My Kids Are The Cutest

I'm sure yours are cute too, but mine take the cake in my book. :)

Weston

Weston is such a little grown up. For example the other day there were Cars magnets on the kitchen floor and I called out something to the effect of, "Who left the Cars magnets on the floor? If they don't get picked up in the next 30 seconds they're going in the trash!" (in a super nice voice, of course). And he ran in saying "Sorry Mom. Quite by accident I left them out." Quite by accident? Where did he pick that up? I'm sure I never talk that properly, so it must have been from his teacher at school or something.

Weston is such a baby. When he doesn't get his way he pouts and huffs. Here he is at Davin's birthday party after he was told to let Davin open his own presents. Apparently being 5 is hard sometimes.
Weston is such a sweetie. He coos and talks to his baby sister with so much love. He is really a very kind big brother to Davin most of the time. I have to remind myself of how great a kid he is so that I'm not too hard on him and so he knows I love him. The other day we were going through all the books on the boys shelves weeding out the ones that were falling apart or that we don't read anymore. I pulled one out called "Mommy's Little Boy." I was going to put it in the DI pile since we haven't read it in ages and it is just a cheap dollar store type of book, but Weston caught my hand and said, "Mom, don't throw that one away! I always read that when I'm crying. Sometimes when I'm in trouble I don't think you love me." Oh my goodness, funny and break my heart at the same time. I sighed and gave him a big hug and told him for the thousandth time that I always love him. :)

Davin

Davin's preschooler speech is adorable. My favorite is when he is angry at Weston or trying to get him to do something he calls him Weston Wobewt. It's hilarious. About 6 months ago he used to call him Weston James when he was mad because that's what he gets called (Davin James) when he is in trouble or being told to do something (usually for the 5th or 6th time).

Davin is smart. He knows all his letters. He was wandering around the house yesterday singing the ABC song. This morning when I turned on A Grand Day Out (Wallace & Grommit) he got all excited and said "Dat my name! Dat my name on dere!" Whenever he sees a capital letter D he thinks it is his name. :)

Davin loves to pretend. He is very rarely Davin. He is most often Buzz or Spiderman, either flying or shooting webs. He also like to pretend to be a puppy or kitty. As you may remember from a previous post, he will want to be pet, eat food off the floor, and bark incessantly. Who needs a real pet?

Davin is a peanut. Weighing in at only 26 pounds at age three he is a lightweight. We love to throw him around when we play. He is also still a great size for snuggling. Lately he has been wanting hugs. He'll come in (usually while I am feeding Talia or otherwise occupied) and say, "Mom, you dive me hugs? Pweease?" How can I say no to that? I can't. Sometimes he has to wait, but I love giving him big hugs and loves so it works out.

Talia

Her cuteness really needs no explanation. She just is. I love how her face lights up when she sees me.
She is getting really good at locking her legs and standing. She can also sit up in the Bumbo for a few minutes without bobbling too much. She is a mellow, happy baby (for the most part). She doesn't like to miss out on the action though because she rarely naps while we are on outings. She still wakes up once each night, but is going to sleep in her crib at night on her own just fine. She takes her naps during the day in the swing. She is still mostly nursing, but gets 1-2 formula bottles each day depending on how much we are out. She loves to be naked. I usually let her hang out in her crib and watch her mobile for a little while in just a diaper before getting her in jammies. She is happy for baths, and I think she's going to love summer when all she has to wear is a onesie. :)

Being a mom is a pretty great job. There are days where I wish I could be the one leaving for "work" in the morning instead of Ian, but then I remember how much I would miss out on.
Life is good.

Journaling

This blog really is my journal. After printing up the last 3 and a half years worth of blog posts into books. I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity I have to record my life at this time. Being a young mother is a busy (and sometimes frustrating), but wonderful season of life. I know that I will look back on my blog as such a treasure.

Anyway, I realized that I very rarely post on Sundays. I also tend to not post too many of my spiritual thoughts. I'm trying to change that though. This has been quite the weekend. I played the piano for a baptism on Saturday morning. Weston came with me. I love that he always wants to come to things like that. He has come to several baptisms and funerals that I have played at. Always by choice. He almost didn't come this time when I told him he couldn't bring a toy to play with, but at the last minute decided to join me. I don't know if he just doesn't want to miss out or if these kinds of things just fascinate him. Either way it makes me happy that he chooses to be where the spirit is.

Saturday evening was the General Young Women Meeting. It was broadcast at the stake center and I really wanted my YW to be there. I called them all to remind them and offer rides on Saturday afternoon. I may have also sort of bribed them by taking them out for ice cream after. :) I was very pleased that all but three of them came. There were lots of good talks and beautiful music. Very uplifting.

Today was a super busy Sunday. I'll be honest, it stressed me out a little. I taught the lesson in Young Women's then also spoke in Sacrament meeting with the rest of the YW presidency. This means that I had spent several evenings this week studying and preparing my lesson and talk. I lucked out that I got to teach the lesson on repentance to the YW. I ended up only having about 25 minutes to teach, but I think the main message got across. I hope that I inspired them a little to get down on their knees and repent today. I wanted them to know how much our Savior loves us. He wants us to be happy and repentance is the way. We make mistakes. Every day. But the atonement is there for us every day too.

I told a story from my teenage years about a time when I had lied to my parents. I don't even remember what it was about. I sure hope I'm not the only one who lied to my parents as a teenager, but anyway, I felt horrible about it. I knew I needed to tell them the truth and apologize. I was so scared. I was sure I would be grounded for life. When I sat down to talk to my mom and dad I was crying and told them what I had done. I said I was sorry and that I knew I was wrong. I will never forget my dad simply putting his arm around me and saying that he loved me and he was proud of me. When we repent I imagine our Heavenly Father has the exact same feelings of love, joy, and pride for us times at least a hundred.

My point was that repentance isn't something we need to be afraid of. It's how we grow and progress spiritually. And our Father in Heaven loves us and will forgive us! Anyway, it was a good lesson. Amazingly I got through most of it without crying. I thought my handouts turned out pretty cute too.
My talk was on making and keeping covenants. I was a little worried about it because I didn't have an experience to share pop into my mind when I heard the topic. However, after some research and reading several talks on the subject I was pretty happy with my talk. I was so inspired by the talks I read too.

My favorite was a talk by Bonnie D. Parkin, the Relief Society General President, called "With Holiness of Heart." She says, "Making covenants is the expression of a willing heart; keeping covenants, the expression of a faithful heart. Sounds so simple on paper, doesn’t it? Of course, the doing is where we prove who we really are. Thus, every time we reach out with love, patience, kindness, generosity, we honor our covenants by saying, “Here am I; send me.”"

We keep our covenants every day without really thinking about it when we live the commandments, serve others, and teach our families. We reap the blessings from living those covenants too. This week/weekend has been full of wonderful teaching moments for me. I'm grateful for the opportunities I have to serve in the church, and for my testimony of my Savior. I hope you all had an equally inspiring and wonderful weekend!

PS-Weston asked if he could take pictures of Talia the other day. He actually got some really cute shots. This was my favorite one, after the picture he took of her socks, of course. ;)

Davin's Big Day!

Yesterday my baby Davin officially turned 3! Every time my kids have a birthday I can't believe how big they are getting. It's happening so gradually right in front of my eyes that when milestones like birthday creep up the fact that they are growing up hits me right between the eyes. Anyway, Davin is just the cutest and he had a very happy birthday.

Davin started the day with presents! He got a Chuck the Talkin' Truck play set, a Playdough backpack (full of Playdough and tools), the movie How to Train Your Dragon, the book Olivia, a new shirt, a Toy Story 3 Glodoodle, and some Cars magnets. So far he loves all his new things! Although I have no idea where we are going to keep the Chuck playset. It's way bigger than I thought it would be when I bought it online.
He went to preschool in the morning and got to decorate a cookie like a cat and wear the birthday crown. I wish I could have taken a picture with my eyes when I walked into his classroom to pick him up. He was sitting at the head of the table wearing his crown, with frosting all over his face from his cookie. Bahhh it was so cute!

From school we went straight on our outing. Davin picked Carl's Jr. for lunch, although he didn't eat anything except fries. He loved the play place though, so I guess that's what counts. After we ate and played for awhile we drove the rest of the way to the dinosaur museum. Davin loves the dino museum, so of course that's the outing he chose. We had a nice time. It wasn't too crowded and there was even a new exhibit since the last time we went in January! Talia did great! She slept then was happy when she was awake, even though I forgot to bring a bottle so she hadn't eaten in awhile. Whoops!
We came home and were all pretty exhausted. The boys watched their new movie and played with new toys all afternoon. We had a picnic dinner of grilled hot dogs, fruit and chips (per Davin's request) while we watched the BYU basketball game. Sadly, they lost, but it was a good game! Anyway, it was a happy day for my little Dav man!

Finally, here are a few photos from earlier in the week. Davin was pretending to be a puppy and was climbing all over me, so I distracted him with some "dog food" (aka Reeses Puffs cereal). Well Weston didn't want to be left out of eating dog food on the floor, so they both ate their afternoon snack from the floor. Silly boys. :)
And simply because she's cute and I don't think I had any pictures of her in this outfit, here's a couple pics of baby girl! I always think she looks like a piece of candy in this outfit. I could just eat her up!

Bargain Shopping

I swear Kohl's is bargain shopping at it's best. I wait until I have lots of coupons to combine then I hit up the clearance racks and get some things I know we will need, but I get them for a lot cheaper. I had a handful of $10 off coupons that I have used up in the last couple weeks plus an extra 15% off one for this weekend. Here's the summation of my shopping fun. You know I love a good deal!

Things I've bought at Kohl's recently:
-2 pairs of underwear for me
-new bra
-capris (in a smaller size too. Hooray!)
-nice work shirt for Ian
-new pajama shirt for me
-cute picture frame for the boys' room
-2 pairs of shorts for Ian
-2 pairs of Speedo goggles for the boys
-wall decor for the den
Spent: 59.72
Saved: 245.51

Plus, when I shopped this weekend I also got 2 more $10 off any $10 purchase Kohl's cash coupons that are good this week, so I will be using those too. Probably to get Ian a new white shirt (he goes through them fast now that he's in the bishopric and wearing them multiple times per week) and jeans. Needless to say I was pretty excited about my fun deals. And I love having something fun up in the den!

Birthday Fun

First of all, THANK YOU! for all the fun birthday wishes and memories. I loved it. I had forgotten about some of those fun/funny things we had done together. Thanks friends!

I had a really wonderful birthday day. I spent the morning exercising and showering when I wasn't running kids to school. After I picked up the boys from preschool we met up with a friend for lunch at Jason's Deli. Yummy. We had a nice, long lunch at a restaurant without a playplace. The kids were really very well behaved and ate their food. After lunch we drove across the street to the mall where I bought myself some new makeup at Clinique and got my free gift. Always fun. Next we hit up See's for some birthday chocolate, then ended the outing at the little play area. It was a good outing with happy kids.

I spent the afternoon reading and relaxing. Definitely not doing the millions of chores and such that I knew I would have to do on Friday. Ian bathed the kids and put them to bed while I picked up Pei Wei takeout for dinner. We ate and watched shows together. The night was capped off with a cupcake with a candle in it and a little Happy Birthday serenade from my thoughtful hubby.

Friday was hectic, but I did get to meet up with another friend to check out the new Chick Fil A at Fort Union. Mostly my impression of it was that it was crowded. :) After lunch we swung into Target to pick up the photos of the kids we had done last weekend. They really aren't my favorite pictures, but they are ok, and I'm glad to have a photo of Talia for the living room wall.

This morning we had an early ward conference meeting/training. That meant that I had to leave early so I would have an hour to get things ready for Davin's Toy Story birthday party. The party was actually really low key and fun. He loved it.

We had pizza, chips, apples, root beer, and capri suns for lunch. After we ate, the kids ran around playing for awhile. Once they were rounded up we played pin the badge on Woody. Ian made each of the kids really cute badges. Davin's said Sheriff Davin and the rest of the kids were deputies. That was about all the organized game playing they were up for, which worked out just fine. Next we did cupcakes and sang to Davin. He was so funny about blowing out his candles. He did them in short little bursts of air, so it took him two tries to get them all out. :)
Lastly we opened presents. He got a new set of Thomas train tracks to add to his collection (which he has been very into playing with in the last month or so). He also got a new Jessie action figure and a set of color changing Cars characters. His friends gave him a Nerf gun. He loves it. Tara apologized to me after he opened it, but I don't mind. I assumed Nerf dart guns were part of the deal when I had boys. Also, the boys aren't strong enough to cock the gun themselves, so I have a good regulation on it. After some more playing with toys and the adults visiting everyone headed home. I think it was a success. Davin loved it and said "I haff birfday gain?" Lucky for him he still has an actual birthday day this next week and will get to have just as much fun again. Love that boy!

Happy Birthday Shannon

Happy Birthday to the love of my life.

(It's kind of a big deal)

Your no frills birthday present to Shannon: Share a comment about a fun time you remember with her (birthday related or otherwise).

Happenings, In Shorthand

Friday night we went on a date and I got to eat an Apple Pie caramel apple.

Talia turned 3 months on Saturday!
We got the kids' pictures taken and went out to lunch together.

Ian put together my new nightstands.
I got to go shopping and found great deals.

We lost an hour of sleep on Sunday.

I lost another member of my YW presidency.

We had gorgeous Sunday weather and took a family walk.

Everyone slept in on Monday morning.

We had dinner and FHE with friends.

Davin drew his first real picture.

PS-My friend from CA, Jenn, has a fabulous blog full of cool vintage finds, great music, and yummy treat recipes. She is also hosting a CSN stores giveaway! Go HERE to enter!

So Far This Week . . .

Ian was home for dinner on Monday and I made meatloaf for the first time. It turned out pretty good. Not awesome though because I used store bought breadcrumbs instead of fresh ones (I just wasn't up to getting out the blender, using it, then cleaning it), and I accidentally dumped in a bunch of Famous Dave's Steak and Burger seasoning instead of Johnny Salt. Whoops. It was still a good comfort meal for a snowy day.

Yesterday Weston and Davin both had school. I spent my free hour grocery shopping at Walmart. I found a white 42 inch ceiling fan on clearance for $20! We were wanting one for the boys' room, so I was excited to find a good deal. The boys didn't nap, so we spent the afternoon goofing around, play fighting, playing hide and seek, and playing hot/cold.
Ian went to IKEA on his lunch break and picked up the nightstands for me. I can't wait to get them put together and set up in our room! It's going to look so nice. We bought our dressers 3 years ago and said we would get the matching nightstands the next time we had some extra money. HA! We are just now getting around to them. I guess that's what happens when you have kids, own a home, and own cars. Something else always needs the money.

Tuesday night was mutual and I had invited Ian to do light graffiti with the Young Women. Luckily my friend, Alison, was kind enough to babysit all the kiddos (including Talia!). We had a good time and got some pretty cool shots. These were my favorites.
Talia is just the cutest girl on the planet today thanks to the talented Torgerson family! Her outfit was a gift from my Aunt Cindy and Paige. It's such a snuggly, adorable outfit. She is also wearing one of her new headbands that my cousin, Tasha, made for her. I just can't stop playing with her and taking pictures.
This morning I picked up a few things at Smith's and scored some major deals thanks to several freebies and a few coupons. Check it out!

0 for 3

This weekend was kind of a big fail. I had such high hopes too.

Exhibit A: We decided last minute to go to the last U of U gymnastics meet of the season. We had a coupon for free tickets. We invited another couple, found a babysitter (barely), and headed out. We brought Talia with us thinking she would sleep. Nope. She screamed. Pretty much the entire drive. Then we hit a ton of traffic and couldn't find parking. We ended up parking a couple blocks away and walking up to the Huntsman Center only to find out the meet was sold out. Sigh. We thought about bowling instead, but if you've ever tried bowling on a Friday night at 8pm you would know there is always a really long wait. We thought about going to IKEA to pick up my birthday present (new nightstands!), but it closed at 9 and we weren't sure we would make it there in time. So we ended up picking up ice cream on the way back home and playing Settlers. It was a good game, so I guess the evening wasn't a complete loss, but I was pretty bummed about they way it turned out. Definitely not the break from kids and time with friends that I had been imagining.

Exhibit B: Friday night was kind of a bust, but the weekend still had time to redeem itself. I had an appointment for a pedicure and a facial Saturday morning from a livingsocial deal. I was looking forward to a morning of relaxation and pampering. I got up early and showered and headed to the salon in Riverton (a 20 minute drive). Halfway through my pedicure the lady went to scrub the bottoms of my feet and (sorry this is so gross and embarrassing) saw my plantar wart. She left to get some gloves and when she came back she said it was against the law for her to finish the pedicure because of the wart. What?!? I have had plantar warts off and on for years and I have never had a problem getting a pedicure. Ever. It was so lame. She painted my toes anyway, which I guess was nice. On to the facial, right? No. Come to find out that the esthetician was not there for some reason, but they didn't bother to tell me, so that was that and I went home. So much for my morning of pampering.

Exhibit C: I still had IKEA on my radar and we didn't have plans for Saturday afternoon, so we decided to all go in the afternoon. We drove out there, dropped Weston off at the play area, and started wandering. By the time we got to the second level we were both getting tired and Davin was less and less happy sitting in the stroller. It was time to pick up the nightstands and get some food. We grabbed a cart and went to the right aisle, but sure enough there were no boxes on the shelf. They were sold out of the nightstands we wanted. We asked an employee if there were any more somewhere, but he said they were all out and were getting some re-stocked that night. Of course.

At that point it was almost comical how badly the weekend was turning out. I guess the universe is trying to tell me to stop planning things to look forward to that would make me feel like a normal adult and just stick to laundry, dishes, and poopy diapers. Apparently I need to learn my place. Seriously though, do you ever have those days (or weekends or weeks) where NOTHING goes the way you plan or hope? So annoying.

That was a little whiny. I apologize, but I truly was close to tears several times this weekend. There were a few good things about this weekend though too. We did get to hang out with our friends and I didn't have to put the kids to bed on Friday night. I actually had time to paint my nails and they didn't get smudged 10 minutes later. I got a fun package from my super talented cousin, Tasha, full of adorable headbands for me and Talia and Cars aprons for the boys. Thanks Tash! You seriously made my day!
Ian got us mini red velvet bundt cakes for dessert on Saturday. Yum. And although I didn't get my new nightstands, we did pick up some throw pillows for the couch in the den. I have been trying to figure out what to do with the decor in there. I thought it needed some color, but I couldn't come up with a color I liked. The pillows aren't really colorful, but the white background pops and the polka dots add a nice pattern to the otherwise neutral and solid room. I like them. Now to get something up on the walls. I'm thinking I'll start with a clock.
I certainly hope my streak of bad luck and failed plans does not extend into this next week. I'm not sure I can handle much more!

Sunday Thoughts

I sometimes complain about having to teach so often in Young Women, but I actually quite enjoy preparing lessons and handouts. Since I may or may not have procrastinated preparing tomorrow's lesson until tonight there will not be handouts, however I am learning so much while getting ready to teach my young women about our purpose in life. While reading through some of the supplemental talks that go along with this lesson I came across something that struck me. This is from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's message at the Relief Society General Meeting in 2008.

"We know that sometimes it can be difficult to keep our heads above water. In fact, in our world of change, challenges, and checklists, sometimes it can seem nearly impossible to avoid feeling overwhelmed by emotions of suffering and sorrow.

However, I would like to speak about two principles that may help you find a path to peace, hope, and joy—even during times of trial and distress. I want to speak about God’s happiness and how each one of us can taste of it in spite of the burdens that beset us."

It's interesting to me how completely different elements of this talk stuck out to me during this latest reading of his address than I remember from when I originally heard it. Obviously I can appreciate his understanding of how difficult it really can be to keep my head above water. He goes on to talk about finding happiness through creation and compassion.

"What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside.

If you still feel incapable of creating, start small. Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it."

It's nice to have a reminder from a divine source to be easy on myself. Things I do don't have to be perfect. Start small and let yourself grow. This is going to be my inspiration for this upcoming week.

From the talk "Happiness, Your Heritage" by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Overheard In the Kitchen

I rarely eat lunch in the kitchen with the kids. I use their lunch time to catch up on blogs and stuff at the computer. They take advantage of my "absence" (I'm only about 5 feet away in the den) to play, make weird noises, and generally avoid actually consuming their food. It can be really frustrating sometimes, but other times I enjoy eavesdropping on their silliness. I can't express how much I love my cute boys. They are at such fun ages right now and they get along quite well. Their brother relationship is so special and I'm glad that they are buddies.

The other day after the boys finished eating lunch I was getting Weston a brownie. As I set it down in front of him he said "You're a cooking expert Mom." Gotta love compliments from your kids. I think I would get more of them if I just served treats for dinner. :) Also, it's good to know that I'm an expert at baking brownies from a box. I guess it doesn't take much to impress a five year old!

As You Can See . . .

I am working on re-vamping the blog. I am exploring how to make a custom header. I've never done one before. So far I like it, but I can't seem to get the header I designed (based on a template from shabbyblogs.com) to stretch across the whole header space. What gives? Any of you who have blog design know-how please give me some advice!!!

Today we had fabulous weather! Sunshine and a high of 51 degrees! You better believe we went outside and played on the swing set. I even declared it warm enough to bring Talia out. She really has never been outside while not in her car seat since she was born. She wasn't so sure about the sun in her eyes and was pretty ambivalent about the swing. I guess we'll see what she thinks when it's warmer outside and I pad the swing for her.
I took this picture this afternoon. Talia was being so smiley and cute, but as soon as I got out the camera she started doing all these weird faces. Still adorable though.
Today was also special because Davin started preschool!!! The Granite School District preschool program has a "Young Three's" class. Kids can start attending the month that they turn 3. Davin will be having his birthday on the 24th, but he got to start school today. He was so excited to be a big boy and go to school with his back pack just like his big brother. I was excited to have a whole hour with just Talia. We went to the post office and Sam's Club. Talia snoozed in her car seat the whole time and it was kind of nice to remember what it felt like to just have one child to worry about (one that doesn't talk/whine at that!). I picked both the boys up from school and the day was a success! Davin brought home a book and we have already read it twice. I can hardly believe he's so grown up!
This picture is from last week. We played blocks and made it our goal to use every single block we have. Check out all our cool creations!
Unfortunately the cold that has been floating around the family has finally caught up to me. Blah. I am so tired and achy. Although I am actually feeling slightly better today than yesterday, so hopefully it won't last long. I guess I better get off the computer and get some dinner going for my family. It's easy meals around here this week. Tonight's menu is spaghetti with mizithra, Weston's favorite!