preschool program

well, wesley completed his first year of preschool. he loved it and is really looking forward to going to summer school. he's getting ian excited about starting next year, too. i went to his little end of year program and got quite a laugh. wesley acted just as we expected he would. it was really entertaining to watch him be so oblivious to what was going on around him at times and then see him suddenly realize what he was supposed to be doing and join in. i'm going to try to get a video to work as well as include some pics. enjoy.

i've got everyone fooled?

last friday i went to the zoo with wesley's preschool class. i took ian and fiona with me as well, because ian loves the rhinoceros. it was a lot of fun (we lost and found, 20 panicking minutes later, one of the little boys) and actually not too stressful (except the above mentioned 20 minutes; i was really relieved it wasn't one of mine nor the child assigned to me). i didn't take the camera because i wasn't sure what to expect or if i'd even get a chance to get it out. yesterday, when i spoke to my mom, who works in the same school as the wesley's teacher, she told me how ms. jodi was singing my praises and so very impressed with me, my attitude and organization, and all that. she said the other teachers were so impressed that i was the mother of 3 under the age of 5 and that i had it all so together. i just wanted to laugh and cry out, "i have you all so fooled?!" only my children really know the truth and hopefully they'll never divulge that awful secret. well, i thought since i seem to have it all so together this would be a good time to also announce that we are indeed expecting again. in november. that's going to make for 4 under the age of 5. i must indeed be crazy, but oh so happy. i just love being a mother and can't imagine doing anything else right now. since i don't have any pics of the zoo and i'd hate to post without one, i'm going to include the pic that we used to announce to our families the good news. it took some time for some of them to figure it out and others no time at all. but it was really fun to read their responses. most thought i just wanted to make the rolls for thanksgiving dinner.

sand dunes trip

we just got back from the sand dunes (i'm still trying to get all the sand off everything). we had a great time. the boys just loved it out there and REALLY did not want to come home. they love to dig and play in the big holes that austin digs for them (we saw a sign that said "no tunneling, dangerous, could cause death). fiona had a fun time, too. last year when we went, was a disaster for her and caused her all sorts of problems. this year was wonderful. she played in the hole that daddy dug, pushed the tonka loader around like a pro and loved the feel of the sand on her fingers and toes. it turned out to be an absolutely fabulous day, too. it never got too hot and no wind (big plus). our lunch turned out to be a bit of a memorable event, too. no one brought the lunch meat for sandwiches. we ended us just eating cheese and pickle sandwiches, which are surprisingly tasty (i ate two myself). enjoy the pics

wagon fun

this is my favorite, each one has such a great expression that it made the pic so much fun.



wesley and ian experienced their first christmas together, wesley was almost 1 year and ian almost 2 months. since neither of them could really tell us what they wanted for christmas (we're now guessing, they would have been happiest with just the boxes and paper to play with), we decided to buy them a wagon. it has come in so handy and been great fun. yesterday we loaded all three kids into the wagon and pulled them around the yard, it was fun to watch. we're definately going to have to invest in another wagon or an add on if they keep growing (and their is no stopping that). poor wesley had the worse seat, especially when they went up hill. enjoy the pics

spring break

for spring break we took a little trip down to st. george and had a great vacation with the children. they had a wonderful time, and it was really fun to go swimming for the first time since last august. we climbed the red rocks, swam until we were pruny, played in the sand dunes (and brought half of it home with us in the car) and relaxed in summer clothes :). Amberlee, Mark and their children went with us and it was so great for the children to play with their cousins. the most surprising things were: wesley wanted to go to the pool more than play in the sand, fiona HATED the water toy that we bought for her to play in and would rather drown herself than sit in it, and kelly after checking out a ton of different outlet stores and such in search of the perfect summer dresses finally found them at the walmart (if only we had known sooner, we could have saved so much time being frustrated in the fitting rooms). well, here are our pics. we really had a wonderful time and the boys keep asking when we can go back.

just some fun pics

it's been a while since i've had a chance to sit down and post some new pics. fiona is really funny with the camera, whenever i point it at her she runs right up to it and wants to grab it. it really makes it hard to catch pics of her, but these ones turned out pretty cute.




ian is potty-training and he's basically done, but still has "bad" days, when he just doesn't want to deal with it. but we made a deal with him to have so many days without accidents and he could pick out a new toy. he made it (though it wasn't consecutive and we're still working on it as i mentioned above) and he picked out the peter pan dagger and belt that he saw once at the disney store. now he wants the bow and arrow (maybe we could use it to motivate him some more ;).) and i made him a hat; he is all about the accesories. we already had the pirate stuff and it was really cute to watch wesley and ian fight as pan and hook. wesley finally dropped the sword, picked up a toy gun and said he was just going to shoot ian. he wanted results. they are so funny to watch and have such a great time playing together. (p.s. sorry some are kind of fuzzy, but they give you the idea)

easter 2

we had a great time at grandma deanie's and grandpa's house on saturday. we had a hotdog roast where a whirlwind stole emmie's cheetos bag and blew it clear up into the sky. ian drove the toy jeep for the first time and had a spectacular crash into a pine tree. fortunately, he and emmie seemed unfazed by the incident, but we are not planning on letting him drive again any time soon. we rode the fourwheelers. had an easter egg hunt. got sunburned. saw 'horton hears a who'. and had a day full of great memories and fun times with family. we missed all who couldn't be there; hopefully, you'll all be back close enough soon.

easter

we had a great easter weekend. the children went to 3 different easter egg hunts and they had a great time. i love hiding the easter eggs, that's always been my favorite part. teaching the boys about the true meaning of easter was quite an advenuture this year, too. we did a family home evening with some of the symbols of easter at the end the last egg was empty to represent the empty tomb. ian looked at us and said, "i hope that wesley gets that egg." then in primary during sharing time they had a special easter lesson. the teacher was saying that Jesus died for each of us and wesley blurted out "but the easter bunny isn't dead". and when she asked the children what easter was about ian yelled, "CANDY!"
yeah, i feel like our efforts to teach them are really paying off. i'm sure it's all in their heads somewhere, right?
enjoy the pics and hope you all had a great easter

32

well, it's my birthday today and i thought i'd share 32 of my favorite things (i got the idea from a friend's blog). They are not in any order, just as I randomly thought of them. this will make getting older a little more positive, because i'll get to share more each year. that's me being optimistic (it's a work in progress)
1. i love the art work on the opening credits of the new Charlotte's Web
2. i love the tripod that austin got me for my birthday, family pics will be so much easier now
3. i love finishing projects in one sitting (it doesn't happen very often)
4. i love the movie stardust, it's a new favorite. i'm even developing ideas of being a star for halloween and how i'm going to make that dress
5. i love vintage dresses (like on I love Lucy and my mom's old barbie doll). and a friend gave me a whole box full of fun old patterns, i can't wait to make some
6. i love getting kisses from austin & the kids when i have to leave or after i return home
7. i love lindt chocolate
8. i love when the sun breaks through on a stormy day and lights up all the trees
9. i love to watch bats fly at twilight
10. i love tiger beetles
11. i love being a mom
12. i love the gospel
13. i love to paint
14. i love algebra (yeah, i'm a geek)
15. i love to read during nap time
16. i love a clean kitchen, if the kitchen is clean i stress less about the rest of the house
17. i love austin, deeply, madly, completely
18. i love seeing other's blogs and their pictures of their families
19. i love my cindy crawford workout videos, they save me
20. i love to go for walks alone and just think and listen to the world around me
21. i love how quiet it gets after it snows
22. i love to turn the radio up so loud that i can feel it
23. i love learning (i really miss college, but not the exams)
24. i love my 'lord of the ring/pirate' boots, they are so fun to wear and keep my toes oh, so toasty
25. i love to dress up, which is probably why halloween is my favorite holiday. i firmly believe we do not have enough costume parties
26. my favorite saturday morning cartoon is 'viva pinata'
26. i absolutely love watching episodes of 'the office', i love that it always makes me laugh out loud
27. i love making collages with photos of those i love, they are my favorite house decor
28. i love my calling in the primary and i'm shocked that i would ever say that (i always dreaded serving in the primary and being one of 'those' sisters
29. i love mowing the lawn
30. i love going to the library, the possibilities are endless
31. i love taking the kids to the playground
32. i love bajio grill, i'm hoping that's what we have for dinner tonight

children's museum

last friday we went to the discovery museum at the gateway. the kids had a fabulous time. we played in water fountains, the boys were crane operators working hard, wesley was a mailman on a motorcycle, ian got to drive a tractor and ride in a helicopter (by the way he is not batman, he's superman and there is no convincing him otherwise. many have tried many have failed). and we went to sesame street to learn about the body. it was a great day and one we hope to repeat sometime soon (next time we're taking austin with us, so he can help keep track of the kids). enjoy the pics