Breast Friend

It was so fun to have Jamie come to visit me for a couple of days. I am soooo glad she can fly stand-by for free and that she is brave enough to do it with her two kids!

We went to the Japanese Tea Gardens, really cool! I wish my pro photographer could be here to take family pics there, it would be awesome.

The kids even got to feed the gigantic coy fish.

Chase thought they were stinky.

On our way to the airport we stopped at Chick fil a to get some lunch and let the kids play. We were so absorbed in talking that we forgot she needed to get to the airport. I dropped her off at the curb at 1:42 for a flight LEAVING at 2:07! But she made it!! Crazy! We are such airheads now. I blame it on the pregnancies, being a mom makes you a space cadet sometimes.

WE all had a great time, thanks Jamie!!!

Baby Pics

My sister Tracy got a new light for indoor photography for Christmas and Tessa and I were more than willing to help her try it out. Tessa is such a sweetie!!

Savannah (my sister Laura's baby) and Tessa are just 6 days apart.

A basket full of baby cuteness!

A 4 year old Chase

Today is our sweet Chase's birthday, 4 years old.

Chase is one amazing kid. He is laugh-out-loud funny, super smart, quick to give love and a fun little shadow who follows me around making my day joyful. He is also our drama king, quick to be offended and stubborn as can be. I never thought I would have a child like him yet I don't know what I would do without him. He is my Chasie Boy and I love him!

The blowing action shot:

All the little Captain Americas at the Captain America Party

We played lots of little games, including a couple of 'catch the bad guys' games.

Everyone was pretty excited when they caught him.

Each boy got his own cake to decorate.

I bought a bunch of fun candy, sprinkles etc. so there could be lots of variety in the decorating.

But they all pretty much turned out the same!

Some of the games got a little crazier than others!

On to the today, the actual Birthday!

This morning the boys were still pretty enamored with the masks

I love this pic of Tessa with the mask watching Chase opening gifts.

Buying only one gun for Chase would have been useless, just lots of fussing about whose turn it is and crying when the turns don't come soon enough. Quinn said his parents did alot of this double-buying when he and his brother (2 years apart) were little. This is the kind of thing I wouldn't have dreamed of doing before I had kids, "They could just take turns!"

Little did I know.

Tessa left her mask on for the better part of an hour. I was so surprised. She was quiet and very attentive to all the festivities. She is so alert and becoming a real part of our daily family life. What a joy!

I Have been waiting six months for these...

New family pics!!

I have been dreaming about these photos since the day Tessa was born! (Oh why don't I live near Tracy?) Now my dreams have come true. A spanking new photo to frame and add to the growing wall of family photos. Hooray!

This photo warms me from head to toe. It makes me want to tell them to "just stop growing, stay little forever!"

Mommy and her little sweetie pie!!

I love all our photos, isn't Tracy fabulous?

Thank you, Thank you Tracy for making my dreams come true!

Want some amazing photos of you and your family? Call Tracy! Seriously, if you live in Utah, call her.

Why did this happen now?

"Do I look hansom daddy?" Jack asked Quinn today.

"Yeah sure buddy," Quinn replied distractedly from the computer.

Then he really looked at Jack, saw the baled patches on his head and turned in time to see Chase still in the act. Scissors to the scalp, just chopping happily away.

This pic was taken immediately after I informed them that their punishment was banishment from the scissors until I see fit to let them cut again. He was feeling pretty sad about it.

If this would have happen at any other time in the past year and a half I would have just laughed and shaved their heads...I mean, they're boys! Who cares if they have hair? But, we have family pictures scheduled in 2 weeks. These pics have been dominating my thoughts. Our first family pics with Tessa in them.

Oh well, at least we will always remember this humorous little incident, it will be immortalized in our family pictures.

P.s. Here is some Christmas cheer, enjoy!

Is anything more magical than watching someone experience a lit Christmas tree for the first time?

She was genuinely thrilled to be so close that she could touch it.

Fuzzy jammies, check.

I love the reflection of the lights in her eyes.

These pics make me want to curl up under the tree with a warm blanket, hot chocolate and some Christmas music. Cheers!

December

Are these the kinds of pics you take in December?

It was such a lovely day, high sixties and sunny. I took Tessa out to wait for Jack to come home from Kindergarten.

And then he came home, yeah!

But he doesn't like is picture being taken...

Lots of running jumps at the leaves

He took a turn behind the camera, not bad.

Then Chase took the camera...he always makes me laugh.

What a comedian.

It's been kind of hard to get into the christmas spirit, wonder why?

obsession

I typed "obsession" into google because i wasn't sure if I spelled it right.

The definition popped up:

the domination of one's thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, etc

Yep, I'm Obsessed

A Rough Day

Last night I said to the boys: "Ok time for bed guys. It's been a long day." Thinking to myself that it has been a long day for ME, not necessarily for them.

"yeah Mom it has been a long day. I had a really long, rough day." Jack says in a sad little voice. "It was such a hard day. Really tough and a rough day."

Jack is not a complainer and he LOVES school so I am a bit concerned. I ask him in my kindest most you-can-tell-mommy-anything voice "Why was it a rough day kiddo?"

"Well. (big drawn out sigh) it was dwissiling (drizzling) off and on...and off and on all day. When it was time for recess it was ON. So I had a really rough day today."

"So, you didn't get to go outside for recess today because it was raining? And that was your really rough day?"

Exasperated sigh, "YES!"

Oh to be a kindergartner again.

Chase and Jack in Jack's school cafeteria

I took Chase to Jack's school today to eat lunch with him. Chase was so excited. As we pulled into the parking lot i saw a prime space up front and made to take it when I saw that it was labeled "principal".

"Oh principal!" I exclaimed as I threw it into reverse, "we aren't the principal."

Down the row I spied 2 more spots and zoomed down and into it but, "Ah, Counselor, Secretary We aren't the counselor or the secretary either! Gotta find another spot."

The next available spot was out in the boonies. "Here's one we can park in." I exclaimed as we pulled in.

"Does it say Mormon?" Chase asked from the back.

"What did you say, Chase?"

"Does this parking spot say for Mormons mom?"

HA Ha!! "Yes, this is a great spot for us mormons Chase."

I am so glad to be a Mom, I absolutely love the funny things my kids say. I have been going to lots of various Dr apts for myself lately and on all the forms with the occupation blank I always fill in mother. It sure makes me feel good to know that my full time job in life is to raise these little ones. I've gotten quite a few comments about it from the Dr staff. I always say, "Its the best job in the world!"