Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving

I have so much to be thankful for this holiday season, I don't even know where to begin. I guess with some pictures. :)Tragon loves to color with the big boys...sort of. It usually ends with him on the table and the crayons everywhere. It makes a huge mess, but in the end he actually helps me pick them all up and put them back, so I don't mind too much. I do mind however, when one of the crayons sneaks downstairs and decides to paint a pretty alphabet mural on my hallway walls. I'm thankful for Mr. Clean magic erasers.
So far Tragon has been the only boy that will actually strip his diaper off every chance he gets. Maybe this will be a good sign for potty training. I think this day I was cleaning up the kitchen before bathtime so I just let him run around in his diaper and he came upstairs holding his diaper and trying to get it back on. It was too cute to pass up. And, he is a shoe thief, if there are shoes laying around, he will try and put them on and a lot of times he's successful, it's actually helped me to get my shoes back in my room instead of laying around the house where I can't find them when I need them. I'm thankful for all my kids' independence!
We went down to St. George for Thanksgiving and we couldn't have asked for better weather. We were able to eat Thanksgiving dinner outside and it was awesome. The boys all had a blast playing in the backyard with the car and leaves and everything else. I'm thankful for warm weather in the winter.
Morgan would push all the boys and cousins around in the car around the backyard and they loved it. Morgan got quite the workout too. In the end, he and my dad rigged up and welded a pretty sweet handle to push them around, then they could get a little air on the bumps because they could go faster. I'm thankful for a husband who loves to play with his kids!
Logan loved being outside and playing in the nest of leaves. My mom and dad raked them all into a pile one morning and the grandkids had a blast being eggs and then hatching. I'm grateful the Fall leaves and fund it brings!
My mom got to play with all the grandkids and they all love grandma. Her energy astounds me and her patience seems infinite when it comes to the grandkids. I'm grateful for a mom who teaches and shows me constantly how to be a better mom!
Tragon loved the airplane teeter totter, that kid has no fear. He did need a little help holding on sometimes, otherwise he'd just try to balance. He's got some mad balancing skills, but not quite that good. I'm grateful for all my kids' excitement and energy when they play!
On Friday we went to the rodeo to see my cousin do some roping. We went a little early and got to watch a few things. The kids had fun, we played on the playground and bit and they loved to see all the horses. It took a lot of attention to keep them all together, so no pictures of that, but afterwards, we went to my dad's hangar because the grandkids wanted to see his airplane. It was too cold to fly and would have been a little crazy with all the little ones running around, but we got the plane out and they all got to climb around in it. I'm grateful for my dad's and how hardworking he is and for the love that he is constantly teaching us!
Damon loved climbing around in the plane. In this particular plane, the passenger actually sits up front and the pilot sits in the back. I'm grateful for this airplane and all the fun memories we will have with it!
Logan is getting so big and independent. He could climb into the airplane all by himself. Sometimes I have to remind myself that he is the oldest grandkid on my side, while being more towards middle and younger on the other side. He is growing up so fast. I'm grateful for Logan and for his eagerness to learn and his funny little comments!
Logan and Damon shared a seat for a while. Those two are just two peas in a pod. They love and fight like brothers and best friends. I'm grateful for the friendship my kids have with one another!
I'm not sure how long we spent at the airport, but I hope that next summer they will be ready to fly. We took Logan once already, but Damon hasn't gone up yet. He said maybe when he's four he'll ride in Papa's airplane. I'm grateful for family, immediate and extended!

Tragon was running all over the tarmac, so it was nice to finally plop him down in the pilot's seat where he couldn't go anywhere for a while. He loved looking and pushing all the buttons and controls. I'm grateful for his easygoing nature and his curiosity about everything!
Logan loved to put on the goggles and tell us that everything was orange. Sometimes he can be such a ham and clamor for attention, but other times, he's shy and timid. I'm grateful for the many personalities of all my kids.
My dad had to put some air in one of the tires and turned on his little air compressor. At first Tragon ran right for the noise delighted while the rest of the kids covered their ears, a little scared. After he saw everyone else covering their ears, he decided to as well. I'm grateful for the little things in life, that I can hear, see, smell, touch, and experience the world with all my senses and that my kids can too.
And there's Papa filling up the tire. I remember when he was first building this airplane and how much dedication and patience it must have taken. I remember how freezing cold that first flight was when I got to go up in January. I'm grateful for such a great example of so many worthy qualities!
We had a little cake and celebration for all the birthdays. Tragon especially loved the cake. :) I'm grateful for all the fun and silly messes we have been able to make over the years.
Damon is also growing up so fast. He's almost caught up to Logan in height and is getting a little better with his temper. I still have to remind myself that he's only 3. All my boys had such a fun time in St. George playing with their cousins, and grandparents. I'm grateful that we live close enough to make these memories with our family happen frequently.

Mostly I'm grateful for my husband, he is such a good daddy and husband, and I feel so blessed to have him in my life. I wouldn't be able to take on these crazy boys without him. He is my partner in crime in every way. I'm grateful for my Savior who made it possible for us to have our agency so that we might experience all the joys, sorrows, and everything that goes with this mortal experience. I'm grateful for that plan that will allow us to return to Him and for the opportunity for eternal life. I'm grateful that families can be together forever, for mine means everything to me and I can't imagine being without them. It was a really great Thanksgiving and I hope that in the days, weeks, years, and tough times that will come that I will remember theses good times and draw strength from them to overcome my impatience and frustration and struggles, because I know that hard times will come...sheesh, I still have at least 2 more kids to potty train and one hasn't even been born yet. :) Until next time.....

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Happy Birthday to Us!

It's been a while, but that's because we've all been sick and then getting better and then getting sick and getting better again. :) My birthday was on the 6th and it was during the recovery phase still. I had a good birthday and got some new winter boots that I was terribly in need of and now I can't wait to use them....well, yes I can.

This past weekend, my parents and a brother and fam came up for a cousin's wedding. It was fun to have them around and the kids have so much fun together. We didn't really take any pictures...I hate it when that happens. Next time.... Morgan had to work really late on Friday and ended up missing the reception, it was a really long day for him, but we played Monopoly that night and he totally whooped us all.

Today, (13th) is Morgan's birthday and the poor guy was up all night violently throwing up. I think he's thrown up twice in the last 7 years that we've been married. He thinks it might have been something he ate...I hope so, because I don't want to catch that bug. :( So, right now he's resting and taking a nap. I guess I'll have to do his special breakfast and other meals another day.

Here's to crazy birthdays. :) Until next time...

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Happy Halloween

My little lumberjack Tragon. This was before Halloween, and the shirt just barely fit him, so no this is not his Halloween costume, just him being cute one day and I grabbed the camera.
Here are my Halloween boys. Logan and Damon wanted to be bats for Halloween so they could run around and screech and boy did they. I latched on to the idea because I figured it would be a pretty quick costume to put together. I was going to have them turn their shirts inside out so they would be all black, but they wanted their shirts on the right way.
We had a leftover costume of Batman that fit Tragon, so it was perfect!
I was glad Logan was feeling good on Halloween. He went to pre-school and did a little trick or treat thing there, and then they had barely enough energy to go that night. He woke up pretty sick the next morning, but I think we're on the mend. Too bad he hasn't been able to enjoy his candy yet though.
This is us just before we left. We thought we would leave around 5:30-6:00 and go "early" and be back for the other trick or treaters, but everyone was out, so we pretty much missed everyone. It seemed to be a fatherly tradition to take the kids, so I think next year, me and the baby will stay home to pass out candy and let Daddy take the bigger boys. :)

I hope they pick easy costumes again. All I had to do was cut a little felt, sew on some loops to keep it on their arms and cut out and stuff some ears and sew them on to a beanie. And now I can take the ears off the beanie and they each have a new beanie for the winter. Hooray. I think Halloween is just going to get more fun as they get older. Actually, holidays in general are starting to be more fun. I love my boys, they wear me out right now, but they sure are fun!