Surprise package

I've been in the market for a blender for a couple weeks. I have a submersion blender that I have used daily for a year or so and figured it was time to upgrade. The one I really wanted was too much money to justify for a first time blender, so I settled for a kitchen aide. It was nice and did a fairly good job, but still not exactly what I wanted. 

I was getting the hang of it, learning its ins and outs, was pretty happy with the results and tried to push the other blender out of my mind. 

Today, the doorbell rang and I got a little package on my doorstep. It was from my super great husband. He surprised me with my dream blender as an early Mother's Day gift. It's amazing and I love it. But more than that I appreciate Scott. He saw my want and fulfilled it because he could. He wanted to me to be happy and knew I wouldn't treat myself, so he did it for it me. I just love him so much. 

I can't wait to whip up some awesomeness in this baby. It makes smoothies, ice cream, soups, snow, hummus, spreads, batter, dressings, juice and even bread dough. I am ecstatic! Thanks Scott. I appreciate you more than you know. 

Two of a Kind

It's no secret and Tayden and Beckett are best friends. They are similar in so many ways, but different as can be.

 

At speech this week, Brandon and I had a talk about how I need to focus on practicing more consistently with Beckett at home. So as B and I were doing new words over breakfast, Tayden wanted to join. Tayden did everything perfectly and followed my directions to a T. Beckett on the other hand likes to make jokes out of it. For example, he adds the word "poo poo" to just about everything because he thinks its hilarious. So I would say, "I see day". Tayden would repeat. Beckett would say, "I see poo poo day". This is for everything. Beckett is always being a silly goof. And I kind of love it.

 

Another funny story about our speech adventure with B. Brandon was doing a repetition drill with Beckett. Brandon said, " I see you." In which Beckett should copy. Nope. Beckett says, "I see...Mommy. I see monsters. I see light. I see shoes." He knew what he needed to say, but took the creative liberty to march to his own drum and commented on everything he could see. Man, I love that kid.

 

And while I am here typing at the computer, here is a cute story about Tayden. He is sick with the flu today. He came home early from school yesterday with a belly ache. He woke up this morning still not feeling great. He threw up twice and then took a nap in my bed. He slept for two hours. He came down stairs around lunch time and announced, "My body is not shivering anymore and my belly feels better. Good thing I slept 20 hours last night." I tried to explain to him that he only took a nap. He is convinced he laid down at nap time, slept through the night and is now just waking up. He commented how weird it was that we were having spaghetti-os for breakfast, really lunch, and asked me to make him oatmeal. Then as I was laying Cache down he asked why we were having rest and nap so early today, because we just woke up. I tried to explain that its still the same day and he only napped, but he refuses to believe me. Its going to be a long confusing day for him.

 



Easter

Easter was great this year. The older I get, the more importance I see in special holidays like today. The reality of the resurrection is powerful and I am extremely grateful for it. As we focused on the resurrection during FHE last week and I has the chance to help explain what happened so many years ago, my heart was touched seeing the faith of my young sons. Although Tayden does not want to be resurrected himself (it scares him a little), he knows that Jesus Christ rose on the third day. My sons love their Savior. I hope I can help cultivate that love as they grow older.

I got the boys matching shirts for church. They looked so handsome and I wanted to get a quick picture. We actually just talked about scheduling family pictures this morning and the following photos are why we will be waiting. 

I love my family. I am grateful that we have the ability to live again with each other. 

A Huntin' We Will Go

Our ward didn't have an organized Easter egg hunt this year, so Melissa (Turney) organized a neighborhood one. All the moms pitched in some eggs and we hid them at a local park. It was by far the best egg hunt my children have ever attended. No pushing or running or screaming. Everyone was pleasant and there were enough treats for all the kids.

The boys loved it. Tayden did his hunt with Hannah, helping her find all the pink eggs, while still getting a good load himself. Beckett was in the younger group and took charge of the grassy area, picking up as many as he could as fast of he could. Cache grabbed about four and as he threw one in his bucket it broke open. As soon as he saw the candy burst out of it, he sat right down in the middle of the grass and started chowing down. He had no interest in getting anymore.

Cache enjoyed carrying his bucket around most the morning. When he saw me get the camera he was more than happy to say, "NEEE" with a smile. 

I have about 17 attempted pictures of getting all three boys to look at smile, so I settled on taking individuals. 

Which still proved to be a hard task for Cache. They are building a house across the street and he can't get enough of the tractors. 

 He's huge, right? I look at him everyday with sheer amazement. 

Beckett lining up his haul. I love him. 

It was a fun morning with our friends. I am so grateful for the relationships I have built here. For me and for my children. 

Slip slip slippers

I have the best grandma and grandpa in law ever. From the day we first met, Scott's grandparents have welcomed me into the family and treated me as their own. They have no idea how much I love them. They sure love us too. I know because today we got a super special package. 

New slippers! Grandma Packard makes the most wonderful slippers. Tile in Vegas is nice because it's cooler, but that leaves me with cold toes all the time. Plus, it's really hard on my feet and my heels are always cracking. I love these slippers so much I wore a hole in my last pair the size do an orange in the heel. They are awesome and a little birdie must have told her we were in dire need of some more. 

The boys were excited about theirs too. Especially pizza face Cache. He loves things on his feet so he was beyond thrilled. 

Thanks grandma Packard. We sure love you!

Friday surprise

After Korbin left Friday, I willed myself to get through the next hour and a half until Scott got home. It was one of the weeks that the weekend just couldn't come fast enough. Around 5:15 I got a text that said, "you ready?". I wasn't expecting him home for at least an hour, so I was shocked to hear from him. He surprised us by coming home and hour early and kidnapping us for dinner. Such a pleasant surprise and just what I needed. We hit red robin for dinner and it was delicious. My favorite spot. Oh, and one really funny story. Beckett fell asleep in the car on the way there. When we got out of the car he was pretty out of it. Just as he was sleep walking through the parking lot a family started getting in their car. He thought the mom was me and walked over to her and hugged her bum. I tried pulling him away and he hung on to her and screamed. I told him I was his mom about five times and finally I said, "Beckett. Look at me. I'm right here". As soon as he realized what was going in he burst into tears. It was hilarious. For me. I took lots of pictures, but didn't notice the finger print on the lens until I was looking at them, so sorry they are a bit blurry. 

Cache obviously thrilled to be taking a picture. He was begging for a fry. 

Much happier. This is a classic baby C surprised face. 

Nobody was happier to have dad home early and stay up past bedtime. 

Best part about red robin is the balloons at the end. 

And then taking them home and doing magic tricks. 

Thanks for the surprise, Scott. You're one in a million. 

Water Table

it was finally warm enough to get out the water table the other day. It's been warm, but still a little too chilly to be playing in water. Yes, living in LV has made me that mom, no water until it's at least 85*. And that's still pushing it. Haha. it's actually my kids fault. If they get wet when it's under 80* then they get cold and want to come in. We spent more time getting ready for the water than actually playing in it. It's kind of like getting ready to play in the snow, just opposite. Anyway, it was finally warm enough and the kids had a ball. 

Cache doesn't like to be barefoot in the grass...yet... And kept bring me his shoes. I finally tracked down the boys old water shoes and they were a huge hit. He really wanted to stay naked, but I didn't want him to get burned so we put on last years swim suit. 

It was a bit small, but still the cutest thing you have ever seen. 

This picture doesn't do it justice. His belly was hanging out a good three inches and he could barely walk in his too tight trunks. 

I'm not ready for it to get crazy hot yet, but we'll take the mid 80's. I'm so grateful for our own backyard to play in, no matter how small it is. Happy spring, everyone. 

FHE

I really enjoy watching General Conference. It can be a bit challenging to listen with kids, but the boys did pretty well this year. We got out coloring, Legos and eventually the play dough. We only had one major problem and his name was Cache. Baby boy is a bit of a terror and really enjoys annoying his brothers. Tayden has hit an artistic stride and takes his coloring and drawing rather seriously. Cache would dump out T's crayons every chance he got. And then as his big brother would pick them up, Cache would take his coloring page and run away as fast as he could. It was quite the fun game. Tayden is patient as ever though and tried his best to keep calm.

Proof of the mutilated picture. 

Taydens latest painting. Fish complete with seaweed and bubbles.

One of my favorite quotes from Conference was this:

The quote is cut a little short. I talks about how sometimes the house is a mess and the kids are in pajamas all day. And that's okay as long as the important things are getting done. FHE is hard for me because of the age of my kids. But if I'm not consistent when they are little I know its going to get a whole lot harder when they are older. So tonight, we had a fun Family Home Evening.

President Monson talked about loving and treating our families with love. That is what we focused on tonight. We talked about that tonight and practiced using nice words and actions with those we care about. It was short and simple but the kids got the message. I also talked to them about the need for weekly FHE and asked them to help us remember. They were more than happy to help and I am going to give it 100% of my focus.

Before the lesson we spent time outside as a family. We kicked the soccer ball, jumped on the tramp and let the boys run and play. It was really fun.

The olders and their ninja moves. 

Then we asked Cache if he was ready for a picture. He squatted down in his own ninja move and flexed his little hand and stayed frozen until we laughed and clapped. He thinks he is something else. 

I finally had to tell him to sit down and say cheese. He obliged with a cute grin and "NEEEEEE". Messy face and all. 

The other two had to get in on the cuteness. Tayden looks like a monster sitting next to Cache. I can't believe how grown up he is. And look at his huge smile. I'm in love.

It was a great evening and I know why Family Home Evening is so important. I look forward to many more great evenings like tonight. 

Date Night

I had a great date night tonight! And I am not talking about the awesome bowling date I had with Scott while my kids were being tended by real life babysitters...the kind you actually pay, not just dropping off you kids to some friends. But since you asked. Scott and I went on a date a few weekends ago with the Turneys. We left all five kids (Tayden, Beckett, Cache, Hannah and Paige) with two girls from the ward. It was my first time ever hiring a babysitter and it was great. I was nervous the whole day, but the girls were wonderful and the boys loved them. It opened up a whole new world for Scott and I. I see a lot more dates in our future. 

Back to the date on hand. Scott attended the Priesthood Session with some friends while the boys and I stayed home. I decided to have a special mom and sons night in. I am with them every single day, all the time, around the clock. I wanted tonight to be different and stand out from every other evening that I have with them. So I decided first off, no phone. I got it out to take a few pictures, but that was it. Second of all, no cleaning. I spend a fair amount of my time cleaning up after ourselves, but tonight I committed to just being with my boys and cleaning up after they went to bed. 

After choosing pizza and a movie for our special evening, we set out to get the goods. As I pulled in to get the pizza the boys sat still. Then, I turned off the car and went to unbuckle Beckett who said, "I get to come too?!". We usually do pizza and a movie with Dad at home and he always runs in to get the pizza. Not this time. It was a real treat for the boys to come in and pick up the pizza. The fun didn't stop there. I let them get out and choose the redbox by themselves too. Its funny how such a simple thing can produce such a smile. 

When we got home we laid out a blanket and ate pizza on the carpet. I set the box on the floor and let the boys pick their own slices. Again with the coolness. I am the most fun mom. We watched a movie, cuddled on the floor and ended the night with some ice cream.

It was really great for me to just enjoy my boys. I feel as though I am going 20 different directions on any given day and today I stopped. I did nothing but hang out with my boys and enjoy their youthfulness. They are so wonderful and possess the sweetest spirits. I truly enjoyed being in their company tonight. I am a lucky lucky mom. 

In the car and ready to go. Yes, I still have Cache facing backwards. He loves to see his brothers. I am actually dreading the day I have to turn him around. 

Photobomber Cache in background. This kid loves to dive off the couch...he's crazy.

All the boys eating their ice cream. And the Cache stealing some of B's. Beckett didn't mind until he noticed. Then he moved to the table. Greedy boy! 

I need to make more time like this. 

It was such a great night, with great memories made and hopefully a fun new tradition. 

Wonderful Weekend

This past weekend was wonderful. Probably one of the best weekends in a while. It started bright and early Saturday morning at the ball field. We showed up for Taydens game a little early which gave me time to snap a few pictures and take the two little boys, plus one big boy, to the park while Tayden was warming up. I had a great time playing with my husband and watching him play with the kids. 

Scott and I played on the stand up teeter totter for a good portion of the wait. It was insanely fun, reminded me of the dating days and affirmed to what a good guy I married. Until he sent me flying off...  

My three handsome sons. 

Tayden and Beckett have been the best of friends lately. This picture sums up their relationship perfectly. 

After the game, we ran some errands and then went to Sams. We stopped for samples of course and then had our usual lunch of soft pretzels, hot dogs and ice cream. The boys were all well mannered. I didn't have to correct any behavior or rush to get out of there. We are at a really good spot right now. Going places with the boys is getting easier and easier and more and more enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, we have our days, but I am loving this stage my family is in.

I ended Saturday night with the Womens Broadcast. Scott took care of the rest of the evening. He did dinner, baths and bedtime. I got the whole night off. That was the first night since Cache has been born that I walked out the door before dinner and didn't come home until well after bed. I don't think he understands just how much I appreciated it. After the broadcast, my friends and I went out to dinner at one of my favorite local spots. The whole evening was so refreshing. I walked home a newly rejuvenated women.

Sunday was just as great. I actually attended 100% of my meetings. The boys sat through all of Sacrament, Tayden ran to primary and Beckett walked into nursery after a few hugs and kisses. I kept Cache with me, but he was an absolute dream. I went to all of Sunday school and all of Relief Society. He stayed busy and mostly quiet the whole time. That hasn't happened before and I laughed at the timing since he gets to go to nursery the week after conference. 

This weekend was so great. Mostly because we got to hang out with each other and because our family is getting easier. While I still feel chaos, its not as overwhelming as it once was. We have found a good grove and I love it.