Memorial Day Weekend : Part Two :

After the cold rainy weekend we went to my uncles house in Lehi to enjoy the beautiful weather, great food and good company.  It was a great day.  

Michael doing boy stuff with my cousins.

Eli had a lot of fun with the kids.  To say that they LOVE him would be an understatement.  

They ADORE him.  Especially Jaxon.  I think its the cutest thing in the world.

Eating ice cream on daddy's lap.

Ridding the 4-wheeler.  He wasn't that impressed.

Mom and dad's turn.  Pretty sure this is on the long list of things NOT to do while you are pregnant.  But Michael went really slow.  

Memorial Day Weekend : Part One :

On Saturday we decided to go to the air show at Hill Air force Base despite the bad weather.  It was cold, rainy, and windy.  Michael has ALWAYS wanted to see the Thunderbirds perform so we could let a little rain stop us!  Thankfully right when we parked the skies parted and the rain stopped.  

Eli was having a blast until a jet flew over a little too close and a little to loudly.  We couldn't get him to calm down for about 20 minutes.  Luckily we were given some earplugs and that helped solve the problem.  Mostly.   

This is how Eli watched the Thunderbird show.  It was cold and windy and we were trying to protect his ears.  It worked.  He almost fell asleep!

Christmas & New Years

Christmas was so wonderful this year.  We started the morning off by going to the ward building down the street from my Mom's house.  They had their Christmas program and it was amazing.  It was such a fantastic way to start Christmas morning.  We came home to our traditional Christmas breakfast. 

Then "the opening" began.  The best part was watching Eli open his presents.  He quickly got the idea that there were neat things inside those beautifully wrapped gifts.  He growled as he opened each present and LOVED all the toys he got.  Our house it a little louder now thanks to all of those noisy toys.  But we love it!

Michael had the week after Christmas off from work.  Instead of relaxing we hammered out a huge project.  It's built and painted now I just need to organize it.  Pictures when I'm done with that.  

For New Years we put Eli down and hung out with our neighbors the Lunds.  We played reverse charades, ate ice cream, saw a few fireworks from the window then went to sleep!

As you can tell, I had such a great time I didn't take any pictures.  I took a break from that and just soaked in the moments.  However, now I'm mad that I didn't take any.  Oh well.  I have a goal to help me with that for this year!  

Hope your Christmas and New Years was as great as ours!

A Very Merry Christmas

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Deck The Halls

We are enjoying the season.  

Eli loves the tree, especially the ornaments.

I am loving the lights, music, cold weather, and the joy that fills the air.

So many people seem just a little happier.  It's wonderful.   

Hope your holiday season is going great!

Thanksgiving

We had a great time in Arizona this Thanksgiving.  It was fun to spend time with family and meet two new babies that were born since we were down there last.  It was also nice to have a few days of sunshine before we prepare for another Utah winter.  I didn't take many pictures while we were down there, so I'm just going to do a quick recap. 

• The night before we left Eli woke up screaming and nothing we did calmed him down.  Finally we tried some orajel.  Bingo!  We noticed a little tooth coming through on the bottom. 
• Our flight to Arizona was great! It wasn't a full flight so we had a whole row to ourselves.  Every family with a baby did.  We kept Eli entertained with ice, books, magazine ripping, the window and lots of treats.
• Our sleep schedule was pretty disrupted while we were on vacation.  (We are still recovering) Our first night there was filled with screams and tears.
• Eli learned to walk!  He had been taking steps and could walk across our living room but once in Arizona he took off!  We thought that was appropriate since he learned to crawl in Arizona and got his first tooth there.  
• We had lots of time to play with cousins.  Eli loves all of his cousins, especially Brightley.  She always makes him laugh. 
• We had some good times playing Just Dance and other games with siblings.
• Good food on Thanksgiving!
• Eli's second new tooth started poking through the last days of our trip.
• The flight home was full and by the way E was acting in the airport I was not excited about boarding the plane. Just after takeoff Eli sat on Michael's lap and fell asleep while Michael read to him from the skymall magazine.  Such a blessing.
• There were a lot of military personnel on our flight and when we got to baggage claim we were able to watch as they were welcomed home by their families.  Such a sweet moment.

We are so grateful for our little family and for the time we had to spend with our extended family.  Now our Christmas tree is up and we are enjoying the rest of the holiday season.  

Life is good and we are happy.

Halloween

Our Little Pilot

We put this costume together at the very last minute, but I think it turned out cute.

We celebrated Halloween with a party at Michael's work.  Lots of fun.

Then we had dinner with our neighbors. The meal consisted of perfect Halloween foods.  Dead man's chest (ribs with a red bell pepper in the middle) mashed potato ghosts, and bones (rolls in the shape of a bone.)  It was great!

Carvin' Our Pumpkin

For the second year in a row {which makes it an official tradition} we got together with the Iversons to carve pumpkins.  Michael and I were excited to see how Eli would like it.  I personally though he would be a little hesitant of the sticky slimy goop, but I was wrong.  Very, very wrong.

Seconds after being being shown the cut open pumpkin he looked like this.  Yes that is a pumpkin juice beard.

The finished pumpkins

Pikin' A Pumpkin

We had a great time at the pumpkin patch this year.  The little patch we found was fabulous.  Big selection, big pumpkins, and small prices.  Just the way we like it.  

Bear Lake

Michael and I decided at the last minute to take a trip to Bear Lake over Labor Day Weekend.  We were fortunate enough to be able to stay in my friend Charity's cabin.  {Thanks so much Char}  It was a magical weekend full of sandy beaches, raspberry shakes, crisp mornings, warm evenings,  glowing sunsets, and the last warm rays of summer.  We sure enjoyed every minute we had in that beautiful spot.  This is a trip that won't soon be forgotten.  

Michael and I are already dreaming about which sandy beach we want to build our cabin on.

We could have done with a little less sand and rock eating!

We had a few days with just the three of us and it was wonderful.  Wonderful to take a break from work, church callings, and the little household tasks that sometimes prevent us from spending time doing the things we love.  

We were lucky enough to have our good friends the Iversons join us for a few days and it was great.  We stayed up way too late, talked a lot, laughed, and ate way too much sugar.  We are so blessed to have such good friends!

We took some time to drive up to Bloomington Lake.  The Iverson's had been snowmobiling up in that area and it was fun to see it in the summer.  {Even though there was still snow on the ground.} 

A LOT of people were enjoying the lake as well as the the awesome rope swing.  Brave little kids and adults were swinging out and dropping into the icy water. Both Michaels were surprised that none of the swimmers were making a sound.  No holler when they swung out over the water, not even a gasp of shock when they popped their heads out of the icy cold water.

Julia and I challenged the boys to show the crowd how it's done, since obviously no one was doing it right.  It took some convincing, since we hadn't come prepared to swim.  In the end the boys decided to take the challenge and conquered the rope swing with howls and yells that captured the attention of the onlookers.  

And Michael A's splash.  He did a suicide.  People thought he belly flopped.

The crowed decided that Michael A. won for style and Michael I. won for distance.

For more great pictures from Bloomington Lake and our stay at Bear Lake go to the Iverson's blog.

Once back at the cabin the boys decided that the long, cold, and wet ride home was well worth it.  Each thought the rope swing was the best part of the whole trip.

Julia and I did not jump in the lake since we hadn't come prepared with swimming suits.  As soon as we were back in the car I wish I had.  Life's too short to worry about wet clothes!

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was wonderful this year and was extra special because I have a baby of my own.  

Now that I am a mother I really do appreciate my mom, and all mothers, so much more.  As mothers we have such an important responsibility to love, nurture, and teach our children.  I'm grateful for my mom and the dedication she put into raising her family.  I am also grateful for my mother in law and the wonderful job she did in raising Michael.  He is perfect for me and I know much of that is because of her firm testimony and unwavering diligence in teaching him truth.  

As I listened to the speakers in church on Sunday tell of their sweet mothers I was once again reminded of the new burden I bear of mother.  I could literally feel the weight of this new role bearing down upon me as I listened to stories of wonderful women and how they had magnified the calling of mother.  As I think of my future as a mother I am filled with anxiety, faith, and joy.  I am so new at this "mother" thing that I can't claim to know anything!  However, I have faith that my Heavenly Father--who is the perfect parent--will help me.  He knows me and my children.  He will help me when I fail and strengthen me in my role as a mother.  I am grateful that He has blessed me with wonderful examples of great mothers and with tools to help me become a better mother.  

One "tool" that I recently discovered is the book Teaching Your Children Joy 

By Linda and Richard Eyre.  

I started reading this book just before Mother's day and it has filled me with joy.  In the introduction the Eyre's explain that the most important thing you can give your children is love, but after that the most important thing we have give them or teach them is to have joy.  And they aren't just talking about a happy sort of joy, but joy in work, spiritual joys and much much more.  I'm borrowing this book from my mother in law, but I wish I had my own copy because I have been restraining myself from writing all over it and taking notes in the margins! 

Another reason I LOVE this book is because it's not one of those parenting books where you read a few chapters and you feel as though you keep reading the same 3 paragraphs that state the author's opinion over and over and over again.  The Eyre's are very to-the-point in this book.  They give real examples of each joy, ways you can teach them, stories that demonstrate them, and examples of how children have experienced the joys.  I can't wait to keep reading!  Who knows, maybe I'll become more joyful in the process too! 

Easter

We went down to Arizona for Easter and it was FABULOUS!

The weather was so warm which was a nice break from the cold Spring weather we have been having here in Utah.  Our weekend was filled with lots of family, good food, and laughter.  

The Easter Pageant was so great.  

I'm really happy that I was finally able to see it after hearing Michael talk it up for so long.

 E excited to go to the Pageant

On Sunday the boys took some funny pictures.  I don't think they are capable of taking a serious picture!  :)

Grandpa trying to keep E from crying.

E relaxing on our bed

 

The Shave

Michael's Dad had grown his beard out for the Easter Pageant and Sunday night was the day to shave it off.  It was quite the process with interesting looks emerging.  I think the boys had fun.

 

 

It was a great Easter and I"m so happy we were able to share it with our Arizona family.