A Day at the Park

It has been so beautiful in Utah lately.  Here are a few pictures of the kids at the park.  I love these kids!

I worried a little that it would be another frustrating year with LJ at the park (i.e. me following him around, anxious and terrified that he would fall through openings, fall down slides instead of slide down them, fall off the ends of slides, slip on ladders, eat bark, run into the street, try to fly...you know), but he did great!  I forget that he is so much more sturdy on his feet than either one of the girls were (or are). He had a blast and I got to sit on a bench and watch them play!

On our way to the car, the girls upheld their end of the unspoken-older-sibling-code-of-responsibility and taught LJ how to roll down this big hill.  He was a pro!

Hooray for spring!

Welcome Baby Jaelee!

My sweet little sister and her awesome husband cooked up this beautiful little lady!

She's such a pretty baby! Thanks for letting me be there with you! I love you guys!

Quiet Moments

LJ's Birthday Lunch

We celebrated LJ's birthday a few weeks ago with some dear friends. They brought him a few birthday presents, so the waitress assumed that it was LJ's birthday and brought him this...

He thought it looked pretty daunting, so he willingly enlisted the help of his two eager sisters, who were evidently keen to oblige.

It always amazes me how kids are "not hungry" until something like this lands on the table.  Suddenly, the hunger materializes and its as if a great famine swept through the land...

All done!  Happy Birthday, sweet boy!

LJ's First Haircut

We finally did it. His hair was more fuzzy than it was curly, so it was time. But I just couldn't bring myself to cut it all off. Here are a few before pictures.

  Fuzzy hair, I know.

Looks much better, don't you think?

Cute little surfer dude!

LJ Turned 2 Years Old!

LJ had a birthday! He is such a great kid! Here are a few things that LJ loves:

-Basketball! - He loves to shoot hoops.  He actually makes it about half the time.  When he doesn't make it, he gets frustrated and growls.
-Cars and Trucks
-His sisters
-Cats and Dogs
-Curious George
-Bananas and String Cheese
-Choo Choo Trains
-His mommy and daddy
-Singing "Do As I'm Doing," "The Wheels On the Bus," and lots of other songs
-He also loves to say the prayer for meal times or family prayer.  He bows his head and folds one arm (only one because the other is usually occupied by a basketball or a truck) and he starts mumbling before anyone else is ready.  A few nights ago, this little nightly ritual began and while he was praying, he looked up at Mikayla sitting so still with her eyes closed and he just couldn't handle it.  He stopped praying to tackle her.  Then, he looked over at Gweny and he tackled her too.  We were all laughing so hard that we couldn't finish our family prayer.  Oh well...

He's such a sweet boy.  He apologizes when he hurts someone.  He runs to the door to say "Bye, Daddy" when Josh leaves the house.  He waves to his sister as she gets on the school bus in the morning.  He offers hugs and kisses.  He still sleeps through the night and takes a good nap in the afternoons.  He loves nursery and holding hands when he sits next to me.

Happy Birthday little man!  We love you so much!  

Our Happy Anniversary!

Our 11th anniversary was a few weeks ago. This year, I decided to interview my girls and ask them some questions about marriage. I love these responses because their honesty in answering the questions only reflects the things they witness and the things they know.

1. What does it mean to be married?
M: That you want to stay together forever.
G: To kiss

2. How do you decide who to marry?
M: You look for someone you like a lot.
G: You find someone cute and sweet

3. How can a stranger tell if two people are married?
M: Because they stay with each other a lot and they have rings. They have kids and they kiss a lot
G: Because they are in love with each other.

4. What do most people do on a date?
M: Talk to each other, dance sometimes. Kiss. Eat food and stuff. Wear pretty dresses and wear vests. Be nice to each other.
G: When a mommy and a daddy want to spend time with each other at night with no one else.

5. What would you do on a date if you decided that you didn’t like the other person?
M: I would stay for the rest and when he asks again, I would say, “No thank you. I don’t want to.”
G: I wouldn’t be in love with him. I would tell him I’m sorry and I would be nice to him.

6. Is it better to be single, or married?
M: Married – because you’re not alone, really. And you can have a house, food, and a family and you just get to be together.
G: Married – so you can be in love with someone.

7. How would the world be different if people didn’t married?
M: There wouldn’t be fun and you would be lonely and nobody would have any people to love.
G: People wouldn’t be alive and dinosaurs would come back. Bugs will be there and nothing else, just bug world.

8. How would you make a marriage work?
M: Be nice to each other and have fun. Be with the children and kiss a lot.
G: Be nice to each other and don’t be mean. You can’t say mean words. You should be nice and cuddle, share and play games. And don’t kick.

Gweny got to go birthday shopping with her Grandma Pat! She chose a new baby doll and a new princess nightgown. She also got to have lunch with Poppa Rog and Grandma Pat. She felt so special and had a great day!

What's Going On Around Here

I don't have any pictures. I don't have any anything...really. I haven't blogged lately because absolutely nothing blog-worthy has happened in our house in the last few weeks. Here are a few short updates though.

1. Josh and I celebrated our 11th anniversary! 11 years. That sounds old. I love my Joshua so much and I'm so proud of him and so very grateful for the sacrifices he makes for our family. He works hard and he loves his kids. He's a loving husband and I can happily say that I very much love being married to Josh.

2. Josh's basketball team won the regional title and is moving on to the state tournament tomorrow night! The Cyprus High girls basketball team has never won a region title. The school opened in the 1918, so you can imagine the pride that Josh has instilled at the school. Again, just one more thing to add to a very long list entitled "Why I'm Proud of Josh."

3. I've had a birthday (shout hooray!). Josh gave me a Kindle Fire, which I love. (The reasons for loving Josh just keep stacking up, huh). We took the kids on a great family date to Planet Play, where we all rode the fast go-karts (even LJ rode with his daddy), had a huge salad/pasta/pizza/dessert feast and the kids left with great prizes from the arcade. Then, my awesome mother-in-law took me out for a pedicure and an awesome lunch. It was a great birthday!

4. Really, everyone has been sick. Sick. Sick. Seriously, its like the bubonic plague around here. First it was the stomach flu. Everyone got it and then as soon as that moved out, a horrible cough/fever moved in. It seems to think that its going to stick around for a while - an extremely pesky and unwanted house guest.

5. I became addicted to a little show called Downton Abbey, thanks to my sister-in-law, Jodi. I love it. It makes Josh sleepy, all those Lords and Ladies with English accents.

6. We are all looking forward to spring. I, for one, can't wait to open the windows and air our all the winter bugs and send the kids out to play.