Teeth Journey

 Nathan was born with an extremely narrow mouth. The orthodontist said in all his years of practice, that Nathan ties with another kid for having the smallest mouth he has ever seen.  I literally could not get my pinkie to fit in the roof of his mouth.  It was a pointy cone up there.

 He actually inherited his mouth from his father and they have now can bond over both experiencing the lovely world of the expander.

This little plastic piece is known as the key and I had to crank it 21 times.  He needs to wear the expander for 8 months.

After his appointment I found out that he was going to have a huge apple for part of his lunch and we decided a burrito (wink wink) would be much better while he tires to adjust to his new friend in his mouth.
 

Recital Excitement!

 Nathan loves to mess around on the piano and it seems he has been doing so from the moment he could stand and reach the keys.  His little hands would stretch high above his head and he would wiggle and tinkle his fingers to make songs.

We decided to get him into lessons as a surprise.

 He LOVES it.

He had his first recital where he learned and played Barnyard Strut.  Let me tell you...We heard that song over and over so much that when Justin and I were on our dates we would burst out the tune subconsciously.  First thing in the morning we would greet each other with the tune and I'm pretty sure Barnyard Strut was a part of all our dreams.

It was so fun to watch him play!

We got so lucky to get the best teacher in Colorado, Sister Shaw.  She is perfect for Nathan!  A lot of times they sing and play duets together.  She is a mix of fun but means business and everything is very structured.

Spring Walk

 Spring was a little late this year... It took FOREVER.

In the middle of May one day, POP!  Beautiful colors and green started finally consumed dead and brown areas all around town.

We decided to take a walk as a family one evening and find all the signs of this glorious awakening.  It was lovely and I've never been so happy to see a field of dandelions in my life!

A Day for MOM...

If there is one thing I love about life, it is the chance I got to be a mom.  For a few years I wasn't so sure it was going to happen for me.  After several miscarriages and an ectopic pregnancy where I had one of my tubes removed, I received two, TWO miracles!

My heart and empty arms ached for a sweet baby.  All that time of waiting just made me never want to take these little guys for granted.

I love waking up every day knowing I get to plan it all around them.  Sometimes we stay in our jammies all day and they keep me company on the couch.  Sometimes we go on little outings to the library or park.  Sometimes we meet Justin for lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant and sometimes we play catch in the backyard while eating otter pops. 

Most of the time it's very simple.  And the joy of motherhood truly does come in moments.  But it's those glowy warm moments that keep you going and makes the hard days so very worth it.

Justin and the boys woke me up to the smell of my favorite french toast on challah bread.  Letters and drawings filled the table and for the entire meal I felt like the queen of England.  I may or may not have spoke in a British accent.

I had lost 5 pounds prior to mother's day but don't worry, I gained 7 more with all the chocolate from church and a yummy lemon cream cake I made my mom.  I think I ate the whole day and I liked it.

It Was A Good One!

A super sonic cousin weekend was in the forecast for the upcoming  week!

We had lots to do and had to make the most of every second.  

GG started it off and came first.  She got a talent show from the boys including some Johnny Cash songs and a little piano playing.

On Friday we kept the home fires burning.  Sent the boys to and from school and baked coconut cupcakes, pikes peak potatoes, strawberry salad, and had GG's famous fried chicken.

The cousin's arrived and we had a huge birthday party for all the kids.  Mammy had got towels for each child with their name embroidered on them.  We were laughing because little Buddy ended up with the big daddy towel!

The boys had a slumber party on the floor downstairs each night with fun bedtime stories.  Buddy helped them settle down and snuggled with them all right in the middle.

On Saturday we had our traditional breakfast at IHOP's with GG.  Funny face pancakes were the pick of the morning.  Off to the pool with GG, Mammy, Papa, and the dad's while the girls went home and got some beauty rest- Ha!

Everyone got ready for the baptism and headed over to the church for some pictures.  After we changed clothes, grabbed dinner and ended up at the park to meet everyone for the rest of the night. A windy, chilly, great time.

Sunday was wonderful.  Nathan was presented his Book of Mormon by the bishop at church and the meetings were uplifting and refreshing.

We came home and made 45 hamburger patties to take over to Mike and Deb's for Sunday dinner. Everyone hung out for the remainder of the night. 

Couldn't help but feel grateful and happy the entire weekend.

Monday everyone got up and ready to leave.  GG, Justin, Kendall, and I ran over to Asian Chefs for Chinese lunch and then off to the airport.  Drove back in a whiteout blizzard for 20 minutes.  Kendall had a 4 hour nap and I joined him the last 2 hours.

Can't wait until next time.

Our Lady...

 Yes, It is true.  She has stolen our hearts!  She gives anyone a smile and we just melt into a pile of smitten mush!

We love our girl.  We knew she would be lovely but what we didn't expect was how much FUN she would be.

She is pure girl (which we were dying for), she gives courtesy laughs that are hilarious and talks up a storm. all. day. long.

Of course we all think she is the smartest one year old because she has a vocabulary of tons of words including, uh-oh, boo, HI, ta-da, dad, mom, and her finale...Alisa! Oh my, she's perfect!

She enjoys a delicious treat at moments notice and can often be found with her Aunt.... in the kitchen!

A Cub Scout...At Last!

 Boy have we been waiting for this!  Nathan has been dreaming of joining the cub scouts when he turned 8 for what seems like FOREVER!

His first time exceeded his wildest dreams.  He loves his pack and is so blessed to have the most amazing leaders, Sister Monteath and Sister Shields!

We are looking forward to an amazing scouting experience!

Interview

If you were given $50 what would you spend it on?
Nathan: A house next door to yours.
Kendall: A house for our family with an upstairs and a downstairs and a backyard with a park.

What is your favorite food?
Nathan: Pizza and Ice cream
Kendall: Something healthy... a juice

Where do you think you will go on your mission?
Nathan: Japan
Kendall: Well, I don't know.  Well, same as dad's. 

What is your favorite music?
Nathan: Piano Guys... Cello and piano
Kendall:  See Me Run (Brite music we listened to growing up.  Now Kendall LOVES it!)

When are you going to get married?
Nathan: On June 8th when I am 23. In the Mesa Arizona temple.
Kendall: At 80.  On my last birthday when I turn 80. In September.  At the Bountiful temple.

Who are you going to marry?
Nathan:  I don't know.  She will have blond hair and brown eyes and probably her best feature will be playing with my kids.
Kendall: I don't know.  I wish we could marry our moms.

If you could have anything, the most amazing thing in the word, what would it be?
Nathan: You and dad.  My family.
Kendall: 100 dogs, 2000 scooters, and a lot of money.

What is your favorite movie?
Nathan: The Man From Snowy River
Kendall: The Croods and Wreck it Ralph

Who is your favorite actor/actress?
Nathan: The dad of Jessica on The Man From Snowy River... No, Jim on The Man From Snowy River
Kendall:  Lord Milori, the winter fairies, and the warm fairies on Tinkerbell Secret of the Wings.    

What is your favorite thing about our family?
Nathan: That we have fun on spring break and we make memories.
Kendall: Play games, do activities, and Family Home Evening, and that we do fun things.

What do you dislike?
Nathan: Getting bullied at school by Trenton.
Kendall: Broken things.

What would you like to have a picture of?
Nathan: Family
Kendall: Family

What is your favorite smell?
Nathan: In the morning at school.
Kendall: Banana muffins.

What do you love about the gospel?
Nathan:  President Monson because he tells us about the gospel and how to live it.
Kendall: I love that we can follow it and it leads our way to be good.

Who do you admire?    
Nathan:  Tanner, Jake, Mikey and Kendall.  They are my best friends and I love them.
Kendall:  My cousins.

Where do you want to visit?
Nathan: Disney Land and Arizona.
Kendall: All of them.  Japan, Disney Land, and Arizona.       

What is your favorite thing to do with each other?
Nathan: Play tag.
Kendall: Fight. Wrestle.   

Egg Salad Picnic

 Someone ordered the perfect spring weather for an egg hunt and a picnic.

We joined lots of other kids at the pavilion of the Coal Mine building and went to town finding hidden eggs stuffed with treats.

We ate and visited and just before we left it got chilly and Kendall started running a fever.  Nathan tripped and a random branch stung his eye.  Both the boys were bawling in the car. That was our que to head home, calm down, start a bath, and rest for the day.

A Beaming Egg Hunt

 The boys were in their jammies all ready for bed listening to a bedtime story when Mammy and I came into their room and told them to get their coats and shoes on.

We surprised them when we unveiled the curtains to the backdoor with a illuminating sight.

Tons of colorful Easter eggs were glowing all over the backyard.

They yelped with excitement as we handed them their baskets and off they went to collect their prizes.

They decided after they finished to take turns re-hiding the eggs for each other so that they could keep hunting.  Silly fun.