Merry Christmas Eve Eve

Chris has been hoping and praying for snow and lots of it! Well he got his wish. It was a crazy blizzard this morning for about an hour...you could barely see across the street with all the snow and the wind. And then just like that it stopped! So Chris went out to shovel the driveway and the sidewalk and used that snow to make a sledding hill in the backyard! Lincoln loved it!!! We all took our turns too :) Chris about smashed it, I couldn't get up and Peyton went down like a champ!! It was great fun!

 When Peyton and I finally came out Lincoln came running over and gave Peyton a hug and said "I missed you girl!" It was awesome!

Fall Family Photos 2015

Learning

this whole parenting has a crazy learning curve! Once you think you figured something out something else comes up. I've been in the process of quitting my job and it's getting me very excited to be a mom 100%! It will be so nice to just play and clean and teach and do without having that nagging voice in the back of my head saying, "don't forget all those ties you need to finish..."  It's going to be great, a little daunting but great!
Chris sent me a conference talk by Boyd K. Packer from 1986 called "little children" and lots of things really hit home! There are so many things I want to do and accomplish as a mom but I worry that I won't know how it won't be able to teach well enough. But today as I was running around with Lincoln playing the stop/go game, I realized a lot of the teaching will come natural as long as my priorities are in line. Today has been a good day with Lincoln. Very few outbursts and temper tantrums and the only difference is I spent time with him instead of putting him in front of the TV. Time!! I can't remember when it was given but Elder Uchtdorf said time is really spelled L.O.V.E. It completely true!!!!! Nothing else really matters. I found this quote today and love it!!!

You will never have this day with your children again.
Tomorrow they'll be a little older than they were today.
This day is a gift.
Just breathe,
notice, study their faces and little feet.
Pay attention.
Relish the charms of the present.
Enjoy today,
it will be over before you know it.

Just a little update

Life lately:  it's been a bit crazy! I thought I was done working the end of May and was all geared up for the changes that was going to bring. But I am now working through June. I feel blessed to have been able to work from home even though at times it was more than I could handle. But I have been able to watch my kids grow, be there for their firsts, and be there when they were sick or sad or crazy happy. I am really excited for this new chapter of life and just focusing on being mom and wife! I hope I will thrive in the newness of change.
Peyton is growing like a weed and learning new things every minute. She now army crawls everywhere and gets into everything! She is so ultra close to crawling on all fours and I'm sure she'll be walking shortly after that. She's does have a very active brother to keep up with after all. She also loves to try new foods :) ok, maybe she just tolerates it but she doesn't spit it out so that must be good. She gets upset if she doesn't get any food at the table and we are all eating.
Lincoln is still crazy as ever but has been forced to slow down for the past few days. Somehow he contracted hand, foot and mouth disease...boo!!! It's awful! Yesterday he sat on the couch or laid on the floor the entire day and never moved on his own. He wouldn't walk anywhere because the sites on his feet hurt so bad. But today has been better. He limps and waddles and is back to eating like there is no tomorrow! I'm so glad it's turning out to be more mild, in his mouth at least. But he has managed to keep his sense of humor. He kept telling Peyton, "you rock Peyton!" And then I would tell him he rocked! To which he replied, "thank you!" He is such a good kid. He's learning how to calm down a little and we are still working on the listening aspect of everything but it's getting better :)
This weekend Chris and I are celebrating 5 whole years of marriage!!!! Can you believe it...FIVE years?!?!? Man how time flies :) it's amazing where we have come since the beginning and I can truly say I love him more and more every day. He is such a wonderful husband, friend and dad.
But anywho....that's about it for now. Now I have to get back to mommy-hood :)

Spring Family Pictures