Treven and Ady’s 8th Birthday

 

We decided to borrow the gym at church for the kids’ birthday party this year.  They had about 16 guests including some friends and cousins.  They were completely spoiled with gifts.  We had pizza, cake & ice cream.  We played life-size battleship, musical chairs, frog detective, frisbee horseshoes, a little bit of basketball, and we even did the mentos/diet coke trick to make an enormous fountain of diet coke in the parking lot.  The kids had a great time.  We cannot believe that the kids are eight.  We love them so much for the ways they try to be good kids and choose the right.  They are the best of friends (most of the time) and are so sweet to their little brother.  Happy Birthday Treven and Ady.  We love you!

Sexiest Little Man 2012

 

I know one day Jonah will be completely embarrassed by this photo.  Especially when I show this to all of his girlfriends and point out his cute little bum.  Do you think I’ll be able to use this as blackmail to get him to do his chores when he’s a teenager?!!

Mister Jonah

Mr. Jonah is six months old today!  Here are a few things about my little boy:

• Jonah is sweet, sweet, sweet.  He has a pleasant disposition and is quick to smile.  Just thinking about his smile melts my heart.

• He loves to bounce and is learning to crawl.  At five months and one week he sat by himself and broke his first tooth in the same day!  He now has a second tooth and enjoys eating rice cereal and veggies. 
   
  
   
• Jonah loves music and is probably the only person besides Kent who enjoys my singing voice.  He has large hands like his daddy and I think he will make a great piano player someday.

• Jonah loves to talk and is extremely social.  He never wants to nap when Treven and Ady are home on the weekends.  He loves cuddling with the big kids and will watch Trev’s every move.

Jonah, we love you so much and we know your Heavenly Father loves you.  Mommy and daddy are so glad you’ve come to our family.  We pray you will continue to be a happy, healthy boy. XOXO

Christmas Dance Recital

 

Ady had a Christmas dance recital the other night.  It was really fun to see.  They did many different dances with many different outfits.  It is fun to see how excited she is to participate in dance, especially after 6 years.  All the girls did a great job.  We are really proud of our little girl. 

Turkey Trot

I am not a runner.  I prefer aerobic exercises like the ones Olivia Newton John did in her music video Let's Get Physical.

This song was #1 the week I was born.

I don't run because I don't know how to breathe properly while running.  I also think running can be hard on your joints.  But the main reason I don't run is because I'm deathly afraid of getting runner's diarrhea. 



I don't like Mexican Snack Shacks as my sister calls them.

My SIL is an exercise junkie.  She tries to get everyone in the family to exercise.  She can be a little ruthless at times but I appreciate her tenacity for healthy living.  Last year she got the family to do a turkey trot and I skipped the event due to morning sickness.  This year I didn't have an excuse. 



Here's my family after the race.  I jogged for 30 seconds at the beginning and at the end and walked the rest of the 5k.  I pushed Jonah and in a stroller and brought up the rear with Grandpa.  I wish I could say I was inspired when I saw others whiz past me and that perhaps I set a goal to do a marathon before my 35th birthday.  But I didn't and I'm not ashamed of myself either.  Some people just aren't runners and for that I am thankful.  However, I had a great time being with the fam and hope to walk another race next year!

Love it!

From this…

 

To this…

Now him…

Life is Good.

The Summer of Bubbles

For Christmas my sister, Kim, gave me a subscription to FamilyFun magazine.  There are so many cute ideas in the magazine that include recipes, activities, and crafts.  One craft caught my attention and was something I thought I could do as it only required dowels and yarn.  I mustered up any and all creativity possessed in my left brain and with only two burned fingers from the glue gun I completed a homemade bubble wand thingamabob.  It has provided hours of fun this summer and fun pictures to boot.  

Treven and the bubble wand.

Friends, Brooklyn and Landon, making some of their first bubbles.

I love this picture because you can’t really see me but you can see my huge preggo belly.

This activity is so much fun I brought it to our family reunion.  Here is my little nephew, Mitch, trying to pop a bubble.

Jeff, my bro, had a lot of skill and finesse.

Thanks Kim for the magazine and our fun summer of bubbles!

Wildflower Festival

As a family we decided that we should all drive to the very top of Little Cottonwood Canyon to check out the wildflower festival.  The mass fields of wildflowers will probably take a couple more weeks due to the very cold, wet year we have had.  Despite this, there were some beautiful, colorful flowers that will probably only exist for a short time.  It was also amazing to see all the snow within feet of us on July 30th!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rolling Over - A video for the nay-sayers

Three weeks old and he can already roll over! Haven't been able to capture the back to front roll yet, but I am hopeful I will catch it soon. He was camera shy about showing off his rolling skills for everyone. It took over 10 times to finally capture it. Whenever we don't want him to roll, he does though.

Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’

From BABYCENTER.COM: "At 5 months your baby will probably be able to lift his head, push up on his arms, and arch his back to lift his chest off the ground. He may even rock on his stomach, kick his legs, and swim with his arms. All these exercises help him develop the muscles he needs to roll over in both directions — likely by the time he's about 6 months old."

Our kid decided that he would roll over from stomach to back last week on three separate occasions. When Ashley's parents thought we were ridiculous, he rolled from back to stomach right in front of them, for the first time ever! I am sure the 22 inches of leverage helped him somehow, but REALLY?!!!

Now, at THREE WEEKS, we have to be extremely careful not to set him on couches or beds without blockades in his way. Something tells me we may have our work cut out for us with this kiddo!

47 Years

Today is my parent’s 47th wedding anniversary.  Almost every year in the past, my parents have gone away together somewhere for a weekend to celebrate.  Although they cannot be together this year, it is still a celebration.  What a testament to my parents that they have been married for so long.  What dedication and devotion they both showed to stay together for so long, through all of life’s challenges.  I am so grateful for eternal marriage and for the knowledge that my parents are married forever, because of righteous choices that started their life together 47 years ago.  One of the greatest gifts I have ever been given was to see my Mother love and revere my Father and my Father to love and revere my Mother.  In my life I have learned that love is more often an action than a feeling.  The feeling only seems to come after the actions.  I saw times where my Mother had to care for my Father and times where my Father had to care for my Mother.  In the tender times that have existed in the last month or so, I still see the love that exists in my parent’s marriage.  I cannot express my gratitude to my parents for all that they have done to make it together for the last 47 years. 

Baby Jonah is Here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our little Jonah is finally here!  Grandma decided that after a breezy 22 1/2 hours of labor, she would allow him to make his appearance in the world.  He showed up at 5:27AM this morning.  Mom and baby are doing really well.  He weighed in at 8lbs. 3 oz. and was 22 inches long.  We couldn’t be happier.  He has brought such a peace with him and we can’t wait to take him home.  We love you our little Jonah!

 

(I composed the following poem while we were waiting for Jonah to be born)

 

Grandma! Grandma! You’ve come back!

I’ve been waiting to see you all day

To feel your hugs and your kisses too

And most of all, to play

Come into my arms, my little one

I’m so glad to hold you again

I sure missed you, my sweet child

Tell me: How have you been?

I’ve been watching from here above

I saw all that you were willing to give

You did so much in your time on earth

I learned from you how I should live

Give one more hug, now let’s play

We can play games or throw a ball

I will read to you, and sing you songs

We’ll take time to do it all!

We’ve now had time to play my child

Come sit on my knee, and let’s talk

Your short time on earth, is about to begin

It’s the place where you’ll play and walk

But, Grandma, you just got here

Can’t I stay for a longer while?

I love to be held, tight in your arms

And I would really miss your smile

I don’t know how I can leave

I just love you so, so much!

I want to be right by your side

To feel your gentle touch

My sweet child, it’s okay

There is no need to cry

You need to live in morality

But this is not goodbye

It will only be a little while

Before we can play some more

I will be here to welcome you home

When you come through the door

Until then, I’ll be in your heart

Watching you grow from above

I’ll walk with you, each new day

I’ll send you all of my love

So you must go, this is your time

There are angels down on earth too

They’ll wipe your tears, and give you comfort

Whenever you’re sad, hurt, or blue

Your Mommy and Daddy are so excited

So many want to give you their love

You even have a couple siblings there

Your family will fit like a glove

Please take with you, all my very best

My husband and family were hard to leave

You’ll bring peace from Father’s home above

And it will help them as they grieve.

When your earth life comes to an end

I’ll be waiting like you were for me

We’ll share some new stories

And play together, throughout all eternity

Now is the time, you must go

I’ll never be too far away

Just follow the path the Savior laid

And you will find your way

Let’s you and I, share one last hug

Before the start of your earthly phase

I’ll be your angel up above

I’ll love you all of your days

MOM–June 9, 1944–June 23, 2011

 Late yesterday afternoon my angel Mother slipped quietly out of this life and back into the loving arms of our Heavenly Father.  While she had been battling cancer, at the time of her death, she was cancer-free.  Everything was very normal with her even in the early morning hours when my Dad was helping her.  But suddenly things changed.  My Dad rushed her to the hospital and she was given hours to live.  Her bowels had died and there was no where for the toxins to go.  They simply overwhelmed her body.  There was nothing anyone on this earth could do, and our Father in Heaven had decided that he needed her to come home.  Surrounded by our family, she slipped back into his arms.  While her death was a sudden shock to each of us, her pain had gone on for years now.  What a blessing it is that she can be free from her broken body and now let her spirit soar. 

As she was passing through the veil, I said a quiet prayer that someone would be there to greet her and lead her back to the Savior.  My mind flooded with the image of a little boy rushing up to greet his Grandma, hug her, and pull her by the hand. 

I am sure that in the tender mercies of the Lord that my angel Mother and our soon to be born son will get to spend the next couple of days together before his time on earth comes.  I hope that she gives him her love and compassion for others.  I hope that she gives him her sweet natured spirit and goodness.  I hope she teaches him how to quietly serve others as she did, and I hope that she instills in him the importance, and her love for the Gospel the same way that she has to all of us.  Lastly, I hope that she teaches him love.  The last thing to quit working on her mortal frame was her heart.  That big heart that beat so hard for each one of us for so many years.  That heart that viewed all of Heavenly Father’s children equally.  That heart that poured out so much love, yet still constantly over-flowed. 

I miss my Mom so much already, and it will not be the same without her.  However, I know that she is with our Heavenly Father now and spending some time with her Grandson as he prepares for this mortal life.  This makes me so grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord, grateful for the plan of salvation, and the knowledge that we can all be together again. 

Love you Mom!    

Midnight Musings

 

Okay, so it isn’t midnight.  It’s 5:00 am in the morning and I’ve been awake since 2:30 am.  Why you ask?  Because I have a pair of feet stuck under my rib cage that continuously like to stretch and move.  Fortunately for me a rain storm took place around 3:00 am and I wandered outside with my camera to see if I could capture the lightening.  No success.  One of these days I really need to figure out all of the settings on my camera. 

Until then, here are some recent updates:

Treven finally grew his hair out.  He looked so handsome and had his first salon hair cut at the age of 7 1/2.  Unfortunately, it didn’t last long and is back to being shaved.  Doesn’t he look cute?

 

Ady had her year end dance recital and performed a number to “Cruella De Ville”.  She was excited for weeks leading up to the recital and performed the number several times in the living room.  She is a very serious performer!

My good friend, Amanda and her family, have been in town this past month giving me the opportunity to take my family to their condo in St. George!  Thanks Amanda.

Kent became a human surf board for the weekend.

My parents got a puppy and named him Toby! He is currently being potty trained and learning important things, like his name.

Nesting mode is in full force.  Bedrooms are being rearranged and cleaned, baby items are being sorted and put in place, the crib is set up, the swing is set up, and the bassinet is by my bed.

Now all I need is for the little tyke to finish baking.  Twelve more days!!!