So I'm lazy...

I was so excited about using my iPad mini to post with, and then I never did anything with it. So much has happened this year! My parents served an honorable six-month mission in the beautiful Canada Vancouver, British Columbia mission, specifically on Queen Charlotte Island also known as Haida Gwaii. During that time, Jake and I were responsible for running my dad's businesses. I did the finances for all five stores, and then Jake ran the Vancouver location. This became our preparation for eventually owning and running our own business come September. So in August, after my parents came home, Jake and I packed up and left beautiful, green Washington for Idaho Falls, Idaho. We were able to purchase a home in Ammon not too far from our store's location, and despite the issues surrounding our mortgage, are happy with our choice. 

On September 16, we received all our shelving and merchandise and began the week-and-a-half process of setting up the store. After a few bumps, we were able to open the doors by October 1 and are trying to get into the rhythm of maintaining inventory and finances. We are excited for this amazing opportunity and know the hard work and long hours will eventually pay off.

Other milestones and happenings having occurred since January are Gregor turned 3 and is officially potty-trained as of September, Evan turned 1 and is just a few weeks from going to nursery on his own, and we got two kittens for the boys to enjoy. 

New way to share

I was really excited to find that Google has a blogger app so I can post from my new iPad mini (which is amazing, by the way). This post is a bit of a test to see how well the app works and what I can do with it.

The pictures are of Evan in his high chair and Gregor pushing Evan around on a little car.

Picture Update

Here are some photos from Christmas and other times.

Evan chilling in Daddy's hat.

The boys. Notice Evan is only interested in his pacifier and Gregor looks annoyed that he has to be apart of the event.

Gregor's desk that he got for Christmas.

I love this one.

Been a while...

As I was reading some friends' blogs, I decided I needed to get back into my blog again. So the most major events for the Bigler's are: 1) Jake graduated from BYU with his Bachelor of Science in Facility and Property Management and a business minor. I am so proud of him for accomplishing this as well as relieved. It's nice to not have to live the student life anymore as well as juggling my work schedule with Jake's school schedule and when we need a babysitter. Although the transition to stay-at-home mom has been difficult, I know it's worth it. 2) We no longer live in Utah! Yay, especially with the snow they're getting right now, I am happy we are in Washington where it is very rare to get that kind of weather.

Our boys are growing every day, and it's fun to watch them learn new things. Gregor is 2 1/2 and definitely acts like it. We are currently dealing with him tackling other kids in nursery as well as his brother at home. He tries to venture into biting, but that usually doesn't last long. He loves is Disney Cars die-cast cars; that is the one set of toys he protects and will not share with anybody else. His imagination is fun with what he says his cars are doing. He also loves the Toy Story characters and practically everything Disney. Evan is just about 9 months old and crawling everywhere. He loves to escape up the stairs when he can and has recently learned to go down them with a little help. Sometimes he'll stand on his own for a few seconds, so he'll probably be an early walker like his brother was.

I have pictures to post, they are just on various devices, so my goal is to have them up soon!

My Family

Jake and I spent majority of our Christmas break in Idaho, so I wasn't going to make it to Washington. However, on December 23, I got word that my Grandma Mansius passed away. She was 87 and a wonderful grandmother, but I was happy to see her go peacefully. The funeral was on December 31 in Kennewick, WA, and all of my siblings were able to make it (although two already live in the Tri-Cities, so it wasn't a big trip for them!) This is the first time we've all been together since Jake's and mine wedding, so we made an effort to take a family photo. Not bad for a quick setup and about 5 minutes total! The photo will be outdated in April when my second little boy will be born, and then Tara is due with her 5th in June, but that's okay. It was a very special occassion, and I was glad to be a part of it!

Oh, happenings...

The computer I'm currently using doesn't have pictures, so I'll have to post some updated ones later. I just haven't posted anything for so long, I thought I'd give a little update. Jake is almost done with school! Yay! We're looking at June as the earliest graduation date. He recently scored the highest on one of his final exams, which is awesome when he seriously thought he was going to fail the class and have to retake it, which it's only taught in the Fall. Now we just need to get through these last 4 weeks of the semester and hope he does well in his other classes! We also recently found out he was awarded more scholarship monies randomly. We are definitely grateful for this unexpected blessing.

I am in my second year of teaching high school, and it's been good, but hard. As many know, we are expecting our second child, which means Mom is sick in the mornings but has a schedule to keep. I am 16 1/2 weeks along, and the appointments have looked good so far - a healthy baby heart beat. I really haven't been that sick, comparatively, which has been another huge blessing for our family, especially where I have to save up my sick days. I'm due the end of April, which at my school is perfect timing. I teach college classes to high school students, and we follow the college schedule. Spring semester ends the first week of May, so I really won't be missing many days of instruction, and then someone else can administer the final exam. The Lord definitely has perfect timing! I just hope I don't come early, which most pregnant women don't hope for :)  Recently, I obtained a second job as an Adjunct Professor at Argosy University in Draper. I will be teaching one class, one evening a week for 7 weeks in January/February. With Jake not working next semester and a baby on the way, we figured the extra income would be nice, and it's pretty decent money for the hours. It will also look good on a resume if I decide to teach at a Community College or do an online class for other universities. The other staff seem really nice and laid back, and I think it will be a great opportunity and experience; my Tuesdays will just be very long.

Gregor is as wonderful as ever! He is always laughing and running around. He loves when both his mom and dad are home because it happens rarely right now. Next Sunday will be his first day in nursery, and we're super excited about that! He is also obsessed with babies, or maybe just the word, and we hope that continues until baby sibling comes. He loves other children; we just hope he doesn't get annoyed when the new baby can't play with him like his cousin Jayce can. We know he'll be a great older brother! And I love his super cute moments when you know he loves you just as much as you love him. For example, I fell asleep in the chair yesterday, and he climbed up and gave me a kiss smack on the lips and laughed! I just hope those moments never cease!

Hopefully I'll post pictures soon! :)

Family Pictures

 These pictures were taken on Gregor's first birthday by a good friend Courtney Hart. We needed a good family picture!

Here is Gregor in his birthday outfit.

 Here he is on his new ride.

 As we were taking pictures, he was running away. He loves being outside and especially walking toward the street.

 See his little smirk? He wasn't the most cooperative :)

This picture is just funny. We were getting him changed for the pictures, and he just had shoes on, so we had to take a picture!