my THIRD boy

I was just getting caught up on my Picture.of.the.Day project and a few pics caught my eye. I love {ALL} my boys. Today, see what I love about this one:

ClAssIc IsAac: black eye {Austin threw the garage door open into Zac's face} and bruises all over his forehead

messy face {the kid can NOT keep his face clean!}

what you don't see {no pants, diaper - yes he's STILL wearing diapers - we're workin' on it, two different socks - one black, leftover from church, one of Austin's too big white ones}

He just learned to ride his "big" bike with training wheels {can you tell the bike's been through all 3 boys?!} I try to spend a half hour a day with JUST him. Today's activity - learning to use the brakes.

He is so enthusiastic. Also, he's got a great imagination. My best "pretender" so far. I love watching him play - especially listening to him talk to his toys and hearing what they "say" back to him.

The other day at nap time: he INSISTED on going to bed inside a web. We made one with a blanet and pillows. he INSISTED on wearing the mask. he fell asleep, I snapped a picture, and then took the mask off his mouth and nose. He is strong-willed and very insistent. I get nervous for his teenage years (seriously, I think about it daily!) I'm constantly trying to think of ways to make him think what I need him to do is HIS idea.

We went to ride Fire Trucks the other night at the fire station's Fire Prepardeness Fair. The boys loved it. Isaac had a great time. He snuggled with his dad on top of the fire engine during our ride. I carried him for a while in line when he got SCARED when "Scruff the Crime Dog" ( a guy in suit) came to give him a high five. {He's hopelessly scared of dogs.}

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There is just something so sweet and endearing about the little things they do. I LOVE my boys. Really. Boys. They're great.

TEN years. Really.

We planned to celebrate our first TEN YEARS together later in the month. So I kind of didn't think about it much. And in the business and ...well, exhaustion the two of us are calling life lately our TEN year anniversary went almost unnoticed. A bit sad, huh? Don't worry we'll make up for it!

Well, on Monday when I noticed the date {October 4}, I threw the kids in the car and went right to the grocery store to pick up an anniversary card and a pie. {We served pie and apple cider at our wedding reception, so it has become our anniversary tradition.} Cameron brought home flowers for me. And that was that. 10 years come and gone...

So, although that was just a teeny, tiny celebration for a great big {10 years long} life together, it represented how lucky we are to have eachother. So happy that we are dedicated and willing to work hard to make our marriage happy and wonderful. So excited to spend another 10 years together. Grateful for the way we have made a family. Dreaming about the future, enjoying the present, and remembering the past.

October 4, 2000 SaltLakeCity Temple

We went to Jakson Hole for our honeymoon. On the way home we stopped in Yellowstone. I never would have imagined, then, that in ten years time my life would look like this:

Wow, how things change! And I couldn't be happier. (okay, so we won't mention that living in a bigger city would make me a teensy bit happier ;) )
Thank you Cameron for completing me. Thank you for giving me our kids. Thank you for being the hardest worker I know. Thank you for being you. Thank you for the past 10 years. ...love ya...

Fall Feast {the recipes}

The first official day of Fall {Autumn} this year was Sept.23. It snuck up on me. Our desert weather has been in the 90's - very unfall-like. But, we celebrated anyway, because, as you all know we LOVE fall.

So on the 23rd - we celebrated the fall equinox with Caramel Apples. They were AWESOME. We tried to recreate the APpLe PiE flavored ones from Rocky Mountain Chocolate. Pretty close, I think. So if you want to give your guys a treat try these. They are the perfect thing to make with the kids.

Apple Pie Caramel Apples:

5 green apples

1 bag Kraft Caramels

5 popsicle sticks (I used cut down skewers because that's what I had)

1/2 bag white chocolate chips

2 TB margarine

2 TB powdered sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Follow the directions for caramel apples on the back of the Kraft Caramels bag. Let caramel set. Melt white chocolate chips with margarine. Dip caramel apple in chocolate. Mix together sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle on apples. Allow apples to cool on wax paper for one hour.

{I had a bit of caramel left over because I didn't dip my apples all the way to the stem. I thinned the leftover melted caramel with half and half and it made the PERFECT apple dip - the kids loved it. Seriously. We ate 6 apples that day.}

On that Sunday we celebrated with our 3rd annual Fall Feast - a great idea from a great mom I know. Our family loves Fall Feast. We eat something very fall-like, last year a turkey, this year a roast. And we always have pumpkin pie and apple cider. We use our "fancy" glasses and our not-so-fancy fall table cloth.

My favorite Pot Roast Recipe:

3-4 pound roast - I use chuck roast in this recipe because the meat is extra tender - use a leaner roast if you want to do French Dip sandwiches with the leftover (something we do a lot).

1 choped onion

chopped potatoes and baby carrots - however many your family will eat

1 TB choped garlic

2 bay leaves

1 can beef broth

1 tsp coarse ground pepper

1 tsp coarse ground salt

Place roast in crock pot {you can sear the sides in a pan of olive oil first, if you want - it does make a bit better but I usually don't take the time to do that}. Put vegetables around the roast. Add bay leaves and sprinkle the garlic over vegetables. Pour the beef broth over the vegetables. Sprinkle roast with half the salt and pepper and an extra crushed garlic clove, if desired. Sprinkle vegetables with the remaining salt/pepper. Cook on high for 6-8 hours.

And as long as I'm sharing recipes, here's one I gave to the ladies I visit teach. I love this bread:

Apple Cranberry Pumpkin Bread {muffins}:

3 C flour

1 TB + 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 C sugar

1 15 oz can pumpkin

4 eggs

1/2 C apple sauce

1/2 C oil

1/2 C apple juice

1 C sweetened dried cranberries (I used the new pomegranit flavor cranberries)

preheat oven to 350. Grease two bread pans or line muffin cups

combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, bkg soda, and salt. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, apple sauce, oil, and apple juice in large bowl. beat just until blended. Add flour mixture and mix until moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon into prepared pans. bake for 60 minutes (check at 50) {19 minutes for muffins} or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

8 months

Seriously? 8 months have come and gone since Ella was born? It's going so fast. And it is so fun watching her little personality emerge.

Ella is still very content to sit on the floor and play with toys. She has mastered the skill of going from sitting to laying on her tummy to reach what she wants. It will be good once she can get back up to sitting, 'cause that frustrates her a lot. Her new favorite toys are stacking blocks and things with tags or some kind of string to pull.

She LOVES books and during story time with the boys she has to have her own book or she will do whatever she can to steal the one we're reading.

She recently acquired two little teeth. Aw, so cute.

She loves looking at herself in the mirror. Girl thing or baby thing? Only time will tell.

She is turning into a giggler. She will giggle if you look at her just the right way. Or if you laugh she laughs right back. The more people laughing the bigger her laugh is. She giggles at Austin the most. She giggles when she's tired and I give her blankie to her.
She is a squealer too. She squeals with delight (like in this picture), but she squeals when things aren't happy in her world too. Mostly, when she needs her diaper changed or she's hungry.
And, the girl can babble. All my kids have been good babblers, and they still are, actually. You should hear us at dinner time - 4 babblers all together at the same time - some speaking actual words, others not, but all of them speaking nonsense and all of them wanting to be heard. Phew! Never realized how noisy a big family would be!!

Her most recent new trick is waving. She's been waving, "bye-bye" for about a week now. Oh so cute.

The end of the Birthday Gauntlet

I know less is more - but with a kid like Isaac, it's just impossible to only choose one or two pictures... so you might as well have been here with us while we celebrated his THIRD birthday.

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Since it was Labor Day weekend, my parents were able to come up {with their boat :) } and spend it with us. What a fun weekend. We spent Saturday on the boat with KFC and other munchies. Boating is this family's favorite thing to do. {a boat is definitly on our wish list!!} We love it cuz we're all together and there's something for everyone - the littles (and me) love to just ride, going fast. The big kids love the Water Rocket and swimming. Cam got to water ski - I love to ski too but I'm picky about the temperature. The water's gotta be warm. It's just so so relaxing and fun.

We had Isaac's b.day party a day early, on Sunday. He loved opening the presents. But... he REALLY loved the wrapping paper. When he saw it, as I not so stealthly handed it to Cameron so he could go wrap, he jumped up and down and shouted something about his Toy "Stoy" party, so excited.


We had to light the candles twice - he was so excited to blow them out he didn't want to wait for us to sing Happy Birthday.

If one of your presents falls into the cupcakes... no big deal, just lick it off.

We played with his new presents.

Then we watched a movie with "Toy Story" popcorn bowls. Sometime during the movie I looked around for Isaac.

He was just eating another cupcake.

But when I realized he had licked the frosting off ALL the rest of the cupcakes he thought he was in trouble. These pictures describe my life with him completely - at least a few times a day. I imagine him thinking - "if I close my eyes I can't hear her ranting/yelling/lecturing/saying no. oh good she turned away for a second. hurry and do it before she sees me."

The next day Cameron took Isaac and my dad on a motorcycle ride. Then it was off to Smoky Mountain for a free birthday pizza and sad goodbye to Grandma, Grandpa, and Alina.

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Isaac went to his first (and last - a story for another post. Bottom line he just wasn't ready for it) day of Preschool the next day. They celebrated his birthday, there too.

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I love this boy. He is my greatest challenge and greatest joy. I'm still learning how to relate to him. The more I've tried to embrace who he is and channel his endless curiosity and independance the more fun he's become. He comes out fighting but as soon as he feels understood and accepted the fight stops and hugs start. He is loving and happy and hillarious. He reminds me, everyday, to think before I {yell} speak, and stay calm. He is teaching me to be a better person.

This family just wouldn't be the same without you, little dude. And as I walk through the house and find your trail in every room, I think about the ways you make me laugh, how dynamic you are, how you stick to your guns, and how exciting you make our lives. Happy, happy birthday~

s e v e n months

she's gone from newborn to infant to... older baby. she is scooting. she is tearing up magazines and napkins and wipes (when she can get her hands on them). she is squealing. she is rolling to get to toys. she wants to be in on the action. she has a definite routine. she is l.o.v.i.n.g. solid foods. she is babbling. she is constantly looking around. she clapped (two different times) for the first time today. she is becoming more and more animated - her personality emerging. she is still easy going and mellow. she watched the boys and I make freezer jam from her bumbo for 1 hour before she even made a peep - content to sit and watch. she can hold her own sippy cup. tonight, she picked up small bits of "real" food and got them into her mouth for the first time. she is getting too big too fast

{2} Birth-Days

Austin turned the B-I-G 6 last week. A highly anticipated event. He is officially, according to him, the oldest kid in his kindergarten class, and he's sure he grew, at least, a couple inches on his birthday.

And today is my birthday. Aside, from my fab husband this picture says it all: I've got everything I need {plus a way-cute, wear all the time sweater from Gap and flowers - thank you Cameron! and a little spending cash - thank you Gary and Sharlene! and a little boat trip planned for this weekend - thank you Mom and Dad!}. It was a good day; spent driving the kids to school and scouts, hearing Isaac sing me "Happy Birthday" a dozen different ways, then back to school for open house night, and dinner at Wingers where the Mountain Home Highschool Cheerleaders sang Happy Birthday to me. Really, couldn't ask for more.

While my birthday was a normal day, punctuated with a few very happy-birthday moments, Austin's birthday was pretty much a week-long process.

He took cookies to school the Friday before his b.day. Not just any cookies, YODA cookies that he and I spent the morning making.

The day before his birthday a little box found it's way onto our porch and Isaac carried it around for a couple of hours until Austin got home from a friends house. The suspense was killing them so we let Austin open his Grandma & Grandpa Perigo presents early. Wish they could have seen him open them. He was so happy! Thank you again, Gary and Sharlene.

On the 24th, Austin's actual birthday, Landon had his first Cub Scout Pack meeting. an aside: He earned his Bobcat award. I wish I would have had my camera out when Landon got to hold the flag during the flag ceremony (is it disrespectful to take pictures when your supposed to have your hand on your heart? anyway...) He had a G.R.I.N. from ear to ear holding that flag... and his salute? He was trying so hard to do everything perfect.

We weren't expecting a two-hour event (BBQ and games after awards) but Austin didn't seem to mind putting off his family birthday party until later.

But, when it was time to go home for cake and presents he was ECSTATIC!

Landon took the credit for getting Austin a crystal-growing kit. I'm fine with it. Look how happy they both were!

My FAVORITE part of being with Austin is his energetic spark for life. He has this way of drawing you into whatever he's doing. If I could choose one word to describe him it would be excitement. He's just SO SO happy to do anything and he knows how to make the people around him happy too.

Case in Point: singing him the birthday song and watching him blow out the candles. Cameron teased him and re-lit the candles, saying they were trick candles. Austin just went with it and laughed and laughed.

A few days later we had a "friend party" for Austin. He wanted an army party so we had "birthday boot camp". The kids had target practice with nerf guns, a water balloon "gernade toss", search and rescue - they had to dig through shredded paper to find army guys and toys and candy, a parachute game and camoflauge cupcakes.

I also, accidently, created a new birthday tradition at our house. Since I bought window markers to draw targets on our windows at Austin's party I used them to write a b.day message to Austin on the bathroom mirror. The kids came running in my room in the morning so excited about the message. Landon begged me to write on the mirror to him on his birthday. So, a new tradition.

Now that we've celebrated for me and Austin we're all pumped up to do it again on Monday - for Isaac's "Toy Stoy" party. He'll be 3 and litterelly tells everyone that will listen that he is going to have a Toy Story Birthday. Sometimes, I really wish I could just freeze time and keep everyone the same. They're growing up WAY too fast (and I wouldn't mind not getting any older too!! :) ).