I wonder...

what it would be like to fall asleep during lunch.
I am pretty sure I would like it. A lot.

blessful

Conner has invented a new word. The word is blessful and it is the perfect combination of the words "bless" and "thankful." We are really enjoying the use of this word at our house.

I am so blessful for my little soccer player and his love for soccer cleats.





I am blessful for my cute cowboy.





I am blessful for my adorable baby.






I am blessful for T-Ball lessons taught by Grampie.

I am blessful for amazing grandparents who spoil my children with love.

I am blessful for Nate's curly hair. I can't keep my hands out of it, and neither can the baby.

I am blessful for tasty fingers.





I am blessful for in-laws who willingly watched my three wild boys for six hours so that I could attend the Denver LDS temple. Because of the distance, pregnancies, and nursing babies - it had been a long time since I was able to attend. I am so incredibly blessful for the new Fort Collins LDS temple recently announced. I am so blessful that God answers our prayers. So blessful. God is so good.


I am blessful for dying Easter eggs, Easter egg hunts and Easter baskets. More importantly, I am blessful to my Savior and Redeemer and His marvelous gift of the atonement and resurrection. I am forever blessful.

"The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction
and the opportunity to start over
NO MATTER WHAT my circumstances!"

Robert Flatt

happenings

Our garbage disposal ate a truck and lived to tell the tale.




Caleb decided to potty train himself.
I wish I would of known that standing on the potty seat was the only motivation he needed.
We would of done this months ago.





Colton still really likes to eat. My 25+ pound baby eats anything he can get his hands on.
Styrofoam, paper, toys, crumbs from the boys.
Apple cinnamon oatmeal, graham crackers, carrots, mangoes, bananas, and apples.





At nine months old, Colton is wearing outfits that Caleb wore when he was two years old.
Food makes him really happy.











And because food makes him extremely happy, I spend a lot of time cleaning up this.




My neighbors yesterday finally took their highchair out and sprayed it down with the hose.
So wise.
So genius.
Say hello to a new all-boy-house-nightly-routine.



Colton got his first pair of shoes.
We always wait until our babies are nine months to begin putting shoes on their feet.
Kind of a "chiropractic-daddy-optimal-neurological-development" rule.
Definitely a rite of passage at our house.



So dang cute.

Conner loves soccer.
and I am pretty sure that soccer loves Conner.




At first I would bring granola bars, juice boxes, crackers, apples, etc. to soccer practice. The food was designed to keep Caleb and Colton happy and off the soccer field. The younger boys were extremely happy, but Conner was distracted. Unable to focus on the soccer practice, Conner had to know exactly what his brothers were eating at all times.

In an attempt to preserve his coach's sanity, I stopped bringing food on the field.

Bags of food were replaced with puzzles, toys, and little cars. Once again, the younger boys were content, but Conner was too distracted. Being the big brother police, Conner would leave soccer practice to ensure that Caleb was playing the game right and that Colton was not eating his favorite book.

Poor coach.
Poor Caleb and Colton.
Poor me.

I stopped bringing food, toys, and books to the soccer field.



Next practice, we sat on the side of the soccer field.
Younger boys unsettled.
Bored.
Cold because it was slightly raining.

And Conner?
Conner was too distracted picking the grass and looking at the blue sky to "keep his head in the game."

Next time I am so bringing puzzles, treats, and books.

chick-ology 101

I enjoy Easter. a lot.
I love the deep spiritual significance.
I love the spring time feel.
I love the Easter eggs.

I have secretly been planning Easter baskets, eggs, and activities for months.
I am so excited that it is finally here.

This week the boys and I pulled out all the Easter eggs to practice our egg hunting skills and learn a little about chick-ology 101.


First, we had to build a nest for our eggs





Sheriff Woody was recruited to act as the mama chick.

At first the boys were not too pleased. They wanted to play mama chick. There was quite the debate about whether the sheriff could really keep the eggs warm enough. We eventually had to incorporate many blankets and pillows.



When the conditions were absolutely perfect, the baby chicks emerged from the eggs.
Cute, warm, and hungry.



We were ready to feed their appetites with some tasty worms.
The chicks really like to eat them... and so does Colton.



Such a fun game.
We played it for days.

Eventually, we decided that we needed to make more baby chicks to play with.
I really need to invest in googly eyes.




These baby chicks are a bit older than the "hatching chicks" and they needed a home that was easily transportable.

So, we made a little pet carrier for them.




Caleb loves it.
It is like a little suit case that he can carry around with him everywhere.



He had to try it out by going up and down the stairs with it at least a dozen times.



So incredibly fun.

I found packages of eggs for forty cents a pieces at Hobby Lobby. I went a little egg crazy. We are having a lot of fun sorting eggs by their color, hiding eggs with numbers inside and then lining them up in the right order once they are all found, and basic word spelling with letters hidden inside each egg.

My boys are awesome egg finders.
The Easter bunny is going to have to get a little creative this year.

happies...

Most of the time I feel outnumbered, overwhelmed, and ready to explode. The "fantastic" four's, "terrific" two's, and the "anxious to walk" baby - all at once. is. a. lot. There are days when I feel all I have accomplished for the day is a lot of discipline, yelling, and time-outs. There are many moments in which I feel my mothering skills are inadequate and failing.

Yesterday I decided to entertain the boys with a movie while I attempted to fold the ten loads of laundry that were lying on my bed. Silently, Conner got up from the movie and without being asked he put away his laundry. He later came back to put away Caleb's laundry as well.

I was astonished.

Somewhere. Somehow. Something is working.
And that gives me the happies.


...Duct taping myself to this cute lady also gives me the happies. just for the record.

forgiveness give you...

One of our family new years resolutions was to start memorizing various quotes with the boys. So far, we have memorized all sorts of quotes from "come what may and love it" to "decisions determine destiny."

It has been very fun - surprisingly.

Yesterday morning I asked Conner what our quote for the week was.
He instantly fabricated a quote from somewhere within his brain.

"forgiveness gives you energy"

It might not be the words of President Hinckley, Shakespeare, or da Vinci.
But I love it.
Our quote for the week instantly changed, and I am so glad that it did.
I am so grateful for the daily lessons my kids teach me.
I have so much to learn from them.

Marker Lid Evolution

Caleb has a serious fascination with marker lids.
He loved to wear them on his fingers and play with them as if they were action figures.



So I decided that eyes were necessary.
Action figures need eyes to sword fight.



Caleb took the marker lids with him everywhere.
One for each finger to be exact.
But marker lids slid off fingers and I was beginning to spend the majority of my time looking for the marker lid that fell behind couch, under the bed, and all over the van.

The superhero marker lids needed a car -badly.
So we made one.
No wheel drive. Bright green. One door entry. Cardboard interior. Seats six. The perfect car.



I don't know when it started.
Maybe it was the many advertisements for the Disney movie Tangled.
Maybe it was Uncle Spencer and his long "China hair."
Or maybe it was the fact that Caleb learned to say the word "hair."

I don't know.
What I do know however is successful superheros must have hair and lots of it.
Hair creates an illusion, protects identities, and looks plain awesome.




We were happy.
All of us.
Marker lids and all.

We felt fulfilled and satisfied... that is until I started assembling the Easter decorations and realized that we were lacking bunny puppets for the boys. That is when the marker lid evolution occurred.



The superhero action figure marker lids evolved into plush bunnies.



And we love them.

I wish I had caught Caleb's response with the camera.
So so so cute.
He is in bunny boy paradise.
Which he totally deserves.
Did I mention that he chose to potty train himself this week???


Marker lids... who knew?

what every little boy needs...

I believe that deep within every little boy is the need to be dirty beyond recognition....




and paint mixed with lots of soap is the perfect way to do it.
(little did they know I was actually getting them ready to take a bath... hee hee)














I am so excited for summer time mud :)

Egg Trees

My mom has this cute tradition of "egging" her trees with plastic Easter eggs.

The boys pretty much love this activity. They loved climbing trees, riding around on shoulders, and eating the plastic eggs.

Wow.

So fun.