Silly Ramblings...

Broken Leg

2012-01-15T19:54:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, Porter broke his leg. I want to tell the whole thing so I don't forget, but feel free to skip the boring parts.
It was about 4:30 when I heard a loud crash from the boy's room and then Porter started screaming. I ran in there and picked him up trying to figure out where he hurt himself. Apparently he fell off the ladder on the bunk bed. Nobody saw exactly how it happened but I found him on the floor next to the ladder when I went in. He screamed for about 15 minutes and then calmed down. We tried to get him to stand up, but he refused to put weight on his leg. I was really worried about it and was trying to decide if we needed to head to the emergency room but decided to call my friend first. She is a doctor and is pretty laid back about things and was really helpful. She said to wait a while and see how he acted. She said that if it wasn't visibly deformed or bone sticking out anywhere it wasn't going to hurt him to wait. I gave him some medicine and we watched and waited. A few of my siblings came over to hang out. Porter seemed happy and content, but still refused to put weight on his leg. I talked to my friend again and she said it wouldn't hurt to wait till Monday to take him in, so we decided to wait. Monday morning I called and set up an appointment, taught Joy School and then took him in. They splinted his leg and then sent us over to the hospital for x-rays. Porter did amazing with all the doctors. He seemed a little nervous but never cried. It took a few hours to get everything taken care of, but we finally got the results back saying it was a simple fracture on his tibia just below his knee. They wanted to make sure all the swelling went down before they casted it, so we had a long week with the splint. He picked a green cast and did awesome when they put it on. He only has to have it on for 3 weeks, but he's not allowed to put any weight on it. I'm sure he'll figure out how to crawl or do whatever he needs to do to be able to get around. He is still a bit grumpy but I think he is starting to feel a little better now that it is in a cast. I've never broken a bone so this was all new to me and a little scary. It breaks my heart to see my kids get hurt, but he really has handled it pretty well.

Life back at home

2012-01-15T19:46:00.000-08:00

After getting back home we tried our best to get back into our normal routine. Zeke adjusted pretty well, but Porter struggled a little more. I think it took him 2 weeks before he slept all the way through the night again. It didn't help that he came home with a cold and then later I discovered he was growing his 2 year molars. All that explained the grumpy boy walking around.

It has been a cold winter, but surprisingly snow free. We spent some time cleaning out the house and then took the boys outside to play with their new toys. Nana and Popi got Zeke these new fun roller skates and Zeke is having a blast figuring them out.

Grandma and Grandpa gave us some special squirt bottles that even work when you spray them upside down. Of course that makes them the perfect toy for a little boy. They spent hours outside spaying everything they could see.

Oh and lastly a cute picture of the boys with their new pillowcases from Nana. I think she picked the perfect ones this year. They were so excited to change their old ones right away.

After Christmas Fun

2012-01-15T19:32:00.000-08:00

Christmas was so jam packed with action, the kids didn't have very much time to play with their new toys. We spent Monday relaxing, taking naps, and playing with our new presents.

The weather was wonderful and sunny so the kids were excited to play outside in Grandma's new sand that she got for Christmas. We then went over to Daniel and Bethany's house to make dinner and play games. Jacob gave Grandma and Grandpa and huge Jenga game that we had to try out. It was really fun, but watch out when it falls!

On Tuesday we went over to Jacob and Deborah's house for a few hours to work on their Christmas present. We did a few odds and ends jobs around their house and then Jacob made us some of his famous pizza. It was SO good. Porter out ate every kid their.

We had a blast in Oregon and it was over before we knew it. The boys loved playing with their cousins and have been asking when we get to go back.

Christmas

2012-01-15T19:06:00.000-08:00

Zeke and Porter were so kind as to sleep in till 8am. We got them some breakfast and all ready for church and then waited for all the cousins to come over so they could open their stockings. They were so excited, they kept running back and forth from the tree to the stockings.

It would not be Christmas at the Lander house without some fancy wrap jobs. Toby and I did the penguin this year and Tyson went all out with the rest.

Finally the cousins all showed up and we got to open stockings.

Unfortunately, after church when we met back together to do Christmas, the Grinch showed up as well.

For some reason, Porter was terrified of the Grinch and would not come out from under his blanket whenever the Grinch was near. They eventually washed the paint off so that we wouldn't have a miserable boy for all of Christmas. It was so silly.

Porter was so excited to get a sticker book. That kid LOVES stickers.

Zeke went to the store with us to pick out a present for Porter. We showed him all kinds of fun toys, but he picked out a slinky and would not budge. He was so excited to give it to him.

We made sure everyone knew that we needed to be able to pack everything home again in our suitcases so to do small presents. So naturally they gave us the biggest Nerf guns that you can buy. 3 sets! With the help of Tyson we were able to get everything home again. Watch out everyone, we are going to have a major Nerf night sometime.

Daniel and Tyson made us these awesome croquet mallets. Good mallets are hard to come by, so they cut, poured lead, and sewed leather to make us some custom made ones.

Toby and I worked more hours than we can count on compiling an account of our Mali trip. We made a 358 page photo book with notes from my journal, Toby's journal, and all 30 pages of Dad's notes. It was a major accomplishment and we were really proud of getting it done. I hope they enjoy it.

Zeke got sent on a scavenger hunt by Santa for his present.

He loved it and was excited to find a RC Car at the end.

We finally finished unwrapping presents at 7pm and rushed over the Grammy's house for more Christmas.

Some of the adults kept the kids entertained while we finished dinner and while Grammy and Cindy finished getting all the stockings filled. We finally wrapped up Christmas at 11pm and put a couple very tired boys to bed.

Christmas Eve

2012-01-15T18:12:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve was special day. We all got to go to the baptism of Taylor. He was baptized by his dad and everyone in the family was able to be there.

Yep, that's the whole family. Even the newest baby Gideon. He is so cute!

Grandma and Grandpa got this race track for all the kids to play while they were there. As you can tell, the "kids" really enjoyed it.

We had an amazing Christmas dinner and somehow managed to fit everyone around the table.

I was put in charge of the program for the night so I pulled out an old primary lesson. We sang and acted out the different verses of the song Nativity from the Children's songbook. It was about as much as the little kids could handle yet we were still able to talk about the Savior's birth.

Before bed, Zeke and Porter remembered to put out milk and cookies for Santa. They were so excited for Christmas.

Trip to Oregon for Christmas!

2012-01-15T18:03:00.000-08:00

We flew to Oregon for Christmas this year. The boys did great on the plane (with only a little ear pain) and were excited to fly. We managed to get our rental and hit the road. We stopped in Wilsonville (wow things look so different) for food and then were on our way again. Zeke ate his hamburger and within 1 min. of us switching drivers Zeke cried saying his was going to throw up. We threw him the fast food bag and he managed to aim a little bit, but the bad didn't do much. It got everywhere! I stopped the car and in the freezing cold, stripped Zeke down to his underwear, wiped him, my coat, his coat, the car, and his car seat off with wet wipes. We threw some new clothes on him and got back on the road. We arrived at Kristel and Taylor's birthday party at about 9pm.

We got up Friday morning and head over to Jacob and Deborah's house to make gingerbread houses. They did a couple real sets of gingerbread for the older kids and then we cut up some cake for the younger kids. It was so fun to watch their different personalities come out during the project. Porter and Jacob ate the candy and marshmallows as fast as they could and were done before too long.

Zeke was meticulous and spent a good hour and half on his. Isaac added some frosting, candy and marshmallows, smashed the cake up really well, and then stuffed it in his face. It was so funny!

The rest of the day was spent checking out Daniel and Bethany's house, going to Costco and working on Christmas projects.

2012-01-15T17:36:00.000-08:00

Zeke put on a Christmas program with his Joy School before Christmas. They sang some of the songs they learned and acted out the nativity. Zeke loves going to Joy School and has fun being able to play with his friends.

Best friends

2012-01-15T17:30:00.000-08:00

Zeke and Porter are so popular. They always have friends over and are constantly being invited over to play at other people's houses. We especially miss playing with the Snow family. They moved to Texas right after Christmas. Luckily, Zeke has been able to play with Steven a lot to help deal with his loss.

Porter in a big boy bed

2012-01-15T17:25:00.000-08:00

Porter moved beds a couple times in December because he figured out how to get out of his crib. We put him in a bed on the floor for a little while and then decided to just move him into the bunk bed and open up some space in the room.

He thinks he is so big and loves being in a big boy bed. He hasn't had any problems transitioning and has stayed in bed surprisingly well. He hasn't even fallen out once.

Bowling

2011-12-20T20:39:00.000-08:00

We went bowling while we were there for Thanksgiving. I didn't know what I was getting into. Apparently I have a few professional bowlers in my family that I didn't know about. Tyleen, Kendra, Devin, Trent and my dad were all bowling close to 200. Tyleen I think finally was the overall winner.

Roxie even got into the fun and tried bowling for the first time. She loved it!

2011-12-20T07:49:00.000-08:00

We went to Idaho this year for Thanksgiving. The morning started with a fun turkey bowl in the backyard. We managed to play without anyone getting mad, hurt or changing the rules. Quite an accomplishment for our family :) The Fishers came over to eat with us. They live down the street from my parents and become really good family friends.

The boys were ready to dive into that yummy food. Everything was so delicious.

Jenica's birthday

2011-12-20T07:40:00.000-08:00

Jenica tried to go back home a couple times but couldn't bring herself to drive away. So, we got to celebrate her birthday with her here. Zeke and Porter drew her some beautiful pictures and were so excited to give them to her.

It was fun hanging out with family and getting a bit more time with Jenica before she left for her mission. We loved having her here.

Funny Toby

2011-12-20T07:31:00.000-08:00

We were hanging out one evening with Jenica and Trent when Trent decided to go pick a friend of his to come play games with us. While he was gone, he called and asked if he should tell her it was a pajama party. Toby said he would be wearing his 3 piece suit so dress accordingly. True to his word, this is what Trent found when he walked in. Toby is so funny!

Halloween

2011-12-19T20:20:00.000-08:00

Zeke was so excited for his favorite holiday this year. He dressed up as a pirate from his new costume box that he got for his birthday. Porter couldn't decide between being a monkey and being a turtle, so we let him be both.

We broke the record again this year with the number of adults it takes to take 2 children trick or treating. Janiece and Connor came as a walrus and a nerd.

Toby and I even dressed up a bit this year.

Trent was hot rod, Jenica was a pirate and Kendra was a zebra.

We did the traditional candy on the blanket when we got home again.

Just a funny story: We stopped at the Snow's house first to see if they wanted to trick or treat with us. When they gave Porter candy, he was so excited and kept saying, "candy, candy, candy" over and over. We had to keep an eye on him when they offered him the candy bowl because he would swipe as many as possible before moving on. Good thing he is so cute. We made it all the way around the neighborhood before heading for home. I didn't think they would ever stop, but eventually their legs got tired.

5th Annual Pumpkin Party

2011-12-19T20:00:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed another fun pumpkin party this year. We cooked all our favorite pumpkin foods but somehow I forgot to take a picture of the table this year. Bummer. Toby really pulled off a fun game this year. We played pumpkin croquet. It was so much fun.

First and Second place were both the pumpkins that fell apart during the game. I was the first one to become poison, but couldn't pull out the win. Emily won by putting Janiece out of the game.

Then we came in to carve pumpkins. There were some pretty creative pumpkins this year.

Cornbelly's Corn Maze

2011-11-20T18:43:00.000-08:00

We made it to Thanksgiving Point this year for Halloween. We had a blast doing all the fun activities that they have there. We made it through the corn maze without getting too lost. Zeke and Porter loved to run around and throw corn and pretend aliens (that was the theme of the corn maze).

We also tried the fun riding the four wheel bikes and went back to do it multiple times.

It was a great family activity and we had so much fun together. The boys loved it and have been begging to go back.

Halloween Decorations

2011-11-20T18:38:00.000-08:00

Somehow I didn't get a picture of all our Halloween decorations that we made this year. We really went to town. I think I am most proud of our pumpkin flower arrangement. It turned out better than I hoped.

We spray painted the pumpkins and found these really cool candlesticks for them to go on. The leaves are also homemade. They are not in the picture, but we did have some fun orange sparkly bugs crawling all over the pumpkins.

We also had a cool spiderweb tablecloth, a cage full of glitter bones and some lit up monster jars.

Gardner Village

2011-11-20T18:29:00.000-08:00

The family came with me to one of my basketball games so that we could go to Gardner Village afterwards. It was pretty packed so we didn't stay very long, but the boys had fun walking around and seeing all the witches. It was the perfect weather.

Afterwards we hit a few stores to collect all the items we needed for our Halloween decorations we were making.

Jenica goes to the Temple

2011-11-20T18:15:00.000-08:00

The weekend after General Conference my parents came down to go to the temple with Jenica. Tyleen also made the trip back over to attend. We really missed having Devin and Cortney here with us in the temple. It was a really special experience and I loved being in the temple with so many of my family members. I can't wait for the day that we can all be there together. After the temple we certainly made the most of our weekend. We went out to lunch and then ran over to the second half of the BYU women's soccer game. Then we went over to Janiece and Connor's place to play a little 500 (I am horrible and can't catch a football for anything) and then a competitive game of kickball. I am happy to say that my team made a miraculous come back and won! Then the boys all went to the BYU football game and the girls went shopping for a bit and then back to my house to do some hair and ear candles. I didn't get very many pictures of our activities so this is all you get.

This is Toby hiding from the fact that he is hanging out with the girls instead of going to the football game.

Zeke turns 4!

2011-11-20T18:02:00.000-08:00

We pretty much had the same crowd for Zeke's birthday as we did for Porter's. That means that we had Trent, Janiece, Connor, Kendra and the Snow Family. Luckily for us, Tyleen and Jenica were also in town for the occasion to add to the fun.

Toby picked out some really fun books for Zeke and Grandma sent Zeke a fun book reader.

Zeke has never been very good at playing with toys so we decided to get him a bunch of costumes instead. He was pretty excited with the selection. (Not pictured... a pair of handcuff, aka key lockers, that Zeke carried around for the next week)

Zeke has been begging me for some chocolate money that he saw on a movie once so we decided to make him a treasure chest cake with plenty of chocolate money to go with it.

Since Zeke's birthday also fall right around General conference I wanted to just put in here that in between sessions we had a killer game of four square going with Trent, Janiece, Connor, Tyleen, Nate, Jenica and Toby and I. It was intense, but I'm pretty sure Connor won.

Just for fun....

2011-11-20T17:56:00.000-08:00

Porter turns 2!

2011-11-20T17:44:00.000-08:00

For Porter's birthday we had a BBQ with friends and family over. Zeke got Porter a Buzz Lightyear action figure. His friends also got him a Buzz shake spaceship. Obviously they were a hit since this boy is obsessed with Buzz. We also got him a train track set and a few trains.

Zeke was mad that he couldn't play with Porter's toys so he went off to pout by himself.

It has been so fun having lots of family close by. Porter is lucky to have so many people love him.

Just a few things about Porter:
He loves Buzz Lightyear... obviously.
He is a tease and especially loves teasing Zeke.
He doesn't need as much sleep as Zeke so will wake up around 6am ready for the day. The good news is, he is usually in a really good mood.
He loves reading books and takes a few to bed with him at nap time and bedtime.
He LOVES his blanket. The corners are starting to wear out because he loves playing with the corners and will grab them every time he touches his blanket.
He likes eating salad and will usually eat it first off of his plate and beg for more before eating anything else.
Now the stats from the pediatrician:
Length: 34 3/4 in
Weight: 25.6 lbs
Head Circ: 49.1cm

Another Car

2011-11-15T20:18:00.000-08:00

Since Toby and I LOVE selling our cars so much, we decided it was time to get rid of this old thing. It become more expensive than it was worth (I know we do this a lot) so we got rid of it. We bought my parents old van that my sister used to drive to school. Just thought I would keep a record of all the cars we've owned since we're going through them like crazy.

The boys love every excuse to go visit Nana and Popi. They loved working out in the garden with them and just spending as much time as possible outside.

Porter looking good!

2011-11-15T19:34:00.000-08:00

I know I've mentioned Porter's latest fashion statement, but I think it is so cute I had to add a couple more pictures. I love this boy's personality!

Janiece's birthday

2011-11-15T19:23:00.000-08:00

Janiece had to work on her birthday and she had every intention of coming home and watching a football game with Connor and that's it. She was going to celebrate her birthday later with Connor's family coming into town, but I felt like she needed something on her birthday. So... I convinced Toby to help me throw a surprise party for her.

Zeke had fun hiding before Janiece got home and was also very excited about our homemade pinata that he helped me put together.

Jakob and Sam's birthday sometime in August

2011-11-09T19:16:00.000-08:00

You know how some people are meant to be in your life? Well, Trisha and her family were meant to be in mine. The first time I met Trisha I told her that we were going to be friends. She told me that she was the type that just had people drop in on her doorstep, so that's what I did. The first time her son, Jakob saw Zeke he yelled, "look mom, it's my best friend!" They have been best friends from that day on. The same thing with her youngest, Sam and Porter. Seeing those 4 boys together just makes my heart happy.

I don't know what I did to be lucky enough to know this family, but I am so glad I got to be in their life. I will miss them when they move on. It's hard to imagine life without them.

Daniel and Bethany Visit

2011-11-07T07:58:00.000-08:00

Daniel and Bethany came to visit us for a few days in August. We played hard while they were here despite the fact that Bethany was 6 months pregnant. She kept up and only took a couple naps. I was in charge of a ward BBQ and the Primary float for the parade so I had to skip the trip down to southern Utah in order to ride my bike in the parade with 30 kids. (Fun I know) They had fun hiking in the canyons and Bethany discovered a little fear of dirty water.

A few other things that Daniel and Bethany managed to do in the few days they were here are:
Shooting, 7 peaks, Salt Lake Temple, Ikea, visiting family and playing games with us. I can't remember if there was more, but it wouldn't surprise me if there was.

Limb Family Reunion

2011-11-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

The first weekend in August we had our extended family Limb reunion. We went up to Lake Walcott in Idaho and had a blast. We made really cool bracelets, swam in the lake, played games, and had a fun time hanging out with cousins.

Zeke begged Popi to take him fishing so they went down to the dock to try it out.

So.... Porter has this obsession with wearing underwear on the outside of his pants. He kind of likes Buzz so he goes and gets Zeke's underwear out of his drawer and begs me to put it on him. I see no reason not to, so this is how my boy looks half time time.

My cousin, Lorilee and I were pregnant at the same time. I love that our kids are good friends whenever they get together. Zeke and Caleb love playing together and get along really well.

My Grandma Limb is amazing. She makes quilts like no body's business. We all enter into drawings to win one of Grandma's quilts. I won this year! This is a picture of all the quilts she made with the winners.

And of course, Porter got to spend time with one of his favorite people in the whole world. Popi and Porter are the best of friends.

4th of July

2011-11-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

For the 4th of July we went down to the neighborhood party at the retirement center behind our house. They keep outdoing themselves with a BBQ, blow up slides and games. The boys loved it all.

Afterwards we did some of our own fireworks. Porter was a little nervous at first but was soon enjoying himself.

We went down to the fireworks in Pleasant Grove this year. The weather couldn't decide what it wanted to do and kept trying to rain on us. We kept busy with snacks, games and books.

When the fireworks finally started, Porter was scared again. He sat in my lap with my hands over his ears. By the time the fireworks were over, he had fallen asleep.

Ward Campout Pictures

2011-11-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Way back in July I mentioned that we went to our ward camp out. Here are a few pictures to go with it.

This is Zeke with his best friend, Jakob. These two boys have so much fun together.

The boys especially loved eating smores and doing crafts.

My attempt to catch up... starting in July

2011-11-01T20:36:00.001-07:00

Way back in the middle of July, Toby went on his High Adventure with the scouts at the same time as my dad, so I decided to go up to Idaho and do projects with my mom. We played with the boys and then got to work.

Bowling was a FAVORITE for the boys. Porter got in one of his "so hyper he can hardly function" modes and was running around. Zeke was getting better towards the end.

I convinced my mom that we should redo her table and bench outside. They were very old and worn out so we gave them a good sanding and got to work.

I don't know if you can really see how bad this bench was, but it looked a million times better by the time we were done.

A quick update

2011-10-24T19:01:00.000-07:00

I feel like my first post back should be something spectacular, but alas, it's not going to happen. Life is busy and the roller coaster that never seems to end has made me tired. I have some really awesome things going on in my life right now;

Teaching Joy School
Coaching an 8th grade basketball team
Coaching the YW volleyball team
Playing on the Women's ward volleyball team
Helping Toby figure out all our Halloween Decorations
Planning a pumpkin party
Writing the primary program

Anyway, the list goes on just as I'm sure yours does. We are having fun and enjoying this awesome fall weather.
I have a lot of fun pictures and things to post about so I'll get on that as soon as I can. 3 months without the Internet gets annoying but surprisingly free. I find myself hardly ever on the computer anymore.

A quick note

2011-07-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

So.... I don't have the internet right now. Don't ask. Anyway, I'm borrowing a computer and just wanted to update really fast.

Last night we went to our ward camp out and Porter got to sleep in a tent for the first time ever. The boys did really great and had a blast. This morning Zeke and I did the zip line. Zeke was so brave and even tried to turn upside down.

Anyway, I am still alive and we are playing hard. Hopefully I can do a real update soon.

Splash Park Outing

2011-07-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we hit the local splash park. I still LOVE this place. The boys especially loved having their dad there to play.

Porter started out rather timid and wanted to sit by me along the side. Then all of a sudden he went crazy. We couldn't convince him to get out of the water even when he was shivering.

Just like Zeke

2011-06-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

Porter is growing up way too fast. He wants to do everything Zeke does. His latest 2 obsessions have been underwear and showers. I know this picture is a little blurry, but it cracked me up.

Fun in the Sun

2011-06-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

Poor Toby has had a rough year with being sick. He got sick again this last weekend and graced us with his presence for a few minutes outside last Saturday. He spent the rest of the day running a fever in bed. The boys have had a little cough too so I didn't want to take them anywhere so we played outside.

Porter loves to be outside but he's not crazy about water like Zeke is. He is happier playing in the sandbox, climbing in the stroller and drawing with chalk.

Washing the Car

2011-06-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

I told Zeke we were going to go wash the car and then started to get all the stuff ready. He walked out in this...

Don't you just love it?!

Go Get a Tissue

2011-06-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

Porter has had a runny nose the last little while. The other day I asked him to go get a tissue. He brought me the tiniest speck of toilet paper. I laughed and laughed and naturally told Toby all about it. Then Toby asked Porter to get a tissue and Porter did the same thing. Toby told Porter to wipe his nose so Porter stuck it to his nose.

And a close up so you can see how small we are talking here. He is such a funny boy!

Battle Creek Falls

2011-06-30T13:32:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago we decided to hike up Battle Creek Falls. It was the perfect little hike, probably about half a mile up. We hiked to the top first and then went down to play at the bottom. Toby tried to take the boys up next to the bottom of the fall but they cried about the spray and being cold. All they wanted to do was throw rocks!

Our coordinated colors were not planned.

Toby took a few minutes to run around the rocks like the mountain goat that he is. He ran up and around the bottom of the waterfall.

Cute boys

2011-06-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

Porter loves wearing his pajamas. We got some really cute ones from one of my cousins and Porter has been in heaven. At night if he is getting grumpy, I ask him if he wants to go find his pajamas and he jumps up and goes looking. In the morning when it's time to get dressed he often begs me to put his pajamas back on over his clothes. I only get them off him when I trade him for shoes as we are running out the door. I finally got a picture of him with both sets of clothes on.

Of course anytime I take a picture of Porter, I also have to take a picture of Zeke. This is him striking a pose for the camera. And as Zeke would say: I am SOOO cute!

For some reason, Toby LOVES it when Porter wears his overalls. On Sunday he decided that he wanted to take Porter for a photo-shoot in his overalls at a tractor that he saw. I'm sure Toby will do some amazing things with them on photoshop, but aren't they the best anyway?!

So much catching up to do

2011-06-12T21:55:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize how much I would miss writing on here. I miss how closely I would pay attention to details throughout the day so I could remember to add them on here.

If I were still writing everyday, you would have heard about my 2 outings with Trent in great detail. Instead I will just say that we had a great time at the Real Salt Lake soccer game. There is nothing like a good sporting event with your brother. Then we decided to be a little more cultural and go see a play. Actually, Trent had an extra ticket to see his friend perform in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, the musical and asked me to join him. We laughed and laughed and had a great time together.

I wish I had a picture of Porter with his blanket. I've noticed recently that every time he grabs his blanket, his hands follow along the edge until he finds a corner and then he plays with the corner in his hand. Every Time.

Friday night, Toby took Zeke with him to the Father and Sons camp out. Zeke told me all about how he got to sleep in a tent and the fire. Unfortunately, they were next to a tent of rowdy boys that didn't go to sleep until about 2:30am. We have been dealing with a very tired Zeke the last couple days. After the camp out, Toby took Zeke shooting. Talk about the perfect boys weekend.

So what did I do while they were camping? I decided to take Porter and head up to Pocatello and see Tyleen. The drive wasn't too bad, especially since Porter slept almost the whole way there and home. It was actually quite peaceful. We spent our time shopping, going out to dinner, watching movies and working on a couple sewing projects. It was so fun to hang out with her. I'm glad she doesn't live too far away.

Oh, one more thing. I joined the Stake choir to sing at Stake Conference this weekend. I'm not exactly the best singer around, but I've been wanting to learn. It was an awesome experience to sing alongside so many talented people. I loved it!

Okay, I think that catches me back up again. Whew! I wish I had pictures of all the fun things we've done this past week, but I guess we were just slackers.

Last week in review

2011-06-07T06:56:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been a whole week since I've last posted anything. Here are a few things that I've learned over the past week:

Zeke knows everything... at least that's what he tells me. After I say anything, he answers with, "told ya." For instance I say, "Zeke, here is your milk." Zeke answers, "told ya." (seriously driving me crazy!)

Zeke has a very low pain tolerance.

People are rarely completely honest.

Most people don't know that they aren't being completely honest.

Porter runs a fever when he is teething and wants to be held constantly when this happens.

Sunshine makes our lives so much happier.

Sometimes Zeke has bad days and ends up in time out a few times.

Sometimes I have bad mom days and end up in time out a few times.

Cousin visits are the best. We will miss getting to spend time with you Kristel. We are already counting down the days till Christmas.

Finished

2011-05-31T21:48:00.000-07:00

Well folks, I did it. I blogged everyday for a month. (I don't count the day I missed because it was blogger's fault and not mine.)

I feel like I got all caught up in everything that I had been meaning to put on here. I'll try to stay more on top of things this time.

I really liked blogging everyday. It made me think back on the day and remember things that I might have otherwise forgotten. I admit, there were a couple days in there that were just nonsense, but if that's what it takes to remember all the good then it's worth it.

I guess I'll have to decide what my next goal will be. When I actually set a goal, I'm pretty good at sticking to it. Imagine all the things that I could accomplish... :)

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T21:53:00.000-07:00

For a Memorial Day activity today we took the boys bowling. They LOVED it. I thought that Zeke would love it the most, but Porter was all smiles.

This is the face we got from Porter after each time he bowled.

I just want to say that I love my country. It wouldn't be the country that it is without the people that have fought to make it what it is. I am so grateful for all the people that have fought for my country including my Grandpa Limb who served in the US Navy.

My secret is out

2011-05-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess I can't hide it anymore. Not that I was really trying to, but now it seems like everyone knows.

I know how to play the piano.

Yep, people in my ward finally figured it out. There are many talented people in my ward and they really didn't need another piano player, but every now and then people get in a pinch and need someone to bail them out.

I guess that person is me.

Today I got a call at 8am to ask me if I could accompany the choir in their performance today and to please be there at 8:30 to run through it before church.

After church I showed up at choir practice (yes I just joined last week) and was asked if I could step in and play. It's a good thing I know how to sight read.

After that I was asked if I could fill in on the piano tonight for an eagle court of honor.

I don't mind doing it, but it sure was a crazy day. Maybe I took one big turn today and now will be off the hook for a while.

Love You

2011-05-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

A sad day has come.

When we tucked Zeke into bed tonight and said, "Love you" to him, he answered back with, "Love you".

This may seem perfectly normal, but it kind of breaks my heart. You know how when toddlers are learning to talk they mix up their pronouns. Instead of saying, "hold me" they come over and say, "hold you". Well, up until tonight, Zeke has always answered, "Love Me".

I guess I have to live with the fact that he is growing up. I love seeing him learn new things, but sometimes I wish I could freeze time and keep some things the same.

And now for a couple pictures that I dug up from Thanksgiving that I finally got around to changing the format.

Don't mess with my routine

2011-05-27T19:17:00.000-07:00

I hate it when basketball gets cancelled.

It really throws off my whole day. I was babysitting this morning and part of my plan to survive having 5 kids under 5 all day was to take them with me to basketball where they would have room to run around.

Foiled.

Good thing it wasn't raining and not entirely too cold so we could play outside (twice), otherwise I don't think we would have made it.

Not only that, but I have the major urge to eat junk food all day long. Seriously not good. Granted, I eat a lot of junk food anyway, but exercising during the week helps make up for that. So when they cancel basketball, it really is bad.

Knowing all this about me should help me make better decisions, but instead what do I do? I buy cheesecake :)

GOOOAAALLLLL

2011-05-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

Let me paint you little picture.

The other team kicks the ball out about a quarter of the way down the field closest to our goal. They all line up at about half field waiting for our player to throw it in. Zeke is standing about 10 feet in front of his own teammate.

His teammate throws him the ball. He dribbles down the field and...

SCORE!!!

We are not dwelling on the fact that he scored in his own goal and the other team was still watching from half field. He was all smiles from ear to ear! He came out and gave me the biggest high five and all he talked about was scoring that goal. I'm pretty sure it was the only goal our team scored. The other team was pretty big and it was our most physical game yet. However, the goal is just what Zeke needed to have the desire to get in there and participate. The last couple games he just hung back about 10 feet and watched everyone play. This time he was right in there with everyone else and doing his best to stay on his feet with the rest of his small team.

This is Zeke playing around at half time, but this is just what his goal looked like so we will pretend that I managed to catch the shot.

Look how big that kid is! Zeke is not small, but man that kid is huge!

A couple of our favorite spectators.

See how he is getting in there and playing hard.

Yet another huge player. Seriously, are these kids really only 4?

Zeke was so excited to get his medal after the game. I can't believe we only paid $10 for 4 games, a shirt, medal and entertainment. Not bad!
(Oh, one more funny story. There was a kid on the other team that was kind of a punk. You know the kind. He was staring our kids down and stuff. Anyway, as Zeke was running past him on the field a little behind the ball and the rest of the pack, he turned toward him, stuck his tongue out, and ran past. SOOO FUNNY!)

Preschool Ends

2011-05-25T22:33:00.000-07:00

Today was Zeke's last day of preschool. They did a little program for all the parents and received a certificate. I recorded it for Toby, so I didn't get pictures. I took a few pictures at the end, but I'll have to figure out how to get them off the video camera first.

I'm not sure how I feel about preschool being over. One part of me is excited to be free of that obligation. I didn't mind being there 3 days a week and Zeke certainly loved it, but it's nice not to have things that you are forced to do. I hope I can find ways to fill our days without getting too lazy around here.

Progression

2011-05-24T21:13:00.000-07:00

Zeke gave me a little book for Mother's Day. I loved seeing how much he has progressed over the past school year. Here is a picture that he colored at the beginning of preschool

Here is how he colors now.

And lastly, this is how he writes his name... can you see it?

It is so fun seeing him learn new things and master new skills.

Yuck

2011-05-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

Ok Seriously, why do I always have bad nights with the kids right after I write how well they are doing. Not Fair! Let's just say that last night wasn't one of our best.

Oh and one more thing... Zeke gets car sick.

I drive over the mountain and back again twice a week (long story). It's kind of a winding road and when I'm running a little late I may drive it a little bit too fast.

Today I was running a little late.

Usually, Zeke tells me that he is starting to feel yucky in his mouth and I roll down the window and he is fine. Unfortunately for me I didn't leave the windows down long enough or I took the turns too tight because when I turned into the neighborhood where Zeke's preschool is, he threw up all over himself.

Not my best morning.

Luckily, when I brought him home again and got him in the shower he started feeling better immediately. Since he was only car sick and not real sick he was still able to go to preschool (a real concern to a 3 year old). Needless to say, I drove a lot slower and took the turns wide and smooth the second time over the mountain. We managed just fine with the window being down, but you can't blame me for having a paper bag on the seat next to him just in case. :)

Early morning isn't as bad as it used to be

2011-05-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

Every morning between 6:00 - 6:30am Porter wakes up. I go and get him and bring him and his blanket back to my bed. On the rare occasion he is up for the day at that time, but normally he cuddles up in my arms and goes back to sleep. He sleeps there for about 20 min. before I put him on the bed and find a more comfortable position to go back to sleep myself. I probably get another hour of sleep in this way. I've tried getting him to go back to sleep in his own bed, but it usually lasts about 15 min. if at all. I'm not sure how good this habit is, but I kind of like it. He has always been a cuddly boy, but as soon as he started running around he didn't need as many snuggles from me. I like getting my cuddle in first thing in the morning before the day gets away from me. My only rule has been no kids in my bed before 6am. At least he is compliant with that one. Someday he will grow out of our morning ritual, but for now I'm just going to enjoy the special time I get with Porter in the morning.

just a good day

2011-05-21T21:30:00.001-07:00

To finish off our anniversary week, Toby and I headed to the temple. I LOVE going to the temple and how it feels being there. It was a much needed visit and I left feeling peaceful. I am so grateful for temples and that I can have my family forever. After all, what would I do without these 2 cute boys?

Secret Date

2011-05-20T12:49:00.001-07:00

I planned a surprise date for Toby tonight. I'm excited. I hope things go as planned. We really should do this more often. I wish I could say that I faithfully get a babysitter every Friday night so we can go out, but unfortunately I'm not that on top of things. It's been fun celebrating our anniversary all week and remembering when we met. Toby and I figured out last night that we have known each other for 9 years now!

Remembering the Waterfall

2011-05-19T17:27:00.000-07:00

6 years ago, Toby and I were on our honeymoon in Vanuatu. To celebrate our anniversary this year we have been taking turns coming up with ways to remember our honeymoon. In Vanuatu we hiked up an amazing waterfall so for my turn we took the kids and went up to the nearest "waterfall" and had a picnic dinner. Zeke took this picture of us.... not bad huh?

The kids loved getting a chance to be outside in the rare moment that it wasn't raining.

The water was really high so we had to watch the kids pretty close.

This was a little scary, but we were super careful.

The boys ran around loving every second of exploring the woods.

Family Home Evening Activity

2011-05-18T12:40:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago we received some sempervivum plants in the mail from Grandma. We planted them for our Family Home Evening activity. The boys loved digging the holes helping figure out where the put the plants, but their favorite part is watering them.

Sempervivum plants are super easy to grown, have fun colors and varieties and are very hard to kill (which is one of my favorite things about them). Toby, his brother Tyson and his mom have a business selling them online. It's been a fun side project for them to work on together and they have done better than I expected.

For Mother's Day, Toby took me to the nursery down the road and let me pick out a bunch of flowers to fill the spot by the door. I was going to buy a pot of plants already done, but got convinced that it would be more fun to create something myself. I'll have to put a picture up when the flowers are blooming.

Time

2011-05-17T22:21:00.001-07:00

Time passes too quickly.

How is it possible that the month of May is already half over? I feel like it just started.

Sometimes I wish I could freeze time. Which really doesn't make any sense because I'm always anxious for the next thing to come.

Each day passes and sometimes the days seems soooo LONG, but then before I know it, a week, a month, a year has flown by.

Alright, that's enough of my totally random thoughts on time.

Mother's day program

2011-05-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

They did a Mother's Day program at Zeke's preschool a couple weeks ago. It was so cute. Zeke escorted me in and seated me at the table and then brought me some food. He even sang some of the songs this time. At the end he gave me a book that he made of memories from the past school year. It was a great program.

Just imagine him singing "L" is for the way you look....

"O" is for the only one I see....

This is a cute poem they learned about moms.
I love being a mom.

Home again

2011-05-15T22:16:00.001-07:00

We made it.

Yep we are back home and ready for another week. Well, kind of ready. It always takes a while to get back into things after being out of town. I've had that old song "Back to life, back to reality" (you know the one I'm talking about right?) stuck in my head.

The boys traveled pretty well. Zeke was great. He slept for about 45 min. and then watched movies the rest of the way. Porter slept for about 4 hours! He woke up a couple times and screamed for a few minutes but then went back to sleep. After he woke up for good we only had to endure about 30 min. of screaming.

Zeke told me that after the weekend (he has no concept of time yet) and after preschool he wanted to go back to Nana and Popi's house.

We all had a great time and can't wait to go back, but more than that we are glad to be back with Toby! We missed him and are glad to be back together. Now I need to get some sleep to rest up from my vacation :)

Another Busy Day

2011-05-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

This is how much we were able to get done yesterday. Can you guess what it is?
We are building a playground similar to the one we grew up with in Wilsonville. We worked hard! Well, some of us did and the rest kept us company :)

Then this morning we woke up super early to go run. All of us combined ran a total of 110.3 miles. Jenica was the only hardcore one that ran a full marathon. My dad, Trent and I ran the 10K and the rest ran half marathons. Considering I only ran a couple times before the race I feel like I did pretty well. It was nice to just run with my dad without worrying about times or anything.

Tonight we had a very special ceremony for these 2 people. Trent just finished his Bachelor's Degree from BYU and Kendra is graduating from High School. Trent didn't get a chance to walk and Kendra's graduation is at a time that none of us can come so we celebrated tonight.

Happy Friday the 13th

2011-05-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was not my fault.... I tried to post. I really did. Blogger has been down the last 2 nights. I managed to wait it out Wednesday night, but last night I just couldn't. Anyway, yesterday was a busy day getting ready to start a big project today. Here is a sneak peak at the beginning.

We spent all day outside and some of us have sunburns to show for it. The boys loved playing with everyone there and tried to be good helpers.

Another crazy thing for the day.... Toby and I have been married for 6 years today! We were even married on Friday the 13th! We will have to party hard when we get back together.

Quick check in

2011-05-11T22:57:00.000-07:00

We had a very LONG car ride to Nana and Popi's house today, but we finally made it. The boys were very excited to get here and we are ready to have some fun in the next few days.
Toby, I miss you. Love you lots.

Cook-ie

2011-05-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

Porter has really started talking these last few weeks. It is so fun to hear him say new words. My favorite word right now is "cookie".

I've tried to remember all the words that he is saying but I can't even keep track anymore. Here is a list of words that I can think of right now.

Mama
Dada
milk
cookie
dog
ball
bye
buckle
go

Anyway the list is ever growing and he's really turning into a little parrot. And a picture for your viewing pleasure.

If you look close you can see the teeth that are trying to come in and that are causing everyone grief. Just hurry up and come in... please!!!

Sledding the last day of April... seriously?!

2011-05-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

I hate how much my mood can be affected by the weather. When I woke up on April 3oth and saw that we had a few inches of snow I was a little ticked. Luckily for me, Toby was excited and the mood spread. We pulled on our snow clothes and headed up the mountain. This is our 2nd excursion up the mountain to sled this year, but we left our camera home the first time. Toby took Porter on his back this time and I got to help Zeke walk up.

When it got steep and Zeke got a little too tired, I pulled him up on the sled. Toby even did double duty for a while taking on both of the boys.

We found the perfect little trail coming off of the main trail that was just right for sledding.

Zeke wanted to do it by himself and did so over and over and over.

When it was time to head home I strapped Porter on my back and Toby pulled Zeke on a crazy ride down the mountain. We had a great time together as a family doing some end of the season (I hope) sledding.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T21:03:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!

I never really understood what an amazing mother I had until I became a mom.

It's hard work. It's tedious, overwhelming and exhausting, but I wouldn't want to be doing anything else.

Sometimes I want to crawl in my bed and hide, but then I remember these cute little faces. I get the best hugs. I see the excitement of learning something new. I experience the joy of mastering a skill. I love being a mom. I love watching these 2 little boys grow.

And to my mom: Thank you. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for teaching me what is right. Thank you for raising me to think of others and to find ways to serve. I love you!

And to my other mom: You are such a great example. I am so glad you taught Toby how to be a good man. You are an amazing mother and I'm so glad my kids get to have you as a grandma. We love you.

Sneakily Healthy

2011-05-08T06:46:00.000-07:00

After working hard outside on the yard, I thought it would be appropriate to eat something a little bit healthier for dinner. I have a hard time getting my family to eat vegetables, so I finally tried a trick that I've been hearing for quite some time.

I added spinach to a smoothie.

I made a pretty healthy smoothie with sugar coming from the juice and fruit with nothing extra added and then threw in a couple handfuls of spinach.

It worked like a charm. Toby even drank it even though he knew what I was up to. The boys loved it and were begging for more.

I think I might be onto something.... weird looking, but yummy tasting smoothies here we come!

I know I'm a little late on my Saturday post, but at least I got it up right?

What are those tiny brown dots?

2011-05-06T13:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was beautiful! It was the best weather we've had all year. I needed a day like that.... Bad!
Yesterday was also the day that Zeke had his Mother's day program at preschool (pictures coming soon) and the day that I had to teach a piano lesson.
Those 2 things required me to need a babysitter twice. My wonderful friend and neighbor watched Porter in the morning at the park and a different wonderful friend of mine let them play in her sandbox in the afternoon.
Both times I completely neglected to put sunscreen on Porter. Bad mom! When you have a fair skinned red head you need to carry sunscreen with you at all times.
The picture shows a little bit of his sunburn but it looked way worse yesterday. The point of this long story....

Porter's has freckles!

Toby pointed them out to me when he was checking out his sunburn last night. There is no way I could take a picture close enough for you to see so you'll just have to trust me. They are there right next to his little nose. So CUTE!

Late Birthday Post

2011-05-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

I know this was a month ago, but I wanted to document that I did have a birthday. Toby is not the only one growing older around here. I had a fabulous birthday with some of my greatest friends. The Snows joined us for dinner at the Olive Garden and then came over for a party afterward.

Easter

2011-05-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter this year with just our little family. The Easter bunny visited while the boys were asleep and they woke up to find their baskets full of fun things.

Zeke is our gamer. He loves playing games, especially if he gets to play with his Dad.

I tried to go all out this year for Easter dinner. I even made ham and homemade rolls. I really outdid myself this time.

Porter got some sand and shovels in his Easter basket this year. Even though it was pretty cold outside, we tried out the new sand.

Dyeing Easter eggs is a tradition that I grew up with and loved, so we had to color a few eggs this year. Zeke and Porter had a great time.

Porter just wanted to literally throw the eggs into the colors. It was all I could do to keep him from breaking every egg.

I am grateful for the Easter season to celebrate the resurrection of my Savior. I was able to teach Primary on Easter and it was good to reflect on how to teach this special day to the children.

Pre-Easter Fun

2011-05-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

I am so slow at getting these pictures up. This is from an Easter egg hunt at the Senior Center by our house. Porter was still trying to figure out what was going on at this point.

Zeke had a hard time competing with all the other kids. We had a good time still.

The Saturday before Easter we had a neighborhood Easter egg hunt. After a trial run the week before, the boys were a little more prepared for what to expect. Porter did great and Zeke took off running.

The boys were supposed to find 12 eggs and quickly got their number. Pretty soon, Zeke was putting eggs back so that he could go find more.

The weather hasn't been cooperating very well so we've been finding activities to do inside. After the egg hunt, Toby helped Zeke build this cool fort out of leftover boxes from our NEW BED. Yep, we finally decided to get a new bed. Very exciting!

Projects

2011-05-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

When Zeke was younger, he never, and I mean NEVER did anything by himself. He was not one of those boys that liked to play with toys. He always wanted someone to play with him. That has all changed, however, with the introduction of "Projects" as we call them at our house.

All I have to do is pull out some paper, scissors, crayons, an envelope and tape and we are set for about an hour.

Porter likes to watch for a few minutes, but is more of a toy boy.

Notice the jar sitting next to him. That's Celery the goldfish. He lived at our house for about 2 weeks. Zeke got him at a friend's birthday party. As you can see, Celery liked to watch Zeke do projects, and eat dinner, and... well you get the idea. Luckily the novelty wore off and Zeke wasn't too disappointed when it was time to flush Celery down the toilet.

Daily Posts

2011-05-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

For the month of May I have challenged myself to do a post a day. I'm not sure exactly what will show up, but I'm excited to get back to documenting our lives a little better.

Backwards development

2011-04-21T16:21:00.001-07:00

Porter just crawled.

That's right, 2 hands and 2 knees.

But he's 19 months old you say. Doesn't matter, this kid never crawled.

He was a bum scooter. It was a very cute bum scooter, but every kid needs to learn to crawl sometime. It's good for their development I hear.

Milestone reached. Whew, that was close.

Tiny Tot Soccer

2011-04-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned that I love sports? It's true. I have every intention of sharing that love of sports with my children. Tonight it finally happened! I signed Zeke up for 3/4 year old soccer league. They play 4 games with no practices. Zeke had his first game tonight. It was great. It was better than great. I was positively giddy the whole time. I love this!

Voting for a team name... Dragons won.

Line it up.

Waiting for it to start.

They don't do throw ins, so this is an inbound kick.

This awesome kick led to this....

Blake scores!

Taking on the girls.

Zeke doesn't like to run much so this is the most I've seen him run in a long time.

With his friends after the game. I can't wait till next week.

still sick

2011-03-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

After Toby finally got better from being sick, Zeke and Porter started running fevers. Then this last weekend I finally gave in and took my turn being sick. It hasn't been a very fun house to be in these last 3 weeks. Just thought I'd post a couple pictures of the boys doing an inside activity since we've been cooped up for so long.

Toby's Birthday

2011-03-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

Last week we celebrated Toby's birthday. That means that for a whole 15 days, he is older than me.

I am so lucky to have this man in my life. I love him so much and I hope he had a great birthday.

Kristel and Co. visit

2011-03-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

Ok I admit, basketball isn't the only thing I've been doing. A couple weeks ago, Kristel and her kids came to stay with us for a week. I did a horrible job at taking pictures but we do have a few. The first day we went to Discovery Park. It was pretty much the only thing Toby did with us because after that he was stuck in bed sick.

Somehow we managed to get all 5 kids to bed. Things got a little crazy at night doing the routine, but Kristel and her family were good sports to put up with Scriptures and Stories every night.

A few of the other things that kept us busy were spending a fun day in Bountiful with all of the cousins, celebrating Tyson's birthday with him in Provo, going to parks and playing games. The kids did really well and had a ton of fun together. We loved having them visit.

I LOVE BASKETBALL

2011-03-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

It's been a while....

I needed a break from my blog. Sorry. I guess it's time to get back to it.

What have I been up to you ask?

Basketball! Lots and Lots of Basketball.

It really is a glorious thing. Here are a few highlights...

Playing with my friends for exercise.

Playing on a City League team with some of those aforementioned friends and taking 2nd.

Almost getting surgery on my eye because of a fingernail through the eye on a rebound in the Championship game.

Going to Idaho (without kids!) to watch my little sister, Kendra win State her senior year!

Coaching the YW basketball team.

Playing on the Ward team and going to Regions. Finals are this week.

And Lastly... BYU BASKETBALL!!! Yes I have Jimmer fever and will be watching as the Cougs play in the SWEET SIXTEEN!

Christmas

2011-01-03T19:59:00.000-08:00

When you have a lot of people, you have a lot of presents and the room fills up fast. Zeke was the perfect age this year. He went to bed excited about Santa Claus coming and woke up excited to open presents.

To keep with tradition, Toby and I wrapped a gift extra special. Zeke was excited to see that it was for him.

The 2 blue stockings are the stockings that Toby and I made with Janiece and Connor. I have a pretty crafty husband. Didn't they turn out great?!

Porter LOVED his rocking chair. He would crawl into it and sit there all smug like. It was hilarious to watch him.

Zeke is just like his dad in that he loves games. We found the perfect game for a kid that loves games that will not bore the parent playing. It's called the Magic Labyrinth and it's pretty fun.

Santa brought Zeke and bow and arrow set. I think he is in heaven with that thing.

Nana and Popi spoiled him with an iron man guy. I think Porter might like it a little bit more than Zeke does actually.

Porter loves to snuggle. When he saw Popi laying on the couch he took his blanket over and handed it to him and then try to crawl up. Popi, of course, didn't mind at all. Zeke hates missing out on anything so had to go join the party.

We had a great Christmas and feel so blessed. I am so grateful for this holiday season to celebrate the birth of my Savior. I am so lucky to have such wonderful family. I don't think I could have asked for anything more.

Christmas Eve

2011-01-03T19:45:00.001-08:00

I LOVE Christmas Eve. It's probably my favorite day of the whole year. We get Christmas stuff ready all day, and then we work together to make the best meal ever. I would have to say I love it more than Thanksgiving. This year was no exception. We set the table and started taking pictures, but then Grandma GG got mad that we were taking too many pictures and she was hungry and ready to eat!

After dinner the boys helped Toby and I tell the Nativity story with puppets. Toby is laying on the floor so you can't see him, but he did a great job being Joseph. Porter wandered the 3 wise men all around the room. When we finished, we watched a great movie about Christ and talked about everything that we have been blessed with this last year.

Then I put the kids to bed and we started the fun stuff! Tyleen planned a few Minute To Win It games for us to play. I am HORRIBLE! Toby did awesome, of course.

After minute to win it we had our annual family auction. It was a blast as usual and we came away with some fun stuff. Then we finished some last minute Christmas things and went to bed so Santa could come!

Shhh

2011-01-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

I have to tell one more funny story about Zeke...

I took him to use the bathroom at my parent's house one morning. When we walked in he said, "Mom, shh be quiet. Grandma GG and Jenica are sleeping."

Then he tiptoed into the room and went to the bathroom all the while saying, "shh".

When he was done he turned to me and said, "Don't say honk honk. Don't say Beep Beep. Don't make elephant noises. Don't make car noises. Be quiet. Grandma GG and Jenica are sleeping".

Then he tiptoed out of the room.

I love that kid!

A little about us

2010-12-20T21:53:00.001-08:00

Someone mentioned to me that my blog was all about my kids and had nothing about Toby and I. Well, that's the only thing that seems interesting to me.... but I've been trying to think about what I could write about Toby and me.

Toby just got a new calling in church. He is now an Advisor for the teacher's quorum. He is still running his website and this summer started another business with his brother and mom selling sempervivums. He is just marked his 4th year at work and is a professional Bang the bullet player.

I also got a new calling in church. I am now the 2nd counselor in the Primary. It keeps me on my toes and by the time I get out of church I'm ready for a nap. I still play basketball with friends twice a week and love it. They even let me fill in on their city league team when they need more players. I work at Zeke's preschool and spend the rest of my time doing projects and hanging out with friends (who share kids that are Zeke's friends of course).

That's all I've got. I hope that satisfies you. Now back to the kids...

Sugar Cookie Houses

2010-12-20T21:41:00.001-08:00

Janiece and Connor came up with the idea of doing Sugar Cookie Houses instead of our usual graham cracker houses. We figured they would taste better this way. The party grew to include Connor's brother, Ryan and his girlfriend, Meredith so of course we had to call Trent and Catelin and have them come too.

Yep, that is Zeke chugging sprinkles.

Porter was in charge of eating cookies and supervising. He loved his job!

I will have to get some pictures of the stockings that we made with Janiece and Connor. They are looking pretty good if you ask me! I even stayed up till midnight to work on mine... yep that is late for me. I am so lame!

Singing at the Mall

2010-12-20T21:28:00.000-08:00

Zeke's preschool did a singing program at the mall. I LOVE seeing them perform the songs that they work on, however, I'm pretty sure I get the better end of the deal. Because I help out in preschool I get to hear them practice all their songs. They do well in their performances, but nothing compares to how they get into it in class.

After they sang, they took a ride on the Christmas train and then went to visit Santa!

After all the kids got a chance to visit Santa, He had them all close their eyes and wish for a Christmas miracle. When they opened them, it was snowing! Yep, right there in the mall. The kids thought it was amazing!

It's Christmas time

2010-12-20T21:19:00.001-08:00

When December hit the festivities began. We filled the first Saturday with as many things as possible. First we went to our ward Christmas breakfast. Then we headed over to Gardner Village to see the elves and check out the Christmas shops.

After Gardner Village we went up to Robin and Janene's house to make peanut brittle. Janene, being the master chef that she is, taught me how to smell the mix to know exactly the right time to take it off the stove. We loved being there and it really felt like Christmastime in their home. We left their house and headed for Temple Square. It was BEAUTIFUL! We stayed warm by fighting through the crowds that were there.

We left Temple Square and ran in the mall for a little while. I think you can say that we had a full day. The boys were beat by the time we got home, but they had a fun day.

Funny Zeke

2010-12-20T21:11:00.001-08:00

#1
Me: "Zeke, you're driving me crazy!"

hours pass

Zeke: "Mom, you're driving me crickets!"

#2
As we were pulling out all of our Christmas stuff, we found Zeke's stocking.
Toby: "Zeke, do you know what Santa will put in here?"

Zeke: ".... his foot!"

#3
Eating dinner
Zeke: "Look at my spilled soup... it's a smiley face!"

Playing in the snow
Zeke throws a couple snowballs at the house.
Zeke: "Mom come see, it's a smiley face." He then throws another one... "and there's the mouth!"

#4
Zeke brought home a letter to Santa from preschool. He filled in 3 things that he wanted for Christmas....
1. Firefly
2. Bear
3. Cucumber

I feel like I could write down everything that boy says. He is so funny!

I stand corrected...

2010-11-26T08:48:00.000-08:00

I just found out I've been saying it wrong all these years.

It's not hide and seek...

It's called Hide and Zeke.

Who knew?!

Halloween

2010-11-15T20:27:00.000-08:00

Zeke begged me for 2 weeks up to Halloween to take him Trick or Treating. I told him that I would definitely take him on Halloween night. So when the fateful day finally arrived, pouring down rain, I had no choice. I am somewhat ashamed to admit that I caved and bought an umbrella before we left, but it came in handy. (Real Oregonians don't own umbrellas)
Here are my cute boys... I mean my cute dragon and Tigger.

Here we are excited to brave it out in the rain.

When Zeke could no longer move because he was too wet and cold, we called it a night. The didn't stop Zeke from begging to go to "one more house".
This is the face Porter gave every time someone pulled out a camera.

Did I mention that Zeke and Porter had 6 adults taking them Trick or Treating? That must be love. When we got home, and warmed up, we checked out the goods. I had a great time going through his bucket after he was in bed.

Hee Haw Farm

2010-11-15T20:17:00.000-08:00

During the day on Halloween, we took the boys to Hee Haw Farm. I was sure it was going to be packed, but with the weather not being wonderful it was fairly empty. The pictures are in opposite order of what we did because we ended up in the corn box last due to rain but you get the idea.
Toby is so good at playing with the boys. They have so much fun together.

The corn maze is when the weather turned bad, but that didn't stop us. We probably went down every possible trail in there. Zeke and Toby had fun throwing corn at pretend monsters coming out to get us.

Porter's favorite part was chasing the animals around.

Zeke LOVED going down the slide. As soon as we got to the bottom he took off up the hill to go again.

The boys hopped on the animal train for a quick ride. They said I really missed out on that one.

We also went on the trick or treating hay ride. Different characters were around the route ready to throw candy to anyone who said trick or treat.

I'm not sure what Zeke is doing in this picture, but he was excited to be there.

Gardner Village

2010-11-15T20:05:00.000-08:00

We finally made it to Gardner Village this year for Halloween. I can't believe we have never gone before. The boys loved it. Zeke loved finding all the witches hiding around the place.
Zeke begged me to take a picture of this funny witch that crashed into the building.

Watch out Zeke, that witch is going to land on you!!!

I know this picture is almost the same, but I thought he looked so cute in it.

I'm not too sure what Porter thought of this.

We even splurged on getting Zeke's face painted and some cotton candy. I can't wait to go again next year!

Preschool Halloween Party

2010-11-15T19:59:00.000-08:00

Zeke absolutely LOVES preschool. He begs to go everyday, but has to settle for just 3 days a week. This is at his Halloween party. He dressed up as an astronaut. They prepared a bunch of songs to sing for all of the parents. It's a good thing I help out during preschool and get to hear him singing then, because I'm pretty sure he didn't do anything the entire program :)
Here he is with his teacher Miss Sheryl whom he absolutely adores.

This is his best friend at preschool, Brigham... I mean Batman.

Both classes were there together for the party.

Getting ready to preform.

Wonder Pets, Wonder Pets we're on our way...

2010-11-09T06:28:00.001-08:00

I help at Zeke's preschool. Preschoolers are SO funny! Take yesterday for example. The kids were cleaning up all the toys when one boy belts out:

"What's going to work?"

Of course the entire classroom chimed in and yelled:

"Teamwork!"

Then all the kids repeated it again. I guess we know which show is popular among the 3-5 age group.

The only thing missing was someone adding my favorite line of all...

"This.... is.... SERIOUS!"

(Yeah, I've watched this WAY too many times.)

Pumpkin Party

2010-10-31T21:49:00.000-07:00

We had our annual pumpkin party last week. Check out all these cute kids eating our yummy pumpkin waffles.

After eating, we went outside for a fun pumpkin game.

The big kids played a pumpkin rolling game.

The little kids played their own version of pumpkin bowling.

Then on to carving pumpkins.

Brothers

2010-10-31T21:42:00.000-07:00

I love these boys!

Quiet Time

2010-10-31T21:34:00.000-07:00

I love quiet time at my house. It's my sanity time. I had given up on it for a while because Zeke refused to take a nap. I decided to reinstate it and it has paid off! Even though Zeke doesn't take a nap, this is what he does. He will "read" his books for an hour. Did you know a 3 year old could have such a long attention span? AMAZING!

Stop growing

2010-10-13T19:50:00.001-07:00

My boys are the perfect ages right now. I am having so much fun with them. I know every stage is fun and the next one will be just as good as this one, but I wish I could stop time. I don't want Zeke to get any older and I like how Porter is gaining some independence but still wants to snuggle up with me. Here are a few things I don't want to forget about my boys right now:

Zeke:
The way he says crocodile.
His love of milk.
How easily he goes to bed.
His cheesy smile he gives when I pull out the camera.
How he loves to play hide and go seek but can't find anyone... ever.
How firmly he tells you his is not a boy... he is Zeke.
The way he tries to race me getting his buckles on in the car.

Porter:
The way he puts his forehead up against mine when he wants to give love.
How he makes kissing sounds when you tell him to give you a kiss.
The fact that he doesn't crawl, but scoots around.
How snugly he his.
The way he loves anything soft and will grab it and love it.
How he points me to where he wants to go and begs for things by grunting.
The fact that he out eats Zeke and is still soooo skinny.

I'm pretty sure I'm the luckiest mom in the world.

Conference weekend visit

2010-10-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

Porter is starting to figure out this walking thing.

What happens to Limbs when they sit down, hold still, and are quiet?

Porter plays with toys so well. It amazes me how much fun he has playing.

Nana and Popi picked up this fun new toy at the fair. It was a hit with all the boys young and old alike.

We got to listen to General Conference over the weekend. I love it! I anxiously wait every six months for conference to come and it never disappoints. We are so lucky to have a prophet on the earth.

3 Years old and loving it

2010-10-13T19:36:00.000-07:00

The Birthday Boy! He was so excited for his birthday this year. He got this cute crown at preschool and wore it almost the whole way in the car to Nana and Popi's house.

He got a new helmet to wear with the big boy bike that Grandma bought for him.

Zeke loves his fishing pole that he got from Nana and Popi.

Porter checking out all of Zeke's presents.

That's a batman cake in case you couldn't tell.

My 1 year old

2010-10-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

Porter's Birthday was a blast. We had lots of family over to eat cake, play games and enjoy a yummy BBQ.

Stroller Time

2010-09-15T19:05:00.001-07:00

This is Porter's favorite place to be.

Sometimes it's the only way I can get him to stop crying at 6am.