little stinker

Bella's asserting her independence lately by violently shaking her head & screeching whenever she sees a bow in my hand coming toward her head.

Doesn't she know that after 3 boys, cute little hair bows are like a drug?

I can't stop buying them...we have hundreds of bows.

Bows that just sit in the drawer & stare at me with all their cuteness. Sigh.

this morning...

"Mom, Bella's eating my chocolate kisses with the wrapper"..."Mom, there's syrup on my Leapster screen"..."Mom, where's my Lego pirate guy, I can't find it anywhere?!"

hmmm...wonder why it's chaos in here?! I was looking forward to putting on my new clothes today & checking out the after Christmas sales, catching a movie & basking in the Christmas afterglow. I guess I need to clean first!

Yesterday, Bella loved opening her new puppy Violet that says her name & sings cute songs.

After Noah got his new Nintendo DS, we just saw the top of head for the rest of the day!

Mack was enjoying shooting us all with nerf missles & then laughing while running away.

We couldn't find Sam, but this cute storm trooper zoomed by every now & then!

I worked hard to make sure the kids understood that Christmas is about the birth of our Saviour, and I know the boys all understood that this year. Thankfully, we had many opportunities to do things this month to bring the true spirit of Christmas to our home.

Yesterday was all about Santa & toys though! :) We had so much fun & hope you did too.

Rite of passage

Noah went to his first football game yesterday in Las Vegas. He has been asking to go to a game for awhile, and he is so happy to finally be initiated into the club. We are not hardcore football fans, and generally cheer for any team from Utah. Len's Dad, however, is a hardcore BYU football fan & he was able to meet Len & Noah at the game. It was a 3 generation male bonding trip!

Naturally it was the coldest day of the winter so far in Vegas. Noah was so excited to see the strip, try to dangerous rides at the stratosphere & go swimming....none of which turned out to be very fun in the freezing cold wind.

He still had fun though!

Year in review

2009 has been a great year...and most of the highlights have been recorded on this blog. I still enjoy reflecting this time of the year, while thinking about what we did well & what we can do better next year.

We started out this year with a newborn, but I have to say we did learn a lot from our boys & Bella is a much better sleeper than they ever were as babies! Yeah! She is growing so fast & is a constant source of joy for our whole family. We just can't get enough of her & she is very patient with our many kisses, hugs & needs for carrying her around. I think we all know she is our last baby & need to take advantage of every baby moment before it disappears. Even the boys carry her around or push her down the hall in a laundry basket! Bella does walk now & she is finding her independence by spitting & pushing our hands away when we try to feed her, trying to undress herself & attempting to go down the stairs by herself. She has 13 teeth, which is a bit freaky for her age, but it's nice because she can munch on carrots & apples as a snack. She also has the cutest toothy grin! She says most typical words for this age, like 'bath, bye bye, night-night". She also says "I love ew" & "Ash" whenever she sees our cat, Ashleigh. She is very loving & has recently become a total Daddy's girl, which makes Len very happy.

Len is in school finishing his Economics degree & working 10-12 hours a day at Firehouse Car wash. That's pretty much his life right now & we hardly ever get to see him. He is in charge of the construction at the Bountiful location, which should be finished this month. Once they open for business, we are hoping that his schedule will become more normal & he will be able to be home more in 2010. He does get to take Noah to Las Vegas on the 22nd to watch the BYU bowl game & he's really looking forward to this fun time off.

I have been working at getting our wedding business up & running this year, and was lucky to have a friend approach me about partnering up. This partnership has worked out great & we are gearing up for a busy 2010 with a new website & updated inventory. We both agree, however, that we will never get busy enough to take away from our families.

Being "Mommy" is top priority & the best work title I've ever been blessed with. I try very hard to be the best Mommy I can & am always learning how to improve. This year I've felt like I spend most of my life in the car driving kids to school & activities, or in front of the sink cleaning dishes! In 2010 my goal is to limit the kids sports activities to 1 at a time, and at the same field!!! It was impossible at times & stressful this year to have all 3 boys soccer games in different locations. We will have more fun time at home this next year (& more chores to help me get away from the sink!) I am also scheduled to begin the Master's in Education program at Westminster this next summer. Although I am very excited, having Len & I in school at the same time may prove to be too stressful. My schooling may have to be deferred another semester...or two!

These 3 boys are best friends & worst enemies! They really do love each other so much and share a passion for Star Wars, legos & Wii. Noah is in 2nd grade & doing really well in his class. He loves art, reading & math has also really clicked with him this year. Still, his favorite subject is recess! He is such a good example to his little brothers. I often hear him saying to them, "Good job" & asking them "Are you OK?" He reads to them every night before bed too.

Sam is still our little curious monkey. He can climb to the top a tree in seconds & while us on-lookers are ready to call the fire station for an emergency rescue, he monkies his way down just as fast! He smiles with his eyes & melts our hearts. He can pretty much get away with anything by smiling at us! He says the sweetest & most observant things. He's very inquisitive, social & naturally spiritual. He often says things that stop me in my tracks because he is so deep! He's learning how to write his name & recognize his letters in school. He's almost gotten it down, but he doesn't seem very interested! He's rather discuss religion or politics I guess!

Mack, on the other hand, can't get enough of traditional learning. He loves learning his letters, numbers & writing. He likes to pretend like he's reading books & his made up stories are hilarious! He likes to sing & color too. He'll spend hours at our kitchen table coloring & cutting paper. He's still our biggest baby, because he loves to cuddle & whine! He's always extreme in everything. We're working on appropriate voice volume & how to ask for things with good manners. He's doing better most of the time! Mack is very athletic & was very fun to watch play soccer & t-ball this year. He's also very shy, but he looses his inhibition when he's out competing at a sport.

I love my family & friends very much. It's been a great year of learning & growth. This year I read a book with a beautiful quote from Mother Theresa. I'm adopting it as our family theme for 2010, and it is:

"Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting."

Merry Christmas & thank you all for being such kind & wonderful friends.

Cute...

The-Christmas-Spirit

Favorites

These are some of my favorite pictures because they make me laugh & make my heart melt! My friend, Cheri, was over when Bella was walking past our little Santa decoration & she pointed out that Bella is the same size! We laughed & agreed that I needed to get pictures.

Unfortunately, I have a crappy camera & I was taking them from too high, so she actually looks a little taller than Santa. They are still adorable though :) She's such a tiny sweetheart.

I only have 10 minutes, but I thought it would be fun to think of my favorite things this year off the top of my head. I don't keep track of what I've read, watched or anything...this is all off the cuff. I want to hear your favorites too!

Movies:

1. "Slumdog Millionaire"

2. "Julie & Julia"

3. "Up"

Books:

1. "The Goose Girl"

2. "The Invisible Wall"

3. "Enchantment"

Music:

1. Keith Urban

2. Nickelcreek

3. Zac Brown Band

Plays:

1. "Wicked"

2. "Seussical, The Musical"

3. "Momma Mia"

Styles:

1. Flat shoes/boots

2. Skirts

3. Plaid is back!

TV:

1. Still..."Grey's Anatomy"

2. Survivor

3. Oprah

Restaurants:

1. Rio Grande

2. Cafe Madrid

3. Noodles & Co

Websites:

1. babysteals / kidsteals

2. goodreads

3. facebook

Lastly...

Things learned:

1. I can sing in front of people without literally dropping dead

2. I lost my gift of organization with child #4

3. Happiness= Love = Kindness

Annoying I know, but the kids love it!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Live Nativity

We went to a Live Nativity tonight & it was beautiful, although the 2 hour line to get to "Bethlehem" with 4 little ones was rough! There was a full moon, but in this picture it looks like the Star of Bethlehem! I was amazed at the selflessness of the stake who put this on. It was elaborate & very well done. Some fun things they did along the way...

Camels, sheep, goats & calfs. The kids loved the animals!

It was V E R Y chilly!

Once we got in the building that was "Bethlehem", it was suddenly very peaceful & quiet compared to being outside. There were chickens everywhere that just sat there & let the kids pet them.

After walking through many different shops & the Inn, we turned a corner to see this amazing sight. I had to hold back the tears. It was definetely worth the wait.

Turkey Day

It is our tradition to spend Thanksgiving in Idaho with my Mom's side of the family. It's the only holiday we get to spend with that side, so we really look forward to it every year. We have missed it the past 2 years, because our kids were at bad ages to go. Luckily, we made it this year & had so much fun :) Bella is such a Daddy's girl now & noticed that Daddy likes to lounge around, so she started joining him! She will only lounge like this when she's with Len!

My cousin's hubby, Todd, playing on the floor with Bella & his son, Ethan. Ethan & Bella are bestest buddies! They planned their trip to earth together & were born 10 days apart.
Kindred spirits :)

The chef's, my Auntie Gayle Sue & Uncle Randy. They are the best cooks & part throwers ever!

The real "turkey"!

Luckily, I was able to pick up a few sets of Lego's for the trip & when the boys got restless pulled them out. They kept Mack especially busy, which is such a good thing!

Bella helped Mommy make chocolate pies :) Yum!

We drove back from Idaho on Friday morning & went straight to Len's family party. We were so pooped, I forgot to get my camera out, so we don't have any pictures of that party. The kids needed a break from sitting & the Ayers party is perfect for that. We meet in a church building & the kids can run & get out all their energy. The men play basketball & the girls sit back & chat. It's wonderful :)

Now..... on to Christmas! Whoa!

no turning back now

I think the holiday's are officially among us. We got so lucky this year that is stayed warm & we actually had a real fall! The kids had so much fun playing outside & jumping in the beautiful fall leaves.
Sweet brothers!

Checking out the snow :) Now that the snow is here, it made me realize how close the holiday's really are. Now they're sneaking up on me & I'm starting to panic! I love the holiday's & want to relish every moment, but there's always so much to do. We're starting our Christmas shopping tonight because there are so many good sales already. Plus, we will be on the road coming home from our Turkey Day party in Idaho on "black friday" morning! Darn- I'm going to miss the adrenaline rush of the early morning crowds shoving & running through the stores. It's one of my favorite holiday traditions! Maybe I'll have to hit a few stores in Idaho before we leave!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cute video of Bella's first time playing in the leaves...

Cutie patootie!

While I absolutely love my boys to pieces, they are at that stage of their existence where Wii, Star Wars & Legos are the best things ever! Mom usually takes a back seat to these things (unless they get hurt and need a bandaid & a magic kiss). Bella, on the other hand, is at the stage in her existence where Mommy is the best things ever! It's my favorite stage!

I could stare & kiss her all day! She get lots of attention & love! Daddy, her brothers & I all tell her often how much we love her. She's started to say it back....in case you miss it on the video below, it's the cute "iwuvu" that sounds alot like the dogs on America's Funniest Home Videos that have been taught to say "I Love You"!

Swimsuit optional

Len has been working ALOT lately- really ALOT! I've been trying not to complain, because I know that of all the things in the world to complain about, my husband having a job he enjoys is hardly worth a peep. But, I am a girl & I have been taking care of 4 little kids essentially alone while trying to work on weddings, cleaning the house, cooking & doing way too much laundry, so...I may have peeped a few times lately. Len actually caught on & planned a few nights away in Park City- just the 2 of us. Whoa. That NEVER happens! It was a fabulous few days to re-connect & remember how much we really love each other. We had tons of fun & talked about things other than the kids & the conversation lasted more than 30 minutes! We stayed at a gorgeous hotel. Our room had a private patio with it's own hot tub, overlooking a golf course, with the ski mountain in the background & a clear starry sky with a full moon. That's all I'm saying about that!
I love Len.

Someone has Daddy, aka "McDreamy" wrapped around her little finger!

It's a little lady bug!!! She's suddenly such a Daddy's girl, which Daddy loves!!!

We had a secret agent roaming around our house all week. He took his job very seriously, but luckily he found our house to be terrorist, boogie man & bad guy free.

...although, he did find a scary green skeleton! Turns out the skeleton wasn't so scary & he was best friends with a tough army guy, who was protecting our house too.

It was the safest Halloween we've ever had!

Monster Mash

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Spooky update!

I am lucky to have the bestest aunt's in the world- they are like extra mom's! They send my kids fun things for every holiday. This time, my Aunt Gayle Sue sent Halloween goodie bags, that included these wax vampire fangs. Sam & Mack were really into them, until they decided to eat them & realized they weren't candy!

Mack got a hold of the camera the other day & just today I noticed a few of the pictures he took. Len & I were cracking up- they are so Mack!

Here's his first pic...Noah & his cat, Ashleigh. Pretty cute (other than the freaky eyes)

This is the next pic....a self portrait!

The one after this was a also a self portrait, but of the upper half of his face!

We had a halloween/birthday party for Bella last week. She loved her new pug puppy & pink hat from my cousin :)

She really dug into her birthday cake- yumm! She tried picking up pieces at first, but then she just started leaning down & eating it right off the plate.

This is what the cake looked like before Bella attacked it.

Happy Halloween week!

adorable

Happy Birthday peanut!

Our little "peanut", as we call her, is turning 1 on Sunday. She is still barely tipping the scales at 16 lbs., but she's taking a few steps on her own & is very busy, meows whenever she sees a cat or dog & loves when Mom takes a shower because she gets to watch Baby Einstein!

We named this girl well.

Isabella means "beautiful" & as you can see- she is beautiful!

Naomi means "pleasant" & she really is the most pleasant person I've ever met.

She is also sweet, funny & very affectionate.

She gives big open mouthed kisses & will let you cuddle her as long as you want.

We are very glad to have our little Bella as part of our family.

We love you baby! Happy Birthday :)

Don't lick a pig

Other than this advise on avoiding the H1N1 flu, the best advice I've read is on my doctor's blog. Check it out if you are confused as me, with all the conflicting information on TV:
www.askdrjudi.blogspot.com

I heart Park City

Len turned 29 again on September 26th & we celebrated in Park City! There is no place more beautiful than PC in the fall. We hit the perfect weekend because this weekend it snowed there!

The boys cracked up at Bella getting eaten by the scary skiing frog! Bella didn't.

We go up all the time, but this was the first time I went to Olympic Park. It was on my top 10 list of coolest things ever! I could've stayed there all day watching those awesome athletes. Noah kept saying he wanted to do it & I agreed! I hope to live vicariously through him & send him there for summer camp next year. He LOVES snow, snowboarding, has no fear & a bit of a bohemian style. Perfect combination! He asked me the other day if he could have an army bag that goes over one shoulder & across his chest instead of a regular backpack like everyone else. I was so proud! I highly recommend visiting this amazing place right up the canyon, if you live in SLC! It was a fabulous "trip" (we categorize it as a trip because it's about the only vacation we can afford right now!) Happy Birthday old man!

Last night I saw the movie "Whip it" & loved it. Although it did bring back some memories that frighten me! In the movie, the main character, Bliss (played by my fav Ellen Page), is a free-spirited teenager who likes to live off the beaten path. Her mom doesn't understand her very well & keeps guilt tripping her into entering beauty pageants. Bliss ends up doing roller derby underground as "Babe Ruthless"! It's way more extreme, of course, but it reminded me of the crap I put my poor Mother through when I was a teenager! In general I was a good kid, but I did go through, what my parents call my "save the whale phase". While my Mom was home wallpapering my room in pink flowers & circling houndstooth pumps with a matching blazer in catalogs for me, I was handing out literature for GreenPeace, writing letters for Amnesty International, shopping for combat boots at the second hand store & planning the next concert outing. She didn't embrace my phase at all! I guess most people rebel at some point in their life, and it really did turn out to be a learning & growing experience for me. I pray everynight that I will understand my kids individual needs, help them strengthen their talents & embrace their unique personalities. It's not that easy for me, being the control freak that I am! I also secretly pray that they won't feel the need to rebel & fall away from the gospel, because it breaks my heart to think of it. Sometimes I don't feel qualified for this mom job! I just love my kids so much & it makes me appreciate the love my parents & Heavenly Father have for me too. Who knew a cute movie would bring up all these thoughts!

Eureka!

Bella's at that adorable age where it's hard not to just put some whipped cream on her head & eat her up for dessert! I think God made them soooooooo cute at this age because they are so wiggly, squirmy, into everything, hurt themselves 100 times a day & basically wear out their mother. It's the age where you'd ship them off for a few months to a baby boot camp if they weren't so cute. Luckily, I remembered a good trick today that I used with the boys. An all baby-friendly kitchen drawer. It's like heaven for an 11 month old! She can pull ziploc bags out of the box at lightning speed, chew on a celery brush & bang the floor to her heart's content with a rubber spatula. It gives me a few minutes to get dishes done without a baby hanging on my leg looking up at me with eyes like the kitty in Shrek pleading for attention. Eureka!