Visit to T-ville

Last week was Seth's spring break so we took a long weekend and went down to Toquerville... Some very good friends Mar & Tessie were there visiting the same weekend as us, so we got to spend time with them as well... they are also huge tri athletes and have nearly talked me into doing one this summer. i think if i had a bike to train and access to a pool i'd be game... i know call me crazy! running the last 2 1/2 months has motivated me to do some crazy things:) I'm still am starting with a 5k to see how I do then my ultimate goal is to do the Halloween half in provo.... so maybe i'll save for a bike and shoot for a tri next summer???

Anyway, the visit was awsome, i just LOVE being with my mom, aunt & grandma.  I have always loved toquerville (okay correction, when I first moved there I was sure it was going to be the death of me... but I shortly and unwillingly fell in love with it)  now I love sharing that with my own family. Zion's have always been apart of my family, I've been there more times then I can count. We went for an awsome four wheeler ride in the most beautiful county, Mason got to ride a horse, ate amazing food, had a picnic at red cliffs (where Mason decided to live up to his shirt that day which said: my favorite color is dirt!) & of course visited ZION:) 

I love you Mama, thanks for having us!

Mason thought riding the horse was SOOO cool... he was speechless the entire ride! It was so funny! 



Sneak Peek {MiKeL}

I had SOOOO much fun on last nights shoot: Gorgeous Girl, Awsome new locations, Perfect Overcast! I had even more fun when I got up this morning and downloaded the images... this beauty was the first one I came too... a sign that the shoot was a success! SO MUCH MORE TO COME:)

Now Posted

This family now posted HERE

...Coming Soon

I haven't done a photo shoot for months. While Aiden was recovering I decided not to take any sessions at all. While I will always put my kids and their needs first it felt amazing to shoot again!!!!  I am back:)

 

More of this breath taking family... Coming Soon!

"I eat TOO"

Ever since Mason could talk when he wants breakfast, lunch, dinner or anything to eat he'll say "Mom, I eat too" I have always thought it was cute but wondered why he just didn't say "Mom, I eat" or "Mom I want to eat"  etc...   but why the "...too" 

There's alot of things in motherhood that are hard or difficult to adjust too. I can actually handle the blowouts and throw up pretty well. Mason threw up but the cup fulls 5-7 times a days for the first 10 months of his life (his stomach 'flap' wasn't all the way closed so everything would just come up... awsome i know:) however I dealt with it.  It's the food that gets me. I can't handle soggy food clean up! Ugh! It kills me!  Also everything that comes with the 'food' adjustment. I love to cook and I love to eat good food. Anyone who has kids will understand that moms eat last. Everytime I sit down to eat no matter how prepared I am or even if I have fed the kids already there is always something that pulls you away. Your cereal is always soggy and dinner is always cold.... That has been my biggest adjustment, making a really good dinner... then having to eat it cold!  So the other night, dinner time was crazy as always... I had made a grilled lemon chicken pasta and I had mason all set up ready to go and Aiden just happened to wake up screaming in demand of food 3 mins before the pasta was done so I raced to feed aiden some baby food before it went off.  He started playing and getting it everywhere instead of wanting to eat it. Frustrated with his cries of demanding food then not wanting it, I said "AIDEN Hurry! Moms wants to eat too!!!"  I realized how familiar that sounded "....eat too"  hahaha! oh my gosh, I could not stop laughing! I am assuming I have probably said that every meal time when my food is getting cold "..hurry, mom wants to eat too!"  So naturally Mason thought thats how it was said! 

I told Seth when he got home and we could not stop laughing! Cold meals or not I love my kids!

 Just a friendly reminder they pick up on things you don't intend for them too:)

"Beaaar... PRAYER!"

oh i love my boys!

every morning when I go Mason out of bed he says "Hi Mom, I eat too!" (which means he wants breakfast:) and he usually has to bring a few stuff animals from his bed with him...  Today he grabbed two bears and his frog

"Mom, bear eat too & frog eat too?"

"Sure, Masers"

We get everyone seated and breakfast made and as were saying the prayer to bless the food he squints his eyes open and whispers "Beaaar, prayer!" when the bear didn't response to Mason hint he slid the bear over to him and crossed the bears arms and pushed down his head, when satisfied he whispered "yay, beaaar prayer!" He then bowed his own head again while holding his bear is prayer 'postion' until I finished the prayer.  He then clapped, kissed the bear on the cheek and slid him back into breakfast place!

My heart melted! So cute and so touching.

Maybe some of what I'm teaching does get through... so good to know!

rain, snow GO AWAY! No Seriously BE GONE!!!

...i haven't felt spring fever like this in Y.E.A.R.S.  This was a second winter home after four years of living Southern Cali {where there is no needs for spring fever}.... last year being our first year back, I craved winter because I had not had a white christmas in forever! It was so exciting to see the seasons change again and I honestly thoroughly enjoyed everyday of winter last year.  That is not the case this year. I forgot what it felt like to be cold and in your house for five solid months.  i. am. dying.  I crave fresh air. I ach to be free of our dumb toy room down stairs. It's been such a tease these last few weeks. We'll get a good day and me and the boys race outside and play hard and then we'll wake up to snow the next day :(  I'll totally admit it, i cried when I woke up to snow last week. Yes, I cried.  White Christmas? Aw, yes so pretty! White & cold everyday into forever! NEGATIVE! It's started to affect my mood as well as the boys. We are all going crazy playing in the play room down stairs every-day!!!

....So to spice things up me and the boys headed over to walmart and bought a play-doh set and some ice cream! 

Needless to say we've had a FUN rainy afternoon...

{totally should have bought this play-doh set like 3 months ago:} 

All we needed was a little color:)

accomplishing new things {hopefully}

i am NOT a runner. i never have been. my high school sweetheart was a big time runner so i watched many, many track meets and even attempted to run with him for fun... but lets face it... it wasn't any fun;) kind of like how I told my husband i enjoyed watching football when we were dating, when well i don't at all... Yes, i was that girl! Don't worry he forgave me when the truth came out after we were married:) Anyways, I am attempting to run. I'm three weeks in and after a brutal first week where I was sure my body wasn't capable of actually running, I've made some progress and can go further each time. This last week I may even look halfway normal while running and not dying as I try to make it to the point I set in my mind down the street! I'm learning even more now that I was not built a runner, my hubby on the other hand is. He started running the same time I did and he hadn't run in over a year and he was able to do 3 miles his first run.... Ugh! I admired him yes, but lets face it, it totally discouraged me! I secretly wanted him to pull a muscle so he'd have to slow down, haha. No, all kidding aside, I think it's awsome and it pushes me so that someday when I'm comfortable I can run along side him! That's what the point is, we want to run a race together! So even though I'm not a runner I've learned {so I've been told} I can train my body to be. Seth has run a few races and I love watching him and have always wanted that experience for myself. I've always been too nervous to train or even try because I know I'm not a natural. I grew up playing sports which I loved, mainly soccer which my husband will argue is basically running, which is true but it had a point and was a sport I loved! So this summer is all about accomplishing new things... my first one running! I want to slap a number on my back and see if I can do it! Hubby & I have been good about trading off but since he goes to school some days til late I got this new nifty thing so the boys can go running with me:) They love it & so do I:)

In other news AIDEN is doing awsome! He passed his six week recovery mark a few weeks ago which was such a HUGE relief. I think I mentioned this but during his recovery he had major diarrhea which lasted a month and a half. He had gotten a bacteria infection which we treated with meds that he turned out to be allergic too... Poor kid! He had a rough two months but seems to be leveling out now! Finally! None of that has slowed him down his pulling himself up on everything and is very close to walking. I can't BELIEVE we're a month away from him turning ONE! So, so, so Crazy! I know no parent is like "finally their ONE" but wow this really went by so fast for me. He loves to jabber, he totally thinks he can talk! He's a great eater and tries so hard to keep up with Mason! His little teeth make him look so grown up and give him the cutest beaver smile! He's such a trooper and I couldn't love him more!

Mason is just growing by the day! Sometimes I just stop and look at him and am blown away with how much he looks like a little boy and not a toddler or baby anymore! He has his mama's temper and he's daddy's heart! ....great get the bad from me! oh well:) He definitely knows how to test me but he can also be the sweetest, most funny kid ever! He cracks me up daily! He's learning more everyday how to play with brother instead of pick on him. He's more independent and is really soaking in puzzles and reading. He LOVES to be outside and feels a lot like me in that this winter is lasting far too long and stood at the door for 15 mins solid the other day as in down poured pleading to go outside: "oud-side, mmmease mom, oud-side" (outside, please mom, outside)... If you give him a high five, knuckles or anything for that matter everyone in the room has to give him one and he'll let you know by saying "daddy's turn, baby turn, mama turn, etc" So cute, but no so much when we're in a hurry or trying to get dinner going:) haha. He’s sneaky and loves to get into what he's not supposed to and hide, like today I found him downing his tooth paste in the corner. Ew! Good thing it was the baby kind! He finds new ways to test me and new ways for me to see the world... as with his brother I couldn't love him more!!!

{it was a SuperHero kind of a day}

Grandma Cookie sent the boys these cute [superhero} shirts and mason just thought they were the coolest things...

I love these boys! 

Saving the world is hard work.... Aiden wasn't so much into it;)

 

 This face kills me... Mason does this when he doesn't think you can see him. It's so funny!

i've definitely worn out my boys "SMILE"...

this is what I got when I said "boys, smile... say cheese!"

these kids crack me up

Happy Birthday Twins

Today is HIS:

 & Her

BIRTHDAY!!!

Meet my big brother and older sister Cassie...

Sharing the same BIG DAY, they are obviously twins.. however I did manage to forget that all the time growing up and even now days sometimes. They are very different and with it being a boy and a girl twin set they were always just separate to me.  With that being said they've always had a {twin} connection. My whole family is close but I loved the way these two could connect.  I adore them both. With my mom being a single mom since I was 6 months old my Brother become the lone solider in a family of GIRLS:)  He was the man of the house and of my life for many years. He used to take me to movies every Sunday (i know, i know), just him & I. It was our time and I LOVED it!  He has always, always been there for me when I called, even after I was married he shelled out $200 last minute to fly me home cause I was homesick... Cass, well I've always admired her and wanted to be her. I must say she didn't really want anything to do with me growing up (...maybe it's cause I was stealing her clothes everyday:) but once I got to college she became one of my best friends and has been ever since. She understands me unlike anyone else. She loves my kids like I do and has been there for me in some of my hards times.  I love you both and I hope you enjoy your days:)

Don't be fooled by her size... even though she is clearly the smaller twin, they have spent their life like this....



HER picking on HIM