Mar. 9 - Mar. 22, 2009

Life has been pretty crazy. We went on a little vacation so I didn't have time to blog last week. And I will be honest with you; some of these pictures were not exactly taken on the day posted. I assume this will happen more often than you realize. I decided that this would better represent our life right now rather than leaving a spot blank in our 365 album. I've had a few people tell me that they could never keep up with a photo a day and it's not easy, but the point of the whole album is to get small glimpses of our everyday life. I feel like I'm achieving that even though I miss an occasional day. As my album is coming together, I'm already enjoying seeing "our" life. I feel like my life is so boring sometimes but I'm learning that life isn't as boring as it seems. The mundane and trivial can be beautiful too. I hope I'm helping you see the beauty in your life too.

Mar. 9

B has officially learned to whistle. Lately, I know where he is in the house by just following the whistle. I love to see his little lips shaped into an "o" and watch his big brown eyes in concentration. I don't remember the day I learned to whistle but I do remember that feeling of pride when I finally figured it out. It is such a joy to see B discover our world.

Mar. 10

See that little face. That face could do no wrong, right? Ha! Whenever Sis is involved in questionable behavior, I say, "What are you doing?" and lately she always says, "I don't know." That is her answer. That is what she has discovered to be the easiest way to get out of things. Seriously, I'm going to start using that at work. My boss: "So Monica, why haven't you finished your report?" Me: "I don't know." I think I'll try it.

Mar. 11

Hello Spring! For the last few weeks I have been searching for that first sign of spring. I've been watching the trees slowly start to bud and I've been checking out the flower beds looking for any signs of spring. I was rewarded finally with a little bit of spring. Yay!

Mar. 12

Not much to say here. B loves to be artistic. His favorite medium is any kind of paints. Ever since he was little he enjoyed putting his hands in paint. This picture ended up being a beautiful little flower. Like father, like son? Maybe.

Mar. 13

We had a birthday party to go to so we had to have a fancy do for the party. As mentioned earlier in the year, I love to do Sis' hair. It is so fun for me to try fun new hairstyles. My sister-in-law showed me a fun blog. The lady posts a couple of hairstyles a week. I get all my ideas from her. You can check out her blog here.

Mar. 14

Lately, we have been making smoothies at home for breakfast. We have found it's a good way to get in a couple of servings of fruit. The kids love smoovies and get excited when we make them. I was in the other room when Aaron told me to come and check out B. His little face was adorable. He thoroughly enjoyed his "smoovie".

Mar. 15

Every Sunday night is a get together with all the cousins. If you want to see a zoo come on over on a Sunday night, seriously. Although it gets crazy, we love the time we get to spend together and the kids look forward to seeing all their cousins every week. I caught these three just hanging out. Cute kids.

Mar. 16

Okay, she is probably going to kill me someday. I guess it's a risk worth taking. This is another little face we see a lot of lately. Life is so dramatic with this little girl.

Mar. 17

I was in the house when B came in with this for me. I love getting flowers from my little boy, but this one was extra special. This is the first flower of the year! I get giddy just thinking of all the warm days ahead. Thanks for being so sweet kiddos.

Mar. 18

B trying to feed the birds. He didn't have any luck.

Mar. 19

This was the big reason I didn't have time to blog this week. I spent most of the afternoon and evening packing for our trip. I hate packing.

Mar. 20

I had been looking forward to this day for awhile. Once a year we head down South for a family reunion with Aaron's extended family. We get a great deal on rooms and we spend our time hiking, playing games, swimming, eating, visiting, sleeping, and just enjoying each other. I enjoy Aaron's family a lot. They have always made me feel welcome. I'm just sad it's over and I'm looking forward to next year!

Mar. 21

This year B and I went on a hike through Bryce with a big group. It was a gorgeous 3 mile hike. It was all down hill (so very doable for me) and it was good company. Seriously, I would recommend this hike to anyone. The scenery really is breathtaking.

Mar. 22

Sunday we went to church, had a delicious potluck lunch, then spent the afternoon napping, swimming, visiting, and playing games. It was a perfect day.

See ya next week!

Mar. 2-8, 2009

Wow last week sure flew by. Come to think of it, I can't believe we are heading into the middle of March! You know, there are things in life I wish would come faster. This project has helped me to live in the moment. When whatever I've wished to come faster is finally here, today will be gone forever. Have I seen the beauty in today? I'm trying to.

Mar. 2

Two Christmases ago, Tio Brian and Carson got B a rock painting kit. It was one of those gifts that looked great but not necessarily for a 4 year old. I kind of hid it in the closet waiting for B to get a little older. For some reason I dreaded that activity. I think because on the box it said, "not intended for children". B found it in the closet and had been begging for the last few weeks to paint rocks. I finally gave in. It was a lot of fun and I think I enjoyed it more than B did. I told Aaron I didn't understand why it was labeled for adults only. He said, "it is just for liability reasons because what kind of adult sits around and paints rocks!" Good point. Although I was enjoying myself. Maybe a picture later of my beloved little painted rock. By the way, thanks Brian, we loved the kit.

Mar. 3

Every first Tuesday of the month is book club. Once a month one of the gals in the group chooses a book and we meet the next month to discuss it. I can't really tell you how long we have been doing this. I know we were doing it about 6 years ago then I quit for a little bit and rejoined later. I think the group even disbanded for a couple of years. Anyhoo, I love book club. It is such a great time to have adult conversation with other women. We have read many wonderful and some not so wonderful books. But it is always fun.

Mar. 4

This pic reminds me of the little moments we can't capture. I was telling my sis-in-law how I wished I could take princesses laughter and bottle it up forever. Or her squeaky little voice that always makes Aaron and I laugh. *Sigh* I will tell you now that I am a fruit loop when it comes to change. Of course I want my kids to grow up but it's so hard to see it happen. Someday her 2 year old laughter will be gone and her squeaky voice will disappear. It all happens slowly and if we could only mark in our minds the last time we hear or see that particular smile, or dance, or wrinkle in the nose. *Sigh again* Okay, I'm done being a cheese. In this pic I caught sis in the fridge. I was teasing her and she was busting a gut. Gotta love it!

Mar. 5

If you couldn't tell in my last post, B needed a haircut badly! Dad finally gave in and sat him down for a very long haircut. B is such a good sport and Aaron does a very good job.

Mar. 6

The other day I glanced at Sis and was taken by her beauty. I am often amazed at how beautiful my children are, that I had a part in making their soft skin and great big eyes. I love her little lips in this picture. She has always been my beauty queen. Just ask her, she'll tell you.

Mar. 7

There is nothing more wonderful than holding a sleeping baby. I remember the joy I felt when B was a baby. I would rock him and feel his warmth and just stare into his beautiful little face. It's been a long time since I held him while he slept. Sis is still small enough to give me the opportunity. She was grumpy this day and finally calmed down next to me on the bed. I enjoyed every second with that cuddly little girl.

Mar. 8

It was guard weekend so my dad was in town. Aaron's parents have always been very kind to my dad. They treat him like family. He has eaten very many meals with all of us on Sundays. You can't tell by the picture but my dad and B were having a snowball fight. Grandpa is always great to get down on the grand kids' level and play. B and Sis adore their grandpa and the time spent with him. I love this pic with my dad's great big smile. Fun. Fun.

Lots of fun things coming up this month. Can't wait to share!

Feb. 23-Mar. 1, 2009

Feb. 23

B is definitely dominating this week. I'm not sure why. It could be because he is so darn cute. At some point I needed to document one of B's favorite past times. Now this kid is active. He loves to run, climb, and jump. He also really likes to play the Wii and occasionally some computer games. I have never been fond of this passion of his, but what do you do, you know? He enjoys it. We limit his time and it is a great reinforcer for good behavior. And this is terrible, but it is also a pretty good consequence when he is being naughty. He hates losing his games. We sure love this little guy. He is such an active, sweet, and sensitive little guy. He really does have a heart of gold.

Feb. 24

Spring is right around the corner and we've had a few warm day here and there. When it is warm B is itching to go outside. He loves to ride his bike, his scooter, or just doing "boy" stuff. He loves to throw rocks and play in the dirt. We have this old push broom that he loves to "sweep" with. He loves to feel like he is helping in any way he can.

Feb. 25

In an earlier post I mentioned what a little tornado Sis was. Well, every once in awhile she makes organized mess. Someone left the "random" drawer open and of course Sis helped herself. She was playing with a bucket of "randoms" when I went to check on her. I found everything in the bucket all neatly sorted in little piles. What a cutie. She is actually an excellent sorter. When she was 18 months old B was playing with his colored bears. It is a sorting activity where you put a colored bear in the corresponding colored cup. Sis toddled over and started sorting. She didn't get one wrong and I remember being impressed by her skill. (Disclaimer: being a special educator, everything my children do amaze me.)

Feb. 26

As mentioned before, B is my sensitive little guy. He does NOT like to be teased. I know, no kid likes to be teased, but he especially takes teasing hard. I'm not sure what even happened this day, but B was not happy. He did not want his picture taken and I was just trying to cheer him up. I was tickling and playing with him until I finally got a smile. I just held up my camera and this is what I got. It's not the best picture but I love his sweet little smile and the tears on his face.

Feb. 27

B had what used to be a purple spiky ball he got for Christmas. You've all see these. Well, if your kids are like mine then they never play with toys the way they are intended to be played with. They like the boxes more or they destroy the toy to "play" with and discover it in different ways. Well, instead of tossing this ball like it was intended he would pull off the spikes and flick them all over the house. At one point I cleaned them up and told him if he didn't stop trashing the ball I was going to throw it away. It wasn't long after I found little purple spikes all over the house. I popped it and was going to throw it away. B was not upset at all and thought it would make a better hat than a ball anyway. So much for natural consequences!

Feb. 28

Grandpa and Grandma watched the kids again this day. When we came back B was "helping" Grandpa in the yard. Bob has a beautiful yard and when I see him out laboring away I get giddy. Spring is right around the corner!

Mar. 1

I teach primary. This has actually been a pretty difficult job for me. Let's just say I'm learning a lot. I'm a procrastinator too. The only thing I like about the 1:00 block is the fact that I can wake up Sunday morning and prepare my lesson. Thanks goodness for Sugardoodle.com.

Alrighty, another week down. Hello March, bring on Spring!