Duaneandangiesblog

Test, this is only a test

2009-10-30T12:43:00.000-07:00

The Precursor to our family pictures!

2009-10-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

A few days after getting back to NY from AZ, Duane took us to a beautiful tree-lined lake and we took family pictures! It was bitter cold when we first got there. Both boys were in the car sleeping as Duane and I scoped out the are for a the right spot and to get the gear set up, but luckily the wind died down a bit once we got the kiddos out.

I love taking pictures with Duane because I feel like it's something we can enjoy and learn about together, not to mention it makes for great family keepsakes! He's always so patient when it comes to family pictures.

I fell in love with this pic of Kalvin and had to get it up here! To me, he looks like a kid model.

Blog name change!

2009-08-31T20:30:00.000-07:00

We are officially changing our blog to www.daEllsworths.blogspot.com, read "duh-ellsworths", stands for Duane and Angie Ellsworth, inspiration from Audra and Justin Owens's blog. Thanks! (even though you didn't know we copied you till now) hehehe...

Watch your language!

2009-08-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, Duane is working the night shift and gets home at 8:30 in the morning; just as we're crawling out of bed. Usually when I hear him coming in the door (which is downstairs) I'll talk extra loud to Kalvin to keep him from hearing the door screech open so Duane can sneak up on Kalvin.

This morning Kalvin and I were in the kitchen getting the cereal and bowls down when we heard a very loud noise that was either high pitched flatulent or one of Kalvin's balloons exhausting it's contents. Immediately, Kalvin turned to the living room where the disturbance originated and said, "What thuh?...". We found Duane hiding behind the stair case. Duane swears the sound came from a balloon.

Later in the morning, we went to a nature preserve about 10 miles away with two other neighbors and their kiddos. It was beautiful! I think it's where we're going to take our family fall pictures when the leaves change in October-early November. Family is welcome to come for a FREE photo session (CD included) when we take our pictures (you just take care of the plane ticket to and from here and we'll take care of the rest). ;)

At the preserve, Kalvin saw many animals, wild and tame in the park and out: horses (actually at a house across the road), 2 deer in someones front yard, an owl, a bee hive, a large turtle in a huge lily pond, butterflies, fish, fish, and fish. Sadly, we didn't get pics of all the creatures.

Duane captured captured Tristen's preciousness.

The toddler, "cheese".

Duane, putting his great eye for landscape photography into action. (This is part of the lily pond)

Although there is no perception of size in this photo, this turtle was the length of Kalvin!

I love how Tristen posed for the picture too.

Logo Poll! Get your vote in by tomorrow!

2009-08-27T06:46:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, we need your help. We are looking to get a new logo before we buy some business cards so we sketched out a few ideas. Which one do you like? Please vote A, B, C, or none in the poll on the right of our blog. We are pushing this faster than Obama wants healthcare reform so get your vote in.
It is supposed to read "a s p".
Thanks! And if they are all to hard on your eyes, give some suggestions please!

So excited for them to be best friends!

2009-08-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

When I put Tristen on Kalvin's tummy Kalvin laughed and laughed. He thought it was so funny!

Kalvin is the best big brother! He really loves little Tristen. Whenever Tristen’s upset, he’ll run and try to "fix" the cry: give him the pacifire, kiss his nose, and very often he’s nice enough to give Tristen his cherished “blankie”. I can hardly wait to see them grow up being best buds! I’m sure they’ll have their moments (especially when Tristen is old enough to fight back), but for now I’m enjoying their sweet love.

Kalvin keeps very busy! Here he is eating Daddy's yummy pancakes and soaking his burned finger. As Duane says, "Another day, another burn." Poor kid... he's just so curious about things and it's hard to keep him away.

Silence is never a good thing when it comes to Kalvin. When he's playing its sounds of jumping and laughing, but silence=trouble.

Here, he's taken 1/2 a stick of butter and spread it over the piece of bread he left over night while I was in the other room getting Tristen ready for a bath.

(See video at www.duaneandangiesworld.blogspot.com)

The summer in Albany means humidity, rain, and mosquito's. The rain I love (actually in July alone we received as much rain as AZ does all year!), but the humidity is not ideal, and mosquito's are worst of all (though they mostly come out at sunset). We keep this netting on Tristen's bouncer to keep the mosquito's from eating him (except the first time we used it I found 2 mosquito's inside sucking his blood, but most the time it's great).

He actually really likes the netting. It seems to be comforting, is breathable, can eat it, and he can see through it.

Boxing Down The Stairs

2009-08-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

What better way to end the night than to have Daddy push you down the stairs in a box filled with pillows and your favorite blankets?! You'll notice the video cuts for a second while I was taking pictures in the middle of the movie.

He loves it!

Bubble beard!

Tristen Dean Angel Baby Ellsworth

2009-08-17T21:15:00.001-07:00

I call Tristen Angel Baby because he rarely complains and LOVES to smile!

The spider Bite

2009-08-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

Kalvin came into the room last night at 11:45 and I let him stay. This morning at about 7:00 he suddenly woke up and said, "bug.". I thought we was telling me about his dream (since he's been doing that a lot lately), so I asked to hear more. He just continued to say, "bug." pointing to his pillow. I read this as him telling me that he dreamt of a bug while laying on the pillow.

We made some muffins for breakfast and Kalvin burned his arm on the hot pan for which he has a blister now. He burns himself ALL the time! He rarely complains much about them though.

At breakfast I noticed a little red mark on his right temple but didn't think much of it since he is constantly hurting himself (lol). After eating, Kalvin and I went to the store so Duane could have some time to work on the talk he gets to give this Sunday on Sacred Home Sacred Temple (or something close to that). While we were in the checkout at the store, I noticed the red mark on his temple getting bigger.

(he's got a little leftover lunch on his cheek)

When we got home I showed Duane who'd heard about the "bug dream" and he suggested it was not a dream, but that he was bit. Duane marked on Kalvin's face where the redness was, gave him some benadryl, and sent him to take a nap. After the nap, it was slightly bigger, and we gave him some more benadryl.

We'll have to see how this ends up. Hopefully not too bad...

Just before bed, I took another mug shot to get the blister on his arm (closer to his hand), the bug bite, and a skid mark (closer to his elbow) from when he fell on the sidewalk yesterday.

He's such a great poser! lol. As long as he gets to see the picture after.

Update from NY

2009-08-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, while we were in Sacrement meeting at church, I heard Kalvin saying "Jesus". I looked down to see him pointing at a picture of Jesus on our program. I had Kalvin show Daddy who nonchalantly replied, "Yep, he's a smart kid."

Kalvin likes to jump from the tall kitchen chairs to the love sac. A couple days ago while Kalvin was doing superman from the tall chair, Duane suggested to him that he should close his eyes. The next thing I saw was Kalvin climb the chair with his eyes CLOSED, turn around WITH HIS EYES CLOSED and jump off backward (with his eyes closed), almost missing the love sac! It was pretty scary for me AND for him. He never closed his eyes the whole time again, thank goodness! We later taught him to close his eyes AFTER he climbed the chair.

Follow this link to see the video (if reading this in an email) : www.duaneandangiesworld.blogspot.com

Kalvin loves playing with the blocks Grandma bought him for his Bday! Everyday we build about 10 different trucks with them. Here's one of our creations! I built the base and he built the "trailer". He's getting pretty good with it!

Little boys will be little boys...

2009-08-09T19:27:00.000-07:00

Another ouchie! Kalvin likes to sing "Five Little Monkey's" to himself and jump off the couch. A couple days ago, he was on the love sac singing the song, and jumped from the love sad to the couch, missed his target and busted his lip.

Lots of popsicles and a movie can cure almost anything for Kalvin.

On a less exciting note though equally stressful, I spoke in church today on the topic, service. It went well. Actually, the speaker after me chose to base his talk off the SAME talk by Dallin H. Oaks 1984 October General Conference Session. It was interesting to see how we interpreted the talk from different perspectives.

Kalvin is getting to be pretty good buds with the girl downstairs. Actually, yesterday evening Kalvin was outside playing with her and got to be too ornery. He wasn't following rules and started holding his breath (for those of you who don't know; when Kalvin is very sleepy he will cry easily and and can't breathe, his lips turn blue and he kind of looks like he's having a seizure), so he had to go to bed early and leave his friend. She was so upset by it that she cried herself to sleep, too.

Tonight was much better, we had a little BBQ with them and the kids had such a blast together. They were laughing so much and Kalvin would run up to her and they'd give BIG hugs. Her mom thought she was going to plant a kiss on him, but I haven't seen any smooches yet!

To come: pictures of the porch when the kids toys are out! We joke that it looks like we run a day care or have about 10 toddlers.

I feel your prayers!

2009-08-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

You know just a couple days ago I was thinking 'I should be a lot more depressed right now. I should be upset that I'm so far away from family with a newborn and a homesick toddler. I should be crying everyday that it's so hot and pasty that Tristen doesn't even want to eat because we practically melt and stick to each other since we don't run the air conditioner.'

And then two thoughts came to me: 1) We both have such caring families who must be praying for our well-being and 2) Duane is being, well, himself. He helps wherever he sees me struggling and is Kalvin's best friend.

Two months ago, I thought I'd be much more homesick than I am now. Don't get me wrong, there are many things I miss about good 'ol AZ (the heat not being one of them), but we're surviving.

It also helps that Tristen is so sweet to us also. I call him my little Angel Baby because that's just what he is, an angel. Last night he slept 8 1/2 hours! By the time he woke up I was begging him to eat and even then it was only about 5 min. before he drifted off to sleep again. Silly boy!

I landed a job in AZ and am coming home!

2009-08-05T04:51:00.000-07:00

My sister, April, can take full credit for getting me this wedding in September. It's actually her sister-in-law who's getting married on 9/9/09! What a neat day to get hitched!

Duane has an extra hard rotation the month of September working in the NICU with 80+ hour work weeks and we wouldn't see him much anyway (and if you only count when he's in his right mind without sleep deprivation, I don't know that we'd ever see him), so I'm taking the kiddos and jetting out of here! Don't get me wrong, New York is beautiful (and humid), but there's no place like home!

Kalvin has started talking SO much! Lately, he's been telling me his dreams just as he wakes up from sleeping at night. The first dream he told me about was that he went home (AZ is what he's referring to I'm sure) and something about Grandpa. Another dream he's had was that a bee stung him. It was cute to see him tell this story, he said, "Bee! bzzzz.... OUCH!" and of course he had all the actions to go along with it.

I've decided to get my NY real estate license. We'll hopefully be buying a home at the end of Dec. and it should make finding a home much more convenient if I have my license, plus I'm excited to learn all about the buying process (since I feel very uneducated on the matter at this point). It's an online class and after completing the 75 classroom hours, I will take a proctored exam in NYC followed by the state exam.

We are lucky enough to live just above a girl Kalvin's age! She's a cutie and they like playing together. Just this morning Kalvin was asking where she was.

A couple days ago we made a trip to a park just a few miles away.

Kalvin came and sat by his friend and I had to snap a picture before the moment was over.

And an update of the baby.

There's been a lot of rain, so puddles will naturally be splashed in...

(click on the image to see it enlarged)

And the winner is...

2009-07-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

I'd say it was a split 50/50 on the guesses for who was who (probably because none of you had a clue as to who was who), but.... drum roll please..........

Tristen is the top picture and Kalvin is the bottom. The only way I remember is that Kalvin has a bigger double chin (he was two weeks older in the pic than Tristen was) and I used a flash on the picture with Kalvin (I don't have a built in flash on the camera I have now).

It will sure be fun to compare their pictures when he's a little older. :)

Tristen

Kalvin

Guess Who?!

2009-07-24T11:29:00.000-07:00

Kalvin and Tristen are going to look very alike! Of course, I am only judging by their first 8 weeks, but go ahead and see for yourself! I dressed Tristen in the same outfit today and took a picture in the same swing. I'll let you guess who is who and on Monday I'll let you know who was right.

Somethings I hope to never do again...

2009-07-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

My sister, Rachel, who had been staying with us for the last month was scheduled to fly home July 21. From the day we scheduled the flight home (months ago) I was not looking forward to her departure. I knew it was going to be difficult to let my little helper go and that Kalvin was going to miss her. The flight was scheduled for 8:20 PM and leaving from the JFK Airport in Jamaica, NY (just outside the Big Apple). We made the most of that day by taking a ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. The weather was beautiful with few sprinkles of rain and overcast skies to shade us from the sun. On our way to the airport we drove by Ground Zero. It was incredible to see the uneven and bumpy road which I can only imagine is from the towers falling. The buildings close were noticeably resurfaced. I wish we'd had more time to see the city.

When we got to the airport, I thought we had a lot of time so I wasn't rushing. When we finally made it to the Jet Blue check-in I looked at the time and noticed her flight left in 30 minutes! And there were about 10 people in line in front of us to check-in. I knew she wasn't going to make the flight. At that moment of finding out we were going to have to find Rachel another way home, it was as if a switch went on in Kalvin's head that it was time to start terrorising mom. He had a poopy diaper and was laying on the ground scooting away from me and into strangers and their luggage. With Tristen strapped to me, I had restricted mobility and felt helpless. I did what I could to stay calm and took Kalvin to the bathroom to change his diaper. We made our way back to the car as I talked to Duane on the phone and he began looking up other flights for Rachel. Kalvin demanded to be out of the stroller and was walking just fine with us when he decided to take the "walk-alator" (like an escalator but on flat ground) the opposite direction from the rest of us. I called to him and he started to walk back but then decided to run away again. A tall black man came to the rescue and ran over, scooped up Kalvin and brought him to me. That was all Kalvin needed to start acting the way I wanted. It scared him half to death! LOL

We got back to the car and I fed Tristen while Duane looked up flights. Well, to make a longer story a little shorter, the battery in my phone died before we could make any permanent decision on a flight so I drove around town till I found a pay phone. I picked up the phone that was sticky with some kind of scum and phoned Duane. He did not answer and I started to leave a message, but was cut of by some kind of operator because there must have been no microphone on my end (so it couldn't hear me). I turned to leave but felt prompted to try again. I called again and Duane answered; sure enough, I could hear him but he couldn't hear me. I began yelling into the phone and he said he could barely hear me, and thus began our conversation.

The finalized plan was for Rachel to fly home on Southwest the following morning at 6:10. It was about 10:30 PM at this point. After check out a few cheap Motels, we decided to sleep in the car at the aiports parking garage. It was a hard night. I didn't want to sleep too deep for fear that we would miss this flight as well. By 2:00 in the morning, we made our way to the Southwest check-in without knowing that they would be closed till 4:30. We found a couple wheelchairs and made up camp. Kalvin did not sleep at all.

When Rachel walked away down the gangway, Kalvin cried, reaching his hand out to her and calling her name. It was so sad! I immediately diverted his attention to the window so he could see the planes. He got to see Rachel's plane and repeatedly pointed it out to me.

The drive home was long and hard with a few stops for sleep. Kalvin slept the whole way till we got home and then he would not sleep at all, though I begged him to so I could rest. Tristen was an angel!

This morning after Kalvin woke up, he asked "Where Rachel go?" I reminded him that Rachel had gone home and with that he told me, "Ah home. Ah home." meaning he wanted to go home and began walking downstairs and to put his shoes on.

"This is our new home." I told him, but it didn't seem to stick.

So, before moving out here, I remember being warned that people "back east" are not very friendly. I've seen that. One instance that I laugh about is when we were going to drive in a toll tunnel. I paid the toll worker $2.00 in dimes (to get rid of some change) and then handed her a $20 bill. She looked at the bill for a second then said in a very nasty tone, "You can't do that! Either give me the change or the $20!" I laughed after leaving and told Rachel the woman couldn't count.

To come: Kalvin's birthday party with the Mickelson's and Ellsworth's!

Back by popular demand! The De-throning

2009-07-18T07:58:00.000-07:00

By request, here is the second video that has sound and Duane successfully in de-thrones Kalvin.

Again, for those of you looking at an email, you must go to the actual blog site to see the video: www.duaneandangiesworld.blogspot.com

Kalvin throning himself

2009-07-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

Kalvin has an incredible fascination with toilets. With as many times as I've told him to get his hands off, or to get his head out of it, he continues to be drawn to the visibly germ-filled seat!

Tonight Kalvin and I came home from running a few errands together and he told me he needed to go "Potty". I took him in and sat him on his squishy throne. A few minutes later Rachel went in to check on him. I soon heard small boy cries and by girlie laughter. Could this be Aunt Rachel playing another trick on Kalvin? I jumped up from my seat and ran in the bathroom to see this.

Something tells me this is the last time he's going to stick his head in the toilet! Poor kid!

(Sorry, there is no sound. The volume was off on Duanes phone and it will not record sound if the ring is not on... LAME! The commentary was so funny! Probably the funniest part was when Duane bent down next to Kalvin and said, "I'm so sorry kiddo! I'd give you a kiss, but you're all poopy!")

You can not view this video from the email. Please visit: www.duaneandangiesworld.blogspot.com

Niagara Falls, Canada, Palmyra, and more

2009-07-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

Life hasn't slowed down. This last weekend we took Rachel to see Niagara Falls and were able to stay in Canada (thanks to the hard work of my mom sending us everything we needed for her). We kept the trip to Niagara a surprise. She knew it was somewhere special, but not anything more. About 10 miles out from the falls, we put a blind fold on her and she kept her eyes closed as we walked up to the falls.

As soon as we took off the blind fold, she said, "I knew it!". I guess she saw "Niagara Falls" on the GPS and assumed that's where we were going.

Kalvin was a little scared of the loud falls and especially when the fireworks started going off though he had his fingers spread just enough to see out.

After viewing the falls and the impressive fireworks, we tried our luck at crossing the Canadian border with only a copy of Rachels birth cirtificate and Tristens hospital papers and shot records. Duane picked a good line to wait in and we found a nice guy to let us through. After crossing the border, our GPS did not have record of the roads, so we drove blindly looking for a place to stay. After a bit of a search, Duane got us a great deal at the Hilton Hotel. We were on the 42 floor overlooking both the American and Canadian falls in a 2 bedroom suite with a big hot tub that had jets. It was $159.00.

Rachel and Kalvin looking out our hotel window at the American falls. Best Buds!

There was a lot of fog that morning. Here are the American Falls; the Canadian Falls were almost all covered with fog so I've skipped putting a picture of them in.

Kalvin, loving the bubble bath!

Just before the Maid of the Mist cruise. Kalvin didn't know what was coming!

After a half day at Niagra, we left for Palmyra (about 2 hours away). We got there just in time to get to the Pageant but it ended up raining us out by the time it was half over. How sad to leave. It started raining and stopped about 10 minutes later, but they announced that another cell was headed in that direction so we had to leave. :( I was happy to get a little extra sleep that night though.

First Duane took this great video of Kalvin's new favorite song, "Five little Monkeys".

The next morning we slept in and didn't get out till 11:00. We stopped by the Sacred Grove and Duane took some great pictures of the beautiful trees.

Gotta love Duane's face.

Kalvin, daring to look over the edge of the bridge.

I love this picture Rachel took of Kalvin following Daddy, dragging his newest found toy, a big stick.

Our attempt at a family picture in the sacred grove.

The Grandin Bookstore where the BOM was published.

After seeing some of the sites in Palmyra we started for home (3 hours away) since we were all hungry and didn't want to stop on Sunday. We made it home by 6:00 that night and were able to relax a little before bedtime.

Tristen was so sweet to give great big smiles for all of us.

Kalvin loves the stethescope Duane gave him. I found him listening to Tristens stomach sounds though Kalvin thought it was his heart. He kept saying, "heart... heart... heart..."

Duane came over just after I got the picture, and told him where to put the stethoscope to listen.

I have to post this picture because l love it so much. I took it one of the first few days we were here. Rachel and Kalvin were playing outside just after it had rained and the overcast clouds were perfect for taking pictures. In fact, there is no editing on this picture. It is straight from the camera. :)

A few days ago Rachel and Kalvin built a fort and I've been meaning to upload this picture. After putting the fort together, I put on Kalvin's favorite show, Hoodwinked! You can see him an the laptop here with his blankets just behind him.

We'll see those of you who can make it tomorrow evening at 5:30, on Skype at either the Ellsworths or Mickelson's for Kalvin's birthday Skype!!!

A big hello from New York!

2009-07-08T11:31:00.001-07:00

We're here! (and alive for those of you back home wondering what happened to us) About a week before Duane arrived in Albany, we found a house that was for sale, but who's owner agreed to let us rent it for 3 months with an option to buy. We were pumped! We had looked for a home to rent, but this was our first lead and couldn't be happier to finally feel like we had a place to move into.

Duane left for the cross country drive with Uncle Dale on June 19. I am so grateful for Uncle Dale's willingness to escort Duane. I knew it'd be a safer drive and they'd get here a little faster. Boy oh boy did Uncle Dale help with the drive! He kept them both motivated and on the move! Duane had alloted 5 days for the 40 hour drive (that's as much as a full time job!) and with Uncle Dales enthusiasm they arrived on the 4th day!

The paperwork was not ready by the time Duane made it up here, so he was working on it as best he could in between having to be at work. I came with my Mom, sister, Rachel, and Kalvin and Tristen, at 2:30 AM (NY time) on Wed. June 24. We were still scrambling to get in the house, but felt like we had little help from our lawyer or real estate agent. We were stayed with the Branch President and his wife, John and Mary Porter. They were to have their son and his family come the next day to stay with them for a month and I really didn't want to intrude on their family. I could hardly stand knowing I was homeless.

The morning after we arrived the bad news came just as Duane was walking into an mandatory meeting. The homeowner changed her mind and wanted to sell her house instead of allowing us to rent it out. I could have died!!! Why didn't she tell us sooner?! I hardly knew what to do. The moving truck was due back in a day and a half and we had no leads! Duane suggested an apartment complex we had only seen online, but knew would be a nice place. My mom, Rachel, both kids and I jumped in the car and drove around the city looking at rentals (thank goodness my mom was here too, to help with the little kiddos). I somehow felt a sense of peace that we would find a place, yet also felt the urgency to find a place quickly.

As we drove around the inner city I recalled what Duane had told me about feeling like rolling up the car windows, locking the doors, and covering my eyes with sunglasses. It felt pretty ghetto. The homes here are amazingly different from anything I've ever seen! In the inner city most are two or three levels and house multiple families. In the outskirts of town, the homes are just as unique to me. I love the nicer neighborhoods. I love that the homes are all so beautiful, but different from each other. Just yesterday we were all in the car driving down one of these beautiful streets and most the homes had long driveways lined with trees. I told him that I wanted a house like that (lined with trees). He reminded me that AZ is a desert, but that I could line my driveway with cactus.

Back to the home search...

So, we looked and looked all day... we got home at about 9:00 that night after a long day of searching. I was exhausted and didn't know what to do next, but Duane stayed up and searched for homes on Craigslist again and picked out a couple favorites. In the morning (before I woke up) Duane called on the CL postings and made appointments to go see two houses. Soon after, I woke up and quickly got ready to go with him. I didn't have time for breakfast before taking Tristen and leaving with Duane to see these homes that were within a mile of the Medical Center. It was raining as we pulled up to the first house.

The two homes we previewed were fairly similar in layout and both built in the 1950's. They were decent for their age, but I could not imagine myself living in either of these homes. If we had chose to move into either of them we would have definitely fulfilled the "Albany" experience, but something inside me couldn't. In the first home the kitchen appliances were probably the same that came with the house in the 50's and the second home was very small and just looked dirty... maybe someday I'll brave the "Albany" way, but I didn't feel strong enough to do it at the time. I thought of the apartment I had looked at the day previous and even though it was much more expensive, I can't put a price on my sanity.

I talked Duane into getting the apartment, but for the next few hours he had to be at work. I dropped him off and took Tristen with me to the apartment complex see about getting the two bedroom apartment that was available the day before. I walked in with a half finished application and a hungry baby and met a woman that I had seen the day before while with my mom. I approached and asked the woman about the apartment for rent. We talked for a few minutes about the situation and then she told me that the soonest she could get me into the apartment was Monday (the day being Friday). I needed the place that day! I told her that if I couldn't get in that day it wasn't going to work for to get into the apartment at all. She didn't seem to mind. Just then I was reminded of a quote my mom read to me from the book "The Secret" the day before (and this is paraphrasing), 'if you want something to happen, make it happen'. And with that I sat down in their waiting room to think about my options and to figure out where I was going to find the hungry Tristen.

About a half a minute after sitting down, a women who worked in the office came to me and offered help in getting my things together. I explained that I HAD to move in that same day because the rental truck was going to charge us $500 to keep the truck till Monday. The manager (the first woman I saw and who did not offer much help) told this woman that if everything was in place by 5:00 that afternoon we could move in the same day. We had three hours. I did all I could and after a few hiccups we were able to get everything together in time.

We signed the lease papers just minutes before 5:00 and immediately informed the elders quorum in the branch (who had been on hold for days waiting for us to get a place) that we needed help that night moving in so we could get the moving truck in by the next morning at 9:00 AM to avoid the $100 late fee. The truck actually was a day late, but Duane called and talked to them the day previous and they told us that if we could get the truck in by the said time, we would avoid ALL late fees.

After signing the papers, I took Duane to the stake center where the moving truck had stayed for a few days and he left to move into our new place. I went to President Porters house to pick up my Mom, sister and Kalvin and to meet Duane at the house. We made a few stops along the way to get a few necessaries for the house and burgers for the Elders Quorum helpers. By the time we got to the apartment the moving truck was 3/4 empty and there were about 7 guys here unloading it! It was the neatest thing to see so much help from someone I'd never met before.

Duane and I found out shortly after signing the lease papers that one of his fellow intern residence lived just under us! And to make it better they have two children also, and they are within one month of our kids ages. In the two weeks we've been here, I still haven't seen the wife yet though... I can't imagine how bored and lonely she must be since her family is in LA. I hope to invite her to the branches mothers group.

We have a six month lease, so by Dec. 26, we will be living somewhere else. We've left many boxes unopened.

Everything is so green! On the road coming into our complex we've seen a deer, and fawn (looked just like Bambi), a possum and tons of squirrels!

Duane had the great idea of going to Boston for the 4th of July to see the Boston Pops. The show was unlike anything I'd seen or heard. The fireworks were timed to fit the music and was incredible. While in Boston we also saw the USS Constitution or Old Ironsides on a little cruise in the bay. For those who don't know, it is the oldest navy ship from the late 1700's. It shot off over 20 canon balls! That was so loud and Kalvin was amazed!

These guys were guarding the USS Constitution

After the canon shootings everyone clapped and boats all around blew their horns. From that time on every time Kalvin heard a boat blow its horn he clapped thinking that's why everyone had been clapping earlier.

Kalvin, eating a NY hotdog with his Boston hat!

We also walked to Breeds hill, AKA Bunker Hill and walked up the 294 steps of the monument. Amazingly Kalvin walked up and down EVERY step himself!!! I was absolutely amazed! On our way up, by step 150, there was a line to get to the top so we had a few brakes (though the line moved fairly quickly) that helped Kalvin I'm sure.

When we got to the top of the Memorial at Bunker hill Kalvin was a little scared looking out the window.

More to come... Blogger is not letting me upload any more pictures of videos right now...

Counting our blessings

2009-06-02T13:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a hard day with Tristens circumcision. We ended up being at the pediatricians office for three hours due to bleeding with the circ. He screamed for most of the procedure, and I could find nothing to console him after. Tristen and I both came home exhausted; him physically, me, emotionally. Daddy was at home, trying to stay on top of the laundry list of things we need to do before graduation in three days and moving in two weeks.

Duane and I were both very ready for bed last night.

Sleep is to be treasured at this point in the game and I did treasure every minute Tristen let me sleep last night. It was rough getting up so frequently to nurse on one side, and change his diaper to wake him up for nursing on the other side. Poor Duane has to try to sleep through the noisy night.

By 7:00 this morning, I felt like I had hardly slept a wink, but oddly was quite awake. I found it easy for my thoughts to wonder to the next several difficult weeks ahead and all there is to prepare for them. We need to find a place to live, figure out our student loans, pack our house, enjoy Duane's graduation, go camping, and so much more.

How can it all be done?

And then it occured to me shortly after witnessing and photographing this priceless moment with Tristen and Daddy.

We have help all around! Duane and I both have families who are more than willing to help and are in a ward that also wants to serve.

Just this morning my sister-in-law, Audra took Kalvin for several hours to give me a break. How wonderful it was to know Kalvin was having a great time with his cousins while I took the baby to an appointment and was able to take a relaxing shower.

My sister, Rachel, was here yesterday to be helper and buddy to Kalvin.

Two sisters from the ward came over a couple weeks ago to help start the packing process and get the baby things out.

My sister-in-law, Rachelle, took Kalvin for a day a couple weeks ago so my sister, April, and I could have an afternoon together full of shopping and fun last minute buys before the baby's came.

My mother-in-law and and sister-in-law took me to get a pedicure before the baby came.

My mom has made sure I've been taken care of since the little guy was born, including keeping Kalvin while we were in the hospital and coming to help pack up.

My sister, April, was here just a week before our due dates, helping pack the house.

How can we fail when there are so many cheering for us?! Thank you, all, for your strength and devotion!

Tristen Dean is here!

2009-05-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

So much to remember and say...

Tristen Dean Ellsworth is here, healthy, and well loved. I've already posted these pictures of FB, but would like to tell the story here (it'll be a little longer). The doctor broke my water at about 7:15 and said we could be expecting to having the baby within 1-4 hours. After the doctor left Duane asked in all seriousness, "Should I go play with Kalvin?", who was over at my Mom's (10 min. drive). I told him I'd rather have him stay at the hospital and we decided to Skype with him instead. For those who don't know, Skype is an online messenger that allows video feed. So, Kalvin and my sisters sat around my Dad's laptop at home and we had ours next to the bed and were able to chat with Kalvin.

This is a picture of the video feed with Kalvin. Aunt Rachel helped him make his favorite for breakfast, eggs.

We were able to stay connected to them on Skype till I was "complete" at (8:45). After hearing this good news, we had to wait another 45 min. for the doctor to get to the room! It was a long 45 min. and the longer we had to wait the more fear started to creep into my mind, What if this is a huge baby and tears me apart? What if he is really sick because of the meconium the doctor noticed in the womb? The nurse was very reassuring, almost too reassuring, as if she weren't hearing what I was saying, but just discrediting it, either way it made me shut my mouth... lol

My doctor was not able to deliver the baby because he had patients in the morning, but his associate, Dr. Skulinski was and I really liked her! She had a very calming and almost "midwifie" feel to her. They got me all set to go (including having the mirror in front, so I could see too). After a push, the doctor said I'd need a small episiotomy and before I knew it, Tristen was here! They immediately took him away to clean the meconium from his mouth and even put a suction tube down his throat for several seconds. After delivering the placenta, the doctor told us the maconium probably hadn't been around very long because of how healthy the placenta looked. What a relief! Tristen was born at 9:32 AM weighing in at 8 lbs., 4 oz., was 19.5 inches long, had a head circumference of 13 3/4 inches, and his apgar score was 8 at 1 min, and 9 at 5 min.

Daddy was so great to take pictures right after. I love this shot he got with the nurse busily working around Tristen, though he's looking at the camera.

What a cutie!

Proud Mamma!

I fed Tristen as soon as I could after birth so family could visit without interruption. Once the word was out that he was here, it didn't take my family long to get to the hospital. They didn't know his name yet so those who were anxious enough came to hear. We had Kalvin say his name and Ruth guessed it! Way to go, Ruth!

Duane and I were very curious to see Kalvin's reaction to the baby. He stared at the baby and didn't say much, but when asked he kissed Tristen on the head, though he wouldn't give hugs or touch him. After thinking about it, I'm glad he's been so timid toward the baby. Kalvin understands how fragile the baby is.

No hugs...

Then everyone took turns holding the little baby.

As usual, Grandma had first dibs.

While Tristen was making his rounds with Aunts, Uncle, and Grandma, Kalvin came to the bed and sat with me for a moment. I asked where his baby was to see if he'd point to my tummy or find him in the room and sure enough he stopped, looked around the room and pointed him out. I was impressed he knew what we had been talking about the last few months.

After a little bit, the family left and Tristen had his first sponge bath. He screamed and turned very red, but when all was said and done loved laying under the warm heater.

Daddy had done such a great job taking pictures of so much while I sat in bed... I almost forgot and didn't get pictures of the two of them.

Tristen had lots of visitors come by before we left the hospital and I want to thank them for taking the time to come down. Thank you, Grandma Mickelson, Aunt Ruthie, Aunt Rachel, Uncle David, friend Joey Farnsworth, Grandma Ellsworth, Grandpa Ellsworth, Uncle JP, Aunt Marisa, Aunt Rachelle, Uncle Dean, and Aunt Audra.

Duane and I were so concerned about Kalvin not getting enough attention from us after Tristen was born, so Duane left a little later that day (about 2:00) to hangout with Kalvin at my Mom's. They played there a while, then Duane took Kalvin to his parents and gave him a ride on the ATV. They hung out that whole afternoon and evening, in fact Duane didn't get Kalvin back to my parents till about 10:00. It sounded like they had a lot fun together that day. I love watching the great friendship Duane and Kalvin have. They are the best of buds! I'm sure Tristen is only going to add to the fun. :)

The next day, we had to finish up paperwork, more tests for Tristen and I had to go to a class before being able to leave.

We went straight to my Mom's house to pick up Kalvin. We left Tristen in the living room so we could be with Kalvin first. We talked with him a few minutes and got caught up on all the fun things he'd been doing at Grandmas and then gave him a gift. It couldn't have worked out better! He loved his trucks and we were able to play with him and build little ramps and so forth. He loved the trucks so much, I didn't think he'd want anything to do with his little brother.

Then we took him in to see his little brother for the second time. Kalvin played with his feet and loved watching him make different faces. Kalvin actually stopped playing with his new favorite toy for a couple minutes to see his little brother.

My mom had the table set beautifully and dinner was almost ready when we got there (the missionaries were coming over). So, we joined them and left soon after.

Once we got home, we told Kalvin he could hold his little brother if he washed his hands and sat on the couch. He was very anxious and quickly did as we asked. His first reactions were so adorable.

Kalvin just stared at Tristen, watched his every move and didn't take long till he wanted to be a helper.

Kalvin is such a great pacifying helper. As soon as Tristen makes a peep, Kalvin is right next to him helping the pacifire get back in the right place. Kalvin noticed that sometimes Tristen will loose the pacifire soon after getting it so he's resorted to holding it in place for Tristen (minutes at a time). This is one little dedicated brother!

I've been feeling surprisingly well. My mom blessed me with the "birthing body", in fact, I haven't needed any painkillers since the day Tristen was born and I'm healing remarkably well. Now for this tummy to shape up...

The day after we got home from the hospital, Duane got sick and was out yesterday. I felt so bad for him because he was so waisted, but couldn't stand being so tired and tried to tough it out. He seems to be feeling better today though and was very helpful with Tristen.

Tristen is a cuddler! He doesn't sleep well unless being held and of course swaddled tightly. After feeding Tristen at 5:00 this morning, I was having a hard time getting him back to sleep (he didn't want to eat anymore) and Duane so thoughtfully took him outside and the two of them slept on the porch in the reclining camping chair till 8:00 AM. Wish I could have been there to see the cuteness!

We're so happy to have Tristen in our family and are so grateful for all the help we've received from family and friends.

I feel like there's still so much to do before moving in 2.5 weeks, like finding a house! YIKES!

Water's Broken

2009-05-28T07:27:00.000-07:00

The doc just came in and broke my water, said I'm 6 cm and a -1 position. Things should start moving right along.

The epidural is here!

2009-05-28T05:10:00.000-07:00

I am now 4cm dilated and 80% effaced, woot woot! Hopefully, I'll finally get some rest now, the epidural went in at 4:30am. When I first arrived, I was only 2cm dilated and 50% effaced....stay tuned...more news to come.

The Hospital called...

2009-05-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

to say they don't have room for me today. The nurse had no idea as far as a time frame of when they will have a room, except to say they were 4-5 inductions behind and they'd probably call me tomorrow. I'm really not too disappointed. I'm enjoying the afternoon on the couch relaxing as Kalvin sleeps. Duane will be done early today at about 3:00 (in 7 min) and hopefully we can have a fun family evening. I wanted it last night, but Duane had to work on paperwork for Albany that needed to be mailed out today and had to leave at 7:00 this morning.
I'll keep updates on this blog.

Maycee Rae and her big surprise!

2009-05-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

As promised, I'm uploading a few pictures of Maycee Rae and off to the hospital it is for me! What a doll she is! Enjoy!

Look at all that hair! No way is that April's baby! I'd say she's a Brimhall for sure, though many Brimhall's say she's a Mickelson... I don't know what they see that's Mickelson though. What do you think?

Gotta love the cute baby yawns!

April and Blake bought a house a little over a month ago and have been working none-stop with renovations. I have been SO impressed to see how much they've done to fix up their place. April decorated Maycee's room and it's so adorable! I love that she was frugal with her spending, but was still able to find and put together something so perfect! Way to go girl!

Catching Up (it's a long one)

2009-05-26T15:21:00.001-07:00

It's funny how much I've thought about posting, but haven't found the time to sit and do it... so much has happened that I don't even know where to start...

Since the last post, I've had two family picture sessions, two infant sessions and a glamour session. It's kept me very busy and I love it!

I was due May 20, but as predicted I've gone past my due date (just like with Kalvin (I was 11 days late)) and am being induced tomorrow at 3PM. My sister, April, who was due the same day as me, was induced and had her little girl on May 24. She is just a doll with long dark hair. April and Blake were nice enough to let me go to their house today to take some pictures of her sweet pea. I'll be looking at them this afternoon and hopefully get time to post some here and on the photography blog.

I've still got a laundry list of things to do before going to the hospital tomorrow afternoon, including packing for the hospital (can you say Procrastinator).

Duane painted my fingernails last week and did an awesome job, except they started chipping the next day. I didn't get pictures of them till the french tip was gone, but you can still see the flowers (and my tummy).

I've been wanting a few pictures of Kalvin and I before his little brother comes and daddy took a couple minutes to do this for us a few days ago.

So, last week was a little crazy! I was due Wed., Duane's birthday was Thursday and the poor guy had to work from 7 AM to 6PM, but we were able to go out to My Big Fat Greek Restaurant with his brother's family, David, Marisa, and Stratton. Friday was my birthday and Duane found a way to get off early so we could go to Joe's Real BBQ out in Gilbert. I hadn't had their baked potato before that day, but it was delicious! Duane left that night (10PM) with Kalvin for Show Low where his family had gone to have a huge paintball war. The next morning, talking to Duane, I found out that after they finally made it to the cabin at 3:30 AM, Kalvin wouldn't go back to sleep! So, Duane slept upstairs on a mattress and Kalvin roamed the house, including getting into the fireplace and making a mess at 5AM. Thankfully, Don (Duane's second oldest brother) was sleeping on the couch down there, and helped Kalvin wash his hands. From what I hear, they had a lot of fun up there and Kalvin came back with the scratches on his legs to prove the abundant amount of outside time he had. I woke up Saturday morning feeling free as a bird (and maybe a tad lonely without my two favorite boys) and made myself some smarn! For those of you who've never heard of it, (which should be anyone who's not in my immediate family) it is a German breakfast dish consisting of eggs, flour, sugar, milk, and vanilla. It may sound strange, but is delicious! Anyway, I though I must have put a little too much sugar in it because right after breakfast I crashed! I was so tired (even after my long nights rest) that I fell asleep for another 1.5 hours. I woke up and thought, what am I doing laying here?! There is so much to do while I have the time alone. I got up and started getting working on my to-do list, but was still so tired. My mom was throwing a birthday party for me that afternoon with all my siblings invited, but there were things around the house I needed to get done. I really didn't feel very good, but pushed through the sleepiness to finish some chores before heading out the door to my moms.

Well, to make a long story a little shorter, I didn't eat the awesome taco meal my mom made by my request because I felt so bad and only got to watch as everyone else had fun in the pool. I was so weak and tired. I don't know what I would have done if Kalvin had stayed with me, instead of going with Dad, because I was so worn out! Well, that was Sat. and I didn't feel good enough to even drive home so I spent the night at my Mom and Dad's house. It was hard to sleep that night because my body just ached! I realized something that night... My family doesn't sleep at night! My brother, Dallin stayed up till almost 2AM and my mom was up by 4AM (though she had a good excuse, April was scheduled to be induced at 3AM and she was invited to be there)! So, every time I woke up, it was a struggle to get back to sleep because of the aching discomfort. Anyway, Sunday morning was a little better and I seemed to have my appetite back (at least enough to make myself some yummy waffles with strawberries). As the day progressed so did my energy appetite level. By the end of the day, I felt rejuvenated.

Rachel came home with me Sunday night (after seeing April and her new baby in the hospital) and stayed to help me out Monday. I woke up Monday morning to contractions at 5:30 that stuck around for 30 min. and of course that got me so excited I couldn't go back to sleep (even after going to sleep at midnight).

I couldn't have asked for a better helper than Rachel, seriously! She was awesome and jumped right in to help me with anything I needed. In an attempt to make moving a little easier we are de-cluttering some of the house, so we have at least 35 items to sell on ebay. Rachel went with me to my in-laws where we packaged, labeled and weighed each item being sold. It took a good two hours! After running from store to store and errand to errand, we went to the hospital to see little Maycee Rae again and stayed a good hour (just long enough to get a brake). From there we went to my Mom's again, who was having a Memorial Day BBQ. Duane and Kalvin came from Show Low and we all swam!

Long story, and if you've made it this far in the post, I'm surprised! Little Maycee's pictures to-come very soon, but I took too long on this post and Kalvin's awake now, so Ill have to catch you later!

A belated Easter Post

2009-04-18T15:52:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was a little intense, packed with busy days and I didn't get the chance to post pictures from Kalvin's home Easter Hunt. We had to hurry this along because we had just come home from church and Kalvin needed a nap before visiting the grandparents. We did have a hunt over at Grandma and Grandpa Mickelson's, but I forgot the camera at home... :(

We quickly explained to Kalvin his objective for finding the eggs outside, gave him an Easter basket and he was ready to go!

The Easter Bunny set up traps this year!!! Wasn't me!
I love this picture so much! How obedient to stop and look at Mommy in the bright, bright sun when he really just wanted to find the rattling eggs.

Quick family shot

Kalvin was lucky enough to get cap guns in his basket. He loved them, but found it VERY difficult to shoot (we may put them away till his hands and fingers are strong enough to pull the trigger).

He loves his new VERY long-lasting Gymboree bubbles. Look at Mommy--so pregnant...

Kalvin had a few minutes to look through his Easter basket and find the treats inside the eggs and loved every second of it.

I hope all had a Happy Easter filled with family, and thoughts of what Christs resurrection, and love.

Baby it's cold outside!

2009-04-16T23:46:00.000-07:00

A cold front blew in yesterday up here, in Show Low. It snowed for about five minutes yesterday (just enough time for us to get bundled up in jackets and shoes) and then it stopped when we stepped out.

Today there were a few ominous clouds in the sky, but I wasn't sure it'd be cold enough for snow, but I was wrong and it did. At first the flakes were small and sparse, but just after we came in, it started snowing harder and with bigger flakes. I wanted to take Kalvin out and Duane jokingly said, "Don't put his shoes on; it'll stop snowing". I had to laugh because the odds of him being right were in his favor, it seemed that the last day and a half it had done just that every time we wanted to go out in the falling snow.

Anyway, we went against the odds, bundled up, and went out again (sorry, lots of in's and outs). Though it was cold and I could only image it being worse in Albany in six months, we had a good time watching Kalvin discover the cold snow and dodging Duane's snowballs.

Kalvin did not know what to think about these soft, cold objects hitting his face. Here he is squinting as the flakes are hitting his face and eyelashes.

This was taken yesterday, just after the 5 min. snow-session. It was melted away, but still very cold... :) You know the funny thing was that Kalvin kept wanting to take this picture over and over. It was interestingly funny.

Gotta love that mysterious look on Duane's face and Kalvin just wants to go inside where it's warm.

I love trying to catch snowflakes on my tongue! While visiting Denver, Co in January, I couldn't get enough of the soft, powdery, fresh snow.

We were just about ready to come inside when Duane pulled a fast one on us and started throwing snowballs at us. I happened to catch one in action.

Duane wanted a try at getting the snowball in the picture. Nice shot, Duane!
(I almost got him with it)

Kissing in the snow, how romantic. Ahh....

2009-04-09T01:45:00.001-07:00

The Ellsworth family blog!

2009-04-09T01:22:00.000-07:00

So, here's our new blog! www.duaneandangiesworld@blogspot.com I'll be sending out an email to other family and friends that I think may want to follow our lives when we move in June.

You know, I really miss Duane! He's not even half way done with his rotation in Show Low and yet I really just want him here, with me and my selfish self. You know, it does get easier each time he leaves to manage on my own, but even with both my very supportive and wonderful families nearby, I really just want my Honey!

Enough about me and what I want. Check out Kalvin in this clip. Uncle Dallin was nice enough to take him on a ride this afternoon on his go kart! Kalvin was strapped in with a tow-strap and Dallin promised to drive safely. I was a little nervous, but Kalvin LOVED every second of the ride! Kalvin loves Uncle Dallin so much! Dallin lets him watch/help with go kart projects, picks Kalvin up when he's feeling a little short, and Dallin turns on his train that drives all around his bedroom. Sadly, our little family will be in Albany, NY till Dallin is just old enough to go on a mission. :( The go kart video can be seen just before this post or follow the link below.

http://s628.photobucket.com/albums/uu6/angiestarr18/?action=view&current=GoKart1.flv

I had a doctors appointment today and found out this little boy is in breach position. The Doc said if he's not turned around by my next appointment (2 weeks from now) he'll probably stay in the breach position. I asked if there were anything I could do to help the baby flip and he said that I'd be able to find things online, but that none of them worked and the baby just has to do it on his own. I'm really not looking forward to possibly having a c-section. If you would please keep this baby in your prayers that he may turn I would really appreciate it.

Sometimes I have a hard time getting a diaper on Kalvin right away after bathtime or if we shower together and today was no exception. We had barely got out when I heard the phone ring from the other room and I went to see who it was. It was an unfamiliar number, but had a 928 area code. I don't usually answer phone calls I don't recognize unless I have absolutely nothing else going on, but Duane is in Show Low where they have the 928 area code and I thought he might be calling from the hospital instead of his cell for some odd reason, so I answered it. It was April's mother-in-law, whom I've been waiting to talk to for a couple weeks now. Our conversation was fairly quick (under 6 min), but apparently not quick enough for when I walked into the kitchen where Kalvin was standing, naked, he said, "Eww, Dinky!"as he pointed to his poop pellets on the floor. I love being a mom even when these messy suprises popup, everyday!

Good day to you all and keep in touch!

I'm off to bed now...

We are a happy family!

2009-04-07T15:07:00.001-07:00

No pictures with this post, sorry, but I'm sure we'll have some soon as we are constantly documenting our lives with photographs and Easter is coming up!

Duane is currently away at the hospital in Show Low working in the critical care department. His schedule is fairly relaxed and he's usually off everyday by 1:00 P.M. Very nice! He's had a lot of time to work on projects at his parents house/cabin. He's been updating the security system, and working at putting a high-tech universal remote sounds like a remote from the future! Every time a sibling or his parents go to the cabin and want to watch a movie upstairs, they call Duane asking for help because of the many steps involved in setup, so Duane bought the universal remote of universal remotes to help everyone (myself included) to be able to easily watch a movie. This remote is awesome! It will stay upstairs in the theater room, but will have the capability of controlling all media devices in the house. For instance, to watch a DVD, one would simply push the DVD icon on the touch screen of the remote for the stereo to turn on, the projector to come down and the DVD player to setup for the ideal movie watching experience! Duane is so great with electronics!

While Duane is up there, I'm in Chandler cleaning my house, hanging out with Kalvin, trying to plan out how to make this move as easy as possible, finding a place to live in/near Albany, catching up on facebook, updating the blogs with random family experiences, and getting more excited for little boy #2 (for whom we do not have a name picked out)!

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