Gabe

I can't believe how fast time flies. I can't believe how big my baby is getting!

5 Years YOUNG!!!

I can't believe my little babies are 5 years YOUNG as Aidan likes to say! They are so loving and full of life. They are the best biG brothers to Gabe. They are constantly making Brant and I and almost everyone they meet laugh. We love them so much!








***For those of you who can't tell easily Aidan's pics are above their requested rainbow cupcakes and Ezra's pics are below!

Happy HaLLowEEn!!!

Just a few photos of HaLLowEEn PaSt! New photos to come soon!

Simply Adorable!

I can't tell you how stinkin' cute this kid is. I love him to death. He never ceases to make me feel better just by being around him for a few moments. He is starting to dance...well, his version anyway. He pretty much just sways one arm through the air and recently has started to twirl. He also makes the funniest faces which make Brant and I laugh all the time with how excited he gets about things or how funny he thinks his big brothers are. This picture is so Gabe to me because this is pretty much how sweet he is most of the time unless he is tired and ready for his nap.

Walking!

My little guy is walking! Can you believe it? I know I can't...where does the time go? One minute I am giving birth wondering if this blond hair child can really be mine and now he is strutting all over the house! I love my little "squishy face" (as we all call him) SO MUCH! He keeps us all entertained and laughing all day long! I will try and post a video later of our little angel boy walking soon!

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our 5 year anniversary! Wow! Seriously...WOW! I can't believe it has been 5 years already! My husband is absolutely amazing! In the last 5 years he has put himself through school while working full time the entire time to support our family so that I could stay home with our three wonderful and wild boys. Thank you for all the sacrifices you have made and always taking the harder route for yourself if it meant keeping our family happy! Thank you for being the husband I have always dreamed of but never thought possible! I still thank our Father in Heaven for helping our paths to align. I love you with all the love I possess. Thanks for being such a wonderful husband, hard worker, and devoted dad! Thanks for being my BFF! Haaaaaaaaa... Here's to 5 years down 50 bazillion to go!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine Day, Honey! Hope this makes you laugh!

My Little boys can READ!!!

My babies can READ!!! Well, they are starting to read anyway. I am an excited mommy, ok. Tonight, I was amazed. My babies, Aidan and Ezra, are starting to read. I was reading them a story tonight with a lot of beginner words like “cat, fat, mat, hat, rat, and bat”. As I was reading the story I would stop on these simple words and sound them out for the boys. Then as I continued to read the story I would stop every time one of these words appeared and ask Aidan or Ezra what the word was. Well, after asking a few times Aidan and Ezra were sounding out the words!!! I couldn’t believe it. It was such a special “Mommy Moment” for me. By the end of the story, Aidan had caught on to the words “cat” and “rat”, which was amazing. And Ezra was sounding out all of the “-at” words like “cat, mat, bat, hat, rat, and fat”. I couldn’t believe it, my little guys were reading their first words. Just to be sure, I ran and grabbed the first book in the BOB book series. Ezra looked at the word “Mat” and read it just fine. With a little help he read the whole book. It is a short book, only a few pages long, about two characters, Mat and Sam. Pretty much it reads something like “Mat sat. Sam sat. Mat sat on Sam…”, but Ezra was reading it all the same. Watching and listening to Ezra read was such a special and exciting moment for me. Aidan I know will get it too, but he has such a great imagination that he quickly returns to wanting to make up his own stories and playing with his toys, while Ezra has loved the alphabet or "letters" as he calls it ever since he found out it existed.

The Cutest Baby!!!

Again, I have to say that I'm pretty sure my baby is the most adorable baby on the planet! You can try and convince me otherwise, but I think these pictures stand as irrefutable evidence!

Every Girl's Crazy 'bout Some Sharp Dressed Men!

ZZ Top had it right. Every girl's crazy about a sharp dressed man or in this case some sharp dressed little men. The boys loved the See's candy suckers they got after their visit with Santa. Candy always makes long lines worth the wait.

Santa's back on the nice list...

Ok, so usually we get our Santa pictures done nice and early before the crowds set in, but this year we procrastinated so we had to wait in a long line. I was amazed at how well the boys, all three of them, waited in line for over an hour to see Santa. Considering how long our wait was I am surprised no one left in tears. I am glad to see that our brainwashing tactics to convince Aidan and Ezra that Santa is really a nice person paid off and they are no longer afraid of him. Gabriel seemed fascinated by his beard and kept looking up at him trying to figure out if he knew "this guy" or not.

It's a Christmas Miracle!!!

For all of you who monitor my page and know how pathetic I am at updating here is a Christmas Miracle! A new POST!!! I love this time of time of year. I love the Christmas spirit that fills the air. I love the beauty of Christmas. The sparkling lights and magical displays. I love the excitement and anticipation of what Christmas can bring. I love the idea that all around the world people are coming together for a brief moment to look beyond themselves in order to do kind things for others. I am saddened though that it is getting harder and harder to find Christ in Christmas. I know we all the true meaning of Christmas and that we are celebrating the birth and coming of our Savior to the earth; yet, during this time as I look around there is not much that truly pays homage to our Lord.
I wanted to find a nice book to read to the boys about the real reason we celebrate Christmas and as I traveled from bookstore to bookstore there were only a handful of these books. I found books about snowmen and reindeers and this and that and some that still had very nice Christmas messages, but I found it hard to find very many books telling about the birth of our Savior. I know it is something that seems so small, but it really hit me about how important it is for me to really be able to teach my boys about true meaning of Christmas and about the coming of Jesus Christ to the world. I still want them to enjoy Christmas and all its fun and festivities and there is nothing wrong with that, but I also want to start to instill within them the idea that Christmas is about giving of yourself and serving others and doing the things that will bring them happiness and make them feel loved. So, I hope that anyone who reads this will take just an extra moment of your time this holiday season to help someone less fortunate than you. It doesn't have to be anything big...maybe an anonymous note telling someone they are loved and appreciated or leave a little sweet on someone's doorstep who might be lonely. Just do something that will help the Spirit of Christmas, the Spirit of Christ come alive in your heart and then maybe that small little act will perpetuate into something that will last the whole year and by next Christmas we will all find ourselves in a closer and deeper relationship with our Savior.
Finally, I just wanted to mention how grateful I am for my beautiful family. I love my boys so much. They are each so unique and funny. Aidan is my silly, imaginative boy-always embarking on some kind of adventure with Superman or Batman, Buzz or Woody, or his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or his pals Lighting McQueen or Mater, or whoever the lucky toy of the day turns out to be. He also loves to make and pick a character for each member of the family. I am grateful that Ezra is usually willing to let Aidan be the main character and doesn't mind being whoever Aidan chooses for him. Ezra is my technical genius. He knows how to operate the tv and dvd player and has in just a few tries master the computer mouse. He loves anything methodical like puzzles or building robots. He loves his alphabet and counting. He loves to tell everyone all the letters he recognizes whether they are on your shirt, in ads, billboards, etc...he also likes to tell you what sound different letters make at the beginning of words. Like he will say, "B-bird buh-buh-buh". Both of them bring us so many laughs and are growing up so fast. And then there is my little angel baby, Gabriel. He has been such an amazing addition to our family. I know I wanted a girl this last pregnancy, but I can't imagine having anyone other than Gabriel in our lives. He is so small, but he brings so much joy to us. I have to add how adorable he is and often I am unable to stop myself from literally "munching" on him because he is just that cute! And finally Brant. He is one of my heroes. He works so hard going to school full time and then working full time on graveyards so that I can stay home and raise our family. I admire how well he has done in school. He is a great father, a great friend, an amazing husband, and my best friend. I am so grateful to my Savior and Father in Heaven for blessing me with such a wonderful family. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

P.S. Hopfully, if you managed to read this entire novel a post you will enjoy this little reward of our more than humorous past pictures with Santa...we hope this year will reignite a love for Santa!!!

Santa, Naughty or Nice???

Gabriel, our little angel boy...

Here he is our newest addition! Yes, he is blond! No, he is not adopted! Apparently, Brant was a blond baby. I guess we will just have to wait and see if he stays blond or not. Regardless, though, I have to such he is freakin ADORABLE!!! (No, I am not biased in the least because I am his mom!)

Mother's Day Tribute...to my MOM!

Make a Smilebox photobook

Mommy Tag! This is my first tag!

Lindsay tagged me...

1. Typically, what time do you wake up?

That depends on the day. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday I am up by 4:00 am so that I can be to work by 5:00 am. All the other days depend on what time the boys wake up...usually no later than 8:30 am.

2. On a good night, what time are your kids in bed?

That also depends on what you count on "being in bed", but we usually try to get them in their room for bedtime by 8:00 pm.

3. How long have you been a mommy?

3 years! Wow that goes fast!

4. How old were you when you became a mom?

24...wait a minute...is this tagging just a trick to reveal our true age???

5. What is your favorite kids T.V show?

Hmm...that would be a long list of shows including Curious George, Word World, Super Why, Thomas the Tank Engine, Sesame Street, and anything involving the Justice League.

6. What is your least favorite kids T.V. show?

Definitely Thomas the Tank Engine...all the trains are so whiny...

7. What is your favorite chore?

Vacuuming, just like Lindsay, except I don't like winding the cord up when I am done.

8. What is your favorite meal to cook?

Steak and Mashed Potatoes...well, that's probably my favorite meal to eat too...

9. What meal do you cook most often?

That depends on what supplies we have on hand...it varies a lot.

10. What is your kids favorite meal?

"Sammies" which translated mean sandwiches usually PB&J or Bologna.

11. What is your favorite thing your husband does with your kids?

Takes them outside to play or reads to them from his comic books.

12. What are 5 things that make you smile when you’re being a mom?

When the boys tell me what color things are and they get it right...we have been working on our colors. When Ezra wants a bite of something and opens his mouth and points inside as if to help me from trying to put the bite in his eye or his ear or some place other than his mouth. Whenever my boys want to snuggle with mom. When my boys tell me they love me. When my boys are asleep and actually look like sweet little angels.

13. If you could take your kids anywhere, where would it be?

Definitely Disneyland so they could meet all their favorite characters! It would be so fun to see how excited they would be and how big their eyes would get.

14. When was the last time you went out without your kids? On Saturday.

15. What is your favorite pastime/activity to do with your kids? Taking them to the aquarium to see the "Fish-ees"

16. Name one thing you said you would never say as a mother?

Hmm...I don't know...

17. Name one thing you do, that your own mom did?

Sing to my kids.

18. What is your favorite quality your mom has?

She is so loving and willing to do whatever she can to help her children.

19. What is your favorite kids book?

Guess How Much I Love You.

20. What is your favorite advice for new moms?

Don't try to be too perfect...you are a success as long your children are fed, clean, and loved!

21. What is your most heartbreaking moment as a mom?

Whenever my boys get sick and all I can do to help is to hold them and give them loves.

22. What is your most joyful moment being a mom?

Whenever my kids voluntarily say they love me or miss me or show me that they are actually learning something from me...like the first time they recognized a picture of Jesus.


23. When was the last time you told one of your kids, “I Love You”?

A few minutes ago while we were eating dinner.

24. When was the last time you were told, “I love you” by one of your kids?

Right after I told them I loved them.

I tag Melissa and Lisa.

Fishes!!!

So, not to long ago we decided to get a year pass to the aquarium or as Aidan and Ezra call it "the fishes" pronounced "fisheees". Now everytime we go outside Aidan gets really excited and says, "We go OUT-side, we go see GRAND-ma" and then I say, "No, we are going to see Grandma" and he says, "We go OUT-side, we go see 'FISH-ees'.

We don't go see the "fish-ees" everytime we go out, but we have been three times already and everytime they love it. Although, I don't know how much they really love to see the fish so much as they love running all around the exhibit. Ezra loves to run back and forth between the jellyfish and "Nemo" tanks. He always likes to double check to make sure they haven't moved away or gone anywhere.

It is fun taking them to see the fish-ees. They even noticed the billboard showing seahorses that we see driving up to Sandy...

This has been a really great investment and it is so fun to see h0w excited they get everytime we go. I took some pictures of the different displays that you can see at the aquarium...it is kind of sad...I have a much easier time photographing the moving fish through the tanks than my wild and rambunctious 3 year olds...