Happy's

This is my 100th post! I didn't realize that when I sat down to post, but it's a fun fact I guess. It only took me a year and a half to get here! Happy 100!

This week, Spencer and I will have been married for 6 years. Wow, 6 years and 3 kids - happy anniversary to us! And - aren't we so lucky - every 4 or 5 years the BYU/Utah game ends up being on the same day as our anniversary (that was sarcasm). There is a reason why we got married on a Friday instead of the Saturday - the big game was that Saturday and Spencer's granddad told us he couldn't marry us that day. Then again, a lot of our guests would probably have ditched the wedding for the game anyway. So...once again we get to celebrate our anniversary watching the big game. I'm nervous this year and I sure hope BYU lets us have an enjoyable anniversary by giving me a happy husband! :)

We also had a happy weekend. Well, it was sad saying bye to my mom. She had to go back home because I'm sure my dad needed her too...it can't be ALL about me, right? BUT, I couldn't wait any longer and we put up all our Christmas decorations! There is one benefit to getting a fake tree - we could have it up all year if we wanted. We got everything up and even turned on all the Christmas music. Holding off until November 15th was quite a big deal for me (we usually pull red and green out around the 10th). We have the tradition of getting (at least) one new ornament every year. Our family ornament this year is of the Golden Gate Bridge. Here are the kids' ornaments, Macie's included. Also, we got Macie a little tree and will take it to the cemetery sometime in the next two weeks:


Today, one of our friends from church called and invited us over to the piece of land he takes care of. It's across the street - literally - and I never knew what was there. He has 11 chickens and told the kids to gather some eggs. It was really fun for them. They chased and scared the chickens for a while, but one chicken even let them hold him! It was one of those fun, random Sunday afternoon activities with lots of cute pictures. We topped it off with a visit to our favorite baby girl at the cemetery and Spencer's chocolate chip cookies - what could be better?


This is my first week being back on my own. Ahh! I will need to think happy thoughts all week long to get me through! And, cross your fingers for BYU! :)

How time flies

3 years ago I had quite the morning of anticipation. We got up and and drove to the hospital. I wasn't in labor or in any pain, but had an appointment for Tyler to be born. I think we got there at 10:00 but an emergency c-section pushed my time back so we just hung out and watched TV for a while. Spencer got into his scrubs, which he thought was pretty cool, and I was in my beautiful hospital gown. The nurse came in to put in my IV and I remember she had to try a few times because she claimed my veins kept collapsing. This was the point when I got really nervous. After plenty of time to get more scared, they wheeled me into the operating room. I remember they did the spinal and told me that I would instantly go numb and they would have to have several people there to carefully lower me down. Sure enough, it was pretty instant. After giving my body a few minutes to get good and numb, my two doctors were there, jovial and cracking lame jokes all around. Spencer wasn't allowed in until after the spinal, and once he got there, things were underway really fast. I think I started to hyperventilate.

I remember being completely surprised that I didn't feel the pain this time like I had just 18 months prior when Emma was born. I got almost giddy as I knew what they were doing, and knew what was about to come next. Sure enough, my doctor quickly pulled Tyler out and I had to be tortured for a full half hour while everyone got to look at him/hold him/ooo and ahhh over him, and I had to stay put and be put back together. Spencer finally got to hold him and brought him over so I could see. We were all so in awe of his red hair (and there was TONS of it) and his perfect looking face. It's a surreal feeling to see your child for the first time, outside of your body. I was glad I was feeling ok and was aware enough this time to take it all in. He was awake and so mellow - the last time for about a year he'd be so chill and calm. :)

We were soon wheeled to a "recovery" room and stayed there for a while. I remember the incredible itchiness I had over my whole body. I remember telling the nurse that even my eyelids were itching. Spencer made some phone calls and we enjoyed the bonding time. He was perfect so once I got to my suite, Spencer left for our house house to get his mom and Emma (I don't miss those days with just one car, by the way). What seemed like hours later - I think it actually WAS hours later - the three of them showed up, and I got to show Nana her hair-twin! I loved having Emma there to be a part of it even though I don't think she really understood what was happening. I was (and still am) so thankful for my doctors that day - I think I picked one of the best I had access to, and I essentially trusted him completely. Here's cute little Tyler a day or two old (being held by Nana).

Today at noon, Tyler turned 3. I keep thinking, What happened to my baby? I think in a way he will always be my baby - he's the one who loves to cuddle with me, be held by me, and just be with me. And now here he is, 34 pounds, still as red-headed as ever, and newly potty trained! He had a great weekend with his new bike and new presents, and all the attention in the world. He's such a sweet boy and we're so glad he's a part of our family! Happy Birthday Tyler!

Here is his cake (it took me 2 hours and I have swollen ankles so I hope he appreciates it!):

And Tyler's birthday layout.

Blessed with cheesy smiles

I am having an especially difficult time with this lately...you tell your kids to "smile" and you end up with ultra-cheesy pictures - way more than you know what to do with.

I'd love tips on how to get them to SMILE - you know, real smiles. Emma is queen of doing this, as my dad recently realized after he took 100 pictures of her and one or two of them were cute enough to really do anything with. The rest? Fake smiles. We distract them, try to get them talking, tickle each other and do bunny ears. But such things don't get the real smiles to come out. However, sometimes these silly grins are just as fun as the sincere ones, and I treasure these pictures just as much!

So...here's to all the cheesy grins we are blessed with on a daily basis!

Aww

I love this picture of my kids. My sister was here for the weekend for her roomate's farewell, so we took the kids to the beach on Saturday. Seriously, I don't know if I've had that much fun in a long time! They had more fun together and with their Aunt Carly, and I probably took 50 pictures - all of them good ones! They sure were photogenic this weekend. These two are the best of friends and Emma is SO protective of her little brother. She's a mommy in training! And Tyler...what can I say - he's such a boy. He likes to be naked and carry a stick.

Word Art by Bethany Harty.

Music to someone's ears

Oh, the ice cream truck. I hear the music coming, in the distance, and do anything LOUD I can to ensure my kids DON'T hear it. That music is one of the sure signs of summer, I suppose. My kids have always known that the music represents ice cream, so last summer we took the advice of a friend and told them that when you can hear music playing, the truck is out of ice cream and needs to go fill up again. This summer Emma is too smart for that. The truck started coming around last week, and Emma even witnessed two of her friends exchanging money and ice cream with the driver - darn! She often asks if we can get some; it's not that paying $5 one time for a lame popsicle is a huge deal, but I'm worried it will become something she looks forward to and expects. So...my sweet, resourceful Emma has been collecting money. Not that old PAPER money, since everyone knows that's useless (I'm ok if they continue to think that). She's been collecting quarters, pennies, and dimes. She just brought me her stash and told me that next time we hear the truck, she is going to use her own money to buy something. How can I turn that down?

So now my ears are grudgingly open for that awful music, so we can run out and satisfy the only desire of a frugal 4-year old. And of course I'll have to sacrifice my own money for Tyler's benefit since I know he'll want one too. Too bad he's not yet as resourceful as his sister. All things considered, he may never be as resourceful...she's a tough act to follow. Can I blame Emma for being frugal? I like to think she gets it from me.

I guess if we get to spend lots of time outside in the sun, running around and trying to catch moths, picking flowers, and enjoying ourselves, we're entitled to spend a lot of money on some yummy, cold goodness every once in a while. (I can thank my sweet grandma who just gave us each $1 inside of our belated Easter eggs.) It IS that time of year for ice cream. And my kids deserve it. Packing is not their idea of fun. Ice cream is.

(Is the ice cream truck everywhere? Or just in our state?)

**Update: This just in - I just witnessed Tyler putting a loose dollar bill into his pocket "to buy something at Target." I guess things are taking a turn around here...