So then how do they make babies?

It seems like Emma has spiritually grown leaps and bounds this month. She loves to sing primary songs around the house, make up her own gospel based songs. For example last week I walked past her room (when she was supposed to be going to sleep) and she was jumping on her bed singing "My body is a temple." There was more to the song, but that is the gist of it. And the other Sunday Emma came up to Scott and asked "How did Heavenly Father just make everything?" After Scott answered her and a few of her follow up questions like "but how do they just be up in the sky?" Alan asked "So then how do they make babies?" meaning how does Heavenly Father make babies. Cute cute Kids! I sure do love them!!

Feeling Crafty

So I have been up to a lot of craft projects lately and thought I would share. The biggest is that I finally opened my Etsy store. I only have one thing listed now, but there will be more to come. I was planning on getting 4 or 5 more listings up by Friday (oh, would you look at that it is Friday. Well I guess there it always next Friday, right?) Anyway Esty user name/store name is LoveM2Pieces. Please feel free to check it out. Soon it will have super soft receiving blankets, baby quilts, nursing covers, boutique girl clothes, and I guess anything else I come up with. I am so excited to really get it going.

This pic actually shows the back of the skirt, but I love the rows and rows of pink tulle

I made this skirt for a friend of mine who just had a baby.

I made this cake for a baby shower this weekend. It didn't really turn out how I wanted, but it was still fun and good practice.

Finding the higher case letter

Alan boy is sitting in my chair playing on the lap top he got for Christmas and he just asked "Mom can you help me find the higher case letters?" So I went over to him and showed him how to find the upper case letters. He is just so cute.

This picture is from last week when he totally fell asleep in my chair waiting for dinner.

One more cute Alan boy thing. He has recently decided that he loves "American Sandwiches." Originally they were just cheese sandwiches with miracle whip, but now they also have American cheese instead of cheddar and sometimes Turkey.

What a Silly little Logi I have

I swear Logan has enough personality for 5 kids.

So last week I was trying to get Emma ready for school at 9am and I needed to be ready to go to the store with Alan and Logan. So I gave Emma a bath, left the water in the tub, and then came down stairs to help her find her clothes and get Alan so I could throw him in the bath real quick. When I got down stairs Alan informed me that he needed to use the potty downstairs. So I am helping Alan when suddenly I realize that Logan has gone upstairs. Knowing far to well how his naughty baby mind works I ran up to the bathroom to find Logan sitting in the bath, full of water, fully dressed (in the clothes I just put on him) with a beanie baby and two crayons. He must have done a good job climbing in because the top of his shirt and his head were dry. He was so proud of himself, I had Emma bring me the camera. Please note he is wearing his "RASCAL" onesie...it is just so true and fitting for him.

So Scott and I were recently called to be Valiant 11 primary teachers. Logan LOVES being in class with us. During sharing time he sat on the edge of his chair and he would raise his hand and say "ME" every time they asked a question or for a volunteer and then look over at me with a huge grin on his face. He actually spent most of sharing time just sitting in his seat being a big boy. He also sang along to all the songs.

Also Logan has started learning his body parts. So when we ask him where his nose is he says "here" and sticks his finger up his nose. I think the cutest part about it is that he is just so proud of himself when he does it.

And last of all he is just the cutest thing now for family prayer. He tries so hard to fold his arms and be reverent. I think there is nothing cuter than little baby arms folded in prayer.

Happy Birthday to Me!

My birthday was AWESOME this year. Thanks in a big way to Scott. He was so wonderful, helpful, and just plain old spoiled me. In the morning Emma had a field trip to the Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum, so the boys and I went also. It was nice that Emma was with her class and Alan and Logan were free so I just had to pay for me. The kids all had a lot of fun and the museum is very cool. The boys and I got there before Emma's class and it took about 20 mins for them the warm up enough to actually go into the exhibits (it starts with outer space and it is a little dark), but once they warmed up that LOVED it. Emma had a lot of fun with her class. I really like her new preschool.Emma's class just as they got to the museum. I tried to give her space to be with her friends.

The boys touching a real dinosaur fossil

Logan checking out ancient sea life

Brothers are so cute together

I think Emma was being a trilobite

Playing at the erosion tables

Emma's cute little class


As soon as we were done at the museum I met up with Scott just off I-15 and traded him vehicles (and the kids) and then I rushed down to Provo to get my hair done. I always feel so much better after getting my hair done. Here is the result.I don't think I have ever had it this dark or short, but I really like it.

As soon as I was done at the salon I had to rush home and get changed so we could go to the Draper Temple open house. It was so beautiful and so fun to be there with the kids. As we were walking through the Celestial room Logan got very excited when he saw the chandeliear and said "Ah oh wha" and then he realized it echoed so the rest of the time in that room he kept saying "Ahh" really loud and then would wait so he could here it echo. Although it was a little irreverent mostly I thought it was sweet. After all aren't we all suposed ti be like a little child?

After the temple we took the whole family to Tucanos. Kids under 6 eat free and I had my free birthday meal postcard, so we only had to pay for Scott's meal. Logan fell asleep on the way there and then slept through most of dinner. We were sitting close to a goup of chinese tourists who kept trying to get Alan to take a picture with them becuase he is "just so handsome." He REALLY wasn't interested in having anything to do with them.

Logan napping next to Daddy.

We got home just in time for me to change and go to Zumba (a totally fun South American style airobics class my friend Jenny teaches) and then Yoga.

I got back from the rec center just in time to shower, change and go to the Twilight movie with Scott. It was so nice to just sit, cuddle, and watch a girly movie. I liked the movie more than I thought I would and I think Scott felt the same way. I didn't realize how tired I was until we got home. I love super full days, as long as I don't have to many in a row.

I also got totally spoiled this year. Are you ready for this.... here is what I got: A super cute pink yoga mat, movie theater gift card, adorable needle holder, Wuthering Heights, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, microwave popcorn bowl, ped egg, oil spray pump thing, new hair, red lasagna pan, cute new red utensils, and a totally cute retro looking apron. Did I forget anything? Hope not. Thank you all for everything.

Logan's 15th Month Well Baby Check

Today we took Logan in for his 15 month well baby check and he is great. I was pleased to see that he is averaging out a little. At 9 months he was 20 lbs (50%) and 30.5 inches (95+%, which is what they put when a baby is totally off the chart), so basically a little bean pole. Now he is 25.4 lbs (60%) and 32.2 inches (85%). He is also a runner, climber, and tantrum thrower. What a big boy. He is so fun to have around and just silly a lot of the time. He still jabbers constantly, but isn't saying to many words. He does say "Mom, Dada, bottle, no, mine, and that." He is also getting into animal sounds now, he is pretty good at jaguars, cows, and dinosaurs.
Lately he also likes to come up, grab my hand and take me to where he wants me to be. He will also do that sometimes if he wants me to put him in his crib for a nap.

He is still allergic to soy, poor kid. But we are still hoping he will grow out of it soon.He loves to take care of babies. Any kind of baby. He gives them love and feeds them bottles.

Logan got this cowboy hat for Christmas. He wears ALL THE TIME. Cute hu!

Look it's Super Alan

I took the boys to Kangaroo Zoo the other week. Alan was so brave (after taking a few minutes to adjust) he went all the way to the top of this thing and slid down so fast that I couldn't get a picture of it.

My little cowboy

One Crazy Week

Last Friday when I told someone that I didn't really have anything going on next week I should have knocked on wood. Here I am one week later and I must say that I am tired. I will not bore you or myself with all of the details, but here are a few stories to illustrate how it went and then assume every day held about the same level of joy and excitement.

On Tuesday, while at the bank getting a cashiers check so that I could then go the the post office and mail everything for Scott's FBI background check so that he can take the BAR exam, the teller was nice enough to notice that my driver's licence had expired A YEAR AGO! So after the bank (in Macey's), picking up a few things at Macey's (grocery store), and waiting in the long line at the post office (because there was only one person working there) with my three sweet kids, making lunch, putting Logan down for a nap, and locating a Driver's Licence DMV office, I took all three kids to the DMV. OH it was FUN. By the time my number was called, Logan was throwing an all-out tantrum, Alan was almost in tears and whining because he left his fruit snacks in the van, and Emma was being a very "helpful" little mommy. I am guessing that the guy at the counter took pity on me, because he only made me take the eye exam, and I had been told earlier that I would have to retake the written exam if my licence had been expired for more than 6 months. But this very helpful man didn't say a thing about it. He just said "That will be $25 to renew your licence" and then said to Logan "Don't worry we're almost done." I don't think I have ever been so grateful for my kids to be acting up and for someone who was truly helpful. I was NOT looking forward to retaking the written exam with three kids. Canyou imagine if I had failed? I was surprised however, how very not stressed I felt when all that was going on around me. So after the DMV I got to take all the kids to a grocery store for the second time that day because we were completely out of food and I didn't have time earlier to get everything we needed. I got home just in time to make dinner, get the kids to bed, and head off to my Hip-Hop class at the rec center. Then I came home and did the dishes and picked up before going to bed just after midnight.

Crazy Right? So everyday wasn't quite this busy, but somehow each day managed to quickly fill up with more than I could do. And last night Logan was sweet enough to wake up at 3am and insist that I get up with him. In the process of convincing me that he really needed me to get up and get him out of his crib he woke up Alan and the three of us had a nice time in the living room until about 5:30 when they decided they were ready to go back to bed. This is not a normal thing for them. I can't even remember the last time I was up in the middle of the night with either of them.

C'est la vie

This week I have also reflected a lot on how much I love being a Mom (usually during yoga). I love my children so much. They bring so much into my life. Oh Man that baby Logan. He has my heart in his sweet little hand. He is so cuddly and loving. Although he is the most independant and prone to fits of my children, he really is such a sweet, happy, loving, little guy. He makes that cutest/silliest faces that just light up his whole face and makes anyone within his gaze just have to smile.

Alan-boy is just so good and sweet and funny. I never know what is going to come out of his mouth next. The other day I was telling him that we needed to be very quiet and go up to bed and he just looked at me and said "that sounds like a terrible idea to me." I just couldn't help but smile. And every night as he goes to bed he has me lay down next to him, then he pats or rubbs me on the shoulder and says "I love you mom." I hope he never grows up. And yet I know he will. I love that kid.

Emma has grown up and yet is still my little baby. I have really enjoyed laying down with her before she goes to bed to read books and then give her a hug and a kiss. She started a new preschool in January and I am so proud of her. I am sure it has been hard on her sometimes that we have moved so much and I was worried yet another change in preschool would be hard on her. But she seems to doing really well and I know we made the right chose. She is so kind and sweet. I just love my pretty little thing.

Girls Be Warned

Oh my little Alan boy. He really is just a cool kid and I fear he is going to be a total heart breaker. During dinner yesterday he was talking about something. I think he was telling us (or his food) a story about his food. All of a sudden his little eyes popped up and he said, "Mom give me a kiss" and then he leaned forward over the table toward me. His little face was just so sweet and cute that I just had to lean over and kiss him...only it was also so cute that I just started laughing. As I leaned in, laughing too hard to actually kiss him, (his lips about an inch from mine), he whispered "just kiss me." It was very sweet and sly. So girls: watch out I have a little Casanova in the making.

A few other funny or smart things he has said lately:

During prayer and scripture tonight Alan put his hands down on the mattress and then used them to start walking up the wall. While upside down, half way up the wall, he said "I'm walking up the wall with gravity."

And while watching Aladdin for the first time he turned to Scott and said "This show has an evil Macaw."

There are many many more, but alas I can't ever seem to remember them. I think I should just record everything that he says all day, and then write a book or just give him his own show "Alan says the darndest things."
He also has gotten very into telling me how to spell things. His favorite, of course, is "A-L-A-N spells Alan, I have two A's in my name." Then the other day while driving in the van he asked "Mom I know A L A N spells Alan, but what is a word that spells C?" I guess he wanted me to tell how to spell a word that started with C. (he has had a hard time remembering that C says Ca) Anyway, I told him C-A-T spells cat and he just started singing a little song about C-A-T spells cat. What a silly kid.

Finally on Antibiotics!

So when I woke up on Christmas eve I was really sick and I went into the doctor and told him that I was sick and needed antibiotics so I could get better and take care of my family and all that stuff that moms do during the holidays. He did a strep test, it was negative, and he sent me home saying he thought it was virus and there was nothing I could be about it. Long story short I never got better and have been surviving on about 6-8 ibuprofen and about 4 Tylenol a day for that past 13 days. So today I went back into the doctor and once again said I am sick and need antibiotics. So this doctor (different doctor) sent me to the lab and ordered a strep test and a blood workup. I was in the lab for almost an hour with all three kids and they let someone who was training draw my blood and then had to have someone who knew what they were doing come do it after he failed. Big surprise I was negative for strep, but myblood work showed I needed to be on antibiotics! I just wish the doctor would have listened to me the first time, it would have saved and lot of time, money, and head aches (literally).
The kids were very good the whole nearly 2 hours we were at the health center. I am so glad I have such wonderful, nice, and obedient kids. And they are cute too :)

Happy New Year

I am so excited for 2009. Our little family has so many wonderful and exciting plans for this year that I don't see how we will possibly be able to do it all, but I am looking forward to the challenge. I won't mention them all now...mainly because I fear that if I even begin to say it out loud it will some how jinks it. One immediate change is our new calling. Scott and I will be serving together as Primary teachers for the 11 year old class. We are looking forward to it. We were called despite them knowing that we will be moving by August, but it should be fun while it lasts.
Also by way of a resolution I have resolved not to go to bed at night without doing the dishes and cleaning the counters. Wish me luck!

Good luck to all in the upcoming year!