Thankful

On January 3rd, Cody and I celebrated our 8th Anniversary!!! I can't believe how fast time flies! My sweet hubby spoils me to death and I'm not sure what I have done to deserve him. He has taken such good care of me so many times when I have been sick, worked 3 jobs at once when we found out we were pregnant with our first child, bought me a house to raise my family in after we had our baby, let me quit after we had our second child to finally be an at-home-mommy, Talked me into having a third child - giving me three beautiful boys (little Mini-me Cody's!) Takes over completely when I need a break from those three boys, and continues to support us more than I can ever thank him for. I fell in love with him the second I saw him at Subway (where I know he was 'checking me out' although he won't admit it!) and love him more than I could ever imagine. Happy 8th babe! (I looked through every picture I have and I didn't have any pictures of the two of us together... sad huh?)


I also thought this would be appropriate under our Thankful category. Recently, our good friends have lost their Grandmas on both sides of their family. It has really made me appreciate the time we have with our families. We are so lucky to have such good parents and siblings that love us, take good care of us and are amazing examples. We love you guys so much!

Michael's Eating!

I'm horrible at downloading my pictures so I'm always late on my posts, but I figured I can post this one without feeling bad about not having any pictures. After 14 and a half months of nursing every 3-ish hours (which calculates almost 9,000 meals and totals propbably around 3,000 hours - which is 125 days feeding him), Michael is choosing to eat food!!! We went to his 1 year checkup and the doctor was very concerned that Michael still refused to eat any type of food. I had just thought this would work itself out but the doctor told me about things this would cause that I had never imagined. He only weighed 20.8 pounds, which for most of you mothers is about average, but for my children where Caden weighed 22.8 pounds at 7 months and Trey not far behind that, makes Michael tiny. Our Christmas Miracle came 2 weeks early when I was eating, Michael actually grabbed food off my plate, chewed and swallowed the food!!! Ever since then, he eats some food at every meal! Just like that, he eats. I still have to nurse him but not near as long. It's amazing how it takes a crazy little baby like this to appreciate the little things in life, such as babies eating food. I am so grateful for our miracle and will always know that there was divine help involved.

Halloween!... in Decomber?!?

Trey and Caden were all about Halloween this year, trying on their costumes weekly since August! Our Disneyland trip made their costumes even better cause they both got to pick out guns to match. Caden was a scary, boney Jack Sparrow, Trey was a fast, crime fighting Buzz Lightyear and Michael was the cute little crawley Squirt the Turtle (from Finding Nemo). Just like last year, Trey was the leader with Caden following behind. "Trunk or Treat" Trey would yell from door to door, then Caden would politely Thank them while walking away. I'm curious what Michael will add to their routine next year!

Michael's ONE! a month and a half ago...

My little Michael is 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks and 2 days old today :) Sorry I'm so late Mooser! I can't believe how fast time went by! He now has 10 teeth with 2 more molars on their way and still refuses to do much more with them than smile at everyone! He is so close to walking, hanging onto anything, including the walls to get his balance back. When I tell him to Walka Walka, he'll get this huge smile on his face and take off... His feet go much faster than the rest of his body and he ends up falling usually after 4 steps! Every morning he has a little baby checklist that he must complete 5-6 times a day, which includes things such as getting the pots and pans out, measuring spoons and cups, dumping food off the turn table then stacking all that he can and spilling what doesn't make it that far. I've never been so entertained and frustrated at the same time! Allthough he can't say much that anyone but our family can understand - Dad, DaDa (Caden) Da (Trey) BaDa (Blankie), he can say sounds for Elephant, Monkey, Puppy and most recently Santa! He is becoming such a fun toy for me and the boys :) He laughs when we laugh, Cries when he gets the slightest bonk, Gets tears immediately when crying, Thinks the world is over if Mommy walks out of the room, Claps if anyone says Yeay, Yells the second we turn the car off thinking we're going to leave him, Hits the heads of anyone he sees sleeping if he's not, Says Ooooh, oooooh, oooooh when he get's excited, Blows when he sees steam (cause it's hot!), HAS to stick his finger in your mouth for no good reason, Chews on the crocheted corners of his blankie making the most awful squeeky sound, Thinks Mommy is his little drinking fountain, and is the cutest little Michael Moo that I know! We love the little Milk-Drinking baby so much! Happy late Birthday!!!

Caden made Michael a Birthday rattle out of an old paper towel roll and rice!


Michael refusing to eat his birthday cake.

Little Diddy about me

I always feel like I need to have a picture to go with my post and since I haven't unloaded them off the camera, I haven't posted anything. I got tagged instead... sorry there's no pictures :)

5 THINGS...

10 years ago:
1. I had just asked someone to my first school dance with Kay and Ang. We spent almost $30 buying all this stuff to ask the guy in a cute way and as a response I got slime in a bucket. Thanks again Aaron.
2. I was driving 1/2 hour to work at a Subway, funny huh?
3. Gas was only $1 per gallon, which is why I could afford to drive that far to work. I could fill my car with a $20 and still get change!
4. I was thrilled to drive a turquoise Toyota Carolla instead of the family Van.
5. I was a typical 16 year old boy crazy girl... stupidly embarrassing to think back 10 years ago.

5 Years ago:
1. I had been married for 2 1/2 years. One of those 19 year old Utah brides :)
2. My first baby Caden was 1 1/2 years old! We wanted to wait 5 years to have kids... 8 months after we were married, I was pregnant!
3. I still had to work at America First. We were so poor! Luckily enough, by the time I had Trey, I was able to quit for good!
4. We were still trying to put in our yard a year and a half after we moved in. Never thought it would cost so much and still isn't anything to look at.
5. We dressed Caden like Eeyore for Halloween. My mom bought the cutest little costume for him!

5 things on today's "to do" list:
1. clean house
2. give the boys hair cuts.
3. clean house again cause it's already messy.
4. make soup for a ward Halloween party.
5. give up cleaning the house! My boys win again.

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Chips and Salsa
2. Popcorn. The yummy, greasy horrible-for-you, movie theater kind.
3. Cheese Ball and Crackers
4. Graham crackers and yogurt. Together they taste almost pie-like!
5. Chocolate, even though it really falls into the treat category... I sure don't treat it that way.

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Pay off bills.
2. College/missionary/wedding funds for the kiddos.
3. Live at Disneyland :) Not really, just vacation there often!
4. Buy things unexpectedly for people, like dinner for strangers at the table across from you or the person standing in back of you at the register. How fun would that be?
5. Donate.

5 jobs I have had:
1. America First CU - Customer Service
2. Toys R Us - Cashier then moved up to the Service Desk
3. Lagoon - Vault Cash person (I can't remember the name!)
4. Subway - Sandwich Artist. Cody still says I make the best sandwiches ever.
5. Assembling bubble gum machine parts from home. Best job, thanks Bri!

I,I,I,I...

I have... 3 little boys full of energy!
I fear... change.
I always... brush my teeth. I can be almost asleep and HAVE to get up to brush... drives Cody nuts, huh Babe?
I feel... underqualified for this motherhood job... who knew it would be this demanding!
I hear... the wonderful sound of silence. All the kiddos are sleeping (including my sick hubby, which is why I'm not in there with him. I can't afford to get sick!)
I smell... my shampoo. I got to take an uninterrupted shower! That doesn't happen often!
I wish... My baby would eat normally.
I hate... being tickled. Horrible memories of being tickle tormented growing up.
I wonder... What my cute kids will look like when they are adults!
I regret... past actions.
I love... my family. I never knew I could love so many people so much.
I am... endlessly amazed at my children.
I think... Sound of Music is the best movie of all time.
I know.... Babies don't stay babies for long. Enjoy the quietness of those long naps!
I always... have to be doing something. Even if I'm watching TV, I usually am doing something else while watching.
I am not... paranoid. I don't get scared by being alone. I don't think anybody's after me. I guess in today's world, I should be more so though.
I am like... a child when I go to Disneyland. It has and always will be my favorite vacation spot and seems like I've passed on the love to my kids!
I believe... In miracles. They've happened so much in my life.
I don't always... Or hardly ever make my bed. Although I love bedspreads... go figure.
I am happy that... my Mom had 6 children. It gives me 5 other people that HAVE to be my friends, listen to me and love me no matter what!
I win... Arguments, or at least Cody is smart enough to make me think I do!
I lose... on 'are you smarter than a 5th grader?' I feel so stupid when I can't even answer the 2nd grade questions.
I never... Throw up. People tell me it makes you feel better but it terrifies me.
I need... My hubby more than he realizes. Everyday I can't wait until he gets home from work!
I listen... intently to Trey talk, he is SO hard to understand. Most of the time Caden has to translate for me. Cute boys!
I am scared of... being scared. I hate haunted houses, scary movies, being chased - anything that causes me to be more scared.
I read... when I can sneak it in, which is usually never! I honestly love to read though.
I tag... Anyone and everyone!

First Day of School

Caden is officially a Kindergartener! I took him to school the first day thinking he would have a hard time, maybe some tears and could picture myself having to tear him away as they dragged him to his classroom... Completely the opposite happened! I took pictures of every step as he got ready for school and when we first arrived. He couldn't figure out why this was such a production. He would ask 'why are you taking pictures of me brushing my teeth or putting on my socks? It's just not important.' When we got to school, he met up with 2 of his neighbor friends, chatted with them while they waited in line for the doors to open, and when they did, he followed his friends in without even so much as a glance over his shoulder! Surprisingly I didn't cry, but I left thinking WOW my boy is growing up... It's still hard to believe. Does everyone go through this or am I just crazy?
Now that he's been in over a week, he has the daily routine down, is making friends, learning spanish and is genuinely excited for school! I'm enjoying that, knowing that attitude won't last for many more years after this.
It's amazing how much he can learn in 3 hours from someone other than me. I'm having fun doing homework with him, although I know that attitude won't last much longer either :)

DISNEYLAND!!!

Seven years, 7 months and 7 days after Our Honeymoon, we FINALLY were able to take a family vacation to the Happiest Place on Earth!!!
We drove down starting Saturday afternoon and spent the night at our sweet friends, Adam and Cara's house. They let us eat, swim and, as an added bonus, got our boys all hopped up on ice cream! Caden and Trey LOVE the Rigby's party house! We got going again at 7 in the morning, knowing our boys would have a much harder time with the 8 hour drive ahead of us. We had to do some seating adjustments and feeding/pit stops along the way, but the boys completely surprised us and did wonderfully!
We spent 4 days in Disneyland and California Adventures. We decided that we wouldn't tell the boys anything about the rides, letting them decide how they liked each ride by themselves... After riding Indiana Jones and Space Mountain one right after the other, Caden let us know that he doesn't like the fast roller coaster rides. Trey on the other hand, loved them! When we would wait in line for a ride, Caden would remind us of his newfound fear and Trey would say "But I do!" He didn't want to miss anything.
With his shoes, Trey was EXACTLY 40 inches, which is the height requirement for many of the faster adult rides. It was great cause he could go with Cody or I when we couldn't bribe Caden to come with us. The downfall was is that the Disneyland Cast Members would measure him at least 3 times at the entrance to the line and 3 more times just before we got on the ride. He resisted at first but by the second day, whenever he saw a measure thingy, he'd take his hat off and stand right next to it, ready to be checked!
Caden's favorite rides were Autopia (I swear we spent most of our time waiting for this ride - we rode it at least 6 times!), Star Tours, Woody's arcade game and Splash Mountain. He loved watching the Jedi Training, even though he didn't get picked to be a trainee (they were riding autopia when it started but I saved them a spot) and Fantasmic which is my MOST favorite part of Disneyland as well.
Trey's favorite rides were Space Rollercoaster (space mountain), Buzz Lightyear, Pirates and Splash Mountain. He loved the Playhouse Disney Live show where one of his favorites, Rocket comes to life!
Everyday, we crammed as much in as we could, rides, parades, shows, fireworks. Now that we're home, I just laugh at how much we packed for a day at Disneyland. We had everything 'just in case' and it was great cause it seemed like each day we needed something else. Of course the things we didn't use as much as we should have was our Cameras. Does anyone take "enough" pictures? It seems like I'm always wishing I took more.
With the heat, all the walking, managing the boys plus Cody usually pushed an extra 100 pounds with the boys in the stroller, We were exhausted by the 4th day! We had arranged to leave in the morning after a full nights sleep, but because of Michael and not being in our own comfy beds, we hadn't ever had a good rest anyway. SO we packed up and left after watching the last firework show. Cody was amazing, driving the whole way, only resting once (I doubt he ever fell asleep because of the noisy boys!) . I, on the other hand, couldn't stay awake for anything! I tried tickling his back but realized my hand was falling further and further. Cody told me he would be talking to me or I would be responding and I fell asleep in the middle of sentences. I felt like someone slipped me a sleeping pill! We got home around noon the next day and started unpacking while Cody tried to crash... again, the boys didn't let him!
Not a day goes by when one of the boys doesn't mention something about Disneyland that they miss! We are counting the days until we can go back!!!