Missing in Action.

I haven't blogged in a while.

I've been tired.

I've been nauseous.

I've been hormonal.

Luckily 2 out of 3 have passed.

I'm in my 12th week of pregnancy and finally feeling like I may be able to eat a full meal without wanting to donate it to the porcelain god.

I am so happy to be exiting my first trimester. The 2nd trimester is always my favorite!

We will find out the sex of the baby the end of January, sometime around Paul's birthday!

Until then, we are just beyond grateful and excited for Baby Ostler #3 to make it's appearance some time around June 10, 2011!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Halloween was great this year!

Logan wanted to be Shamu. {shocking}

and Sierra decided on Big Bird.

The cutest little animals out there!

Happy Halloween!

As a note: I did make Logan's costume. I did not make Sierra's costume this year.

Hell Froze Over!

We have had this conversation many times, but let's have it once more okay?

I don't bake.

Don't do it.

For example: A month ago I tried to make place and bake cookies, and I tried my hat at Rhodes Frozen Dinner Rolls.

The result: I burnt the cookies, and my rolls burnt and stuck to my sheet pan. Yes, I "pamed."

Hence why I say, " I don't bake."

Don't feel too bad. I have other talents. My family doesn't starve. I can cook.

I have heard that many times it's an either or thing. You cook or you bake.

I cook.

Anyway, at Enrichment they were having a cupcake decorating class. HAHA!

I wasn't going to go, but then I decided I should. Besides, my failure could make someone else feel WAY BETTER about themselves, and I'm always game to make myself look like an idiot.

I went.

Here is where the "Hell freezing over" part comes in.

After it was all said and done, mine didn't look like crap. As a matter of fact, the decorating was super cute, super easy, and super gratifying.

I just had to document, for posterity:

What!?! I made that. Yes I did.

See, not all perfect. But for me that is a solid effort.

Scrumptious.

Now all I need to do is learn how to make and bake a cupcake.

Thanks Trisha for making this fun, and do-able. That is a gift. :)

Soul Food

I have blogged before about musical artists that I find, so I figured why not do it again.

I am currently obsessed with this one, Mindy Gledhill.

If you read the NieNiedialogues you know who this is.

It was through Nie Nie that I was reacquainted with Mrs. Gledhill. Before that I had the privilege of hearing one of her religious songs during Relief Society. This CD is her first non-religious CD.

So, OF COURSE I had to check it out.

Let me tell you........It is AMAZING!!!

I love it.

It fills me with joy.

It feeds my soul. ( with fewer calories than Mac & Cheese) and

It makes me cry tears of pure happiness.

Go here to preview her CD and/or download a free single.

In my opinion it's perfection.

HELP!!! In a Pickle

There is a guy from High School that befriended me on Facebook.

I remembered him from high school, and so I accepted his friend request.

I was unaware that at some point after high school he joined the LDS church, or I was unaware that he was a member. Regardless, he has since "dis-joined" the church, and apparently has some VERY harsh feelings about it.

He is constantly posting anti-Mormon stuff on his facebook page, which then appears on my page...to read.

It came to a head for me this weekend when he was posting his commentary of the General Conference talks, and calling the Leaders really horrible names. Things that would be equal to Sinead O' Connor riping the Popes picture on SNL.

I am thinking I need to block him. The only reason why I haven't just blocked him is that he knows I am a Mormon. I don't want to fuel his fire. (He has posted pictures of his lawn where someone had spray painted "apostate" on it.) I am worried that if he found out I blocked him then he could/would use my de-friending him on facebook as further ammunition against the "bigoted" Mormons. I think what he is doing is horrifying. It would be horrifying if he were doing it to any religion, it just happens to be mine. I am also upset because much of what he is saying is half truth mixed with many lies and inuendo.There is also no one out there standing up against what he is saying. I would, but I don't know if that would be helpful, and I don't want to be sucked into his hate vortex. I also wonder if he is trying to bait me into saying something. ( But, that could just be my Pride.)

So, should I block him? Should I send him a message and block him? or Should I ignore it and leave it alone?

I don't know why this is such a pickle of an issue for me.

Metrosexual

This morning, after his shower, I found Logan ( my 4 year old) doing this:after he decided he was done stylin' his do

he looked in the mirror and said,"That looks crazy...I'm a rock star!"

and all I could say was, "Yes son, you are!"

First Day of The Last Year of Elementary.......

I can't believe that my Sierra is in the 5th grade. It feels as though this,

has become this overnight.But, at least she hasn't started taking herself too seriously.

Sierra is/was so excited to start this new year. She has many new and exciting things planned for this year, and we are so excited for her.

Sierra is attending a brand- spanking new school this year. She will be the first "graduating" 5th grade class from this school, which is pretty cool. They are also a "green" school. This means that they have rain "silos"to catch rain to use for landscaping, they have those "green" toilets, as well as a few other "green" features. It really is beautiful. The kids apparently took this "green" thing to heart because the first day of school looked like this:Bikes EVERYWHERE!!!

I heard today that they are installing 3 more bike racks. That is 6 bike racks for a school that only has 530 kids in it. That is pretty impressive.

We are so proud of you Sierra!

Now stop lounging, and get to work! :)

LOVE YOU!!!

Dearest......

Dearest Huggies, Luvs, and Pampers,

We here at the Ostler house would just like to inform you that we will no longer be needing your services.

You see, we have finally convinced Logan of the benefits of the toilet, and he seems to have grasped those benefits and stepped out into grown-up land.

We are happy to report that he is enjoying himself and his new found official "big boy" status, and we are enjoying the lack of diapers, butt paste, and lingering "stinkiness".

I am sure that you have questions about the methods used to convince Logan to start using the toilet, or what magical "6 week" period transpired that convinced him that he should commence toilet usage.

We understand this inquiry as your relationship with Logan was a special one, and we are sure that you will be pleased to know that Logan did not suddenly decide that "6 weeks" had come and gone. Logan's loyalty to you was steadfast to the end.

The decision was in fact ours. We, as his parents, simply employed the "you have no more diapers, you have to use the toilet" method. We are pleased to say that there was one "almost accident," and then he was using that toilet like a pro.

It was in that moment that we realized that we could have parted ways much sooner. We regret the decision to have kept you on as long as we did, for we fear that the suddenness of this loss may hit you all rather hard. Trust that was never our intention, and please accept our deepest of apologies. We know how much you all care for Logan, and we trust that you will understand that Logan is growing up and it is time for him to move on.

Know that we were beyond pleased with your services and we will be happy to send our strongest of recommendations to anyone requesting your employ.

Take care, and once again Thank You, for your many years of unfaltering service.

Sincerely,

The Ostlers

Oh! Somebody Had a Birthday....

Our little man, Logan, had his 4th birthday on Sunday! I can't believe my baby is 4! Time truly has flown by!

Logan had a great couple of "birthdays", as we celebrated his birthday on both Saturday and Sunday this year.

Saturday we went to Chuck E Cheese with my parents who were in town, played games, and ate pizza! We then came home and ate cake.

For at least 3 months Logan has been asking for a Pirate, Willy (killer whale) cake. About 3 weeks ago Thomas the Train was added to the list. 3x a week I would be reminded that he wanted a Pirate/ Willy/ Thomas cake. My Mom and I got creative and I think it turned out pretty awesome. We used a pre-made ice cream cake ( family tradition) and added a few things.....

while eating his cake Logan spontaneously exclaimed, " This is a GREAT party!" We apparently got his approval.

Sunday we decorated and opened gifts from the family, and made Great Grandpa Coomb's waffles for Logan's special brithday lunch.

Logan spent the rest of the day enjoying his presents:

and His first big boy bike: " His rattlesnake bike" that he picked out all by himself.Yesterday, we decided to go to Sea World. We had a blast and Logan decided to spend some of the money that Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Coombs sent him on this:

I had to sneak and take this picture of him playing "Sea World" with his new Big Willy and Sierra's whale trainer Barbie.

Is anyone who reads this blog really surprised?

Logan had a great birthday and we are so blessed to have him in our family.

Logan is hilarious and says the funniest things.

Logan is quiet, we often think he is not interested or not listening to what is going on but then he will pipe in with the funniest or smartest thing to add to the conversation or the situation. He is absolutely aware and in tune with everything that happens around him. He keeps us on our toes!

Logan is our dare devil. He is willing to ride any ride, jump from any height, or try any new trick his daddy would like to try.

Logan is a snuggler.

Logan is a tender heart, and a comforter.

Logan does not feel tenderness or feels the need to comfort his nemesis; Pele the cat.

Logan loves Killer Whales.

Logan loves to Swim.

Logan loves Chocolate Milk and Yogurt.

Logan loves trains, and Mighty Machines.

Logan love Team Umi Zumi, Thomas the Train, and Fireman Sam

Logan loves his friends, Bailey, Aiden, Landon, and Lyndsey,Olivia, and Anna.

Logan loves his family.

and
We Love Logan!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOGAN! WE LOVE YOU!

A Good Investment

Anyone else feeling like they should have invested in Kleenex before this movie came out?

I bawled like a baby.

It was one of those "I am trying not to audibly sob in the theater" cries.

I was embarrassed.

Until I saw everyone else when the lights went on.

Then I realized that this movie was just that good.

Paul and I discussed it for a while after... we still talk about it.

We still tear up.

If you haven't seen it, see it.

But, take some Kleenex.

The Upside Down Show - Udder Chaos and The Happy Fly Ditty

This is my new favorite show to watch with Sierra and Logan. It is on Noggin (nickjr.) and it is called "The Upside Down Show!"

We all know that we enjoy Dora, Diego, and Wow Wow Wubbzy for the 30 minutes of peace they afford us to do the dishes, fold laundry, or cook dinner! But, if we are going to be honest we would never sit down and watch them. Well, I sit down and watch this show with my kids. It is delightful, and hilarious!

I will admit that it is not every one's humor, it is a little slap-sticky ( i just made that up), but it is also quick witted and smart.

Anyway, here is a video I found of The Upside Down Show on YouTube. If you can, watch through or fast forward to the fly-ditty at 1:39! Note: They are trying to cheer up their fly friend! One of my favorites!

Vampires, Birthdays, and Weekend Getaways!

So, I did it. I turned 30! It happened while I sat in a theater listening to a bunch of grown women screaming because the new "Twilight" Movie was about to start.

In my opinion the perfect way to start a new decade.

My Mom came with me, my good friend Gina was there, and as it just so happened many of my amazing friends from church were also there. I was surrounded by many of my favorite people.

Life was good. Life is good.

We just got back from Houston where I spent Saturday- all day Saturday- shopping and lunching with my Sister and my Mommy.

I am blessed to have married such an amazing man, have such an amazing father, and an amazing brother-in-law who watched the kiddos while we went gallivanting around Houston.

My Mom and Sister are such a riot. We have such fun when we are together. I wish I was closer so that we could gallivant more often. But, then again, I guess the distance makes it sweeter! Although, it has been decided among the 3 of us that we must do it more often. (sorry boys!) Erin, I am marking my calendar for a weekend in October! I am blessed to enjoy my Mommy and my Sister as much as I do! They are my bestest of friends!

I have also noticed a odd difference in myself over the last week. I am grounded in myself. I don't really know what that means exactly, but that is the only way I can describe it. Maybe I am finally looking at myself as an adult. I don't know. But, I do feel different. In a good, good way!

So, THANKS for all those birthday wishes, the Happy Birthday song sung at Alamo, the messages, the wall posts on facebook, the weekend shopping trip, the babysitting, and for being my family and friends!

Peace Out 20's......

OFADE Part 5: Epcot and The End!

We spent a whole day on Friday and a Half day on Saturday at Epcot!

Sierra was most excited about going to Epcot. Paul and I were equally excited to see her there. Sierra has a special love of world cultures and customs. She loves trying new things, seeing new things, and experiencing new things. I think at the beginning of our week/adventure she was just excited to see all the different countries and eat cool food, but then as the week progressed I think she became more excited because she could experience all of this "new" stuff with both feet firmly planted on the ground. :) A HUGE selling feature for her!

Logan also found much to enjoy at Epcot..like all the water features..... and Paul found that at Epcot all your golf shots look really impressive. ( He came up with this shot and is very proud at how it turned out!)......

We had all decided before we even walked into Epcot that we wanted to try and "eat our way around the world showcase." We didn't eat in China or Mexico because there wasn't anything new to eat there, Canada only had trail mix, and we ran out of time in Norway. Other than that we did sample something in every country.

We ate a lemon tart and a cream filled pastry in France.

We had Shrimp Tempura, Udon Noodles and Kaki Gori (shaved ice with sweet flavoring, a.k.a. a snow cone like thing) in Japan

Traditional Baklava in Morocco...

A Bratwurst, and the most amazing pretzel I have ever had in a theme park in Germany...

a funnel cake in Americaand the best fish and chips in the United Kingdom.

Sierra's favorite ride in all of Disney World was at Epcot. Test Track was a HUGE hit with her and she rode it twice,the only ride we can say that about for Sierra. We also enjoyed the Nemo Ride, and Talking with Crush was "sweet." We also rode Living with the Land, and Journey into Imagination with Figment, Gran Fiesta Tour w/the Three Caballeros, and Maelstrom in Norway. Sierra and I went and saw "The American Adventure" while Paul and Logan rode the "Friendship" boat. The other BIG hit with the kids was the Kim Possible "ride."It's not a ride as much as it was running around a country trying to stop a diabolical plot to take over the world. It was a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed it, and it was also a great way to get to see the individual countries. Because of that, we did it about 5 times!

Logan was really great at Epcot. Honestly he would have been perfectly happy to sit and watch this all day........

the train in Germany. Is anyone surprised, really!?!

The kids also enjoyed going to each of the countries and collecting items for their "kidcot" masks.
This is another favorite souvenir and again, FREE!!!

Sierra's Favorite thing about Epcot was "all the different countries and Test Track."
Logan's favorite thing about Epcot was watching the trains, and riding the boat.

My favorite part of Epcot was watching the Drummers, and the Candy Maker in Japan, doing Kim Possible with the kids, and watching Sierra fall in love with so many countries in one day.

Paul's favorite part of Epcot was Japan, riding in the "friendship" boat with Logan jut to ride on a boat, and eating Fish N'Chips down by the water with the family.

Well, there you go it's finally over. Our trip in 5 installments.

We had a great time. It was magical. It was fun. It was perfect. We created memories, and moments that I hope Paul and I and the kids will remember for always.

Thanks Disney..until next time....

OFADE: Part 4 Hollywood Studios

We spent all day Thursday and a half day Saturday at Hollywood Studios.

Hollywood Studios is one of our favorite parks! We loved it because we had a plan so our day went by smoothly, but we also had TONS of fun/ happy surprises happen! It was a GREAT couple of days! Here are the highlights!

While on the back lot tour we ran into the chicken coop from the Hannah Montana Movie. Sierra was pretty stoked, but I don't think she would admit it. She's now "too cool" for Hannah Montana. That made me remember the following comment Sierra made; "Mom, how cool would it be if all of a sudden Selena Gomez walked up to us and said, "Hi Sierra! I am here to be your guide to Disney World. That would TOTALLY ROCK!" This comment made me smile, and giggle to myself. I replied by telling her that if Selena Gomez popped out while we were at DW to be our guide, then this truly was the MOST MAGICAL PLACE on Earth. :)

We also stopped and posed with 3 of the 5 Power Rangers. I loved how they would show the kids how to pose and then pose with them. The blue ranger was my favorite. He was really into it! This was also our "ode to Nathan," my brother, who is serving a mission in Paraguay! He may be 19 but he is still a HUGE Power Rangers fan! We miss you Nate!

In Hollywood Studios we met a TON of characters!

Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Mulan, Belle...

Chip and Dale, Jafar, Lotso from Toy Story 3......

Lightning McQueen and Mater....Handy Manny.....

and Mike W. and Sully!

There were more but posting all of the pictures would be ridiculous.

We met most of the characters at the Magic of Disney Animation. We hid out there while it was down poring and it turned into a character smorgasbord while we were hiding out there. We also got to learn how to draw Minnie and Tigger from Disney Animators! If you are ever there, do this! It was awesome and because we asked nicely we got to take the animators signed drawing of Minnie home with us! Not many people know this, and it's FREE!!

We also learned what Disney Character we were most like. Paul and Logan were most like Cogsworth the clock from Beauty and the Beast, Sierra was most like Tinkerbell, and I was most like Nala from The Lion King!

It was one of our favorite stops!

Another one of the unique things about "studios" is the number of great shows you can see there. We enjoyed a number of them....

Playhouse Disney, Muppet's 3-D, Indiana Jones, High School Musical 3, Beauty and the Beast...

and our personal favorite...Lights! Motor! Action! A stunt car driving show. Logan was BEYOND excited with all the Lights, screeching tires, action, water, falling, shooting, and FIRE!!

Saturday was STAR WARS Weekend! I was worried it was going to be CRAZY!! It was Crazy, but not CRAZY, and actually turned out to be really cool! We were greeted to the park by these guys....

(look on the top of the building)

and we watched the Star Wars Motorcade that featured that weekends celebrates including, Jeremy Bulloch ( Boba Fett from episodes 5 and 6), Ashley Eckstein ( voice of Ahoska in Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Ray Park ( Darth Maul), Billy Dee Williams ( Lando Calrissian), and Dave Filoni ( supervising director of Clone Wars), and a few other people. To cap our Star Wars experience off Paul, Sierra and Logan joined forces with the Dark Side.

We also rode some amazing rides, like Toy Story Mania, Tower of Terror, and Rockin' Roller Coaster!

Here are our personal favorites from Hollywood Studios:

Logan really liked Toy Story Mania, meeting Mater and McQueen, Playhouse Disney, Lights! Motors! Action!, eating and "playing" games at Pizza Planet, and playing on the Honey I Shrunk the Kids! playground.

Sierra "Hated Tower of Terror, but I liked Light! Motor! Action!, Toy Story Mania, and Drawing with the animator."

Randi: " I really loved all the surprises we enjoyed at Hollywood. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed drawing with the animator, Little Mermaid, and the Star Wars Motorcade. I loved Lights! Motors!, and I really loved riding Toy Story with my kids! Oh! and I of course LOVED Tower of Terror...can we go back tomorrow?"

Paul " Tower of Terror is the best ride in the whole wide world, in the whole park. I liked animation, Lights! Motors!, running in the rain ( although we did that everywhere), and being the high scorer 2x in Toy Story Mania!"

Ostler Family Adventure Disney Edition: Part 3

I have been having a hard time posting about this part of our adventure because we spent so much time in the Magic Kingdom!

We all had so many favorites, and we took so many pictures, it's been very hard to narrow it all down!

We spent all day Wednesday in the Magic Kingdom, as many nights as we could sneak in, and a half day on Sunday! This truly is the most "Magical Place on Earth!"

One of the things that we had discovered from our previous day at the Animal Kingdom was pin trading. Sierra fell in love with it, and she especially loved trading pins at Magic Kingdom. Pin trading was her souvenir but you would have thought it was all of ours the way we were all looking at/for pins to trade!

The first big hit of Magic Kingdom was the monorail. Logan LOVED it!

LOVED might even be an understatement.

He was a little obsessed.

But in the cutest most excited way!

Here Logan and Paul are on the Tomorrow Land Speedway! A family favorite. Sierra and I rode it together and then went pin hunting while Logan and Paul rode it again! We were lucky enough to get back just in time to capture this shot. Pure Joy! We all loved this ride so much that we rode it again on Sunday!

Another Logan favorite: Dumbo!

He rode this ride every chance he got, and that would be 4!

Subsequently, any ride like this ride he also liked. Aladdin's Flying Carpets, Astro Orbiter, and Triceratops Spin in Animal Kingdom.... all BIG hits with this kid!

The other big hit with Logan was Goofy's Barnstormer. He rode it 5 times and if we could have he would have ridden 5 more times!

Sierra and I also liked the Barnstormer. It was a lot of fun!

On Wednesday we were also able to eat lunch at the Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh and gang! The food was great and the kids enjoyed meeting all the characters.

Oh! Paul met his favorite too!

Paul has THE BEST Eeyore voice ever!

Here was a funny moment caught on film. We decided to ride the teacups as a family. Both kids had ridden the ride earlier in the day, in separate teacups, but we wanted to ride all together.

Here is how it went down:

Logan wanted to spin the tea cup by himself...Sierra gets a little agitated.

We tell Logan to share, he says "no!"

Logan loses his turn. Sierra gets a turn...this makes Logan very sad/angry.

Yup! This is going exactly as planned..........

Paul decided it would be best to lighten the mood......

by pretending to throw up.

We were all amused. It made for a memorable tea cup ride!

Sierra's favorite things to do while at the Magic Kingdom were to get autographs from the characters and pin trade. She also LOVED It's a Small World, Peter Pan ( where we got stuck for 5 minutes) Splash Mountain...she admitted to liking it a week later......,Tomorrow Land Speedway, Tomorrow land Transit Authority and Smoked Turkey Legs.

Paul's Favorites were watching the fireworks in Fantasyland under the castle, and making new memories with the kids on rides like Barnstormer and The Tomorrow Land Speedway.

My favorite part of the Magic Kingdom was seeing my kids and my family have such an amazing time. It made me so happy to see smiles on everyones faces as they did each new activity.

Thanks Magic Kingdom for the Most Magical Days! We can't wait to come back again!