Brothers

I was organizing my pictures and came across these two pictures.  I am amazed at how much they look alike and the similar face they are making.    

The Beginning of Summer

Doesn't the end of school typically signify the "beginning" of summer?  If that is the case, then we are now on summer vacation.  This past week Will had his end of school program and graduation from his 3 year-old preschool class.  The program was quite entertaining and we will just say Will was the star of the show.  Not for singing, dancing or memorizing his part but for the kid who could hold still the longest without making one peep.  Will is a shy little guy in front of people he does not know or when he is in groups.  Afterwards he gave me my own little program at home when no one else was around and did a wonderful job.  I am sure we will have many more programs to attend and hopefully graduations in the future!!  

Today is Your Birthday...

One criteria from Brad with starting this blog is that I could not be cheesy.  Well too bad, because today is his birthday.  Warning, Velveeta ahead.  Happy Birthday to the greatest husband and father who always puts his family first, constantly strives to make me happy, willing to get up in the middle of the night with the kids, will eat pizza with me even when he is sick of it, puts up with my quirks, listens to my long and very detailed stories, encourages my girls nights out with my friends, works hard at the office and at home for the fam and loves me for who I am - obsessive and all!!  You know your husband is a great dad when your child asks every hour when daddy will be home.  The moment Will and Lizzy see him, it is a mad dash to who can get to him first.  Thanks for all you do for us.  Happy Birthday babe!!

Next cheesy post will be June 7th for our 7th anniversary.  Consider yourself warned!!

      

Happy Mother's Day

Dear Mommy,
Willy, Lizzy, Matty, and I would like to wish a very Happy Mother's Day to the best mom in the world. We appreciate you for everything that you do for us. We know that we are hard work and love you for the daily cleaning of our messes, listening to our tantrums (Daddy included), sleepless nights, missed aerobics classes, late nights working for Poppy, tasty meals, wiped noses, changed diapers, rides to pre-school, t-ball games, trips to the zoo, not getting too frustrated when we rip pages out of books (Lizzy), worrying when we are sick, and taking care of us when we are sick even though you are sick and sleep deprived.

You are the best and we love you so much. Thank you for being the perfect mom.

Love
Daddy, Willy, Lizzy, and Matty

Little Known Facts From A to Z

It is time to face it. I have been tagged a couple of times but thought no one would notice if I didn't respond. Well I no longer want to disappoint, so here it goes....

A - Attached or single: Attached and going on 7 years come June. Crazy how times flies!

B - Best Friend: Of course my husband. Who else can I be cranky with and he will still love me!!

C - Cake or Pie: MMMMM - both sound delicious right now since I am on my "lose the baby weight diet". Chocolate cake is one of my many weaknesses.

D - Day of Choice: Friday - the weekend is about to begin!!

E - Essential Item: Chapstick, I go crazy licking my lips if I don't have it.

F - Favorite Color: Not orange and blue (Gator colors) as Brad professes but I like pink.

G - Gummy Bears or Worms: Bears - there is something yummy about those little guys.

H - Hometown: Salt Lake City - born and raised.

I - Indulgence(s): Chocolate Chip Cookies - mmmm.

J - January or July: - I am going with July. We had a rough winter with a new baby and sick kids. I am ready for some hot weather and a little BBQ in the backyard.

K - Kids: 3 kids and one on the way! Just kidding, only 3 currently and we are NOT trying for a 4th as some people think.

L - Life is incomplete without: Family and friends, of course.

M - Marriage Date: June 7, 2001. It is right around the corner.

N - Number of Siblings: 7 fabulously fun siblings with 5 (almost 6) just as fabulous sisters-in-law. My sister and I are quite outnumbered by our 6 brothers. Good thing we have each other.

O - Oranges or Apples: An apple a day keeps the good doctor away.

P - Phobias or Fears: Flying the friendly skies. I do it because I love to travel but I have anxiety for 3 days leading up to the big event and the person flying with me has fingernail marks in their arm by the end of the flight. You think I would be better about it since my father-in-law is an airline pilot but nah, still freaks me out.

Q - Quote(s): "Gadzooks, put some mud on it" Famous line by my mother growing up. This was used for everything from a bee sting to a broken arm.

R - Reason to Smile: Uninterrupted sleep, the sound of my kids playing together, Brad walking through the door and my wonderful life.

S - Season: I love all seasons, as I told Brad many times while living in Florida. I like the change that each season brings because I tend to get bored easily.

T - Tag Eight: Oh, this is going to be tough. I will tag anyone who would like to join in the fun. If I have to be specific I will tag my two sisters-in-law that read my blog (Erin and Heather) but would love to see friends as well. That would make me smile (see above question)

U - Unknown Fact About Me: Another tough question, since I really am like an open book. I worked as a ditch digger/water truck driver in Alaska for 1 day. I couldn't quite hack it due to my lack of strength and difficulty lifting heavy objects, so I was promptly moved to a desk job.

V - Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Uh, not much of a vegetable fan. Grew up on a strict diet of meat and potatoes (although potatoes are vegetables - just not as healthy as greens)

W - Worst Habit: I am constantly biting the inside of my mouth. Do it all the time and don't even notice.

X - What? No X?

Y - Your Favorite Food: Cheese pizza - could eat it every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Z - Zodiac: Sagittarius - I'm a December baby

Happy Birthday Will!

Yesterday we celebrated Will's birthday. It is hard to believe that he is already 4. He is such an amazing kid that makes us laugh every day and has this photographic memory. He still talks about things we did in Seattle over a year ago. He is the best big brother to Elizabeth and Matthew and helped me survive the first few months with 3 kids 3 and under. He is Brad's "mini-me" but I have to admit he did inherit my OCD for cleanliness, which is kind of a blessing and a curse. We are so grateful for our little guy. Happy Birthday bud!!

This Past Week at a Glance

~~Sleep has gotten a lot sweeter and life a little easier. We finally got Matthew on a bottle. Actually, I should give Brad all of the credit because I was ready to crack and give into Matty's demands. Matthew has been a horrible sleeper and still wakes up every 2-3 hours in the middle of the night and eats like he is famished. My pediatrician suggested supplementing formula to see if it would help but Matty would not take a bottle. After 7 hours of fighting the bottle he finally gulped it down and has never looked back. Now he is sleeping 8-9 hour stretches a night and takes 2-3 hour naps. Hallelujah!!

~~Doesn't this face look like the face of a sweet, innocent angel?? It is safe to say we have entered uncharted territory with this child. She may not look like it but she is very mischievous and constantly looking for trouble. This week I fished more toys out of the toilet, taped more ripped books, cleaned up more thrown food and ignored more emotional tantrums than I could have ever imagined with Will. I know I am not on top of my game with her since I have 2 others kids to keep my eye on. She just seems to find the perfect moment to create mayhem and is always keeping us on our toes.

~~Salt Lake is moving up in the world. We now have a mass transit passenger train from Ogden to Salt Lake. It opened this past week and offered free rides until the end of April. We, and thousands of others, decided to take advantage of the free fare. My parents, my brother Bones and the kids and I took the train to Ogden to have lunch. In all my years of living here I have never visited Ogden. We sat down at this quaint cafe and ordered lunch only to then discover I had left Matthew's formula on the kitchen counter. We left without eating and got back on the train to head home. Oh to be nursing again!!

~~May 1st and it is snowing. I thought April showers brought May flowers not another round of snow. Along with the snow I have sick kids yet again. Will it ever end??

~~Today is my kickoff for training for the Park City half marathon. I am trying to get into running again so I can run the New York Marathon some time in my life. Now, I need to talk someone into running it with me. Any takers??