A Yummy New Tradition

I've decided that holidays are much more fun now that we have kids. I came up with a fun new holiday tradition that Will and I could do together - making yummy treats. For Halloween, Will and I made Jack-o-lantern cupcakes. Will, of course, had much more fun eating the cupcakes, frosting, and chocolate chips, but we did manage to get a number of them done. I can't wait to come up with something for Thanksgiving :-)

More Party Pictures

So I definitely jumped the gun with posting pictures from Will's birthday party, and forgot to wait until I got the pictures that my friend Jessica took when our camera was on the fritz. So here are some more pictures that show the fun time the kids had.


Will had more fun eating the pizza than putting it together

The cute birthday boy

My adorable niece Alice having fun in the bounce house

Will and his good friend Justin

Even though it was cold, they had so much fun in the leaves

I think this is probably my favorite picture of Will from the day

(Sorry about the white around the pictures. No idea how to get rid of that)

Our budding photographer

Will was playing around with the camera a couple of days ago, and I thought I'd share his masterpieces with you.


Me talking to one of Will's many birthday admirers


Self-portrait


Daddy's surprised look

Tag, you're it!

Wow, that was a lame title. Anyway, I found another interesting tag, which seems to be what I do a lot when I'm bored.

7 Things I can do

1. Sing and play the piano
2. Watch certain movies over and over without ever getting tired of them
3. Make a mean batch of chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies
4. Type really fast
5. Talk on the phone for hours
6. Quote almost all of "Beauty and the Beast" (That's Will's favorite movie at the moment)
7. Cross-stitch


7 things I can't do

1. Snowboard
2. Hike
3. Play any other instrument besides piano
4. Get our room clean - not for lack of trying!
5. Sew
6. French braid my hair, or anyone else's
7. Play chess


7 things that attract me to Bill

1. His hands
2. The way he looks at me
3. The fact that he thinks I'm beautiful, even when I first wake up in the morning
4. His kisses - I won't say more, cause I know my sister hates it when I do :-)
5. His ability to make me laugh, even when I've had the worst day
6. His willingness to serve others
7. His testimony of the gospel

7 things I say to often

1. 1...2...3 (That's how long we give Will to do something we ask)
2. Oh man!
3. I'm really tired
4. You are so weird
5. I'm feeling blah
6. Can you babysit Will for me? (I have WAY too many doctor's appointments these days, it's ridiculous)
7. When are you coming home? (My poor husband gets sick of me asking this, especially when I'm in a bad mood)

7 Fave celebrity admirations

1. Kiera Knightley
2. James McAvoy
3. Kate Hudson
4. Kurt Bestor :-)
5. Anne Hathaway
6. Marlee Matlin
7. Keith Urban

7 Fave foods

1. Sweet & Sour pork
2. Chocolate
3. Chicken Fettuccine
4. Pears
5. Apples - but only certain kinds
6. Peanut butter sandwiches
7. Fries

7 people I tag

1. Jesika
2. Aubrey
3. Laura
4. Susan
5. Katie R.
6. April
7. Mary P.

What do you get when you put 6 adults, 4 kids, 2 babies, and a whole lot of sugar together?

A really fun party!

Yesterday was Will's birthday, so we had a little birthday party for him, and invited a few of his friends and their parents. We made personal pizzas and had cake and ice cream, the kids played with a fun "bounce house" (which was popular for about 5 minutes) and ran around outside, then Will opened a couple of great presents. It was a lot of crazy, hyper fun (what else do you expect when you put 4 kids age 3 and under together?) Here's a few pictures of our fun morning. I wish there were more, and that I had remembered to take a video of Will blowing out candles, but our computer kept dying on us all morning.




One nice thing about his birthday being in October is that you get all kinds of fun leaves to jump around in. It was a very popular activity.


Will's friend Preston discovered how fun our keyboard is, and it inspired a cute little dance-off between all the kids (yet another video I wasn't able to get)



The kids had a great time making and then eating their own pizzas

And finally, here are a few pictures of Will's fabulous train cake, made with lots of love by Mommy and Daddy :-)

I'm too young to have a 3 year old!

It's hard to believe that Will is turning 3 years old tomorrow. As I'm sure most mothers do, I remember very clearly the day that he was born. I had been in labor for about 12 hours, which of course felt like an eternity, when suddenly I had this little person in my arms. I remember just staring at him for the first day or two, in awe that this adorable little boy was actually mine, and that my whole world was about to change. Since that day, life has never been dull again. He is constantly surprising me, amazing me, worrying me, making me smile, and showing me a whole new world. We have our down days, of course, but when I hear him call out my name in the morning, or I get to hug and kiss him goodnight, I am so thankful that God sent us this wonderful little boy. Happy Birthday Will! We love you.

He's going to be a great husband someday

What girl doesn't want a guy who can do dishes - and no I didn't put him up to it. He saw me doing it and wanted to help. What a good boy :-)

It looks like we're going to have to buy a whole new wardrobe

A new baby wardrobe, that is...cause it's a girl! We found out on Monday that our new addition is a sister for Will. We couldn't be more thrilled, because that's exactly what we were hoping for. But the best part is, as far as the ultrasound could tell, she's perfectly healthy. The picture doesn't show it too well, but if you look closely, you can see that her spine is completely formed, which means there is no sign of Spina Bifida (for those who don't know, that's the disability that I have, so you can see why we're relieved). We are so excited to welcome her into our family. Pink, frilly dresses, here we come! :-)

Time is running out!

We have officially found out the gender of our next child, but we want to give people an opportunity to vote in our poll for what they think the gender is. If you haven't voted yet, the poll is located on the side of the blog. So go ahead and vote and we will make the big announcement on Friday.

Proposition 8

I know that Kristin doesn't much like it when I start talking about politics on our family blog, but I feel like this is an important family issue, and probably the best place to talk about it, so here we go.

As you all surely know, this November, voters in California and other areas will have the chance to vote to determine, in large part, the future of marriage in this country. Of all the issues this fall, this is the one which will have the most lasting and profound effect on what kind of world our children grow up in. Presidents come and go. Economies rise and fall and rise again. Funding programs and international relations and all of these things are really very temporary when compared to the eternal Divine Institution of Marriage. I've blogged on this subject before. First of all, the most important thing we can do is get out and vote! and encourage others to vote! We need to vote and make sure that this proposition passes. This is not just a California issue. This is an issue for the entire country. We have seen very clearly how the issue of marriage cannot be simply left to the states. (Marriage opponents will surely make very obvious use of the Constitution's "Full faith and credit" clause (Article IV Section 1), notwithstanding the Defense of Marriage Act.) Fortunately Massachusetts law has prevented exportation from that state, but California has no such statute.

In a letter from the First Presidency, we have been asked to "do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time to assure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man and a woman." In the early days of the church, members were asked to live the Law of Consecration and give of their skills, labor, time, and earthy possessions (sometimes even all of them) to the work of the Lord and for the building up of the Kingdom. The church today has generally asked very little of us, but shouldn't we be willing to give and live and fulfill our covenants of discipleship to the same measure as our ancestors did?

Once again, I'd just like to encourage all of us to do everything we can to see that this Proposition passes. "Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor. " (D&C 88:81) Let us each do all we can to "warn our neighbors" and fulfill the call that we have been issued.

Chruch's Website on Proposition 8
www.protectmarriage.com
lds.com newsroom articles here and here
BYU Daily Universe articles here, here and here (bottom left of pg 1 on this last one -- I couldn't get the article all by itself)

Humor me, ok?

I know most of you who read this blog would much rather see cute videos and pictures of Will, but I decided to do another tag really quickly, because I was personally tagged this time (as opposed to me stealing her tag ideas :-). I promise I'll get back to the fun and cute stuff next time.

1. Where is your cell phone? Desk
2. Where is your significant other? Studying
3. Your hair color? Brown
4. Your mother? Determined
5. Your father? Funny
6. Your favorite thing? Family
7. Your dream last night? None
8. Your dream/goal? Homeowner
9. The room you're in? Livingroom
10. Your hobby? Reading
11. Your fear? Snakes
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? West
13. Where were you last night? Library
14. What you're not? Organized
15. One of your wish-list items? Home
16. Where you grew up? Utah
17. The last thing you ate? Sandwich
18. What are you wearing? Pj's (and yes, I know it's 4 in the afternoon)
19. Your TV? Off
20. Your pet? None
21. Your computer? On
22. Your mood? Eh
23. Missing someone? Bill
24. Your car? Black
25. Something you're not wearing? Shoes
26. Favorite store? Walmart
27. Your summer? Hot
28. Love someone? Will
29. Your favorite color? Blue
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Yesterday

There's a girl in my ward who always seems to find the most interesting tags, and I thought this one was especially interesting.

Answer all the following two-word leads.

I am: A wife, mother, daughter, sister, granddaughter, aunt, niece, cook, maid, chauffeur

I think: The colors of spring and fall are the most beautiful

I know: The Church is true, Bill will be done with school someday, Will is going to get over "The terrible two" tantrums someday

I want: To go home for Christmas (sigh), a healthy baby, a happy family

I have: The sweetest husband in the world, a roof over my head, a full fridge and cupboards, a college degree, great friends

I dislike: Thunderstorms, spiders, snakes, anything that crawls (insect-wise), super-slow drivers

I fear: Losing my family, failing as a wife and mother, heights

I feel: Tired, sore, a little stressed

I hear: Will watching a movie and throwing a mini-tantrum (Can you tell what kind of day I've been having?)

I smell: The raisin bagel Will had for a snack

I crave: Junk food - hamburgers, fries, and chocolate specifically

I cry: ALL THE TIME - A combination of pregnancy hormones and stressful situations

I usually: Try to get as much done as I can during Will's nap, but never seem to get everything done that I want to

I search: For Will's shoes, my keys, good deals

I wonder: Whether our next child will be a boy or a girl, if I can find a costume for Will

I regret: Losing my temper with my family, being lazy way too much, not being more social

I love: My family, "me" time

I care: About what people think of me, about taking care of the people around me

I always: Waste way too much time watching movies or reading blogs

I worry: About what kind of world my kids will grow up in, whether or not I'm raising Will to be a good person

I am not: A college student anymore...yay!

I remember: How much fun it was when Bill and I were dating, crazy get-together's at friends' houses in high school

I believe: I am capable of being a good mother if I put forth the effort

I dance: With my husband - we look kind of silly sometimes but it's still fun

I sing: Only in church. I'd love to do more, but having kids kind of limits my ability to do so

I don't always: Think before I speak

I argue: About the dumbest things sometimes, especially with Bill

I write: blog posts and e-mails

I win: Computer games

I lose: Almost any other game!

I wish: We had a little more money, that my sore back would go away, that this pregnancy could be done

I listen: To Will quoting lines from the movie he's watching

I don't understand: Why certain trials come into my life

I can usually be found: Unfortunately, in front of the computer. But on good days, playing with Will in his room or outside

I am scared: Of my kids hating me

I need: Chocolate, a hug and kiss from my husband, some "me" time

I forget: A lot of things

I am happy: When my family is happy and we are all getting along

I tag: Everyone

Sleeping on the job

This is kind of a random post, but I thought it was so cute. Will decided to be a little rebel and not take a nap earlier today. It caught up with him while he was eating a snack.

My empathetic child

Being with Will every day, I get to see what kind of a person he is turning out to be. One of the things I've noticed is that he has quite a bit of empathy for pretty much anyone. For example, whenever he hears a baby cry he turns to me and asks "Is the baby sad?" in a very solemn voice, as if he's actually concerned about the baby. Today's conversation in the car after picking him up from his cousin Alice's house went like this:

Will: "I was sad with Alice today"
Mom: "Why were you sad?"
Will: "Because I lost Alice"
Mom: "Oh, I'm sorry. Is she ok now?"
Will: "Alice is happy now"

I think it will be interesting to see what happens when he has a little brother or sister to worry about here in a few months. Should make for some more interesting conversations.

P.S. - We find out next week what we're having! :-)