Father and Son

Ever since Van was a baby boy Drew has taken him fishing. Some days the whole family goes, and some days it's just father and son. They always come home with fun fishing stories and catch of the day photos that make my heart skip a beat. This video was taken last year and now Liv is big enough to fit in that backpack. Soon enough Van will be old enough to cast his own line and bring in the big fish. I'm so thankful I have a husband who includes his kids on his adventures and teaches by example the important things in life.

Happy Father's Day Drew! Thanks for being mine and for being the best dad ever.

Tenkara Alaska

Last Summer we decided it was time to really test the strength and versatility of our Tenkara rods. So what better place to go than Alaska. We managed to find some big rainbows, salmon, and good times in the last frontier. (no rods were harmed in the filming of this movie).

www.tenkararodco.com

Home For Sale!

It's official! Our house is on the market! It's bittersweet to say goodbye to our first custom built home.  Not only were Van's first steps taken here, but we brought Liv home here and in just two short years we have created so many beautiful memories. Aside from that, we handpicked everything in the house. I am ok letting go of these things (except for my clawfoot bathtub) because I know we need something more. The search for our next home hasn't officially begun, but we are excited to get a yard and have more room for our family to grow.

I've been so stressed about packing and cleaning that the sadness is finally hitting me. Hope the buyer loves it as much as we have! 

Liv Comes Home

Our sweet baby Liv was born two months premature and is our precious miracle. We traveled back and forth to the NICU while she fought for her life and grew stronger every day. Finally, after 58 long days Liv came home and Van got to meet his little sister for the first time. We are so happy to have Liv home!!! Life couldn't be better. 

Thank you to our dear friend, Darlene Dame, for making this video. I really wanted to have something to remember our days in the NICU and I will treasure these moments forever.

Bye Bye Rat Tail

BEFORE

AFTER

Since Van was a baby his hair grew into the most perfect rat tail. Some people thought we styled it that way, but no--it was all natural. We grew to love his rat tail. His long hair seemed to fit his personality. You know how that happens with hair? 

I'm sure there were a lot of people who were dying for us to cut his hair, but family members were the only ones willing to speak up about it. So here ya go mom! Lisa! Grandma!  

Bye bye rat tail!!!

It was bittersweet, but we were finally ready to let go of his hair after he turned two. I always told people, when he's a toddler I will cut it! I just want to enjoy his baby hair a little bit longerrrrrr!

I looked at a lot of YouTube videos on how to cut your kids hair. We didn't want to pay for a haircut when it seems like we could easily do it ourselves. Well, it was a lot harder than I thought. Mostly because Van moves so much and was scared of the scissors. We trudged on and after about 15 minutes and lots of distractions we were finally finished. It's not the best haircut, but we think he looks pretty adorable.

The Bunny Hill

Just before Van's first birthday we took him skiing at Bogus for the first time. It was so cute seeing him in all his gear and not sure how to move. He did such a good job skiing and seemed to really like it until he fell. I didn't have the heart to include that footage in the video, so I just shared some highlights. 

It is so fun seeing the world through Van's eyes. I can't wait until next ski season with him!

We're Having a... GIRL!!!

I can't believe it! We're having a GIRL!!!! All this time I was totally expecting another boy, until a couple weeks before the ultrasound. I just had a hunch it was going to be a girl and be opposite of what I thought. I really would be happy with either, but there is a part of me that is so excited to have a little girly friend! And not to mention the clothes!!!

Drew was in shock for a while after finding out the gender. His reaction was a little disappointing, haha, but by the end of the night he secretly (not so secret now) warned me I better watch out because he will probably love her more than me. He keeps insisting she be a tomboy, which I am totally fine with. I was that way growing up and idolized my older brothers. We'll have no trouble keeping up with the boys!

I am so excited to meet my little girl. Maybe she will be a mini version of me this time!

River Surfing

I've finally gotten around to putting together a video of Drew river surfing. Something I love about Drew is how he adapts to wherever he is. He finds new hobbies and grows to love so many things. Here he is shredding the Boise wave on a beautiful summer evening. Farewell surf season!

This Moment of Happiness

Recently Kylie and Spencer made a Hulu commercial for a neighborhood in Irvine and they cast our family! So you might be seeing our faces pop up while you're catching up on your favorite TV shows. It was such a fun day filming and I wish we could have more than 30 seconds. I love how they captured so many precious moments with Van and the joy he gets from such simple things. Jimmy eating the watermelon was another one of my favorite parts. Family is the best.

Vanventure Oregon 2013

Remember our vanventure to the Oregon Coast last year? Well, my sister Kylie put together an epic video of our shenanigans--thanks Ky! It was such a fun trip and it is crazy to see how fast Van has grown up. He was such a lil' guy back then. Memories made to last a lifetime in our VW van.

Tenkara Rod Co

 
Drew has been a busy man lately, I'm not used to having to be on my own so much. He has been traveling more for business and recently got back from a trip to Brazil (more on that later), but I just wanted to say how proud I am of him and all his hard work--if you could count fishing as work! Here's a fun video that Spencer made of their fishing adventures with Tenkara Rod Co.

Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk

These pictures were taken way back in April when Van was still crawling and learning his first words. I followed him around trying to capture them on video and this is the best I got. He has become so curious about everything around him and is starting to figure out what things are for and what they do and where they go. He's growing up so fast!

Van has mastered high 5s, kisses, and the word "ball". He is running around like crazy and he can now wave his arms to music and even snap his fingers. He recently began dancing by doing squats and clapping his hands to the beat, it is the funniest thing. Every day he learns something new and most of the time it is simply by watching his mama. Did I mention he started walking? Yep, 17 months old I finally have a walker! Yay!

I will never forget the day I got frustrated with Van after he dumped his sippy cup all over the floor I had just cleaned. As if he could read my mind he went over to the linen drawer, grabbed a hot pad, and scooted back to the spot he had spilled milk. He began scrubbing the floor like Cinderella and my heart melted into a puddle. I suddenly felt so bad for feeling angry about such a silly thing. This age is funny in it's own sort of messy way, and Van is a constant reminder of how important it is to be a good example because he is learning more than I even knew possible.

Moments

Whenever there is a big moment in our lives I try to document it or write it in my journal. Especially being a new mom, everything seems like a big moment. After a year of random videos I finally compiled them into one. I am so proud of all Van has accomplished in his first year.

I never want to miss a moment in Van's life. He changes so quickly and if I don't record I don't remember. I don't want to forget. Here's to big moments, and little ones too.

Triplet Hair Makeover

About a month ago my sisters and I got contacted by the TV Show The Doctors. Do you watch it? I guess they stumbled upon our travel blog when searching for identical triplets. The episode is about how any woman can pull off any hair color, so what better subjects than triplets!

It all happened so fast. Within two days of phone calls and emails with the producer my plane tickets were booked to fly to LA and get a hair makeover by celebrity stylist, Ken Paves, along with my sisters! It was all sort of a dream! We were super nervous about exposing our crazy hair to the world, but knew we were in good hands. I mean, this guy does Lady GaGa, Jessica Simpson, and Jennifer Lopez's hair just to name a few! We left the salon feeling beautiful on the inside and out. He works true hair magic.

So for the last little while we have been hiding our hair under hats until the big reveal! Finally, our Doctors TV episode airs tomorrow! It might be brief, but it is our one shot at triplet fame (kidding). Check your local listings here to see what time and channel you can view it. If you aren't able to watch it on TV I'm sure you can watch it online or a re-run later on. If you're in Idaho it is on channel 7-2 at 2 pm. We would love your support and you finally get to see our new looks!

Mama & Me

here's to remembering that time when van discovered the crunchy leaves. to remembering the way he laughed when i tickled him just right. to remembering endless games of peek-a-boo and the last days of his gum smile. but mostly to remembering the moments i wish could last forever.

thank you kylie, for capturing this beautiful fall day so perfectly when van was only 10 months old. i will treasure this video forever.

babymoon video

last year when we went on our babymoon we took some video footage to document our "last hoorah" trip before baby came. after getting home and looking at the footage i quickly realized how overwhelming putting together a fun video would be. needless to say this project sat on the shelf for a while. until i had the brilliant idea to ask my sister kylie (thanks ky!) to put it together in some sort of creative way. she works magic!

so here's a little family video of our last vanventure in our old bus, sunset. [i miss you, sunset] this was when i was about halfway through my pregnancy with van and treated jimmy like a baby. forgive my voice--i can't help it when i'm in love.

First Beach Day

It's about time I start putting together my little family videos! My sister Kylie is in town so she has been helping me catch up. This footage was taken back in April when we went to California. Van's first beach day is clearly a big deal! He just makes everything more fun.

See more of my family videos here.

Chalkboard Watch

Well, I was planning on doing some more blogging before another business related post, but today is the big day! I have been working on a new watch design for Feral called The Artist. I am so excited to release the first ever chalkboard watch! It's basically a bracelet style watch with a chalkboard face for drawing. I just launched a Kickstarter project for it here. As you may have seen, Drew recently had a really successful project on there and largely from the initial help from friends and family. Thank you for supporting my [our] crazy ideas!

Tenkara Rod Co

You know my husband and his projects. I call him a serial entrepreneur for good reason. He just loves to start businesses and isn't afraid to run with an idea. I love that about him.

About a month ago Drew launched a Kickstarter project for his newest company, Tenkara Rod Co. He fell in love with tenkara fishing last year and thought he'd test out the market with two new rod designs. Tenkara is an ancient Japanese method of fishing that only involves a rod, a line, and a fly. It's fun and easy!

Check out his latest project here before it ends tomorrow. We have been humbled to see such positive feedback and it is so cool seeing his ideas come to life. Thanks for the support!

Solids

When Van turned 4 months old we found out he was too small. Being new parents and all, we didn't know anything was wrong. I had been nursing him every two hours and just figured he was fussy. Turns out I don't produce enough milk so he wasn't getting enough to eat. I feel bad about it now, but you live and learn.

At first I was really sad when the Doctor told me I needed to supplement. I didn't want to have to give my baby formula and I wasn't ready to start feeding him solids. I felt like sort of a failure that I couldn't keep my baby satisfied naturally, but I knew I needed to do what was best for my Van man. I continue to nurse and supplement and feed him solids twice a day. Now we are on the right track and he is a much happier baby!

Here's a little video of our first few tries feeding Van solids. It's funny looking back on them, we are such clueless parents. I guess it's true what they say, the first kid is the guinea pig!