The Farrells

The Farrells
Matt, Nicki, Owen and Nora live in the San Francisco Bay area. Matt is a research analyst at CBRE and is loving his job. Nicki spends her time playing with Owen and Nora, reading, crafting, and taking lots of pictures. Owen loves to read, sing, throw toys, and quote movies. Nora is growing quickly and loves to be the center of attention. We have a wonderful life!

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Thursday, July 30, 2009

101 things we love about Nicki

From Matt
1. I love her smile.
2. The way she looks when she sleeps.
3. How she loves to cook new foods.
4. How she uses every dish in the kitchen to cook new foods. :)
5. The passion she has for learning.
6. The way she inspires me to work harder.
7. How she sacrifices comfort for style. :)
8. The way she scrunches up her neck when I try to bite her.
9. The way she actually thinks my jokes are funny.
10. The way she looks at Owen.
11. How she never lets me slack.
12. I love to hear her sing.
13. The way she can't stand to let me do the typing. :)
14. How she spreads out across the whole bed once I get out.
15. Bobby pins all over the house.
16. When she speaks Spanish.
17. How she knows all the spells from Harry Potter.
18. When she plays the violin.
19. I love to hear her testimony.
20. How we can almost never agree on a movie. :)
21. She lets me do crazy things, like running marathons.
22. She tags along and watches me run marathons (not pretty).
23. She lets me choose Brick Oven almost every time.
24. She laughs so hard that she cries watching David After Dentist.
25. I love how she loves classy things, like art and literature.
26. She hates TV as much as I do.
27. How when we play games, we are both really sore losers.
28. When she went camping 8 months pregnant just for me.
29. How we like a lot of the same books.
30. The way we both love the HBLL.
31. When she curls up for a nap on the couch.
32. The way she hates to sweat. :)
33. How she selflessly watches Owen all through Church.
34. The way she can never have enough ice cream.
35. I love how she never laughs at my ideas... usually.
36. How she loves to swim.
37. I love how she never wants me to take her picture.
38. Going on walks around the temple.
39. How the chocolate chips bag is getting lighter and lighter.
40. The way she has to get a good cuddle in each day.
41. The way she makes me use proper English... (tries to).
42. How she loves to take pictures.
43. The way she saves everything for her "scrap book"
44. She complains that my shoes are more expensive than hers. :)
45. The way she has 10 times more shoes than I do. :)
46. I love to look into her eyes.
47. I love how beautiful she is to me.
48. I love the way I feel when we are together.
49. I love how she makes me stronger.
50. I love everything about her.

From Owen

51. I love the way she holds me.
52. Her funny faces.
53. Milk.
54. When she makes towers for me to knock over.
55. How she shoots my pluggies into my crib.
56. Snuggling in the morning.
57. The way she reads me stories.
58. The songs she sings to me.
59. For taking me to swim lessons.
60. How she puts down her book to play with me.
61. Pulling her hair.
62. When she takes me on walks.
63. How she always makes sure I have my car toy.
64. When she changes my pants... (it's such a relief).
65. The way she knows my favorite movies.
66. When she washes out my dirty clothes.
67. I love when she makes me laugh.
68. Playing piggies again and again.
69. How she picks my clothes out for me.
70. The way she keeps me safe.
71. I love how she is the first and last person I see each day.
72. I love her for carrying me around 24/7 for 9 months.
73. The way she teaches me new things.
74. How she feeds me new foods.
75. When she chases me across the floor.
76. How she keeps me entertained during long hours of Church.
77. She gives the best hugs ever.
78. When she wraps me up in a towel after my bath.
79. How she always lets me grab leaves off of bushes we pass.
80. The way she never leaves me for long.
81. How she brushes my little toofers.
82. She cleans up all my worst messes that Daddy won't touch.
83. The way she plays Peek-a-Boo.
84. I love it when she gives me kisses... Ahhh Bah!
85. When she tells me to fold my arms. As if. :)
86. How she helps me to walk to Daddy.
87. When she helps me feel better after being sick.
88. I love how she gave up grad school to be with me.
89. How she knows how to make me stop crying.
90. The way she keeps Daddy in line.
91. Pulling on her jewelry and clothes.
92. She lets me get an arm in the door when she's getting ready.
93. The way she can quote Meet the Robinsons word for word.
94. Putting my head down on her shoulder.
95. When she rides next to me on the Merry-go-round.
96. How she thinks she can keep shoes on me.
97. I love how she smiles at me and I feel happy.
98. I love how I am always safe when she holds me.
99. I love how she gives up everything for me.
100. I love the way she makes me feel inside.

From Both of Us
101. We love you because you are our whole world.


We Love You Mommy!!!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Matt's Summer

This is a rare Matt post! I think everyone was getting sick of seeing Owen's mess when they came to our blog, so I thought I would write about what I have been up to.

I took three classes during Spring term at BYU and had a hard time staying focused in them, so I decided to take off Summer term. It has been really nice to not have to worry about school, but I honestly don't know what to do with myself half of the time.

I am working on fulfilling some of my requirements for the Honors program before school starts up. I have especially been trying to finish the Great Works Experiences that I need to get done. We have been going to museums and plays and reading books in order to get the requirements completed. I am also starting up research with a professor in the Marriott School to use for the basis of my Thesis. Hopefully it will all be worth it in the end.

I am still working at the MTC and am about to start with my last district. After that they are going to kick me out. It's a sad day because I have loved that job. It has been wonderful helping young missionaries get off on the right foot. I am not excited about finding a new job for the Fall.

Things in the Bishopric are starting to gear up as we get ready for switching boundaries. It will be very interesting come Aug 30th when we lose all but 5 of our men and get all new ones. I'm sure for a while it will be pretty crazy, but the good thing about this Church is that it always rolls forward. Nothing can stop it.

Other than that I am spending my time with Nicki and Owen. We are reading books, watching movies, going on walks, and trying get this boy on his feet. He is really close to standing on his own and once that happens he will be off! It is more fun being a father than I could have ever guessed, even if it complicates everything! I can't remember being more tired, or more happy.



Me and Owen with the Giant Sloth at BYU's Dinosaur Museum

Friday, July 10, 2009

What we've been doing today...



Yes, this is exactly what you think it is. We put Owen in his crib while we were cleaning in the back room. Five minutes later, I turned around, and this is what I found. I don't know how he managed to do this with us in the room.... at least he hasn't figured out how to take his diaper off yet.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

California pictures! (aka: the longest post of your life)

We did A LOT in California... it wasn't so much a vacation as a whirlwind dash through as many places and activities as possible, and Matt and I both came home totally exhausted and wishing that we would have had more time to spend with families just doing nothing, rather than doing something all the time. Luckily, we get to see our families fairly often, and our trip was fun anyway, though exhausting. Here's a really short recap of what we did: lots of Showbiz practice and shows, Molly and Steve Andersen's wedding/reception, I got to see Wicked with my sisters, two San Francisco trips, Giants vs. A's baseball game, a little bit of shopping, some time at the park, a visit to San Jose, a little bit of Wii, Monterey Bay Aquarium and the ocean house, Ghirardelli, and a game of Settlers of Catan thrown in there for good measure (with the original Settlers players from the summer Matt and I started dating). Oh, and Owen's first tooth and a lot of separation anxiety! :)

Hilary and Owen playing at great grandma Auman's house in San Jose





This boy has the most pathetic little sad face. It kills me every time. This is how he looked for a lot of the time in CA - major separation anxiety. He wouldn't let anyone hold him, even if I was right there.

Catching M&Ms with cousins and Lexie's nanny kids.



Owen wants to take Maile for a walk...



Contemplating the ducks he's staring at


Waiting in line in San Francisco to get into the free day at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park... the line was too long, so we went and had a picnic and walked across the Golden Gate Bridge instead



Matt and the boys practicing for their 'Showbiz alumni' number - Newsies!

Owen learned how to crawl up the stairs at grandma Farrell's house


A next-generation Newsie!

Newsies!!


For those of you who saw the original Showbiz Newsies and haven't seen it since, the boys added a ballet to the background of Santa Fe... HILARIOUS.



Michelle's group doing 'Defying Gravity' from Wicked. A few nights before this, my sisters and I got to go see the real play in San Francisco. So much fun!!!!

Fij solo!

Michelle solo!

Jenny solo!

There were a whopping five Farrells in the show!

The Newsies after the show

Settlers of Catan!!

Matt's first Father's Day!

Walking in the park with Matt's family after dinner on Father's Day.


Chinatown, San Francisco with my family. This is the gate to Chinatown.


My favorite part of this picture is Kevin with the nunchucks in the background.


My mom and dad contemplating buying a wok in 'The Wok Shop'.

Madeline shopping for hats. Cute!

Two tired boys.

Flying squirrel over the bench!

At the Giants vs. A's game.


Kevin jumping concrete posts after the game.

Cousins in the park!

Matt and Jenny flying... I'm not sure that's what that playground toy was invented for. :)

The big stretchy thing...




Emma being tossed.

In line to get tickets for the Tilden Park merry-go-round!




In Monterey at one of our favorite restaurants - First Awakenings!

Gotta love eggs benedict. YUM.

Monterey Bay Aquarium



Divers in the shark tank


Matt and Owen being otters.


Owen's favorite part was the penguins.



Owen kept tonguing (sp?) his new tooth. It was pretty funny to watch.

Eating at Bubba Gump's. These next three pictures are my favorite of the whole trip!



Seriously?? Who makes these kind of faces?
("You talkin' to me? Are you talkin' to me?!")





Ghirardelli in Monterey, waiting for our ice cream.

Owen is ready to eat!


Hilary and me (and Becca way down at the end) getting pedicures the night before we left.

This picture cracks me up... it looks like Hilary is holding someone else's foot...

Our last view of the ocean as we head to our plane.

And finally... Owen's new tooth!