Growing up in the woods

Long Time Gone

2011-10-09T18:02:00.000-07:00

SO ..how to announce your 4th pregnancy? Facebook? No..I'm not into sharing. By phone? Bound to forget someone. Thru a blog that you haven't posted on in over a year, which your pretty sure no one is interested in following? Sure..why not.

Baby #4 due MAY 2012. YAHOO!!

Porter's Birthday

2010-07-13T22:23:00.000-07:00

This was a few months ago, of course, but I still wanted to share. We made a "fruit cake" out of watermelon, bananas and bluberries (his favorite) and his cake was frosted with strawberry icing made from real strawberries, hence the pink color. I'm not wishing he was a girl..ok maybe.. just a little, thank goodness I have a little niece.

BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

One of the Girls

2010-02-11T21:53:00.000-08:00

Porter and I are having a great time in St.George. Happy Valentines Day!

LOVE YA,

Tid-Bits

2010-01-15T18:25:00.000-08:00

I'm home alone, with all the time in the world to do some blog catch up and have no idea what to say. So here are a few of the things that have made our family smile lately.

A visit to Seattle to see cousin Olin.

Baby Porters First Christmas.

Building Snowmen.

and, Handsome Dudes in Suits.

O Holy night, Batman!

2009-12-22T07:52:00.000-08:00

Every nativity needs a few superheros, don't you think?

The Christmas Spirit

2009-12-12T16:26:00.000-08:00

Tristen still believes!! (see previous post)

The Christmas Spirit

I'm Gettin Nuttin for...

2009-12-09T15:22:00.000-08:00

Do you Believe in Santa?

I do. In fact for the past five years I have worked closely with the man as one of his helpers (aka:personal shoppers). This year we got things done early, no waiting till the last minute. I sat the boys down before Thanksgiving and helped them make lists. Then we narrowed it down to one gift each and they wrote beautiful letters to Santa with drawings and all. The one thing Tristen wanted:

Wolverine Claws!!!

Being the great helper that I am, I found a great deal on Black Friday and purchased them right away. Next, we had to come up with the perfect hiding place. Josh thought of it first, and at the time it seemed perfect, but this morning all my hopes of a Christmas Day surprise were dashed. The boys came rushing into my room screaming "Mommy, we found Tristen's Wolverine claws!!"
What!?.. How!?.. Who?...
It took me a minute to even remember were we hid them, then the boys led me to the spot. Josh's guitar case lay open with the Wolverine box snuggly inside.

What do I do now? Please tell me. How do I fix this?

Santa is going to kick my butt when he finds out.

Thanksgiving Past

2009-11-26T04:33:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is my holiday. For some reason Thanksgiving dinner ends up at my house more years than not. It seems to be centrally located for my family and was an easy place for Josh's family to gather while Robert was in Law School. Last year we had nearly twenty people stay with us. This year it will only be Josh's parents, but I'm still looking forward to having family in our home. Here's a few things I may or may not miss:

-Anjuli's pumpkin drink and cranberry sauce, she really is one of the most creative cooks I know.
-Rob and Janette cooking the Turkey, I never have to worry about the main dish when they are invited.
-My oven on fire, OK so it wasn't that bad but I'm glad Aaron and Rob figured it out before I ruined dinner with the fire extinguisher.
-Cousins!!!
-Naked babies rolling on my floor, I know Phen's an old man now but last year he had the cutest naked bum.
-Auntie Drea, she is this calm laid back presence in the midst of chaos.
-20 people, one bathroom ...no need to elaborate.
-Being Thankful for warm socks.

Happy Thanksgiving, I Love and miss you all.

2009-11-26T04:09:00.001-08:00

One of the boys favorite hikes is to the Lake Lenore Caves. We probably do it once a month. When I was in the hospital after Porters birth my mom and mother-in-law took the boys up to the caves, so now they call it the grandma hike. It really is that easy.

2009-11-26T03:28:00.000-08:00

It's 3:30 in the morning and I can't sleep. My options are to sit down and eat the delicious pumpkin bars Robert sent for Thanksgiving or blog. What's keeping me up at night?..you might ask. Well, a week ago Wednesday Everett had surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoid. He is still very uncomfortable and wakes up at least once a night. We usually give him pain medicine and he falls right back to sleep, but not tonight. Poor kid. Thanksgiving is not going to be fun for him.

Remember that Brady Bunch episode when Jan (or was it Bobby?) got her tonsils out. She slept in her parents bed, got ice cream delivered on a tray, had tons of friendly visitors, ate more ice cream, slept some more...oh how I wanted my tonsils to act up just so I could do the same. I hate to burst any ones bubble who wished the mismo, but guess what .... sleep is the enemy and ice cream is prohibited. Yeah...I couldn't believe it myself when the doctor said no dairy. So here's what Everett has been living on:

Trick-or-treat

2009-11-03T09:36:00.001-08:00

We finally took some pictures after an hour of tricks and treats on our friends porch. It seems to be a tradition now. Meet at the Okamotos, run around Coullee City collecting goods, someone always tuckers out early, the boys always want to go all night, don't forget to stop at that scary house (this year decorated with bloody body parts) and back to the Okamotos to take inventory. As we left the Okamotos a group of goulish treaters told us the best place in town...the local grocery store. They let you pick out anything you want for under .89 cents. What a great tip!!! Here's a few other tips I wish I would have known.

Tip #1: Face Painting Doesn't get better the more you practice.

For some reason the first time is so new and exciting the child listens and sits paitienly waiting for the big reaveal. By the third (or was it the fourth) time you find your self skipping all the details just to get it over with.

Tip #2: Hold the screen door

On our way home we decided to stop at one more house. We knocked, a gentle elderly woman opened the door, we squealled trick or treat , she turned to gather her candy bowl with delight, then it happened... like slow motion... she opened the screen door and a gust of wind took it from her grasp hittting Tristen in the head, hurling him into Everett the two of them on to the ground. In the mean time she reached for the door falling off her step into my arms, there I stood with a senior citizen in one arm and a baby cattapillar in the other. JOSH GET OUT OF THE CAR!!!

Tip #3: The later the better..makes bedtime easy.

2009-11-03T09:13:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken in 2007. At the time the monkey costume Everett was wearing fit perfectly and was so age appropriate. The next year I made him a batman costume but on Halloween Day he refused to wear it. He insisted on being a super monkey. (Notice the cape in the following picture)

Super monkey evolved to super batman monkey. ( Notice how the sleeves keep getting shorter)
This year when we began planning for Haloween Everett got out the old costume and finally agreed it was to small. The good old monkey costume is retired and in its place is a dragon. Hipp hipp hurray for the year (or 2 or 3) of the Dragon.

Fall Firsts

2009-11-03T08:45:00.001-08:00

I love the fall. With school back in session and the cooler weather the park has become very quiet. The boys have been meeting some new challenges over the past few months. Tristen began and completed his first season of soccer, rode his bike without training wheels for the first time and is now riding the bus with the big kids. Porter is sitting in his Bumbo and rolling over. As for Everett he is enjoying his first year of Pre-school and loves his teacher.

Summer Synopsis

2009-10-18T21:39:00.000-07:00

Summer days in the great outdoors...can't wait to see what winter brings.

He's a Ninja

2009-10-03T15:53:00.000-07:00

My nephews youtube debut. This is what happens when dads are left to babysit. Enjoy and share.

2009-10-03T15:50:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tPa_vi7XTg

I miss you Idaho

2009-08-25T21:36:00.000-07:00

This summer has gone by so quickley. I wanted to catch up in one post, but was quickly overwhelmed. So here is my tribute to Idaho edited down to "my" three favorite highlights of our trip.

#1: The views from my parents yard

#2: Visiting with long time friends

#3: and of course....Family!!

Aren't they all beautiful.

What's up with MapQuest?

2009-07-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

So.. before we left I got directions to the Bellevue LDS Temple off MapQuest. The directions led us here.

Not quite what we were expecting. Thank goodnes for the Angel Moroni :) We could see him throught he trees and finally made it. This is more like it.

Everetts Birthday Trip

2009-07-13T18:51:00.002-07:00

Weeks before Everett's Birthday we told him we were going to Seattle for his big day. We promise him lots of swimming, a cake and presents. He was really looking forward to it and couldn't stop talking about Seattle, swimming and Anjuli's house. So you can imagine my surprise when he woke up the day of our trip and told me we were going to... Hawaii. Huh. He and Tristen dressed themselves in these outfits and stuck to their story even when I dropped them at a friends house for a few hours. Porter was not enjoying the ride so we stopped in Vantage for a few minutes. Wind anyone? They took full advantage of the hotel pool, swimming till close the night we arrived and being the first in the pool the next morning. We stayed in Bellevue so we could take the boys to the Temple the next day. I was surprised at how many trails they had on the grounds. It was beautiful and peaceful and a joy to be there as a family.

We had a great time at my brothers place and as promised opened gifts and ate cake. On the way home we stopped in Vantage again (this time sans wind) and they swam in the river.

All things considered it was a success and we are now looking forward to Tristen's birthday trip.

Rexburg here we come!!

Meeting the Cousin

2009-07-13T18:51:00.001-07:00

Guess what we found?!!! I can finally post some pics from the past month. Here are a few photos from our trip to Seattle and the #1 motivation for taking three boys over the mountain pass to Emerald City.

Baby Olan. Isn't he the cutest.

He and Porter where born 13 days apart.

The last two photos are of Porter at the "Baby Spa". I told Josh one of my worst fears was once we saw my brother and his new baby we would realize how neglected our poor third child is. Sure enough their first born smelt sweet as can be, had his own bathing station, changing station and sleep area, new clothes everyday, etc. etc.. Porter on the other hand had taken five baths since his birth, gets changed on the carpet and sleeps on top of one blanket that I think I've washed maybe twice (it's his favorite and there's not time to wash the darn thing between naps). So sleeping in his cousins crib with matching bumpers and mobile, then bathing and getting dressed on the deluxe changing pad was a luxury for our little Po.

A thousand words Lost

2009-07-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

We've lost our camera, can't find it anywhere. Which means I can't blog about Everett's birthday, our fun trip to Seattle and the Fourth of July. I'm learning that a picture really is worth a thousand words. Our friend Mandy says we have a baby stamp, so in the mean time try to guess which baby is which (I pulled these photos from our digital archives)
Answers at the bottom.

A.

B.
C.
D.

A.Everett B.Tristen C.Porter D.Porter E.Everett F. Tristen

Summer Hike

2009-06-18T08:34:00.000-07:00

Having a baby around has really forced the two older boys to become more independent. Things they usually would have asked mommy for help with get done in very interesting ways. For example, picking out their PJ's. Matching tops and bottoms are not a priority in a 4 years olds eyes. Tristen has even been mixing sizes, wearing a top from Everett's drawer and a bottom from his own or vice versa. A tight top makes him look pretty studly, tight bottoms on the other hand...

The boys and I made a summer calender with activities they can look forward to every day. The first activity was a hike out to Deep Lake. The morning of the hike I had to take care of Porter and again the boys got very impatient and therefore very independent. They dressed them selves, packed their backpacks and even got their own lunches. This is what Everett packed: A tomato and five slices of lime in a glass mug. Yummy!!

The hike was an absolute blast. The boys took turns being leader and at one point we started going in circles because of their path choices. Every time we came to a fork in the road they had to stop and discuss whether the path led to danger or safety.

Everett is not only "potty" trained but can now pee in the woods like a manly man.

This is the best picture of Porter I could get. He slept the entire time in his baby carrier. He is a very easy baby to take out and about. I guess you could say Porter is very portable.

The hiking trip plan did not originally include Ki, but as we were going in and out of the house packing the car he snuck out. We found him cruising the RV park and decided we would take him with us. This is a picture of him post swim cooling the boys off with a big shake. He's not wearing a leash because Tristen threw it into the lake. Of course every time I hiked past someone with two toddlers, an infant strapped to me and a dog in toe they had to make the comment,"My...looks like you've got your hands full." I've been hearing that a lot lately and I'm not convinced it's a compliment especially when it's over the phone and they say, "Sounds like you've got your hands full."

We ate lunch by the water, enjoyed the beautiful day and survived our first outing for the summer. Here's a few more pictures until next time.

Enjoy

2009-05-31T08:36:00.000-07:00

One Month Old
May.29.2009

I can't believe an entire month has passed. We have been busy doing absolutely nothing. Our days are spent staring at this beautiful baby. He is so loved. The boys can't cross his path without leaving a messy kiss on his forehead. You know, the ones made of peanut butter, spaghetti and chocolate. Porter doesn't seem to mind. It's amazing how much more relaxed Josh and I are as parents the third time around. I think we realize how fast it goes so we are just enjoying it more. I hope the next month won't go by as fast, but I know it will. Gotta go enjoy it while I can.

Enjoying the moment,

Porter Baby- 4 weeks

2009-05-27T00:19:00.000-07:00

That was Easy

2009-05-26T23:58:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago as Everett and I were cuddling he insisted I not call him a BABY any more because he is a BOY. I quickly responded, "No Everett, your not a boy until you start wearing underpants, as long as you wear a diaper you are my baby." He climbed out of my lap looked me strait in the eyes and said, " I want this diaper off , NOW!" I'm proud to say he hasn't gone back since. We had a few accidents the second and third day, but once we broke out the chocolate potty snacks those stopped. So I guess it's official Everett is now a boy, GOOD JOB EVY!!

My big boy

Thankfull

2009-05-26T23:12:00.001-07:00

Thank goodness for Grandma Wood who convinced two newbie parents that having a trampoline doesn't equal broken arms and cracked skulls. Thank goodness for Josh, his boat, fishing poles and life jackets. Thank goodness for swimsuits, water guns, outdoor paint and mail runs. Thank goodness for sunshine that invites little boys outdoors to play with all of the above for hours on end...oh, and thank goodnes for newborn babies who keep them occupied once they finally come inside.

We have had so many visitors over the past month. Thank-you to every single one of them for not only keeping the boys occupied, but for making meals, cleaning house, holding babies, changing diapers, doing dishes and keeping us company. Your welcome back anytime. And for those of you who haven't visited ... come soon the lawn needs to be mowed.

Beautiful Boys

2009-05-05T18:07:00.001-07:00

Porter Hanks Wood

2009-05-02T22:48:00.000-07:00

Our third little man has arrived.
Born Wednesday April 29th, 2009 at 2:35 pm.
Weighed 8 lbs 8 oz, measured 19 inches long
Short, Chubby and Perfect.

Easter Day

2009-04-20T15:30:00.001-07:00

Project #4: 2nd Hand Furniture

2009-04-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

This is the cabinet that I was happy to find for only $35.oo. After a month of work and sacrificing my back in the process I'ld still say it was worth it. I need to put the hardwear back on, and maybe scuff it up a bit so it looks worn, but for now it's done!!! I can move on to the next project. Finally.

BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

A week of Fools

2009-04-11T08:40:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know I love April Fools Day and love fooling (not so much being fooled) on this day. Well, this year the jokes/surprises where on me. The night before I began having contractions, they continued all through the night, enough that I could not sleep. I just sat in bed thinking, "This baby can't come on April Fools Day, no one will believe me." They stopped at 8:30 in the morning. That's when mother nature played a joke on us and it began snowing. Lucky for me the contractions stopped and we didn't have a baby, but what a wake up call. The next few days I worked overtime trying to get things ready for his arrival (we didn't even have a bag packed!) but by friday I overdid it and my back surprised me by going out while painting (Where did it go? my dad asked..ha.ha.very funny!). Conference weekend was spent on my back in pain. On Monday we found out Josh will be having knee surgery whithin the week and I was feeling overwhemled to say the least..when...da, dada, da...I was rescued by a phone call. My superhuman parents thought it would be a good idea to come visit the exact days of Josh's surgery. Wow, I had no idea how much I needed it until they offered. I have a list of "chores" for my Dad to do when he gets here, and Mom can help me organize this mess of a house.
The last surprise was actually a pleasent one. On Thursday all the women who work at the resort surprised me with a baby shower. I was so overwhemled, I've never been surprised like that in my life and it was nice to feel thier love and support. We had a great time and I now have all those basics you need for a babies first week.
So, in summary, the baby has not come, the snow has melted, we are feeling a little more prepared and by the end of the week hope to have it all together. What a diffrence a week makes.

No more Jokin',

Toast

2009-04-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

Here's how it happened: Woke up late, fed the boys, bathed the boys, dressed the boys, sat the boys in front of the T.V., ....then showered myself, got dressed, no time for hair and make-up, packed a school bag, loaded the car and made it to Pre-school 5 minutes late..only five minutes..phew. Drove home slowly, talked with Everett about the crazy fisherman who is ice fishing as the lake melts around him, sang some songs, unloaded Everett and returned to the house. Thought it would be a good idea to finish my hair and make-up (I mean start), turned on the blow dryer ...10 minutes later... I smelt the smoke.

Everett decided to make himself some toast, which turned into a game of lets see how many times this will pop back up after I push this lever. The kitchen was filled with smoke and the "toast"... a charred mess.We put the toaster outside, opened all the windows and went for a walk.

When we got to school an hour later to pick up Tristen he took one whiff of us and said, "You stink!"

Yeah, but at least I've got great hair and make-up.

A dollar earned

2009-04-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

Tristen recently spotted a pair of shorts at the "Wal-Mart Store" and asked if he could have them. " You don't have enough money," I replied. After some thought he asked me,"Mom could I do some chores so I can get some money to buy some swimming shorts." For two weeks he diligently stuck to the chores we picked out, and $7 dollars later was able to buy a pair of shorts and ride on "Artic Blast" the coolest ride ever. Here are a few pictures of his chore chart, piggy bank and his new spider man swim shorts. So...what is he saving for now? He wants to buy a matching pair of shorts for his brother Everett.

Project #3: Family

2009-04-05T15:58:00.000-07:00

"Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities." -The Family: A Proclamation to the World

My sister can take credit (again) for this crafty project. Last year she came up with this idea and I thought it was great. The Proclamation is loaded with so much advice for families, but this sentence in particular means a lot to me. In college I studied Recreation Education and our department displayed this for everyone who entered. A reminder that "Families who play together, stay together". In my own family mom and dad made sure we not only had fun together, but also worked and prayed together. Now that I am a mother I'm trying to teach my own children these simple principles.

Lessons Learned

2009-03-21T20:04:00.000-07:00

Imagine sticking one of these up your nose. Or don't. Just wanted you to get a taste of what our week has been like. Tristen came to me yesterday asking if he could have a Q-Tip. When I asked why? he said, "I can't tell you." Finally he admitted that the "thingy with the ball on it" was stuck in his nose. We got the head lamp out and sure enough there it was. I tried to retrieve it with my tweezers but Tristen didn't trust his ol' Mom and said I was pushing it up into his brain. We headed to the doctors office hoping they might have some special tools. Half way there Josh met us on the road and together we convinced him to let us try one more time. Josh used his Leatherman then the tweezers and after some sad screams the darn thing budged. Sweet little Tristen, when asked why he stuck it up his nose in the first place replied, "I wanted to lick my boogers off it." OK that's not very sweet, in fact it's pretty disturbing, but it gave us all a good chuckle. Lesson #1: Don't stick things up your nose.

Lesson #2: Don't take things that don't belong to you. IE: Don't steal. For the past few weeks (OK months) I've been searching for a beat up dresser for the boys room. Saturdays are always great days to look, so we hit every yard sale, 2nd hand store and thrift store we could find. After a quick jog thru Urban Archaeologist we loaded into the car and headed towards Wal-Mart (just because) when all of the sudden I hear this ping, ping, ping sound. When asked what the sound was Tristens answer was, "I can't tell you." More proding and the truth came out. "It's a hook thing that I got from the store." Flipped a u-turn, talked about stealing, jail all that good stuff, went back to the store and faced his victim. The man behind the counter was very nice. He told him that he shouldn't have taken it without asking and made it seem like a very serious offence. In the end Tristen asked for it and he gave it to him for free!!! What the heck?!! The next place we stopped Tristen immediately when to the owner of the store and asked if he could have a toy car in the window. The guy said sure. I know it was second hand stuff, but really. I wish now I would have made him pay for it, at least a dime or something.

Lesson #3: Old, strange, men are really nice when they give you free stuff. Shoot I'm in trouble.

Looks like we have many more lessons ahead of us.

Always Learning,

P.S. No luck with the dresser, but did find a great cabinet that I plan to fix up for my dining area. Can't wait to post it as a project.

2009-03-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

The sun is out, seasons are changing, lakes are melting and the promise of spring is in the air. Everywhere we go we pass lakes that are slowly transforming from cold, frozen slabs to blue reflections of sun and clouds. I love it. I can't believe what a difference this change has made in my mood and outlook. The walks to the mailbox are no longer a windy dash, instead we get out the bikes take our time and explore a little bit longer. The backyard is open for business and the golf ball collection is growing again. So refreshing.

It finally feels like this pregnancy is coming to and end. Thank goodness. I'm looking forward to holding another baby in my arms, but sharing my body with the little fella is getting old. With about seven weeks to go I'm beginning to get very excited and a bit anxious. Can I really handle three? We'll see. Right now I have "hope" that I can. Thank-you Spring!!!

Eight more weeks to go

2009-03-08T16:33:00.001-07:00

Can I get any bigger? This baby feels huge.

Hmm.. I wonder who wrote on the wall?

2009-02-25T13:27:00.001-08:00

Valentine

2009-02-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

The other day I was listening to Talk of the Nation on NPR. They were discussing the book Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak. It's a compilation of romantic, humorous and heart wrenching love stories told in only six words. Example:

"He sees the me I don't"
"I'm not alone, but so lonely"
"Tried men. Tried women. Like cats."

It got me thinking of my own love story and what I would write.

I thought about meeting Josh:
"She brushed him off. He Persisted"

And where we are now:
"Never thought we'd drive a minivan."

But ultimately rested on...
"I sleep better next to you!"

I challenge you to write your own six word memoir, and leave you with a few more of my favorites.

"Grandpa! Grandpa! Wasn't I single yesterday?"
"Endured my affair with Edward Cullen."
"Grew up together. Still just kids."

Have a loving Valentines Day!!!

http://www.npr.org/blogs/talk/2009/02/february_11th_show_1.html

Scissors

2009-02-13T11:51:00.000-08:00

Oh.. the things that happen when your not looking.

Tristen decided to give himself a hair cut. Love the bangs.
Daddy decided to give Tristen a mullet. Hot stuff.
The end result ??? ....

Tristen decided to give himself a 2nd haircut ....

And his brother, too.

Project #2: Traditions

2009-02-13T09:52:00.001-08:00

One of the great things about in-laws is inheriting traditions. My sisters in-laws have a tradition of doing a Christmas Craft together each year. She has brought that tradition to our own family get together and this past Christmas taught us how to make felt lolly-pops. I liked them so much I decided to create my own version for each holiday. Here are my Valentines Day Lollies. Enjoy!

President Obamas Wedding?

2009-02-07T09:16:00.001-08:00

I've been trying to teach the boys to recognize the new President of the United States. The other day my 4yr old turned the TV on to a news report on the Inaugural Ball. He runs to the kitchen and screams...

"Mom! You gotta see this, President Barack Obama is getting married!"

I guess he was confused by the long white dress Lady Michelle was wearing. I'm very proud of Tristen for knowing who the President of the United States is. I've tried teaching my 2 1/2 year old how to say the Presidents name and our conversation usually goes like this:

"Who's that Everett?" (pointing to the President)
"I don't Know!"
"It's President Barack Obama. Can you say that? Ba-rack O-ba-ma."
"No. I can't."
"Sure you can...Ba-rack O-ba-ma."
"No!! I won't!"

Future Republican in the making? Who knows. I'm just glad he has an opinion. Here's to a week of finding and stating our own opinions.

Till next time,

Project #1- in progress

2009-01-31T09:08:00.000-08:00

Last year I joined the block of the month club at our local quilting shop. This week I finally finished the last block. I'm planning on finishing it into a twin size quilt. Here's some photos of the final twelve. My two favorite have to be the 'Hugs' and 'Kisses'. xoxoxoxox

Remind me again Why I'm doing This

2009-01-31T08:39:00.000-08:00

I have more than a few months left before baby number three arrives. Today I needed a reminder of why it's all worth it.

I love those first days in the hospital and the months of peacefulness that follow. It's so fun to watch them grow from total dependence to rolling, sitting, crawling and then walking. I love their little faces in the morning and how easy it is to make them smile. Love the cuddles, the energy, the humor and looking forward to something new each day. You never know what's going to happen next. What will they do, say and get into today? Yeah, it's worth it.

I love the snow!!

2009-01-24T08:08:00.000-08:00

One of the great things about visiting Idaho is the snow. Check out this snowmobile, it's a two seater. Don't worry we didn't let them drive it themselves.

Special Delivery

2009-01-23T20:56:00.000-08:00

A new bedtime routine between my oldest son and I has developed ever since he found out a third baby is on the way. He is fascinated by the story of not only his birth, but that of his younger brother. He requests it every night. Leaving out all the gory details, I tell him that he arrived into this world very peacefully, with a serene look on his face, eyes wide open and silent as a mouse. His brother on the other hand came out screaming due to a broken collar bone.

Well , tonight was a little different, the story was told and in addition he wanted to know the names of all the doctors involved. When I told him Dr. Coury would be 'delivering' our new baby he asked, "Like in the mail box?"

Oh, that it where so simple. I've been thinking of simplicity a lot lately. As I mentioned before my goal for this month is to overcome worldliness. I won't preach or rant about the reasoning behind it but here are a few things I've started doing to keep the world out.

Morning meditation, prayer, scripture study. It keeps me grounded and focused on what's really important.

No TV till 3. We spend our mornings playing, learning and interacting, instead of watching marketed cartoons and manipulative commercials. My sister-in-law goes so far as to mute commercials when the TV is on. I love the idea, but haven't quite perfected it.

Creating vs. Consuming. I'm deliberately looking for things to create, or recreate instead of looking for things to buy. I hope to post some of these in the future.

My own special delivery arrived today in our mailbox. A copy of The Simple Living Guide by Janet Luhrs. I've checked it out from the library at least once a year for the past four years and finally decided to buy it. I highly recomend it to anyone who is looking for ways to cut back, simplify and live life more deliberately.

Simply,

Lucky Numbers, Lucky Day, Lucky Year

2009-01-16T09:23:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to me!! As a gift to myself ,and with the final go ahead from my husband, I've finally started a blog. Today I will turn 31, a very significant day for me. I've been looking forward to this birthday for some time now. Why? you may ask. Well for the past 15 years my lucky numbers have been 16 and 31. For some reason significant things happen surrounding these numbers. The date of my birth being one of those (Jan. 16).

The number thirty-one started over a boy (as most things do for teenage girls), but most recently became more significant with the birth of my first child (July 31). I notice these numbers everywhere and have truly believed that this year, the year they collide, will be one of my best. The next time they collide will be Tristen's 16th birthday. Dating? Driving? Oh no.

Looking forward to the new year I've decided that my word for the year is OVERCOME. Each month I want to strive to overcome something that's keeping me from progressing. This month it has been worldliness (more on that later). It's to overwhelming to make a list of all the things I want to overcome, so each month I'll choose a new challenge (or stick with worldliness for the entire year). Wouldn't it be great if I could tackle 16 maybe even 31 by 2010?!

Our family continues to grow as we look forward to the birth of our third child in May. It will be three boys for us, and I can't wait. Stay tuned, or don't, this is mostly for my own documentation of what promises to be a great year.

Always,