Goodbye 2008...

Here's to another great year ahead
as we enter 2009.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASON!

Today Cason turned 6 years old...here is a quick peak at our favorite six year old.

• favorite food is hamburgers and pizza
  
• favorite sport is football
  
• favorite movie is "Bolt"
  
• favorite candy is suckers
  
• favorite color is blue and green
  
• favorite restaurant is Boston's Pizza
  
• favorite person is daddy
  
• favorite pastime is to play with sister and brothers
  
• favorite place is home
  
• favorite day of the week is Saturday
  
• favorite dessert is ice-cream
  
• favorite shape is circle
  
• favorite holiday is Christmas
  
• favorite animal is tiger

In celebration of Cason we went to the movie theatre to see Disney's Bolt...

And enjoyed Sammy's pizza at Cason's request for "sit down" pizza...

Happy Birthday Cason. We love you TONS!

How lucky am I?

I say it over and over, but everybody ought to have an oldest daughter to help out. On Monday I was trying to feed Ty while Jake was in his high chair, pitching a bit of a fit....

Kaitlyn walked into the kitchen - "what does Jake need?"
Me - "he wants a drink, but I'm feeding the baby"
Kaitlyn - "I can get it. What does he want to drink?"
Me - "Juice"
Kaitlyn - "I can get that"
Cason - "I want some juice too"
Kaitlyn "I can get that for you"

I continued to feed the baby and just said a silent prayer of gratitude for moments like these. I'm so grateful for not only a daughter that is so capable, but also willing (most of the time).

***DISCLAIMER***
Less anyone thinks this is typical and my life is full of ease and, thus, hates me - here's a dose of the REALITY from earlier that day....

• I awoke with my ankle STILL hurting (day #6) and not able to bear full weight
• sore ankle meant one more day of no running, with less than 3 weeks before my race
• ant infestation in 2 bathrooms - called the pest control who can't come until TOMORROW!
• Jake let out a BARK first thing this morning - it's CROUP!
• we're out of bread and milk - when I realized we had no milk, Kaitlyn said "it's okay, we can just use eggnog" (yes, we have eggnog)
• first 3 diaper changes for both Ty and Jake were full on poop BLOWOUTS!
• most of us never made it out of our pajamas the entire day

Handsome Boys

With Jake's birthday last week, and Cason's this week, it was time for some portraits to be taken. Here are just a couple of each of my handsome birthday boys ....

Jakers ~ 2 years old

Cason ~ 6 years old

52 Blessing Project Week 51 ~ CHRIST

I have to pause during this Christmas season and give thanks and express my gratitude to our Savior, even JESUS CHRIST. He is the reason that we celebrate this time of year. I am grateful that I have been raised to know of Christ - of his birth, of his life and example, and of his death and resurrection. That knowledge is the reason that I am who I am and that I do the things that I do. I find joy and hope and forgiveness and peace in Him.

I have spent 2008 with a personal mission to find more "peace" in my life. (Thus my thought on peace on the sidebar of my blog) I can happily report that by making it a conscious decision, I think I have recognized more peace in my life, but that has been by and through Christ. Let me share this thought....

"Life often feels like a great pile of obligations, frustrations, and disappointments. But the Lord is there, always the same, His arms still outstretched. When we feel overwhelmed, we have to remember the peace He has spoken to us on previous occasions. His peace brings comfort and strength; the world cannot give that to us."
(Kathleen H. Hughes, "Remembering the Lord's Love, Ensign," Nov. 2006, 111-12)

I wish I could articulate my feelings about the Saviour and that through my words you could be touched by His spirit. But since my words seem to often fall short of what my heart feels, let me share a testimony of Christ by Elder Holland. Though the words are not my own, they express the feelings in my heart and testify of truth.

"I testify that Jesus Christ is the literal, living Son of our literal, living God. This Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer who, under the guidance of the Father, was the Creator of heaven and earth and all things that in them are. I bear witness that He was born of a virgin mother, that in His lifetime He performed mighty miracles observed by legions of His disciples and by His enemies as well. I testify that He had power over death because He was divine but that He willingly subjected Himself to death for our sake because for a period of time He was also mortal. I declare that in His willing submission to death He took upon Himself the sins of the world, paying an infinite price for every sorrow and sickness, every heartache and unhappiness from Adam to the end of the world. In doing so He conquered both the grave physically and hell spiritually and set the human family free. I bear witness that He was literally resurrected from the tomb and, after ascending to His Father, to complete the process of that Resurrection, He appeared, repeatedly, to hundreds of disciples in the Old World and in the New. I know He is the Holy One of Israel, the Messiah who will one day come again in final glory, to reign on earth as Lord of lords and King of kings."
(Jeffrey R. Holland, The Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He Hath Sent, Ensign, Nov. 2007, 42)

Christmas 2008

We did something new this year for Christmas (shock!). In our attempt to keep things a bit more simple I took a poem that I'd seen on a website and tweaked it for our purposes.

Something you want
Something you need
Something to play
And something to read

We presented it to the kids and instead of getting a rebellion ("we're only getting four gifts?"), they memorized it and recited it and even broke their Christmas wish lists into the four categories (my children actually had "socks" on their Christmas list - as a need of course). I never told them that they would only get one gift in each category, but they (incorrectly) assumed that that was the case and so they were pleasantly surprised with multiple gifts in the different categories. It was a fun twist to Christmas and could easily be tweaked further by changing "play" to "wear" or "build" or "share" etc. I think we may do it again and just thought I would pass it along.

Speaking of passing along, here are just a few photos of our Christmas day....

Kaitlyn got her very own blog (something to read) and she has already posted three entries and is asking me to add music to her play list. I'm excited to have her share her thoughts in this "journal" and to help her increase her writing/typing skills as well. Thanks to all of you that left her comments - she read all the comments Christmas morning and was really excited to already have such a fan base. Her blog is private so that we can monitor it, but if you didn't get an invite and want one, just let me know.

Cason's favorite gift was his skateboard from Santa and the model car (something you want) from mom and dad. He and his dad built the car together Christmas afternoon and he has had it in his sight ever since. Needless to say, he is pretty proud of their work together.

Jake was just excited to be opening anything. He had a present in front of him at all times and when he exhausted his stack he began tackling other people's gifts. He didn't really care what was in the gift - which was exactly what I was counting on since he got a package of diapers (something you need) and he seemed to show the same amount of enthusiasm for the diapers as for his toys.

Ty slept through most of the morning, but when he finally joined us in the unwrapping he did a pretty good job of tearing the wrapping paper - we just had to be quick to keep him from eating it once he tore it loose. His favorite gift was the train that sings from grandma and grandpa - we have all been humming the tune in our heads ever since it made it's appearance. Toys that make noise are always given to kids from people that don't live in the house, right? :)

You can see that we had a terrific day and the kids made out like bandits! Thanks to all!

With love...from our family to yours

Merry Christmas to all...

and to all a Good Night!

Happy Birthday to our MONKEY!

Happy Birthday to you,
You live in a zoo,
You look like a monkey and....
You smell like one too!

Thus began our birthday celebration to our very own monkey ~ our Jaker Jake - who turned TWO today!

"A Monkey?" you say?

Ah yes - here is a day (today, in fact) in the life of our lovable, mischievous monkey (think Curious George)

To begin the day, this is what Jake did to his birthday cake while I was in the shower and his sister "watched" him. What intrigued me was that he placed the saran wrap back over it - as if nothing ever happened.
Luckily I'd taken the photo above last night upon completion of the monkey cake.


(NO PHOTO) Jake uses the soap dispenser as a gun. As I near him to take it from him he "shoots" fiercely at me.

When I called for Jake to come downstairs so that we could go to the doctor's office - this is what he was wearing. Hmmm, let's try again buddy.








Our second attempt out the door. Pretty good with the exception of the Santa hat and his brother's cowboy boots - but neither of those were negotiable today. So off to the doctor we go in both.







The pile of my boots that Jake had apparently gone through before settling on his brother's boots.








(NO PHOTO) Jake falls asleep on the way to the doctor's office. 10 minutes in the car will kill all hopes for a nap later today.

(NO PHOTO) Jake colors on his head and face with a pen while waiting in the doctor's waiting room. Yes, I'm sitting right next to him but he's very quiet and sneaky :)

When I call for Jake to come downstairs to run to the post office, this is the third outfit of the day.









Nap #2 in the car on the way home from the post office - this nap is due to no real nap today which was due to the first nap in the car this morning. This second nap will be the reason that he lays in his bed for an hour tonight calling out "momma"!



After giving the monkey new eyes it's time to blow out the candles. Jake is a huffer and a puffer and we all get some good entertainment watching him. After a few minutes (no exaggeration!) of puffing we have success and the candles go out. Jake is so pleased with himself that he asks that the candles get lit again. We end up lighting them 5 times before the evening is over.

Jake enjoying his cake, this time with permission.

Jake's (and mom's) favorite time of the day. TUB TIME. Jake enjoys his new tub toys received from mom and dad.

This monkey keeps me hopping as he swings from tree to tree all day. I wouldn't have it any other way. I love my monkey. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKERS!

SIX months old!

Six months old already?

Six months means time for a check up. We went to the pediatrician's office today and Ty weighed in at 15 pounds 8 ounces and was 26 5/8 inches long! He's getting so big!

Six months means that it's time to begin solid foods. Ty got his first taste today of rice cereal (mixed with formula).

Here's Ty before we started the food - happy and ready to go.

1st bite - "hmmmmm"

2nd bite - "really there's more?"

3rd bite - "maybe if I sit real still it will go away"

4th bite ' "it's not going away!"

5th bite - "good grief will nobody save me?"

6th bite - "maybe if I just pretend I've fallen asleep! wake me when it's over!"

Six months also means it's time to give my Ty guy a haircut. I'd already trimmed around his ears twice and cut his hairline at his collar once, but last night it was a real haircut, given by mom, with the assistance of dad.

Ty cried when I used the razor, but luckily dad is great at comforting, so the haircut continued.

<-- this is the before (poor lighting)

--> this is the after

Happy 6 months Ty! We love you dearly!

What is that unique flavor?

I keep my Christmas tree simple - complete with homemade ornaments....i.e. cookies. The cookies have been remade a couple of times and the past time that I "made" new cookies/ornaments I got crafty and LACQUERED the cookies (it gives them a nice shiny finished look).

I guess I never figured in my little tornado. Never mind that Kaitlyn and Cason never touched the tree as toddlers. I am constantly reminded that their behavior is not an indication of what child #3 will do.

So in staying true to his personality - JAKE TOOK A BITE FROM ONE OF THE COOKIES!

The best part is that he bit the cookie while it was still hanging from the tree (less evidence).

The worst part is that once it was in his mouth and he had determined that it was GROSS he spit it out on the carpet (so much for less evidence).

At least I can happily report that my 2 year old is a quick learner and I don't suppose he will be going near the tree again, at least not with the intention of getting a snack :)

52 Blessing Project Week 50 ~ BROTHERS

"Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero."

~Marc Brown

I'm an only girl. No sisters. Only brothers. Three brothers. Two older. One younger. All "bigger". Poor me....

Or so I thought, much of my growing up years. I would have given anything to have a sister when I was young. But as I got older I realized how lucky I was to be the only girl. I had three brothers all to myself. And not just any brothers - MY BROTHERS.

I am so grateful for my three brothers. This post can't begin to contain all the great things about my brothers or all the things they have done for me. Suffice it to say, I have AMAZING BROTHERS that I admire, I learn from, I get help from, I look up to (literally), I rely on, I love!

I value my relationship with my brothers and hope that they each know that.

Santa's Helper

Santa came to our rec center this afternoon.

Turns out it's just one of his helpers though. Cason pulled on his beard, just to be sure, and when it proved to be a fake beard Cason very loudly announced "it's not the real Santa!"

Hopefully he will still be able to pass along the kids wishes to the real Jolly Old Elf.

Sit up straight

Ty had a "blowout" today and as a result I was forced to remove his clothing, one layer at a time, while he was in the tub. As I removed each layer of clothing I was washing them in the sink. When I was done with the dirty task I went to the tub so that I could wash my cutie, only to find Ty sitting right up!

You're killing me Ty!

He has been really close to sitting up for a while, despite the fact that I have not yet actually put him upright ever! He has figured it out completely on his own as part of his crawling. He will pause when crawling and sit for a minute before continuing on his way. Almost like he is just resting!

Turns out, despite my best efforts, my Ty is growing up.