Summertime!!

I love having a little yard and my boys love being outside!  Lately, we have been throwing a blanket out and hanging out pretty much all day.  Our back yard is in the shade from about ten in the morning on so it is perfect for lazy summer days with my boys.  Sometimes we read books.  This day I was reading the most amazing book, The gift of giving life.  Sometimes we play with the ipod, sing songs, look at bugs or just talk.    I love them so much and I love that they love each other so much!!

Splish Splash

Jacers was getting a little big for the bathroom sink and I didn't feel like getting in today so we busted out our big sponge.  Man, he loved it!!! 

Jacoby was such a good helper and Jace was busy, busy kicking and splashing.  Jacoby had to remind him a few times that we don't splash in the tub- so funny!

Jace loves his bath time and splashing his brother!!

My little Gymnast

Jacoby did such a great job in his three year old gymnastics class.  It was the first time that he did a class by himself and he did fantastic!

He is getting really good at all of his tricks and he loves going!

His favorite parts of gymnastics are swinging into the foam pits, jumping on the trampolines and doing tricks according to him. 

and Jacers slept through most of gymnastics! 

I was a little nervous how he would do without me in class with him.  The first day he did great but I was still a little hesitant the next week.  He never missed a beat!  We would get there and he would want us to walk him out and then he was off.  Occasionally I would see him look up to find me and he would wave but for the most part he was so into class he hardly thought of me.  The second to last class his teacher came and found me and told me that she had kids and would want to know this.  Then she proceeded to tell me that Jacoby was the most well adjusted and best three year old listener she had ever taught and she has been teaching for over ten years.  It was really nice and is it bad that it was a little shocking :)

Jacoby's Pictures

Jacoby's new favorite thing to do is take pictures.  He is constantly taking them on my phone.  If he doesn't have a camera with him, he pretends to take pcitures with his hands and then shows me the picture he has taken.  I have the most random pictures.  The other day at the doctor's office he must have taken 20 pictures of the floor, ceiling, walls, doctor's shoes, etc.  It is fun to look through them and see life according to Jacoby.  Here are a few of his recent pictures. 

Sweet Baby

I bought this outfit when I was pregnant with Jace and didn't know that he was a boy but I am a sucker for vintage baby clothes and thought it was adorable so I took it home.  It was even cuter on!  He is just so cute!  I had also taken my mother's day photography class on Friday and wanted to try out some of new tricks.  He is such a cute little model.

Sand Box

We bought Jacoby a sand box and he loves it!  I knew he would.  The first full day that we had it, he woke up at 7:30 and by 7:45 he was in it in his jammies and we had to pull him out at 8:30 that night to go to bed.  Jace and I bring out a blanket on the grass and watch him play.  I am pretty sure we will spend hours doing this all summer.

Sleeping Baby

One of my absolute favorite parts of having a baby is having them sleep on me.  I am pretty sure that I could never get sick of feeling their sweet breath on my skin and feeling the rise and fall of their breath.  Even though I don't get those quiet moments near as much with Jace because I have another one running around I still try and steal as many as I can.  In those quiet moments my heart skips a beat and I try to memorize every second of those special moments.  This sweet baby of mine has stolen my heart, every bit of it! 

Mother's Day 2012

 I wasn't in the best of moods when I woke up on Mother's Day.  It had been a long night of a slight meltdown and very little sleep but Jarod took Jacoby and Jace and I slept in.  Then when I got up they had made blueberry pancakes and I was in a much better mood!

 We got ready for church and the took a few pictures on our way out the door with my sweet boys who I love more than anything!

 We got to church and all the kids went up to the front to sing and it was the first time that my child was up there.  It was so funny!  First of all he kept telling Jarod that he was scared so we told him he didn't have to go up there but then he told us he was a super hero and was so brave so then he wanted to.  When it was time, he was so excited and when straight up and right in the middle, where he stood the entire time just looking at the crowd.  He didn't sing at all but just stared at everyone with this funny look on his face.  Jarod and I were cracking up!  He threw in a couple of waves as well. 
Later in relief society the Bishop spoke and it was awesome!  I love our Bishop.  At the end of his talk, the primary kids all came in and sang again.  Jacoby walked through the door and ran over to me and yelled surprise then went back with the other kids.  He actually sang this time and smiled and waved at me.  It was adorable and I cried the entire time!  The lady next to me told me that Jacoby looked like an angel and I couldn't have agreed more in that moment.  It was a very special moment and then he came over and gave me a huge hug and kiss and gave me this pretty necklace that I have on.  (I had to wear it for days after Mother's day we well.  He would run and find it and have me wear it!).  It had all the nice things he was going to do for me like help with Jace, clean the hallway (not sure what he meant by that?), clean his room and do the dishes. 

He was insistent when we got home that he did all of those things.  Jarod and Jacoby made a steam pot for dinner.  It was so good!  One of my favorites for sure.

Jacoby loves clams and he loves playing with the shells as well.

Jacers was happy just kicking around while we ate.

After dinner, Jacoby did the dishes with a little help from Daddy.  He thought it was so cool!  Maybe I should let him do it more often other then my entire kitchen was soaked but that is an easy fix.

The boys got me a new bike trailer that we tested out and loved.  They signed me up for a photography class.  That was awesome!  And they gave me the book, "The gift of giving life" which is the best book I have ever read and very fitting for Mother's Day.  I had been waiting for it to come and it was worth the wait. 

I am so glad to be a mother.  I know that this is my calling in life.  There is nothing that I enjoy more then being with my family and being a mother to my baby boys.  They are my everything and I am so thankful for them every day!

4 Months Old!

Wow, can you really be four months!!  You are so incredible and I am so glad that you are mine.  I love you more than I can explain and I hope that you will grow up feeling the love that I have for you.  You have blessed my life in the last four months so much.  You are the sweetest baby boy and bring me so much joy!  Here are a few things that you are up to.
1.  Love to suck on your hands, fingers and anything else you can get in your mouth.  You have found your thumb and love it but I am trying to enforce the binkie instead.
2.  You love to nurse.  You love to play with my hair or my shirt when I am nursing you
3.  You love your brother and love watching him in action.  He loves to kiss you and you love it most of the time but when you are done you tell him so
4.  Your whole face lights up when you see me and you are constantly keeping your eyes on me
5.  You fall asleep all by yourself these days.  You love to be in your bed with a binkie and a blankie that you snuggle with during the day.
6.  You also love to sleep in my arms
7.  At night, you always start out in your bed but you always end up in my arms.  You like to snuggle all night long.  You like to sleep on your side with your face right in my face.
8.  You don't like your binkie other then when you are tired and you never like it in the middle of the night
9.  You are wearing size 3-6 months and size two diapers
10.  You love being in the bouncy and kicking your legs
11.  You cannot stand tummy time
12.  You can roll over from your back to your tummy but not the other way around.
13.  You are really enjoying your toys.  You like to look at them and swat at them

You are still the happiest baby ever and we love you so much!!

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Mom,
I wanted to write you a letter for Mother's Day and I know that I could have sent it but I really wanted to put it on my blog for my children to see some day to know how much I appreciate my own mother.  So here it goes.
For the last few months, as you know I feel like I have been on an amazing journey.  One that has made me appreciate you so much more than I ever have before.  I think you are amazing!  I think that you are the best mom and I am so thankful that you are my mom.  I am so thankful that I was sent to you.  Thank you for giving me life.  Thank you for carrying me for ten months.  Thank  you for enduring the pain that you endured for me to come to this earth.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  Thank you for being you and being so selfless.  Thank you for all the sacrifices that you made in your own life for me. Thank you for following the spirit instead of doing the popular thing.    Thank you for putting me before yourself so many times and thank you for teaching me the things that you taught me.  Thank you for being such an amazing example of what a wonderful mother is.  Thank you for loving me as much as  you do and thank you for being my friend.  I love you and appreciate you so much!  Happy Mother's Day Mom!!

Grandma GG visits

 Grandma GG came to Cincinnati for a visit.  We were so excited to have her.  She hasn't been out to visit me since I have been married so it had a been a long time.  We kept her busy from the first day.  We had a Cinco di Mayo celebration. 

 We took her to the aquarium and Tom and Chee for lunch.  We all had a great time even Jacers!

 We spent lots of time at home and on the swing.  Jace's favorite place to be.  I hit my grandma up for lots of advice on what we should do to our yard and where we should plant certain things.  It was so much easier showing her then describing it over the phone!

 Jacers had lots of smiles and giggles for Grandma GG

 We took some picture of my grandma for her new online dating adventures

 We took everyone out to Wild Ginger for sushi.  Jacoby has been asking to go for a while so we finally took him and he loved it and so did Grandma GG.  It was Jacoby first time at 3 and GG's at 74.

Jarod was traveling most of the time when she was here and it was so nice to have company.  We watched some shows and talked a lot.  I love my grandma very much and it was so nice to have her in my house with my babies.  It was so nice for them to spend so much time with her.  Hopefully it is not another ten years before another visit :)