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Kristen, you've done it again!

Family Home Evening at the Temple

"As we touch the temple, the temple will touch us."

President Thomas S. Monson

he will be missed...

We got sad news that little Patrick passed away recently. Although he was only with us a bit over a year, he will be missed and we will never forget him! He is survived by his mother, Sweetheart. He had an accident while loading into the horse trailer, and it left him brain-damaged and with many cuts on his legs and face. Two vets determined that he would not be sound if he continued to live and it would be better for him to be put to sleep. He died by injection while Olivia's grandpa held him. Olivia is heartbroken, but she knows he is in a better place and is running free without any pain. That makes us all feel a bit better.

Patrick: born March 26, 2008 (here he is on the day of his birth)

Died June 10, 2009 (this is a recent picture from our trip to Utah just days after his accident)

daddy of the year...

I just wanted to give a little shout out to my sweet husband, who is the greatest daddy ever! I am so grateful that I chose HIM, and pretty happy that he puts up with ME. Here are the top ten reasons he is the BEST:

1. He plays with our kids. REALLY plays.

2. He takes ALL of them to "China Town" (tickles them relentlessly) EVERY SINGLE DAY.

3. He is SUPER positive.

4. He reads parenting books and is always trying to better himself as a dad.

5. He thinks that the most important thing that he can do for his kids is to love their mother.

6. He provides for them, so that they can have their mommy stay home to care for them.

7. He brings them silly prizes whenever he returns from a business trip.

8. He takes them on "daddy/kid dates" regularly.

9. He tells them every day how lucky he is to be their dad.

10. He reads the scriptures, prays with them, and cuddles with them every night.

**Photos courtesy of Kristen**

while the cats away..

So, it is the annual "Daddy/Daughter Camp-Out" for our ward this weekend, and Max was soooo sad that he was not invited along for this one! He always wants to be ANYWHERE that Dad is. Molly runs a close second. I, on the other hand, am constantly trying to win him over, to no avail! I stinkin' adore this kid. He just warms my heart with his sweet demeanor, his winning smile, his sensitive spirit. Not that I'm playing favorites, but geez this kid has got a hold on me! And, I know he loves me, he tells me so at least five times a day (he is so sweet!), but he just loves his daddy MORE (to say the least). Anywho, in my efforts to woo him and to make him happy he stayed with me this weekend, I pulled out the BIG GUNS! We went on a TRAIN RIDE! We rode the MAX train (how cool is that?) downtown, got dinner, and then rode it back! He was SO excited all day leading up to this big event. He just kept saying, "I wanna ride the train, the M-A-X spells Max train!". He was so enthusiastic, and the night did not disappoint! He was in heaven. Here are some pics of the outing:

Here's me, trying to prove I was there!

After we got back to the car he announced he wanted ice cream, and of course, his wish was my command. We stopped at Cold Stone on the way home. When we got home, we all got our jammies on. I quickly got a very tired Ian to bed, and asked Max if he'd like to sleep with me tonight ("oh yeah, baby," was his resounding answer). After we brushed our teeth, I read him 11 Dora the Explorer stories. He could not believe that I kept agreeing to "just one more." When he was ready to go to sleep, he rolled over and asked me to sing him some songs. "Which ones?" I asked.

Row your boat, Twinkle twinkle, Child of God (so I sang, and then he added) Hurries down the hill, Doe a dear, and Spoonful of Sugar.

I think Max enjoyed being an only child for the night.

I am soooooo much cooler than dad right now.

a quick recap

Cousins!

Olivia on Sweetheart

Baby Patrick: one year old

The kids at Erin's house

funny boys and funny faces

More to come, I promise...

trip

We had a great trip to Utah for Parker's graduation.   He is awesome and clearly a genius.  He graduated from Seminary, which is HUGE and we are so proud of him for that.  He also graduated from high school with a 3.987 GPA and was VP of the Honor Society, captain of the Golf team, and All State in tennis.  And, what's even more is that he is KIND, sweet and the best big brother EVER! What a gem.  I wish I could take any credit for him!  I will upload pictures of him soon.  I am still beat.  Sorry for no pictures.  My camera was broken. I have a few cute pics to download from Olivia's camera, but I am too lazy to do that right now, so if you want a recap of the end of our trip, you can go to Crystal's blog or Shirline's blog.  And, for some fun family photos, please visit the blog of my ever talented friend, Kristen.  She did a great job with a very un-cooperative group.  Hopefully later this week, I will become motivated to dig a little deeper and post more, but until then...

comings and goings...

We have been low key, lately.  There has just not been much to blog about.  So here is a very boring list of our comings and goings for our real die hard blog fan (I think there are only two, thanks Mom and Dad!). 

We've done a TON of yardwork (and haven't made a dent), we've played outside and started frequenting our parks again.  I've rediscovered the $1 32 oz Diet Coke at McDonalds (ahhh, the tastes of summer). Jon and Max went on the Father/Son camp-out and didn't  take a single photo. Olivia has been obsessed with hummingbirds, and did an awesome job on her school project (again, no photos, UGH!)

Baby Ian decided to try sleeping on his side (now maybe he will grow some hair in his bald patch).

Outside, outside, outside.  We cleaned the playhouse, it's ready for guests.

He really is in charge.

Molly is freakin' obsessed with puzzles.  Each morning she gets them all out and proceeds to put them all together all over the hardwood floor.  She likes them to stay set up all day, and then at night cleans them up so she can do it all over again the next day.  It has cured her of her TV habit, and makes for a happier girl.  I think this is the most endearing thing!

Olivia is my little babysitter.  She wakes up in the morning when Ian does (I'm not sure who wakes who up!).  She brings him down to me so I can feed him, and she kisses me on the forehead as she hands him over.  I feed him, and then get dressed and go running while she "baby sits" him (Jon is usually still in bed at this hour).  This is how I found them yesterday when I got home from my run.

That is our life lately. Kind of boring, but really full of such joy and love for these little ones we have been blessed with.  We have rediscovered a book lately, The Power of Positive Parenting and it has once again changed my life and how I relate to my kids.  A much needed reminder.  I highly recommend it.  On a lighter note, I have discovered Frozen Yogurt from Trader Joes that is EXACTLY like Pink Berry/Red Mango yogurt.  It is heavenly.  And healthy. And low cal (until I shred a chocolate pound plus bar all over the top of it!).  Any who, if you live near a Trader Joe's, check it out.  If you don't, I feel so sorry for you, because it is the BEST! 

Next week we are headed to Utah to celebrate the graduation and festivities of darling Parker.  We will surely take a photo or two then, and share our adventures.  Until then, Happy Spring!

six month stats...

20 pounds 

29 inches

100% rockin' awesome!

Half birthday...

My little caboose is six months old. I am super contemplative and sad as I post this. This little guy is it!  Everything he does: his milestones, his firsts, and the things he outgrows just mean that he's getting older, growing up, and one step closer to leaving me! It is hitting me so hard that this is the last time that I will have a little one to hold, cuddle, coo at, and take care of.  I am so grateful to you, baby Ian, for teaching me how to slow down, let things pile up a little, ignore the phone ringing, and just look at you, hold you, and rock you.  It has taken me until number four to finally realize how quickly it goes, how precious each of them are, and really what "in the blink of an eye" means.

He celebrated his six month mark by sitting up for 20 minutes straight without tipping over while he played with toys scattered all around him!

Fun with phonics (warning:not for the faint of heart)

Tonight when we were driving to dollar ice cream cone night at Baskin Robbins I overheard a funny conversation going on in the back seat between Max and Molly.  It started out pretty typical, they love to converse about one another's parts...it went down like this:

"Monny, I have a penis, you don't have a penis, I have a penis (could he use that word any  more times in one sentence???).

"Puh....puh...penis...Mom, does penis start with "P?"

Yes, Max it sure does!

"Monny not have a penis, right?"

That's right, she does not.

"No, I have a bagina...buh, buh, buh....bagina start with "B," Mom?"

I'm not composed enough to answer at that point.

"No, Monny...it's jina.  Juh, juh, jina starts with "J."

"Oh."

Just when I hoped it was over, I hear Olivia quietly remark, "I think it starts with "V."

Hooked on phonics is working for us...don't say I didn't warn you!

a gift

Last night baby Ian gave me a gift.  A long overdue, much appreciated gift....(drumroll......) he slept through the night!  Yippee!  I finally cut the apron strings and put him upstairs in his crib, because with him right beside me, I think he smelled me and had to be with me all night (I am magnetic that way). When I fell asleep I thought it would be a night full of trips upstairs to comfort the little guy, but the next thing I knew it was 5 AM and Jon was sleeping next to Pamela Anderson.  Still no peep.  I fell back to sleep and he finally woke up STARVING at 6 :15.  He got in bed with me and we cuddled back to sleep until 8:45.  What a way to start a Saturday.  Wish me luck tonight!

Max's first REAL drawing...

I am not sure why I am so proud of this, except that it is the first time he has drawn something intelligible and it was of his own free will and choice.  I think it is a true masterpiece.  A side note:  I asked him what the pink thing below the eyes is, and he said "it's a rectangle so he can stay warm."  Hmmm... Any interpretations???

Rhododendron Gardens

We took a trip to the Rhododendron Gardens yesterday.  They were in full bloom!  The kids had the most fun chasing the ducks, but liked the flowers too, I think!

They were actually petting the ducks!

Cute picture, but no flowers in sight

and, we were there too!

Max's favorite you tube...he says "I yuv ugly girls"

Easter best

Easter was lovely here, despite the pouring rain! Here are my cute girls!

Best friends...

The whole cute clan...

Olivia made cute bunny cupcakes for dessert!

I love celebrating the holidays with my little (or not so little) family.  It is the greatest joy in my life!  All of the work, preparation, and planning aside, we just get to play, laugh, eat and enjoy each other.  I am especially grateful at this time of year for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who made it possible for us to be together as a family forever!  I hope your Easter was as lovely as ours!

sad...

Today we were running an errand and we passed our favorite ice cream joint.  Olivia sat up straight and said, "I think I see Jaide and Tage."  I replied, "oh, that would be cool, but doubtful!"  She got quiet.  On our way back through town, we passed the ice cream place again, and she said, "Mom, do you ever wonder what people are doing or thinking?"  and I said, "sure," and she said, "well, I wonder what Jaide and Tage are doing right now, cause I really miss them."  UGH!  It made me cry!  She loves her cousins  SO MUCH!  Then, when we pulled into our driveway she said, "oh, I was hoping they would be here to surprise us."  Another pang! So, tonight I am sad and EXTRA missing some of my favorites....here are some pictures that lifted my spirits!

(by the way, guys, you can surprise us any time!)

I'm not lucky, but I'm definitely.......WICKED!

So, a friend told me about this great thing called the "Wicked Lottery."  It's where you show up at the auditorium box office 2 1/2 hours before showtime and enter your name in a drawing.  If your name is drawn, then you get the chance to buy two tickets to that show for only $25 each. And, they are best available seats.  So, I thought, what the hay, and Olivia and I headed off to try for the matinee showing this afternoon.  We stood in the cold, we entered our name, and we waited in agony as the guy in charge made us suffer through joke after joke between each name he called.  Well, surprise! My name didn't get drawn.  I swear I never win anything!  We were super bummed, but then the guy announced that a limited number of tickets would be available to lottery LOSERS (that's me!) inside at the box office.  I scurried in there and scored us a couple of seats on the fifth and sixth row (I could literally see the spit coming out of Elphaba's mouth!)!  For $41 dollars each!  Yippee!  So, today, my big girl and I had ourselves a DATE, and we are still on cloud nine!  

On Monday, Olivia is going to tell her teacher that the flying monkeys ate her homework...

It's a legit excuse!  If you haven't seen it, GO!  It's magical...

good times...

Molly and baby Ian

Senior yearbook/bribe picture

I love 'em and I miss 'em!  Thanks guys, for an awesome spring break!

silly family photo, but the best we could do!

Grandma and Papa babysat so we could go out, and it was heaven!  We laughed so hard and talked so much!  It's sad that you have to play "catch-up"with your hubby, but his schedule has been so crazy lately, we have been running in separate directions.  Our date was a BLAST!

where are we going? to the beach...

We headed to the coast for some fun in the, oh yes, sun, and rain, and clouds...things change so quickly there...here is our very WARM hotel pool...

very funny that I would be helping anyone to swim (I am a nose plugger)

my baby's first time on the beach...

so much fun in the sand!

Papa's kids!