My Little Ivanhoe

Well, I feel like Ivan has kind of gotten the shaft lately, as far as blog posts are concerned. So I dedicate this one to him. :) In the above picture you can see his cute double chin. He's been getting chubbier by the minute. It started with his cheeks and his chin and made it's way down to his arms, then his tummy, and now finally his thighs are getting a few rolls as well. Pretty soon it will be his calves and his feet, but right now they still look pretty shrimpy. Ivan is no where near the chub Lincoln was, at least not yet. We'll see how it goes. Ivan's doing pretty well as far as a schedule is concerned though. He's already a way better sleeper than Lincoln ever was at this age. Ivan's been going to bed around 10-11pm and waking up around 3-4 and then again around 6:30-8:00. Not too bad. But here's the best part, he actually takes naps! He takes at least two, but sometimes three hour to two hour long naps every day. Lincoln rarely took anything longer than 45 minutes until he was 18 months old. Yay for Ivan!

" border=0> This picture is kind of blury, because the kid won't hold still to save his life, but I posted it anyway so you could all see his adorable smile. He started smiling a few weeks ago, and I love it. It might be too early to tell, but I think he might even have some of those darling Grandma Lemmon dimples. What do you think? It would make my mom's whole day if he did. Haha!

And here's a video of Ivan playing with his toys and making a little noise. It's fun to watch him interact with things now. He's such a good baby and we love him!

He Really Did It

Last night Jackson graduated from Two Rivers High School. There were definitely moments when we wondered if he would make it, but he pulled through and did it. Good job Juice Box, we are proud of you!


Here's the original fam...with Linc standing in for Kyle. :)

Aaron and Ivan didn't want to be left out of a picture with the grad!

Spencer Idaho

We spent Memorial Day weekend with my side of the family up in Spencer Idaho. My step-dad Kerry's parents own a house and some land up there. Mom and Kerry brought their four-wheelers, and Grandma and Grandpa Sparks brought theirs.

Here's Aaron on the first run Saturday morning.

Here's the group stopped for lunch. There was still a lot of snow on the trails. Occasionally someone got stuck in it and had to be pushed out.

Kerry taking a picture of Steph and Kirk, he's got the stance down all right!

Mom and Tanner

Kirk and Steph.

Helmet heads! Aaron and I :)

I took this picture from the back, this is the second run on Saturday, going up the hill.

Grandpa and Grandma Sparks. You guys are so awesome! Thanks for letting us come up and stay. We had such a good time.

On the second run on Sat. Aaron and I and Kirk and Steph went off the beaten path a little. We climbed this HUGE hill, not realizing how steep it was. This is not a real picture of me driving. :) In fact, I don't even like to drive. I'd rather just ride on the back with someone else. I only drove on the flat dirt roads, and I was a-okay with that.

Here's Ivan hanging out at the house while everyone was on a run. We took turns for who stayed home with the kiddos. Thanks Mom and Kerry for being willing to baby-sit so that Aaron and I could go on some runs. I feel kind of bad that this is the only picture of Ivan from the whole trip, but really most of the time he was just being held by someone. He did have a lot of fun. And he was a good boy too!

Here's me doing a puzzle while Aaron and I were home with the boys while everyone was on a run Monday morning. We almost finished it, but not quite.

Lincoln enjoyed playing outside. He was practically the center of attention the whole weekend and loved it. He even slept well too, which I didn't think would happen in a million years. He was sharing a room with Tanner. Tanner was so good to him, if Linc woke up in the middle of the night, Tanner just picked him up and sang him "Take me out to the Ball-Game" and then layed him back down in the port-a-crib and tucked him in with all his animals so he could go back to sleep. He also got up with him in the mornings, and played with him until Aaron or I got up with Ivan. Way to be an awesome uncle, Tanner!

Grandma and Tanner going for a little ride on the street in front of the house. Lincoln loves his grandma, and he likes to play a little game with her where he won't say her name. He knows it, and he knows how to say it, he just won't while she's around. Instead he just points at her and gives her a little mischeivous grin. He also loves his "Papa" Kerry, and anytime Linc couldn't find him in the house he would yell "Papa! Papa! Papa!" until Kerry was in sight. Lincoln also had a lot of fun playing with "Nanner" (Tanner), and "Tirk" (Uncle Kirk), and "Tef" (Aunt Steph).

Kerry and Steph trying to get Kerry's camera to work on the second run on Monday.

T-man taking it easy.

Aaron and I "flying" through the air. Not really though, we actually aren't even moving in this picture, just pretending. :)

And of course it wouldn't be a camping trip if Aaron didn't find some huge tree and climb it.

It rained on Sunday, so on Monday the trails were pretty muddy. Here is a sample of one.

Steph and Kirk and Tanner waiting while Kerry is checking to see if we can get through or not.

We went through this one little valley on our last run on Monday that was so pretty. It was kind of meadowy and had quakies growing all over the place. All the scenery was really pretty actually.

When I do drive, I do it in style! Haha...j/k. But this is me the one time I actually drove on the flat dirt road that leads from the trail back to the house.

When we weren't four-wheeling, we were playing games and eating and talking and eating and having a really fun time just being together, oh and of course eating. There was lots of yummy food and snacks. Thanks everyone who made this trip possible.

2 Months Old

Ivan is two months old today. I'd like to say that the time had flown by, but that would be lying. The first month flew, this last month has dragged on FOR-E-VER. Maybe it's the lack of sleep getting to me. But things are going well. At his doctor's appointment, Ivan weighed 12 pounds and was 23 inches long. So he's growing, yay! He's out of all his newborn clothes, and most of the 0-3, he mostly wears 3-6 month stuff right now. He likes to sleep on his tummy. I know, I know, the SIDs experts say they should sleep on their backs, blah, blah. I say if the choice is between sleeping on his tummy and staying awake while on his back, it's a no-brainer. :) We let Ivan sleep on his tummy. We need all the sleep we can get.

Ivan is starting to be really social, and I love it. He smiles and coos and watches you move around the room. He can track a toy really well too. And, his arms are long enough now to bat at the toys that hang down in front of him on his chair. We get really excited for him when he actually hits one.

Lincoln, I think, has gotten used to the idea that Ivan is sticking around for good. Linc is pretty helpful, or at least tries to be. He brings me burp clothes, diapers, the binkie, the bottle, etc. whether I need them or not. And a couple times when I've had my back turned for a second, he's tried to pick Ivan up. Yikes! If Linc comes into a room and can't see Ivan, he'll call for him. He calls him "I-mahn", I think because he hasn't gotten the hang of the "v" yet. But I find myself calling Ivan, "I-mahn" as a nickname because I think it's so cute when Lincoln does it.

I'm still breast-feeding, even though I hate it. I'm pretty sure it's the bane of my existence. And when I say breast-feeding what I actually mean is pumping breast milk and feeding it to Ivan in a bottle. Even though it takes more time to do it that way, I don't feel so confined to our house that way because I know I can put it in a bottle and take it with us where ever we go. Plus the constant up and down, up and down, up and down, of the shirt and the bra strap, and the nursing pads, over and over and over, because Ivan has decided he can't eat longer than 5 minutes in a row, but needs to eat every 15 minutes, is driving me crazy. I'm a whiner. But I really do hate it, and am struggling with it quite a bit. Every other second I think about just quitting and going to formula. I was talking with Aaron about it, and we set a goal to see if I can make it three months and if I do I can switch to formula guilt free. Ya right guilt free. I feel like such a bad mom. Every other mother I talk to, "just loves breast feeding and does it for 12-15 months and is so sad when they finally have to give it up". Why am I the only one who can't hack it? I don't know, but I didn't mean for this post to turn into a gripe session.

On a more positive note, Ivan is sleeping pretty well at night. He goes to bed between 9-11 usually and then his first wake up is between 1-3 and his second between 4-6. Not too bad. And because we do use the bottle, Aaron gets up and does one of the feedings in the night. That is wonderful.

I love our boys. I love watching them grow up. I love when they learn new things. I hope they get to be close little buddies. I hope I can teach them the things that they need to know. I hope they know how much a love them. I saw a decoration in a store the other day that said, "All my greatest blessings call me Mom." I wanted to buy it really bad (it was too much though) because I think it's so true. Even though it's hard to be a mom sometimes, I feel like I am blessed to have these two little boys that call me Mom and love me even though I'm not perfect. My other greatest blessing calls me Wife. He gets me through so much. He's very supportive and I love him very much too.

Wow, I'm all over the place in this post. I guess I haven't put my thoughts down on paper in awhile and now they are all just spilling out of me. And all I really wanted to do was give a 2 month update on Ivan. :)

Moroccan Stew

Aaron's mom makes the most delicious Moroccan Stew in the world. (Ok, so it's the only Moroccan Stew I've ever tried, but I'm still sure that it's the best.) I have been craving it lately (can you still crave things when you aren't pregnant anymore?) so we decided to get the recipe from her and make it for Sunday dinner. It's got lots of veggies in it, so it's got to be good for you too. And there's not meat, so all you vegetarians out there, listen up, cuz you can eat this too!

Moroccan Stew

2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cans vegetable broth
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 large sweet potato, diced
1 large zucchini, diced
1 can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
1 can green beans, drained

1. In a large pot saute onion in garlic and olive oil
2. Add salt, pepper, cumin, and bay leaves
3. Add veggie broth and stewed tomatoes (don't drain). Add sweet potato and zucchini
4. Simmer for 15 minutes
5. Add garbanzo beans and green beans
6. Simmer for 10 minutes, until potatoes are tender
7. Serve over rice, and eat with corn chips

Nothing Like a BBQ to Try Out a New Recipe...

Today was another beautiful day! I'm loving the weather right now. Aaron and I worked hard all morning trying to get our house cleaned and a few other errands done. We decided to reward ourselves by having a BBQ for dinner. We invited a few of our neighbors, headed out to the park, got the grill going, chatted, played a little frisbee, and stuffed our faces. You can't ask for any better than that.

I brought a Grape Salad to the BBQ. It's my mom's recipe, and it's really delicious. It's super easy too! And I thought, this is too good to keep a secret, so I'm sharing. :)

Grape Salad

8 oz cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 lbs of grapes (red, green, or both)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans, chopped

1. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, white sugar, and vanilla
2. Add grapes, and stir it all together with a spoon, until the grapes are evenly coated
3. Pour mixture into a 9x13 pan
4. Sprinkle brown sugar over top, sprinkle pecans over top

Bridal Veil Falls

Today was a beautiful day, and we were itching to get out of the house, so for date night we decided to drive up Provo Canyon and check out Bridal Veil Falls. Neither of us had ever been there before, but had heard good things about it. It's really pretty up there. You drive up the canyon and take the turn off for Nunn's Park, there's a parking lot, and then a nice park with picnic tables and grass and fire pits and stuff. A paved trail runs all along the river and off of that are trail heads, one of which will take you to the top of Bridal Veil Falls.

Of course the boys came with us. Here is Aaron with Lincoln strapped to his back. We got this hiking back pack over a year ago from Lisa at the Swan Family Reunion, and this is our first time using it. Way to go us! Hopefully we'll get more use out of it this summer.

I got to carry Ivan in the snuggly. I'm pretty sure I got the better end of the deal as far as carrying kids was concerned. Ivan weighs a lot less than Lincoln AND he slept the whole time. :)

Here is our best attempt to take a picture with our whole family in it and the falls in the background. Maybe we should have asked someone else to take the picture. We were planning on hiking up to the top of the falls, but when we got to the trail head, we met some guys who were coming down, and they told us it was pretty steep and had lots of gravel. We figured that it probably wasn't the best idea to attempt something like that with kids on our backs, so we stuck to the paved trail. It was still fun though. Lots of pretty scenery.

After awhile, Lincoln got a little squirmy, so to keep him occupied we fed him Oreos. He was a mess! He had them all over his face and hands (and consequently all over the back of Aaron's neck, hehe. I told you I got the better end of the kid-carrying deal), but he was happy, so that's all that matters.

On our way back past the bottom of the falls we stopped to eat snacks and to let Linc run around. This pool from the falls is right next to the trail we were on. In fact, sad story, Aaron and I were standing on the trail and he wanted me to hand him the camera, so I did, but in the trade off, it fell, smacked into the concrete (ouch!) and then bounced into the water (double ouch!). Aaron grabbed it quickly, so we're hoping not too much damage was done. We've decided not to turn it on for a few days so it has a chance to dry out. We did manage to get the memory card and the batteries out of it though (hence the pictures on this post), so that's good. But there might not be anymore pics on our blog for awhile :(

But we did have a good time being outside, and going somewhere new, and spending time together as a little family. We recommend Bridal Veil Falls, so if you're interested check it out.

Boys in Bed

This morning Aaron stayed home for a few hours to finish a paper for his Child Development class that was due today. When he was finished he took it in the bedroom to print it (our "office" has been squished into our bedroom since Ivan was born.) and he took the boys with him. A few minutes later he called me back to come look. What I saw were our two adorable boys tucked snuggly into our bed. Ivan was grinning and cooing and Lincoln was jabbering to him in toddlerese. A quick side note about our awesome pillowcases: When I was growing up my mom was very festive (still is) and made us pillowcases for different holidays or events. These two models are from a long ago Valentine's Day, we use them when we're washing our sheets. :) And, although it would be cool to sleep on hearts, lipstick, and giant lips ALL the time, we usually don't.

"Don't Buy Stuff You Can't Afford"

My friend Ashley had this Saturday Night Live Skit on her blog and I thought it was pretty funny so I wanted to repost it on mine. Enjoy.

Book Review: Fahrenheit 451

by Ray Bradbury

rating: 4 of 5 stars

Aaron got me this book for our anniversary, and we read it out loud together. This is what the back of the book says:

"Nowadays firemen start fires. Fireman Guy Montag loves to rush to a fire and watch books burn up. Then he met a seventeen-year old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid, and a professor who told him of a future where people could think. And Guy Montag knew what he had to do..."

This is definitely a thinking book, which happen to be my favorite kind, so I loved it. It reminds me a lot of Anthem by Ayn Rand, if you've ever read that. Basically what has happened in the world of this book is that the people of America are so caught up in being happy and having fun, that they dislike anything that makes them feel or do otherwise. Knowledge and thinking are examples of what they dislike. Books are banned, and fireman are set to work to burn all the books and the homes of anyone who owns them. People fill their days with loud noises, bright colors, TV shows and music that make no sense but always have a happy ending or a good feeling to them. The drive fast, work a lot, and never stop to think, or notice their surroundings, or to have conversations with each other. And this is the way everyone wants it. Everyone except a few who remember the past and have a hope for the future.

It's a cool/scary book, because it has so much application to our time, though not on as large of a scale. There is so much meaningless stuff going on in this book that people never take a chance to digest or reflect on what's happening to them or around them.

I like the style the author wrote this book in, he uses sounds in an amazing deafening way. Which I find interesting because words on a page have no sound. He doesn't describe what this world is like, but instead the way he uses words helps to portray what it would feel like to be living in this world he's created. It's really fascinating how he does it. Good writing.

There is swearing in here, just Bible ones, but there are a lot of them. And there is some violence as well, but it's not super graphic. But no sex, yay!

If you like books like Anthem, 1984, Animal Farm, or others like it, then you will like this book, and I recommend it.

View all my reviews.

Our Anniversary

Here is our 3 Year Postcard. For those of you that don't know, every year since our honeymoon Aaron and I have taken a shot of our feet this way, to show how we celebrated our anniversary. This year was nothing big, it's hard to do big with two kids and no money, but it was still fun. Originally we had planned to go to a park and have a picnic, but then the weather ended up being too cold for Ivan, so we made do. Here is our living room romantic picnic. :) Aaron made the sandwiches, they were very tasty indeed. What did we do with the kids you ask? Well we banished them to the kitchen.

Ivan was sleeping and after taking this picture we turned on a movie for Lincoln, so that Aaron and I could enjoy some "alone" time, well, as close to alone as we were going to get anyways. Haha.

As a present, I had Aaron's watch fixed for him. He's been meaning to get that done for almost 6 months now, so I thought he'd appreciate it. Aaron got me a giant Congratulations! balloon (because they don't make happy anniversary ones and the only others were happy b-day or get well soon) and the book Fahrenheit 451. We decided that we would read it out loud together and have been doing so the last couple of nights. It's fun to read out loud together and then talk about what we read afterwords. So ya, here's to three wonderful years and many many more!

Three Years Today

Dear Aaron,

Today when Suzy and I were walking with the boys back to the car after our lunch with you and Danny, we were almost to the Bean Museum where the cars were parked when all the sudden load bells began striking the hour and my attention was drawn to the Bell Tower. I went back in time to a little over three years ago, to a cool October night and I saw the two of us sitting there with my giant Scooby-Doo blanket around our shoulders, with a mixing bowl and spoon off to the side, while we waited for our tin foil wrapped cookies to finish baking on the giant kettle-drum lights that light up the Bell Tower at night. What a wonderful night that was talking, laughing, and getting to know you better.

You were crazy enough to stick with me that night while I experimented with a wild idea, and I guess you are still crazy because three years later you are still sticking with me. I couldn't have found a more compassionate friend, a truer lover, or a more dedicated father to our children, than I have found in you. Thank you for being everything you are. I love you very much and I hope you have a wonderful anniversary!

All my love,

Krystal

Mister Smarty Pants

Something funny happened this morning when I went to get Lincoln out of bed. Many of you will remember this picture...it's the wall decor in Lincoln's room that Aaron and I made several months ago. On the left anchor now (but not in this picture) there is hanging a decoration given to us by Aaron's mom, it's a little sign that says "Live bait" (I think) and it has a couple of wooden fish hanging from it. Anyways on with the story...

When I went and got Linc out of bed, I was carrying him out to go have breakfast, and I got to his doorway, and he said "Lincoln" (which we can NEVER get him to even try to say) so I looked over my shoulder at him and he was pointing to the letters on his wall. (We always point to the letters and say, "Do you know what that says? It says Lincoln") Then he asked "What's that?" pointing to his anchor, so I told him, it's an anchor. Then he pointed to the one on the other side, and said "anchor". Next he pointed to the fish and said "fishes".

So I figured he was in a talkative mood, and I wanted him to say Lincoln again, so I pointed to his letters again, and said "What's that?" Thinking he'd say Lincoln...

So he looked where I was pointing, and said "O" because my finger happened to be pointing to the "O" in Lincoln. (He doesn't know all his letters, just "O" and "Q" don't ask me why, I have no idea why those two.)

I just had to laugh! Here I was thinking I was going to trick him into saying Lincoln, and the little bugger just proved that he was the one doing the out-smarting this morning! I love how smart children are. I have to remember to stop underestimating them. Lincoln learns more and more every day, and he catches on to a lot of things that I don't even realize he notices. It's fun to be a mom.

Ivan's Baby Blessing

Today was Ivan's baby blessing. Yesterday Aaron and I spent literally all day getting our house cleaned up, and the grocery shopping done, and the food prepared for this event. We blessed Ivan in our ward, and then had lunch at our apartment afterwards. Ivan got blessed in the same outfit that Lincoln did. It was made for us by my Great Grandma Roberts.


We have a knack of being really late for church every week (ya, we have 11:30am church, you'd think we could make it on time, but we never do. Mostly my fault.) and we also have a really big ward, and there was another baby blessing this week besides ours, so it was very important that we be on time to save seats for the 25 people we invited to attend. I got up at 6:30am (with Ivan, but then just stayed up) to make sure that we were all ready to be at the church by 11:00am so we could save seats. It worked! By some miracle all four of us were ready and sitting in the foyer at 11:00am (the ward before us has priesthood opening exercises in the chapel right before our ward meets, so we had to wait for them to get out before we could go in). Above is a picture of Aaron and Lincoln waiting in the foyer. Aren't they handsome?

The blessing went really well. Aaron did a beautiful job. We had joked around about him forgetting and calling Ivan Lincoln in the blessing, and so I was afraid he might. I kept reminding him to practice saying "Ivan Erastus Swan" slowly and clearly. You know, you always hear those stories about how they messed the name up in the blessing and then that's how it had to be. Anyways, no worries, because Aaron did awesome!

Aaron (obviously from the statements above) gave the blessing, and these were the men in the circle: Kerry Sparks, Kirk Hilton, Nelson Strong, Kelly Swan, and Kirk Bean.

Afterwards, I said Aaron you know we have to have more kids now, and he said why? And I said, because you blessed Ivan that he would be a good example to his younger siblings (note the "s" that makes it plural). And Aaron said, ya sorry, that was the one thing I really felt inspired to say, it kind of just came to my mind. So, I guess somewhere in the future are at least two more kids for us. :) Someday. In the distant future.

After Sacrament meeting we all headed back to our house for lunch. Here is Aaron's side of the family, left to right: Melissa (Ryan's girlfriend), Ryan, Aaron, Lincoln, Me, Ivan, Kelly, Whitney, and Kirk. Aunt Karen, Aunt Debby, and Lindsey were at the blessing too, but couldn't make it afterwards for lunch.

And here is my side of the family, back to front, left to right: Tanya, Nelson, Bryan, Kirk, Stephanie, Kerry, Mom, Emily, Penny, Me, Lincoln, Aaron, Ivan, and Tanner.

A funny/sad thing happened while we were preparing lunch. Aaron and I made a turkey and got stuff for sandwiches, so that we could have turkey sandwiches, and then everyone who came brought a potluck dish (thanks everyone!). Anyways, I wanted to try out this new punch recipe called lemonade-strawberry punch, so I had asked my mom to bring her punch bowl down. We had everything ready except the punch and we were getting it ready. I had pured in the liter of gingerale, Tanner had poured in the nine cans of water to mix the lemonade which was already in there, Whitney was putting ice in, and Mom was slicing strawberries in it. All of the sudden out of no where, no one was even touching it, the punch bowl cracked into three pieces and all the punch came gushing out all over the table and onto the floor, while everyone in the kitchen just stood staring in amazement. Since Steph and I were in bare feet we waded (yes, waded) through the punch and picked up the strawberry pieces, while Whit, Kirk, and Kelly ran for towels. I think we used every single one of Lincoln's and Ivan's bath towels to try and soak up all the punch. What a mess. We had to delay lunch for 20 minutes so that I could do a quick mop job. My poor mom had punch all down the front of her skirt. Sad. And all we could do was laugh about it because it was no one's fault. We still can't figure out why the bowl cracked. And, after several attempts at wiping everything down, my table and floor are still sticky.

But, it didn't ruin lunch, or the day. We still enjoyed having everyone over to our place. And I think everyone got plenty to eat and enjoyed each other's company. So we'll label the day a success! Thanks everyone for coming and sharing Ivan's special day with us. We missed all of you who weren't able to make it. :)

My Cute Kiddos

Here's Ivan awake and on the look out for food

We've been working with Lincoln on how to kiss, instead of just sticking his cheek out for you to kiss him. Here is our progress.

Popcorn Popping, excuse the awful singing by me :) He does better, but this is as good as I could get today.