{a}'s birthday

Sister had her 3rd birthday right before Christmas. She was so cute about the whole thing. She got a high chair for her doll...
a rocking horse...a dump truck.
Here she is telling us that she's 3!

I LOVE this picture. She is blowing out her candles. But, what I love most is the expression on her brothers faces... :) HAPPY Birthday Sister! We love you! We love your crazy, funny personality and can't imagine our little family any other way!

Here is a video of her dancing and singing with some Christmas ornaments. Sorry it's sideways. Can't figure out how to change that...

ETA: I thought I would add a few things about what she is into right now. Her favorite song is Twinkle Star(twinkle, twinkle, little star). She LOVES her little brother, and her doll. She is in Sunbeams now and absolutely LOVES it. Her teacher is Sister Smithee and she calls her Sister Smoovee. I love the way she says it. She enjoys reading books at night especially her "sandwich book" and Silly Sally. She can be bossy at times. She still uses her hair as her lovey and twirls it to no end. She also sucks her tongue and has since she was very little.

christmas 2010

These are from Christmas this year. We didn't take too many pictures, but here are a few. We had a wonderful season, and a Christmas day was full of wonder! We had a great day!

hodgepodge

ok, LOTS has happened in the past 2 months. Hold on for lots of pictures.



First, first day of school. {A} is in 2nd grade, and {K} is in morning kindergarten. He was so nervous. But, after about 3 days, he TOTALLY settled in and has done wonders! The next two are of {k} in his blessing outfit that I made. The booties are from my Moms beighbor that has taken a liking to me. She is from Uzbekistan--I am SURE I spelled that wrong, but I thought it would be fun to have him wear them at the blessing.

Next, {a} actually fell asleep while leaning on the chair...

{k} at almost 3 months old.

{a} Little sis decided she wanted to wash her feet, only she didn't think to pull up her pants.

I was going to post on this when it happened. {a} wanted to play a game, so we did. She is getting so interactive lately.

{a} I absolutely {adore} that she loves to wear these goggles. and she wears them all the time!

{K} and {a} playing super heroes.

{A} was chosen as Citizen of the Month for Sept.

{a} I LOVE her sense of style. She wore this flower to the store the other day, and got more giggles out of people... :) She is 2 3/4 years old here.

{A} at 7 1/2 years old.

We were taking pictures of each other.

This is one of {K} upset because, well, I don't know why... :)

Smoothie 'staches.

{A} was so excited. He got to go with Dad on a scout overnighter, and this time he got to wear a "real" backpack.

{K} wanted me to take his pic with the pumkin. He is 5 years old.

{k} at 4 months old.

Blessing Day!

so we blessed {k} today. It was nice! DH did a wonderful job. The only glitch is that 3 of the 6 people that were planning on being there were actually there, on time. Which is proof that it really doesn't matter who is surrounding, it only matters that the ordinance was performed. My grandma, aunt, grandpa, DH's mom, and sister, and my parents came to join us. DH, my Dad and the bishopric member were in the circle, our friends from Burley got their RIGHT after it was over, our friends from 2 miles away got there even later, and my brother didn't even make it at all. All because we apparently have a difficult building to find... :) Most importantly though, we appreciate their effort to be there. They were all able to come for lunch at our house and visit, which was nice. Thanks to all who joined us for a great day! Thanks to {J} for grilling, {J and R} for the veggies, {C} for the chips, {D} for the hamburger patties and thanks to mom for all the goodies you shared too! Also, I will make mention, that I made {k}'s blessing outfit. I am quite proud of myself.

update

so, here's an update. DH is recovering nicely. His leg looks really good now compared to 4 weeks ago. The bruising has gone down, and the scars are getting lighter. Just a couple of scabs left... He is walking with crutches and has a walking boot on. He is allowed to put 50% of his weight on the hurt leg, and in 2 weeks he will not have to use the crutches anymore. He is getting bored--and anyone who knows him knows that this is not hard to do for him... :) You can see he has a rod in the tibia and a plate on the fibula. and screws in both. :)

{k} is also doing well. I weighed him last week and he weighed 13lbs. He is 6 weeks old and is starting to smile at us. He is such a good baby. He eats well (obviously since he has gained 4 lbs already) and sleeps well too. I just wish I could solidify a daytime routine--so far as start time goes... That will be the next goal for us.

{A} has done very well in swim lessons and is making nice progress on the front crawl, back crawl and is now learning the breast stroke. I think he is ready for school to start back up-- or atleast I am ready... :)

{K} is getting excited for kindergarten. He turned 5 last week and got just what he asked for. Thomas the Train items! James and Thomas. He gets to go shopping with g&g {H} this weekend and told me that he wants to buy his very own track. (Even though {A} had some, he wants his own...)

{a} is BUSY! She is one I need to watch all the time. She tends to get into things that she shouldn't. Especially the kitchen cupboards looking for something to eat. We are taking her into an ENT next week. I think she needs her tonsils taken out. She has not been sleeping well, is tired all the time, and snores at night. Sounds to me like they need to come out! Also, her brothers had theirs taken out at 2 1/2 and she is now 2 1/2.

Sounds like a good time to add one more thing to my plate, don't you think? :)

We found her like this at 7pm last night. Guess she was tired... :)

That's an update on us...

36 weeks, 2 days

I can't believe we are almost there! Yes, I am getting excited, and yes, I am getting anxious. I am trying to focus more on the anxious than the excited because I don't want to be TOO ready when the day comes. I am trying to enjoy all that this pregnancy offers me. (Even the fatigue). I am almost "ready" when it comes to the house. I need to put the crib away and pull out the cradle. I need to wash the carseat and I need to pack my bag. But then, really? Do I NEED to do any of those things? Nope. They can honestly all be done either at the last minute, or not at all until the baby comes home.

We have finally narrowed a name down to 3. I feel good about that actually. I was in a panic for a few weeks there, because I really had NO idea what names I even liked. I couldn't find anything that sounded good to me. So, I borrowed a baby name book from the library and honestly, I went page by page writing down ALL the names I didn't hate. Then I emailed the 25 or so names to DH and had him choose the ones he liked. He sent back 3. Which seems kinda harsh, but I knew he would probably do that, and it certainly has made it easier since then. We are now both letting the names marinate until the baby is born. Then we will talk about it again. I am pretty sure which of the 3 I want, and I am pretty sure DH will choose the same as me, but I am not going to worry about it until our little bundle is born. (apparently we have up to a year to officially choose, so I have PLENTY of time :) )

{A} is almost done with 1st grade. I am AMAZED at how well he is reading! He even mentioned to me the other day that he really enjoys reading. YEAH!!! I love it! I love that he wants to read. and doesn't fight me anymore. He is also doing very well at piano. He has his second recital coming up, and yours truly gets to accompany him. I am a little nervous!

(K) graduated from preschool this week, and they had a little ceremony to celebrate the end of preschool. He did VERY well, considering he could have chosen to be a stinker and not participate at all. He stood up there, with his hands in his pockets at kinda mumbled along with the other children. It was cute.

{a} is 2! and boy, do we all know it! She tells anyone who will listen that she is 2, and holds up 2 little fingers--it's quite cute. She is talking up a storm, and I love that we can understand almost everything she says. She certainly knows how to hold her own with her big brothers. She weighs 30 lbs and {K} weighs 35 lbs. She is feisty and silly!

Well, that's about it for an update on everyone. Wish me luck, I have 4 weeks left.

so we had our RS Bday dinner last night. I say, it was a success! Considering we had all of about 3 weeks to plan it, not bad! I was totally in charge of the food. We had chicken salad Croissants-yum!, and Bear Creek Soup-double yum! We had about 15 sandwiches left, and about 55 people. There was quite a bit of soup left, but how do you know how much soup to plan for?? I certainly don't know. The food got rave reviews, so I feel good about it. I had lots of help--thanks ladies!! and it was so nice that I could actually sit down and enjoy a meal with my friends! Now, on to the next adventure.... whatever THAT is. :)

Just a quick thought to say that we will all miss you {L}. She was a dear friend of mine--we served together in the YW. She had a heart of gold. She made a blanket for {a} when she was born, and I think of her everytime we use it. Love you {L}. Your family did a wonderful job at the service today. My prayers are with them!

drum roll please.... :)

well, I guess now is as good a time as any. Yes, I am pregnant. I am 21 weeks along today. We are expecting a boy--which was the drama in an earlier post. I was convinced this baby was a girl, so it took me a few days to be excited to have a boy. I had early morning sickness, but now I am smooth sailing. I have been very fortunate to have easy pregnancies, and I hope this one goes equally as easy. I am due June 16th. My DR. has promised I will not go late, since he is leaving for vacation on the 17th. :) The boys are excited, and {a} could care less. :)

I don't really have a good picture of the baby, so you will have to live with this one instead. You can thank my photographer {K}. :)

If you have any name suggestions, we would appreciate it. I wont tell you the name we chose until the baby is born, but I would like any ideas, we seem to be stumped. I think girl names would be easier. (Maybe we should share ideas, Cara???) :)

I was visiting with my dad yesterday and he requested "MORE POSTS" on this here little blog of mine. I am totally convinced that there are only 3 of you out there in blog land that actually care whether I post or not, so I request with a full heart that you comment to let me know that you are really out there and that you do actually care if I post or not.(picture big head growing bigger with every new comment-tee hee)

So, he wants me to share that DH and I bought a new camping trailer this week. It is 27 feet long, has a queen bed in the front, and bunks in the back--a twin over a full size. There is a couch, table, kitchenette, and bathroom. It is perfect for us! I can't wait till we find a free weekend to take it out on her maiden voyage!!

(Just for you Dad. :))

mixed feelings. I just learned something wonderful, yet it's disappointing to me. So, I guess that's why I learned about it today and not later... :)

Happy Monday...

ONE LITTLE WORD

So, I have decided. I have taken much thought this year to what my ONE LITTLE WORD would be. This has been a difficult, yet easy decision. (If that can actually be)... First, I knew what direction I wanted to head, I just wasn't sure which word would best be THE WORD to help me remember my personal goals for this year.
So, without further ado---

WHISPER Whisper \Whis"per\ verb
1. The act of speaking in a quiet voice.
2. To prompt secretly or cautiously; to inform privately

So, my goals for the year are, one, to consciously choose to speak in softer tones. I have decided that yelling is to only be used when actually necessary. Crazy, I know. Second, I hope to be in a place spiritually so that I can hear the spirit whisper to me.

I challenge each of you to choose ONE LITTLE WORD for yourself. I love how it makes me actively think about something that I need to improve and then to take the time regularly to think about that word and the goals associated with it and what I am doing to better myself.

eta: ok, so update on yesterday. I snuck a set of paper dolls for {a} and nothing for the boys. {A} did great! He basically just sat there. {K} was BORED!!! He layed on my lap and kept telling me he wanted to go out and get a drink. I swear, that kid is a broken record. I pulled out the paper dolls for {a} after I was done wrestling with her and I have decided that maybe 2 is too young for a little girl to appreciate the fine art of paper dolls. All she wants to do is stack all the clothes on top of the doll, and then SHOVE them all back into the bag. She really doesn't understand that if you bend the dolls or shove them into the bag that they wont be pretty, fun dolls to play with next week. Oh well. She bonked her head about 5 minutes before the end, so I took her and {K} out in the hall and then to the bathroom. All in all, I think it was a much better decision than I ever imagined. So, I think we will try it again next week.


now that we have "late church". (Late being 11 at our building) I have extra time on my hands to make blog postings... YEAH. (insert sarcasm here) I would really rather be just finishing sac meeting right about now than being here WAITING to go to church. DH has decided that the kids don't need toys to entertain them during sacrament meeting anymore. We'll see how THAT one goes today.

Also, I am still pondering my ONE LITTLE WORD. Getting close though, narrowing it down...

BECOME--revisited

It's nearly the end of 2009 and it's time to revisit my word for the year. BECOME. I feel I have made great strides in "becoming" a better mom, wife, and housekeeper. DH might not agree with the last one, but I do. I am still trying to decide my word for 2010. Check back in about a week, hopefully I will have settled on one by then. :)

JaDell