The Sandstrom Family

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-29T09:15:00.001-08:00

The happy trick-or-treaters. Sadie was pumped for Halloween this year! Mason is Dopey, in case it isn't obvious. I sewed the touque and jacket for him the day of the Ward party.

This pumpkin was about as big as Mason. We were major procrastinators and got this pumpkin on Halloween, and were carving right until we had kids at the door!

Our offerings -- mine is the sinister face on the left, Ryan did the Oogey Boogey Man, and Sadie colored hers.

Product placement. Willy Wonka is cutting the check right now.

Digging through the spoils

The kids gorging themselves on candy. Mason picked up the meaning of the holiday fast.

Mmm, wrapper.

It was absolutely beautiful for Halloween night, but snowed the next day. It was such wet, sticky snow, that every step Sadie took caked on to her boots, and made snow platform boots. She thought it was riotous.

Our little snow family, that was gone later that day. The snow didn't stay long.

August/September/October

2011-10-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

Yikes, what a title. It has been far too long since we've updated, and I have a really good excuse: Ryan has been way busy and hasn't had a spare moment to let me use his laptop to upload our pictures. Well, it's an okay excuse.

Going back to what I haven't posted about yet, we went to Mississippi with my brother, Dan, and his family for the season opener for college football. It wasn't the best drive to take with small kids, one in particular that is extremely car sick, but we did it, and wouldn't trade it for anything. Oxford was such a beautiful old town, and the people there were so nice! Talk about southern hospitality. People were wishing us luck as we walked to the game in all our BYU gear, and then after we won, thanked us for coming, wished us luck in our season, travel safely, and invited us to come back. Everyone was just so polite.

Ole Miss has such a beautiful campus, and it would have been great to explore it more, but it poured rain right after the game (thank goodness for that) because of a tropical storm. We did a small car tour of the historic sites and homes, and they were so pretty, but the rain foiled much more exploration than that. I commented how nice all the guest homes were on the really big plantations, and then Ryan pointed out that they were probably converted slaves quarters. Oh.

Start of the game, before we got all toasty. The kids did great during the game; Mason slept, Sadie ate treats with Ava, her cousin.

Dan took his boys early to get their faces painted, which left Ryan to walk with my sister-in-law, Heather, and me with our double strollers full of little kids to the game. We realized we were probably fueling the misconceptions about Mormons, so Heather walked a little ahead of us.

Best buds sharing candy

Victory pose with the scoreboard in the background as proof. Dan said he was especially pleased that BYU won, because his boys would have been supremely disappointed driving all that way for a loss. He wanted to solidify early memories of BYU winning in their moldable little minds.

Mason, sporting the jersey

A bad shot of the small town that pops up every game day in Oxford. I guess it's one of the best tailgating experiences in the country? This was after the game was over, and lots of people had already packed up for the day, but all the red, white, and blue through those trees in the distance are those big pop up tents. People were going all out and had fridges and satellite dishes, like they could have lived there for the week if campus police allowed it. Also, a lot of the women (and a few men) were dressed up all fancy-like. Watching some of the ladies in heels made me so grateful to be wearing sandals as we walked back to where we were staying. Near the end they all were carrying their shoes.

Dan was able to find a great place where we could all stay together, instead of separate rooms like a hotel most likely would have been. It had a nice attached garage where the boys (big and small) could go rid themselves of cabin fever.

Here is the girl version of expending extra energy (note the cards all over the floor). We had to be creative keeping the kids from destroying the place once it started raining, and think there may have been a game or two involving rolling poker chips on the tile floor.

On to random shots now. Ryan is back in classes (has been for a while now), and very busy finishing up his last year. We've been enjoying a really mild fall, and we're wrapping up things in Omaha. I've been spending lots of time prepping our place for sale, and we actually have someone coming to look at it on Friday. Wow that went fast.

Father Theresa?

Sadie squeezing my feet. The face helps her squeeze tighter.

A happy coincidence one day (note the shirts)

Mason's newest trick.
(He's almost crawling, but definitely can military crawl to something he really wants)

Okay this next sequence is one of my favorites. Sadie wants to get in on the pictures, so she forces Mason to hold hands with her. Then he gets upset with that and lets her know he needs some space. I'm pretty sure I have the same pictures taken in the stroller.

I've got some great videos of the kids that I want to post too, but our upload speed is about 1/100th of what I want it to be. Sometime later. Maybe.

Super Happy Fun Surprise!!!

2011-08-04T19:27:00.001-07:00

Random pics from July:

Thinking about solid food... mmm...

Ryan and Sadie's balancing act. They're thinking about taking it on the road.

Too hot for clothes!

Warning: super husband bragging here, so look away if you must. If you roll your eyes after reading this post, it's your own fault.
I just need to start this post with Ryan is a trickster. He plans and plots and always has something up his sleeve. The man is full of really fun surprises. And he really outdid himself this year for my birthday, which he usually celebrates about 3 months early because he cannot contain himself when he finally decides on my gift.
Since we were already going to have Rachie with us for the better part of July, he planned with Laura to have her come too! And instead of any gifts from parents and in-laws, Ryan planned for us to go shopping together, and have Laura completely overhaul my wardrobe. I felt like I was on What Not to Wear! Laura went through my entire closet, item by item, and we made decisions to keep or toss. There was so much stuff in my closet that I hadn't worn for so many years, but for some reason I just couldn't ever get rid of, so it was nice to have Laura and Rachel there driving the decisions. We threw out 4 garbage bags of old clothes, that were either worn out, out of style, or just too young for me to wear. Laura told me, "You need to dress like a mom, not like you're in high school!"

Donations!

The spoils

After making a list of essentials, we set to work (yes boys, work!) shopping. And just when I felt fatigue setting in, Laura would power through and have me trying on like 50 items in 5 minutes! I've never shopped like that in my life, and perhaps I never will. Rachel, you were awesome to help with the kids after we had run them so ragged, in and out of the car and stroller all day long! And then Ryan was so nice to take the kids who missed afternoon naps on our account and let us girls go see Harry Potter, or get our nails done. What a guy!

Pop quiz!: can you tell our hands and feet apart?

Laura was only able to stay for a few days, but she did a ton of online shopping for me too, looking for those last few, elusive must-have's. It was seriously the most fun I've had with Laura and Rachel in a long time. And Ben, Laura has a tangible talent. Don't let it go to waste.

Rachel was able to stay for a while longer, and we did fun stuff around town, like the zoo, going around down town, a party with the judge Ryan clerked for this summer, a hair bow and birthday card night, and way too much super mario brothers. We were sad to see her go, but we left for Arizona the next day, so we had to get ourselves ready. My actual birthday was just laundry and cleaning, but I didn't care because I had been celebrating it for weeks!

Waiting at the Airport

Too much love!

Now we're in Mesa trying to maximize our time with Walker before he leaves on his mission. He's going to the El Salvador San Salvador East mission, and reports on the 10th of August. He is so excited and anxious to go.
We'll be seeing people in Waterton!
p.s.- Laura, start your personal shopping business now!

Too hot for anything but blogging!

2011-07-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

As the heat index goes well over 100 today in Omaha, and with both kids asleep its time to hit the computer. I've been filling nap time with other activities, some less frivolous than others, but after a few requests for more Mason pictures, I find I've run out of excuses not to blog. Why do I drag my feet so much? I'd say our upload speed is about half of what I'd like it to be, not that I don't like updating everyone on what we've been doing.
The Flood: it has been an all consuming topic around our neighborhood lately. The "Mighty Mo" has been on a constant rise since winter ended, and now we are finding ourselves in its path (sorta). Most of our ward In Council Bluffs is already seeing lots of water in their basements, but we are on far higher ground here in Omaha, so we are in no immediate danger. The river would have to flood about 100 feet vertically before we would even get worried. However, we have been busy getting our emergency preparations in order, like water and purification systems and food, and yes, Ryan bought a shotgun. I don't love it in the house, but he calmed my anxiety by also getting the most cutting edge safety equipment. The safety's on ole bessie.
So while our ward has been moving everything from their basements, we've been helping people get their things out from below ground, and a few families have been moving completely as well. Ryan hardly ever comes straight home from work anymore, as it seems like there's always someone needing assistance. I'll post some pictures of things that have been affected by the water already. Rachie, bring your gumboots!

Our usual road out to church, but not where we drive. It's closed now. The thin strip above land is the railroad, and the highway is to the right.

A casino entrance that is right on the river. I don't feel all that badly because it's a casino. Ryan saw this and said it looks eerie, like the Titanic, but less grand.

But I digress. I haven't blogged about my trip with the kids while Ryan finished up finals at the end of April. I took off to go to Heather Low's wedding and see family, and also got a chance to go back up to Calgary, and then down to Arizona so we could bless Mason with as much family as possible present. Basically that's the trip in a nut shell, so I'll let the pictures do the talking. I wish I had taken more pictures at the actual wedding, but with two kids I felt like I was barely able to keep track of all our stuff, even with all the help I had. The flights over to Salt lake went as good as I could hope for, traveling with a toddler and an infant alone. I received many piteous stares, but for the most part people were very helpful and nice. There was one point that I was nursing Mason while holding the air sickness bag out for Sadie, but that was brief. That girl is just not meant for travel. Thanks again Laura and Ben for being Sadie's best trackers in Utah!

At the reception in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. I know I should stop her, but she was having so much fun, and she wasn't the only one, and the damage was already done. Yikes, rhymes.

The black and cream trio, all unplanned. Mom and Laura, surely one of you has a better shot of us?

Dinner in Provo at cool pizza place. We look extremely un-hip compared to the rest of the diners there.

Blessing day (and Mother's Day) in Mesa. Sorry, no pictures of our time in Calgary :(

The family portrait now! I think there was a fingerprint on the camera lens, so every picture has a foggy, 80's softness to it.

Back in Omaha, Sadie and Mason in my mother's day gift: a double stroller! Going to the zoo is a breeze now!

Ryan and Mason bonding over NBA finals. I think there's a very similar picture of Ryan and Sadie watching ball too.

I have way more videos of Mason than I have pictures, but they're all pretty boring for you guys, so I'll just have to be better at snapping pics. Hope everyone had a very patriotic Canada Day, and a good 4th of July too!

Easter happenings

2011-06-06T07:20:00.001-07:00

After at least 3 egg hunts, much egg dyeing, and so much candy that no clothes are clean, I think Easter has been celebrated! Here is Sadie and Ryan at our neighborhood egg hunt, which, thankfully, they divided into age categories. Sadie fared pretty well in the 0-2 yr group.

Searching for the elusive Easter eggs. I was worried she would get distracted by the fact that it was at the park, and want to play instead, but she put on her game face an pulled off a lot of goodies.

It was kind of a cool day, so Mason is snuggled carefully in the blanket. Next year, buddy.

Egg coloring! Sadie was so thrilled at the prospect of art in a new medium. She has kind of had it with just paper.

Intense focus

I copied this one out of the Disney Family Fun magazine. Thanks again Heather! I love getting it every month.

Lady Eggaga. Or as Ryan initially thought, someone at Mardi Gras. Basically the same thing, right? (On a side note, I am not, nor have been, nor ever will be a fan of Lady Gaga. I think she is a terrible person, and the very evil of world the apostles warn us about. That said, she's current, and easy to do by putting bits of fabric on an egg)

Another one of mine, just something geometric

Ryan's offering. I think it was titled: Experiment in patterns and colors, number 8. Sounds like something from my art history class.

The two in the front row are Sadie's. It's a miracle they survived being dropped several times. Also, Ryan did some sort of a Ninja.

It's been a slightly cooler spring for Omaha, but at least winter is officially gone and the grass is green. I'll be posting more about my trip to Utah, Calgary, and Arizona. Good, busy times.

p.s.- Brag time: we had a cake auction the other night at a ward party to send our YW to girls camp, and my carrot cake got the 2nd highest bidding! And it wasn't even Ryan that bought it. Darn that caramel apple pie.

Anyways, Happy Easter Everyone!

Sadie turns 2, more Mason pics

2011-04-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

The kids are asleep and its time to blog. Mason is sitting here in front of me in his bouncy chair, air-sucking his soother that has just beyond his adorable little reach. I love it when babies do that! I just wanted to post some up-to-date pictures of Mason as he is getting so chunky so fast. Also, Sadie turned two this month, so that was pretty big for her. I think I'm going to have to keep it to these mini posts, or I'll never keep updating my blog!

Still pretty new here. Here's some ultra-supervised sibling time.

Mom's parting shot with Mason. We miss having her so much!

Fatherhood

Birthday girl in her new outfit from Grandma Sandstrom. Ryan's parents came and visited us for a day about a few days before Sadie's birthday, and they met Mason. I can't believe I don't have any pictures of that visit, but I know they sure do! It was brief but fun.

Sadie's birthday was a pretty low key affair. It was still kinda chilly outside, so I didn't end up doing cupcakes for the neighborhood like last year (whew!). Here she is unwrapping some gifts: Disney movies! We needed a little more selection other than Jungle Book.

Testing it out...

Ok it's good. Note the cucumber slices on her plate (she asked for them after cake!).

Chunk

Captured a smile! He's much easier to get to smile than Sadie ever was.

Put up yo' dukes, sucka

More shots of Mason

2011-03-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

Hi Family

Here are some more up dated pictures of our little man. Mason is such a sweet little baby and fits so nicely in our small family. Sadie is really beginning to adjust well to having him here, although she still asks to see the baby in my tummy. It must be a difficult concept to realize the baby lying on the floor is the same one that was once behind my belly button! Sadie is extremely helpful when it comes to diaper changes, and is always concerned over the whereabouts of his soother. She's always bringing it to him, and says "here ya go buddy!" Couldn't ask for a sweeter big sister.

Still in the hospital, Sadie is a little standoffish

Leaving the hospital outfit. We messed up on Sadie's and she wore 0-3 month clothes home (they were massive!). Second time round we were a little wiser, and he's properly wearing newborn clothes, although they were still a little big.

Cute father and son picture. Ryan loves having a guy to talk to in the house.

Sadie eventually warmed up to the idea of holding Mason, and wants to give kisses on his head all the time now. Check out those wings!

Mom holding Mason. I love how he looks like he's waving in this picture!

From the front. He looks super jaundice here, but it only did that when the flash was on. He's all better now.

Getting some loves from big sister

Tough guy face

We had cupcakes tonight for dessert, and I just had to post this of Sadie enjoying hers

It has been absolutely invaluable to have Mom here to help. She's been great doing all the cleaning that you never want to do, playing with Sadie when I'm busy with Mason, as well as all the meal prep and clean up. We could really get used to this...

Mason Ryan Sandstrom

2011-02-21T19:11:00.000-08:00

Here's baby Mason Ryan Sandstrom.

I think he looks so much like Sadie. Of course a much manlier version. I think he has a Low nose, Karen's lips (whatever side that came from), and the rest is very Sandstrom to me. (I actually think overall he looks a lot like Laura.) What do you guys think?

Karen and her babies. (Sadie is actually trying to smile in this picture. I think I just caught her in the middle of trying to say "cheese")

The happy new parents.

Like Father like Son.

This is while Mason was warming up under the heat lamp and he was quite content to sit there and hold on to my finger. We stayed in this position for about 30 minutes.

Here's Mason about 30 seconds into life. He was born at 5:05pm Feb. 12, 2011. He weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces. He was 21 inches, 10 toes, 10 fingers, and very healthy.

Saying hi to mom for the first time

Already comfortable in mom's arms 2 minutes into life.

Speaking of Mama, Karen is doing great. We are sure happy that he is here! He was due on February 21 but it was a pleasant surprise to have him come to us almost a week and a half early.

Here's a good profile shot.

Well, if you can't tell, Karen is usually the one that does the blog posts. I would take the time to try to figure out a better way to arrange the pictures to make it more story-like, but I haven't slept in 48 hours and so I think the random array of very cute pictures will do for tonight.

I will say though that the circumstances of this delivery was amazingly similar to when Sadie was born. When Karen was pregnant with Sadie, we went to the doctor's office and he said that there was no way that Karen would go into labor for a week. So, the doctor went on a vacation for a few days. Later that night, however, Karen starting having contractions. Karen called the doctor and the doctor said that there there was nothing to be concerned about and that Karen should just take a bath. So Karen took a bath and the contractions actually got worse. So, we decided to go into the hospital just to see what they would say. All of the nurses said that she looked fine and that she probably wasn't going into labor. But, just to be sure, they checked her and amazingly found out that in fact she was going into labor and admitted her. But as I mentioned, her doctor had just gone out of town. Then within 6 hours of being admitted, Sadie was delivered by the on-call doctor.

Well, the story could not be more identical today. Karen got checked yesterday and the doctor said she was fine and that she wouldn't go into labor for a week or more, so the doctor went on vacation. Then within a few hours Karen was having contractions. Again, Karen called the hospital and they told her not to worry but like last time the bath didn't help and things continued to progress and so we decided to go to the hospital to see what they would say. Literally every nurse that we spoke to on the way into the hospital reassured Karen that everything was fine and she didn't look like she was going into labor. However, they decided to check her and go figure she had progressed significantly in only a few short hours. So they admitted her and within 6 hours, the on-call doctor delivered the baby. The best part is that next to both hospitals, the one in Omaha and the one in Payson, Utah, there is a tiny, hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant named Fernandos. No relation to each other and because a guy named Fernando simply runs each one independently, they are not connected in any way. That coincidence was the icing on the cake. Oh ya, and they both have amazing Horchata.

I realize that that was the long version and I know that you are all probably thinking that it is ironic that I just gave the long version after saying that I needed to do this post quickly because I was tired. Oh well, the amazing coincidences of the two deliveries probably outweigh the irony of this post.

Everyone is doing great and we are really excited to have baby Mason finally here with us. We'll post more pictures soon.

Posted by Ryan, taken from the Swendsen Family blog

Christmas and stuff

2011-02-20T19:57:00.001-08:00

After offering up an "I'm not tired" during dinner, a la David after the dentist, Sadie is down early tonight because of a missed afternoon nap. And with Ryan out playing tennis, I figured it was high time I crack my knuckles and finally get down to some serious blog catch up. Is it so sad that the main thing keeping me from posting was a dead camera battery for about 6 weeks? Now we're all juiced up and ready to go, so I really have no excuse.

Starting all the way back in December, BYU came and played Creighton in basketball, which we had to go see. It was really fun being in the alumni section in the arena. Sadie figured out the B-Y-U chant pretty quick, and says it anytime there is basketball on tv. After the Game we were allowed to go down court side and take pictures with the team and ask a few questions. However, once they realized how many people came, they only had Jimmer and Coach Rose say a few things, and then they had to hit the road. There were at least 300 people that hung out for the Q and A, so that was pretty neat to see. I guess with graduates all over the country/world, you can get a pretty decent following wherever you go!

Up in our seats near the end of the game. Sadie was much more enthusiastic earlier, I promise

Down court side. I'll admit, I got a little starstruck.

For Christmas, it was absolutely the best being back in Calgary. Sadie got plenty of play time there with all the cousins, referring to the girl cousins as their names, and all the boys were "buddy" until she figured them out. I'm not really sure where she picked that up, because we don't say "buddy" all that often. Maybe once there is a little boy around here, we will.

We got a chance to go see the beautiful zoo lights, which had a fun section orchestrated to "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas". Other outdoor activities included the nativity pageant on the 23rd (not pictured).

I think Dad was taking the picture, but he was there too

All bundled up

Shots from Christmas eve, where the bulk of the talent show were performances from the grand kids. Rachie and Dad also contributed stellar numbers.

All the kids in their cute Christmas jammies

Christmas day! A pretty quiet day, until Rachel opened up an iPhone case.

Grandma and Grandpa taking it all in

Sadie opening some presents. If I had to pick her favorite things, it would be the doll that all the girls got, and the super fashionable skirts that Laura picked out. Immediately after opening the box, Sadie needed to change the diaper on the baby. She kept asking it, "you stinky? Yeah..."

Sadie wanted her skirt on right away

A combo shot of Sadie's favorite items. She kept that skirt on basically all day.

Of course, she likes the box just as much as the toy that came in it

Dad, giddy as a school boy. That was Rachel's gift, by the way. It actually moves and makes sounds, and I'm not sure if they figured out if it can shoot torpedoes. Give me a ping, Vasili. One ping only, please.

Sadie loved hanging with Rachie, Gamma, and Banter (her version of grandpa). She took to all the extended family just fine, and played a lot with Grandpa Low when they were there for Christmas day. It was quite fun to watch actually.

After Christmas, we spent a couple of days up in Canmore, and did some touring in the mountains. Ryan had never been to Lake Louise, and since we're already married, it couldn't have any effect on our relationship (as it has been the death knell for many others). It was really gorgeous and snowy, and thankfully not that cold. Mom, Dad, Rachel and Jojo joined us in Canmore for dinner one night before they left for Texas.

Sadie quite liked the castle, and sliding around on the ice

She even found a little seat just her size. She's obsessed over having her own seat!

Loved the touque and jammie ensemble

We didn't spend too much time in Canada, as I realized my green card was about to expire, and we had to get back into the US before that happened. So we joined mom and dad in Texas for Christmas part II, and got to see all the rest of the family. We had lots of fun playing at the church, going out for lunch with the siblings, golf for the boys, and lots of late night games. Dan and Scott put on an impressive fireworks show, with explosions so big you could have sworn they were illegal! They were so big, it was scary-close watching them on the driveway. I don't have much picture evidence from Texas, but here is one cute shot:

And the vacation doesn't end there. Ryan had nearly a full month off in between semesters, so we left Texas for Arizona to see one last bout of family. We were so fortunate to get to see everyone on both sides of the family. Again, nothing from Arizona by way of pictures, but it was lots of eating fresh oranges and puzzles.

Eventually we made our way back home. Sadie's pose here says it all. It was nice to travel around and get to see everyone, but there's nothing like lounging back in your Dora the Explora bed and winding down with a sippy cup of diluted apple juice. Love you all and miss you more! I'm feeling just dandy, and can wait for the baby to come until Mom arrives in a week and a half.

I can't keep leaving so much time between posts!

2010-11-11T17:24:00.000-08:00

Blah, why can I not bring myself to do this on a regular basis! Here's a long catch up of what we've been doing--because, you know, we're really busy people.

We took a quick trip down to Kansas City where Ryan had an interview with a law firm. They paid, so we made a family trip out of it! Here's Sadie just making herself at home in the hotel room.

Kansas City is really close to Independence, so after all the interviewing, we did a few church history things. The actual town of Independence is kind of a sad, old place that needs a little tending, but the historical sites are well maintained. We went to the LDS visitors center there, which is where this picture of Sadie was taken. There's a cute mini pioneer exhibit where the kids can play, sweep their little log cabin, harvest some wheat, etc. Unfortunately, our camera died right after this shot, so we didn't take anymore from this trip. We also saw that crazy looking R-LDS temple, which was a bit of a testament that without inspiration, taste goes out the window.
Close by is Liberty Jail, which was a really sobering experience. It is just so small, and having experienced a winter here, that place must have been horrible for the prophet. It's been so neat to have church history sites nearby that neither of us had ever really experienced but now get to see together.

Here's Sadie and Ryan during fall break, hard at play.

Also during fall break, we went out to a family-owned pumpkin patch called Vala's. They had all sorts of activities for the kids like feeding animals, pig races, hay rides, pumpkin shooting displays, and yummy fair food.

Here's Sadie and Ryan on a John Deere. Ryan was really scared about driving the immovable tractor but Sadie got the hang of it.

Fun park with slides. I think the pioneers had these plastic slides attached to their wagons. Very authentic!

This was Sadie's favorite part of the whole day. She kept walking around the bunny cage saying, "Hi, bunny. Happy bunny. Happy Sadie."

It wouldn't be called Vala's pumpkin patch if they didn't have a huge pumpkin patch where we got to choose a Sadie sized pumpkin to take home. The pumpkin patch itself was rather tangled and brambly.

Literally 30 seconds after sitting down in the car.

Some random cute shots of Sadie all dressed up. Doesn't she look so old all of the sudden?

Sometimes we ask Sadie to, "show us your funny face." This is apparently her funny face.

Or in response to, "Sadie show us your lips."

Here's a display of her toddler defiance. She's getting a jump on the terrible twos. There is something about this picture that reminds me about Scott as a young kid.

We had a ward "trunk-or-treat" and Sadie, or should I say Ryan and Sadie, were very successful in stocking up on all kinds of goodies. I'm not sure who is more excited in this picture.

"Sadie Bug" had a really good time trick-or-treating around the neighborhood too. Because basically everyone in our neighborhood is LDS, we all agreed to have Halloween on Saturday instead of Sunday. Unilateral decision to change a national holiday. I love Mormons.

Ryan and our neighbor set up shop outside and passed out plenty of candy. Oddly, most of the the people in our neighborhood are in Dental School and they were handing out the most candy. I guess it makes sense, more business eventually!

Sadie dove right into the candy once we got home. Thanks again mom for the cute felt bag. It was the perfect size.

Get candy. Get candy. Get candy. I can wear that.

I had to attach the antennae directly onto her wings because she wouldn't let me put them on her head. So we had a very cute, oddly shaped Lady Bug.

Close up of the wings which got a little bent as the candy took precedence over the costume.

We had a great Halloween and Sadie seems to really like the idea of walking around asking people for candy. I don't think that she knows that it's only one day a year though. We'll work on that. Other than our fun Halloween, everything is going really well including the pregnancy. Little baby boy likes to move around and Sadie sure likes to give hugs and kisses to my tummy.

'Sbeen a long time since I blogged and rolled...

2010-08-20T16:08:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, we're still here. Lately I feel like I just have no patience for blogger right now. Talk to me when there's a drag and drop option for pictures and videos.

Before

After--our little handy project for the summer

We've had a really busy, hot summer in Omaha. There was a brief moment of stillness after the wedding traveling, but soon thereafter we went with Ryan's family to Carlsbad, California for Independence Day. It was really cold, and I'd rather not talk about it. Although, it did allow for many fun indoor games, with lots of (card game) golf, phase 10, o heck, telephone charades, you know, games that make you feel differently about the people around you. It seems like those are my favorite memories from vacations--the late night games. Ryan has had such little vacation time this year because of an internship, so I stayed a little longer with his family. Uh, a few more days in California? Yep.

Sadie playing at one of the many airports we've been to this summer

We also announced that we're expecting our second child in February, if you didn't glean that from the last post. A week after Carlsbad, my sister Rachel came to visit us in Omaha. I was terribly sick with several things: morning sickness, bronchitis, allergies, hibernation sickness from the telocarbonite, whatever. Rach was great to have there to help with Sadie. I was just so exhausted that I had to pump myself up to get up the stairs. So I kept to the couch, and Rachel played and read with Sadie, fixed her lunch and dinner, got her from her naps. Everything! She was a real lifesaver. I don't know how much of a vacation she had, but it made it easier for me. We did get to a few things that even I hadn't seen or done in Omaha, so that was fun. It was great because she was there for my birthday. We met Ryan for lunch, did a little shopping, and later all went out for dinner. Thanks again everyone for the well wishes that day. Rachel, you're welcome back, if you dare.

Read her a book, and you'll be friends for life

The weekend after Rachel left, Ryan's parents came out to Omaha. They were going to do a little road trip and hit up Nauvoo, Independence, MO, and a few of the jails in church history. They were in Omaha for just a couple of a days, but it was great to have them come and see where we are, attend our ward, etc.

Sadie was just a little performer when they were there, which made me glad. I knew with such a short visit she might be shy, but she was quite the opposite. Crazy kid runs around laughing, which is all she's done this week too. We're in Arizona now because Ryan had a week in between finishing up his internship and school. It also happened to be Ryan's parents 30th wedding anniversary, so we came down for that. Little did we know that we would also make it for the birth of Alexis and BJ's little girl, Lyla. She is completely adorable, and I'll let them tell everyone about it.

I let her have her own squeeze of ketchup

The things parents do to get their kids to laugh

My personal favorite video from this summer

Evidence of the world's greatest sitter--she taught Sadie all the animal sounds she knows! She's up to 10 or so animals now.

I'm feeling great! We find out the gender of little baby #2 in about 6 weeks!

February Madness

2010-07-14T13:32:00.000-07:00

With the success of the first March Madness of baby naming for Dan and Heather's baby, it only seems fitting to regroup and gear up for the second tournament. Instead of having everyone submit names which will eventually be voted on, only the expecting mother and father will be allowed to submit names. The expecting mother and father will first agree on one girl name and one boy name. Those two names will then be submitted and everyone will have the opportunity to vote on whether they would like the girl name or the boy name, thus indicating if they would like us to have a girl or a boy. We will give every vote significant consideration, but given that genetics have a way of undemocratically deciding these things, the final determination is out of our control.
Then, because the names will have already been submitted, the new member of the Sandstrom family will officially be named. Stay tuned for the epic conclusion of Baby Naming Madness II, or the newly adopted name, "Mid-February 2011 Madness."

posted by Ryan, under Karen's account

2010-06-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

Well I got all worked up to blog all the stuff that I haven't for the past few months, and then Al and Tipper Gore announce their divorce, and that set me back.

I think I left off at Sadie's birthday, which was a while back. Since then, you guys have all seen her walk, so I'll spare you the first steps movie, which was really, like, her 5th, 6th, and 7th steps. She only keeps getting better too. Here are just a few shots from before all the trips, and if I don't post them now, they'll be lost in iPhoto forever.

Like mother, like daughter. I wish I had the original shot of me with a (clean) diaper on my head. She looks like the subject of a Flemish painting.

Here we are at the Botanical gardens, catching the tulips before all the traveling.

Beautiful lilies at the gardens. Here's my Swendsen flower obsession coming out.

Ready for summer! The weather has been beautiful around here.

Now to the wedding extravaganza. I think it merits that title on account of all the traveling alone. In total, I took 10 separate flights in all my comings and goings, but it was an absolute blast. Thank you again Mom and Dad for everything! Ryan and I didn't get any shots in Calgary, but I've seen a few already. Here are some of ours from Connecticut and New York.

The first dance to Norah Jones' Come Away With Me (excellent song choice, by the way).

Most of us at the Lincoln Center, with the Temple in the background.

Central park, with some water behind us. I can't remember what was significant about this place.

My Grandma and Grandpa Low are still making to all the family events. They are absolute troopers who have attended every single wedding in the family!

Me at the reception, making sure people don't fall down the steps, with all the grandeur in behind.

Ryan and me on Sunday, with the Checketts' place behind us.

Times Square

Rachie and Me at the M&M store, shamelessly acting out what we really want to be doing.

For those not familiar with my itinerary, Ryan and I were in NY without Sadie. She was well taken care of by Alexis, Ryan's sister who is expecting in August. It made the trip so wonderful and relaxing knowing that Sadie was being well watched. Thank you again Alexis; you have a forever sitter in me now. Ryan had to get back to work in Omaha, so I stayed a few days longer in NY with my sister and parents. Rachel was a loverly traveling companion. Here we are at the Empire State Building, with the Chrysler Building behind us.

Rachel holding up the "Empire Tate"

Story time: we stopped to smell some flowers outside the Empire State, and Rachel smelled a little too close. I asked her, "what is on your face?" And then I start laughing so hard when I realized what it was, that I couldn't explain it to her, so I had to take a picture of it for her to see. She was laughing because I was laughing. You can see the yellow pollen on her right cheek.

The Guggenheim: gorgeously depressing. The main exhibit was something about Haunting, so it was a lot of sad/creepy double exposures from Warhol, etc. The classics wing was great, with some Monet, Manet, Cezanne, Picasso, and more I can't remember. I loved my art history classes at the Y, but even those couldn't prepare me or help me appreciate the main exhibits.

I think these are the doors of the Trinity Church, if I'm remembering right. They are, apparently, the "premier showing of American bronze bas relief doors" according to mom. Rachel and I joked that the small, bearded head was the door handle, and you just crank his beard to open the door. And then we realized that you do! If you look closer, the head close to my elbow is a little more worn than the rest of the door.

The NYSE on Wall Street. I liked the pediment, but thought it would have been more representative if there were more people losing their life savings on there.

Rachel in a shoving war in the financial district.

A memorable scene from "Hitch"

A New York staple: the smog. And Lady Liberty.

A cute couple at the pier

Rachel and me with the Statue of Liberty. We posed in a hurry because another boat was closing in on us and was going to block the view.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art! I could have spent an entire week there and still felt like I didn't get to everything! As Rachel and I went around, we had different songs going on in our head. In the Greek and Roman wing, it was "Bless my soul, Herc was on a roll..." Of course in the Egyptian part, it was Walk Like an Egyptian.

A recreation of a wig that Cleopatra would have worn. Shot all Rachel's idea.

Me by the Temple of Dendur, or something like that.

Rachel's version of a hieroglyph, which you can see better if you zoom in on the picture. It's about 4 "bricks" up.

Me copying the the image just above my right shoulder. We talked a lot about the impossible views in which the Egyptians painted, with a frontal shot of the torso, but profiles of the legs and face. It's trickier to imitate than you think! If I couldn't be with my husband or baby, Rachel was the best person to go around New York! Thanks again Smachie.

Sadie looking like she owns the plane. She loves to be a big girl and have her own seat.

Photos not shown include our time in Arizona, and Utah where we for Scott's med school grad. That was such a cool experience, and I'm glad we were there for that momentous occasion. Congratulations again Scott.

To keep all my travel's straight, I flew with Sadie to Calgary, drove down to Utah with my sister-in-law and our kids, flew to Phoenix with Sadie, dropped her off there, flew to New York, flew back to Phoenix, picked up Sadie, flew to Utah, and then flew back home to Omaha. It was a whirlwind trip, and it was tremendous fun, but it's nice to be back home and settling in to normal life. Currently, the College World Series is going on in Omaha, which kinda bogs down our neighborhood, but the general atmosphere is very fun. Too bad we've having such terrible storms!

2010-04-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

Pregnancy jokes on April Fool's day are decidedly the worst pranks to pull. I've been caught up on some already, and they're not really people that I know well--imagine people who actually are invested in them! It's just a recipe for tears for some sap. Ryan loves to joke about that, but we've completely outlawed that around here.

As promised, here is evidence of Sadie's birthday party. By no means feel like you have to watch all of the videos in their entirety. I'll add pictures afterwards because they're on Ryan's computer. I made 96 cupcakes in preparation for this little shindig. Sadie will care about that someday, I think.

You can catch a glimpse of the many cupcakes here. I had a few large baskets full, complete with Easter grass. It's great that Sadie's birthday will always have an automatic theme!

Opening presents here. We tried to go battery-free this year.

Taking care of business here.

On another note, this is the first year that I've ever watched a single American Idol episode. Lots of people have told me this is the worst year to start, and I would have to agree slightly. There isn't incredible talent, but it's still fun to make guesses. I've been listening to my ipod a lot lately, and think that Andrew Garcia should sing "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5, and Crystal Bowersox could do anything by Norah Jones. I'm just saying.

2010-03-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

Where do children get some of their ideas?

Crazy bedhead (click on it to zoom in; it's worth it)

Walking with Dad

Her favorite new face to make. I think it's because more bottom teeth are coming in, and it's awesome.

Back in Omaha

2010-03-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

We've finally gotten back into the swing of things here after being gone for spring break in AZ. I'll post pictures later, I'm getting lazy. It was glorious to hang out in Mesa and just relax. We had our friends, the Despains, stay with us at Ryan's parents, and it was lots of fun. Again, more on that at a later date.
It was nice to come home to almost zero snow, but apparently that's about to change: we're due for more this weekend. Is it okay to pray for rain instead of snow? Today and yesterday have been so nice, it makes me want to get started on our garden. Also, nice weather just makes people happier.
Yesterday Sadie and I had green food for lunch in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. The holiday is sort of a funny little one for non-drinkers. It always makes me think of my brother Scott, whose favorite color is green. I think it's unofficially his favorite holiday because of all the shades of green people wear. He and my other brother, Brian, had a lengthy discussion once about which color was more abundant in the world, green or blue (their favorite colors, respectively). Scott tried to talk about the combined surface area of leaves and grass and plants, to which Brian replied with the sky and ocean that looks blue. I think the jury is still out on that one.
I'm in the process of planning a party for Sadie, who turns one on next Tuesday. I'm still undecided on how much of a party a one year old needs, but I know this is really only for us and the grandparents to enjoy (from a distance). I think I'm going for cupcakes on our front porch with the neighbors, weather pending.
Sadie turns 1? I feel like this last year has gone by in a flash. I almost feel like I could recall events from every day this last year, like it all happened in a month. Things are definitely more fun than they were this time last year. I was still hoofin' it to class between work last March! I'm glad we have hallmark events in our life to help us remember how things were. I'm sure graduation would have been much less memorable if Sadie hadn't come right before then.
On an end note, march madness is upon us, and BYU made it through to the next round. Today could not have been any better.

I'm just saying...

2010-03-04T14:35:00.000-08:00

Laker's Center Pau Gasol

Baby ostrich

Employment!

2010-02-18T19:42:00.001-08:00

I'm just too excited I had to post. We've just heard that Ryan will be working as a summer associate at a firm in Lincoln called Cline Williams Wright Johnson and Oldfather (mouthful!). They also have an Omaha office (where he'll spend 4 of 5 days a week), and commute the 45 mins once a week. We're both so thrilled, and it's just nice to know where our summer will be! It's a great position because he'll also be able to work part-time during school next year. We may get into the green here!

I also wanted to post some pictures of Sadie. She and I are both looking forward to warmer weather, which will mean more time playing outside. Sadie loves being out in the cold! Every day she goes and sits by the window and looks longingly at the snow. When we do take her out, she just giggles. I don't know what is so funny about snow, but it's great to go out with her.

Saucy little pose

It's so fun having a little girl! It's like your own little doll to dress up.

Happiness is...

Sadie is so close to walking. She's able to stand for a second if she doesn't realize you've let go of her hands. And she loves to walk everywhere with help. And is actually pretty adept at the stairs, which I'm not sure makes me happy or nervous.

Some fun videos from the past few months.

I remember Claire used to do this little thing too, Erica.

Fake laugh and bedhead.

The other videos are taking too long, so I'll post them after youtube gets its act together. Hope everyone has been enjoying the olympics!

P-p-p-P90x!

2010-02-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

You might have seen commercials for P90x, full of crazy sounds effects and killer rock music and a voice-over guy that sounds like a pro wrestler. I got the dvds for Ryan for Christmas, and am taking full advantage of them while it's way too cold go outside. It has only been day one of 90 days, and I am already dying!
The workouts are typically 45-60 minutes, and by the end you are so done with being motivated to "lunge, step, kickback, up, curl, press, down, and stand up straight" (one of the more technical moves). Sadie woke up from her nap right at the end, and I had trouble getting up the stairs to her! The general idea is that I will be in super shape for Laura's wedding (my younger sister), as I may have bridesmaiden (sp?) duties to fulfill.
Ryan has a little more difficulty dedicating a full hour in the day to exercising; he's smack dab in the middle of interviewing with firms for a summer clerkship. But he still finds time for pick-up and intramural basketball. It's been like a part-time job searching for a job, he says. Ryan has done extremely well his first semester, and he won't brag, so I will a bit. I'm incredibly proud of him! For all those wondering, I think this summer will keep us here in Omaha. Right now we're in the business of convincing potential employers that we want to be here. Ryan figures he has enough connection back to Arizona that we might do something there next summer. It's kinda fun not knowing, and we're both really happy with Omaha.
No cute pictures to post this time, sorry. Sadie is in such a happy stage right now, and it's been a blast to stay home with her. She's getting to a point where she'll actually pay attention when we read books, and notice things about them. She kinda has a "huh" for a "hi", and claps madly when we come get her from her crib in the morning or after naps.
I'm already feeling the soreness set in after sitting here and typing this post...

Christmas and New Year's

2010-01-21T19:38:00.001-08:00

Sadie in her Christmas dress. Thanks again Mom!

Ryan had a merciful 3 1/2 weeks off from school for Christmas this year, so we really took advantage of our time together. We spent Christmas in Arizona (still getting used to 75 F on Christmas day!) with all the Sandstrom family there. Christmas eve with Ryan's family means the big dinner, a small talent show (Ryan and I played a duet), and a recreation of the nativity.

All worked up for Santa!

Christmas day. She cottoned on to the present thing pretty quick.

Sadie with Grandma Walker on Christmas day. The expression is the best.

Because we had so much time off from school, and because Mom, Dad, and Rachel were so close to us in Utah, we went up to see them for a few days (along with Laura and Ben), and got to stay at the Checketts' cabin out by Park City. It was amazing to be out there in such a quiet wilderness; it really was so beautiful. I secretly hoped we would get snowed in. It was a really nice, short, trip. We also got a chance to see Bri and Jess for a few hours, our friends in PG who just had a baby, as well as stop to see Grandpa Sandstrom and Lynn. Thanks again Mom and Dad! I'll leave it up to those responsible (Rachel) to post our pictures from there.

Sadie and Great-Grandpa Sandstrom

Sadie and Lynn

New Year's Eve at the Checketts' cabin. I'm ashamed this is the only picture we have inside the cabin.

After we got back from Utah, we still had a 10 days to relax. Ryan and I had a checklist of things to do, and I think we hit all of them, except go see Avatar and play some tennis. Ryan got in his round of golf, I got in my returns and shopping.

This was taken in Arizona. I came in to get Sadie from her nap, and I found her giggling madly, lying on her side like this. She thought it was "haha" funny, I thought it was worth a picture.

I'm going to throw on this last picture because I think the crooked smile in it is hilarious! Enjoy the video below.

2009-12-17T19:09:00.000-08:00

I try to reserve the overwhelmingly eye-rolling posts to this blog, so I don't bog down the family blog. You're here by choice, I figure, so let me indulge. I've got a lot of videos to post (why do I always leave it to one post?), mostly Sadie's new tricks and stuff. It's fun that she's now starting to communicate.
Ryan is finally done with his first semester at Creighton, and it's incredible to have him around! We leave for Arizona tomorrow for Christmas, and it's starting to feel like the holidays suddenly. Huge congrats to Laura and Ben, who got engaged just the other day--pictures are on the family blog. Merry Christmas everyone!

Cute huge flower! One that I made with Erica when we had a bow night during Thanksgiving. Sadie has so many of these over-exposed pictures, because she's always trying to get the camera.

Sadie's been on a tough schedule lately, and bedtime has been a bit of a battle. The other night I let her cry it out, and she did. When I poked my head into her room to see how she was doing, I found her asleep sitting up in her crib. Pff, and I thought those bumpers were too big!

Huge snow storm the other week in Omaha. Ryan buried the shovel in the snow to give people a sense of how much we got. It was hard to gauge exactly how much it was, because as soon as it would hit the ground, the wind would scuttle it everywhere! The snow looked really cool, like undisturbed sand underwater in the ocean. You know how it gets those neat little ripples?

Cheesy smile

Snuggles with Dad during finals week. See, he was here.

More fun with Dad. Thanks mom for the great jammies!

Sorry, maybe one too many playtime shots?

It's been a while, and I have no excuse

2009-12-06T15:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I know it's been a while. No wait, I do have an excuse. Ryan's computer has all the pictures on it (I don't trust my '05 Dell. It was out of date before I bought it!). So here are some of those pictures. I'll post some videos when I get them uploaded.

Justice Antonin Scalia came to Creighton to give a few lectures. Ryan didn't want to pass up the chance to go to a dinner with him, so we went. He gave a really good speech, and he's a pretty funny guy too. It was interesting to start and end dinner with prayers from professional pastors. It was a really fun, grown-up dinner with cocktails at the beginning and stuff. The whole time there, I just kept thinking, "this is what Mom and Dad usually do!" It was the first time we've left Sadie with non-family babysitters, and they said she was amazing and went to bed right after we left her. It's good to know we are so essential to her!

We had a quiet halloween. We weren't going to make a big deal out of it, but thinking back maybe we should have. Here's Ryan with Sadie, both in their last minute costumes.

Here we are in Arizona for Thanksgiving. It was so nice to be in warm weather, and so nice to see Ryan for such large chunks of time! I wish now that we had a few more pictures to show, but we really just relaxed the whole time. He's going headlong into finals tomorrow, so good luck to him!

I did a mini photo shoot with Sadie in her cute hat and sweater from mom. I couldn't resist... and I've got to fill my time with something. I always get compliments on these clothes; thanks again mom!

Happy girl!

Sad girl! Sadie was playing with the baby tylenol, and no responsible parent is going to trust that baby seal. She seemed to be enjoying herself until I came along. She was about this mad for 2 minutes.

Sadie is still getting used to all the restrictive winter clothes.

All bundled up. The cold here is unlike anything I've ever felt before. It's just so chilling, you really have to make sure that nothing is exposed. It makes me appreciate the pioneers a little more.

Sadie is becoming quite the little climber. For a while she didn't know the stairs existed. Oh, those good old days where she would just sit there.

Peekaboo?

2009-10-28T18:41:00.000-07:00

Here's a video we just took yesterday. I'm not sure if Sadie appreciates the part that's supposed to be fun about peekaboo, but she's enjoying herself all the same!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-26T20:03:00.001-07:00

Videos

2009-10-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

We've been taking a lot of videos and pictures that I need to post, so here they are. Children are naturally suspicious of the camera, so if it seems like most of the videos are taken from weird angles, that's why.

Sadie in her cute little tennis dress from Aunt Carolyn

Just having a grown-up conversation with Dad.

6 months offically!

Play time! This is usually right as Ryan gets home from school.

This is a look that Sadie reserves just for Ry. It's when they "sing" together. Sadie just coos along.

Videos. By no means feel obligated to watch all of them. They're mostly for grandparents anyways.

I'm sorry, what's going on here?

2009-09-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

I've been shopping for a baby crib (finally) for Sadie. We figured that we were going move twice in the first 4 months of her life, and there wasn't much point in getting a ton of furniture. Well, she's been happy in her pack 'n play, but we think it is time to get something a little more substantial. While perusing on-line sites to get a general feel of what our options are, I stumbled upon this gem of a picture. At first glance, I thought, "Hm, nice looking crib." [Looking a little closer.] "Why is the baby coming out of the crib like that? Is the parent in the crib holding the child up?"

Imaginary board room decision:

Photographer: Here is, I think, an excellent way to show off this fine crib. The baby is happy, the colors are rich, lighting, simply perfect.

Executive: I agree with you completely. In no way does this picture look odd. In fact, lets post it on our home page, to show people the quality and craftsmanship people can expect from us. We have a keen eye and sharp attention to detail.

I think the rest speaks for itself. Also, if anyone has been particularly happy with their crib, please share details.

Cake or death?

2009-08-31T19:26:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, we're back. We've finally put down some roots in Omaha, NE. I can't believe how much I rely on the internet, which feels good to be surfing again. The title refers to an Eddie Izzard stand up bit that is only made funnier by being dubbed into lego people. Enjoy:

This video has been playing over and over in m head since we got here. I've been asking Ryan if he wants cake or death for dinner. Having just come off a 4 month cooking hiatus (really not as fun as it sounds), there's something nice about having your own kitchen again. Ryan can attest, I have been very experimental with dinners lately, having just made my own tortillas a few days ago. They were, satisfactory. I liked them a fair amount, but it was hard to get them thin like the pros do. If you've been to cafe rio or something, you see they have those killer tortilla presses, where I was using two cutting boards wrapped in saran wrap. I guess you'll have to ask Ryan if they were really good or not, but I was thrilled with my efforts nonetheless. I went with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law to that Julie ad Julia movie (minor disappointment), but since then my curiosity in cooking has been piqued.

What to say about Omaha: I really quite like it. It is quite a pretty place, especially where we live. It's very green and lush, where I had yellow, parched fields in mind. We live about a minute walk from the botanical gardens, about a mile from the zoo and the stadium where the NCAA World Series of Baseball is played, and about 2 miles from the Missouri river. We're right on the border of Nebraska here, and we actually go to Council Bluffs, Iowa, for church. I just keep thinking of the song in the Music Man, "you are in Io-way..."

Ryan and I keep saying that we don't really feel like we've got a good grip on the people of Omaha, because everyone we know is from out of state (mostly Utah). We live in a complex full of med/dental/law students who are married and have on average about 2.8 children. I had thought that most people would be around our age with one, maybe two kids, tops. But we seem to be on the younger end of things, and people are surprised when we say that we only have one. As far as the weather goes, lately its been gorgeous! I know temperature fluctuates, but I hadn't counted on humidity changing so much. We've barely even noticed it really, with the exception of one day.

I'm especially liking where we have moved. There are a ton of moms to hang out with and talk to at anytime of the day. Already there is much talk of recipe sharing and days of bread making. I loved it when my mom or dad would make fresh bread, and I feel like I've got the time to really learn how. Once I've got a good mixer, watch out.

That's all I can think of for now. I'm posting on the family blog about our trip up to Canada if you wish to wander over there. The link is at the bottom. Or to the right, I forget. Sandstrom, out.

"Talking" Pictures

2009-07-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

I love Singing in the Rain. Here are some videos for you all to peruse at your leisure. They're pretty similar, and if I were better at video editing, then I could save you all some time. I posted more pictures and stuff below.

Surly Sadie

2009-07-15T16:49:00.000-07:00

This is a copy post from the family blog, for all who read both.

Here's a shot of our pudgy girl looking upset, which I assure you she is not. Here she is at 3 months. I love her little scowl!

We just got back from 2 relaxing weeks in Carlsbad, CA. It was a nice break from the extreme hot here in Mesa, and I think it's topping out today at 113, since I know how much mom is obsessed over the weather where her children are. I ran a little experiment with ice cubes, and the one in the pool melted fastest, followed by the cube on the slate in sunshine, and then the one in the shade. I've yet to compare melting times between the fake grass and the pavement, but I have the rest of the summer ahead of me.

Back to California. The Sandstroms take an annual trip to Carlsbad to escape the serious Arizona heat. It was a lot of fun to finally have everyone on vacation, and not just Ryan and me (I? neither really sounded right). We went to the usual restaurants, like Jay's and Vera Cruz, and a fair amount of Cessy's, the local dive. We also spent one day at Sea World, which Sadie did surprisingly well. She really babbled when we would go into the darker exhibits, like the penguins and amphibian exhibit. On the 4th of July the beach was packed! We had a "non-traditional" family sit right in front of us (lesbians with kids). Our brother-in-law, Alan, tactfully got them to leave by asking if Mae was feeling better from the swine flu. In all actuality, they were sitting uncomfortably close.

Ryan's book: A People's History of the Supreme Court
My book: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Unfortunately, our trip was cut short. One day when I walked into the condo and our closet looked like it was pouring rain indoors right into my suitcase. We got the maintenance guy in, and he thought the shower drain from above plugged with built up sand. I was just upset that water was pouring into my bag, much less where that water came from. Thankfully, it was clean shower water falling into my bag. Later they found out that about 12 feet of the sewer main had collapsed because of the sand build up. They had to rip out all the carpet right outside the condo, and were using a jack hammer just as we were leaving. We only left one day early, so we didn't feel cheated out of vacation time. Sadie was absolutely the best at the beach, and slept for most of the time by the water.

Dolphin show at Sea World. Sadie is thrilled. While in California she found her voice, which has been lots of fun. Sadie also found her legs, and almost prefers to stand on you when you hold her up. She isn't quite "walking" like Jane yet!

Lookin' so fresh in her thug cap.

The pout! No one can resist the lower lip once it starts....

Post bath time. She really is a happy girl.

I took this video just yesterday. Evidence that she smiles and chats.

Testing..1 2 3

2009-06-22T17:25:00.000-07:00

This video is waaaaaay overdue, but I just figured out how to do this now. Prepare for the flood of videos, as soon as we can figure out how to get them off our camera. It really shouldn't be that hard, but I sometimes I despise macs.

I love the slow newborn movements. Sadie is so erratic when she kicks and wiggles now, its hard to believe she was once like this. Our laughing is in response to Sadie's burps, which are quiet, but you can hear them.

Hi...picha?

2009-05-16T18:44:00.000-07:00

The title of the post sums up the amount of english you hear from Japanese tourists in Banff. I love that place, but I don't love being accosted by tourists to take their photos. Our british friend, Nathan, would say "may I have an image?" That I don't mind so much.

The pics posted explain themselves better than I could. It's a mish mash of newborn shots, grad (just Ryan's, my grad pics are not on this computer), my little trip to Calgary for Mary Anne's wedding, and Erica's girls meeting their new cousin. If I can figure it out, I'll post some videos too.

My parents felt silly posing for this picture with Heather and Paul after they had just come from the family dinner and are all dressed up. I thing its a good shot of everyone, so I'm including it!

I love Sadie's dejected look in this one. Right now, it's one of her few faces.

Don't worry, Claire has it all under control. If Sadie starts to fall, she's got her.

Sadie had just about had it by the end of the night. She was absolutely bawling, as you can see. And there you go Mum, you aren't the country bumpkins.

Sound asleep at Ryan's convocation. She managed to sleep through all the important stuff, so that was considerate.

Yucky blonde hair. That was a regrettable mistake; so much so that we actually did some mock grad shots down here in Arizona.

I love this purple shawl my Grandma Low made. She is the greatest crocheter (sp?) ever! It is such a treat to get blankets from her. Ryan and I also got a quilt from her for our wedding. She makes one for every grandchild when they get married. Naturally, ours is purple, my favorite color.

I love this picture. I don't know why.

This one was at the hospital. Ryan is such a sweet and mindful dad. He's taken to the position like a seasoned veteran.

Aww, her first photo shoot. These were taken with Paul's really big camera. It's so high tech, you can see that her little face had goobers on it. Sorry baby!

Candid parenting picture.

We're still here!

2009-05-13T15:45:00.000-07:00

Sorry everyone for not posting in forever, but it has been a busy few months for us! Lately, we've managed to have a baby, finish school, both graduate from BYU, have our baby blessed, move our things to Omaha, Nebraska, fly to Calgary for a family wedding, and move to Arizona for the summer! Whew. Sorry for the lack of Sadie pictures! I used to bug new parents for pictures too, like "what is taking so long? What could possibly be taking up all your time?" I will post some pictures as soon as humanly possible. I feel like photo evidence of her is spread out over several cameras, and I need to have a collecting email sent out. So if you have pictures of her, send them to me! You know who you are.

Things are wonderful here down in Arizona. It has been so nice to be close to Ryan's family, and sweating it out in the summer (spring? I don't think so...) heat. We're adjusting. We, as in, Sadie and I. I like to think that she got my hearty Canadian blood that can withstand freezing temperatures. I'll put up some pictures soon!

karen

So long, Sister Low

2009-02-27T08:37:00.000-08:00

This last week has been absolutely jam packed! It probably started on Sunday, with busy church responsibilities (more for Ryan than for me), and a seriously good Sunday afternoon nap. I know, really busy right? Well, Ryan had to ask a couple to speak in church relatively short notice (which he hates doing), and decided to chip in the fact that his loving wife would be willing to bake cookies for them! No problem, as I already had batches of cookie dough in the fridge (a little something I've picked up from my Aunt Wendie).

After classes and a doctors appointment on Monday, we went home where I had far too much physics homework than is comfortable for even your most anxious student. Probably being my most despised subject, physics hasn't been all that bad to tell the truth. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. So I'm doing my homework, Ryan is baking cookies, and I get a call from one Heather Low (my cousin and former-roomie). She is going to Hungary Budapest to serve a mission, and was calling to let us know that she was going to be set apart the next day and wanted us to be there. I was so excited that she called, and so glad that we'd be able to see her and hug her once more before she left!

She was set apart on Tuesday night, and went into the MTC on Wednesday. She is so ready to go tackle the language and teach the people over there. It was amazing to see this excitement in Heather; it was unlike anything I've seen before. It was such a sweet experience to go see her, and Aunt Laurie, Uncle Gordon and Amy for a quick moment. I know that she'll be just an amazing missionary.

Wednesday was packed with studying for physics, as I had a test to take before my in-laws arrive this weekend. I did not want to deal with it at all while they're here. My mother-in-law, (also Heather), and sisters-in law (Erica and her baby Claire, Alexis, and Ashlyn) are all arriving today for a baby shower this weekend. I'm so excited they're all coming for this! It will be a serious party. Not to mention the fact that the BYU-U of U basketball game is uncomfortably close to the baby shower, I might have to have it playing softly in the background or something. Please, I know where my priorities are.

This coming Sunday we have the opportunity to attend two baby blessings. Two! One is for Ryan's cousin Collyn, and the other is for my co-worker Genevieve. Well, for their cute baby boys. It will only make our Sunday that much more fun filled. It seems like everything lately has just been about babies! Can't wait for our little one to come. Dr. Dewey said she's going to be on the big side, and guesses she's about 6 or 7 lbs already. We'll see how acurate he can be!

ps - I would just like to point out how acurate that basketball picture is of Utah's #5 Luka Drka. He's the cheapskate who tripped up Blake Griffin--his one and only claim to fame. Check out the video on youtube; it's quite telling of U of U basketball, I think.

Pergnancy update (I meant to do that)

2009-02-09T20:38:00.001-08:00

I promised my mom I would take a profile picture so she could see the baby bump. There it is world! The baby's been sitting kind of funny in my tummy today, and keeps making me look really lopsided. So much so that a guy in my physics lab said "whoa, your tummy is not symmetrical." Thanks.

We had a chance today to go see the doctor, and he said things are humming right along. He also happens to be Ryan's uncle, for you non-family readers. It's been really nice to go to him, and feel like I can call anytime I need to--I mean, how many people actually have their practitioner's home number? The weigh-in is totally not my favorite part, but I actually lost a pound? I don't see how that is possible. Anyways, I love going to the doctor and seeing the various methods they have of figuring out how far along you are. According to my count, I'm 34 and a half weeks (that was also according to the first ultrasound, and keeping track of time passing). Today however, I had a nurse "figure out" with some paper slide chart that I'm 35 weeks and two days along. And then Dr. Dewey calculated 36 weeks with the tape measure (really, are these the most precise instruments of the trade?). So I'm getting confused as to how far along I really am, and now I have no idea what to tell people when they ask! I think I'll just stick with giving them the due date.

It's getting weirder to think that the baby could technically come at any time now. I have some friends planning me a baby shower for the 28th, and I'm just hoping that that date works out still! I'm not holding my breath for early baby, in fact I wouldn't mind if she were late, but it seems like all my friends lately have had theirs early. The uncertainty of it all is killing me!

Other things of great note: Ryan has gotten into a few law schools! We're still waiting to hear back from the majority of them, but he got into University of Tulsa and Washburn University (in Topeka, KS). Thus far, watch out midwest, here we come! Everytime we've heard back from a school, Ryan goes searching the housing market to follow recent trends. Personally, I do some background research on the states themselves, like, possible natural disasters (tornadoes, droughts, severe cold snaps with power outtages, killer cricket infestations). Like I said earlier, we have yet to hear from most of the schools, but its really exciting to know that we have options!

I'm so proud of Ryan. He's such a good husband and hard worker! He really has been so sweet to me throughout our marriage, and particularly since I've been pregnant. He makes sure that my feet are warm, and that I have two pillows behind my back when I sit on the couch, and that I've got enough water, and that I took my vitamins. He's so sweet and concerned about our little girl, and gives my tummy nice rubs when it feels all tight and uncomfortable. And I can talk about him all I like on this blog, because he never checks it anyways. So there, honey. Love you.

Anyways, I should really stop procrastinating my physics homework. There's a little bit of what's been going on in our life.

Karen

Minor catch up

2009-01-09T14:26:00.000-08:00

Ok, I promise I will post more than once a month. I think I just need to do smaller posts more often, and not get behind.
I almost immediately regreted getting a blog. It nearly took me three weeks before I even told anyone about it! Here are some of the things we have been up to:

Christmas in Canada (pictures and more details for another day, sorry), complete with a hassle-free border crossing (he asked me if I had papers, but didn't want to see them?).
New Years in Arizona.
Green card approval--yay!
Classes started, and all professors seem pretty nice about the whole having-a-baby-midsemester thing.
Finished law school applications; thank you to all who gave input.
Started feeling braxton hicks, I think.
Finally caught a cold, after leaving the Swendsen house of insanity unscathed. I still blame Brian.

Now that its after Christmas I can change the blog background! I've actually been waiting quite some time to do this, because it was the only Christmas-y template I liked, but my sister-in-law, Jess, had the same one, and it was like, totally embarrasing, like wearing the same dress to a party. We must have the same great taste, or something.

I give!

2008-12-05T08:37:00.000-08:00

Being the big Seinfeld fan that I am, thinking about starting our own blog made me think of the sound Jerry makes whenever he gives in to some stupid idea ("Aaallriiight!"). I have been meaning to do this for a very long time, but felt that I would not have adequate news to keep it updated enough. Having recently-ish found out that Ryan and I will be having our first child in March, I feel like news will start coming along, probably all too fast now.

A little bit about our family: Ryan and I are graduating this April from BYU. I'm getting my degree in Exercise Science and Ryan is finished with his Russian degree and getting a minor in Business. It will be a little tricky to finish school off with a one month-old baby, but we'll manage! Ryan is currently in the process of applying to Law school, so we could really end up anywhere in the continental U.S. (though I wouldn't say no to law school in Hawaii--I won't hold my breath).

I'm still new to having my own blog, so this make take some tweaking before I get it as I want it. I agonized over the URL name for way too long. If you find our blog, let me know how to link ours to yours!

Karen