our baby

Oh how I long to cuddle this little baby again, to let him sleep in my arms for hours, to hear his baby sounds, to smell his baby skin, to kiss those chubby cheeks.

But no, this little guy turned three this week....3!!!

He has grown and changed so much this year, but throughout that time, those cheeks have not changed and his eyes are still as happy and bright as ever.

3 reasons we love you:

1) The way you adapt to change so well. This past summer has seen huge changes for us, and through it all your smile was almost always there. Moving into a new home we thought you might relapse on being potty trained. No. You have gotten even better. And when it comes to sleeping, you will sleep anywhere.

2) The way you will come back at me and say, "no, no, no, I love you more"...."oh, no, no, no, no, no I heart you more".... You could go on and on. We sure love that colorful personality of yours!

3) You are a huge light in our family. We say multiple times a day how cute and irresistible you are. You have your dad wrapped around your little finger. Our family would not be complete without you.

The other day I said to Levi, hey little mister. He got an upset look on his face and said,

"I'm not a little mister, I'm a big mister!"

Happy Birthday Big Mister!!

With school starting for your brothers soon, it's just going to be me and you. I'm so exicted for this time, I just hope you love being with me as much as I love being with you!

grateful

Today I am feeling grateful.
During the weekend, this little guy had to get stitches. It's a first for our family (Tay was the last one I thought would get stitches...have you seen Corbin and Levi?)
Taylor was outside and we were inside when it happened. He fell right on the driveway. He came into the house holding his chin and quietly crying, I looked at it and was shocked, the cut was gapping wide open. Maybe I'm more dramatic, but I probably would have been screaming.

I am grateful for Justin's wonderful parents who so willingly watched our other two while we took Tay to the hospital. After we left Corbin asked if they could say a prayer for Taylor, he cried a little, and then asked Grandma a million questions.
I am grateful for good doctors and nurses who know just what they are doing and can help a little guy feel comfortable. They said he was one of the bravest little boys. Not one single tear was shed and he even gave a few sweet, shy smiles to the doctor.
Most of all I am grateful that he is doing great!

Another reason to be grateful is that sign out in the front of this house (although it should say sold) means that we are days (hours) from moving in!
We couldn't be happier!

I'm grateful because for the past month I have been craving apple pie and while I was at the house yesterday, the sweet Bishop's wife brought this by. I think I will love this ward.

I am grateful because today I have an awesome mom, sister, and nephew who are coming to help me clean the house and get it ready for us to move in! Thank you.

he did it

This kid is officially using the potty!

And it was one of the least stressful potty trainings I have been through. Just what we needed.

Way to go Levi!

However, lately he has been acting more like a baby, (that doesn't need diapers)...I think he is getting nervous... and doesn't want to grow up that fast.

Which is totally fine by me!

our 7.4.2011

It was a good day for us. We started the day with red and blue pancakes and then jumped in the car to go to Shady Acres. We have made it a tradition to count the flags when we are in the car on the fourth. Our goal was to get to 100 flags before making it to Shady. We saw our 100th flag just before we headed into the canyons! I think I was most excited. Yes, Brigham is a very patiotic city.

Afterwards we went and road some of our favorite horses.

I really like this one. Scrunched up nose and everything.

When Taylor was two years old. He LOVED horses. They were his favorite thing. He hasn't loved them quite as much, but I figured he would be the most excited to ride. 5 minutes after getting there, his eyes puffed up and his nose started pouring. I felt so sad. Justin has major dust allergies, so we are hoping it was from the dust around the stables and in the hay and not the horses.

I hope these boys realize how incredibly lucky they are to have a grandma that loves horses and loves that she gets to pass on that love to them. Mom gave them Corbin a lesson and towards the end he was riding on his own. (Of course my mom had been riding on her own for years at this point)

And this is officially my most favorite picture. (that smile on Justin is the first thing I noticed about him and fell in love with)

I love this country. I think more than ever. It's amazing to realize the freedoms we have. The right to work where we want, to have as many children as we want (as long as you can take care of them financially and emotionally), to have education, to choose our religion, and to own our own homes. After 3 months of waiting for our own home again, this one means a lot to us. After such a long time we just found out today that we got the official approval on the home, it's going to be ours. I can't tell you the amount of gratitude and relief I feel right now! I am thrilled to have so many new memories and wonderful years in this new place soon. (and it has a front porch!!) Perfect to wave one American flag in the land I love.

june 2011

We love the lazy days of June.

The boys love the most simple parks and could go to them everyday. So when we pulled up to this Wild Wild West Park, the boys mouths dropped. It was a blast.

Who knew a simple waterbottle from the dollar store could make a kid so happy?

Or that a cereal necklace could entertain for a whole afternoon?

Lazy, yes, but quiet no.

We attempted to make the Eiffel Tower with waffers. Fun, but not totally successful.

Although this super cute team did a great job!

Oh boy I love these 4 boys of mine.

Our May in pictures

Moab. A place we love.
Pictures hold a thousand words.


Lego Day at the Library. The boys were looking forward to this for two weeks. For some reason legos were even cooler (if that is possible) at the library.


Jumping. Again, hours and hours of fun.




Memorial Day. Delicious barbecue, corn on the cob, family and friends, and a day to remember those who have sacrificed so much. Thank you.

what have we been up to

Life has been very different for us these past two months, but we have felt so blessed. Justin's sister and her family have been amazing! You might think that having four adults and 7 (now 8!) kids under one roof can be a little bit crazy, but looking back, the time here has been incredibly memorable and enjoyable.
Lots of late night talks.
Lots of movie nights...Brian Regan, need I say more.
Lots of kick the can nights.
Lots of yummy meals and treats.
Great hiking right out the back door.
And plenty of this

The kids have been out there for a total of at least several hours. (We will be getting a trampoline for sure... and having it in the ground is key. Our kids are obsessed.)

We moved when Corbin had five weeks of school left. We moved 40 minutes away. I didn't mind commuting him everyday so that he could finish off school with his friends and teacher. Those first couple days did end up being very hard on the kids, too much time in the car. After talking to the principal and his teacher, we decided it would be best to transfer him to the school where his cousin was. I at first had a hard time with this decision (although Justin was all for it). I was so worried he wouldn't be able to adjust, that he would feel left out of his new class, and not have a friend. I was so wrong in every way. That kid amazes me, by the end of the first day he had already made friends, he got to play with his cousin at recess, and loved his new school. Looking back I am so glad that we made that choice.

Life has been very different for us in many ways. Leaving our ward, our neighborhood, our home, our routine was so hard. But it also helped us realize what we do have, each other. We cherish all the moments that we do have together. I have come to a deeper realization of how important my family is to me. I love Justin so much. He wants me to be happy in every way, he wants the boys to have a good childhood and to feel secure. Not only did things change with our living arrangements, but he has also gone through some big changes with work. It's a good thing, but the past couple of months has been incredibly busy and stressful for him. He had to spend a ton of time studying, and he was still so selfless. He found other times to study so that he could still play with our boys when he got home. I don't think they ever realized how much he had to get done. (and same for me) The good news, he passed his test. I love that man!

We are now in the process of waiting for a home. In some ways we can't believe that in about a month we could be in our own home again. Whenever I think of the home I get so excited, not because it's huge and fancy, but because it will be ours, a place where we will get to create new and wonderful memories!!