It's Christmas Night...

It's Christmas Night

By: Max Lucado

It’s Christmas night. The house is quiet. Even the crackle is gone from the fireplace. Warm coals issue a lighthouse glow in the darkened den. Stockings hang empty on the mantle. The tree stands naked in the corner. Christmas cards, tinsel, and memories remind Christmas night of Christmas day.

It’s Christmas night. What a day it has been! Spiced tea. Santa Claus. Cranberry sauce. “Thank you, so much.” “You shouldn’t have!” “Grandma is on the phone.” Knee-deep wrapping paper. “It just fits.” Flashing cameras. It’s Christmas night. The girls are in bed. Jenna dreams of her talking Big Bird and clutches her new purse. Andrea sleeps in her new Santa pajamas. It’s Christmas night. The tree that only yesterday grew from soil made of gifts, again grows from the Christmas tree stand. Presents are now possessions. Wrapping paper is bagged and in the dumpsite. The dishes are washed and leftover turkey awaits next week’s sandwiches.

It’s Christmas night. The last of the carolers appeared on the ten o’clock news. The last of the apple pie was eaten by my brother-in-law. And the last of the Christmas albums have been stored away having dutifully performed their annual rendition of chestnuts, white Christmases, and red-nosed reindeer.

It’s Christmas night.

The midnight hour has chimed and I should be asleep, but I’m awake. I’m kept awake by one stunning thought. The world was different this week. It was temporarily transformed. The magical dust of Christmas glittered on the cheeks of humanity ever so briefly, reminding us of what is worth having and what we were intended to be. We forgot our compulsion with winning, wooing, and warring. We put away our ladders and ledgers, we hung up our stop watches and weapons. We stepped off our racetracks and roller coasters and looked outward toward the star of Bethlehem.

It’s the season to be jolly because, more than at any other time, we think of him. More than in any other season, his name is on our lips. And the result? For a few precious hours our heavenly yearnings intermesh and we become a chorus. A ragtag chorus of longshoremen, Boston lawyers, illegal immigrants, housewives, and a thousand other peculiar persons who are banking that Bethlehem’s mystery is in reality, a reality. “Come and behold him” we sing, stirring even the sleepiest of shepherds and pointing them toward the Christ-child.

For a few precious hours, he is beheld. Christ the Lord. Those who pass the year without seeing him, suddenly see him. People who have been accustomed to using his name in vain, pause to use it in praise. Eyes, now free of the blinders of self, marvel at his majesty. All of a sudden he’s everywhere. In the grin of the policeman as he drives his paddy wagon full of presents to the orphanage.

In the twinkle in the eyes of the Taiwanese waiter as he tells of his upcoming Christmas trip to see his children. In the emotion of the father who is too thankful to finish the dinner table prayer. He’s in the tears of the mother as she welcomes home her son from overseas. He’s in the heart of the man who spent Christmas morning on skid row giving away cold baloney sandwiches and warm wishes. And he’s in the solemn silence of the crowd of shopping mall shoppers as the elementary school chorus sings “Away in a Manger.” Emmanuel. He is with us. God came near.

It’s Christmas night. In a few hours the cleanup will begin — lights will come down, trees will be thrown out. Size 36 will be exchanged for size 40, eggnog will be on sale for half-price. Soon life will be normal again. December’s generosity will become January’s payments and the magic will begin to fade. But for the moment, the magic is still in the air. Maybe that’s why I’m still awake. I want to savor the spirit just a bit more. I want to pray that those who beheld him today will look for him next August. And I can’t help but linger on one fanciful thought: if he can do so much with such timid prayers lamely offered in December, how much more could he do if we thought of him every day?

Merry Christmas! May joy, love, laughter, and most importantly, the love of our Savior be with you now and always!

Overheard: Christmas Shirts

In my closet...
Tayv: "Wow Mom, that's a really nice Christmas shirt you have. That one with the snowman."
Me: "Thanks pal."
Tayv: "Do you know what would be even more revrenter though?"
Me: (snickering) "What?"
Tayv: "A Christmas shirt with Jesus on it."

He's been telling me almost on a daily basis that "Jesus is THE MOST important thing about Christmas!"  All this time I thought he was trying to convince himself. Apparently not. :)

Overheard: Camping with a girl...

I walked into Tayv's room where he and Tahn were playing this morning and asked what was going on. The conversation that ensued...
Tayv: "Oh, I'm just telling myself a story about a dream I had about camping with a girl."
Mom: "Oh?"
Tayv: "Yah, and guess what? It was so deep that not everybody could swim out of the swimming pool. So I carried her out."
Mom: "Wow. That was sweet of you. You were camping with a girl?"
Tayv: "Yah. But I really should just camp with boys huh?"
Mom: "Um, probably. Unless your mom is there."
Tayv: "Oh, well Tahn and Daddy were there swimming with us too."
Mom: "That's good!"

It continued from there but this is the part I really want to remember. :)

Our Christmas Card....

I'm only sending out a few Christmas cards this year so you probably won't get one. But in case you were wondering what it says....

"Our Christmas Letter/gift to you..."

"I've gained weight, Nate's going gray, & our kids are average. Merry Christmas!"

I realize not everybody gets my sense of humor. So if you don't think it's funny, that's ok. Because I'm amused with it and it's a Christmas letter Nate can live with. :)

Wishing you the happiest of Christmases and a new year full of laughter and joy!

Overheard: Jesus

Out of the blue this morning...

Tayvin: "Mom, I'm glad that Jesus died for us but I'm really sad I didn't get to see him. Ya know? While he was preaching."

My favorite running song just came on. Made me actually want to run. Perhaps now that I'm 5 months pregnant it's time to start running again? 
Ok, maybe not. It's too cold outside. But would anybody like to join me on a run the 3rd week in March? :)

A Shark Party

Birthday Party #1

It started under the sea....

There was a hungry shark....

We went fishing for prizes....

And played "Pin the Fin on the Shark..."

"And Minnow, Minnow, Shark..."

There were shark cupcakes.... 

                                    

                                        

And one happy Birthday Boy....

With 4 candles on his cupcake....

And a new 'Lava Man' Bike....

First Day of Preschool

                                                 

This little monkey...

is called monkey because he
-sometimes crawls on his fists
-resembles a monkey
But most of all because he....
-will down a large banana in less than two minutes
-will eat as many bananas as I'll let him.
-climbs on EVERYTHING (including window sills, up to the table or counter, drawers)
-climbs two flights of stairs in less than 30 seconds.
Love my monkey boy.

This tender little heart....

I've always struggled to describe Tayvin's tender little heart. He is what I need when I'm upset because he can give the most innocent compassion. My mom has always told me that I was the same way and I feel like, unfortunately, I've let the world get to me and corrupt it. When I see somebody hurt or embarrassed or in need, I hurt with them. And I WANT to do something. But I over analyze and can't decide what to do. So I do nothing. But not my sweet Tayv.... he just doesn't care what others think. Tonight reminded me of his innocent heart of gold.
We were watching Toy Story 3 when all of the sudden he just started crying. I say crying but it was really hysterical bawling. He couldn't stop, he couldn't breathe, and he had no idea what was wrong. 10 minutes later when I got him calmed down, he finally figured out what was wrong. He was sad "because the baby in the movie wanted it's mommy and didn't get her."  :)
It made me want to cry thinking about what the world will probably do to my sweet little boy. So now I'm on a mission. More than I ever have been, to make sure that he is always confident enough to really care about people and to use this gift he's been given.

Clarity

There have been a few things that have happened within the last few months that spurred on my 'attitude thinking.'  A couple of which were major, life-changing boulders thrown into our path. Nate and I are planners. We don't just fly by the seat of our pants when it comes to our life plans. We've always felt like we needed to work hard, make a plan, and try to do what is right. Beyond that, if we're not headed in the direction we're supposed to be, the man upstairs will let us know.  And let us know He did. In very mind-boggling, blind siding ways that we never expected.  So we've had choices to make. Not so much choices about these changes but choices about how we're going to react.  I feel like some days we choose the better way and some days we fail miserably. We've also had friends and family members that have had issues come up. And it led me to thinking. Not just about how our attitudes affect outcome but also what determines our attitudes. Because let's face it, as much as we talk about having a better attitude, it's not always that easy. Some people are given great attitudes as a gift, some learn it while they're young, some work hard to obtain it, and some just don't care.  It occurred to me tonight one of the major factors of attitude: Entitlement. We all feel entitled to something. Some of us more or less than others. Some of us feel entitled to hand-outs, to work, to not work, to help, to happiness, to be miserable, to everything our parents have, and the list goes on.  But what really struck me is this: LIFE IS NOT MEANT TO BE EASY! Not only is life meant to be a learning experience, but it's meant to be hard. That is how we learn. The majority of our days should not automatically bring happiness. We are asked to work at it, to find happiness in small things, and to CHOOSE to be happy.  We are meant to sacrifice many things, to be tired at the end of the day, to feel sometimes like we're paddling upstream, and in the midst of all of this, recognize that we are learning, growing, and drawing nearer to the one who sacrificed everything for us. So right now, I'm okay that life isn't easy. I just may need to remind myself again tomorrow. :)

Reflection

Yesterday I spent most of the day just fighting back tears.  As I was cleaning my kitchen for what seemed like the umpteenth time in the last week, I was starting to lose the battle with these blasted emotions. 
And then I...
- Looked up at this sweet face waiting so patiently in his high chair for me to wash his hands.

 -Remembered my resolve to make sure my attitude was one that my Father in Heaven would be pleased with. One that I would want my children to imitate on a regular basis.
-Thought about the service, however small, I've been able to render recently.
-Smiled at the good report I received from Tayvin's teacher today.
-Heard my husband coming down the stairs and thought about how grateful I am that we got to eat dinner with him.
-Heard music in the background and let myself sing.
-Felt the warmth on my feet and was overwhelmed with gratitude for a warm home.
-Felt one tiny baby kick my bladder and ran to the bathroom grateful for running water.

And again, I was amazed. Amazed by the blessings in my life, the fact that my entire evening was changed by a few moments of reflection, and how much my Father in Heaven loves me.

Do you know what this cute, pink, tiny cowboy boot means?

We'll be adding a sweet little cowgirl to our family!

Nate is thrilled, I'm scared, and Tayv is confused.

He wanted a girl SO badly but also decided that Tahnyon should get to have a little brother like he does. He also says I'm having a girl puppy since my belly isn't big enough to have a baby. :)

Grateful

I've been thinking lately about how differently our attitudes affect the outcome of situations and how they affect our view on our lives. So I've been working on my attitude. :) Since I don't write in my journal, I'll be documenting here my feelings and most especially the things I'm grateful for...

Today, I am grateful for these sweet spirits that my Father in Heaven has entrusted me with and for all that I've learned from the amazing experience of being a mother.  I'm also grateful for the sweet baby that is on it's way to our family.

My Tahn Man

This little guy is going to get the best of me... he's such a little funny monkey. Literally. He's a monkey. Here are just a few of the things I love about him....

• He thinks he can walk on window sills.
• When he goes down the stairs he puts his feet down then spreads his body out and slides down as fast as possible.
• He knows what a ghost, horse, cow, and dog say. But the funny part is that he does all the noises with his mouth completely closed.
• He consistently uses/says more, please, and done correctly.
• He says da-da, brother, Tayvin, out, mommy, uh-uh, and grandpa.
• He takes his pants off after he poops EVERYTIME.
• When he blows kisses, he covers the bottom half of his face.
• He will do absolutely anything for his idol Tayvin.
• He folds his hands, half-way bows his head, and tries to say amen when we pray.
• Nobody can make him laugh like his daddy.
• He is FULL of grins when I go get him out of his crib.
• He tries to carry on conversations.
• He gets so proud of himself for standing on his own and throws his hands up in the air.
• When he's tired, he crawls upstairs, tries to crawl into his crib, and puts himself to sleep.
• He says yay when we go outside.  

I. LOVE. THIS. KID.

Overheard: Girlfriend

Tayvin has a girlfriend. He thinks. :)
He's always telling me about a girl that goes to his preschool and how she wears her hair, etc. Here are a few of the conversations recently....

T: "Mom, do you know what A is being for Halloween? A nice pirate!"
            Background: Tayv has been obsessed with pirates for quite some time and has been asking to be a pirate for halloween. 
            However, he asks to be many other things so this year I chose his costume to eliminate 15 costume changes and a lot of
            last minute stress.
M: "Oh! Is that why you've wanted to be a pirate so badly?"
T: (With the cutest sheepish grin I've ever seen,) "Yah, mom, I really like A."


With an incredible amount of excitement....
T: "Mom, guess what the best thing about preschool was today!"
M: "What?"
T: "I got to sit by A A LOT today!"

And here's the problem with all of this.... The mommy in me is already getting protective of his tender little heart and swearing that she can't be good enough for him. Really, Stacia? Really.

Overheard: Love

Tayvin has been arguing with me a lot lately. And if you've seen me with him, you know I don't put up with it. But here's the problem: He argues with me about who loves who more. :) This is how it went yesterday....

T: "Mom, I love you so much!"
M: "I love you too dude."
T: "But I love you more!"
M: "I don't think so. A mommy loves her kids A LOT!"
T: " But I love you forever."
M: "But I love you forever ever."
T: "I love you through and through."
M: "Oh yah?"
T: "Yah, through and through and through and through."
M: "Wow! That is a lot. But I think I still love you more."
T: "Mom, I love you so much, I'd even love you if you got eaten by a chicken."

:)

Just because I want to remember these....

Tayv is growing up so fast! There's not much baby or even little boy left to him (duh, you say, since he is four now!) But there are still things he says every now and then that make me smile realizing he's not quite as grown up as he thinks he is....

-Ra-moon (Maroon)
-The Headerless horseman
-"Hey mom, Dasagna starts with D!" (Well actually Tayv, it's LASAGNA so it starts with an L)
-I am'nt

These poor, poor children.

Perhaps this is something I need to get used to but I feel SO sorry for Tahn and this baby. Tahn just doesn't get a whole lot of attention, has to grow up sooner, and is going to be the middle child. :( And this baby? Honestly, I'm so incredibly busy and overwhelmed that days go by without me even thinking about being pregnant. So... this is a post JUST for the baby. I just want to actually document that I'm pregnant. :) Tahn's will come soon.

-18 weeks
- 0 lbs gained, 5 lost
-I'm still sick often and rarely feel like eating. (SO different from my other pregnancies. :D)
-I get 4-5 headaches a week that just don't seem to be curable. Lucky for me, my Dr told me to try tylenol with caffeine this week to see if that will help. So I felt no guilt going to buy a 2 liter of my new love, cherry coke. But wouldn't you know, I haven't had a headache since. It sits in my pantry. Just waiting.
-Tayvin still doesn't really believe that I'm pregnant. He keeps saying my belly isn't big. :) See why I love this kid?
-We will find out in 2 1/2 weeks what the gender is. I hope for Tayvin's sake it's a girl.
-I feel the baby move often and Nate has felt it a couple times but it's still fairly weak.

SUCH an exciting post, I know. Perhaps in a few weeks it'll get more exciting....

On pregnancy...

I feel I'm in a lose-lose situation with this pregnancy (with the exception of the beautiful baby growing inside me that I will get to meet and hold in my arms of course.)  All I'm trying to do is be a good mom and wife. But this being growing inside me is making me so sick and emotional I can't be a good anything. Well, maybe good icy hot. :)

Happy Birthday you.

I don't do b-day posts. Just so you know. Today is the exception. But it still won't be mushy. :)

Happy birthday babe, I'm SO glad you were born!!!

From Tayv: "I wish that you could be here for your party today cause I would love to see you at your party. It's a bummer we don't get to see you. Happy Birthday and.... and.... happy birthday party. I miss you!"

From Tahn: "Da-da! Da-da! Hi!"

New News

There will be no cute way of announcing it this time cause frankly I feel like we JUST did this.  I'm pregnant. Due in March, a day before Tahn will be 18 months.
Crazy? Yes.
Coming regardless? Yes.
Stressed? Yes.
Will we survive? I certainly hope so.
There you have it-why I've been sick, emotional, lazy, and MIA.
BUT...  On the bright side....
Tayvin REALLY wants a sister (and Nate wants a girl.) I was informed of the Drano test. It says its a girl...we'll see.
I am out of my 1st trimester and finally starting to feel better. Just DON'T bring hamburgers around me, please! :)
Nate has given me permission to SPEND money if it's a girl!
Babies R Us is having a trade in sale which just happens to work perfectly since my infant car seat expires in January. (So run over there if you need baby gear!)
No more birthdays in the fall!!!

Overheard: Visor

Back before 2 years... look at me go! Pictures of Tayv's 1st day of preschool to come but for now....

Tayvin: "Jenna, is this M's hat?"
Jenna: "No, it's mine."
Tayvin: "Oh. Well, it's not really a hat. It kinda is but without a roof."

Just so you know....

Nate went back to school this week. (Ok, it was last week but Tayv was gone so it's been a bigger adjustment this week.) And Tayv will start school next week. I'm exhausted and the kids just want their daddy. So.... blog update to come... in two years or so. :)

I was a nanny for a family for over five years. But not just any family. They are by far one of the best families I've ever known. When I started working for them, the kids were 12, 9, & 7.  Their father had passed away just a year and a half before that but they were doing amazingly well.  Their mother had to travel a lot so I got to be with them for many evenings. I also lived in their basement apartment for five of those years so we got to be pretty close. The kids are Tayvin's 'cousins' and the mom is his aunt.  I saw the oldest start and finish Jr. High, start and finish High school, start his amazing running 'career,' excel in soccer, and start school at Dartmouth.  I saw K through a few years of elementary school, junior high, start high school, and begin HER amazing running career. She's almost 17 now! And the youngest, Peanut. I was there as he went through elementary school, junior high, started scouts, and is learning to drive.  I can't believe how fast they've grown. But as shocking as it is to me, what really amazes me is what a strong, tight-knit family they are.  I can't even count how many people they were close to that died while I was living there. And I can't even describe how strong and brave they were each time.
Just a few days ago, K's best friend died in a tragic accident and I know she's hurting. When I heard, all I wanted to do was go home and cry. Cry for her, for her loss, for all those who knew those that were in the accident, and cry because I know she's in a better place. There have been so many young people dying lately, I really feel like our Father in Heaven needs them and their noble spirits. I'm so grateful for the knowledge I have that there is life after death, that we can be with our family and friends again,  that our Father in Heaven loves us and doesn't give us more than we can handle, that our brother-our Savior- has felt EVERYTHING we've felt and is with us as we go through trials.
K-Our prayers are with you and I know you will make it through this! One day at a time, one hour at a time, it will start to hurt less and less. We love you!

Question....

How wrong is it to turn up the music so that I can't hear my children?

Motherhood: An Eternal Partnership with God

Tidbits

Some tidbits on motherhood and the sweet boys that make me love it...


On Tahn:

• Although he's always sure he's starving, he's not so interested in his food while in his high chair. But as soon as he's realeased from that prison I call sanity, the food instantly holds much more appeal as I often find him camped out under the counter feeding his chubby little face.
• Few things make me smile like looking over to see the body of my 10 month old topped with a bowl to my kitchenaid while he learns the concept of echos.

On motherhood:

• As a mother, I should know better than to take a second to go to the bathroom. Not only will it slow my day down and also result in little fingers getting caught under the door. But it's also very likely that I'll find myself cleaning up somebody else's pee off the floor somewhere else all because one cute little boy didn't stop to play until the very last second he could hold it and just couldn't make it upstairs to one of the other bathrooms.

Overheard: Tayv to Tahn

• Tahn has started standing up on things.  When I pointed out to Nate and Tayv the other night that Tahn had let go of the couch with all but a finger and was just holding onto a pillow, Tayv ran over to Tahn, started hugging and kissing him, and said, "Oh, I'm so proud of you! You're the best baby stander ever! I'm so proud of you-I'm just so proud of you! Good Job! Good Job! "

Overheard...

I'm on the RS Weekday Meeting Committee. Get all that? :)  Anyway, the night after our meeting, Tayv saw our bathroom scale in a bag and asked why 'the weigher' was in a bag. I told him we used it at our meeting (read party) to weigh our purses. His response? "Oh, that looks like fun. I wish Heavenly Father wanted me to be a girl so I could go to Relief Society and play that game!"

I for one, am glad Heavenly Father wanted him to be a boy. :)

BTW...

Did you see the movie Valentines Day?  I'm pretty sure Taylor Swift is really like that.

13 miles and counting...

One day I hope to write a more lengthy, detailed version of this post but for now, since I'm on borrowed time, this will have to do.
It's been almost two weeks since we completed our half marathon and the euphoria still hasn't worn off.
I was a couple months pregnant and just getting into running again when I decided I would need a goal to get me back on track after I had the baby. Long story short, we ended up at Bear Lake on June 12th ready to run just over 13 miles. Ok, ready may be a bit of an overstatement. We really hadn't trained very consistently, I was throwing up the day before and had the worst stomach cramps I've ever experienced, and it was rainy. 
I had two goals for the race:
-finish under 3 hours (which is an immense amount of time, I realize. Please don't make fun of me.)
-run the entire way-NO WALKING!
 I DID IT!
I don't expect you to be as excited as I am about it. Heck, you don't even have to read this post if you don't want to. But I would suggest something like this to ANYONE. Aside from childbirth I've never done anything more enabling. Since I had Tahn, I've been toying with the idea of having my next baby without any medication since that's actually an option for me now. But honestly, I wasn't sure I could do it. After finishing that race, still standing, and thinking I could have made myself run a few more miles, I feel like I can do anything I put my mind to. So if you happen to be looking for a little inspiration in your life, I recommend 13 miles and then some. :) For us, there will be many, many more.

P.S. Shot blocks are AMAZING. In case you were wondering.
P.P.S. And even more amazing is my sweet, sweet husband who slowed down so he could push me the entire way. Thanks Babe!

Here we go again...

Our computer crashed. Again. Luckily, after we got it back I finally opened the box to one of my Christmas presents and backed up all my pictures. So I will only be losing the semi-important things. Anyway, I have no idea when I'll be back online so for now, in case you were wondering...

• I think I hate Dell and now want a Mac.
• I am as computer stupid as it gets. 
• Our half marathon is this weekend.
• And no, we are not ready for it.
• We did run over 8 miles last week though. Only 5 more? No prob. :)
• Tayvin has developed quite the attitude.
• We're very close to having all dental work completed for the year! (Hundreds and hundreds of dollars later.)
• I am in the midst of attempting to plan three birthday parties and one 5 year anniversary without a computer. (My mom would think I'm nuts for putting in the computer part but what can I say? I only steal ideas from others-I'm just not creative.)
• Tahnyon now says da-da, knows who all of us are by name, waves bye-bye, is starting to crawl, has his two bottom teeth, and is still my angel baby.
• We are loving the sun and enjoying having a back yard.

Our lives seem rather boring written down, don't they?

The Truth.

We were talking to some friends the other night about blogs and our own blogging.  They mentioned how it's frustrating to them that many people paint their lives as near perfect when they blog. I'm all for counting blessings and trying to look on the positive side but I think they have a point in that it seems like some are trying to deceive. So just in case you were wondering...

• My house is often messy. I try to keep it clean and for the most part it's fairly organized. But there is usually stuff on my counter, I almost always need to vacuum, and you can pretty much bet there are toys on the floor.
• I don't make Tayvin's bed everyday.
• Tayvin's chore list often goes untouched for weeks at a time.
• I make dinner most nights and try to cook healthy but I also like to bake and I LOVE SWEETS!
• We are poor.
• As much as I love making and fixing things up, if I could, I would buy new things instead of refinishing book cases, etc.
• I don't shop at boutiques because I can't afford them.
• As much as I hate waiting in check-out lanes at Walmart, I still shop there because I refuse to spend double on cleaning products.
• I DO NOT work out everyday.
• Date night usually doesn't happen in our house.
• I don't wake up to make Nate's lunch at 5:30 am.
• If we're not leaving the house, Tayvin's hair doesn't get combed.
• Sometimes we stay in our pajamas until just before Nate gets home.
• I don't really use cloth diapers to be green.  Mostly I do it to save money.
• There are plenty of days that go by that I choose to read my own book instead of reading to my kids.
• Sometimes I'm just too lazy to have veggies with our lunch.
• I still have some V-day decorations out.
• We can barely walk in the basement because I have so many projects in the works and I just haven't organized it in awhile.
• I try to be supportive but the thought of Nate going back to school still makes me want to cry.
• I am currently eating Muddy Buddies for breakfast.
• I'm too lazy to use coupons.
• Sometimes I choose to read a novel instead of the Ensign.
• Sometimes I hate the sacrifices we are making in order to make our future goals.

There you have it, the truth. Come back soon for pics of our trip to Alaska if you still care to associate with us. :)

• Oh, but the most important truth, we love our little family and are happy with our lives.

Seriously Hillarious

We are currently enjoying the cold and beautiful Alaska but I thought I'd drop in to tell you this....

The day before we left Tahnyon had Tayvin laughing so hard he peed his pants. Seriously. I thought it was pretty much the greatest thing ever. :)

Overheard: A new one

2 weeks ago, our ward was split. So as you can imagine, there are a lot of new callings being issued.  And my sweet husband who is always willing to serve, was called to be the Young Men's president.  I'm choosing to completely leave out my opinion on it because my feelings haven't yet reached a level that I'm comfortable with.  But I will tell you this... before we went into church on Sunday, I sat in the car with Tayv so we could talk about what's happening in our lives.  We talked about the change of daddy going to school and how his new calling would mean that he'd be around even less. That while we thought we would have weekends with him, that may not be the case now.
 Tayv: "But won't we be sad?"
 Me: "Yah, we'll be sad but we'll also be happy too because we'll know that daddy is serving Heavenly Father and helping people."
 Tayv: "Yah that's true." And then, (very apprehensively) "Well, do you think we should get a new one?"
 Me: "A new what?"
 Tayv: "A new daddy."

I realize this sounds very sad. And it was, it made me cry. I debated whether or not I should tell Nate but when I did, he thought it was hilarious. I'm sure it made him a little sad but he insisted I post it here. 

And just in case you were wondering, there will be no new daddy getting around here.

Change

Our number one goal in moving to Utah (besides being closer to family for a little while) was for Nate to get his MBA.  Although it didn't turn out quite like we had planned,  we will acheive that goal... 4 years after we moved here.  Nate will be starting the Professional MBA program at the U this August. It was a hard decision for us to make, but especially Nate. For the first three years of our marriage, we were both in school. Then we lived in different states for a few months.  We had Tayvin just over a year after we got married. Thus, Nate missed the first two years of his life.  So you can understand why he wouldn't want to repeat that with Tahnyon and our next baby.  But it's what he loves, it's what he needs, and it will be good for us....in the end. I try not to think about the 80 plus hours a week he'll be gone, the dinners eaten alone, the fact that Tayv will attend preschool and kindergarten while Nate is away at school, the summers we'll enjoy while Nate is in class, the missed steps, words, and milestones of Tahn's, going through pregnancy alone, etc.
Instead, I picture Nate's face when he talks about school and that's all I need.

The Verdict.

It has been decided. Tayvin will get his own friends birthday party right around his birthday. The theme he wants is sharks and fish.  I want Tahn to have his own 1st birthday party so 2 weeks later, Tahnyon will get a cute little turtle party with his friends. And somewhere in between, they'll have a combined party for our family. The theme? THING 1 and THING 2! I'm so excited.  The Cat in the Hat will be making an appearance to tell the kids his story, the pictures on the wall will be tilted, there will be kites, and the list goes on. But I'm always still looking for ideas so if you have any, let me in on them!

And thanks everyone for your input.

A swampy party

Still going back... Tayv turned 3 oh, only 8 months ago. He wanted an alligator/crocodile/frog/balloon birthday party. Being 8 and 1/2 months pregnant, I ran out of energy so it didn't turn out quite like I planned but he loved it anyway! He still tells me how the food was the best part! :) Love my sweet boy.

One of his presents from mommy & daddy...

Frog eye salad, ants on a log, frog and alligator jigglers, gummy frogs, and swamp juice...

Ready to blow out the candles...

Yes, I am aware that I was huge...

My cute niece...

Tayv, we can't imagine life without you. You have brought so much joy and love into our home. Thank you a million times for allowing us to be your parents.

3+1=Us

I always have the best of intentions. When I was pregnant with Tayvin, I started a journal for him. I wasn’t the best at writing in it but I wrote about how I found out I was pregnant, how I told Nate, the day we found out his gender, his birth story, etc, etc. I intended to do one of these journals for each of my kids. One day I did go look for a journal for Tahnyon but they didn’t have one I liked. That’s as far as it ever went. Thus, the blog. So here’s the birth story for Tahn’s digital journal…



September 5th- lots of contractions. Went camping. Rode in my dad’s truck. Was absolutely sure I would be having that baby in the tent after the bumpy ride up. Fail.

September 6th- Started to feel uncomfortable thanks to the beach ball under my shirt and decided I wouldn’t mind having the baby come out sometime. (Let’s just say that up until this point, I was perfectly happy being pregnant.)

September 11th- due date.

Canning peaches and decided to make Nate a fresh peach pie. I figured 1 of 2 things would happen. Either I would go into labor because there was a fresh peach pie beckoning to me and I wouldn’t be able to eat it OR I wouldn’t go into labor but then I would have a fresh peach pie to console me. Sure enough, contractions began. They were about 6 minutes apart so we decided to go walk to see if they would increase or decrease. They increased. We waited. And waited. I really didn’t want to go the hospital to have them quit like they did with Tayv. Called my mom and had her meet us in Salt Lake to pick up Tayv. Pain. Arrived at the hospital around midnight. Of course, because we decided to go the hospital, the contractions stopped. Well, they didn’t stop per se; they just weren’t doing much for me. Tahnyon got grounded till he’s 27 and they sent me home.

September 12th-We went up to Kamas to pick up Tayv from Mom & Dad’s and hung out for the rest of the day. I was a bit depressed. Meanwhile, I’m still having contractions pretty regularly. We decided to leave Tayv there so my parents wouldn’t have to drive down again to pick him up.

September 13th-Nate made me breakfast to eat on our deck and we played cards for awhile. 1 pm-show up to church to discover we had missed Stake conference. Went for a drive. Nate made me go on a 4 mile walk. There was a little running involved towards the end. Labor begins! I didn’t sleep much that night but told Nate to go in to work for half a day. He refused.

September 14th-Finally get out of bed at 6 because there is no sleeping going on. (From me, not Nate.) Shower. Start laundry. Go downstairs to do dishes. Water breaks. I think. Change laundry. Wait awhile to tell Nate my water broke because he’s on the phone. Finish packing bag. Refuse Nate’s insistence to go to hospital immediately because I need to finish laundry. Make bed. Clean bathroom. Make Tayv’s bed. Change laundry. Finally admit that perhaps now is a good time. Contractions 2 minutes apart. Again, pain.

10:30-arrive at hospital. Amazing the difference in treatment you receive when you tell them your water broke.

Talk to nurse. Test to make sure it really was my water that broke. Meconium in fluid. Still only 2 cm. Dr orders pitocin. Stacia orders epidural. Sweet relief. Oh, how I love catheters. Nate watches football.

12 pm- baby’s heartbeat starts dropping. Internal monitor. Oxygen mask. Sudoku. Football. Chick flicks.

2 pm- 4 cm. Epidural starts to wear off. More juice. Nate gets to go eat but is instructed to not come back smelling like food because I’m starving.

5 pm-6 cm. Nurse informs me she’s leaving at 7 but wants to see my baby so it would be great if I could hurry it along. :) We loved our nurse. I know how to work under pressure.

6 pm-pretty sure I need to push. Nurse checks- 10 cm. Call the Dr. Waiting. Waiting.

7 pm- practice push. Instructed to not push anymore until the dr. is there-baby’s too close.

7:40-Dr.Hinson arrives and preps. Disgusting details. Monitors removed.

7:50- Push 1, push 2, push 3. Successful VBAC. 

My sweet baby!
I can't wait to do it again. Seriously.
(On his way out, he grabbed onto the scissors. It took 3 sets of hands to remove his iron grip on them. 8 months later, he’s still like that.)

Minutes old...

Tayv meeting his 'little buddy'...

First family picture...

My life, my joy, my everything...

Oh how I love this sweet thing...

Such a happy (and seriously hot) daddy...

Ready to go home...

My life is changed forever.

Overheard-One liners

Just a few of Tayvin's latest one liners.

• "If you like it then you should of put a ring on it."
• "Whatever it takes."
• "Alright BK, let's roll!"
• "Yah, I got this."
• "I'm good with whatever."

Kindness

I've been thinking about kindness a lot recently. About how often I show it and how often I don't. About the people in this world who seem to not know the meaning of it and the many more people in this world that do.
Yesterday I had two experiences that reminded me to get out of my comfort zone, notice those around me, and do all that I can to help them.
So thank you to the man at the DMV that was understanding and kind to this un-licensed mother of two kids (one of which was tired and crying) who truly appreciated your kindness.
And thank you to the sweet old man that saw an overloaded mother and took the 2 minutes out of his time to help me out and remind me of the kindness of others.

Truly. Thank you.

That's what you're getting for now, I'm tired.
Keep scrolling.

My little sister returned home from her mission in New Zealand a couple months ago and

the kids have been having a blast with her since!

These two just can't get enough of each other. They're hooked.

This is what we usually find at the end of a run...

(Look of "Um, mom-could you help me out here please?" always included.)

Until daddy walks by. Then it's all smiles...

The funny thing about this picture is that he was almost done with his cereal. It's like he knew what kind of picture I was trying to get. :)

The Duo

My brother and his wife had their first baby girl 4 months after Tayvin was born. Their second was born 10 days after Tahnyon. Only time will tell if Tahn & RyElle will be as inseperable as their older siblings, Tayvin and Toshlyn.

Prayer time...

2 years ago in Alaska...

Every time it snowed here it would be gone within a few hours. So when we wanted to play in the snow, we'd head up to Kamas.

My cute little snowman...

While my parents were in New Zealand/Australia, we went up to do a few things at their house then spent 4 hours snowshoeing. It was so nice to escape for a little while.