Growing Girl

Introducing "Little Miss Smiley Eyes." It takes a big smile to lift up those heavy cheeks.

Annalise coos and sings most of the day.

Does she look like me? What do you think?

Big Boy Bed

A few months ago, we decided it was definitely time to move Preston to a big boy bed. The change was long overdue, I admit. But I had enjoyed keeping the little terror contained in his "baby jail" as long as possible. I found this bed on KSL and had to get it.

He loves it as you can see. But as I suspected, it has been harder to get him to go to sleep. We got the car bedding and piggy bank at Target. Now I just have to paint his room and get a few more decorations and he'll have a perfect car retreat.

Family Christmas Picture 2009

Merry Christmas! We finally got our family pictures done and I thought we'd share it. It is always more and more work with each kid, but I am so thankful to finally have a picture with our sweet baby.

We wish you each a wonderful holiday season and hope things are "merry and bright!"

The First Laugh

Now I know most people are concerned with getting the "last laugh." Well, I was more concerned with getting the FIRST. Here's a video of our darling little 3 month old baby girl laughing for the first time in her life this past Tuesday. I may have guessed that it would be Preston that brought it out of her. He is definitely the funniest person in our family--it seems Annalise would deem him hysterical.

Halloween Night

Our family did the "Peter Pan" costume theme this year for Halloween. Preston was of course Peter Pan with his strawberry blond hair (I made his costume because I couldn't find one in the stores), Adelyn was the pixie Tinkerbell, I was Wendy, and Ryan was a pirate. Notwithstanding our many attempts to teach Preston proper trick-or-treat etiquette, he went absolutely crazy at our ward truck-or-treat. He ran from car to car with a glazed and purposeful look on his face, way ahead of all of us. He'd reach up on his tip-toes and grab his treat before even saying trick-or-treat and was off again. We had to really watch him or he'd grab multiple treats or accidentally take treats out of other innocent trick-or-treaters' sacks. He was a mad man on a candy mission! The funny thing was, he really had no idea he was being so naughty.

Annalise finally decided to wake up and get dressed in her costume after we got home for the night. She slept in the Bjorn the whole time we were out trick-or treating. She was Michael's (Wendy's brother) teddy bear.

Our dancing fairy.

Our kids were candy crazy by the end of the night. We watch a scary movie (Monster vs. Aliens), ate squash soup, drank homemade wassail. . . and ate just a few more pieces of candy before turning in for the night. We had a great Halloween!

Scroll down for more Halloween posts. . . if you dare.

Hee Haws Field Trip

For Halloween, we got to join Adelyn's preschool class at Hee Haw Farms. We went on a wagon hay ride, slid down a really fast slide on a potato sack, pet some baby animals in the petting zoo, and picked our own pumpkins in the pumpkin patch. It was tons of fun!

Farmer Addie.

Cute kids.

Preston petting the baby pigs in the petting zoo.

Adelyn riding the horse swings. Yee Haw!

Pumpkins...Pumpkins

My cute family with their pumpkins.

A close up of the finished products. Adelyn's is the big green one that she picked out at Hee Haw's. Preston's is the small green acorn SQUASH. Of all the pumpkins at Hee Haws, he chose this tiny thing. . . silly boy. And of course, Ryan's is the one carved with an Eiffel Tower and the French words: "Joyeuse Halloween." So predictable. :)

Sugar Cookie Queen

Whenever there are cookies to be made, Adelyn is the first one to pitch in and help.

She loves mixing, baking, icing, and sprinkling cookies of all kinds. We spent all afternoon one day last week making our sugar cookies. It has become an annual Halloween tradition. We love it!

We made pumpkins, ghosts, haunted houses, bats, moons, and cats. Then we took them around to all the neighbors. . . and ate just a couple ourselves, of course.

Baby Bath Time

Just thought I'd share these darling pictures.

As you can see, Annalise has developed some substantial rolls. But all in the right places, of course. :)

She is the sweetest little baby. We love her so much.

Happy Birthday to...

My best friend of 15 years: Leslie!

We met in 7th grade French class. And after I invited myself to her birthday party (inside joke), we've been best friends ever since. As Anne of Green Gables would say, we are "kindred spirits." We roomed together in college, both married boys from our single's ward, and are now both blissfully happy raising our families. (I wish I could say we lived next door to each other as we always joked, but we don't.)

After 15 years of friendship, I still call her every week, solicit her advice on various topics ranging from decorating to marriage, and laugh hysterically with her about the insanity of our lives.

A few photos:

We were rock stars for Halloween our Freshman year of college. We have at times been mistaken for sisters, and I can totally see why from this picture.

She was also one of my bridesmaids at my wedding.

We've been through a lot together and I am so grateful for her willingness to always see the best in me. You've been the very best of friends, Leslie. Happy Birthday!!!

My Growing Boy

We finally got Preston's 2-year old portraits taken about a month ago (almost two months late). Every time I was about to go get them done, he would get a new goose egg, bruise, or scratch on his face and we'd postpone it another week. Not even an hour after I made the appointment this time, he cut his head while playing on the swing set. Fortunately, it didn't bleed much and he didn't need stitches. I know is sounds vain, but I would have been devastated if they shaved his head! Anyway, we were able to fix his hair so the scab didn't even show--thank goodness!

This one captured his personality quite well.

He did a great job, but if you look closely at this one, you will notice a little tear mark on his shirt. He started the photo session crying and refusing to smile. The photographer was great though and had him laughing within a couple minutes. He even gave Preston a sticker for every good picture. And as you can see, he took plenty and got lots of stickers.

Cute and cheesy.

An artistic profile shot.

The proud two-year old.

Gardner Village

We have made it a tradition every year since Adelyn was just a baby to visit Gardner Village every October. It is a cute little place year round, but in October they deck the whole place out in Halloween decor and witches of all kinds. We love it! It so fun to walk through the cute shops and just enjoying the beautiful Fall weather. Here are a few pictures from our day.

A family picture in front of the water wheel.

My boys.

The kiddos.

Playing on the rocks.

Annalise's Blessing Day

We had the opportunity to bless Annalise today. Ryan offered the blessing and we were grateful to have many of our family there to enjoy it with us. My Grandpa Douglas, Annalise's great-grandpa who is 93, was able to participate in the circle as well as my dad, my brother Doug and several brothers-in law. It was a great day. The blessing was beautiful. It is always humbling to be reminded of how fortunate we are to welcome such precious and noble spirits into our home. Annalise has already brought so much joy into our lives. We are so thankful for her and don't know what we'd do without her.

A great little family picture. If only Adelyn were smiling, we could use this for our Christmas picture. But alas, we will probably still have to visit the studio.

This one shows off her beautiful blessing dress. Ryan's parents bought this dress for Adelyn and we were so glad Annalise could use it too.

Sweet sisters! Adelyn loves her baby sister so much.

I love this picture because I think Annalise looks a lot like her cousin Abby at this age. What a sweet little face. This day was also a first for Preston--his first day wearing a big-boy tie. We think he looks quite handsome.

Kids Grow Up Way Too Fast

I've been trying to fall asleep tonight without success. My mind has been racing over the day, the week, the month. Suddenly, I had the urge to go and kiss all my sleeping angels one more time. I did and I feel a little better, but not entirely. While thinking about each of my three precious children, I experienced the powerful and painful realization that kids just grow up way too fast.

Adelyn won't always mix up her b's and d's when she reads, making darling stories about "sab doys on the bark deach." Or somehow manage to get her shoes on the wrong feet nearly every time, ever after three years of insisting she do it herself. Or laugh hysterically while I give her butterfly and Eskimo kisses, as if it were the first time. She won't always ask me a never-ending stream of questions about things I've never even thought twice about. Or want to hold and rock her baby sister every minute of the day. She won't always follow me around and want to help me do everything from cooking and cleaning to making a grocery list and scrapbooking. Or skip into preschool with her bouncing curls in piggy tails.

Preston won't always walk around on his tippy-toes or say scissors are "shark" instead of "sharp." He won't always carry his blue afghan (which is filthy because he hides it from me on laundry day) around in one hand and a car in the other. Or make tiger and bear noises or stomp around pretending he's a "rhinosaur" (T. rex is his favorite because it is "scaaaaaary"). Or come sneaking into the family room with food hidden behind his back and say in his sweetest voice, "Hi Mommy." He won't always spill his juice six times a day or insist upon sitting on the counter to eat. Or let me hold him in my arms and sing him Primary songs before bed. He won't always insist I hold his hand while we climb the stairs.

Annalise won't always let me hold her for hours at a time and let me stroke and kiss her soft hair and precious skin. She won't always hold onto and pet my hair while I feed her. Or smile in her sleep. She won't always cry her head off in the car, only to calm down immediately and coo at me the second I get her out of her car seat. Or mark her territory with spit up and ensure that I change my clothes at least four times a day. She won't always give me kisses when she's hungry and rooting for food. And she definitely won't always be so small and delicate.

Motherhood makes me laugh. It definitely makes me cry. I've never before felt so ill prepared and under qualified for something I've wanted so badly to be great at. The days are sometimes painfully long, but the weeks just fly by. Some days the only rewards are more poopy diapers and dirty dishes. Being a mother is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life and I don't think experience necessarily makes it easier. I feel less and less sure of myself everyday. But one thing is for certain. I love my children more than words can express. They bring me joy and and a sense of completeness. They fill my heart with more love and pride than I thought myself capable of having. They say and do the silliest things. . . and they are all growing up way too fast.

Newborn Portraits

We got these newborn portraits taken of Annalise when she was just 8 days old. She slept through most of the session, but woke up for the last few naked poses. Now she is already one month old! It is hard to believe how fast the time goes.

In Daddy's arms (this one didn't scan very well because
it was too big for the scanner, but it is my favorite).

A darling little yawn

A sleeping angel

Little naked girl

Holding hands with Mom

First Day of Preschool

Adelyn started preschool this past Tuesday. Although she is perfectly content and loves it, Preston and I aren't quite sure if we are ready for the change. Preston misses her terribly and asks about her every 15 minutes: "Where Adelyn go?" or "When Adelyn come home?"

I cannot believe she is already 4 1/2 years old! Time goes by way too fast. She is VERY smart and eager to learn. She has really enjoyed this new big step in her life. We are excited for her and all the great things she will learn this year.

Two Dollar Tuesdays

August was a great month courtesy of Thanksgiving Point. The kids love going there, but Mom and Dad (of course) like to wait until it's less expensive. In August, all the venues are just two dollars, so we took full advantage this year and went five times in four weeks! I took the kids to the dinosaur museum two days before Annalise was born; Ryan took them to the gardens the following week; I took them to the farm on the third Tuesday; and we pulled a double header on the last Tuesday: the dinosaur museum in the morning and the gardens in the afternoon. We had a fabulous time! Here's a few pictures:

The kids at the gardens with Ryan.

Adelyn posing in her swim suit. Ryan apparently let her run around in her swim suit the whole time after they played in the water area (much to my horror when I saw all the pictures).

This is a neat shot of Preston taken by Ryan.

Ryan and Preston in front of the tiered fountain.

The kids loved Farm Country too. We saw a brand new baby goat and baby horse. They were so precious. We waited in line to ride the ponies for almost 45 minutes, but Preston still managed to give me a big cheese.

Adelyn loves riding the ponies. Preston chickened out last minute and screamed "ALL DONE!" before he even got on his pony.