BiGleR FaMilY

Maleah Age 4

2011-11-28T10:30:00.000-08:00

2011-02-20T17:31:00.000-08:00

Kaya's Baptismal Day

Kaya was baptised on Feb 5th. It was a super happy day. Kaya was radiant! After she was baptized she said "Can I please do that again? I feel so clean inside!" Then she said "This is my best day ever!" She is so cute!

We had such a wonderful time with all of our family and friends. Thank you to all who came, made cupcakes, made soups, and sent cards. You made our day complete!

2011-02-20T17:12:00.000-08:00

2011-02-20T15:56:00.000-08:00

Jacob the fire chief

2011-02-20T15:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Kaya

2011-02-20T15:09:00.000-08:00

double trouble in the spice cabinet

Maleah loves lizards but she specifically asked for a pink one to go with her blue one from last year. We rarely see her soooooo excited!

Christmas morning opening presents

A wise man bringing gifts to baby Jesus (I think a princess crown will work don't you?)

Christmas Best

2011-02-20T14:47:00.000-08:00

October fun with Gran and Gramps

2010-12-11T18:02:00.001-08:00

Grandma and Grampa Cusick flew in from California and helped us issue in the twins' 2nd Birthday! It was great fun.

Jacob must really hate sleeping in his crib b/c we find him in more "cozy" places.

Maleah showing her dashing smile (rarely on camera or on cue).

Shopping for pumpkins...a family tradition!

I've never seen Tasha sooooo excited to sit next to such colorful pumpkins.

Justin and Andrea aka Peter Pan and Tinkerbell

We were so lucky that the Utah weather didn't scare off our California guests. We could actually spend some good time out on the deck without freezing our noses off.

Pumpkin Carving time! They never had templates when I grew up!!!

The pumpkin family. We stayed up until midnight, and yes, Gramps and Gran hung out the entire time! It was great fun!

Funny faces...

Heidi showed up with her date Adam. Boy has she aged!!!

Maleah wanted to wear Heidi's "old woman" glasses.

Jacob and Emma looked at these cupcakes for a while, just wondering what in the world they were supposed to do with it. As if they were saying: "would you please put out the fire so I can eat it please???? "

Yummmmmmmmy

Grampa Mike with his Mom and Dad.

We had such fun listening to Gramps and Gran's stories when they grew up. Our power went out and grampa said that our lamps are a lot brighter than the ones they used when they grew up. The both remember when they got power in their house for the first time. Amazing!

Playing with the presents...

We decided to have a family "theme" for our costumes: Wizard of Oz

Emma with a wig. Or should I say Rapunzel?

Wizard of Oz going Trick or Treating.

The kids gave some musical performances, and got PAID!!!! They were all very surprised.

Bigler Family

2010-12-11T17:56:00.000-08:00

The latest, greatest pic of all the Biglers! count them--37!

Yummy jelly and lettuce sandwich!!!

2010-08-03T21:10:00.001-07:00

2010-06-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

After the first two lines Tasha asked: "Maleah, are you a zebra?" She kept drawing lines and said, "not yet!"

Eight is great

2010-02-21T19:39:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that Kaya is going to be eight years old next year. She is so excited to be baptised.

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2010-02-07T09:38:00.000-08:00

Yes. He really does his own stunts! Just look at his left cheek. That was a result of Jacob climbing on the bar.
Grant

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2010-01-16T16:47:00.000-08:00

Just had my knee scoped from a snow mobile injury 8 years ago.
Grant

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2009-12-25T17:31:00.000-08:00

Maleah loves her Christmas dress!
Grant

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2009-12-17T15:12:00.000-08:00

I've had a ton a people ask about this picture of me and Kaya in downtown Provo
Grant

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2009-12-16T20:32:00.000-08:00

Seems like kids are hanging off our legs all the time!
Grant

2009-11-30T22:04:00.000-08:00

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY!

SNOW WHITE, TINKERBELL AND A BUNNY WITH A LION. ONE HOUR THAT ENDED AT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE. JACOB HAD HIS HEAD GLUED BACK TOGETHER. HE TRIPPED OVER HIS LION COSTUME.

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2009-10-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

Jacob finally sleeping. Everyone here is sick again. But we'll get better eventually.
Grant

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2009-10-08T21:42:00.000-07:00

We got Kaya out of a successful 7 hour surgery. Her bladder is now bigger. :). Thanks to all for your prayers and support!
Grant

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2009-10-04T19:52:00.001-07:00

Grant

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2009-10-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

Grant

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2009-10-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

We've finally finished the kitchen. And we love it!
Grant

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2009-09-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

The other day we went on a date...we were so tired that after dinner all we could do was go lay down in the park! Sometimes all these sleepless nights catch up to us. :)
Grant

Kitchen Remodel

2009-09-13T22:34:00.000-07:00

While we were down in Colorado, we had our guys tear out everything in the kitchen and begin the remodel. This is what we came home to:

We added a pantry and a desk on the far wall, and took out the wall that separated the kitchen/dining room. This really opens it up!

We switched the doors to the dining room area.

All our guys were awesome!!! Basically everything is done except for the texture on the ceiling and walls, and paint. Cabinets should be installed beginning Sept. 23rd. Right now we live in 1/4 inch of dust (which is why we spend all our time in the basement!) We can't wait to get this done.

Colorado

2009-09-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's official...I'm addicted to the Durango area. There's a ton of things to do there, and it is so beautiful!!!! Here's some pics of our latest adventure (BTW, our usual 7 hour drive was lengthened 3 hours b/c of the twins (bless their little hearts) :))

Picking pears and apples in the orchard

Having a picnic after a looooooong (1 mile roundtrip hike w/kids="Long hike") by Vallecito Lake

Kaya and Maleah learned to boulder climb.

Sometimes I even amaze myself! All four in one shot.

Grandpa just bought chickens (a great hit for the kids) unless, of course, the chicken start pecking at their toes.

Ummmmmmm

2009-06-17T21:07:00.000-07:00

It's been a while...

We're still alive. Barely. The whirlwind of children keeps taking us by surprise. Just when we think we're on top of things, we're reminded that we're not in control...our children are. :)

The kids are growing fast. Emma is starting to push herself around the room. Jacob is still a screaming "beached whale". Maleah is learning how to say "no" and hit. Kaya is the intense big sister that really tries to be helpful.

There you have it. That's my quick take on life in our home...until next time, enjoy some very random pics.

Economy thoughts

2009-05-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

Many times economists are very dry...not this one. I attended the International Trade and Business Conference, sponsored by Zions Bank, and really enjoyed Russell Robert's thoughts. They offer great perspective and a lot of humor. Enjoy!

Temples

2009-03-23T05:52:00.000-07:00

This year celebrates my 10 year anniversary of being married to Tasha. (My oh my how time flies!!!) I say married, but in our Mormon lingo, we use also use the term "sealed". Why? Because marriages performed in the temple are not "until death do we part"...these marriages are performed by God's Priesthood, which has the power to seal families together on earth and in heaven for eternity. I am so thankful that the gospel and priesthood have been restored again to the earth through Jesus' visit to Joseph Smith!

Indulge me for a minute, while we share a short video on "Why Mormons Build Temples":

Picture Day

2009-02-01T21:46:00.000-08:00

Growing So Fast

2009-02-01T21:24:00.001-08:00

Yesterday marked Em-J's 3 month mark. It's absolutely amazing how time flies when you're sleep deprived! :) (Oh, and having fun). These kids have been surprisingly low maintenance. Aside from a little gas, they are very happy. Their new thing is looking at us with smiles and jabbering a little. It is fun to see how quickly they learn.

The other day was the first time I think they actually noticed each other...and as expected, Emma did most of the talking while Jacob was looking at her with the eyes of a tiger waiting to pounce and wrestle. Classic boy and girl!!!

This picture is really deceiving. Emma usually doesn't take the binki very well when she falls asleep. But when she's asleep...ohhhhhhh the peace and rest. :) To give her credit, Emma actually goes to sleep easier than Jacob.

I knew Jacob would look good in a baseball uniform!!! I'm still looking forward to the time we can go play some catch. By the looks of it, he'll be a strong right hander that will throw a good 90 mph. :)

A Christmas to Remember

2008-12-25T21:16:00.000-08:00

From our hearts to yours, Merry Christmas!!!

This Christmas will go down as one of the most memorable. I think it will be impossible to describe, in the short words and pictures below, how remarkable this Christmas was for us.

The Twins
To begin, Tasha and I, for some reason or other, didn't have much time to shop for gifts this year. I know...twins is a weak-sauce excuse, but that's the card I'm playing...they were our Christmas. They're healthy, happy, and growing very fast and we couldn't wish for much else.

The bows mean that they were officially going down in the Bigler history books that they were our Christmas gifts this year.

The Miracle on 650 South Street
Last week we received a knock on our door from an unidentified man giving us a Provo River cruise, where we'd take a tour on a boat to see the Provo Christmas lights. As is the case with the Cusick brain, my wife immediately went into "problem-solving" mode, trying as she might to think of who would give such a nice gift.

Perhaps it was coincidental, but we think not, that the very night we were supposed to be enjoying ourselves on a cruiseliner bound for Provo's best lights, Kaya spiked a fever and started throwing up...I know, for those that know Kaya, that never, never happens (she's always feeling 100%, especially around holidays...NOT!!!) But I digress.

The coincidence came at roughly 7pm on the 23rd, the same night and time we were supposed to be on the cruise. I'm changing Jacob's diaper, Tasha's feeding Emma, Maleah and Kaya are chasing each other around our "race track", when we hear a knock at our door. As always, Kaya and Maleah practically jump out of their skin to answer the door, especially the loud knocks.

The next thing we hear is Kaya yelling (practically screaming): "There's a rocking horse on our porch! There's a rocking horse on our porch! There's a rocking horse on our porch! And there's a lot, a lot of presents!!!"

Tasha got to the door first (although I've got diaper changing down to 15.23 sec, when it's really bad...well it takes a little longer). "Grant, you've got to come see this."

When I arrived, all I could do is laugh. I'm not sure why, except that it was a little unbelievable. Our front porch was literally covered with gifts, and Santa was nowhere in sight. Tasha thought that perhaps these gifts were given to distribute to those in our neighborhood in need, until we saw that every gift had one of our names on it.

Attached to the smorgasbord of gifts was a kind letter from Santa (with an additional generous endowment) reminding us again what Christmas is all about. I share in part: "it goes to show that you never know who is watching you...one day, I may call upon you to be my special helpers, and I have no doubt you will be able to deliver for me as I have done for you...Keep fighting the good fight and remember always that you are loved."

I believe whoever penned this letter had the essence of the Light of Christmas. I don't know that the Author of Christmas would, Himself, have phrase it differently. We are so blessed and fortunate to be the recipients of this kind act of service...and to any who may have been involved that might be reading this blog: Thank You for your kindness and generosity. You have reminded us, and have helped teach our children that Christmas is about giving. With each gift given, we celebrate and rejoice in the Babe of Bethlehem, Jesus Christ, the Giver of all good gifts.

Christmas Day
Believe it or not, this is our first Christmas in our own home. The previous 9 Christmases have been spent in Colorado. That means it was our first time being "Santa"...and wow, I didn't know how much thought this title requires. I had to think about stocking stuffers, traditions, food, placement of presents, the sequence of Christmas morning, etc.

Kaya, and Maleah making their entrance to the tree (Maleah wouldn't come along with Kaya without shedding some tears...so enter: Mommy)

Kaya inspecting whether Santa ate all dozen cookies...and yes, I did...finished the last one at 1am

"Santa did what?"

One of the many gifts from Santa included books and educational toys, along with some much needed diapers (of all sizes--just thinking about that is nuts. Our diaper requirements span sizes 1 through 4!!! Are we crazy??? No, just happy and broke.) Thank you Santa.

Maleah liked climbing on the presents. Opening them was another story. I don't think she really gets it yet.

True joy. (Kaya wanted a Barbie, and Mommy compromised by getting a Barbie head...Kaya loved it).

Kaya and her "children".

We really missed our friends and family in Colorado. But, what a fun and memorable Christmas. The snow, the gifts, the smiles, the diapers, the surprises. Kaya felt good the entire day, and Maleah just ran around testing her limits (by hitting Kaya). Merry Christmas everyone!!!

The First Snow

2008-12-25T21:03:00.001-08:00

The snow storm that just hit the Orem area was amazing!!! It reminded me of the snow I remembered getting as a kid. This is the first snow experience where Kaya didn't complain of being cold (which usually hit 10 minutes after getting suited up). So much fun!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-25T20:48:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving with the Biglers can sometimes be overwhelming. My 9 siblings and their nieces and nephews makes for a household of...fun. Tasha and I now operate on "twin time" (the official definition we're requesting Wikipedia to add is: 'we'll be there between the hours of 8am and 5pm'...reminds you of RC Willey's delivery practice doesn't it???)

We thought we'd go up Thursday and comeback Friday...but then we (Tasha really) noticed how many extra hands there were in the house to help, and our one day vacation quickly turned into three.

In those three days, I practically mastered Guitar Hero (after only three songs...I promise), we gorged ourselves with yummy food (my favorite was the Prime Rib and Ratatouille), Maleah (force)fed Emma a Cheeto, near-death experience with a leaking propane tank, a nice walk through Lagoon's park, and a fast-paced Bigler brother go-cart race.

Kaya and Maleah were so fun walking in the park together...Maleah was so comfy with my piggy back ride that she fell asleep.

Kaya with some of her cousins: Kamille, Kolby, and Kendall.

twin binkis

2008-11-30T19:08:00.001-08:00

Maleah never took a binki when she was a baby...but now she's making up for it.

More pics

2008-11-23T21:35:00.000-08:00

So, as many of you have guessed, our groove has been severely adjusted right now. Our REM sleep is basically nill, as it has been replaced by "cat naps" throughout the night. Now I have to preface everything I do at work with, "I'm sleep deprived, so just bear with me..."

Tasha is a trooper. She has performed the other wonder of the world: feeding multiple babies at one time.

Kaya, of course, desires to help more helpful than we want her to (the other day, I walked into our room and she was holding the breast pump gear under her shirt and said, "I'm pumping")

Maleah finds every binky and puts it in the babies mouths and then back into her own, right after she "honked" their nose and pointed out every major facial organ (ear, nose, eyes, etc)

A day in the life...but oh it's worth it.

Kaya always wants to be the mother...
this is the first time Maleah has every wanted to hold the babies...Emma got the 1st try.

Little piggie, little piggie, let me in...(Jacob G looks good in pink :)

Kaya and Maleah w/twins

2008-11-23T21:23:00.000-08:00

Many have been asking how Kaya and Maleah are reacting to the twins...here's your sneek peak.

Havin' fun in the leaves

2008-11-23T21:06:00.000-08:00

Kaya and Maleah fully enjoyed our leaf raking project...

BABIES!!!

2008-11-02T15:57:00.001-08:00

Here's a little play-by-play of our recent events. First, we've documented that Tasha really did have a shelf on her tummy:
Second, we noticed that other's thought she had a shelf too (Tasha's sister, Heidi, told us that her boss was visiting the hospital this week, and noticed "the largest pregnant mom, dressed in a brown mumu" that he'd ever seen...little did he know that he was talking to that pregnant mom's sister)
Third, Tasha has what she calls "sausage toes". And evidently, post labor doesn't reduce swelling. It's getting worse. She thinks she might get stretch marks on her feet.
Now for the fun part. Tasha called me at work Thursday afternoon, saying that her contractions were 6 minutes apart. I hung up on my client, and sped home. When we arrived at the hospital, she was dilated to a 6, and that was without experience painful labor pains.

After checking her, our doctor said that there was a bum and a head competing to come out first. We resolved to push the bum up and break the water of the baby that was head-down. We quickly learned that breaking the water accelerates contractions. In the interim, we were convinced that Tasha should have an epidural. (I've learned that this is one of the wonders of the world, and a saving grace for this father's thumb and forearm muscles). After laboring for about 1.5 hours, we went to the Operating Room (just in case we needed an emergency C-Section). But that wasn't necessary. In fact, Tasha did amazingly well. She delivered both without difficulty. Emma came first, then Jacob came 14 minutes later (a natural gentleman, of course...allowing the woman to go first).

Emma Rae Bigler 5 lbs 10 oz, 18 inches

Jacob Grant Bigler 6 lb 14 oz, 19.5 inches

Both of them love being next to each other.

With twins, we became a collector of arm bands.

All Kaya wants to do is kiss and hold Emma.

Maleah is pretty clueless. Although she looks at them and yells "baby" really well.

maleah eating???

2008-09-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

at least she likes tomatoes...we had the best brushetta, fresh from our garden tomatoes and basil. Yummmmmmmy.

Belly show

2008-09-14T10:14:00.001-07:00

Upon popular request...
You should see her with a hula skirt on... :)

We are officially at 30 weeks and Tasha measures a small 44 inches. The good news is that we only have 10 weeks before the due date. The bad news is, the next 10 weeks is when the baby's grow the most...along with mommy's belly. HOLY STRETCH MARKS!!!!! Each baby weighs 3 lbs right now, so we are on track for a couple healthy babies.

Summer catchup

2008-08-17T22:33:00.000-07:00

First trip: Oregon.
Purpose: Tasha's family reunion

Next trip: Balloon Festival, Provo
Next trip: July 4th at Primary Childrens...sorry, no photos. We're frequent fliers there and have enough photos for a while. Although, we are considering requesting a room with our name on it...preferably on the West side so we have front view of the fireworks in SLC. (Kaya ended up having a kidney infection this go-round).

Next trip: Colorado

don't worry, more to come...

Jack and Jill...

2008-08-17T22:25:00.000-07:00

It's official...well, it's been official for a while now, but we are trying to prep all of you blog readers for our infrequent posts (who knows what's going to happen when these twins crush our world)!

A Boy and a Girl. Yep, I get my boy, along with another package of estrogen. Boy am I excited...to be able to hang with a guy. :) We really haven't decided on names (we can hardly come up with one, let alone two), but we have heard a couple funny ones:

Jack and Jill
Alfredo and Marinara
Milee and Cyrus
Daisy and Duke

See what we have to choose from??? Basically, we need help.

The best thing--we have a minivan that will tote these screamin' demons anywhere we go.

Ummmmm.........TWINS?????

2008-05-09T05:53:00.000-07:00

I was working on the computer late one night when Tasha gently laid a pregnancy test on the desk. "What do you think of that?" she asked. Both of us didn't think it was possible (especially considering our track record of getting children after 4 yrs of trying), so she got another test out. Positive. "Maybe they're old pregnancy tests," I said. At 11:30pm Tasha went to Wal-Mart to get some new tests. Sure enough, even the new one showed positive.

Shocker! We were really excited, but needed to wait a couple weeks to confirm this with the OB. At this appointment, they brought us to their ultrasound room. After a little looking, the doctor asked, "Do you want the good news or bad news first." As you know, we don't like to be teased about "bad news" at all, so we were quickly relieved (kind of) when he said that we were having TWINS, "which is the good and the bad news".

Needless to say we left the OB office in total shock. That turned out to be the beginning of many realizations. The first came as we approached our car...yep-we suddenly realized that our Lexis is now too small. Four carseats and sedans just don't mix. SUV? Nope. Not when you consider we would be the ones having to crawl over the middle seat to buckle in Kaya/Maleah or the twins in the back. So minivan here we come--and yes, I'm actually getting more and more excited about it. And the list of realizations is getting longer. For now, we are just plain excited.

Due date is mid November, and yes, this time we'll find out what we are going to have.

Education...life...and other not-so-deep thoughts

2008-03-24T06:17:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I've been contemplating furthering my education. For a long time, I've been anticipating a masters in business or some finance-related degree. But earlier this year, I was re-directed.

Tasha asked me one morning: "Grant, are you doing what you should be doing with your life?"

That penetrating question sums up the beginning of a great many days of pondering about what type of education I should obtain. My answer came clearly. I need attend law school. Although a clear answer, I spent the next several days asking myself if I was listening to the right spirit...and after other events triggered confirmation that I was, I became assured more than most times in my life that my path for the next 4 years is clear: law school, here I come.

What type of law? What school? I have no idea... I would have preferred that the answer came after softball season was over and after some of my other businesses were off the ground (studying for 15 hours/week doesn't leave time for much of anything). I will take the LSAT in June and plan on attending fall of 2009...somewhere. Until then--yes--my blog posts might be sporadic. :) (they may have some consistency, however...it helps that I got a new iMac (and can see my new toy while typing)--yes, I joined the MacRevolution (or the anti-PC revolution...either way...)

My last note: This process has renewed my understanding of how to approach life. Life isn't all about so many things, and meant specifically for a few things. I value education...in a variety of ways, not necessarily tied to a formal degree from an accredited institution. Many books sit on shelves with pages unopened. Many children sit at home participating in good practices that could be better or better yet, even best.

So often we live life by moving with the tide...doing things because others do them. But we are here to learn, to stretch, and have experiences that build our faith in God. I believe if each of us asked and involved the Lord in even our daily duties and decisions, we will be given more ability to accomplish tasks that are designed to complete and enrich our character. Thus we will be positioned to bless the lives of many others.

We went to the open house of the Rexburg temple earlier this year...my camera almost didn't work in the -20 degree weather. I loved Ricks...but am not sure how I made it through the winters...

Three Months Later...

2008-03-24T06:07:00.000-07:00

Yep--she's still eating, sleeping, and pooping. The only thing that tempts her to begin moving is if there's a big steak dangling in front of her nose. At 10 months, she started crawling...her right leg sticks straight out to the side, her left knee being the only one touching the ground. I call it the Ahab crawl.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T19:03:00.000-08:00

Greetings from beautiful Colorado!!! After spending the previous week in the hospital with Kaya (dealing with some post-surgery issues among other things...), we finally got released from Primary Children's on Thursay. We made sure Kaya was OK on Friday, then made the trek to Colorado Saturday. As I've said plenty of times before, this is the most beautiful place!!! I'm very jealous of all the people who live here.

This is the first Christmas with Maleah, so she provided many fun times. Her reaction to most things is to touch them with her tongue, but since the Christmas tree was a little too far reach...she reached it with her fingers:
Kaya insisted that we act out the nativity scene, so as Mary, she made us all dress up as nativity characters in her play. Any play writer would have been proud of the 5 minute script and improv that occurred throughout the play.

After the pre-Christmas festivities, we all retired for a long, cozy night's rest...well, at least it was the thought that counts. Lately, we've felt like we've had twins. Kaya and Maleah trade off with their issues during the night, and eventually we get worn out and just bring them into bed with us (this is probably their real motive if they were honest about it). But fitting all of us into a full sized bed becomes a little squishy, and promotes insomnia (for proof, just look at the newly formed bags under our eyes).

After realizing my plight with all the women that surround me in my home, I was delighted to see the new semi-masculine gift: Maleah in camo (just ignore the pink roses spattered across the PJ's):

One of the best smiles ever to come across Kaya's face was when she saw the Supreme Collection of eight pairs of Princess shoes (each shoe represents a Princess from a Disney film--and I'm sure this collection didn't leave any out) and when she saw her new bike sitting by the tree:Later Christmas day, the family went hiking the mountains in Saul's Creek. I was told that it was a test of endurance. The hike was a 1.5 hour journey, and Maleah loved it (while Kaya and I were catching up on some shut-eye). Although looking at Maleah's thighs and cheeks would suggest no bundling was needed, we bundled her with extra layers.

The Best of Times

2007-11-25T20:35:00.000-08:00

1. Kaya recently said: "Mommy, I love Jesus" and then after a little pause she said, "I love Jesus' hair too". What a girl!!!!

2. Tasha was trying to take a picture of Maleah, but Kaya was blocking her shot. Tasha kept telling Kaya to duck. After a few times of saying that, Kaya was in front of Maleah's face saying: "quack, quack...quack, quack"

Michelangelo

2007-11-07T21:40:00.001-08:00

Admit it...these should be in the Sistine Chapel

Pilgrim girl

2007-11-06T21:51:00.001-08:00

Happy Halloween

2007-11-06T21:20:00.000-08:00

Kaya: Princess (of course)
Maleah: well fed bunny
Grant: sick patient (food poisoning from Brick Oven)
Tasha: doctor, taking care of me

Surgery #13

2007-11-06T20:59:00.001-08:00

We just survived another surgery...hopefully the last one we'll have for about 10 years. This was a bladder surgery. The pre-surgery was not very pleasant...we had to have Kaya on a liquid diet for more than 24 hours. Then we checked into the hospital and for about 12 hours she could have anything to eat or drink. That's when I had to be really creative in ways I could distract her. One of them was to put Maleah in her hospital bed and watch her attempt to grab every tube she could find.
Kaya made good friends with the nurses before the surgery...but afterwards she hated everyone equally (mimicking Google :). The nurse on duty right before surgery, whose duty it was to help us give with the enemas, had a wake up call. He asked Kaya if she was ready, and Kaya said: "maybe we should practice on Emily first." "Who's Emily?" he asked. (not knowing that Emily is Kaya's medical doll we bring to all surgeries to help her feel more comfortable with the procedures.) Tasha held up Maleah as if she was Emily...the nurse freaked out! "Oh...so you want to do the enema on your other daughter before we give Kaya one????" We all had a good laugh.At the end of the day, the surgery on her bladder was very successful. She had a ureter replaced (the tube that connects the kidney to the bladder), and we took a little small intestine to make a fake ureter that leads from her bladder to the surface of her skin. This will enable her to catheter her bladder about every 2 hours a day and control when she goes potty...a BIG step in getting her in panties. Until now, she had no bladder control, b/c she was urinating through her vesicostomy (a small hole that leaked from her bladder to her diaper).

A SPECIAL THANKS TO MANY OF YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTS, PRAYERS, AND ASSISTANCE!!!! We are very blessed to have awesome family and friends.

Maleah aka "Jimmy Neutron" Pic @ 4 months

2007-09-30T21:54:00.001-07:00

Aaron Thompson, a friend in our ward, took this pic and many others. Maleah almost looks like a Porcelain doll...way too cute!! This dress was made for Tasha's Mom (Roseanne) when she was a baby, Roseanne took a picture of Tasha in it, and now we have one with Maleah. She is starting to giggle and she's exploring her new voice, and we love it!!! Kaya loves it too, and often shows it by giving many hugs and kisses, sometimes a little too much, but what else can we do, right???

Heidi's Home!

2007-08-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

Tasha's sister came home from her mission in Milwaukee, WI. She's glad to be back in warm Colorado. Tasha and Kaya had fun time welcoming her in the airport. When Heidi came through the gate, Kaya gave her a hug and wouldn't let her go...so she's in a lot of pictures.

She has joined her brother and sister...yep, you guessed it: in our basement.

Bigler Campout

2007-08-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

LOCATION: Kilgore, ID
POPULATION: whatever it was, the Biglers doubled it
MISSION: hold your feet in ice cold mountain streams to see who's crazy enough to stay there the longest...I think I was the craziest one.

We attempted to go fishing, but the flies were so bad that we spent our time hunting instead. (I think I killed a hundred of 'em). When we got to our fishing hole, we unloaded, hooked some worms on the line and dropped them in the stream. About 3 minutes later, after no action, Kendall (Joe's boy) says: "How long is this gonna take???"
While there, we had a big peanut scare. Kaya asked us if she could have a cookie. Since there wasn't a label on the box, we rubbed the cookie on her skin. Usually we can wait for a couple minutes and her skin will have a hive if she's allergic. Since we didn't see a hive, we allowed her to eat the cookie. About 10 minutes later, she had labored breathing and was itching everywhere, including in her throat. Thankfully she pulled through without us having to rush her to the hospital (which was over 1 hour away!!--a scary thought, especially considering the epi-pen is only good for about 30 min).

My little brother

2007-08-05T08:39:00.000-07:00

Maleah, Kaya, and Riley (my brother Matthew's little girl)

My brother Matthew came down to Nephi recently to help fuel the fire-fighting airplanes. Since we are the furthest Bigler south of Idaho (Dwight doesn't count b/c he's in Texas), we don't get family visitors very often...but it was fun to see my little bro. When I was little, I remember saying: "I can't wait for my little brother to grow up so I can play with him..." Well, now he's not so little anymore, and he's a lot of fun to hang with.

Maleah Ella Bigler

2007-05-20T18:32:00.000-07:00

Born: May 18, 2007

12:23 pm
American Fork Hospital
7 lbs 15 oz
18 inches

She is a chunky monkey...and has a lot of blonde hair. We know now what Kaya would have looked like if she doubled her weight at birth.

Tasha is my hero. She did awesome. The labor was primarily in Tasha's back, which required me to push on her sacrum (to create some counter-pressure and relief). Contractions began late Wednesday, and by Thursday afternoon they were consistent (10 min apart) and by Friday morning we were at the hospital at 7am with contractions about 5 min apart. 10:30am they had to break her water b/c the contractions weren't "strong" enough (I thought they were plenty strong). By noon, her contractions became very "strong" and 25 minutes of good pushing and Maleah arrived.

How did Kaya react? She is very hyper about having a little sister, and very fascinated with all her little features. Kaya thought we were having a boy, so when she found out we had a girl she said: "I didn't get my little brother...I think he's lost." Well, maybe next time. :)

Kaya is already being very motherly and helping with EVERYTHING!!! We have to give boundaries or she will completely maul her with love.

Oh, yeah, I had my time in the bed too. :) My take on this birthing experience is: 1. It is truly a miracle. 2. After pushing on Tasha's sacrum steadily for 9 hours, I felt like I went to the gym and never put the weights down. My arms and shoulders hurt so bad!! But, of course I couldn't say anything because what I had to endure was weak sauce, compared to my hero, Tasha.

Proud Grandpa Cusick

Kaya's first "pony"

2007-05-20T18:10:00.000-07:00

Well, she finally did it. We woke up one morning and Kaya had a pony tail. She makes her parent's proud!!!

Siding

2007-05-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

As if we don't have enough to do before the baby comes...we are now working full steam ahead on our exterior. We hired a guy that recently moved here from Ohio and is starting his siding business back up. He was recommended to us by a neighbor, and so far so good. We are very excited about possibility of transforming our Smurf Blue house to something a little more palatable. But just in case you thought our house couldn't get any more ugly, just look at it without our blue cedar shakes:
Completion date is expected in one more week. I'm sure our neighbors will be just as glad as we will be to have it done--we had a neighborhood cleanup project last Saturday, where everyone helps each other with yard work. We most help the elderly and try to steer clear of the houses like ours that would occupy the rest of our lives with work if we let it. But nonetheless, we still managed to clear out all the railroad ties from our backyard.

The next day, Sunday, when the Bishop realized there were some big piles of green waste that needed to be removed from our street, he mentioned we would need helping hands to help with the project. And then he specifically requested that the owners of the green waste be there to participate as well (I'm sure he had me in mind--looking at a pile of railroad ties weighing in at a mere 200lbs/each make any good man think about the easier road to remodeling a 30 year old house: arson...any kind).

Noah's Ark in my basement

2007-05-06T14:43:00.000-07:00

Alright...who opened the umbrella in our basement??? This flood couldn't have happened just because we live in a 30 year old house...it had to be something else right? Well, Noah only has one edge on me: My flood didn't require me to live in a self contained zoo for 40 days (although sometimes it feels like that around here :) The culprit was our outside faucet. It's funny...everytime I talk to someone about what caused our flood, they say, "You didn't unscrew your hose before winter, huh." Sometimes I wonder why I'm always in the dark on these important subjects, and why I always have to learn as I go. I'm liking the idea of "preventative maintenance".The quick story is this: Ryan (Tasha's brother) was outside washing his truck...noticing that he had low water pressure. After about 30 minutes he went inside to get something from his room. That's when he noticed the water coming in his shoes. Tasha and I were in Provo showing our duplex, and got the call that something was wrong. We hurried back, and 4 wet/dry vacs and 5 hours later, we got about all the water up we could.
You know when something happens that creates a domino effect...well, that was this flood. Now that the carpet is out, we can do what we were wanting to: texture the walls (old world style), replace baseboards and trim, tile--you know, simple stuff that only takes a minute. We are in the process now, and hope to be finished before the baby comes.

Easter

2007-05-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

We spent Easter in Kaysville with my fam (which coincidentally almost equalls the total population of Tasha's home town :). My nephew got baptized, so we all went up to celebrate...and talk about an Easter egg hunt! For a while I thought we hired a young army to find all the loot. Kids were everywhere!! It took us 30 minutes to hide the candy, and they found it in 10. It was a blast.All the little kids paired up with a bigger kid so the candy would be equally distributed (I promise we don't practice Marxism!!!...but sometimes you have to equally distribute the wealth or the little kids just get trampled). The best part about Easter (aside from all the candy)? Seeing all the parental styles adjust to the influx of sugar in their kid's bloodstream.

Hiking

2007-05-06T13:52:00.000-07:00

Sometimes little legs go real fast...sometimes not. Kaya has been feeling so good lately that when we hiked up to Bridal Veil Falls, she was outpacing the pregnant women and fatty daddy. At least she walked all the way up (with little coaxing). The way down however was another story. Thank goodness for all the people running the trail with their dogs! It was enough of a distraction that Kaya took her mind off "how long and boring" the hike down was turning out to be. It has been so nice to see Kaya with so much energy!

Build-A-Bear

2007-03-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

We took Kaya to the Build-A-Bear shop in Orem...she had a blast.

The first 20 minutes were spent helping Kaya decide on only one bear. Naturally she liked every choice, and wanted all twenty options. We finally narrowed the selection and moved to the next station, where she was stuffed and where Kaya could put in the bear's heart. After the bear was "alive", Kaya had to give her a bath. Then came choosing the new bear's clothes (yet again, another 20 minute decision). We added an accessory backpack to the mix and then chose the new bear's name: Becca.

Kaya was so excited to have another friend (we can't wait until May when her brother/sister comes to be her new friend...she really needs a friend that moves--and cries, and sleeps and poops :).

Sticker monster!!

2007-03-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

I think we forgot to lock the desk drawer...

Tasha's Tummy

2007-03-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

29 Weeks along...we are getting a lot closer (and Tasha is feeling a lot fatter)!!!

Kaya's BIG 4

2007-03-04T19:54:00.000-08:00

This is a really LATE post (Kaya will kill me later when she's a teenager), but hey, 1.5 months later is better than never! Kaya and Tasha were in Arizona visiting Tasha's grandparents on Kaya's b-day, then we had another party when she got back here. So she really had two birthday parties. In Arizona she went on a merry-go-round, went shopping, playing in the swimming pool (while we were freeeeeeezing in Utah), and to the circus. In Utah, we had all her cousins over for a big party(Thanks to Caitlin Nibly for these pics)

They really liked these glow in the dark sticks...it got dangerous in the dark. I think my eye almost got poked out.

It's fun to see Kaya growing older (I wish she was growing taller and heavier...she's probably the lightest 4 year old--21 lbs). Opening presents is fun (she actually likes her toys and clothes), she actually blows out candles, and she eats her cake (at least a couple bites).
We are hoping for 30 lbs next B-day, but 1st Quarter results are a little disappointing and we need to make up ground in the 2nd Quarter. Otherwise, the shareholders (Tash, me, all of you) will be in an uproar.

Baby Girl v Baby Boy.

2007-01-09T21:11:00.000-08:00

We went to the doc today to have our 20 week ultrasound. We were excited and nervous all at the same time. After arriving at the American Fork hospital, we had a very welcoming surprise: the ultrasound tech was one of the nurses that helped Kaya a lot right after she was born. She was such an awesome person, we even set her up on a date with one of my brothers. (Side note, she's still single and still cool, so maybe my bro has a second chance).

Shortly after reviewing all the surgeries and issues that Kaya has (we've done this so many times that it becomes second nature after a while) we entered the same room where we were told of the many problems Kaya was going to have and that she had a 1% chance to survive after birth. It was surreal being in the same place...except the news this time was quite different. Our baby is doing GREAT, and nothing abnormal can be detected (except that it's related to me, of course). We are very excited!!

Oh yeah, we don't know what we're having either...boy or girl, the baby's still coming home to a pink room to share with Kaya.

Remodel update

2007-01-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

We finally got our mantle. And we finally painted our old dining room light and put it in the entry way...

Happy New Year!!!

2007-01-07T20:35:00.000-08:00

Every year keeps getting more fun. We are excited to see how another little Bigler will change our lives...note: I said "change" not "rock our world". Hope all your resolutions last longer than the 1.5 month average in America

Nachooooooooooo

2007-01-07T20:24:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when you're a girl, you wear stretchy pants in your room...Pink boots...red tights...stripped shirt...she picked this outfit out...I promise. But all her dance moves she learned from me.

Christmas time, oh Christmas time

2007-01-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

Our favorite time of the year! This was the first year that Kaya really looked forward to Santa. We didn't realize how lucky we were that she likes Santa. We had a party and had a "drop-in" from Santa and all the other kids her age ran to their dads and moms...scared to death. Even a free candycane couldn't pursuade them to go sit on his knee.

Snow came with fun mini snowmen and snow angels..."Kaya size", as we call them.

Kaya really likes the snow, except when she gets hit in the head with a snowball (we have really good snowball fights in the back yard, and sometimes Uncle Ryan missfires) or trips and put her hands in the snow. When she's warm she smiles and when she's cold, she screams. It's as simple as that.

After making snow angels we would come in the house and sit by the warm fire.

Christmas in Colorado was especially fun. We were missing Tasha's sister Heidi because she's still in cooooooold Wisconsin serving a mission.

While there we got really sore cross-country skiing. I knew I was out of shape, but didn't know I was that off track! Maybe it was more strenuous pulling our heavy-weight 22 lb daughter behind me on a slick sled, or the high altitude...

whatever the cause, I could barely walk the next couple days.My saving grace was being able to lay down on the couch and listen to Kaya play beautiful music on her new harmonica. Even dog ears liked it. Their dog, Dakota, almost howled he liked it so much.

Kaya's favorite gift was her new pink outfit, including her pink cowgirl boots. More than the gifts, we just enjoyed relaxing. There are so many things to do down in Durango, and we just scratch the surface when we go down there. I'm amazed at all the deer they have in the orchard right behind their house. One night, we counted over 15 deer...about 6 big bucks too.

Every year we have a tradition of attending the Bethlehem Night at the Sorensen house. It is an awesome event that creates the environment of a mini Bethlehem...and what Christmas is really all about. We hope you all had a great Christmas!

Thanksgiving

2006-11-26T19:25:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving with my family in Farmington/Kaysville. We realized that these pictures are probably going to be the last ones we'll get of Tasha with a normal sized tummy (since we're now expecting another kid, Kaya has been prepping to be a "mommy". It's fun to hear how she thinks she'll give the new baby a bottle, rock her to sleep, and put her to sleep. She realizes what a new baby does though...she says the new baby will "drink a lot and poop a lot".)

Memorable moments of Thanksgiving:
1. First time a Bigler family picture has been taken in a long, long while.
2. Lots of good food (I redeemed myself from a previous Thanksgiving mashed potatoe mishap...this time they were delicious)
3. Sleepless night with kids
4. Red Vine Licorice
5. BYU 33, Utah 31 - one of the best rivalry games of all time!

Post-cast bath

2006-11-26T19:23:00.000-08:00

Pabla?

2006-11-26T19:20:00.000-08:00

Ang would have killed me if I didn't publish this pic. Paul's going to kill me when he sees it. I guess I'm more scared of what Ang will do than Paul... :)

Cast

2006-11-26T18:45:00.000-08:00

Dr Stott said that the greatest trial any parent would ever endure is for a 3 1/2 year old to have a hip cast for one month or more...he was right.This surgery resulted because of Kaya's hip dispacia, a condition where the hip joint doesn't wrap completely around the ball of the femur. The extra wear and tear that this creates makes a future hip replacement innevitable. For Kaya, that would have occured in her late twenties had we not done this surgery.

So, as with every surgery, we prepared Kaya by bringing her doll Emily with her, so she could have the same "surgery". The doctors raised their eyebrows when we requested them to put a cast on Kaya's doll, but they did it.

The first cast soon became a nightmare. With Kaya's vesicostomy and feeding tube, they had to be very creative with the cast around her abdomen. With the cast originally around on two legs, the urine from her vesicostomy soon began eating away her skin. It was terrible...probably the worst skin break-down we've ever had. Only 1.5 days after the cast, we decided to take the cast off the right leg and leave it on the left. We are very glad because the bar between the legs was removed and Kaya's mobility increased substantially.

Still, we had to adjust everyday activities; eating and bathing were the biggest changes for Kaya.
At first Kaya's movement was pretty much nothing. She always wanted to be carried. And talk about HEAVY. We have no idea what a regular 4 yr old feels like. The extra 10 lbs was a workout!!! (Or I'm just getting soft).

All in all, we're glad it's off...although it was fun to carry her by the cast and twirl her around in circles on the new wood floors. So far, so good though. Her leg is a little tender, so walking is still a little slow. But for the most part, she's doing good.

Happy Halloween

2006-11-26T18:37:00.000-08:00

Little BoPeep, who found her sheep:
BoPeep Dress: $0 (Sandra Smith's mom)
Pumpkins: $.50
Candycane Staff: $5 (will soon be given to Grandparent's dog as a chew bone toy)
Cast (under the dress): $2,000 (from Dr. Stott, Orthopedic doctor at Primary Childrens)
Smile: PRICELESS

Wood Floors and Tile

2006-11-26T12:53:00.000-08:00

Many hands make light work. With my family, it's not hard to make a big job seem small. My original estimate to wood-floor completion was one day...but it was soon apparent that if I didn't have more help, I'd never get it done. So, thanks to my Dad, sisters, brothers, in-laws, and friends, we finally got it done!Five hundred sq ft of floor doesn't seem to big when it's all in boxes. But when you start unloading each box and moving across the floor only 3.5 inches at a time, the task becomes daunting. The first line of the wood floor was the most difficult...if it was off at all, then the rest of the floor would be off. After much calculation, we determined the straitest line possible and began to lay the floor. And just as we began finding a rythum, laying the floor quicker than Billy the Kid's draw on a hot summer day, we'd run into a weird angle or a corner, or some other distraction that took one hour to figure out. It turned out that most of the difficulty was in the hallway--and thanks to Ryan C's and Matthew A's expertise, they finished the really difficult stuff while, Dad, Ann, Nate, and I finished the office and began on the dining room: by this time we had almost reached perfection in floor laying. Our system was too good. We finished in 10 minutes. ha, ha, ha. While Ann and I picked what boards were to be laid in what order, Matthew and Nathan would pound the boards into place and staple them down. Meahwhile, Dad was taking measurements and making strategic cuts with the mitre saw. All said and done, all wood floor contractors would be proud...and worried.

Dad promised to stay to the "bitter end". The end didn't come until later that night, about 10pm to be precise. But oh, what a finish! It looks so good, and was the bowling alley for Kaya while she was in her cast. She really liked being pushed across the floor and spun in dizzying circles.

Now, we like to get up early in the morning just to look at the floors :).

These hardwood floors are just so much better than the subfloor particle board substitute we were living with.

The next adventure took place the next weekend with the tile. Again, the Andreasen's came and helped, as well as Tasha's parents from Durango, Colorado.

We finished grouting and tiling in one day and were able to call it quits early evening. We certainly live in the "projects"...but since everybody's help, we are able to call our house a home.

Remodel update and Kaya's surgery

2006-10-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

Where to begin...

Oh yeah, the remodel...it always begins with the remodel. We have come a long, long way.

After mudding sheetrock for the first time (which I highly recommend not ever doing again for anyone interested in keeping their sanity) we called a sheetrock guy over to give us an idea of what kind of texture to do on our walls (orange peel vs. smooth and holey "old world").

After seeing the work we had done, he recommended that we do the old world texturing (keword: we). We wanted him to do whatever seemed best--that is, until we found out what our walls would look like thousands of dollars later. It's funny how thousands of dollars instantly makes me think: "well, maybe we can do this ourselves".

So, against our better judgement, we decided to not only texture the walls, but rip off the chair railing, floor boards, sand the ceiling and walls,
rent a paint sprayer, prime the entire house (including both bedrooms) from floor to ceiling, and paint...ALL IN THE SAME WEEK OF KAYA'S G-TUBE SURGERY!!!!!

We are officially insane (not that you didn't know that already). Kaya's the greatest! Amid all the turmoil at home, she was a trooper. Wednesday Tasha and Kaya operated on Emily (Kaya's doll). They surgically drilled a hole (Kaya didn't see how the hole was drilled for fear of trauma...even though the Makita cordless did a great job, I hope that's not what they use in Primary Children's) and implanted Emily's G-tube, ie "button".Wednesday night was Kaya's last supper, Thursday afternoon was her last drink, and by Thursday at 3pm she went in the OR, with Dr. Downey at the helm. One hour later, we found out the surgery went great. Kaya had a hard time at the hospital and didn't want anyone to touch her tummy. But many toys later, she warmed up to the hospital environment, where all the nurses mysteriously schedule their check ups in the middle of naps. We walked around the hospital with a wagon, colored with crayons, and met some of the other patients, including Emma Sorensen who was recovering from surgery on her elbow. We were finally released Saturday evening. That night Mom and Kaya came home to a painted house. They really liked it.

Summer of '06

2006-09-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

Ok...we're really not shirking our blogger duty, we just like to have a few months transpire before updating our blog. So, we'll start this post a couple months ago: July 4th.

Kaya loved the parade...probably because she was in it~!!! While "patiently" waiting for the horses to come (that's what Kaya was most excited to see), Cindy Richards (council woman for Provo) came by. She asked the driver to pull over so she could say hi to her friends Sherrie and Martina. While doing so, Nina brought Kaya up to Cindy's car to say hi, and the next thing we know, the car made a fast get-a-way with our daughter. Three years old and already wanting to be in a parade...we're in trouble!

Later that month, the Bigler family met up in the high Uinta mountains to hold our annual family reunion. It was so beautiful!!!
We camped right next a lake, swatted more flies than ever thought possible, ate delicious dutch oven meals, played on 4 wheelers, played games, orchestrated my Dad's new 5th wheel "taj mahal" trailer in a precarious camping spot, and otherwise had a ton of fun!

July also marked one of the saddest days of my life: softball season came to a close. I really those sacred months...

but am looking forward to more bruises next year, more double plays, more triples, and definitely a lot more wins.

During all this time, we were working with our remodel project. With the lava rock off the fireplace we could install the fireplace and begin framing around it. We also tore out the office wall and began framing the office and leveling the floor (it was 1.5 inches lower than the rest of the house floor, so we laid 2X4's sideways and put a 1/2 inch piece of plywood over those).
August sped by. After convincing Andrea to come help take care of Kaya, we flew with the Barkers to LA. It was a BLAST!!! After barely making to the Dodgers v. Giants game (our
minivan was on empty and the driver--Paul and navigator--Tasha, took us on a detour through ritzy Beverly Hills.) But I digress. We made it in the fourth inning, ate $50 of dinner, a most expensive heart attack meal consisting in 1 Dodger dog, 1 small pizza, 1 nacho, 1 bottled water, and 1 soda. Barry Bonds was just below us and was receiving the worst night of his life from the crowd (I actually felt a little simpathy for the man). Dodgers ended up winning and Paul went home crying...along with a rental minivan with a door that had been key'd (someone must have seen Paul with his Giants shirt on).
The beach was a riot.
Paul brought his skim boards and we tired ourselves out running up and down the beach trying to stylishly slide onto these slick boards and make a graceful attemt at riding the waves.

Kaya loved the beach too (although we have no proof of that because we only selfishly took pictures of us--we are terrible parents sometimes!!! :)

There's nothing like having In-n-Out on the beach, riding the waves, and just having a grand old time. Tasha and Andrea took a crack at the skim boards too.

We have video's of them...in case anyone needs good blackmail clips. We also paid a visit to Tasha's aunt Jeanie.

She just adores Kaya. She fed us delicious pizza, and her favorite Haagen Dazs ice cream.

Kaya really liked playing with Jeannie's stuff, including her stuffed pillow.

While in LA, we went to the Acquarium. There were a lot of
sharks, sea lions,
sting rays (which were very slimy), and two very tired kiddies (Davis and Kaya).

While in LA, we visited Kaya's surgeon and took Kaya's BM program to the next level. We're glad to know people who have gone through exactly what we are.

I only show the next picture to remind us that during these summer months, the only other consistent occurence in our life, other than our constant remodel project in our house, was the constant remodel project on the left unit in our duplex. It caused me to leave some Owlz games early...a very sad day.

Then we went to the Tim and Faith concert.

I had a friend at Zions who sold us his floor tickets. It was fun to be so close.
...I thought football games were loud!!! People in SLC could have just
opened their windows to hear it.

Now you see me...now I see you even better!!!

I had Lasik surgery in August and, after denying the offer for a calming drug (later I was wishing I took it)

Two weeks after Lasik, we headed to Colorado for a vacation at Navajo Lake (Colorado's version of Lake Powell, and in my opinion (even though Tasha thinks I'm crazy), a lot more fun). We camped next to the lake in "Cocaine Cove". The water was very refreshing, the kayaking was fun, the mud baths even funner, and iwth our neew 3 inch sleeping mattress, our sleep was fantastic! My goggles...are you laughing at my cool goggles? I had to wear them b/c my Lasik doctor told me not to leave the house without them.

As for Kaya...well, she liked playing in the water more without her swimsuit than with it on.

We couldn't resist another picture underneath another pine tree. :)

Last but not least, I leave you with the story of our life...and hopefully a chapter that will close soon.

We have the lighting in, the ceiling is half way textured, all the mudding and sheetrock is complete. So, next step is finighing the texturing, sanding and painting the ceiling, prepping and painting the walls, ripping up the carpet, laying wood floors and carpet...then we're finished for now. Yeahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

The Wall Comes Down!

2006-07-18T06:21:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is what we call a "Christmas Miracle". Our climbing wall is officially down. It's not often that a man gets to swing a heavy sledge hammer in his own house. Its very therepeutic...if you have a lava rock wall that needs a little TLC. Thanks to the help of Brandon Weekes, Ryan Cusick, my lovely wife, and the Schow and Conrad families.

Swing a sledge hammer was one thing. Picking up all the debris was quite another.
We put up our shield so that the flying rocks wouldn't kill someone. (My guess is that the rocks came flying off at approx 1 million mph, according to our sledge hammer swing speed).

Our shield was ripped down many times...some chunks were too much for it to handle, like they were meteors ripping through thin fog.

Even though it was fun to have Mount Lava in our living room, it was necessary to remove all evidence of our fun project. (It happened to be more difficult than tearing the rock off the wall). Many people helped with this phase, including Kaya. She would pick up the tiny rocks and bring them out to Ryan's truck, parked just outside the front door, and throw her gathered rock, which would often fly just short, right, or left of the truck bed. Either way, it was fun to have everyone's help. Now we are completing the office just behind the fireplace and will be getting a new fireplace/mantle etc. Stay tuned for some exciting developments!!!

Cruise=Vacation=Weight Gain!!!!!

2006-05-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

We really should have weighed ourselves before going on this cruise! Or, maybe not...it would really be depressing. I think I (Grant) gained at least ten pounds, probably because every meal I ate two appetizers, two entrees, and two desserts. Everything was delicious! We had mahi mahi, salmon, halibut, cod, filet mignon, steak, great mashed potatoes, and yummy appetizers and desserts. It seems like that's all we did was eat. The server for our table was from Manila, Philippines. Tasha was able to brush up on her Tagalog. That was fun to hear.

We went with our neighbors and some of thier freinds and really had a good time getting to know each other. We learned that "cruising" is all about taking friends with you...otherwise you might run out of things to talk about. :)

Probably the best place we went was Catalina Island. The weather was so nice. That was the first time that we were able to put on our swimsuits. LA and San Diego was a little cold and foggy. Catalina has a little town called Avalon that is full of little houses. We talked to a guy on the street that let us have a tour of his house. He said that they bought their house on a "steal" 1.5 yrs ago for $300k. It's now worth $1.5 million.

As for the golfing...this shot says it all. Even though it was beautiful and great weather, my golf game wasn't on at all. It was fun to golf on the oldest course in America. This course was developed in the late 1800's. Talk about history! The course record was something like 28...which averages just over 3 shots per hole...the equivalent to birdying or eagling every hole. I definitely didn't come close to the course record.

The tandem bikes were great fun too. We rode up the streets of Avalon to the batonical gardens, but after finding out that there was a $5 fee to get in, we turned around and decided it would be more fun to coast down the mountain! And boy was it fun. It took us 30 minutes to go up and 5 minutes to get down.

One of the favorite nights was the chocolate night. Everything was carved out of fruit and dipped in chocolate...and believe me, we ate till our hearts were content!

Our favorite was the chocolate dipped strawberrys. Based on how long we were in line (at midnight) we thought they might run out of chocolate, so we just piled it on!

Ensanada was...well, as much as we could have ever imagined Mexico would be. It was full of people asking for your money: "how much you give me...how much?" was the common question. We did give in and bought a few souveniers: hammock, wooden turtle (Tasha's favorite), vanilla (they sell it cheap!!!), a little bag for Kaya, and a piggy bank (our traditional gift when we visit a new area).

So the life lesson we learned is: that when you want a lot of food, getting rocked to sleep, a toilet that almost pulls you in when it flushes, sea legs, a nice tan, more food (and chocolate), and a lot of fun with friends...go on a cruise!

Spring Time is here!

2006-04-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time over Easter. Martina, Sherrie, and Ryan all had a great time helping Kaya discover Easter eggs and candy.

She had so much fun...everytime she saw an egg, she'd say "Oh no, I found another one!" and she'd run to pick it up.

We had to empty the basket a few times because it was too heavy for her to pack around. (We didn't mind her picking candy eggs for us either :).

Tasha has been making this house a home lately, by adding some decorations. Sometimes Kaya likes the decorations too though...this time she got into the flower arrangement on the family room table. It's really hard to discipline when she's so cute getting into trouble!!!

Life is great with a cute 3 year old! :)

2006-04-02T17:10:00.000-07:00

Kaya has finally broke the 18 lb mark! We are very happy for her...later in life (ie teenage years) she might have a good laugh that we actually celebrated her weight gain. It seems that most people celebrate when weight is lost, not gained. But we're a little unique, what can we say? :)
We're very excited about the upcoming summer...even though the winters here at our new house were very fun.
If old man winter would let spring come, we can start on our summer projects. We are currently mid-way through tearing down our "cottage cheese" ceiling. We've stripped down almost all the wallpaper and we are looking forward to tearing out our lava rock fireplace "mantle" and putting in an office. It will be great fun.

The most recent news in our family is the departure of the Barkers. Paul, Ang, and Davis endured with us for 5 months and, after many delicious BBQs, ping pong tournaments, 90's trivial pursuit games (Paul always killed us), and midnight conversations, we each have our own houses.

They purchased a home in Springville, and now we are moving all our storage stuff down to the basement.

Kaya is having so much fun in the basement...crawling in every corner and crevice (and she's so small she can fit in some tight spots).

Tasha's brother, Ryan, is excited to have access to the basement too. He finally got a room in the basement with a closet and some privacy (the game room didn't quite do it :). He's going to stay with us for a while until he finishes agonizing over the DAT (dental school test).

Christmas 2005

2006-03-14T13:30:00.000-08:00

We finally have a fairly new picture! We were playing around with Nina's digital camera just before we headed to a work party with Zions.

Kaya did a good job sitting still (on the 100th try) :).

2006-01-28T15:53:00.000-08:00

In creating this blog, we've realized we need more current pictures! This is from December 2004 when we were attending Andrea's graduation in Rexburg. We'll do better soon.