New Pictures

I took these pictures at Shaurie's house this week.

The Kids

Flying the helicopter at Discovery Gateway.

Mack has turned out to be the best big brother. When I ask him to help me, he is so willing and quick. I really appreciate all his help this year. It is fun to watch him grow and learn new things. For the Primary Program, he was asked to talk about his favorite prophet from the Book of Mormon. His part was written completely on his own:
"My favorite prophet of the Book of Mormon is Helaman, because he lead a big army of young boys and they won a big fight and nobody got hurt."

He is also really into complimenting me lately. He tells me all the time how much he loves it when I smile, how it makes him happy. He tells me I am beautiful, too. Last night he asked me, "Mom, what is going to happen to you?" I wasn't quite sure what he was talking about and then he said, "I don't want you to get old like Grannie and Papa (sorry mom and dad). I want you to look like this forever. " I smiled and he then said, "Ya! I love it when you smile." He is going to make some girl pretty happy someday!

He always likes to make Addie laugh and he likes to wrestle with Lydia. I just love being his mom!


Lydia, Lydia, Lydia. The best way to describe her personality is quirky or unique, although silly. She is very busy and into everything: pulling all the DVD's off the shelf, climbing onto and into things she shouldn't, playing with items that are not toys. But, while she does these things, she is funny about it. For example, she was playing on a stool the other day and attempting all sorts of crazy tricks. She began to fall, so she reached down for a toy, as if that's what her intentions were. When she did fall off completely, she quickly recovers and acts like she meant to and was secretly hoping nobody saw it. I rarely see her with a baby toy in her hand. Usually, she carries around a Nerf dart in her mouth and either a cell phone or a remote control. Lydia doesn't sit still for long, either, and diaper changes are a two stage process: take the diaper off and clean her, then let her roam for a second, and then wrestle her to put the other one on her. I've tried everything I can think of to just get the job done in one step, but she is also freakishly strong and manages to escape every time. We began sign language this week, and she already signs for "all done." Also, she takes meal time very seriously and will eat almost everything I serve her. She never leaves food on her tray and clears it really fast. I think she just swallows the pieces whole sometimes. We call her Tinkerbell (because of her tiny nose), Teeny-Tiny, and Lydee. Lydia also likes to copy us and even says, "Hiiiiiiii!" It sounds more like Ha, but it sure is cute!

Here she is in the wagon with our neighbor friend. She LOVES to be pulled around in this thing!

Typical playtime. Addie was also in the room playing with their new Christmas toys, but Lydia would rather play with the old cell phone.
And just for fun, this is her sad face.

Addie is still pretty sweet. She has had an ear infection and a cold, so the past month she's been fussy. We found that she LOVES babies, which I find funny, since she is a baby.... She says mom and dada and likes to growl. This week, she finally began to scoot around and even rolls from her back to her tummy. She is also getting close to pulling herself up to standing. I guess she will skip crawling. Addie has also mastered kissing. She purses her lips together and then makes the smacking sound. She gives hugs every morning, too. At church on Sunday, she rubbed her binkie through Mack's hair, which pulled, and made him cry. Addie watched him for a second and then stuck her chin out with her lips pursed and placed them on Mack's mouth. She then held them there for a good 2 seconds before she let out a really loud *SMACK*. It was so cute! I couldn't keep from laughing. I was surprised she knew what it meant. Another trait she has developed is what we call an Addie-tude. She loves to give nasty crusties and then thinks it's funny. She has started throwing some pretty good fits, too. It makes me laugh, now, but we will see how I feel about it in a couple more months. I think overall, she is a pretty good communicator.

Here is her Addie-tude with yogurt on her lips.

Busy playing with the baby dolls.

Silly. I do adore her little teeth. They are so cute!

Still catching up...

I should really just keep up, and then I wouldn't have to catch up.

October- Halloween

Little Bo Peep and the little her little lost sheep at the ward (indoor) trunk-or-treat.

Mack made an awesome Batman. I loves Addie's expression!

Our pumpkins. The large one we won at Ream's in Springville, because we guessed the weight of the pumpkin. Our picture was taken and published in the newspaper. So random!

The one on the left was Chad's, the Batman pumpkin was Mack's (of course he had help... a lot of help), and the other one was the girls' (they, too had a lot of help). :) The glowing jars were a preschool project Mack and I did. They are painted baby food jars with googly eyes and a candle inside. They would have been really cool, except the rain ruined the tea lights and I didn't have extras.
November

We stayed here for Thanksgiving dinner and ate at Chad's brother's new gorgeous house in Salem with most of the Weber's and Hinckley's. We then headed down to Richfield to my sweet niece's blessing. She is so precious and I was mad I left my camera home. I ended up staying down there for the week while Chad worked on a special Christmas project (you'll see in a sec).

The kids and I also went out to Vernal for a visit at the beginning of the month. We had a good time and I really enjoyed getting to know my mom's boyfriend, Mike.

While I was out there I lost my phone. I searched the entire car and all my luggage and still couldn't find it. Chad signed us up for a free trial for Sprint Family Locator. According to Google Maps, it was about 1/4 mile from my mom's house; which means I set my phone on top of the car and drove away. I have only set my phone on top of the car one other time, and I saw it up there while I was standing on my neighbor's porch. By the time we figured on the location, I was already at Shaurie's (which is about 30 minutes away), so I couldn't just drive there and get it. Plus, it was dark out. So, my mom and Mike went out looking for it that night with flashlights, but still couldn't find it. They even searched the next morning and didn't see anything. Well, Shaurie and I decided to drive over there and search for it. We were both kind of frustrated and Shaurie had a ton of stuff to do that day for Primary. We both said little prayers to be able to find it quickly. We got to the neighborhood and parked the car on the side of the road. We each got out and began looking. Shaurie stayed close to the car. I saw the foot prints from Mike and Mom, and went a bit further than they had gone. About a foot from their prints, I found my hot pink cover. A couple of steps back, I found the battery cover in some weeds. Then I looked down the creek bank and saw the bright blue battery... in the phone tangled in a huge patch of dead weeds. Since my phone is grey, I wouldn't have been able to find it without the battery cover off. The whole search process took less than 5 minutes. It's amazing to me what the power of prayer can do!

He is so proud of the Batman Belly Washer! Thanks, Grandma!

Lydia loved the cat and even kissed it a couple of times.

Mack felt so proud for feeding the horses. He stuck grass through the fence.

December- Christmas

I made a list of all the fun things I wanted to do and all the yummy food I wanted to make. Happily I was able to accomplish almost everything. All except for frosting the sugar cookies I made. I love doing all the holiday things! We went to temple square with my brother, Jarred, and his wife, Kathryn. It was funny to see how she got around with all their kids. Everyone walked around in train fashion. It was so cute. It was great to see Jayden, Tanner, and Chelan one more time before they headed up to Washington with their mom for the next six months. They are good kids. All of them are. Jarred and Kathryn left all 7 of them at my house for a bit while they ran an errand. There was not a single problem while they were gone. They all just played so well and when it was time to clean up, every one of them pitched in and did their part to clean up the toys. I was so impressed with their behavior.

Here we are at the Gateway.

Another attempt at a picture of all 5 of us... We will get it right someday.

What a beautiful building! The Salt Lake Temple will always be my favorite.

This is in the reflection pool in front of the temple. Such a breath taking sight.

This picture reminds me... we were able to attend Savior of the World with some of our good friends, Jared and Alisa. We've been fortunate enough to see it a couple of times before. It is one of those productions that is life changing. It is a musical about Jesus Christ's birth and resurrection. The beginning focuses on Mary and Joseph and the things they experienced pre-pregnancy. The first act ends at the Savior's birth and the second act opens at his death. Then it goes on to the resurrection. Savior of the World always puts me in the true Christmas spirit.

THE bed...
Chad's present to Mack was a new bed. He stayed late at work for a few nights to work on it. It is a full size loft bed, which means it is similar to a bunk bed, but doesn't have another bed underneath. Mack plays games, batman, fort, tent, house, etc. under it. And it is really tall. I have to stand on a stool to check in on him during the night.

My present to him was a new bedspread to go on it and Santa brought him Batman sheets. It really is a cool bed. I snuck up there and took a nap one Sunday and had total peace and quiet, since the kids couldn't reach up there.

When Chad brought it home, it was in pieces and he asked Mack if he could store the wood in Mack's room. Mack was really excited and willing to store it in there. At first he told me they were going to make steps up to his bed so it would be easier to climb in (his bed was a foot off the ground). We took him to see Tangled (such a good movie) and while we were gone he told us all sorts of plans he had for the wood... a fort, a dog house for his puppies (stuffed animals), and a bat cave. When we finally got home, he and Chad set to work to build something. Piece by piece Mack told Chad what to do. At the end, we asked him what we should use as a roof. His suggestion was a blanket. I suggested his mattress. He was pretty excited about that. It wasn't until Chad and I said, "Surprise!" that he realized what it was.

Here they are assembling the bed. I'll post pictures of the finished project later.

Here is Addie by the Christmas tree...

...and Lydia.

And the reason I don't have a picture with all three kids together???

This is about as good as I can get. Even after the 20 shots I took of them. At least none of their faces are blurry and they are all facing the camera.

Catch up

So, my good friend Trine did a quick post on things over the summer and she posted highlights month-by-month. Although I have posted over time, there are many things I have failed to write about and skipped over (as if they never happened). My good husband asked me to do a quick post on all the things I've missed that are blog worthy, so hopefully this will fill you all in. Thanks for the idea, Trine!

JUNE:

Mack played baseball (aka Start Smart for preschoolers)
Stretching

With his mitt.

Trip out to Shaurie's house.
Mack in the makeshift swimming pool. So fun and silly!
It was really cold water, but he loved it.

Speaking of Shaurie...

I think she is so beautiful! I always say she got the looks and the brains. Lucky girl! Too bad Addie looks like she is struggling in this picture. Hahaha!

Mack's Superhero birthday party was a BLAST! Here are a few pictures of the obstacle course:

Opening presents...

This will probably turn out to be a long explanation, so I'll try to keep it brief. Each kid made up their own superhero identity and RSVP'd with their info... name, color, power... In return, I gave them a password that they gave at registration. Example (which was my favorite and still makes me laugh): Make-up Mia, color pink and purple, spreads make-up through all the land. The password I gave her was "beauty." I also loved Super Guinea Pig who could chew through metal. Mack was "Mack-man." His super power was his spiky hair that could stab the bad guys. Kids are awesome! While they waited around for the other guests, the kids played pin the cape on the superhero. Once everyone was there, each kid was introduced and given their capes. Then I told the kids there was a villain on the loose and they had to save the birthday. Shortly after, the villain showed up and dropped balloon bombs all over. The kids had to step on them to deactivate them and collect all the bomb evidence, which was sealed in a manila envelope. Next was the obstacle course consisting of: riding a bike, crawling through a tunnel, jumping over buildings (made of cereal boxes), swinging on the rope onto the water (air mattress), climbing a ladder and dropping a water balloon through a basketball hoop, running across a rickety bridge (part of the old fence in our backyard that had been replaced), and through the finish line. When they finished, they received their masks. The villain showed up, again, and dropped Kryptonite (green spray-painted rocks) on the ground. The kids split into two groups and used kitchen tongs to collect the poison and throw into the hazmat container (a cooler). The villain showed up one last time and the superheros captured him with their spiderwebs (silly string) and he was hauled off to jail. It was a BLAST! And, no, I am not creative enough to think of this all on my own. I stole the idea from a website.

JULY:
The kids and I took a trip up to Logan, then Idaho for a Chlarson family reunion, and finally to Washington, where Chad met up with us. We even went to "Sleattle" (Seattle) and stayed in a "hometel."

In Logan we stayed with my wonderful "cousin," Chellie Lambertson and met her family. I really enjoyed my time with them! This was Maddie and Mack at the Logan Zoo (which totally rocked and I remembered as a kid). Isn't she beautiful??? and oh boy, does she have a personality! These two are exactly one month apart.

Everyone feeding the ducks.

After I met up with the Chlarson Clan, we went for a nice hike in the Minnetonka Cave (surprised I remembered the name? I just looked in the picture. :) ) It was 444 steps to climb on the way in and back, equaling 888! My grandparents and Aunt Jana stayed back with the twins, so Mack and I could go. Sweet of them, hu? Mack hiked most of the entire thing!
This was the longest stretch of stairs called "Stairway to Heaven, " which was a total of 75 steps! Cassandra there, in the green coat, was 8 months pregnant at the time! Way to go, woman!
Mack and me at the end.
I really enjoyed my time with the Chlarson's. It's been a really long time since I went to a reunion and spent time with a lot of them. I really had a blast getting reacquainted and appreciate their warm welcome. I have especially enjoyed getting close to my Grandma and Grandpa. They have been great examples to me.

Once we made it to Washington, with the help of my Aunt LaVoy and her family, we stayed with my dad for a couple of days. Their super kind neighbors invited us (meaning us, Jarred and his family, Kyle and his family, Dad, and Mary) over to swim in their pool. If that wasn't nice enough, already, they then pulled out a bunch of food and had a BBQ!
Here is Mack with his cousins Riley and Matt.

Next, we headed over to Mom and Dad Weber's for a couple of days and then over to Seattle to pick up Chad. We went to Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, on a bay cruise, the Aquarium, and the monorail to the mall.
Two pictures of the Space Needle that I like...

Lydia and me on the boat.

Addie and her Daddy.The gum wall. The first thing I noticed on the wall was CTR written in gum (not pictured).

I wish Mack had been looking at me, or the camera.
On the monorail... He was tired of me taking pictures!

AUGUST:

A couple of weeks later, I headed back to Washington with my sister. This time, we stayed with Kyle and family in Moses Lake in a camp trailer. I thought it was really fun, but the best part was the wind storm one night. It made our camper rock! Shaurie was nervous and felt we needed to go inside, so we each grabbed a baby (Mack was already sleeping inside, thank goodness!) and ran for the house. She couldn't get the door closed to the camper and I didn't realize she wasn't right behind me, until I got to the house. It was frightening to see her (my little sister) holding my tiny baby in a crazy, warm wind storm trying to shut that darn door! Luckily, everything was fine and she made it, but it was the weirdest feeling... like one of those dreams where you can't run, or talk. Anyway, once we were in the house, everyone at Kyle's was awake and scared. Kyle said a prayer, which calmed everyone and, would you believe, the stormed died right down!

A couple of days later, we headed to Ensign Ranch (owned by the LDS church) by Seattle and met up with the Weber family. That was pretty fun, too. Especially the water slide! It's this long, man made hill with a huge tarp on it and sprinklers to keep it wet. We all had tubes, so we would sit on them, link feet to arms and create long chains to go down together. At one point we had over 20 people on our chain. The last person got whipped around pretty good! So fun!!!

The day before we headed back to Utah, we visited my cousin, Marlys Chlarson Downs, who is Shaurie's age, that just had boy/girl twins. Here are a couple of my favorite pictures.

SEPTEMBER:

We met up with cousins at Thanksgiving Point one day. Look at those adorable girls!

At the water table.

Digging for bones. This was his favorite part.

After church one day, we tended Abbie, our neighbor. She is 11 months older than the girls, but she looks the same size as them! I love her.

That's all for now. Someday, I will post Halloween pictures. I need to download them, still, and haven't had the desire or time to do so.

Until next time, ENJOY!