My Silly Boys

The other day James was doing another silly thing and I knew I wouldn't want to forget. So here is a list of the quirky things that my boys do that make me smile!

Peter

• Peter recently discovered his feet. Now when I lay him down he has more options. He will either roll over or stick his feet in the air and grab hold.

• Peter also makes a squeaking sound. He is full of smiles and makes this silly sound when he is excited.

• He is super ticklish! We can get him to giggle so hard if we are tickling him.

• Everyday Peter learns new parts about his body. The other day he learned to suck on his top lip. It's funny for the most part but he thinks the best time is when he is nursing! Not so funny then!

James

• James is a goof. I think he lives to make people laugh. He loves to make sure everyone in the room is watching him. Be careful he does several eye checks to make sure everyone's attention is on him. Then he does something complete spazy like gallop around the dining table!

• James is also a bit of a story teller. He will go off on crazy things and he just loves to talk. It doesn't always make sense but in his head it must be one awesome adventure. This is most difficult during family home evening. I will try to explain something to him and he keeps interrupting saying I know I know and then trying to explain some crazy unrelated story to me.

• James thinks he is really funny when he mixes up names. I mean nothing is funnier than calling me Dad or calling his Aunt Kait, Aunt Mom. 

• Clothes mean a lot more to James then they do to other people. One shirt can make him turn into a tractor and basketball shorts mean he is a power ranger. And almost all pajamas are very difficult to get off of him because either they have given him the ability to fly or he will tell me that if I take it off I will break his internet. Yes, that's right, his internet.

• His piles. Oh his piles! I've mentioned these before but this boy loves putting everything in a pile or lining things up along the floor or couch. Then he tells me what he created. A T Rex or maybe it's his house or sometimes it's a trap. 

• He loves being a ninja. This means he shoves weapons in the back of his shirt and then runs around hitting things and jumping on things. I am pretty lucky almost all my daycare kids are boys and they love playing the same games with him.

There are so many little things that these boys do that it's hard to remember. I will have to write them down as they happen so that I can have plenty to tease them with when they are older.

For my weekly update I have one of these silly stories. We had fast and testimony in our sacrament this week. James recently discovered he can go up and share his testimony and he loves. We don't tell him what to say so he basically gets up there and tells everyone who he loves. He got up there and said he loves mom and dad. Then he wanted to say he loves the missionaries so he he said and I love you. He pointed at the missionaries but then he got embarrassed so he laughed and his his two hands against his forehead! It was so cute. I find it funny that a three year old can feel the nerves of talking in front of people. It also makes me proud that he was brave enough to go do it!

This last week has been fairly boring. We have been recovering from a never ending cold! I think Peter is teething because he is drooling like crazy. We had dinner for grandma Deb last Monday and I got to make a fairy cake! 

It was Earth Day this last Tuesday and that was fun. We went out to eat to celebrate (just love the excuse). Then we went to see Disney Bears in the the theater. James loved the movie and automatically connected with the animals. The mother bear had two cubs. James kept telling us that one of cubs was him and the one that kept clinging to the mama bear was Peter. *Spolier alert* At one point one of the cubs is lost and the mama bear is giving up hope. I was convinced this cub was dead and of course it was the one James names after himself! James was also freaking out and then thank goodness the cub was found! 

We also had spring cleaning at the church. Matt was more helpful than me but thank goodness Kait was there to help with the boys or I wouldn't have got anything done. 

On Saturday we had a dinner at the church for my sister's young women's camp fundraiser. It was very yummy and we had fun. Matt and I got in a bidding war over a homemade leather journal! We didn't win though, once the journal hit $50 it just didn't make sense keep going! But hey I feel we still helped the young women earn $50! 

This week has also been all over the place with the weather. Often raining but there have been a few really warm nice nights. We were able to go on a walk with boys. I can't wait to go on more walks this summer. Both James and Peter seemed to really enjoy it. 

Book of Spells

This is my book of spells cake! My library was having a cake contest and the cakes needed to be book themed. Of course I had to go with Harry Potter! I really love how this one turned out! 

Unfortunately with time and work I didn't bring the cake until 6 and the bidding ended at 7. Turns out 6-7 isn't exactly prime library time. So my husband's pity bid bought us back our cake! But that's okay because I still won Best Adult Cake!

 

I won more cake supplies which was awesome because I love growing my cake making stash!

This was a really fun cake to make! It was also a great way to support the library! 

Tinkerbell

Grandma Deb's birthday just happened and she asked me for one of my cakes. She had pointed out a purple frosting a few weeks back and it happened to work out perfect for this Tinkerbell Fairy Cake! 

 Ignore James' baggy shirt. He has been pulling on the collar all day! Why James! Why! 

James loves birthdays! Loves singing happy birthday and he loves when he gets to help blow out the candles!

Happy birthday Grandma Deb! I hope it was a wonderful day full of love!

Spring Break!

We had such a busy week this last week! Now we didn't actually have spring break because none of my family is in school. All the same it was spring break for most of the town! On Tuesday my sister Claire came over for the afternoon. James loves his aunts and uncles and loves hanging out with them. We had an afternoon of building Legos and watching Frozen. Too much fun!

As the week went on James learned about the letter "H". Some letters come so easily to him and this was one of them! When Matt came home he asks him which letter he learned about. James quickly said "H" and then with his hand in the air he drew an "H" for his daddy.

James loves coloring!

The two big ones were mine as I explained down down across. The small one in the middle was James.

This week Peter learned how to roll over from his back to his stomach. And now he seems to do it every time! In this process he also decided he prefers sleeping on his stomach! This freaks me out and I never had to deal with this with James. He still, to this day, prefers to sleep on his back. I guess there are just some things this mama needs to let go. Of course I still did research on google! But the common idea is that if they can roll then they will be fine. 

James got to hang out at his Grandpa Paul's house. He had so much fun but kids say the darnest things! Here are some conversations I got to hear about!

Question- What does mommy make you for breakfast?

James- Hot dogs and sandwiches (yummy and so nutritious)

Q- Do you have a girlfriend

J- Yeah

Q- Oh yeah, who?

J- Mommy!

I love how much James loves me! He even blessed me first in the prayer he said while he was there! :) 

I was very happy with how much fun he had but it makes me sad how big he is getting! He is such a little man! 

James has been getting pretty clever with the stories he makes. I was not aware that children start making things up so young! He has a scratch on his foot and he told me that a lion grabbed him! What a crazy imagination he has! 

This week I also had the opportunity to make a cake for a library contest! Check out my cake posts!"My Harry Potter Cake" This cake was a Harry Potter themed cake and I won Best Adult Cake! I was pretty happy and I had a ton of fun with this cake! Thank you Pinterest for giving me some cool ideas! 

Jumping back to Tuesday for my pet portion of my blog. Miss Lexi got spayed. Poor girl but she did a great job. I was told she did really well with the Vet Techs. I was worries with how nervous she would be but I am glad she did well. She has had some separation anxiety the remainder of the week but healing wise she has done great!

On Friday we were able to get off work a little early and headed down to Kemmerer to hand out with Great Grandma Lil. It's always nice to hang out with family and this let us be pretty close to the Green for our Saturday adventures. 

Saturday we got to have a day of camping fun. We started out our morning with the Tolhursts as the celebrated the life of Uncle Dave. James got to meet some second cousins and even got to have a fun Easter egg hunt!

Later that afternoon we headed over to the Kampmans for more family fun! We flew kites and hung out around the campfire. James really enjoyed himself. Peter was a little anxious about the wind but I think outside is starting to grow on him.

Our Easter Sunday started out a bit unusual. Our ward is the early ward so after a busy Saturday, it was hard to get up especially since both Matt and I had sunburns that we were dealing with! In second hour I went to feed James and found out that my sister Caroline had a seizure that morning. My husband was able to go to help my dad give her a blessing. I am so grateful to have a worthy Priesthood holder in my home. It is such a blessing in my life. 

I was scared through the process but my faith brought me comfort. I cannot imagine what my sister must have felt. I could see that she was scared and confused but I am sure she felt the love of all of us being there for her. Soon the testing was done and anything scary and serious had been ruled out. I am very happy to say that she is going to be fine and the doctors are not concerned. Later that day she seemed back to her cheerful self. Tired and worn down but still full of spirit.

We were then able to go to my dad's sacrament and listen to my brother Jason's Easter talk. I am very proud of him and know he has all of the talents and abilities to be able to share this gospel. We then had a great Easter dinner and Easter Egg hunt. James had so much fun with all of the family. He also loved playing with my cousins Jaxon and Zach!

This was a great week full of family and fun. The Savior, Jesus Christ, was remembered and his love was felt deeply by my family. I am so grateful for all memories we were able to share together.

I am a Member of the Church of a Jesus Christ of a Latter Day Saints

As of late, I have felt a powerful desire to share my testimony. In my church we have a General Conference twice a year where we get to hear the words of God through our Prophets and leaders. In the recent April 2014 General Conference I got a strong impression that I need to be more vocal about my beliefs. I don't often get into scenarios where I need to defend my beliefs but I also don't tend to let people know what it is I believe. 

As a mother, I want my boys to know what it is that I stand for. More than anything I want my actions to show my beliefs but I want to urge the importance of saying aloud our testimonies. This helps our testimonies grow and it helps others grow as well. It takes courage to do this.

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Many would recognize the terms of Mormon or LDS. We live in a world full of nicknames, slang, and abbreviations. This makes texting and talking easier. However, it can take away some of the meaning. The most important part of my church and the very foundation of my beliefs is Jesus Christ. With names like Mormon or Latter Day Saints, the corner stone of my religion gets lost. I need it to be know that I am christian. In recent celebration of Easter my love for our savior Jesus Christ has only grown.

I know that Jesus came to Earth and I know that he suffered and died for all so that we may live again.

I know that Christ is the savior of the world.

I know that Jesus Christ loves each and everyone of us. He gave his life for us.

I know that I must strive to be like him and walk the path that he has walked.

I know that Jesus Christ is the son of God.

I believe so strongly in the teachings of my church. With this I believe in the foundation of the formation of my church. Joseph Smith was the founder of this church. He brought forth the restoration and I must bare my testimony of him. I must quote one of our prophets to clear all confusion. “We do not worship Joseph Smith the Prophet. We worship God our Eternal Father and the risen Lord Jesus Christ. But we acknowledge the Prophet; we proclaim him; we respect him; we reverence him as an instrument in the hands of the Almighty in restoring to the earth the ancient truths of the divine gospel, together with the priesthood through which the authority of God is exercised in the affairs of His Church and for the blessing of His people” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “Joseph Smith Jr.—Prophet of God, Mighty Servant,” Ensign, Dec 2005, 2–6).

This is so perfect because it is the truth. I know Joseph Smith is a true prophet.

I know Joseph Smith was doing the work of God. 

I know beyond a doubt that a 14 year old boy with little education could not do this work without the hand and presence of God.

I do not share my testimony of Joseph Smith enough but I know in my heart of this truth and I have so much love and appreciation for this prophet of God.

I also want to bare my testimony of our prophet today, Tomas S. Monson. He has a wonderful light about him. He is the leader of our church and he is steadfast in his duty to God.

I know that Tomas S. Monson does the work of God.

I know that President Monson speaks the words of God.

I know that Tomas S. Monson is the true prophet of God in these latter days and he leading our church towards our Heavenly Father.

I have a testimony of our Heavenly  Father.

I know that he loves all of us and I know that he knows us personally.

I know he has a greater perspective than me and I trust in his plan for me.

I know that he sent me here to Earth to learn and grow, to be tested.

I know that Heavenily Father sent his beloved son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for our sons; providing a way back home. 

I also have a strong testimony in the temple work of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

I know because of the temple and the priesthood power, I am sealed to my family for all time and eternity.

I know that because of our work in the temple we are able to provide a way for everyone to access the blessings that God has given to us.

I know the temple is sacred and that it is a house of God.

I have a testimony of Priesthood Power. I am so grateful for this in my life. The priesthood has brought to me so much comfort. 

I know that as long as I am worthy I have access to the priesthood.

I know that priesthood can bring me safety and peace. It is the power to heal and to bless.

I am so grateful for my church. I am so grateful for my family. I am so grateful to have been raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and that I have this oppurtunity to give my children this happiness.

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true church.

I know that because of this church I have a happiness beyond that of the world.

I know that we are all children of God. He loves us all and wants us to return to him.

I am so happy that I have this oppurtunity to share my beliefs. I hope to touch a soul. I hope to be an example to my children. I hope to be the best I can be and live up to the standard of being a daughter of God.

Please let this be your inspiration. Bare out your heart and feel the happiness I feel. Do not hesitate to have your voice be heard.

Tech Free Morning Challenge

While feeding my son, I started to Facebook. While scrolling down my feed I found the following article.

http://us.cnn.com/2014/04/14/opinion/robbins-morning-habits/index.html?sr=fb041414snooze1pStory

I read and soon discovered I am guilty of doing just this. My typical day goes like this...

• I turn off my alarm (I hate snoozing it, I want to sleep solid until the very last minute.)

• I keep my phone in my hand and start scrolling through Facebook, or I check my messages, and sometimes I will check my email.

• Finally I get out of bed and I get dressed.

• Now one of my daycare kids shows up. 

• I get the kids breakfast and then I start to feed Peter.

• Usually I will turn on the TV and watch one of my shows and sometimes I Facebook some more.

• I don't do much in the morning. Pretty slow while I wait for all the kids to show up. 

• I teach the kids the letter of the week, read a book, and sometimes a craft.

• Then I put Peter down for his first nap.

• I still sort of laze about. Sometimes I pick up a bit, or maybe another show if anything is on.

• Peter is up, lunch is given to the kids.

• About an hour later it's nap time for all the kiddos.

• And it is now that I finally bust my butt. I clean my house up and down. I start dinner. I start the laundry. I have my phone down and the tv off. I get it done.

I have to admit I'm not proud of my day. I mean I know my house is clean by the end. I do get done what is needed and I even have plenty of time to relax. Yet, I still feel like I have wasted so much time. After reading this article, while yes wasting time on Facebook, I cannot help but wonder if it all begins with my start. If I didn't get on Facebook first thing would I have a more productive day? At the very least would I have a less stressful day? A day that I wasn't thinking about all I had to do in the morning, and stressing to get it all done in the afternoon?

So I decided to challenge myself and anyone and everyone is welcome to join me. First, decide the goals for the day.

Here are mine.

1. I want to add scripture study.

2. I want my house clean.

3. I want dinner cooked.

4. I want to spend quality time with my kids.

5. And I don't want to wait until the last minute to get it all done!

6. I do want some time to relax but not at the expense of any of the above or the feeling of being rushed to get it all done on time.

Second, come up with a plan of attack (some tips I found in the article)

• I will not check my phone as soon as I wake up.

• I will move my phone and charge it away from my bed. (It's a habit but I shouldn't need to be on it right before I go to bed or right when I wake up.)

• I need to do at least one productive thing before I do anything wasteful. (article suggests three but baby steps)

This is my goal for the week. I hope to continue until it becomes habit. Please feel free to join me and if any do, let me know if you notice any changes in your routine by simply cutting out that morning tech.

My Family Up-to-date

So far 2014 has been a very busy year! James turned three and that has been quite an adventure! 

For his birthday party this year, we had a ninja turtle theme. He loves those ninjas! I think he rotates through his favorites but I would say Donatelo takes the cake.

We had a very full house for his birthday! Lots of family and friends that came to show their love for our Mister James!

We even had a "choose your weapon" piñata! This was quite a hit (pun intended)!

All in all I felt James had a lot of fun! More recently, James has been doing many new things! He has a small group of friends of which I provide childcare for. Nicholas, Feleicitie, and Derek provide James with lots of fun during the day. One of James' favorite things right now is Mario. He actually can play really well! 

For example this game! Now all those baby yoshis are going to swallow the squares and start climbing around. He has to pick the right things! He loves ice power and that mean looking dragon guy will mess everything up! 

Okay! So he doesn't do it every time but I will say this, he is alot better than me! He is either really lucky or he actually follows them! I am not sure how that is possible!! 

James has also been learning his letters. This week we are on "H". He has been doing pretty well and can recognize what we have learned for the most part but on some days everything gets to be called "A"! 

Matt had made the above banner for James' birthday and it really does a great job at showing what kind of things he is currently into but here is a list:

• His shows! Ninja Turtles, Justice League, Ninjago, Spiderman, Super Why, and some Mario show from the eighties that drives me crazy! Dang you Netflix!

• He loves to color! However he takes after mom and prefers markers over crayons. 😋

• Legos! I feel this is what Matt is most excited about. I would have to say I love the fine motor skills and creativity it allows but I hate the price tag! Boo!

• Animals! Our home may be bit of a zoo to say the least but James loves his pets especially his good girl Lexi!

• Making piles. No explanation mark because I don't like this. I do not understand it, I do not know why he does it. But every day he takes everything in the room and puts it in a pile. All the toys, blankets, baskets, books, basically anything he can lift. He then tells me it's all sorts of things. Yesterday it was his T-Rex. But I have heard shell raiser, house, castle. And the worst part for mama; when I go to clean it up he gets really mad at me because I am breaking it!

• Being a ninja. James loves taking his toys and flinging them around as he fights imaginary bad guys. In fact just yesterday, he was swinging around a necklace that decided to fight back as he hit himself in the eye! (Don't worry he is okay)

• Imaginery friends! He has baby yoshis and invisible dogs that go everywhere with us. The other day we went to try on shoes and I told him he could not have a certain pair. He threw his head up and in a desperate cry he said, "You made baby yoshi sad!" Heaven help me!

I must say that I do love this stage that James is at. Every day brings something new. And sometimes it's something hillarious! Can I just say; I love being a mom!!

Peter is now 19 weeks 3 days! Translation 4.5 months. 

I can hardly handle how fast these boys grow up. Peter has also been up to a lot as well. Most recently he moved into his very own room into his crib. I was worried about how he would handle the change but I guess it was me that would have a more difficult time with it. If anything, I would say Peter loves his crib. I think he likes the extra space. 

I have discovered that Peter is quite the chatter box. He loves to sit with me and just babble away! It's so stinkin adorable! He is a very happy kid and gives me lots of smiles. I have to say I love how much he loves his big brother. James can capture Peter's attention and he can make laugh by just acting silly! It's really great to see. 

Peter is a very smart little man! One of my favorite things that he does is his help with diaper changes. Every time I go to change his diaper he lets me undo the tabs then he sticks his little feet in the air so that I can wipe him. Then I take the dry diaper and place it underneath his bum and he drops his legs down so that I can pull the front of the diaper up and replace the tabs. Thank you Peter for making this chore that much easier!

I also need to make mention of the bumbo seat! I never bought one for James and Matt was very hesitant to even bother getting one for Peter. "James never needed one." But I have to say I am very happy we decided to get it! Peter loves it and now he can sit at the table with us for dinner. He is much happier for it. Here's a list of some of the things Peter likes right now:

• His fingers! I would say he has a preference for his thumb but he isn't biased by any means. I do have a feeling that he is going to turn out like me! I will have to check with my mom to see when I finally gave up my thumb.

• Blankets! Can you like your fingers and blankets? This boy does! He loves holding his blankets and tucks them up by his face. I guess Kait's time here taught him some habits.

• Eating! This boy is one chunky monkey and I know why. He absolutely loves to eat. He will be six months soon and I think he is going to love eating real food. 😀

• Toys! Finally! When learning about parenting it seems that no one mentions how bored these tots get when all they can do is lay there. I am so grateful for the brightly colored, easy to hold, and fun-textured toys created for babies! Peter gets so excited about any toy you give to him.

• Observing. Peter loves looking around his surroundings. He watches the animals, his brother, and us like a hawk. He studies us a lot and I am so excited for when he can join in more.

I love these boys so much! Now if only I could stop time!

And there is an update on the boys! I promise the adults aren't as exciting but I won't leave us out. Miss Kaity has moved out of our house and into Jake's. It was time for her to experience something new. A break from this married with kids life style. We miss her being here but I have to say I am so proud of her and the choices she has made. 

Matt is doing great at Radiant. I am very grateful for his job and all of the time he can commit to his family. I think his most recent venture was to the barber shop. And thank goodness he loved it! (Yay, this mama does not have to cut hair anymore!) More than anything I am grateful for what a great dad and husband this man is. Every day he grows and manages to get better! We are very lucky to have him!

(Before his haircut, I'll have to get a more current picture when he gets home.)

And as for me; well I decided to starte writing this blog again! I can't say much more is going on with me but I love my life, which is why I want to share it!

And for the family as a whole. We recently have talked to a contractor to convert our garage. Expanding our home and my daycare in one fell swoop! Thank you Grandpa Paul and Grandma Carole for making it possible! I am so excited for the extra space.

Our pets are doing well. (I can't leave them out!) Lexi is getting big, in fact she turned one this last week! Our cats are adapting to her well, in fact I would say a couple of them even like her. Now, I think I would like to say that's all folks because pets shouldn't be too exciting but I have one more story to tell. Our oldest cat, Aladdin, escaped our house. Yes, he is an indoor cat. Well where we live, our houses all look the same. This is all fine and dandy for a human but for a cat this equals confusion. So much confusion, in fact, that Aladdin ran into some random house. Terrifying those inside he ran around like a manaic and even attacked their Great Dane. After scaring him back outside these strangers felt that the ordeal was over. But our dumb Aladdin was convinced that these strangers were in his house. So a couple of hours later he tries again. And with scratches and some fear these strangers call the cops. It was a Saturday and that would be why the cops were called instead of animal control. Well, after this, we finally found him through Facebook! Thank you strangers for sharing your story so that I could read and know without a doubt that the psycho grey cat was definitely our cat. Some phone calls were made, bond fees paid, and ten days of quaranteen and finally Aladdin was home, safe, and happy. And all I can say is thank you Aladdin because blogging about our pets just wouldn't be the same without you!

Until next time; I hope I have some good stories to share. 

Inspired to Write

I am not entirely sure why I find it so hard to get on and write a post. I would be writing about my gorgeous family and while we keep things simple, my boys still fill my life with adventure. Recently I have had a few examples that made me really want to crack down on this blog. One of my friends has been blogging for years. She is an excellent writer and thanks to her talent once a year she orders a hard cover book of her blog for that year. Now she has a beautiful book full of her family's adventures and pictures from that year. I heard about this and all I could think was, I want that! It then hit me that I would have to work for it. But it's more than worth it! Why??

Because. . .

1. I could potentially have years of books full of memories and pictures. (Goodbye boring scrapbooks!)

2. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the prophets of our church have asked us to keep journals. I have never been good at this but if I think about it, blogging is the modern day journal.

3. To look back on my life and see where I've been so that I can see how my family and I have grown! That is so special and would give me appreciation for my family.

4. This could develope a talent. I would say that I am not much of a writer now and I know I have a lot to learn but the only way to grow is to do!

I am sure if I put my mind to it I could think of many more reasons to why blogging is important and why it can be so good for me to do. The person above is what I want to become. I want to have years of stories to read! The reason I am on today is because another dear friend of mine, Holly Blau, is expecting twins. She has an 11 month old already and I know she felt certain with the combo that she would have many stories to tell. She told me that she was going to start blogging and once again I was hit with that feeling of "I want to do that"! So here I am! Now I'll publish this rather boring post so that I can write one about my family. I just knew I had to write this for myself so that I can read it and hopefully remember that feeling of inspiration when I start slacking on writing. Remember this future me...

1. And old proverb recently quoted by Dieter F. Uchtdorf; "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is now." Plant the tree! Write away our stories.

2. Have confidence. I know what I am feeling right now. I don't have confidence in my writing, I feel slightly embarrassed to put myself out there for people to read. In fact I don't want to post this because I do not think it is good enough. I think I will be embarrassed to reread it when I am older, more mature. Well don't think about this. Just write. Some of it will sound stupid but the memories are more important than how "story-like" they sound. Do not care about what it is but what it will become.

3. Always consider the future. Think about your children, and their children to come. Some day I won't be around to tell the stories and I know I will surely forget the stories long before that. This is for the future generations to have a piece of this lifetime. I would love to read journals of my grandparents. I would love to see what they went through. Know what is important and everything will fall into place.