Thursday, May 24, 2012

Happy 10th Anniversary!

Happy 10th Anniversary, Brandon!  I'm so grateful I chose to marry you!  Thanks for 10 wonderful years!
 You are my best friend!

 You are an amazing dad!

You are such a hard worker.

Thank you for being so persistent after our first date when I was too blind to see how wonderful you were at first.  I love you so much and can't wait to spend eternity with you!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Snuggle Me, Mommy

When I went in to wake Jonah up the other morning he said, "Mommy, please snuggle me one minute?" as he holds up his little finger indicating one.  (I love how he says that.  I'm going to miss it when his language becomes a little better.)

So I laid down beside him, our heads together gazing into each other's eyes, a rare moment of sustained beautiful eye contact for Jonah which I was trying to soak in.  I whispered, "Jonah, I love you.  You're my favorite Jonah ever!"

As we enjoyed this intimate moment, Jonah whispered back, "Mommy?"

"Yes, Jonah," I answered anticipating a reciprocal "I love you" back.

"Can I see the goobers in your nose?  There's hair up there.  That's yucky."

Ahh, so much for our intimate moment.  I don't know if I'll ever understand how his little mind works, but I'll love him forever and I'm so glad he's mine!

Friday, May 18, 2012

Jacob's Space Derby


Jacob had his first pinewood derby for cub scouts - the Space Derby!  He and Brandon worked hard on his space shuttle (I think that's what it's called???).  I wish I had some pictures of them working on it.  Coming from a family of girls with only one brother, I had no idea what a big deal this was.  Luckily Brandon was prepared and knowledgable, pulling out HIS space shuttle from his own cub scouting time years ago.  I'm so grateful to have married such a handy scouting husband!  That was definitely not on my list of desired characteristics when I was dating.  Back then ignorance was bliss!  I'm so blessed that the Lord knew what I needed more than I did myself and grateful I was blessed so abundantly!

Unfortunately Brandon missed the big night due to an important meeting at work.  He was heartbroken!  But we're also grateful that our daddy is such a good provider and dedicated to taking care of our family.  We took pictures and videos to share with Daddy when he got home.  I was so grateful to be in such a wonderful ward where other dads helped Jacob get his shuttle on the line to go and even fixed it when it collided with another boy's shuttle and broke.  Hopefully there are more pinewood derbies in our future when Brandon can be there!  Jacob and the rest of our boys are already looking forward to it!

Sunday, April 29, 2012

The Day We Have Been Waiting For Is Here . . . Almost

We (and when I say "we" I mean mostly Brandon) have been waiting a long time for this day.  It's almost the day when Jacob is finally old enough to mow the lawn, a large weekly project for Brandon throughout the spring, summer and fall.  Brandon officially declared this summer as "The Summer" that Jacob would learn to mow.  We stood watching him mow with smiles on our faces, and for now Jacob has one on his face too because mowing is new and exciting.  My hopes aren't too high that Jacob's smiles will last for long but I'm trying to enjoy it for now because once that newness wears off I know the battles will begin.
I had to grab a quick picture of Jacob mowing to document the occasion.

 And while I was playing photographer someone else found some markers to play with.  This is what happens when Nathan is left unattended for even minutes!

I guess next Halloween he can be an Indian and do his own makeup.  I'll just hand him some markers and let him go crazy.  Despite his naughtiness, he's still pretty stinkin' cute!!!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Easter

We had yet another successful Easter at our house.  The Easter Bunny found us and there were treats galore!  We kicked off the Easter weekend with an egg hunt at Nanny and Papa's house.
  They never fail to disappoint this eager group!

 All of the girls got rain boots!  So cute!

 Jonah got some cars.

 Nathan got a ball.

 Jacob got a BYU hat, but I don't think he had found it yet in this picture.  And the kids got enough Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs to keep Daddy happy for at least a day!

 Easter morning was pretty exciting and over in 3 minutes!  The kids were happy with new jump ropes, flip flops, yard gloves, chocolate bunnies and a surprise toy for each of them.

 We're forever grateful for Grandma for making the kids all look fabulous and match for Easter!  Thanks for the clothes, Grandma . . . oh, and Grandpa too!

 Jacob posing for his handsome shot!

 Sarah truly did look darling.  The Easter Bunny brought her a pearl necklace and bracelet to go with her dress.  I tried, but could not get a picture that did her justice!

 Jonah trying to copy Jacob's cool pose.

 Nathan was horribly uncooperative.  Sitting still for that long for a picture did not interest him in the least.

Even Daddy got a matching tie and looked so handsome, though it's hard to tell with all the Nathan-wrestling he had to do during our photo shoot.  I was taking the pictures in my pajamas and was completely unqualified to be photographed.

What a beautiful Easter day!  We had the extended family over for a wonderful dinner that evening, and spent the afternoon at church in remembrance of our Savior's life, death and resurrection!

Spring Break Trip

As spring break approached I thought about how we never take any trips.  Our poor kids.  I told Brandon we needed to plan something simple and fun and create some memories, gosh darn it!  So when we saw a deal for a hotel in Logan and knew that it coincided with Baby Animal Days up there, we decided to make the long whole one hour haul for our adventurous trip!  We invited Nanny and Papa to come along with us because everything is always more fun when they're around!  On the way up we stopped at McDonald's for lunch.  My kids thought they were eating like the royals, but we knew that poor Nanny and Papa were lowering the out-to-eat standards to the lowest depths.  They were just happy to be along and didn't complain one bit!  Then it was off to Baby Animal Days with a couple thousand of our closest friends!  Yahoo!  We had no idea it was such a big event!  The kids got to stand in line to see lambs, stand in line to see goats, stand in line to see calves, stand in line to see baby chicks and ducklings, and stand in line . . . well, you get the idea.  We stood in line to see just about everything.  The crowds became a little annoying, but the kids didn't complain too much and had a blast.  Jacob entertained trying his hand at mutton bustin', but when we went to sign up they were full.  I think both Jacob and I were a little relieved as we watched other parents sign waiver forms not to sue for having their children trampled by some very large sheep.  We watched a few of the kids try to ride the mutton and more than a few got stomped on and limped out of the gate crying.  I never take enough pictures, but here are a few.
 Sarah tried to love the lambs, but was a little weary of all of the animals.  Brandon would say this is my fault for not allowing pets in our home thus instilling fears of all animals in our children.  Oh well, if that's my one flaw as a mother then so be it.

 Nathan LOVED the goats.  They were pretty cute!

 Even Jonah loved the goats.  I guess I haven't completely ruined my children after all.

 You can't see them, but there are some peacocks back there, including a beautiful white albino peacock.  Jacob and Jonah were waiting for them to show there feathers and got bored.  It's amazing what boys can think of to do with sticks!

 Oh, I forgot to mention that we also waited in line to see BABY BEARS!  This picture just doesn't do them justice.  They were SO cute!  The lady in front of me wouldn't move so this was the best shot I could get.  There were a lot of bears too!  And no, you couldn't touch, pet or hold the bears, but you could look!

After seeing the animals we hit Nanny's favorite pizza place from college for dinner.  Then we went to our hotel.  It's been a long time since we stayed in a hotel and the kids thought it was a penthouse suite!  We went swimming in the indoor pool and then back to our "suite" for baths, junk food, and a movie.  The kids thought they were in heaven when uptight Mom allowed them to stay up late, watch TV AND eat chips and candy!  The good thing was by the time we went to bed they were all so exhausted they all fell right asleep.  I was up most of the night, however, because I was sharing a bed with Sarah who pushed, slapped and kicked me all night.  Man, I knew she was a crazy sleeper but I had no idea it would be THAT bad!  She's a maniac!  The kids were sufficiently grouchy the next day, but they're still talking about their memories and good times from our trip to Logan.  Jonah says every night that he's going to have happy dreams about going to Logan.  That makes it worth it for me.  Good food, good company and good memories are what it's all about!

Friday, April 6, 2012

The Pessimist and The Optimist

Something happened the other day that was so characteristic of Jacob's and Sarah's personalities that I found it hilarious!

First, some background.  At the beginning of every month we give Jacob and Sarah an allowance.  In addition to their allowance and regular jobs they are allowed to do extra jobs to earn extra money.  And because we're such mean parents they have to pay 10% in tithing and put 60% into savings.  This leaves them with only 30% left to keep . . .  which makes saving money for a desired item a long and sometimes very painful process.  We want it to be hard so they get a sense of delayed gratification and work hard for what they want.  Plus it's a good way to start saving up for missions and college!

So, now that you're all mortified at out meanness, onto the story.  I was settling up money with them last week.  Jacob is saving up for in line skates which cost $40.  After all of his money was totalled he was up to $34, only $6 away from his goal.  He was so frustrated that he didn't have his money NOW and threw the mother of all tantrums which is frustrating to me because, gee whiz, he's 8!  How long do tantrums last?  "I'm NEVER going to have enough money!  I HATE tithing and savings!  My FRIENDS don't have to do this!" etc.  Honestly, the drama pent up in that child is truly amazing at times!

Sarah, on the other hand, is saving up for a deluxe package Generation Doll from Target costing $30.  Her total is up to $13, still very far away from her goal.  However, upon hearing of her total she exclaimed, "Oh!  I'm getting SO close!"

And there you have it!  Jacob's and Sarah's personalities in a nutshell!  I feel like I will forever be working with Jacob on combating his pessimism, while Sarah is a ray of sunshine and happiness wherever she goes.  I hope some of her optimism rubs off on Jacob and not the other way around.