Let It Snow...well, at least after we have the baby.

This past week..or month..or so..we actually got a day of good snow in. At least enough to build a snowman for the day. It pretty much melted the next day, but the boys were really excited to build it.I decided that snowman building should be reserved for those non-pregnant parents though...it was really awkward trying to squat down and roll the snowballs, and tough to lift them up on top of each other. Somehow we made it though. It was a fun day to get outside and play a little with my boys while I had some energy.
I love being able to go outside with the boys and now that they are a little older they stay within the boundaries a little better...at least Logan and Damon do, and Tragon for the most part just follows them around. I've really enjoyed having warmer weather so we can go outside, but I'm also missing the snow, it just hasn't felt like winter. I do hope that we continue to have good weather at least until we bring the baby home, but then, Let It Snow!
Our boys love to look at books. It becomes something they do at least a couple times a day. This was one night before bed when Logan wanted to read some books to Damon. And he really reads them. He's been doing so well picking up on reading as long as the pages don't have too many sentences on them he'll give it a try and he gets so excited when he "learns" a book.
Tragon will usually find one or two favorite books and just carry them around with him all day or he'll jump up on the couch when I'm reading and he'll look at his books next to me. I've really enjoyed that. The only challenge is when they all want to read different books at the same inconvenient time...i.e., while I'm trying to make dinner or cleanup. That's when it's nice to be able to defer to Logan now to read some books to the other boys who for the most part are compliant.
Damon has a play group that he's been involved in and today it was my turn to host so we had three of his friends over. They had a good time. I think Tragon was the only one that threw a fit and that was mostly because it was getting close to his naptime. They are a fun bunch of kids and it will be fun to see them all grow up together, I hope they all stick around for a good while.

In other news we got our tax returns back and were able to pay of our last 3 credit cards, Lowe's RCWilley, and our VISA. We even had a little extra money leftover that we might finally get our TV for the basement. It was a huge weight off our back to get them paid off and our goal for this year is to only use our VISA in a real emergency...we got a little lax with it last year in the anticipation of money coming, or whatever, but this year, we're cracking down. Now we only have a personal loan that we took out to finish the basement that we should be able to pay off by the end of the year, and other than that, just student loans....which someday we'll get rid of. :)

Morgan's Weber job and the prospect of renting or selling our house in OK will definitely help speed up that process. We're finally turning over our house in OK to a property management group in hopes that it will take off some of the stress of being a landlord. Ideally we'd just sell it, but the market is just not cooperating, it's been up for sale for almost a year now.

We've got about 2 more weeks until our baby will finally join the family and on that front we're just taking it one day at a time. I'm so ready to not be pregnant that I would be happy to have this baby right now if I could. I'm excited to see how the boys do with another baby brother. I know that Logan is getting pretty excited and I think Damon is more excited this time around than he was with Tragon, and Tragon is pretty fascinated with babies in general, so I think he'll do just fine. I just need to get him to stop climbing in the crib. :)

Until next time...

A New Year Begins Welcome 2012

I'm really looking forward to 2012, I'm not sure why...maybe finally having this baby is one part, but also, Logan will start Kindergarten in the Fall and it's so fun to see my boys growing up. We had a fun activity for Family Night...one of these Mondays the past couple weeks and we made home made personal pizzas.
The boys got to smash out their own dough on a square of tinfoil and put on the sauce, cheese, mini pepperoni, etc. They had a blast making them. Logan even ate his, Damon, not so much.
They have been helping me in the kitchen more lately. It's easier than trying to get them distracted with something and if I can just have the patience to let them help for a few minutes, then they are satisfied and will go play on their own for a while.
They help stir the pancake mix, they help dump the ingredients to different things, and the other night they even helped me stuff and batter the chicken pillows which turned out really good despite the crazy blobs they appeared to be.
I'm so ready to have this baby though. I should look back and see if I was this comfortable with all my other pregnancies and just forgot, or if this one really has been as uncomfortable and it has been...not that pregnancy is meant to be comfortable or convenient, but still, this baby boy just seems bigger and feistier than the others were in the womb.
Tragon loves to sit at the table like a big boy now and we've actually gotten rid of his booster seat since this picture. He sits better at the table without it. And usually if I give him a bowl or spoon to play with while the boys are "helping" me make dinner he's pretty content to stay out the way.

This past week we all got hit with the flu/cold bug...(and we all got our flu shots this year too...so much for that). Logan and I got hit the hardest I think, at least we were the only ones actually up all night and the next day vomiting. I couldn't keep anything down for a couple of days and got really dehydrated to the point that I was having a lot of contractions, I was actually hoping I would really be in labor and could just recuperate in the hospital. :) but alas, it wasn't his time. We've all recovered pretty well. Damon and Tragon ended up with croup instead. Morgan's has been somewhere in between flu and ultra-indigestion. I think we are all on the mend though. Enough of the sickness though, here's some updates and things to look forward too:

-Morgan took up a post teaching 1 class a semester at Weber State for the Radiation Therapy program that he went through. One of his colleagues at Huntsman used to be the instructor, but moved away and Morgan was lucky enough to get it. He did a little teaching when we were in Oklahoma and enjoyed it, so we thought we'd give it a try and see how it goes. Right now it's been a little stressful because he's had to re-build a lot of the class structure and content, but I'm sure we'll be grateful when that first extra paycheck comes and we can pay off some of our debt. And he only teaches 1 night/month for the semester which is about 4-5 classes in all, we're not exactly sure the Summer Semester schedule yet, but for the fall it's about the same. He's still serving in the Young Men's and his quorum that he started with a couple years ago has almost all moved up and he's getting a lot more new boys in his group, so that will definitely bring some changes this year.

-Annie, me, I'm just ready to have the baby, but I already complained about that earlier. :) I'm enjoying being mom, cooking and trying to get organized. I'm still into my food storage hobby, thought limited funds have limited my speed at which I can get those things organized that I want. Little by little though as long as we're headed in the right direction. I can hardly wait to start running again, and we have indoor soccer going with some neighborhood ladies that I'm really excited about. I'm still working on having more patience with my boys, they just love to get into anything and everything (especially Tragon), but I love them for their curiosity, even if I don't show it in the nicest way some days.

-Logan is reading and loving his online pre-school that he has been doing. He's made a good transition to home pre-school too although that hasn't been super consistent yet with all the sickness we've had. This next week will prove different though. He'll start kindergarten in the fall and I know he's getting really excited for that already. A lot of his friends in the neighborhood are already in school.

-Damon is showing a lot of interest in "school" stuff, but gets frustrated pretty easy...he still has a couple years before Kindergarten so I'm not too worried. He loves to play with Logan, but has started to show a little more independence lately and will play on his own or try to teach Tragon his games. He's definitely NOT a morning person...or a person who likes to wake up at all for that matter. He's great at getting dressed by himself now which is a huge blessing not to have to dress all 3 boys, now I only have to get Tragon dressed.

-Tragon is into everything and loves to tease, whether it's me, Morgan, Logan, or Damon. He knows exactly where everyone's buttons are and he loves to push them, but he does it in such a sweet way that I can't help but play along....most of the time. Logan and Damon don't always find it so funny, but I'm surprised at their patience with their little brother sometimes. He's started to talk a lot and his vocabulary is exploding. He's in nursery now and has been doing really well, so far the best transition of all the boys, I think mostly because he just loves to be around people and to be playing.

All the boys love to read stories and we go to the library pretty regularly. Morgan loves to read to the boys, but there is something about him reading that puts him to sleep, sometimes mid-sentence. It's one of those little quirks I don't want to forget about when the boys grow up and it doesn't happen as often. They'll be reading together and suddenly I hear Morgan slurring his words a little and look over and Morgan is totally out with the boys still waiting patiently for Daddy to finish the book. hehehe, granted, it usually happens on Saturdays and Sundays when we're all recovering from a busy week and sometimes the narcolepsy isn't very convenient for me and I'll wake him up, but mostly I'm just grateful for a husband who loves his boys and will spend time with them playing and reading. I love my family and I'm looking forward to having more fun with them and enjoying them more this year!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

We had such a wonderful Christmas. I wish I would have posted a little sooner though. So, Christmas Eve we went and spent with Morgan's parents and family in Sandy. It was definitely a full house, but it was fun. The boys had a blast seeing all their cousins and getting to play. Grandma and Papa got them some fun books to look at and some pajamas that they are so excited to wear every time they come out of the washer. :)Logan got a new dress shirt in his stocking and wore it Christmas Day, he was very handsome. Damon got him a Spiderman watch that he sported more of the day too, it's a little bit too big on his wrist and he just can't help himself when it comes to pushing the buttons, so the time on his watch isn't always terribly accurate.
Damon got a new pair of shoes (killer deal at Kohl's for about $3.00) in his stocking and they matched his Sunday outfit, so he got to wear his tennis shoes to church, but no more since they have now been in the dirt pile by our house. :)
Tragon got some socks in his stockings. I hadn't realized how much his feet had grown until I noticed that his heel on his sock was closer to the toe than the heel. :) And I was really surprised when the bigger size of jammies fit him. Damon is now passing clothes basically straight to Tragon instead of having to skip a size and wait a little longer. He sure has grown up fast. I guess I'm ready now for another baby to snuggle.
Damon, Daddy, and Logan were having fun with the Christmas Stockings. Logan used his like a hat and Damon and Morgan walked around the house for a while with them as booties.
We were all going to have a "sleepover" in the boys room Christmas Eve, but about the middle of the night it just wasn't working out, so I went back to my chair, Morgan took Tragon up to bed, and he did too. Still though, we were pretty wiped out the next day, as you can see by Morgan little cat nap before church.
Damon actually took the picture of me and Buddy. It was after several attempts though to get him not to put his thumb over the lens or the flash or something.
The boys love to help me make breakfast and most of the time they are pretty good with it. I think this was closer to New Years than Christmas. We were making some french puff pastry things for breakfast. They turned out pretty good, but I put a little too much cinnamon and sugar, so next time we'll know better.
They love to pull the chairs over and help me measure and dump and stir.
And like I said, most of the time they are pretty good, except for the time a few days ago when we were making apple/pear pie filling and Logan was taste testing the chopped apples and pears and came to a pear he didn't like and he spit it out in the pan with all the good apples and pears....I think I was able to get it all out, suffice it to say we didn't share those with the neighbors. :)
Logan is getting too old for me too fast. He wants to do everything on his own and can't understand why he just can't yet. I know I need to let go of some things, but sometimes I just want to do it all.
Logan and Damon are the best of buds even though they sometimes fight like cats and dogs. In the end they would be very bored if they didn't have each other. Most of the time Damon is willing to go along with Logan's scheme's but I've seen Damon really put his foot down too, or maybe I should say "sink his teeth in" when he disagrees or feels picked on. :)
Logan at the end of the New Year: 4 years old going on at least 7. His smiles and "good" manners are enough to allow him to do basically anything....if only he knew that. :) Most of the time he is a super helper and is very willing to help me around the house. He has a sneaky side to him and knows how to make mischief, but is still pretty sensitive to everything around him.
Damon: 3 years old going on....5. He thinks he needs to be in school with Buddy too. Good thing this new year we'll be doing "home preschool" He loves to play and still loves Thomas the Tank Engine. He's a great helper when he wants to be, but just as stubborn too. Again, when he uses his "good" manners and "nice" voice he could probably weasel anything out of me, but he's still perfecting that talent.
And Tragon at the end of the year is 17 1/2 months and ready to nursery, that's for sure. He's been going in with me on occasion when I do music time in there and has been really good. He'as a climber and jumper and follower of his big brothers. His vocabulary is exploding right now and he can communicate with us pretty well. He loves do be getting into things and mischief and has a sly little grin and glint in his eye when he does. He loves to be chased around, but is also a very independent person and is fine playing alone.

I love my family so much and this year has definitely been filled with it's challenges. We ended the year by watching "17 Miracles" and boy does that change your perspective and outlook for the next year. We are so grateful for what we have been blessed with and hope that we can continue to earn those blessings. Our goals for the new year center mainly on those things that are going to bring our family closer to our Savior and closer as a family.

We are excited for the New Year and all that it will bring along with it...especially our new baby boy who will hopefully make his appearance sooner rather than later. :) So, until next time....

Christmas Weekend

We have had so much fun having Daddy home for a couple days this holiday break. We've been playing lots of board games.And having lots of fun just being a family.
And enjoying some yummy treats (Nutella toast).
Candyland has been the favorite as of late. Morgan had Thursday and Friday off this week and so on Thursday I didn't have to get a babysitter for my dr. appt. or my dentist appt. and it was so nice. They played lots of fun games during that time.

In between my appointments we took the boys to do their own Christmas shopping at the dollar store. They have been earning money helping me do laundry and unload the dishwasher and they were pretty excited to take their money in. I'm not sure they quite understood the concept of giving their money away and there being less of that, or at least caring what that really meant. But it was really fun to see them pick stuff out for each other. I helped Tragon, but Logan was pretty in tune with what he thought his brothers would like. Damon still needed a few suggestions, but still picked out some awesome stuff and they'll have a couple surprises from each other. They did think it was pretty cool to hand the cashier all their quarters and coins.

We took them out to lunch at Chik-fil-a and they got to play in the little play place area for a while and really enjoyed that, but it was getting pretty crowded, so we came home to let Tragon get a good nap.

Thursday afternoon when Tragon woke up we were looking for something to do and since we have the pass of all passes and it was really windy and cold we decided to check out Trafalga...so was everyone else, there were no parking spots and nobody outside, so we knew it would be too crowded. We opted to go "real" bowling at the new Jack and Jill lanes in Lehi. As a bonus I had a buy one get one free game too. The boys loved it. They had cool little ramps that the boys could put the ball on and then push it off. They were giving Morgan quite a run for his money. :) They only really had the attention span for one game, so we had to get a little creative to keep them into for the second game. We let Tragon play on the second game, the first one he just watch absolutely fascinated. He would give his hand a big kiss and then slap that ball down the ramp, it was hilarious. We got it on video, but it was on my phone and not very good quality so I didn't upload it.

After bowing we went to their arcade place since I had a few dollars in my wallet. We did a big wheel spin for tickets after doing some kiddie ski ball and Logan was only one square away from the 1000 jackpot for tickets, he did end up with 50, so we thought, sweet, let's get some more tickets. Damon ended getting us another 25, and of courser Morgan had to try and show them how it was done and ended up with 15. Haha. They loved it. We let them pick out some little trinkets and treats at the ticket counter and they thought that was pretty cool.

We came home and had some dinner and then we watched a movie together, The Incredible's, which the boys will now watch and request, slowly they are started to watch the movies that they used to love before they got too "scary." It was so nice to just spend the day together and have some fun with Daddy. The boys are going to be sad when he has to go back to work on Tuesday.

On Friday morning we all pitched in and got the house cleaned...thanks to my super scrubber Morgan who did all the tubs, showers, and toilets for me. The weather was beautiful...a little disappointing in the sense that we were really hoping to do some sledding and tubing this break, but alas, you need snow for that. Anyway, there was no wind so we decided to go to the park. I had a few books to get at the library, so the boys dropped me off and I picked up the books and walked up to the park. It was good to get a little fresh air and take a little walk. As I was coming up to the park and I could see my boys (Morgan included) running around on the playground playing tag and hollering and laughing, I just thought to myself how lucky I am to have such a great husband and father who loves his kids and loves to be with them and to play. They were having a blast. We stayed for about 45 minutes before they all started getting a little too cold and were ready for lunch.

Later that afternoon after many rounds of Uno, Memory, Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, among others we were starting to get a little bored. So we decided to binge a little again and took them to Del Taco for dinner so they could play in that play place (seriously, this is usually a once a year occasion so they were pretty stoked, but that just happens when I'm exhausted and don't feel like making dinner and it's the holidays:) After that we decided to stop by Costco, mostly just to kill time, but also to check TVs. Eventually we'll get one for the basement, in the meantime we're just keeping an eye on prices, but maybe next Christmas. :) After the boys had played on all the display toys it was time to go, so we loaded up, came home and got the kids to bed. Then we decided to watch King Kong. We are seriously lacking any Christmas specials, so I'll have to look for some good ones during the after Christmas sale time. Anyway, I made it through the first couple hours before I fell asleep, it's a good thing I usually end up sleeping on a chair anyway, so I could just stay there for the night.

I'm really excited for the rest of the holiday, but I'll do that in the next post, this one is getting kind of long, so until next time......Christmas Eve and Christmas Day......

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.....

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...

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!