Getting Closer

It's good to see some more progress on our house, especially since we thought that by now we would have been living in it for about a month.

The stone on the outside is done. (We're still waiting on the fireplace)


We have tile.


And our cabinets are in.


I won't bore you with the list of things we're still waiting on but I will say that the main thing that's slowing us down right now is the granite for the countertops. Unfortunately, it will be another week before that's "supposed" to be ready. Hopefully after that things will fall into place quickly and we can move just a few days later. Wish us luck!

Cold And Rainy Day With Thomas

Well we decided to do something fun for the kids last weekend since we had a long weekend; so I bought tickets for Day Out With Thomas. It's basically a ride on the Heber Creeper and they put Thomas the Train on the front of it. I got tickets for Monday morning and the kids were so excited!

The lump in my coat is Alek. He slept almost the whole time. Such a good baby.
We didn't get any really great pictures. They had it roped off and we were supposed to pay a professional photographer for pictures if we wanted them closer. It was $15 for two 5x7's, no thanks.
I couldn't get Camden to look at me until I asked him where my nose was. I was too cold to stand around and try to get a better picture.
It was rainy and cold on monday but the tickets were non-refundable and the train ride would go on, rain or shine. Luckily the kids still had fun. (Casey and I weren't quite as enthusiastic about it.) In fact I didn't even know if the kids were having fun at first. Camden was petrified of the miniature horses at the petting zoo. And Jace said he was cold almost as soon as we got there. They were pretty quiet on the train ride too, but as soon as it stopped Jace said, "That was FUN!" (Of course Camden had to say it too.) I'm glad they liked it. Then Jace and Camden each picked a flashlight from the gift shop before we left. But these seemingly harmless flashlights have whistles on the back of them! How did I not see that before we bought them? Casey and I need to look closer at the toys they pick. Luckily the kids were ready for lunch by the time the train ride was over so we were able to coax them into leaving so we could get something to eat.

After the whole thing was over with I told Casey the kids would probably have had just as much fun riding trax downtown and it would have cost us about $60 less. Plus, we would have been in an enclosed train car instead of an open one. (Something that makes a huge difference on a rainy day.) Oh, well.

Family Pictures

Prepare for picture overload. I just wanted to share some of our family pictures. These were taken last Saturday. I wanted to include a little of everything so there are a lot of pictures.

Casey's sister took these for us







And here's what happened when I tried to take a couple. (I guess I better leave it to a professional. Thanks Shana)

Ages and Stages

I can't believe how quickly my little boys are growing up. They all seem to be doing so much lately I just thought I'd give quick updates on everyone.

Jace Jace just had his spring program at school and now he just has a couple more weeks of preschool before he's done for the summer. I can't believe he'll be in kindergarten this fall. He's also registered for a golf tournament this summer. It's the same one he participated in last year and he is so excited. It will be fun to watch him play in the tournament again and see what a difference a year makes.

Camden Camden is busy getting into everything which is what you expect from a two year old. He is talking so much, and using new words every day. This past week he figured out how to do a somersault and he loves to show anyone who will watch. His other favorite thing is going for rides on Casey's motorcycle. He asks several times a day if he can go for a ride on daddy's motorcycle when daddy gets home from work.

Alek Alek just had his 2 month appointment with the pediatrician. He now weighs 11 lb 11 oz. He is really starting to interact with lots of smiles and cooing sounds. He is even batting at his toys a little bit too. I didn't realize how big he was getting until I was at a store last week and there was a mom there with her 3 week old baby. Even though Alek is still small, he definitely doesn't look like a brand new newborn anymore. How does the time go so fast?

Two Months

I can't believe Alek is 2 months old today. He's really getting interactive now. He's smiling all the time and he's such a fun happy baby.

Even though Alek smiles a lot, this is the best smile I've been able to get on camera. I guess he's shy.

Better Late Than Never?

Happy Mother's Day

Or I guess I should say that I hope all you mom's out there had a happy Mother's Day. Mine was great. I was spoiled with roses, cards and gift cards. I even got a "diamond" ring that Jace picked out himself. He is so proud of it I can't not wear it even though it will probably turn my finger green eventually.

And I fully intended to post something about moms on Mother's Day. I spent some time on Saturday looking at various quotes and stories about moms and motherhood. But I decided I wanted to go with something original.

First, I want to let my own mom know how much I appreciate everything she did and still does for me. She has always been there for me and has always been someone I can lean on and talk to. Sometimes I'll have a question about the kids and Casey reminds me that I am a nurse as I dial the phone and call my mom so I can get her opinion on things. And she still totally spoils me. I bet I can count on one hand the number of times I've had to cook Sunday dinner since I've been married. My mom always makes dinner and dessert for quite a crowd on Sunday and she never complains about it. She's also patient, happy, understanding, funny, generous and thoughtful. She truly is an angel and I'm so blessed to have her in my life. I probably don't say it enough but I love you mom. She's also a wonderful grandma. She adores her grandkids and they love to spend time with her. She's always willing to watch them when we need a babysitter and it's so comforting to know that they are with the same person who raised me. I couldn't leave them in better hands. And I should also mention that she's a great mother in law. She is so loving and accepting of her son in law's. She takes them in and treats them like their own. Thanks mom, for everything

The other thing I want to do is list a few things I appreciate about being a mom. In my search for cute quotes or stories about motherhood I found one that was more of a list. It was titled, "You know you're a mom when." So I thought I would do my own list. Here's it is.

I know I'm a mom because...

• I can't drive anywhere without a crying kid in the back seat. In fact, if it's quiet, I worry that I've forgotten someone
• As soon as I try to use the phone or the bathroom all of my kids instantaneously need my immediate attention.
• Most of my best ideas come to me when I'm in the shower. it is usually the only quiet 10 minutes I get during the day. (although if I do get an un-interrupted shower I worry about the kids when I get out. What could they be up to?)
• When the primary kids sing on Mother's day I can't stop smiling. One of the kids up there is mine. He's the one who's only singing half of the words because he's not watching the music leader. He's smiling back at me as I try to see him through the tears in my eyes
• I get emotional when I see stories of sick, injured, or missing children. I hug my kids extra tight and feel so lucky to have them (even when they're being extra whiny.)
• I get excited about a "diamond" ring that will turn my finger green; and show it off as if it's the real thing because my son picked it out.
• When my son says, "mom, you look beautiful" I completely melt and I'm beaming for the rest of the day. you would have thought the compliment came from a top fashion critic, not my 4 year old.

Please feel free to add your own reasons you know you're a mom. And again, Happy Mother's Day.

Following The Prophet

This is part of a talk President Monson gave during the priesthood session of general conference. I first saw it yesterday and decided to share it here. Hope it puts a smile on your face. (It's about 2-3 minutes long.)

Making Progress

Our house has been painted! It's not the biggest step in the world but it's progress. It's nice to see it looking more like a house and less like a construction zone.