of the view from our

room and the top of the Jet d'eau (water fountain

and the boat ride. Now a quick understanding of the Jet d'eau it propels 500 litres of water per

second to a height of 140 metres at a speed of 200 km per hour. It's pretty cool and if you look

at pics of the view from our room you can see the top of it. (i took a picture from each window!)

I am trying to plan our trip to Italy next weekend and I'll keep you posted on our latest adventures!

Addie is so cute!

2009-07-01T06:05:00.000-07:00

We are really enjoying Geneva. My only complaint is that the whole city shuts down at about 7 pm. I manage to communicate despite my lack of french. We do public transportation everywhere. I didn't bring a stroller, and now I am really regretting it. I figured out what to call it now, pousette or push chair. So hopefully i will be able to find one. We went to a large flea market today. It was really cool and i wish i could get things home with me!
Addie made friends with one of the professors daughters and just adored her.

We have come to the conclusion that living abroad is a definite possibility. And living in Germany Ryan's 3L year sounds amazing. I can't wait to do a little traveling on the weekends.

pics of our hotel and the view in Lucerne

2009-06-28T23:49:00.000-07:00

Switzerland!

2009-06-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

Bonjour! We are in Switzerland, the flight went well. Addie has been flying for most of her life, she is a total pro. Last night we stayed in Lucerne, which is about an hour out of Zurich. They speak swiss german, so ryan was a great translator. We rented a car and drove to Lucerne and stayed in a Swiss Chalet, with a bathroom (water closet) that was shared with the entire floor. It was very european type hotel. I felt like a very adventuorus girl. Online it was said to be a 4 star hotel, our room was maybe 2 stars but the breakfast buffet this morning was the redeeming moment. Besides smelling old and musty, we loved our view of the lake and the gorgeous mountains. I also discovered Nutella this morning. It was the most amazing moment of my life.

We then drove from Lucerne to Geneva and dropped off the rental car. We arrived at our hotel the grand pre, its a great hotel. And we are just down the street from a market and a boulangerie and patissire. I am excited to try the breakfast buffet tomorrow. I also have a lunch card to eat at the University. Tomorrow i need to try inderstanding the bus schedule so that i can get myself to the mall! H & M here I come!

I had the best vegetable samosas tonight at a little turkish restraunt! They were so cute with Addison, everyone kept bringing her treats and bags of french fries. She has learned to say Merci and Au revoir. Its about the cutest thing i have ever heard

Pictures soon.

Alaska!

2009-06-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

keep reading the post is below!

2009-05-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

Moving, Hunter's Wedding and getting ready for Alaska!

2009-05-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

I realized i hadn't done a real update on our fam in a while so i uploaded pictures and tried to remember what has been keeping us so busy.

We moved out of our old apartment and are currently subletting from the Gochnours. We didn't want to move into a new apartment and have to pay for it while we are living in Switzerland and the Gochnours were leaving for the summer so it worked perfectly once our contract ended we moved in and just have kept almost everything we own in boxes. Orginally our plan was to move into storage, so this is much easier for us. We are trying to move into the complex that a lot of our friends live in. We are so sick of living in an apartment and a town home with a backyard sounds fantastic.

Addie and I also drove to DC to see Hunter, my cousin get married to a really cute girl. We love being there and sharing this experience with them. Her dress was gorgeous! We are so excited for Hunter and can't believe that he is married. It means we are all growing up. And I can't wait to get to know Aubrey better, she seems like such an awesome person.

I have so many pics that i will just do a Pic Post... So that brings us to today and today Addie is still trying to get better and the fever is gone but last night she threw up but seems much better today. Next Friday we fly to SLC to meet up with the fam and see Gram and Gramps Hendry and then we fly to seattle with the Spiers side to leave on our Alaskan cruise!!!!

We are so excited and i am frantically doing laundry and trying to prepare to be gone for a week and half!

Happy 27th to the greatest guy i know!

2009-05-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

Today is Ryan's 27th birthday.
You are the greatest.
Happy birthday Ry
i love you a million trillion.
You are my bffaeae. haha

Hey Good Lookin' Whatcha Got Cookin'?

2009-05-08T15:50:00.000-07:00

So as most of you know Megan is fairly vegetarian. (fairly in that she does occasionally eat meat if she feels she needs it and she is also fair to Addie and I in allowing meat in the house) Ryan, however, is not vegetarian, but as the kind, loving husband that he is (aren't I though?) he cooks almost exclusively vegetarian at home. We love food and Ryan loves to experiment in the kitchen, so everyone wins. Many of you may be wondering: What does Ryan eat when Megan is out of town? Fear not, I intend to indulge your curiosity by divulging what I am eating right now!

Wait, not yet. First, normally when Megan is gone Ryan eats this from his favorite local Chinese restaurant:

Dry tofu with shredded pork; only available by request from the special authentic Chinese menu they only cook three days a week. Delicious!

However, seeing as how the loan period has come to a close and the budget has tightened, I opted instead for something more traditional. In order to get full from a fast food restaurant I would end up spending at least $5, so rather than waste $5 on burgers, I went to Costco and bought a Rotisserie Chicken.

So what does Ryan eat when Megan leaves? An entire chicken.

Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto!

2009-05-07T19:34:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Addie and I are off to DC. Its only about 4 hours away so the drive should be a piece of cake. We are so excited to see Hunter get married!!!!! Its hard to believe how grown up we are all getting. I am excited to see the fam on my coast.

Addie has been improving on her letters, she almost has the whole alphabet down when we run through her ABC flashcards! We have been very proud of her. Not only can she dance the robot, she knows her letters! My kid rocks!!!

I wish Ryan could come along but he has to finish moving the rest of our stuff out of the apartment (we have to be out by Monday! and i don't get back till Sunday) and start work and continue to work on the case note and hopefully get on a law journal.

We love you Ry and wish you could go with us but you are the most incredible and selfless person for letting us go party in DC and celebrate Hunter and see Skeen fam bam while you move us the rest of the way out of our apartment, start reaserching for your professor and write the dreaded casenote!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-05-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

Today is our 3rd wedding anniversary! It has flown by, but when i think back to all we have done i can hardly believe we did all that in 3 years! I have known Ry for almost ten years now and i love him in so many different ways. He is my very best friend and has been since the moment we met. We have been through everything together and always come out closer. I love that we can do anything together. he is the greatest shopping buddy, the most incredible secretary and promoter and therapist and husband and of course father. Ryan wears so many hats in my life. he is such a one of a kind person! I am so lucky i found him. Addie loves Ryan and waits for him by the door to come home from school. She runs to the door to meet him the minute she hears the keys jingle outside. Ryan is an incredible person, and i am so lucky to have such an involved and loving (and funny... most of the time<3)

i love you ry guy!

xoxoxoxoxoxo! you are my heart.

2009-04-19T17:08:00.000-07:00

Melanie took this of our little fam in Myrtle beach and i like it a ton. We never have any pics of all 3 of us at once.

Thanks Mel!

Easter Egg Hunt!

2009-04-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

I invited a bunch of our good friends over for an easter egg hunt at the park inside our apartment complex here in Durham. It was such a blast! We had a great turn out and tons of eggs! The kids looked adorable and had so much fun picking up all the eggs. We love having such great friends to share holidays with!!!

Last night i made cupcakes. Some of you may know i have a small obsession with Cupcakes. I always forget to take pictures of them. To me, decorating cupcakes is like the ultimate art project. Ryan took some great pictures of the ones i made for our easter egg hunt today!

We also dyed easter eggs with the silk ties. Alyssa posted the direction and pictures on her blog and we did it! It was awesome besides the horrific smell. What smells worse than a thrift store.... thrift store ties boiled in vinegar!!!!!!!! But they are so great and easy and turned out fantastic! I'll post those pictures when we get home.... But i am getting yelled at because its time to get off my blog and go to the farmers market!

Spring!!!

2009-04-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

2009-03-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to the barristers

ball. These are not the greatest

pictures of me, but i forgot my camera

so the will have to do! This is what

happens when drunk people take my

picture. Which then brings me to my

description of the ball, a mini high

school prom with a bar. Everyone

was extremely intoxicated which made for a few good laughs but after an 1 1/2 hours we felt we

had our fill and decided to go see a midnight movie. Our little muffin had a sleepover with her

pseudo grandma Laurie. She loves Laurie and is always very good for her! I always appreciate

the break. Its great for both of us!

And please forgive my hair... it was a rainy day with intense humidity!!!

Addie update

2009-03-24T07:05:00.000-07:00

an Addie update:

Addie is so much fun. I am really enjoying this age (20 months). It seems to just get better and better the older she gets. With all of my friends having babies, it does make me feel like I want another but at the same time i can't picture myself going back to the newborn phase. I am sure I will be ready in about two years...

Addie is:

*She is constantly picking up new words daily

*She still loves books and will sit and listen to 4 or 5 books at a time

*She has done really well in nursery

*She loves playing with Hailey and Jack

*She is still a really good eater and will try just about anything

*she loves to twirl and walk on her tip toes

*She loves rock n roll... and if anything with a rock n roll beat comes on she goes wild!

*She still dances on command

*She is obsessed with Yo gabba gabba (show, books, coloring books, clothing, hair pins etc)

*She loves to play dress up and is constantly adding to her outfit throughout the day

*She loves purses

*She likes to close doors... a little ocd

*she is terrible at taking naps, but doesn't mind just hanging out in her crib reading books

*when she gets too tired she lays down with her little bum in the air and fake snores (literally anywhere we are i.e. the middle of walmart)

*She is obsessed with the little quarter machines in the front of the stores

*she has no fear of taking off on her own and doesn't even get phased when i pretend to leave her (this is a fun one)

I love this picture------> sound asleep!

and one more thing....

GO DUKE! We really hope they make it to the final four!!!!!

Dunes Village!

2009-03-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

Spring break 2009!!! Woooo!

We just got back from Myrtle beach South Carolina. It was such a fun break! We drove down with our friend Melanie and her little boy Jack in our car and caravan-ed with the Mills. We played a little on the sand but it was windy so we spent most of our time inside, but we were able to spend just enough time on the beach for Addie to overcome her fear of sand. When we first walked out onto the beach she got really excited and kept yelling "Snow! Snow!" but still wouldn't walk on it barefoot. But by the end she was keeping up with her two little buddies.

Spending time inside wasn't a bad thing though, the hotel we stayed at had awesome indoor water slides and kids' play areas. It was a lot of fun and we loved getting to know Melanie and the Mills better! The hotel was perfect, and Addie couldn't get enough of the water slides and playing with Jack and Hailey!

Purdy!

2009-02-25T08:58:00.000-08:00

The other night... We went to an auction for the law school. It was a semi formal affair and it was so frustrating to find something to wear that had a sleeve!! So i went with a high waisted skirt and a wild vintage blouse.

These were the only pictures i remembered to take on the way home! lame.

NC Beach and Aquarium

2009-02-07T21:39:00.000-08:00

Today I found something in NC that i love!!!!

Today was an awesome day at the beach. We packed up the cooler and had apicnic on the sand. We collected a whole ziploc bag of cool shells. Addison was really into picking up shells and loved the whole process of finding them and showing each one to me or ryan. The beaches here are beautiful and very different from California beaches (which are also beautiful). We also went to a really cool aquarium because Addie has developed a new love of fish. She was going nuts for the jellyfish and the sharks. I can't wait to take her to Sea world next time we are in California.

I still can't believe i forgot my camera, so these are from the camera phone and no the greatest quality! (thank goodness for camera phones)

Ryan and Addison in front of the sting rays

Addison kissing the giant frog

I was actually impressed with how well this came out on my camera phone.

Megan and Addie in our shades!

Design*sponge

2009-02-04T10:17:00.000-08:00

I came upon this website today and fell in love! The style is adorable and there are some things on here that i just HAVE to have!

Ode to Bridget

2009-02-03T21:18:00.000-08:00

Bridget was the best dog in the whole world. She was so kind and gentle, especially with all the little kids. She reminded me of the dog from peter pan, Nana. I could leave Addie in the backyard with bridge and she would just stay by her side. One of Addie's first words was Bridget and every time she saw any animal be it bird, fish or cat or dog she would call them Bridget. We loved her so much and she has been around forever. I still remember the first day we brought her home from Tony and Therese's old house.
I loved coming through that gate in backyard and being greeted by that wagging tail and big brown eyes and spotted tongue and all those kisses.I will miss that sweet little girl. I am so glad my mom was by her side till the very end, loving her. It breaks my heart that I will never see her again. She was family! I am glad she is not in pain anymore, it was so hard to see her get old and sick. I will miss that sweet little girl!

xoxo Bridgey, We love you!

the bag lady!

2009-02-01T15:08:00.000-08:00

Addie loves to dress up. I found her looking like a bag lady the other day! I love this picture though.

Jacob Black...

2009-01-28T18:27:00.001-08:00

Maybe I will be team jacob after all....
dude have you seen him? He says he has put on 26 pounds of muscle and counting!

Coraline

2009-01-28T11:08:00.000-08:00

I am so excited for Coraline to come out! I loved James and the giant peach and loved Nightmare before Christmas in a cultish obessive kind of way, i hope to feel the same way about Coraline.

Potty training

2009-01-27T18:55:00.000-08:00

So we have begun...

Potty training. I have decided to really take it slow, very slow! I was able to catch her in the middle of a 'push' and stripped her down and stuck her on the toilet and she had her first experience on the toilet. After that she would cry when i would open the door to the bathroom (hey, at least she quit throwing things in the toilet!). I picked up one of those toilet seat inserts to make it the right size for a kid. It has the backyardigans characters on it and she loves to point at them. After breakfast in the morning she sits on the toilet fully clothed and then gets marshmallows. She now gets super excited about it! Maybe in a month we will move onto the next step!

Pictures!

2009-01-21T10:54:00.000-08:00

So here is a recap of the last few months in pictures..

this is how Durham does christmas err... Kwanzaa

we found this building on one of our downtown adventures!

the gingerbread house that we made (gingerbread and all!)

This is Brightleaf square in downtown Durham

The wind really started to blow while we were there, but Addie thought it was pretty funny!

Its a snow day!

2009-01-20T09:51:00.001-08:00

We are having a snow day! I didn't think we would see any snow out here in North Carolina but it has been snowing all morning. Unfortunately there aren't many snow plows and most people are too afraid to leave the house, but we are going to take advantage of that and the few stores that remained open. We are also just about to go sledding and going down the slide at the park into the snowy ground, should be fun. Pictures to come!

Watch Out! Ryan is Blogging

2008-12-15T20:06:00.000-08:00

Amid all the stress of finals, searching for a summer job, and the normal hustle and bustle of the holiday season, what is it Ryan, you may ask, keeps you going from day to day?

"Why, thank you for asking." I'd assuredly reply. "It is my darling wife and daughter, who bring so much joy and meaning to my life, that keep me motivated to press on day after day. My daughter is so well behaved, she would never do anything wrong. She is so easy to take care of, she never gets into trouble in any way."

Who doesn't love whip cream and crayons? But just in case you are worried that she roams the house foraging for anything she can find to eat, here is a video of her eating french onion soup from today:

Happy birthday to me!

2008-12-12T07:10:00.001-08:00

It was a great birthday. Ryan and Addie brought me breakfast in bed. He got me the starter kit of the bare minerals set from Sephora. He scheduled a babysitter so we could go out to lunch and to get my favorite salad at cheescake factory. I also got some adorable shoes from Aldo and a great new black cardigan. Most importantly he took time out of studying for finals to spend the day with me. Of course today he is paying for it!

2008-12-10T08:03:00.000-08:00

a real update!

Things have been crazy at our house. Ryan is in finals mode and I am trying to finish all my Christmas presents. We have been enjoying the mild winter but we miss the snow some days.

Ryan- Like i said, its finals time and Ryan is taking his first finals as we speak. He has also been applying for internships for the summer. He applied to firms in Salt Lake and Orange County and San Diego. We are hoping to hear back soon. He will then start interviewing with these firms to land a job for the first half of the summer. The second half of the summer we will be in Switzerland for his classes. Ryan is doing a "double major" (for lack of a better word), so rather than just get his law degree he is getting a JD/LM. However after this semester he will technically be two semesters done because of the early start in the summer.

Megan: I am loving being a mom. Addie keeps me pretty busy. I have started working out a gym down the street from our house (not even close to being as nice as 24 hour fitness) but gyms aren't really a big thing out here. Its very strange, people aren't as health conscience. I have also started taking voice lessons again. I am loving that. I am trying to get my voice back to a place where i can start auditioning again. In fact i am considering auditioning for Miss Saigon, next month. I am also super busy doing hair, i have a pretty nice clientele that is steadily growing, I have about 23 people that come to me now. It feels great to be bringing some money in. I am still in the nursery, however the calling is growing on me. It stills stinks that I don't get the opportunity to get to know more sisters in our ward, but i know all the children under 3 years of age. Durham has been better, this is never a place i would wish to live but this semester has gone by fairly quick.

Addison: She is a ball of energy. She runs everywhere! She is talking a lot and loves to point out your body parts. She loves to say "where are you?", "hi dude", "what you doing", "okay", "yeah","baby" and so many more. She is also doing animal noises, however most of the animals sound similar with slight variations. She loves nursery and i think she will be excited when she can go to the class with the kids her age. She loves to go on walks and has no fear at all. She loves the park and going on the big kid slides and always wants me to just wait at the bottom. I love her fearless attitude! She loves to give hugs to other kids and talk to them. We bought her a doll and she loves the thing, she takes her everywhere and tries to share her food and sippy cups with the doll. She also loves to take the doll in the play stroller on our walks. She cracks us up! She has so much personality for that little body.

We are excited to come ~~down~~ ~~over~~ across for Christmas! We will be in California for most of it, but there is a possibility we will be driving up to Utah for a few days!

I am waiting for my Christmas cards to get here, and as soon as they do, i will be getting them out. However i need addresses for some of you!

Tis the season!

sick!

2008-12-04T20:13:00.000-08:00

I have been the worst blogger ever (well not ever cough cough mom cough cough). I have been feeling miserable all day. I am convinced i have the flu and one would think when there is nothing left to throw up one would stop, but no. I think Addie is worried about me, she has never given me this many kisses in one day before. she has stayed at my side and even laid with me and played with my hair. (I love having a little girl) Although she was awfully excited to see Ryan come through the door. I am hoping that it is just a 24 hour virus and that i will be back on my feet tomorrow. I don't think Addie can stayed couped up in the apartment for one more day.
I will try to keep up on my blog and better updates of our life here in the South!

I have several pictures i need to upload but I will leave you with some of my favorites (that are already uploaded)

GO UTES!

2008-11-22T07:23:00.000-08:00

TWILIGHT THE MOVIE

2008-11-20T23:29:00.000-08:00

WE LOVED TWILIGHT!

it was awesome. (not as good as the book but still good!) And i want the cullens house and decor.

and more importantly they made robert pattinson look HOT!

a better review tomorrow... for now, sleep!

camera wishes and caviar dreams

2008-11-18T09:48:00.000-08:00

So we are in the market for a new digital camera. I know most of you are researchers and didn't purchase your cameras till you were sure it was the perfect one... so please share! I am just looking for a point and shoot, i have wishes and dreams for the camera i really want but i have to keep reminding myself that in three years we will actually have some income (although that will also be accompanied by ginormous amounts of student loans) and one day i will be able to buy a beautiful camera with different lenses and no delay and it will take a million pictures a second. haha But for now i will be taking advantage of the black friday doorbuster deals to find a great camera to take with us to Geneva and hopefully germany (fingers crossed for the interneship in munich)!

And yes it is offical (kelly) we are going to Geneva instead of Hong Kong!!!! Offically signed up and going

HAPPY TWILIGHT WEEK!

2008-11-17T11:35:00.001-08:00

2008-11-04T19:49:00.001-08:00