3 day weekend!

We just had such a fun weekend. Of course I didn't get a lot of pictures but fun non the less...

On Friday I picked Jake up from work and we went to the mall and let the kids play. Spencer was feeling much better (recent phnemoia) and just loves playing on those little kiddo playgrounds. I could watch him for hours play. I got my favorite Gyro (which I still cannot pronounce,) then later we went to our favorite little yogurt shop in Gilbert. It is called Ocean Blue and I love the "tart" flavor.

Heart Shaped Pizza for Valentine's Day!

So then on Sat. we decided not to do anything for us on Valentines, but to make it more special for our kids. We had yummy whole wheat blender pancakes with homemade buttermilk syrup for breakfast. We played Wii and just spent the morning riding bikes and being together. That afternoon we got to go see a dear friend get baptized and hang with friends. Later that night (after some meltdowns by our kids ) we decided to go to Pei Wei and take the kids. We told Aubrey and Weston that they were "on a date" with us and to be on their best "date" behavior. Weston and Dad opened our doors and we ate politely. Aubrey was so cute, she really got into it...As Dad was getting our door she says, "these guys are both so cute, I don't know which one I will choose?!" Ha ha, I told her that Dad was my date and that you can't really chose on dates which one you are with.

Kids on our "Date."

Anyway, Sunday we went to Grandma and Grandpa Watkins after church for a lovely Valentine/Uncle Chris's Birthday dinner. As always, it was great to see the Watkins family and all their little cousins as well. I must be obsessed with food, but I just would like to add the Hawaiian Haystacks were wonderful as well as Marie Calendar's Pies.

So then today: Another family day together. We had decided ahead of time that we wanted it to be a fun day, not where we spent money or just sat around watching TV or something. We ended up going to our local Pacana Park with some friends and playing Tennis. We packed a fun picnic lunch and played a couple of tennis matches (something we haven't done in years!) The kids were good sports and we ended up playing kickball and touch football with them later. It really has been such a great 3 day weekend. I wish we had these more often. Jake is an amazing father and has really made such an effort to be with and enjoy our kids! We are very blessed to have wonderful family and friends who make our life that much sweeter. Yeah for kids that weren't sick this week and beautiful weather. This totally is seeming like a brag kind of post, but I just wanted to be grateful for the good times and remember that even with all the work involved...life really is fun!

Tracy, Ella and Alyssa Badger!

Those who hate brag posts...well...Last week Spencer was sick and miserable, and he still doesn't sleep through the night. Does that make this less annoying??? Ha ha

L.O.V.E

Love is a funny thing... There are so many types and ways to show love. Anyone who has been married a while knows this and knows that although you love each other, sometimes you lose that little "spark" or just giddy fun feeling you get when meeting someone for the first time. You love each other...don't get me wrong, but it seems still different. Not that this silly/giddy love is lost, but it becomes more rare at times. So, here is the Question. How do you get that kind of feeling back?

Well....here is the answer:

Take your "wonderful" wife to a Karaoke club with some of her good friends. Warn her you probably won't be singing...not really your thing...but have a good attitude! Then be totally HOT and fun to be with. (This is easy for Jake!) Laugh and interact with those you are with. Hold her hand, smile, flirt...then surprise your lovely wife by getting up and singing to her one of her favorite songs. "Your body is a wonderland." Of course, you must look at her affectionately the whole time like she is the only girl for you, sing amazing and then follow that with kisses and hugs! This is what Jake did last night...and I tell you, IT WORKS!!!

Happy 31st Birthday to myself

This blog entry is more for journal purposes...don't feel that you must read it. In the end, I turned 31 this last Sunday...thought I would write some of my feelings about getting old. :)

Getting older...to be honest is just not that big of a deal to me right now. I think some day...like in my 70's when things start aching more it may bother me, but for now it is cool. I am such a "picture" person. When I say that I mean I see myself, my future and my past visually. I really do imagine it and quite vividly at that. When I was young I would picture myself older. Mostly I thought of how my life would be when I was 16...and then didn't picture much past that. Well 16 came and went in all it's glory and I started to picture myself married, with kids, where I would live, what kind of mother I would be etc.

Honestly, most of those pictures have come to pass. I imagined myself always living in Idaho, so the location has changed. With that I don't have the family around that I always imagined spending time with. However, I did imagine living in my home with a wonderful man...that hasn't changed. Jake is all I could have imagined for myself. Some of the things that weren't "just as planned" in my spouse have either gotten better with time or ceased to be important. I have also found inlaws that are far above and beyond what I ever hoped to have. Who really likes their mother law? Well I do!

No one can really imagine children, but mine are wonderful and surpass dreams. Their smiles light up any room.

Then there is me. What did I imagine and visualize for myself...well, Happiness, Peace, Laughter, Being Cute :) In most ways I am happy with who I have become. I like myself and I am finding that isn't always easy for people to do...so I am lucky that way. In the last 2 years I have set a lot of goals about losing weight and other spiritual goals like scripture study and such... I can honestly say that I have learned a lot about myself and I feel that I have made a lot of progress. Setting and achieving goals has become something that I need and crave to stay sane.

This year I am going to try to make Temple attendance more of a priority and keep up the other goals. I also want to focus harder on my most important job...being a mother. I always find this something that needs improvement and that has probably been the hardest thing so far. I never really imagined all the work, pain, heartache and just plain frustration that has come with colic, loss, potty training, fights, discipline, sleep issues, the list goes on. For someone as "yellow" as myself, motherhood was and is a lot more work than I ever dreamed. I do love being a mom. I love these kids so much and find that each one brings so much to our family. I hope by next year I will feel a little better off in the "mom" department. I want to yell less, discipline more...(I don't follow through) and just encourage these precious Spirits to be and achieve all that is possible. I certainly was raised to believe in myself and that has made a huge impact on who I am today as well as my level of happiness.

So there are a few scattered thoughts about turning 31!

It does look old on the cake huh!? LOL My awesome friends Jen and Julie threw me a surprise party. I really was surprised and had a whole lot of fun! Thanks guys.

Surprise Party

Love of my life!!

The night before Jake took me and our friends to Pizza and a movie: Sherlock Holmes. We rarely see movies so it was a special treat.

Playing cards with Tracy and Mark. Fun friends!!! LOTS of personality (inside joke I guess)!!!!

Spencer is just plain silly

We love this kid! He really cracks us up. Today he is totally sick, so I was watching this to remind me he can be fun!

Flagstaff Trip

Jake's old College...can't think of the name. Getting ready to go sledding!

brrrrrr

So kind of last minute...like a couple days before Christmas; we decided to treat the kids to a trip to the snow. (This was part of their Christmas present.) The day after Christmas we headed to Flagstaff Arizona! We went up towards Wing Mountain and just went sledding. It really was fun, but lot's of work with three little guys. Spencer fell over within 5 minutes of getting there and cut up his nose real bad. He hated his snow suit. We borrowed all the stuff

by the way...thanks for great friends and facebook! You can see by the pictures that Aubrey was super excited in the car, but soon realized snow isn't all it is cracked up to be. She said she was too hot (big coat) and it was too hard to pull the sled up. She really just invisioned herself making snow angels and snowmen, and the snow wasn't right for that. Oh well, it was fun! Glad we did it! My favorite part was eating great food and just being together. The hardest part was sleeping in the same room with a whiney one year old who I think had an ear infection. On the way home we hit Peter Piper Pizza which is about 20 minutes from our house. I think they had as much fun there! Oh well!!! Look at his little toothy grin!

Charming

Aubrey was being quite bossy and telling Weston that he had to be more "charming" if he wanted to join her at the tea party. He was refusing to change his clothes and she ran upstairs proclaiming...."Chose the right, if you want to be at my party!" He yelled back..."You chose the right! I am gonna chose the Left!!!"

He later gave in and put on a church shirt which she approved of and they had the best party ever!

Christmas Day!

Santa brought the coolest little...well huge rock wall. Here are some cute pics of that:

Grandma and Grandpa Watkins came and spent Christmas Eve with us. It was so much more fun. They took the kiddos shopping for their own Christmas present. They loved getting exactly what they wanted. Baby alive for Aubrey and a purple lightsabor for Weston. We had a wonderful dinner with Jake's Famous Ribs! Yum. It was fun to have them as guest in our home and to use the guest room. Kids woke up bright and early. Wonderful Christmas mornings with children...their really isn't anything much better than that.

Spencer loved all the boxes. Didn't unwrap a thing.

Weston got Bakugon! It is some weird thing that reminds me of Pokemon and whenever I call it that I am reprimanded swiftly.

GPS for Jake. Isn't he looking HOT!!

Aubrey got lots of fun craft type things...we have been busy ever since.

I kept looking at Spencer under our tree and thinking he is my gift this year. I love him so much and he has brought so much love and sweetness and joy into our home this last year. Man....I am getting baby hungry again! :)

Christmas before...

So things I want to remember about this Christmas time. On the top of that list is singing "Were you There on That Christmas Night?" with my wonderful husband. We performed this duet at our stake "Christmas Carol" and also Christmas Eve for Jake's parents. Jake has a wonderful voice, but he has never performed before. It was so much fun! Party at Aunt Connie's. The food, the people, the entertainment. It just can't be beat.

The kids/cousins dressing up and doing the Christmas story.

Sweet Words

I woke up to find this note typed on my computer by Aubrey J. She is so sweet and cute. She types random things now and again. Lately it has been notes to people. This is exactly what she typed...love that girl!

"Dear mommy: I love you mommy and I always will for shore I think. You're sweet-nice-cool-funny-beautiful and awesome! Merry Christmas and happy holidays, I mean it! YOU ARE THE BEST MOM EVER

I always will! Love, Aubrey"

Holiday Preschool Program

So I have been assisting at the preschool that Weston goes to. It is called Jumpstart Academy. Anyway, this year we had the Preschool Holiday Program here at our house. Weston is awesome and it was so fun to be right up on the front row watching him go! I didn't get any great pictures because I busy with 30 kids, but here are a few and can give you kind of an idea of how crazy my house was this last Sat. Santa even showed. (Aubrey noticed some familiar similarities...if you know what I mean.) Too fun!!