Painting fun & LOVE DAY!

Let me start by saying that my boys are OBSESSED with anything that is messy and always seem to end up in disasters. (I know, what little boy isn't...) And one of my new years resolutions is to stop being such an anal mom - and let the boys have more fun doing things that I really hate them doing. (I don't remember my mom putting restrictions on us for the sake of not making a mess - what's wrong with me?!) BUT I have to say that painting for kids is so much better than I remember it being! We had just a few random things of paint that was probably given as a gift, and Jackson was in a whole different world for over 3 hours one day. -And then the littlest munchkin wanted a part of all the fun, and it was not as much fun for the mom anymore. (I left the room to go and wash out some of their clothes that had gotten attacked, and came back to Max DUMPING the whole thing of yellow paint into his "bowl" - (aka the carpet!) to use! But it was so much fun while they were being good. Max was just as into as Jackson, and they would have loved nothing more than to paint for the rest of the day.



The kids and I had a busy afternoon yesterday for LOVE day! We had such a good time going out to lunch with Russ, and then we went and cut hearts for an hour - to go and LOVE ATTACK his desk at work. (Jackson, by the way, CANNOT keep a secret to save his life! Good thing Russ was just clueless yesterday at lunch, because Jackson spilled the beans about 3 different times...he was so excited!) The kids drew on some of the hearts and put stickers on some of them, bought him his favorite treats, waited til he was gone....and then ATTACKED! The kids could not stop giggling over what we were doing, and any time I put a heart somewhere, they got upset and told me not to help them. They had a BLAST putting hearts everywhere and anywhere. Russ was very surprised, so say the least...







And finally, to end the night of Valentines, we went to a very fun and funny party thrown by some of my girlfriends in my ward. (Seriously, when your cheeks hurt that much from laughing, you know you've burned some calories, right?!) Anyway, Janet and Emilee threw a great LOVE party for us all, and we had good games to play, art was drawn, tender and hilarious moments were shared, and we even got to dance for a minute. It truly was a celebration of love for the night, and we had a great time....I know Janet has done these parties for several years, but last night had to be one of the funniest parties I have been to! Thanks Janet - it was great, and thanks everyone else for making it memorable!

It can be done!

I have been meaning to get this on here for months, but if it's not a picture, I'm not as quick to remember. I am so proud of Jackson for learning the first and second articles of faith, and I was actually shocked at how quickly he picked up on them. I remember my friend Kate telling me that they had taught Lincoln, who is Jackson's age - and that it was an easy thing for their age to memorize...and I also remember thinking, "whatever!" But it was....they really are sponges, and he is anxious to memorize more. Now if I could just get him to understand the importance of what he is saying....we'll be good!

Love is in the air!

It's finally official! My little (and most SURE of himself!) brother, Kacey finally proposed to his girlfriend, Nikki yesterday, and are engaged to be married May 17th. (I don't say finally because they have dated forever, though...I say finally because we have all known for weeks now that he was going to pop the question!) He was quite the little romantic, and set her up with a horseback ride, with a picnic already set up, completed with Mormon champagne, a rose with the words engraved, "will you marry me?" on it, and everything a girl could want. We are so excited for them, and are happy to welcome her into our family!

Top 10 Reasons to LOVE my hunny!

10. He has a FUNNY laugh...he loves to laugh, and WHEN you get him REALLY laughing, his laugh is contagious. Many of my friends comment on Russ's unique belly laugh, and I have to agree, it's definitely not a FAKE or POLITE laugh. I love it.
9. He is a hard worker and a hard player. I know he gets this from his dad, so it's true...they are dedicated to supporting those that they love, and love playing with their loved ones even more! He loves having a good time, and will go to extreme lengths (in some books!) to have a good time...
8. Life is NEVER boring when he's around. I know that I used to think that I would be known as the "fun" parent before I got married, because I thought my kids would love doing what I love to do! But since I have two boys that idolize their father, Russ is definitely the more likely one to add some sparks into their lives. But I feel the same way...Russ is always so fun, and we are never bored when he's here to play. We always have the best weekends together as a family!
7. He's a true kid at heart. I know that most women feel this way, but Russ will never age in my book. I've said before that he secretly loves going to Disneyland more than the boys, but it's also because of them that he loves going so much! He will always be up for an adventure, and "life getting in the way" is just not an option for him. He's a great playmate for the boys, and loves doing things on their level - or helping them get to "his" level - however you may look at it!
6. Russ is very thoughtful and very sensitive. Like I said before, he rarely gets very mad, and it takes a lot for him to yell. He is very easy going, and he is the first one to say to he's sorry when he's wrong. I am very lucky for that since I am so stubborn!
5. He is so good looking, and always has been. He's got BEATIFUL eyes, and BEATIFUL shaped legs. (sorry babe, I know you are going to die when you read this, but it's true!) I just think he's perfect.
4. His sisters call it cheap, but I have to admit, every one of our friends call Russ when they need a good deal. I LOVE that Russ can find the best deal on whatever he really wants. (or doesn't want in most cases - it was just too good of deal to pass up!) He cracks me up that he really does find the best deals on things, and that when we go to dinner - even with guests - it's almost always with a coupon of some sort. Call it cheap, but it saves us most of the time, since I am opposite of that.
3. He has a very strong testimony of the gospel, and is the rock of our family. He loves his calling as counselor in the Young Men's program, and the boys ADORE him, and I know he has helped their testimonies grow. He can be emotional about his testimony, which I love, and I love reading scriptures with him. He always tells me that I make things too hard, and I love that he always explains things more simplistic. His love for the Savior is contagious, and I know that I am lucky to be married to a worthy Priesthood holder that respects and honors his priesthood.
2. This one is one of the best things about him! And as all of my friends and family knows - RUSS IS THE BEST DAD IN THE WHOLE WORLD, and I'm not just saying that. He LOVES and ADORES his boys in every aspect, and I am so blessed that he WANTS to take his boys everywhere with him! My girlfriends laugh that he takes them so many places with him, and sometimes, it is me that needs a break - but most of the time, it's HIM that wants to take along his buddies. I know he would be a great dad to a girl one day, but there's definitely a special bond between him and his boys - maybe he's making up for not having a brother? I don't know, but his boys worship the ground he walks on.
1. I know it's cheesy, but I'm so glad he picked me! Without him, I would be lost, and I am so thankful that he finally decided I was good enough to marry! I love you Russ! Happy Valentines Day and happy LOVE MONTH!
This picture is definitely NOT my favorite, but he thinks it's great...he thinks it's funny when he grows out his mustache, because I tell him he looks kind of pedifile-ish! (sorry, nothing against mustaches!) This one isn't even the worst one, but I refuse to put on the one that he would like me to!

A Great Day!

You know those days that you could repeat over and over, and hope they never end?! Well, those days do happen every once in awhile, and last Friday was one of them. We had started out the morning by going with the Keslers and the Morgans to the Luxor IMAX to watch a 3D show about sea monsters...(the kids started out a little shaky, but loved it by the end!) And then we got to go meet our very missed friends, Trista, Bryns, Stock, and Beckham for lunch and to the M&M factory! The day was BEAUTIFUL - something that it hasn't really been, and as we were walking along the strip to meet them, Jackson says to me, "Mom, where ARE we? This place is so cool! It's just like Disneyland!" (I guess we don't make it a point to venture out on the strip too often?!) The boys were so good, even though they were dead tired, and we had such a fun time vistiting with them. Thanks Trista and kids for a great afternoon, we miss and love you guys!!

Whiting's cabin...

Thursday morning, Russ and I were in bed talking about whether or not we should leave for the weekend, since we had stake conference - (which only means no obligations for us!)...he had work to be done up in Cedar City, and some of our friends had invited us up to their cabin for the weekend, but we were both afraid of the roads getting up there, and whether or not it would be worth all the work in the end. But once we decided to stop thinking about it, and GO - it was definitely all worth it. We stopped by and surprised the Jensen's, and the let kids get re-aquaited for a little bit, which was an extra bonus.


We got to just hang out, and relax, and enjoy how beautiful the winter can be when you don't have to be in it everyday!



We also go to go to the BYU basketball game, which makes an extra happy husband. My parents have season tickets to they also went with all of us, and we were able to spend some time with my family, as well as the Houghs! For such a short amount of time, we got lucky and got to see friends and family, without feeling so overwhelmed and stressed out!

 

The kids had so much fun in the snow, which was also a surprise to me. They have never really played much in it, and when we decided to take them sledding, they had a ball!! (Thank you Lesa for letting us borrow the coolest sled ever!! Max wouldn't have been the same without it!) But even after they were done sledding, they still wanted to have snowball fights, run around in it, and just have fun. We had such a good time, and nobody was too cold, which was another surprise!

The kids loved going to Gramma Nana's and "shoveling" her sidewalk for her...we wished that we could have stayed longer! They both screamed for awhile when we made them leave my parents house...silly me thought they would be relieved to go back to the "warmth" of home!

Another Jackson moment...

For the last few weeks, we have been telling the boys that we will not be bringing so many snacks to church anymore, because we moved into a brand new stake center, and the bishop has asked us to try and teach our children reverence and respect for a beautiful new building. (strongly meaning stop feeding your children through sacrament meeting!) So yesterday, I told Jackson that he was only allowed one pack of fruit snacks - something that could not be so crumbly and messy on the ground! A few minutes later, I see all his snacks laid on the carpet - under the bench, and he's "sneaking" them one by one under the bench as well. I told him to get up and to get the snacks off the dirty floor, and he looks at me, confused, and says, "but mom, I don't want Bishop Waldron to see me eating snacks!"....ahhhhh, the things that we learn from our children. I learned my lesson. Don't tell a child what the rule is, and then "assist" them in bending the rule. Dumb mom, dumb.

We want the "UMWAYS!!"

I have to blog this, because I think it's so funny...I stole this picture off my friend, Janet's blog, because I haven't had a chance to take any pictures of these cute boys yet, but this has become the family joke lately. My boys have NEVER asked to play with friends more than once, and rarely even ask to have specific friends over. They are usually just happy playing with each other, which I think is sweet. But lately, this funny obsession has crept in, and every hour of the day, Jackson is asking to play with the Shumways, or if he can go over to the Shumways, or when we are having them over, etc. He shrieks with excitement when he sees them at church, and asks Max all the time if he loves "Brother and Sister Shumway," which I think is funny, because we don't call them that - but they used to be Max's nursery leaders, so he obviously heard it at church. Anyway, they absolutely adore these boys, and I think it's sweet and cute. Aaron and Janet, I repeat myself again YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO MOVE OUT OF THIS AREA!