What the Doctor Ordered

I found the cure for the Winter Blues. It's my mom! She surprised us (she called on a Monday and said she might come and then on Wednesday there she was!) and gave us all a great big dose of (grand)motherly love. Exactly what we needed.

Whenever someone leaves after visiting it feels like the house is a big empty cave. I love when people are here because they fill it with laughter, joy, security, fun, and the chance to be a kid again and get taken care of a little bit.

The kids enjoyed playing games, watching monster truck "movies" (history channel special) and Extreme Home Makeover, playing Wii, eating lunch at Landon's school, making pearler bead creations, building race cars and airplanes, and being tucked into bed with back scratches, hugs, and made up stories.

I enjoyed just having her here. Sometimes it just feels so good to be a kid again; let Mom be in charge. Oh, not to mention someone else cooking dinner - the Chicken Caccitore was awesome. Thanks for coming Mom. You left me rejuvenated. I love you.

*Flash* Back Friday

Landon is "Student of Week" next week. I've been going through pictures to put on his poster and it has been one great trip down memory lane. I just love my kids. And Landon is just a wonderful wonderful boy.

*At night when I tuck him in I lay next to him and scratch his back and he tells me about his day. Those are my favorite times with him.
*I love going on walks with the kids too because Isaac is occupied in the stroller and Austin zooms ahead on his bike. Landon always hangs back and stays close to me and talks about... whatever's on his mind.
*He's always telling each of us how much he loves us.
*He helps out with minimal complaints.
*He's growing up so so fast. Today my mom and I went to his school to eat lunch with him. When he saw us he started pulling chairs around the table and borrowing a couple from other tables to make sure we had seats. Something about that was just so cute to me. Also, he sets his alarm every night and wakes up on his own, gets dressed, makes his bed, brushes his teeth, and often times goes downstairs and makes himself toast or cereal. Then he comes and wakes me up and tells me all about it.
* He's just so adorable!

This is the first picture I have that's digital. Don't mind the blue marker all over his face~

I love this long hair!

This pictue I just threw in because I can't believe it was a year ago that we put our house on the market and were getting ready for Cam's Dental School Graduation. Time really flies....

Landon is a LEGO FIEND! His obsession started a couple of years ago. He still can't get enough

He is the BEST brother! What a great helper and he's really good at coming up with things to play with both Austin and Isaac

We all love our boating tradition every summer in Utah

This picture makes me extra happy because I just found it. It was with all the pictures from this summer that I thought were lost. YES!! They're not lost!

Landon LOVES riding bikes. He really wants to get into BMX racing. We told him when he's 8

Landon's favorite sport to play

Motorcycles - need I say more?

Don't Worry...

... I'm not going to bore you with each scrapbook page I do this year but, I just love the way this one turned out. SO much better than last weeks. I got some downloads and they are just so cute. AND to top it off, my friend Aimee just sent me the whole 365 kit!! She had extras so I won't be wasting so much time putting this together. But I had to just show you last weeks. Seriously, this is so fun for me. I love taking pictures and I love the fact that at the end of the year I am going to have a great scrapbook full of random stuff my family did this year. (By the way, don't drop your camera when you're out on a walk with the kids. My point and shoot is a gonner - I'm just happy it was my D40 - I would still be crying..) I left the picture small so this time just click on it and you can read the "fine" print!

Pajama Day

The snow was falling on Monday so the three of us stayed in our jammies, pretended we had nothing to do and hung out... I love these days!

How did all my boys get so lucky to have such great eye-lashes? I just love this boys eyes...

I {LOVE} this crooked smile!

Zac LOVES his blankie. I try to leave it in the crib so he doesn't drag it around everywhere but usually he finds a way to get it out. Seriously, I think Isaac is Houdini sometimes. He can reach his arm through the slats of his crib and twist it around until he reaches his blanket. Then he sits and pulls as long as it takes to get that blanket out of his crib.

There are so many things about Isaac that I just love. He is becoming more independant all the time.

*He just learned how to go down the stairs on his tummy and that really gives him a thrill.
*He will only eat if he has his own spoon and bowl. He'll let you feed him only between his own desperate tries to get the food to stay on the spoon until it gets to his mouth. Ineveitably, he ends up scooping it up with his hands and putting the bowl on his head.

*He loves music. He will dance to any music he hears. He also sings it. Not the words, obviously, but he oh's and ah's just like he was saying the right words.

*He's in that copying stage - where he will repeat anything you say. I love hearing him say new words.

*He love's to hold our hands - not always Austin's but if any of the rest of us hold our hand out to him he grabs a finger and plasters on a grin. We can lead him anywhere that way.

*He LOVES bedtime. When he's tired he finds his blankie and lays on the floor. Then he says, "ni-ni" (night-night) and blows us all kisses.

*He absolutely loves balls. Footballs are his favorite. The other day during Sacrament Mtg. we had to take him out because he kept yelling, "FA- BA!" (football)

*He will climb over anything to get to what he wants, even if he can go around. The kid is a bulldozer. If he wants something he will take out anything in his way.

*I started going to the YMCA (gym) to workout and he DID NOT like it. But, I think he's coming around to the idea. Although, now anytime I say, "I'll be right back."(even if I'm just going into another room of our house) he freaks out a little but usually will yell, "bye-bye" after a while.

Austin loves to play games with Isaac. They are pretty good buds most of the time. I love how brothers play together. Austin can always do something to make Isaac laugh.

Resolutions Underway...

So this year, like any other, I have a giant list of resolutions: things I want to improve about myself, mostly. Don't worry I'm not going to bore you with all my goals - which, by the way happen to be similar every year. Why is that? They're the same things I always struggle with and I really am determined to do better.

So anyway, one of my goals was to get caught up on my scrapbooks. I decided to go all digital because it's just easier for me. But then I saw this, oh-so-cute traditional scrapbook kit and just HAD to have it. (click here to see it). Unfortunately, it sold out FAST and so I went back to my original plan - digital. But that cute kit did give me the idea for this layout. This is what my family's scrapbook will look like this year.

365 Random Pictures of our life together. I still want to tweak this a bit and try to make it as cute as the original. But you get the idea. So at least one of my resolutions will actually be "resolved" by the end of the year.

*sorry you can't read the journaling at the bottom of the pages - basically the pictures are the queso dip we had on new years, Cameron impersonating the gorrilla from the zoo after Utah kicked Alabama's hiney in the Sugar Bowl, Isaac shouting his new favorite word, "touchdown!", Austin getting out the silverware to set the table while wearing his new CTR ring that he loves, I joined the YMCA, one of the shelves of the fridge fell down and jelly and milk splashed/slimed all over the floor, I babysat 6 kids (besides my three) and the boys made a HUGE fort in our front room. - and THAT is my week in a nutshell*

Another Holiday Season Ends and a New Year Begins

So New Years at our house a little (uh hem, a LOT) BORING!! Not that I didn't try, though. On New Year's Eve I made home-made pizza (Landon's choice) and we had a nutritious side dish of chips and salsa and Queso (Austin's choice) And it was GOOD!

Best Queso Dip:

1 8oz pkg. cream cheese (I used fat free - can you make this healthy?!)

1 8 oz carton sour cream

1 8oz pkg Velveeta

1 C shredded Monteray Jack Cheese

1 small can Rotelle Diced tomatoes with Chiles - use Mild unless you like HOT HOT

Cut cream cheese and velveeta in chunks and place in oven proof bowl or crock pot. Mix in the rest of the ing. Turn crock pot on low for three hours/high for one hour or bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Serve warm with tortilla chips. You can use leftovers as a dip for tacos or burritos (which is what we did and it was awesome)

So after we put the kids to bed Cameron and I piled up the clean laundry that had been sitting around since we got back from Utah, started to fold and decided it could wait until the next day. Cameron fell asleep on the couch at 9:00 and I watched a movie and went to bed at 11:00. Seriously, We haven't been married even ten years and this is what we've become!! Since we didn't have a toast with our Sparkling White Grape Juice at midnight we served it up for Breakfast and decided celebrating on New Years Day was better anyway. The day went down hill from there - let me just leave it at that. It was a BAD day...

But we made up for it on Jan. 2! We made good use of the 58 degree weather and headed to the zoo. Where we saw this gorilla spontaniously flipping people off - NOT KIDDING! He would go from his first finger to the middle and back again and then chuckle like he knew what he was doing. It gave us all a good laugh and put the New Year in perspective - So who cares if things don't work out the way they "should"? Make the most of it, "flip off" (so to speak - we don't REALLY believe in that at this house!!) the things that make you mad, have a good laugh, and move on!

So here's to a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Cheers!