Being silly...

At our house, we LOVE to be silly. We are very blessed that we have several nights out of the week where we all get to be together, without anything scheduled. We love watching movies (which MUST include Kevin's homemade popcorn), playing games, having tennis tournaments on the Wii, playing silly guessing games, or whatever other crazy things we can find to pass the time together. The above picture is of me and my cute kids being silly a few days ago. Lately, I have felt very grateful to be their mother. They make me laugh every. single. day. And there are some days when I REALLY need that. They are both stubborn, determined, independent children--which can make parenting difficult at times, but I wouldn't have them any other way. I know these characteristics will serve them well as they face the evils and challenges of this world that they have to grow up in. However, they can also be amazingly sweet, loving and kind--which makes me feel SO grateful that Heavenly Father sent them to ME.

A full week of family fun!

The week of Maria and Jeff's wedding was jam-packed of family craziness--I mean fun! ( : Sherry, Rylan & Jordan stayed with us and arrived the Saturday before the wedding. Poor Sherry spent each and every day running here and there getting things ready for the wedding and Sammy's baby shower. I think she probably needs a vacation to recover from her "vacation"! After the wedding on Wednesday, we headed to Martha & Gary's church for the wedding luncheon. Right after that we headed over to Martha & Gary's house for a birthday party for Jordan & Sammy. Thursday was the reception, so we spent most of the afternoon getting ready for that. Friday afternoon, we headed back down to Martha's to host a baby shower for Sammy. We had a great time and were glad that some of our family could join us for yet another get-together! Saturday afternoon we headed to Grandma's so the kids could ride the horses. It was a relaxing day with awesome weather. Sunday we woke up to an empty, quiet house. We miss our house guests and had a great week. I needed an entire week to recover from that week, but I am very grateful to have such a wonderful, big family to enjoy!

Jeff & Maria's Wedding Day

So, I've been horrible at blogging this month, but mainly because it was such a CRAZY month! The best part of this month was Jeff and Maria's wedding day (on St. Patrick's Day). They were married in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple. I had never been to a sealing there before, so it was really cool. I was a sobbing mess during their ceremony. It was so wonderful to see them kneeling across the altar, knowing how far they had come and how hard they had worked to get there. The weather was absolutely amazing and we had fun outside of the temple taking pictures with family. Their reception was the following day. I was so stressed about remembering everything for Anistyn (she was a flower girl) that I forgot my camera. Oh well--it was a beautiful reception and we had a blast seeing so many and family and friends. Congratulations Jeff & Maria! We love Maria so much and are so happy that she has joined our family!

Stockton's 3rd birthday bash!

Last night was Stockton's BIG BIRTHDAY BASH for his 3rd birthday. We had a great time! We ate pizza, had cupcakes & ice cream, and opened presents. I forgot to take pictures of the decor, but his theme was from the Disney movie "Cars". He LOVES cars and is still carrying around his enormous Lightning McQueen balloon. We had a house FULL of people! Here was the guest list: Shannon, Matt (who were my photographers--hence no pictures of them--oops!), Martha, Gary, Chris, Crystal, Hope, Freedom, Justice, Tyler, Jen, Jeff, Maria, Jared, Sammy, Dad, Stacie, Reagan, Cole, and we were even able to have Randy, Lee Ann, Dallin & Ainslee here as they were passing through town on their way to Washington. We missed having my Mom, her Kevin, and April! Looking at all of those people last night made me feel very grateful that we have so many people in our life that love and support us. Thanks to everyone that came! It was a rager!

Daddy & son road trip....

Kevin's Grandma has a place in Quartzsite, Arizona where she stays every winter. It's a very quiet and peaceful place. Kevin loves to stay there, so he and Stockton set out on a road trip last week. They had a great time! They started off the trip by stopping in Las Vegas to visit Grandpa Ralph. They did some male bonding and then finished the trip to Quartzsite. They hung out with Grandma, took LOTS of walks, and enjoyed the warm sunshine (while those of us back at home endured some cold and some snow!), and flew RC airplanes and the cool "airport" they have there. They helped Grandma close up her place for the summer and she followed them home. After nearly 5 days Anistyn and I were SO glad to have our boys back!

Happy Birthday to my Little Man!

Today my sweet baby boy turns 3! I can hardly believe it. Unfortunately for me, he is out of town with his Daddy until tomorrow, so I miss him terribly today.

I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday (seriously--wasn't it just a few months ago??). It was love at first sight for me. We had an instant bond and I have always had a soft spot for this kid. I don't know if it's because I know he's my last or what--but I cherish every moment with him. Stockton has developed into a full-fledged "pure boy". He loves to get dirty, get into EVERYTHING, make messes, make noises, and tease his big sister. However, he also has a very tender heart. He gets his feelings hurt easily and takes it VERY personal when you tell him "no". He still does the best pouty lip I've ever seen! He completes our family so well and we could not love him more.

Happy Birthday Stockton! We love you SO much!!!