Arizona Trip

We just got back a from a little getaway to the BEAUTIFUL Arizona desert.  After years of gift giving failure, I finally succeeded in giving a decent gift.  For Christmas I bought Weston a two day pass to a team roping school in AZ.  He insisted that I come along and of course I obliged.  Mark and Jenny Steiner and Weston's parents joined us as well as baby Hayes.  It was the perfect weekend, with great weather and lots of time to relax.  

This picture is at the front gate of the community we stayed in.  We rented a house that was on a golf course and it was amazing.  I am dying to take my kids there.  They would LOVE it.

Hayes was a perfect gem and I was excited to wear all my cute boy summer clothes on him that he surely will be grown out of by the time our weather is warm enough for them.  He spent his days lazily being pushed in the stroller and sporting his awesome shades.

We walked the Mesa Temple grounds on evening, that was amazing.

Watched some roping...

And spent a lot of time enjoying our private backyard patio and pool.  

Weston performed his best swimming tricks...

We also walked the brand new Gilbert Temple grounds and honestly just enjoyed a whole weekend of perfect weather.  I know I am just weird, but the whole time I kept thinking of how much fun my kids would have had on this trip and wished they were with us.  I am not very good at relaxing when they are away from me.  Next time they will most certainly be joining us! 

A Few March Things

The kids got this sand for Christmas.  Uncle Brett said it was a "must have".  He is always right when it comes to treats and fun.  That guy knows his stuff.  It is kind of like moon sand.  It isn't too messy and provides hours of entertainment.  Hagen will sit in the high chair for literally two hours and play with sand.  He got a fun new motorbike birthday shopping with his Grammy, and has spent the last few weeks making tracks for it out of his sand.  He is pretty creative and  had it going over a nice set of whoops the other day.  

I always love to find a nice piece of artwork in the kids backpacks.  Cole NEVER disappoints me.  Usually I am laughing at funny details that he adds but this time I was just pretty impressed.  I'm certain I still couldn't draw a picture using depth like this, nice job kiddo!

Kallie had her first clogging competition of the year recently.  She has had so much fun doing clogging this year.  She got moved up a class and is about the youngest one (definitely the smallest).  She loves the girls in her class, especially Aysiah Conger, but is really getting to know the others as well.  Her team did well, they had a first on one dance and a second on the other.  Kallie got a 2nd on her individual freestyle.  She was pretty happy with the outcome, and really happy about eating at Sizzler afterwards.  

I couldn't bring myself to drag Hagen and Cole along, but these two were great fans.  The whole day I just kept thinking how grown up Kallie was getting and how she isn't a little girl anymore.  When I uploaded my pictures I was about in tears when I saw the one below.  She looks so OLD!! Each stage my kids enter gets funner and funner, but I wish time would slow down just a little bit, I'm nowhere near ready for teenagers yet!

Everyday February 2014

These two boys are best buds.  Hagen mauls Hayes and Hayes thinks its great.  The other day I looked up just in time to see Hagen poking his fingers in Hayes's eyes.  Hayes was just a grinning.  Crazy kid! 

Hayes loves to lay under this toy and bat at the animals hanging down.  He can now get them in his mouth and gets so excited when he does. 

My mornings with these boys are the best.  They are both so happy and we can get lots of laughs out of Hayes.  I don't normally think they look much alike but they do share the same hairdo and it seemed they looked a lot alike this day.  

Hayes still sleeps in the bassinet right next to my bed.  He may be in there forever. Never mind the fact that he is nearly too big for it.  I can't bring myself to move him to the crib in the room that is literally five steps away.  My heart aches to think that he is growing up so fast, and I get anxiety just thinking about the fact that I will never have a baby next to my bed again.  Plus who wouldn't want to wake up to those big round eyes and fluffy cheeks every morning.  This boy has my heart that is for sure!

Crazy Hair Day

Crazy Hair day at school is one of the most anticipated days of the year for my kids.  Every year Kallie wants to go to school straight out of bed.  My pride simply can't allow this so I end up spending hours the day before trying to find something that would be cool enough to change her mind.  This year we went with the "Whoville" theme (Not on purpose) but that is what these goofballs ended up looking like.  Kallie was pretty excited about her cone hair and Cole was thrilled to mirror Mayor Maywho.  Oh the joys of grade school!!

Four Months of Joy!

This little fellow is actually five months old as I type this but I'm catching up a little.  

At four months Hayes weighed 14 pounds and was 26 inches long.. I think! Not certain on the length but I  think that is what it was.  He is such a champ! I have had a couple good babies in the past but nothing like this! He eats great, sleeps through the night 90% of the time and only wakes up once the other 10%.  I am still in shock that he does that, Hagen still rarely sleeps all night.  

Hayes is content wherever, whenever.  He will lay on the couch, the floor, with company or without.  He is so carefree as long as he has a full tummy and a clean diaper.  Hayes has found his hands and chews or sucks on them nonstop! He prefers to be layed down to go to sleep which makes me sad but is probably why he sleeps so good.  I wait until he is good and out and then pick him up for our late night cuddles.  I really can't get enough of him.  He has been slobbering a lot and I found two bottom teeth had popped through  in the middle of February.  They were followed by a nasty ear infection and cough which wasn't the least bit fun but we managed.  

Hayes laughs and it is instantly contagious in our home.  There isn't a sweeter sound! Hayes has had a couple of haircuts, and looks a little less like an old man.  However is rubbing the back of his head bald.  Each morning I notice a patch of hair in his bead.  I can't express the joy i get from being this baby's mother.  I just told my mom the other day; I don't love him any more than I do my other kids but I know he is the last and that knowledge itches the back of my mind continually.  I know that I allow myself to let other things go and bask in the joy of the moment WAY more than I did with the other kids.  I feel bad about this but I also think that it makes me a better mother to all the kids.  Their childhood is slipping through my fingers and I desperately want to make the most of it.

iPhone Update from Summer 2013

After weeks of struggling to update my blog due to lots of "errors" and other complications, we are back.  I guess when you stretch you computer knowledge to its very limit (In my case that isn't far) and exhaust your resources and your neighbors knowledge trying to fix the problem, buying a new computer is that last and only option.  So here we are.  I dumped all my iPhone pics on here and there are some real gems.  Like I have said before, these are a much more realistic display of our lives anyway.  

I made the mistake of telling my kids that we (meaning my siblings and I) used to tie my sister Chelsey to the basketball hoop and leave her there while we played a game.  She got him numerous times and yes we were really mean and awful.  These two thought it would be fun to test this game out.  

We had an awful lot of bee stings last summer.  Both Hagen and Cole got nailed multiple times.  It seemed they were swollen up  more often than not. 

Cole had a slight obsession with bike safety for awhile... That was strange...

Someone was always sporting shorts with cowboy boots, which I strongly disapprove of.  

See I told you, more bee stings!

 The kids love to get the mail because I let them ride on the running boards up the driveway...

Hagen will only eat vegetables, no lie....

 Okay, popsicles too...

And my favorite.... I have been finding Kallie's "to do" lists lying around.  They crack me up, but I love that she like to accomplish and be organized.  Fingers crossed she can hang on to some of these good habits!