A Post About Nothing

I am tired of opening my blog and seeing the same thing, I bet you are too.  I don't have much to say, so here goes a random and pointless post....

I might be the only person on earth,
But I don't like Adelle's music.
I don't even know if I spelled her name right.
It seems like every time I turn on the radio, I hear one of her songs.
And I keep having to change the station!

My kids are off track,
And we have had a few fun adventures.
Our next adventure includes Southern Utah and I can't wait!
This off track time gave us our last ski outing of the year.
We had amazing snow and it was a great way to end the season.

Tyler had his own special adventure.
We left him in Richfield to have time with cousins and family.
We missed him so much!!!
I was so glad to have him back home and gets hugs and hear about all the fun he had.

I have been thinking a lot about perspective.
How do you keep perspective in your life?
How do you keep yourself in check?
How do you tell yourself enough is enough or what you have is good enough?
I feel like I live a pretty abundant life and yet there is still so much out there!
I really would like to know how to keep perspective.

I am so glad that Spring is here!

Eleven Years Ago

When I was pregnant with my twins, David was twin "A" who was supposed to come out first and who was always measuring slightly bigger than his twin.  So when we decided to name the twins David and Jacob, it always sounded better to us as "David and Jacob."  Since twin "A" was coming first, that one became David.  However, when the twins were born, Jacob arrived first.  He holds the title of being the oldest by one minute.  But since we had already been referring to them by their names, they stayed with them despite Jacob's earlier arrival.  Jacob was born on March 13, 2001 at 6:23pm, weighed 5 pounds and 9 ounces, and was 17 inches long.  David was born at 6:24pm, weighed 6 pounds and 4 ounces, and was 16 3/4 inches long.  They were both just tiny little things, but both very healthy.  We got to bring them home from the hospital and they plumped up in no time!

 Jacob and David that day we left the hospital

 Newborn boys with their new dad!

 Me holding them and looking like I just had surgery!  Jacob is on the left and David on the right.

 They always slept with their hands above their heads like this.

 David and Jacob, who loved that pacifier more than any of my babies.  I love this picture because I remember exactly how happy I was to be a mom!  I took care of those babies all day long and literally loved every second.

 David and Jacob on the changing table

Jacob in the blue hat and David in the red hat.  I love this picture because I never want to forget the sound of their little feet running around in the house.  I remember laying in bed early in the morning and hearing them running around.  

I can't believe how quickly the time has flown.  It seems like my life began when I became a mother.  And I guess their birthday has become a celebration of me being a mother.  And a reminder of just how quickly this time is going by.  I know I will always be a mother, but I dread the day my kids don't "need" me like they do right now.  I see that slipping away already and while I LOVE seeing them learn and grow, it makes me sad to know this phase of my life will soon end as well.  I had a great time scanning in these old photographs and listening to Tyler complain about how we don't have any pictures of him, which is true, it is sad.  And then he was mad that I didn't do this for his birthday.  So I think this will become a new tradition and force me to make old picture digital.  And give me more reason to continue on with this sometimes really dumb blog.  

I also came across this picture yesterday and it warmed my heart.  Both of my grandparents are gone now.  They were hardworking people who would probably cringe at the easy life style that I have.  I think sometimes they worked so hard and had so many chores that they didn't have a lot of time to rest and just enjoy life.  I love this picture because they both look so good!  And because they both look so happy!  It is as if this is a photo from the world of Harry Potter, the kind where the people smile at you and wave.  This is how I like to picture them now, both happy and smiling!  

Happy Birthday Twins!!!!

David-11 years old
What do you want to be when you grow up?
CEO of a company


What is your favorite food?
Spaghetti


What is your favorite color?
White


What is your favorite book?
Where the Red Fern Grows


What is your favorite sport?
Football


If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Heaven
or
The Marshall Islands


What is your favorite place you've ever been?
Disneyland


What is your favorite activity or hobby?
Playing sports

Jacob-11 years old
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Engineer


What is your favorite food?
Steak


What is your favorite color?
Blue


What is your favorite book?
The Invention of Hugo Cabert


What is your favorite sport?
Football


If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
England


What is your favorite place you've ever been?
Hawaii


What is your favorite activity or hobby?
Sports

Best Saturday Ever!

I'm not sure this post even requires words...we had a super Saturday!

A Few Favorites of Tyler

Photo credit here

Recently Tyler was the VIP in his class at school.  I learned a few new things about him, like his favorite food is salmon, who knew?

What is your favorite color?  

Blue.  And red.

Where is your favorite place to visit?  

Disneyland or Hawaii.

What is your favorite sport?  

Basketball

What do you want to be when you grow up?  

An engineer or a farmer or an army soldier.

What is your favorite thing to learn at school?  

Math

What is your favorite thing to do with your friends?  

Play Bey Blades.

What is your favorite thing to do with your family?  

Activities like making stuff.

What do you like to do in your free time?  

Play with friends.

Stages

Once upon a time I was a stay at home mom with 4 little babies.  Life was crazy and I tried my best to make it memorable and fun along the way, but it was a lot of work!  

I realize that this is a terrible picture of me, but I think it captures how exhausting and hard my job was.  I mean just look at all those little boys/babies!!!!  Want to see more?  

Life is starting to change a lot for me.  It is amazing how quickly my boys have grown up and how life has changed.  For example, today I slept in until about 6:30.  That really is sleeping in for me.  When my boys were little, they used to wake up so, so early!!!  I layed in bed for about another half hour (luxury!) and then got up, made lunches, did some dishes, said some prayers, and sent everyone off to school and work.  I then sat around for a few minutes and eventually went to the gym.  It is lunch time now and I am still alone in my quiet house (except for the washing machine and dryer).  I used to dream of times like these.  The alone time!  The quietness!  The ability to do something for myself!  And now it is finally here!  And I do love my life.  I LOVED being a prisoner in my own home with all of those babies.  Can you believe I used to have 3 high chairs and 4 car seats?  It was sooooooooo much work to go anywhere and do anything, but I did it anyways because that is how I survived.  When I see young moms with lots of little ones, I am so glad that time is over for me.  But what I wouldn't give to go back in time and squeeze those fat little things and giggle and play with them.  My twins are about to turn 11 years old.  Their feet are just about the same size as mine.  They will probably be taller than me this time next year.  They have become better skiers than me.  And I think it is having quite the effect on my husband, but that will be another post.  As for me, I am feeling old and sad that they are so big.  I don't want smelly, awkward boys, with zits going through puberty and that is right where I am headed.  But for now everything is just about perfect.  I love being a mom.  I love those boys of mine.  I love to be able to enjoy them as people and laugh and have fun together.  I love their personalities, it is amazing how different they are!  So I will continue to enjoy this stage as long as it lasts!  Oh and speaking of personalities, you should see this!

Random Thought Thursday

• This week I got two "Christmas" cards in the mail.  I thoroughly enjoyed them and I am thinking maybe I will start doing the same.  I really regret not doing a letter with our card for 2 years in a row, but I just get so busy during the holidays, that is one thing I don't do.  So if you don't get a Christmas card from us in December, it might show up later in the year.
• Kirk's French grandmother is known around our house for her cure for sore throats.  Whenever Kirk feels one coming on, he will mix up hydrogen peroxide, salt, and hot water.  He gargles this concoction and swears by it.  I have never tried it until this week and guess what?  It did cure my sore throat, thanks Grandma Christine!  I am still not feeling 100%, but my throat is all better.
• I lost track of how many loads of laundry I have done today.  Ethan threw up during the night and managed to get throw up on everything!!!  I have been cleaning ALL his bedding and then some more blankets and quilts he managed to soil as well.  Sick kids are hard, but sometimes the laundry is even harder.  
• With all the sick kids and laundry, I have been sitting around a little more than normal and so I watched Forks Over Knives recently.  Have you seen it?  What do you think?  I am still trying to figure out how I feel about it.
• And speaking of that movie I just want to say how much I love netflix!  If it was on my tv upstairs, I would probably be watching way too much tv.  Do you have netflix?  I think I like it almost as much as DVR
• We are still in basketball season for Ethan.  His Saturday league plays in the championship on Saturday.  The Wednesday league is still going though.  When Ethan got sick the other night, the first thing he asked about were his basketball games.  As long as he loves it, it is worth it.  He has had a great season! 

A Fashion Post

I have been a little sick lately, but yesterday these arrived in the mail and really cheered me up!  They were my Valentines present from Kirk and they are even better in real life.  They were one of many things in the new Boden catalog that I fell in love with.  

I also bought this little skirt at Old Navy and I can't wait to wear it this spring/summer.  I don't usually shop at Old Navy because they don't have anything that interesting, but I was pleasantly surprised this time.  I walked out of the store with 2 of these skirts and 2 stripey t-shirts.  Casual skirts are my favorite things to wear in warm weather.  

A New Family Tradition

I know I have written a lot about skiing this year, but it has been so much fun and such an enjoyable part of our lives, that I have to write about it again.  The boys all finished up their lessons and now have season passes!  I am very jealous and wish that I had one as well.  This was the first time Kirk has been able to ski with us.  We went on Saturday and had a blast!  We couldn't have asked for better weather, it was a beautiful.  Kirk was surprised to see how well the boys ski, they are all great skiers and I am sure they will pass us up in no time.  I tend to forget that Tyler is smaller and it is harder for him to keep up.  When we got home on Monday, he went right to bed, about 6:00 and didn't wake up until this morning. I told him next time we would take some easier runs for him.  This picture was taken near the end of the day and he was not a happy camper, he was ready to be done. 

 I've mentioned it before, but I forgot how much I love skiing!  I don't know why it brings me so much joy to be up in the mountains skiing and especially seeing my little boys with their little skis cruising around.  I have decided that one of the reasons I love it so much is because my boys love it so much and it is one of the few things that we will have in common.  I will never have a daughter who will want to go shopping with me or wander around make-up counters or go to the spa and that is ok.  But honestly I have never loved sports.  So here I am with 4 boys who live on ESPN, sports, and more sports.  I have all the "important" things in common with my boys, but I love that we have a hobby in common.  So for that I love skiing even more!  

Kirk has been so supportive about me taking the boys and after this weekend, he loves skiing as much as I do.  He even encouraged me to get some skis and it didn't take much.  We have a family friend who gave us some nice discounts and I have my own skis again!  It is funny how styles come and ago and would you believe that the skis I got as a 17 year old are pretty much the same color scheme as the ones I just got?  In fact I saved myself a little money by using my same poles, and they even match!  Kirk said over and over this weekend, "I think we have a new President's Day tradition."  I sure hope so!

Better

Well, Reggie is finally getting better.  A couple of weeks ago I told him he needed to die or get better and I guess he decided he wanted to live.  We are so glad to see his tail up in the air as he struts around the house and yard and to hear him growl and bark at things outside.  However, today I found myself mourning the days when he was sick and I never had to yell at him to quit barking or be quiet.  Yes, Reggie is better and that is why he is outside barking right now at who knows what.  It could be a spider, a bad guy, a bird, or a cloud.  If I hadn't spent so much money on vet bills, I would probably be spending some on a barking collar...

Crafty

This year was the last pinewood derby for the twins and the decided that they wanted to "go out in style" and had a little fun with their cars.  David made the yellow one, which was going to be a school bus and Jacob made the black one.  It started out as a UPS truck, but when he goofed, it turned into the A-team van.  Ethan's car was more normal.

 Ethan's car is the gray and blue one.  They all did well, no first place winners in this family, but everyone's cars did great and we had a good time!

 Recently I made this!  Tyler got one for a present and loved it, so I thought I would try to make one.  It has been a lot of fun to get out my sewing machine and make things.  Tyler loves it!  Making things is right up his alley.  I let him do a little sewing on the machine.

 I never really care about who is playing in the Superbowl, but because David loves the Patriots and they made it this year, I cared a little more than normal.  We made a little banner for the basement and he hung up one of his Tom Brady fat heads for the game.

 We even had special cookies!  Too bad the Patriots didn't win:(

We made a few changes in the front room, I still need to make some more changes, but I am loving the bright new look.