It's Official!

We are no longer homeowners! It's been quite the feat getting to this point--mold and leaking roof coming up in the inspection, talking with insurance, negotiating a new price, finding a power of attorney, sending documents a second time in a panic when the closing attorney said they didn't receive them the day before closing (now they have two copies, because she was wrong), and waiting for all the buyers' lending to come through! But as of about 3:00 today, it is officially closed, and the house is no longer ours. Hurray! (Although I am a little sad...it was our first house, and we loved it!) It will be nice not to have to pay a mortgage and double utility bills. We feel rich! :)

So now that it's gone, I'm finally going to post a few pictures of our first home:

(When I took most of these pictures Christian followed me around and insisted on being in and making faces in many of them. I love it!)

I love how Jake is sitting on the couch with Ethan, eating a bowl of cereal and watching the Olympics. Good times.

The bathrooms were weird, but functional. They had really low, corner sinks, and even lower mini counters. I guess is was the thing in the 70's. When we first looked at the house to buy it, I hated them, but I got used to them. :)

Ethan's room was my favorite room in the house. Ahhh....

After posting all these pictures, I miss it. There were some things I wanted to change about it, but overall, we loved living there and worked hard together getting it to where it was. One of my favorite things about the house was all the huge windows on both the front and back of the house. It was always so light!

FAREWELL to our first home!

Adventures at the Park

I must make a note before I forget these fun times. We spend lots of time at the park, as it is in walking distance, we often don't have a car, and fresh air is always good for all of us. Although only a crawler, Ethan found his own methods for having fun on the playground without Mom's help. He would crawl up the stairs, over the the slide, and then go down head first on his belly! This kid has no fear! He would laugh and laugh and do it over and over. (Don't worry, I always held onto his leg to make sure he didn't go flying off.) Other moms probably thought I was crazy letting my child slide down like this, but it was too much fun watching Ethan have so much fun. And I really didn't see any more danger than letting him go feet first and get his leg caught, or something like that. Here is Ethan, ready to launch! See how much fun he's having? How can you put an end to that?

The method only lasted about a month and a half though, as this past week Ethan learned how to crawl backwards down the stairs and off the couch, and somehow connected that to going down slides. Now he has a new method and turns around at the top to go feet first on his belly.

Christian loves the slides as well, especially the big twisty slide. He is much more cautious than Ethan though, so I don't worry about him too much at all.

I love going to the park. Everyone feels good after such an outing. Friday we went to the park and Christian rode his tricycle for the first time. He was having fun riding it on the sidewalks around the playground, and then said, "I could give Efan a ride on my bike." So I let him try it, and it was one of my most favorite moments yet. I put Ethan on the seat, And Christian squished in front of him and pedaled. Without any prompting Ethan held on to Christian's shoulders and the two rode off (as I followed behind). Oh how I wish I would have had my camera. They rode like that for quite a ways, both of them loving it. That picture will be stuck in my mind forever. Hopefully they will do it again so I can have a hard copy. :)

Harrisons Visit

May 19, 2010

We were SO lucky to have our good friends drop by and visit while they were here. It was so good to see them. And it was good for my soul. :)

The (big) boys went golfing, and Krista and I took the little boys to the park. We all had a great time!

Christian and Parker (love the faces)

Lincoln and Ethan (too cute)

At the end of the day we put all the boys to bed and played some good rounds of Dominion. Thank you Harrisons for taking time to drive down and spend your day with us! (And then drive home so late and tired!) We love you guys! Come back soon!

And now we're anxiously awaiting the Salmons visit... :)

Father-Sons Camp Out

May 15, 2010

Jake took Christian on a Father-Son camp out with his Dad's ward.

Uncle Connor was there as well.

They camped at a farm up near Deer Creek. What a view they had!

In the morning Christian got to feed some horses and hit a few golf balls with Connor, among other things.

As you can tell by Christian's attire it was a bit chilly! But I think they had fun and stayed warm enough!

Mowing

One of the greatest things about where we live is our yard. Oh how I love it. Flat, green and fenced. It's not huge, but it's just right for us. And oh how I love this sight.

Christian has come a long way since we lived in Georgia...he wouldn't even go outside when the lawn mower was on, now he will follow Jake every step of the way. :) And now mowing is serious business.

Beekeeping

My parents are beekeepers. My grandpa used to have beehives and a few years back (six?) my mom decided she wanted to have her own beehives too. And they haven't looked back since. We definitely get to enjoy the honey too!

Back in April they got a new hive, which means they get a new queen in a little box and thousands of bees to "dump" into a new hive. We were there to witness the unveiling of the queen and dumping of the bees. There were only two bee stings that day, one of them was me, luckily. The hives are right in their backyard, but normally the bees don't even both anyone and I never worry about my kids getting stung. The whole process of beekeeping really is pretty amazing!

That's the little box the queen comes in

The two beekeepers :)

Walking Proof

Our Big News-es

I still haven't figured out a good routine to get back into blogging. It's driving me crazy, actually. I love to blog. It's good for me. I love to write about my children and it makes me love and appreciate them more. This blog really is for me, more than for anyone else. So here's hoping July will be more regular. :) But for now, we have some bits of good news from each of us to share:

CHRISTIAN'S NEWS:

As of two weeks ago, we are officially down to only one child in diapers!! Christian has been sleeping in underwear all night long and staying dry! We are so proud of him. One day I noticed his diaper had given him a really bad rash, worse than normal, on his hips. I told him it was time to start wearing underwear at night. All day we talked about how he could be dry through the night, go potty before bed, etc. That night he chickened out and didn't want to wear underwear, but the next morning his diaper was dry. This happened three nights in a row, and then we made the switch to underwear. Way to go Christian!

ETHAN'S NEWS:

Two nights ago Jake set Ethan on his feet and told him to walk to him. "He's been crawling long enough," he said. (The pediatrician has insisted that Ethan crawl for four months. His date to start walking is Pioneer Day, July 24th, a Utah holiday.) But wouldn't you know, Ethan did! He took about two steps, and his current record is six steps. He's definitely still a crawler, but he is discovering his new ability to be more mobile. It's so fun for all of us to watch him try and try and get a little better each time. I especially love watching Christian get excited for his little brother. In a way I'm a little torn about this because once Ethan starts walking he will grow up so fast! He's still been my little baby since he's just crawling and being carried, but once he walks, he will be so big. So just don't run too fast, okay Ethan? It's so fun to watch you learn!

OUR BIG NEWS:

We received an offer on our house the end of May, finally got under contract the beginning of June, and now we actually have a closing date for this Wednesday, the 30th! It's been quite a long road getting to this point, and we're praying all will go through on Wednesday. Any extra prayers are welcomed. :)

Ethan, 15 Months

Photo taken by Christian

Ethan is fifteen months, and just as cute and lovable as ever. Even more, I think. I took him to the doctor yesterday for his check-up, and he is healthy and well! At his twelve month visit (when he was actually 13 months) the doctor thought he may possibly be anemic because he is tiny, he was a slow crawler, and his hemoglobin was 12.1. "Normal" is between 12 and 17, so he was barely hitting the cut off. We decided to just give him iron supplements (which I have been HORRIBLE at giving him...the drops are nasty!) and I tried to feed him more foods high in iron. At this check-up his hemoglobin had gone up to 12.7, and the doctor seemed to think that was just fine. So I guess he's not anemic, but now he wants to make sure he gets enough vitamin D. We'll work on that.

Ethan's Stats:

Weight: 20 lbs 4 oz (4%)

Height: 31.5 in. (61%)

Head: 18.5 in. (44%)

As you can see by his stats, Ethan is little. He is smaller than Christian, but he is also taller. Jake says Ethan is going to be his basketball player. At this point, I don't think Ethan would argue with that. He LOVES balls, and especially basketballs. He's finally getting stable enough to stand up and put the ball in the basket all by himself. He gets very mad if you pass by the basketball hoop, with him in your arms, and don't let him take a shot. :)

Ethan also LOVES animals. He will stay entertained for a bit just by looking at books with pictures of animals in them. He is learning his animal sounds too, which is so fun to listen to! I love to just sit and ask him what different animals say. I can do that all day long and never tire of his cute imitations. Right now he knows:

dog (uh-uh),

duck (dat-dat...all birds say this in his world),

elephant, monkey (oo, oo, ee, ee),

lion,

cow (mmahhh...so cute!)

fish (tongue)

car (vvmmmmm, I know, not an animal)

In the past couple weeks, Ethan has started saying lots of new words too! I love hearing him start to talk and make his own version of our words. His newest words are ball and Daddy, which is my absolute favorite to hear him say. He LOVES daddy, and he loves to say his name. Da-Dee! Da-Dee! As soon as Jake walks in the door, he repeats this until Jake picks him up. I love it. He has also just figured out how to nod his head yes, which has become oh so helpful! Now he will tell me yes or no by nodding or shaking his head. Again, I think it's absolutely adorable. Especially when I ask him, "Do you want to go have a nap?" and he nods his head yes! So cute!

One more favorite thing of mine that he does in raise his hand. He just started doing this a couple days ago. I will say, "Who wants to eat lunch?" And Ethan's hand goes straight up in the air. Sometimes on hand, sometimes two. Or "who wants to go outside?" and Ethan's hand is up. I'll even say, "Who has a stinky diaper?" and he volunteers that one too! He is such a funny little guy!

Ethan is not walking, but stands alone, and can even stand up from the floor without holding onto anything or anyone. He has recently started walking along furniture, so perhaps his walking days aren't too far away! (Although the doctor says he needs to wait until Pioneer Day--July 24--to walk so he can get four solid months of crawling.) I think he just might make it!

Ethan loves to crawl up the stairs, but he especially loves to crawl up when you're watching him and even better, chasing him. He loves to tease and play and giggle.

He loves to play with his brother Christian when they're laughing and having fun. Ethan loves to laugh at Christian! But he does not like to be pushed or blocked or hit by him. Some days I feel like I am constantly comforting Ethan and punishing Christian. Ugh. One day he'll be big enough to retaliate. :)

I took these pictures June 7 at the zoo, on Ethan's 15 month birthday. But I actually don't like them because he looks so grown up in them! You're turning into a little boy way too fast, Ethan! I want to push pause for a little bit, okay?

What Matters Most

Today I can't stop reflecting of the gift of life. What an amazing gift it is! And how quickly it can change. Yesterday Jake's cousin Rachel was diagnosed with AML, Acute Myeloid Leukemia. She is a beautiful, healthy, athletic sixteen year old, with a bright future ahead of her. In just a few short hours, her life changed completely, as she will now be spending the next few months undergoing chemotherapy in the hospital. She is strong and I know she will fight it. We are praying for her and her family every step of the fight. Steele family, we love you so much! There is a blog for her called "Steele Strong" and already you can see how strong she is. Rachel, you are my hero!

I am grateful for the things that matter most in my life. My husband, my children, our families, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Today I am reminded that nothing else really matters, when it all comes down to it. I pray that I might enjoy what matters most and let the little things go. I love this little video clip. It fit my mood perfectly today.

My Very Own Garden

Aren't these two boys cute? I love them, and I am so excited for what's right behind them...

For the first time ever, I have planted my own garden.

Using the empty flower bed in my backyard, two big pots, one little one, and a circular flower bed, I managed to plant five tomatoes, two peppers, two basil, and one zucchini.

(Christian took these photos of the garden! Not bad, huh?)

Although it's not much, I'm am so excited about it. I check on it multiple times a day. I'm interested to see which plants do the best: the ones in the bed, the pots of the funny circle planter? Hopefully at least one of them will produce! They're already growing, so here's hoping for a harvest!! I can't wait to pick my first tomato. :)

Mother's Day

Baby Ducks

One evening we walked around the corner to one of Grandma's friend's houses who had a family of ducks living in her backyard, complete with six cute fuzzy ducklings!! The boys both loved them, although I think Ethan was more interested in the ducks and Christian was more interested in running around the pond and over the footbridge!

That face is pure joy. I love this photo because it captures so much of who Christian is as a three year old.
Ethan with Grandpa
Ethan with Grandma

May 4, 2010

Dear Ethan,

Not too many days before this picture was taken you had a run-in with a watering can that left you with a cut below your right eye. See the cut? The truth is we were outside playing in the backyard and Christian was using Grandma's big, green, plastic watering can to water some newly planted flowers. You were sitting in the green garden wagon, happy as can be, when out of the blue, Christian decided to swing the spout of the watering can at your face, leaving you in tears and giving you a nice cut under your eye. The little holes in the spout had extra plastic still attached, that was sharp enough to cut you. A month later, the scar is still there. I still can't figure out why he does things like that. You never (or at least, almost never) do anything to him, but perhaps he's still trying to figure out the whole brother thing and sharing Mommy's attention and the likes. But in case you still have a scar years from now, at least you have a story to tell. :) "My brother did it."

I still think you have the cutest face ever. Just look at those puppy dog eyes! You melt my heart. I love you!

love, Mommy

Two Cute Faces

May 6, 2010

My Boys and Me

I love these boys. I spend more time with them than anyone else in the world. I would have it no other way. They keep me laughing and they keep me going, especially when we're eating lunch and Christian looks at me, then says, very slowly, "I (points to his eyes) wud (arms crossed over chest) you (points to me)!" Sometimes they make me crazy. And sometimes they make me more crazy than other times. But I love them. They are my life. And they are my little buddies. Whatever would I do without them?

I love this one. I know it's blurry. I know it's WAY too zoomed in. But I love it. I love the look on Christian's face. I love that it reminds me how much fun we have together.