For the Birds

Fun Times

2011-11-11T12:18:00.003-08:00

These two have some awesome faces. David has his old man brow furrow that I finally got on camera and Alyssa has an awesome scowl...I haven't got that on camera yet.

I love pictures with them together...they both had awesome milk drool but you can't really see it in the pictures. ;)

They are becoming so alert at short intervals each day. Here are some fun pictures we caught.

Neah and Nano

2011-11-11T12:18:00.001-08:00

Here are these two having a little fun! Nano was practicing his Kung-Fu skills and Lynneah was hillarious and so sweet. Alyssa was in the swing and Neah sat in front of her singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to her over and over...I recorded it and this picture is her showing Alyssa the recording! So funny! ;)

David's trick

2011-11-11T12:17:00.004-08:00

We've found David is not too picky! He will suck on anything! ;) I love how Alyssa is striking a pose already in these pictures.

It has been fun to see the difference in these two already. David is very similar to our other baby boys...very mellow. And Alyssa...well she also is very similar to our girls...more high maintenance. :) I'm so excited to watch them grow! And boy are they! :) This week at the doctor David was 5lb 12oz and Alyssa was 7lbs. Way to go kids!

Grandma's B-day

2011-11-11T12:17:00.003-08:00

We got to have grandma here for her birthday and we had fun making her a chocolate/cherry cake with whip cream frosting. Lynneah decided we should only put 3 candles in for grandma. We are so spoiled to have so much help with our twins. My mom is hear for another few days and we'll have her for almost 3 weeks. Then my dad will be here this weekend too. Then we have Aunt Amie coming out for almost another 3 weeks and then we get to get ready to put the house on the market and move to Flagstaff just before Christmas!

We like to keep things exciting here!

Still Sleeping

2011-11-11T12:17:00.001-08:00

Merrill had mentioned in an earlier post about this twins first hair wash and half bath. They slept through the whole thing and kept sleeping afterwards! We even got a smile from Alyssa. :)

Halloween

2011-11-10T18:13:00.000-08:00

Here are the kids for halloween! Merrill was the awesome costume expert this year. He went to target and found pajamas that the kids could use to dress up. Mikayla was a monkey, so yes those are monkey ears not mouse ears....:) Josh was agent P, Nano was Mario and Lynneah was Minnie Mouse! And thanks to Bethany for the cute pumpkin and monster outfits for the twins! Unfortunately, for the ward party Josh was sick and didn't get to go. We had Lynneah, Nano and Josh take turns with the flu! Of course, the week we bring home twins, we get sick kids. Friday night was horrible. We were up feeding babies and between feeding we were cleaning up puck and diarrhea! Makes for a very exhausting, not fun night!

But Josh and everyone else was better by Monday night and they were all able to go trick or treating with dad!

We also have Nano and Neah helping us decorate for halloween, the bat on the door and the purple leaf by the front door was the extent of it! :)

Oct 24 2011

2011-11-10T11:43:00.000-08:00

So here's the story of our twin labor and delivery. We'd seen a specialist the week before, when I was a 35 weeks. He said their stomachs were not growing in proportion with the rest of them and he'd recommend to my doctor that he take the twins at 36 or 37 weeks. So that is what we were planning on. I had my next doctor apt the following Tuesday. Sunday Oct 23 I was 36 weeks and well I didn't make it to that doctor apt. but I did see my doctor in the hospital Monday when he delivered our twins.

Labor and delivery went great. I went into labor at 4:00 am Monday morning and by 4:45 I'd already had 4 contractions and they were getting pretty hard. So, I decided to go put in a load of laundry since we didn't have any clean clothes for the twins to wear (luckily Merrill had taken them out of the attic Sat), but half way down the stairs and another hard contraction later, I decided to go wake up Merrill and call our friend to come stay with the other kiddos. She got to our house and we were at the hospital by 5:15 am. I was already at an 8 at that point and they were trying to hurry things along. I decided to get an epidural this go around but was a little nervous about it. I don't do well with medicine and I didn't know if I'd know when to push and all that...but we felt if anything went wrong, I'd want that epidural. So they hurried and gave me the epidural, which actually slowed my contractions a bit...so they gave me a little bit of pitocin and then we went into the OR (luckily we didn't need it).

The epidural was wonderful...strong enough to not feel the pain but I could still feel the pressure of contractions and knew when to push. It all was great! We got into the OR and 5 min later it was time to push. The doctor had broke my water for our little boy shortly after I got the epidural and he was the first to arrive. Only one big push and at 7:43 am out came David at 4lb 13 oz and 17 in. Then he broke my water for our little girl and I had 4 pushes to get her down in position and then 2 more big pushes and out she came at 7:49 am. Alyssa was 6lb 2oz and 19 in. Merrill got to cut her cord and made the comment of how much bigger her umbilical cord was than David's. No wonder the guy was so small...check out the picture of the two cords...his is so thin compared to hers.

We got them both into our room and I got to have David on my chest and start feeding him. Then they got Alyssa over and she still hadn't had a good cry yet and was grunting a little. I tried to feed her but she wouldn't latch on and then they did another blood sugar and temp check. She was way low for both so they said she needed to head over to the NICU. At least we had her with us for a little bit. Merrill went over there with her and said it was really sad to watch them try to put her IV in her little frail hand. They finally got it after the 5th try...so sad! They said her lungs weren't quite strong enough because she was the bigger one and David had been under stress for a little while and he was a little stronger because of that...even though he was smaller...he was a fighter! :)

We got to go over and see her in the NICU as often as we were able and Tues night they let me go in and feed her. By Wed night she was able to come back in the room with David and I and then Thursday evening we were able to go home. Overall it was a much longer hospital stay than I'm used to but we have 2 beautiful, healthy babies! They are so sweet and so much work!

I didn't realize that preemies had to be woke up every 3 hours to feed no matter what time of day it is. So we wake every 3 hours and supplement as often as we can...the first few days we were home, we tried after every feeding and by Sunday they were spitting up quite a bit! I think they were tired of being force fed. But we went back to the hospital for another weight check and they were doing great! When we left the hospital David was 4lb 9oz and at the weight check he was 4lb 14 oz and eating about 1 oz every feeding! Alyssa was 5lb 11oz when we left the hospital and she was 5lb 15oz and eating 2 oz every feeding! So yes they are super stars and we were all glad to know our hard work was paying off. I was glad to hear I could slow the pumping down to twice a day and just focus more on breastfeeding.

So we are all doing great and are very tired. But David and Alyssa are so cute and so worth it! Enjoy the pics!

Twins Come Home

2011-10-30T20:59:00.000-07:00

David and Alyssa came home on Thursday evening and they are both doing great! They are eating like champs and growing well.

This evening, Cami gave them each a half bath - i.e., washing their heads, faces, and necks. Both of them stayed totally asleep during the whole process.

The twins are here!!

2011-10-25T12:12:00.000-07:00

David Merrill Birdno & Alyssa Gene Birdno

For vital stats and pictures, see:
http://web.me.com/birdnofam/images/twins/index.html

Even through she is much larger than David, Alyssa is in the NICU. They needed her to improve her lung capacity and get her blood sugar up. Things are coming along well in the NICU, and they are optimistic she can get out later today. They decreased her I.V. and she is feeding from a bottle pretty regularly. If they can cut off the I.V. totally and her blood sugar stays up, she will be able to come into Cami's room.

Twins Pics

2011-09-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

I get an ultrasound just about every time I go into the doctor now and they give me updated pictures most times. Usually our little guy is so smashed below his sister that we can't get any good pics of him. But the other day we got a good 3-d one of him...sis wouldn't cooperate that day but we did get a profile of her and I always love their little heads together....they are already scheming!

Take 2

2011-09-11T21:19:00.001-07:00

Here's Nano's actual first day of school and getting on the bus. Nano and Josh both had the spiky hair going on that day! :)

"THREE!"

2011-09-11T21:07:00.000-07:00

Wow Neah! You are 3 - that went too fast, it always does though. We got the camera working for your b-day and got lots of pictures of the big day. You totally understood the concept this year. You woke up and I asked you what day it was, your reply, "It's my birthday! I'm three! I get to open presents!" and you ran downstairs and got on the couch. :)

We had so much fun with you today! We played games with you all day and had three of your friends and their families come over for a BBQ and your pinata and cake. Your favorite color is "Paypule" (Purple), so the mickey mouse pinata and cake had to be "paypule" too. You didn't want a "Huge! pinata yike Nano, just a yittle one to hold." So we made it just your size!

We love you! Happy Birthday!

First Day

2011-09-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

School has started up again and this year the kids get to ride the bus! We have a neighborhood school that is .3 miles away but is under construction this year. The kids get bused across town to an old run down school with no AC! You'd think they'd fix this school up first since this is the routine for all the remodels of the schools around here...but anyway. The kids are loving the bus ride, are adjusting to the heat in the building and learning to jump rope since their playground is a parking lot! :)

Nano didn't get to ride the bus the first week. He didn't get to go to school until Friday because of the staggered start they do here for Kindergarten. He was very bummed! He was excited to be able to ride his scooter most of the morning and practice his jumps off our steps though! ;)

Big Helper

2011-09-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

I love it when the kids help their Daddy with projects. I have a picture of Josh, Nano and now Neah helping mow the lawn! Just so cute! Thanks for the help kiddos!

Nano's b-day

2011-09-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

So, the camera wasn't working at all for us on Nano's b-day...seems like that happened last year too. Sorry buddy! I wish we had more pictures for you of your b-day...we got them with cell phone but can't put those on here. Luckily we got a few videos to put up.

But I hope you had a great b-day anyway! We got to go to a splash park, eat lots of pizza, break the Night Fury pinata, eat the Bone Knapper rice crispy cake and play with friends! We love you buddy! I can't believe you are 5 and able to go to Kindergarten! You are so excited though and I love seeing all the new stunts you learn to do as you grow. Lots of them do frighten me but you usually seem to pull them off. You got a scooter for your b-day and have learned all new tricks on that. The skate park is a favorite place now and I love to see the thrill you get from going off the big jumps! Way to go buddy!

We love you! Happy Birthday Son!

Bird in the trees

2011-09-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

So our camera got messed with again.....Nano was just trying to jump and then....well anyway. :)

My parents are letting us borrow their camera for a while but it doesn't have the zoom Mikayla wanted. She was trying to get a picture of the bird's nest from her bedroom window. But she decided to take the video instead....she's a little embarrassed that I'm putting it on because you can hear her chomping her gum! I just think it's cute! ;)

The 911 Call

2011-07-31T22:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry, not pics for this one just a great story!

So lately Mikayla has been threatening Nano that she would call the police if he doesn't leave her alone....and then she proceeds to pretend to call them and tell them her brother has robbed a bank or something like that! Which Nano unfortunately believes and gets very upset about....well this time he decided to do something about it.

So Monday night, Nano was harrassing Mikayla again and this is how it played out:

Mikayla pretended to call 911 and tell them that Nano robbed a bank. Nano was upset and instead of telling us this time, he convinced Josh to call them back and tell them that he didn't really rob a bank. Josh dialed 911 and hung up because he was too scared, but since he actually dialed the number, it went through and they called us right back. Merrill was upstairs and answered the phone call of "this is 911, what is your emergency?"

So after a long lecture from us and losing all privileges for the next day, we decided to have them go apologize at the police station the next day. The kids all decided what they were going to say to apologize and this is how that went:

Mikayla went first and said, "Sorry, I fake called 911" - after which she got a lecture and the policeman thought he was done. Then Nano pipes up, "Sorry, I told Josh to call 911" and Josh said, "Sorry, I called 911". Then Neah said, "I didn't do it, it was hair "her"". At this point the policeman was trying not to laugh and still look stern and after replying, "this sounds like it was a joint effort" gave them all another lecture about when they should actually call 911. After which, he gave them all free slurpee coupons and stickers for being so brave - I wasn't so happy about that and wonder if they learned their lesson.....I guess time will tell!

Family Photos July 2011

2011-07-24T22:40:00.000-07:00

While my sister Amy was here for a Ragnar Relay, we had her take some family photos. She did a great job. Thanks Amy!

Surprise Ultrasound

2011-07-20T06:42:00.000-07:00

I've been a real slacker in going to the doctor this pregnancy. I've felt great and so felt no real need to go soon. It took a while to find a doctor, I wanted one that would let me run during most of my pregnancy and would let me do my thing. So I asked around and got feed back and then it still took me a long time to call one. Finally when I did, they couldn't get me in for three weeks.

We had a trip planned to UT and we had wanted to find out the sex of the baby before then so we could tell all the family....but that didn't happen. Instead we just got everyone's predictions...that was fun too. The predictions for our family came in as we expected, Mikayla wanted a girl and the boys a brother, either way we figured it was a tie breaker! Lynneah, however had been telling us for the past two months that it was a girl baby and a boy baby in my tummy. We just figured she was combining what Josh and Mikayla wanted.....little did we know we should have listened to her more closely. I think the veil is thinner for our little ones and they remember more than we do.

We went to the first doctor's apt and did our ultrasound. He put it on my left side and we saw a baby right away. He was looking for the sex and baby wasn't cooperating but he hadn't looked all over my tummy yet...so I said, "We have a little girl who thinks we have two in here, could you just check and make sure there's only one for us." All he did was slide it a little bit over to the right and said,"Well, she's right". Merrill thought he was joking, I was just stunned! So here are the pics for you to enjoy! Lynneah was right! We have a girl baby and a boy baby on the way, due Nov 20!

When you open the page, the 3d pic at the top left column is our little boy and top right column is our little girl! I put the picture with their two heads next to each other because I think it's so cute! Their swapping secrets already!

They are both measuring great for my 22 weeks and are looking great! I feel so blessed! Very overwhelmed with the idea! But very blessed!

Merrill is still not so sure about this whole idea. The kids asked him, why he's not excited and he replied, "I'm scared to death guys! One baby is a lot of work, but two!" They all just laughed....but how right he is!

Finally back on the Blog!

2011-04-20T17:09:00.001-07:00

Okay guys...I just spent lots of time getting this blog back up and running! We got a new camera at Christmas and now we have lots of pics, as you can tell from all the posts. I updated from Aug so I think I put 37 posts up! Good thing I had lots of time on the airplane on the way home from Hawaii! I could get all the posts ready and then today I uploaded them all. Enjoy and don't feel like you have to look at every one of them!

Sorry it took so long!

Hiking in Hawaii

2011-04-20T15:22:00.003-07:00

We just had the most awesome week! My mom was amazing and came to watch our kids for a week while Merrill and I went to Hawaii. Merrill and I had a wonderful time and the kids loved the time with Grandma...it was a win win!
Scroll down...the next 7 posts are Hawaii also...we took over 200 photos!

We got to Hawaii Tuesday night and Merrill had conference stuff all day Wed. I got to sleep in and go on a run along the beach. Then I looked at all the shops and hung out on the beach all day. It was a great day topped off with dinner at a fancy Japanese place where they grilled the food in front of you. I've never been to one of those and I loved it!

Then Thursday was a full day! First, we went on a run together along the beach - Merrill had to go way slow for his pregnant wife - thanks honey! ;) Then we got to go hiking to Maunawili Falls. A none tourist hike which was so beautiful but super muddy! We had to hose down our shoes afterward! But the view and hiking in the jungle was well worth it!

Then on the road again, we saw some awesome boats that some amazing Hawaiian made!

Goat Island

2011-04-20T15:22:00.001-07:00

Thank you Lindsay for telling us about goat island! We loved it! We didn't get pics while we were on the island because part of the fun of the island is walking out to it and falling in the ocean...we didn't have our waterproof camera yet. Lindsay told us of an island you can walk to it you find the coral path! Hooray, we found it and had a fun time walking to the island. The beach was so fun and we only saw two other people - fishermen.

Walking around the island was so fun. On the rocky side we saw lots of crabs and even an eel that had been washed up by the waves. Merrill REALLY wanted to hold it! I REALLY didn't want him to. Then just as he was getting close enough a wave washed up high enough to get the eel wet and he slithered off as Merrill jumped back up out of it's way. I was happy to see it go! :)
The waves hitting the rocks were so powerful and it was amazing to watch!

Then on the way back to shore...we lost the trail for a bit and went swimming. I saw a turtle swim right in front of me! Little did we know how many more turtle's we'd see snorkeling. Merrill was a little jealous that only I saw the turtle that day....snorkeling made up for it.
Thanks again Lindsay...we loved it!

We also went to the "Ha" performance at the polynesian center which was very fun. VERY touristy but fun. We loved all the fire dancing best. It was great! We didn't get any pics though...they weren't allowed! :(

Pearl Harbor

2011-04-20T15:21:00.006-07:00

The next day we went to Pearl Harbor. That is a very humbling place. Thinking of all the people who gave so much for our freedoms is always very humbling. I take it for granted far to often. What a great memorial to them. These pictures do not do the place justice.

Sunset Beach

2011-04-20T15:21:00.005-07:00

After Pearl Harbor we went and scouted out our next sites for the day on the North Shore. We had some yummy shrimp for dinner at one of the shrimp vans on the side of the road. They have their own shrimp farms and they catch the fish and cook it for you...it is so yummy! We had it two nights in a row!

Then we headed to sunset beach - thanks again Linds! I was too busy eating my shrimp and taking pics that it got to dark and only Merrill got in the water that night. But we had a great walk on the beach. Also, if you enlarge the first two pics....you can see whales out in the distance. We saw them just as we got there! So wonderful...I love watching whales! And the sunset was beautiful!

Hawaii fun

2011-04-20T15:21:00.003-07:00

I wanted to see a pineapple plant...so we headed to the Dole plantation. I didn't know they great on shrubs...I thought it was a tree!

We saw lots of different birds, one on top of the shrimp contraptions...

You'll have to watch Hawaii Five-O to get a better picture of the king Kamehameha statue in front of the capitol bldg....

Waimea Valley and Beach were beautiful and Merrill loved jumping off the big rock, notice the post below...

We finally got a picture of me enjoying the shrimp and more beautiful pics of the ocean and some surfers!

Merrill jumping off the rock!

2011-04-20T15:21:00.001-07:00

Baby and I decided it wasn't a good idea! :) But Merrill on the other hand....

Temple & Tabernacle

2011-04-20T15:20:00.002-07:00

The Temple grounds were beautiful. We loved walking around them and enjoying the views. We were able to do a session also and the inside was so beautiful as well.

We went to church in a beautiful bldg as well. I think they called it the Honolulu Tabernacle. What an amazing place to attend church!

snorkeling

2011-04-20T15:20:00.001-07:00

We went to Shark's Cove to snorkel and it was amazing. The pics are awesome of all the turtles we saw...but don't do the fish justice. The colors on the fish were so bright!

We went out the first time snorkeling and had a ball and decided we needed to buy an underwater camera and go out again. The first time out we saw a HUGE turtle . We went to go over a coral and there is what feeding on the coral! It scared me it was so big...and the fact that we came up on it all of a sudden! It was a great though...I just gave it some space and watched it move. It was so fun! I guess we were in the water a little too long though...the only thing that got burned on the trip was the back of our bodies! We look great! :)

Thanks again for the great spot to go snorkeling Linds!

All in all, what a wonderful trip! We were sad to leave but excited to see the kids! Thanks again Mom - and Dad for letting us have her for a week!

Open gym fun

2011-04-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

The kids got the camera again and and had some fun. We've been busy getting rock out of our backyard and when we were taking pictures to put them up on craigslist, Nano wanted to lay on the rocks! What a poser! For spring break we did 5 wheelbarrows full of rocks each day, in between all the fun activities! The kids were awesome and by the end of the week we had all the rocks gone and twice as many as in the picture. We didn't get a picture of it because some friends came and took most of them already. What amazing kids!

Merrill got a german chocolate football cake for his b-day. Happy b-day honey! We love you!

Joyschool

2011-04-20T15:07:00.001-07:00

Nano and his joyschool friends have a lot of fun! Here we made huge bubbles and did hand and footprints. So fun!

Our girls!

2011-04-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

Mikayla loves playing the piano and loves that she gets to use some of Bhakka's and Aunt Rita's old piano books.
Lynneah is all about clean toes these days. She will stop in the middle of whatever she's doing and clean out her toe jam...it's awesome!

Open gym fun

2011-04-20T14:51:00.000-07:00

On Wed gymnastics has open gym where young kids can play on all the equipment. The younger kids love it because, after watching Mikayla during the week, they finally get to try some of the fun stuff!

Gym video fun!

2011-04-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

The kids love to go to open gym and play on all the gymnastics equipment. The tramp is a favorite!

Gymnastics

2011-04-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

Mikayla's been doing gymnastics for about a year now and she loves it! She's learned a lot of cool things and it's fun to watch her. She had a day where she got to show us some of her stuff. The other kids got to do some of it too. It was a fun day!

Mikayla is 9!

2011-04-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

It's January again and my baby is one year older! Mikayla you are just getting so big and so amazing with every day. Here's our day to celebrate you! You are such a great big sister, such a fun friend and such a helper to your mom and dad. Now that you are older and get to stay up a little later, we love the time that we get to spend with just you. I love all your jokes and the great ideas you come up with for creative things to do and say. Thanks for being patient with me when I forget that you are getting older and forget to treat you as such. We love you pumpkin!

Your party was fun, even with your annoying orange cake and annoying grape pinata! :)

Presents Again

2011-04-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

We left early for Christmas break so we didn't get all the packages before we left. The kids were okay with that and loved being able to open presents all over again! Thanks so much Bhakka and Boppa!

Christmas again at home in WA

2011-04-20T10:38:00.000-07:00

We got to open packages from Bakka and Boppa when we got home. Here is Josh trying out his new skate board. He's found a way to ride it in the house!

family fun

2011-04-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

Here's just a glimpse into the fun activities of the trip.

Dec 25

2011-04-20T10:34:00.001-07:00

Christmas morning with so many little kids is awesome! How blessed we are!

Nativity photos

2011-04-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

I love having kids act out the nativity. They are so cute all dressed up and I think it helps them understand better what happened on that special night when they get to act it out.

We also had a few songs and thing afterward but those didn't get on the video just the nativity. They did a great job.

nativity video

2011-04-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to a video of the nativity if you like. We even have Carlos as a donkey and Merrill as a camel. I can't remember what Josh did before we came to UT to get his black eye...but it's good one!

http://web.me.com/birdnofam/movies/Nativity2010.AVI

It's not working to click on the link. Go ahead and copy it and open it in a new browser.

Grandparent's House

2011-04-20T10:01:00.001-07:00

We went to Utah for Christmas! We had a lot of fun playing with cousins. Amy was home from college. Eddie and Becca came from AZ with their kids Noah and Lucy. Anne and Carlos came from NM with their kids Rafael and Corina. Then Victoria and Aunt Erna and Uncle Larry all came for Christmas Eve! We had a great time!

We also had fun skiing before all the cousins came. Too bad I don't have any pictures of that! Josh and Neah stayed with Grandma Hansen and Nano and Mikayla came with Merrill and I! We had so much fun and the kids are great little skiers! It took Josh a while but in Jan we finally got him to enjoy skiing again. He liked it last year but had a hard time getting into it again this season! The last time we went here in WA, we put Neah in the backpack and she LOVED it! It was a very fun family outing!

Dancing to Uncle Larry's Christmas music!

2011-04-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

Kids & Camera cont'

2011-04-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

The kids got the camera again!

Kids & Camera

2011-04-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

The kids got a hold of the camera and of course, they could get it to work! We also have a few shots that we didn't use from the card making photos...like Nano's purple hat...I finally convinced him to use a red instead of purple one! Oh and you get an extra one from Josh's b-day..opps!

Nano's movie

2011-04-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

He was so proud of it. I had to put it on...it's short one!

Birdno Cards

2011-04-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun making these deck of cards for Christmas. Our kids favorite games are Uno and War! We made a deck of face cards and then added a few for Uno. Each kid got to be one suit and have numbers 2-10, Ace, and Jack. Merrill and I were the King and Queen and Jokers. Then the kids got to be the wilds! Enjoy!

Hangin' Out

2011-04-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

The kids and I, just being silly!

Josh is 6!

2011-04-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

Son! How did you get to be so big? Are you really 6? I guess so and what a fun boy you are. I love how you are so good to make sure all your friends are included in all that you are doing. You did think it was pretty cool that wherever you went that day...all your friends followed you. You are the birthday boy! I'm glad you enjoyed your Night Fury cake and your Bone Knapper dragon pinata! Those where fun to make...but a lot of work too! :) I love you son!

I love how even in Nov, you all put on coats and still enjoyed the pinata outside! Way to go kids!

Turkey

2011-04-17T14:10:00.001-07:00

In Oct, Merrill took a trip to Turkey for his work! What a fun trip for him. He liked the coastal city much better than the BIG city.

Turkey cont'

2011-04-17T14:08:00.001-07:00

Forgot the best picture for Merrill! Somehow this got in a different spot with all our pictures. Thanks goodness we found it! :) Love you honey!

Cement Stairs

2011-04-17T14:05:00.000-07:00

My Dad and Dellma built these cement stairs outside Victoria's basement, so there could be a second entrance. They did an amazing job. Although my kids were sad to see the dirt pit gone!

Halloween

2011-04-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

The kids had a Halloween Party for joyschool. They got to parade around the house in their costumes and sing us a couple songs. Not all the kids were super thrilled about it. But they all looked cute!

Sadly, the camera was on the fits for Halloween and we didn't get any photos of the other kids...let's see...I think Josh was a ninja turtle, Nano was ironman, Mikayla was a black cat, and Neah was a fairy ballerina....sorry no pics guys! Trust me they were cute! ;)

Camping

2011-04-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

We went camping in Sept. with some of our friends from Meadow Springs ward! They are a lot of fun and their kids are so cute! We only got pictures of the lake by our camping site, seeing how that's where the kids spent most of their time! :) We left all the sleeping bags downstairs for a few days afterward and the kids had a ball playing in them. I guess it's good to be so slow in putting things away sometimes, right! ;)

Neah is 2!

2011-04-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

It's Sept 3rd and I can't believe our Neah has turned 2! So much for our baby! That time goes too fast. But even though we call you our sweetness monster - and you got the monster cake and pinata for proof - we love every bit of you! All your fun cuteness and all your monsterness! :) I'm excited that you are talking more. I think part of your monsterness is that you have had so much to tell us and haven't been able to because now you are quite the jabberer! We love you sweetheart. Happy Birthday!

We were able to have Michelle and Dave come over for her b-day. We went to a park where there was a blue grass festival going on. Score! We had a lot of fun! Thanks for coming over guys!

Nano is 4!

2010-11-04T21:39:00.001-07:00

Our camera is about dead so usually the only way to take a pictures is to 1 - be lucky enough that the batteries are working at that moment - it's touch and go - and 2 - then you have to take out the memory card and hold it just right... I guess this can be a good thing because I really don't have very many more pics to put on my blog. Maybe I'll be caught up by the time we get a new camera!

Oh Nano Man! Happy Birthday my son! You are such a fun, wild boy! I love to see all the adventurous things you figure out to do! Although some of them do scare me a little! I guess that will only get worse the older you get... :) But I love your spirit son. Thanks for keeping us on our toes and for all the fun you bring into our lives! We love you buddy!

I love that you have an Aug b-day because we can still do all the fun, water, summer things that you LOVE! We got to go to the water park for the b-day party...it was a hit!

The Kitchen remodel

2010-11-04T21:07:00.001-07:00

Well, here it is...We went on our trip to AZ and UT. Then my parents and Dellma and Victoria came back with us and helped us tear out carpet and take off popcorn ceiling (or chicken - love you mom) and best of all, tear out walls! Thanks it was fun! :)

Then we headed over to Tacoma to see Nate before his mission and brought Merrill's parent's back with us. They helped us do A LOT of tapeing off and Merrill and his dad painted any brown that could be seen, white! :) Plus textured and painted the ceilings we'd scrapped. Mom helped me keep the kids busy and away from the paint! Thanks so much for all your help!

So, basically our families got to see all the mess and no finished product....we'll have to get you both back out here but the pictures with have to work for now.

We went out of town again and then we were able to come back and put the hardwood floors in while working around the guy tiling our new countertops! It got a little stressfull but we were able to get it all done and move in July 31! Hooray! No more renting!! Of course, we still have lots of touch up painting to do...but we are here in our own home and I don't have to tell the kids quite so many "NO's"..... :)

If you want to see more pics of the house or the outside of it... just scroll down a on the blog to the new house post!

Oh and Lynneah loved helping Dad with his projects, she's always a big help! :)

Watch out Texas!

2010-11-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

We went to Tacoma to wish Nate good luck. He's headed to Texas and will be a great missionary. Of course I didn't get any great pictures of him. But I did get two of the back of him.....he was busy saying goodbye to everyone! Or really, I'm just a terrible photographer!

Neah in Panties?

2010-11-04T20:53:00.000-07:00

We made another trip to Tacoma and Lynneah was acting like she wanted to wear panties so Auntie Michelle put some on her. She thought she was the coolest thing. They went outside and walked around and said hello to the dog and had a great time. Then she came inside and had an accident and she was done with the whole potty thing! Oh well, I guess we're not quite there yet.

Utah & a Bird?

2010-11-04T16:21:00.000-07:00

We saw my family in Utah also but our camera was giving us fits, the thing has been well used for 6.5 years and just about to bite the dust. But we did get a few pictures of the water feature Dellma was building, and that my kids loved to play on!!! We had so much fun with you guys. Love ya!

We also had fun when we got home. We had a quail in the Grigg's garage! Merrill had a lot of fun trying to catch this bird! There were plenty of hiding places with all the boxes, both ours and the Grigg's! But after it being in the garage for 2 days and me having no luck...Merrill spent a good hour or two that night and he was the winner!!

Photo Shoot

2010-11-04T15:47:00.001-07:00

This summer, we went down to see Merrill's folks in AZ. It was the first time in 2 or 3 years since everyone had all been together. We had so much fun! Before anyone got burned or any other craziness happened, we all got dressed up and got family pictures! It was pretty crazy with so many little ones but well worth it. Here are some of my favorites!

Birdno family fun!

2010-11-04T15:42:00.001-07:00

We had such a fun time. Michelle brought all her jewelry stuff and Dave brought his pen stuff. They lady's had fun making great necklaces, bracelets and earrings and the guys and few lady's had fun turning the pens. We played lots of cards and the kids had lots of water fun! We just enjoyed time together and can't wait to get together again! We love you all!

Camping season is back

2010-11-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

We went over to the wet side of the state for this trip. We went to Ohanapecosh campground at Mnt Rainier! It was beautiful! The kids couldn't get enough of the waterfalls and rocks to climb on our hike! I sure love camping with these kids! What family fun! Although, I did forget Neah's shoes....what kind of mom forgets her baby's shoes - ME! We were talking about it in the bathroom and a lady overheard...how could you not, Neah was a bit upset! They had an extra pair of flip flips and let us have them. We had to use a little rope and get creative as they were Josh's size....but we did it and our Neah finally had some shoes! :)

2010-11-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

Neah sure loves to jump in the puddles, although this video didn't capture her previous giggles.....no performing for the camera today!

Josh took a turn with the camera! He made 6 or 7 videos but they were all about 1 sec. This one he actually got a little of Nano!

School's out!

2010-11-04T15:11:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed some summer showers and just being home more. This is also a picture of Mikayla's 2nd grade teacher, Mrs Nicacio at Badger Mnt. Elementary. She loved Mrs Nicacio! Thanks for a wonderful year! It was sad though on the last day of school. Just after this picture was taken and Mikayla started to walk away, she also started crying. All the other kids were so excited to leave. Mikayla knew she wasn't coming back to Badger Mnt next year and she was going to have to start all over again with new friends and a new place. Poor kid, moving sure has been hard on her. Thanks for putting up with us Mikayla! We love you!

Baseball Time

2010-11-04T14:59:00.001-07:00

Nano and Josh decided to try out baseball this spring. They both had a great time and so did we. It got a little crazy at times, with Josh and Nano having a game and practice at the same time in two different places. Usually we could tag team it, but Merrill was gone on trips a couple times and ya well, one had to miss. Poor Nano it was usually him, since we figured a game won out over a practice. I just love baseball, especially when the kids are starting out and learning what base to run too...it's the best when they run to third after hitting or better yet, almost take out the "pitcher" on the way to second after they hit. First base seemed to get skipped a lot! But what a fun time.

Baseball Take 2

2010-11-04T14:55:00.001-07:00

Josh got a few more pictures than Nano because, Melissa - one of the other Mom's - was a great photographer. She got some great shots of Josh for us! Thanks Melissa!

One last Suprise

2010-11-04T00:07:00.000-07:00

Oh and one last item of fun for our trip to NC. Mikayla decided to go and get stitches on us! We were at the Aldriches for a final goodbye dinner our last night in Durham. Mikayla was climbing a piece of wood propped up against a fence when Briggie told her there were termites! She promptly let go and slid down the tree, making a nice laceration in her leg! One hour, eight stitches later, we were headed back to the Alder's to pack and get a little sleep before we headed off to the airport in the morning. But hey, she got to ride in a wheelchair at the airport!

Graduation, Finally!

2010-11-03T23:15:00.001-07:00

First off, I have to say thank you to Merrill's parents for all the pictures. I, of course, never had my camera with me....some days I wonder just where my brain is!

After five years at Duke and almost one year of work at Cadwell, Merrill got to walk for his graduation! It was a great feeling and a great excuse to come back and see all of our friends we miss so much. This thanks is long overdue as well, but needs to be said nonetheless, thanks to everyone for all the help with places to stay, watching the kids, meals and just wonderful visits! We love you all and were so glad to have Merrill's parents out there to join in the fun!

It was quite the day with the big ceremony and speech on the football field (I'm sure it was a good speech - didn't get to hear much for some reason, Neah), a little luncheon, and a smaller ceremony in the chapel. It was a long day but well worth it!

The Hooding

2010-11-03T22:52:00.001-07:00

Now this I'd never seen or heard of until we started school. But it's a pretty cool ceremony that celebrates each graduate separately. Kind of nice when there are a LOT of graduates.

The Grad Party

2010-11-03T22:48:00.001-07:00

I've never been able to surprise Merrill with anything the whole time we've been married. He always finds out! This time I was determined!

The kids wanted to do a fun scavenger hunt. Mikayla helped me with the clues and hiding them. Then all the kids got to help Merrill find them and take pictures as proof. They were all so cute and Merrill was a good sport. Along with each clue was a sweet note from each family at the beach of a favorite "Merrill memory". Then his final clue was a scrapbook from the kids of some favorite things they've learned from DAD. Afterwards the kids gave him an ice cream tasting party, and again Merrill was a great sport about that! Then we finished with a fun slide show of our time in NC with our beach family friends. (Of course, we had to all cram around Merrill's laptop to see it because I'm not computer/tv savvy and didn't bring the right equipment to show it on the big screen!)

I think I actually surprised him. We love you honey! This post is long overdue....Thanks for all the hard work!

We love the Beach

2010-11-03T22:47:00.004-07:00

As always, our yearly beach trip ROCKED! We had so much fun catching up with great friends, enjoying the ocean life, the sand, the waves, the beauty of it all and not to mention, great food! Of course we added a few friendly competitions...long jumping and arm wrestling. It's always something fun at the beach!

It was great to see the kids all reconnect and enjoy time together. The older kids really got into the boogie boards this trip. It was fun to see them getting such a thrill from catching the waves...they were really good at it too!

And it was great to be around friends. After a year of adjusting to the non school life, quite and adjustment I must say, it was nice to be back with friends and be just comfortable being us and not trying to remember new names and faces. Not that it's a bad thing to be meeting new people, just hard sometimes, it was a nice break. People who know and love you for you! A beautiful thing that i realized I took for granted. Thanks guys for a wonderful time!

Oh and Linds, again, thanks for the photos. You know me and my camera....it always is missing in action! :)

Our New House

2010-11-03T22:47:00.003-07:00

Hooray! After lots of searching, we finally found it! We were excited for this house! The only thing I didn't love was the limited space and one entry into the kitchen. But we knew we'd fix that to our liking! All we had to do was expand the kitchen a bit and break a whole in the wall for a new entry! Simple right! Of course we ended up adding a few more things to our list of to-do's...but we sure loved and still love this house!

doing what we do

2010-11-03T22:47:00.001-07:00

April Fun

2010-11-03T22:40:00.000-07:00

We had a good time in March and April. One of which was moving from our apartment to a house. One of our friends from our ward was going to Maylasia for 5-6 months and we were lucky enough to rent out their house! It was a beautiful thing. No more complaints for our rowdy kids who LOVE to play outside. We celebrated by inviting lots of friends over and had the Garnica's come for a fun easter hunt with the kids. They also had so many beautiful tulips in front of their house that spring....I only got a small portion of how pretty they were!
Then we enjoyed conference and then all the silliness came out.
Oh and the last picture is Merrill with his hair LONG! I don't think the pictures does it justice. It's the longest I've ever seen on him. He got tired of everyone asking where Neah got her curls. But then as it was getting hot...he couldn't stand it any longer! This was just before I cut it!

IT'S BEEN SINCE JAN!!

2010-09-16T15:38:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been that long! So just to give you a little update....most (okay all) of the pictures will come later! :)
We bought a house!!
May - we went to NC for a week beach trip and Merrill finally getting to walk for graduation!
The boys started t-ball and Mikayla gymnastics
We got one camping trip in and then off for our trips...
We went to AZ and UT and got to have SO MUCH FUN WITH FAMILY
Came back and started renovating our new house
Made another trip to UT and Tacoma
Did more renovations and finally got to move in
Nano turned 4!
Mom got one year older :)
Josh started Kindergarten and MIkayla 3rd grade
Lynneah turned 2!
So that's been our crazy summer!
Now we have the job of still unloading boxes!

Another trick of Neah's

2010-09-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

I was making dinner one night and heard a funny noise from Lynneah...I turned around to this:

She could do this on demand...it was so awesome...She holds her breath and starts shaking her fists....It's so funny and she can still do it 6 months later when you ask! Priceless!

Saying I love you!

2010-09-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

So Lynneah can talk pretty well now but this was her first I love you...Mikayla taught her to point to herself, make a heart with her fingers and point to someone else at the end...It was pretty cute but of course we never could get the whole thing on the video!

Happy Birthday Mikayla!

2010-04-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

Lynneah's b-day song to sis!

Mikayla's Baptism

2010-04-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

Mikayla - it was such a beautiful day. I can't believe you are eight! Your baptism was wonderful and your excitement for it was very special. Watching you make that choice and go down into the water with your daddy waiting for you was something I'll never forget. You are such a great example to all of us.
Having so much family come for this special day made it just that much better. Having all the kids sing "I love to see the Temple" was a very tender moment. We love you sweetheart!!!

Mikayla's b-day

2010-04-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Mikayla's b-day a little late. We had a whole houseful. They came for her baptism but we had a little craziness before. We had Bhakka, Boppa, Aunt Amie, Aunt Michelle & Uncle Dave, Landon and Mireya. And Grandpa & Grandma Hansen, Uncle Dellma & Aunt Victoria, and Aunt Amy. Thanks to everyone for coming. It was so wonderful to have you all. I know it meant a lot to Mikayla. I loved all the help with the Unicorn pinata and swimming pool cake and cookies and more and more!

Noah

2010-04-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

My brother Eddie and his wife Bekka had their little boy! Noah Edward Hansen! What a cute little guy. Thanks for the pics Amy!

Hot Chocolate

2010-04-11T18:11:00.000-07:00

Neah has finally learned to sleep a little better. We are only down to a couple times a night. Around 12 or 1 and then 3 or 4. The only way we even got that was to give her hot cocoa. We got this idea from NC. Thank you Beck's!! They give their kids cocoa babas (heated up chocolate milk) just before bed and they sleep amazingly. Well, Neah wont drink milk or chocolate milk but she LOVES hot cocoa! So now she has to sit on a chair and drink her cup with a straw. She'll do this and go straight to bed. No matter if it's 7:30 pm or midnight or 4 am.

OH and then there's a couple other fun photos. The kids are playing a little "peace train" (good old NC days - thanks Sam and Paul!). Then the second is priceless. We had a family over for dinner and Nano had been missing in action for a while. This is where I found him!

Polar Express

2010-01-13T15:33:00.000-08:00

I was TERRIBLE with pictures on this trip. We had a wonderful time with family. Bhakka and Boppa took us all for a ride on the Polar Express. We had a Vance scared to death of Santa and Nano almost lot his bell a number of times. Luckily, our host was awesome and went diving after his bell, under seats and all! Finally, when we thought we'd lost it for sure, he gave Nano his own bell from around his neck. Never a dull moments with our crew. It was awesome and we had a great time spending an evening in our pj's.

Christmas at our house

2010-01-12T16:26:00.000-08:00

The kids got really spoiled. We did Christmas at our house on the 23rd and then flew out to AZ on the 24th and had Christmas at Bhakka and Boppa's house. Lots of fun! Kids never get tired of opening presents do they! ;)

Snow in Richland

2010-01-12T16:23:00.000-08:00

We all had fun singing Christmas Carols one night. Then the snow came a few days later. The pictures are really dark but just before dusk Nano and Merrill decided to ride their bikes on the freshly fallen snow that was on the forbidden golf path!
It rained that night and the next morning there was just ice. The boys had a great time sliding with just their bodies on - yet again - the forbidden golf path. After that fun, we decided to invest in some sleds and took them to the slopes just by a ski resort. They had a great time! We have some natural sledders.

Alphabet Kids

2010-01-12T15:15:00.000-08:00

We made some letter photo books this year and the kids had a great time. See if you can find all the letters! We have a few duplicates (a,i,l & p), but the whole alphabet is there....just use your imagination on some of them and you'll get it!

alphabet fun

2010-01-12T15:02:00.000-08:00

The kids and I had so much fun I had to take some of their really silly poses also. I love the ones where Lynneah is trying to copy whatever pose one of the older kids was doing. It was a good time!

FIVE

2010-01-12T15:01:00.000-08:00

Josh! Happy Birthday Son! I can't believe you are 5.

So remember that stomach flu at Thanksgiving. Ya, we still had it come Nov 30 and Josh was sick on his birthday this year. Poor boy. So we had an all indoor party with just our family. They kids seemed not to mind and Josh got his Batman cake and pinata. (He went easy on me this year for the cake and only wanted the logo instead of a batman one, thanks buddy.) The boys and I had a good time making everything for Josh's b-day that day. So....we didn't get to do all the fun outdoor plans but we had a great day after all, even with two sick boys and one sick girl. Then daddy and Mikayla came home and put the icing on the top for one fun day.

We love you buddy and are so glad you are part of our family!

Thanksgiving

2010-01-11T16:04:00.003-08:00

We went to Utah for Thanksgiving. All my siblings were able to come. It's been way too long since we've all been together...since Eddie went on his mission and he has two kids now (well 1 3/4) at Thanksgiving, but since then we've had little Noah join us! Anyway, it was so fun to see everyone. I don't know how much everyone else enjoyed it though. We brought the stomach flu with us and everybody got sick. At least we all got to enjoy the feast before the flu hit! My poor family. You know you are loved when people want to see you even though they know you will get them sick!

I kept forgetting my camera, so once I get some pictures from my mom, I'll post some of those.

Chillin' out

2010-01-11T16:04:00.001-08:00

Photographer

2010-01-11T15:59:00.000-08:00

Mikayla loves to take pictures and she gets some great shots of the boys! And toys!;)

Halloween

2010-01-11T15:57:00.001-08:00

Like mom??

2010-01-11T15:55:00.001-08:00

Nano found my mascara!

Boise's half way

2010-01-11T15:22:00.001-08:00

We figured out that Boise's about half way for my family in Utah, Idaho and us...so we planned a trip and I got to see my parents and 3 of my siblings and their families!! It was awesome. We spent the night and enjoyed a random park we found by our motel. It doesn't take much to entertain us!

She's doing it!!!

2010-01-11T15:15:00.000-08:00

She took here first steps on her b-day. Then she went through a phase where every time we tried to have her walk and let go of her hands she'd start crying and sit down!

But by the 20th she'd figured it out a little and was taking 4 or 5 steps!

Then 2 days later....she's cruisin!

We are spoiled

2010-01-11T15:02:00.000-08:00

Our apt here has been quite interesting. There are a total of 7 kids and 4 of them our ours! We have a few people who really love the kids and then some who don't. The one's who don't tend to complain a lot when the kids are out playing....and as you know our kids...they love to be outdoors! So we deal with the complaints and keep sending them out. The kids have had a hard time with all the rules and not being free to go where they please, especially Nano...we've lost him a few times as he was wandering the grounds!

But as always the good outways the bad and we have Nana and Papa next door! They often had afterschool snacks for the kids. Sadly, (for us anyway) they went to Arkansas for the winter and wont get back until we move out! But we were lucky to have them while we could and hopefully they want lots of visits when they get back!

"The Rock"

2010-01-11T15:00:00.000-08:00

Our gym here has an awesome climbing wall. The kids totally love it!

My baby's One!

2010-01-11T14:54:00.001-08:00

Yes, I'm a major slacker...Lynneah turned 1 in sept and here it is Jan.....
We love you Lynneah, sorry Mommy's so slow in posting all your birthday, chubby, messiness! You bring so much joy to our lives pumpkin!

For the Birds

Fun Times

Neah and Nano

David's trick

Grandma's B-day

Still Sleeping

Halloween

Oct 24 2011

Twins Come Home

The twins are here!!

Twins Pics

Take 2

"THREE!"

First Day

Big Helper

Nano's b-day

Bird in the trees

The 911 Call

Family Photos July 2011

Surprise Ultrasound

Finally back on the Blog!

Hiking in Hawaii

Goat Island

Pearl Harbor

Sunset Beach

Hawaii fun

Merrill jumping off the rock!

Temple & Tabernacle

snorkeling

Open gym fun

Joyschool

Our girls!

Open gym fun

Gym video fun!

Gymnastics

Mikayla is 9!

Presents Again

Christmas again at home in WA

family fun

Dec 25

Nativity photos

nativity video

Grandparent's House

Dancing to Uncle Larry's Christmas music!

Kids & Camera cont'

More video fun!

Kids & Camera

Nano's movie

Birdno Cards

Hangin' Out

Josh is 6!

Turkey

Turkey cont'

Cement Stairs

Halloween

Camping

Neah is 2!

Nano is 4!

The Kitchen remodel

Watch out Texas!

Neah in Panties?

Utah & a Bird?

Photo Shoot

Birdno family fun!

Camping season is back

School's out!

Baseball Time

Baseball Take 2

One last Suprise

Graduation, Finally!

The Hooding

The Grad Party

We love the Beach

Our New House

doing what we do

April Fun

IT'S BEEN SINCE JAN!!

Another trick of Neah's

Saying I love you!

Happy Birthday Mikayla!