my little fam

Autumn also means time for family pictures. My amazing sister in-law Kari, took our family pictures over conference weekend at the cabin. She did a great job. The boys did great as well. And we had the perfect day, and perfect time of day. Plus, the scenery by the cabin is unbelievable. I'm so happy with them.... here are just a peek at a few of my faves.....




Love them, and love my cute family! I love looking at all the pictures she took because she captured my boys so well. Love them! If you want info on Kari and her photog skills, comment and let me know and I'll send you her info. She's located in CO, but she's in the area frequently!

more autumn

Autumn means Halloween. Halloween means lots of dressing up and lots of fun! Last night, Will came with us to the symphony. It was the Spooky Symphony, and SO MUCH FUN! I amazed at the costumes and the fun atmosphere. They did a costume contest and the finalist had the most creative costumes I've ever seen! Will was a "land-lubber pirate...." or Jack Sparrow, as he says.
They played "spooky" songs and of course our favorite was Star Wars! Will loved it and had a great time. He told us "I love just being with you guys." Eli got to go to the babysitter and go to bed, hopefully next year Eli can come with us!
We also took the boys to a BYU game last Saturday. It was a lot of work to get them there, then once we got there, it super HOT (I'm talking like, we sat there sweating) and the kids were okay, but got really grumpy. Plus the game was pretty boring.... so we left at half-time. Both boys fell asleep and took long naps the rest of the day. It was fun being together as a family though! We sat by my brother Mike and his super cute, super sweet, girls Mallory and Reagan.
Grumpy or not, they are still adorable. And we still had a fun time.

autumn

Our days have been filled with wonderful sunny days and spending the last few moments of good weather outside! We've enjoyed being together as a family and staying busy with the day to day. But I absolutely love the fall. It is such a rejuvenating time for me! I made cinnamon rolls on Sunday and loved it.... it was the prefect Fall, Sunday afternoon activity!

This past weekend, we went on a hike in the gorgeous mountains. It was a beautiful, chilly evening and the boys had a blast! We hiked up to Stuart Falls, near Sundance, along the Alpine Loop trail. We had a great time and made home just in time for hot chocolate and bedtime!





Will started violin lessons last week! He is already showing signs of becoming a great violinist. I'm so proud of him for wanting to include music in his life and for branching out and trying new things. We really love his teacher, Ms. Gina. She is the prefect match of kindness meets sincerity, meets fun, meets challenging. She's been great with Will.
We just love his little violin and Will is learning more and more about it and enjoying it. Today in violin, he learned how to hold his bow correctly and Ms. Gina says next week he can start on the violin! He's really doing great and moving quickly. We enjoy listening to his violin songs (twinkle rhythms) in the car and have already picked our favorites for him to play!

Autumn also means a field trip to Wheeler farm. We had beautiful weather on the day we visited with Will's class. It felt great to be out in the sunshine. This is Will's friend and classmate, Tyson. They were buddies all day long.
I thought it was SO funny. Our little farmer guide was making the kids be cows.... it was pretty hilarious to watch.
On the wagon ride! We had a really fun day and I enjoyed being with Will's class and getting to know some of his classmates a little better. Will also really enjoyed riding a school bus for the first time! I think that was the highlight of most of the kids day.... for me, it brought back lots of crazy memories! :)
I am loving the weather and cooling temps. I'm feeling productive and busy all at the same time! I've missed my early morning runs, due to some cooling of the weather, but I'm hoping to get back on the horse and brave the weather! I have to admit, as much as I dread getting out of my cozy bed to go run, I always love it when I'm out there and the air is so nice and fresh. Plus it gets me going for the day! We've had a lot of fun celebrating fall and Halloween. I'm ready for it to come and go so I can move on to Thanksgiving, Christmas music, and lots of family time!

eli turns TWO!

(It's so hard to believe that this picture was Eli, just two years ago. He's still just as yummy as ever and I still kiss those cheeks constantly and play with that beautiful hair everyday. What a beautiful baby he was and what a handsome little boy he is becoming!)

(our "cars" favors for Eli's birthday)

How did this happen? How has it possibly been two years since we welcomed Eli into our lives? Eli is a treasure. He is a blessing and a miracle in our family. I guess any baby is a miracle, really, but Eli has brought more joy and love into our family than I ever thought possible. He is spirited, and energetic. Eli is sweet and loving. He is so much fun and keeps us on our toes!

At two, he loves cars and anything "motorized" - motorcycles, 4-wheelers, big trucks, etc. He also likes trains, but hasn't quite become obsessed with them yet. Eli is a charmer. We get stopped a lot while we are out and about with people wanting to talk to him or talk to us about him. He has an irresistible smile and the best personality. He's truly fun to be around.

We got to celebrate a couple of times with Eli. We had our "other" family (Eli's sister and family that lives in Kaysville) down for dinner and cake on Sunday. Then on Tuesday, his actual birthday, we had both sets of Grandparents down for dinner and more yummy cake! Since Eli's birthday is in the Fall, it is hard not to want to do "Fall" themed dishes and desserts. This year, I made a pumpkin bundt cake, which was super yummy, but more of a muffin instead of cake. Eli liked it though!

(Eli's car's/racing themed table)

See? Irresistible!

The first round of birthday singing! He loved blowing out the candles and made us light them over and over so he could blow them out several times. His "real" birthday cake was a dumpster cake.... or "dirt" cake. It was chocolate cake topped with chocolate pudding, topped with crushed oreo cookies. It was delish! And Eli loved both the pumpkin muffin/cake and the "dirt." He kept asking for "more dirt!"

Opening gifts

Ready for "DIRT!" And to blow out more candles. Oh how we love our Eli. He is the light and energy in our lives. We adore him wholly, and are so blessed to have him in our lives. I can't believe he is two.... It was just yesterday I found out he would be joining our family.... wasn't it??

Is it possible to love your kids a little TOO much? I'm not sure, but sometimes I feel like I'm just bursting with love for my children. I know I have been so blessed with two sweet boys, and I am so thankful for the chance I get to be a mother. The other day I heard a phrase on TV about an adoption situation and I thought it was pretty good. The girl (who had placed a baby for adoption) said "I'm her mother, but I'm not her mom...." I am the mom. And for that I will be eternally grateful to have these little spirits in my life.

Call me weird, but I actually miss my kids after they go to bed at night, and I'm SO excited to see them each morning when we wake. I don't know what it is, but I think it is one of my most favorite moments of the day.... when Will wakes up and comes to hug and snuggle for a moment, and when Eli wakes up and reaches out of his crib for me. Don't get me wrong, parenting, and mothering are HARD. I totally loose my patience, sometimes several times a day. And I have many, many days when I think "I've got to get a job!" just so I can have a little repreive from the constant "mom" job. But then I have those moments before bed each night when I pray for my little ones and my heart is so full of love and gratitude to my Heavenly Father for giving me two very unique and special boys. So much love that I actually miss them for those few hours in the evening when I'm having some "down" time.

These little people are so precious. I get sad and mad at myself when I do loose my patience or get irritated or frustrated. We all do it, I know that, and I wouldn't be human if I never got bothered, but I'm learning how to do this and be the best mom I can. I am completely in love with these ages (Will is 5 and Eli is 2). I think so far, these are my most favorite. Will is such a big kid and can be so helpful for Eli. Plus he's learning so much in school and really growing and learning. We have actual conversations and he asks me deep, heart-felt questions like "why can't you have anymore babies" or "Will Eli be sad when he finds out he's adopted?" or he'll tell me things, out of the blue like "I believe in Jesus Christ!" and funny things like "I hope I don't have empanitits!" Yes, he totally made up an illness. And then there's Eli..... OH my Eli, how can I even begin to describe the many personalities you have. Every day I Eli is the best kid, he is off the wall crazy at times, and sweet and cuddly in the next moment. He makes me laugh, EVERY day. He LOVES me and wants me more than anyone (unless Scott is around!), he jumps and hops and flings himself everywhere, he says "Danks (thanks), mom!" for everything, never misses a chance to say it. He loves Will unconditionally, and when they fight, they feel so bad if they hurt each other that they both end up in tears.

I know I'm lucky and I love being a mom. Even on the challenging days, or the days when I feel like I'm not doing enough "stuff". I just have to keep reminding myself that I am doing the important stuff... hopefully. Like giving my kids millions of hugs and kisses, and telling them I love them several times a day. And trying to have FHE every Monday, and praying with them. I hope that counts for something!

oh my, how time flies

Seriously, where does my time go? The lack of posting in the past 3-4 weeks hasn't been for lack of things happening around here. My life has been full of school, car pools, regular "wife" duties, finding violin teachers, signing up for athletics, trips to the cabin, etc, etc. (Above) Before we went to the cabin, we trimmed the boys' hair. We took family pictures and wanted them to look clean cut. Eli sat so good, like such a big boy, while Dad trimmed and trimmed, for a good 45 minutes. We've grown Eli's hair out for several months and will do so again, but it was time to cut the tangles out! It gets really hard to manage as it gets longer. One of these days, we'll pay to have something really fun done with it.... until then, he gets a nice Corban Blue (that's what his hair cut is called). Dad did a great job trimming and evening out the edges as well.

(Below) The only pictures we have of our fun-filled weekend at the cabin. We always like to do the "Bear Gulch" hike/walk with the kids. They really love it and this time, Caleb even rode his bike on the trail. Mostly, the kids and especially my boys, just love being outdoors, running, and throwing rocks, every chance they get.

The weather was gorgeous, and as you can see from my stylish rolled up pants, warmer than expected. The days were amazing, warm and sunny. The nights and early mornings were brisk and cool. It was perfect.
Cute kids. Norah, Eli, and Lia, taking a break on the trail. It was so fun to have all the cousins around. Our kids (meaning ALL of the cousins) are so blasted cute and all such fun personalities. It was a party for sure!
Will is a true outdoorsman. Camo shorts, camo hat that is like 10 sizes too big, and his Yellowstone shirt. Love it. And a great thumbs up to boot! Eli's thumbs up cracks me up! (below) But you also get to see a nice shot of his handsome hair cut. I love it, he looks so grown up.

I just love Will's cute face. There are several times a day when his facial expressions remind me of Scott. He is such a joy to have around. And of course (below) there are times when you just HAVE to go..... good thing there were some bushes nearby!

The funniest part was when Norah saw Will going pee in the bushes and she said "I need to go potty too!" And Lorinda said "Let's wait until we get back to the car...." and Norah said "No, there's a bush right there!" It was funny, and coming from Norah, it was even funnier. I love that girl. Her and Will share a birthday you know?! I love that, I wouldn't want Will to share his birthday with anyone else.

The cabin was wonderful as always. Great food, great conversation (until the wee hours of the morning!), and great Conference talks. It is such a peaceful setting and a place where my kids are creating beautiful memories. I feel so blessed!

My boys are growing like weeds. Eli is nearing his 2nd birthday and already pushing out of his 3T clothes. I'm anxious to see his stats at the dr. in a few weeks. Will is doing great in school. He is learning exponentially and I love to hear all that he is doing. He is anxious to begin Jr. Jazz Basketball and wrestling (his choice!). He is also excited to begin violin lessons in a couple weeks. Also his choice.

Life continues to march on and most of the time I have to make myself stop to take a breath. But life is great. We are thoroughly enjoying Fall, going to BYU football games, playing outside as much as possible, and taking drives to see the leaves. We've been busy with family events and visitors and are loving our "own" place more and more. I'm still totally unpacked, but I'm not worried.... I have all winter to work on that!