Taradise

All Aboard!

2012-01-08T10:47:00.000-08:00

Of course we didn't want to miss the Santa Train this year. The boys love it! And this year we got to go with lots of fun friends! I'm not going to lie, Santa was a bit of a slacker on the train - or maybe he was slightly burned out by the time he got to us in the caboose, but he didn't even ask the boys what they wanted for Christmas. Drew was a little worried about that, so I told him I would text Santa and let him know. ha ha. Mrs Santa also came through and was very nice. I think she tried to take a little more time with the kids.

After the train we all went out for pizza. It was a fun little Saturday outing!

I LOVE Target and other randomness

2012-01-08T10:31:00.000-08:00

We got back to SLC from Hawaii on Saturday morning December 3, and then drove home to Vegas the next day. We were exhausted! But you better believe that didn't stop me from making Raleigh get the Christmas tree right out. So after unpacking and after little kiddos went to bed I put Christmas up. When the boys woke up the next morning they were excited but Andrew kept saying he was a little bit "cross" because he didn't get to help decorate the tree (he gets the word "cross" from Thomas I think. ha ha) Anyway so I found these little foam trees at Target and the boys got to decorate their own Christmas Tree. Score one for the mom! :)

Thank you, Target!

My boys may hate posing for pictures, but that doesn't stop me from grabbing them and taking once once in a while. And sometimes we are bored waiting for the dad to come home. :)

I love Lukie's smile in that last one. Silly boys! I love them!!

Kauai

2012-01-07T20:24:00.000-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving we left the kiddos in Salt Lake and jumped on a plane to Hawaii... Kauai, specificially, with some good friends. Both couples were celebrating 10 years of marriage (although ours is not officially until March).

Anyway. It was AWESOME. A week on the beach with no responsibilities? Yes please! I hope it's not another 10 years before we can go again. Thanks to the fabulous Chappells for making it extra fun!

Here are just a FEW of my favorite pics:

Ah, I miss you, Hawaii!

Doggy's and Trains

2011-11-22T14:33:00.001-08:00

Luke has a little dog that he LOVES. He usually keeps it in his bed (because the doggy is so tired - his words -), but sometimes he likes to get doggy out of bed to play. I had to take a few pictures because doggy was watching a show with Luke and he just kept hugging the dog and saying "I love you doggy". AH! He is just so freaking cute! :)

Christmas came early at our house.. kind of. A lady in my ward was getting rid of a Thomas table and trains, and I was lucky enough to speak up for it first. and man did I score big! I couldn't believe she was getting rid of all of this for free. There are over 50 trains at least with tons of tracks. Needless to say the boys are in heaven.

Like brother, like brother

2011-11-22T14:24:00.001-08:00

I took these pictures at the park the other day and they just cracked me up. These boys are playing SO good together lately! It makes me so happy. Of course they still fight as well, but lately it has been more playing than fighting and I just absolutely love hearing them play. Luke just loves to follow Drew around at the park.

Halloween a Palooza

2011-11-22T14:03:00.001-08:00

For Halloween this year we had an astronaut and a fireman.

They were pretty darn cute! :)

The week before Halloween we carved pumpkins for family night. Andrew helped Ral and Lukie helped me. Andrew loved getting all the guts out, but Luke did not want to touch it at all.

During the week we also went to the library for their halloween festival. The boys had fun playing games and coloring. I only got pictures of the coloring.

I love this picture of Luke. He LOVES to color! Andrew will just scribble on a page and be done, but Luke likes to sit there for a while and color every inch of the page. p.s. he is not dirty.. he has ashes on his face from fighting fires. :)

Andrew also got to wear his costume to preschool. And we also went to our ward trunk or treat. I love when they get a lot of use out of the costume!

On actual Halloween we had some good friends over for dinner and then went walking around our neighborhood. Just a few streets was all it took for their little bags to be full. Luke's was getting SO full he could hardly carry it, but he wouldn't let anyone help him. Andrew was cracking us up chatting everyone up at every house. "What do you have in there?" "Where are your kids?" "What's your name?". Etc. We had to tear him away from a few houses.

Here they are enjoying the spoils.

Just have to add this because I couldn't stand how cute Lukie was in his suspenders. :)

Happy Halloween!!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-03T14:51:00.000-07:00

For family home evening one week we decided to take the boys to the pumpkin patch. The pumpkin patches here are pretty awesome in that they have little rides for the kids, a petting zoo, and a huge blow up slide. We don't even go there to pick a pumpkin because they are WAY too expensive. The prices on the rides aren't particularly great either, but the boys have a good time so we figure it's worth it once a year. :)

It was a beautiful fall night and of course the boys wanted to start out with the slide. Luke was a little nervous (surprisingly) but he made it up and they went down a few times before we talked them into trying something else.

(the pictures I have of them sliding down are way too blurry to post)

Then it was on to the little petting zoo area. Drew was a little anxious about it, and I was a little anxious that Luke would smack one of the animals in the face. He was good though and I caught his hand before he could hit any of them too hard. Such a funny kid, that one.

After the petting zoo we took the boys on a spin swing ride that made me want to puke. I am getting too old for things like that I guess! :)

I love dressing my little twins a like. I don't know why it just makes me laugh to see them running around in the same little jeans and shirt. They are the best of buddies lately too which makes me so happy. Fun times!

Valley of Fire (and a tiny bit of Lake Mead)

2011-11-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

I LOVED October. We had a great month! Beautiful weather and lots of fun family time. A few Saturdays ago we decided to take a ride out to Valley of Fire. We took the back road along some of Lake Mead and it was really a nice drive. The boys had a great time riding in Daddy's truck.

We off roaded for a just a tiny bit so that we could drive down to Lake Mead.

(I'm kind of in love with these boys)

Then it was on to Valley of Fire. What a COOL place! Some of the views were really breath taking. And there was a fun little hike that we took the boys on as well.

(Look everyone! Raleigh took a few pictures without being nagged! ha ha)

It was a fun day! Love family time with my cute boys.

A Post of His Own

2011-10-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

I feel like my last 2 posts mostly centered on the Drewster and what he is doing lately so I thought my little Lukie deserved an update.

Does anyone know how to freeze time? Because I REALLY want to freeze this boy the way he is.

I'm so in love with him! He surprises me everyday with the stuff he says. He can carry on quite the conversation for a 2 year old. He is constantly asking me questions and talking about anything and everything. He is hilarious! He can sing all of the words to "I am a Child of God" and "Sunbeam". He also loves the "Wheels on the Bus" song. He just makes me so happy! He seems to have such a good memory too. When I read him books (especially the ones we read a lot), he will just start saying the words before I do. Sometimes in the middle of the night he will be yelling "Mom!", so I go in there all groggy and he is just grinning and says to me "I want to snuggle wif you". Oh little boy you are killing me!

Lately he is also into everyone's names. He will ask what your name is, and then he will say "my name is Wookie (Lukie)". In fact, in sacrament meeting the other day he yelled at the top of his lungs that my name is Mommy, and his name is Lukie. Good times.

He is also a crazy kid. He will JUMP off anything!! Drives me crazy! He always says "Mom, I'm gonna jump weally high" and then he tries with all of his might. Especially at the top of the stairs, I have to make sure I am paying attention because he will try to jump into my arms no matter what. :) At the park he thinks he is a big kid and tries to climb up anything and everything. It stops my heart a little bit sometimes!

He has started being a little defiant lately too. Yelling "No" at me when I ask him to do something. Pushing his brother, teasing his brother (although Drew does PLENTY of his own teasing!).

Man I love this kid. I guess I am done bragging about him now (ha ha that's how this post feels!) but I just want to always remember these little things about him.

I LOVE YOU LUKIE BOY!

September Catch-Up

2011-10-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

The month of September WHIZZED on by as well!

The highlights:

Andrew officially started preschool! As mentioned previously, he just goes Tuesday and Thursday afternoons for 3 hours. (Luke is usually sleeping during this time.. so I kinda love it! Real quiet time just for me! :)) He really loves it. I just wish I could be a fly on the wall in there to see how he acts. On the days he doesn't have preschool, during quiet time, we work on a preschool book together. It is a really cute book I found at Costco that has all kinds of fun activities in it. He practices writing letters, beginning phonics, beginning math skills, etc. It is actually really fun to do with him! He is a smart kid. Just struggles in the writing department a bit, but we are working on it. Here he is on his first day!

On the September 10, our little family headed out to L.A. to catch the Utah vs. USC game. Sadly, we lost, but it was an exciting game and the Utes played hard! It was really fun to be there. We sat just about 10 rows up from our players which was cool. We were by a bunch of old USC fans, but they were SO nice. Very classy people. It was a really beautiful campus and coliseum as well. The boys got a little restless (Drew asked me about 5 mins into the first quarter if it was time to go to the hotel) but overall they did good. Just had to keep the fun snacks comin!

We got there a little early, so we sat on the grass outside for a bit so the boys could run around.

Our view of the field:

Go UTES! (Sadly our season is not turning out so great. Can we please at least win ONE Pac-12 game?? PLEASE?!) Oh well we are proud to be Utah alumns regardless! :)

After the game we stayed in a hotel in Rancho Cucamunga. The boys were wasted and went right to sleep. In the morning we took them to the park for a little bit and then headed home. It was a fun, quick trip!

September also FINALLY gave us a bit cooler weather, not much, but a bit. At least to where it was bearable to go to the park after dinner.

We took the boys several times to ride their bikes. (Well Luke just stands on the scooter while one of us pulls it along, ha ha)

This is random, but the boys ALWAYS want me to take their picture while they are in the tub. They hate posing for pictures, but for some reason in the tub they are always yelling for me to take their picture! Little exhibitionists!!

There were also a few more visits to the Purple Penguin snow cone shack. I'm kinda sad it is already closed. It is still 90+ degrees out! My cool little boys waiting in line. :)

Bet you can't guess which flavor Drew had!!

I think that's about it for September! I seriously need to set a goal to blog at least once a week so I don't get so behind. So every Thursday you can expect an update from me. For sure! I hope so anyway. Well, maybe.

August Catch-Up

2011-10-13T13:27:00.001-07:00

Good heavens is it really mid-October?!? Where does the time go? I really suck at blogging lately!! Welp, without further adieu let me catch you up on our exciting August. At least I think it was exciting, I can't really remember. :)

Anywho. Some of the highlights were:

Going back to Utah for a week while the husband went camping with some of his high school buddies. While there, we went to the parade of homes with my mom and sisters and got to see the "Up" house. Drew watched this movie a good 900 times while we were in Utah, so he was quite excited to see it. It was really cute and looked just like the movie!

Drew even got to talk to "Mr. Fredericksen"

Some friends of ours are moving into our neighborhood, and Andrew is so excited. He keeps asking me if they are going to fly their house over here with balloons. I guess that movie left quite the impression!

We also visited the good ole' purple penguin stand quite a few times! A nice way to try to cool off in the crazy August Vegas heat.

(My twins. I seriously get asked AT LEAST a few times a week if they are twins.)

We also did swimming lessons in August (Sadly i have no pictures!). The boys did really well. Especially Drew. He freaked out on the first day, but then we got him some goggles and he started swimming under water and has gotten so much better! I was so proud of him.

Drew also had his preschool orientation. He is going to Miss Marsha's this year on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. He was a little nervous at the orientation. He is just my shy guy. But now he loves school and gets excited to go so that's a relief!

The last significant thing in August is that this man turned 31!

This picture just makes me happy. And so does he! Happy Birthday cute Ralz!

The Drewster is 4!!!!

2011-08-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

On July 28, my little sweet boy turned 4. Seriously where has the time gone?! I think he had a fun birthday this year. First, he got to celebrate a little bit in Beaver with Grandma Lu, Papa, and Grandma and Grandpa T. Then on his actual birthday we took him out to dinner and then had some good friends over for cake and ice cream.. then the Saturday after his birthday we had some of his little friends over for a birthday party! (I thought the kid's birthday festivities were never going to end! :))

His actual birthday was on a Thursday so we went swimming at our rec center. This kid LOVES to swim! On a side note, he just completed 2 weeks of swim lessons and he did great! He puts his face in the water now and holds his breath under water. Anyway back to the birthday. :)

Drew with some of his birthday loot from Mom and Dad and Grandma and Grandpa Newman.

So on Saturday he got to have his first friend party. We had 5 or 6 of his little buddies come over. They got to color Cars and trucks, Have pretend car races, Break a pinata, and then of course Pizza, cake/ice cream and presents. It was really simple, but I think the kids had a good time!

Drew and Luke waiting for the guests to arrive.

All of the little party animals waiting for their turn with the pinata.

Drew had fun and kept asking when he can have his next birthday party. He seems to be growing up so fast. He went to preschool today (just for an hour by himself, they wanted to ease the kids into it) and then next week he gets to go every Tues and Thurs for 3 hours. He is excited! I love that kid so much. He is definitely still a Momma's boy and loves to snuggle and hug me. I hope he never gets too old for that!

Happy Birthday little Drew boy!

Trip to the Beav

2011-08-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

July 21-23 we were able to go to Beaver, Utah to play. We met Raleigh's family there. Great Grandma and Grandpa T. live there and we love stopping in to visit every time we go up to SLC. But it is always nice to actually spend a few days in Beaver. I seriously love that little town.

Here's a few pictures of my boys at the parade. These ones crack me up because they are doing the exact same thing! My little twins. :)

The sun was a little bright.

More parade pictures:

Beaver really puts on a great parade. The kids got tons of candy and at the end the old fire truck comes and squirts everyone. So fun!

After the parade we went to Grandma and Grandpa's for a BBQ where Andrew also got to have Cake and ice cream since his birthday was coming up.

Luke and Grandma T. He just kept climbing up on the swing to talk to "Gamma". Melts my heart!

Ral and Drew playing catch. Drew is getting pretty good at catching in the mit! We need to get that boy in T-ball.

Andrew and his Nothing Bundt birthday cake. Mmmm! :)

After the BBQ we took a little drive in the canyon so the boys could get some rest. Then that night we went up to main street and put our blankets on the side of the road so we could watch the fireworks! They really know how to put on a good firework show. Luke loved it and kept saying "Look at that Mom!"

Gotta love blurry cell phone pics! ;)

We also got to do lots of swimming at the hotel, play at the park, and then Sunday morning we took some subway up the canyon and had a picnic before we headed back to Vegas, and Raleigh's family back to SLC. It was a fun little weekend trip and hopefully we can go back again next year!

Random catch up

2011-08-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

My friend, (and former college roomie!) Heidi, came to town to visit some family she has here. So while she was here I took advantage of her awesomeness and had her do a temple class. She works for http://www.poppyseedprojects.com/ (I LOVE this site! I've ordered stuff from it to make before and it is so cute and how can you not love those prices?!) So I got some friends together so we could do the class.

This is what we made:
The picture doesn't really do it justice. It is 26X32. Huge! I love it!

And I got this for free for hosting:

Good times!

A few more random things:

Took the boys to see Cars 2. They were actually really good in the movie! I was more worried about Luke, obviously, but he sat there and watched pretty much the whole thing.

I just love this picture. The boys always try to go jump on Daddy after their nightly bath.

Love this one too, storytime with Daddy:

I also LOVE this pic of my Lukie:

I think he was trying to poop. ha ha! On another note, he is always SO slobbery! It drives me crazy. I think he has all of his teeth so I don't know if he has a saliva problem or what. I don't remember Drew being that slobbery. Oh well, he is still a cute boy.

See? Random!

Trip to Utah

2011-08-04T14:15:00.000-07:00

So I am way behind on blogging. So the next few posts are going to be catch up posts (and also long and boring!! But this is my journal, sort of, so I must record!).

Towards the end of June the boys and I went up to Utah for a week and a half or so. We had a great time hanging out with family and friends!

Honorable mentions include:

Running the Westfest 5K with my Mom and sister. It was the first time I actually didn't have to stop and walk and was able to run the whole thing. (Felt like an accomplishment to me.. but kinda pathetic for you marathon runners!) It was fun and a beautiful morning for a run around the good ole' WVC.

After the run, I met up with my Mother-in-law and sister-in-law for the Westfest Parade. The parade was alright, the boys had a good time I think.
Luke, looking awesome in his girly head piece. :)

Then that night we were able to go watch the fireworks from the West fest. It was Lukie's first time seeing fireworks and he kept worrying they were going to fall on his head. (that is why he is covering his head in this photo) :)

Drew and I were quite impressed. :)

During the next week we were able to go swimming quite a few times:

Here we met up with Liz, Alison, and Terri and their cute kiddos.

Once with the cute Jess in her Grandma's lovely pool.

And a few more times with cousins in Grandma Lu's backyard.

Raleigh flew up to join us that Thursday so we could head up to Logan for my family reunion over the 4th. We were all able to stay at my brother's new house, or ahem, ESTATE, in Wellsville. It was such a BEAUTIFUL place. They live right next to the mountains and I would never, ever get sick of that view!

We had a great time dancing on the balcony, playing volleyball, fireworks, some serious games of lightening, and just sitting and chatting. I love my family!

Raleigh and I left a day early so we could spend a day with his family before heading back to Vegas. We had a fun BBQ and did fireworks. My boy have seriously had their fill of fireworks over the last month!!

The cute Ralz and I (I'm trying to get more pictures where we are actually BOTH in it!)

Lastly, just had to post this pic of Luke. At the family reunion in Logan he tripped over a basketball and scraped his nose on the ground. It looked like he had a smudge of chocolate on his nose for a good week! lol. Love this kid!

Lukie is 2!!!

2011-07-06T14:08:00.001-07:00

I can't believe my little baby boy is 2! Sadness! It goes by WAY too fast. I'm so madly in love with this kid. He is such a funny little guy!

His birthday was Saturday, June 11. We just had a fun family day together and it was great! Here he is having birthday breakfast of waffles and cheerios:

After breakfast we put up the little family pool and Ral and I sat in there with the kids while they played (we get a little desperate around here in the heat! :))

Here he is having birthday lunch:

After lunch he took his usual 3 hour nap and we decorated the living room and got his presents wrapped and made the usual birthday cupcakes.

Then we just went out to dinner to Raising Canes so he could get some chicken and fries (his standard answer whenever I ask him what he wants to eat.. I am a great mom! ha ha) Then came home for opening presents!

Opening his loot:

Have I told you this kid is kinda weird? He does not like treats of any kind! In fact we handed him his delicious chocolate cupcake for his birthday and he yelled that he didn't want it and chucked it on the ground. Good times.

He is so much fun though. Everyday he surprises me with the things he says. He is talking in complete sentences already and loves to sing songs. Every morning I ask him what he wants to wear today and he answers without fail "truck shirt pweese" :). That night we put him to bed and heard him singing happy birthday to himself over and over.

We LOVE you so much little Lukie boy!!! Happy Birthday!

Helllloooooo

2011-06-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

I love that Seinfeld episode where Jerry chooses "the voice" over the girl. That's how you should say the title of this post in your head. :)

Time for an update!

Here are a few things that happened over the last month or so:

The Drewster graduated from his letter group preschool.

YAY Drew! We didn't know you had it in ya! ha ha
He got to go eat Pizza and cupcakes at Mrs. Ronica's house with his little preschool buddies.

Lukie getting in on the action.

Me handing out the special certificates that took me a whole 5 minutes to print up on my computer!! (Seriously husband, can ya stand up next time and actually get Drew in the shot?? lol)

Baseball in the backyard!
The boys freak out when the Ralz gets home from work because they know that means we eat dinner and then they can play baseball with Daddy. He is so cute with his boys! I love that hubs of mine. :)

This picture just makes me happy. Raleigh is clearly giving some very serious baseball instructions to his boy. :)

Drew is getting really good at hitting the ball when Raleigh pitches to him. The other day Ral came home with a baseball glove for him too, but we are still working on catching the ball in the glove.

Lukie turns 2! (that's for another post)

I'm madly in love with this kid!

Lastly, Ral and I are OBSESSED with this show:

We are watching it on Netflix instant play, so pretty much every night when the boys go to bed we watch a few episodes. Love it! One of the best shows I have seen in a while.

Morning rituals

2011-05-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

We REALLY need a king size bed...

Mostly because this little stinker comes in about 6:30 almost every morning and snuggles up with us and falls back asleep. I don't mind the snuggling and definitely not the falling back asleep, but seriously after a half hour or so he stretches out like he owns the place and me and the dad inevitably get up because it is too hot and tight in that bed. (and seriously how have we been married for 9 years with just a queen? It's a wonder we haven't killed each other by now!)

We do try to stay in bed as long as we can stand it though. Which means if this guy starts yapping too early we just throw some toys in his crib to give ourselves another half hour or so.

Remember when you didn't have kids and you could sleep in until 10 or 11?

Yeah. Me neither.

Good thing they are cute!

First Race

2011-04-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

Howdy pardners,

I spent the last week in Utah with my family and friends. It was such a great time except for that it was COLD. Seriously Utah, it's April.. get on board with spring already!

Earlier in the year my sis-in-law, Angie, talked me into doing a duathlon with her (run, bike, run).

Here were the goals I had in mind for this first race:
1. don't freeze to death
2. don't crash into anyone on the bike
3. don't look stupid
4. don't come in last

Very lofty goals for my first time don't ya think?

There was a long course option and a short course option.. we did the short course because the long course sounded like hell and we didn't train for that. :) The short course consisted of 1.5 mile run, 11.5 mile bike ride, 1.5 mile run. Not too bad for you hard core runners, for someone who can barely run 3 miles it was a challenge! I was worried about being cold too, and I was, but thankfully there was no wind so it could have been worse. I layered up and survived. The one thing I really wish I would have practiced was the transition from biking to running. Yikes. Seriously my legs felt semi-retarded when I tried to run again after the bike portion. Not to mention they were already on fire FROM the bike portion! We did it though and I am proud to say I finished it! And I think I met all of my goals except for maybe the looking stupid one!! ha ha

Here I am running along. Can't look much more awesome than that. :) Can you believe my husband actually took pictures without being provoked?

My awesome sista Angie. She is Raleigh's older sister. Funny thing is I actually met her before I ever knew Raleigh. We played soccer in high school together. love this girl!

My little cheering section (Luke stayed home with Grandma).

I guess I kinda get why people do these things now. It really was quite liberating to cross that finish line and it did motivate me these last few months to work out. Guess I better figure out what to sign up for next - especially since I have spent the last few days rewarding myself with Easter candy. :)

Worth Documenting

2011-04-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

Every afternoon after quiet time Drew and I play a bunch of games of Candyland until Lukie wakes up. He LOVES this game.. and I LOVE playing with him. It's become our little tradition.

I adore you Drewbie and I want to remember that we did this for the rest of my life! :)

Newmans and Johnsons come to town

2011-04-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my little brother and his family and my older sister and her son came to play. (Remember how I LOVE visitors??) We had a great time with them!

Drew and his cousin Jaxon became the best of buddies and had a great time running around together. I wish I took pictures of them together because it was so cute. I was lazy with my camera though!

A few highlights from the weekend:
*pedicures and shopping with my sis and sis-in-law.
*a visit to the bridge (of course) and hoover dam
*bbq in the backyard
*a visit to the strip at night to see the conservatory and the amazing fountains at the Bellagio
*a visit to the strip in the morning to see the lions at MGM grand

Loved it! Come back soon family!!!

Our little fam at the conservatory. Seriously - how do you make kids sit still for pictures??? Mine definitely need some training.

Me and my love at the bellagio fountains

All the cousins

Cin, me, and Mel at the fountains. Yes, NOW I am aware this freakin shirt makes me look pregnant in pictures and NO I am not!!

We LOVE spring!!

2011-03-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

Papa and Grandma Lu (Ral's parents) came for a visit so the boys could go to Nascar (my husband has gotten in touch with his WT side the last few years - he swears it is actually cool to watch race cars in person. ha ha) and so the girls could shop and play! Including a visit to the bridge (we take everyone who comes to visit here because it is AMAZING)

It was fun as always to have the lovely in-laws visit!

The first week of March was fabulous weather. It made for lots of trips to the park and lots of playing in the backyard.

Drew looking fierce on his Lightening McQueen bike:

This little fiend will climb up on anything and everything:

Playing some soccer: Some wrestling. Luke, as usual, is doing the body slamming: The obligatory photo with mom. Because I like to document that I am part of my kid's lives! :)

This last week was kind of chilly and windy. Only getting into the 60's. But this week we are back baby. 70's and 80's. I love it. It's amazing how weather can make me so happy!

See you at the park!

Oh yeah.. we went to San Diego!

2011-03-18T13:25:00.001-07:00

Ral surprised me last month when he told me he was taking Monday, February 21st (President's Day) off and we were going somewhere. It always so hard for him to actually take days off - even when his firm is closed and it's a holiday he will lots of times go in to get work done. So this was happy happy news!! He took 1/2 day off on Friday and we left right after lunch for San Diego!

We had a great time just spending quality time together. It was really our first family vacation with the boys (besides going up to Utah to see extended family). Some of the highlights of the trip were:

*Staying right in San Diego Bay (across from the Midway) within walking distance from the beautiful boardwalk, where we found a carousel for the boys to ride.

*Andrew's biggest highlight was visiting the model train museum at Balboa Park. It's a shame we only took one picture but I was trying to keep Luke happy and you know how the husband is with the camera! Drew would not stop talking about this place and everyday for about a week after we got home he would beg me to go see the trains. He is very into Thomas right now.

*Ral took Andrew on a walk on the beach in the rain. Luke and I were wussy and stayed in the car because we didn't have very good jackets.

*the rain let up in the afternoon for us to go hiking along Torrey Pines. We weren't quite wearing the right shoes but it was so fun and so beautiful that we just kept on going!

Our attempt at a family picture.. Emphasis on ATTEMPT!! :)

*On Sunday we spent most of the day at the Zoo. It turned out to be a beautiful day! The boys loved it.

*Then Sunday night we found a lovely beach park and played around for a bit. (don't you just love all of my collages? ha ha!)

*Last on Monday we just went to another park right on the bay and saw one of the coolest things I've ever seen! It was an aircraft carrier returning from overseas. It was HUGE. There were a bunch of sailors on the top deck just waiting to get home. It was so cool to see and got me a little choked up! How wonderful it is that we have men and women that risk their lives for our country. Amazing. Unfortunately the camera was in the car and I didn't want to miss it by running to get it!

YAY for family vacations!!

Luke's baby book

2011-02-24T17:25:00.001-08:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

My kind of scrapbooking! Made this in like 2 days - it was so easy to use! Now I just need to wait for a good sale so I can print this bad boy!

p.s. please try to refrain from making fun of that first pregnant picture. Yikes. seriously I was MASSIVE!

Little Lukie

2011-02-08T15:22:00.000-08:00

Luke is almost 20 months old! This kid is insane. Oh man I love him so much. I just had to write a few things about him before I forget.

*The other day I got out of the shower and couldn't find him anywhere. Drew was watching TV and Luke usually just plays in my bathroom while I shower. But it was eerily quiet when I got out. So I went looking for him and the little stinker was ON TOP of my kitchen island with a bag of goldfish. His little butt was right on the edge of the island - if he had sat down any further back he would have fallen off onto the tile. Thank you little angels for watching out for him on that one! sheesh!

*He does not get stranger anxiety at all. Pretty opposite from the Drewster. He loves going to nursery. Last Sunday I sat in there through Sunday school and the kid did not even notice whether I came or went. He is too busy playing. It cracks me up.

*Loves to run, run, and run. And he is pretty fast! We were at the park yesterday and he was running along and face planted a few times on the cement. Doesn't even whimper - just jumps up and keeps running. He is my little tank!

*Loves trying to wrestle with Andrew or anyone. If you are sitting or laying on the ground the odds are he is going to come and try to body slam you. He also teases Andrew (when Andrew is not teasing him!) and will steal Drew's hat or car or whatever he is playing with and run for his life because he knows Drew will freak out. Funny little dude

*Sings his own little version of the ABC's. It's pretty damn adorable.

Did I mention I freaking love this kid?

but pssst... I need your advice. The one time I am not loving this kid lately is the middle of the night. He has been sleeping consistently through the night (7:30ish to 7:30ish) since he was around 6 or 7 months old. Yet, since Thanksgiving time he has been waking up once or twice every night. There have only been a few nights where I have not heard from him. Granted, in the last 2 months he has gotten his molars, had 3 ear infections, and a couple of nasty colds. I just keep hoping he will snap out of it and STOP waking up in the middle of the night. When he does he just fusses for a bit until I go in and rock him for 3 or 4 minutes and then I lay him down and he goes back to bed. So I am not up for a long time, but it is still starting to wear on me. Any advice? Will he snap out of it? Or do I have to let him cry it out again like I did when he was a baby?

I'm kind of a schedule nazi

2011-02-01T13:57:00.000-08:00

How do other moms do it? One of the main things that works for my sanity is a schedule for my kids. I'm always surprised when I hear that other moms don't have a schedule for their children - not because I think it is wrong by any means, but just because I don't get how that works. To each their own though, and I know every Mom is just doing what works best for them. And that is what matters! Maybe because I am just not a fly by the seat of my pants kinda gal most of the time. and MOSTLY because I NEED my time. I'm selfish like that. I need to know when I will have a break. So here is the schedule, for posterity's sake:

7-8 a.m. Get up, have breakfast
8-12 noon. get ready for the day, play time, friend time, preschool, or whatever we have scheduled that day (with a snack thrown in around 10)
noon: lunch
1230-1: more play time
1 - 4ish: nap time for Luke
1 - 3: quiet time for Drew
3 - 4: Play a game with Drew, practice letters, etc. and a show or two
4: snacks
4:30 - 6:30: more play time, gym sometimes, errands, whatever
6:30: daddy comes home (on a good day) dinner
7:15ish: bath time
7:30 - 8: bed time

Obviously I am not super strict on every aspect of this schedule, but this is generally how it goes day to day. The one thing I AM super strict on is nap time. I try not to schedule anything during 1 to 4 every afternoon. I don't answer the phone, I turn my cell phone to vibrate, etc. Folks, I NEED nap time. I love my children to pieces, but it is amazing what a litle break from them can do for the soul during the day. :) And really I think it is good for them too. Maybe it is just because they know that's how it is, but Drew really likes it. He always knows exactly what to expect. I guess we are boring around here.

Anyway I know I will want to remember this for the future, so here it is in writing.

Fascinating stuff isn't it?

January: Good Riddance!

2011-01-31T13:08:00.000-08:00

Blah. January. was. sucko.

It's such a let down anyway after Christmas isn't it? But the main reason January has really sucked is that my kids have not been healthy for more than 2 days at a time. AHH!

Drew:

He had a HORRIBLE bout with the stomach flu for about a week. I went to check in on him one night before I went to bed and he had puke all over him but he was sound asleep in it (?). That started a 3 day puke/diarrhea fest. The poor kid could not keep anything down (or in!). It was very nasty and I seriously cried a few times because he looked so awful. Little eyes sunken in and skin and bones. Like a little jewish boy at a concentration camp. Sadness! Thankfully he got his appetite back in about a week and after 2 doctor's visits, a blessing, and lots of fluids he is ship shape again. Except for now he has a nasty cold.

Luke:

Don't let this picture fool you. This kid has had cold after cold after cold this month! Also 3 ear infections (or 3 rounds of antibiotics for one ear infection that wouldn't clear up - I'm not sure which). There was a good couple weeks there where I did not sleep for more than an hour at a time - between Drew's diarrhea/puking and Luke crying all night from his ears. It was like having a newborn in the house again. (no thank you!) He now has a nasty cold again, but seems to be getting over it and so I am just praying it doesn't turn into another ear infection.

The husband had 2 colds this month, and I am getting over one. Bad times I tell you!

The other thing that really bit was that Ral had his first trial at work. This translated into working 14-16 hour days for about a week - including the weekend. Of course all during Drew's yucky stomach flu. I am so glad his trial is over and next time I hear one of those are coming up I am getting the H out of here and heading up to Utah!

I guess January wasn't all bad...one bright spot was having some good friends come to town and play! The lovely Chappells came to visit and oh how I needed that!! We got to go to the Weezer concert Friday night and had so much fun! I was seriously just so freaking giddy to be out of the house without children. Here I am with the gorgeous Jess at the concert:
It was quite loud in there (notice the T.P. in Jess's ear). Ral and Dan would not let us document the fact that they were both wearing Weezer shirts from 1996 when they went to their first Weezer concert (I think they were a little embarrassed, but I was just shocked it still fit!) Anyway so fun to listen and dance to the Blue Album and Pinkerton (still not sure which is my fav) and hang with good friends. A much needed night out.

The rest of the time was spent shopping, chatting, running (such a good motivator, that Jess), biking, and losing money (the boys), oh and drawing up a contract for the arranged marriage in the future between these two:

ha ha ha LOVE it! That Claire can be quite forward. :) Thanks friends for coming and brightening our crappy month!!

Anyway BYE BYE January. I don't think I will be missing you much!

Christmas on the 25th

2011-01-05T14:26:00.001-08:00

Christmas morning we woke up to eat Breakfast with Raleigh's parents and then headed off to the Newmans to see if Santa happened to come there as well. (He really got around this year!)

Drew was thrilled to find a Lightening McQueen Scooter from Grandma and Grandpa Newman. The kid's transportation is all taken care of now with a bike and a scooter both with the car's theme. Of course he wanted to ride it right away so Ral took him outside and let him have a go. He is growing up so fast!!

He was loving it and didn't want to come inside. The rest of Christmas day was spent with a lovely nap for me and Luke and train time for Drew and Daddy. Christmas night I went back over to my parent's house and played games and watched a movie.

I love spending time with family! Sad that it is over already. Christmas was wonderful.

Well I am all caught up! Happy New Year, now I am off to see what is happening with Lorelai and Rory.

Christmas on the 24th

2011-01-05T14:22:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve was spent with the Thompsons this year. We gathered at Ral's parents house for a delicious dinner (and I mean delicious. I think I ate about 12 stuffed mushrooms), then we watched a little video about the story of the Christmas Oranges and Ral's mom gave everyone an orange. Then we sang a few Christmas songs and then opened presents.

It was a little chaotic at times but the kids had a great time. Santa was good to us here as well with a train set for Drew and a little people barn for Luke.

I think I gave birth twice to the same kid

2011-01-05T14:14:00.000-08:00

I'm interrupting the Christmas Catch-up to document the following pictures of my little twins. Geeze dominant Ralz genes!

It seriously just cracks me up how alike they are! They definitely do have some differences to their little personalities but I am pretty sure they have the same face. I guess you could never accuse me of getting cozy with the milk man! ha ha

Christmas on the 23rd

2011-01-05T14:06:00.001-08:00

A look at the tree after Santa came:

Santa made good on his promise of a new bike:

A new truck for the Lukester:

And new furniture for the Mom:

(ok seriously I feel a little silly for documenting new furniture. BUT this it the first time in 9 years of marriage that we have ever purchased furniture! Up until now it has been all hand me downs and what not. A big step towards becoming real grown-ups don't ya think? ha ha)

Santa even threw in a pair of Weezer tickets for the Ralz.

We spent the majority of the morning enjoying each other and our new little toys. It was magical watching the boys get so excited about things. I can't believe how much fun Christmas is again now that I have children to live through. What a great time of year to be with family and remember our Savior. LOVE IT!

After cleaning up and getting dressed and showered we loaded up the car to head up to Utah...

A few things that helped us get excited for Christmas!

2011-01-05T13:50:00.001-08:00

AHH! I suck at blogging lately. Sometimes I get so behind that it sounds like a big chore to catch up so I don't do it forever because I am lazy and would rather watch reruns of Gilmore Girls.

Anyway. I guess it is a New Year so I better get my butt in gear and catch up. So.. here ya go!

The week before Christmas we did a lot of fun things including:

A field trip to the Ethel M Chocolate Factory with Drew's little preschool buddies. This was our sad attempt at getting the 3 boys to stand still for 5 seconds for a picture.

The Bellagio Conservatory with some great friends. My boys are awesome at getting their pictures taken just like their mommy! I mean look at how thrilled they are!

The Bass Pro Shop for a FREE picture with Santa as well as a little craft and play trains and race cars. (this store is awesome!) I'm also proud to report that Drew did not choke this time but told Santa straight up that he wanted a bike, Luke wanted a truck, and Mommy wanted a couch. Good job Drew!

A trip to the Vegas Bowl for me and the hubs. Don't you love the quality of these pictures? They actually make me a little woozy when I look at them. This is courtesy of the husband who refused to let me whip out the REAL camera and just wanted to use his phone real quick and get the picture taking over with. That turkey. Anyway we had an enjoyable time. Mostly because we were in the club seat section (thanks to Raleigh's law firm for the hook-up) with free food and warmth, NOT because the Utes got their butts kicked. Oh well still love to support our team!

After the game we rushed home to set up Christmas. Santa Claus was coming a little early to our house this year since we would be in Utah for the actual Christmas Day. That Santa is a good man for making such an exception. ..

18 months

2010-12-15T15:45:00.001-08:00

Height: 32.5 inches, 75th %
Weight: 23 lbs 6 oz, 25th %
Head: 50th %
Overall Cuteness: 100th %

Choot Choot!!!

2010-12-13T11:21:00.001-08:00

Saturday we took the boys on a train ride in Boulder City. It was a beautiful day and we all had a great time. Luke was kind of a stinker until the train started moving and then he was mesmorized.

Drew was pretty excited to see the special train guest.. Santa! This is his face as Santa was approaching..

But look how quickly his nervous excitement turned to straight disdain:

The poor kid choked and did not tell Santa what he wants for Christmas (a new bike wif lots of twaining wheels on it). As soon as Santa went on to the next kid Drew says "I want a bike!". and then the whole way home he cried about how he still wants a bike. We will see Santa again soon and hopefully he won't choke this time. ha ha

I think we've found a new yearly Christmas tradition! It is so fun reliving things through your kids isn't it?

Catchin up with pictures

2010-12-10T15:59:00.000-08:00

The last three weeks I:

Went on a girl's only weekend to St. George with some of my bestest friends in the whole wide world. Seriously LOVE these girls. We all met in Oregon when our husbands were in law school. We've stayed tight ever since and 5 out of the 7 in this picture live here in Vegas. Yeah!

Went to Utah for Thanksgiving and didn't take any pictures because I am super lazy.

Stayed a few extra days and drove home with my sweet parents who stayed with us through the weekend. We went to dinner, shopped till we dropped (me and the Ma) and took a quick trip to the new bridge that bypasses Hoover Dam. I almost peed my pants it was so high!

Decorated for Christmas with the help of my Momma. (wouldn't it be nice if I actually had furniture in my living room? Please Santa hook me up!!)

Attempted some family pictures where I could not get either child to look at the camera at the same time! Little stinkers!

We also had Raleigh's work party while my parents were here (free babysitting anyone?!) It was nice to leave the kids with them and be able to go have a fun time. The party was at the Bali Hai Golf Club near Mandalay Bay on the strip. The food was excellent and of course it is always fun to wear something other than jeans and a t-shirt (aka my stay-at-home mom uniform).

We didn't get a great picture of us all dressed up. This time I believe my photogenical struggles partnered with my sucky camera were to blame. Ah, what can ya do?

Good pictures or not, it's been a great couple of weeks. YAY for Christmas time, I love it!

I could be a part-time model

2010-11-30T22:42:00.000-08:00

Note: my title is pretty funny if you have listened to "Flight of the Conchords". If you have not, you should because they are awesomely hilarious.

Folks, let's just be honest with each other. I'm not a good picture taker. Can I take a picture? yes. Can I be in a picture and look decent? Not very often. I am not photogenic at all! It's kind of sad really.

Do you ever have those days where you think you look pretty good in the mirror and then someone takes a picture and you see it later and think "Seriously? Is that what I look like?" Yeah, I have those days quite often. This is not meant to be a poor Tara blog by any means. It is meant to give you all a pretty good laugh and a self esteem boost.

So without further adieu.. here are a few of the latest pictures I have graced (ruined) with my presence.

EXHIBIT A:

I recently spent a girl's weekend in St. George with some awesome friends from law school. We had a great time (another blog post for that). Look at my gorgeous friends! Every single person looks awesome in this picture except for yours truly, who sadly looks slightly retarded.

EXHIBIT B:

This is from the recent 5K I did. Why can't I look cute and athletic when I run and not like I am about to have a heart attack? (probably because I felt like I was about to have a heart attack)

EXHIBIT C:
I can't believe I am posting this one, but it has already been up for a few weeks on my friend Emily's blog (thanks a heap, Emily) And granted I was 9 months pregnant in this picture (had Luke 1 week later) but seriously? Are those legs or tree trunks? Can my face be any rounder? Whose idea was it to put the treat bowl on the belly? (Emily). Geeze. This picture should be deleted straightaway, but instead I am posting it for all the world to see that I, Tara, look really, really bad when I am pregnant.

Anyway. I think I have now proven beyond a reasonable doubt that I struggle in the photo department. Oh well. If we can't laugh at ourselves who can we laugh at? (Well, These people, for starters)

Perspective

2010-11-14T20:15:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I got to participate in a fun little race (my first!). It was put together by my friend's ward to help one of their families with medical bills since their little boy has cancer. He's 6. And he has cancer. Is that not so wrong?! I could not imagine if one of my little boys had to combat such a scary disease. I cannot understand how this mother deals with it day in and day out. Crazy and so hard. A trial I definitely DO NOT WANT - as if anyone ever wants a trial. (are you reading this Heavenly Father?)

Thankfully it sounds like they caught it early enough and that after some chemotherapy this little boy should make a full recovery.

It all just has made me think a lot lately about my little boys and how thankful I am that they are strong, healthy little boys. I love them more than my life and I don't know what I would do if something ever happened to them. Lately I have really made an effort to play with them more and hug them more and be more patient. Because you just never know what can happen! I know I complain about them sometimes, but in case there was ever any doubt.. Those little stinkers are my life, and I would not trade being their mom for anything in this world!

I know all you Mommas feel the same way.

I am just so thankful that I know that there is a loving Heavenly Father who looks out for us all. He knows what we all need and what we can handle. I am so thankful for the knowledge I have, and that He does not want us to live in fear, but to look forward to life with hope. And that really gives me peace when I find myself dwelling on sad things like this.

Anyway so I got to run (ok so I walked a bit of it too) a 5K. It was really hard (seriously how do you runners do it?) but really fun. I got to run it with my good friend, Emily, and it was a great time. And we didn't come in last! I hope enough money was raised to help this family out with what I can imagine are just insane medical bills. Here's a little picture from before the race:

(Christi, Me, Katie, Emily, Alison, & Liz.. LOVE these girls!)

I was smart and got right out of there after I was done so that there were no after pictures. Let me just say that my face was bright red (we're talkin tomatoes here) and I was really sweaty.. that should paint a nice visual for ya.

So glad to have been able to do something kinda good AND work my butt off too.

What do you says? (Andrew wants to know)

2010-11-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

It is becoming increasingly clear that everybody and everything has a "catch phrase" in my little 3 years old's mind. He is constantly asking me what everyone (and everything) says. For example:

Whatsa bear says Mommy? (ROAR!)
Whatsa moose says Mommy? (does anyone know what a Moose says?)
What's that guy says Mommy? (some random guy we see on the street or at the store, etc)
What's Santa Cwaus says Mommy? (easy, ho ho ho)

and the list goes on and on my friends. He just cracks me up with these! And some of them are pretty hard! Like the Moose above. Here's a few more along with my usual answers:

What's mommy says Mommy? (Mom says I love you of course. that's a safe one!)
What's Scooby Doo says Mommy? (Scooby Dooby Doo!)
What's Freddy (from Scooby Doo) says Mommy? (Let's go solve a mystery! Hey, I improvised)
Whatsa apple says Mommy? (eat me)
Whatsa fireman says Mommy? (Where's the fire!)

And again, the list goes on and on!

So what's your "catch phrase"? If I'm being honest, mine is probably most often "don't do that, Drew" or "be a nice boy to your brother, Drew" or "clean up the toys, boys" etc.

Some of Drew's "catch phrases":

"Don't do that Mommy, or you going to have to go to time out" (this one is new)
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. It was an accident" (no matter what I am getting after him for)
"I can't wait to see Daddy" or "I can't wait to have some fruitsnacks"
"Where's your car?" (He's super obsessed with cars and whenever we are around people he asks them where their car is.)
"Where's so and so" (He constantly runs down a list in his mind of people he knows and asks me where they are)

And then of course:

"What's ________says, Mommy?"

Good thing he is a cute little dude.

Ooga Booga!

2010-11-02T15:02:00.001-07:00

That's what Andrew says now-a-days when he is trying to scare us. Good times.

Just a few bullet points on the happs of the last few weeks:

* Drew is driving me insane with his sleep schedule. He is starting to grow out of naps (sob!) but I still make him have some quiet time every afternoon. You know, just so I don't kill him. Anyway, whether he takes a nap or not lately he is up every morning at 7 a.m. sharp. Sometimes 6:45 a.m. AHHH! Thankfully I just turn on some Caillou or Scooby doo and go back to bed for a half hour. But seriously kid SLEEP IN once in a freakin while!

* My little Lukie is getting his molars and it is rocking his world. The last few nights he has woken up crying a few times because of it. Poor little guy.

* The weather here is warming up again to the 80's this week. I gotta get the summer clothes out again I guess! We've been going to the park A LOT. And that is fine with me. The boys have a great time.

* Halloween turned out to be great! Drew was a fireman and Luke was a doggy. We got some good mileage out of the costumes by (hold on here are some more bullet points WITHIN a bullet point. Can you handle it?)

A. Going to the library carnival Thursday night
B. Going to the ward party Friday night
C. Going to a dress-up Birthday party Saturday afternoon
D. Going trick-or-treating Sunday night

* Actual Halloween was really nice. We went to church, had a blessed Sunday nap (the best of all the naps), made dinner, and then took the boys around our neighborhood to trick-or-treat. Andrew had a blast going door to door. He kept saying "I can't wait to go to the next house Mom!" and then after he would be done getting candy from a house he would say "I had fun at that house". ha ha. He was cracking us up yelling trick-or-treat at the top of his lungs. Once he realized he was getting candy he was all about it.

* I forgot to bring the camera when we went trick-or-treating because I am still running for worst mother of the year and this could only help my standings.

Well that's all for now! I can't believe it is November!

OOGA BOOGA and Happy late Halloween!

Love, Fireman Drew and his trusty dog!

LOVING FALL

2010-10-12T17:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know I always do a serious love post about fall in Vegas. But I LOVE IT!! I can't help it. I love finally pulling out my jeans, playing outside without wanting to die of heat, and not needing the A/C as much. Freaking fabulous! As I type this I am sitting outside in the backyard shade while the boys play.

Ok I will stop.

Anyway the husband's work load has gone from insane to only slightly crazy so we were able to utilize some time with him recently - which we always love.

Saturday we went back to Bonnie Springs Ranch so the boys could go to the petting zoo and maybe take the rickety old train ride. When we pulled up we noticed the train was being worked on so that was a no go. :( Thankfully, though the petting zoo was great entertainment and Drew forgot all about the train.

Drew was having a grand old time (once he worked up the courage to actually pet the animals).

On the other hand:

This little dude was driving us crazy!! Did not want to be held, and thinks he is a big boy. We did not want to let him just run free because I was afraid he would get the animals excited and also I didn't want him sticking his hands in animal crap. Well he won and we finally let him down. As soon as I set him down he takes off as fast as he can! The little stinker is getting so fast! After almost running into a ditch, and then into the pond I decided I better take him out. So we waited in a safer area while Daddy and Drew got to see a little more of the animals.

Lukie actually stopping for a breather to look at the ducks.

This picture just cracks me up. Are those not two of the EXACT same face?! Give Luke a beard, and we've got twins!

Or maybe triplets. ha ha. LOVE these boys.

Next I decided it was time for our family to start doing Family Home Evening (yes, I am awesome and have not started it until now). So we decided to go to the pumpkin patch Monday night after dinner. YEE-HAW!

Once again Drew had a blast on the little rides. It was so fun to see his face light up at the different things he got to do. There was a little petting zoo here as well. This time he was a lot braver, although he did keep yelling that the goats were looking at his face.

Ral and I even went on a spinning ride so that I could sit with Luke, and he sat with Drew. I am getting too old for stuff like that. I seriously almost barfed when we got off. Luke's facial expression did not change the whole time we were spinning around. He is so funny sometimes! I'm thinking aren't you going to scream or anything? He just stared off into space like he was riding in the car. ha ha

Freaking cute, don't ya think? :)

The obligatory family photo.

YAY for family time!! oh and YAY FOR FALL!

Rejuvenation: thy name is Utah

2010-10-08T14:23:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago the husband called me from work to inform me that he had just been given a big case which would necessitate him working all day Saturday, Sunday and late a lot during the upcoming week. Not a great call to get when you are already going crazy with two little monsters, I mean sweet children. So I did what any responsible mother would do and escaped to the land of Grandmas and Grandpas and distraction from the everyday life.

I drove up to Utah and stayed for a little over a week with my family. Just chillin most of the time. Got my hair done, shopped with my mom and sisters, watched my nephew play football, worked out a few times (including a sweet bike ride with my mother-in-law and my awesome sister-in-law), and played tons of Bump-off with my Daddy. It was lovely. I did not even bother, or think to take a single picture, which is kinda sad. But oh well.

Man I needed that!

You know what else I needed? President Monson's talk on gratitude. I REALLY needed to hear that. I've really been working on just trying to be thankful lately for the amazing blessings I have in my life. Trying not to focus on the things that bother me or the things I don't have, but to emphasize the good. And there is SO much good! These sweet days with my little boys are going to go so fast and I just needed to be reminded to stop, breathe, and be thankful for the darling little boys they are. The time is going to come all too soon when they are too big to carry around, and too big to want Mommy all the time. A sad day that will be!

Thanks Utah! (and of course all those lovely people in it who made my week wonderful. You know who you are).

Oh and P.S. Here is my hair:

I was kind of going for the "Rory Gilmore". The husband says "it's different". I'm thinking he is not a huge fan. ha ha. Oh well can't win them all!

Preschool, "popsicles", and a handsome little dude

2010-09-21T13:56:00.001-07:00

This year I joined a "letter group" co-op with some other Moms in my ward. It has really been such a great set-up so far. There are only 4 boys total and we just take turns teaching a different letter each time. They meet for an hour and a half every Monday and Wednesday. The other nice thing is that when I don't have to teach I have an hour and a half with just one kid! Yee-haw!

I have taught twice so far and it was actually really fun! The first class I did was A is for Alligator. We sang songs, read a few stories, and made Alligator puppets. Then yesterday I taught E is for Elephant. Pretty much the same deal with songs, a few elephant books, and then we made elephant masks. Ral thought they looked pretty ghetto, but hey they are only 3! And they loved it! Here are a few pics of Drew and his classmates:

Having snacks.

The awesome elephant mask.

*************************************
Lately Drew and I have started a little tradition. Every afternoon - especially if he doesn't take a nap - I let him come out of his room around 3 and we go out in the backyard and eat "popsicles" (otter pops). The kid LOVES these. And I do too. We sit there and talk (mostly he asks me an endless list of questions followed by why and why not for everything). I usually have to cut him off after 3 otter pops because that just feels like a lot. I love this time with him though. Little brother is still sleeping soundly and he gets some one on one time. LOVE this kid!

*************************************

Lastly, I just had to include this little photo of my Lukester. My good friend took a few one-year old pictures for me with her nice camera. I cannot even stand how cute this kid is. Of course I am biased and I think a lot of it is his age. He is at the busiest, craziest age, but also the CUTEST. Everything he does it just freaking adorable in my eyes - and not annoying yet. ha ha. I want to kiss the crap out of him everyday! He had his 15 month check last week. He is doing great! At 22 lbs, he is definitely bigger than Drew was at his age but still not a huge kid. Which is fine by me. As long as he is healthy right!

Seriously! You know you want to kiss his face off too don't you?! :)

Grandma Lu and Papa

2010-09-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

Oh how we love when Grandparents come to visit! Ral's parents came over labor day weekend and it was so lovely to see them.

The little visit included:

*Delicious meals of course! (yes, I'm always concerned with the food)
*The Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay
*Lots of shopping with the fabulous Mother-in-law
*A DATE with my husband while the grandparents babysat WAHOO!
*Lunch at the park FULL of big horned sheep (?)
*A visit to the Bass Pro Shop
*A drive through the strip at night to see the lights

A lovely little time indeed. Thanks for coming Grandma Lu and Papa!

Family pic at the Shark Reef. Luke was having a little meltdown. (also I couldn't figure out how to fix the red eye on this one. UGH I need a new camera!)

Papa, Daddy and Drew attempting to touch the sting rays

The park in Boulder City full of sheep. So weird! They were literally only 10 feet away from us. The boys loved it.

Crafty Poser

2010-09-01T14:58:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I like to try to pretend I can be crafty and creative. I am absolutely OBSESSED with home decor lately. My DVR is packed with shows from HGTV so that I can get ideas. If only I actually had the talent and/or skills to follow through on some of these ideas!

My mom recently gave me an old sewing machine and I was so excited because I have always wanted to know how to sew! (Project Runway anyone?!) I don't know much that's for sure, but I did make some pillow covers for the throw pillows in my family room. The old ones were getting rather old and blah looking.

I am quite proud of the way they turned out!

This is the first one that I made. (obviously it has a mate, but I didn't take pictures of both). Thanks to Alison and Christi for helping me figure out my sewing machine and for teaching me a cool way to make a pillow cover (it's like an envelope!)

Then I just made two of these floral print ones this afternoon:

Love it! I am proud of myself for busting these out without incident. If you know me and my struggles with craftiness - this is a big feat!

Now I think I would like to move on to some curtains with the same floral pattern. Anyone want to show me how to do that?!

He turned 30

2010-08-31T17:47:00.001-07:00

and we love him so much!

His, not so exquisite, cupcake cake. Note to self: you are not good at making cupcakes. Or at least making cupcakes look good. Just order something next time!

The boys enjoying the cupcakes deliciousness. Yes, they at least tasted good!

Did I mention that I love this guy? Thanks for working so hard for our family babe! You are the BEST!

p.s. As I am typing this I am sitting outside in the backyard and watching the boys play and it is BEARABLE! yippee for fall weather almost!

He Left, They Came

2010-08-31T17:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend the husband went out of town to go camping with his long time high school friends. So lucky for me, a few friends from Utah, who's husbands were also camping, decided to pay me a visit (how's the comma usage in that sentence?!).

It was a great time.. well except for a few things:

*Andrew and Luke acting like complete hellions at the restaurant the first night pushing me almost to tears, and forcing me to drag them outside and loose my cool a bit. Embarrassing!
*Luke falling at the pool and smacking his head on the tile. Oh man I felt like the world's WORST mother. Yeah, pretty sure I am a finalist for that title.

Fun at the pool (until previously mentioned head injury):

The 3 darling babies, Mateo, Claire Bear, and Lukie

Lindsee, Me, and Jess

Saturday night we put the kids to bed, got a babysitter and hit the strip.

Had a yummy dinner, followed by a nice walk around sin city where we ran into some famous people. It was so exciting!

There was a sweaty Brad Pitt (probably just nervous to be standing next to my beautiful blonde friend, Jess. WAY hotter than Angelina!)

Bond, James Bond. Or whatever his name is, Craig something?

And even some Johnny Depp. Who can resist going in for a kiss with this hottie? Not me, and hey the husband was out of town. What do you expect? ha ha

Close your eyes Johnny! Geeze, awkward!

(Ok seriously I just have to add that this whole wax museum thing really creaped me out! The whole time I felt like I was looking at corpses or something. Some of them looked so real so I kept expecting them to wake up and scare us. Weird. But a fun little adventure! )

There was lots of girl talk, yummy icecream, and some shopping to boot. YAHOO for visitors! Especially lovely friends.

Thanks again for coming Lindsee and Jess! I had a blast!

He takes after his mommy

2010-08-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I look at my kids and just think they are all Raleigh. If I did not physically give birth to them I would wonder where they came from. Of course with Drew I was asleep when he was born so anything could have happened. ha ha

Observe, though, 2 things that are me to a T:

This is Andrew after lunch. The kid LOVES peanut butter. He wants nothing but peanut butter on his bread and he will eat the peanut butter off of the bread (leaving the bare traces of crust) and then ask me to spread some more on the carcas so he can eat some more. I am totally a peanut butter fiend, so I think he gets this from me.

The second thing I have noticed about him is that he turns RED. Like crazy red after he has been running around. This is what happens to me! Every time I work out I am almost embarrassed after at how red I am. We are talking BEET RED. Sometimes in high school I would play basketball during gym and I would get so red and so I would just skip my next class because I was too embarrassed to go. I'd spend it chit chatting in the locker room while my face cooled down. Good times.

poor kid.

My Little Drunkard

2010-08-16T14:07:00.000-07:00

This kid is dang funny. He is getting pretty good at walking and just makes me laugh when he tries to go fast and biffs it. He doesn't care though. Just laughs and gets back up.

Quit growing up Lukie!!

p.s. try to ignore my annoying laugh in the background.

MOTHRA

2010-08-02T14:13:00.000-07:00

My father-in-law used to joke about this movie with me because I hate moths (actually I despise all bugs). It's about some giant scary moths that attack people. I didn't really believe him that the movie existed but it turns out it does!

It also turns out that I will never need to watch this movie because I co-starred in my own version early Sunday morning.

It all started around 2:30 a.m. when I was ripped from a peaceful slumber by a loud flapping/smacking sound. I asked Raleigh what that sound was and he rolled over and said "It's just raining". Raining, my butt! I heard it again and look up to see a black bat (or so I was sure) flying by the ceiling fan above our bed. I freaked and told Raleigh there was a bat in our room. (Bats are very common around here at night and I thought one must have flown in to our bedroom when we were out on our balcony or something).

So Raleigh jumped up and flipped on the light and I ran for the bathroom (or the little room at the end of our bathroom with just the toilet in it) and shut the door. I yelled to Raleigh that I was sorry but he is the man and he needs to take care of this. I even locked my door because I didn't want to take the chance of Raleigh trying to run in to my room and have it follow him. Ha ha I am an awesome wife!

(Luke modeling in my little oasis. I was scared to death!)

Raleigh shut our bedroom door so it couldn't get to any other part of the house and opened the door to our balcony to try to get it to go outside. He got a towel and tried to shoe it out there, but it just kept trying to fly at him when he would try. It then flew into the main part of our bathroom - when I say flew I mean the sucker darted and flipped and flapped until it landed there. It seriously flew just like a crazy bat! (posting pics so you can get a general idea of the war zone, don't look too closely it needs some updating!)

So the huge sucker perched itself right on my sink! At this time we still thought it was a bat but couldn't tell for sure. It was definitely the size of a bat but looked different. Raleigh needed something to throw at it to get it to move and so I inched my door open and handed him a few tampons (it was all I could find!) and shut my door again. He chucked a few of those at it but it would not move. So he pulled my swiffer mop out of the linen closet and started wacking at it. He said as soon as he would go near it to try to hit it, it would start flying right at his face. It was a crazy s.o.b.! So I just kept hearing the sound of Raleigh wacking at it with the mop and then he would run into the closet and shut the door (the closet door is also at the end of the bathroom on the right) until the little sucker settled down again.

This little sequence of hitting, and then running into the closet (coupled with a curse word or two) continued for a good 20 minutes. At one point I told Raleigh to go get his gun. He said he is not going to start shooting at it in our bathroom and making holes everywhere (there is a chance I may not have been thinking totally clearly - it was 3 a.m. by now for pete's sake!) I shouted out some words of encouragement every now and then, and even bravely stuck my head out the door if I knew the thing wasn't flying. It was so creepy looking! At one point it even landed right in the sink and so he threw a towel over it, but it got out of that trap and flew right at his face again - my poor husband! Keep in mind that at this point we were still thinking it was a freaking bat!

Finally Raleigh got a little braver and just kept wacking at it (he had broken the mop by now and was just using a shoe). He was able to clip some of the wing so it couldn't fly and then wacked the body one more time and it was finally dead. I then felt safe enough to come out of my safe room and took a few pictures for posterity's sake.

This is what my bathroom looked like after all was said and done. You can see how he tried a few different things. ha ha!

The not-so-little perpetrator:

It is hard to tell in this picture, but it was big. Wingspan about 7 or 8 inches across. After a google search we learned that it was indeed a giant moth! Also known as a hawk moth or sphyinx moth.
According to the internet they are often mistaken for small birds or bats.

Finally we got it all cleaned up and were able to go back to bed around 3:30. We were both a little skittish though and neither of us slept that well after that.

Now after the fact, I cannot stop laughing about it! What are the odds of getting attacked by a giant moth? It is pretty hilarious and a story I definitely had to write down.

Mothra aint got nothin on us!

June/July

2010-07-31T14:06:00.000-07:00

Favorite person to play with: Daddy
Favorite thing to do outside: SWIM!! Or play soccer (aka kick the ball around with Dad)
Favorite thing to do inside: Line up his cars and trucks, and more recently play with Woody and Buzz
Favorite thing to say: Mom what are you doonin?
Favorite treat: Cupcakes
Favorite Food: Grilled cheese or pancakes
Favorite book: He always wants to read his little Highlights magazines.
Favorite movie/show: Toy Story and more recently Shrek 2
Favorite Song: Baby by Justin Bieber (don't tell his father)
Least Favorite thing: Sharing toys

Favorite person to play with: Mommy
Favorite thing to do outside: Plays with the tricycle (opens the seat and throws stuff in and out of it)
Favorite thing to do inside: Climb up the stairs, walking (sort of, takes a lot of steps here and there but nothing consistent)
Favorite thing to say: dah dah dah - always singing his own little tune
Favorite treat: goldfish crackers
Favorite Food: pancakes or Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches
Favorite Song: "Two cute boys" Again my original
Least Favorite thing: When I don't get him his food or his milk fast enough he screams bloody murder!

Love my little dudes!

The little man turns 3

2010-07-31T13:44:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday my little Drewbie Drew turned 3. THREE! I can't believe he is that old. He is such a silly little boy and we love him so much! Some things about Drew at 3:

**Is Potty trained!! YIPPEEE! Caught on much quicker than I thought he would.. was scared to poop there for a little while but finally gave in and now is doing really great. So nice to only have 1 in diapers!

**Talks and talks and talks and TALKS. Always wants to know where everyone's car is and what I'm "doonin" (doing). If he doesn't know you too well he will be really quiet but as soon as he warms up he will not stop yapping. Love it! (most of the time!)

**Loves Toy Story and yelling out at random times "To infinity and beyond!"

**Still takes a good 3 hour nap almost everyday (I know, I know.. I am lucky. I am SO thankful he is still napping!)

We started out his birthday by going swimming and having a picnic with some friends. Then I put him down for his nap and told him that when he woke up we would go get balloons and start his birthday celebration. He woke up to find some birthday decorations and lots of presents from mommy and daddy and the grandparents.

We then ran over to the grocery store so he could get some more balloons, because he loves them and that is all he would talk about. Then I made cupcakes while we waited for Daddy to get home so we could go celebrate...

At CHUCK E. CHEESE! YIPPEE!!! (gross)

I guess every kid should get to go there at least once in his life right? He really had a good time and it was worth the not-so-tasty pizza to see his little face light up at the talking mouse and all the silly rides. Luke had a fun time too, and the only time it was not so fun was when it was time to go home and Drew threw a royal fit complete with laying on the floor and screaming. Lovely! I told him we were going straight home to bed and he cried and cried. (Of course I didn't have the heart to actually follow through on that).

We got home and put Lukie to bed and let Drew stay up and open gifts. The kid got some pretty cool stuff and has been having a great time everyday playing with the new toys.

Then we had to tear him away from his new stuff in order to blow out a few candles.

The kid really wanted cupcakes and so I attempted to make some from scratch. I give myself a 6 out of 10 for effort as well as taste (seriously they were SO delish!), but presentation left something to be desired:

I made the rookie mistake of filling the cups way too full. So my tops were all messed up and a joke to frost. Oh well we still loved them and I have learned my lesson for next time.

MMM... Cupcake bliss!

Happy Birthday my precious son! We are so happy to have you in our lives!

Utard'in

2010-07-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

I just made that word up.. sort of. It's a spin off of what Chelsea used to lovingly call me. A "Utard" (for being from Utah). Good times.

Anyway spent the last few weeks in Utah with my fabulous friends and family and I had so much fun! Of course I missed my hubby, but I did not miss the 110 degree heat or the daily household chores or cooking dinner. As every stay-at-home mom knows, a break from the norm is much needed sometimes.

Here are just a few highlights from the trip:

My Mom and sisters did not let me get away from working out (nazi's that they are), but it was good for me and we had fun doing it. We went on a nice long bike ride - where we got honked at galore for our sexiness in the bike helmets (I'm wearing my Dad's, which made it even more awesome) - went to Zumba, walked a ton, and did a little running. Glad they kept me going or I would have gained 10 lbs there with all the crap I ate.

(They might kill me, but how can I not post this deliciousness on the internet?)

There were many lovely lunches and dinners with good friends.. (unfortunately I did not get pictures at every event. My camera sucks and I do too)

(dinner with the "homies" from high school. Love these dudes like my own brothers, and the wives are awesome as well. I love that we have stayed friends this long!)

(lunch with my bestest friends from the WVC. This picture is blurry - but it was taken by a 6 year old who tried his darndest to get a good one and that is all I can ask!)

The first weekend we went to a family reunion in Midway, Utah with my side of the family. The only person not there was Raleigh (sad times!). But we had a great time. We rented a house that was big enough for pretty much everyone (all 30 of us!) and then some of the older kids slept out in the backyard in tents. We played volleyball and soccer, and lots of bump-off. Went on bike rides and a few little walks. The best time of all though was when the kids were in bed and the adults sat up and played games and talked and talked and talked. I love my brothers and sisters so much! I am so blessed to have such a sweet fam.

This is my brother's daughter Faith. I was pretty darn close to stealing her away. She is adorable!

My Mom with Drew and my niece Milika. These two played so well together (and got in a few fights as well!)

This is how Luke spent most of the reunion. The kid is a nightmare and will not sit still for 5 seconds! So rather than having him crawling through dirt and out into the road I had to confine him to the playpen. Poor kid.

Some more of my brother's cute kids. He adopted 7 children from Ethiopia and also has 4 biological children. I thought he was a little crazy at first (I get exhausted just thinking about how they get through meals..and laundry!) but those kids are SO cute and well behaved! We have come to love them as part of the family - which they are.

I didn't get nearly enough pictures at the reunion - I will again blame it on the sucky camera.

The last weekend I was there, Ral flew in Thursday night and we were able to go to Beaver, Utah, the next day for his family reunion with his Dad's side. We had a great time going to the 24th of July parade, BBQ with extended family, and a long drive up the canyon so the boys could get some rest and so we could take in the sights of the beautiful mountains we miss so much.

Ralz and the boys at the parade.

Drewbie and Grandpa Thompson. Can I just tell you how much I love Raleigh's Grandparents? They have always made me feel like one of their own. Beaver is conveniently about halfway between my house and SLC and so I always stop to see them if I am driving up with the kids. They are so wonderful!

Out little family with the Grandparents.

And that is about it! Back to normal life.

Man alive this was a long post!

do da do da

2010-06-29T15:37:00.000-07:00

What have we been up to?

Lots and LOTS of swimming.

A splash park here and there.

Toilet papering with a few of my Laurels (because I am awesome like that..ok not really - turns out I am a little rusty and apparently ran the slowest because I am the one that got caught! Awesome, awesome girls though and I am so thankful to be a part of YW in my ward. and Yes Raleigh already informed me that I look like a boy in this picture)

Lots of riding bikes.

Lots of chillin in the backyard.

What's this cute guy been up to?

Work, WORK, work, and MORE WORK

Hence, this is what I will be up to the rest of this week:

Painting/decorating my guest bedroom. (yikes how it needs it!)

Wish me luck!

The Lukie is 1!

2010-06-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

Last Friday my little sweet baby boy turned 1. I can't believe it! This year has just flown by. The above picture, in my opinion, shows his little personality perfectly! He is always such a happy little guy and when you talk to him he gets so giggly and almost looks bashful. I love it!

My parents were able to come to town for his birthday. They left today and I miss them already! It was so fun to have them here though. I had a great time with my mom going to yard sales on Saturday (seriously may be a new addiction) and then shopping all afternoon for stuff to decorate my house with. I love it when she comes to town and helps me decorate. I love her ideas and I always feel like my house is looking better when she leaves! Anyway back to Luke:

We had a little BBQ with the parents and then opened gifts (he got spoiled). Tried to take a family picture... If only ALL 3 boys could have looked at the camera... (raleigh!)

Then it was time for cake. Drumroll please...

He hated it!! Sad times. I tried to shove a little in his face but he wasn't too interested - and especially didn't like being messy. Oh well. The top picture on the left is after he rubbed his eyes out of sheer frustration because we were making him stay in there and eat it.

Some random Luke facts:

*pretty much stopped taking his morning nap (sad - but thankfully takes a good afternoon one)
*is trying SO hard to walk.
*climbs up the stairs all by himself. (but not without adult supervision of course - well, unless I am cleaning and not paying attention for one second and then look to see where he went only to find him at the TOP of the stairs already. oops!)
*Has 6 teeth and one more coming in up top.
*says momma - but not many other words.
*eats pretty much anything I put in front of him. Loves grilled cheese sandwiches, pancakes, PB & J, etc.

I freaking ADORE this kid! (as if you couldn't tell!)

Did I mention I love Saturdays?

2010-06-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

Because I really do. It's a break from the norm for a stay-at-home mom. It means Daddy gets to be home and play with us and I don't do housework and I don't usually cook, and we just play. I love it!

Who's with me? Holla! (sorry reverted back to my WVC roots there for a sec).

Anyway.

Yesterday did not dissapoint. Even though it was 105 degrees outside. Yeah, 105. 108 today. (I'm getting ready to break up with Vegas again here soon).

Saturday started out with a fabulous bountiful basket - my husband is not completely sold on the idea but I love it! It had some excellent things in it yesterday - potatoes, red peppers, corn on the cob, lettuce, bananas, apples, peaches, blackberries, bok choy (?), and a honeydew - to name a few. Very exciting times. I like trying to figure out what to make with some of the fruits and veggies I don't usually buy.

Then I sent the husband and the firstborn off to the store for a swimming pool because we were all roasting and all I hear from Drew all day everyday is "I wanna go swimming mommy". So they came home with a nice little pool and it wasn't long before we were all in it because that is just the only way to survive the Vegas hell, I mean heat.

It was lovely.

Raleigh also decided it was time for Drew to learn how to properly swing a bat (we went to a birthday party a few weeks ago where he got to swing at a pinata.. and well he didn't quite know how to hold the bat and kept swinging with the wrong end. I told Raleigh about how it was kinda funny - and the next thing I know he's got a T-ball set for Drew. ha ha!)

They could only practice outside for a little while before heat stroke may have become an issue, but I think they made some progress anyway. Drew got a couple of good hits in.

It is moments like this - days like this - where I think life is good. Not perfect by any means. But pretty freaking good.

I LOVE Saturdays.

Holla!

May

2010-06-02T14:23:00.000-07:00

A.R.T.

Favorite person to play with: Daddy
Favorite thing to do outside: SWIM!! Well in a kiddie pool - we have gone once in a big pool this summer and he was a little freaked this year (?). Good thing swim lessons start next week!
Favorite thing to do inside: Line up his cars and trucks
Favorite thing to say: what? (I swear he needs his hearing checked!)
Favorite treat: M & M's
Favorite Food: Grilled cheese or pancakes
Favorite book: The Story of Easter
Favorite movie/show: Loves "Yo Gabba Gabba"
Favorite Song: "Two cute boys" (an original by the silly mother)
Least Favorite thing: Freaks out when Luke crawls over and tries to mess up his perfect line of cars and trucks

L.M.T.

Favorite person to play with: Drew (if Drew is being nice)
Favorite thing to do outside: Crawls around and tries to eat rocks. (aahh!)
Favorite thing to do inside: Loves to stand up next to anything. Also loves to clear out the tupperware drawer
Favorite thing to say: Momma. Learning to parrot and copy us as well. (freaking adorable)
Favorite treat: goldfish crackers
Favorite Food: pancakes
Favorite Song: Same as Drew "Two cute boys" I sing it to them after naps and we are having snacks.
Least Favorite thing: I threw away all his bottles last week (so sick of them!) and so he is learning the sippy. He mostly has the hang of it now, but he was not too happy about it at first!

Let's go fly a kite...

2010-05-28T14:25:00.001-07:00

Up to the highest height

And if it is a little windy, and your 2 year old lets go of said kite so that it flies away rapidly, and your husband tries to chase it down while lots of people are looking on and you are laughing too hard to get any pictures of that (and you never catch the kite)..

You can just play at the park instead.

I LOVE Saturdays.

My Mother's Day Gift

2010-05-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in my last post, my Mother's day gift this year included a weekend in St. George with my Mom and sisters and NO KIDS. YAY! (Is it sad how excited I get about having a kid free trip?)

Anyway on the Thursday before my trip my whole family was sick except for me. AHH! Luke had a fever and cried ALL NIGHT, Drew had a fever and the sniffles and the husband had a yucky cold that was giving him terrible headaches. Good times around here I tell ya. Friday rolled around and Luke was the only one doing any better. So out of the goodness of my heart (and some pleading from the husband) I decided to stay one more night and go on my trip a little late to help take care of things. So I got up early Saturday morning to go up and meet my family, instead of going Friday night as originally planned.

Despite a few feelings of guilt about the sickies at home I had a blast! When I got there we went to a yummy breakfast and then (literally) shopped until we dropped. The outlets, Tai Pan, some swap meet, Ross. Oh you name it, we hit it...or at least it felt that way! Then we had dinner at the Pizza Factory and followed that up with some rest and chatting, and then a late night chick flick. (Saw "Letters to Juliet".. It was cute. Basically your typical cheesy chick flick). That night we stayed up until 2 a.m. chatting. The next morning we had breakfast and cleaned and then said our goodbyes.

I LOVE these women! They are so wonderful and I miss living close to them. I'm so glad we can meet up and do things like this once in a while. That beautiful lady in the middle is my Mom. It was her birthday on Sunday (part of the reason for the trip). I hope I look like her at 61.

I got home Sunday and the sickies were still a little sick but thankfully survived without me at their beck and call. I think Raleigh had fun playing Mr. Mom and kept texting me pictures of what he and the boys were doing.

p.s. I forgot to mention that we also got pedicures. Ah, lovely.

Back to taking care of these little dudes:

Which is fine by me!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-10T13:51:00.001-07:00

I had a great day yesterday and feel like I want to document it. It was simple and sweet and just what I needed!

The day started out with yummy pancakes for all cooked by the husband. Followed by lots of sitting outside with my feet up reading my book. Then we had lunch and went to church, where I got to go to Relief Society and NOT chase Luke around. Good times.

Following that, the husband made dinner. I'm seriously thinking he missed his calling and could have been a gourmet chef instead of a lawyer:

Here is my plate (which he dished up for me, love it!) This, my friends, is seared Ahi Tuna steaks on a bed of wild rice with roasted asparagus and spinach salad with toasted almonds. Yeah, he made that. Without a recipe. He just thought it sounded good. I LOVE it when he cooks like this for me! It was delish! and the best part was that I didn't have to do a thing.

Here he is cooking away, and getting ticked at me for wanting to take pictures. I reserve the right though, to do whatever I want on Mother's Day and told him to suck it up and smile.

Following dinner we relaxed some more and there was lots of this:

Which just made me happy to watch. The boys sure do love their dad.

And so do I!

I hope you all had a fabulous Mother's day! I can't wait until this weekend when I get my gift (a girl's weekend in St. George with my Mom and sisters and NO kids. YAHOO!)

April

2010-05-05T21:17:00.001-07:00

LUKE

Favorite person to play with: Drew.. He LOVES Drew!
Favorite thing to do outside: Tries to crawl everywhere! I have to put him in his bouncer out there or he is eating rocks as soon as I turn my head
Favorite thing to do inside: Suck on anything and everything (AHH!) and stands up next to anything
Favorite thing to say: Momma
Favorite treat: loves yogurt and applesauce
Favorite Food: Little bits of PB & J sandwiches
Favorite book: I don't know, he still just likes to eat them!
Favorite movie: Doesn't care for TV
Favorite Song: Mommy's silly songs

ANDREW

Favorite person to play with: Cousins!
Favorite thing to do outside: Ride his bike, throw rocks
Favorite thing to do inside: Lines up his cars and trucks and then drives them forward a little bit and lines them up again (?) (see pic)
Favorite thing to say: Geeze man or What's up Man
Favorite treat: "pugging" (chocolate pudding)
Favorite Food: Pancakes
Favorite book: Anything Elmo
Favorite movie: CARS!
Favorite Song: Not sure, he breaks out and sings jibberish songs quite often

You keeping up, fool?

2010-04-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

How's your daily chores going? Are you keeping that house clean?

What about your laundry? Did you get that done yet? Did you iron your husband's work shirts so he doesn't look like a homeless boy at work?

What about your floors? Did you mop or vaccuum recently? They are looking a little nasty to me.

Dusted lately? Sheesh!

I don't care if you didn't get any sleep last night! Quit staying up to watch American Idol! It sucks this season anyway.

What about your children's closets? They could use a little organizing in my opinion. Have you gone through the clothes they have grown out of and are growing in to? Are you labeling and storing them properly?

How about decorating? Your son's room isn't going to paint itself. And boy that guestroom could use some love.

p.s. speaking of love, are you remembering to play with your kids? I mean really get on the floor and play with them? They need you, you know.

Don't forget to fix meals! Would it kill you to try to make them somewhat nutritious?

Come on, you can go to the grocery store with 2 kids. It's been done.

Have you called that friend you've been thinking about lately?

What about your daily scripture study... you doing that?

Writing in your journal?

Scrapbooking? Your babies aren't getting any younger!! They will need memories!

Don't forget to magnify your calling!!

You keeping up on that Ensign? You haven't even watched conference yet? You loser.

Bleh, those windows look really dirty. Finger prints everywhere.

What about that body of yours? You excercising regularly? Watching what you eat?

Don't forget to keep your husband happy! (I think you know what I'm saying)

DVR feel like a to-do list? You haven't watched 24 yet at all this season? How are you going to participate in conversations at all?

You really, really need a haircut.

p.s. Don't forget to pull those weeds! Oh and water the plants!

Prayers, prayers! Say your prayers!

Read your book for bookclub! Order your book for next month!

And for the love of all that is holy potty train that 2 year old already!!

Anyone else feel overwhelmed sometimes with all of the things we *should* be doing? Seriously how do YOU keep up? All you single mothers, and those of you who do this AND work outside the home - you are AMAZING.

Whatcha been doin?

2010-04-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

We had some fabulous friends from Utah come visit at the end of March which was so fun! I love having visitors. There were yummy dinners, some scrabble with 80's music playing on pandora (we know how to party, ha ha)and a tiny bit of shopping (the boys were annoying). The girls were able to get a pedicure, watch a chick flick, and do LOTS of chatting (love ya Jess!), and the boys were able to go mountain biking as well as a trip to the strip for some video poker. It was a good time and hopefully they can come back soon! Here is the one pic I got:

(Luke and sweet baby Claire in the tub. The poor girl was probably traumatized by Luke and his CRAZINESS in the tub. He splashes and bounces and goes nutts in there!)

Our Easter was pretty good overall. Raleigh's parents came to town for the weekend and so we had some good quality time with them. The weather was beautiful and so there was lots of sitting outside on the patio and talking. Which is always lovely! The only downside to the weekend was that both kids were sick. We had to take Luke into the ER on Saturday night due to a fever reaching 104.5 (AHHH) Scared the crap out of me! They couldn't find anything wrong with him either (waste of money and time! UGH I hate going to places like that). But his fever did not go away for the next few days so I finally took him back in to his regular pediatrician and she found an ear infection and a UTI. Poor kiddo. Then Drew had some Diarrhea all weekend and on the day my in-laws were leaving he puked all over my mother-in-law. Good times!

Anyway they are on the mend now and all is well, thankfully. I hate having sick kids!

Not much else has been going on in the Thompson family. Most of our days are spent playing with friends or playing in the backyard. I absolutely LOVE this time of year in Vegas. It is nice and warm but not too hot yet. Just makes me want to be outside constantly.

How's that for a random update?

March

2010-04-02T08:53:00.001-07:00

Drewber

Favorite person to play with: Hannah
Favorite thing to do outside: Anything! LOVES outside
Favorite thing to do inside: play with legos or watch Cars (yes, the obsession is back)
Favorite thing to say: I gotta go poop, mom.
Favorite treat: Chocolate chip cookies
Favorite Food: Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches and Pancakes
Favorite book: Julius
Favorite movie: CARS!
Favorite Song: Still "Here we Go" (Black eyed peas)

Lukie

Favorite person to play with: Big brother Andrew
Favorite thing to do outside: Sit on the blanket and watch Drew run around
Favorite thing to do inside: CRAWL and destroy Drew's lego creations
Favorite thing to say: ahhhh Dah
Favorite treat: most recently goldfish
Favorite Food: Sweet Corn casserole
Favorite book: Trucks
Favorite movie: Could care less
Favorite Song: Peek-a-boo (an original by yours truly)

Obsess Much?

2010-03-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest obsession:

I love it!! I joined about a month ago and have been going nearly every day. Zumba, spin, body combat, running, eliptical, etc. I am having so much fun and have really started looking forward to getting a work out in! I feel so much better about myself lately. I'd love to knock off a good 10 lbs.

The only problem is that this is my other obsession:

AHHH! I am obsessed with baking lately! Every week I am trying a new recipe. Cookies, cakes, breads, rolls, etc. It is TROUBLE!! I am addicted!! Especially when I am bored and we are just hanging out at home, I get the hankering for a little something sweet. I tried making low fat cookies a few days ago and they were sick. I threw the bulk of them away (after eating several - they did have chocolate chips in them).

So yeah, it's a wash!

hmmm.. This week I think Peanut Butter Passion Bars are on the agenda - oh, and some serious running!!

p.s. if you have any good cookie/cake recipes that are low fat and don't taste like chalk send them my way!!

Slowly making it our own..

2010-03-22T15:23:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we spent a good majority of the day doing yard work and planting flowers. It was perfect weather for yard work and we were very pleased with the outcome! (Thanks to the husband who REALLY did the work, I was the water girl though and that counts for something!!)

Orginally we planned on tearing this planter box in the middle of the yard out, but we decided to take the cheaper route for now and plant some stuff in it and I actually really like it now. So we will keep it for now. We still have a lot of trees we want to plant and we want to extend our patio hopefully sometime this year. I'd love to put a basketball court back there against the far wall too. Yeah, like that will ever happen. A girl can dream though! :)

Ok here are a few more pics of the house and some things we have done so far..

Dining room before:

Dining room after:

Kitchen Before (along with the husband strolling through): note the attrocious countertops!

Kitchen After:

Still would love new appliances, and to do something about those hideous vertical blinds!

Guest Bathroom before:

After:

(It's yellow if you can't tell!)

Besides a few other light fixtures, that's about it so far! Owning a home has been so fun! I love it! But seriously I need to win the lottery in order to do all the things I want to do.

Ah, baby steps my friends, baby steps.

9 months of Lukie!

2010-03-11T13:06:00.000-08:00

My little guy is 9 months old today! To celebrate we went to the Dr. for his check-up. He had a blast and smiled big the whole time.

Here are his stats:

Weight: 18 lbs 4 oz. 25%
Height: 27 3/4 inches 40%
Head: 45 cm 50%

At 9 months Luke:
*Sleeps 12 hours a night (typically 7:30 to 7:30)
*takes 2 naps
*Eats babyfood like it is going out of style and is learning to eat things with more texture. Likes Cheerios, puffs, and bits of bread.
*Still army crawls and rolls to get around. He is SO CLOSE to the real thing! He gets up and rocks on all fours but then just kind of loses his determination. Any day now I hope!
*Has 4 teeth, 2 on the bottom and 2 on top
*Giggles like crazy if tickled, or giggles when he watches Drew dance or act silly
*Looks nearly EXACTLY like his daddy!

Man I freaking love this kid! He is such a sweet little boy. He is not a cuddler which drives me nutts sometimes, but he does love to giggle and be tickled so I guess I will take what I can get! He sits and plays so well with toys and hardly makes a peep that sometimes I forget he is there.

Oh my sweet little Lukie, you are so special to me and to our family! I am so lucky to be your mom!

He works hard for our money

2010-03-06T21:00:00.000-08:00

So hard for it honey.. He works hard for our money so I better treat him right!

Is that song in your head now? You're welcome!

I know it may come as a surprise to many of you (since I am such a sweetheart on this blog), but I can get kind of bratty sometimes. Seriously I can be a real piece of work and I feel bad for my husband who has to put up with the bulk of it.

A few weekends ago the poor guy had to go all day Saturday to a legal workshop (or something like that), had to get up at 6 a.m. to get there and study and what did I do? I complained and complained and complained that I had to spend Saturday just like any other day, taking care of my kids, housework, etc. I may have nagged a bit.

Yeah, piece of work I tell you.

During nap time when the house was quiet and peaceful and I sat down to read. I realized it. What a jerk I am. The poor guy works 50-60 hour weeks and didn't even get his normal Saturday off, and here I am complaining! I felt really horrible for acting that way and realized that I may need a break from my kids once in a while, but HE needs a break too. and seriously is my life that bad? Heck NO! I get to stay home with these little stinkers every day and I love it. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Anyway just wanted to pay tribute to that dear husband of mine. I feel so blessed and so lucky that he takes such good care of us. He works so hard all day and still comes home and plays with the boys. Drew especially gets SO excited when he walks in the door.

So that's all. I love that Raleigh boy. I really do.

Jan/Feb

2010-03-02T14:02:00.001-08:00

Oops forgot to do this last month. I know you've all been dying to know what my kids are up to. ha ha!

Drew

Favorite person to play with: Nannah
Favorite thing to do outside: Anything! Rides tricycle, runs around, slides down the little dirt hill in our backyard
Favorite thing to do inside: play with legos
Favorite thing to say: Where is so and so (goes through EVERY SINGLE PERSON HE KNOWS and asks me where they are. AHH!)
Favorite treat: Cake
Favorite Food: Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches and Pancakes
Favorite book: Elmo's rockin Road trip
Favorite movie: Mommy Daddy (lately all he wants to watch is our wedding video. Weirdo!)
Favorite Song: Here We go (that's what he calls it, Tonight is going to be a good night by Black Eyed Peas)

Lukie

Favorite person to play with: Drew. He smiles so big whenever Drew plays with him (and even when Drew is torturing him)
Favorite thing to do outside: Sit and watch Andrew
Favorite thing to do inside: Sits and plays with toys and is trying so hard to crawl!
Favorite thing to say: bah bah bah
Favorite treat: He loves veggies!
Favorite Food: Chicken noodle gerber dinner or peas
Favorite book: Whichever one tastes best

I LOVE THESE BOYS!

A New Perspective (at least, for now!)

2010-02-08T14:12:00.000-08:00

It's funny how going here:

Can change your heart and your mind in one afternoon. I was able to go to the temple (I'm embarrassed to say it's been a LONG time) with my entire family in Utah this past week. There were a few missing in-laws, including the husband for work reasons. But other than that we were all there. It was a great experience and one that I definitely needed. It helped me to take a step back and look at my life and what I want to improve on.

And, my friends, there are a lot of things I want to improve on!

Thank you for all your kind comments on my last blog. I seriously was having such a bad week with my little guy. But you know what? I really took some of your comments and advice to heart, and I am really working on my mothering skills. I think things are going better and I am praying for patience every day! I don't mean to make Drew sound like some terrible little monster, because he is totally not. He is just going through the normal little personality, power struggles, etc for a boy of his age. It's just his mother that doesn't handle the change well!

But, I freaking LOVE that kid. Oh, how I love him. He is the joy of my life WAY more often than he is the nightmare.

It's just that some times I take a step back and think to myself, "I kinda suck at this motherhood business!" Don't we all have days like that?

If you don't, I hate you.

Oh and P.S. you're lying!!!

Anyway I am getting off on a tangent here, but I just wanted to say that going to the temple helped me to remember the important things in life. I sat there and thought of my struggle to get pregnant with Drew, and how I ached for a baby at that time and how I would do anything to start our family. I thought of how excited (complete understatement) we were when we discovered I was pregnant! And how I was so nervous the whole pregnancy. So nervous that he wouldn't really come and be mine.

It helped me to remember to be thankful. That it doesn't matter that Drew likes to pull everything out of my bathroom cabinet, that he got into my expensive make up and spilled it all over (AHH!), that he is discovering new things everyday and sometime is a tad disobedient.

I still love him, I'm picking my battles and trying to let the little things go, I'm making myself get down on the floor and play with him more often and I really think it is helping. He definitely acts up most when I am not giving him very much attention.

Anyway THANK YOU again for your lovely advice. I'm lucky to have such nice friends!

I'm just going to do my best.

That's all I can do!

Mommy Dearest

2010-01-28T14:02:00.000-08:00

This is how I feel lately.

Like an awful freakin Mom.

Folks, I am not handling the terrible two's well at all. NOT AT ALL. And the Drewster is in this wretched stage full force.

SOMEONE HELP!

I have spent my time crying and feeling so guilty at the end of each day for the last few weeks because I feel like all I've done all day is yell at Drew, spank Drew, put Drew in time out.

And you know what? NOTHING WORKS.

The kid is not phased by spanking, yelling, or time out. It's all a game to him. And I am losing my cool more and more each day. I can't believe I am admitting this on the internet, but I am not cut out for this part of motherhood! I have no patience some days! I am having a really hard time with it because he has always been such a good boy until now. But lately he just does not listen and does not obey. We will tell him No and he just looks right at us and keeps on doing what he is doing. I feel like I am giving him enough attention and love and hug him often, but maybe he is not getting enough.

It's just a phase, right? RIGHT?

Seriously please tell me what has worked for you Moms out there. I love my little boy so much. More than life itself. and I really, really don't want him to remember me as being like Mommy Dearest.

To Raleigh, with Love

2010-01-14T22:28:00.001-08:00

(to the tune of Aerosmith's "I don't want to miss a thing")

I am stuck awake because of your heavy breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
While your far away and dreaming
Should I try to nudge you or should I just surrender?
It seems like I've been trying to sleep forever
But every time I get close
I don't have the pleasure

(chorus)
I just wanna close my eyes
I just wanna fall asleep
but your snoring baby
and I can't even catch a wink
'Cause even when I nudge you
The hardest nudge will never do
Your still snoring baby
and I can't even catch a wink

Lying close to you
Hearing everything
And I'm wondering what your dreaming
Wondering if you'll stop that breathing
Then I get ticked and try to get you to turn over
because I just wanna sleep like you
In this moment forever, forever and ever

(Chorus)
I just wanna close my eyes
I just wanna fall asleep
but your snoring baby
and I can't even catch a wink
'Cause even when I nudge you
The hardest nudge will never do
Your still snoring baby
and I can't even catch a wink

Well I just wanna sleep like you
Right here with you, just like this
Maybe I'll hold your nose
And see if that works this time
To get you to be quiet in this moment
Or for the rest of the night

yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, YEEEAAAAAHHH

Thoughts on Potty Training

2010-01-13T15:46:00.001-08:00

I don't want to do it.

Seriously, I don't.

The End.

*ok any tips? I hear it is H to train boys too. I would love your tips/tricks of the trade!*

Those were the days

2010-01-08T20:23:00.001-08:00

Remember when you didn't have kids and you could sleep in on Saturdays until your little heart's desire?

Remember how you could go out to dinner at a moment's notice or catch a late movie just for fun?

Remember how you could eat your meal without being interrupted or feeding someone else?

Remember when you could carry on a conversation with a friend without having to say "stop it" a million times to your little one?

Remember when you could go to the bathroom by yourself with the door closed?

Remember when your house stayed clean for more than 30 minutes at a time?

Remember those days?

Remember how it all doesn't matter to you anymore because these little people are SO WORTH IT?

Those were the days, but these days are WAY better.

(Well, most of the time...)

A look back at the last decade

2010-01-01T14:18:00.001-08:00

warning: this is a long, possibly (ok most likely) boring post. sorry!

2000

I like to call this the "dark year" because I did not see my best friend on a single day this year. He was on a mission in Mexico. There were some bright spots though. The main one being that I graduated from Ricks College with some of my very best friends.

2001

While I was, ahem, "waiting" (ok I dated while he was gone, but we never made any promises to each other) for my boy to get home, I decided to pass 4 months or so at BYU-Hawaii.
2 of my fabulous roommates Marlise, Angie, & Me

Angie & Me, love this girl! hi Ang!

Said boy finally got home at the end of this year and we got engaged on December 23.

2002

Married that cute boy

and went to Cancun, Mexico, for a late honeymoon

2003

Took a trip to New York

and D.C.

and I decided to go back to school.

2004

No big trips this year. Although we did do a lot of camping. In December, we both graduated from the University of Utah with our Bachelor's degrees and Raleigh made the big decision to go to graduate school.

2005

Took a trip to Kauai, Hawaii to celebrate graduating from college

Moved to Oregon

So this guy could go to law school

2006

Raleigh finished his first year of law school!

and we visited Crater Lake with some good friends.

(Cute Dan & Jess)

2007

FINALLY started our darling little family with our first addition Andrew Raleigh

Born July 28, 2007

2008

That cute guy I was telling you about? He graduated from Law School

and I was pretty damn proud

We left Oregon and moved to Vegas for Raleigh's first job - a clerkship. Also, found out that Raleigh passed the bar and that I was pregnant with #2 (found this all out on the same day!)

2009

Special delivery #2 joined us in June

Little Luke Michael

Raleigh got his first "real" job as an attorney for a law firm downtown, and we bought our first house

An eventful 10 years indeed. Looking back, they have been the most important, amazing, and in some ways trying years of my life thus far. I feel so blessed that I had my best friend, Raleigh to go through the majority of it with. It's been a great adventure!

Here's to another hopefully wonderful 10 years! Happy New Year to all of you!

December

2009-12-30T13:55:00.000-08:00

Andrew

Favorite person to play with: This month it was Grandmas galore!
Favorite thing to do outside: Haven't been venturing out too often, too chilly!
Favorite thing to do inside: Ride his tricyle around and around the staircase
Favorite thing to say: What are you doing Mommy?
Favorite treat: Anything Chocolate (he's my son afterall!)
Favorite Food: Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches and French fries
Favorite book: The Kru Book (truck book)
Favorite movie: CARS, but has recently added Shrek and 101 Dalmations to his repertoire

Drewbie Newsflash: Andrew cracks me up left and right. He is such a joy and is my little snuggle bug. He is always willing to give hugs and kisses. Lately he likes to ask how everyone and everything is doing. (For Example: hi firetruck, how are you? Hi penguin, how are you?) He also talks in third person all the time. i.e. "Andrew sad mommy." "Andrew scared Mommy." "Andrew stinky mommy"

Luke

Favorite person to play with: Mommy
Favorite thing to do outside: again, BRRRR!
Favorite thing to do inside: Stand in his little toy jumper
Favorite thing to say: bah bah bah
Favorite treat: Still formula
Favorite Food: Seems to like peas the best so far (I haven't introduced fruits yet though)

Lukie News: Luke is doing really well on solids now. He is such a smiley little guy. He LOVES to be talked to and tickled. He is such a sweet little boy!

LOVE THESE RASCALS!

Simply had a wondeful Christmas time

2009-12-30T13:36:00.000-08:00

In a nutshell...

We went to Utah.

We partied on Christas Eve with the Newmans.

Drew got hooked up with a psychicle (tricycle) from Grandma and Grandpa and some other cute stuff. Including, Mac, Mater and Lightening McQueen from his mommy & Daddy (not sure why we are encouraging the obsession, but whatev. It's cute)

Drew helped Luke open presents (and tried to help everyone else too)

Luke got some pretty good loot

(you can see how excited he is about it)

Ral and I got quite the nice stash of gifts and gift cards as well. We ate way too much food, stayed up way too late playing "bump-off", got to go see Avatar in 3D with my family, and went to lunch with some good friends to boot.

I hope you all had a nice holiday too! Merry late Christmas!

It's beginning to (not) look a lot like Christmas...

2009-12-16T14:04:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to lie, I really don't miss the snow for the most part. I hate the slipping on the ice, scraping of the car windows, freezing my booty off kinda weather.

BUT I do miss the look of snow this time of year. My house is all Christmas-y but it is 60 degrees outside. I guess I shouldn't complain, but I just really do love the beauty of snow on the ground and staying inside with family and friends.

The last two weekends in a row we had our parents in town. First, mine drove me and the boys home after Thanksgiving and stayed the weekend.. followed by Raleigh's parents who came the next weekend. We LOVE having visitors!

Drew had a blast with his grandparents and talks about going to Grandma's house everyday. He gets pretty ticked off when we head out somewhere and don't end up at Grandma's house.

While Grandma and Grandpa Thompson were in town we were able to go to the Ethel M Chocolate Factory to see some lights (nothings says Merry Christmas like a cactus decorated with Christmas lights) and visit Santa.

Here we are in line to see Santa. The kid is fine here because he doesn't understand what's coming.

Drew HATED Santa. He was terrified! He cried and I laughed, because I'm a good mom like that.

Note the gloves - it actually was pretty chilly that night! I'm so wussy now when it comes to cold weather!

Now Santa is a pretty touchy subject. Whenever I talk about him, Andrew says "scared Santa". Poor kid. I hope I didn't scar him for life!

Then Saturday night we had Raleigh's work Christmas Party. I was a little nervous for this fancy affair but it turned out to be fun and pretty layed-back. It was a formal attire deal so there was a lot of stress going into what to wear. But overall it was really fun to get all dressed up, since there is not often a reason to. (the only picture we got turned out a a little blurry)

We can't wait to get up to Utah next week for Christmas! Maybe then I will see my snow (but hopefully not freeze).

I hope everyone is having a great holiday season so far!

p.s. I am happy to report that Drew getting out of bed so early that morning must have been a fluke. he has been staying in bed and sleeping so good ever since. Now if I could just figure out how to get Luke to be consistent with his sleeping through the night! Thanks for your lovely advice friends!

JINX!!! I need a (diet) Coke!

2009-12-10T10:05:00.000-08:00

It appears, that by telling the internet that everything was dandy with my boys the other day that I have totally jinxed myself.

HELP!

First of all there is this little monster:

Remember how I told you just a few posts ago that he has been great about his big boy bed and doesn't get out, etc? Well the last 2 mornings he has come into our room all by himself. It was kind of cute the first morning, but this morning at 6:45 a.m. it was not so cute. Not so cute at all.

Do I lock him in his room? Or do I just hope he won't get up that early again?

What's your big-kid bed situation?

Then there is this little monster:

Remember how I told you he was sleeping through the night for 4 or 5 nights in a row?

Yeah, not so much anymore. He has been waking up around 3 or 4 a.m. for the last few nights in a row because he has totally peed through his diaper onto his onesie! So I end up having to change everything and by then he is screaming and so I just feed the little fetcher so he will go back to sleep already.

I am using huggies brand size 2 diapers which should fit him perfectly. What's the deal? (and yes, I do point his little friend downward so that it doesn't pee up) But it is not working! Why does he keep peeing through?

What's your 6 month old sleeping situation?

Well time to crack open another diet coke so I can survive this day.

Hey maybe by sharing my bad times I can jinx myself back!

30 and Flirty and Thriving

2009-12-09T13:53:00.001-08:00

I can definitely say that when I was 13 I did NOT share the same sentiments as Jennifer Garner's character in the movie (13 going on 30). In fact when I was that age I remember thinking that 30 was SO OLD.

And now here I am.

Freaking 30!

THE BIG 3-0.

I don't know about the flirty part (except for with my gorgeous husband, ha ha ha) but I am definitely thriving I think.

I feel good at 30. I feel like I know who I am at 30. I may not be as skinny as I would like, and I still have SO MANY FLAWS, but I am comfortable in my own skin - and feel so much more confident than I ever used to be, just about life in general I think. Life has been pretty good to me overall and I am happy. What more could I ask for at this age?

plus, did you know that 30 was the new 10? According to my 11 year old nephew it is. (thanks Caleb!)

(got together with some of my childhood friends at Red Robin in SLC on my birthday...Isn't it great that we are still friends?!.....at 30!)

I guess it's really not that scary an age after all.

Here's to a fabulous 31st year!

The Blessing of the Luke

2009-12-07T13:42:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving this year in Utah with Raleigh's family. It was a delicious meal of course, and I forgot to take pictures. (duh!)

Friday night we blessed baby Luke at my parent's ward building with both of our families. Raleigh gave Luke such a wonderful blessing. Our families were awesome and totally took care of bringing desserts for everyone to share. I didn't have to do a thing but organize the time and place. THANK YOU SO MUCH AWESOME FAMILY!

Here are a few pictures!

Our little family

The proud dad, post-blessing

I LOVE this kid!

After the blessing we took the boys home to Raleigh's parents and got them to bed. And then Raleigh's mom, sister, along with me and my mom and sisters all went to see New Moon. It was so fun!

Thanks again to all who helped us with the blessing. We are so lucky to have such wonderful, supportive families!

November

2009-12-07T13:30:00.000-08:00

Little Drewbie

Favorite person to play with: Nannah (Hannah Wayment)
Favorite thing to do outside: Run around the backyard and slide down the hill
Favorite thing to do inside: Watch Cars (yes, still with the Cars)
Favorite thing to say: I LOVE YOU (yells it really loud)
Favorite treat: Chocolate kisses
Favorite Food: Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches and French fries
Favorite book: The Schoolhouse (elmo book)
Favorite movie: CARS

News about Drew: He now sleeps in a big boy bed! I was so scared to make the switch because I was worried he would be a nightmare but he has done so well! I am so proud of him. he goes right down for his naps still and doesn't get out of it at night at all. Whew! (that is me breathing a sigh of relief about his big transition)

Sweet Luke

Favorite person to play with: Mommy
Favorite thing to do outside: Watch Drew run around
Favorite thing to do inside: Roll over
Favorite thing to say: Jibberish, jibberish, and more jibberish (freakin adorable)
Favorite treat: formula
Favorite Food: still formula
Favorite book: Whatever I am reading to Drew.

Luke's news: Luke has slept through the night for 4 or 5 nights in a row (WAHOO!) so I am hoping this is our new norm. He just started rice cereal this week and is not quite sure about it yet. He is always smiling and gets SO happy when we talk to him. He loves it.

Love my sweet boys!

Slow down

2009-11-13T22:44:00.000-08:00

I'm talking to you, "time".

Sometimes I wish they could stay like this forever.

Dear Internet: I have so much to tell you!

2009-11-10T15:20:00.001-08:00

Was that October? It went by so fast didn't it? I can't believe it is already November! Yikes.

Well let me just give you all an exciting recap of my last week or so of October. Hold on to your hats:

A few weeks ago we went to a petting zoo called Bonnie Springs. We went to it last year in October as well. It's a fabulous time of year for the outdoors around here so we wanted to do something fun with the boys (or rather Drew, you can see from the pictures how bored little Luke looks.) Anyway it is a GREAT little place for kids. They have a train ride (which we didn't do this time because SOME ONE was in a hurry to go watch a football game), and the animals just walk around outside of their cages so you can go right up to them and pet them. I even got my bum nibbled on by a deer! Good times. It freaked Drew out a bit to have them just walking around but he loved it overall.

In other Thompson family news, I attempted to start Luke on solids last week and he was not interested at all. Wouldn't even open his mouth! And since I don't have a full kitchen right now anyway (we are in the process of replacing the countertops and sink in our new house) I decided to give it another week and try again. I got some cute pictures of the little guy though.

You can tell in his face he was thinking "what the H mom?"

On Halloween we moved into our new house. (YAHOO!) So as you can imagine it was a very busy day and a long one at that. The move went smoothly except for that SOME ONE forgot to have the water turned on in the new house (I may or may not be referring to myself, details details) and so we were without water all weekend. Oops! Thankfully we have some good friends nearby who let us shower at their house and bathe our children, etc. (thanks Wayments!)

So Halloween night we were pretty exhausted. We went over to our friend's house (the same who allowed us a nice hot shower!) and had pizza and watched Oregon beat the crap out of USC. (WOOHOO! Only to lose this last weekend to Stanford. LAME!) Now of course I had to take my little guy trick or treating. But, Internet friends, I am embarrased to show you his costume. It was a quick throw together (obviously) and the kid loves dogs.

And the poor Lukester didn't even have a costume. (yes I suck)

Anyway we walked around the Wayment's neighborhood with the kids. It was all fun and games until some dude dressed like Jason fired up his chain saw in front of Drew and he FREAKED OUT. What kind of sick loser tries to scare a 2 year old like that? So for the rest of the night he was clinging to me and crying "scared mommy! scared!". It broke my heart. That night he wouldn't go to bed either. Kept screaming. So finally we just grabbed him and let him sleep in between us all night. Poor guy. I was worried he was going to be scarred for life!

Well this post is getting long. I will post pics of the house soon enough, but not until I feel like it looks decent! Here are a few pics of the backyard though (one of the major selling points for us):

We have GRASS (rare in Vegas)! As well as a huge planter box in the middle of the yard (what were the previous owners thinking?) That will be torn out in the spring. We love going back there to play and run around.

That's all for now!

Lukie Lou

2009-10-19T16:24:00.000-07:00

Luke had his 4 month appointment on Friday, October 16. (like I said I am trying to keep track of my kiddos, since this is seriously my main journal right now!)

Little Luke is doing well.

Here are his stats:
Weight: 14 lbs 5 oz (50th percentile)
Length: 26 inches (90th percentile)
Head: 42 centimeters (50th percentile)

Despite his wretched reflux (which we are still dealing with day by day... they just keep telling me he will grow out of it) this little boy is an absolute JOY in my home. He smiles and giggles so much and I am madly in love with him! The dr. told me it was ok to go ahead and start solids, but I think I will just wait until we move into our house in a few weeks before I embark on any more chaos in my life. :) Luke is trying ever so hard to roll over and almost has the hang of it. He lifts his head up pretty well while on his tummy - but gets ticked if he has to stay on his tummy too long. He is sleeping pretty well at night - but still wakes up around 5 a.m. usually to eat (another issue I plan on tackling in the new house!)

I'm so glad you are part of our family sweet boy!

A Utah (wo)Man am I

2009-10-18T18:02:00.001-07:00

Saturday night we got to go see our Utes play UNLV. Here's the best part....

NO KIDS! YIPPEE!

It was a much needed night out with my hubby. I haven't been to a game in so long! Not since I have had kids anyway. Thanks Katie for watching them!

Of course they beat those stinky rebels... :)
Our team is 5-1!

Someone should probably keep track of this stuff

2009-10-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

So I am totally stealing this from Heather and Misty (thanks!) but I thought I better start writing down some things about my boys so that when Drew asks me later in life what his favorite movie was at 2 years old I can tell him "Cars - all you would watch is Cars and it drove me up the freakin wall, oh that and Elmo. LOTS of Elmo. Mommy wanted to punch Elmo in the face somedays"

Anyway...

ANDREW

Favorite person to play with: Ashie & JJ
Favorite thing to do outside: Go to the park and SLIDE!
Favorite thing to do inside: Throw the TV remote at Mom and ask to watch Elmo (Sesame Street) over and over and over again
Favorite thing to say: Oh hi Mommy (like he just barely noticed me)
Favorite treat: Fruit snacks and fishies
Favorite Food: Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches
Favorite book: Trucks
Favorite movie: CARS

LUKE

Favorite person to play with: Mommy
Favorite thing to do outside: Sit in stroller and doze
Favorite thing to do inside: Sit in the swing and doze (he's so lazy!)
Favorite thing to say: goo goo gah gah followed by lots of spit bubbles
Favorite treat: formula
Favorite Food: still formula
Favorite book: I read the Ensign to him in the afternoons - he is totally into it

Madly in Love with Fall (in Vegas)

2009-10-11T23:35:00.001-07:00

This past month I feel like the pits of hell have rescinded and I can finally come out of hibernation.

I'm talking FALL WEATHER IN VEGAS. Allow me to toot the horn of all of those living in Sin City this time of year.

Because it is awesome.

I love it like a fat kid loves cake (or just like I love cake)

Lately there has been a ton of this:

Nearly every single day!
While my other one does this:

Followed by some of this:

Because he is so ticked that it was time to go home. And I can't say I blame him - the weather is perfect and it makes us want to be outside all day long. But Mommy needs a nap - I mean the kids need naps so we had to go home some time.

Anyway some other reasons I am in deep, passionate love with Fall are:
* College Football is back baby!
* The Jazz are starting.
* I LOVE fall food - soups, pumpkinish stuff, MMMM!
* The return of my shows.
* Fall clothing - I get so sick of my summer stuff living here. It is so nice to finally pull out some jeans and not feel like my face is going to melt off.
* I love that the holidays are coming! Halloween is so fun!
* Did I mention the weather? Not too hot, not too cold. just PERFECT.
* BBQ's. Yes most of you BBQ in the summer, but for us in Vegas, it is finally bearable to be outside flippin burgers.

(a BBQ pic from this last weekend when Terri was in town. Hi Terri!)

So TOOT TOOT - at least until Summer comes again and Vegas and I have another bitter break-up.

Mi Casa es Mi Casa

2009-10-01T13:18:00.001-07:00

So we bought a house!

I'm very excited. It is double the size we are in now and I can't wait because we are bursting at the seams in this little rental. Clutter everywhere and it is driving me crazy!

So as long as there are no major problems before the closing we should be good to move in by the end of next month!

That's all. Carry on with your exciting lives.

Breaking up is hard to do...

2009-09-29T17:26:00.001-07:00

Dear Ice Cold Fountain Coca Cola:

You've been there when I'm happy
You've been there when I'm sad
Sometimes I've had you with dinner
And sometimes when I'm mad

You were always there at a sporting event
Or when I just needed to stay awake
I always found you satisfying
At work when I needed a break

I loved you through high school
A 32 oz here and there
I drank you a lot in college
And my roommates didn't care

Your taste is just so tantalizing
And oh so very yummy
Especially with Mexican Food
It was a good combo in my tummy.

But things have got to change now
I'm getting older whether I like it or not
My metabolism is slowing down
Two kids have added to the pot (belly)

So I have to let you go,
My dear, dear little friend
I will miss you so
But we both knew it had to end

I have made the switch to diet
It's what I had to do
If I add a little lime to it
It almost tastes like you

But I'm trying to lose the baby weight
And you're just not helping the sitch
I'll probably love you forever
And I'm sure I'll still get the itch

But I'll have to be strong
And hope the diet will suffice
Goodbye delicious fattening soda
I'm making the sacrifice.

With Love,

Tara

The Lukester is 3 months old!!

2009-09-16T07:54:00.000-07:00

Hola Amigos!

This past weekend my little Luke turned 3 months old. I can't believe how fast time is flying by!

I'm happy to report that the Prevacid has been working miracles and he is such a happier baby! Which, of course, translates to a much happier Mommy.

At 3 months Little Luke:

* Smiles ALL the time
* LOVES to be talked to
* Has laughed out loud a few times
* Coos and coos and coos, loves to try to talk
* Has slept through the night 3 times (twice this week, YAY!)
* Weighs 12 lbs 7 oz (at his check up a few weeks ago)
* Measures 24.25 inches
* Loves to sit in his carseat and look at his little toys
* Knows how to fall asleep by himself (most of the time)

I'm not going to lie, the first few weeks after the reflux started were really hard with this little guy. But I can honestly say things are SO MUCH BETTER now! He is such a sweet baby and I can't imagine my world without him in it. I finally am starting to feel like I am in a routine with my 2 boys. The best part is that they are napping around the same time everyday so I can get some rest, and they are both going to bed around 8 so I have time to work out and hang out with the husband. Good, good times.

HAPPY 3 MONTHS SWEET LITTLE BOY!

Oh and I think his big brother loves him too..

Life is Short.

2009-09-02T17:16:00.000-07:00

That's what I keep thinking.

On Thursday, August 27, we lost our sweet cousin P.J. in a tragic car accident. He was only 31 and had so much of life ahead! He left behind a beautiful little daughter and lots of family and friends who loved him so much.

I feel like I practically grew up with PJ and his siblings. It seems like our families were always together for holidays and everything else. I have so many fun memories of hanging out with him as a child and as a teenager. Some honorable mentions include:

* Going through Tim (PJ's bro) & PJ's haunted houses every year. They would turn their whole house upside down and try to scare us and the neighbors. It was always pretty fun.

* I always remember going over to their house after trick or treating and watching scary movies

* I remember Tim & PJ had snakes and rats and they would try to get me to touch them and it freaked me out.

* I remember PJ letting me drive his truck long before I was 16 (don't tell my parents) and trying to drive a stick in the church parking lot. What was he thinking letting me do that?

* I remember going on a few double dates in high school when I set PJ up with one of my friends.

* The annual BBQ at my Uncle Mark's for Memorial Day was always so fun - complete with a volleyball tournament that my family took quite seriously. :)

* and many many more!

Over the last few years as I have lived away I haven't seen as much of them as I would like. I am thankful for facebook as I was able to keep track of PJ and what he was up to. The last time I saw him was at my Mom's 60th Bday party earlier this year.

He was just awesome. When I got the news on Thursday morning I was devastated. I thought immediately of his poor Mother. Now that I am a parent I don't even know how I would survive the loss of one of my boys. No mother should ever have to go through this!

Thankfully I live closer to Utah now so I was able to drive up for his funeral. It was a beautiful service. My bro Kelly gave a talk, as well as PJ's brother Tim. They both did such a wonderful job.

PJ's family gave out this beautiful plaque to all of his family and close friends. They also gave us a short music CD with 4 of his favorite songs which were written by a close friend.

They went through a lot of trouble to make sure we don't forget PJ.

And we won't.

Me and my family at the gravesite.

Life is too short sometimes my friends. This past weekend has just made me want to hold my dear ones a little closer and make sure my loved ones know that I do love them. You just never know what can happen.

Rest in Peace PJ. You will be so missed! We love you!

* thanks Kristi - I borrowed your pics*

No Justice

2009-08-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

So one of the perks of not breastfeeding is that Raleigh can take a turn and feed Luke once in a while. We (I) decided that Saturday night he would take the middle of the night feeding so I could have just one night a week with good sleep (I gave up breastfeeding him in the night as well, I just didn't have much in there left to satisfy him anyway). So the nice husband agreed and Saturday night we went to bed as usual around 10:30.

Baby didn't wake up until 5 a.m.! YAY! So Raleigh had it pretty easy. He fed him really quick and was back to bed in 1/2 hour.

I was so excited that Luke slept that long.

Of course last night he had one of the worst nights in a while - waking up every two hours while I was on duty. AHHH!

But you know it is really hard to get too upset with this cute little face:

Man I love this kid...even at 1 a.m.

and 3 a.m.

and 5 a.m.

Drew goes to the Zoo

2009-08-21T17:26:00.001-07:00

While we were in Utah we were able to take Drew to the Zoo for his very first time! We were excited to take him because the kid LOVES animals. He knows all the animal sounds and most of their names.

Here he is with Daddy checking out the monkeys. He thought they were pretty funny with all of their hoopin and hollerin.

We tried to get him to stand in front of an ape statue but he was totally scared of it!

He liked riding on Raleigh's shoulders the best.

Me and my little monkey in front of some more monkeys.

Finally a family picture in front of the peacocks.

Of course we were missing the little Lukester who was thankfully with Grandma T. for the morning! It was fun and I can't wait to take him again when he is a little older and can really appreciate what he is seeing.

Save the drama for your mama

2009-08-16T22:26:00.001-07:00

And he did. Pretty much all the way home, this kid was a nightmare! Next trip we are definitely getting a portable DVD player.

I am finally back in Vegas after a 3 week hiatus in Utah. It was a good time and I have lots to tell. But for now I will just brief you on our ride home. Here is the summary:

Luke slept, Drew bawled and threw things. It took nearly 9 hours. The end.

At one point Andrew did take a little nap. Right in the middle of working on a chicken nugget. Good times.

Shortly after said nap, the little monster threw an enormous fit. The likes of which I have never seen before. I'm talking screaming, crying, throwing everything toy/book I offered him. It was a fun time had by all. Being the awesome Mom that I am, I decided to just sit back and take a few pictures of him while he cried.

Still crying...

Still ticked..

Finally gets over it. Well for a minute.

Gotta love road trips with kids!

P.S. Thank you for all your nice comments on my last post. You all made me feel so much better about things and it was good to know others had gone through the same stuff! So THANKS FRIENDS! And you will be happy to know that I am totally over it now and Luke is doing great and not quite the fussy little monster anymore. YAY!

Feeling Guilty - Part Deux

2009-08-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

This post has been hard for me to orchestrate because I have SO many mixed emotions! The past month has seriously left me drained emotionally and physically. I am feeling tons better now though so I feel like I can write about it.

Anyway, as mentioned in a previous post my little Lukester was a breeze of a baby. Well for the first three weeks of his life. He nursed so well and seemed to be such an easy going little guy. But after the first three weeks we slowly started having issues.

It started with him just acting fussy while I nursed him a few times a day. He would latch on and then pull off several times and just scream like he was in pain. I just kept working through it though because it wasn't every feeding, just here and there. But every day he seemed to get worse. The poor little guy just hated to eat. I felt so bad for him. I went to the dr. a few times and he was gaining really well so they didn't act worried, and just told me to keep with it and alter my diet. So I cut out dairy and citrus for a week but saw no difference. I hung in there and kept trying my best to nurse him and keep him comfortable. I could tell something just wasn't right with him though and so I called the dr. again and went in again and they decided we could try some reflux medicine. So he started on Zantac and it did not do anything. He still screamed every feeding (as you can imagine I pretty much cried every feeding), with the exception of his middle of the night feedings. For some reason he would just nurse away in the middle of the night with no problem whatsoever! I also started pumping and giving him bottles here and there of both formula and breastmilk. He did a lot better with the bottle and wouldn't cry as much.

Anyway I called his Dr. yet again and we decided to switch him to Prevacid. So he has been on that for the past two weeks and I have seen some improvement in his demeanor. I tried to hang in there with the nursing but he still acted really uncomfortable with it and seemed so much happier with a bottle. I was pumping away for him, but I'm not going to lie, pumping all day long with a toddler and places to go and washing everything every time. It was just draining me.

So I quit.

I'm not breastfeeding and at first I felt SO GUILTY (and admittedly still do a little). I nursed Drew until he was 10 months old, and I feel like breastfeeding is what I know and love. Drew would never take a bottle. He was a stinker, but I loved that he definitely knew his mommy and that was our time together. It was easy and it worked well for us.

This time, not so much.

So I am bottle feeding him formula all day long and still nursing him in the middle of the night since he does ok with it then.

Did I give up too early? Am I a horrible mother? Why do I put so much stock in this? I honestly don't know. I can HONESTLY tell you that I have NEVER thought badly of anyone who chooses to bottlefeed. I have never felt that breastfeeding is for everyone. I always say that whatever works and makes Mom happy and baby happy is all that matters.

Maybe I am writing this post for some sort of validation. I don't know. I just had to get it off my chest. I LOVE my son so, so much and I feel like I am enjoying him a lot more now that the pressure is off of me.

So there it is. Mother of the year? NO. A little dramatic? maybe.

But I'm just being honest.

The Drew turns 2

2009-08-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

Wow I really suck at blogging lately! But hell, I'm on vacation in the good ole WVC, and I'm tired from a little sweet newborn who has a wicked case of reflux that is slowly driving me to the insane asylum. Oh, but that's a blog for another time.

On July 28, Andrew turned 2!! I can't believe it!

For his birthday he got to go swimming with cousins in Grandma's backyard:

Followed by a BBQ and a Sesame Street cake that evening:

(he needed a little help blowing the candle out)

He received lots of fun gifts, including a couple of Elmo books, a tractor, and a "bball" hoop.

We were missing Daddy who was busy taking the Utah bar. He got to celebrate with us the next night at Grandma and Grandpa Thompsons though (to which I lamely forgot to take pictures!)

This kid is so much fun right now! He cracks me up everyday. At 2 years old Andrew:

*Sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The ABC's, and Bah Bah Black Sheep
*Names 9 out of 12 of the Sesame Street muppets (He LOVES Sesame Street)
*Goes through family pictures and names off pretty much everyone
*Climbs into the rocking chair by himself to read his books
*is obsessed with his "Brother" book (I'm a Big Brother Now) and refuses to have anything else read to him at bed time
*Has a blue stuffed dog that he MUST sleep with at night
*can pretty much repeat anything you ask him to say
*Weighs about 24 lbs (little pipsqueak!) and is about 33 inches tall (I think)

He's such a sweet little guy and has always been a pretty happy boy. I feel so lucky to be his Mom. He recently learned to say "I love you" and it makes me so happy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DREW!!

Stages

2009-07-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

I thought I would type out some of the things I love about the current stage each of my boys are in (mostly so I can remind myself that I DO love it - even though I am exhausted).

DREW

The Drew turns 2 in just a few weeks!! I can't believe he is getting so big. He is so much fun right now (well when he is not pushing my buttons and trying to get attention)... Here are some of the things I love about the 2 year old Drew:

* He is talking up a storm and learning to put sentences together. He cracks us up everyday with a new thing he says. For example he loves to cover his face and say "Peepaboo I see you". It's freakin cute.

* He sings lots of songs. He tries to do the ABC's, Bah bah black sheep, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and a few silly tunes from the baby channel. Lots of times when he wakes up in the morning I will just hear him in his bed singing away.

* It is fun to watch him discover things - I love showing him different animals and he tells me what they say and he gets so excited when he recognizes one on the TV all by himself.

* He is a little tease. If he does something that makes us laugh he will do it again and again to keep us laughing.

* He can eat all on his own now. Granted, he has been doing that for months, but it is something I need to recognize here since now I have a newborn who depends on me for all of that. It is so nice to just put the food on Andrew's tray and let him go to town.

* He loves to read books. Sometimes he will just go in his room and climb up into the rocking chair with a book all by himself.

* He sleeps like a little champ! 11 or 12 hours at night and a 3 hour nap in the afternoon.

I love my little guy!

LUKE

Luke is 4 weeks old today! Where in the world does the time go? He is such a sweet little baby. He is starting to have his fussy times here and there and just loves to be held. He is starting to fill out and get little chubs. I love it! Although the newborn stage is HARD, here are some things I love:

* I love how when he is starting to get hungry he will look anywhere and everywhere for a boob. He turns his little head and roots around. I put him next to my cheek and he tries to latch on. I'm kind of mean to tease him like that but it's so stinkin cute!

* He is so cuddly. I love just snuggling up with him on my chest and he and I take a little nap while Andrew is napping in the afternoon.

* I love his tiny little feet and tiny little hands. He is perfect in everyway.

* Although it is super tiring, sometimes I don't mind getting up in the night with him because it is just me and him and it is kind of a special little time.

* There is just something so sweet about having a tiny little baby in the house!

Anyway I know this is a super cheesy post but honestly I just felt like writing it down... it will be good to go back and remind myself of this on those days I want to cry because they are driving me crazy.

Being a mom is definitely the hardest thing I have ever done, but I can't imagine any greater joy in my life.

I LOVE my boys! That includes the husband... especially since his stage in life is working hard everyday so I can be home with the monsters. :)

Mama said there'd be days like this

2009-07-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

So far today I have:

*been up since 4:30 a.m. because my little angel was bright eyed and bushy tailed after his feeding and refused to go back to sleep until my other little angel was awake

*changed 4 poopy diapers between my two sons

*been peed on by Luke, soaked all the way through my clothes

*got spit up on almost immediately after I changed

I'm exhausted and ornery and none of my clothes fit yet. Drew is testing his limits with me and is constantly trying to climb all over me and the baby when I am nursing him. I have had to smack his butt and put him in time out more often this last week than I have ever had to in his entire little life!

Ah, it's a glamourous life I lead! I wouldn't change it for the world though.

Seriously I do love my kids! I can't believe Luke is almost a month old already. He is such a sweet little boy and growing so fast! Time has just flown by.

In other news, it has been SO hot here already (can't even leave my house to hang out in the back yard - hot). On the 4th it was around 105 so Raleigh took Drew to Walmart for a swimming pool. The kid is obsessed with water. And now we can't take him in the back yard unless we are going to get in the pool because he will scream and cry for the water.

I hope everyone had a good holiday!

More of Luke

2009-06-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

Luke is such a good baby! I feel so lucky! He eats, sleeps and poops. I hardly hear a cry out of him except for if he is really hungry. He nurses like a champ and seems so chill. I love him so much! Andrew seems to like him a lot too. He is always concerned about where the baby is and when he first wakes up now he asks for the baby. I hope it stays that way! I am feeling stronger and stronger everyday. I can't quite lift Drew yet so that is frustrating, but I feel like the recovery isn't quite as bad as my last C-section. I can't wait to feel all better so I can start exercising and lose this baby weight! UGH!

Good thing these little angels are worth the trouble.

2 for 2

2009-06-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

Well it is official... I am now 2 for 2 as far as not-so-fun birthing experiences go. If you want to refresh yourself, you can read about Drew's birth here.

So let me tell you the story of my darling little Luke, born June 11, 2009, at 11:15 p.m.

This is a long one!

Compared to my pregnancy with Drew, this pregnancy was a breeze! I swear with Andrew I was calling my Dr. every week with some new worry, where as this time around I maybe went in once unscheduled, and called twice with a question. It was a completely different experience and thankfully none of the problems that I had last time came up this pregnancy. I was so thankful for that!

About halfway through this pregnancy I decided that I for sure wanted to try a VBAC. An automatic repeat C-section just didn't sound good to me. My first experience with a C-section was terrible and so it really scared me to think of going through all of that again. I would think about it and just cry because it terrified me so! I just wanted to have a normal vaginal birth, especially for an easier recovery as well! So I found a great Dr. here in Vegas who has a lot of success with VBACs. I felt very comfortable with him and was so excited about the prospect of a vaginal delivery! Plus, I had two friends who had just had successful VBACs with the same Dr. in the last few months. I felt so good about it!

Anyway the labor part was seriously not all that bad. I had a foley balloon catheter inserted the day before and so when I went into the hospital I was already dialated 4 cm. with very little pain! (except for when the freakin nurse with the tiny hands had to check me and couldn't find my cervix and basically shoved her entire fist up my hoo-haa. Oh I wanted to knock her out!) So they got me started with a tiny bit of pitocin (very low dose to keep things safe and controlled) to get things moving. I started having some pretty good contractions but nothing I couldn't handle. I felt pretty good! When the nurse checked me again the baby had dropped a bit more and I was at 5 cm. The contractions were coming stronger and stronger and more painful at this point so I decided it was epidural time. Unlike my experience in Oregon, the epidural worked this time! HOORAY! I was so happy and relaxed! The only annoying thing is feeling like my legs weighed 1000 lbs each. I hate that tingling weird sensation!

After the epidural, they broke my water and I started progressing very quickly. The baby was doing great this whole time! I was so happy about that. He seemed to be taking the contractions very well. I was finally at 10 cm at around 8:30 p.m. The nurse told me we were going to do some "practice" pushing so she shut my epidural off and my Mom and Raleigh held a leg and there I went pushing my little heart out. No one ever told me what hard work that is! Holy crap I was exhausted!!

After a half hour of pushing with the nurse the Dr. came in to check on how things were going. They pulled in a table and a big light and a few more nurses came in, and I was thinking this is it! I am going to do it! So the Dr. sat there and tried to help the baby out. I was pushing so hard I was sure I was going to rupture a blood vessel in my face or something. It was hard!

After another hour of pushing like this and trying new positions the baby's head would just not come down past my pelvic bone. This really surprised me, because it is not like I am a tiny person! For some reason I just could not push him into position. By this time I was starting to get discouraged. Then Luke's heart rate dropped a few times. Not too badly, but enough to bother the Dr. a bit. The scarier thing though was that I had started bleeding quite a lot. I of course had no idea what was going on down there, but my Mom could tell the Dr. was getting worried. The most worrysome part for me was that I started having some serious pain in my previous incision site. It was progressively getting worse with each contraction/pushing session. Taking all of these things into consideration (I had been pushing for nearly 2 hours by this time)along with another heart decel by the baby, and the Dr. decided enough was enough.

Time for another freakin C-section.

I bawled and bawled because I was so disappointed, but at the same time I knew it was the right decision. I just thought for sure after getting that far that I would be successful! I guess it just wasn't meant to be though. They wheeled me into the O.R., Raleigh put on his scrubs and sat by my side (and watched me turn my head and puke over and over on the operating table - good man, that Raleigh) the anasthesiologist made sure I was numb and that was it. They started cutting. After only a few minutes I heard the best noise in the world -

Little Luke's first cry! He sounded so good. The dr. showed him to us before he handed him off to the nurses and Raleigh and I just both looked at each other and it was instant love for each of us for this little baby. He is so precious!

It isn't quite the recovery that I had hoped for or anticipated, but that's ok. I know I will survive.

So I may be 2 for 2 on crappy deliveries, but I am also 2 for 2 as far as adorable little boys go. :)

Luke Michael is here, safe and sound. He is beautiful and healthy. and THAT is what matters most.