My Amazing Boys

I feel the need to post and brag about my boys.  They are amazing!  At the end of May they both celebrated some achievements that I want to share.

First, Eric finished preschool for the year and performed in the musical program his school put on.  He sang with all his heart!  A few weeks later he performed in The Little Gym Show for his class.  He did amazing!  His floor routine was done perfectly!  I love the smile on his face when he does his tumbling.  He did great on the beam, but was a bit nervous so he did it really fast and on the bar he decided to use the small bar like his friend instead of the uneven bars, but oh well.  I have been watching him prepare for show for weeks and I know how hard he has been working.  It was great to have James there to watch him, he had never been to see Eric at tumbling class before.  Alex was also there because he had gotten ill at school that morning.  Eric is getting to be such a big boy!

Eric just finished his program!

He was so proud of his medal

Eric's Tumbling class and their grand finale

Alex also has so much to celebrate.  The day of his Kindergarten graduation and awards ceremony he went to school super excited, but unfortunately he got sick right at the very beginning of school and he was sent home unable to participate in the awards ceremony, but they sent his awards home.  He received awards for art, top speller in his class and top science in his class.  He also performed in the school talent show with his class on the last day of school.  They were super cute and the school loved dancing along with them.  Alex also finished baseball season with his team.  He is sure proud of himself and the hard work he put in.

My Kindergarten Graduate!

Alex showing off his baseball trophy

I have some amazing boys with some amazing talents.  I feel so blessed with such bright and busy boys.

Summer...

Some of my posts may be a bit out of order, but I wanted to post about some thoughts I have been having so I don't forget them...that has been happening a lot lately.

It is summer...finally!?!  Yesterday my grandma and I were discussing how summer means so much to so many different people.  Some people refer to summer as a date on a calendar, or as a season, or as soon as the temperature rises.  Some people refer to summer as the end of school or the start of family vacations and visits to the beach.  Some people mourn at the arrival of summer due to kids being out of school and needing entertaining and the oppressing hot weather.  Although some people rejoice its arrival (oh es, I saw the janitor at Alex's school dancing yesterday!).  No matter how you look at it, it is inevitable.  This year I have some serious mixed feelings about summer's arrival.

My summer has officially started.  The weather is HOT (I really am not a fan of the heat), both my kids are out of school and the play dates and activities have started filling up the schedule.  So, why am I having so many mixed emotions!?!  First I am relieved.  I am so grateful that Alex is out of school.  This has been a year of learning for our whole family with Alex being in school and I am grateful that we made it all the way to the end. I am sad as I realize my boy is growing up very quickly and at times I feel like I wasn't present (physically or emotionally) for things I needed to be.  I got a little teary yesterday as I was at the school listening to the teachers say their goodbyes.  Then I feel excited!  We will get to enjoy so many things this summer, I almost don't know where to start!  Then finally I feel overwhelmed and anxious.  Now that it is summer, the ball is in my court and I have to decide what to do with it.  I am now 100% in charge of my children's growth and development.  I am determined to not let them waste their summer inside, even though at times that is all I want to do.  I now have to start seriously planning for next school year.  I have been working hard on living and enjoying the moment and not stressing what is ahead, but now I have to do some planning and organizing so that next year can be a success.  Hopefully I don't lose my mind.

With all of this going on in my brain, no wonder I have been so forgetful!  Well, I am determined most of all to be present with my children this summer.  I want to enjoy them and be part of their memories, not a bystander.  I know there are times when I would love to escape the arguing and tattling, but if it means that I have to miss out on the smiles and laughs...I don't wanna miss a thing (haha that Aerosmith song just ran through my mind).  Well that is it for now I guess.  So, until next time...

One Month Old!

Our little princess is already a month old!  I really wish time didn't go so fast!  I am trying to enjoy every moment with her.  I find myself just wanting to hold her...and the way my house looks is proof of that.  Josephine is starting to smile and is cooing a bit, but mostly she is a grunter.  She loves watching her brothers and smiles when they sit next to her and talk to her.  She loves to be in Daddy's arms and he rocks her just the right way to get her to sleep at night.  She is a good eater and eats about every 3-4 hours, but in the afternoon/early evening she tends to cluster feed.  She has a fussy period of the day, but nothing serious.  She loves to be in the bath and to have her hair washed.  We noticed that she does get overstimulated when there is a lot of noise and stuff, but moving her to a quiet place, she instantly relaxes and  gives a big sigh.  This week when we went to the doctor I got to have a sweet tender moment with Josephine.  While at the doctor I had to undress her for her checkup, which she was not a fan of and she was letting everyone know how unhappy she was.  After her doctor checked her out she wrapped her in a blanket, picked her up and faced her towards me.  Once Josephine saw me she instantly stopped crying and gave me a little smile.  It made my heart melt!  We feel so blessed by this little girl and each one of us is absolutely in love with her.  Every day we thank our Heavenly Father for her and the joy she fills us with.

1 month old!

She loves to stick out her tongue!

Giving us a little smile

Here are her current stats:

    Weight: 9 pounds 14 ounces 

     Length: 22 inches

     Eyes: Blue

     Hair: Reddish brown and getting thicker

Ladies, Be Jealous...

I had the most amazing Mother's Day ever and I have to brag, and brag some more.  I have to start with telling you that I really thought this was going to be a pretty crummy Mother's Day.  I hadn't been asked if I wanted anything, the boys told me that we would have pancakes on Sunday because it is their favorite (definitely not mine) and James was going to be taking the boys on a camp out on Friday and Saturday leaving me alone with Josephine and housework.  Well, I was in for a HUGE surprise...

First, the camp out didn't happen for my boys because the weather was horrible.  So, I have to admit, that kinda made me feel a little better.  On Friday evening James came home and handed me a letter...

Well, now I am down right giddy and curious about what would be in store for our weekend.  So, here is the run down of my amazing Mother's Day!

I woke up Saturday morning to muffins and fruit prepared by James.  Then we got dressed and I was dropped off at Massage Envy for a 90 minute deep tissue massage.  Then we went to CiCi's Pizza (I had a hankerin' for it) and enjoyed lunch.  The boys then surprised me with a sweet card they picked out and the movie Tangled!  I love Disney movies and had been wanting Tangled, but I wouldn't buy it for myself, so the boys went and bought it for me.  Then I was taken to a nice hair salon and James had set up for their top stylist to style and cut my hair (this was desperately needed, yet I kept finding reasons to not spend the money on myself, the boys needed haircuts first).  I felt like a princess as my hair was styled to my lifestyle and face shape.  I love it!  I lost about 6 inches, but my hair is healthy and happy and it can still be pulled in to a ponytail (I think the stylist cringed a bit when I said that I wear my hair in a ponytail most of the time, but hey, I am a mom!).  After my hair appointment we went to the mall where James took me to buy a dress!  I love it!  Then we went to the Lego store for the boys, they had been so good all day.  Oh, I forgot, after my hair appointment the boys surprised me with the apron they decorated all by themselves!

My Apron

Alex drew me!

Alex and Eric's Hand print and Josephine's Footprint

After the mall we went to Texas Roadhouse for some yummy food and there we found out the Josephine can get us a table quick, just by her cuteness!  We planned on going home and watching Tangled, but by the time we got home we were pooped, so we all headed to bed.  On Sunday morning James made a yummy recipe I found on Pinterest (not pancakes) and we went to church.  The best part of church was that I was able to take the sacrament!  I hadn't been able to since Easter because either I was home with new baby girl or feeding her during the sacrament.  It really helped me feel better.  My Primary kids sang beautifully in sacrament meeting.  Teaching Primary went great and we actually got somewhere on our music.  Then after church we all got into our comfy clothes and popped popcorn and watched Tangled as a family.  It really was an amazing Mother's Day.  I feel so blessed to have a husband that cares so much about me and teaches the boys to love their Mommy and also encourages them to do things for other people.  He is such an example to them and to me.

Oh, there were also these little labels all over the house (I am still finding them).  James loves making QR codes.  As I scanned them, they have little messages to me.  They are everywhere...on my hairbrush, my wallet, the mirror, the remote...everywhere!  I feel so loved!

Welcome Baby Josephine

Well, it has been a while since I wrote anything on here but in my own defense, I have not been intentionally neglecting my blog, I have just been SUPER busy!

Well, as the title says, Josephine is finally here!  I was induced on Thursday, April 12th and Josephine made her arrival at 4:15 pm that day! She weighed 8 pounds and 11 ounces and is 21 1/2 inches long! It was definitely the most difficult labor I have ever had, but seeing our beautiful baby girl made up for it in the end.  She is gorgeous!  I may be a bit biased, but really, she is a very pretty baby.  She has bluish gray eyes (we will see if they stay that way, like her mommy or if they will change colors like her brother's eyes), she has a little bit of reddish brown hair, sweet fluffy cheeks, super alert and definitely looks a lot like Eric! I am completely and totally in love with her.  She has a sweet temperament so far and is pretty laid back.  She LOVES her brothers already.  She will just sit and listen to them as they talk to her and sing to her.  Alex likes to read to her and Eric makes up songs for her...it is really sweet!  She is definitely the princess!  The boys argue over who gets to pick out her clothes, who gets to hold her first, and who will go get whatever item I need at that moment.  The boys are amazing and it warms my heart to see them so loving and nurturing.  James is completely smitten by her.  I find him getting home a bit earlier from work and jumping at any opportunity to help with her and to hug and squeeze her.  I have to admit that I find myself neglecting chores to be able to just sit and snuggle her.  A friend of mine that has grown children told me about when her first daughter was born after having two boys that "You love your boys, but you feel a whole different level and kind of love for your girl."  I didn't realize what she meant until Josephine arrived, and now I completely understand.  I am so grateful that the Lord blessed us with such a little miracle, she was well worth the wait.

Only 30 minutes old!

Alex and Eric meet Josephine

Resting in the Boppy at the hospital

Hospital Portrait

Another hospital portrait

Sweet kisses from Eric

4 days old!

12 days old

Baby Girl

Well, even though she hasn't made her arrival into the world, she has definitely made an impact.  Josephine is the name we picked for baby girl.  We are all very excited and anxious for her arrival.  We finally finished her room. We all helped out in one way or another.  I am looking forward to her growing up in that room.

We prayed for her for a very long time and felt that maybe we would never be blessed with another child, but the Lord had other plans, and it included a baby girl.  Maybe because this is my third, or she is a girl, or just because, but this pregnancy hasn't been easy.  Between all day sickness that just won't completely go away, raging hormones, and extreme tiredness this pregnancy has not been easy, but I know it will be worth it.

Having a girl has already taken some getting used to.  I now know where the girl's section is at the store, I am obsessed with hair bows and cute shoes, this kid has more clothes than me!  I am amazed at how different things are, and she isn't even here yet.  We feel very blessed to be able to have her in our lives and know that she will make her arrival soon!

I would love to post some ultrasound pictures or something, but none of them have been very clear, well, except her foot!  We do know that she has long legs and is a modest little thing.  We keep dreaming of what she will look like.  I guess we will find out soon.

Eric

Now time for Eric.  Eric has gotten so big!  He finally grew, and when he did, he really did.  Eric has grown two inches in the last 3 months!  He is loving preschool and he absolutely adores his teachers.  Eric loves to sing and to play make-believe.  Eric loves to play with anything Alex does and wants to do everything Alex does.  Eric is still in tumbling classes and excelling!  He loves the beam and the rings the most.  He is very strong and when he flexes his tummy he has some serious ab muscles.  Eric loves to play outside and his new found love is riding his bicycle.  Eric is still my cuddler and he loves being a Mommy's boy.  Eric is very excited about his soon-to-arrive baby sister and frequently wants to go and buy her new clothes and goodies.  Eric is my diva.  Well, whatever a boy version of diva is.  He loves his clothes and wardrobe and if I would let him he would change clothes three times a day at least.  He loves to assemble outfits and to wear either his shark shoes or his bright green lizard shoes.  He is constantly cracking me up with his stories and ideas.  Eric tells me that when he grows up he wants to be a missionary with Daddy and to go to South America and then to Utah so he can play in the snow.  Eric is finally adjusting to being a Sunbeam and enjoys going to class with his friends.  Eric is definitely one of a kind and I am constantly amazed by him.

Eric playing in the snow for the first time

Playing a video game with Clifford (Eric's class pet)

Eric showing off a strawberry he picked