Home for Christmas

k guys. we live in UT again. Cody got his old job back and had to leave very suddenly to secure his position. I stayed behind with the kids and packed up the apartment for about 8 days. Then Cody flew back Thanksgiving Day to help finish up and pack the truck. We left early that following Saturday but didn't make it until Sunday because we hit a blizzard in Cedar City ended up staying the night in a Days Inn in Parowan (aka middle of nowhere). It was pretty insane couple of weeks, but it's over now. We're freezing but we are so glad to be back with most of our family and friends just in time for the Christmas season. So if you see any good deals on winter gear, let us know in a comment or call us!

oops!

Hey everyone, i was trying to change the format of my blog list and I erased everybody! Oops! Will you please send me your blog addresses in a comment? I won't publish them. Thanks!

Mariah Makes Me Laugh

I think Mariah has been missing the fall or something... well at least cool weather clothes. All through September and October she would ask to wear long sleeved shirts, sweaters and jackets.
I'd tell her no because they were too hot. And everytime, I'd find bundles of cool weather clothes in the fridge or freezer "cooling down" enough to wear them.

Yesterday Mariah wanted ice cream. I told her we didn't have any but that she could have pretend ice cream. At dinner, I said, "Mariah, I want you to have beans with your tortilla."
She replied with a sly smile, "I'll just have pretend beans, ok?"

Brother and Sister

Halloween

Cody had to work on Halloween night, but we were able to find an outdoor mall handing out candy on Friday night so he wouldn't have to miss it.

Liam had a Kanab Cowboys shirt like the one on Napolean Dymanite... and then Cody told me that Napolean doesn't even wear the shirt... So Liam was a random guy from Napolean Dynamite. Good thing he doesn't care.

Mariah was Princess Aurora and she wouldn't smile for the pictures. She did have fun though. She didn't care as much for the candy as for seeing all the other kids in their costumes.

Here's a picture of her with her hair and make-up, without her costume but she's smiling.

Lady in Pink

I think this was recorded in August...one of the rare moments we were able to catch her dancing on camera.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Liam lately

Lately, Liam likes to roll on over to the couch...


He peeks under to see what's there


Or justs hangs out with one arm under to feel around for things.

He likes to eat... a lot



He likes taking baths and cuddling up in his towel
We love our cute little boy!

video from the archives

This video was recorded like 4 months ago and only now have i gotten it to work. She didn't know the words very well back then, but i still think it's awesome.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Mariah in the kitchen

Mariah loves to help me in the kitchen. I have a pink potato peeler that is "hers" b/c it's pink that she uses to "chop" things. Today she saw me peeling carrots with it and wanted to try. It took her a minute to get it right and when she finally did she exclaimed, "I did it! I'm a mom now!"

Cute kids

Liam is rolling over to his tummy now! He's getting so big and strong. And he's such a cutie.

Mariah is very helpful. She loves to help me clean. Her favorite chore is cleaning the garbage lid. I didn't assign her that, she came up with it herself b/c i always tell her not to touch it because it's dirty. So one day she asked if she could clean it so it would be ok to touch.
Today, she noticed that there wasn't a liner in the bin. All she said was, "We need more." I didn't know what she was talking about. She went straight to where we keep the liners, got one out and put it in the trash bin all by herself, opened and placed neatly around the rim. She's bigger than I realize sometimes.

She does continue to be a stinker though. Today she colored her fingernails blue with a pen. She was very proud and thought they were beautiful. When she finished "painting" them she went to draw a picture at the couch, with a book under her paper of course. She knows not to draw on the couch. But when I came to have a look at her picture, there were blue streaks all over the cushions. The ink on her fingernails was rubbing off everywhere! I quickly took her to the bathroom to wash it off. She protested and whined while we scrubbed, "My nails! My nails!" When we were done she stayed in the bathroom throwing a fit and dramatically wiping her face with a tissue. Then, suddenly the noise stopped. She walked out and casually said with a sigh, "I can't cry... I tried."

More Mariah stories

July 8

A couple of days ago, Mariah was watching Into the Woods and noticed some of the characters wearing long fancy gloves. I watched her roll up one sleeve on her Aurora dress and go into her room. A few seconds later she came out again with a red marker. Seeing that she had no paper i asked, "What are you going to color, Mariah," afraid she was aiming for the couch.
She just stood there with shifty eyes, debating whether to tell me. She looked at me with a smile and patted her arm, "I want gloves," she said.
I laughed and told her that we only draw on paper.

Well, today after i put Liam down for his nap i found her like this. I swear it took her less the one minute. I think what she learned from the other day was this:
If you want to break the rules, you gotta act fast.

July 14
Lately Mariah and I play a game where we pretend we are each other. Today Mariah was looking in the freezer and she said, "Mommy, you're Mariah ok?"
"Ok, mommy," I said.
"Mariah," she said in a sweet and enthusiastic voice, "I want to buy you some popsicles."

A little while later I needed a wipe for Liam so I said, "Mariah, will you grab me a wipe, please."
"No," she said.
"Please."
"Mommy, you're Mariah, ok?" she says.
"Ok."
"Mariah, go get a wipe."

July 14 still
Lately, Mariah has been obsessed with Beauty and the Beast. She likes to quote it all the time, but mostly the Beast's lines. She'll say, "What are you doing in my castle!?" "You will join me for dinner!"
Mariah was in her closet being very loud while Liam slept.
"Mariah, you are being too loud. You need to come out."
"No, i need to get my princess." CRASH BANG BANG CRASH
"Mariah, you can get your princess later. You are too loud. You're going to wake up Liam."
"No." CRASH
"Get out, Mariah. GET OUT!" I said in a very enunciated whisper.
"Mommy!" she replied in a frustrated tone, "You're NOT the Beast!"

Craptice makes perfect

Mariah is just cracking us up lately. She has such personality and a little attitude. Her grasp of grammar has taken a big leap in the last few weeks... but she's still working on pronunciation. A couple days ago I put Liam on his tummy and explained to Mariah that I wanted him to practice using his muscles.
"Wanna prapiss, Weeum?" Mariah said in her high baby talk voice.
"PraCtice" i said, emphasizing the p and c.
"CraPtice. Wanna Craptice, Weeum?"

i laughed my head off.

New Liam Pics

Who does he look like in this picture?

Great Grandma Barrett and Liam

Four generations of Frisby men!

the latest

Well... where to begin...

• We moved to an apartment when Liam was 4 days old; that was a Friday
  
• My mom came the following Monday to meet Liam and help out.
• Cody started work at a certain bank that same day.
• My dad came on Friday
• My parents left the following Tuesday---Thanks for coming Mom and Dad!
  
• After my help left, Liam started spending more time awake--in the middle of the night
  
• Cody worked at that certain bank for two more weeks
  
• Yesterday, Cody started work at a new job with better pay and work he enjoys more
• Yesterday Liam had his one month check up---9lbs 14 oz and still healthy
• Today, I'm finally starting to feel normal, settled, and able to handle two kids

My parents with the kids

Welcome Baby Liam

Sorry it took so long... we've been rather busy

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Here is some older footage we dug out of the archives. In the first clip Mariah is dancing to the music from the hilarious TV show Flight of the Conchords. In the second clip she is arguing with her daddy about which movie to go see--Coraline OR Confessions of a Shopaholic aka Speak Prada. Enjoy!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Mariah does Fiona from Shrek

Enjoying some yummy Gelato on her birthday

Mariah's swimsuit for her birthday from Grandma Cathy

Mariah is loving going to the pool almost everyday. She has become quite independent in it as well.

Mariah at her (and our) first spring training game: White Sox vs. Brewers

Hey guys. We are still doing well.
Cody picked up a part time job while we're waiting for the other stuff to come through. He's been submitted for hire at a credit union--we just have to wait to find out which branch he will go to. That job will be great for us. He has a second interview with another place on Monday and we're still waiting to hear on a third job where, at this point, no news is good news. So, i think we're in good shape.

I went to the hospital on Wednesday to get a shot to stop some early contractions. I'm fine now. I went to the doctor today and i'm measuring small so they did an ultrasound to check the baby's size. He's 5lbs 4 oz so we want him to do a little more growing before he makes his debut.

Mariah is so old now. It's like she turned 3 and now she knows she has to be responsible and follow directions. She goes down for naps and to bed without a fuss and stays in her bed all night. She's eating more, she cleans up after herself (most of the time) and she is just so helpful. I think she is ready to be a big sister. She doesn't think so though. Cody was telling her that she had to share mommy and daddy with the baby. She looked at him and said, "No, not YOU!" I guess she's fine sharing mommy. That's probably a good thing.

Keeping you posted

• Well, we're still in Phoenix. Cody has had a bunch of interviews in the last two weeks. There are a few jobs that would be great for us. We're still waiting to hear back. While we ARE getting impatient, we are glad because that means he hasn't been weeded out. That's not just me trying to be optimistic, that's what they told him.

• Let's see... I have insurance to cover the baby in case you were wondering/worried. I found a great doctor who is very nice. I'm sure he'll do a great job catching the baby.
  

• Mariah had a good 3rd birthday. She's such a big girl. I'll post pictures later
  
• My belly is getting BIG

Good bye Utah

For those of you who don't know yet, we're moving to Phoenix tomorrow. We are sad to say good bye to friends and family and we're a little nervous, but we're ready for a new adventure and we're hoping for the best! Wish us luck. We'll miss you all in Utah. I'm going to try to be better at updating the blog so everyone can see how Mariah and the new baby are doing. Love you all!

Mariah singing Because of You

Mariah loves loves LOVES Kelly Clarkson's Because of You. She asks me to play it over and over again. Today, when i put it on, she ran and grabbed my brush to use it as her microphone and I had to get the camera out. She doesn't know the words well, but it's still cute. Enjoy.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Just a reminder...

I just want to remind you that we are going private on Feb 1st. If you want an invite, make a comment or email us. If you've already done that, you don't have to again--we'll send you an invite Feb 1st.

Thanks

this i believe

I enjoy the "This I Believe" segment on NPR. I heard this one from a six year old and thought that I had to share it on the blog. Listen

i'm carrying jackie chan

K guys. this kid likes to kick! I mean, mariah moved around A LOT. I always said she was dancing in there. And when she came out, she kept dancing and she still loves dancing. But i swear this kid is jackie chan because he is VIOLENT! A couple days ago, he hit me so hard, i thought Cody had accidentally hit me in the belly. How does someone so little hit so hard? Did any of you have kids who were violent in utero? Were they violent when they got out?


by the way, 100 days left on the countdown! it's getting close and i'm getting scared. i better get ready!

Going Private Again

Hey everyone. We're making our blog private again, only this time we're keeping it private.
We'll make the switch Feb 1st. If you want an invite, leave a comment with your name and email address.

Thanks

P.S. I wasn't going to post any comments, but I accidentally posted two and I don't know how to take them off. If anyone knows how, let me know. And thanks to everyone who has already asked for an invite! Keep them coming.

More Colbert

The Colbert Report has a series called Better Know a District. This past week he interviewed our districts very new representative. Here's the video:

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Better Know a District - Utah's 3rd - Jason Chaffetz

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

And a few days later he did a follow up on Utah's third district:

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Leg Wrestling Rematch

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

Colbert and the Economy

I'm finally going to share some of the goods from Colbert. Months ago he explained the economy in a way I think we can all understand. Check the video out!

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Formidable Opponent - Business Syphilis

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

Stuck in the Snow

alright. I'm pretty sick of the snow. On our street, the plows pile up the snow right in front of our driveway. It's usually ok if I pull out at an angle an drop off from the landlord's driveway. But today, I was leaving for an appointment and there was a car blocking the angle. Dang. So i tried to see if i could just gun it through the mound of snow. NOPE. I was totally stuck. In the middle of the road. I had to call to reschedule my appointment and then i tried to figure out what to do. I called my mom to see if she had her truck. Nope. BUT, luckily, my brother in law Kaerlek, who has a land rover was over there so she sent him to help me. Meanwhile I looked for a shovel in the garage--there wasn't one-- and i watched three trucks drive right by. Then Kaerlek showed up with his little corolla and a shovel. HA! He dug out what he could but the car was still stuck. Then my neighbor showed up and the mail carrier stopped and they all tried to push. NOTHING. Then the guys building a house a few houses away came walking up with their shovels. Then they left and brought back their big truck and pulled that sucker right out. Then the guys stayed and helped Kaerlek dig up the ice. These guys were tough. Kaerlek worked for 2 1/2 hours to clear the ice all the way to the asphalt. Wow. So, even though i know they don't read this blog, thank you to my neighbor, the mail carrier, the construction guys. It's nice to know there are still people in the world who care about perfect strangers. And thank you to Kaerlek for spending so much time make sure we were taken care of. It's nice to know that there is someone that I already know who cares so much. I really do appreciate everyone coming together to help a little pregnant girl get her car out of the snow.