Xander was blessed on Sunday. He wore the exact same outfit as Zeke did for his blessing and sealing, (just a smaller size).

Xander’s face is like, “What’s going on?!”

We had a lot of family come too, but trying to get everyone rounded up for a group shot seemed a little impossible, it was tricky enough just getting one of the 5 of us :)

Look at that angel face! Lilly is such a sweetie most of the time, and quite the little fire cracker other times :) The other day she was talking to me with lots of attitude, and I said to her, “Lilly, you can’t talk to your mommy like that, it’s not nice.” She replied with, “You are NOT my mommy, Daddy’s my mommy!” Haha!

Another day I was singing along with Justin Beiber in the car, and Lilly said to me, “Shut your mouth mom!” She really doesn’t like it when anyone sings along except her. I guess in order for her to have extreme cuteness and personality, she has to have the other end of things too, like lots of attitude, and spice. We love you Lilly babe!

Lilly had her first dentist visit last week, and she looked so cute in the dental chair. I wanted to get a picture, and asked her to smile, this is all I got :) She was not thrilled to be there until they brought out a bag with a toothbrush and kid toothpaste for her, then I got a good smile-

They leaned her chair back and she got to watch Mickey Mouse on the TV in the ceiling, she thought that was neat too.

Unfortunately, despite her obsession with toothbrushes, and faithful brushing, she has a few cavities. She is a snacker, and loves to eat all throughout the day, so the ph of her mouth changes so often that it can’t protect her teeth. I feel for her, I have cavity-prone teeth, and had a lot of fillings as a kid.

Zeke and Dallin are especially cute little buddies!

more picnics!

My mom’s birthday was Saturday and we went on a hike in Salt Lake, the kids loved it!

I zoomed way in to get this picture of some of my family, we didn’t make it to the top, but we had a lot of fun making it as far as we could.

Jimmy held Lilly and Zeke a lot of the way

I love the warm weather! I love being outside with our kids, and watching them enjoy nature!

After the hike we went to Litza’s Pizza. Oh Zeke, your funny faces make me laugh!  :)

After I asked Zeke about that boy, and Zeke said he still liked him. He is definitely more forgiving than me! Later we had a talk with Zeke about what to say and do if someone is hurting him like that in the future. I know there will be more bullies to deal with, and I know I will remember this experience and if any of my kids are ever the one being a bully, I hope I can help put an end to it fast.

I thought maybe I was overreacting until I came home and re-watched the video, man it breaks my heart! I wish I would have gone up sooner, but I had no idea it would have gotten as bad as it did. I am really disappointed to have such awful memories from his preschool graduation, and it was all I could think about yesterday. I was so upset about it. I guess I still am today, and I probably should have waited to write this post so it could have been more positive. I did enjoy a lot of it, here are some parts I liked-

Zeke had his part memorized, and then he got to hold the wether sign, and his name was incorporated into the weather song :)

I loved the cap and gown on him!

After it was over, all Zeke wanted to do was show Xander to all of his friends and teachers. He is a proud big brother! It was really cute.

He wanted to get this picture of him and Xander in his spot on stage :)

Zeke got a gift bag with lots of fun things. His student teacher made a good size scrapbook of different preschool days and activities, and quotes from Zeke throughout the year, it was fun to read it, I’ve gone through it 3 times already. I really have loved his preschool, and the teachers were amazing. He would come home with cute crafts, and treasures everyday.

We went bowling last night at All Star Lanes in West Jordan. I was impressed with the place, it was really clean, and well maintained. I asked an employee if it was new, and he said, “nope, been here 20 years”. Where have I been?

After every turn, Zeke would fold his arms and watch his ball roll down the lane :)

Cute Lilly

Carlin looks like a dork, (on purpose otherwise I would never say that :), but this is the only group shot I took so I’m posting it anyway.

They had a humungous claw/prize machine. We tried to pretend like we were some of the prizes, it didn’t quite work.

Lilly loves her Uncle “Car Car”

Xander is 2 months old today!

Xander is learning to hold his head up better, and he is starting to smile more. He’s a very content little guy, but not as smiley as Zeke and Lilly were as newborns/babies. If I want him to smile, I usually have to have Lilly come talk to him. He loves his sister and brother! It’s funny because it seems like he would cry whenever he saw them with how much mauling, and rough lovins he gets from them :) but he just loves his siblings! He is a sweet, sweet baby!

Ok, so we have 2 phases done in our huge yard project. We had the cement poured, and the in-ground trampoline installed.

Jimmy wanted a basketball pad, but we probably won’t get the real hoop till next year. So for now they bring Zeke’s hoop down from his bedroom when they want to play a game :)

I love trampolines! They were my favorite activity when I was little. Of all of the yard things we need to do, I am most excited about the in-ground trampoline! I love jumping out there with my kids, it’s so fun!

We also added a lot of cement to the patio area behind the tramp.

Zeke even convinced Grandma to jump with him :)

The next step is the sprinklers, and leveling, then we will lay the sod!

Pretty. Esther is naturally pretty. She always looks very pretty, even when she first wakes up in the morning! I really like how she does her hair every day, even if she doesn’t have a lot of time. When she gets her hair done special, she looks stunning.

Patient. Esther is very patient with the kids and me. Our kids love attention and need a patient mom. Esther is wonderful at spending time with the kids and make them feel special. I’m not the fastest person at getting things done, and Esther is always patient with me and I never feel like she rushes me. I *really* appreciate that.

Personal. I love that Esther pays attention and really cares about people at the most personal level. I think all who have the privilege of being Esther’s friend have experienced her warmth, kindness, and attention to details of our lives that really matter. I’ve never met anyone else like her in this respect.

Pleasant. Esther is always pleasant. Even when she was in so much physical pain after Xander’s labor and delivery, she tried so hard to quietly bear the pain and not whine. Esther doesn’t like to complain, though I’m sure there is plenty that she could complain about :) Esther always likes to keep a positive attitude.

Practical. Esther is really good at thinking things through and being practical. I’m glad I have someone who can talk me through decisions that we are making. She doesn’t like to spend money extravagantly. She thinks things through really deeply, yet she can be spontaneous and fun in ways that keep life exciting.

I love being married to Esther. I believe she thinks I have to try to overlook things she sees as weaknesses, but really, she is so easy to appreciate. Her amazing qualities shine so brightly that it is hard to see anything else.

Xander in his big boy church clothes. The pants are big in the waist, and ride up like Steve Urkel, but he’s still cute :)

This is a 3 month size outfit!

He’s a good baby! We all surely love him!

Tonight, as I looked around at my house that is medium messy, I thought of some things that I am not.

I am not very organized. This week we had to find some papers, and it took both of us searching every last spot, and lots of prayers to finally find them.

I am not a great cook. I’ve messed up rice crispy treats for crying out loud!

I am not creative. Tonight we had a really fun Families Supporting Adoption celebration, and I was in charge of doing a table of info about FSA. It wasn’t inpressive, it consisted of printed paper with bullets about each topic, it looked cheesy.

I am not Mrs. Clean. A sweet friend stopped by, and brought us some delicious cinnamon bread. I invited her in to meet Xander, but was embarrassed for her to see my bed wasn’t made, there were socks, and other piles of laundry scattered about my room, and more stacks of stuff not in their place.

I am not looking my best most of the time. I just don’t have it in me to spend a lot of time on doing my hair. I love to have my hair look cute, and be dressed nice, but it’s a rare occasion. 5-6 days of the week my hair is in a pony, and I’m in my comfy clothes.

I share these things that I am not, mostly to laugh at myself. Don’t worry, I’m not depressed about it, in actuality, I think I’m a little too easy on myself in most areas. Tonight I just feel so thankful that despite all of these things I am not, Jimmy loves me for what I am. He doesn’t focus on my weaknesses. He doesn’t complain about my imperfections, and never makes me feel inadequate. I am not great at so many things, but it’s ok because Jimmy accepts me the way I am. If he complained about anything I wasn’t, it would change everything. I think I would be down with myself, and in turn, feel like putting him down, and find things to complain about him. I hope I can be more like Jimmy in showing such love- to overlook the little, unimportant imperfections, and show more appreciation for all that he does wonderfully, because he does just that for me! I love my sweet husband!

Oh my goodness! I just love my girl! Lilly slept on her floor with her big girl one night last week :)

I very much love my boys too! They are awesome!

We made a fort, and had treats. It was fun, (even though daddy makes much neater forts than I do).

So much love! The first thing my kids do when they wake up is say good morning to their baby brother.

Xander getting a little daddy time while daddy did some scout planning. Xander loves this position, Zeke did too.

My blessings on their Care Bear blankets made by Gramma Charlotte. I am so grateful for my kids! It’s not easy being a mom, and some days I feel like the quote I’ve seen, “Lord, grant me patience to endure my blessings.” but there’s nothing more worth while, and nothing more deserving of my time and energy than being a mother. Motherhood is my greatest challenge, and my greatest joy. I am so thankful to Heavenly Father for blessing me with my children!