Blessed....

Today WORE ME OUT! All I have to say is that after 2 1/2 hours of begging, hoping, yelling and giving up the kids DIDN'T NAP! AND they woke up BJ so we left the house to try and give him a FEW good hours of sleep!

There were a few points that I wanted to
STOP, SIT and CRY!

After getting the boys in bed I saw this video on another blog and I realized how BLESSED I am to have what I have EVEN on days like today!

Footprints in the Sand! (It made me CRY)

THANK YOU Heavenly Father for loving me enough to give me my sweet, spirited boys, my compassionate and understanding husband and a
BEAUTIFUL FULL LIFE!
I am sorry for not seeing all that I have!

Halloween Playdate With Amber

Amber invited us over for a Halloween Play date with the kids in her Daycare! There were TONS of kids there! Amber is really incredible, she has her 2 kids plus 5 others! So with my boys there were 9 kids all under the age of 5! It was a lot! But she handles it so smoothly! I wish I had her easy going attitude!

I brought a really simple craft over! Everyone got to pick out a pumpkin shape and then their own eyes, noses and mouths! We talked about shapes and the conversation ended up on scary verses silly pumpkins!
This is Spencer's MONSTER pumpkin with 4 eyes!

Then Amber had a YUMMY activity where the kids put together cups of dirt and worms! It was really simple and delicious! Crumbled up cookies, chocolate pudding and whip cream and gummy worms! TADA! The kids loved eating the dirt!
I wasn't able to get a lot of GOOD pictures because it seemed like we were always helping or cleaning or stopping a potential fight!
We had a great afternoon, even thought it was very INTENSE! I truly don't think I could EVER do a Daycare! But I love visiting with Amber and the boys really enjoy playing with AJ and the other kids! Hopefully they will crash and take a nap! I am looking forward to a quiet afternoon..... crossing my fingers and my toes!

Halloween Test Run

Yesterday was all about Halloween!
I hate to admit it but this year we didn't make it to the Pumpkin Patch so we had to buy our pumpkins at the store (grumble grumble grumble!) Of course the kids didn't even notice, they were so excited to see all the different sizes and shapes they just got right in there and found "their" perfect pumpkin!After nap time we decided to carve our pumpkins! Spencer was really excited to use the "special" pumpkin knives! He was a little surprised about all the pumpkin mush inside! Both Spencer and Cooper were a little nervous to dig in and help Mom clean it out! Of course my messy boys eventually jumped right in and got all "PUMKINY", Spencer uses the big words to describe new experiences!He picked out the picture he wanted on the pumpkin ( after I let him down easily about not having a Superman or Backyardigins pictures, what can I say I am not THAT into pumpkin carving!!) He helped me trace the picture and then cheered me on as I cut it out! He was really nervous to get in there! After our 2 big pumpkins were carved Spencer asked if he could try all by himself? So I let him experiment! The outcome was a mini pumpkin with LOTS of stab marks and small circle wholes cut into it! But he was VERY PROUD of his carving job, so I am TOO!
In the evening we had our
WARD HALLOWEEN PARTY!
The kids got all dressed up! Spencer was SO EXCITED to get into his costume! And for the first time IN HIS LIFE, was willing to let me style his hair! With one IMPORTANT condition, that I be sure to put the Superman "S" curl in the front! He was very still while I styled it and VERY careful to not bump anything so that the "S" could dry!Cooper was a DIFFERENT story! He hated putting on the costume (screaming for about 10 minutes) and then FREAKED out when we tried to put the mask and cape on! We held firm, and let him cry it out! Because looking cute for Halloween is fun and YOU WILL LIKE IT! :) Don't worry he totally came around and had a great time at the party, we aren't COMPLETELY heartless!The ward party was A LOT of fun! They had lots and lots of games! Spencer said his favorite was bowling and the "Cat-A-Polt!" The kids really enjoyed the party and loved seeing all the other costumes Spencer is really excited for FRIDAY! Hopefully this little bit of time as Batman will help Cooper have a better time while we are trick or treating!Looking very enthusiastic, while waiting his turn in line!
Our mellowed out little BATMAN!

Cedar Canyon

Sunday was a beautiful day here in Cedar City! Warm 75 degrees and Sunny! So we decided to get out and have an afternoon drive! BJ took us up Cedar Canyon! None of us knew where we were going, which made it even more fun! Even though every 2 minutes Spencer would ask if we were going to the park? We reached a great scenic overview and decided to get out and have a little walk! ( I called it a hike at first and BJ told me it was much more of a WALK!)

This was the view from the top, where we stopped!
We walked down a trail that goes all the way back down to Cedar City, of course we only walked 30-35 minutes of the trail! But the kids had a lot of fun being outside! I was a little nervous about Cooper running the trail! But once we let him down he giggled and chased after Spencer till he was worn out!

We all really enjoyed getting outside! I am hoping for a few more Sundays of SUN! So we can go find a few more fun walks (or HIKES depending on who you talk to!! :) to explore!
Oh and on the way home we DID stop at a PARK for Spencer since he was so good, and very PERSISTENT about stopping!

Jenise's Bday Celebration

Jenise came up to celebrate her Birthday on Saturday! We had a lot of fun! She brought up a Haunted Gingerbread house to decorate with the kids! The boys ate a TON of the candy and frosting! And a few times they went right to licking it off the house!
Spencer and Coop made Jenise a Birthday Girl crown and card! Spencer was so proud of it! He said he wanted to put pretty beads on it because Jenise is pretty!
In the afternoon J and I went to see Eagle Eye, IT WAS CRAZY intense but REALLY good! IT was nice to just get out together! Then BJ and the kids met us at Chilies and we had a yummy Birthday dinner!
Jenise had to work super early on Sunday so we went back to the house for a Mint Chocolate Cake, which we all had trouble eating since dinner was so filling!

I know the kids and I had a great day hanging out with Auntie J! I hope she had a great Birthday DAY with us too!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY J WE LOVE YOU!

Just a Bowl and Spoon

Cooper has this funny habit I have been meaning to capture! Whenever he has a snack, even if its a finger food he goes and gets a bowl and a spoon! Most of the time he gets MULTIPLE bowls out so he can transfer the food to lots of different containers!

I cant decide if the does it because he is SO proud of his ability to use a spoon and fork? Or if he just likes to be big and thinks that if he gets out EVERY dish we have he will be more like Mom and Dad?And after a while he pulls out the big guns and just goes for it with his fists, still holding onto the spoon! He doesn't want to let his image go!
It is so funny and he NEVER FAILS to do it! I hope these pictures portray the scene! Cause it makes me grin every time!

Just a Little B-Ball in the Living Room

This afternoon BJ had a couple hours after class before he had to leave for work! SO we brought the basketball hoop into the living room and the boys had a ..... BALL!

I had a hard time getting great pictures because they were all running around so fast!
This is Spencer throwing the ball backwards!
And this is Cooper trying his very best to lift that big ball over his head so he can get a lot of power behind that throw!

Whenever BJ has time to play with the boys they just EAT IT UP! They love spending BOY time with Dad, and I know he treasures the time he gets to play with them! And luckily for me nothing was broken during this
BOY BONDING TIME!

Old Fashioned Ice Cream

About a week ago I found this Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor on main street! It was super cute and SUPER cheep! We have been meaning to go since last week and tonight we FINALLY got some friends together and headed over!
Trevor and Marita and
Dang, Amber and their 2 kids AJ and Aubry came with us!

We all got something yummy and relaxed while the kids ran around and enjoyed all the stuffed animals and toys! There was no one else in the store and the kids were really good listeners so it was a lot of fun!
Spencer loved his cotton candy ice cream and sprinkles! That face is a happy one, just in case you were concerned!
While Cooper couldn't separate himself from Mom's HUGE drink (that was only 1.09!!!!) We usually don't let him have Mom's pop but we were all indulging so why not!!! And as you can tell he was shocked and excited!
It was a lot of fun, I cant wait to go back!

Painting Pumpkins

After a busy day of errands and a nice long nap Spencer reminded me that he had 3 CTR stickers on his chart and that he wanted to do the pumpkin craft we had prepared for earlier in the day! I was thrilled he had done so well during the day and that he was using his chart the only problem was it was 6:00, I had to make dinner, keep the kids quiet so BJ could sleep till 7:00 so we could then go to a Ice Cream Parlor downtown with some friends! AHHHH!! I couldn't say no and he HAD earned it! SO I decided to jump in and put on the "SuperMOM" cape!
(Or go down trying)

So we got out the paint and the pumpkins and went to work! Luckily our apartment is so small I can see the table and cook up dinner at the same time! Spencer did a great job on his pumpkins, he had fun painting faces and using all the colors he could! He was very patient with my attempts to multi task, and would ask me to come over every once and a while to check his progress! And was very understanding!
Cooper (as always) was DESPERATE to be involved! So I let him climb up on the table with a dry brush and pretend to paint, that lasted just long enough to get the pesto sauce and chicken under control so I could help him with the real paint!
He was SO thrilled to try!
He ended up getting most of the paint on the pumpkin or the paper below him! Every now and then I would remind him to aim for the pumpkin, which he would do! As soon as he saw the paint hit the pumpkin he would drop his brush and start clapping! He had such a great time! After seeing the accomplishment on his face I am re-dedicating myself to being patient enough to include him in our crafts! (Even if it does mean taking the magic eraser to the table after each craft:)
Coopers Special Pumpkin!
The finished product!
And just as a recap we did get to eat and get out the door by 7:15! YEA! Nothing was cleaned up but BOTH the kids loved the craft, they eat dinner and we all left the house without any yelling or tears ALMOST on time! I'm not saying I've earned the "SuperMOM Cape" completely yet but it turned out to be a good evening and the dishes did get done before bed!!!

A Little Boost!

I have been feeling a little overwhelmed and if you were to ask BJ I think he would whisper, A BIT MOODY lately! Sometimes it feels like life is SO full of ups and down and things to do and problems to fix that I get TIRED! But today while trying to RELAX from the constant uncomfortable feeling of being almost 8 months PREGNANT! I read something that stopped my pity party mid step!

I was reading the October Ensign and came across 2 articles that talked about how the Lord can help us through something that we couldn't do on our own! And with this baby knocking on the door, and the boys I have pounding my door down these articles were just what I needed!

Let me just put in the 2 quotes that I have read over and over today!

From "The Lord Can Ease Our Burdens"
“[The Lord] gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain.”
“To exercise faith is to trust that the Lord knows what He is doing with you and that He can accomplish it for your eternal good even though you cannot understand how He can possibly do it.”

And From "Why Did the Lord Call ME?"
“the Lord can draw a straight line with even the most crooked of sticks.”
"I am strengthened when I remember that Christ’s commandment is not for me to become perfect and then come to Him. Instead, He invites me—and each one of us—to come unto Him and to be perfected in Him."

Maybe these little quotes will lift you up the next time you feel OVERWHELMED by life's many demands! I am grateful for the ride and hope that I can keep a good attitude and have a little faith in the PLAN no matter what comes my way!

Superman Flys In....

If you were one of the MANY who had to hear me OBSESS over Halloween costumes this year, I am sorry! But I have GOOD news, the costumes arrived today so I wont have to go on about it ANYMORE! This year we decided to take the easy way out and buy costumes instead of have Gramzie make them or for me to try and come up with something!

Spencer REALLY REALLY wanted to be SUPERMAN and wanted Cooper to be BATMAN! I tried convincing him it would be fun to be something creative like Curious George and the Man in the Yellow hat or a Pirate and a Monkey or Parrot! But he held firm and so I decided to just run with it!

We found this GREAT SUPERMAN costume online with a nifty belt and built in red "Superman boots" which were a specific request from my very own little Superman! Anyway as soon as Spencer realized what was in the package we had to have a preview and try it on! He LOVED IT! He noticed all kinds of small details and just fell in love, so it turned out to be a MAJOR success! He even had to try it on again when Dad woke up! They had a wrestling match and of course Superman WON!

Cooper on the other hand wanted NOTHING to do with his costume! So that might be a challenge, but we have a couple weeks to warm him up!

Choose the Right FHE

I am going to be quick today, I have had a LONG day! I went into the dentist only to find out I need a root canal! YUCK! SO it was kinda a bum start to the day but we ended with a good FHE so here it goes....

I wanted to FINALLY make a chart that rewards Spencer's good behavior (because he really does do lots of GREAT things!) And I feel like I spend WAY TO MUCH TIME correcting him and telling him NO!

So tonight we did a FHE on Choosing the Right! First we sang a new song "Choose the Right Way" it kinda got us going on the idea of "Choose the right way and BE HAPPY!" Then we played a little game! I had one happy face that represented wise choices or CHOOSING THE RIGHT and a sad face that represented CHOOSING THE WRONG! I had printed out a few examples and we pulled them out of the had and Spencer decided if "sharing," "yelling," "going to nursery class," and "saying prayers" was choosing the right or wrong? He loves to pull things out of a hat! I dunno why but it really keeps his attention and it helped him understand what it means to CHOOSE THE RIGHT!Then we put on another song (there were tons of songs for this theme! YEA) "Quickly I'll Obey" and he colored the CTR logo! As he colored we talked about what the CTR means and how when he chooses the right HE will feel happy, MOM feels happy and HEAVENLY FATHER feels happy!
To finish us off we went over the new board! HURRAY, I love charts! (its kinda lame I know!) I explained that it is our CHOOSE THE RIGHT CHART! We went over each picture and how HE can do each action HIMSELF! Then we talked about how if he chooses the right he can put a CTR (Velcro) "sticker" on the board! Once he gets 3 CTR stickers he can choose a activity to do during the day! (All the Velcro CTR signs are in the pocket on the bottom of the chart, hopefully that will keep them from getting lost!)
I hope it doesn't turn into the idea of whenever I do something I get something! But I want to encourage GOOD behavior instead of highlighting BAD behavior! He was excited to start so..... WE WILL SEE!

FHE was calm and hopefully he understood it!
TIME WILL TELL!

Super Sunday

Sunday started out a little slow! Spencer REALLY didn't want to get dressed and had a full on break down which required me and BJ to get him ready! After he calmed down we told him if we had a good day at church we could ALL come home and have a PJ party! He thought it was pretty great that ALL of us would wear our jammies all day long!
Please look past how homely I look! O natural has never been my strong point!

The day got even more interesting when I got out of relief society and I saw Spencer standing in the hall way waiting for me! My first thought was why aren't you in class and WHERE is your brother? Then I saw the nursery leader who told me in a rather FRANTIC voice that Cooper escaped while another boy was being picked up and that they COULDN'T find him! I grabbed Spencer's hand and we started looking! I REALLY tried to remain CALM! Spencer kept asking me in a stranger was going to take Cooper? Which really didn't help my plan to stay calm! I was about to head into the other wards Sacrament meeting to walk the isles looking for him when BJ walked up holding a teary and nervous looking Cooper! He had wondered BACK into the nursery room! I HATE the feeling of "what if" and "what do I do?" It SCARES ME! I am glad we found him and glad it didn't take any longer cause I don't know how long I could have held on with out crying!

After some yummy left over pizza for lunch and a few minutes for all of us to calm down Spencer suggested painting "something!" So we went in the crafty closet and dug out some DINOSAURS! What is the best way to forget about a scary situation..... paint with a toddler! Spencer had a lot of fun, and Cooper won in the fight to participate! At least for a few minutes until he dipped his shirt in the wet paper and got paint all over the table and chair! He sure tried though!What a SUPER SUNDAY!

Cooper the MONKEY!

I have been meaning to catch Cooper climbing around on the latter for a couple days now! He is just such a little MONKEY!

He loves to climb through the steps onto the railing of this bed! It really SCARED me the first few times I saw him do it! But he LOVES IT! He is really strong and can support his weight with his arms! I think he knows his limitations (I hope so anyway) because I have never seen him do it from higher then the 2nd step!! I DON'T know if I should be worried or just right it off as Boys Being Adventurous????? He hasn't hurt himself.....yet! But I am keeping an eye on him!

Here is the play by play of his trick!

I have seen him do it a few different ways! I will try and get a video of him climbing! As soon as he sees me with the camera he comes running over to check it out! But I will catch him!