February in Pics

I made a goal this month to take snap shots. I always want my pics to have nice light, good composition, etc. So I miss alot of moments. So I made myself take pics this month regardless of all that.  

Unfortunatly, this isn't a rarity.  I will avoid dishes until we are eating out of tuperware.  

Both my kids love sitting on the counter.  Its one of the few things guaranteed to make Jens stop crying. 

Sharing a Sundae

Eating breakfast.

Jens LOVES these bunnies. I make sure he has them for bedtime and he grabs them, hugs, laughs, kisses, snuggles them.  Its adorable.  

Quinn has gotten into legos.  

He can't seem to keep his clothes on. Ever. 

Daddy and the boys doing INSANITY-an exercise video.

This is the second time Quinn slammed his finger in a door.  Its scary when it first happens because his finger goes absolutely flat.  This is the 2nd day and it looks alot better. Love his sad little face. 

"Hey mom, take a picture of me while I be crazy."

Best looking apple pie I've ever made because I used store bought crusts.  

Thurm after he ran a 10k on Saturday.  

Playing at the park. This winter has been so awesome.  There has been so many nice days. 

Making homemade playdough. Quinn just loved putting the food coloring in. 

January

Man-I'm not doing great at blogging, a post a month.  January has been just what I wanted... a whole lotta nothing.  I have been looking forward to not having anything to do.  Last Sunday I got home from church took an hour and half nap, woke up long enough to go lay by Thurm on the couch, fell asleep for another hour.  One day, the only thing I did besides take care of my children was go on a walk.  I think I have till the end of Feb to enjoy my leisurely schedule and I'm going to soak up every minute.
There has been alot of reading and movie watching going on this month. Thurm has been practicing the piano (he got a keyboard for Christmas) for an hour a night. He has inspired me to practice as well, though I haven't been as faithful.  He makes me so mad though... I had 4-5 years of piano as a child and 6 years of choir. He had a year of piano lessons from his mom and he has almost caught up with me on his piano skills. He is naturally very musical, so I'm not surprised.
Jens has been sick off and on for about a month now. He has had ear infections, throwing up, diarrhea, fevers, etc. Poor kid hasn't been very happy.  But when he is feeling good, he is delightful.  He is so rambunctious and loves when daddy comes home to wrestle and be rowdy.  He is also so sweet and cuddly, one of his favorite things still is to be wrapped in his blanket and cradled.  Jens loves to run. He says "go" and takes off running with Quinn.  That and yelling are those boy's favorite activities.  Jens wakes me up every morning from his crib yelling "mom... mom... mom... mom."  He is still an awesome sleeper---bedtime at 6pm, wakes at 7:30am, takes a nap from 1pm-4pm.
Mr. Quinn is getting sassier, sillier, smarter, and funnier than ever. He loves to tease and say "are you serious?" or "come on!" or "what!?" He has a sense of humor well beyond his years. He is constantly surprising me with how witty he can be.  He came into the room the other day and said "mom, I'm hungry."  Then he opens his palm full of nuts and says "good thing I have these nuts."   Quinn loves to find "Q's" in books, on objects, wherever and say "MOM! Its my letter!!!"  Whenever he hears a song on the radio that he likes, he says "mom is this my song?"  and I say yes : ) One day we heard "Red, red wine" by UB40 and he asked if it was his song. I told him no, it was Uncle Wade's song. That song always reminds me of him, haha.
I somehow got wrapped into a New Years resolution that I had no intention of doing.  My friend and I have exercised 4-5 days a week since Jan 1st.  It just happened so easily-we just started doing it. I wish everything that was good for me, just happened so easily.  Thurm made some lofty New Years goals, and many of them. I had none.
I have a picture of a counter full of dirty dishes to post, but I'm too lazy to go down and get my camera to upload it. Maybe next time. Its a good one, it looks like a picture Dr. Seuss might have drawn. But dishes have become absolutely ridiculous. I don't like doing them, but its gotten out of control.  We ate cereal from tupperware for breakfast, drank from old bike water bottles, and I make our food choices based on if it can be microwaved on a paper plate.  I'm down to doing the dishes about once a week and we don't have enough dishes to quite make it that long.  We are getting a new fridge delivered tomorrow, but I think we bought the wrong appliance.  Next time it will be a dishwasher.

December in Pictures

I found this armoire at the DI for $25.  

I broke a hinge, and I STILL haven't gone to home depot for new ones, so its still missing a door. 

Jens had some SERIOUSLY long hair growing.  But Thurm wanted him to keep it long till Christmas so everyone could see how cute it was. No one said "cute" they all said "whoa, he needs a haircut.  Thurm was disappointed. 

He wasn't a fan of getting his hair cut.  

Christmas!!! We spent Christmas at my parent's house. 

We woke up Christmas morning, opened our stockings, ate breakfast, then went to church. We finished opening presents after church.  Quinn was fun this year. He finally got the idea of presents. He would open one, glance at it and find his next one to open.  

Christmas morning craziness! Everyone in my family was there except my little brother's family. They were missed. 

Quinn & Jens got a bunny. Quinn wasn't too impressed---he's been a little OCD lately about germs and getting dirty. I think thats why he wasn't excited.  

This is what it looked like for a week straight---EVERYONE on some sort of electronic handheld device. iTouch, iPad, Kindle, iPhone. Two thirds of the family got some electronic for Christmas. At one point I walked into the room and I was the ONLY one not staring at a screen.  

November in pictures

Jens gives everyone kisses before bedtime. He is always willing to give multiple kisses  :) Such a sweetie. 

He really was eating out of a measuring cup for dinner because there were no clean plates or bowls ( I loathe dishes).
I did have clean forks though, he just is a silly boy.  

Christmas Tree

Love those lashes.

Peek-a-boo!

Found these cute vintage-looking ABC's online. Just printed them and sewed them into a banner. 

These are my rejected Christmas card pictures.  

I like this one, but I needed more Christmas lights behind them. And I wish you could see that they were reading the Polar Express. I tried getting this shot for 30 minutes, but really needed an assistant.  Cute faces though. 

Thurm let me take some pictures of him after a haircut and beard trim, so he took a few of me too.  

I just think my husband is so handsome.  I think he's hotter and love him more than the day we got married.
 He's great. 

November {I am thankful...}

{Nov 19} I am thankful to be a mother.  I have many friends who are single and who want to be married with children. I remember being in their shoes and pushing away sad, empty feelings and replacing them with adventure, self improvement, friends, work. I have several friends who are trying to get pregnant or trying to adopt.  Friends who it took years and lots of money to have children. Alot of days I take for granted that I am a mother. That I am entrusted with these little, completely trusting, innocent people. I forget that every word I say, action I take is shaping them for better and for worse.  

Today Quinn had a melt down. The kind where no amount of reason, explaining or logic will talk him down.  He was out of his mind and almost drove me out of mine. But then later at dinner he volunteered to say the prayer, which he never does.  I watched his sweet, little face as he prayed and it was one of those moments that made parenting the best job in the world.  I mostly held back the tears.  I hope I remember that moment forever and can conjure it up in the moments where I want to ring his neck ; ) Being a mother is the most satisfying, fulfilling, wonderful, happy, joyful roles I have ever been blessed with.  

{Nov 20} I am thankful for BOOKS!!! I love reading and seriously cannot understand people who don't feel the same.  Sure I can learn how to sew from a youtube video, but its nice to have a book about it.  Sure I watch "The Time Travelers Wife," but man, the book is a millions times better and more satisfying.    

{Nov 21} I am thankful for the internet. What did we do before the internet?!! I seriously remember wondering about so many things when I was younger and I just thought to myself "hmmm, guess I'll never know."  Or wondering about something and trying to find in in an encyclopedia.  I should count how many times a day I wonder about something and google it.  I google recipes, directions,  how to crochet a scarf, how to fix a leaky toilet, what IS this Occupy thing everyone is talking about?  

November {I am thankful...}

{Nov 11} I am thankful for photography. I've been taking photos for 15 years and its still not boring. I love how a change in light can make anything beautiful.
{Nov 12} I am thankful for music. Music makes everyday better.  Its fun to see how musical Quinn is. Its just apart of his makeup.
{Nov 13} I am thankful for Christmas. I already have my Christmas stuff up. I know, I know, its a bit early. But its never enough time : ) I love this time of year because everyone is feeling the love, trying to be better, serving one another, giving, loving. What's not to love about Christmas?!

{Nov 14} I am thankful for nature. I can't believe how much pleasure I get out of mountains and green plants. When we lived in Wendover, a flat, desert, we drove through Logan in May. I seriously teared up over all the mountains and lush, green plants, trees, flowers, etc.  I MISSED seeing those things.
{Nov 15} I am thankful for the friends I have in my life. I have really good friends : ) I'm lucky.
{Nov 16} I am thankful for my ward. I've never lived in a ward that I was instantly made apart of a family like this one.  I feel like I could ask one of fifty people to take my kids or call during an emergency.
{Nov 17} I am thankful for my calling as primary president.  Its been a huge blessing for me and I've grown spiritually, as a leader, in compassion, in my love for others, and a million other ways.
{Nov 18} I am thankful for all our material comforts.  We have everything we need and how many people can say that? Not most of the world. We have so much and are so blessed.

November { I am thankful...}

{Nov 8th} I am thankful for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I'm a skeptic and question everything. Even when I feel firm in my testimony, I still question and seek out answers to things. The more I study, question, and delve into this gospel, the more convinced I am of its truth.  

{Nov 9th} I am thankful for art and creativity.  I never think of myself as an artistic person.  Its just not a title I've owned yet.  I've owned single girl, business woman, married woman, mom, photographer... but don't title myself as artistic.  But I am. I love art and creating things and always have.  Thurm and I talked about this a few weeks ago. We find things we are good at early in life and usually stick to them.  We consider these our talents. But why can't I be a pianist at age 32?  Why can't I become a runner after having four kids? These aren't things that I'm good at now, but its not too late to find new titles for ourselves.  So I'm setting some goals to be an artist, a runner, a musician, an activist....

{Nov 10th} I am thankful for my brain. There is absolutely no way to write this without sounding cocky and pretentious, but I'm thankful to be smart.  School has always been relatively easy (except statistics, accounting, finance, anything that was required for my major ; ). I can pretty much figure whatever I want out and catch onto things quickly.  Today I fixed TWO toilets and was pretty proud.  Thurm comes home and tells me about kids that he teaches who have serious mental problem and just don't have the capacity to learn.  It makes me feel blessed that learning isn't one of the things I struggle with in life.  

November { i am thankful...}

{Nov 1st} I am so thankful for my husband. He is my best friend. We spend alot of time together and its always a fun time. He makes my life not so serious--he's a great balance for me.  He loves me unconditionally and is completely supportive. I've never met someone like that---that no matter how I act, what I do, how fat I get, he still worships me.  He is so different from anyone I've met. I really admire that he is never bored in life-he always interested in something, like gardening, running, cooking, reading, hiking, biking, playing guitar, bird-watching, looking for toads, whatever... he is interested in it. He is the most loving husband and daddy. We are so lucky.

{Nov 2nd} I am so thankful for Quinn. He is hilarious. He makes us laugh every single day.  Right now he is into "friends" which are basically imaginary friends.  One day he found three "leaf friends."  I was painting my finger nails so he wanted to paint the leaves fingernails too.  This last week he has had some paper friends.  One morning I found them a little wet and covered in toothpaste with the toothbrush lying next to them.  Thurm said he had been in the bathroom the night before getting them ready for bed.  Quinn is silly like his daddy and will do anything to get us to laugh.

{Nov 3rd} I am thankful for Jens.  Jens and I are alike. We get each other.  He is a little busy-body and can entertain himself for hours just walking around the house discovering things.  He loves to tease Quinn.   More than once Jens has snatched away a toy from Quinn and ran.  He LOVES to read books. He would read all day long if I would read to him.  I have to put him to bed with a book now.  And he is just so cute to look at.

{Nov 4th} I am thankful for our house. Its old, has some problems, needs to be updated, but its ours and its comfortable for us.  We love our huge back yard, nice neighborhood, and our newly finished bedroom.   Its nice to have space of our own.

{Nov 5th} I am thankful for Thurm's job. Teachers are completely under paid and under appreciated, BUT he likes it and is good at it and the kids love him.  Its a job that won't go away in a bad economy and it has great vacation perks!

{Nov 6th} I am thankful to be healthy.  All the toys, comforts, travel, etc are useless if you are sick or don't feel good.  I am thankful that me and my family and healthy 99% of the time.

{Nov 7th} I am thankful for FOOD! Oh man, I love food. In the paper there was an advertisement for "Food addicts annonymous" and I seriously considered going- I probably still can.   I just don't get people that just "eat to live."  Food is such a joyful part of life.  Well, the cooking and dishes I could do without most days.  I think I'm feeling so thankful for food today because I'm fasting and baking bread and the same time--bad idea.