Girls Night For Ashleigh

Last Thursday night I got to have an awesome girls night out! I am sad to say that we were hanging out with our sweet friend Ashleigh, who is moving to Utah this week, in fact on Wednesday! She is the sweetest girl with the cutest two kiddos. Eli is Colby's age and was in play group with Colby this past summer, and Sariah is getting so big and has the most beautiful eyes (that really are like her mommy's). Ashleigh is third in from the right. I am going to miss her so much. We were VT companions for a short while, and got to know each other a little better with play group! We will miss you and your sweet family so much Ash, but we know you are going to make the best of this move and have a great time and life in Utah!! I know Colby is going to miss Eli! He loved playing with him. I sure had fun on Thursday getting to know some of the other girls a little better  (Kelly and Carmen who are on either side of me), and I always have fun hanging out with Nikki, and of course all you other sweet girls! We'll miss you Ashleigh, take care and have a safe trip this week!!!

Hot Hot

Monday it was super hot. I think it got to 100 degrees! Yipes! Colby and Brody both played on the splash pad for 1 1/2 hours. We wrapped and wrapped Colby's cast with a glove, and press n seal and tape and worked! He had a blast making concoctions of soap and beezlenut oil (we just watched Horton) with buckets and shovels! Brody played with the bubbler and chewed on buckets and random toys.  I think we are really going to enjoy this thing! 

Miracles

Most of you know that a sweet family in our ward, The Kimballs, had a rough new year! Brother Kimball had pneumonia and while in the hospital for that found out that he had a serious and grave heart condition. After a long recovery from severe pneumonia, he was able to have open heart surgery which came with it's share of complications as well! I remember literally feeling my heart ache for this family and Joseph as Matt would give me the updates of his condition each day. I remember spending a lot of time on my knees for a week or two, but I can tell you that the Lord answers our prayers. I know that fasting is a true principal, and if we do it with a purpose the Lord will do that which is right according to his will. Look at him go!! We got the privilege of getting to know the Kimballs a little better during this trial! Just last weekend they held a barbecue as a thank you for everyone's service to their family. I really felt silly going, because aside from going out one night to learn how we could help them with all their horses I never really did anything, but I was honored like I said to get to know them better.  Joseph Kimball is the kind of man that you want to be respected by. He teaches Gospel doctrine at church and is just really great at being able to bring the spirit into each lesson. Not too long before he began his struggle he gave a lesson by President Monson that talked about "enjoying the journey".  I remember that, that lesson really touched me, and I remember him saying something about how we "just don't know how long we will get here on this earth" or something to that affect. What a miracle. Anyway, the pictures below are from the barbecue and it was so much fun. Colby had a ball. They had a huge blow up slide, great food, great company, and then to top it off we got to see Joseph and his friend rope cattle.  Even more awesome still...I got to ride and so did Colbs.  You won't see any pictures of me though, cause Matt took them all of the horses rear end and they were not flattering. What a great night! Matt and I joke all the time that Joseph looks just like Ty Murray the bull rider married to Jewel that is on Dancing with the stars. Seriously they could be brothers! I am just amazed at how he can swing that rope just a few months after surgery! 

Ssshhhh

Brody was sound asleep one evening a couple of weeks ago, and I couldn't resist taking some pictures. In fact I think I took like 25 pictures. He loves to sleep with his blue bear that Matt's Grandma Shirley gave him before he was born. He will only use the binky at night now or sometimes naps, but he refuses it sometimes even then. Aren't little ones just miracles from God!? It is so hard to resist the urge to just snuggle them up, and I indulge often! 

Easter

Colby was so excited Easter morning. He reminds me of Aaron because he is always shaking his hands and jumping up and down, with a beaming smile across his face.  Brody just feeds off of him, so it is so much fun. This year we dyed easter eggs on easter morning, naturally Colby loves to do this every year. I even buy them on sale after easter and let him do it other times during the year because he has so much fun.  We had an egg hunt in our backyard and then one at Mimi and Papa's house. It was such a busy day I had only 10 minutes to call all my family, and when I did, no one anwered their cell phones (as usual) then, finally Dad got his and said they were about to eat! I know they were all laughing as their phones went ringing one right after the other! This year we really read the whole "Easter" story about Jesus with Colby. Apparently Colby got it (maybe a little too much) because the day after Easter he crucifed his bunny and put him in a tomb! Boys! Don't worry it only happened one time!

Baby Mum Mum

So I found out another thing Brody will eat! He loves what we affectionately call surf boards. Baby Mum Mum Rice Rusks. Matt says they are cardboard surf boards. Just rice cracker things that totally dissolve on instant contact. Really Cool. I have decided he just thinks he is too big for the baby food! 

Playing Photographer!

So I was totally playing with the camera right after dinner last week. It was so fun, and look at this first shot I lucked out getting!! I love it. It is soooooo what I have been trying to capture. The essence of Brody since he was born, a giant poof of hair! I love it! No matter what we do it just sticks up like that! Don't you just want to kiss it? It is so soft and fuzzy!!

Giggle

Okay, so today was Easter, and I will post more on that later, but I had to write about Colby tonight. There are just those moments in life that you can't catch on camera or on video, the everyday cuteness of your kids, the tender moments you spend with them or your spouse, the whisperings of the spirit you feel in your heart.  Tonight as we were putting Colbs to bed we had sweet hugs and kisses that then turned into eskimo kisses, butterfly kisses, and then head bonks that got a little out of control.  Matt was trying to calm him down and accidently called him "butter" instead of "buster." It started a giggle-fest. Colby was just cracking up and giggling. He ended up laughing so hard he could hardly talk calling Matt "green bean" and me "ham." It was so fun, and just one of those moments where he was so cute laughing that I just wanted to squeeze him! There are just not words to describe those moments, but how sweet it was!! These are the moments that keep us going as parents right? I love it!

OUCH!

On Tuesday afternoon Colby broke his arm! I didn't see it happen, but he fell near our basement grates. I knew something was wrong when he wouldn't stop crying 20 minutes after he hurt it, and he told me "it feels funny inside."  Even still, Colby really likes to watch cartoons when he gets a bump or scrape. So when he kept asking for more "toons" to make his "ouie" feel better I thought maybe this was just a ploy to watch more cartoons than his allotted amount! The PT in me couldn't tell it was broken, because he was able to move through his normal range of motion, there was no deformity or edema, and he could squeeze my  hand pretty good. He favored it all night and used it a little, but by Wednesday morning he wasn’t using it at all and I knew we needed to take him for an xray. I let him go to preschool and then we took him to urgent care. Two hours later we had our results back, a buckle fracture of his left distal radius (and yes Colby can tell you that),  and he needed to see and orthopedist and get a cast. He has been such a brave boy, I was so proud him!!  Oddly enough this week his favorite thing to do with me has been to look at my anatomy book and learn about his body...so that made this as fun as I guess a broken arm can be. He has learned this week that other than being mom, I went to school to be a therapist and he has reminded daddy several times, "you are not a physical therapist because you don't have the cool book." Cute!

Things I Love About Today

Today was just one of those awesome days...I mean really awesome days where children take long naps, everyone was generally happy, and there weren't a million scheduled things to do! What I loved about today:

Brody took a 3 hour nap!

 Colby didn't have any temper tantrums

I got to do generally everything I need to get done during the marathon nap.

Colby played with his sweet friend Meghan, and I got to watch them squeal on the splash pad

My sweet niece, Amber, turned 11 today!! Happy birthday my sweet AJ!!

Colby and Brody took baths tonight, and I got to smell their sweet baby smell afterward and kiss Brody's baby fuzz!

I got to go jogging for the first time in a loooong time...I didn't die and my legs didn't fall off. 

Splish Splash!

Whoo Hooo! Our yard is almost done! Yesterday our splash pad was finally finished and Tuesday the sod was laid and all the rock put in the flower beds. It is a far cry from what was there before and we are so happy! Colby had so much fun yesterday. The weather was nice, in the 80's, but there was a breeze. Even though he was a little chilly, he played for at least 30min. Brody is not quite ready for all the splash pad fun yet, but he did touch the water and laughed hysterically at all the jumping water! It's no pool, but I don't think Colby will mind!

Alfalfa Sprouts

Brody has about 6 hairs on his head that are way longer than the rest and it is the cutest thing I have ever seen! The light caught his hair just right so you could see it in the picture! Isn't it funny? He also has this big tuft of hair on the crown of his head that stick straight up most of the time. I just had to capture it!

Laundry Room Play!

Last Wednesday night our laundry room became Disney Land for a good twenty minutes! I never new we could have so much fun in there! On Wednesday nights Matt works with the young men at church, and so we are always a little bored, and I am usually a little burnt out. It all started when Colby had an accident and somehow never managed to put underwear back on in the nightly shuffle. When I discovered he was a naked jay bird I asked him to go get some underwear, and he was so cute digging in the dryer I had to take a picture. I tried to pick the most modest picture and contemplated not even putting it on there...but I couldn't resist for my family in Texas. Brody got a real kick out of watching the dryer go around and around and sat in front of it for a good while. Both the boys were so happy and cute I couldn't stop taking pictures!

Fresh OJ

We had so many oranges from our tree, from Mike & Taya's trees, and from our neighbors that we made fresh squeezed OJ one morning. Colby loved it! We probably juiced 20 oranges maybe less and got about 5 cups of juice. It was really fun!

Colby's First B-ball Game!

Colby's first basketball game was on Saturday, March 21, 2009. It was kind of like herding cats! Better than I expected and Colby did awesome. He remembered to try to guard the kid with the same arm band color, and he even attempted dribbling (or should I say chasing) the ball down the court and shooting! Coach gave all the boys ample opportunity to have fun! The kids he is playing with range in age from 3-6 y/o. Oddly enough they won...even though the YMCA doesn't keep score, coach did. It's not so much about the game or even learning to play. Colby is really learning how to listen and follow directions, and that is awesome!