I want to remember...

William really likes this song and I think that is cool. He also doesn't really like me to take his picture anymore and I don't think that is cool.

This is Gracie's favorite skirt. She wants to wear it everyday. My mom made it for her and that makes it even more special.

And last night I noticed for the first time that Joseph folds his arms with us when we say prayer. Just when I thought he couldn't get any cuter! I mean look and those pudgy little arms trying to fold. It is too much!!

How lucky I am to witness these three little people growing up.

Weekend at a glance

It is almost the weekend and here I am just now posting about last weekend. Oh well.

It started out with a picnic and Ballet Under the Stars. Thanks to Connie and Melissa we had awesome seats and it was so fun watching the very talented dancers. Is it too late for me to become a ballerina? Gracie loved it she spent the whole time dance herself.

The is also where Connie gave me her copy of Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I am not done with it yet, but I can't stop reading it. In fact I am trying to type this really fast so I can go and read.

Saturday started with me going to Goodwill Saturday and finding a dresser to put our tv on. I have been looking out for one for weeks so this was really exciting. Also exciting that it was only 10 bucks, but I have to paint it. Then my mom came over to watch Joseph and do some sewing for me (cause she is awesome like that) so we could take the big kids to a water park that someone gave us tickets to.

It was a lot of fun to just play and play with them. They loved playing in the wave pool and Russ said, "this is a joke we need to take them to the beach". True.

Then we hurried home so I could go to the General Relief Society meeting with my mom and Connie.

I love love loved it! Then we went to eat at Rosa's and my fajitas were still sizzling when they brought them to me. I also really like their salsa. A lot.

On Sunday Gracie has the cutest buns in her hair and these little ringlets that formed all by themselves. Then I was ashamed of myself for being envious of my little girl. Russ wasn't feeling well so he stayed home with Joseph and William and Gracie just snuggled with me all through sacrament meeting. It was so nice.

After church we went to my moms to visit with family and have a little (late) birthday celebration for my mom. She was in Idaho with her sister on her birthday and that is exactly what I would want for her to have for her birthday. I am so glad she got to go, but want to make sure that next time I go too!

I love weekends like this one. 

A time for inspiration

This last weekend was a fun one. In fact I am going to do a post about the whole weekend, but I wanted to write about Women's Conference. It was just what I needed. I am so glad I was able to go with my mom and my sister. 

Connie and I with our short, little mama.

Gracie wanted to join us and I love my moms face in this picture. Hehe.

William was watching us take these pictures and when we were done said, "now let's take a picture of all the boys." I love these boys so so so so much.

So about the conference, I loved it and needed it. I always do. I always feel immensely honored and gratified to belong to the largest women's organization in the world. And I love what this group stands for. As we all stood and sang before President Uchtdorf got up to speak and had the thought that I love singing and I miss singing in a choir. I don't really like doing solo's, my voice wasn't made for that, but I do just fine in a choir. And when it is a good choir...well I don't know how to describe in words how that makes me feel. Then my mind quickly put together the analogy that alone (like a soloist) I can't do much, but with a group of others working together (a good choir) really amazing things can happen. It felt good to acknowledge that I blend in better than I stand out. I was also be reassured (once again) that I do not have to accomplish all the things I would like to do on my own, but also that I am important cause without my voice the choir would not be the same. 

Then President Uchtdorf started talking about the small flower forget-me-not's. And again I thought of a flower garden and how one flower alone (no matter how pretty) could be as beautiful as garden filled with hundreds of flowers, even small forget-me-not's. 

The talk was beautiful. It moved me. It made me feel better about myself and made me want to be better. And after the stressful day I have had today I think I am going to listen to it again right now.

It also got me so excited for conference this weekend. I can't wait.

one month shy of a year

That's right folks, 11 months old today. It makes me happy and sad all at the same time. 

In case I have not been clear on this point, I l LOVE THIS BOY! He melts my heart daily. I decided to take some pictures of him before he went to bed today so I could remember his 11 month old self forever, cause man I love his 11 month old self.

This boy loves baths, probably the most. 

He crawls all over the place and when he crawls he keeps his left leg bent and pushes with this right leg. When he tries to crawl fast it is pretty cute. 

He can pull up on furniture and cruise around. He has even let go and just stood there for a second.

He weighs about 23 pounds and it still just a big boy. We love his rolls and squishy thighs. His head is still very large, but he seems to be growing into it now.

He has these soft curls in the back that I love, but want to cut. Mostly because the wings behind his ears are the longest and a bit out of control.

He loves to drink out of a cup, but has still not mastered it. He loves to drink water. He eats all kinds of fruit, bread, and cheerio's. I used to make more baby food for him, but it seems like such a hassle and he is thriving  just fine on a diet of mostly goats milk. 

He also makes the saddest sad face. He doesn't do this a lot, but when I don't let him drink dirty bath water he gets pretty sad.

Until he notices another toy he can shove into his mouth.

He still likes to put things in his mouth and his favorite is crayons and colored pencils or sticks. I don't get why, but he loves it.

He LOVES putting things into other things (or in the pictures case out of things). Like shoving things under a bed, putting a fork in a cup, or anything in a basket. He has really great dexterity.

I think he said "Dada" (and knew what he was saying) for the first time today. I guess that would make it his first word.

He can sign "more" (the only sign I have ever showed him). And he can clap, and they look the same.

He only has his two bottom teeth and this is the best (only?) picture I have gotten of them.

My favorite thing about this kid is when he crawls to me and I sit on the ground and he climbs into my lap and then hugs (and hugs from this big baby are real hugs) kisses me over and over.

I also love rocking him to sleep. I love the way he curves around my stomach and has since he came out of it. I know he won't be able to do it forever, probably not even for another year so I am glad that I get to do it more than once every day. It is hard to imagine him being a 6 year old like William, or even a man. So I won't, I will deal with that when I get there.

p.s. thinking about his birthday in a month made me think about the birth...his home birth. And it made me realize that I don't think I ever wrote all my true feelings on having a home birth. I hope to do that sometime soon.

1st Grade Days

We had Williams first show me night of the year yesterday and we got to go to see his school room and works. The figure on the wall with the messy orange hair is his.

Williams favorite work it the strip board. He loves is. He seems to pick up on math pretty quickly.

What he really wanted to show me was his friends. He loved introducing me to the other kids in his class. I can tell friends mean a lot to him. We talked about him being a good friend others and making sure others aren't left out. I hope he learns cause this is the age when kids start being mean to each other. Please don't let that be him.

Today I was listening to this talk (What Manner of Men and Women Ought Ye to Be? by Lynn G. Robins) from last conference. It started off good and then took this amazing turn and he started talking about the best ways to discipline children and how it can be the best teaching tool. Lets just say I needed to hear that and will be referring back to it often throughout my children's lives.

Sometimes I think to myself "please don't mess these kids up, please don't mess these kids up." Hopefully with help from wise people, I won't. On that note I am so excited that conference is coming up in a couple weeks.

Final sale

You can get the two full days of classes, breakfast & lunch for both days, all the make & take projects, all the swanky swag we'll be handing out, shopping at our Boutique Market, admittance to the awesome Happy Hour Real Estate Forum, and last but not least admittance to the off-the-hook Goodbye Bash! All that goodness for just $100! Hurry on over to our EventBrite Page to register for the event- once you register we'll send you all the information you need to choose your breakout classes! You can view the Event Schedule and see which classes fit you best! I 

I, Debbie, will be teaching Chic Children's spaces and preparing for it has got me really excited to keep going on spaces for my own little ones. It is going to be a good time.

My boys have...

Messy hands, 

Joseph got a hold of Gracie's churro.

He kept trying to wipe it off, but it was not happening.

So confused. 

 Tired eyes,

I came home late from young women's one night and found Russ like this.

Asleep, and long enough that the screen had shut down on its own. Anyone know how long that is?

He woke up when he heard me taking pictures and his eyes were bloodshot.

• And probably burning.

 and Jack-o-lantern teeth.

Or will soon anyway.

Those tops ones are pretty loose.

Oh pinterest...

Look at this bed I came across on pinterest! Look at it!

source

Call me crazy but I think that looks awesome and cozy and makes me wish I didn't put so much work into getting both my kids twin beds. Especially since both of them have fallen off their beds. I just got bed frames and got bed skirts put on them, but if I hadn't I would be doing this for sure. I may just do it anyway.

Snap out of it.

I have kinda been in a weird funk lately. I have had a slight cold and the biggest effect it has had on me is making me really foggy headed. I have wanted to get in a good routine ever since school started, but it just has not happened. Well, I guess I shouldn't say that, I have figured out the whole taking and pick up William thing so that it works with Joseph's naps (at least sometimes). But I feel like most other things in my life are done pretty sporadically and there are probably a lot of things that should get done that I don't even think about (like my car, good heavens it is a mess). I have been doing 2 (count them 1. 2.) stretches in the morning and counting it as my exercise. Granted that alone has helped my lower back feel much better (perks of living with a PT, he knows what stretches I should do).

Anyway, what I am trying to say is, I am ready for a new system (or just starting up something I have done in the past.) But I am going to wait a few weeks more because of the changes that are coming. Remember when I was really discreet a few posts back about some changes and decisions? Well, Russ has excepted a new job and Banner Gateway hospital. Like most things there are pros and cons but the biggest reason for the desired change is, HE WILL ONLY WORK 40 HOURS A WEEK! And if he works more he will be paid overtime. I can not tell you how excited I am to have him home more. To have him home for dinner with us - to have Family Home Evening at a decent time (or just have it) - to put the kids to bed on time - for him to have more time for yard work (maybe we will even start a garden!?) - more time to play with the kids. Like Elder Uchdorf said in conference the way you spell love is T-I-M-E (or something like that).The point is I am happy. WE are happy. There was a lot of going back a forth with this decision. Russ and I love where he works now. And the people he works with, well they just don't come any better. But the hours were too much for us. We would rather have less money and possibly less fun/more stressful work environment and more time together. Cause for us, our family and the Gospel of Jesus Christ are what it is all about. He will start there in a little over 3 weeks.

 Today (per kids request) we had a picnic and Russ trimmed the branches of our lemon tree. And I was reminded again how much I love my family. 

I love how he bends over his bowl to look in it

perfect little profile

grilled tuna sandwiches (adding grated and sauteed carrots, celery, and onion makes these bomb)

Absolutely Gracie's favorite skirt made by my mom

Joseph was just crawling around with some bread stuck in his mouth. 

Thirsty!

this boy is 6, what else can I say?

he helped himself to some ice in daddies cup and loved it

choppin down the heavy branches

it hurts my heart to see so many lemons go to waste

I love all the trees in/surrounding our yard

manly man with a chainsaw

Joe was concerned

It was a nice evening (even though I still did not clean out my car). 

Also when re-reading this post I realized that I may not sound very grateful but I thank God everyday that Russ has a job. And this job opportunity found him, and it works good for our family so we are happy about that.