Andy gives the camera a "Cheese!!!"

I did this photo shoot on a whim. I wanted '2 year old' pictures so I ran Andy over to Target. The quality didn't turn out great because my scanner is crappy. . I still think he's so cute he can make any picture adorable. Can you believe he's two already? I need to blog about his 2 year old party, it's over a month late now. Andy loves to say "TWO!!!" and hold up two fingers. He definately knows he's two..... terrible, wonderful, stressful, choactic, incredible two.

I Love My Daddy...

"There is no other relationship quite like that which can and should exist between a boy and his dad. It can be one of the most nurturing, joyful relationships in life, one that can have a profound impact on who boys become and also on who dads become. "
- M. Russell Ballard

No one tickles Andy better than his Daddy.

Even Superman needs a Daddy.

Slaving away with Daddy at work.

He gets SO happy to see Daddy come home.

First fishing lesson ever. And they get a HUGE catch! Honestly, this is the first "fish" I've seen Matthew catch.

"A man never stands as tall as when he kneels to help a child." -Knights of Pythagoras

Just Another 'Ordinary Miracle'

Baby Tingey is heart healthy. Everything looked beautiful on the ultrasound. But I am still confident that despite the difference Baby Tingey has from his brother Andrew's heart, they will both have a few things in common; strong hearts, brave hearts, good hearts.
We still do and always will trust our boys in the hands of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. This post reminded me of the song "Ordinary Miracle" by Sarah McLaughlin. We are thankful for the miracles in our life.

Another Day at Primary's...

Today I go in for a fetal echo at Primary Children's Hospital. This is just basically a super specific ultrasound done of Baby Tingey's heart. Doctors want to know if he is heart healthy or if he will be a heart warrior like his brother Andrew. To be honest, no one realizes what a big deal this is to me. It could change everything. But in all honesty, I feel a calm and peace about it. I think things are going to be okay. Prayers are still appreciated and I will update later with more information.

On another note, I found a family who has a son with the exact same diagnosis as Andrew, Aortic Stenosis with a bicuspid valve. There is a major difference though, Andrew's condition is mild while this little boy's condition is severe. He had surgery on his heart before he was a month old. As of today he is in the hospital because he just underwent another surgery. Visit his family's blog here. Please visit their blog if you have time and send them some love and prayers, it helps so much. My thoughts and prayers go out to this family. I feel especially close to them given that our son's defect is the same. Often times I feel like Aortic Stenosis deserves less attention because Andy has not yet needed surgery, and so many other heart families are going through more. However, this little boy Zeb (who is only a year older than Andy) really puts a face to the reality of our situation. It is real. At some point it will need to be dealt with. We can't always expect the 'mild' outcome. It's been absolutely nerve-racking just waiting to see if things have progressed to moderate or severe. But the most important thing to realize is how miraculous it is that Andrew has done so well so far. It is nothing short of a miracle and I realize that everyday. God is in control of everything and his grace has touched our family. His will be done. We trust him with Andrew and our Baby Tingey.

"The time has come...." the walrus said

To talk of many things....
of sailing ships of sealing wax,
of cabages and kings.
And why the sea is boiling hot
and whether pigs have wings.
-Lewis Caroll

I am SO excited for ALICE IN WONDERLAND!!!!

I am going to take my dad to go see this movie because in a parallel universe he would be the Mad Hatter. Or possibly the White Rabbit. I'm hoping Johnny does a good Mad Hatter. I'm really hoping this turns out to be as neat as I am expecting it to be.

Warming Hearts and Noggins

Most all of you know that Andy was a preemie (4 1/2 weeks early) and weighed a tiny little 4lbs 12 ounces when he was born. That is small but there are even much smaller NICU babies. Having a NICU baby was one of the most difficult experiences in my life but someone brought me imense sunshine when I found my beautiful boy laying in his crib with a little green and tan hat on. I was so touched that someone cared enough to knit him a hat. A tiny, tiny little hat. I'll always adore that little hat and have it framed and hung up in Andy's room.

My mother-in-law recently became obsessed with the 'knifty knitter' and has poured her heart into making 111 preemie hats. We went up to the hospital today and delievered an entire garbage bag full of them. It was fun to show off that many little hats. It meant a lot to me when Andrew's got his hat and I hope it means something to another mother who is unfortunately in the NICU. I hope they warm the heads and hearts of the families in the NICU.

Andrew is just one day old in this picture. Nichole , one of his first visitors took this picture.

Daddy took this picture when he was just hours old. You can still see the awe in his eyes as he tries to figure out this world.

NICU babies are the most beautiful, miraculous babies I've ever seen.

Just a few of the hats.... waiting for a cute noggin to sit on.

Mr. Tingey Gets Older

Matthew just turned 27. This is insane to me because I met Mr. Tingey when he was 17. Boy, how things change. He's not 17 any more but that's for the better. Married, still plowing through college, a decent job and 1 (well, 2 really) kids later... Matthew sure has accomplished a lot in 10 years. He's never wanted a big deal made for his birthday but this year I vetoed his vote. Because he's in the Elder's Quorum presidency we asked the guys to set up a "meeting." He really walked into this.......... SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!

Our friend Steve made all these cupcakes for Matthew. They were YUM-O!!! We had a pinata that broke before we even hang it up but Matt and the boys hadfun playing baseball with it. My dad also came to do a small magic show. We had a pretty good party. Matthew deserved it.

Christmas 2009

I'm really behind on posting as you can see. Andy and I have been sick for two weeks but we are back on our feet now which means my blog with be bombarded with posts.

This year for Christmas Eve we stayed up at the Zermatt in Midway, Utah. My parents had decided to go up there and invited us along. Here's some pictures of the stay.

This is the winter wonderland near Midway. You can see the resvoir steaming creating this beautiful fog everywhere.

This is the Zermatt Resort. It is beautiful and the rooms are insanely nice.

These are the ice castles that are made by running water.

Here is Andy playing peek-a-boo with the chairs.

Andy reading a book from Santa and waiting to be taken swimming. He LOVED their pool. It was how he learned to say the word 'water.' Andy become a professional "present un-wrapper." Santa and Nana and Bumpa spoiled him rotten so he got a LOT of practice.