Happy Birthday to Me!

Sweet Scott started my birthday celebration by making one of my favorite cakes, Lion House Poppy Seed. He did a perfect job of it and I enjoyed eating it for breakfast the rest of the week! Challey also made me a birthday cake--I think it should be called Chocolate Forever. The boys were funny and cute as they sang Happy Birthday. Ask Watson how it goes, he does the best version ever!

I felt so special because of the sweet birthday wishes from friends and family. I feel so blessed to be a part of my little family. They make each day special and fun. Scott makes me laugh every day and I look forward to many more birthdays together!

Father of the Year Around Here

Watson was filled with all kinds of anticipation Father's Day morning. He couldn't wait for Dad to wake up and open the presents he helped pick out. There weren't too many surprises for Scott since 2 year olds DO NOT keep secrets.  However, it was fun to see the excitement of it all for Watson and Scott.

Watson did pick out the airplanes and ties, he couldn't wait for Dad to see them (or to play with them together.)

Yes, the ties are pink, thanks to Watson. He was so excited to have "matching" ties with Dad. We missed Chandler this year as he was on vacation with the other half of his family...it wasn't quite the same around here without him. Although he did write some cute things about Dad in our special book--he loves to watch "Twilight Zone" and likes that Dad finds the good side of things.

I'm so grateful for Scott. He is a fantastic father. I love how he is willing to drop what he is doing for his boys. He wants them to be happy and know they are loved by their dad. He works really hard to make it possible for me to be home with Chandler and Watson. He is always striving to be better, he doesn't even know how great he already is. I love him. Chandler loves him. Watson adores him. We are lucky to have the best dad on the planet!

Road Trippin'

What an adventure! To kick off a fun summer we decided to road trip a little to a national park we hadn't seen before. We packed up our camping stuff, loaded up the car and headed to Bryce Canyon. The boys did great on the drive and we enjoyed seeing parts of Utah that were new to us.  We decided to stay at Ruby's Inn and Campground, just outside of the park. The first night there we slept in a cute, little cabin. It was kind of fun being in such close quarters together.The second night of our trip we stayed in the teepee. I would definitely do that again, but only when it was really hot outside. We did shiver and freeze when we slept in the teepee, it was quite memorable. Luckily, it was warm enough during the day we relaxed after hiking in the canyon with a dip in the pool. Watson is fearless around water and it was hard to keep up with him.

Chandler loved the massive rocks to climb and was always ready with a thumbs up when I pulled out the camera.

Happy boys. Hiking, chasing chipmunks, and getting dirty--that's all it took for a successful family trip.

This may be the last summer Scott can tote Watson around. He was a good sport to nap when he could.

Look at all the formations! They were incredible to see close up and from a distance.

The End is Here

Yes, that is Chandler, (almost) all grown up. He is almost as big as his 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Kimble, and almost as big as me. I can't believe he has finished his time in elementary school. This past year at Bell View has been quite the adventure!  Some highlights include going to the State Science Fair competition and being "Prince" in the 6th grade play of Romeo and Juliet. He did tremendously well academically and really created some great friendships. We are so proud of his hard work and diligence. I don't know who is more nervous for him to start middle school, him or me!

We Couldn't be More Proud

Chandler was excited, and a teeny bit nervous, about receiving the Aaronic Priesthood. He met with Bishop Greer the evening of his 12th birthday and answered all the Bishop's questions with confidence. Scott ordained him and gave him a beautiful blessing on May 27th. We are so proud and excited for him to serve in this great opportunity. He has done a good job preparing for this time and has fantastic leaders and teachers who continue to love and support him as he grows in the Gospel.

Watson wants to be just like brother, in every way. I'm thankful Chandler is willing to set a good example and doesn't mind his little shadow--too much.

What?! Really?! He is 12?!

May 9, 2012 was a big deal around here. Chandler turned 12. He has had major growth spurts this last year and his age is catching up to him. He is a responsible, loving, sensitive, fun, funny, fantastic, (all of a sudden) young man. We love him with everything we have. Watson absolutely adores him and really won't give him a moment of peace. We are so proud of who he is becoming and want him to continue moving forward with condfidence and faith.

Our family birthday party was small and quiet--he requested it be this way.  He wanted to save the pomp and circumstance for his BIG present, a new phone (his iphone 4 is nicer than my "smart" phone.) Family gifts included money, itunes gift cards, candy, lots of A1 (he loves the stuff--even puts it on watermelon), and Grandma Nettie's famous salad dressing.

We celebrated his special day with some special things, 30th Anniversary Cheesecake Factory cheesecake, his new phone, and wings for dinner. What more could a 12 year old boy want? He was happy and grateful.

Happy Easter!

Here is our Easter best!
 

 

 

 

We missed Chandler this year, but we know he had a great time with his other family. I'm grateful for this time of year to think more on the miraculous sacrifice and life of our Savior. I'm thankful for the talks shared during sacrament meeting and the spirit there. I'm thankful for the time and traditions we have together as a family. I feel so blessed to know what I know, and have what I have. Life is truly beautiful.

Irish Luck?

Look what happened to our living room on March 17th...a little bit of naughty from the leprechauns. Chandler and Watson woke up to this web of string and had to work their way through to get to the treat. It seemed to be non challenging for Watson, he just ducked and dived through it all. Chandler, though, army crawled and stretched to reach the bags of goodies.



The day continued on in a flurry but we did stop to enjoy Scott's green shamrock pancakes. Watson also got a little lunch 'o green. Unfortunately, he only ate 2 of the items available. Scott and Chandler stayed busy the rest of the day getting gear and prepping Chandler for his new sport, Lacrosse. We had a great time as a family may continue some new fun St Patrick traditions next year.

Ok, he did eat 4 of 7 things on his plate, sorry jell-o, peas, and juice.

Ready to rock!

Just For Fun

Spring is so close, we can taste it! Things started to warm up a little so we took a little trip down to Thanksgiving Point Farm. Watson loves to ride the horses and ponies on the little go around. He also loves to be pulled by the tractor for a bit. He has braved petting a cow or donkey or something and loves the open space to run around.
On another day we made it to The Children's Discovery Museum at The Gateway downtown. Watson loved the water feature and really did some good "shopping" at the market. His favorite exhibit is the construction site, he couldn't get enough of building with giant blocks and moving them around with a crane. We did slip in a few St Patricks day crafts. He's almost ready to sit long enough for paint to dry, almost.

It is definitely a full time job to keep up with this cute and funny kid. Lucky me, it's mine!

Guess Who?

Yes, this is a picture of celebrities...Buzz and Woody. Scott and I had a little date with Watson to Disney on Ice, Toy Story 3. He had a ball watching each of the movies characters really come to life on the ice. It was really fun to watch him be so excited about the whole show.

Our seats were at the top of the section so Watson got to stand up to get a great view of everything. He couldn't stop talking about Buzz and Woody ice skating for a couple of days after...I'm grateful we had the chance to do something so fun together.