JUNE We have been...

Celebrating Fathers

with Daddy/Son golf practice

Happy Father's Day to our favorite, coolest Daddy (proudly wearing the "Greatest Father in the World" tie Christian made in church)! Checkout Mason's face.

Father's Day princess dress-ups? It didn't make it any further than this before he ripped it off...not such a good idea he decided.

Remembering Uncle Chad...with a cemetary sword fight?

Graduating Preschool. Now onto kindergarten for our big boy!

Seeing big growling dinosaurs

Getting sprayed in the face by dinosaurs

Congratulating other Graduates. My baby sis graduated from the U with my same Mass Communications degree. Way to go Paige!

Catching a baseball game

Loving soccer with neighbor buddies

Rocking the Disco look (with my baby bump which is MUCH larger by now) at a friend's 70's party. Totally Troy's style - he has numerous outfits like this that he actually wears to family weddings and such.

Check out those fine mustaches and burnt weinies. Looking good guys!

Summer Lovin'

I can admit it, I've been slacking at the blog world lately. What HAVE we been up to you ask? (or maybe you didn't ask)
Nasty surgery for Troy (tonsils out, uvula out, deviated septum fixed, throat shaved and neck sliced open to sew bone away from airway). Ouch!!. Hoping to cure sleep apnea, cross our fingers.
Playing nurse all Memorial weekend - not fun at all. Yuck.
Thrilled it's finally summer!!!
Day 3 at the pool and feeling fabulous. Bring on more sunshine, I can get used to this.
Snowcone season, mmmm. Yep, we are regulars at the local Aloha Snow Shack.
Feeling very large and preggers. Everything is so tight. Good thing for stretchy, flowy dresses and skirts. Already getting the comments from strangers that I must be due really soon. Um, nope, got a good 3.5 months left. Gotta love that.
Barbeque time, eating on the back porch, staying outside late, neighborhood strolls at night, working in our Garden (weeding is actually theraputic for me)...did I mention I LOVE summer?? Well I sure do.
Oh and the highlight of this week: we hired our first cleaning lady and I think I'm in LOVE!! (And thankfully my hubby is too.) So grand walking into sparkling bathrooms and bright white blinds not covered in dust. Highly recommend it, totally worth every penny.
Happy summer to us all!

Big 5 Year Old

WOW! Hard to believe we have a 5 year old and soon-to-be kindergartner. Our Christian is such a sweet, tender-hearted boy. He is so smart, he remembers everything and is starting to sound out words. He loves his friends and family and is so patient with his little brother. He's still into GREEN, although he's been adding a few new favorites to his color palette. He loves everything Star Wars and Super Heroes and video games. I'm holding off as long as possible on getting a Wii because this boy is game crazed enough.
Star Wars Party - 17 crazy kids in costumes, what was I thinking?? It was WILD! Kiddos played Jedi Training games and destroyed the Death Star pinata. However they were most excited about chasing each other with their pool noodle light sabers (and whacking the crap out of each other). And this is creative as it gets with cake making at our house - yep, I actually carved and frosted a light saber cake (using a funfetti cake mix of course, making from scratch would have done me in). I was pretty proud of my work and it definitely pleased the birthday Jedi Knight!

Birthday gaming at Fat Cats with Grandma & Grandpa



Birthday crown and "C" doughnuts at preschool

Happy Happy 5 Years Christian, we love you and are so proud of you!!

Mothers

After a very crazy/busy, yet fun and exciting week at our house, it was nice to spend time focusing on mothers today. I enjoyed hearing about the influence of other people's mothers and pondering the relationship I treasure with my own amazing mother. I thank her for teaching me to be strong, confident, independent and spontaneous. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing mothers. I look to so many of my great friends, family members and neighbors as examples of motherly patience (something I always need), nurturing, kindness...and the list goes on. I love being a mother, even though it's completely chaotic and stressful, it is truly the best job in the world. Getting hugs and "I love you's" from my boys (in between wrestling matches and sword fights) and tucking them into bed at night is the greatest feeling. Warm fuzzies all over.

Christian gave me a sweet handprint in a painted frame he made at school that talks about how someday I will miss the smudged handprints on the walls so here is one to last. Priceless. I cry when I think about those days when my little ones are all grown and don't need me anymore. I want to treasure them now and remember how precious they are. I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day! Thanks for being great examples to me. Take some time for yourself and remember to treasure your little ones (even in the midst of chaos).

ps. I received some very exciting news this week. I'm going to have a daughter. That's right, it's a GIRL!!! The news was hard to believe at first (I truly thought it was a trick) but now that it's sinking in I am thrilled to experience that mother/daughter bond with my own little princess. And I can't wait to shop for everything girly - bring on the pink and bows and ruffles!

HOPPY Easter & Spring Break Sunshine

Looks like Easter BLUES was our color of choice this year...

Many FUN Easter celebrations this year:
- Grandma Jody's annual egg/money hunt where the adults were crawling on the ground and tearing apart the house for cash!
- St. George for Spring Break included a neighborhood egg hunt at the park, Jace's grand backyard hunt with treats and prizes gallore for his 4 grand-kiddos, Art's Festival, fishing, swimming...
- Yes, a full week of beautiful sunshine while it was snowy and cold in SLC. It was heavenly, definitely did my soul good. As if the 80 degree weather wasn't nice enough, we ventured down to Vegas and Mesquite for 90 degree temps at the pool, the Mandalay Bay Beach and Wave pool and Casablanca. Mom & Christian even had a special mommy/son overnight date in Sin City with our good friends to see the Tournament of Knights, filled with action packed sword fighting. It was a little intense but Christian LOVED it and I loved hanging solo with 1 kiddo. Oh how easy it used to be with 1...

Funny moments:

- While some guys were out playing air guns in the open land behind my mom's house, my boys sneaked up on them with swords, guns and a Superman cape like little snipers. Mason ran up and started whacking a guy with his light saber. Hilarious! Then they came back and complained that they guys called them "little kids." They think they are SO BIG! - Running though the splash pad attacking the spraying water like ninjas with swords (okay, my boys REALLY like their weapons).
- Driving the ride-on Jeep like maniacs down Nana's street
THE BEST: Boys were fishing with Daddy, Mason kept asking if the bait (which is bright colored goo) was playdough and we said it was the fish food. So after catching the first fish and it's laying in the net, slowing dying (so sad), we look over to find Mason stuffing wads of the bright colored bait into the fish's mouth. "Look, I'm feeding the fish!" He was so proud.

We caught this beautiful cactus flower for it's 1-day bloom.

GIANT scone at the Art's Fest (and we had already eaten half of it) - Mason had to hold the whole thing of course. No sharing for 2 year olds.

The latest "fighting pose" - apparently the days of cute smiling boys posed for a pic are over.

Look what the Easter Bunny brought us, more Star Wars stuff, imagine that! And yet another "fighting pose." Christian was adament the Bunny hid his basket on the roof, good thing he found it before he found a way to get up there!

Ninjas at the splash pad



Mommy/Date in Vegas - Cheers for the knights!

Showing off our Vegas Beach, is this boy skinny or what?!

Don't ya love our Easter masks?? Grandma Jody has all the best holiday gear...


Let the hunt begin.

Hope you all had a grand Easter celebration as well!

xoxo from our crazy fam

Lately

• We caved and got a new kitty, the same kitty we picked out, take that shelter! We had to work the system to rescue an animal. She has a huge racoon tail and big, blue eyes. Always purring and so sweet.


• When will it stop snowing? Will it ever stop? Beginning to think I live in Alaska. Definitely think I have seasonal mood disorder. NEED SUNSHINE.


• Happy 6 years of wedding bliss/craziness/adventures to me and Troy. 11 years together so it always feels like much longer. Hubs took me for brunch at Ruth's Diner (in the snowstorm). Couples massages at night. So relaxing and much needed. Tried Mazza for dinner - first time there and food was excellent. Night without kids - even more excellent. Why don't we "date" more often?? Note to self: book babysitters.


• Mason decided the new kitty needed a bath and threw her in with him. Wet paw prints everywhere and poor, drenched kitty...how lovely she smells now.


• Christian's soccer game was pure chaos - kids tackling, pushing, rolling on the ground + picture day + my turn to bring treats. Needed a nap afterwards.


• Big boy haircut for Mr. Mason - and not by choice - why do I keep returning to that dang Cookie Cutters? They butched all his curls off and he looks TOO BIG. His latest, giving "lugs" - hugs/loves. The best.


• Really, is this snow going to stop? Ever? I'm so bitter, need to be more positive. My tulips are trying to come up. We need to plant the garden. Too much snow.


• Big work project due on Monday, for once I feel prepared. Whew, always good to be finished. Woo hoo!


• Oh and the Official Big ANNOUNCEMENT, for those of you I haven't told yet...I'm preggers! That's right, I'm putting on the pounds quickly at this point. 15 weeks and due Oct. 3rd. Just starting to feel the little flutters. I was pretty sick this go around (new for me) but feeling much better now. I have a new sense of sympathy for those of you who get deathly ill while pregnant. So sorry!! Mine was minor and NOT FUN. I can actually survive without a daily nap now and I can manage cooking dinner occasionally (okay maybe once a week, take out is always better). We're excited for #3 and terrified at the same time. Mason's daily tantrums and bullying his brother and friends really make me nervous. Hoping he grows up a lot this summer. And he thinks he has a "baby brother" in his belly too. Obviously hoping mine is a "sister" but we'll take whatever healthy, beautiful angel God sends us.


• Now onto Spring, Easter, Christian's birthday (5 years!), and hopefully WARMER WEATHER!

Maui, Heaven on Earth

Nana gave us a trip to Maui for Christmas, lucky us. Such a great time of year to escape the cold and head to paradise. Just wished we could have stayed longer (I know, I'll stop complaining). Maui was like a second home to me growing up (I know again, so spoiled) then Troy and I made it our wedding site, so it's always been a very special place for us and feels like returning home. Now if we could just find a way to actually make it home, however I don't think they need cobblers to fix all those flip flops. The boys were in heaven chasing the waves, digging in the sand, catching geckos, swimming in the pirate ship kiddie pool and boogie boarding. We saw tons of whales right of the coast and I even got a free whale watch boat trip thanks to my single sister catching the eye of the boat captain (thanks Paige). I thoroughly enjoyed basking in the sun, doing nothing and playing photog with my new Canon. Troy got excited about all the fabulous, fresh seafood. He was our personal chef, grilling up ahi tuna, mahi mahi, Hawaiian ono and fresh pineapple on the BBQ every night. Tasty! Flight day: Wake up with Mason coughing/high fever and Christian with pink eye. Oh joy. We were being punished. Christian didn't make a peep on the 6 hour flight with his new DS in hand and Lego Star Wars game and didn't ask once when we were going to be there. However Mason took 3 of us constantly juggling him to keep him happy and entertained. The joys of traveling with kids. So worth it once we arrived to the warm, tropical air! Picture Overload - be forwarned!

Boogie Boarding down the pirate slide!

Hawaiian Dudes

Hot waterfall pouring in the hot tub, heavenly.

Very clever Uncle Johnny, boys will be boys.

Who can resist their birthday suit in the great outdoors?

New Ukuleles

Whale Watching Boat Trip - Whales everywhere, I have 100 shots like these!

Paddle Boards

Love my BEACH BABES!!

Brave Christian riding the big slide solo, love the goggle face.

Aloha to Maui, until next time! It was truly wonderful. Mahalo Mama/Nana for the fabulous Hawaiian getaway, you're the best and we love you dearly! We don't even have any pictures to prove you were there...