SNOW!

Since there had been a fairly decent snowfall up north this week we decided to take the boys up on Christmas Eve. The day was overcast and a little windy which made for some chilly temperatures, but it was a great way to star off the holiday and give our little guy his first look at the snow. Easton recently watched a movie where the made a snowman and ever since he's been wanting to go to the snow and make one. He says we needed to have a hat, a scarf, and buttons so the snowman won't be cold (also from the movie). So first thing we did was build a snowman complete with buttons. No scarf and though, sorry Mr. Snowman hopefully you aren't too cold out there without them! Here are a few of the pictures we took while we were out.

The snowman begins to take shape!



No snowman is complete without a little facial hair.

Meet Nebuchadnezzar, the snowman (which incidently is the name of our next child according to big brother).

Mom and Asher didn't get to help much, but had fun posing with Easton and Daddy's creation. Well, at least I did. The baby was pretty much exhausted at this point and not long after we had to head back to the car to warm up a little before braving the elements again.

A goodbye kiss!

My big boy all bundled up and ready to play!

We decided Asher looked like the Michelin tire man. He couldn't really put his arms down with all those layers, but soooooo cute!

A few more family pictures!

A long day of playing and driving, but one of many great memories we've enjoyed together as a family. Can't wait till next year when the littlest one can help build the snowman too!

December Fun!

December is a long month, and it's not even over yet! But here's just a look at some of the fun things we've been doing so far. This doesn't even come close to including everything we've been up to. But with fun like this you can see why I can't seem to blog more than once a month. I really need to be better about it though because I miss it, and love seeing everyone else's!

We deocorated our tree at the beginning of the month. As soon as we opened the box of decorations Easton says "Mom I really like Christmas!"



He put about 3 ornaments on, all in the same area. Then he decided it was just more fun to unwrap them all and hand them to me to put on. That works!

Asher was very fascinated with the lights. He really wanted to eat them. He was completely covered in drool in just about every picture. Most of them didn't even turn out of him because the seat he's in bounces. So he was in action 90% of the time.

Just look at those lashes! :)

Unloading the box was the best part!

Then the fun part became wrapping himself up in the ribbon.

Asher just chillin!

My handsome boys!

Next stop in our December of fun was the ice skating rink! Easton went skating for the first time when we took the young people's group earlier this month. As our official mascott he tags along most of the time.

He loved it and had a great time. By the end he had gotten some pretty good balance, but kept a good hold on daddy.

Here he is with dad and Uncle Nathan. So adorable!!

Finally our last stop in December fun was the Christmas light display at the Mormon temple. Beautiful lights, a short outdoor concert, and of course some invites to future church services. I didn't get talked to by anyone, but a few from our group did. The opening prayer to begin the concert included thanksgiving for the chance to live eternally with our families. Other than that it could've been said by any number of people I know. Even though I don't agree with their church I have to give them credit for coming up with a great community outreach and not being afraid to witness.

Didn't get a lot of pictures here (for which you're probably thankful!) It was very crowded and stopping for even a few seconds for pictures blocked narrow sidewalks. Or got you separated from your group pretty quickly. But here are a few of them.

Really cool camel light display.

A small view of the garden.

My cuties! Easton had been in the stroller for about a minute at this point and already wanted OUT! He had to endure it at least till we got out of the parking lot and had somewhat of an idea where we were going.

This was Asher's favorite spot of the night!

It's been a busy busy month and Christmas is still a week away. We've got things to do every night until then, but it's a wonderful time of year to spend with friends and family. I'm incredibly thankful for each one. I am SO blessed!

The Periscope

This is a project we did awhile ago and am just now getting around to posting pictures. Grandad gave us a leftover kit from one of the kid's workshops they do. So we got to break out the tools and transform our kitchen into a workshop and make our very own periscope!



First things first, read the directions...some people may skip that but this mom needs them!



Next make sure you have all your materials.



Yes, I let a 2 year old use a hammer by himself :)




Getting the nails put in correctly. There were guide holes so he could do this step on his own.

More hammering!

Checking out how everything works.

Now time to add some personal touches.

This project was great because it involved glue, nails, hammers and markers. Who wouldn't have fun with a supply list like that??

Sooo Tired

So I recently joined "The 30 Day Shred" bandwagon. And no I am NOT going to post before and after pictures of my body. For one, the before is way way way too scary. Two, the after may not be all that impressive and then it wouldn't do any favors to the marketing of this DVD. And I could go on with the many reasons I do not want to do that, but those are probably sufficient. Although I have found several people who have bravely shown pictures of themselves along the 30 day journey. I was pretty impressed with some of them, which is why I decided to give it a try. So this morning I finished day 10. I've done it everyday except for Sunday. I'm giving myself that day off. Everyone needs a day of rest right?

Well, anyway there are 3 levels to this thing and I've only ever attempted level 1 so far. Tomorrow I brave level 2. I decided I would try and do each level for 10 days, but I'm not sure if that's going to work for me or not. Level 1 alone has been a good workout for me. It's doable, but I'm definitely tired when I'm done. It's only a 20 minute workout they say, but if you go from the warm up all the way through the cool down it's more like 26 minutes (but who's counting right???) So far I have yet to see any amazing body transformations, but I will say I think my rear is jiggling a little less than it was when I first started :) Ah, small victories!!

I've been wanting to start working out again for awhile now. I know I need to take better care of myself and set a better example that way for my kids. I don't want them to have the mom who doesn't want to go outside with them or do any kind of physical activity at all. I'll have to leave the actual sports up to daddy, he's the athlete in the family. I'm completely inept at things that require hand eye coordination. But I can kick a soccer ball around in the backyard or play tag. But if I continue on the sedentary path I've settled into lately I won't even be able to do that. So, 30 Day Shred I'm counting on you to motivate me to keep it up by transforming my body...ok ok I will settle for just improving it!

My Baby is Growing Up!

It seems like only just a few days ago this was my little boy.



Then before I know it, this is the face I see looking back at me. How did that happen so fast?!



Now that our new nephew has arrived I see just how big my baby is getting. He's still just a little guy, but seems huge next to his latest cousin. It doesn't seem like that much time could've gone by since he was born, but it obviously has. Even though he's had his fussy moments he's starting to get such a great personality. He laughs out loud now, and it's so fun to make him giggle.

Looking forward to what the future holds for this boy as he grows. He's growing so fast with his big brother leading the way! When they're both walking something tells me this mom will need eyes in the back of her head and lightning quick speed to keep up with those two.

Green Eggs and Ham

Easton has been bugging me for awhile to make him green eggs and ham. Whenever I ask him what he wants for breakfast or lunch he says "Ummm green eggs and ham." So this morning when he asked for it I decided why not? So here is his breakfast of green eggs and ham. Except it's actually green eggs and turkey since we don't have any ham, but close enough!



The green plate and green eggs looks even grosser, but he thought it was really cool.


Tastes pretty good!



And another big bite!

This kid is already quite the Dr. Seuss fan. His favorites are Green Eggs an Ham and Mr. Brown Can Moo Can You? He loves to say "Boom boom boom Mr. Brown is a wonder. Boom boom boom Mr. Brown makes thunder." Wonder if we can figure out how to make thunder for breakfast?

Words of Wisdom Dinner

Tonight we had an awesome young peoples activity, our first Words of Wisdom dinner. We invited some of the members of our local to share a meal and some of their advice with our youth group and it was awesome. I don't know what everyone else got out of it, but I loved it. It gave some of our youngest and some of our most seasoned a chance to visit and share their life experiences with each other.

We talked about the future of our local and our church, good decisions we've made, and shared some mistakes and how they might be avoided. We discussed things that have shaped our lives, and ways we've grown spiritually. Tonight made me appreciate even more the wealth of knowledge we have available to us and how blessed we are to be part of this amazing group of people from the youngest to the oldest.

Some of the words of wisdom I heard shared tonight:

Allow God to direct your life. He may have something in store you never considered, but is best for you.

Look for ways to be of service. Make yourself available for work that needs to be done. Starting in small ways can prepare you for greater responsibilities in the future.

Choose you friends wisely they greatly influence who you are.

Think globally, how do the choices we make as a church and as individuals affect the spreading of the gospel. Focus outside of yourself. Realize the impact your actions have on others they can be much more far reaching than you think.

A successful life requires hard work.

Don't allow entertainment to be your number one focus. Distractions come in many forms that take our hearts away from the things that matter most.

I hope some of these are words of wisdom you can use as well. This will definitely be a dinner we do again!

It's been awhile...

It's been almost a month since I've updated my blog. As you can imagine it's been a little more difficult to find time for this since the baby was born. I can't believe he's a month old already and growing like crazy. At his two week appointment he was 90th percentile for weight and 95th for height. Not that anyone is surprised by that if you've seen his older brother. At 3 weeks old he had already gained 2 pounds, grown 2 1/2 inches, and moved up a diaper size. I don't know his exact height or weight right now, but I know the outfit he wore a week ago was tight when I put it on him for church Sunday. He's starting to fill out and look like a chubby baby now. He's still got that newborn look to him, but it's fading fast. I love the cuddly phase of newborn, but I really do like it more when they get a couple months older and start interacting and getting their personality. Right now his personality is angry...he's pretty fussy in the eveings but we're trying some new things hoping it helps. We aren't sure exactly what's causing this fussiness, but hoping it passes soon. His big brother was never like this so it's a new experience for us. Tonight though he hasn't shed a tear and it's 10pm, well past the time when he normally would've started his crying hour(s). But he's wide awake so I am too, but that's ok. I will take awake and content over awake and screaming any day.

We are starting to settle into a regular routine again which is nice. It's good to feel like a normal house again. As much as I liked taking a break from housework, I didn't really like the results it left. It's crazy how quickly your house can turn into a disaster zone. I had forgotten how much space all the stuff for a baby takes up. As they grow you start to rid yourself of some of the extra things that take up space: bassinets, bouncy seats, swings, boppy pillows, etc... With all of that the house pretty much looks cluttered all the time, especially considering the size of our house. Those extra things fill up what little space we have pretty quickly. That's ok though they are well worth the space they take. The bouncy seat and swing are definite life savers!

In other good news number one son is now potty trained. He's in underwear all the time, except for at night, no more pullups to buy yay! He's had a couple of accidents since his little bro was born, but he hadn't had any at all for a long time before that. He's also now telling us when he has to go which is what I was waiting for!! I still remind him throughout the day because they get distracted playing, but he's doing so great. He told me the other day I don't go poo poo or potty in my pants mommy, that's yucky. His big motivator has been that he can't go camping or hunting with daddy until he only goes potty in the toilet all the time and not in his pants. He can't wait to go do all those fun things with daddy.

Wow when I go so long in between posts I get pretty wordy! I guess I should update more often so it's in a little more reader friendly length :)

Latest Addition

This last week has brought many new changes into our lives and we thank God for each and every one of them. The day began like any other, and ended with us holding a new little life in our arms. As I sit here writing this I am overcome with the realization of the many blessings God has seen fit to bestow upon me. I do not deserve them, but am so grateful for each and every one of them. They began long ago with God guiding and directing me throughout my life and finally leading me to a wonderful husband. Who is now a wonderful father to two incredible sons. The amazing part is I know God isn't finished with this life he's given me yet and I look forward with anticipation to what he has still has in store.



I thought I would share the story of our newest little one's birth. (Apologizing in advance this may be long...) I had an uneventful pregnancy except for of course the morning sickness part. But even that could have been much worse. Every check up and ultrasound showed no signs of any problems with me or the baby. As the end drew near I became more and more excited to see his little face. The only drawback to my deliveries is I'm one of those lucky women who has a type of strep that doesn't make me sick, and can't be passed on to anyone else...except during delivery. As a result of this I have to have antibiotics the day the baby is born at least 4 hours prior to delivery. Because of this I was very nervous I wouldn't know when to go to the hospital on my own to get there in time for the antibiotics prior to delivery. I had been praying about it a lot and tried to give it up to God that I would know when to go, or that I would know I should schedule to be induced.



In the last few days of my pregnancy I was making more and more progress towards delivery, and at my last appointment my doctor was really surprised I hadn't gone into labor yet. So we scheduled me to be induced 2 days later to be sure I could get the antibiotics in, but even then the doctor said he would probably see me before that. Well, needless to say that didn't happen. So I went in for the scheduled appointment at the hospital. I had been there only a short time and had gotten all hooked up to the monitors when suddenly my room was filled with the doctor and several nurses. They were all talking to each other and looking at the printouts of my contractions and the baby's heart rate etc and looking concerned. Next thing I know they're starting me on oxygen, IV fluids, and drawing blood from the other arm, all while telling me everything is fine. They were just a "little concerned" about the baby. I was already having regular contractions (which I didn't even know), and every time I did the baby's heart rate would drop. They said if this continued it meant he would not tolerate the stronger contractions of a regular delivery and I would have to have an emergency c-section. This was of course not news I wanted to hear, and immediately started to pray. Within a few minutes the heart beat had stabilized and everything was looking good again. Except now my blood pressure was up...you think?? :)



After that I had to lay on my side through the remainder of the time. Couldn't sit up on my back or walk around. They didn't want to have added stress on me or the baby. After all that things calmed down and they were just waiting for the 4 hours to pass after antibiotics to break my water. They did that and contractions started to progress, but not enough that much was happening so I told them it was ok to start the pitocin to induce the labor. About an hour into that the contractions were really picking up, coming fast and hard. With my first I was induced too, but it didn't get that strong as fast. I was thinking I probably had another couple hours to go since before I was on the pitocin awhile before he was born, and I wasn't going to be able to handle these contractions for much longer. I told the nurse I needed to go to the bathroom and as I was walking back to the bed I told them I needed something for the pain because it was getting to be too much. She said she needed to check to see how far along I was, but then sure they would get me something for the pain. She checked me and said "We have baby" which meant no time for pain medication. And also explained the reason it had suddenly become so difficult...he was ready to be born. They called the doctor, but baby and mom were not interested in waiting for that. Within a few minutes baby was born without the help of my doctor, but with a wonderful nurse. My doctor showed up about 10 min later. Well with the doctors help or not the latest addition to our family is now here and doing great!! We couldn't be any happier.

My two boys!

Our growing family!

Mother's Day

I've been reading some Mother's Day inspired blogs and so I thought I'd follow along and share one too. One of the greatest blessings I've been given in my life is my mom... Mom, you have dealt with me patiently through the good and bad moments of my childhood and teenage years. You have been willing to listen when I just needed to talk, as well as give sound advice when the time was right. You have lived your life as an example of a Godly woman who puts her trust in the Lord in every circumstance. Your patience and loving attitude are things I'm still aspiring to find in myself one day. I know our ultimate example of how to live is in Christ, but your footsteps are also some I hope to follow in as well. As a mother myself now I appreciate the sacrifices you made for us over the years even more. You have always put others first, and shown that selfless charity that we are commanded to have. Thank you for all you have done to help me discover God's plans for my life, and to learn to follow Him.

Taking a Break

Since last night I was so sore and tired after what really didn't seem like all that much work, I told myself I would take a few breaks in between today. Instead of standing on my feet for such long periods at a time like yesterday. I don't really have anything to do with my break time so I'm sitting on the couch right now with my feet up playing on the computer. My wonderful husband has an extra day off today so he is entertaining our son while I get things done. Or in this case, get nothing done :)

Hoping after today we will be ready for the baby to show up at any time. We just need to get out the basinet and the small carseat. Other than that I think we are set. The crib still needs to be put together, but that's on the agenda for today (maybe). Even if that doesnt' get done it would be ok since we aren't going to use it right away anyway. Giving son number one a little time to adjust before the baby invades his room too. I have no feelings at all that I'm going to have this baby early or anything. I just want to be ready so I don't have to worry about it later when my stomach is even bigger! I want this little guy to wait a few more weeks, but not too many. I really don't want to go into June still pregnant. It's getting hot enough as it is. But even more than that I want the baby to show up when his daddy is home. He has a short weekend trip planned (that I told him to take) only 2 weeks before the baby is due. I'm not terribly nervous about that, but hoping the timing is ok. It's not as if you can really plan on when a baby will show up. I wasn't early before so hopefully I won't be now. Baby can come before or after but there is a 3 day window he needs to avoid!

Well, looks like I've taken a pretty good break. Time to get back to work. For a little while at least. Then it's back to my perch on the couch. My ankles do not need to get as huge as they were yesterday ever again :)

I'm sure this is normal...right?

To all my friends who have more than one child, or anyone who has multiple grandchildren, neices/nephews, or just likes a lot of kids I have a question....

Before the second, third, fourth etc. kid came into your life did you ever wonder how will it ever be the same for them as it was for the first? In case that doesn't make sense, (which I'm pretty sure it doesn't) let me explain. For the last two years it has just been Easton and I. Dad is there too, but you know what I mean. Easton has my undivided attention right now. He's the only one I read to, the only one I rock to sleep, the only one I...you get the idea. He gets so much one on one just mom time. Now that baby number two is getting closer to his arrival I think about how all of that will change. Don't get me wrong this baby is very much wanted and already loved, but I just wonder what it will be like. The second one will never know what it was like to have mom and dad all to themselves. They will never get my undivided attention in the same way baby number one did. And number one son will never get my undivided attention again in the way he's used to. I know Easton will adjust, and number two will never know any different. Yet I still find myself wondering what it will be like. Part of me is a little sad for both boys because their experiences will be so different, although they're so young they won't remember life without each other anyway. The other part of me knows that there are also some serious perks to having a sibling around. Someone to help clean up the toys, someone to pass the blame on when you get in trouble, someone to teach new things to, someone to learn from, a friend, a confidant...

I guess it's because it's the unknown for me that I find myself wondering lately what it will be like. Wondering what changes having two at two very differet stages in life will bring to our house. I know it isn't something I can really prepare for, and don't need to. It's just something I've found myself thinking about lately. Like I said, I'm sure this is normal...right?

Little Robin Hood

Easton got a new bow and arrow set for his birthday this year and as you can see he doesn't like it at all...Yeah right. He only wants to use it during every waking moment. Unfortunately for him mom isn't really an archery expert so he has to wait until dad is home to practice his skills. That's ok with dad though, since he likes this new bow as much as his son does. These two are pretty cute out in the back yard with their bows and arrows. My Robin Hood, and his mini Robin hood in the making.

I know I don't know much about this sport, but I was pretty impressed with how well he handled the bow for a little guy. The bow has a 10lb draw and he's able to do it like it's nothing. I'm pretty sure he's stronger than I am already :)

He still needs a little help from dad to keep the arrow in place, but other than that he's on his own with this thing. Must be in the genes, like father like son.

Now if he would just look at the target when he's shooting he'd be on his way to the olympics in no time!

He was getting a lot of encouragement from mom and dad while practicing, and it must've rubbed off on him. After most of his shots he would say something like "Good shot Easton." or "Look at that, good job!" He's certainly not lacking for positive reinforcement.

And if you didn't get enough with pictures alone, I have video too! This is just a short one. He did the best stuff earlier on, but this is still pretty cute of him shooting his arrows. My little man, growing up so fast!

Random acts of cuteness...(stole that line from my sister in law)

Yesterday I'm reading to Easton and he decides he wants me to hold him with his head on my shoulder. This is his favorite way to be held when he gets tired, but it is not so easy to do with my ever growing middle. So I held him for awhile then told him I couldn't do it for very long because it hurt my stomach. I told him it hurts because my belly is getting bigger and bigger. So he crawls off my lap, pats his stomach and says "Mama Eastons belly hurts, it's bigger. Baby's comin soon." I was laughing so hard...that kid is too funny.

My Son

My son is getting to be so funny now that he's almost two. I understand why parents of toddlers are never bored. They come up with the craziest things to say and do. Just this morning when daddy was leaving for work he told him "Bye bye daddy!" Dad asked him "Where am I going?" Instead of saying work like he usually does, he said "Daddy's going crazy!" and then laughed and laughed at himself. I laughed at that one too, he's right you know :)

I just put him down for a nap and as I was rocking him before I laid him down I was thinking about how much fun he is and how much I love this time I have with him at this age. He's growing up so fast. It amazes me how much kids learn in such a short peroid of time. He went from being completely dependent on mom and dad to sleeping in his own room, feeding himself, walking, talking, helping to dress himself, making jokes, making friends, singing songs, learning the alphabet, counting to ten, and so many other things all in under 2 years. I see him growing and maturing each day. Although I don't want him to grow up too fast I'm so excited about the things I see him doing. I feel so blessed every day even when he tries my patience. God gave me an amazing gift when He brought this little boy into our lives. I only hope that I'm able to be the mom he needs me to be because he deserves the best.

ABC Song

Easton got this set of magnets for Christmas. I'm sure you've all seen the ones where you put letter in and it says its name and the sounds it makes. It also sings the ABC Song. As annoying as this thing can sometimes be it really has helped Easton learn a lot. He's recognizing many of the letters now and can say the sounds they make. This is a video that I'm a little behind in posting since it's from Christmas day. This is Easton after he opened the gift.

A Big Brother

Just found out today that Easton is going to have a little brother. Ultrasound looks good and everything seems to be fine with the baby, an answer to prayers. We are really excited and I'm glad that Easton will have someone close to his age to be friends with as they grow up. I've been thinking about all the things he can teach his little brother. I'm hoping he will teach his brother to:

sing and play the piano (it's hilarioius to watch Easton sing with his keyboard he gets very into it)

say I love you mama/dada

"run faster" (that's his latest thing to do, he starts running and then says run faster run faster!)

play blocks

"help you mama" (he always wants to help with everything and if he can pass that on to little bro I would love it)

go to church (easton loves going to church, even if during the services sometimes you can't tell)

and many more...

Even though I know there are other not so great things he will teach his brother to drive his parents crazy, I think Easton will be a great big brother. This little one will be lucky to have him in his life. God has blessed our family so much and I can't wait to meet its newest member. Although now I am VERY outnumbered.