Not gone, Just gone ahead

Grandpa, we love you and miss you....until we meet again.

A 3 year olds Christmas wish

Me: "What do you want for Christmas?"
Rachael: "I want an Ariel toothbrush!"
Me: "Is that all?"
Rachael: "yep"

What a sweetheart...so easy to please. Not only is it a very small and inexpensive item...it is good for her!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Hanging with the Nieces

Nothing is more fun than hanging out with adorable teenagers. Especially when they are my nieces. We need to do it way more often!

Clair's has some snazzy glasses! And if you have never played hide and seek in the mall, you should definitely try it.

Spoon Me is sooooo good!

All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth

So James has lost his two front teeth! Kind of early since he is only four years old (soon to be five), but he seems to do everything a little early. Jake used the old "floss tied to the door knob trick" and it worked both times. James looks so cute with his missing teeth.

Tooth #1:
Tooth #2:

James got a little Lego set from the tooth fairy and when I went to give him a kiss in his room last night, he had the container tucked under his arm....so cute.....and he is a Lego Maniac!

Best Buddies

Although James and Rachael can get on each others nerves they are also the best of buddies.

Halloween

Halloween was so much fun this year. Rachael was a pro at trick or treating. She ran from house to house while we tried to keep up. She was such a good sport even though she couldn't eat hardly any of the candy because of her allergies. Here are a few pictures of the cuties.

Here is Rachael the Police Officer handcuffing James the Spiderman!

They are sooo cute!

I love fall!

I absolutely love this time of year and all the fun things that come with it. Unfortunately our family has gone through sickness this month which did put a little damper on the festivities, but at least we all got better for Halloween! I love Halloween! Today we had a fun party at our house. I love seeing all the children dressed up and having fun.

James also had a great Halloween program at his preschool this week! He is the spiderman with the mask on! I forgot to tell him to take it off for the singing.


Jake and the kids raked the leaves just before the snow began to fall this week, while I was sick on the couch....some things are hard to miss out on, but fun to watch!


James finished up a great season of t-ball. These are two of my favorite photos! We all had a great time playing and watching. James had this funny habit of cleaning off the bases before he would step on them.

What a great season....bring on the holidays!

A few words...

Two things that were said to me today.
1- Try to be a good mom.
2- Why aren't you yelling.

So to put these things into context the first one was said by Jake on his way out the door this morning. Now don't get me wrong, these were purely words of encouragement. I thought about that phrase most of the day and each time I was faced with a situation I thought about how a "good mom" would handle it. It was very helpful. Thanks Jake!

The second thing was said to me by James after Rachael came running into the kitchen telling me that James had hit her in the eye. Clearly a sign of how things have gone for me lately. I have been battling a cold and for some reason my patience has been wearing thin. It is good to know that today was a change of pace. And I am glad that James noticed.

So, to all you moms out there. We are all in this together. Just do your best and keep trying.....my lesson learned today.

Oh, and I love the rain!

Preschool is the BEST!

James also just started preschool! He goes a couple of days a week and he is having so much fun! It is a lot of fun for Rachael and I to have some alone time together. Here is a picture of him on his first day. When we picked him up from school today Rachael said, "So James, how was your school?" It is so fun to see them interact in a loving way.

We LOVE t-ball!

James just started t-ball and it is sooo much fun! He has a very organized coach this season and I think he is learning a lot. The games a so much fun to watch. Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure.

What a cute team!

This reminds me of a mother duck and her ducklings.

Nothing like treats after the game!

I love when they all sit on the bench...so cute!

Summer Fun!

Well, it has been a while since I have posted and we have been having some good old fashioned summer fun!
The Update:

Our visit to Red Butte Gardens was a lot of fun. The gardens are so beautiful and the children had fun running through the mazes and getting wet in the Children's garden.
We had a great time hanging out with cousins. It was the first time the kids had jumped on a trampoline with the sprinkler under it and they LOVED it! It was one of those great summer days spent outside.This is just a great picture of James after having enjoyed and ice cream.

Has it been 7 years already? Jake and I celebrated our anniversary without the children. We hiked, ate good food, toured sites downtown in SLC, and did a lot of uninterrupted talking. It was fun to spend time together. I am a lucky woman to be married to such a wonderful man!

Potty Training 101

When I read other people's blogs I am always amazed at the way they express themselves so eloquently. I have never been very good at this so, I usually post more pictures to tell about my happenings.

Day 3 of Potty Training Rachael:

Let's just say that James even decided to join in with wetting his pants!

Okay, now we are on day 6 of potty training and there were no accidents today! Day 3 turned out to be the worst day and we have only had improvements since then. I just have to say that little girl underwear are so cute and I love being able to pinch her cute little bum without a diaper in the way. One interesting thing about this whole experience is that my relationship with Rachael has deepened in some way. Jake thinks maybe she respects me more for helping her accomplish this step in her life. Ahh, life's sweet little experiences!

It's great to have fun!

Me, my mother, and sisters have a girls weekend each year. This year we went and spent some time in downtown SLC. It was so much fun and a great chance to hang out with my wonderful mother and sisters. It is great to have fun with the people you love!

Summer School

A couple of weeks ago I started summer school with James and Rachael. Rachael is loving it and James is a good teachers helper. Here are some adorable pics of our first day.

Girl's Camp 2009

We survived another girl's camp and had a lot of fun. We are lucky to go to such a beautiful place up East Canyon. I did manage to get one tick in my leg, but got it out without a problem. Here are some pictures of the festivities! I am so lucky to be able to hang out with such great girls!

Preschool Graduation!

James and his friends graduated from preschool this past week. James has one more year of preschool before kindergarten, but some of his classmates were moving on to Kindergarten this fall. Yahoo! We had a great time this year in preschool and learned a lot. The children sang a few songs for their parents at graduation and it was so cute. Then they received their diplomas. Way to go James!
These were the fun cupcakes we had for refreshment!

"It was the Best of times...it was the Worst of times!"

We are back! We really had a great time! There were a few stressful moments, but most of those can be looked back on with laughter. So here is the summary...

The Best of Times
* Disneyland really is the happiest place on earth! We loved how almost all of the staff were so friendly and happy.
* Jake and I felt like VIP people walking to the front of long lines with single rider passes (highly recommended even if you are riding with other people...you may just end up in different seats).
* Rachael kept telling people at Disneyland that "we're going to Disneyland in two weeks!" So cute!
* The weather was fabulous! We love the So Cal climate!
* It was fun to see the children get excited about the rides. The last day we were there we rode the little roller coaster in Toon Town and both of the children were squealing the whole time.
* James loved Atopia and we rode that ride the most.
* Jake and I both enjoyed Splash Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean the most.
* We had a really great dinner at the Thunder Mountain Ranch one night...yum yum!

The Worst of Times
* James and Rachael both threw up from car sickness on the way down. Rachael was kind enough to share hers with me:)
* Rachael would often throw tantrums when exiting the rides because she either didn't get to go out the side she wanted or she wanted to ride it again.
* It's always a little difficult to navigate through crowds of people with little ones. Most people were forgiving and would just laugh at our little circus display:)
* Our air conditioning stopped working on our way home before we got to Vegas. Ah, those modern conveniences that seem so hard to live without!

Anyway, it was fun and we will probably do it again....but not for a few years.
Here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure!

James in Atopia bliss!

Rachael loved the flying Dumbos



James and Rachael loved meeting Lightening McQueen!

Rachael decided that watching the Pixar Play Parade through the plastic on her stroller shade was the best idea. It was probably a good thing too, because they sprayed water right at her. That parade scared both of our children.

Ah! Good memories!