Cute Cousins!

This video was actually made the week before Ben was born. Kent (Paul's older brother), Kristin, Bella, and Harry came to Vernal to visit. We went to dinner, painted apron's with the kids' handprints for G&G Gardner's Christmas present, and had a grand time! Too bad Benny missed it by a week!

Sleepy Boy

I think Ben is teething. He has been slobbering and chewing hard on my fingers all day. He hasn't had a nap either - he just whines and clings to me. I finally had to put him down in his exersaucer so I could fix dinner. He wasn't happy with me - but after crying for a while he fell asleep! Poor kid. After taking pictures I picked him up and he had dents in his forhead from his toys - sweet baby.

Sick Sick Sick!

How is everyone feeling this February? Sick? Us too. That nasty flu that has been crawling through Utah made a major stop at the Gardner house. Ben had RSV for 2 weeks. Fortunately we caught it early enough that he didn't have to be hospitalized but we did have to give him breathing treatments every 6 hours for a week. This meant that I had to wake him up in the middle of the night to give him a treatment which ruined his wonderful 7-hours-a-night sleeping record. Even though he is better now he still wakes up once in the middle of the night---BLAST! Paul, Rachel, and I had a nasty case of the flu. We all stayed home sick on Paul's birthday last Wednesday. :( This thing seriously knocked us out for 2 whole weeks so for anyone else out there who is fight the flu - we feel your pain!

Thumb Sucker

Well it is official. We have a thumb sucking child. I (Natalie) was a thumb sucker when I was little. Rachel never really liked her thumb, she prefers a binky - which stinks because binkys get lost...thumbs don't. Ben sucks his thumb just like I did, with his first finger hooked over his nose to keep his hand in an optimal position and not floating all over the place (thumb sucking is an art you know!) The bad thing is, binkys can be taken away...thumbs can't. Oh well we'll see how long it lasts. If anyone has any good tricks to stop thumb sucking that I can use in the future let me know. :)

Silence = Trouble

Any mother of a toddler will tell you that unless it's nap time, unusual silence can mean only one thing...TROUBLE! I was having a very pleasant conversation with my brother, Trevor, on the web cam and Rachel disappeared upstairs to the kitchen. It took me a while to realize she wasn't in the room anymore and when I went looking for her this is what I found! SWEET!

Story Time

Ben got an "exersaucer" for Christmas from Santa and he is BARELY big enough for it...only one foot can touch the ground at a time. He loves it though and so does his big sister! Here is Rachel wearing her princess crown and reading "Winnie the Pooh" to Ben. These two are best friends. :)

Princess Rachel

I am posting like crazy today because - MIRACULOUSLY - BOTH kids are taking a nap at the SAME TIME. This is Princess Rachel at Ammy and Papa's house (G & G Watts) at Christmas time playing with her Cinderella tea set that G & G Gardner gave her, wearing her Cinderella dress that G & G Watts gave her and her Tinkerbell sunglasses from Santa. Could she be any more of a GIRL!?!

"Rachel's House!"

Last year I had so much fun making a gingerbread house from scratch at Christmas time that I decided it would be a new Gardner Family Tradition...little did I know how difficult it would be with a 2 year old! After many attempts to ward her off she finally did it...she took a BIG BITE out of "Rachel's House". Oh well - better luck next year. Who am I kidding?! Next year we'll have a 3 year old and a 1 year old! I guess my Better Homes and Gardens photo ops will have to wait till the kids get older!

Benny Boy

Okay, someone forgot to tell me when I was pregnant with Ben how much fun it was going to be to get this little man all dressed up. Girls are so pink and frilly - which I love - but the BOYS!!! Who knew they could look like little college grads when they were only 2 months old! So CUTE! p.s. Yes I know---he looks exactly like Paul. Paul's students call Ben "Brother Gardner Jr."

Catching up!!

These were taken 3 months ago...oops...at Ben's blessing. LtoR Gardners, Wattses, Gardners

Since we haven't posted since LAST YEAR---we decided the time ha come...plus pictures are piling up. SO here are some of the latest and greatest. :)