January Pictures

random-- i find that most of my pictures tend to be of the most random assortment. no stories to be told, no fun captions to mark them, just plain old pictures of my kids going about their normal life. but i actually LOVE to take pictures of our precious kids under normal circumstances and then look back and smile on the small & simple things of life. like the time i whipped out my camera to attempt to catch that heart-melting mile wide grin that Eli likes to put on display for me, only to catch the "serious" face each time I tried (1). or the time Eli was drunk happy after an extra long nursing session and wouldn't budge from his sleepy state, even with Robby and Maddie screaming and running around the couch pretending to be running from Monsters (2). or on a sunday when I was completely head over heels in love with the way Eli looked all dressed up in his big boy church shirt and pants (3). or when Maddie walked up to me and asked me to take her picture in her "pretty, pretty" outfit with good luck bear, proceeded to give me a totally sweet smile and then to top it all off actually looked at the camera with her eyes AND her head (4/5). or when i looked over at Robby during breakfast and noticed that he once again had his green train at the kitchen table and was trying to feed it his breakfast cereal and milk, with the most content look on his face (6). what a wonderful and sacred calling it is to mother these precious children and spend each day with them.

(1) I have been trying for the past month to get a picture of my little guy smiling. So far the only big grin I have managed to capture was on my phone (but I don't know how to transfer those to a computer??). This picture will have to do for now, until I can get a better one.

*note: i LOVE these mittens that my mother-in-law gave me for Eli to wear, they have SAVED his face from being covered in scratches!(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

February's Top Ten.....

10. The first weekend in February we went to the musical Lion King with my whole family (without kids). The singing was amazing, the costumes were the best I have ever seen, the babe slept the entire time, and we had fun company with us! The one bummer: we found at we had to pay for a lap child when we arrived. Yes...you heard that right; $24 for little Eli to sit in my arms and sleep the whole time. You gotta give them props for finding a way to squeeze a little more money out of people.

9. Going to the ASU Women's and Men's Gymnastics Meet with Maddie and Eli. We dropped Robby off at Nona and Papa's house and he had fun one-on-one time with his grandparents. We then met our good friends at In-N-Out Burger and ate dinner before heading over to Wells Fargo Arena. It was lots of fun and especially funny to watch Maddie doing her "nastics" in the aisle just like the girls on floor exercise. She is quite the wild child and I am afraid that most of the people around us were happy when we decided to make it a night.

8. This next one definitely isn't a top ten "good" thing to have happen, but is still noteworthy for the month of February. Robby mauled his little brother with one of his tow trucks after bath a few weeks back. I laid Eli down on the floor in the playroom long enough to run in the bathroom and hang up the bath towels. In that time period, Robby ran over to Eli and smacked him in the forehead/face with his truck. Poor Eli looked like we had beat him for nearly a week; I felt so bad that I called Jesse sobbing on the phone after it happened. Thank goodness his face healed quickly and he doesn't remember this incident. Needless to say, Robby went to bed EARLY that night (like 6pm) and I learned a valuable lesson: NEVER lay your baby down on the floor in the same room as his two year old brother.

7. I was able to go to Jamba Juice for some smoothies and gab time with my good friend/newlywed Carla. It was fun to sit and look at her gorgeous wedding pictures and talk about the good times together. It's always a fun night with that girl!

6. Oklahoma City vs. Phoenix Suns basketball game! We took our beloved Eli once again in tow and decked him out in full Suns attire. This time we watched them massacre Oklahoma City and witnessed LB's 41 point game: AWESOME (if you notice my double chin in the picture above, just reference down to number four on this list).

5. Taking Madison on a "mommy-daughter date" to the matinee showing of my younger brother's play performance of "Thoroughly Modern Millie." She sat so well during the play and was so interested in everything that was happening. On one part Millie picks a rose and starts singing. Madison announced that she was "so naughty for picking flowers...daddy would be so mad." *Hmmm...apparently Maddie does listen to what her dad says, she just hasn't quite mastered the part about obeying as well.

4. Being welcomed back to LA Fitness with brand new membership cards, after suffering a clothing meltdown on Valentines Day while trying to get dressed for our church's Sweetheart Ball.

3. One of my newest passions is making jewelry. I have inherited this love from my dear mother. I am officially blaming her for getting me hooked on this stuff. She is so crafty and has been doing beads for years, but just recently she has sucked me into this addicting new hobby. I went to a bead party this month and made an adorable new necklace for Maddie and one for my cutest ever niece for her birthday!

2. The reorganized park days in our neighborhood! My kids LOVE LOVE LOVE to be outside and so we have been so excited to once again have an official park day to meet up with friends and play. I now have Robby and Maddie both asking me every day if we are going to go "pay at pock pease" (in Robby's words).

1. We have been taken over by trains and cars at our household. This isn't an official "thing" that happened but is instead a daily occurence at our house. Robby has so many cars, trucks, and trains after hitting the jackpot on his birthday; that it feels like no matter where you look in our house, you will find one. I would try harder at keeping them in the box where they belong, but the thing is he is constantly playing with them. His beloved green train accompanies him at mealtime and occasionally is fed his own serving of food, they follow him over to the couch to watch movies, he always has a few outside in case he gets bored playing in the dirt. He even has to have several in his crib when he naps and goes to bed. Hooray for having a little boy!

Helping Daddy Wash the Car

Only in Arizona can you wear clothes like these in February, and run around & play in the water outside without freezing to death! (We LOVE our warm winters)

One of Robby's favorite things to do outside, is walk around with Maddie's pink lawn mower and pretend to mow the lawn, cement, rocks, and dirt "just like daddy." His other favorite pasttime would be to putter around in the garage with either Daddy or Papa in all the tools.

You've been tagged, now fill in the answers and tag 10 or more people... don't forget to tag me!!

1. Who was your FIRST prom date?..................Mike Spears at Red Mountain High School
2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love?...............Nope
3. What was your 1st alcoholic drink?................................Never had one--ever
4. What was your FIRST job?...................................besides household jobs and babysitting, it would have to be my short stint at Arby's
5. What was your FIRST car?..................................1994 Nissan Sentra--I drove it all the way through college and beyond :)
6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?...................My sister
7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?...........My little E at 12:30am when he awoke me from a short slumber
8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?..................Mrs. Reese
9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?..........To Orange County, CA when I was 15 months old (thanks Dad for the info); I have flown WAY too many times to remember since then.
10. Who was your FIRST best friend & do you still talk?........My sister Loriann who is older than me by 16 months and we talk almost every day. Besides her I would have to say DeeDee Smith and Kelly Bower that lived on my street in Bountiful, Utah; haven't seen or heard from them in YEARS.
11. Where was your FIRST sleep over?......My first I had was my 10 year old birthday party.
12. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?...........Jesse sometime in the middle of the night as I whined about how tired I was
13. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time?..............My own wedding, besides that my sisters wedding (actually the only other wedding I have been in besides my own)
14. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?..........Fed the babe
15. FIRST tattoo?......................................................I suppose permanent eyeliner if that counts
16. First piercing?...................................................... Ears--when I was 8.
17. First foreign country you've been to?.....................Canada or Mexico
18. FIRST movie you remember seeing?.................The summer movie fun one's at the local movie theater called the Sandcastle when I was a kid.
19. When was your FIRST detention?.............................I don't really remember ever going to detention: maybe I have blocked that part of my life out??
20. What was the first state you lived in?........................Utah

Tag your it: To anyone who wants to!!

happy. love. day.

my other half: the love of my life...always up for some hardcore balloon tying entertainment for the kids; need i say more?!

i love love love my little E...and 100% totally agree with his onesie; don't you?

i love this little miss thing....even covered in rocky road ice cream and constantly dressed up in princess attire.

i love this little boy...especially with his blankie on his head. it makes it convenient to keep his security blanket with him always and his hands free to do what they please.

tHe tRaiN PaRTy

Cousin Kaylin was nice enough to help Robby play with all of his new toys!!

Robby's 2nd Birthday!

Happy Birthday Bubba!

We can't believe that you are already two years old. The time has really flown by. Your daddy and I are so proud and happy to have you as our son. You make us laugh every day at the funny new things you come up with. You sure L O V E your pacifier and "bankie" right now, and will seriously beg for them. In order to keep your blanket with you while eating, you normally put it right on top of your head and eat meals like this. (it is a small 12x12 square soft blanket piece) You are OBSESSED with trains and basically anything that is a ball, car, truck, or plane. You love to tease your sister by taking something and then running around the room with a huge grin on your face, while she chases you to retrieve it. You hate to walk down the stairs all by yourself and will stand at the top and cry until I come to get you. Normally you are holding your blanket, toy stuffed lion, and a few cars in your hands and will proceed to hand them on over to me. After emptying your arms, you get a big grin on your face and reach your hands out to me so I can carry you down the stairs. You love it when I carry you like a backpack. You also love your daddy so much. You constantly ask me all day long "Where daddy go?" and I always repeat "he's at work." Normally you will then reply "oh..work" and nod your head like you suddenly remembered this. When daddy gets home you are the first to run to the daddy and yell "Daddy" with the biggest grin on your face. You always seem to reserve your biggest smiles and laughter for him. Some of the things you enjoy doing with daddy are rough-house, work outside, throw balls, drive cars all over the house, play horsey, and be thrown around. You are talking so much more now. You refuse to call Maddie by her real name and will only refer to her as "Sisee" no matter what I try to teach you. Some of your favorite phrases/words include: Hold you (hold me), Hi daddy, I sorry, afiee (pacifier), what dat?, I no know (I don't know), dere it is, ere going? You are already a pro at saying plane, train, car, tractor, helicoptor, ball, and boat of course! Even though you are a bit of a wild man and love to have a good time running around, you also have a tender side and love to have mom pick you up and hold you.

We sure love you and couldn't imagine our family without you in it!!

Random Happenings

Mommy and the "burrito" Maddie's favorite thing to do in the kitchen is to pull up a chair and help make food.
Baby Eli with daddy

Miss M LOVES to dress herself these days and it's always interesting to see what she comes up with

Carla's Wedding/Shower

Last Saturday marked the first day of the rest of their lives for my good friend Carla and her new hubby Aaron. I am so excited that she has finally found the perfect man to spend eternity with. She is probably one of the most selfless, kind people I have ever met. She can make me laugh like no other person around and knows some things that no one else does about me. She has been friends with me through good times and bad, seen me at my worst and still loves me just the same (amazing). Not only that, but she has now promised me that she would get going on trying to catch up with me on kids so we can have our fourth child together. Okay, okay the last one is not REALLY true, but I am hoping to have some kids around the same age that can play together :) Carla and Aaron coming out of the temple

Janelle, Carla and Tiffany at the temple

Bridal Shower:

Isn't she too gorgeous for words?! I am slightly jealous of how sophisticated she looks and how mommy-ish I now look. I might have to post some other fun pictures to even the score slightly :)

My mom holding little Eli with my Grandma sitting beside her

--side note: as I was busy preparing my part of the food for the shower Maddie climbed up to help me like she normally does. She asked me what I was making the food for. I then went ahead and explained that the food was for Carla's wedding party to celebrate her getting married. She looked right at me and said "Oh...I am getting married just like Carla." I decided it would be fun to press her for some of her wedding details. She told me she was getting married "morrow" (tommorow) and was marrying a prince. Needless to say, there was no wedding for her the next day :)

Eli's Baby Blessing

**updated**

WAY TOO EARLY 8am church

+beautiful babe in white

+tired, emotional mother

+late night cooking

+even later night cleaning

+loads of family piling into our chapel

=baby blessing fast Sunday!my handsome, growing chubbier and more squeezable by the day, little boy
It was such a wonderful day to have so many family members with us as Jesse was able to give our infant a name and a blessing. And to all the family who couldn't make it, we sure missed you! Jesse gave Eli a great blessing and I was blessed to only have Maddie sitting next to me during the blessing, so I could actually hear the prayer. He was blessed with the ability to draw close to his Heavenly Father, serve a mission and marry in the temple among other things.

After sacrament meeting, we had a brunch at the homestead. I made chicken salad and croissants and a yummy ice cream sandwich cake (Farrah's recipe), as well as supplying muffins. My mom and mother-in-law were so nice to help with the meal, bringing veggie trays and salad for the occasion. I truly am so blessed to have family always willing to pitch in and help out! Maddie decided she wanted in on the camera action at this point

the traditional "four-generation" photo-op

the three aunties: jo, esther, and abby with baby E, Miss M and tired looking Mom

Eli was being loved on by all the ladies of the family

I am constantly impressed by what a helpful big sister Maddie is to Eli. She will always drop what she is doing when he starts to cry and go comfort him. She imitates things that I say to him such as "it's okay Eli; I am right here; you'll be okay; life's not so bad; Momma's coming to feed you right now; etc."

She loves to sit right by him and pat his head or stroke his cheeks and is always wanting to hold him for me. Sometimes she even likes to "help" put his pacifier in when he is already asleep! Great-Grandma West Tyler and Jo sitting at the kids table with Chris and Stacia's little guy and Kaylin (Lori and Tyler's)

Jesse with his cousin Chris Aunt Ruth Flake with cousin Kent

Nona and Papa holding Baby E

Aunt Sharman and Uncle Roger from Pinetop Esther and Abby

My one picture of Robby in his church attire: he ditched the vest soon after and then DESTROYED his white shirt with food

Auntie Jo-Jo with Eli

After the food, came the fun for Maddie and Robby. Because it was a special Sunday, I guess it meant the kids could roam free in our dirt-pit of a backyard. They had way too much fun throwing the dead grass clippings all over themselves.