Christmas in Utah

2017-01-022017-01-06

Why I wear my hair up all the time ^^ haha

At the Provo LDS Temple–one of the most beautiful I’ve been to!

We spent the week between Christmas and New Year’s in Utah! It was so nice to be with family (although so hard to figure out how to split our time between both of them!) I won’t overload this post with pictures, but I will say that we sure packed in our time there—lots of dinners, visiting, movies, games (you know that hungry hippos game you’ve probably seen circling pinterest–the one where you actually roll people across the floor to gather balls in a basket? We did that! Well I didn’t with my pregnant belly– but it was so fun to watch!), shopping, lunches, skiing, relaxing, EATING (so. much. food!), going to the temple–even a family wedding! and staying up way too late. I even got to visit with one of my dearest friends that I hadn’t seen in so long. It was as though things never changed–grateful for friendships like that. We had a great trip!

Talking about the funky hair-do’s we had as kids. Poor Mom got a lot of flack for those bangs!

Also, Christmas was so fun this year with the kids–they were both so happy and excited. At the end of the day Ava said to us, “This was the best Christmas ever!” and made sure to thank us with big hugs. How did we get so lucky? I was also excited to finally empty all those boxes that I’d been stuffing in the front closet all this time. I couldn’t wait to give them their gifts!

You can fly

2016-12-182016-12-20

The other day I put Disney songs on Pandora for the kids to dance to and the “You Can Fly” song came on. They’d never seen the movie so I told them what it was about and they spread their arms, racing around the room (and jumping off the couches.) Ever since, Ava has wanted to see what it was all about. So, the other night we all went downstairs and watched Peter Pan.

When I brought down popcorn, the kids were so excited. It’s funny how they can get excited about the smallest things. They both squealed, “Popcorn! Yay! Popcorn!” Hyrum giggled and “hmmed” with the most satisfying grins while he stared at the popcorn and crammed handfuls into his mouth. Later he picked out orange after orange to have us peel for him (eating all of them in no time). When we told him no more, he went off and peeled them himself.

We turned on the kids’ Christmas tree and tucked them in bed, hoping they would settle and fall asleep in the same room (totally hit and miss with this). In her bedtime prayer, Ava mentioned, “…and please bless Hyrum that he can fall asleep and not refuse his naps, and please help him to not refuse new food, and please bless me to try new foods…and thank you for our warm house and helping us drive safely…” I just love her prayers.

Later when Hyrum got out of bed (for the fifth time) and came downstairs, he picked up two little oranges and held them right up to his nose, just smiling at them. Jake and I just laugh, it is so fun watching them.

#mamanotes

Thankful

2016-11-072016-12-20

Sunday, November 6

Earlier in the day I was feeling kind of crummy, and focusing on it too. Made me feel even more crummy. But then the afternoon came with its golden hues and unusual warmth for November, and I sat in a camping chair wrapped in a fluffy blanket basking in the best sounds I know.

It changed everything.

The kids were squealing and giggling as Jake rolled around in the burrito blanket playing steamroller. Jake and I were laughing too, the kids were so funny as they tried to jump and dodge him. They loved it. Then I’d hear Ava yell, “A car’s coming!” with Hyrum’s echo of “Car’s coming!” just as dramatic as hers. And with that they were quickly inside Daddy’s blanket where they all huddled until it passed.

In those moments I was entirely focused on some of my greatest joys, and nothing else could fit. No negativity, sickness, or whatever was so consuming before. I was so happy.

I brought out a pan of orange jello Ava and I made earlier, the kind that is packed with delicious mandarin oranges. The four of us sat together on the trampoline with our forks and blankets, and cleared that whole pan in five minutes flat. Doesn’t get better than that. #mamanotes

Monday, November 7

I had a painful headache for most of the day today. I was lying in bed at the end of the day with the 15th (or what seemed like it) movie on for the kids in the next room, and called Jake to ask when he would be coming home. I told him how I was feeling and he said he’d come right home. I felt like saying thank you and I love you ten times over to him for saving the day. When he walked in the door I could hear the kids SO happily yell, “Daddy!!” Then it was quiet until a quick, “Rawr!” and little giggles when the kids found his hiding place. I smiled from under my covers, imagining all those happy faces. And I just love hearing his voice when he comes home.

It was funny as they made their way upstairs, Jake asked them if they wanted to watch a movie and they both said no without any hesitation. 🙈Haha! That is so rare, Jake and I both laughed. Obviously they had movie overload today… He made a quick run to the gas station for a drink for me, then we whipped up some macaroni and cheese and frozen veggies and went around the table a few times saying things we were thankful for. We have SO MUCH to be thankful for. I was amazed at Ava’s responses. She talked so much about how she loves Heavenly Father’s creations and this beautiful Earth and probably mentioned being grateful for her family at least three times. Hyrum just chomped on his popcicle, but when we asked him if he was grateful for all these things too, he said, “yes,” with that cute lisp of his.

We really have so much to be grateful for.
#mamanotes

Happy Halloween!

2016-11-022016-12-20

Hyrum’s been doing a lot of roaring lately, so it seemed only fitting to get a lion costume for him. Then I thought how cute it would be for Ava to be Dorothy, and since she has no idea who Dorothy is, we all watched The Wizard of Oz last night, despite the memories I have of being terrified of witches and tornadoes after seeing the movie when I was her age. 😁 She loved it and so far doesn’t seem scared so that’s good. This morning after her bath she brought me a hairbrush and two hair ties and said, “Mom, since I’m going to be Dorothy, I should do my hair in two French braids like her.” So I braided her hair and not an hour later we got the costumes dropped at our door. She was SO excited, and danced around the room for a good ten minutes with it on, only changing her clothes to play outside with her friends. Sure glad that worked out. 👍 #mamanotes

Halloween–Ava had so much fun in her sparkly red shoes and her poofy skirt, and Hyrum kept his costume on for over half of the branch trunk or treat (even with all the cornbread crumbs tucked in his mane and the sticky drool from the four suckers he downed as soon as he got them. 😄) It was so fun with them. Jake and I dressed up too (Clark Kent [superman]–see the resemblance?? and Cat Woman) but we didn’t get any pictures of that (they were last minute costumes anyway 🙂

Happy Halloween!!

Good Morning

2016-10-072016-12-20

I was on the couch reading, too cold to leave a cozy place for breakfast. This time before the kids are in school is nice because our mornings are slow and relaxed. Hyrum was on the stairs waiting for Jake to leave for work when Ava came down for the first time. “Good morning,” he said. Never heard him say that before, but it made my day. Jake left for work with the kids clinging to him, as usual. We went to the park and Hyrum wanted to sit in the big swing. I sat him on my lap and he snorted his happiness the whole time. He figured out how to do that this morning, then did it all day.

I’ve been swimming in laundry, getting close to getting all the clean laundry out of the laundry room though! Maybe tomorrow. 👍

Oh yes and Ava called me a “mean mom” tonight. I can’t even remember why she was so upset, I just remember her yelling and her angry face. It was a rough moment. But then we had some quiet time, a few back tickles and some pillow talk and things healed. That’s probably what she really needed anyway, to slow down and connect, to be understood. Or maybe that was me. We both probably needed it. #gratefulforher #mamanotes

Also, check out these North Dakota skies! I love the skies during a late summer storm. We could see the clouds at a distance when we strollered over to the greenhouse around the corner to pick up some strawberry plants. Those dark clouds trailed fast behind us on the way home! We quickly got the mail, admired the sky, then hurried inside as the first droplets fell. It’s so fun to experience different seasons in new places.