Our Snow Day

It seems as though we get about 1 good snow day a year here in Birmingham. There may be a few other days when a flake or two may fall, but those can hardly be called "snow days!" Here are some pictures from our snow day this year, February 2010.

Dallas Texas

Brett just had an interview for a Post Doc position at South Western in Dallas Texas. He had a great time. He really likes all of people in the lab where he would be working and he thinks that he will be able to learn a lot from his new boss. The day after Brett returned home to Birmingham, Richard (the name of his new boss) emailed Brett and told him that they would love to hire Brett on in the lab. Richard knew that Brett had to finish graduation first, but he was happy to have us join them in Dallas ASAP. After some discussion and prayer, Brett and I decided that it would be wise to accept this offer. Everything about it seems really great. . .except for the location. I'm not thrilled to be so far away from family, I was hoping to be a little closer to either Virginia or Utah, but we've been surviving for the past 5 years, I suppose we'll be okay for a few more. The experience Brett will get will really make him more competitive in the job market and we might as well make these gradual steps while are family is still so young.

So now it is official . . . .
Dallas Texas, here we come. (in May :) )

Introducing Madelyn Grace Pickett

Madelyn Grace Pickett

Born: January 8, 2010
Weight: 8 lbs 10 oz
Height: 21 inches

Brett and I went to the hospital at 6 am Friday morning. Luckily the doctor let me induce a little early--Maddie wasn't actually due until the 12th, but I dont think I could have lasted another night as large and uncomfortable as I was. In the hospital, I was hoping to get going and have the baby in time for lunch. It didn't go that fast but it was still a relatively smooth delivery. We chatted with the nurse and hung out until the contractions got serious--around 2 in the afternoon. I did have my greatest, most high scoring game of Bejeweled ever while I was waiting, so that was pretty exciting. Maddie was born around 3:30. I hardly had to push at all. . .maybe 5 times. I think that she was just as ready to come out as I was to get her out. :)

Emmeline and Mabel were so excited to come and visit us in the hospital that evening. They each brought Maddie a little gift. Emmeline chose a pink rubber duckie and Mabel chose a soft little pink butterfly. They were both so sweet and loving with their new little sister.





My time in the hospital sped by without a hitch and I was very excited to get home. The only setback was, like both Emmeline and Mabel, Maddie had a bit of a jaundice scare and she had to stay in the hospital an extra night to be on the lights. It was hard leaving the hospital without her, but luckily it wasnt for long. They let us bring her home the next morning.

I am so excited to have another beautiful daughter. Heavenly Father has truly blessed me and I am thrilled to have my family grow.

"Go Ahead Brett"

On January 4, Brett met with his graduation committee to present his work up to this point and petition that he be allowed to graduate in May. He has one paper published and several others submitted and he has met every other requirement necessary to graduate. After his meeting, his committee gave him the "go ahead" to start putting together his dissertation so he can graduate in May. YEAH Brett.

Laura's Top 10 of 2009

#10. YMCA

In January of 2009 we joined our local YMCA. They gave us a discount based on Bretts income (otherwise we wouldn't have been able to afford it.) It has been so great for us. They offer free childcare while you are working out, so the girls go play while I participate in various aerobic classes. My favorites are bodyJam and Kickboxing. I also went to water aerobics while I was pregnant. Throughout the spring Emmeline took swimming lessons and loved those!! and of course we enjoyed utilizing the swimming pool throughout the hot Birmingham summer. (okay, we've enjoyed the pool the entire year!! It's a favorite activity of the girls even during the few cold weeks of winter. It's lucky the Y has an indoor pool. :) ). Here is a picture of the girls playing in the lockers and one of Emmeline in her swimming class.




# 9. The Library

We have enjoyed the library ever since we moved to Birmingham, but this past year we really made the most of it. We went to a special class every other Thursday called Rhythm and Rhyme. There we listened to stories, sang songs, and danced to music. Both Emmeline and Mabel loved it. We also went to the library a lot this summer. I was feeling so sick from being pregnant and it was so hot out side, we took advantage of the library's summer reading program and participated in all of their free activities. One day a cow came to visit, another day the kids got to decorate the sidewalk with chalk and have otter pops. Those were just a few of our favorite summer library activities.




# 8. UAB Starting my Masters Degree

In the Spring I enrolled in a Masters program at UAB, studying history. I took 2 classes that semester, The World Post 1945 and Historiography of the American Revolution. I enjoyed both classes!! I loved being a student again and stimulating my mind with things other then that which would excite 3 year old little girls. (dont get me wrong, I am a fan of tea parties, parks, zoos, princesses, etc). I even enjoyed writing my end of term paper. That shows how much I was aching for more adult learning. I was excited for my summer classes too, but then I got pregnant and sick and decided to take a break. I am still planning on finishing my degree but I'll take it slow, a class here and a class there. I'm not in any hurry. I just enjoy learning amid being a mother of young children.



#7. Joyschool

This fall I started a joyschool with 3 other gals. They all have little boys, so Emmeline was the only girl in the group, but she loved it!! We each took 1 week during the month and prepared a two hour class on Tuesday and Thursday. I think I was super lucky because the holidays always ended up on my classes and we had a halloween party, thanksgiving lesson, and christmas party. Throughout the term we took several field trips including visits to the zoo, the police station and the fire station. It was great for Emmeline to play with some of her friends each week and on days when I wasnt teaching, I was able to run errands and spend one on one time with Mabel. Overall, it was awesome. The following pictures are of the kids at the fire station and of the kids doing yoga. When Emmeline came home from that lesson she had to show me all the new moves she had learned. Very cute.




#6. Our "New" Car

I have loved our little blue Kia Spectra. It has been a great car for my family for the last 6 years. However, Brett and I were wondering how we were going to squish another car seat in the back. In the fall, Bretts mom decided to buy herself a new car and in the process sold her old car to us. It has been great for the girls to have more space in the back, and there will be plenty of room for the baby's car seat to be added. It is funny because Brett used to drive this car when he was in highschool-so it really isn't new to him, but it is to me. Yeah for "new" cars and yeah for family who will help us obtain them!!!



#5. Couponing

In the spring my friend Michelle Norris gave me some helpful tips and websites to get me started using coupons. After trying it out, I found that it cut my grocery bill in half. I used to shop at Wal Mart for everything and get mostly only Great Value items. I thought that was as cheap as it was gonna get. Now I shop at a regular grocery store (Publix) and buy name brand items and spend half as much as I did before. It is awesome. It is also fun. Although it can take some time, it is kind of like a game--a treasure hunt for the good deals. I've also had fun earning and using ECB's at CVS. I had no idea that I could get free (or almost free) deoderant, toothpaste, body wash, etc. It is awesome. In case you're interested, a couple of my favorite sites are:
southernsavers.com
moneysavingmadness.com
moneysavingmom.com



#4. Primary

For the past 4 years I have served in various positions in my wards primary presidency. This has been a huge part of my life and I have enjoyed it so much. I have helped put together some fun activities throughout the years. This year we had a Book of Mormon Time Machine, a Luau, a Daddy/Daughter Date and a Mother/Son Date and of course our annual Halloween Trunk or Treat/Carnival. This December I was released and a new presidency was put in place. Even though I knew it was coming for a long time and even though I do believe that it is important for me to serve elsewhere for awhile, being released was much harder then I thought it would be. I didnt realize how much of myself I had put into the primary and I felt like part of me was being cut out. I think it was also hard because I was so hormonal with my pregnancy, I just couldnt deal with things very well. But no matter where I am called to serve in the future, I will always love primary and be grateful for the many opportunities and friends made while I was serving there. :)

#3. My Little Sister Lydia's Wedding.

In October my little sister got married to Devin Stienberg. They were sealed in the Washington D.C. Temple and had a lovely fall themed reception at my parents house in the evening. It was neat for me, not only because my little sis was gettin married, but I got to help with a lot of the planning, decorations and food preparations. I even got to make the cake (with the much appreciated help of my other littler sister Lucy). I thought that everything turned out absolutely beautiful.




#2. Being Pregnant.

Although this was not particularly the most pleasant experience of 2009 (I was sick most of the summer and to big to move most of the winter) it certainly dominated most of my year. And even though I wasnt comfortable for most of the year, I knew that eventually, this would lead to a wonderful, life changing blessing--my third daughter.

A couple of things pregnancy brought with it this time around: 1) a love for nuts--especially honey roasted peanuts (which I've never really cared for before) and cashews, but oddly any nut would do. 2) a love for certain smells. Especially new tires, bleach, and lemon dish detergent. Oh, life's simple pleasures. :)





#1. My Wonderful Family.

I love my family so much. They are my whole life. So the number 1 greatest thing of 2009 was Brett, Emmeline, Mabel, and baby on the way!!

Another Pickett Princess

We just found out that come mid January we will be adding another little girl to our family. We are really excited. Every day since the ultra sound, which was a week ago, Mabel has been saying "baby, t.v." She loved seeing the baby on the "t.v." and I think it really clicked that there is a baby in mommy's tummy.



I have to take a minute to apologize for the lack of blogs over the past 4 months. I felt rather sick during my first trimester and really didnt do much of anything, including blogging or checking blogs. Pretty much May and June was spent reading Harry Potter 1-7---it was the only thing that could keep my mind off how miserable I felt. With that said, I am feeling much better and I am excited to get back to some of the things I like to do. . .like blogging, oh and cooking dinner. :)

Aboard the Odyssey

On April 22 Brett and I celebrate our 5th anniversary. We decided to celebrate early this year and take advantage of my parents babysitting while we were in Virginia. So Brett booked us for a dinner/dance riverboat cruise in Washington D.C. We sailed aboard the Odyssey along the Potomac River. We had such a wonderful time. It was awesome to get out with Brett and do something romantic.


We started by getting all dressed up and "prettified" and my sister Lyds did my hair all fancy and cut Bretts hair. Then we left for the city. We got there a little bit early and so we were able to walk around and enjoy the beauty of the cherry blossoms. The atmosphere of the boat was so fun. The food was good and the settings were beautiful. They kept the rolls coming (which was awesome) and I had my first lobster bisque ever.


When we weren't eating, we enjoyed walking around the boat and seeing the beautiful monuments all lit up and magnificent against the dark night.



We also enjoyed dancing. They had a live band which was pretty good and which played a fun mix of slow and fast favorites. At one point in the evening, the band announced all the birthdays and everyone on the boat sang happy birthday. Then they announced all the couples celebrating anniversaries. As each couple was called they got to walk to the dance floor. There were a ton of first anniversaries and everyone clapped really loudly for them. Then a couple celebrating their 4th anniversary was called and people clapped even louder. Then they called Brett and me with 5 years and people were even more loud. It was fun to walk up to the dance floor, holding Bretts hand, with the whole boat watching and clapping for us. After us there was a 10 year anniversary and a 27 year anniversary. It was kindof weird that we were the third longest couple celebrating on the boat and I feel like we are still so young. After all the couples were on the floor, they played a special slow song (unfortunately it was a song that I wasn't familiar with) and we got our own special dance.



All in all, it was a wonderful night and I am convinced that we will be doing it again and again throughout our lives!!!! Thank you Brett for the romantic evening and the memorable time celebrating our wonderful marriage!!

Daffodils and Darling Daughters

Virginia Vacation and a Happy Easter

We drove up to Virginia to celebrate Easter with my family from April 8-14th. Although it is a very long 12 hour drive, the girls did awesome and it really wasnt that bad. I bring all sorts of treats and let the girls watch their favorite movies.

We got to meet Lydias new boyfriend. He's a pretty nice fellow. (Perhaps, if things continue along as they currently are, we'll get to make the trip up to VA again next winter or spring for a wedding. . . hmmm, who knows. )

We had a fun time celebrating Easter. On Saturday Grandma, Em, and I went to the grocery store. As we walked in we were each given a raffle ticket. After we had been there for about 15 minutes, they drew Emmelines number and she won a free easter cake. She was soooo excited. It was all she could talk about throughout the week. While we were at the store, we also got to decorate free easter cookies. Emmeline loaded hers up with frosting. It was a great shopping trip.



The girls also had fun decorating Easter eggs that night. My mom had gotten a different dye then usual and the girls got to use actual paint brushes instead of just submerging their eggs in the dye bath. I think they loved using brushes and painting their eggs instead of dying their eggs.





Sunday morning, the girls enjoyed going through their easter baskets. They each got a new swimming suit, some books, candy and other little nic nacs. Grandma had gotten them these cute little bunny purses to put all their stuff in. After church and dinner, we had a family easter egg hunt. As always, this is a highlight for my daughters. Plus, grandma and grandpa have a big yard to hide eggs which made this particular hunt super fun.




All in all, we had a great holiday and a very happy Easter.

While we were there my parents also took us to "The Greatest Show on Earth" the Circus. We love the circus. And Mabel was enthralled. She was so focused and taking everything in. She became very attached to my sister Lucy and throughout the show she would keep crawling back and forth between Lucy and me, never taking her eyes off what was happening down on the stage. It was quite hilarious.

On Monday we went to my moms classroom. It was a teacher workday so her class wasn't there and Emmeline and Mabel loved exploring the room. They liked to play with the giant checkers, the stacking toys, stickers and of course to color on the whiteboards and chalkboards.

Mostly we just enjoyed hanging out. I think that the girls favorite parts involved jumping on the trampoline with Lucy and Leland, blowing giant bubbles--and watching the Hefalump movie over and over again. I loved talking, singing and laughing all week with my family.



On Tuesday we left early and got back to Birmingham around 4:30. Just enough time for Brett to get to his class and for me to get refocused to head into class at 5:30. We had a great vacation!!

April Babysitting Night

We took our turn babysitting on Friday April 3rd this month. It was perfect because it was just before Easter and the weather was awesome. So we had a couple of Easter eggs hunts of course. It was great to be able to let the kids run around outside instead of being stuck in the house all evening. And the one thing my girls can't seem to get enough of is hunting for those colored, plastic eggs. Mabel has to shake each one to see if its any good. She is all about quality. Emmeline on the other hand, could care less if there was anything inside the egg. She is all about quantity. hilarious!!