Eventful Weekend

Here is what we did this past weekend.

The kids made a tent in their bedroom and wanted to sleep in it.

The kids had swim lessons, but I didn’t take any pictures.  They are doing really well and loving it. 

Josh has been playing ‘Church Ball’ and the kids and I would go and watch him play.  This last weekend they had tournaments and so I brought the camera.  Our team lost so we only played one game, but it was always fun to go down and watch and cheer Dad on.

We also had a visitor this weekend…

The Tooth Fairy!

Megan pulled her 2nd tooth out on Saturday.  She wanted me to video it again like last time, so I started videoing and then she  changed her mind cause she couldn’t get it out.  But she kept working on it and pulled it out while I was cutting Josh’s hair.  She was so excited.  She was sleeping under her tent that night so I wrote a note to the tooth fairy and left it on Megan’s bed telling the tooth fairy to find Megan under the tent.  Megan was excited the next morning that the tooth fairy found her and didn’t forget.

My Kids

I don’t tend to brag about my children, but lately I have been feeling so much love towards them that I just wanted to express how WONDERFUL my children are.  Yes, they still fight, yell, and have to sit in time out, and Connor still cries and fusses.  I think that those moments help me realize what wonderful kids I do have when they are good.  I just want to share a couple of things that my kids have done recently that have really just touched me. 

Megan came home from school yesterday with a beautiful letter to me.  It read:

“Dear Mommy I love you sooooo much.  You look prity.  You are sooooo prity whin you go to potry’s (parties) with you’r frens.  I like helping you.  I feel happy win I help you. 

Love Megan Kelly

to Mommy kelly

It really made my day.  She also drew a bunch of hearts on the back that said I love you.   Megan really is a great helper and really tries to be good.  She has been doing excellent  at school, she’s a great reader and they have been starting to spell and she has been doing so good.  I am so proud.

Bryson has really been difficult lately.  He is at the stage of asking “why?” to EVERYTHING, and he has started calling names (even though they don’t make sense), and he is being VERY stubborn about potty training.  But when I need a hug or ask him to help he is right there.  He also will use some very sweet words telling me I’m beautiful, or that Megan drew a beautiful picture.  He is very sweet when he wants to be, and is always my best helper.  He loves to play with Megan and has been very cute learning how to sing his primary songs.

Connor is usually a happy baby.  He loves to laugh and smile.  He is constantly sucking on something.  He usually takes his socks off to suck on them.  He really can brighten my day with his smile or a laugh.  I love him so much. 

I really love each of my kids so much, it really is amazing how much love you can have for so many people.  I am so grateful for my wonderful kids and how they can simply show me their love at just the right moments.  I had to give some opening remarks in our relief society night last night and I found a quote that I feel is so true that I wanted to share…

“Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments.  There will be hard times and frustrating times.  But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction.”  - Elder M. Russell Ballard -

I couldn’t have said it better.

Parent Swap

This past week we played a version of Parent swap. Josh went out to California to go skiing with his Dad and my Mom came out here to hang out with us.

My Mom came in town prepared to play with the kids. She brought so many fun things for the kids to do that they always had something to do. They did plenty of crafts and pictures and read lots of books. They had so much fun with Grandma we didn't want her to go home.
On one of the days my Mom was here we surprised Megan at school with lunch. She was so excited and it was fun to eat with her.


The next day we were snowed in and had a snow day. We received about 8 in of snow and the kids had a blast playing in it. Megan made her first snow man...

Went sledding out in the neighborhood...
My Mom even went to work and shoveled for us.

It was nice that Megan got 2 snow days while Grandma was here so she could hang out with Grandma more. When the kids were sleeping my Mom and I enjoyed watching movies, talking and watching a family history video that my Grandpa had made about our ancestors.

We LOVED having Grandma here and the kids all loved playing with Grandma. We really miss having family close, so getting 4 days with family was amazing.
Thanks Mom for coming out and making the time without Josh memorable


Josh's Ski Trip

Josh was very excited to be able to accompany his Dad on his yearly ski trip to Lake Tahoe. Their first day skiing they had gotten 6-10 inches of fresh snow and had a GREAT time skiing the fresh powder. The next 2 days they spent their days skiing and the nights sitting in the hot tub.

Before he left I kept bugging him to make sure that they took pictures. So I realistically thinking that I was going to get 1 maybe 2 pictures. So I just want to say THANK YOU to Josh's Dad for actually taking more than 2 pictures... and he even got some videos. Thank you!!

The kids and I were so excited to pick Josh up from the airport. There was several times that the kids would ask where Daddy was. Bryson I think had the hardest time. One night when we were reading scriptures with Grandma, we had finished reading and Grandma said "The End." and Bryson said... "No it's Daddy's turn!" So then I asked him where Daddy was. He then looked around and realized that Daddy wasn't there. Connor was really cute when he saw Daddy, he had to keep looking at him. It's like he realized that he knew who this person was but hadn't seen him for awhile, so he just kept staring at him.

So we were really excited to have Daddy home and back to our normal routine. But we were sad to say good-bye to Grandma. Thanks to everyone for making this happen, My brother and Sister for helping with the business so that Mom could come out. And thanks to Josh's Dad for taking him skiing with you to give a well deserved break from all of his hard work.

Just Need a Laugh

This was so funny. I had another video but it was longer and he sat and clapped during it, but this one just made me laugh more, so I thought that I would share. Enjoy Connor rocking out to the music, even tho you really can't hear the music... it's on. Once I turned it on he started rocking out.

New Pictures

I am so excited to get new pictures to put up on my wall. We have finally got Connor up on our wall with an updated photo of all the kids together. Now we just need a new picture our whole family. I just wanted to share.

Trying to get this picture took SEVERAL shots.

Connor was laughing the whole time during his shoot. We weren't going to get a picture of him but we just couldn't turn this one down.

I also wanted to share this cute picture of Connor sitting up. He's been sitting up all by himself lately. He looks so much older seeing him sitting. He sitll gets knocked over by his brother and sister, but he is so happy sitting all by himself and I am loving it too.

6 months & More

Life seems so busy lately. So blogging has been put aside. I just wanted to give a quick update before I start to forget things.

Connor is now 6 months old!

His Stats are: Height: 27 3/4 inches (90%)
Weight: 17 lbs (40%)

Connor is really a joy to have in our lives. Megan and Bryson always want to be right next to him, (sometimes not a good thing). He started eating solids at 5 months and has mastered rice cereal but now as we are trying to introduce vegetables he is not liking it.

Connor is very active rolling and inch worming to get to what he wants. He can sit up on his own for awhile, but we can't leave him unattended, especially when the other kids are awake, since they like to play so close to him they knock him over. But I would say that he is 90% sitting up on his own.

During play time Connor will roll around on the ground playing with any toy he can. He loves to pull his socks off and put them in his mouth, and of course loves to suck his thumb. His favorite games are patty cake and peek-a-boo which make him laugh. Megan & Bryson also love to do silly things to make him laugh. Once he laughs the kids will continue doing whatever they did over and over. If Connor gets laughing hard enough he ends up with the hiccups. I've attached the following video of Connor watching Josh juggle. He also loves it when Daddy gives him a horsey ride on his knee.

As for the rest of us...

Josh is working hard at the dental lab and is now studying hard for the DAT (Dental Admission Test) and is hoping to take it at the beginning of March. He also stays very busy serving as the Elders Quorum President attending meetings and playing basketball on Saturdays. He is also looking forward to his upcoming ski trip with his Dad next weekend.

I have been very busy lately trying to finish up Christmas presents, take care of the kids and the house, and working out to try and lose the rest of my baby weight. I have also recently been called as the Relief Society Secretary which keeps me busy with meetings and trying to figure out all that is required of me, while getting organized. I am also looking forward to having my Mom come out to play while Josh is gone skiing.

Megan is glad to be in school. She does very well at school (says her teacher) and is friends with everyone. She is an excellent reader and has just found a new interest in the Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew series. Megan is very creative and loves to make things. You can always find her drawing, cutting, coloring or creating something when she isn't doing her homework. We recently had a very cold spell that came through a couple of weeks ago bringing us some snow and giving Megan 2 snow days from school. The kids loved playing out in the snow as long as they could and then come inside for some hot chocolate.

Bryson has been working on his ABC's, counting to 10 and his colors and shapes. We have also recently discovered story time at the library which he loves to go to. He's still too shy to sit on the floor with the kids, but loves to do the craft at the end and to come home and show everyone. Bryson also started sunbeams at the beginning of the year. He enjoys going in and singing the songs. I'm sad that I'm not in Primary anymore to see how he is doing. When it is time to cook dinner you can find Bryson pulling a chair up next to the stove to help cook. He loves to stir and does a great job browning the ground beef. He says that he wants to build big houses when he grows up, but I think that he would make an excellent cook. Oh, Megan and Bryson are also doing swimming lessons. They are both loving it and we are going to continue doing them next month. Megan is doing well swimming under water, and Bryson has learned how to float on his back with no help from the teacher just a back float. They both really enjoy the water.

Well a real quick post turned into a long update. I'll try and keep things up to date so they won't get so long.

Last Day- Good Byes

We were so sad to see our vacation end, we definitely could have used a few more days there.  We did have another day to go to a park, but with having to pack and check out we didn’t have enough time to check out another park.  We headed out at 2 and we were off to the airport to say good bye to my family as we were on separate flights.  We were both flying to Chicago but on separate flights 40 min apart.  Once we checked in at the airport we checked to see if we could get on my families flight since we had found out that our flight was delayed.   They luckily had room for us on that flight which we were very grateful for since our flight kept being more and more delayed, we would have missed our connection and we would have been stuck, so I am really glad that we were able to get on that flight, plus it meant a little more time with my family.

 

Once we got to Chicago we had to go our separate ways and finally say good bye.  That is always the hardest thing, especially when we don’t know when we will see them again.  So our vacation finally came to an end, and the kids are already asking to go back.  We were thankful for the time we spent with my family and looking back it doesn’t seem like enough. 

***I’m sorry for the lengthy posts, I just didn’t want to forget anything about this trip.  This was our first family vacation and I really think we need to do it more often… someday.***

Disney Day 6- Animal Kingdom & Magic Kingdom

We were really excited to go to the animal kingdom and we wish that we would have had more time there.  There is so much to take in and to look at and to enjoy.  We were also excited to be able to see Josh’s oldest brother, Matt, and his family.  Who we hadn’t seen in over 2 years.  We were excited to find out that they were going to be at Disney World the same time and so we arranged to meet her.  We wish that we would have had more time to spend with them.     We started off the day by ourselves again since the rest of the crew was running a little behind.  We thought that they would catch up with us at the shuttle stop, but we lucked out and we didn’t have to wait for the shuttle.  Once we got to the park we headed over to get a fast pass for the Safari ride since it was so foggy that we wouldn’t have been able to see the animals at that time.  On the way over we were lucky enough to catch some characters to get some pictures.  We then went on an exploration trail to see some animals while we waited for my family to get to the park.  Once they were there we met them over at Expedition Everest.  That was a great ride, I think one of the favorites on the whole trip. 

We were also able to catch up with Matt & Stacie at that point, then we were playing follow the leader as we rode a ride and then they followed behind from Everest to the Safari (since the fog let up).  We caught back up with them at Finding Nemo- The musical, which was a great show.  After we ate lunch together we went on Dinosaur and then let the kids ride on Tricera Top spin which is pretty much like Dumbo.  We then rushed over to see the Lion King show.  When we got there a cast member asked if our kids would like to be in the show.  Megan got all excited and said she would.  So they told us where to sit so that they would pick them out of the crowd.  The show was great and very entertaining and it was fun at the end of the show that Megan and Bryson were able to go up and participate.  They had them walk around the stage shaking a maraca like instrument.  It was fun and the kids loved it. Before we headed off to our dinner we went to see a Bug’s Life.  That was the one show that I remember seeing when I went to Animal Kingdom before.  Unfortunately I don’t think my kids want to remember the show.  Neither of them wore their 3D glasses.  Luckily that was our last 3D show.

For dinner we were so excited to go to Chef Mickey’s to see all the classic characters; Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy & Pluto.  On the way over Bryson fell asleep and was out cold.  We kept trying to wake him up once we got there since he had been looking forward to seeing Mickey the whole time.  He woke up just in time for the characters to start coming around, but wasn’t the happiest kid. 

After dinner we headed back over to the Magic Kingdom just in time for their firework show.  We started heading over to Frontierland and ended up getting a VIP look at the fireworks, it was great!  Once we got to Frontierland we rode Splash Mountain which was great.  Megan was able to ride and was so excited to go, since we had pumped her up about going on it.  This was also Josh’s 1st time.  I wish we had a camera to take a picture of the picture they took of us going down the big drop, it was the best picture ever.  Megan and I ended up in the front of the boat wrapped up in my Dad’s jacket and we still ended up getting soaked.  Josh and BJ were behind us and only got wet from a boat ahead of us going down the hill, then Jess and Tosha were behind them and stayed pretty dry.  It was great.  We also hit Thunder mountain, the Tiki room, Pirates (again) & Josh, my Dad, BJ & I went to the Haunted mansion while everyone else went to the carrousel.  It was a very long day, that ended really late.

Disney Day 5 – Magic Kingdom & Hollywood

This was the day that we had scheduled to eat lunch at Cinderella’s Royal Table in the castle.  So we put curlers in Megan’s hair the night before and she got to wear her Snow White princess dress.  She was so excited to dress up.  So we headed to Magic Kingdom in the morning and went on a couple of rides before it was time to eat. 

Dinner was pretty cool.  The girls got Magic Wands and the boys got swords, and they all got wishing stars that they got to make a special wish on while they were there at dinner.  Then each of the Princesses came around to the table and Josh supplied Megan with a question to ask a couple of them.  She asked Arial if she liked being a mermaid or human better.  She answered by saying that she likes them both.  Then she asked Belle if she liked Gaston or the Beast better.  Belle was really cute and asked Megan who she liked better.  Megan said the Beast, and she said “Good answer, I like him too.”

After lunch we hung out for a bit and went on a couple more rides like driving the Race cars, (Bryson loved them, even though I don’t think he could see over the steering wheel) then headed back over to Hollywood Studios for the extra late hours.  We were bummed that they didn’t have any shows going on since we wanted to see the Indiana Jones show & Beauty & the Beast, but instead we waited in line for the Toy Story ride again.  It took about 40 minutes… I wish they would have had fast passes.  On our way out we stopped by a dance party with Handy Manny, Jo Jo & Little Einstein characters.  It was pretty fun.  They had 2 balloon guys making things for the kids.  Megan got a flower hat, Bryson got a snake & Connor got Mickey ears.  They got to dance with characters and right before we left Mickey and Minnie came in.  It was a lot of fun, but ended up being a very late night… again.

Disney Day 4- Hollywood Studios

We started our day early and right after we got in and got a family shot in front of the hat out walked Minnie Mouse.  Megan spotted her and went running over to her, luckily she was heading over to take pictures so Megan walked with her hand in hand then we got her signature and a picture.  Some of the highlights of our day.  Riding the Toy Story Mania ride, really a great, fun ride that always had a LONG wait. Tower of Terror which was great, Megan rode it twice and then later that night cried cause she was scared of the ghosts from that ride.  The Rock ‘n’ Roller coaster was fun and always a favorite.  Some of the shows that we watched were Voyage of The Little Mermaid, Muppet Vision 3D, Lights, Motors, Action!  Bryson’s favorite show.  Then another great show was Fantasmic, and the kids loved the Block Party Bash with Buzz Lightyear.

For dinner we went to eat at the Grand Floridian with Cinderella, her 2 step sisters, her step mother and Prince Charming.  The faces that the step family made were hilarious!