The Garner Family

We Are Diaper Free! (Until baby comes)

2012-01-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

Rex is officially potty trained! We took a note from the quit smoking playbook and went cold turkey. We woke up and announced the official end of diapers and all of us pitched in to throw all of Rex's diapers into a big bag that was going "bye-bye". He saddled into his first pair of undies, donned a shirt and socks and we all embarked on a little adventure. No pull-ups, no crutches, no going back. If he peed, it went down his legs and onto the floor. If he pooped...well, fortunately, that didn't happen. He nailed it. He had about 3 accidents over a three day period and by day 3 he was golden. Its been about 3 weeks since the transition and he's got it down. He hasn't even wet the bed yet. I don't know how we got so lucky, but we're not complaining.

The only big change so far is that we're seeing a lot more of Rex's bare cheeks marching around the house. I guess he likes the freedom, or maybe the breeze.

Christmas in Washington

2012-01-04T19:00:00.001-07:00

We flew all the way across the country to spend Christmas with Josh's family in Washington. The flights there were a little rough (a 5.5 hour flight plus a 3 hour flight). Then due to the 3 hour time change, Rex woke up the next morning at 3:30am local time. THAT was a fun morning! Luckily, we all adjusted quickly and had a great week in Washington.

Josh taught Rex how to play a hunting game on the Wii, which he loved and called, "shooting bears game" for the rest of the week.

Rex also loved the PJ's that grandma got him for Christmas morning.

On Christmas Eve we did a puppet show of the nativity. I got to be Mary, and Rex was baby Jesus. He took his role very seriously.

Aunt Kelsey and Uncle Jer were the animals and the wise men.

Then Daddy read, The Night Before Christmas, which is a tradition with my family. Rex was entranced.

We wrote a letter to Santa and left him some treats. Rex was hesitant to leave Santa anything good so he got carrots and a few M&Ms. Hope Santa liked his diet!

Santa came all the way to Grandma's house and brought the only thing Rex had been asking for. A toy helicopter (heppacopter) with a green propeller and a red button. A pretty tall order for even Santa to fill. Luckily, Santa talked to just the right little "helper" and found Rex's exact request on eBay. Phew!

We got to visit with Josh's grandparents and remembered to take a picture while we were all together.

Rex's other great-Grandpa, Phil, (who he is named after) restored this little pedal car just for Rex. From what I understand he spent a great deal of time on it and it was a very special reveal. Rex loved riding it up and down the street. For the rest of the week, each time he went two doors down to great-Grandpa's, he rode the pedal car.

More bowling, only this time Rex was done after about 5 frames and wanted to go home. I loved that they had bowling shoes in his size, so cute.

We had a great week with the Garner family and it was SO worth the LONG trip to get out there.

Thanksgiving in Ohio

2012-01-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

I finally had a few minutes tonight to sit down and catch up on some blog posts from December. That's about when I realized I never posted anything about Thanksgiving. And while it's almost embarrassing to go back that far, I just don't feel right skipping over the holiday. So...here goes...more than a month late!

We drove up to Columbus, Ohio to spend Thanksgiving with two of my sisters and their families. Here are some of the highlights!

Preparing the bird. I had some serious learning to do because I was going to have to cook a turkey by myself just a few weeks later for a Christmas party.

And if any of you have not tried injecting your turkey with a buttery garlic mixture,

I totally recommend it.

The Kids Table

The guys were able to get some tickets to the Ohio State basketball game and enjoyed a guys night out.

We took all the kids bowling. It was Rex's first time and he loved it. He did not love taking turns, however. Big surprise.

So glad we have family within driving distance so we can spend holidays with them - we had a great time!

Check out this BIG BOY!

2011-12-04T19:52:00.000-07:00

This weekend Rex hit a huge milestone, and quite gracefully I might add. We have been wanting to move him to a big bed for a while now, but I kept thinking of excuses. The number one being that the crib was still working just fine. Josh convinced me to go for it and we were pleasantly surprised at how well Rex did.

Here he is helping daddy take down his "baby" crib.

After our normal bedtime routine I tucked him in and said goodnight. Usually he'll talk to himself for a few minutes before falling asleep, but we didn't hear anything. 10 minutes later, nothing. 30 minutes later, still nothing. I had to peek at him before we went to bed and he looked so sweet laying there in that big bed. He didn't wake up once and tonight was excited to do it all again. I'm so proud of him for embracing this change! We love our big kid!

Some Recent Photography

2011-11-14T19:59:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks I've been lucky enough to spend a little time with some of my favorite families, enjoying this beautiful North Carolina fall! Here are some of my favorites from each shoot.

The Annison Family

The Alder Family

The Wright Family

And thus begins a new season of Duke basketball...

2011-11-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

Basketball kicked off a couple weekends ago and we've already been able to go to two games. Josh and I went alone to the first game and had a blast. The second game was a "family game" where they reserve a section just for grad students with families. We decided we would try to take Rex to a game and see how long he lasted.

Turns out, after waiting for 30 minutes for wristbands, then coming back to get our seats 45 minutes before the game started...he only lasted about 20 minutes into the game. It was fun anyway and seriously...who could get mad at this little sweetheart?

Halloween

2011-11-08T06:28:00.000-07:00

So I'm only about a week late on this post, that's not too bad. We've had a beautiful fall so far here in NC and here are some of October's festivities.

We had a Fuqua Families field trip to the pumpkin patch which was a blast. Rex got to play in some corn, run through a hay maze, take a hay ride and pick out a pumpkin. Here he is trying to learn how to smile on command (we're still working on it).

We were a skeleton family for Halloween - here are some pictures from the holiday weekend!

I really love Halloween (due mostly to the candy) but have completely lost my sweet tooth with this pregnancy :( I'm hanging on to our leftover candy until I can eat it again.

Hope you all had a fun Halloween!

My Solo Utah Trip

2011-10-30T20:03:00.001-06:00

Josh had a short break from school a couple of weeks ago during which he graciously offered to stay home and watch Rex so I could take a trip to Utah to visit my parents. It worked out that all 3 of my sisters were able to convince their husbands to watch the kids so we could all be together.

We took a little walk down memory lane with our walk around BYU campus. The ride board is still up and functioning. Where else could you trust getting a ride across the country from a total stranger?

We laughed at the dumb t-shirts in the BYU bookstore. Seriously...who thought this was a good idea for a t-shirt? My sister bought one to be her white elephant gift this Christmas.

And of course we ate at J-Dawgs.

3 of us have fall birthdays so we celebrated together!

And went to church with my missionary parents

And the other things we didn't take pictures of: shopping, massages at the spa and eating out at all of our favorite Utah places. Why oh why can't we get a Cafe Rio out here...?

And thanks to my brother's tripod and my nephew for snapping the pics, we have a few nice family photos of just the original Alger family.

Me and my siblings

And my cute parents who are working diligently as family history missionaries. I miss them and can't wait until they get home in February!

It was such a fun trip! Big thanks to Josh for making it happen and not complaining. And to top it all off, I came home to a spotless house! I'm talking bathrooms, kitchen, living room...the place was cleaner than it's been for a while. He's amazing!

The Big Announcement

2011-10-11T11:04:00.001-06:00

So, we have been holding off on this announcement for quite a while and I'm dying to announce that we are expecting a baby GIRL due March 5th!! She was definitely a long time coming and there were lots of tears shed and prayers offered in order to get her here. We could not be more excited!

And check out this awesome yoga pose she was doing today...

I guess her form could use a little work, but she's got the right idea!

Rex-man turns 3!

2011-10-09T11:11:00.000-06:00

A few days before his birthday, Rex came down with croup (and can I just tell you, this stuff is the devil) :( I thought there was a chance he would be all better by his b-day so we just waited on pins and needles to see how he was feeling each morning. The day before his b-day, his fever was gone and he seemed much better. I thought we were totally in business and I spent the entire day cleaning, cooking, baking, wrapping and getting ready for a party! Friday morning, the day of his birthday, he woke up with a fever and feeling crummy. So, plans were cancelled and we had a fun day just the 3 of us.

Josh had a rather flexible schedule on Friday, so we took Rex to Chick-Fil-A for lunch and had a picnic in our backyard.

Then we played all afternoon, Josh took him to the park while I made his birthday cake. We ordered pizza, got Grandma and Grandpa on Skype and had a party!

Grandma and Grandpa Garner gave Rex a bike, which he is pumped about.

Aunt Kelsey sent a t-ball set which was also a huge hit. Despite being a little sick he played with that thing endlessly until bedtime.

We gave him a remote control car, which only moves forward and backward. He takes his driving duties very seriously.

Rex requested a dinosaur cake

And our main gift to Rex was a swing set (which my parents so generously contributed to) and Josh spent about 8 man hours assembling. A lot of love went into this gift! Here is the unveil...

Rex's reaction is priceless

He was a little freaked out to try the slide for the first time, but caught right on.

I cannot believe this little man is 3 years old. He's getting funnier and easier in some ways, and then more complicated in others. He's becoming more helpful and more sensitive, which we love. He's almost always happy and just wants to have a good time (as long as he can be the boss). He has endless amounts of energy and loves playing outside. One of my favorite characteristics of Rex's personality is that he is NOT shy at all. He talks, waves, and tells our family's deep dark secrets to just about anyone and everyone. I know he's going to totally embarrass me one of these days, but for now we'll just enjoy how people can't help but smile when they are around him. We love you Rex!

Duke Basketball Campout

2011-10-02T09:39:00.000-06:00

So, once again Josh and his LDS Business School buddies camped out for the chance at buying Duke basketball tickets. They rented 2 U-hauls and draped a very large tarp over the top to keep the rain off. Here is the set up...

On Saturday evening, the families braved the drizzle and chilly temps to bring food up to the campout. It's fun to see what the guys are up to, but then we get to go home and warm up in our cozy beds. Sadly, Josh did not get drawn again this year so he may have to camp out again for the Duke vs. UNC game, we'll see...Fortunately, they had quite a few guys from their group who were drawn so they have lots of tickets to split up. Looking forward to going to a game with Josh this year!

GO DUKE!!!

Baby Mae's Blessing Pictures

2011-09-21T14:00:00.001-06:00

Here is my friend, Rachel's, baby, Mae, in her blessing dress. I can't believe it's been almost 5 months since I did her newborn pictures. She really is the easiest baby to photograph because she is so smiley!

And of course, after they left Rex wanted me to take his picture. Since this is the first time he has willingly posed, I happily obliged. I cannot believe he's going to be 3 in a couple weeks!

This picture kinda makes me want to pinch his cheeks.

Catching Up

2011-09-11T07:38:00.000-06:00

I finally had a few minutes to update our blog with the things we did from mid-July until now! Scroll down to see 3 more posts!

Trip to Utah

2011-09-11T07:32:00.000-06:00

We moved back to Durham over the second weekend in August and left a few days later to spend a week in Utah visiting my family and Josh's family. It was lucky that Josh's family were able to come down from Washington so we could spend some time with them as well.

Our first day there, Kelsey's friend gave us a tour of the BYU football facility. It was really neat and I bet Josh's favorite part was changing Rex's poopy diaper on the floor of the weight room while football players looked on.

We took both families to the zoo to spend the day together with the animals

Here is my bro with his beautiful daughter, Sophie

My parents are currently living in SLC serving a Family History mission for our church. They live just a block and a half from the temple and I just loved staying with them downtown. My dad took Rex and Sophie on a walk to the park across the street from their apartment to see the little pond.

And the last night we were there my sister flew in from Missouri and met up with us for dinner. She and her husband were dropping their oldest son off at BYU for his freshman year. I can't believe he's all grown up (*tear)

Blowing Rock and Tweetsie Railroad

2011-09-11T07:12:00.000-06:00

Josh finished up his duties as ~~slave~~ intern on August 5th and we decided to spend a day in northwestern NC and enjoy the cooler mountain air. We drove about 2 hours from Charlotte to Blowing Rock, NC and went straight to a little "fair-like" amusement park called, Tweetsie Railroad. Rex was in little boy heaven!

Riding the chair lift

They had a petting zoo where you could feed the goats, llamas, emus and miniature horses.

We discovered that Rex is taking after his Dad in his love of all things chocolate. He has declared that chocolate is his favorite ice cream and will accept nothing less.

Summer Trip to Columbus

2011-09-11T07:01:00.000-06:00

While Josh was working his buns off this past summer, I decided to man up and take Rex up to Ohio to visit my sister and her 4 kids. The 8 hour drive turned out to be not too bad and it was so worth it to see some friendly faces. Here are some pictures from our trip!

My friend, Heidi, was spending the summer with her family in Columbus while her husband worked in NYC. She came and met us at this awesome kids museum - it was so fun to see her and her cute kids.

With my sister and her kids

A trip to Ohio would NOT be complete without a dance party.

The Pett Family

2011-07-17T15:54:00.002-06:00

This family wanted me to take some photos to capture their daughter's 1-year milestone. Little did I know we scheduled the shoot on her actual birthday! And holy cow, did we pick a HOT night to take photos! They were such good sports despite the really uncomfortable temperatures, especially the little one. And on top of everything, she was one of the most photogenic babies I've seen. Here are some of my favorites! Happy Birthday, Elle!

What we've been up to lately...

2011-07-11T15:58:00.000-06:00

So, here is a quick recap of what we've been up to since we moved to Charlotte in June.

Josh started his internship as an investment banker on June 1st. Here he is leaving for his first day of work.

And Rex is imitating Dad

Since we don't see much of Josh, I took Rex to Missouri to spend the weekend with my siblings and their kids. We stayed at my parent's house despite the fact they aren't there (they are in SLC on a mission). Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us use your house. We promise we left it looking like it did when we got there :)

Claire and Rex helped me make a treat.

We played at the pool

And we got a babysitter one night so we could all go out to an adult dinner and a movie

Then when I got back from Missouri Grandma Melanie came out to visit for July 4th weekend and we loved having her here.

We found a nice little spot to watch the fireworks. Please don't judge me by my child's outfit. We weren't sure the fireworks were going to happen because it had rained and Rex was already in his PJ's when we left the house. Since it was cool he needed a jacket and this was the only one we brought with us to Charlotte. Good thing it was dark out there!

We are really enjoying our time in Charlotte despite the fact we never see Josh. He works CRAZY hours. He's gone M-F from 9am-11pm (sometimes later...sometimes 3am) and works Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Needless to say, Rex and I are getting really sick of each other! 4 more weeks and we'll be back to student life in Durham, ahhhh.

Our little Georgia and Florida Vacation!

2011-06-13T18:34:00.000-06:00

It's been almost a month since we went on our post first year of MBA school vacation, and I'm just now getting around to posting some pictures. We drove to Savannah, Georgia and spent a night there to break up the drive a bit. We checked out Lady and Sons (Paula Deen's) restaurant and the food was really buttery and good, but not so healthy. Rex was pretty good despite the fact he was the only child in the entire restaurant.

We walked along river street and enjoyed the shops

In front of our hotel in the historic district

The we hopped in the car for another 5 hour drive to Orlando

Josh's parents flew directly to Orlando and joined us for some seriously HOT and sticky days at the parks. The first two days we spent at Magic Kingdom, and it was a blast for all of us.

After spending our first two days at Magic Kingdom, we spent the morning of our third day at Animal Kingdom which was really neat, but very crowded.

Rex LOVED the jungle safari where we saw just about every animal he could think of. His tag line for the rest of the day was, "lets go see more animals!"

Side note: See that Mickey Mouse airplane on a stick he has in his hand? He found that at a gift shop at Magic Kingdom and Grandma bought it for him. He didn't put it down the entire trip (yes, he slept with it) and continues to sleep with it. It's almost replaced his comfort blanket, but not quite. And when it runs out of batteries you'd better have one on hand and ready to go, he's not very patient.

We spent one half day at Epcot where I fell in love with the Nemo ride. It was so cute, Rex loved it. Josh and I thought we'd go on MISSION: Space which spins really fast and tilts to simulate the speed and gravitational forces of being in a space shuttle. We should have heeded the warnings that said if you are prone to motion sickness, not to ride. Josh was sick for a good 3-4 hours after riding.

After the half day at Epcot we decided to go back to Magic Kingdom for the last half of the day since it was our favorite. Here's Rex "checking da map". He has control issues.

It was such a fun trip, I'm so glad we were able to fit it in! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Garner for coming out, it would not have been the same without you there. Thanks for taking Rex and letting us do some adult rides together!

We're going on a grave hunt...

2011-06-05T08:13:00.000-06:00

And that's literally what we did last Monday for Memorial Day. When we were considering moving to Charlotte for the summer my Mom mentioned to me that some of our ancestors were buried in a family cemetery somewhere just outside of Charlotte. She also mentioned that the directions were vague and it could be tough to find. We did a little digging and set out with an idea of the general direction. We drove about 40 minutes east to a little town of Red Cross, NC and started knocking on some doors. We finally found someone who knew of the little cemetery and we were able to find it! What a find it was! A tiny little cemetery, just off the side of the road, under a big beautiful tree, dedicated just to my grandmother's great-grandparents and their family, the Hathcocks.

We actually drove past it a couple times, it's easy to miss.

There are only 4 marked graves, and a number (probably around 10+) of unmarked graves as well.

The grave of Lloyd (1809-1888) and Mary Hathcock (1811-1884) - my great-great-great grandparents

We drove about 10 minutes away to the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Cemetery to find a few more family member's graves. We happened upon the grave of Joshua Christian Burroughs who is my grandmother's great-grandpa on the other side. My mom had the information on where he died, but there was no information on which cemetery he was buried in. We were able to fill in that information once we saw his grave with our own eyes!

And we found the graves of his parents as well (Burris became Burroughs in the 1850's for some reason - makes family history a little more interesting)

It was such a neat experience to drive through the farmland here in NC where my ancestors were cotton farmers back in the mid 1800's and imagine what life might have been like for them back then. Much thanks to my great-great-grandmother, Eliza Jane Burroughs, who joined the church in North Carolina and moved West to Arizona to raise faithful children and grandchildren.

More Alder Family!

2011-05-29T20:07:00.002-06:00

I took some more family photos for this good lookin' bunch just a couple days before we moved. I was able to edit them and get the pics to the family before we left but there just wasn't time to blog about it. Yes, we moved. Just for the summer so Josh can do an internship. We're in Charlotte, NC now which is only about 2.5 hours from Durham. Enough about that...here's a few favorites from our very quick yet efficient shoot.

And just because he's cute and I had my camera handy...

Duke MBA LDSSA Beach Week

2011-05-16T19:37:00.000-06:00

We spent the last week with some good friends in paradise (the Outer Banks). It was hands down the best time I've had in a while. So relaxing, yet a lot of fun! Here are some pics from the trip.

The gang minus a few kids who went to bed early

Daddy teaching Rex how to "surf"

Playing kickball with the kids

And we're already counting down until next year...

Utah Girls Weekend

2011-05-14T13:45:00.000-06:00

About a month ago my sisters and I met up in Utah to catch up with each other, my brother, and my parents who are serving a mission in Salt Lake City. Here are a few pictures of the trip!

This is the 6th floor of the church administration building, where my parents spend all their time. They organize files of digital documents for the church (I think it's about as exciting as it sounds).

From the top of the church administration building

Spent some time at temple square...

And we ate at all of our favorite restaurants...

We went to church at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building

We got to spend Sunday afternoon down at my grandma's house with my brother and his daughter, Sophie. She is definitely one of the prettiest little girls I've ever seen.

Josh was such a champ to take Rex by himself all weekend and a big shout out to a few special friends who watched Rex so Josh could go to class! It was a great trip!

Baby Mae

2011-04-27T19:57:00.002-06:00

My very dear friend allowed me the privilege of photographing her newborn, Mae. Despite some horrible lighting due to an afternoon thunderstorm...they turned out! Enjoy!

Easter Weekend

2011-04-25T14:40:00.001-06:00

What a fun Easter weekend we had! We kicked it all off by hosting a party for the LDS Business School students and their families where we had an Easter egg hunt for the kids and a BBQ.

Josh on the grill

We started up the fire pit and roasted s'mores. Rex ate mostly marshmallows that night for dinner.

Sunday morning Rex discovered his first ever Easter basket. Of course he loved the random, unexpected gifts but I don't think he understood the whole bunny concept.

Grandma Garner sent Rex these cute train letters

This was the fastest we've ever dyed Easter eggs. In the past, Josh and I have enjoyed dying them ourselves while Rex napped. This year, we let Rex help which was fun yet stressful, so we did it as quick as possible to avoid any major disasters. (Also to avoid disasters, we put Rex in navy/black sweats combo so the dye wouldn't stain his clothes...so don't judge him).

And being the smart parents we are, we let Rex eat a chocolate bunny at 8pm while he Skyped with Grandma and Aunt Kelsey. He didn't go to bed until 10pm.

Happy Easter!

Weekend in Philly

2011-04-11T19:55:00.001-06:00

We took a quick trip up to Philadelphia this past weekend so Josh could attend an LDS Business Conference in New York. We stayed with some friends who live on the PA side of the New Jersey/PA border. They were wonderful hosts and showed us a great time in the city!

We enjoyed some delicious cheesesteaks - cheez whiz and all!

While the guys were in NYC we took the kids to the Philadelphia Zoo. It was such a neat zoo and Rex had a blast.

These turtles were my favorite. They were being fed while we were there and it was hilarious to watch them walk as fast as they could to where the food was being set out.

And this giraffe was so funny to watch. He couldn't reach what he was after on the ground because his legs were too long. So he contorted his legs and body so he could reach it. Must have been something good...

And regrettably, we didn't take any pictures with our friends :( But thank you guys SO much for letting us stay with you and showing us around. It was a great trip!

Rachel's Baby Shower

2011-03-30T19:20:00.000-06:00

I threw a baby shower for my good friend, Rachel, this week at our house. We invited some of our closest Durham friends and it was a blast! (I'm still so mad I forgot to take a group photo.)

We had a little iron on onesie project that was really fun and turned out 11 of the cutest onesies I've ever seen. We have the most creative friends!

Me with the guest of honor! I really am so grateful this gal moved to Durham, I don't know what I'd do without her. So excited for sweet little baby "M" to arrive next Friday!

The Rutledge Family

2011-03-21T20:06:00.000-06:00

I had a great time taking some pictures for this family the other night at the Duke Chapel. The weather was beautiful and the family was a lot of fun. Here are some of my favorites.

Baby Emmy

2011-03-06T16:24:00.001-07:00

I was so honored that one of my friends asked me to take some photos of her brand new, 6-day old little Emmy. This is my first time photographing a newborn (other than Rex, but those don't count because I didn't love photography then like I do now). Little Emmy did not like being naked and it took some work but her mommy got her to sleep and that's when the fun started! I hope you like them!

February at a glance...

2011-03-02T18:56:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about updating the blog lately, but it just hasn't had the appeal that is used to. I think it's because nothing too exciting has happened since Christmas...until NOW!! Here are a few fun things that happened in February.

Yes, this may look like a boring picture of my husband holding up some boring papers, but in fact it's quite exciting! He secured an internship for this summer and this picture is him signing the official offer letter. He took an investment banking internship in Charlotte, NC. He'll be working 80+ hour weeks and I'll be chilling at the pool with Rex-man. Win-win.

Also...Josh had a birthday!

I made him a way too big birthday cake. Who knew that 1 whole cake mix per layer would turn out this bad boy? Cake, anyone? We have a little bit left over.

Rex was very proud of the card he "colored" for Daddy. And yes...I bought Josh a 4-pack of RedBull for his birthday.

Our very good friends, the Alders, joined the festivities and provided some amazing steaks for dinner. It poured rain and Josh cooked the steaks on the porch in his head-to-toe waterproof rain gear. It was a sight. Steaks were great and the company...even better!

Also, one day last week Rex requested he put on one of Josh's shirts. We happily obliged and snapped a quick photo. As soon as Josh put it on him Rex said, "I small."

And that pretty much sums up January and February in the Garner household!

Christmas and New Years

2011-01-30T20:46:00.001-07:00

I'm a little embarrassed at how out of date this post is going to be. We bought a new computer before Christmas and all my pictures were on the old computer, which completely died a few weeks ago. We finally extracted the photos from the back up drive, so here they are!

We drove from N.C. to Missouri to spend Christmas with the Alger Family.

Grandma and Grandpa with all the Grand kids, minus Sophie :'(

Spent a lot of time in the kitchen. Feeding 23 people is no joke.

Rex and Mommy on Christmas morning

Then we hopped on a plane and flew to Washington to spend New Year's with the Garner Family

Rex and Grandma Garner

I used my new tripod to take some family photos.

And we took Rex sledding in the front yard. The freakishly low temperatures were no deterrent. Rex LOVED sledding.

Then we hopped back on a plane, flew to Missouri. We picked up our car, packed the car more full than it's ever been and drove 2 days back to N.C. Lots of traveling but worth every minute!

Grandma Alger

2011-01-06T11:36:00.001-07:00

Wanda Stephens Alger

June 25, 1916 - December 20, 2010

Since this blog is my journal of sorts, I wanted to pay tribute to my grandma who passed away on December 20th at the ripe old age of 94. I don't want this to be a sad post because she would hate that. In fact, she asked for no obituary, no open casket, no funeral service period. She hated anyone fussing over her, so I won't do too much of that.

She was the wittiest, spunkiest little old lady ever. I have so many funny memories with her and at her home on the banks of the Provo river. I'm so grateful she was able to live alone until the very end and be independent. It was very important to her. I'm glad she was able to meet my first child, Rex, and they had a special little relationship.

I'm also grateful that our family is united eternally and I will see her again. Love you, Grandma!

The Christmas Spirit

2010-12-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

So as we were driving to a Christmas party the other day I was telling Josh how this year it just doesn't feel like the Christmas season yet. The weather has been fairly mild, no snow, so it's just not feeling like Christmas. The party was fun, complete with Santa and gingerbread houses, we had a great time. Just as Santa was visiting the kids it started to snow! All the way home we listened to Christmas music and it was just what I needed to get into the spirit of Christmas.

Rex was not one bit scared of Santa and got right up in his face to scream,

"Ho Ho Ho, Merry Missmis"

More guinea pigs...

2010-11-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

Yay, I found another family who was willing to let me practice on them! They are such a good looking family with the sweetest little girl (who was really good despite the strange lady taking millions of pictures of her). Here are a few of my favorites, hope you guys like them!

Fall Has Finally Arrived in NC

2010-11-15T19:43:00.000-07:00

So, we've recently received some cooler weather here in NC, the leaves are just changing colors, and I can finally feel good about cooking soup for dinner. I love fall!

Getting My Photographer On...

2010-11-04T15:38:00.000-06:00

I recently had the chance to shoot a couple of my favorite families out here in Durham (for free of course because I in no way have the talent to be charging people for pictures). I loved it and had so much fun. Here are some of my favorites. By the way if you live in Durham and are cheap like us, I'd be happy to take some family photos for you free of charge!

The Alder Family

The MacBeth Family

The Annison Family

Then we turned the camera on ourselves and had our friends take a few shots of us

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T19:40:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pictures from our fun-filled Halloween weekend!

Josh and I decided to dress up as Wayne and Garth from Wayne's World

and Rex went as a skunk...

At the ward trunk-or-treat

Josh spent 3.5 hours and used all kinds of fancy tools to carve his Blue Devil pumpkin...

and mine took about 10 minutes

And Rex got to trick-or-treat with his girlfriend, Lucy

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Cute

2010-10-19T14:02:00.000-06:00

Sorry for those who are sick of seeing pictures of my kid. I just can't help posting them...I'm pretty much in love with him!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-16T15:59:00.000-06:00

Today we checked out a local farm and pumpkin patch. It was such a beautiful morning and we had a lot of fun!

Rex wanted to ride this really steep slide over and over despite the fact it launched him every time. I kept trying to capture an action shot. Hilarious.

Documenting that I was actually there too, with my friend Heidi on the hayride!

Pumpkins are heavy!

PARTY!!

2010-10-07T20:40:00.000-06:00

We had a few friends over and my parents came into town for the event. I think Rex really had a great time, which was so fun to watch. Here are a couple pictures from Rex's birthday party. The lighting in our house is horrible so please excuse the occasional blurry photo or use of flash.

This is Rex's annual photo in his rocking chair - such a big boy!

The Spiral Speedway was the hit of the evening

Rex enjoyed a few candies from his cake while we tried to snap a few quick pictures with the cake decorator

Deciding he only likes the candies on the cake, not the actual cake or frosting...go figure!

Rex turns 2 today!

2010-10-06T22:28:00.000-06:00

I really cannot believe it has been two years since you came into our lives. I adore your enthusiastic personality. Everywhere we go people comment on how happy you are and it's so true! I love how you want so badly to emulate your Dad and will wear his Duke hat for hours on end. I love how music makes you dance and you just can't help it. I love to hear the things you talk about with your animals in your crib before I come get you in the morning. I love how you bring me your flip flops every day and ask me to put them on, even if we aren't going anywhere. I love how you tell me (with a huge smile on your face) each time you do a certain bodily function. I love the sweet moments when you will sit still next to me and let me read your favorite books. I love how you say please every time you ask me for something, it's almost impossible to say no to you. I love how you "fly" your cars and trains around the room saying, "vroom" or "choo-choo". I love how you will say hi to a total stranger even if they don't hear you or respond. I love that you like for me to be the one to put you to bed each night so I get that special little hug and kiss right before putting you in bed.

Rex, you have made our lives more meaningful than I ever thought possible. Thank you for letting me be your Mommy, I love you.

2010 Duke Basketball Campout

2010-10-03T20:05:00.001-06:00

Josh was able to live one of his Duke dreams this past weekend as he participated in the Annual "Campout" for a chance to be able to purchase Duke basketball season tickets. His team of 11 LDS guys came out with 3 season passes to split between them. They were a little disappointed as they expected the odds to be more in their favor. They did get to spend an enjoyable 36 hours sleeping in Uhauls and being ready to jump at a moments notice to get their name on a list for the drawing. Sounds fun, right? Here are some highlights...

The Team

This is what the entire parking lot looked like, rows and rows of Uhauls and RVs

When they randomly sound a siren you have to run and get in line to make sure your name is put into the raffle

Sleeping in the Uhaul

Josh holding Rex and our friend's daughter, Lucy

No, I did not camp out...I just came to show my support on Saturday morning

The LDS team campsite (notice: lots of strollers, no beer, no hangovers)

Me and my friend, Caitlin. Her husband was camping out with the Physical Therapy school right next to Josh's team's campsite.

Saw-Yee!!

2010-09-22T19:57:00.004-06:00

Today I was running errands with Rex (I know...what was I thinking?). He was actually being pretty good. I returned to the car and started the ignition; Rex was in the back seat playing with his microphone.

An older looking Asian man approached my passenger side window so I rolled it down to see what he needed. In very broken English he asked if I knew how to get to such and such street. I told him I had recently moved to the area and still didn't know my way around very well, SORRY. Without hesitation Rex yelled "SAW-YEE" (sorry) at the man through his microphone so the whole world could hear. I had to try so hard to keep from laughing until the window was up and the man was on his way. Then I died laughing and so did Rex. Pretty sure he thought we were laughing at him.

Daddy Shouldn't Be Allowed to Play With Bathtub Crayons

2010-09-13T21:49:00.000-06:00

Critters

2010-08-29T18:15:00.006-06:00

We had heard that North Carolina had critters. I'm fine with critters. In fact, I think they're fun. Bugs, on the other hand, I despise. I moved to Durham with a calm assurance that with Emily having grown up in Missouri that she would provide emotional support in the event that I encounter strange bugs, or, heaven forbid, SPIDERS. Man, I hate spiders. Little did I know that it would only be through hand-to-hand combat that I would become empowered to take on the abnormally large bugs in this place. More on this later.

Back to critters. We have been here for roughly two months and have already had several interesting visitors. Take this guy for example:

Harley found Mr. Turtle out in the backyard and wouldn't leave him alone. Poor guy was huddled up in his shell trying to protect himself, I'm guessing, from Harley's breath. Because we all know that Harley's breath is much worse than his bite. So I rescued him and brought him in to play with Rex for a minute. He peed on the floor and then I let him lose.

A couple days ago I was sitting in the living room watching Special Agent Oso with Rex and Harley while Em was out running errands. I looked over at the fireplace and happened to notice a long, dark object, which I initially thought may have been a piece of rubber hose that Rex tore off of something. Then I realized it looked a lot like snake. "Did Emily buy Rex a toy snake or something?" I thought to myself. That's when I noticed the very active forked tongue. Not knowing its venomosity (I made this word up, but it is essentially an index of how venomous a snake is), I freaked, grabbed Harley (How he didn't spot him first is beyond me) and Rex, threw Harley in his crate and ran to grab the mop so I could pin it down. I threw Rex on the couch (without missing a beat he jumped right back into watching Oso). I pinned the snake down and picked him up by the back of the neck like a true man would. Calmly, I let him wrap his his body around my arm. And then I just played with it for about 15 minutes. It was actually pretty fun. No, I didn't kill it. I just turned it lose. Here he is:

In addition to these amazingly cool critters we've been visited by many squirrels, numerous rabbits, a few frogs, a toad (there is a difference), and plenty of DISGUSTING bugs and spiders, including Wheel Bugs (Google it) and cicadas (locusts from hell). The first night I was here in Durham, I was brutally attacked by a cicada and narrowly escaped with my life due to my innate ninja skills. One calculated karate chop later, the cicada found himself totally incapacitated and teetering between life and death. Mercifully, I put him out of his misery.

Rex Plays Rockband

2010-08-23T11:54:00.001-06:00

My Little Boy is 22 Months!

2010-08-10T14:23:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe Rex is 22 months! It feels like everyday he has learned a new phrase or is doing something else that keeps our lives interesting. He's definitely getting more opinionated, but with that he is getting so much more independent and funny. Here are the things keeping us on our toes lately:

1. He says, "ere he eees" (there he is, or there it is) for everything. When Josh comes in the door, when Harley comes into the room, or if I finally get him something he's been asking for.

2. He is just starting to be able to eat a few things with a spoon. We let him eat cereal with milk and yogurt with a spoon and he's doing pretty well.

3. When he toots he says, "I toot" and then grunts a little bit more to try and produce another noise that will keep us laughing.

4. When he gives us a hug he always says, "ahhh" and pats our back while he's doing it. He also says "ahhh" when we're talking about anything being cute.

5. He calls Harley, our dog, "Har". They are buddies, but they occasionally fight over toys. It is hilarious.

6. He counts EVERYTHING. Anytime there is more than one of something, he has to count it. Only he counts like 2..3..4..5..6..9..10. One, seven and eight do not exist.

7. When we're going somewhere I ask him if he wants to go to ____? He always responds with, "okay", instead of "yes". This also applies to food he wants.

8. He likes to have 2 of everything, one for each hand. If he has this he can walk around for hours with the same two toys in his hands.

9. We take him to a Gymboree play and learn class each week. He is the loudest, busiest kid in the class and keeps it interesting for all the rest of the participants. One Mom actually told me, "I look forward to coming to class each week just to see what he's going to do." Thanks, lady.

10. One day while changing his diaper he was being a stinker, so I said, "you're a punk". Now he says, "you're a punk" whenever he thinks it would get a laugh.

11. When we get him out of his crib after naps and in the morning we ask him to put his froggy back in the bed. He throws the frog in and says, "Peace". Wonder where he learned that?

12. He does not care what we think of him and actually laughs sometimes when we get mad at him. Any tips?

13. He is not a snuggler, but first thing in the morning we'll bring him in our bed and he'll watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in bed with us. It's the closest thing we get to a snuggle.

14. He hates the store and I cannot run errands with him. If there is something I have to do, I can trick him by putting him in the stroller and telling him we're going to take a walk. This usually buys me about 10 minutes of time until he figures out we're just in the store. I can buy about 10-15 minutes at the grocery store by putting him in the carts that look like cars.

15. He's a really picky eater and likes to have the same thing every day, until one day he'll decide he hates that one thing he had everyday for the last week and on the floor it goes.

16. We love how friendly he is. He will wave and say hi to complete strangers out in public, and we don't even have to encourage him.

17. After brushing his teeth right before bed he likes to blow kisses to himself in the mirror and say, "night, night, Rex" before we go in his room to go to bed. We do this EVERY night.

18. He loves animals and knows the name of most animals and the noise they make. They come out in succession. Example: (MOM) "Rex, what's this?" (Rex) "A cow...MOOO".

19. He loves to laugh and will belly laugh if you make a goofy face at him or peek around the corner and surprise him.

20. He is super tough and I really can't remember the last time he cried from getting hurt. He falls and hits his head on things all the time, gets right back up and says, "I okay!"

Obviously, we love our Rexman despite the difficulties that come with trying to understand a toddler! And lets be honest...who could get mad at this little face?

Alger Family Trip to Nags Head, NC

2010-08-04T12:25:00.001-06:00

I have been meaning to give an update for almost a month now and unfortunately with all the other things that needed to get done, it kind of fell to the bottom of the list! SO, we moved to North Carolina. We arrived here on July 6th only to find out that our truck of stuff was still in Ohio and wouldn't arrive for a couple days. Once the truck arrived, we unpacked and quickly repacked for a week vacation to the Outer Banks, NC with my family. Here are some pictures of the trip, which was amazing:

We played at the beach:

We had an Alger Family Beach Olympics:

Team 1

Team 2

3-legged race

At night we went crab hunting:

These little guys come up out of the sand at night and run around. Once you get past the part where they remind you of really huge spiders, they're actually kind of cute.

We had a Rock Band Tournament in which everyone participated, even Grandma and Grandpa:

And what would a vacation be without a little guy-bonding, fishing time?

And my brother took our family photos:

It was such a fun trip, thanks Mom and Dad! We didn't want it to end. Hopefully since we live close we'll be able to do it again soon.

We Are Outta Here!

2010-06-28T14:28:00.000-06:00

The house is packed and our truck comes tomorrow. We're pretty excited and nervous for what is to come. Bye, Utah....HELLO, North Carolina!

This is seriously one of the only things getting me through the packing and details of the move...thinking about what awaits once we unpack in North Carolina: a week on the beach!

Memorial Weekend - Trip to Washington

2010-06-03T22:39:00.001-06:00

We spent Memorial Day Weekend with a trip to Washington to see Josh's family and a trip down memory lane by spending a couple of days in our old stomping grounds: Seattle. It's always nice to visit Josh's hometown of Warden, WA because its always quiet and relaxing in that little farm town. For a long time we have been wanting to go back and visit Seattle before we move to North Carolina and decided to just do it. It was really fun to drive by all of our favorite places and eat at some of our favorite restaurants. Rex loved spending some time on Alki Beach picking up rocks and shells. Grandpa even showed him how fun it is to throw rocks into the water.

Quick funny story. Before we made the trip we called Grandpa and Grandma Garner to see if they wanted to join us for our trip to Seattle. The thought of cramming into a 4-door sedan with a rambunctious 20 month old didn't sound like a ton of fun. Grandma Garner proposed that if we upgrade our rental car to a mini-van, they would pay the difference and consider joining. Well, the difference was RIDICULOUS--like $300 more! So we decided to pass on that idea and just suffer in a sedan if the Grandparents decided to join. As fate would have it, when we went to pick up the rental car the lady apologetically informed me that due to the busy weekend they were all out of cars and only had mini-vans left. So, we ended up with our mini-van for free! Pretty sweet.

OK, enjoy some pics:

This is driving into the city from the south, just like we used to do when we worked downtown.

Rex and Daddy carefully walking along the water's edge.

Mommy and Rex

Grandma and Grandpa with Rex

Throwing rocks with Grandpa. Rex loved this.

Our old favorite breakfast spot--Luna Park Cafe--just down the street from our old apartment.

We checked out the fish (or "biss" as Rex calls them) at the Seattle Aquarium

No, Josh didn't fall into a pile of dirt. That is from Rex crawling all over him with dirty feet.

Rex-man hamming it up at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

An Inspirational Video

2010-05-05T09:36:00.001-06:00

Here is one lady who really inspires me. I check her blog almost daily and there is always a new tidbit that helps me appreciate what I have. Enjoy this short video about her challenges and how she has chosen to overcome them.

Busy Weekend

2010-04-26T09:40:00.000-06:00

Josh's parents and little sister, Kelsey, were in town this weekend. It was a short weekend but we packed it as full as we could with exciting outings. On Friday, we helped Kelsey find an apartment in Provo since she will be attending BYU in the fall. Saturday we went to the Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival which was fun. Josh and I got to have lunch with an old friend who was in town. Then in the afternoon we all went to the zoo. Here are some pictures from our very busy, but very fun weekend!

So, we were almost finished walking through the zoo. I thought Rex would enjoy a little ride on the carousel. It went pretty slow and I figured sitting on top of an animal that goes in circles would be right up his alley. I couldn't have been more wrong. He cried the entire time, scared him to death.

He did like how the ground squirrel burrow had holes where he could peek in on them.

Thanks for coming to visit Grandma, Grandpa and Kelsey. We always eat way too much, but we have the best time when you come into town!

Haircut

2010-04-22T09:57:00.001-06:00

Rex has had a few haircuts by Mom and Dad, but this past weekend he had his first professional haircut. We took him to Cookie Cutters because they have TV screens to distract the kids from what is happening to their hair. We knew this would be perfect for Rex since his number one obsession is TV.

The finished product all dressed up for church

Watch out ladies...

Rex @ Eighteen Months

2010-04-08T23:18:00.000-06:00

Rex had his 18 month check up today, so we figured it was probably time for a post discussing his latest talents, tricks, and silly things he likes to do.

During a fairly recent bath night, Josh decided to make up a game where he would hold a cup and Rex would put various bath toys in it and then they would dump them out. Josh counted each item as Rex put them in and Rex thought counting was pretty cool, so he joined in. Since then, he has had an obsession with counting things from snacks, to stairs, to just about anything. A couple rules: Rex never starts with one. One doesn't exist in Rex's counting system. His starts at Two and ends at Six (or "Iss"). Within the last couple of days, he made up a new rule: order no longer matters and we've added Nine and Ten to the lineup. Its perfectly acceptable to start with Two, jump to Five (or "Fise") and then jump to Nine.

Here are a few clips of one of his snack counting episodes, pre-Modification:

One thing we're beginning to notice about Rex is that he's really friendly. He likes to wave and say "Hah" (hi) to random strangers. This might include the couple standing behind us in line at Cafe Rio, the man walking down the hall at the doctors office, or the cashier at Wal-mart.

He's a bit of a chatterbox. One of his favorite things to do these days is after we put him to bed, he will lay in his crib and talk to himself for up to an hour. He also enjoys kicking the daylights out of his crib during these episodes. Recently, he's been waking up at 3 or 4 in the morning, having a short 20-30 minute conversation with himself and then fall back asleep. We aren't sure if he's actually awake and talking or if he's talking in his sleep.

But our favorite thing about Rex is his sense of humor. He makes us belly laugh about something everyday. He's quirky and does some random funny things. Enjoy this video of one such random, funny outburst:

We love our little guy!

Business School Plans

2010-04-01T21:07:00.000-06:00

So, those of you who know us well probably know that we've been making business school preparations for the last two years! It all started with Josh studying for the GMAT, taking the GMAT, applying to BYU, being accepted, applying to Virginia, not being accepted to Virginia, then deciding not to go to BYU and deciding to wait and apply the following year. So, studying commenced again, Josh retook the GMAT and applied to 5 schools this past fall. With a few options to choose from and after much thought and prayer, we have decided that Duke University is the place for us. So, we will be planning a move to Durham, NC this coming June.

This past weekend we had the chance to travel to Durham (without Rex - thanks Grandma!) to take part in the new student admit weekend - Blue Devil Weekend. We had a great time. Josh loved the chance to check out the school and to make sure that he wasn't only in love with the idea of living in the mid-Atlantic and in the heart of ACC Basketball country. I got to hang out with other "partners" and learn about Duke's awesome and very supportive program for the partners of the business school students. We both fell in love with Durham and can't wait to move there this summer. Here are some pictures of Duke campus and Duke gardens.

This is where the Blue Devils play basketball

Duke Gardens

The Fuqua School of Business (that is "Few-kwuh", by the way)

Part of our plans for the weekend included finding a house to rent. After 3 days with no luck, our friends (who are also looking for a house to rent) told us about a house they had seen. The house wasn't going to work for them, so we thought we would check it out. We saw the house within 30 minutes of learning it was available. It was perfect, we were sold! The landlord had several other couples interested and told us he would contact us after they had chosen who they were going to rent to. Luckily, they chose us. We are really excited and so relieved that we don't need to make another trip out to find housing. Here is our cute house that we will be renting while in Durham.

The best part about the house is the amazing back yard. There is so much room for Rex and Harley to explore and it's completely fenced, so we don't have to worry about anyone escaping. Harley is going to go nuts chasing squirrels--they are EVERYWHERE!

So, hope you guys enjoy the upcoming finale of the NCAA basketball tournament.

And.....GO DUKE!!

Special Moment

2010-03-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

Rex and Josh had a little moment on the back porch last night. We live directly under the path a lot of planes take into Salt Lake airport and Rex loves to watch them come in. Rex really loves spending time with his Daddy.

Josh turns 30!

2010-03-01T11:07:00.001-07:00

Josh was born on a leap-year. So, he didn't officially have a real "birthday" this year. We took the whole weekend to celebrate and make him feel special. Sunday night we had some family over to celebrate. Everything turned out well, except 2 things:

1. The cake: unfortunately I used a recipe I found on the internet to avoid using a mix in a box. It was gross, and dry. It definitely looked better than it tasted. Next time I'm using the mix.

2. The pictures: I couldn't get a good picture of this party for the life of me. Not enough light = blurry pictures. :(

At least Rex seemed to enjoy the cake (or just the frosting).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH!! We love you!

Photographic Moment

2010-02-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

Rex decided to be really cute and actually pose for some pictures. I seized the opportunity, which will surely be a once-in-a-never type of thing. Sometimes I can't stand how cute he is.

Mama's got a brand new bag!

2010-02-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

I spent every second I could spare for the last few weeks making this cute thing!

I'm slowly proving to myself that I'm not as "sewing handicapped" as I once believed!

Watch What You Say

2010-02-17T09:49:00.003-07:00

Rex is becoming quite the repeater these days. Seems like any new word that sounds cool, he tries to say. I'm always reminding Josh (this goes for me too) that we need to watch what we say. The other day we were up in our bedroom, Rex was playing with the dog. Harley went up and licked Rex in the face and on the mouth. Josh said, "Geez, Harley" really loud. Must have sounded cool because the next word out of Rex's mouth was, "Geez". Over and over with intermittent laughing. All three of us were cracking up. At least it wasn't something worse!

Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

Love, The Garners

3 years ago

2010-02-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

3 years ago today I married my best friend...

Happy Anniversary Josh!

When life gives you lemons, make a bubble bath!

2010-01-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

The Garner's have been sick for almost a week now. Good times! We bought some Mr. Bubble and decided to introduce Rex-man to the bubble bath. I think it made all three of us feel better.

Christmas

2009-12-31T22:23:00.002-07:00

We spent Christmas in Washington at the Garner's house this year. Rex learned a lot of new words including but not limited to: Grandma, Grandpa, Poo, Roscoe (the dog), NO (more emphatically than ever before due to a little book he received called, No No, Yes Yes). As you can tell we had a great time.

Emily, Rex and Josh in our Christmas pajamas

The whole fam (minus Sondra and Grandpa Phil)

Rex with Grandma and Grandpa Garner

Four generations

Playing trucks with Grandpa

Pretty much the coolest lens ever. I am loving my camera.

Kelsey got a new straw

Rex got a book called Tickle Monster. The book comes with a set of adult sized gloves with holes where the fingers peek through - used to tickle giggly, little toddlers. It was hilarious.

Grandma and Grandpa gave Rex a pop up play set. He loved crawling up and down the tube and rolling around in it.

This sock monkey jack-in-the-box was a hit!

Jer and Melanie cooked a delicious prime rib

And every night we played games for hours

The best part was being able to spend time with family that we don't get to see often enough.

Like this guy

We love you guys! So glad we were able to spend the Holidays together.

An Early Christmas Gift

2009-12-20T21:51:00.005-07:00

Rex got a rocking horse from his Grandma and Grandpa Alger for Christmas. Since we won't be spending the holiday with them, they had the horse shipped to our house for us to assemble. He helped Dad put it together, then he hopped right on. He knew exactly what to do, it was pretty cute!

A screwdriver is a pretty safe thing for a 14-month old to play with

and chew on.

If Rex's height and weight stats continue the way they have, he might have a future in jockeying. We're just getting him started young.

Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-06T22:40:00.001-07:00

I was so busy chasing Rex around my parent's very non-childproofed house that I didn't get a chance to take any pictures of our Thanksgiving weekend. I got the pictures from my sister's today, some of them were good enough to share.

Started the day off with a little Turkey Bowl football game (Josh was sore for the next 4 days).

The Sisters and Mom

The pies were pretty amazing, this kid agrees.

Then we were off to Chuck-E-Cheese to celebrate my nephew's 3rd birthday. This is where I schooled my husband at pop-a-shot basketball 3 times in a row.

Rex liked the "toddler section"

He had a serious conversation with this mouse...

and then drove him to his destination, safely.

Dad enjoying a snuggly, sleepy moment

If this doesn't get you into the Christmas spirit...

2009-12-03T10:08:00.001-07:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Family Pictures

2009-11-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

We had our family pictures taken in October. Here are some of the highlights. If any of you are looking for a photographer click here, Leah is amazing!

Baby Blessing and a Little Sunday Football

2009-11-05T20:38:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday we went to Orem for my niece's baby blessing.

Sophie with Grandma Alger

Sophie with Grandma and Grandpa Alger

Sophie with Mom and Dad

Four Generations of Algers

After the blessing we hung out at Andrew and Haley's for the afternoon. Rex's other Grandma, Grandma Garner, got him a Seattle Seahawks jersey so we had to put it on him and see if he had any natural football talent.

Here he is going for the ball...

Guess this answers our question...

We seriously laughed so hard that my brother was able to capture Rex's face 3 inches deep in the grass. This still makes me laugh.

He can't believe he missed the ball.

Here he is throwing his hand over his head and saying "touch down". We're making sure to teach him the essentials.

Halloween

2009-10-31T22:55:00.004-06:00

Here are some pictures from our fun weekend!

Josh and Rex at Josh's work, Trick-or-Treating

Josh got himself a turkey

Harley enjoying his Halloween treat (doesn't his face say, "try and touch this...I dare you")

Rex loves candy, he is my son after all

Rex had a "take it or leave it" attitude when it came to his cousin, Sophie. Here he's using her as an arm rest.

Our little turkey

Family Photos

2009-10-26T23:29:00.000-06:00

Despite an early morning scare in the form of ominous dark clouds and a bit of rain, we were able to squeeze in our family pictures this Saturday afternoon. It worked out perfectly. There was a small patch of blue in the midst of the clouds just long enough for us to get the pictures taken before it closed up and the rain continued.

Follow this link for a sneak peak of our pictures. Our photographer Leah is fantastic!

The Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-24T22:00:00.005-06:00

We recovered from Swine Flu! We had to get out of the house so we went to the pumpkin patch. Rex loved it (of course) because it was outside.

Taking a ride

First Birthday!

2009-10-07T23:12:00.003-06:00

Here are some pictures from Rex's big day!

Really enjoying that basketball cupcake

We were singing 'Happy Birthday' to him during this photo and he wasn't sure what to think of it

Sports cupcakes (Sorry Lindsey, I totally copied your idea from Cannon's bday last year)

Rex trying out his new director's chair

Birthdays aren't all fun and games

Rex got some wheels

And a new carseat!!

Walk Like a Man!

2009-10-03T20:21:00.000-06:00

Sunday Drive

2009-09-27T22:05:00.005-06:00

This afternoon we took a drive in the canyon and saw some beautiful scenery. Rex loved being outside which made for an irresistible photo opportunity. We had a hard time getting his attention for a good picture, he was more interested in the sticks and grass. Go figure!

Are We In Trouble?

2009-09-13T20:38:00.001-06:00

Rex has a new favorite past time. It is jumping around in our Ikea chair. He can climb in all by himself and then he proceeds to bounce around and fall over and laugh and do it all over again. He is yet to learn that gravity + floor = bump on head.

The other day he was getting a bit too rambunctious, so I had to tell him to chill out a bit, so I shook my finger at him and said "No, no." It didn't have the effect I hoped it would, enjoy...

Is this a bad sign? It's really a comfort to know that our child takes our attempts at discipline so seriously. Since this incident he has continued to talk back by shaking his finger at us and saying "Nah, nah, nah, nah." He thinks he's hilarious. He even scolds Harley.

Sophie Jane Alger

2009-09-02T10:41:00.004-06:00

My little brother and his wife welcomed their new little baby into the world yesterday at 9:13am. She weighs 7 lbs 8 oz. and is perfectly healthy. She's just precious - I love her!

Do you like my haircut?

2009-08-31T10:01:00.003-06:00

Rex was getting a little shaggy around the edges so Josh gave him his first haircut last night! I was nervous at first because his long hair was a little curly and it was adorable - I didn't want to cut them off. He still looks handsome with shorter hair. Maybe now we will be able to style it!

We set up the portable DVD player. Worked like a charm to keep him pretty still.

Finished product. Handsome guy!

Yes, we are mean parents...

2009-08-25T08:27:00.003-06:00

When we photograph Rex we usually end up with at least one of these gems each time. Josh and I really get a kick out of them.

My Siamese Daisies

2009-08-20T10:56:00.004-06:00

An astonishing feat of horticulture...BEHOLD:

Isn't it strange? There are two flowers but the stems are joined.

And Rex isn't sure what to think

First Trip to the Zoo

2009-08-16T10:54:00.006-06:00

This weekend we are having unseasonably cool weather. We decided it would be the perfect weekend to take Rex to the zoo (unfortunately, most of Salt Lake also thought it would be a good day for the zoo). Rex had a good time checking out all the animals. He only knows the "baby sign" for dog, so everything was a dog. I also had such a good time, I love the zoo!

Here we are, map in hand, getting ready to see some animals

Cool looking turkey - Thanksgiving dinner, anyone?

We got really close to this guy - so cute

The tiger was originally at the other side of his cage. I didn't feel like fighting the crowd to get a look so I was standing on the other side of his cage. All the sudden he came running over to get a drink and pose perfectly for a sweet picture - just for me!

Boating in Boise

2009-08-11T12:19:00.005-06:00

Josh's parents recently bought a boat, so we met them in Boise for a short weekend of lake fun. Even though it was a bit chilly, we had a great time.

This pic was taken about 2.2 seconds before Rex fell asleep

My husband is cooler than yours :)

Rex and Aunt Kelsey

Grandma bought this blow up hippo pool for Rex to play in, but it doubled as a nice little place for him to take a nap.

Where's Elmo?

2009-07-29T10:51:00.005-06:00

Lately we've have realized that Rex understands more than we give him credit for. He recently got a little Elmo stuffed doll which he loves. About a week ago, I asked him "Where's Elmo, go get him" and he crawled across the room to attack the doll. We've been doing, "Where's Elmo?" all week. Last night I realized he probably didn't even know "Where's Mommy?" so we tried. I was right. He knows Elmo by name and he doesn't know or understand Mommy or Daddy. How sad.

Future Baller

2009-07-17T10:41:00.000-06:00

My Little Guy is 9 Months!

2009-07-07T14:18:00.003-06:00

I took Rex to his appointment yesterday. What else can I say, he is tiny with a huge head (this would probably explain why he still fits into 3-6 month clothes, except we can't get them over his noggin).We love him!

Weight - 16.8 lbs 4%
Height - 27.4" 26%
Head - 18.9" 98%

Rex is the most alert, focused, "thinker" I've ever seen! He is a fairly serious baby (unless he's playing with his dad). He connects to people with his eyes and seems to always be thinking and imagining. He is very strong and since he is small, he can do things I rarely anticipate. We have a wicker toy box that is just a few inches shorter than he is. Yesterday, I turned my back for a few seconds only to find his feet sticking out the top. He had pulled himself up and over the side, down into the toy box. He can climb into chairs and pull up on anything. He babbles constantly. I can't wait until he can talk. We'll probably never hear the end of it.

We love our baby boy!

Mom and Rex go to Ohio

2009-07-05T22:01:00.005-06:00

While Josh was in Canada for 5 days, I took Rex to Ohio to play with his cousins. It was a noisy weekend but we had a blast!

7 kids (under the age of 8) + 4 adults = YOU DO THE MATH!!

Rex loves Jack

He also loves when his Grandma sings to him

Luke loved the slide

Jack and Merek

Loving the swing

Erica

Jack

Britta was so sweet to Rex, she always wanted to hold him

Caterpillar Killer

2009-06-18T13:54:00.002-06:00