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Babies, Birthdays, Beginnings and Busybodies

2010-09-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to keep this blogging ball rolling I am combining as many pictures as I can in one post. Let's be honest - you don't really care what I have to say, you just want to see photos of my darling family! I really don't blame you at all because some days it is all I can do to have just one intellectual thought before a Yo Gabba Gabba song creeps into my mind and I am off again. Anywho . . . . . . . . . here is a summary of our last month of summer.

Elsie is officially feeding herself these days. It is not because I think she has the ability, but because she insists on doing it. As you can see I have given up completely and most meals don't even bother to put a bib on her. This is due to the fact that when she is finished she has to have a head to toe spit bath regardless of the bib. Who knew she would be so talented at dispersing small amounts of food all over herself?

Abby celebrated her 8th birthday! In the spirit of tradition I took her to the Lion House for her birthday (that is where I celebrated mine) and I think it is safe to say that everyone there had tons of fun. They learned all about the Lion House, wore pioneer hats, pulled taffy, ate a little lunch, played pioneer games, ate cake and ice cream and opened presents. At the end of it all Abby told me that this was her best birthday ever! She is such a sweetheart and so easy to please, we love having her in our family and I am so glad she is my oldest because she is so good at setting a happy tone in our family. What a doll!

Playing "Button, button."

The ladies in their pioneer hats.

Happy Birthday Abby-Doo!

Abby and Easton (and me, of course) were thrilled to start the first day of school. It was so fun this year because Abby was all kinds of excited about planning what she was going to wear and the accessories she was going to pair with her outfit - bag included. Easton was happy to return to Miss Lisa and Miss Shaun. I was happy to return my house to some sense of order. I do have to say that I love the first day of school mostly because it means that fall is right around the corner!

Abby got off the bus with a big grin on her face and promptly announced, "Best first day of school ever! Best teacher ever! I love my class!" And secretly I said a little prayer of thanks to my Heavenly Father for answers to mothers prayers.

And finally . . . . . . . my little busybody that makes big messes.

2010-08-06T14:21:00.000-07:00

Can you believe I am posting again?!??! I was so excited to post all these pictures of Eastons birthday party but as I was going through them I realized I need a little help in the photography department - most of them were a little fuzzy due to the high rate of speed (I had children flying past me from every angle). Anywho, here you have it. This year we rented a water slide for Eastons party and it was so fabulous! We ended up making a full day of it by having his friend party in the morning, inviting the whole neighborhood for the afternoon to come and play and then finishing it off with a family party that night. That poor water slide was never empty, but my kids slept like rocks that night! GENIUS!

Look at those bellies!

Seven months later . . . . .

2010-05-21T16:07:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the idea of blogging. I LOVE the idea of having fresh baked cookies coming out of the oven as my kids get home from school, I LOVE the idea of my cute family sitting down at the dinner table each night and talking and laughing about the wonderful day we had, I LOVE the idea of getting to church on time with each of my children in coordinating outfits complete with perfect hair and smiles on their faces . . . . you get the idea. I guess until I reach that level of perfection I will have to appreciate and LOVE other things that may not be as ideal but are still completely fulfilling:

Children who are best friends . . . .

Happy babies . . . .

Bubbles!

More bubbles!

A healthy imagination . . . .

no cavities . . . .

girls night out . . . . .

family traditions . . . . .

family vacations . . . . .

fabulous friends . . . .

Then again, maybe I don't need perfection to be happy:)

Family Vacations

2009-10-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we spent the weekend at the Bear River Lodge. The time we had reserved was for the UEA weekend and we had intended to rent out our time and use the money for our Disneyland vacation. As the weekend drew closer, we realized that we were not going to be able to sell our time and contemplated whether or not we should use it ourselves or give it away. We kept thinking of a million little reasons to stay home but in the end we decided to head up to the cabin. On the drive up my children kept asking me why they could not bring friends and telling me how bored they were going to be . . . . . . . .

So after a weekend of riding the four wheeler, playing games and spending all kinds of family togetherness, I realized just how important family vacations are. There was no distraction of phone calls, friends, football games or even trips to the grocery store to pull us away from making memories and deepening our love for each other as a family. Abby summed it all up with one comment as we drove home: "Mom, I love family vacations."

Bottoms Up!

2009-08-25T09:43:00.001-07:00

As soon as I pull off Elsie's diaper to change it, she flings her feet up and sticks her toes in her mouth. Everytime. (that is a shout out to Macy) It is the craziest thing because she goes nuts sucking on her toes! I can barely pry them out of her mouth to get her little legs down long enough to fasten her diaper. I get one leg down and as soon as I reach for the other, it springs back up. Then I am reaching for that one again and throughout this whole wrestling match she is rolling all over the place. The odd thing is, that once her diaper is on, she doesn't even think about her toes again until the next time. Maybe it's not just the feeling of her toes in her mouth that she likes . . . . . .

Third times a charm!

2009-04-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

You would think by my third baby I would be some kind of expert. Sadly, I think I have become far more lax in my mothering skills. I am not sure if that is because I am loosing my mind or because I have come to realize that it doesn't help to sweat the small stuff. In a way it is kind of nice because I enjoy life much more in my happy state of confusion and cluelessness (is that a word?). Anyhow, after going for a morning walk I brought Elsie in (who had fallen asleep) and put her on the couch. Trying to take advantage of my precious time I went outside to work in my flower beds. On a side note, the thing I love about my neighborhood is that on any given day as long as the temperature is above 40 degrees you can find multiple people outside. The flip side of this is that it takes an average of 4 hours to weed a single flower bed because everyone loves to talk. Anywho, on this particular day during the course of my conversations (yes that is plural) I must have said ten times that I needed to check on Elsie because she should be waking up. This is what I finally came inside to find . . . . . . . . .

She looks quite relaxed, doesn't she? That was my only consolation. Like I said, the third times a charm.

Last the best of all the game!

2009-04-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

For every Bert there is an Ernie, for every Thelma there is a Louise . . . .
Easton (bless his little heart) is happy being second best. For him there is nobody better than Robin when given the choice in playing Batman and Robin. Any pair of shorts are "Robin shorts" tennis shoes are "Robin shoes" and I can get him to wear just about anything and eat just about anything when I tell him that they look or taste just like Robin likes them to. The same goes for Freddy. Who is Freddy you ask? Well he certainly isn't Shaggy and he definitely isn't Scooby-Doo, but in Easton's eyes Freddy is just as big a hero and mystery solver as anyone. Easton has a "Freddy jacket" that he loves to wear, but his favorite item is his "Freddy tie." When he puts this on he magically transforms into Freddy. When I told him to say cheese as I took the picture he said, "No, mom - say, "say Freddy!" So first may be the worst and second the same, but to Easton last really is the best of all the game!

Living in fast forward!

2009-03-03T13:03:00.000-08:00

When I finally sat down to add a few pictures to my blog I realized that although I feel like not much new has happened, the pictures I have taken prove otherwise! I guess that means that life keeps moving even when you wish it would slow down. This last month has flown by - here is the fast forwarded version of how we spent it!
I have been given the opportunity to have Cole every Thursday and Friday instead of having him go to daycare and I have loved it! It has been so fun to have him at home even more - his little personality has suddenly gotten a lot bigger and even though he sounds like Eeyore, he keeps me laughing all of the time. He wanted to play with his work glasses and soon after he put them on I snuck up on him talking to himself and making faces in the bathroom mirror - completely in his own world.

Bringing Elsie home has been so fun! It's funny how once these little spirits are a part of your family, you can't imagine ever having a life without them. Abby and Easton have loved her so much and are always so concerned about her. We have not had any jealousy issues, in fact it has been the opposite. I am constantly telling them to give her some space! She is very, VERY loved.

My mom was so great with holiday traditions and one that I have kept going with my children is decorating the table on Valentines day. We always woke up to a fun breakfast table with a setting for each of us complete with treats and a small gift. It kinda snuck up on me this year (the new baby thing) and so it wasn't my best, but the kids still thought it was great (it doesn't take much to please Abby and as long as there is sugar involved Easton is happy)!

Drew's Valentines Day gift to me was a gourmet dinner (prepared by Drew) and a couple massage. I'm kinda thinking he had someone additional in mind when he bought that gift, but who am I to complain? He was so cute, he had made quite the masterpiece when he served it to me. I have to admit, the B-B-Q grill tool kit I got him didn't quite compare but he is always best at getting the most thoughtful gifts, what can I say?

We have started the beginning stages of finishing our basement! Last week Drew and his brother, Jon, chalked all the lines to start framing the basement. While they were hard at work the kids were busy playing . . . . .

AND FINALLY . . . . . .

We celebrated Elsie's one month birthday by getting a little crazy. We stayed at home all day, watched the final Bachelor and gave her a bath. I had to post the pictures. Even though she hates her bath, she looks so cute!

It's A Girl!!!!

2009-02-20T15:41:00.000-08:00

On February 2, 2009 our little suprise baby finally arrived! My labor was nice and short and I had a great nurse who got me my epidural right away so it was fabulously pain free. At 12:41 Elsie Kate joined our family and I have to say it was love at first sight. I am not quite sure how to put into words the feelings I have when my children are first handed to me - overjoyed, overwhelmed, relieved, ecstatic, content, humbled, grateful, and in so many ways complete. Just to feel the weight of their little body placed into your arms and the recognition in their little faces when they hear you whisper to them is about the best feeling ever. When we told Abby she had a little sister she was more excited than Christmas morning, and she hasn't stopped telling us how much she loves her since then.

Tag! I'm finally it!

2008-09-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

3 Joys:
My children - their laughter, their successes, their personalities, almost everything about them (aside from their naughtiness)
Good food - which is harder to come by now that I am pregnant.
The changing of seasons - I think I am happiest when summer turns to fall. It makes me want to bake and decorate and gather my family together.

3 Fears:
Losing one of my children in some way - being kidnapped, killed, contracting a life threatening illness.
Dying - I am not so afraid of death, but the thought of how I will die freaks me out a bit.
Deep water. The ocean freaks me right out. Who know what kinds of things are lurking underneath there?

3 Goals :
To be a better mom - enjoy the little things and not get so worked up about the things that in the end don't matter. And to appreciate my children more.
To become a "Sister Scriptorian". As cheesy as that may sound, I went to a young women's open house and was amazed at the General Young Women's Presidency and their testimonies. They talked a lot about having a greater knowledge of the scriptures and how that can help with any aspect our our lives. Understanding scripture is sometimes a major challenge for me and I would love for it to come more naturally.
To be more thoughtful. I want to be the person that is always thinking of others and doing things for them without them having to ask. I want to be the answer to other peoples prayers - heaven knows how many of mine have been answered that way.

3 Current obsessions
Garden fresh tomatoes with basil, mozzarella, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I haven't had cravings with my other pregnancies, but I am ready to beg, borrow and steal any tomatoes I can get my hands on.
Scrapbooking - I just never get to do it anymore.
Reading recipes. Any free moment I have, I like to sit down and pour through my Taste of Home magazines (past and present issues) and my recipe books. I know, more than a little weird.

3 Surprising/random facts
I don't like any sort of powdered drink and very few fruit juices.
I can't survive on small amounts of sleep - I am meaner than mean when I get woken up at night.
I have some very realistic hallucinations at night, it usually scares the ever loving out of Drew.

Now I am going to tag Jen Hanson, Amy Wight and Sarah Barrus. Enjoy!

The Tooth Fairy was here!

2008-07-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

Abby was so thrilled the moment she realized that she had a loose tooth! For weeks she wiggled and jiggled it until finally it fell out. She came running into the house to tell us, and the first thing we asked her was where her tooth was. She stopped and thought for a minute and then said with a shrug, "It just fell out into the grass." I couldn't believe the sense of loss I felt as I searched through our grass trying to find her first baby tooth. Drew explained to Abby (and partly to me) that it wasn't a big deal, because the tooth fairy was very good at finding teeth and if we left her a note telling her where to look it wouldn't be a problem. After Drew and Abby walked away and I kept looking I wondered why I was so sad for this little piece of Abby to be gone. I realized how fast life was passing by and how these little milestones could go so easily unnoticed and without celebration if we let them. I know that I only have a short time with my little ones and I have to remind myself that there are more important things than clean dishes and beds that are perfectly made. I also realized that each milestone is a stepping stone that leads us to other new experiences. If we don't take that step, we miss out. Loosing a tooth gave us the chance to let the tooth fairy come to our house - and that was a great celebration!

Bear River Here We Come!

2008-07-16T20:10:00.001-07:00

Abby and her cousins inside their fort!

The outside of the fort, Abby keeping watch.

Every year we spend a weekend with Drew's family at the Bear River Lodge. It has become one of our familys favorite places to be. Every day is a new adventure when you have an endless amount of time to fish, explore, four wheel, and EAT! It is such a fun weekend because all of the cousins in the family play so well together that the adults hardly have to do any entertaining. The last couple of years the kids have spent the majority of their time in a fort that somebody (bless their heart) built and left behind. From the time Abby woke up in the morning until we drug her back in at night she would play in the fort - decorating it, moving rooms around and hunting deer (Logan with his hands or sticks on his head for antlers). I never get tired of watching her use her imagination and am always impressed with the ideas she comes up with.

This year at the cabin I was able to conquer (or at least face) one of my fears. Those of you who know me well know that I have a small fear of any fish or water creature that is bigger than one inch. You can imagine the inner struggle I faced when the kids decided they wanted to catch a baby fish from one of the fishing ponds at the cabin. We hiked down to the pond, each child with a cup in hand, and as we walked I realized that if I didn't get in one of the kids would fall in. So I grabbed a fishing net from Curtis and slowly made my way into the stinky, fish infested pond. I did end up catching a little guppy which the kids loved so much that the poor thing was dead by the next morning, and I did face my fear of fish! That is not to say that fear is gone - AT ALL!

For some reason, my children always fall asleep on the long four wheeler rides. This is how her grandpa Wight brought her back!

Fantastic Fourth!

2008-07-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

The fourth of July is a jam-packed, tradition filled, b-b-q eating, firework watching day for us! We always begin with the Centerville parade. This year Drew prepared our children by teaching them a mantra - "I am a heat seeking missile for CANDY!" They must have repeated it about 50 times on the way to the parade. Abby and Cole totally caught the vision. They were out there fending off the crowds and filling their candy bags with the best of them. Easton, on the other hand, filled his bag with pity candy given to him by cousins or thrown directly to him by relatives. Somehow his bag was just as full in the end.

After the parade we head to the Wights for breakfast and a little pool party for the kids. Usually the adults end up in some kind of water fight - somehow this year we avoided it. (thankfully)

A little downtime is spent at home and then we head to Grandma Glenda's for a B-B-Q and to enjoy the best seats in the house to view Lagoon's fireworks. Somewhere in there we work in our own little show and the favorite part of that is the firework strobe dance done by the very talented and very coordinated Karen Rigby. It is always a crowd pleaser.

The last three years we have snuck Easton's birthday party in with all the festivities, which just adds to the chaos and confusion and apparently ruins Amy's fourth of July (he, he). I think we may celebrate that on his very day (the 5th) for now on so that it is not such an after thought. But who knows what next year will bring! For the time being we had a great holiday and even though it was crazy we loved every minute of it because we were surrounded by all of our family.

Of course, summer wouldn't be summer if Abby didn't get eaten by a mosquito and had her eye swell shut.

Sweet Summertime

2008-07-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

My favorite season will always be fall. I love everything about it - the chill in the air, the smell of spices and baking, the gathering of the harvest, the burst of color in the trees against bright blue skies . . . . . there is no doubt I love it the best. But every season brings with it memories being made and traditions being kept and I can't help but love the moments that come with summertime. I have gained a whole new appreciation for it now that Abby has finished her first year of school. I love having her at home and not worrying so much about schedules. I love the sound of the neighborhood coming alive during the day when pools get filled and sprinklers start running and I love when it comes alive again at night when the sun goes down and it is finally cool enough to leave your house!

If you can't beat em. . . . .

2008-07-02T20:46:00.000-07:00

Here we finally are, a little slow in joining the rest of the digitally saavy world! After seeing everybody's incredibly cute blogs I couldn't help but want to start one on my own - I just hope I have something interesting to write about!

Let's just start with the basics - our very basic and very unconventional family! I know without a doubt we are the happiest when we are all together . . . . . .