Our Little Angel Annika

I figured it was about time to give an update on our little angel, Annika.

While she doesn't crawl yet, she is very mobile. She likes to roll where ever she wants to go. She can be surprisingly quick at this. She is also very quick to find anything that is left on the floor. Of course it goes straight in her mouth. We have pulled many interesting things from her mouth recently.
We have been working hard with her to learn to sit up unassisted. She can last a little while, maybe 30 seconds. But will eventually turn quickly to see one of her siblings run by and fall over. This is a huge accomplishment for her.
When she gets excited she tends to, well I am not sure how to explain it, so watch the video.

The video quality isn't the best....but the audio is hilarious.....

(You may want to scroll down and pause the music before you play the clip)

Photo Tag

So the tag is to post the 4th picture of your 4th folder. So here it is.

This is Madilynn when she was 2 years 11 months old. Christmas 2003. I still love those boots.

Twilight the movie

Yes, I braved the long lines and the late night to go see the Twilight movie come to life. I went to the 12:01Am showing in Federal Way with my sister-in-law Valerie (with Zach in tow), my niece Sarah, and her cousin and friend, and Valerie's sister-in-law Judy. I was in line at 9:30PM. I forgot my book and so I just sat their and people watched. Very entertaining lots of teenagers and people who like vampires. It wasn't all in vain. I did get some very nice seats so that I didn't have a huge crick in the neck. Anyway, I liked the movie. I want to see it again to give it a proper critique. It is really hard to see a movie when you really love the book. It is sometimes hard to put on screen what books do so well with words. Overall I thought the actors playing Bella and Edward were a good fit. For all of you who haven't read the Twilight series I highly recommend.

Cell phone pictures what can I say!!!

Gavin at the Fire House

Last Friday Gavin got to go on a field trip to the Sumner Fire Department. It was really great. They showed the kids how to put their fire gear on and that it may look a little scary but it is just a fireman underneath it all. They showed them to get low when there is a fire and not be scared if they come to rescue them. Great idea! They got to sit in a Fire truck and see a fire engine. They got to go in an emergency medical vehicle. We also got a tour of the fire house. That was actually really cool. Each firefighter had their own little cubby room. They had a nice big living room and kitchen. They don't have a pole or a dalmatian, but they have a really cool slide. Here are some pics that I took with my cell phone.

201(k)

At work today, we had our annual meeting with our retirement plan representative. I have to admit I have really tried to not look at my 401(k) lately, because I knew it wouldn't be pretty. However, with the rep paying us a visit I figured I would log on and take a peak today. I should have resisted the urge. This is what greeted me:

From: Jul-27-2007
To: Nov-20-2008
Percent Return: -53.15%

I had heard the running joke about them now being 201(k)s..... but this is just ridiculous....

Imaginary Friend?

It is no secret that Gavin doesn't like our new house. He has told us on more than one occasion he likes our old house better. So he goes around saying things like, "At my house we get to..." or "My house is close by". We don't indulge it by any means and try and tell him we live here now and this is our house. Well lately I guess he felt the need to trade up some more. He is constantly saying "My other mom says we have money to buy the transformer" and "My other mom at my house..." I know having an imaginary friend is considered somewhat normal but what about a whole new imaginary life? He told Joe that his other mom will let him come to his house. What!!! I had to ask Joe if he had a girlfriend somewhere! J/K but seriously that kid!

High School Tag!

1)Did you date someone from your school? Briefly, my boyfriend had actually graduated!
2)What kind of car did you drive? The first year I could drive I drove a Plymouth Colt hatchback - that my dad named "The wind-up". He thought it resembled those little toy cars that you had to wind-up to get them to move! My first accident was in that car about a week after I got my drivers license. My second car was a 1994 Ford Aspire, teal green. I named this one Paco.
3)What was your most embarrassing moment? Thinking back about this there were really too many. Here is one I can remember that isn't too bad to share. I was in math class as a freshman. The teacher was calling us back individually to talk with us, while the rest of us had quiet study time. He said my name I got up and my book was about to fall so I turned to slide it back on and then turned back around to go see the teacher. I turned a little to wide and ran smack into the metal file cabinet. It was SO LOUD. Every one turned and laughed. OY!! I just laughed it off and kept walking. I will never forget that one!!
4)Were you a party animal? Only with my close friends. I did get quite a few sugar highs but that was the extent!
5)Were you considered a flirt? No, I was a little shy in high school.
6)Were you in Band, Orchestra, or Choir? No, I was considered a hazard when it came to music.
7)Were you a NERD? Verdict is still out! J/K I wasn't a nerd but I definitely wasn't a part of the "IN" crowd.
8)Were you on any Varsity Teams? No, that would require me to be on a sports team.
9)Did you get suspended or expelled? No, shy remember! Plus my mom would have killed me.
10)Can you still sing the fight song? No, I barely could remember the words! My friend that I got this quiz from had it all written down. So here it is. “We are proud of our valley, its fields and meadows fair. We dwell in peace and plenty, contentment everywhere. There is one of these blessings from mem’ry ne’er depart. It is our dear old grand high school, the pride of every heart. GV High (GVHS), I love thee (I love thee). Thy name I hold in memory. GV High (GVHS), I love thee (I love thee). Let me live and die still true to thee.” I won't do the second verse. ;o)
11)Who were your favorite teachers? Mr. Harwood he was a witty smart teacher. I loved how he constantly made fun of all of us for our bad grammar! Sanpete county, He got a lot of laughs. For me he was very effective. He was also over the yearbook committee and I really enjoyed my time there.
12)Where did you sit during lunch? I didn't go into the cafeteria often. I couldn't be seen eating! Hello this is HS. I always took my apple and plain wheat bagel and ate it in the halls. I sometimes met my mom at home for lunch when I was hungrier!!!
13)What was your school mascot? Bulldog. Go Blue!
14)Did you go to Homecoming? I think I did one year. I didn't date a lot in HS. Small towns are difficult to date people. I could remember what these boys did in Kindergarten. Like eat paste and stuff like that.
15)If you could go back would you? No, I would never want to relive it. I am pretty satisfied with what I did and who I was. Those are difficult years. I did the best I could.
16)What do you remember most about graduation? I remember it was in our school gym. I sat by my good friend Stephanie Finlayson and talked through most of it. Checked out a guy in the back of the room I had a crush on. (Rochelle Pet.'s cousin) Oh yeah, and my brother-in-law Rick yelled out "Yo Adrienne" when I got my diploma!! Classic!
17)Where did you go for your Senior trip? I didn’t. I bought a ticket to go back to Finland and Sweden. Then a day before I was supposed to leave my father passed away! I wish I would've gone to CA with everyone else. In hindsight!!!
18)Were you in any clubs? Student Body Secretary, FHA, Yearbook, that is what I can remember.
19)Have you gained weight since High School? Yes. 3 kids later. I am working on it. I was fit in HS.
20)Who was your prom date? Gregor Biet, an exchange student from Germany. I actually stayed in touch with him for quite a few years after.
21)Did you go to your 10-year class reunion? No. I would like to go to the 15 year though. I did check out the class reunion website.
22)Looking back, what advice would you give yourself? Life is beautiful and HS is only 4 years. Don't sweat the small stuff! I hear people say HS is the best four years of your life. I disagree. I say it is just a stepping stone to many more wonderful years ahead.
23) What year did you graduate? 1996

I am tagging everyone that reads this. It was fun to reflect.

Halloween 2008

The Urvina clan all dressed up for Halloween!

Annika was a little cuddly bear. The goal here was just to keep our little bear warm. It was a bonus that she looks so cute too.
Gavin doesn't usually need an excuse to pretend to be a ninja. He thought the big muscles were pretty cool so he picked out the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle "Raphael". According to Wikipedia "He (Raphael) is usually depicted as being aggressive and rebellious." Yep, that fits Gavin perfect.

Madi choose to be Jessie from Toy Story 2. She has always wanted to be a "cowgirl" and has always been fond of horses, so this was perfect for her. Adrienne put a little makeup on her and I must admit, I have a beautiful little girl for a daughter.

We met up with my sister Valerie's family at their ward's trunk or treat. Josh wore a sweet costume as Mario and little Ben was a Monkey.

Baby Zach was all cozy in his Banana outfit.

After the trunk or treat we went trick or treating in a neighborhood close to Jeff and Val's house. It was really fun to see the kids literally run from house to house. I was especially impressed with little Ben, he was trying so hard to keep up. Gavin had the line of the night after the first door, "They just gave me candy!" After that it was hard to slow him down.