We LOVE Farmers' Markets!!

After living in Illinois for three years and only being able to go to Farmers' Markets from July until October we are LOVING having many to choose from here ALL YEAR ROUND!! This morning we headed downtown to "Little Italy" to check out the one there. LOVED it. Owen thinks anything round is a ball at this point and is LOVES "dahs" (dogs) so he was in heaven pointing one direction at the "balls" (any fruit or vegetable that is round) and then pointing at all the dogs and yelling "dah dah dah" Shockingly he sat in his stroller the entire time without much of a fight. Jacob and Nathan just love the samples! We promised them a special treat before we left and they settled on Tangelo Juice (man that was bitter but yummy!) and French Macaroons. SO yummy!


Hanging out with Monkey

Nathan so excited telling me how STRONG and big he is because he had a shot of this green smoothie stuff. He was hilarious.

Owen playing peek a boo


This evening we had Kinley and Kayden for a few hours. Here is a video of Nathan's climbing skills. The boys is just too much. We filled out the paperwork for the boys' school for next year. We have to put choices down and our first choice is a Magnet School that focuses on a healthy lifestyle and athletics. It is hard to get into from what I understand but man Nathan especially would be in his element!


Owen is looking like a huge boy today. He got his hair cut last night and finally does not look like a "hippy baby". He also started doing the sign for thank you today. I gave him a spoon of cottage cheese at breakfast and he promptly did the sign throwing the food everyone. It was worth the clean up though and SO cute. He is getting so big so fast. Valerie took him for a few hours yesterday and he was such a great little boy (besides the fact that he is a little bully and in this pinching/hitting stage).

Random Randomness

The title says it all. Here are some random things from the past few days:

First tonight we ended dinner with a food fight that Ian started. Well, technically I guess Owen did but seeing as he is ONE and Ian is THIRTY I would say it was more Ian. Jacob and Nathan did not know what to think as they watched Ian and I toss mashed potatoes at each other. All I can say is somethings never change (and I like it that way), and I am so thankful for a dog to help clean up!


A couple of weeks ago we got a little play yard for Owen off of Craigslist. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Craigslist. If not, I do! Anyhow it rained and rained so finally yesterday I took it out and Owen and Nathan had fun playing on it. This afternoon Jacob, Nathan and Kayden all shoved themselves under it. I should have gotten a picture of that because this thing is made for one two year old not three big kids! Free is great!!


All things considered life is good. Ian is super busy between school and his regular command. I am trying to keep up with all three kids, Ian's schedule and my new calling (job) at church. I miss working a bit but all in all am so thankful that I don't have to work that in as well and can be home and flexible with the boys. Nathan and I are working on his letters and sounds. Some days he cooperates and others not so much. He amazes me at his penmanship skills already and I love hearing the ideas that come out of his head. Where he gets some of them I have no clue. Jacob is doing pretty good. He finally broke down and had a good cry about moving the other day. I don't say anything to him but I am less than thrilled with his school. There is little to no communication and unfortunately California schools, well SUCK compared to where we were before. So, Ian and I trying to decide where we want to send both boys next year. We have to have the paperwork turned in two weeks so its a bit stressful.

Then you have Owen. He is finally getting over his cold. He seems to be cutting four or more teeth at once. FUN! He is NOT a good teether. Finally today though he laughed more than he cried. Boy has it been a long few days. He is really starting to talk though. His new favorite word is "baaaa-beeeee" (baby). He also thinks anything round is a ball (Nathan was this way too). He managed to climb up onto the dining room table and grabbed an orange out of the dish there and tried to eat it, got a nasty look on his face and shoved it at me saying "ball". He is a menace I swear! The funny part is I swear he knows this. He is always into something. If someone forgets to close the bathroom door you will find him standing in the sink with anything that was on the counter in the sink with him. All it takes is about 60 seconds. He definitely has a strong personality, is smart and knows what he wants and if you don't give it to him, well lets just say he lets you know how he feels.

I am thankful for this crazy group of boys I have and thankful for crazy Ian to share it with.

Typical

This is a typical view of the boys on any given day. Although most of the time it involves pushing and shoving. I just thought they were too cute. They heard the flash and turned around saying "MOM STOP TAKING PICTURES OF US!" Too bad, so sad. I am Mom and I can take pictures if I want!
(Don't mind the clutter on top or in the desk. Still trying to get things together to decorate..who knows when it will happen!)

Then you have crazy baby who just decided laying and rolling on the kitchen floor would be a great idea. He cracks me up. It was so nice to have him smile and giggle today as much as he cried instead of the past three or four days of mostly crying and screaming. Hopefully tomorrow will be even better.

"C is for Carrot Cake (and Crusty Noses)

Nathan has been struggling more than ever this week with the fact that Jacob is "having fun" all day while he has "nothing" to do. (The play room that is stuffed with toys, video games, books, games etc etc is just not enough). So I decided to try to do some preschool at home with him more structured than the normal routine. He has balked at pretty much everything which is frustrating but I decided we would bake today. He LOVED that idea. So, I decided to do a "C" is for Carrot Cake since I had a yellow cake mix in the pantry and my wonderful food processor could chop the carrots up in about 3 seconds. I was up half the night with Owen so easy was key.

So here is our "C" is for Carrot and Cake. We also went over "E" is for eggs (Nathan is a great egg cracker by the way! no shells or anything to pick out). Then it was onto "F" is for frosting. Nathan taught me a new lesson at this point. I turned my back to get something and turned back to find him dipping his baby carrots in the cream cheese frosting as if it was Ranch Dressing. Who needs Ranch I guess?? Once the cake cooled I let him frost it. It was quite the experience with the cake breaking up all over the place but he had fun and it made his day and I am sure it will taste just fine. We are waiting for Jacob to try it after school.


Yes the "C" is backwards but for Nathan looking at it it was the right way...


Then its on to "C" is for Crusty noses. Poor Owen is all I have to say. He definitely caught whatever bug it was Jacob had last weekend. Can we be over the crap already! I mean seriously two months straight of one person being sick or the other is getting really really old. He seems to be a bit perkier after a decent nap this morning so I am praying that by tonight he will feel better and not be up every 2 hours. This mama would love some uninterrupted sleep!
Here are a few of him playing. Crusty nose or not he is cute!

This is yesterday all bundled up to go get Jacob. I had to tarp the poor kid too to keep him dry.


And these are from today. I LOVE the new basket for his toys. I got one for shoes too and could not beat the price of $24 for BOTH! I love a good bargain!

Peek A Boo

How blessed am I to sit down at the end of the day to dinner with four wonderful "men". Our littlest man keeps us cracking up for sure. Here is a just a moment of what dinner was like tonight (I will take this over screaming any day!:)

We love him!

Just what I needed today.....

Another weekend gone by without being able to take Nathan to the zoo. The boys are so disappointed but Jacob is feeling crummy. I thought maybe he had strep but a trip to the doctor today gave us a negative test. He is coughing though and has a bad sore throat and had a 103 temp tonight before Tylenol took it back to 99. Hopefully the fever can stay down so he can feel better. An advantage though of having to stay home means things being accomplished. Ian found a GREAT deal on some shelves for the garage and finally everything is out of boxes and I would say 90% organized. We hope to get the remainder of it done sooner rather than later...but we shall see what life throws at us next. Ian and I had a few good laughs going through some old paperwork and pictures. I came across a church program from 1993! It was a program I had saved from when we went to my cousin Michelle's farewell when she was leaving for her mission. Inserted in the program was a poem written by my uncle Ells, her father. My uncle passed away last summer from Parkinson's. He fought a LONG hard battle and it was so sad to see him slip away. He was truly such a remarkable man, an English professor who was so intelligent. When I think of him now I think of his soft spoken words and his smile. This poem just filled my heart and lifted my spirits and I felt compelled to share it.


The soft, sweet Spirit
whispers
Like a breeze
through trees,
Softly.

"Feed my sheep."

The voice speaks clearly
as tumble down streams
mark their way
to the sea.

"Feed my lambs."

I desire to go
Where no man knows.
Where rock covered ravines
shelter the sheep.
Only the Shepard
knows His flock
and where they hide,
Safely.

Hand in hand
with happy heart,
Having been given much,
I go to return
to Him
That which is His...

Eternally.

Ellsworth Berget

Too Cute to Not share

I love this video. Owen wants Ian to do this ALL the time with him. You have to love those baby giggles! And the BEST new thing Owen is doing is giving kisses. SO SO Cute!

Nathan turns the big FIVE!

Five years ago almost to the minute now we welcomed Nathan Joseph into our family. Induced three weeks early so that his daddy could spend a short three weeks with him prior to deploying for six months he entered the world a tiny thing at just 6 lb 14 oz. I think God knew that I was at my limit and that I needed an easy baby because all things considering he for sure has been my easiest (at least as an infant:) He is our blue eye'd babe as I often tell him. Surprisingly he does not mind being called my baby when its in that regard. He is quick to smile and loves everyone. He is the boy that everyone always tells us they want to keep because he is so fun loving. Don't let those dimples and blue eyes fool you though he is crazy! He is a climber and never ever stops. He has mastered whining quite well too! I think back to almost six years ago finding out that I was pregnant, with an IUD in place, knowing that if the pregnancy was viable I would be all alone with a not quite two year old and a newborn and completely and totally freaking out and losing it. It was a hard first year but it was so completely worth it to have Nathan here in my life. I know without a doubt God has a plan for him. He is our little miracle boy and we love him!

Happy Fifth Birthday Nate!!

Here are some pictures from his birthday today! He requested a Space Shuttle cake and so as in years past Ian and I accepted the task. He LOVED it! He also has loved his new race track, Cars cars and games. He can't wait to go to the zoo (we were going to go yesterday but instead he got to sit in the hospital due to some upper respitory issues) and go shopping to spend his gift card money. Thank you to Grandmas and Grandpas!!

Owen, bread, parents not paying enough attention = well, you will see!

I will start to say Ian and I were both in the same room. I, however, was not facing him and was at the computer while Ian sat right in front of him watching the tv. Ian's defense was that Nathan was sitting on his lap "blocking his view". I think Ian was just too involved in Kids Songs "I Love Trucks" DVD:) I love how apologetic Owen looks in the picture.


Note Jacob's "help" in the video....

Here are a few other shots from shortly before this "incident". You can judge for yourself how badly Nathan was blocking Ian's view....

A visit to see (Great) Grandad and a proud mommy moment

My grandfather has not been doing very well and is now in the Loma Linda, CA VA hospital. Doctors were not very encouraging at his recovery after being found unconscious earlier this week so my dad decided to fly down to make sure he could say his goodbyes and/or help him get comfortable. Yesterday they moved him to the convalescent/hospice part of the hospital. The boys and I were going to meet Dad half way in Temecula, but after some discussion he asked if we could come later today when Ian could come and help him give my grandpa a blessing. (A blessing given by a Melchizedek Priesthood holder, by the laying on of hands and by inspiration, to one who is sick or otherwise in need of special counsel, comfort, or healing. If the blessing is for the sick, consecrated oil is used (James 5:14-15).)

So, after Ian was done with school he rushed home, showered and I believe we were out the door in well under a half hour. We were lucky and got just in front of most of the traffic and made the 90 miles in about two hours. Not bad considering how bad I thought it was going to be. We met my dad at the hospital and Ian and the boys fed ducks outside while I went in with my dad. We found Grandpa in the common area having his dinner. (or at least that is what he was supposed to be doing he was more or less poking at it). He got SO excited to see me and dad. It was cute as he was just a bit confused and was telling the nurses very proudly that my dad was his OLDEST son (he is actually the third of four boys) and that I was "his best wife ever". We just laughed. But then within just a few minutes when my dad went to find him something he asked me where my dad went so I knew he had realized I was not my mom. He then was so sweet and patted me on the arm and smiled and said "you know you are just the prettiest girl". Talk about warming my heart. I asked him how he was doing today and with a twinkle in his eye and a big grin he puffed out his chest (as much as he can) and with a little nod of the head exclaimed "Well, not too bad for a man of EIGHTY EIGHT years!". It was very very cute! I am still smiling thinking of it.

The boys were not allowed to go in the hospital to see him (swine flu) but we asked if he wanted to go out to see them. I think he was a bit confused and the last time I saw him Nathan was a baby so he thought I only had two boys but he was very excited to see them and said to Ian "wow you two sure have been busy huh?" That gave all of us adults a good laugh. Jacob and Nathan (Nathan especially) was so cute. They gave him hugs and Nathan kept trying to tell him something but he can only hear, barely out of one ear so finally I asked Nathan what he wanted to say and with exasperation he said "I JUST want to tell him I love him so much!" So sweet. He is can be such a sweet guy. So I relayed his message and Grandad just grinned and said oh I love you too! Then Nathan proceeded to grab grandad's big nose and say "ah hah! Got your nose grandpa!" Grandpa played along and Nathan was loving it.

All too soon Dad and Ian took him back in so they could give him a blessing and the boys and I walked the paths and watched the ducks and geese. It was good to see a nice, clean facility for him to stay in. I would love to go and see him again soon if he continues to do okay.





Then it was onto Chuck E Cheese that Grandpa (my dad) had found by his hotel. Talk about making two certain boys of mine SO happy. They had a blast running wild for two hours before we put them back in the car for the ride home. Owen had fun trying out the toddler slide and ate kidney beans until he was about to pop from the salad bar. The boy loves, LOVES beans.

A PROUD Mommy moment: Jacob made quick friends with a little girl named Katelyn his age. They played the whole night. We were cracking up watching them. They would be walking through the crowds and she would grab his hand and pull him along and of course he would just follow. As we were getting ready to leave he ran back into her and her mom with Ian and the mom said "ooooooh YOU are JACOB's dad." She told Ian how impressed she was with him. I guess the kids were getting ready to get into a ride and Jacob got half in, stopped, backed up and said "oops Ladies first" and let the girl get in first. The mom said her jaw just dropped and that she could not believe what she just heard and she knew he must have some great parents. WOW! Jacob listed to this whole thing with a HUGE grin, especially when Ian told him "wow Jacob thats great, give me a high five!" He and Ian butt heads a lot and you could just tell Jacob was SO pleased to know he made Ian proud.



All in a a great, great day. What a treat to get to see my dad again so soon. I just wish it could be longer. I miss him! And now here I am at 11:30 baking Nathan's cake so it can be ready tomorrow to cut up and piece together, cover with fondant and decorate. He wants a space ship cake so a space ship is what he will get...I just can't promise how good it will look!

The beach in January!!!???

I am still very much missing Glenview, our neighbors and friends BUT a HUGE perk of being here in San Diego is being able to go to the beach in JANUARY!!!

The boys and I decided to get out of the house and headed to La Jolla Shores. They LOVED it. Owen was apprehensive at first but quickly got used to the sand and the cold water and then I could not keep him out of it. He also LOVED the birds. The kids made some little friends and had a great time digging, collecting rocks and shells and playing in the water. They already want to go back tomorrow of course!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2010!

I can't believe how much has happened the past year. When I look back to last year at this time I think back to Owen being just about 6 weeks old. How quickly time flies. Now my little man is running the house (literally), dancing up a storm (he LOVES music!) talking a bit and even doing some sign language thanks to his Aunties on our visit home. Jacob now has a toothless grin after losing his second front tooth also on our trip home and Nathan is about ready to turn FIVE next Sunday. How can this be?

We had not been "home" in over three years and really needed to make the trip up there. We left here and made the 560 mile drive on December 23rd. It was a LONG trip leaving here at 4 am and not making it there until after 5 pm but the boys did SO WELL. We were amazed by Owen. We had a fun, crazy cramped week staying at my parents. Jacob and Nathan enjoyed a sleepover at their Gramps and Lolly's house (they are STILL raving about it!!) We had fun getting to see my sisters, our nephew Corban, Ian's Grandparents and even a fun night out with old high school friends. We headed home New Years Eve day and thankfully this time the trip took about an hour and a half less. Poor Owen was so done by the time we got here and I think if I try to shove the poor boy in a car seat again anytime soon for more than an hour I am going to live to regret it.

I will share just a few favorites of our trip as I have at least 100 pictures....One other highlight of our trip was family pictures taken with my family. I cannot wait to get them so I can frame them and hang them on our still VERY bare walls!













What does 2010 bring to our family? It brings getting more settled into our new home. Making new friends. Getting acquainted with people at church and inevitably new church callings and challenges. It means Jacob starting school again on January 19th (he is on a year round schedule) and praying Nathan can get into preschool SOON. It means Owen continuing to entertain and amaze us daily with the new things he learns. It means Ian starting Tomohawk School on Monday and it means NO duty days for him and home EVERY SINGLE NIGHT! I am going to embrace this one to the fullest as it should be this way through August. We are hoping and praying for a good year, a year where we can accomplish some personal goals we have and come out on top.

Happy New Year to all those we love!!