La Dolce Vita

California Christmas Part 1

2012-01-21T15:40:00.000-05:00

We did it, we drove alllll the way across the country. It took us 35 hours to get from Indiana to California. That's pretty amazing considering Mapquest said 32 hours drive time. Lots of folks think we we are nuts for not grabbing a hotel but we wanted to maximize time with family and just get er done. It was long, but worth every last mile!

It was so wonderful, so wonderful, SO WONDERFUL to be home, in California, with our family and loved ones. It had been a year and a half since we had been home. Typically, we never go more then a couple of months without taking a trip home. Columbus Indiana has been treating us well, however,I have definitely been getting a little homesick having our family so far away. This trip was needed. Every moment was soaked up and savored. I think we will be making the long haul across the country pretty regularly.

We started with a stop at my Moms. We had a fun and relaxing time hanging out with Candy Grandma. A few photos to remember the happenings . . .

Cutest picture on the planet!

Daddy has the magic touch with Quinn, she falls asleep in his arms all the time.

Great picture of Candy Grandma and Quinn!

Opening up presents with the boys.

Blue eyes like her big brother Hudson.

Hudson loves to play this game, I tell him what face to make, click a pic, he looks, we repeat. This is "scary".

"surprised"

"cute"

Playing outside, Grandma has lots of fun places to play in her yard.

Hudson showing me his fossils that he dug up.

Cayman being an "Expert Palentologist"

Graham helping out in the yard.

Happy 5th Birthday Cayman + a Dino Party!

2012-01-13T01:05:00.002-05:00

Cayman turned 5 last month. I still can't believe that my baby boy is 5. I am one lucky gal to be this handsome little guys mommy. It's hard to put into words what a blessing being a mother is. I sure am enjoying getting to know his spirit. Some of Cayman's strongest character traits are his compassion, love and sensitivity for others. He goes out of his way all the time to make sure that I am happy and that I know that he loves me. He is my little helper and the ultimate steward over his little brother and sister. Hudson is his little side kick and wants to be just like him. Cayman takes care of Quinn like he is her little Daddy and Quinn thinks Cayman is the Bee's Knees! He makes friends very easily and the ladies are already after him (this makes me very nervous, for instance, far too frequently there are older girls following him around saying how cute he is). I did a little interview the other day (a new tradition I am going to do every year on my kiddos birthday) and here is a summary:

"I want to be a "Paleontologist Dinosaur Expert when I grow up". (since he was 2 he hasn't waivered)

His best qualities (according to him)- "My strength" (Rhandi- like what?) "My abs, long arms and speedyness".

Favorite things to do- "Play" (Rhandi- play what?) "With Toys, games, my family and my friends".

Favorite Food- Candy and Watermelon. Favorite Dinner Food- Pasta.

Favorite thing about Preschool- Play time, snack time and crafts.

At 5, Cayman excels in his memory and recollection (it's really quite incredible). He is really good at math and is quite the little Scientist. He is (slowly) getting better at writing his name more clearly and learning his letters. He also likes to read with me and will sometimes spend a full hour, by himself looking through his books. He is getting ready to play on his first soccer team and he can't wait. He has been asking to take a Hip Hop Dance class, I think we will start that soon (I can't resist, it's the Dancer in me). He is also a wiz on the computer and Daddy's smart phone (I am amazed and scared at the same time). We are so lucky and blessed to have his sweet spirit in our home. We love you Cayman and can't wait to see the amazing things you do with your life.

DINO BIRTHDAY PARTY
Cayman has been talking about having a Dinosaur Birthday Party for a looong time! He had about 12 friends over, it was 5 year old madness and it went great. We played pin the horn on the triceratops, did a sweet obstacle course, and ate pizza while watching Dinosaur Train.

Watch out . . . there's a T REX loose in the house!

Mom made Cayman a sweet Dino Cake (I gave him the choice when I was planning the party, I showed him pictures, I was grateful he choose this cake instead of a 3D Cake- thanks buddy!)

Make a wish!

His friends know him well, the key to his heart is through Dinosaurs!

Most of the party crew, getting ready for the obstacle course.

Happy Brody- one of Cayman's best buddies!

They even drank from dino cups . . .

Lots of Dino Decorations . . .

Dino Goodie Bags . . .

A end of the night family pic that Cayman clearly wasn't feeling- he was too busy playing to stop for a picture.

Cayman's Special Day at School

Cayman goes to a wonderful Preschool. Each student has a "special day", I brought in treats for his class and Cayman got to wear a special hat and pick a new toy. He was so excited for his special day and it was fun to spend some time in his classroom.

Cayman asked me to make Dinosaur cookies for his class. The kids loved them. It's amazing how much kids love Dinosaurs!

Pretty Little Quinn

2012-01-04T02:42:00.000-05:00

Quinn is 4 months old in these sweet pictures (taken at the end of November). We sure can't get enough of this gem!

I still can't believe I have a little girl! I am in 7th heaven posting a bazillion pictures that all almost look exactly the same, it's just too much fun and I don't want to forget any of her sweet faces!

Silly attempt . . .

2012-01-04T02:11:00.000-05:00

Yes, most of you got our Christmas Card this year. I picked out cute outfits, borrowed our friends tripod, and figured we would just snap a few shoots somewhere picturesque and viola a perfect Christmas card photo would be sent. Bahahaha. Graham got home late, it was almost dark, Hudson was sick and it was freezing. Graham said we should try another night, I said over my dead body (the kids were already dressed) and we were running out of days to print and send cards before we left for California. So we set up the tripod in front of our house, attempted to bribe our tired boys and did the best we could. I think the cute clothes saved us . . . observe . . . .

The ONLY shot that Hudson smiled for. Graham asked the boys to do a test shot, apparently Hudson thought he was done after this

Merry Christmas from the Ormes

Watch Hudson on these next few, we had the Camera on auto and it shoot 5 at a time, he was not having this!

One normal shot, Quinn performed like a champ

Observe Cayman in these last few, we had one very Silly boy while his brother insisted on staying grumpy.

Good times at the Orme house. As crazy as it can be, it really is the BEST!

Ragnar, Bumpa & Hallows Eve

2012-01-04T01:32:00.002-05:00

I wrote this post a couple of months ago but never finished it up- better late then never!

We have been busy little critters lately! Rhandi and Graham have been busy training and completing Ragnar Relay Tennessee. Cayman and Hudson have been busy Dragons and Tigers. Bumpa took time out of his busy schedule to come and stay with us and watch the boys while we were in TN. Our family Jewel- sweet sweet Quinn has been busy being just perfect, smiling and happily going along with whatever our busy little family is up to.

Ragnar Relay- Chatanooga TN to Nashville TN- 196 miles- 12 runners- 24 hours - Tons of FUN!

Both Graham and I have done Ragnar Relays before (Washington State and Southern California) but it has been a while. It was a great way to get us both back into shape. I just had a baby and I am really proud of myself for pounding out 19.5 miles 12 weeks after giving birth. Graham was the team stud, he had the longest total millage (20.5) but even more so, he had some really, really tough legs up some gnarly hills and kept a super quick pace. We ran the race with new friends from our church ward and we had an absolute blast. It was wonderful to spend time with my best friend and have a little break (THANKS DAD). Since I am an exclusive breastfeeding Mama, Quinn came along, she was SUCH a good sport and was so good that everyone kept saying they forgot she was with us. Thank you Quinn, that would have been a rough weekend had you not complied (she's already a natural- maw ha ha ha, I am creating my powerhouse running minion already).

Quinn helping Daddy prepare for his first leg of the race.

The Girls from our van- we had so much fun!

The Runners. . . .

James- the Pearl Jamin Runner

Parie- strong and quick this little thing!

Graham, definitely our MVP and master Navigator

Rhandi-I think I was listening to "Gettin Jiggy Wit It" and feeling silly around 1am. Gotta love a little Will Smith to keep the wheels turning. Aweee Yea!

Kendra- funnest gal around and a good runner to boot!

Melissa- Inspired us all! Her very first race, she did an Ragnar and ran 15 miles (most people start with a 5K) and she had by far had the hardest, most backbreaking hill of the entire race! She is a stud and reached her goal of never walking!

Our Van . . .

A few action shots . . .

A few funny pics of Hudson, man, this kid is so much fun! I wish you were all around to play with this little guy!

Cayman loves to pose for the Camera . . .

This is his "beautiful" face

"thinking hard"

This is his, "cool face"

Fun Times with Bumpa . . .

Quinn at 3 1/2 months . . . still as sweet and perfect as can be.

A few Halloween Shots . . .

Cayman at his Preschool Halloween Parade

Hudson still wears his Tiger costume almost everyday and it's January (Yes, I am just a little behind on posting).

Trick or Treating (this is what happens when you leave the photo taking up to dad, better then nothing)

Halloween Socks!

2011-10-31T00:14:00.000-04:00

I love simple pleasures! It's amazing how much joy my boys have gotten out of a few pairs of cute Halloween socks. They have been used as hand puppets, monsters, decorations and cozy little feet warmers. Nana and Bumpa sent them a few days ago and they boys have either had them on or have been playing with them ever since. They have been toting them around in their plastic pumpkins as well. Thank you Mom and Dad- we love you!

Kirtland Family Fun

2011-10-30T23:52:00.002-04:00

Lucky lucky us. Last weekend we got to see Uncle Derek and Aunt Reagan- oh how the boys love their Aunt and Uncle. Derek and Reagan went on a Church History trip via BYU and when we found out they would only be a couple of hours away, we knew that we had to make the trip. We spent a bit of time together Sunday night and then toured with the BYU group on Monday. The boys were so well behaved, we toured all day long and a lot of the time they had to remain still and quiet, they did great. Graham and I discussed it on our long drive home and decided it was a proud parent moment. They even answered some questions that our tour guides asked, it was so cute and everyone got a kick out of it. It was wonderful to be with our fab Bro and Sis/Uncle and Aunt and we can't wait to see them and the rest of the Orme fam at Christmas time. Here is a photo log of our fun day.

I Love this pic, Hudson is looking just adorable and Reagan is gorgeous, look at her amazingly beautiful head of hair!

Cayman loved playing with this contraption at the wood mill.

I wonder what he is thinking about . . .

Dark light photo but I wanted to log that Q just pretty much slept all day, such an easy little gal that Quinn!

When she was a awake she was smiling and I am even changing her diaper on the front seat of the car.

A {Perfectly} Lovely Fall Afternoon

2011-10-19T16:21:00.000-04:00

Silly attempt at a family photo but you can't ask a stranger to "keep snapping until you get a good one, would you?".

I am joyous, fall is here! Crisp weather has arrived, decor is up, pumpkin baked goods are abound and my boots and scarves are in full swing, (when I am not in my sweaty workout clothes). Does anyone watch Modern Family? Maybe I shouldn't, but I do, I love it, it's hilarious. I feel like the Mom who is always in her workout clothes, she's a cute gal, but she can't for the life of her seam to get out of her sweaty workout clothes. That's me alright (but she is much cutter). At least I am working out, and getting back into racing shape- it feels good.

Back on track, my mind doesn't stay in one place for long these days . . . This past weekend, we went to an absolutely lovely apple orchard/pumpkin patch called Appleworks. We had a great time, our highlights were- feeding the animals, Hudson's Pony ride, Caymans haystack adventures, eating amazing homemade apple dumpling with vanilla ice cream, pumpkin doughnuts, apple doughnuts and buying some of the best apples known to man (Stamen is our favorite right now). Cayman keeps asking for "those extra good apples we brought home from that farm place". It was a wonderful family afternoon and we can't wait to go back and get more apples. Thanksgivings apples for pie will definitely be coming from Appleworks. A fantastic crisp afternoon to be remembered!

Cayman, almost 5 years old! The ultimate big bro.

Hudson- 2 1/2 and can't wait to be 3! Every night he prays, " and thank you that Heavenly Father gives us birdays".

Major animal lover this boy!

Quinn, 10 weeks already. Stealing all of our hearts. Cayman insists that he is her favorite, I think he may be right.

I love my honey- he's the best!

There is just something about a Daddy and his little girl . . . . melts my heart!

Hudson loved his pony ride, absolutely loved it!

Cayman wanted nothing to do with the Pony ride which is funny since he has been asking to ride a horse for the last month or so. He was perfectly satisfied climbing the haystack instead.

I can't believe these are ALL my sweet babies. How did this happen(well, I know how, but you know what I mean). I LOVE being goofy and playing with my crazy kiddos!

Moms highlight, being the foodie gal that I am- eating the BEST homemade apple dumpling ever, with vanilla bean ice cream and cinnamon caramel sauce! Instead of leaving the apple whole, they sliced thinly through the entire apple but kept it together as one apple, definitely going to try this next time I make apple dumplings.

Candy Grandma & The 3 Amigos

2011-10-15T22:31:00.004-04:00

My Mom has quite a few names in the Orme household- Mom, Mamma, Mommy, Madre and Mamita, all used by yours truly. My sweet kiddos call her Grandma Rhonda and the most frequent and house favorite, CANDY GRANDMA. Cayman came up with this when he barely started talking. He remembered that there was always candy in Grandmas purse (usually just mentos) and that she would happily and easily give them to him. Hense, Candy Grandma was born. My mom is one smart lady, she knows the key to her grandchildren s heart, 1)Candy 2)The Dollar Store. Genius I tell you, genius. She came to visit for a couple of weeks in September and helped take care of of us all. She got down and dirty and played with the boys for hours everyday and held Quinn in her arms and whispered sweet words in her new grand-daughters ears. It was precious, I love the way that my mom loves my children.

Sadly, I took NO PHOTOS while my Mom was here until I panicked as I was taking her to the airport. Needless to say, it's better then nothing. Airport photos better then no photos right?

Also included are random pictures of our 3 Amigos around the house-they are just so seriously cute!

Rhandi & Mom

Candy Grandma reading to Cayman on the way to the airport.

Saying goodbye to sleeping Hudson- he was sad when he woke up and didn't remember saying goodbye.

Pictures at the airport with a sleepy baby- better then nothing!

Sometimes Hudson will fight going down for a nap. Grahams technique- "Ok Hudson, don't worry about napping- just climb on my back", works like a charm.

Out cold- the Orme kiddos can fall asleep anywhere- we pride ourselves in that.

Just look at those eyes, it's really hard to say no to those eyes.

Cayman being goofy- this kid knows how to have a good time.

3 of Caymans favorite things in life, 1) His "rockin guitar" shirt, he would wear it everyday if I let him. 2) Dinosaurs 3) Stickers

Hudson trying to copy his big bro.

Love that I caught his laugh!

Best buddies!

Daddy reading to the boys after work (the boys favorite time of the day).

Quinn- 6 weeks

Hudson is obsessed with touching Quinn. He especially loves to stick his little hands under her chin and say things like, "Quinn, sweet baby girl" in this squeaky high voice. He also does (if you look closely you can kind of see), this little thing with his mouth,where it looks like he's just gonna squeeze her to death, like a little kid does to it's pet bunny and then the head just pops right off (can you picture a cartoon). Luckily, for a 2 year old, he has been remarkably gentle but it's still a little frightening sometimes. I think Quinn is a little scared of Hudson but she also gets really excited when he is close by.

Quinn- 7 weeks

Quinn- 9 weeks, smiling a ton- so much fun!

Fun at home

2011-09-02T01:42:00.003-04:00

I have spent a lot of time at home the last 5 weeks (having a baby will do that) and it has been quite nice. 3 kiddos has definitely been a much bigger jump then from 1 to 2 but we are getting the hang of it. The boys have been a big help and it's so fun to watch them love Quinn and mature with their new roles as big brothers

Cayman is a great helper and is always doing things like getting a diaper, finding a pacifier or helping Hudson when I am busy with Quinn. He even has a knack for soothing Quinn, if she starts crying in the swing he will go over to her and say the sweetest little things and a lot of the time it works. "Shhhh, it's alright baby Quinn, Cayman's here precious girl" (in the sweetest voice).

Hudson is so excited about Quinn always wants to hold her, touch her, kiss her and he wants to know where she is at all times. He is constantly concerned with her well being and is always showing her all of his toys and asking if Quinn can play with us too.

Quinn is a little angle. She has finally showed me that she can cry (especially when we drive and when I change her diaper). She is starting to smile and coo and really, nothing beats the smile and sweet noises of a fresh little one straight from heaven.

We have had a lot of fun with the Camera lately, here is a photo log of our fun times at home.

I am loving this little girl, do they have her jacket in my size?

Funny faces

Discovering her hands

So much fun to dress a little girl! I think I need to do a post of Quinn in all of her cute little clothes.

Cayman's first day of Pre-K preschool. He absolutely LOVES it and I am really impressed with the school. He goes MWF from 9 to 11 30 and I am carpooling with a friend who lives close, so it's really a great arrangement.

My First run post-pregnancy, this moment is always photographed and documented. This is what I do every MWF while Cayman is at school. Quinn is doing great- which is a must because my kids will all learn to love the BOB- they don't have a choice :)

My first attempt at using fondant for cake decorating. I have been wanting to try it for a long time, it's not great by any stretch, but I had fun and I think I could get a lot better now that I have messed with fondant for a while. Next time I will try and cover the entire cake in fondant before I add detail. Taste is where I excel, it tasted awesome, this is my very favorite chocolate cake recipe, maybe someday my cake will look as good as it tastes (maybe).

We threw my friend Sarah a birthday party and after, the kids came down stairs and tested out the karaoke themselves, they loved hearing their voices and singing along to the music- cute stuff!

"TIME OUT FACES". Both the boys got put in time out for fighting with each other. After, they were still sitting and I had the camera close by, they are both modeling their "time out" face. I love the difference in their faces, their personalities totally come out. Time out, for Cayman is sad and he always feels bad, whereas Hudson is so mischievous and he knows it, and wants to pretend that time out doesn't bother him (but it does, and he folds eventually).

"PIRATE FACES". Cayman's idea while they were drinking chocolate soy milk, because they have "pirate moustaches", they are saying "arrrrr" while doing the classic pirate move.

They both just love to have me take pictures of them and then they look through them all and laugh. Silly boys, but a simple form of entertainment.

Nana to the RESCUE!

2011-08-15T00:45:00.000-04:00

Well, tonight I am in mourning. My amazing Mother in Law, my hubbies amazing Mom, my kiddos amazing Nana, has returned to San Diego. She came to help hold down the fort as we are adjusting to the new and improved Party of 5. We have spent the last week plus, getting spoiled. She has been playing with the boys nonstop-lots of dinosaurs, crafts, reading, the park, the museum and more! Cooking yummy food, taking us out for a fun dinner, keeping our house spic and span, letting mom and dad sleep in (incredible), helping with Princess Buttercup . . . I tell you folks, all 5 of us were very, very sad to see her go. She is just wonderful! Here are some highlights.

Nana helped the boys make "dino feet". The boys loved loved loved it! Very clever craft made with tissue boxes and foam sponges.

They have been playing in their new feet all week, and amazingly enough, they are still in tact.

Influence of big brothers!

Cayman and Hudson, giving Quinn a present. Every girl wants a car sticker on her tummy! They were feeling pretty good about there generous contribution to her leopard print.

Sleeping at the park

The Childrens Museum in Indy (voted the best in the world) is fantastic! They have a big dinosaur section, the boys are digging for fossils.

Cayman, of course, could spend ALL.DAY.LONG digging for fossils!

Quinn, asleep as usual that easy little gal! Me and Quinn joined the fam at the museum, it feels great to join the real world and start getting out of the house again!

One of the many, very neat, interactive exhibits.

Got to have an Indy Car station in Indy.

A real transformer in the making

Nana saying goodbye to Quinn as she was heading out the door to the airport :(

Lots of loves to Nana! We can't thank her enough for all of her incredible help, fun and love. We miss you already and the boys can't wait for a trip to San Diego, they were already asking when we would visit Nana and Bumpa an hour after she left. Soon, was our answer, which isn't soon enough. We love you Mom!!

Quinns Big Photo Sesh

2011-08-14T23:41:00.001-04:00

The photographer who took Quinns newborn photos at the hospital (a service offered to everyone who delivers) asked if Quinn could be a baby model for her. We of course couldn't pass up a free photo opp and were tickled pink that she asked. Bellow are photos from her photo shoot along with her newborn shots that were taken at the hospital. We just can't get enough of our Princess Buttercup! (Our new house is on Buttercup Ct so naturally the nickname just had to be).

Quinn Hazel- 2 Weeks Old

Quinn Hazel - 2 Days Old

Welcome Little Quinn

2011-08-02T23:26:00.000-04:00

I still can't get over how quick our little Quinn came into this world! My labor with Cayman was 24 hours, my labor with Hudson was 16 hours. Naturally, I was expecting another long day of labor- boy was I taken by surprise. I know these posts can be major TMI, however, this blog is my closest thing to a journal, so here is a recap of our Quinn's arrival.

We went to the hospital Tuesday morning for my scheduled induction. I was hoping that I would be dilated, but I was only a 1/2 cm. By 9am my IV was in and my (amazing) doctor decided that before pumping my body with pictocin, she would try a method (folly catheter) to help me dilate. She said that by 12/ 1pm I would hopefully be dilated to a 2 or 3. Lucky me- I was dilated to a 4 before 10am. Off to a good start! Then she turned up the pictocin and good, strong, frequent contractions came quick.

At 12 noon, I was still a 4 but baby was getting lower. I spent the next 2 hours laboring pretty hard and decided to get an epidurial at 2pm. Then Graham went down the street to get sandwhiches for him and Rochelle (I told him to go, assuming since I was only a 4 and with my previous history he had plenty of time) and my Dr. went to her office to see a patient. Then things went super quick!

At 2:30, I told Rochelle I kind of felt like pushing but that I must be losing my mind because hardly any time had passed (so I didn't say anything to my nurse). At 2:45, the nurse came in to check me and said, "you won't believe this but she's right there, you are at a 10 and ready to push, right now". Problem- Doctor and Graham were both GONE. So, the nurse called the doctor and Rochelle called Graham. Graham didn't believe Rochelle at all and so Rochelle had to put me on the phone to convince him we weren't joking. My doctor told the nurse she would be right there and to have me wait to push until she (and Graham hopefully) got there.

Doctor and Graham arrived 15 minutes later, I pushed for 15 minutes and baby Quinn was born! We had a scary moment when she came out, the cord was wrapped very tight around her neck . Doctor had to cut the cord quick (before I pushed her completely out), she wasn't breathing very well and so they had to give her oxygen for a couple of seconds. She started recovering and breathing better. Doc said that she only sees cords that tight about once a year. It was very scary for a moment but they quickly assured me that everything was ok. When a new baby receives oxygen, it is protocol for them to be observed for 4 hours. They let Quinn stay with me after she was born and then took her a couple of times throughout the rest of the day/night adding up to 4 hours and during observation, she was perfect and healthy as can be.

Quinn is now a week old and is an angel. Hudson absolutely loves her and is completely smitten. He always wants to hold Quinn and know where she is and what she is doing. If Quinn cries, Hudson is very concerned and wants nothing more then for her to be happy. Cayman, silly Cayman, how do I explain? I think he is scared of Quinn, he is afraid he is going to break her or something. He still hasn't held her. Cayman will hug her and kiss her head, so so softly. He keeps telling me that she just came home from the hospital and he is not ready to hold her. He's not bitter or unkind, quite the opposite, but he just doesn't want to hold her. For the last 2 days, he has been saying he will hold her on "Friday- then she will be old enough". I will let you know how things go Friday. In the meantime, I am in 7th heaven and could just stare at our beautiful, peaceful Quinn all.day.long!

Party of 5- our first family photo a couple of hours after Quinn was born. Cayman was scared of the hospital (he told me it "smelled funny and was weird in here") so we couldn't get him to really smile or look at the camera. He was fine away from my hospital bed- I think it scared him to see me in bed with the IVs and everything.

So special to have my sis there with us. She has been such a BIG help this week with everything!

Hudson was so excited to hold his "baby sister"

Napping on Mommy and Daddy's bed.


Her first trip out of the hospital- to the Doctors office.

Introducing Quinn Hazel Orme

2011-07-30T00:50:00.000-04:00

Our Quinn has finally arrived and we are in heaven!

Here are the stats:

Quinn Hazel Orme

July 26th, 2011, 3:29pm

7 pounds, 15 ounces, 20.5 inches

We arrived home from the hospital yesterday and mommy and baby are doing great. The boys love their new baby sister and are being very careful with her- it. My sister and brother in law are staying with us- we are grateful to have the extra hands and help as we adjust to being a family of 5 . Quinn is our easiest baby yet, she sleeps and nurses like a charm and is as peaceful as can be. Blessed, blessed, blessed! More pics and her birth story coming soon.

Fun on the 4th!

2011-07-15T11:00:00.000-04:00

This marks my first official blog post of our new life in Indiana, (which we are loving by the way). Time is going by crazy fast, we have been here for 2 months already. We have been so busy making our new house a home and preparing for baby girl that I have neglected the blog.

4th of July weekend was fantastic and we were lucky enough to have house guests- my sister Rochelle, brother in law Mitch and their adorable little lady Brooklyn spent 3 days with us and it was heaven! I never dreamed we would get visitors in our new, random location so soon and we have already had 2 visits (Grahams Bro Derek and Cousin Erin came last month).

On the 4th, we slept in, packed up, and went to the Lake with a car full of yummy food. We found a nice little hidden beach, played, enjoyed the sun and then rented a boat, which we all loved. My pregnant happy moment- being 9 months preggo submerged in water is an amazing, weightless feeling! We finished the day with a BBQ at our house and lit off a massive amount of fireworks. NOTHING is illegal in Indiana when it comes to Fireworks, so we had some pretty good ones. We also went to a great show with some new friends in Columbus a few days before, which was a ton of fun.

Cousins! At last the boys have a first cousin! They could dote on Brooklyn all day long!

Hudson wanted to hold Brooklyn all the time, I think he would have happily sat all day hand on his face.

She is making us very excited to meet our upcoming addition!

Cayman loved playing at the beach!

Chillin in the boat

Captain Hudson!

Cayman and Mom safe at the back of the boat.

Cayman thought the boat was the best things since sliced bread, he was so happy to be on it!


Hudson is obsessed with his sunglasses- I don't they came off once the entire day		.

4th of July family pic- super successful shot, as you can see.

Laubaugh family pic


Beautiful!

MBA Grad!

2011-05-12T00:20:00.000-04:00

It's official, Graham graduated with his MBA (Masters of Business Administration) from BYU in April. We are so proud of Graham and all of his hard work. I have been amazed with Graham's ability to be so actively involved in the program, above and beyond what is necessary and required, while still making time for his family. We have had a fun and special 2 years returning to Provo. We have been blessed to have family close by (the hardest part of moving for me is leaving my sister Rochelle), made lifelong friends in the MBA program and the beautiful Wasatch Mountains have been in our backyard, all 3 of these things are going to be very hard to leave. Thank you BYU & Provo- you have been good to us!

See above and bellow (this was an hour before, there was not an open seat in the house). 2 days of especially loonng graduation ceremonies, lead to desperate measures, gotta love modern tech- saved the day!

I love this pic! Future BYU alumni in the making!

This is how 95% of our attempts at a family photo turn out, any one else have this problem?

Seriously, best shot of the day, at least we got a better one outside the following day (see above).

Graham's wonderful family all came to help celebrate the occasion (we missed you Carson and Anne!). Derek, Graham's little brother also graduated from the Accounting program.

Proud Parents

Brothers

In addition to Graham and Derek graduating, so did 2 of their cousins, Jenna and Meagan. It was great to have so much family together. Matthew and Anna hosted a fab party for us all up in Midway- wish we had a pic.

While we were busy mingling with friends (see bellow) at at post-grad reception, Hudson was busy playing in a water fountain (see pants) and with his killer chameleon.

Some of Graham's friends in the program.

Fabulous friends! These wonderful women were such a support system! Post of MBASA coming soon! Love you Girls! I wish I had more pics from this(send them my way if you have them).

SUCH a WoNdErFuL feeling to be DONE!

Shower for my BaBy GiRl !

2011-05-11T23:00:00.000-04:00

My fab sis and two of my most favorite friends in the world (Stacie and Lori) threw me a absolutely wonderful baby shower. The food was delicious, the decorations cute-cute-cute and the company perfect! Even though this is my third baby, it's my first GIRL and it was so fun and special to celebrate her upcoming arrival. Exciting times ahead!

Some of the guests- thanks friends and fam for coming!

A bit of the fare and decor

Sisters . . . Rochelle and my Sister in Law Reagan. Don't forget baby Brooklyn representing her soon to be cousin (they are going to be the best of friends of course).

Thank you so much Rochelle, Lori and Stacie- it couldn't have been more perfect evening! xo

Moab Fun!

2011-04-19T00:55:00.000-04:00

In March we had a fun family weekend in Moab. Graham ran the Moab Half Marathon again (I missed out his year, busy baking a baby girl) and we cheered him on. We rented a Condo with some friends in the MBA program (thanks Fhors) and had a great time. We also spent a day hiking around beautiful Arches National Park. This semester has been incredibly busy for all of us and it was refreshing and wonderful to spend some quality family time together.

Hanging out at the park waiting for daddy to finish his race.

Cayman's in heaven, a ride on his best friend T-Rex.

Go Hot Stuff!

A group of MBAs and a few spouses who ran the half marathon.

Cayman LOVED hiking around in Arches!

Family pic while Hudson is sleeping in the double stroller.

Close up- Hudson sure loves his Daddy!

Family of 5- well, almost, you can see my little belly and turkey timer- I think it's doubled in size since we took this pic.

As much as Cayman liked hiking for a while, observe how miserable he is at the end of the day. He was fighting a fever and didn't feel well, we were just happy he lasted as long as he did.

"I am so done Mom"

Indiana Here We Come!

2011-03-14T13:29:00.000-04:00

It's official, in December we accepted a job offer with Cummins in Columbus Indiana. Graham will be working as a Sourcing Manager (that's in the Supply Chain Department) and we are really excited about our new adventure. It was a tough decision made with a lot of prayer, research and thought. We feel really great about our decision. I think I am still in shock that we Californians are going to be living across the country in the Eastern Standard Time Zone but this is definitely what is right. We are sad to be moving so far away from most of our family but we also feel very blessed to have a great job straight out of MBA school.

Where is Columbus you ask? It's about 30 minutes south of Indianapolis on the Southern end of Indiana. We are about an hour away from beautiful Kentucky, apparently, this means we are in a area full of green, trees and rolling hills. Columbus is a small town (population about 60,000) but there is a Super Target and some great outlet Malls, so I should survive :) Plus, Indy has a Trader Joes (amazing!) and everything else fun that a big city has to offer and it's just a hop, skip and a jump away.

Next week we are taking a 4 day trip to Columbus to find a house (hopefully find our first home to buy) and get to know the area. I can't wait!

Graham graduates from BYU with his Masters in Business (MBA) April 21st (JUST 5 weeks away!) and he starts his new job with Cummins June 6th. We are going to take 3 weeks after graduation to have a fun family vacation to California to visit and spend time with all of our family. Then off to Indiana! Crazy exciting times ahead!

Family Pics & Final Catch Up

2011-03-09T03:10:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to blog about the current and the fun things we have coming up! I still have a few bits of this and that that I missed,so I am wrapping up the last bit of 2011. I didn't take many pics between November and January because I was crazy sick (this pregnancy is giving me a run for my money) but here are a few things that we enjoyed.

Orme Family Pics 2010
My friend Kelly is a fabulous photographer and took our pics in downtown Salt Lake behind the Capital City Theatre, here are a few of our favs.

Lights at Temple Square

As you can see, Cayman was having a great time (wink). It was so freezing and I was way sick (pregnancy sick), so that is a big fake smile on my face, I feel more like Cayman looks

We really did have a good time, we went to Lion House and had hot chocolate and homemade rolls and walked around and enjoyed the beautiful lights of Temple Square while the kiddos ate snow and complained about the cold.

Christmas Morning

Well, we somehow didn't take any full family pictures on Christmas morning (again, it was the mom wasn't feeling well thing) but we did snap a few cute ones of the boys. Christmas morning was so fun this year- the boys were so excited at the top of the stairs to come down and see what santa left them!

Me and my sis got sewing machines for Christmas! We are way stoked to get in touch with our crafty side! Especially with 2 new little girls in the family. I have always been scared senseless of sewing but I am ready to go for it!

Cayman's Preschool Thanksgiving Program

Cayman's preschool Thanksgiving program. He was SO excited! They each had a chance to say aloud something that they were thankful for. Cayman said, "I am thankful for all of the places I have been and for T-Rex's".

Rochelle's Baby Shower
So much fun to throw a shower for my sister and BFF!

Halloween

(Yea, I know this one's way late but I wanted to post a pic of the sweet Halloween wreath I made, I am trying to be more crafty outside of just the kitchen). Hudson fell asleep on the way to go trick or treating, Cayman had a great time. This year, the "Halloween Fairy" came (thanks for the idea Becky R). The boys left their candy out a few days after and then Halloween fairy came and took their candy and left them a new toy. Genius, I tell you, genius, they can't wait for her to come back next year. I love it because my kiddos get to enjoy their candy for a day or two but avoid a health and dental disaster by dragging it out too long.

It's a GIRL!!

2011-02-20T18:13:00.000-05:00

Yup folks, that's right- our little baby coming is a GIRL! A girl a girl a girl! I was sure that another boy was on the way and that I would be outnumbered 4 to 1. I am so excited for a little pink in our family. Cayman guessed it would be a girl from the very begining and the boys are so excited to have a baby sister. In fact, Cayman was so sure it was a girl, right before we left to get the ultrasound I decided I should tell him that it might be a boy. This is what he told me,

"If it's a girl, she is going to be a princess and she is going to need a Knight. So I won't be a dragon anymore, I will be her Knight. Hudson can be the Dragon.

Rhandi- "and what if we are having a boy?"

Cayman- "Oh, well, then we can have 3 dragons!".

Baby girl Orme is scheduled to arrive at the end of July. We can't wait!!

Recap- Fun Fall Season

2011-01-31T09:05:00.000-05:00

A great big part of me wanted to give up on the last 4 months of blogging and just pick back up in February but, I really am trying to make this a bit of a photo journal for our family so I am going to attempt to sum up our fun fall season. Sorry for the novel, don't worry, I don't expect you to read all of my ramblings. Happy picture viewing.

Wyoming Camping and Rafting Trip

We had a great weekend camping with a ton of the dance family cousins and our boys. It was fun and a lot easier to take them camping a little bit older. They loved camping, the dirt, sleeping outside- it was awesome to see our boys loving what we will be doing a lot of in their lifetime. Our fab cousins Jevonne and Paul organized everything and guided us down the river through some fun rapids.

The many faces of our funny boy Hudson.

The boys couldn't get enough of the river and the "pathway" to it. Cayman memorized the trail and would lead us directly to the river and back to our campsite. When he told me he could do it, I thought he would get lost but he got it right on the first try- a natural mountain man at work!

California Trip
One of my very best friends from high school Kelly got married in October. So, we made a fun trip to Northern California and were able to spend time with family. Graham flew in for the weekend to be my a date to Kelly's wedding (thanks hun). We had a fantastic week staying with my Dad and little brother in Susanville and with family in Chico. My wonderful cousin Kindra and Aunt Wendy watched the boys for us while we went to the wedding in Sacramento-we had an entire day to ourselves- it was heaven!

Cousins! Cayman is in LOVE with Charlie, he talks about him all the time and asks a few times a week when we get to visit him next. Cayman even prays for Charlie and that we can see him really soon.

Kelly and Brandon's beautiful wedding. It was a perfect, lovely evening and I am so proud of Kelly and the wonderful man she married.

Grandpa teaching his boys how to work hard in the yard.

Hard at work, Cayman's busy digging while Hudson gives Noah his next task to complete.

A boy and His DOG!

Hudson is obsessed with dogs- I love these pics and want to always remember how happy "doggies" make my little boy!

Park Time

This pic is incredibly white trash- you know, I got Cayman is own 42 ouncer- Big Gulp, drink up little guy- kidding, it's just water!

Daddy and Grandpa at work

Future blackmail, sorry sweetie :)

3 generations, no wait, just 2 :)

Gardner Village

Gardner Village is a Halloween "Witches" village I visited with a bunch of friends. They have super cool and ornate witches and Halloween/Fall decorations everywhere. I would love to go back for a GNO sans the kiddos, it was a little crazy but we had a good time.

Cayman's best buddies Taylor and MJ. These boys have so much fun together. If Jackson were in this picture it would really be complete!

The Pumpkin Patch

Going to the pumpkin patch as a family is just one of the best things ever! I look forward to it each year and am never disappointed. So fun!

Berry Picking

We had a lot of fun raspberry picking this fall. Hudson love, love, loves berries! Cayman won't touch them with a 10 foot pole but I can't even pick them fast enough for Hudson. I love making homemade raspberry freezer jam- I just used the last of it today. Next berry season can't come soon enough.

Hudson and his buddy Braden (cutest kid ever) loved this dog!

Halloween Half Marathon

This was a super fun race that started at Aspen Grove (past Sundance) and then we ran through the Canyon into Provo. I highly recommend this race to anyone who loves to run. People go all out- my little costume was nothing, it's amazing to see what someone can run 13.1 miles in! It's also a fast course and a great PR race. I pulled in a 1:28 half marathon time (PR). The half is my favorite race distance right now and I can't wait to beat my time, I am addicted to Killing the half!

Before the race. My wonderful friend and studly running partner Jamie. Seriously, the worlds best training parter, I am so sad she moved to Portland.

Derek is crazy, he ran the entire race in this and it was like 15 degrees when we started.

Never felt so good to be done with a race!

Mud Pies

2010-10-24T03:53:00.000-04:00

This is what happens when Daddy's in charge and we all love it. I am grateful for Graham and his ability to just let go and let our boys be boys. He is a wonderful Father and I learn so much from him. I remember making mud pies with my sister, it seams like just yesterday, oh how quickly life happens.

Kings Peak- Happy 6 Years!

2010-10-24T03:47:00.001-04:00

For our 6 year anniversary we hiked Kings Peak, the highest point in Utah. Kings Peak is a beautiful backpacking trip that can be done quickly, which is great when you have kiddos :) It sits at 13,528 feet and the last mile and a half is pure bouldering, it was a fun, challenging way to summit. We had a wonderful weekend together- it was a treat to have a break and some alone time. A huge thanks to Aunt Rochelle and Uncle Mitch for watching Cayman and Hudson- they sure love you two! We started hiking at about 10am on Saturday morning and returned to the car Sunday afternoon around 3. We hauled it and hiked about 32 miles and had a perfect weekend doing what we love.

Trail head- feeling fresh

Our campsite- we were on a time crunch so we hiked up as high as we could the first day, I think we found the last good spot before it got too windy and exposed. We brought up the Ipod and bought a new movie . We watched Date Night, played a fun card game and shared a candy bar- we had a blast. I bet the boy scouts camped down the trail were wondering what the heck we were laughing so loud at- Date Night was hilarious!

The bouldering begins, you can see the peak, the highest point in the distance.

Getting closer . . .

Graham's summit pic!

Rhandi's summit pic!

We were the first ones to the peak and there was no one else around, it was neat to be on the top of the mountain alone. It was so windy we could barely stand, so a hold the camera out and snap it quick was the best we could get together. I was scared out of my mind when I stood up for Graham to take a pic of me.

Repeat after me: Do not hike 32 miles, in less then 2 days in new hiking shoes unless you want this to happen. This big boy is just one of the many that were all over both of my feet. I also lost my entire big toe nail, my feet look hot right now, hot.

Wrapping up Summer

2010-09-14T23:01:00.000-04:00

Our fun summer spent in Omaha Nebraska is all thanks to hot stuff. It was a special treat for me and the boys so have Graham around so much. His first year of the MBA program was pretty crazy and family time was sparse, so this summer was a welcomed change of pace.

Nights and weekends were actually spent all together- it was heaven! Graham loved his internship with Union Pacific and UP took good care of us. To top off our great summer, Graham received a full time offer to return to UP (once he graduates with his MBA in April). Having an offer already is a huge blessing and takes the pressure off of the entire family- way to go babe! We would be very happy to go back to Omaha but haven't made a final decision yet. The pictures bellow are some fun memories we had while in Omaha.

Graham doing an on site visit to the Train Yard. Thick glasses and yellow hard hat- very sexy!

Ice Blocking

Great group of friends we made and a super fun date ice blocking.

Texas

Me and the boys went a spent a week in Texas. We had a wonderful time and were spoiled by my Aunt and Uncle. It was so nice to spend quality time with my family. My Aunt and Uncle recently moved outside of Dallas and it was a 12 hour drive from Omaha. I was so proud of myself for doing that long drive with the boys all by myself! They were troopers and with a "magic goodie bag" filled with dollar store toys and good play stop at a McDs playhouse (against my creed, I know) the boys did surprisingly well.

A fun visit to the beautiful Dallas Arboretum. We all loved it.

Peter Cotton Tail visited the gift shop the day we were there. The bunny scared Cayman half to death and he wanted nothing to do with him. Hudson, on the other hand, loved loved loved this bunny, which is funny since he is such a mamma/daddy's boy. I thought Hudson would scream and he thought the bunny was the greatest thing since slice bread- so weird!

Cayman's idea to take pictures on the deer, "maybe people will think they are real mom".

I think Hudson thought they were real- not really but he thought taking pictures on them rocked!

Then again, it's debatable, it looks like Hudson thinks this duck is real. He was careful and cautious while he was petting it.

These pictures of Cayman are kind of embarrassing, as they are evidence that I went way trailer trash in public. The Arboretum had a fun children's water play area that we didn't know about. It was a hot humid day and we let the boys go for it- Cayman had so much fun!

I love my Aunt Wendy, so did the boys. I am always happy and at peace with her, she has this special unspoken gift that creates non-stop comfort and warm fuzzies!

A mamma and her boys

What a cute kid that Hudson!

Friends

The fabulous Gina!

So lucky to have made amazing friends during our short 12 week stay in Omaha. This was a GNO for my birthday- way fun.

A visit From Shell & Mitch

The beautiful Winter Quarters Temple. We got a pic of Rochelle and Mitch in front of it but somehow never got one of ourselves. If we move back to Omaha, it's only 20 minutes away.

Worlds best sister and bff! It was such a treat to have visitors while randomly in the middle of the country. Lucky us!

Out to eat at a fun, yummy pizza place downtown. I love that they have a ton of gourmet pizzas and you can order individual slices of all of them.

The other side of the table.

Cayman and Hudson sure love their Daddy!

We are very grateful for our fun summer in Omaha and for the great work experience Graham got at UP. We can't wait to find out/decide where we will be after Graduation. Exciting times ahead!

Nauvoo in July

2010-09-07T04:00:00.001-04:00

We had a great time visiting Nauvoo Illinois at the end of July. Nauvoo carries a very special spirit and it was also a great review of Church History. There were plenty of fun family activities and the boys loved it. The Temple is breathtaking and we were lucky enough to plan a trip while the Nauvoo pageant was going on. It rained so hard during the pageant that we were only able to watch the first half but what we did see was fantastic. The boys loved the festival before the show- they danced in the pouring rain for an hour with performers dressed up like pioneers. If you plan a trip to Nauvoo, I highly recommend going while the Pageant is in session (most of July). Our visit also included a special trip to Liberty Jail.

Seriously folks- they don't call this thing the "MIGHTY MISSASIP" for nothing- it looks like a Sea!

I was amazed at the width, to think that this baby froze over for the Saints, you can't deny that miracle!

Absolutely breathtaking- such a beautiful temple!

The Prophet's last ride

Family picture in front of the Brick House- it was fascinating to learn how the pioneers made bricks- what an important job it was back then!

Pioneer Games and Fun

We had a blast playing old fashioned games and dressing up, we all loved it. It was a great break from all of the Museums.

Liberty Jail

A very special and sacred place, I am not even going to attempt to explain.

Hudson is madly in love with his Daddy- he will do anything and go anywhere happily as long as Daddy is along for the ride.

Cayman officially had a "Meltdown". This is what happens when you take a 3 year old to museum's all weekend. This was our very last stop- he must have known the end was near.

Fun in the Midwest

2010-07-19T10:21:00.000-04:00

Freedom Run & 4th of July Celebration

With a couple other fun families from our ward, we traveled about 2 hours to the middle of nowhere- Brownville Nebraska (super cute small town) for a 10k race and Freedom Celebration. This is at 6 am before our race, Graham pushed the kids in the double stroller- he's a stud that husband of mine! Granted the race only had a little over 500 partcipants, Graham and I crossed the finish line together and he took 2 place overall and I won the race for females and took 3rd overall.

Two fabulous new friends of mine Gina and Megan- reason enough to move back to Nebraska! We all ran the race- so fun!

There was a big "Freedom Celebration" after the race and it was a ton of fun. All 3 of our families have kids around the same age and we stayed and enjoyed the festivities together. We went to the town parade and dog show. All 8 of the towns dogs showed up and all won a prize of some sort- the kids loved it!

The parade and running out in the street to get all of the candy being thrown was definitely a highlight for the boys.

Family pic- we didn't get one on the 4th, so the 3rd of July will have to do this year.

Church History Sites- Missouri

We had a great time last month visiting all of the church history sites in Missouri. We visited Independence, which has a great visitors center, Liberty Jail, Far West, and Adam- Ondi- Ahman. We also visited some other historical sites in the area including the Hary S Truman Museum. We had a great time and a very educational weekend- the kids were troopers.

Cayman is obsessed with all reptiles right now. He thought that holding this frog was the coolest thing! We don't have a picture of Hudson holding the frog because he would have killed it if we let him hold it long enough for a picture. We tried, and he would squeeze that little frog so hard and squeal with delight as if he was doing the frog a favor. Gotta love boys!

We actually got to go out on a hot date without the kiddos. We stayed with a good family friend Linda Newey and she watched the boys. We went to Kansas city, which is a very cool city, we ate at an amazing Italian restaurant and walked around a hip area called The Plaza. Many thanks to Linda for our fun night!

Winter Quarters

Right outside of Omaha is Winter Quarters. Again, another great Church historical site. Many saints camped here for the winter while making the long journey out West, it was also used by many other pioneers. Cayman got to dress up like a pioneer and try and pull a handcart. Has anyone ever got behind one and tried to pull it? I can't imagine pulling a handcart across the entire U.S- we are so blessed and owe a great deal of gratitude to our ancestors. I have definitely been reminded of the immense sacrifices that were made just a short time ago by the pioneers. What a blessed time to be alive, we must remember those who came before us and what they did to allow us to live the way that we do.

Cayman- You Crack Me Up!

2010-07-15T02:02:00.000-04:00

Cayman makes me laugh out loud daily. He says some the the funniest/weird/insightful/precious things. Oh how I love my Cayman boy!

C: I really wish that I could have pet worms someday mommy.

G: Why do you want pet worms Cayman?

C: Because mommy is sooo special. (??)

C: I really wish that I could fly . . . . . maybe someday.

R: Cayman, what did you do to your brother, why is he so upset?

C: Oh, Yea, (pause) that's cuz he's really ticked off!

C: Why did the chicken cross the road?

R: I don't know Cayman, why?

C: He didn't, he got smash'ded by a car!

C: Where are snakes bums? How do they poop?

C: Mom, where do babies come from? (R thinking, um, aren't we a little young to have this conversation already)

R: Heavenly Father gives them to us and then the baby grows in mommies tummy (the best I could come up with spur of the moment for my 3 year old)

C: So, Jesus uses his soft magic to give us a baby?

Different Day (he is obsessed with me having another baby and asks all the time)

C: Mommy, I soooo sad!

R: Why Cayman, what's wrong?

C: I really want you to have a baby, I want lots more brothers to play with. (tall order to fill)

-or-

C:When are you going to have another baby mommy? I really want one!

C: (me taking a vitamin) Is that to help you grow a baby?

Complements - Cayman complements me every day, he has a sweet and sensitive little spirit, here are some of the norms.

C: Yur know what? You're the best mommy EVER!

C: You're so pretty mommy!

C: I love your hair mommy, it's my favorite!

C: Your hair so pretty mommy!

C: Yur know what mommy? I love you!

C: You make me so happy mommy!

Thank you for bringing so much joy into my life and for being such a genuinely pure hearted good boy. Thank you for making me feel loved and important and for all of your constant cuddles. I have so much fun being your mom! You are beautiful on the inside and out and I love you!

Mt Rushmore & Badlands

2010-06-24T11:50:00.000-04:00

The second week of May, we drove from San Diego to Omaha Nebraska. Why Omaha? In February, Graham accepted an offer as a summer MBA Intern with Union Pacific Railroad at their corporate headquarters in Omaha as a sourcing analyst (basically a buyer).

We had quite the long drive ahead of us and so we decided to make it a fun trip and visit some great sites along the way. Mount Rushmore and Badlands National Park, both located in South Dakota, were absolutely gorgeous. The boys were serious troopers- we put major miles in everyday for 6 days and they were awesome, I thought the trip wouldn't go half as well as it did- I am proud of my little guys for being dynamite little travelers.

Pictures do not do Mt Rushmore justice. It truly is mighty and majestic- a must see!

Very near Mt Rushmore is the gorgeous Custer State Park- what a breathtaking place- I had no idea SD was so gorgeous. We even saw some awesome rock climbing, too bad we didn't have

our gear!

Graham always insists that someone is in the scenery shots- I guess he's right but I always feel (and look) pretty silly.

This was awesome, we took a tour through the third longest cave in the world- Wind Cave National Park. Cayman thought it was very cool to be down in a deep, dark, cave until they did the customary "turn off the lights to show you how dark it is" routine.

Had to include this- Cayman just about freaked when he saw that there were giant dinosaurs across from our hotel- he insisted on climbing up and taking a picture. Cayman's life still revolves around dinosaurs . We love it!

Brothers- big hugs! These two just love each other so much, they are always giving each other hugs and kisses.

Cayman's idea- "look mom, I'm a Reindeer".

Badlands- what's most amazing about Badlands, is that it's in the middle of flat prairie country. You would never expect this gem after driving on miles and miles of nothing, especially because you can't see it until you are right there.

Cayman pointing to a dinosaur fossil- this moment was epic for Cayman- we truly have a paleontologist in the making.

Last but definitely not least, a tribute to our new beautiful Honda Odyssey. Man oh Man, did this beauty save us! I made Graham promise me when we got engaged that I would never own a van, but after 2 little kiddos and a few too many road trips in our Toyota Camry- it was so time. It has completely changed the dynamics of family road trips. It is seriously the BEST purchase we have ever made. We LOVE it!

Off to Cali & Nicaragua

2010-06-21T08:56:00.000-04:00

Still catching up . . . almost done! Graham finished his first year of BYU's MBA program at the end of April (Way to go love!). After a crazy couple of days packing and moving, me and the kids headed to California while Graham spent 3 weeks in Nicaragua. Graham did an internship for Cause for Hope and did some consulting and business development work for them. In the meantime, me and the kiddos played in Carlsbad with the Ormes and in Teachapi with my mom and Jack. We had a fun 3 weeks but it was a really long time for Graham to be gone and we are very happy and grateful to have him back. Posted bellow are some of our highlights.

California

What a very special picture, this is my wonderful Great-Grandma,Cayman and Hudson's Great-Great Grandma. She is an amazing woman and it is such a blessing to know her well. She still goes ballroom dancing a couple nights a week and even still wins competitions. She is quite possibly the hardest worker I have ever known and is such an inspiration to me!

Me and the Kids with Great-Great Grandpa and Grandma Bowman.

Couldn't resist posting this pic of my cute little monster above and an Angel bellow, these were literally taken about 10 seconds apart.

While staying at my moms Cayman loved wearing her jewelery - the one he's holding up is a "dinosaur tooth". I love the goofy side of Cayman- he is so much fun!

The boys went crazy over this set up. Hours and hours of fun at Grandmas! Thanks Grandpa Jack for this sweet set up and playing with them for hours.

This is Jack's Grandson D, Cayman loves him and they had a blast together.

Showing me their "tricks". Cayman is really into doing "tricks" right now.

So sad that I don't have more pictures to document our fun Day with Sommer and her cute kids. I did snap a pic of them all in the bath tub together. There is nothing like a naked cousin bath photo, I think we all have them.

We had a fun afternoon at the Beach in Encinitas, is was pretty chilly so the boys never made it into their suits.

The joy of my kids at the beach, so much fun!

Wave watching together, they did this forever and loved every minute of it.

Cayman's got the look, our quintessential San Diego beach boy.

Hudson in action, on a mission, this kid has absolutely no fear and would have tried to swim to the middle of the ocean if I would have let him- scary!!

Loving the birds!

Going for it! Hudson seriously helps Cayman to be brave around water. Cayman has come a long way since last year and his fear of water- I am proud of him.

Failed attempt at a beach family photo.

Another cute one- I love his hair!

Had to be documented- two of my very favorite things in life the BEACH and DOUGNUTS (VGs doughnuts to be exact) PURE HEAVEN!

Mom (Linda) and I went out to this fabulous lunch, I got some ideas from their menu and recreated this for the fam, open faced sanwhiches with, basil pesto, argula, roasted red peppers and fresh mozarella. This one is definitely going on my food blog!

Nicaragua

See, this? This is a picture of my CRAZY husband covered in volcanic ash and rocks. Should he be a filthy, scrapped up mess? Of corse not. Did anyone else who went "Volcano Surfing" get going a speeds upwards of 50mph with no protection and no way to stop? Of corse not. I love how adventuerous my hubby is, but this was not his brightest move. Graham went Volcano surfing with some guys that he was working with in Nicaragua. Basically you sit on a board with a little foot rest and rope and "surf" done this slick volcano. It's fast because the dirt is really ground up volcanic rock. On G's second trip down he deicided to in his words "not break" and see how fast he could get going, mistake. Long story short, he lost control, flew off his board and rolled shoulder to shoulder down the volcano about 7 times before he came to a nasty halt. He got pretty beat up and had all of the cuts and scrapes to prove it when he came home the next day.

The guy bellow, a friend of Grahams is going at the speed you should be going. See that flash of dust and dirt way in the background? That is Graham zooming past him right before he ate it.

Some evidence of the damage done. His back was much worse!

Beautiful shot of Volcanic Nicaragua.

The small volcano that Graham ate it on.

Before the fall, all smiles, ready to have some fun.

Catching Up- Provo Happenings

2010-06-09T01:30:00.000-04:00

Before I finally catch up to what we have been up to since we left Provo at the end of April, I wanted to highlight a few great things- MBASA and my sisters graduation.

I really can't say enough wonderful things about MBASA (MBA- Spouse Association). It may sound cheesy and you all probably chuckled when you read "Spouse Association", but MBASA is an amazing organization and has been a large part of my sanity over the past crazy year. I have made incredible friends, had the chance to serve my community and my kiddos have done a lot of fun things- all because of MBASA. Enough said . . . Bellow are a couple of photos from our end of the year closing social.

LOVE these ladies! We went a little crazy with Karaoke that night- thanks Lori and Stacie!

Gifts of the Heart Crew- wonderful woman, we run a charity together that clothes BYU families for free.

Seriously, wonderful friends! Girls Night Outs, hundreds of play dates and park days, I couldn't have survived with out these women! Thank you!

Rochelle's BYU graduation. Rochelle finished her degree in Elementary Education last year and has been teaching the 5th grade, she finally walked to make it official. I am so proud of her, most of the first year teachers and new teachers in general did not get job offers due to budget cuts but my studly sister had 4!

Mamma with her girls! It was a fun few days all together- I love you Mom and Sis!

Catching Up- Easter

2010-06-03T10:19:00.001-04:00

Sorry G love for posting this goofy pic of you- it was the only one where the boys were looking.

We had a great Easter, sad that I am posting about it 2 months later, 3 months since my last post but that gives you an idea of how crazy the last 3 months have been! It rained a ton the night before Easter so our outdoor Easter egg hunt and cute family pic idea was squelched. We got together with our good friends the Conran's and did an Easter egg hunt at their house (somehow don't have pics of all our boys together- sad). I made awesome strawberry scones with a lemon glaze for breakfast and we had all of the fam over for a scrumptious Easter dinner. Good day!

Hudson LOVED hunting for eggs!

Evidence of our indoor hunt, gotta use every room . . . even the bathroom

My beautiful sis and BFF!

A few cute snapshots for the Grandparents and scrapbook . . .

Uncle D and the Hudson having a good ol time

Hudson absolutely LOVES Rochelle- it makes life easier when she is around!

Marvelous March!

2010-04-05T03:24:00.000-04:00

We have been up to a little bit of everything this last month or so. From 2 trips to Moab , 3 races in 2 weeks (Moab Half Marathon, Moab Adventure Race, Provo Canyon 5k), Graham's birthday and plenty of fun time with the kiddos, we have been staying busy and living crazy like usual. I noticed I look completely tired in every picture that has been taken of me in the last month, well, that's because I am, I think 2 kiddos, lack of sleep and saying yes to too many things has caught up with me this month. Here's to April and the hope of a few extra hours of sleep (funny joke).

Fun Faces & Places with the Boys

Cayman's "T-REX" face.

Hudson playing "peek-a-boo".

I love Hudson's big boy hair cut!

Another "Dino" Impression. Do we see a pattern here?
Easter egg hunt with MBASA friends.

Moab Half Marathon

We had a ton of fun spending the weekend in Moab, running a half marathon and visiting Arches National Park. We both ran a great race and I even almost placed (it's my lucky pink spandex).

Beautiful Arches National Park

Cayman is an awesome hiker! He set the pace all day long and kept telling us, "hiking is my favorite". He never complained about being tired and wanted to keep exploring. This is his, "why are we stopping" face, he was all about blazing new territory and covering some ground. Way to go Cayman!

Graham's Birthday! St Patties Day!

I know, we look goofy!

Bro & Sis- always around! Rochelle and Derek are the BEST!

Graham's requested Paella. Visit my blog for the recipe (coming soon).

Graham's requested birthday cake. Angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream.

Moab Extreme Adventure Race

So, the very next weekend after the adventure race. Graham and Derek went back to Moab and did a crazy intense adventure race. 8 hours full of mountain biking, running, kayaking and ropes corses. They did great and had a blast- aren't they studs!

Check out this 275 foot rappel they did! See how small the folks up top look? How fun!

Studly finishers!

Happy Birthday Hudson

2010-02-23T23:14:00.001-05:00

Beautiful little blue eyed Hudson just celebrated his first birthday, which is crazy since it feels like he was born about 3 months ago. Hudson is our happy, strong-willed, smart little guy who copies everything his big brother does, Hudson idolizes Cayman.

Some of his favorites and milestones at the moment are-

Pointing with his finger and saying "dat?" (which means "what's that") He does this all day.

He can say, mama, dada, ba (ball), hi (which he says very well), buh buh (bye, bye), dug (dog), muaaaa(giving kisses), uh-oh.

He loves to clap and dance.

He loves to make animal noises and will selectively do dog, cat, sheep, horse, pig, elephant and wolf (his first animal noise)

He is a great mover as he started walking when he was just over 10 months.

He loves balls and socks (weird, I know)

Obsessed with stairs (scary)

Likes to stink his fingers and objects into outlets way too much (lovely)

Hudson already listens & understands so much of what we say to him it's quite amazing.

He adds a wonderful dynamic to our little family- we can't imagine life without him.

Singing Hudson Happy Birthday- notice he is holding up "1" finger, pretty impressive. This is actually a Vegan chocolate cake (no eggs or dairy). I swear I am not a mean mom, it's actually really tasty- I promise, I made the same one for Cayman so I guess it's just tradition.

Cayman helping his little bro blow out his first candle.

Hmmmm . . . not quite sure what to do yet.

Starting to go for it!

He seriously tore his cake up- it was great, Hudson was loving life!

Mmm...mmm! This chocolate stuff is good

Sharing with mommy, he thought this was hilarious!

Best family shot we could quickly capture before Hudson covered us all in chocolate!

Go Hudson go!

Although he is completely covered and the cake was absolutely desecrated, I bet he ate about 5% of the cake, most of it was on his face, chair and floor. Good times!

Cleaning up the mess.

Thank you for being a part of our family Hudson- Happy Birthday!

Christmas and Fun in Carlsbad

2010-02-12T01:26:00.001-05:00

Christmas was wonderful! It may have taken me 2 dang months to blog about it, but here it is! After Graham's first very intense semester in Grad school, we were all ready for a break and some quality time with our favorite man. We spent almost 2 weeks in Carlsbad, it felt so right to be there- we were home. We had a blast!

Latest Orme Family Pic, both of our kids looking . . . thank-you!

At the end of a long, fun day at Sea World! We used our passes one last time.

Daddy & Hudson

Mommy & Cayman

Seriously, no matter how many times I see the Shamo show- I am always amazed! I love Sea World!

Cayman thinks that Sea World is the greatest place on earth! He even got to feed the seals fish- he loved it but looks at little skeptical to me.

Christmas Morning, about 5 minutes after we woke up . . . 6am! Yup, that's what happens when you have a 3 year old. All of the fam would have loved to sleep in, they were great sports!

Cayman's "DINO TRACKS". He had been asking for this since the summer. It was SO much fun to watch him open it and enjoy it!

His Face when he realized what Santa brought him.

Cayman ripped and Hudson watched.

The fam!

Hudson just wanted to eat all of the wrapping paper.

This kid is all smiles!

The boys both love books and to read with Nana.

I can never include enough pictures of Cayman and his dinosaurs, here's to tradition, plus I love how he was examining them with his "looker".

Fabulous Uncle Carson & Aunt Anne

Grandma Dance got us matching aprons- great for the kitchen- I love it! PS- see my retarded triangle arm? As I may have mentioned before, I am scarred from fat squished arm wedding pics syndrome, so this is my lame skinny arm default :)

Two of my most very favorite people Kell & Kathy on New Years morning. We ate at the Original Pancake House- fab-u-lous!

Ward Christmas party in Provo, kiddos in matching sweaters . . . Hudson looks like a deer caught in headlights but I think he was the only baby who didn't scream while on Santa's lap.

This was a very serious and important moment for Cayman. He explained that he wanted "DINO TRAX" for Christmas and really wanted to make sure that Santa new what he was talking about- it was so funny to hear Cayman try to describe it to Santa. Also a milestone- Cayman's first Christmas that he didn't scream on Santa's lap.

Family Pictures

2010-01-12T15:07:00.001-05:00

Early December we took a few family photos in hopes of getting a pic for our Christmas Card. Which, is nearly impossible to do with 2 toddlers! Believe it or not this was the 2nd frame snapped- that's how to "get er done" with little ones. Graham's brother Derek took the pics for us in the freeeezing cold- thanks D. You should see the pics he took for us from Israel- they are amazing- D is very talented and has a great eye for catching beautiful moments and angles.

Worlds happiest married woman! I love how the sun is shining through the second one.

The boys were having fun while we were preparing to take the pics. Hudson loves to bend his neck back and "howl like a wolf" which is what they boys are doing in both of the pics bellow. He also makes the funniest little face- we all just love it! Watching Graham play with his sons brings me so much joy and satisfaction as a wife and mamma!

Caymans Dino Party!

2010-01-11T22:40:00.000-05:00

Cayman requested a DINO CAKE, quite the undertaking. I know, it's not that pretty, but it was my first try at a 3D cake and I started waaaay too late at night! By 3 am I said forget the final layer of frosting it looks good as is. Next time will be better now that I know how. Plus, my 3 year old loved it . . . which was the point, right?

Caymans buddies- Jackson, Brady, Cayman, Taylor and MJ. PS- these little fellas mom's are some of my most favorite people and help make my crazy life wonderful :)

Yes, this party was over a month ago- Cayman turned 3 on December 9th but I had to take a moment to celebrate our little boy and remember his 3rd birthday party. As most of you know, Cayman is OBSESSED with DINOSAURS!! So, we of corse had a Dino themed party for him. Dino cake, decorations, toys, party favors- it was all about dinosaurs! He invited over 4 of his favorite buddies and pure chaos took over our house for a couple of hours. I didn't take many pics because I was busy making sure nobody was seriously injured or rubbed green frosting all over my house :)

Gobble Gobble Gobble!

2009-12-03T11:28:00.000-05:00

Gobble Gobble Gobble we did! For 10 days straight we had family staying with us and we ate our hearts out (hence the soreness of my body from my crazy intense workout last night). Wow! What a fun and special holiday we had. We successfully hosted our first Thanksgiving with 18 people in our home. The week before Thanksgiving my Dad, Eunice and my little brother Noah came for a visit and an early Thanksgiving feast. For Turkey day, my Mom and her hubby Jack and a enitre slew of family were here to celebrate.

Our happy little family!

My Dad with his two girls- don't we look alike!

My handsome little brother Noah.

Crazy but true . . . my son and little brother, 6 weeks apart, had fun playing together.

Worlds BEST daddy!!

Hmmm . . . lets think about it (Cayman loves doing this)

2 happy gals with their happy little brother

These two play and laugh together all the time- so much fun!

Turkey day begins . . .

TWINS- Ok we are total DORKS, yes we planned this and even went shopping together, we just couldn't help it. It was a ton of fun- everyone kept getting us mixed up- there may or may not have been an accidental but grab from the wrong hubby. I am so blessed to be BFFS with my sis- she is the BEST. Throughout the week as we were out and about doing things together (and not dressed alike) we had 3 different strangers ask us if we were twins.

Kaylene and Jana were huge helps in the kitchen- I couldn't have done it without them- thank you ladies!

Cousins, Brian and Olivia

Hot couple!

Observe, this is what the boys do all day on holidays while we women slave away in the kitchen, you know I LOVE being to cook but, I'm just sayin . . .

For the LOVE of PIE! Mmmm! I made two 2 apple, a triple berry and a peach. Derek also made two very yummy pumpkin pies.

I love my hubby! Date night with the big kids!

I love you Mamma! Thank you for coming all the way to spend Thanksgiving with us, spoiling my kiddos rotten and paying for everything. You are amazing!

Halloween Fun!

2009-11-04T01:31:00.000-05:00

We had an awesome Halloween. Cayman LOVED it and that made it so much fun for all of us. Last year he refused to dress up. Cayman has been talking about being a "T REX" for months and he was loving life in his costume and stayed in character much of the time. It was too cold to put Hudson in his little Jack Jack Incredibles Costume. Graham and I weren't planning on dressing up and about 10 minutes before we left, we decided to. Graham is Clint Eastwood in The Good the Bad and the Ugly, and I am a svelte bank robber. Rochelle and Mitch (Hermione and Harry) spent the evening with us and we all had a blast eating a yummy dinner, taking the kiddos trick or treating and then watching a scary movie and falling into a sugar coma- good times!

Cayman loves his Uncle Mitch and Aunt Shell. We are very lucky to have them close, they are a big help with the boys and we love spending time with them!

I love this pic, I took the same one last year when it was just Cayman. I think it's a trick or treat tradition.

Getting ready to cause some trouble!

Watch out Hogwarts . . . there are some new kids in town.

Sisters! My BFF!

Although Hudson can't eat Candy, he loves playing with it. I was shocked at how many people offered my 8 month old candy- seriously, do you really think I am going to stick a sucker in his mouth?

So tuckered out but he really wanted to sleep in his costume. After 3 days of Halloween parties and Trick or Treating, we had a successful Halloween!

Nothing to do with Halloween but isn't this cute! I came home last night from Shopping with Rochelle and I found Graham and Hudson sound asleep on the couch in the office. The flash didn't even wake them. Hudson woke up while I was gone and daddy kept the little guy happy!

Our Life in Photos

2009-10-26T21:48:00.000-04:00

Beware, massive amount of photos bellow, hence the blog title. This really is a journal for me and I am playing a bit of catch up. These pics are everyday life- multiple trips to the park, building dinoasaur cities, playing with magic hats, you know, the regulars for a mommy.

My two little guys really do love each other and play together all the time, it is so fun to see!

Hudson and his beautiful blue eyes. This little guy is happy all the time!
Hudson really gets down to business with these 2 sharp teeth- he would chomp through a steak if I would let him.

Cayman has so much joy and energy. He has fun wherever we go and is always up for anything.

I had to include this. Both my boys are big time cuddle bugs- I love-love-love it! (Ahem- in case you (Cayman and Hudson) read this when you are 16- just a hug would make your mothers day).

I just love his little outfit! Thanks for the great boots mamma Linda, these babies have kept two sets of footzies warm.

Ignore the leftover snack on his face, doesn't he look like he belongs in Kindergarten!

My boys . . . my life :)

Hudson would sit and eat wood chips all day long if I let him. He would sit and eat just about anything for that matter.

I don't ever want to forget how much Cayman loves his Dinosaurs! Dinosaurs are still Caymans FAVORITE! This is a "Dino City" we built. We play, talk, build, craft, watch, draw, color, cut, listen, read and LIVE DINOSAURS at our house all day, every day.

"Magic Hat" Cayman has a great imagination and loves to share his fun ideas with Hudson. Hudson already worships Cayman and is always game for Caymans fun ideas.

There are a couple of old abandoned tractors by our house, we stopped and took a couple of pics- the kiddos loved it!

My most wonderful cousin Melissa entered into the MTC last week. We were lucky enough to have her stay the night with us and drop her off. She is strong, ready and filled with the spirit. Melissa is going to be an amazing missionary in New York City (North Mission).

These lovely, wonderful ladies are truly helping me keep my sanity! As happy as I am here in Provo, life is crazy busy and purely exhuasting right now and I am VERY GRATEFUL to have made some friends. A little girls night out to take a break from the craziness was just what the Dr ordered- many more to come- I am sure of that!

Courtney came for a visit, so I was lucky enough to have Thai food for lunch with two of my most very favorite people. Beth is moving in down the street, I can't wait!

The Many faces of Hudson

2009-09-29T00:07:00.000-04:00

Man, I just love, love, love my Hudson boy! To tell you the truth, I was nervous before he was born because I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to love him as much as I love Cayman. I thought it just wasn't possible to love another child the way I loved Cayman, I was so wrong. As hard as being a stay at home mom can be sometimes, God truly gave us the better end of the deal. A mothers love, sigh, I am speechless (and teary eyed and cheesy, I know).

These pics are about a month old, this little guy just loves to make funny faces whenever we take a pic of him. I hope you enjoy these mom- here are the pics I have been telling you I would post for forever!