Down 1.5

What I will miss...

12 - 18 months has never been my favorite age for kids.
For reasons that look a lot like this:

Beckham is becoming so much more independent and is starting to transition out of that crazy age. As I sat holding him today with him sleeping, his little eyes fluttering and his perfect little lips and rhythmic breathing I thought of all the good things I will miss about having a little toddler around the house:

• Chubby thighs
• Little toes and wide feet
  
• Dimples for knuckles
• The way they sleep with their bums in the air
• The way they run as fast as they can and their little legs pumping
  
• The easy way they are distracted and laugh at almost anything you do
• Having them sleep on my lap in the Mothers Lounge at church
• The way their Buddha bellies hang over their diaper
• The little sippy cup dance they do when they are so excited for a sippy cup
• The way they laugh so hard they fall over
• The way their cheeks get so round and squishy when they fall asleep and slump over in their carseats
• Bare little bums that are so dimply and yummy
• The way they hide in my shoulder when they get shy or are tired
• The way they wave to people and say bye bye
  

I can remember each of our little boys at this age.

And I will miss it.

The best summer toy EVER!

We have been loving the little pool that Grandma and Grandpa Rober got for Davis. Today though everyone was showered and dressed and I didn't want to have them all get wet but I really needed to organize my office. Caleb and Davis wanted to ride bikes so I got the pool out and put some cars in it for Beckham to play with and he was loving it! The slide is the perfect little race ramp. I went inside to get the camera and came out to find this:


Apparently he was not the only one that found it very entertaining! And apparently my older boys think you cant pay in the pool with shirts on. They spent about 30 minutes driving the cars down the slide. When the older boys got bored Beckham went down the slide for a good 15 minutes, clapping for himself each time.

Thank you Walmart for being out of the pools without slides!
I owe you.

I also was able to capture a few pictures of Caleb's new favorite thing to do outside:


He has been riding Daddy's long boards everyday now for a couple of weeks. I'm pretty amazed at how comfortable he is on it. We made Davis a long board for his birthday but decided to hold it so we could make one for Caleb too. We just have to get a few more parts and then we will be done.


My office is clean, this blog post got done all thanks to that little pool!

Good Things to Come

I am happy to say that good things have finally come to me this week. The personal answers and peace I have waited for came at the perfect time when I didn't think I could wait any longer.

Its still to personal and to raw to talk about here on my blog but I feel a sense of inner peace that has not been here for a long time.

Fathers Day

I know that in so many ways I am blessed.
I believe that one of my biggest blessings is to have John be the Father of my children.


He is amazing and engaged in their lives. He can see past the little things to the big picture. He doesn't get so caught up with the behaviors and stages as I do as a Mom, he sees past that. He has a way of diffusing whatever the kids problems are in matter of seconds and getting them to laugh. He is so fun loving and is just what I need when I get in focused Mommy mode.

I was looking at him today and noticed how much he has filled out since we were married. His shoulders are so much broader and his face. I don't really know how to describe it but when we got married we both looked so young. Now he is all Man. He is a great man. He is a great example for our boys. He works hard and is always pushing himself to be better. This year he has especially faced some things that have tested his strength and made him stretch as a person. I am proud of him. Proud of his struggle against what is comfortable and ingrained inside of himself to become a better Man.

He is our provider, our protector, our hero.
And he does it so perfectly.

4.5 lbs down

Hiking

Building

Relaxing
Throwing

Playing

Exploring

Longboarding

Batting

Exhausting

Gratifying

Celebrate!

Today we had the perfect morning. 3 mile bike ride with the kids, playing in the pool while I watered the garden and tanned my really white legs, eating strawberries right out of the garden.

I love summer mornings.

Yesterday was great.
Davis was so happy all day long. He got his favorite breakfast.
Oatmeal, bacon, and juice
Daddy came home for a little break and we opened presents.
Grandma and Grandpa got him a little plastic pool and they were all in heaven for a couple hours as they splashed and played.
They love it!
Its 3 boys constantly giggling, splashing, and overall just being giddy.

I spent most of my day doing his cake. I'm not a cake decorator - I don't enjoy it and I'm not good at it but I do try each birthday to make something special for them. Davis wanted a Hot Wheels cake....again. I'm running out of ideas. But I came up with this one and I worked so hard at it. Davis had so much fun watching and helping. I'm so happy with the way it turned out. It might qualify for the cake wrecks blog, but for me this is a masterpiece.


We had some good friends over for dinner and when I asked Davis who he wanted to come to his party he said: Sister Weise (she the primary president), my teacher (his primary teacher), and brother Greeley (hes in our bishopric), Pam, Scott, and Nathan, and the girls (my friend Savannah's twins). I though that was pretty cute and I'm glad he loves primary so much and feels loved by those in primary.

He was darling when we all sang to him - positively beaming!

Now Becks is down for a nap. Caleb and Davis are playing hot wheels and I'm off to pack us up because we are taking off in the trailer tonight.

Davis

Thank you all for your birthday wishes.
It was wonderful - simple, fun, and laid back.
Perfect.

Today our Davis is 4.

I was making his cake this morning and thinking about what I was doing exactly 4 years ago. I realized that everything with Davis has been easy.

Easy to get pregnant.
Easy pregnancy.

We were going to our community clubhouse grand opening in Quailewood in AZ and I was 38 weeks pregnant. I had been to the Dr 2 days before and I was nothing. Not soft, not effaced, not dilated. I had steeled myself for preterm labor and I was actually getting really irritated that nothing was happening. I said I wanted to walk to the clubhouse since there had been a few contractions here and there and I wanted contractions. I wanted some sort of progress. By the time we got there I was having a few contractions. I visited with people and chased Caleb around. We walked home about noon and I was still having contractions but they weren't that strong. I bounced on my exercise ball. A friend came over and we visited. At about 3:00 I was still having contractions, they were not painful but they were pretty consistent. The hospital was about a 45 minute drive away so we decided to just go checked out. We got there at 4:00 and I was dialed to a 4. The nurse looked up and said, "we are having a baby today!"

I wont ever forget the surge of feeling that pulsed through me.
My life was going to change and I knew it was going to be a great change!

An easy 4 hours later he arrived.
I didn't even have to push him out - he came out on his own.

Easy labor.
Easy delivery.
Easy baby.
Easy toddler.

He is a joy.
That is Davis wrapped up in a word.

Joy.

He captivates everyone with his expressive eyes and happy smile.
He is friendly, outgoing, and has no inhibitions when it comes to interacting with people.
He is genuine, sincere, and kind.

A perfect example of his sweet disposition was expressed today on his birthday. When he came out and saw his presents there were two hot wheels, one from each of his brothers.
He yells - "Hot Wheels! You can have one Caleb."

Buddy, you have no idea how much you make Mommy's days so much happier.
So much easier.

To me you are perfection wrapped in the cutest little package.

I want to be more like you.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to me!

That's right I'm the big 3-2.
It all good. I'm loving my thirties.

What do I want to share on this special day with you???

My funeral wishes.

Yep, you heard me right. I know you are all thinking I'm taking this getting old thing too seriously but actually I have watched a few families deal with funerals and its been sad to watch that in a time like that they fight or they are all trying to decide what the deceased would want. Its kind of broken my heart to watch and would never want my family to deal with anything like that. I shared my wishes with John and he was a little irritated with some of them. Mostly #1. He thinks I'm being a little selfish since funerals are for the ones left behind. That is exactly why I want everyone to know what I want so the ones living don't feel guilty about carrying out my wishes since some of them are less than traditional.

These are my wishes:

1. NO VIEWING! I'm not a fan of viewings - no offense to anyone - I just don't want to be viewed. Something about everyone seeing me in a coffin for the last time weirds me out. As does someone putting make up on me to look good when I'm dead. No make up! Seriously. After much discussion with my hubby I have agreed that immediate family may view me.
   
2. No sad dreary songs. Seriously sing something upbeat and cheerful - I was thinking along the lines of Now let us Rejoice but people might take that in the wrong context :) I like Amazing Grace. But nothing that is sloooow and boring.
   
3. I want a cheap coffin. Like the cheapest you can find. I once heard someone tell a joke about how someone went into the funeral home and asked for the cheapest coffin they had. Then they said they wanted the box that it came in :) That's how I feel. If you want - nail some plywood together! Do not waste money on some fancy coffin. A cheap pine one will do. Wrap me in my favorite quilt and I'm all good.
4. I want some pictures of my family buried with me. I also would love if there were some sweet peas to place in there with me. I was able to find some white sweet peas when my Grandma Irene died and we placed some with her and that's sentimental to me.
   
5. All that money that you saved from buying me an expensive coffin I want used for my family to go to Disneyland and have a good time and remember the good times we had together. I'm not joking here - I want everyone to go to Disneyland together after my funeral.
6. I want to be buried here in So Utah. I leave it up to John to decide on the St George, Washington, or Hurricane cemetery. Preferably near a tree and not to close to the road. For some reason John thinks this is funny that I don't want to be right next to the road. Seriously its rest in peace!
   
7. John and I want to be laid next to each other with 1 headstone that has our names and the dates and then we want inscribed on it: Together is our favorite place to be.

There I can rest better knowing that my wishes are know.
Watch out - I will come haunt people if they disobey -
I'm specifically talking to you JOHN!

Hope

Ive know for a while that something is just "not quite right" with me. I cant describe it but its been a very difficult past few months for me. Today I went to a new Dr (my old one was for High risk pregnancy's only). I loved her. She listened, she assured me that everything will be okay, and she had a few ideas of what is going on with my body. One of them I was surprised has never been explored before because some of the symptoms are pretty right on in mild form. Tomorrow I get a whole lot of blood work done (ummm...they took 7 viles!) to see if they can determine what to do with my crazy hormones.

She will also be working with me on my weight since it should not be this hard to lose weight. With all the work Ive done in the past year I should be about Caleb's weight...
and I am obviously not :)

Its no fun to feel like your body has been taken over by your evil twin.

Today I feel hope.
Hope that the happy bubbly Lisa can make a permanent comeback.

Exploration

Is there anything more exciting to boys than throwing rocks?

Im all a flutter

Ive got a date tonight!

With this good lookin' guy.

I don't know where we are going but I do know it includes dinner and going to the Bath and Body works Half yearly sale, and then something else that John is very excited about.

Ive been planning my outfit all day. I love when dates don't require any work on my part. He got the babysitter - he planned it. By the time I found out about it everything was done.

Off to clean my house so the babysitter doesn't wonder if I ever clean.
Then I will be off to get all cute...

Updated: My man knows me - he took me to see the new A-team movie and to dinner. He had lied to me about when it came out so I was totally surprised because I didn't think it came out until next week :)