Happy Easter

We hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter weekend.  We sure are despite the cold/cough that keeps plaguing our home.  Kody was kind enough to share his cold with me so now my nose feels like a leaky faucet.  I'm praying that the cough stays away!!!  So Unfortunately today only Jed & Lucas were able to attend church.  I think my name might be coming up on the inactive list pretty soon!!  Please warm weather... come soon so we (try) to stay healthy.

I am so grateful for my Savior and the resurrection.  It's an awesome feeling to know that we all will live again and I can be with my family forever.  Christ knows me and loves me and although I can't always see the bigger picture, which makes it hard sometimes, he can.  Each obstacle, miracle, blessing, and trial is (hopefully) making me a better person.  I hope everyone is able to feel of our Saviors love this Easter.

And finally, a picture of my handsome boys.  Although it was taken a couple of months ago, I've never posted it on here and thought we could all pretend they're dressed up for Easter today!

My Kodes

He's a character.  Sometimes we don't see eye to eye (actually a lot of the time).  He's very stubborn when he wants to be and it just about drives me crazy.  He is also the most loving little boy in the world.  Especially when he's around people he doesn't know very well.  He becomes this shy little angel that never makes a peep.

A few things about Kody:

He is absolutely, positively obsessed with any and all things cowboy/horse related!  He wants to wear his cowboy boots everywhere.  He love LOVES to visit Papa Mark so that he can feed the horses, ride the tractor, and work in the shop fixing & making boots.

He LOVES gum!!!

He likes to put stuff in his pockets (and mouth for that matter).  He thinks his pockets were made to store everything... pears, crackers, chips, hot tamales, almonds, toys, phones, etc.  He's such a goof.

The other day Lucas said "I like mom best cause she makes us dinner" and Kody says "I like dad best cause he makes wings!"  Apparently Jed's Buffalo wings top anything I've ever made!!!  And actually, that's about the only thing he'll eat right now.  He's going through a weird stage where getting him to eat dinner is near impossible.  He'll eat breakfast and lunch just fine.  I figured we'd just go with it because if he is hungry he'll decide to eat. 

His sunbeam teachers live just around the corner from us and a few weeks ago Bro. McConnell asked Kody if he wanted to go for a motorcycle ride back up to our house.  He was already half way down the sidewalk before Bro. M could finish the sentence!  There was no way he was going to get on it!!  He has a bit of his mom's chicken side for anything that might have a risk factor.

Somedays (actually most days) I feel like I have twin Kody's living in one little boys body.  Yesterday, for example, he decided that he (and Ryker) would break my LARGE box of light bulbs all over Ryker's room.  Ryker ended up with a scratch, but how neither one of them was seriously cut, I'll never know.  Of course I was mad and sent him to his room for timeout while I cleaned up.  He left the room while the vacuum was going went downstairs.  After I finished cleaning I was walking down the stairs and heard water.  I ran the rest of the way down the stairs to find my kitchen floor covered in water.  He (and Ryker) were pouring large cups of water all over the floor... for fun!  AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!  And then, I look over at my laptop and see that many of my keys have been popped off.  Needless to say, I turned into a mad woman and he spent some time alone in his room!

He loves to sit with his dad at night and watch tv.  Most of the time he'll fall asleep before we can get him to bed.  I'm sure his busy days just tucker him out!! 

I can't believe he's going to be 4 in just a few months.  I love this little boy more than anything and wouldn't trade him or his hugs for the world.  Even if he tries my (very sparce) patience level. 

Smartie Pants

This little boy thinks he's the smartest thing to walk the earth.  Just ask him! 

He won't be 2 until the end of May, but when you ask him how old he is he says "two" with two fingers.  He WILL NOT say one.  And if you tell him no, but ask him again how old he is, he'll tell you "six".  Almost 2 going on 6!  Great!

Here in Spanish there is a white horse statue that someone has spray painted black stripes on so, for obvious reasons, we refer to it as a Zebra.  He loves to spot it as we drive down main street and say "sebra".  But it's also skewed his knowledge of animals since all horses are now "sebra".

He loves his daddy!  Currently he's going through the phase of disliking nursery, very, very much!  Even if I'm in the nursery with him and his dad walks out, he bursts into tears. Sometimes I'm a little liked chopped liver!

He talks more than my other two ever did at this age and it's so fun!  He can be extremely chatty at times.  If you ask him a question that he doesn't know he'll reply "Iknow" (I don't know) while shrugging his shoulders.  It's adorable.

Just this past week he's learned to climb out of his crib.  This doesn't not make his madre to happy.  Luckily he's still been good about going to sleep in his crib, it's after he wakes up.  That was until his afternoon nap today when I found him like this...

Sound asleep next to the door.  At least he had the smarts to cover him self up before he fell asleep.  He hasn't learned to open the doors yet, but I'm sure that's not too far down the road.  Looks like we'll be switching to a big bed pretty soon.  Something I'm not looking forward to tackling!

My baby won't be a baby for much longer and it kind of makes me sad.  We love our little Ryker man so much!!

4 months to go...

We're over half way there.  4 months from today (give or take a few days) we'll finally meet her.  And while this little girl is only about 6 inches tall and a little over a pound, it's not stopping me from making some dang cute things for her to wear.  Last week I was definitely in a sewing mood.  While I got a few things made, it also meant my home and current children were much neglected!!  So I packed up my sewing stuff for a few days... which also made Jed happy!  And I know you're dying to see what I've made so I've added pictures for your enjoyment!

Tooth-less

Lucas finally lost his first tooth and he couldn't be happier!  He's been asking Jed to pull it for over a week now, but it wasn't quite ready.  Pulling teeth actually grosses me out so this was all Jed's department.  On Thursday Lucas was outside playing and telling our neighbor, Heidi, that he had a loose tooth.  She's worked at a dentist office before and grabbed a tissue and pulled it out.  Awesome!!  He was thrilled!

Unfortunately the tooth fairy was so extremely busy on Thursday night that she didn't quite make it to the V's!  Luckily Lucas was pretty easy going about it the next morning when he woke up with a tooth still under his pillow.  But with a written reminder the tooth fairy couldn't miss, she was able to finish her work on Friday night.  Saturday morning he was a happy camper and $1 richer!

Now the one right next to it is loose!

Pink vs. Blue

This past Tuesday was our 20 week ultrasound.  Before going, I asked Kody if he wanted a little brother or sister.  He said "I want a little brother just like me".  Um.... no!  We have enough Kody's in this house!!  I love that little boy... he is so much fun (and SO active)!  Lucas was sure it was a girl.  I'm not sure you could have convinced him any other way.  Jed wanted a girl, especially if this ends up being our last.  I was happy either way.  I mostly get nervous that something will be wrong so even though I like to find out, I'm more happy with a healthy baby.

We took all the kids with us to find out.  Ryker could have cared less, so it was a good thing we had him in the stroller to keep him contained.  Kody was only interested in bits and pieces and mostly liked to try and play with the dimming lights.... good thing Jed has quick hands to control that one!  Lucas was very intersted and liked to see the baby on the monitor.

The tech always points out everything she's looking at.  It always amazes me that they know what they are looking at when half the time I see mumble jumble!  Everything looks good and that makes me happy.  Although, this baby seems to be missing a part!  That's right... we're having a GIRL!!  I'm a little nervous with the unexpected, but excited for her to join our family.

And Lucas can't stop smiling!!

A Few of My Favorite Things...

It's been a while since I've done a post on some of the things I love right now...

My Lilac Clothing Jeans are seriously my favorite pair of jeans that I own.  They are the most comfortable things in the world and so darn cute.  I may be pregnant now, but I started wearing these before I was pregnant and loved them then too.  They may look like maternity pants, but they are definitely made for everyone.  My mom and sister both own a pair... and they're not expecting!  I bought mine at Costco during their roadshow last fall for much cheaper.  Although I love them, I'm not sure I could fork out the full price for these things!  I would recommend these things to EVERYONE!  Below are the pants I have.

Lately I've been on cooking/meal planning kick.  Which is a good thing cause we've been a tighter budget so having things planned makes for a much better grocery bill.  My favorite place to find new meals is at Our Best Bites.  I also have their cookbook and it's fabulous!  A few of our favorites our the Spicy Honey Chicken (and the salad that you can make it in to), Chicken Fajitas (website only), Brazilian Limeade, Balsamic Asparagus, Oven Steak Fries, Asian BBQ Chicken... I could go on and on!  Almost everything I've made so far has been awesome.

Another one of my favorites right now is my Camelbak water bottle.  Jed, I and the kids all got one for Christmas, we definitely drink more water with these around.  Love it!!

Next on my list of favorites is my Lemon & Lime Squeezers.  With all the cooking I've been doing lately, I seriously could not survive with out them.  Well, I probably could survive... barely!  I bought both of mine at Walmart.  I actually had the lime one first and then realized I needed something to do lemons too, so I bought the other one.  You definitely could get away with just having the lemon one since it's big enough to do both.

Another thing I hope becomes one of my favorites is the Shaklee Basic H2 and the Scour Off.  I recently bought this after seeing it on a bunch of blogs.  Some people swear by the stuff and I thought I'd give it a shot.  Plus... the bottle lasts forever cause it's so highly concentrated.  So far I've used it a ton in the kitchen, but it's only been for a couple of weeks, so we'll see if I can start to tell a difference soon.

And while we're on the topic of cleaners, I have to give a shout to my favorite Tilex Bathroom Cleaner.  For some reason I just feel like this does the best all around job in the bathroom, especially on the tub.

And there you have it.  A few of my favorite things right now.  I'm sure if I sat down to think about it some more I could come up with a lot more, but why share all my secrets!  (Plus it's already taken me 4 hours just to get this much posted!)

A Bittersweet Sunday

This past Sunday they released our Bishopric and I know for me it was a little bittersweet.  Jed has loved serving as the 2nd Counselor to Bishop McGhie and along side Bro. Gallacher.  Technically they had a couple more years to go, but Bishop McGhie and his family will be moving soon.

It has been such a blessing to have him in a calling that he absolutely loved.  He never complained about meetings because he knew that once he got there he'd have a good time.  Sometimes I wonder how they got anything done with all the jokes and stories they had to tell... especially since they all seemed to find the same things really funny!  But aside from the fun, they did a fabulous job.

It's a testimony to me how the Lord knows exactly where we're suppose to be at certain times our lives.  This was one of those times.  I think back a year ago to when we were contemplating the possibility of moving.  He wasn't happy in his job, we didn't feel established in Spanish Fork, and our lack friends in the neighborhood/ward was frustrating (although this one was definitely our problem for being unsocial!).  And then... the Lord answered our prayers with Jed's call to the Bishopric and one week later my call to serve as the RS Meeting Coordinator.  It was the kick-in-the-pants we needed to realize we were in the right spot and we were here for a reason.

We've been blessed beyond measure with all the friends we've made over the last year!  We've found a love for where we are and now we don't want to move.  When Jed lost his job in May, we prayed that he'd find something that would allow us to stay.

Although this short chapter is over, we look forward to what lies ahead.  And I'm definitely looking forward to Sundays when he can help get the kids ready AND wrestle them on the bench.  That's one part I'm not going to miss!

Our Bishopric in action...

They sure have lots of fun together!  Maybe a little too much fun at times....

Mo Willems

Have you ever read the books by Mo Willems?  We just discovered him and my boys think they are so funny.  Especially the Elephant & Piggie series.  We've only had a few so far, but can't wait to check out more.  So far our favorite is "We are in a Book",  Jed read it to the boys the other night and the were all laughing hysterically!  If you haven't ready them, head to your local library fast.  He has different books for different ages.  Another one they like is "Time to Pee" (for obvious reasons the kids find this funny)!

Happy Halloween

This year the kids got to dress up 3 different times for Halloween.  Lucas had his school Halloween party on Wednesday and I took the kids to go watch him the other students parade around the playground.  Although I'm not a huge fan of Halloween, (as you would see from the one tiny skeleton decoration we have hanging from the fan) but seeing the kids dress up and act their part does bring a smile to my face!! 



Lucas wanted to be a mummy this year and since I was going for inexpensive, I bought some fabric that we just ripped and wrapped around him.  He thought it was great.  Kody wanted to be a cowboy... not surprising!  Grandpa Mark made some chaps for him and he also wore some spurs from when I was little.  He looked mighty authentic!  And Ryker was the puppy.


  



Wednesday night was our ward Chili Cook-off/trunk or treat.  The weather was good until the sun went down.  Then it got cold!  Ryker wasn't too fond of being cold or wearing his puppy ears.  I made White Chicken Chili soup for the first time and it turned out pretty good.  We scored lots of candy (which we used for the trick or treater's tonight)!

My mom and dad stopped by Friday and picked up Lucas & Kody to go to Tawnya's house.  From what I hear, they had lots of fun!!  When they got back Saturday, they got all dressed up and we went into Fuddrucker's for dinner and to see Jess.  Her costume was hilarious!  The weather Saturday included wind, rain, hail & snow... awesome for trick or treating!!  Luckily by the time we got back, it was just cold so Grams and I took Lucas & Kody around the block, Ryker went to bed!

All in all... it was a good day with lots of sugar consumption!

Officially Employed…

That’s right, my hubby has a job now!  He’s happy and that makes me doubly happy!  He had an interview last Thursday and they called him Friday to offer him the job… he started Monday.  He’s an Estimator for a concrete company in Lehi.  They are small, only been in business a couple of years, but certainly seem to have their heads on straight.  He completed his first week today and as far as I can tell, he’s loving it.  He works for good people who have the same values… and as a bonus… he doesn’t come home smelling like smoke!  He also made the comment that it’s nice not having to worry about certain words coming out of their mouths all the time!  He’s hoping that as the company grows they’ll be more opportunity for him to move up also.

Thank you, thank you for all the prayers and help on our behalf.  It’s been a long 5 months, but in the end, I know this is where he is meant to be.  Although the commute may get tiresome, we really, REALLY didn’t want to move and this job makes it possible to stay put.  We love it here!  A definite answer to our prayers!

Now that I’ve lost my tag team partner during the days, I have to figure out how to single parent again.  So far I’m not doing so hot!!  I get nothing done… and it doesn’t help that Kody has decided to stop taking naps!  Remind me again why I didn’t send him to preschool this year??!!

Oh how I struggle with blogging...

I don't know why it feels like such a chore to do!  It make me sad to think of all the things I keep meaning to put on here, yet I never do and now I've forgot half of them.  Hopefully I can take a day soon and go back and fill in the last month with a few things that we've done.

Here's what's happening in our neck of the woods....

Jed is still looking for a job.  It's a slow, tedious, and an annoying process!  He's taking any and all suggestions, so if you know of a place, let him know.  He's spent a lot of time up at my parents the last couple of months helping them remodel their kitchen.  It's all but done and I'm excited to see it when we go up there in a few days.  You can see pictures on my moms blog.

Lucas is LOVING school.  He's definitely our academic child who likes to learn.  He's very concerned about homework and making sure we complete it the minute he walks through the door.  The only thing interfering with homework would be friends.  He loves to play... nonstop!  He has his two friends on our street, Kyle and Mason, and they are inseparable.  Although I think they are starting to fight more like brothers... we may have to start limiting time!

Kody is still a piece of work!  He's pretty much in trouble all the time, but never ceases to amaze me with the kinds of things he thinks up.  His current obsession is Lonesome Dove and Return to Lonesome Dove.  All 12 hours!!  I tell ya, if I have to watch anymore of that show, I just might go looney.  He'll sit on his dad's lap and not move.  We've tried other westerns, but he's not interested.  I think it's cause the cows and horses are pretty much in every scene during the entire show.  I am happy that it keeps him entertained and confined for a little while.  One of my favorite things he does right now is put "my" in front of mommy.  So he'll say "night my mommy" or "help my mommy" (when he needs help).  I love it!  He's now potty trained with very few accidents.  Oh Happy Day!

Ryker (aka class clown) thinks he's a crack up!  We think so too.  He loves to act silly and make silly faces.  He talks none stop although not much is recognizable yet.  He can say mama, dada, and YA (very blunt and loudly) when he wants something.  He does know the signs for more, please & thank you.  I love this stage, where they aren't quite old enough to get in trouble, but they like imitate everything you do.

As for me, well, I'm still doing the same thing... chauffeur, work, clean, laundry... oh and I learned to make bread.  And now I'm addicted to making bread... Mmm good!

Crack-up

Think of the busiest 3 year old you know… multiply it by 100… and now you have Kody!  Yesterday I walked up stairs and could smell something burning.  Instantly I turn to Kody and ask what he’s been doing.  He takes me to the iron, which he so carefully set back on the shelf.  Unfortunately he set in direct contact with a plastic container that was melting!  That it explains the smell, but why is the iron HOT!  He took me to Ryker’s room where proceeds to show me everything he’s ironed.  Ryker’s pants, a pillowcase and a swim diaper.  That would explain the junk all over the bottom of the iron now.  But he’s proud as punch at his accomplishment.  And surprisingly he only had a minor burn on his thumb.

A few of his sayings right now are…

• Me oh tay (when he falls of his bike or does anything that could result in injury)
• Me towboy (We get this all the time.  I’m now trying to turn it back on him with potty training… Cowboy’s don’t pee in their underwear!)
• Me wite it, but…  (he says this for just about anything he doesn’t want to eat)

He’ll be starting speech therapy again in a couple of weeks and hopefully he’ll be able to get the “K” sound again.  I’ve been awful at working with him during the summer.  But it sure makes his speech cute, even if it is wrong!

We’ve been working on potty training for the past couple of weeks.  This is so not my favorite thing!  Luckily he’s poop trained (he did that all himself).  Now if I could just be consistent in potty training.  He was doing really good until he headed up to Honeyville last week.  With Jed and I working on my parents kitchen all the time, I wasn’t very good at reminding him.  We started a sticker chart today so hopefully it’ll be a little bit more incentive.  When he fills the chart up, he gets to spend the night at Tawn’s so he can ride horses!

Kindergartner… in the house!

Lucas had his first day of Kindergarten today.  And from what I can tell, he had a great time.  He was so excited for today and was not happy this morning when he had to wait until the afternoon to go.  He only has one friend from our ward in his class so he’ll have to make some new friends too.  Which won’t be a problem for him!  I’ve been just as excited, if not more excited for this day than he has.  Towards the end of summer I could tell that he was ready for something new.  He loves to learn and I wasn’t the greatest at giving him projects over the summer.  It’ll be a nice break for him during the day and maybe I can work out the crazy nap times right now so that Kody & Ryker will sleep during school time.  But… I’m afraid that might be more wishful thinking than anything else!  We’re so proud of you Lucas and are excited to watch you on this new adventure in life!  Love you!

 

 

It’s only taken me 15 months…

to realize that this little boy has an attached tongue!  (at least I think he does).  The other day I was trying to get him to stick his tongue out cause I could see a sore on the end of it.  Then it dawned on me… I bet he can’t!  I’ve never, in his whole 15 months of life, seen him stick his tongue out of his month.  No wonder he he drools like a mad man!  (refer to picture above)  He doesn’t have another appointment until 18 months.  I guess I need to research a bit on how and when they clip it.  Then find out if I need to get him in sooner.

Accomplished Much

It's been over two months now since Jed lost his job.  And while I'd rather have him working, sometimes it's nice just having an extra set of hands around.

We finally got around to getting the epoxy on the garage floor.  We split it into two and I helped with the one side.  Jed finished the other side while I was up at my parents the first of July.  I love it.  It shouldn't stain and will be a lot easier to clean out.  It also makes it look nice.  Eventually we're going to arrange so that there is room for both cars!

He's been the barber around here.  This particular day he decided he's give Lucas a Mohawk.  I was not a fan, but Lucas thought it was cool.  I made him shave it before church the next day.  Kody also got a nice buzz.  This was by far the shortest buzz Lucas has ever had, and probably Kody too.

If Jed is outside, Kody wants to be right there.  He was helping Jed pick up the cement pieces from the park strip, load them in the wheelbarrow and haul them to the other side of the house.  He is such a good helper when he's focused, but his attention span usually runs out after a few minutes and then it makes it a bit hard to get things done!

Jed also got to spend that week at Scout Camp and from what I hear, they all had a great time!  Especially lighting their hands on fire, jumping off cliffs & playing intense horseshoe games.  They did get some merit badges passed off.

A couple funnies...

Yesterday the bishop taped this footage of Kody during Nursery.  Apparently he gave all the leaders a good laugh.  I guess we need to work on marching!




A couple nights ago Lucas was saying his prayers and blessed that "the grown-ups will listen to their children."  I don't even think he knew he said it, but I thought it was pretty funny!

Cowabunga Bay

Yesterday we spent the majority of the day at Cowabunga Bay.  Most of our family was able to make it for the last of Kody's birthday parties!  We had such a fun time!  There is lots to do for the young and old alike.  And... the water in the pool area is warm!!  The slide water... not so much!

These were taken on our way there.  We had to stop in Provo and the kids were not to thrilled with the delay!