The Reitz Family

Utah in May...brrrrr.

2011-08-04T10:47:00.018-06:00

In May, we headed up to Utah to visit with the family. We had lots of fun things planned to fill our time there, and ended up doing most of them with jackets, sleeves and coats. What?! It was cold! But we didn't let it spoil our fun. My sisters, Kayla and Jen and their families were up for lots of busy playtime, so it was a blast. Corey and I went to the U2 concert that week, which was AMAZING (thanks again Josh for the killer parking spot next to the stadium...total VIP treatment!). No pics from that because I was a loser and didn't bring one.

My mom's 5th grade class set up some 'stores' and sold their wares on one day and we loved being able to see her with her schoolkids in action. She is such a great teacher, and her students and parents alike stopped to tell me. I felt like a proud parent myself! All the grandkids left with WAY too much loot....mostly the sugary kind, but they were all thrilled.

We were able to get in some time with my Grandpa and Grandma Pettit, which was really nice. It was great seeing and talking with them. They were good sports about my snapping lots of pictures.

Going fishing was something that Asher had been bugging us about for weeks, and when my Dad heard that, he wanted to make it happen. Everyone caught fish! Okay, so I need to come clean and admit that we went to a hatchery type of a place that sort of does everything for you (even gutting the fish!), but still....the kids all reeled in their own catches and loved every second of it. That evening my Grandma Haynie came along for the fishy fun, and was totally in her element. She loves to fish and enjoyed catching some as well! It was, again, great to get to see her!

While we were there we also hit Hoots, Thanksgiving Point, Trafalga (I was completely ambushed at the bumper boats...SO cold) , went swimming, and bowling...twice! Our kids have been wanting to go bowling for real ever since we bought our Wii, and they LOVED it. It was especially nice since the bowling alleys we went to were nice and new and not all smoked up. Adam and Kayla even hung out with us, which was a real treat.

A highlight for the boys was going to the 'Day Out with Thomas' up in Heber. They played with trains, rode the train, and loved seeing Thomas again. Jen, Josh and Mason, and my parents were with us and we all experienced the Thomas extravaganza together. Beck was really proud of his certificate they handed out. Too cute.

Phew! It was a busy, packed and totally worthwhile trip. We had a fantastic time and loved seeing everyone. Thanks for making our trip so memorable!

Grandma made the boys a special treat!

Corey's Baseball Birthday

2011-08-04T10:06:00.008-06:00

Corey loves his birthday. His excitement for it all makes it lots more fun for the family to get into. This year was no different! And the boys were really looking forward to it because his one request was to go to an Isotopes Baseball game on his big day. Fun! Baseball has been THE game around our house this summer, so it was especially fitting. We celebrated at home with dinner and a chocolate cream cake (mmmm...), and presents then headed out to the game, each boy (and man) with mit in hand.

I had called the ballpark a few days earlier to see if I could get his name on the scoreboard for his birthday. Ta-da! They kindly granted me my request, and I could hardly wait for him to see his name in lights. It was the 'cherry on top' of the evening, or so it seemed. If only he'd seen it. Yes, it's a sad but true; Corey missed his name...TWICE! I couldn't believe it. Thankfully, I was ready and snapped a picture (as I was telling Corey to "look over there!"). He looked too late though, and then missed it when they ran them again after the 6th inning. What are the chances? Pretty good, apparently.

Look closely, and yep....that's Corey's name!

Oh, and one unexpected highlight of the evening was Asher and the birthday hat. The hat that he refused to take off. He wore that thing nearly the whole game. Way to get into the evening, Asher! He is still the one who insists that we get out some birthday hats for a party, and maybe we all should have worn them to show our birthday spirit!

It was a great night though, and the kids had a blast watching the game, posing with Orbit, and playing at the kid's area. And Corey is another year older. And wiser. And I sure do love that guy(even when he misses my surprise birthday wishes)! Happy Birthday!

How to speak Whale

2011-06-08T13:37:00.002-06:00

We Heart San Diego

2011-04-27T12:01:00.014-06:00

Over Spring Break, we tagged along on a biz trip with Corey and had a blast in San Diego. We happened to go last Spring too, and I would not be the least bit averse to doing it every year. That place is the best! I flew out with the boys and we met Corey at the airport when his flight arrived. The first couple of days we stayed in the Gaslamp Quarter and Corey attended a class for work, so me and the boys hit the city sans Daddy. I only got lost once while driving around. I tried to keep a calm facade, but I was FREAKING out inside, especially when I ended up on a road I couldn't get off of that was going directly to the freeway. I wanted to avoid the California freeway at all costs, because without a GPS or a good map, I was going to be in big trouble. Speaking of...maybe it's time to finally get a GPS, eh? We made it back to the hotel flustered, but alive and well. Phew!

My travel buddies(at the airport).

We went to the San Diego Zoo, and saw as much as we could possibly see in a day(next time we are totally doing the bus tour...I didn't figure that one out til after we left!) Everyone's favorite was the Panda, which we had been talking about to the kids for at least a month before the trip. A close second for me was a quail type bird that did this insane mating dance for us...coolest thing ever! I thought I had video of it, but was so caught up in watching it, I later realized I never hit the record button at all. Beckett took a nice long nap in his stroller in the afternoon while Ash and I hoofed it up and down all the steep hills and saw the animals. What a great zoo!

Yep, that's the panda's back end:)

This skyride had me panicking inside. I was so afraid one of the kids was going to fall out that I didn't enjoy it AT ALL. Ash loved every second.

Me and the boys also hit Balboa Park and went to the Science Museum. They dedicated half of the upper level to a children's area, and the kids absolutely loved it and played hard for a few hours. The park was beautiful to stroll around and I think next time we'll have to check out some more of that area. Gorgeous!

The Mormon Battalion Visitor's Center in Old Town came highly recommended by a few of our good friends, and it didn't disappoint. The tour was both entertaining and well done, and I actually learned a lot. Asher didn't want to leave his post as 'water boy'. He manned the pump as long as he could before we finally made him stop so we could go.

The remainder of our trip was spent in Carlsbad. We rented a little bungalow about a block up from the beach, making it easy for us to walk down with the kids. We went to Legoland, and the Sea Life aquarium with the boys and they had a great time. My favorite part was all the incredible things that were made of legos! Amazing! The kids loved all the rides, of course.

Lovin' me some Hagrid.

Ah, the beach...

We were a little worried we wouldn't get a good day at the beach because of a storm that passed through during our stay, but we did get one beautiful, warm-ish day at Carlsbad beach. Me and the boys played in the sand, and Corey helped the boys get really wet and sandy jumping waves. What a way to spend an afternoon.

Seriously, San Diego has fast become one of our fave destinations for our family. There's just so much to do...shop, eat, beach, zoo, theme parks...love it! And I think I've vanquished my fear of flying solo with the boys. Sitting between them, and being fully stocked with movies, treats and books, we made it without a glitch:)

Partners in crime(fighting).

2011-03-06T15:19:00.008-07:00

Asher and Beckett are partners in crime. Asher loves to come running up to me, bursting with news of Beckett getting into some sort of trouble or making some sort of mess. The most recent case and point: "Mooooom, Beckett cracked some eggs on the floor, ...and on himself!" All this is relayed to me with a HUGE grin on his face. My reply, "What happened? And wipe that grin off your face." Asher tried as hard as he could with his hands to make the smile go away, but failed miserably. Yes, there was such a mess awaiting me on the kitchen floor. Ah, well....

The times that I do happen to hear part of what is happening before Asher tells me, I hear Ash chiding Beckett on, and giggling like crazy as Beckett (for example) flings toilet paper off the roll as fast as he can, or rips out as many wipies as possible leaving the floor more white than not. Yes, they seem to 'help' each other out plenty. Sometimes(definitely NOT always) I have to try to wipe the smile off my face too, before I have to go and show some authority:)

And they are oh, so cute with their matching super hero capes on. Crime-fighters to the end...getting all the 'bad guys'. (Thanks again to Auntie Danna for her mad sewing skills and creativity!)

I love it when they do things together, or help one another out. If only those moments lasted a titch longer, but I'm not expecting a miracle. After all, what goes around comes around, right? Here are a few of those 'makin' me smile' moments I wanted to snap.

Packing for our trip to San Diego...they were tryin' out the headphones while I threw clothes into suitcases.

These two love their trains, and playing outside together.

Garbage day.

Oh, I love it when Ash wants to read to his little bro:)

No, this doesn't last long. Within the first 5 minutes there's usually a scuffle.
That, and they barely fit. But they're sure cute all squished in there together.

B is TWO!

2011-02-10T12:10:00.009-07:00

Yeppers. Our Beckett has turned the big 2. This kiddo has proven to be full of spunk and rascal-ness just like his brother, maybe even more so! We celebrated Elmo style with all the decorations (as always, at Corey's insistence). He is a big Elmo fan, so we thought it fitting. Aaron and the girls came over to help us celebrate with noisemakers, pizza(oh, how Beckett loves pizza), and cupcakes. Fun!

Here are a few fun tidbits about our fun little guy:

His little blue bunny,"Bubba" is still his favorite buddy, hands down. I'm not sure he could sleep without him. I smile especially big when he insists that Bubba needs hugs and kisses at night too. Of course he does!

He can be a bit destructive. For example, he's torn keys off of our computer's keyboard (just try having a broken backspace key!), thrown wads and wads of toilet paper into a (recently occupied) toilet, broken a few DVD's (I finally bought a child lock good enough to keep him out), Oh, and he just loves to pump handsoap into the toilet. For each of the afforementioned offenses, he stops, tosses whatever is in his hands and runs away fast. Yeah, he knows better.

If you ask him what a horsee says, his reply will be, "YEE-HAW!"

He loves his naps. Most days around noon, he actually says, "mom, I want bed."(I can't really complain about that one:) He's a boy who knows what he wants.

He gets mad when I push his sleeves up. In fact, he's been known to try to pull down his short sleeves too...oh, does that make him mad!

He's such a little smartie, and is constantly surprising me with what he knows. One day I was reading him a counting book, pausing after every couple of numbers, to which he surprised me by knowing every one that came next. Who knew?!

He loves to jump! Asher was always a runner, and now Beckett is my jumper. He occasionally adds a loud "ribbit" to his hop.

He is such sweet snuggly boy. He always has been, and I am thrilled that it's continued!

His favorite way to fall asleep is all tucked up, laying on his stomach with his little bum in the air.

He is quite a talker and is good at letting us know exactly what he wants....both a blessing and a curse!

He just loves his brother. I sometimes wonder if he hits Asher just so he can give him a big hug afterward and offer his very convincing, "sowwy, Ash." It is hard to resist and mostly convincing.

His birthday was fun, and he enjoyed every second. You could tell that he knew it was all just for him, which was really cute. He was giddy with excitement(literally) when he saw the pizza on his plate, ate the better part of four cupcakes, leaving a pile of cupcake carnage off to the side, and ran from new toy to new toy all night, saying, "mines! There was no doubt that he understood that it was HIS day.

We sure do love our Beckett, and can't believe how much he's grown and learned! Especially considering his coming into our lives at only 33 weeks...what a little trooper. This kid's got energy, volume and love to share and are so grateful for our adorable, smart lil' boy!

Ash-man turns 5!

2011-01-23T17:14:00.009-07:00

Holy schmokes! My Asher is a five-year-old. How did this happen so fast? He's such a fun, happy, smart and peppy kid. Looking back over his first five years, I can say, hands down, that this kid has been a joy to have around. Sure, he's getting plenty of his own opinions about things, and can dish out his fair share of naughtiness when it comes to his brother, but the rest of the time, he keeps us laughing, and his brother entertained. Already, I have seen some special talents in him, one being that he is a friend to all. Really. He started out early on calling any kid he'd see a friend, which I thought was cute then, but it has since turned out to be a really cool thing. He plays with kids of all ages, anywhere he goes, and is always quick to make new friends. Asher can be the best brother in the world too(when he wants to be). He's loved his Brother from day 1, helping him and including him, and now playing with him every day. I just love that. Asher also loves to learn, from books(he's reading a bit already), to drawing, to numbers(counts to 100 and beyond), he just seems to pick things up. He loves preschool, and he's been talking about Kindergarten recently and seems really excited to go...we even had to do a drive-by last week. I wish I could take the credit, but really, it's just him, and he still surprises me with the things he comes up with. He's diplomatic, a charmer, very funny and has a great smile. Love my Ash!

His birthday request this year was all about dinosaurs. He'd never taken to them much until he started watching the PBS show, Dinosaur Train. Now he loves them, and it made for a fun b-day theme for a family party and for his first ever friend party, which we delayed for a couple of weeks until we were done with the holidays.

Party #1 was on his actual birthday and G-ma and pa Reitz were there, as well as my sister Jen and her cute family. There are always a few extra family members around to help make his day special, which I think is really a bonus!

Party #2 was a few weeks later. Again, the theme was Dinosaur Train. Including Asher, there were 9 little boys running around! It all went smoothly and I think the kids had a good time, mostly thanks to my mom and her super ability to get kids to listen to her. I was SO glad my parents were in town to help! My dad ended up taking Beckett upstairs to play for almost the whole party. A house full of 5 year olds was a little overwhelming for Beck, but as an added bonus, he had Grandpa all to himself, so really he had a little party of his own! I was just glad the party went well, since it was our first endeavor, I wasn't really sure what would work or what wouldn't. The boys painted dinosaur suncatchers, hunted for dinosaur eggs, played pin the tail on the T-Rex, and dug for dinosaur bones(the big favorite). Then we had cupcakes, and food. My one faux pas was in trying to buy dry ice for the punch, which I thought would add a fun 'volcanic' flare to the food table. I bought it the day before, brought it home, and then googled how to store it. Whoops...dry ice 'subliminates', meaning you buy it as close to the time you need it as possible. Mine was gone before the day was through, and I wasn't going out to buy more. Lesson learned! Overall though, fun times! I loved how happy Asher was having all his buddies there, and there wasn't one argument or fight from anyone. Later that day, after the party was over, I asked what his favorite part was, to which he answered, "having all my friends over." Cute boy:)

And so, we are wishing a BIG Happy Birthday to our own Ash-a-saurus. A wonderful little boy that we can't possibly imagine living our lives without. Love you buddy!

P.S. Grandma and Grandpa Pettit, we all loved our visit with you guys! Thanks for making Asher's day perfect and for spending your time with us! We love you and miss you already! Especially the boys...who else spoils them rotten and happily plays with them, entertaining them with authentic animal sounds (Grandpa...also pulled these sounds out at the party and to my amazement had the bigger boys laughing in seconds), and books and songs(Grandma...that alligator song has become a beloved classic). Come again soon:)

It's Christmas Time!

2011-01-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Wowsers! This month could not have been busier, or gone by faster. Corey and I tried hard to get all of our shopping done early so we could just enjoy the season, but somehow we were busy despite our efforts. Next year, we will just have to try even harder. I really can't attribute the madness to any one thing, just lots of different things. My little camera strap business was as busy as I could keep up with while trying to do all the other things I had my hands in. Our ward put on an extravagant and amazing Christmas Party this year, literally re-creating an 'Old Nauvoo' in our Stake Center's cultural hall. I helped with decorating a bit and was also a caroler that evening. It was really spectacular I thought, and a lot of people worked really hard to make it the memorable evening it was. My kids had a blast going to all the little shops, spending their pennies and making things. So cool! That kicked off our month of Christmas.

We decided to get a live Christmas tree this year, which started out as a really good idea. We didn't exactly go out to the forest and chop down our family tree, but we did pick one out at our local Costco, tie it to the car, and bring it home. Oh, the smell! It was amazing. I've done candles before, but nothing can really replicate that true pine smell. We thought we had a handle on the water situation, checking it every couple of days or so. Nope, wrong. We now know that if the water runs out...even once, it's OVER. It's not like with a houseplant, where it wilts a little, but you can miraculously save it with a little water and a couple of hours. No, a tree with no water is a dead tree, and that's exactly what we ended up with, two whole weeks before Christmas. We were afraid to turn the lights on much after that, since we basically had ornaments and lights hanging on kindling in our front room. It was terrible. And there was hardly any smell left to boot. Lesson learned: water your Christmas tree, every single day.

Asher's preschool put on a Nativity program, which was very entertaining. Asher was a Wise Man, with a gift of gold for the baby Jesus. The kids all did a great job, but I think Asher was the most energetic and loud when it came to singing 'Feliz Navidad.' I don't know what it was, but his penchant for that song was undeniable. Every time we got into the car he wanted me to magically play it on the radio, and when it was on he wanted me to turn it up louder. He sang his little heart out at the program. I seriously LOVE watching my boy up there, and Asher's performances don't disappoint in the least.

We didn't have a white Christmas (darn it), but we did have one really good snow. We even went and bought the boys some snow pants and sleds! When it snows here, it's usually gone by noon, but this stuff was the real deal, so we took full advantage. We all had so much fun, just sliding down a small hill at a nearby park. And it was so beautiful. I am really crossing my fingers that we get another good storm!

Most of Corey's family was in town for Christmas. We were able to see Adam and Kayla for a few days, and his parents were here too. We played and visited. Corey's dad made his signature Chex Mix (in very large quantities), which every one devoured(Beck loves the stuff), and his mom made all kinds of snacky foods for the holidays. Our kids love it when family is around, the more the merrier, so it made the holidays special for them.

Christmas morning was a treat. Santa had eaten one of Asher's decorated sugar cookies(with mounds of frosting on it...Asher style), and there were surprises waiting for both boys. The boys had very different present-opening styles. Asher wanted to rip through each one, toss aside the gift and get on to the next. Beckett was happy just to mangle the bow (he's been a nightmare for any bow adorning a gift under our tree) on top, but was pretty proud of himself when he'd finally get to the gift inside. It was fun to watch the boys. My super crafty sister-in-law, Danna made these fantastic capes for the boys. They are the cutest thing, and Beck tromped around in his for quite a while Christmas morning. Asher wanted to know when we can have Christmas again. In the afternoon, we headed up to Aaron and Meagan's for some family time and amazing New Mexican food. Yummy!

For New Years, our friends Jon and Bella had us over for games and dinner. The kids made it to 10 o'clock before we decided to pull the plug on their madness and head home. Corey fell asleep soon after we came home and I was reading in bed when I heard the fireworks going off outside. Over the years I have come to regard New Year's Eve as something celebrated by high schoolers, singles, and people who live in Big Cities. Am I wrong? I do love the chance to set some new goals for the year though, a chance to begin fresh and do a little better.

So, with that I'm sending out a big Happy New Year! Here's to 2011!!

Thanksgiving 2010!

2011-01-09T16:14:00.001-07:00

We have much to be thankful for. Our family, friends, health, opportunities to serve others,
our wonderful country, a roof over our heads, Corey's job, our amazing children. We are so, so blessed. It was a busy, but very nice Thanksgiving holiday. Asher had his first ever Thanksgiving Program (at preschool). He was a little indian for the 'Harvest Festival', and wore a hat he made, and sang a few songs. Then we all ate cookies and treats together. He even brought home a little pottery he'd made at school. What a cutie. He gets into the songs and actions...a lot. I wish my pictures had caught more of that! A week or so before that, we all joined Ash on a field trip to see some petroglyph drawings about 5 minutes from our house. I am ashamed to admit that I've never seen them before(but have always wanted to). They were very cool, and there were lots to see. It's always a nice treat to discover new gems where you live!

Our actual Thanksgiving day was mellow, since it was just our little family of four. I always find myself wondering why I bother to make ALL the normal food for just a few people. In the last few years, I've come to the obvious conclusion that it takes the same amount of time to cook for four people as it does to cook for 20. There's a very strong sentimental part of me that wants to make the food, and smell the smells of Thanksgiving. Then, there's the free-willing, practical part of me that wants to head on out to a restaurant for a nice Thanksgiving dinner and call it a day. Maybe one year I'll be able to push little Ms. Sentimental aside and make a reservation somewhere. Maybe.

Overall, though, the day was great. We watched to Macy's parade on t.v., perused the shopping ads, ate a lot of food, and just enjoyed being with each other. A fun Thanksgiving Day! Oh, but I am still trying to persuade the rest of my family that sweet potatoes are a divine Turkey Day treat. Nobody else believes. Yet. I plan to wear them down over many years, so that eventually I won't be the one to eat the whole yummy casserole, all by myself.

Beckett, before and after. He started stripping down after eating the big meal. Why? Who knows.

All the Boys

2011-01-08T16:36:00.002-07:00

Corey's sister, Shawntel came up for a visit with her boys during the Open House that Adam and Kayla had in November. It was an extra special treat. Since they live in Iowa and have 3 boys, they aren't able to come all the way out to NM often. We hadn't even met her youngest yet...Riley was sure a cutie! My boys had a fantastic time playing with their cousins, and I was amazed at how little fighting there was. These boys were such buddies, and it was fun to watch. It was fun catching up with Shawntel too. We hit the zoo, played outside(the weather was great that week), and enjoyed all the family time. Thanks for hanging with us! Maybe someday soon we won't all live so far apart...I think my boys are crossing their fingers:)

Shawntel and lil' Riley.

My boys, eating at the zoo in our special little spot. What a fun day. This snake friend was the highlight. Honestly, Asher is still talking about him.

Silly boys.

The Last One

2011-01-08T16:22:00.006-07:00

We, as a family, have reached the end of an era.There was a family wedding recently! And this one is the last. Every one of our siblings is now happy and hitched. I actually really like going to family weddings, and I'm a little sad that there will be no more. My Asher, on the other hand has more than once, proven that he is every wedding's worst nightmare. I doubt Beck would prove to be any better, so on that note, I guess it's somewhat of a relief.

Adam, who is Corey's youngest brother, and was something like 14 when we were married, just tied the knot in November! We are all so happy for the both of them. Corey attended the actual main event in the Twin Falls Temple in Idaho, and the rest of us celebrated with them in Albuquerque a week or so later. We could not be more excited for them to start their new life together! He married a super fun, energetic and cute lil' blondie named Kayla (already partial to the name, since my own youngest sis also has the name!). We all love her, and Ash and Beck are crazy about her, showing their genuine fondness by hanging on her and climbing all over her when she visits. Congratulations you guys! We love you (but wish you loved closer)!

Work it! Check out her sass-i-fras red shoes! Love them!

P.S. My poor little Beckett had a mishap the day Corey left for Adam's wedding. His head slammed right into a counter top (the ONLY one I don't have a cushy corner protector on...UGH!). He sliced it open, blood running down into his eye. It was all very dramatic in the moment, but we all recovered, and Beck recovered especially fast...this was taken later that day...steristrips and glue in place. He's still got a nasty little scar, but I guess that's cooler for guys than girls, right? Just another one of those mommy initiation moments.

Halloween

2010-12-05T20:44:00.005-07:00

We had a fun, candy filled Halloween week this year. The original plan was to simply hit up the ward Trunk-or-Treat and be done with the candy extravaganza for our kids. Honestly, how much candy do they really need(even with me and Corey eating half of it for them)? In the end, though, we went to not only the Trunk-or-Treat, but the Mall near our house, and the kids went Trick-or-Treating up our street. Too. Much. Candy. We had such a ridiculous stash by Halloween Night that we wound up giving handfuls away, and started digging into the kids to get rid of some of the extreme excess. The kids had a blast though. Asher was a serious trick-or-treater this year, rushing from house to house. He totally gets it...the faster you go, the more you get. Beckett was catching on quick too, watching his big bro in action. I wish I'd had a video camera with me to catch the cute-as-can-be toddler walk in his adorable lion costume. It was one of those pictures in your mind you never want to forget. This year I actually got to go and see it all. I decided I was tired of missing all the cute things they do at the door and hearing about it when they come home. So, we closed up shop at the house until we came back. Too bad, trick-or-treaters, I want to see my boys in action! It was totally worth it, and I'm not missing another year!

A couple of days before Halloween, we carved up our pumpkins. This year I tackled a wolf(lobo!), Asher carved his first jack-o-lantern(I have always been too scared to let him use anything remotely sharp), and Corey started on an Owl, but he didn't realize there was an order to it all until it was too late:) We let Beck play with some pumpkin goop instead of doing a pumpkin, which he did find amusing(but you'd never know it by this picture).

Me and Cor were lame, lame, lame and didn't dress up. But the boys were so adorable, I think they made up for our Halloween neglect. Ash was a tiger, and Beck was a lion. We even painted up Asher's face for the Trunk-or-Treat, and it turned out great! He sat very still so I could do it and was really proud of his official lion look. The boys were too cute, and had a great time throughout the week(Asher had even hit a Halloween party!). Grandma and Grandpa Reitz came Trick-or-Treating with us at home and at the mall too! Asher has discovered what Halloween is all about, and has fully embraced it(I think he was already asking when we get to go again). And Beck has discovered his love for suckers, which he has also embraced.

Fun, fun times.

Awesome October

2010-11-14T13:03:00.004-07:00

Fall is my fave. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. And again. The part of the country we live in is blessed with heavenly weather this time of year. The kids play outside without coats, and the skies are bright blue, cool and calm. Lovely. October always has so many fun things to do, and the kids had a great time doing them.

At preschool, Asher had a Harvest Festival, and that particular day happened to be his 'Special Person' day, so we made sure he was good and ready. I made the vest and chaps(first time ever costume experimentation), added a few things and he was yee-hawing all over the porch while I tried to snap a few pictures (no, really, he was jumping all over the place). He was a pretty darn cute cowboy, I must say! On his 'Special Day' he is supposed to bring an item from home to put in the 'guess what bag'. His item du jour was his prized White Pillow. I tried to suggest some other super cool toys to bring and show off, to which he said, "OR, mom, I could bring my white pillow." He had me there. And who am I to say what's cool for a 4 year old to show with pride? I had to smile as I watched him proudly show all of his classmates his pillow...he took it all very seriously. So funny.

Balloon Fiesta this year was beautiful, as usual. I always LOVE the weeks before and after too, since more balloons than usual are dotting the sky every morning. The kids never get tired of seeing them. Never. I don't either. What a unique thing to see balloons out our window almost every morning, all year long. I hope I don't ever take that for granted. Jen and Josh were in town visiting his us and his fam, so they spent a morning at Balloon Fiesta Park with us! We hit a Mass Ascension on a weekday, which I highly recommend. We are used to gargantuan crowds down at the park, but the day we went we ended up scoring rides on golfcarts down to the park, no lines at the gate, and the kids had enough space to run around without us panicking and worrying about where they were every second. It was great! Weekends are overrated.

We did get to see Corey's parents for a surprise last minute visit. One Saturday afternoon in early October, Corey was called to be in the Bishopric, so he called and asked them if they could possibly, hopefully, maybe come down for the ordination. They came, and we were thankful they could work it out to be a part of his day. (As for the pics below, Corey had already changed his clothes after church and his mom wanted some photos to remember the day. He agreed, but didn't bother putting on any pants, so here is what we have...a cropped picture, and the reality...nice, right?:))

Every Saturday this fall has involved a soccer game, and every one of them has been thoroughly entertaining. Love those U5 players! We've watched little boys chase butterflies, fall all over each other, run in circles, stare at a ball sitting 2 inches outside the goal wondering what to do...you name it. It's been great, and Asher has actually improved a lot! It's been so fun to cheer him on. Beck's a pretty smart dribbler too, whether because he's watching Ash, or because the ball is just the right size for him to effortlessly walk and have the ball move along in front of him. We had to buy another ball to avoid contention...and to entertain Beck during practice and game time.

We headed down to Wagner Farms for Asher's field trip. We've gone there before for our pumpkins, maze, etc. We maneuvered the maze easily after the hot tip from the preschool teachers..."no matter what you do, stay to the right." It worked like a charm. The kids picked out some pumpkins, played in the corn, ate apples, and fed the animals.

And now for some fall chillin' out...no matter how much these two bug each other, they always come back for lots more. Love these cuties.

September Stuff

2010-10-31T14:13:00.001-06:00

Whoops! I let more than a month go by and didn't blog a thing. We did a few fun things last month though that I didn't want to let slip by, so......here goes!

Over Labor Day weekend, Corey was pushing for a weekend out of town, and I was hardly fighting him on it. We booked a last minute house rental in Taos, which is a beautiful 3-ish hour drive through Santa Fe and into the mountains. We'd only been there once before, about 4 years ago, sans kids, so we knew this time would be a little different type of experience than last time. We also invited Aaron and Meagan to join us, and they did for a day or two, making it even more fun. The house ended up being practically on the plaza, so we walked everywhere! We ate great food, played at the park, watched movies, shopped, played games and relaxed. I think our favorite find was an unassuming toy shop on the Plaza that was hiding a kid's wonderland behind it. You walk through the store and...ta-da....out back was this amazing area for kids to play and parents to hang out. So cool. Asher and Emery were such little buddies. They held hands and played so well together. It was a great weekend...I think we need some more of those!

My birthday was the day after we came home, but we celebrated on the following weekend. Ah....another year. The boys made me a cake(per my request!)...a Boston Cream Cake. Yum. I might have helped, but only a little! The boys made my day special! Our super generous friends, the Williamsons insisted on taking our boys for my b-day, so Corey and I went out. Wasn't that nice? I thought so.

The boys have been playing outside a lot since we put in a sandbox, plus our fantastic fall weather is a huge boon. They are constantly wanting to play baseball, basketball and soccer...even little Beck. He just asks to "hit", meaning lets play some baseball. I am quickly learning all that it means to be a mommy of little boys. Loudness, dirt, sand, more dirt, sports, cars and trains. At least that's what it entails so far at our house. I find actual piles of sand in places where they sat down or took off their shoes. Thanks goodness for vacuum cleaners.
At least they're having fun:)

Mmm. Sand.

Asher also started soccer this fall. His first game, he actually walked off the field and said he was tired and wanted to sit down and have a snack. Um, I don't think so! He made it through that first game, and has done much better since. He has scored goals for his team, and even a couple for the opposing teams. Way to go Ash! He loves it and looks so cute in his uniform. I think I was born to cheer on my boys. He asks Corey and I to practice with him often, and even sets up the cones in the backyard so we can dribble around them and do our own mini games to sharpen up his(and our) skills. You can't say he's not dedicated.

September was fun and beautiful, and we'll post all our awesome October happenings soon!

P.S. The boys have started their own 'garage' band. Only they play in the front room instead of the garage. They practice several times a week. These are some very LOUD jam sessions. And Asher makes up his own lyrics. I'm a big fan(unless I have a headache that day).

Preschool!

2010-08-29T16:06:00.000-06:00

Asher had a first this past week...His first day of Preschool. He's been talking about going to preschool for a couple of years now so he was excited to finally go! I was very anxious and nervous myself, which is ridiculous, but I think that the Open House was as much for me as it was for him. I still have some reservations, but I'm thinking they'll work themselves out. Asher just jumped right in, playing with a group of kids, climbing up to the class library, and playing on the playground. He seems to really be enjoying it. My little man is growing up way too fast for my liking. Life is so unfair!

That being said, I must admit that I was super duper productive the two and a half hours he was gone. On the way home I put some gas in the car, put Beck down for a much needed nap, put in two loads of laundry and cleaned all the bathrooms.

After picking Ash up, we headed to the library, and I told him I had a surprise for him. When we pulled into McDonald's I think he actually felt like the luckiest kid in the world. He was jumping for joy, feet off the ground, shouting for joy. Seriously, he loves the place, and they even had the Happy Meals in the boxes this time, which I think they should always have because they are classic, and they have that big smile on the side! The kids were itching to play in the PlayPlace(the world's most disgusting germ-infested environment), which, of course, I let them do, after they ate. Happy kids=happy mamma.

It was a good day.

Family Time

2010-08-27T16:02:00.000-06:00

Whew! This past month we have been fortunate enough to spend oodles of time with my family. My parents (even my dad came!) headed out to visit us for a week. Then a couple of weeks after that we spent a week with them in Utah. It was lots of fun, and I think the boys are missing all the attention they've been getting.

Beck was mesmerized by the sight of so many of himself. He could have spent the whole day in there!

The week my parents spent with us here in NM flew by. It was filled with all our normal routine stuff...including daily swim lessons. On the way home one day, my mom saw a gigantic puddle flooded parking lot and thought we should definitely stop and play. I normally would've driven right past it, but the whimsy of it caught me off guard. It left me wondering if my mom would have let us play in a parking lot like that when we were kids, or if being a grandmother gives you a new outlook instead? We paid a visit to the Explora museum too, which we always love. Ash and Beck loved having Grandma and Grandpa around to talk to, put them to bed, read stories, teach them new songs(Five Little Monkeys Swingin' in the Tree...), teach the boys to jump into every puddle they see, and just make them feel special and loved. It had been nearly a year and a half, much too long, since their last visit, so to that we say don't stay away so long next time! Thanks for the fun visit!

We'd been wanting to head out to Utah all summer and the time that worked best for us, interestingly enough, was 2 weeks after they left us in NM. What fun! We spent every single day with my sisters and their kids; such a treat. I still cannot believe that now that each of us has a family that I don't get to live nearby to reap the benefits. All those years of growing up, you just take that close proximity for granted, and now that I actually want to live by them I don't. Go figure. I never give up hope though!
One special treat was going to my Grandpa Pettit's 80th birthday party. What fun it was to catch up with aunts, uncles and cousins...and all their kids! I haven't seen some of them in years, so it was great to see everybody. The kids had a blast soaking themselves in the water slide bouncer (even Beck took a slide down, and was petrified), while the adults chatted it up.

Beck with his Great Grandpa Pettit. Asher feeding the dog under the table;)

Asher riding a life-size rocking horse (belonging to my aunt's neighbor, Thoreau Bailey.) Fun!

The cousins were super cute together. During the trip, Asher had a sudden surge of confidence and decided that he could swim, even though he most definitely can't. Every chance he had, he was throwing his head under the water and trying to swim. I was proud of him for being so brave, since he spent the last month acting like he was drowning at swimming lessons. Way to go buddy!

Look at their black little feet!

Kayla's cute baby bump. I was hoping for a high five from the little guy, but didn't get it.

My dad was able to take a couple of days off work(originally tagged for a scouting trip, but we happened to come at the same time, so we won out!) and we spent a night in Park City. We slept in their big trailer(a new experience for me...everything is so mini and cute!), and the kids thought it was awesome! Corey unfortunately woke up the in the wee hours of morning with a back spasm and could barely walk. I secretly think it was the fact that seminary(yes, he's teaching early morning seminary right now) was starting up just a few days later. Poor guy! How is it that we hit 30 and slowly start falling apart? Agh.

Naughty Beck jumping on the bed in the trailer. And missing in this picture is Laurie:(

The rest of our visit was filled with swimming, trampoline jumping, Seven Peaks, the Children's Museum, Thanksgiving Point, Tucanos, shopping, a mandatory visit to El Pollo Loco(LOVE their flan), trying out my dad's 4-wheelers and a visit with Grandma Haynie. We packed the week FULL, but with no regrets. Thanks to my sisters Jen and Kayla for driving out every day to hang with us. We are so lucky to have you guys. And thanks to my parents for making our visit so special and loving our boys so much. We sure love you guys!! Til the next time:)

Oldies but Goodies

2010-07-15T14:56:00.000-06:00

This past Friday night was such a good time. We went to a 'Zoo Music' night. This entails a night of pic-nicking it at the zoo on the huge park-like grassy area while listening to a live band. If you get there early-ish, you can stroll around and check out the animals in the evening, which is also very cool since our zoo never allows people in at night. The BEST part of the evening was meeting up with several of our friends from way back. We see some of them all the time, and some a few times a year. One couple, Jon and Bella, just moved back with their 4 kiddos and are staying in NM for good this time! We are always excited to get friends back instead of losing them to a move for a better job, etc.

We looked like a field trip school group walking all our kiddos through the zoo. It's amazing to me when I look around and everyone's families have doubled and tripled. Time passes and look what happens. It's just so funny to think back to when we were all living the good student life in our little apartments way back when. Those were the days when a night out took little to no planning and we were all up for whatever came our way. Spontaneity has sadly dwindled, but some quick planning and lots of snacks for the kiddies made for a fun night. Not to mention all the adults snagging each others kids as they left our group's blanketed territory. A little help never hurts!

The music was actually fairly good(don't ask me the name of the group), but the company was great. Thanks for a fun night guys!

The Fourth

2010-07-05T21:52:00.005-06:00

The 4th of July never fails to make me feel like summer is finally here, and halfway over at the same time. Weird.

It's a nice change of thought, though, to take the time to think about our freedom and all the little things we take for granted every single second in this country...it's overwelming and humbling all at the same time. And I wish I could thank every person past and present who have worked so hard to make and keep it this way...I'd be a blubbering mess. I am just so, so thankful for all that we enjoy here. God Bless America.

We celebrated here in ABQ with Corey's family. His parents came into town for the weekend to ring in the 4th and lil' Emery's big 2nd birthday. How cool is it that she gets fireworks on her birthday, every year? She was sure a cutie blowing out her candles. She did it so fast that Meagan lit them an additional time while we finished singing 'Happy Birthday.' The adults munched and talked, the kids all splashed and played in Emery's new pool, and we all ended the night with lots of smoke and noise(the fireworks, of course!). Honestly, I thought most of the ones that Corey and Aaron bought this year were pretty boring(sorry, but it's true), except for the very last one they did. Not sure what it was called but it was very cool! Asher actually got into the pyro-play quite a bit this year, and got in trouble more than once for whipping his sparklers too close to nearby faces and feet. He had fun though. Beck was a crabby and rather clumsy little guy during the latter part of the night, but we couldn't have expected much else considering we were 2 hours past his preferred bedtime. We took him inside for the super loud whistly ones, and all he wanted to do was play ball anyway.

Fun night! And a Happy Fourth of July to all!

P.S. The boys watched some soccer during the World Cup. The United States' team loss was a huge disappointment, and now that Brazil is out too, Corey is beside himself. Who to cheer for now? This is a pic of the boys watching some W.C. 'football.'

Summa Fun

2010-06-28T21:11:00.006-06:00

The summer seems to be flying by already. The boys are loving the warm weather, water, dirt, soccer, baseball and popsickles. We have found out that Beckett is an outdoorsman at heart. He'll bring me his shoes, plop himself down in front of me and want me to put them on...immediately. Then he asks for his hat. If I'm busy and can't take him out right away, we get some major tantrum antics. He throws himself on the floor and starts wailing. It's craziness, truly. For a little boy who is super sweet 90 percent of the time, he can sure throw down his share of stubbornness.

He copies everything Asher does, which can often equate to some really loud shouting contests (lucky me...usually in the car or at meal times). They go back and forth shouting the same sounds, then bursting into laughter. They think they are hilarious. I have to admit though, that as much as I detest the shouting I love to hear them laughing together. It's a special little bonus for me if I can put up with the rest of the racket.

Oh, and I can't forget to mention Beck's pension for anything wet. The kid climbs into any 'baby' pool he sees...clothes, shoes and all. He's usually faster getting in than I am catching him. He just sits there, happy as a clam. Being wet doesn't bother him a bit whether it's a pool, the bathtub, puddles, or sprinklers, he loves them all. I'm gonna have to get him swimming early so I don't worry. He seems to have no fear, which means I have plenty.

As for popsickles, I am a huge fan of eating them outside. Beckett insists on having one too, but it brings him to tears every time. He just won't accept that you are supposed to hold the stick, not the freezing cold popsickle. He's making progress, but it's almost painful to watch the excitement on his face melt into frustration and tears as he holds the popsickle itself. He just wants to know why his refreshing little treat is trying to hurt him. Cruel frozen treat.

Asher wants to play baseball or soccer almost every night. It's fun to see the boys out there playing together. Ash will start soccer in the fall, and I think it will be so much to cheer him on.
Ash is also very into trying to make sandcastles in the backyard. He's honing his skills just in time for Corey to build him a big sandbox next weekend. Actually, Asher is into building anything. He is constantly coming up with interesting and very creative contraptions. He claims they are alarms, machines, race tracks, gates, stop lights...and who am I to argue. He's got me convinced! (One of my favorite conversations is when he tells me that our car should turn into a boat...it comes up sometimes when we are driving across the river bridge. He tells me all I have to do is push the button, and then tells me how it all works. Don't I wish. What an imagination!)

One cute moment I caught in pictures was the two of them driving around on the plasma car (isn't that what they're called?). SO cute. I was doing something in the yard, and I turned around to find them peacefully riding around together...no one crying, whining or fighting. Just two happy boys riding together. Asher was one proud brother driving around with Beckett on the back.

The rest of the summer is going to fly by with swimming lessons this next month, visits from both sets of grandparents, and a visit to Utah in August. Lots of fun things to look forward to and I can't wait to see what these boys of mine will come up with next.

Happy Birthday Corey

2010-06-09T21:51:00.005-06:00

Yep, another year. I have officially decided that we are not getting older, just younger at heart. Doesn't that have a nice ring to it? And it's so true. I find it so odd that as I've gotten older, I feel the same (even if sometimes my body doesn't...ie back pain, etc, grrrr). Weird.

Corey is now another year older, and the birthday extravaganza has begun. Asher started asking me yesterday if "Daddy has a birthday hat", which he didn't. Asher then told me we needed to make one, to which I said okay, even if I don't know how to make one. We sort of figured it out. Asher painted, colored, drew and wrote 'Happy Birthday', and I did my best to make a cone shape. It is TOTALLY home-made, but it's the thought that counts! And Asher was pretty excited about it. I think we should call it the birthday dunce hat. Asher also insisted on some party decor, so we blew up some balloons and hung a banner, and he was happy. Phew!

Corey had requested Polynesian Spare Ribs and an ice cream cake for the b-day party fare. The cake was fun to make! It's actually more of an ice cream pie, but it turned out great. Yum. We tried to put Beck to bed, but he'd already seen the cake and started bawling when he realized he was going to miss out. SO, we plopped him down in his seat and let him make a disaster of himself. He ate every last drop and smeared whatever he couldn't lick up all over himself. A lovely little mess.

Aaron, Meagan and the girls came over to celebrate with us and hang it. The kids played and had a good time tossing balloons all over, and the adults chatted it up. Aaron, Ash and Corey played a little soccer in the backyard with Corey's new Brasil Futbol(thanks Aaron -n-Meagan)...prepping themselves for the big World Cup no doubt. Fun times!

Happy Birthday Corey....I'm SO glad you were born! Love you:)

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-02T10:21:00.000-06:00

Woohoo! I love a good long weekend! We had so much fun together, eating entirely too much, and hanging out with Aaron, Meagan and girls. We are realizing more and more all the time how great it is to have family nearby to hang out with, and the cute lil' cousins are having so much fun together already! A few more wouldn't hurt(hint, hint to all the rest of our family too far away to play), but we sure do love having Emery and Ellison close by for Ash and Beck to play with. We BBQ'd two of the days, played games, visited the Butterfly Pavillion and stained the deck.
The deck thing wasn't fun, just totally necessary. Last week our deck was finished being built(good!) and stained(bad!) with 'Cedar' colored stain. Aye-yie-yie. No good. The color looked fine on the can, not so fine on our deck. Nothing but bright orange, plus our bedroom walls reflected the color too when the curtains were open. It had to be fixed asap, so Memorial Day was the day. Now we are SO happy with it, and the dark brown color it is currently sporting. Glad it's done.

That evening Aaron and Meagan came over and we just hung out and relaxed the day away. Our boys topped it off with running through the sprinklers. We turned them on for the benefit of the lawn, but they just couldn't resist. Beckett was chattering from the cold by the time he wanted to come in. Next time maybe we'll try to throw some swimsuits on them first...if we're fast enough. Cute Emery just looked on at the craziness of the boys and kept saying, "Dry." Yes, she was nice and dry. What a good girl!

P.S. These last pics are a few from our visit to the Explora Museum last week. Always a good time!

San Diego

2010-05-18T08:35:00.015-06:00

Our family just returned from a sunny, fun trip to California. We had so much fun I didn't really want to come home. I hadn't been in San Diego area since I was around 10 years old, and I hadn't been to L.A.(Anaheim) since I was in high school (LAX doesn't count). I loved California! Driving around the beautiful coast was a quick reminder of why a gazillion people live there, and minus the traffic and cost of living, I can hardly blame them.

We met up with my sister Jen and her family, making it even better. We stayed at a perfect little place nestled in the hills of Escondido, thanks to Josh's mom and her time-share. We had tons of space, pools, and if only we golfed, we could have done that too.

We hit several beaches(La Jolla, Mission Beach, and Carlsbad Beach), all of which were gorgeous, and we had wanted to visit the San Diego Temple, but with scaffolding on all but one tower, and the gates being locked, we just admired the beauty from afar. We did a day at Disneyland too. That day started out with a Beckett 'blow-out' on the way there, causing an emergency trip to Wal-Mart for some new clothes (is anything else open at 8:30 AM?). Aside from that the day was a blast. Asher is officially tall enough to go on all the rides (except for Indiana Jones), and he did just that. I was very surprised at his excitement and bravery....after riding Space Mountain his reply was, "Wow, that was fast!", and after riding Splash Mountain twice, he wanted to ride it again. Corey sat one out when it came to the Teacups ride(hehehe), and Beckett was petrified of several rides...Pirates of the Caribean, and Dumbo(what?!) to name a few. I think the super high speaker volume had something to do with it, that, and Dumbo seemed to create too much wind! He loved It's a Small World though. All the kids were good sports and we made it through the day without any tantrums or outbursts.

The single thing Asher had wanted to do on this trip was go to the beach to 1) have a picnic, and 2) build a sandcastle. He's been talking about these things for a while now. Well, we did both at beautiful Carlsbad Beach, except that the whole picnic thing was a bust because of sandy food, kids wanting to play instead of eat, and aggressive and hungry Seagulls. Castle building was fun though and we were all involved in the work. Unfortunately there is not a picture of the grand finale because Asher enjoyed tearing it all up as much as he enjoyed the building. And even the frigid temp of the ocean didn't keep Ash dry. He was soaked from falling and playing in the waves. I too remember a time when those west coast waves didn't bother me, but now I'm just a big baby. (Maybe it's something to do with being an adult...would diving right in keep me younger? Hmmm, something to ponder).

Our day at Sea World was a fun one too. Ash and I fed Toby the dolphin(very cool), we all saw the Shamu show(currently without people in the water), and Beckett met Elmo. That last one was surprisingly a big deal...we had no idea Beck was such a fan! He watched a few 'Elmo's World' movies on the drive and ta-da....instant Elmo fanatic. His wiggly, squirmy excitement was anything but contained while waiting to meet the big red fella. It was really so cute. Corey, being the sucker that he is, bought Beckett a huge Elmo, which he loves. All Asher wanted in the entire park was to put pennies into the machines that smash them into souvenir coins...in his words, he wanted, "to do the crank machines!" I think he ended up with three of them, which he treasures and keeps in his piggy bank. Later that night we ate at Joe's Crab Shack on Mission Beach and had a gorgeous view of the sunset!

One of the perks of driving was getting to visit with Corey's parents twice within a week. Their place is about half-way, making for a very convenient stop. The kids thought it was a great treat seeing grandparents so often, and especially since on our way out we were there on Grandpa's birthday! Fun, cake, presents! The kids played at the park and loved seeing Grandma and Grandpa Reitz.

We usually shy away from road trips, knowing the kids will turn into monsters as soon as we leave the driveway, but they proved us so wrong! They did great, thanks to continuous movies and lots of snacks. The drive home was almost uneventful. While driving, Beck needed a diaper change, so after a couple of minutes(literally), and a bit of Asher's commentary about how stinky Beckett was, I turned around and saw a mound of poop staring me in the face and resting next to Beckett's leg. I about died. We pulled over and commenced 'Operation Emergency Diaper Change'. It was bad. Clothes were thrown away, removable(thankfully) pieces of the car seat were bagged up, a hundred wipies were used, and everyone was doused in hand sanitizer. I've never seen that happen before, ever. After the shock wore off, the remainder of the drive was good and boring. Whew!

I loved our trip to Cali. Hanging out with my sister Jen and her family was awesome. So much to do, and the weather and beaches were divine. I'm ready to go again!

Easter Weekend

2010-04-21T08:42:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe Easter has actually come and gone already. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled that Spring is finally here, but where did the time go? This Easter was so fun, having two kiddos participating in the festivities. Okay, so Beckett didn't fully participate, but I think eating as many jelly beans as you can when your parents are preoccupied means you're definitely starting to get it. Beckett loved the jelly beans and was checking every plastic egg he saw to see if it rattled when shaken. Smart kid. Asher was really excited about Easter too. We died eggs, left out carrots for Mr. E.B. and Ash was very much into the egg hunt Corey put together.

Corey's parents came down for the weekend too. So many of our holidays are spent without extended family, so it definitely made the holiday weekend more fun. We watched General Conference and celebrated the Easter holiday. Such fun. Oh, and I ate entirely too much chocolate. Ugh. Happy Spring!

Yep, that's jelly-bean drool. I wonder how many he had stuffed in there...

More of This and That...

2010-04-02T09:15:00.001-06:00

These boys are so fun. I'm always afraid I'm going to forget something they do that makes me smile. I know the crazy things they do won't last forever, so I'm doing my best to capture fleeting moments with my camera. Good shots or not, at least they're there. It's so funny how I look back at some of these already, and I know I was stressed out or irritated, but looking at these pictures I just have to smile and laugh and feel thankful that the moment happened at all. Ah, perspective.

Beckett is an interesting eater. He eats LOTS at breakfast. An adult size portion of oatmeal, a whole banana, milk, and that handful of Kix I toss on his tray to appease him while I am frantically getting everything else ready. This picture is a common scene at lunch time. For some reason he feels a need to douse and smear himself with whatever it is he's eating. I think this particular time it was Chicken Noodle soup. And I promise I didn't even give him the actual liquid-y soup part. Eek. Not pretty. But he was so happy.

Asher has seen his Daddy checking out these maps lately. A couple weeks back I found him perusing a map on the window seat. He was showing me all sorts of roads and has big plans in store. Kinda cute.

Beck sure does love cars. He even makes the little noises when he drives them around. How do little boys just know how to do that? Something in their genes, no doubt. And yes, this is another pic of him donning his favorite glasses, car in hand.

Beckett also loves balls. He gets very excited, squeals for joy and grabs a hold when he sees one. This one took a beating. I found him with a pile of bitten off pieces. He wasn't eating it, just tasting it, and spitting it out, hoping it would get better with each new bite. Asher was sad. Honestly, I've been saving this ball from just this situation for weeks now. It was an accident waiting to happen.

My boys and their "buddies." I wish I could remember when we started calling them that. Asher's brood has gotten a little out of hand. I know I've written about them before, but his pile of stuffed animals is SO big, and he always seems to know when one is missing. He sleeps with them nestled around him. Corey told me the other day he remembers doing that with things when he was little...he says it made him feel safe. I bet all those buddies are protecting him from the ducks that come in through the window (hehehehe...see the post on 'Fears and Funnies').
What's a little crazy is that he comes into my room in the morning carrying them, all of them. I can't even see his face half of the time, and I have no idea how he manages to bring them all along in such a sleepy state. It's truly a feat of dexterity and concentration!

Beckett has taken to a soft, blue bunny. Ironically it was the first thing ever given to Asher....it was a gift for him from my little sister Kayla. Beck LOVES that thing. He slept with a Glo-Worm for a little while, but the bunny rules supreme. He calls it "Bu-Bu", and when I lay him down to sleep at night I hand it to him, he clutches it, smiles, rolls onto his tummy and falls asleep. Last night I didn't have it with me when I put him down and it was disastrous. He laid there, looked all around, then simply said, "Bu-Bu." I hurried out of the room, grabbed that bunny and returned to find Beckett standing up, screaming with tears rolling down his face. That bunny made everything better.

Last weekend, our ward held a primary activity. The kids checked in and were "called" on missions (Ash went to Russia). It was pretty darn cute and the Primary presidency did a fabulous job, I thought. Here is my future missionary proud as can be. He looks so grown up in this picture! They even practiced knocking doors, too cute. He had a great time. I, by the way, will need the next 15 years just to prepare myself to mentally prep myself for letting him leave on a mission. Oh boy.

Whirly, Curly Mullet and First Steps.

2010-04-01T15:15:00.004-06:00

Baby hair: it's fine, feathery, whispy, sweet and well...babyish. Which is the exact reason why it's I've been putting off snipping Beckett's lengthy locks. The hair in front is stick straight and starting to drift into his eyes, and the hair in the back is beginning to curl at his neck. It's a mess, really. And so, I think it's time for the mullet to go. I know it's time, but ah, those little curls at the back are so sweet. Maybe I'll cut it, um.....tomorrow.

A week and a half ago, he had a big milestone day! Beckett, who has gotten very adept at standing for little stretches of time, decided to go out on a limb and move forward. He took two very slow, very careful steps, then slowly sat down. Yeah! Good job little B! After that I caught him trying it out a few more times. My little ground-dweller is growing up. No more baby kneeling at my feet with his arms outstretched, begging me to hold him. He will be walking soon, even running! The true upside of walking is that he'll be up and off the floor, which is never really perfectly clean, is it? Then there's church. Ew. I know they vacuum every week, but the dark and dirty fingers and nails on Beckett makes me wonder when the last time it was those carpets were actually cleaned. Of course, all he wants to do is move, so walking the halls, holding him for hours straight at this age is not an option, so onto the dirty floors he crawls. Those days are numbered and my baby is growing up. He's now doing 10-12 steps at a time! Sheesh!

Beckett cruising around with his "walker." Ah, independence. I'll post some pics soon of the newly independent Beckett:)

A little P.S.:
Asher had an appointment last week to get a renal ultrasound. Long story short, we were having him checked to be sure he doesn't have a kidney issue Beck has. He was SO excited to go, talking about it, looking forward to it. It was really funny. And he was very still and such a good boy when the tech performed the ultrasound. She said she'd never seen a kid who was happy to be there before. Leave it to Ash to be the first. The elevators still offer the biggest draw though, and in the end I think that was the reason for his stellar behavior. After we came home that day, he built a hospital out of Legos, in honor of our little visit. Asher thinks the hospital is a place to go and have fun...I guess I won't shatter the dream:)

Funnies and Fears

2010-03-15T09:13:00.003-06:00

Lately I feel so bad that I haven't written down all the fun things the boys do. So, here are a few I'd like to remember and maybe even tease them about later.

Beckett is still very much a ground dweller, crawling his way through the world. He loves to stand for 10-15 seconds at a time on his own, but has no desire to move his feet which, really is fine by me. In his travels, he usually likes to have a toy in one hand, usually in the form of a car, a plastic doughnut, or his glasses. Of course he doesn't actually wear glasses, but he does wear Mr. Potato Head's glasses. You know, the tiny plastic yellow ones that only fit onto Mr. Potato Head. Beck loves them. He loves for you to put them on him. It is so funny, and it makes him so happy. It'll be a sad day indeed when we can't stretch them out and squeeze them on. We'll just have to find him a larger pair.

Asher is, as always, hilarious. One of his favorite movies is Babe (the pig). In this movie, Babe has a particular duck friend named Ferdinand. Now, for some odd reason ever since he started watching this movie last spring, he's had a fear of ducks. Not the real ones, but the other kind. He is petrified of the "ducks that come through the window." What? Seriously though, once nighttime comes, he won't go near a window with open blinds or curtains, particularly in his bedroom or in the bathroom. He tells us that the ducks will come in the windows, and get him. He is genuinely afraid of those ducks. Poor kid.
Then there's the butterflies. At night (always at night, right?) he tells me and Corey that the butterflies will get him. We can't totally trace the roots of this one, but we think it might be moths. Last summer, for some reason moths would sometimes come in through his heating vent. He'd run to us making crazy claims of butterflies in his room after we'd put him to sleep. We just figured he was trying to stay up longer, until we realized (more than once) that he was telling the truth, and that there were actually moths hiding up on the ledge in his bedroom sometimes. Creepy! I can hardly blame him, but to hear him talk about those scary butterflies is kind of funny.
Maybe there's something to all things that fly. Who knows?
I sure do love these boys.

I had to post a couple of pics of cute Beckett in this adorable hat. It's Asher's size, but I can't resist sticking it on lil' Beck. I'm just gonna have to get another one I guess. A friend of mine, Adrienne makes and sells them on Etsy. Her hats are SO cute. She is one amazing crocheter! Check out her shop.

Baby B Turns One!

2010-02-18T23:16:00.000-07:00

Ah, seriously? Has it been a whole year already? I cannot believe my baby is one. I have had mixed emotions about his birthday for a little while now. I'm excited because there are so many fun things coming up...walking, talking, all of it! But I'm a little sad, because he's not my little baby anymore.

My attempt at a banana shaped cake.

Our little family party(just the four of us...and my parents on webcam) was fun. We snagged some Curious George stuff at the party store and it didn't disappoint. Beckett loved all the monkey decor, and seemed to know the night was his. I am convinced however, that with a one year old it is ALL about cake and balloons. In fact, I think until they are around three, you could probably focus on that and be good to go...cake and balloons. Ta-da. Done.

Asher's cake approach at one was a semi-face plant in the side of the cake and to stay put until he'd had his fill. So funny. Beckett's approach was also very interesting. He ate straight through the center of the cake, literally. The edges of the cake were untouched until that was all that was left. And he wanted to eat it all, and would have no problem if we hadn't taken it away. The balloons were a hit too. He couldn't stop playing with them, and that huge George mylar one is still drifting around our house bringing smiles. I love one-year old birthdays! They are just the best.

Some fun facts about our Beck:

Although he is now squirming out of my arms, demanding and asserting his independence, he has been such a snuggle bug! It's been so nice to have a cuddly baby.
Baby Bucket, Booda-Booda, Beck, B-man, Beckett....all nicknames over the past year.
He is very passionate about his food. He knows what he wants and will scream at you until you get it right. And don't even think about trying to ignore him...the screaming is VERY persistent.
Again, a very passionate eater. Say for example I start putting some Cheerios on his tray...Beckett descends upon the food and starts putting into his mouth double fisted. It's madness. If he's really excited he does this sound that almost sounds like he's purring. Still need to get that on video!
He's always been pretty vocal. From the beginning. He's saying Mama, Da, and Do (dog). He is fascinated by Dion.
Until recently he was still waking up once a night, taking full advantage of my laziness. I finally put my foot down a few weeks before he turned one. It took 3 nights of some extremely persistent and furious screaming, but now we are all sleeping through the night. Hallelujah!(Except I'm still feeling a little guilty,... but only a little)
He love, love, loves his brother. Those two start laughing at each other and it's over...they seem to totally get one another. Do kids have inside jokes already? Oh boy.
He adores his glow worm. He sucks on his face, smiles and loves the music. So cute.
He said mama first:)
He has pretty much caught up! After being nearly 2 months premature, I am happy, and relieved to say he's doing great. Bringing him home on Oxygen was a real bummer, and we had so many worries in the beginning. What a trooper. What a brave little boy. We feel so blessed that everything has gone well. Our Beckett is sure a sweetie, and is adding even more of that happy-go-lucky, fun-loving, roudy energy we are used too. He was definitely sent to the right place, and we love him so, so much.

Happy Birthday Beckett! We sure love you B!!

Asher turns 4!

2010-01-31T20:15:00.001-07:00

How can another year have gone by so fast? Asher turned four years old, and he is thrilled about it. He's been talking about turning four for a couple of months at least, and his request that night was to have a '4' on his hat. He was just so proud. We celebrated with the family while we were visiting up there for the holiday. With a birthday that's three days after Christmas, its nice to have some family around to help make it extra special. I know he loves it. The cake process was a little last minute since we'd only been in town day or two. He picked a Blue's Clues cake, which surprised me since he's been so into trains, animals, etc. But, Blue it was and it was perfect! It was the first year he's really anticipated his birthday, which made it more exciting. Happy 4th Birthday Ash! We love you SO much.

A few fun things about Asher:

We are so proud of him. He's an amazing older brother to Beckett, and has lately even started building towers for him to knock down. It's so great to see them interact well together, and I know that Asher is the key to making that happen. They already seem to have 'inside' jokes!

He is a sentimental kid. When people give him things, he often remembers, and those things mean something to him. He sleeps with a slew of "buddies" now, and they have all been given to him by someone special. The buddies currently include a flashlight, 6 or 7 stuffed animals, a little Santa in an airplane with a fan for a propeller and sometimes a book or two...and he takes inventory every night, if one is missing, he knows it.

He is a friend to all. He loves people. And he calls everyone a friend. There was a period when he literally called any kid he saw a "friend" (ie....we were at the mall, and another kid walks by...Asher says, "look mom, there's a friend!"). He'll still fight for a coveted toy, just like any other kid his age, but he really does seem to be accepting of others.

He can be very sweet. Other moms (my own included) have told me how little boys love their moms and will say the sweetest things. Until recently, I hadn't experienced it for myself. He will compliment me on everything from my glasses to my shirt. "Mommy", he says, "your eyes are beautiful." Wow, keep em' coming, I think to myself!

He is an excellent negotiator. He can be convincingly clever with his words when he wants something. He won't come right out and ask if he can have something, but if YOU would like something, and that he'd like to share. For example, if he wants some M&M's he'll ask if you want some first, then if you want to share some. He smooths over his demands with words that make you think he's doing you a favor. Are they supposed to be so clever at 4?

He loves to learn. He's always building things, killing me with questions on how things work and loves to learn words (to read). He masters puzzles, and loves to play games. Don't get me started on his obsession with replacing batteries in toys, and finding out where all the dead lightbulbs in the universe are (because he sees them all). He pays attention to little things, which I find fascinating since I don't always do that myself! Everything is a chance to learn something, and I am constantly impressed with how little minds work in such a big way.

We are so proud of our big boy, and love him so much. Happy Birthday A-Man!

Christmas Catch-Up

2010-01-17T21:41:00.001-07:00

Now that the New Year has come and gone, and before that Christmas and Asher's birthday, I am finally catching up on blogging all the festivities. It was definitely a busy season, visiting with both sides of the family, and filled with lots of fun, and TOO MUCH food.

Corey's parents were in town for Christmas, and we spent Christmas Eve and Day with them. We had dinner at our place, then braved the night and the insane traffic to see the 'Luminarias.' It is a unique tradition in a downtown neighborhood, and nearly every single home lines the streets, and everything in luminarias. It was beautiful to see all those lights, minus the bumper to bumper traffic. You see, it's not exactly a secret.

Happy Christmas Baby!

Asher gave his Daddy a signed original titled, "Elephant with Boot."

Christmas morning was wonderful. It is an absolute joy to watch my boys experience it all. Asher was very much into the whole thing this year, and Beckett actually enjoyed it more than I thought he would (his hands-down favorite was playing with the wrapping paper). Santa brought Asher a bike this year, and he's now tasting real live freedom as he rides up and down the street with his trusty training wheels. He loves it, and keeps telling us how fast he is. Speed demon!
We had a nice Christmas Day with Corey's family, it was a treat to have some visitors in town.

New wheels!

The day after Christmas, we flew to Utah for some more holiday festivities. My brother Ryan, his wife Danna and their cutie pie Adalee were visiting too, which made it extra fun. We hadn't even met their daughter until this trip! We spent lots of time hanging out, playing games, talking and eating with everyone...every single member of my family was around, and it was great getting together like that. Unfortunately, it doesn't happen too often with some of us living in different places. It's so amazing to see all of us, grown up with families of our own, and I LOVE to see all the cousins running around. Since I'm combining so much, I will hit the highlights:

It was great hanging out with both of my parents the whole time...my dad even had the entire time off!
Beckett learned to crawl up the stairs. At home I keep him away from them, but at Grandma's house he saw his cousins doing it (particularly Adalee who is 3 weeks older) and thought he'd better do it too. Good job little buddy!

Asher built his first snowman! Not a big deal to many, but here in NM, our snow is nowhere near snowman quality, so we took advantage of the chance to build the real deal with some real snow. Thankfully, Laurie happened to have enough snow gear to outfit a whole family in her car!

My boys in the snow...

Beckett wanted in on the action and watched from the glass door.

The snowman crew with the finished product.

Cousins. Cousins. Cousins. Love watching them all play, cry, laugh, and fight.

New Year's Eve. Lots of food. Ryan took it upon himself to sautee shrimp and scallops for everyone, and I thought I hated scallops! MMMMmmmm, thanks Ry. The guys spent the night playing a Wii tourney, the girls crafted. Yes, you read right...crafted. Unconventional, I know, but Danna showed us all how to make these really cute bead-y watches...and it was fun! We laughed a lot, and were near delerium by around 1:30 when we all started to crash. Wish I had pictures of our watches!

Learning how to crochet cute little flowers. Again, Danna passed on some of her expertise to us. I was a nightmare to teach (Me, crochet? Scary!), and somehow she stuck it out. Thanks again! They really are so cute! Again, no pictures, but here's Kayla making one!

New Year's Day my parents took us all to Tucano's for lunch. Yum. Who knew they had tables that big?
Kangaroo Zoo. Asher had a blast running and jumping around that place, and best of all we were practically the only people there!

Taking pictures of all the kiddos in their matching pajamas. Pure madness. Imagine 8 kids ages 4 and under, 3 of which are crawlers, trying to stay still for one perfect shot. Impossible! My mom had a great idea, but the reality was scary. I so wish we'd had a video camera going to capture it. It would be funny now, even though it wasn't then. The two stalwart children were Asher and Allyssum who sat there waiting patiently and fairly content watching the mayhem around them. Funny.

So, that is our Christmas holiday in a rather large "nutshell." It was so fun to see everyone this holiday (except for Shawntel, Jared and family....we miss you guys!). We love you all and thanks for all the fun and memories!

Did I mention this poor guy had an ice cream cone for a nose and walnuts for eyes and mouth? We couldn't find carrots, etc. anywhere in my mom's house! We had to get creative.

Santa's a coming...

2009-12-11T09:12:00.004-07:00

It is feeling like Christmastime! This is all thanks to a decorated tree, Christmas cards in the mail, a Spiced Wassail candle, some Christmas tunes, a daily advent calendar (Asher lives to open the little boxes), broken Christmas canes found in random places, and a trip to the mall to visit Santa. I am so glad it seems like Christmastime. There have been years when the holiday gets here, and I feel like I missed the whole month and with it the feeling that this season evokes. The magic, the giving, the fun! I hate it when I miss it, so I am trying to really embrace it. Kids make Christmas what it is, in every way. I am convinced of that. And my two little guys are having some fun.

I took some pictures yesterday of the two of them near the tree, and it was just funny. I was trying to get a perfect picture, which seemed (and was) unlikely. Except that the imperfect ones are my favorites, so that's okay by me!

We also made a trip to the mall to visit Santa. Asher insisted that Beckett go first, which at first came across as a sweet and generous gesture of brotherly love, until we realized he was petrified of Mr. Clause. Corey sat him on Santa's knee, and had to pry him off his coat. We were dangerously close to a picture of Asher with Santa, crying his head off, at nearly 4 years old! As it is, the picture we did bring home was pretty close to what was really going on. I don't think Asher said even one word to the Big Man, he just couldn't wait to get out of there. Beckett thought Santa was mesmerizing. He just stared and stared. Blame it on the bright white beard, I say...who grows a beard these days? Santa does look pretty cool.

Christmas is a coming!

P.S. And, yes, Beckett's skin is looking a litte orange. Too much squash? I swear it's not a tan!

Thanksgiving in Globe

2009-12-03T13:05:00.001-07:00

Sunset in Globe.

Globe, Arizona that is. For any who've either never been or heard of this town, it is simply a tiny mining town a bit over an hour outside of Pheonix. We went to visit Corey's parents for the Thanksgiving holiday. It was only the second roadtrip we've taken with the boys and they did surprisingly well. Thanks to a lot of naps by Beckett (okay, he did scream a little) and hours of DVD's for Asher, all was pleasant. I sometimes wonder what in the world families did before movies in the car. Scary!
Thanksgiving day was nice, and the food was delish! We drove to "the valley" a couple of times and put in some shopping time and way too much eating time. Corey went to High School in Gilbert, AZ, so he had a few things he wanted to do/eat while he was there (Mesa Temple Christmas lights, and Nielson's Frozen Custard, mmm). Pheonix was a sizzling 81 degrees the day after Thanksgiving!! And we hit snow on the drive home, go figure.

Asher's favorite pastime over the weekend...playing with the gates.

Taking an after dinner walk on Thanksgiving.

One of the days, we went to Freestone Park, which is a huge park with some kids rides and mini manmade lakes. Asher had a fantastic time riding the little train and carousel, and before we left he worked up enough courage to brave the little ferris wheel. It was a proud moment, I must say. Beckett spent the majority of the weekend wanting his mom to hold him, and drag-crawling himself around. He is loving his new freedom and boy is he fast.

Since we've been home, we caught up and put up our Christmas tree! Asher is really excited about everything this year...so fun! Less than 24 hours after we put out all the Christmas decor, Asher had broken two ornaments, and flattened a decorative sled (he sat on it...whoops).
I cannot believe December is actually here and that Christmas is coming so quick. I'm hoping to have all my shopping done by this weekend, so we can all really enjoy the rest of it all. Woooeeee! Time sure flies!

P.S. Couldn't resist posting this. This picture is from a recent visit to the zoo...we now have an adorable baby elephant!

All that is Fall

2009-11-03T11:04:00.001-07:00

I love fall. Love, love, love it! This year, though, it seems to have come and gone and I was barely keeping up. We usually buy pumpkins the first week of October, and this year it was the week of! I didn't come up with any costumes for me and Corey, although I did have a great idea...wild animal trainers, since our kids were animals...hats, lassos, khaki, etc, ..(too bad ideas don't count!). Didn't happen. We had fun picking out pumpkins. Asher loved every one he picked up so picking one was a process and we just grabbed the first one he'd chosen. Plus he could not stop running all over, around and through the whole "patch", until we told him he could hold onto Beckett for some pictures. He'll always stop for a chance to hold his little bro.

This past week reminded me of all the Halloweens of my youth....COLD. It made me think of all those years I had to put a coat over my costume to go trick-or-treating and how much I hated it. We had a little snow storm come through a few days ago, and Asher was begging me to go outside. He said he wanted the snow "on him." I could hardly deny him this wish, since these chances to play in any kind of snow are brief and few. He came in muddy, wet and happy, even though it was nearly all melted by the time he came in. I think he ate snow off of almost every surface in the yard. By the time he came in he was caked in mud from the waist down, and I had a small vase filled with roses from the yard that Asher kept bringing in to me ("for you" he'd say), all of which had no stems attached...his own personal trademark.

We carved up our pumpkins...I did a Blue's Clues one and Corey carved up an owl. We had Ash color one again...maybe next year we'll help him carve one. We also did the baby-in-a-pumpkin thing again. We did it with Ash on his 1st Halloween too, but I have to say that Beckett was a better sport, even though both times it ended in crying. I'm so mean. The pictures just turned out ok, I really wanted to take him outside, but it was cold, and Corey was making me feel guilty for doing it at all, so inside we stayed. I'm still glad we did it though.

Halloween was a fun night. Aaron, Meagan and Emery came over for some chili and cornbread. Asher really got into the trick-or-treating this year. We went to our Ward's trunk-or-treat the night before, so he'd gotten a little practice. I stayed at home to hand out candy and put Beckett to bed while Corey and Aaron went up and down our street with Ash. When people opened the door he yelled, "it's me!" and then added an obligatory "trick-or-treat." Next year I am going too. I'm tired of missing all the funny things that happen while I'm handing out candy to everyone else's kids. Next year our house will not be giving out candy for approximately 30 minutes. I can't wait! As far as costumes this year, Asher was an elephant, and Beckett was a monkey. They both looked so cute! I guess I have a thing for dressing my kids as animals. I can hardly resist their adorable little faces peeking out at me through a huge furry hood. I figure they have years ahead of them to be being skeletons, pirates, superheroes, etc., so I'm taking full advantage of their cuteness and using my mommy-persuasion to dress them as animals. Asher insisted on being Thomas the Tank Engine again this year until I slipped the elephant costume on him on the store, and he changed his mind. Phew!

I now have too much candy sitting in the pantry, a little boy who wants to go trick-or-treating again tomorrow, and some already delapidated carved pumpkins on the porch. Can't wait to do it all again next year!

Monkey Business

2009-10-09T14:05:00.005-06:00

Can I just say that Albuquerque's Balloon Fiesta never seems to get old? I love waking up and seeing balloons dotting the sky, and so do the kids. It is surreal and beautiful. We didn't hit the actual Fiesta park this year...it seemed cruel to rip a baby out of bed for some early morning fun, so we'll likely resume that next year. But, we have done a few morning drives around town to watch them float on by. More mellow, but still fun and mesmorizing. We found a great spot in Corrales last weekend where balloons were landing all around us. I think Asher is a little bummed we aren't doing "park and ride" this year and going down to the park...the bus ride is still a major highlight for him and he's been talking about it for weeks now, but I think somehow he'll forgive us, and we'll just make it up to him next year As always, Fall in Albuquerque is amazing.

Me and Beck hanging at the zoo:)

Corey took a day off from work today, so we drove around and watched the balloons, grabbed some cinnamon rolls and hit the zoo. What a treat! We had an especially exciting time visiting the chimpanzees. There is a baby one that was literally playing with Asher. The little guy was doing sommersaults by the viewing window, then throwing himself at the glass and jumping around. It was amazing to watch, and Asher was loving every second of it!

Please ignore my goofy laugh!

The Maestro

2009-09-27T19:52:00.003-06:00

I have been looking forward to today for quite some time now...the day that I had a child to watch in the annual Primary Program. My day arrived at last, and Asher did not disappoint. I knew we would need to be early to get a good seat, so we prepared accordingly and showed up 30 minutes early. Unfortunately, our ward is RIDICULOUS about saving seats and you must be at least 45 minutes early to get one. Or, you can send your child an hour early, throw down some scriptures on a pew and call it good when you walk in at ten til and your seat is just waiting for you (I guess I'd do it too if I could, but just knowing you can't beat the system is frustrating!). We sat at the front of the gym section though, and that was good enough, especially since we only sat there up until the program started.
Asher made Corey walk him up when it started, and I was sitting occupying Beckett when I heard very familiar and very loud crying from the front of the chapel. It was definitely my kid, definitely not wanting to participate. Luckily, he agreed to stay with his class as long as Corey sat on the front row where he could see him. Soon, Beckett and I joined him, because I figured I could see better from there anyway. His claim to fame for the day was his conducting abilities (which were unknown until today). With each song, he stood just ahead of his class and had his arms fully outstretched, fingers out (a bit like a monster) and was moving them to the beat with gusto. It was hilarious. The best part was that he was intent and all business about it, not being silly and laughing. He was reigned in after a few songs to keep order, but not before we had a few laughs. He also had a small speaking part ("I pick up my blocks") which he did shyly but well. I had a few people afterward tell me how funny he was, and that he should conduct the MoTab someday.
I am so glad I finally was able to watch one of my own children up there, with utter parental pride. Loved it!

Sound Effects Included

2009-09-25T19:30:00.000-06:00

If there's one thing I've learned about little boys, it is that they make sounds, all kinds of sounds. Asher, for example, cannot move without making a noise to go with it. Corey has joked that he can "b-box", and really there is some truth to that! Beyond the imitable noises of a car or airplane, Ash has a specific sound he'll make if he's running, and another for when he turns quickly, or when he's dropping something, everything has a distinct and specific noise. The other day I bought a pineapple, and low and behold, he started in with a song/sound for that too! (This recording was prompted a bit, and I happened to have a prop to give you the whole picture)

Beckett too is beginning to make his fair share of sounds. There's the really loud shriek he repeats over and over when he's tired and hungry (think velocoraptor from Jurassic Park), and my favorite, the spitting noise. He does it when he's eating (a bit alarming when sweet potatoes are sprayed at you), he does it when he's sitting, he does it when I change his diaper. It is kind of becoming his sound of the moment. When he finishes up there is a rim of saliva around his mouth and wet droplets all over the rest of his face. Luckily, he was doing it a lot today at lunchtime (yes, I was dodging food), and I caught him on tape. What sweet and funny little boys.

Turning 32 and Other Nonsense

2009-09-10T13:30:00.000-06:00

Atta boy Asher! Mommy is 23!

Another year. Ever since I turned 30 I had this strange notion that age 32 sounded good...oddly, better than 31. We'll see. The boys made my day special. Instead of going out to dinner this year, I wanted to go out to breakfast, which is something we almost never do. I love going out to breakfast and decided this was my chance to take full advantage, especially since my b-day fell on Labor Day this year. It was so nice! We ate at Mimi's (yum) and I've come to the conclusion that going out to breakfast is so much fun because you feel like you're on vacation.

After that we hit the zoo with Aaron and Meagan and grabbed some pizza/sandwiches at Saggio's. Fun and mellow.

One of the best parts of the day was when Corey and Asher made me a birthday cake. Corey is not one to brave the baking himself, he'd rather just buy one and have it over with, usually. It was so fun to watch them, and Asher loved every second of it. I had to laugh when Corey asked me questions like, "Is canola oil like vegetable oil?" and after helping him for a second, he was stunned when I started laughing because he didn't put frosting in between the two cake layers. It was yummy and oh so sweet of them. When the candles wouldn't stay on just right, he concocted some sort of a support system with other candles behind the cake. Very creative. Thanks guys for making my day so fun!

The rest of these pictures are from the last few weeks, ... fun and random ones I wanted to post.

The day we returned from our trip to Utah we hit the grocery store to fill our empty refrigerator. All that traveling was too much for the boys and they both conked out at the store...right where they were.

Just thought this was a cute one of Beckett at the ward swim party in July. Love those cheeks! He was a good little swimmer, even though the water was cold. Brrrr.

While in Utah, I went to the Farmer's Market in Provo with my mom and Kayla. She brought her double jogging stroller and walked around with the two boys, who are just 3 weeks apart. EVERYONE asked if they were twins. Kayla kept saying no until I told her she should just say yes...it was easier. So, she did and ended up getting asked questions and hearing stories from strangers about their twins. It was pretty funny. Who knew that twins received SO much attention?

Go On and Kiss the Girl

2009-09-02T21:09:00.002-06:00

Corey came home tonight and told me a hilarious story.

He had a dental appointment in the late afternoon. He sees the Dentist I used to work for full time, and the hygienist(Sheila) I worked with cleans his teeth. Sheila has been dating a guy for a while, and always enjoys sharing the latest goings on. She came into the reception area and called Corey's name. Once he was in the room, she held out her hand (arm fully extended, palm folded, fingertips pointing towards the floor) and stared at him. Corey just stared at her hand, completely bewildered and not knowing what he was supposed to do or say. After hesitating a little longer than he was comfortable with, he decided to take her hand and kiss it!! He felt a little foolish, but couldn't think of what else she'd meant by it. She laughed and said, "thank you for kissing my hand,...now look at this!" Of course, she was referring to the newly acquired diamond on her ring finger. She had been showing him that she was engaged, the way that women often do. He'd missed her point completely and kissed her hand in the process. WHOOPS!!

I blushed just listening to Corey relay the story! I could not stop laughing. He was absolutely horrified and embarrassed by the whole situation. A girl would have caught her implications for sure, but a guy, well, I guess they're just not as into the new bling women might be sporting. I don't think Corey has ever even kissed my hand! I am still laughing about it all. I have no doubt that Sheila will be getting some good mileage out of that story with her patients. I wish I'd been a fly on the wall to witness the whole scene. My husband bending to kiss a fair maiden's hand with a chivalrous kiss. Hmmm...should I be jealous? Hehehehehe.

Visit to Utah

2009-08-28T15:00:00.000-06:00

We just spent a week and a half in Utah and this trip was ALL about the family. We hung out with my sisters and their kids every day and had a fantastic time. It was busy, but fun and we hit a wedding, a birthday and everything in between. This did however mean a lot of driving, which made Asher sleepy and Beckett mad (he really started to resent his carseat). We were even able to visit with my grandparents, on both sides, which is a real treat and not something we always get to do. I, of course, was the crazy mom walking around with a camera in her hand every second, documenting every moment I could. I didn't want to miss a thing!

Kayla turned 20 the day we arrived (Woo-hoo, and good-bye to those teenage years!), and it was so fun meeting her handsome little guy, Troy. He's only 3 weeks younger than Beckett. So fun for cousins to be so close. They both stared at each other and drooled a lot since they're both teething like crazy. We also met (for the first time...ridiculous!) Laurie's two gorgeous little girls, Allyssum and Jocelyn. Such cuties. It's so much fun to see everyone's families growing. We did miss Ryan and Danna who just missed us by moving a month before our visit. The boys loved hanging out with their cousins.

We hit Thanksgiving Pointe a few times. Somehow in all the years we've been going back to Utah, we'd never been there. I loved the gardens, and I don't think we saw half of them. Next time for sure. The first day we went, it was "$2 Tuesday." This bargain is NO secret. What a mistake. I think every family within 50 miles came. We knew it was going to be a bad idea when we were backed up just getting off the freeway. The next couple of times we went we made sure we were paying full price, and it was well worth it. Besides the gardens, we visited the Farm, and the Dinosaur museum, both of which were fun for all ages. The day we visited the Farm, my dad took work off to hang with his daughters and all the grandkids. It was so much fun, and every one of those kids just adores their grandpa. He's got a Donald Duck impersonation that he reels them in with from the beginning, and from there its all milkshakes, walks, shoulder rides, motorcycle rides and teasing. Asher asked him to take a walk one evening and he went with him then and there. I think it really made him feel special:) I had to laugh when I heard that Koleson calls him grandpa Donald (my mom is Grandma Daisy). So cute! It was nice to have him to ourselves for that afternoon.

During our first visit to T. Pointe, we had a small (but monumental at the time) disaster occur. We were packing up to leave, putting kids in the car, etc. Corey grabbed the car seat off of the stroller to put Beck in the car while I emptied the stroller out to fold it up. He'd been playing with him a bit earlier, and Beckett had fallen asleep, so we just laid him in the seat and covered him up. He'd never been buckled back in. Before I knew what had happened I heard Corey say, "Oh no!" I looked over and saw my sweet baby laying on the pavement face down. Because he had been sound asleep, it took a second for him to start screaming. I think I screamed first...some sort of blood curdling, scared, protective momma scream. I totally freaked out for a few minutes, crying and holding Beckett, trying to decide if he was okay or not. In the end, he was, and his scrapes were all but gone 5 days later. The poor little guy! It was an awful moment. Corey felt terrible! We were just so relieved he was alright.

Beckett sporting his road-rash:(

We also paid a visit to temple square, specifically the roof of the conference center. Somehow we never make it that far and have always wanted to see the view and all the plants up there. The morning we went, Asher was panicking and absolutely did not want to go to the temple. He mournfully wailed to us: "I don't want to go to the temple! I don't want to get married!" I guess we need to start teaching him the other reasons people go to the temple, because the poor kid was terrified that with one visit to the temple we'd be pawning him off! After assuring him that he absolutely would not be getting married for a long time (at least 20 or so years!), he agreed to go with us.

The Discovery Gateway children's museum was a riot. The kids ran around and had a fantastic time. What a cool place for young kids! The favorite part was the area where the kids get to try out different "jobs" like a fireman, postman, grocery clerk, etc. Asher was a Postman Extrordinaire. He ran around delivering mail to all the mailboxes...at one point a little girl opened a mailbox and innocently took out the letter he had just delivered. He pushed her down, snagged the letter and put it right back! We'll be working on the don't-push-girls thing. He takes his mail delivery very seriously. He spent a fair amount of time ringing up groceries too...hilarious to watch how diligent he was with his customer service skills. Beck just watched, drooled and snuggled...fine by me!

We had an especially unique opportunity to get a guided tour of Centerville, which is where my Grandpa Pettit grew up. He told us stories, showed us pictures and took us to all the spots he had special memories of. I'd never heard any of them, and I thought it was wonderful to hear him tell about his growing up years first hand...priceless. My favorites were the skinny dipping one, and hearing him tell of the things his mother did (making butter for the store, and taking him to find castaway toys at the town garbage dump). He grew up during the Great Depression and things were never taken for granted. There are even plaques around town; the one at the fire station in particular notes my great grandfather and the auto shop he once owned and lived at on that very site. I love family history and was so grateful to hear him reminisce and help me to learn more of my family's rich past. I could just about picture those pesky Pettit boys tipping toilets (gasp!) and sledding down the center of town in the winter before succumbing to a chili pie to warm them up.

Thanks everyone for making the time to hang out with us and for making our trip so memorable. We felt so loved and had an amazing time. We love you and miss you all already. Til the next time!

First Taste

2009-07-21T21:13:00.005-06:00

Today was the big day...we introduced Beckett to the wonderful world of food. Okay, so rice cereal is not all that wonderful, but he seemed to think it was alright. I swear he's been wanting to eat ALL the time, so I figured we'd held out long enough and that we'd all be better off if something else was helping to fill that tummy. He gobbled up all the food I gave him and didn't seem to mind the spoon a bit. He didn't even spit any out! He must be holding out on that until I feed him squash. He's such a little cutie and I can't believe how much he's grown...almost 6 months old! He's rolling over, grabbing his toes, trying to sit (not there yet!), and seems to be anxious to get moving.

Asher still loves to make him laugh, and loves his baby bro so much...even though that sometimes includes pinching and snagging toys. Ah, brotherly love.

4th of July Weekend

2009-07-07T11:37:00.008-06:00

This summer feels as though it has just begun, and yet it's half over already! This 4th of July we hung out in Albuquerque and made good use of our free time. We hit a Baseball game...Beckett's first. He was surprisingly good, and seemed to be taking full advantage of being held for a couple of hours straight. Asher was really excited for the game, and I used it as leverage the whole day. Interestingly enough, his fave parts were Orbit (our mascot), and the play equipment across the field. We enjoyed the fireworks afterward from the parking lot/car, afraid that baby B would NOT enjoy the earth-shattering explosions as much as the rest of us. Asher loved them.

Asher's meltdown...it's not his birthday.

The Fourth was Emery's first birthday! We prepped Asher all day, explaining that it was both Emery's birthday, and America's birthday. He still cried when we all sang to her. Meagan was nice enough to let Asher blow out a candle of his own. One of these days it will be OK for someone else to have a birthday....won't it?? Is that just a 3 year old thing?

We LOVE first birthday parties. The kids are so cute at that age, and I love seeing what they'll do with the cake. Emery was disappointingly neat and clean, but seemed to love her day. She and Ash were splashing away in her new sand/water table. She was playing in just her shorts, so after a while, Asher begged to take his shirt off too. So funny.

Beckett got to hang with Grandma and Grandpa Reitz. He is such a sweetheart, and doesn't seem to mind being passed around at all. He just loves to be held. Ooooh, I just love those cheekies!

Before nightfall, there was a little drizzle of rain, which had the guys panicking that they wouldn't be able to let off their arsenal of fireworks they'd bought. It cleared up and we were left with a gorgeous double rainbow (only one is showing in the pic, bummer). The only casualty of the night was Corey's thumb. He ended up burning it pretty good with a lighter, after complaining repeatedly about how they didn't get any punks. He was very concerned about treating it correctly, and I am happy to report that it is healing well (another fine reminder of why men do not bear children). No doubt, next year he'll remember to get some.

We even got in a healthy dose of yard work, making some progress on our yard's face lift! Aaron and Adam helped out, and I am so excited that its taking shape!

Family, fun, food and fireworks. Good times.

Durango Fun

2009-06-23T23:34:00.003-06:00

We just spent a long Father's Day weekend in Durango, Colorado. We'd visited once before when Asher was about 9 months old and have been wanting to go back ever since. The "Day Out With Thomas" (yes, the train) event gave us the excuse we were looking for, so we bought tickets a few months back knowing we'd be dying to go somewhere by June. We rented a restored farmhouse a couple of miles from downtown and enjoyed every second of it. It was gorgeous, quiet, and the air even smelled good (Asher pointed this out too). Our only regret is that we only stayed for 3 nights!

The first night we were there we went to a bonefied Chuckwagon shindig. Asher got to toot the horn on the train that rode around the property... which made him smile and Beckett cry. Th entertainment was actually very good. A quartet of cowboys up there singing and playing instruments...yee-hah!

The main event was, of course, Thomas the Tank Engine. I couldn't believe all the Thomas crazed kids waiting to ride. They were SO excited when he pulled up. Asher was in complete awe, practically speechless except for calling out to him a few times ("Thomas!"). The train was amazing, I must say. It looked fantastic. I would definitely do it again, the whole thing seemed really well organized and there were lots of fun things (all super Thomas oriented) for the kids to do.

We swam at the Durango Rec Center, which sounds strange, but it's a great one for kids. It was Beckett's first time in the pool, and he seemed to really love it...after he stopped screaming. Corey waded in and submerged over half of his body and it made him VERY mad. Once mom took over it was smooth sailing. The shock wore off and he instantly put his legs behind him and kicked like crazy until we finally took him out, figuring he was exhausted. Asher cried when we left, and asked if we could go again. That night Beckett slept until morning...11 hours!! I was stunned and excited. Was it the swimming? Much to my surprise, he had a repeat performance the following night. He hasn't done it since we've been home though, he's back to his old ways. I guess that cool mountain air did him some good. At least I know the potential is there!

Aside from the train mania, we also shopped on mainstreet (where a car show was also going on), devoured treats from 'Bread' (an aptly named bakery up the street), lounged in the hot tub, bbq'd, had an early Father's Day, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

P.S. Corey is sure an amazing Dad. He is always sure to let our boys know how much he loves and values them. And they always have so much fun together. Who knew I'd get such a great deal when I married him??
And Happy Father's Day to the encredible Dads we have. We love you and wish we could have spent the Day with you too!

Catch-up

2009-06-22T10:38:00.000-06:00

I can't say we have been up to much, but somehow we've been very busy. The boys are both growing too fast, and I feel as though if I blink I might miss something. It's true what they say, that your everything goes so much faster with your second (and third and fourth....) child. So, here goes a little catch-up:

Asher just did a couple of weeks of swimming lessons and loved it, except for the first couple of days. Day 1 was a disaster. He cried and wined the whole time. Day 2 he didn't even want to go, so I bribed him with treats (the cookies he choked on, I mentioned a couple of entries ago). He did get in the pool, but only as an appendage to the poor, patient teacher. He spent the whole lesson crying and wrapped around her neck. I did ask her what she wanted me to do, and was ready to take him out, but she told me I should just put him in which told me she was willing to deal with it. What a saint! He loved the rest of the time, and made a bunch of friends and now thinks he can swim (we've still got a ways to go until he could ditch the floaties for good though).

Beckett is growing fast. I've never had people tell me my baby was a "fatty" before. He is definitely rounder and chubbier than Ash was, and for a baby that was nearly 2 months early he is catching up fast! I love his cheekies. They are so kissable. He is such a ticklish baby! He laughs like crazy if you tickle him just about anywhere (probably gets that from me). He seems to love having his diaper changed too. Beckett gets all smiley and happy, even when you pull out those cold wipies. He's also quite a talker. He'll babble back and forth and have his own little conversation with you. It's so cute. Asher still adores him and Beckett does seem to light up with smiles whenever Asher comes and overwelms him. Brothers. I love that they will have eachother to play, talk and grow up with. To prove his love, Asher has even shared the beloved "Buddies." All of them, at the same time.

I don't think so!

All the buddies.

Beckett's about to get some Asher love:)

Asher baby talkin' with Beck.

Corey's B-day

2009-06-21T22:23:00.003-06:00

Corey's birthday was a couple of weeks ago, and although I did take a few pictures, I totally forgot to blog it...what is happening to my brain?? So, here goes a little bit of catch up. His birthday was a fun night with the fam, and Aaron and Meagan dropped by too. In lieu of birthday cake, Corey opted for birthday cream puffs, yum! We had another tantrum from Asher, insisting the presents were his and he needed to open them all. No good, I say. Time out for him...he can't claim every birthday for himself, so we are working on this one. Good times though, and as always, we celebrated all week long for Corey. Happy Birthday, and we love you lots!

Waterguns. We started small, but I would bet we end up with some giant super soakers by the end of the summer.

This kid always enjoys his food to the fullest.

Asher-isms

2009-06-05T21:43:00.005-06:00

I just wanted to write down a few of my favorite funny things Ash says lately, so I don't forget them...

"Mom, can I help you water the planets?" Translation: planets = plants.

Asher thinks my "eyes are broken" because I wear glasses/contacts. Come to think of it, I guess they are.

We aren't frequent patrons of McDonald's, but have recently gone a few times here and there. When we see one, he asks if we can go to "Hop-donald's" for ice cream.

We haven't let Asher chew gum yet, figuring he'll just swallow it. He has discovered that it exists though, and if he sees me pop a piece in, he wants to know if I'm eating "dum." What in the world? Dum? Funny boy.

Lately he's been talking about all the churches we pass, and always wants to know if they are "the Church of Jesus Christ of Hourly Sinks."

Asher found a party hat in his room from his 1st birthday (I know, I know, why are those still around?). He wouldn't take the thing off all day, and once he discovered there was more than one, he went and stuck one on poor captive Beckett. He was so proud.

Beckett was sleeping in the Bouncer in the kitchen the other day and had just woken up.
"Mo-om, Beckett's awa-ake," Ash yelled to me (I was 5 feet away). The next thing I knew I turned around to find Asher holding Beckett's eyes closed for him. I guess he wanted him to go back to sleep. Time out for that one!

Asher has just stopped calling him "Bucket." I think I'm gonna miss that one. I think I slipped a few times myself!

Asher's response to my asking him to grab me a diaper for Beck: "No thank you Mom, I'm just fine." What a very polite NO.

Too Many Cookies

2009-06-02T12:31:00.004-06:00

What I perceived as a fairly uneventful afternoon ended up having a very eventful twist. After swimming lessons (which is in itself another story I will definitely tell another day) I gave Asher his promised treat, a personal pack of Chips Ahoy cookies. By the time we had gotten home, he'd eaten 3 of the 4 cookies and was ready to finish the job. We headed out back to water some newly planted shrubs and Asher immediately rushed up to our big dog Dion to play. He knew the remainder of the cookie in his hand was going to be a doggie treat if he didn't act fast, so he shoved the last big bites of the cookie into his mouth and commenced playing with the beast. He was running around giggling and trying to get Dion to chase him, while I headed over to the hose to water the plants. I'd finished half of the watering when I turned around and heard Asher choking.
The Mommy Survival Mode kicked in. I rushed over to Ash, who by this time was totally panicking. First I whacked his back a couple of times, HARD. Nothing changed. Thoughts of the Heimlich Maneuver were flashing wildly in my brain, so I grabbed his stomach with both of my hands and started sort of heaving him in mid air...his body folded over my arms as I lifted him up and down. I didn't stop until I heard him crying and coughing up cookie chunks. He came in the house and then the poor kid threw up. And who could blame him with all the jiggling and whacking he'd taken. How scary!! I am just so glad he's alright! I love him way too much to let some cookies (that I gave him) hurt him. I guess I need to have some new rules regarding food and running around laughing...NO MORE of that. I put it right up there with running with scissors. I was so worked up about the event that the adrenaline was pumping for an hour. What an afternoon!

Ten Whole Years

2009-05-15T12:28:00.002-06:00

Then...

WOW. Ten years is a long time, but it has gone by so fast I can hardly believe it. Corey and I just celebrated our ten year anniversary on May 8th. With a new baby and a 3 year old at home, we kept it pretty mellow, but still memorable.

Later...

My gift to him was ten days of gifts with notes attached, each containing a reason I love him. It was actually really fun to put together and do. It started with an e-mail sent to his work account saying, ...how do I love thee? let me count the ways. There's one for each year we've been wed for the next ten days. He loved it, and looked forward to the prize every day (he even reminded me a couple of times when he didn't get it as soon as he'd hoped...where's my surprise, he'd say). One day we did get to go to dinner and spend the night at a hotel since my mom was in town to watch Ash. I think he was extra surprised about that one.

On our anniversary night, we had a babysitter watch Asher and we went to dinner at Seasons in Old Town, which was exactly where we ate the night he proposed. After dinner, we walked around the Plaza and even sat and reminisced on the bench where he asked me to marry him. It was kind of fun to realize how much we've done and been through together over the past decade, and exciting to look forward to the next ten years and what they might hold. Corey surprised me with some beautiful diamond earrings.... I am not a big fancy-jewelry type of a gal, but these I love (who could resist, really?)!

Now...

So here's to the ten years we've spent together...to our beautiful children, our marriage, all we've been through.... I love you, Corey and can't wait to spend another ten (and more!) experiencing life together.

Day for Mammas

2009-05-10T20:19:00.003-06:00

Mother's Day this year started with a special treat...breakfast in bed! I remember as a kid we always did that for my mom, so it brought back memories for me. Asher came up with Corey with a plate of food and excitedly exclaimed, "Mom, we brought you some lunch!" Love it. Of course, the whole time they were getting it ready, I had to make myself stay in bed. The sounds of two boys struggling to make something in the kitchen downstairs made it all the more enjoyable and special. Beckett's gift to me was sleeping a couple of hours longer than usual (6 hours between feedings...woo hoo!), and believe me that was priceless. Asher also gave me a present and wanted to know if there were any more...he wanted a present to. I loved that he kept telling me, "Happy Mom's Day." Little boys sure do know how to melt their Mom's hearts, don't they?
At church, the primary did their customary song for Mothers. Now that Asher is a sunbeam, he gets to participate, which is SO fun as a parent. This was his first time getting to sing in sacrament (there was one other time, but I didn't have him go up and he ended up belting the chorus from our row way in the back...bad mom, my mistake!). He was unsure at first. When all the kids were being corralled at the front, he kept looking at us like are you crazy, you never let me run up to the front. Once he decided it was okay, he ran. I can't say he actually sang any of that song, but it was sure fun watching him look all around and at the kids who were actually singing.
After church we grilled some kabobs and relaxed. Good day, and I am one lucky momma. I love that I get to be one, the good the bad and the ugly, it's all worth it!

Corey and I both have amazing mothers, neither of which we get to be with on their special day, so we are sending out hugs, kisses and lots of love to them. We love you!

Blessing Day

2009-05-05T09:11:00.000-06:00

We finally debuted our little guy at church. We've avoided it like the plague with Beckett because of all the kiddos and germs, and well, doctor's orders. It was also his blessing day, so we had a little bit of family in town too. My parents and Corey's mom were in town for the event, which was really nice, and Corey's brothers were there for the blessing too.

Getting ready.

After getting him ready for his big day, we were off to church. On the drive over, I asked Corey if he was nervous at all. He confided to me that he was only worried he'd say Asher's name instead of Beckett's! It went smooth as can be though, right name and all. When Corey was getting Beckett out of the car, I looked over at him and was horrified by what I saw. Beckett had spit up all over and had curdled, white chunks running down his face and covering his front and shoulder. Ahhhh! I guess he was looking a little too perfect, so he had to make things right.

Corey gave Beckett an absolutely beautiful blessing, and Beckett was a perfect baby up there. Aaron told us that Beckett was just laying there chilling and looking around during the blessing. During the rest of sacrament meeting, he fell asleep, snuggled and kept me warm. I forgot how nice it is to have an excuse to have blankets at church. I am always cold, and now I have reinforcements with me!

Afterward, we headed to our place for an early dinner. It was fun hanging out with family. Asher especially enjoyed all the grandparents and uncles and was really sad when he woke up in the morning and realized everyone was gone. What an enjoyable day we had, and what a sweet little boy we've added to our family. We sure do love our boys!

The family:

A picture's worth a thousand words...

2009-04-27T08:54:00.019-06:00

...So, this post is worth a lot more than that! I think I must be the luckiest momma ever. After having Beckett, I had TWO amazing, talented photographer pals who gifted us a photo shoot. I love them; the photos turned out beautifully. The hard part now is which ones do I NOT choose to put up! I am so grateful to my generous friends for sharing their talent with me and for forever providing my family with these priceless captured moments. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

These are some of my favorites from each shoot:

Pictures with Pam (Click here for her blog site)

Pictures with Bri (Click here for her blog site)