A Taste of Life

It's been one of those weeks where I feel like time is slipping through my fingers! I pause throughout my day to take note of funny sayings, hilarious habits, sweet moments and new discoveries. Because if I don't write them down immediately they will fade away with time and I will eventually forget about them. I read through some old blog posts today and found a quote which read "we write to taste life twice". So here is all of the little snippets I've taken note of this week mostly so I can look back on them later and smile.

Camilla just keeps growing and expanding her vocabulary. People comment all the time on how well she speaks and the big words she uses like "fabulous" and "amazing" and "your majesty". This week I fell in love with the sweet way she pretends not to see Hyrum when they play hide n' seek. She looks all over the house before finally giving in and finding him. She also has an endless imagination and is constantly playing pretend and bringing her teddies to life. The other day she was pretending to put bike helmets on her favorite stuffies before bringing them along for her bike ride. At times I get annoyed with her constant need to bring a million stuffed animals along with us on all of our outings. It adds about an extra ten minutes to our leave time as she has to buckle everyone in and then take everyone out when we get there. But as I type this, I smile, because it's so her. Despite her love for torturing her brothers she really is a tender heart. The other day she and Hyrum were playing downstairs and she accidently hurt him. Hyrum was crying and then she started crying. I came down and asked what was wrong to which she wailed, "I did something baaaaaaad". The poor girl just felt bad for hurting her brother. It made me realize that maybe I'm a little too hard on her sometimes and that she really has a strong desire to do right. I love her desire to be a minni mommy, even though it leads to a lot of bossy play with her brother. She is one special kid, and I love her!

Hyrum is by far our busiest child. Always thinking, planning, scheming...He rambles in full sentences now, and may have a bit of a lisp. His little voice is the most adorable thing to hear. When he's frustrated he's not so good at using his words. He has a good set of lungs on him and can scream louder than anyone I know. So loud infact that it makes your ears ring and blood boil. We're working on it. We have entered a world of boyish sound effects. Just the other night I was standing outside his door for a few minutes while he was going to sleep and I saw his hand fly through the air to awesome airplane sound effects. I coudln't help but smile. He frequently mixes up his opposites and says things like, "I'm sitting far away" when he's close, or "You're so heavy mom" when I pick him up. He's become very observant lately and states his findings well. A few days ago at lunch after sitting in his chair for a good five minutes checking out his surroundings he said, "This chair is big to climb up". At dinner tonight he kept hopping off his chair and asking us to feel his belly (thanks Grampa). The only way we could get him to eat his dinner was by feeling his belly upon request and assuring him that there was still more room for his pizza. Throughout the day he will frequently pause and say things like, "I just love you Mom" or "I wike you Mommy" and then tell me he likes Camilla and Hyrum and Joe and Daddy too. He's got a good sense of family and the love that should abide there. He doesn't like to get into trouble, especially from Daddy, and will pout or hide his face when he's caught. He keeps me on my toes fishing things out of the toilet, and cleaning up messes. Despite his curiosity, I love him to pieces!

Joseph has reached a super fun age. He is completely goofy and curious and wants to be in on all of the action all the time. One thing that makes me laugh is the way he constantly pulls and bites my tee when he's propped on my hip. Sometimes his two little teeth hurt! He has entered a whole new world of discovery now that he's mobile. His favorite thing to do is climb the stairs and he gets mad when I peel him off them. He grabs at the carpet with his chubby little fingers to help pull himself up. He loves to stand on two feet and has discovered how to open my cupboard doors. It's made me grateful to the previous owners for already installing awesome child locks. Joseph's scrunchy nosed smiles are my favorite. He has recently figured out that he can play the piano keys when it's open and grins from ear to ear when he hears the music. Putting him to sleep is always fun when he hums himself to sleep. Lately he's been up all night needing some extra loves. He just cut his top eye teeth and may be cutting a couple of more. I just hope it's soon, because nine months of very little sleep is starting to get to me. Despite his sleepless nights he always wakes up in the morning with a smile on his face, ready to take on the day. I love the joy he brings to our little family! 



Fort Edmonton

This past weekend we used our awesome city passes and took the kids to Fort Edmonton Park. I thought it would be busy on a Saturday, but it actually wasn't too bad!

The first stop was the train! Camilla and Hyrum were pretty excited. It pulled up just as we entered the gates so we quickly folded up the stroller and boarded. I will never get tired of old train rides.

Hyrum was pretty pumped about it, although you can't tell by the picture. He was pretty focused. His little arm rested on the window sill the entire ride except when he would lift it to point out stuff as we went. He was adorable.

Joseph had fun too! 

We rode the train until it's first stop at the Fort. We got off and took our time walking over to check things out. Hyrum and Camilla loved the ride and the rest of the day kept asking when we could ride the train again. I may just take them back a few more times just for the train ride.

I love it!

While we were at the Fort the kids loved popping in and out of the different rooms. Hyrum kept exclaiming, "Let's check this one out!". It was fun to just let them explore and run.

We also hung out at the table in the courtyard while the kids drew with sticks of charcoal.

There was just so much for the kids to find and explore. We hit up Capitol Theater for the 1:00PM showing. It was definitely an awesome experience and not what I was expecting. Camilla chatted our ears off the entire day. She was most excited for the carousel ride and kept asking when it was time to go to the midway. So we grabbed a cone and walked over to finish off our day. Hyrum's cone dripped as we walked. He has that blonde mop of hair that I can't help but ruffle whenever he walks beside me.  

We arrived just in time for a puppet show. They did Jack and the Bean Stalk. At the end the guy asked what the moral of the story was and Camilla shot up her hand to answer. When he picked her she said, "Um, don't talk to strangers?". Daddy was a good sport and took the littles on their ride. Camilla was so excited! When the ride first started she looked a little scared to be all by herself, but then started to enjoy it. That was our last stop for the day. The whole back seat fell asleep as we drove the city streets home with the windows down low, trying to soak up as much of this Summer air before it goes.



Yearly Family Pictures

Here are a few of the gazillion family pictures my fabulous sister took of us a couple of weeks ago. I start out each year with a vision, and this year it was a bright yellow canola field with matching trousers for the little boys. Thanks for doing such a great job at fulfilling my visions Sis! We also borrowed my cousin's awesome red trunk to add to the look. I am super excited to add one of these to our wall of family photos in the kitchen!
A few previous years here and here.

  

Until next year...

 

It's a Brother Thing

I snapped some pictures of the boys a few days ago playing in their room.

It was pretty sweet watching them together.

Hyrum couldn't help but step up on the crib to chat with his brother.

They had their own giggle fest.

And a randition of peek-a-boo.

Those two are becoming great friends.

And I'm sure once Joe can keep up, they will both be keeping me on my toes!



The Midnight Train

It's 12:30am. Hyrum has just woken up with a tiny scream, causing Joseph to stir. I sooth and reassure Hyrum, rubbing his head and whispering in his ear. Joseph is now standing in his crib, still half asleep. He wants up. I scoop him up and we make our way to the kitchen where I make him a warm bottle. We cozy up together on the couch in the streetlight lit living room. He begins to drink while I mindlessly surf the Internet on my iPad. Soon his arm starts brushing my shoulder as he grabs  at my sleeves. I am drawn back to reality. I can hear the midnight train rolling through town inthe distance. Our street is quiet. I turn off the iPad and focus on the chubby hands grabbing for my attention and the ever growing bundle snuggled up in my arms. I watch him until he finishes every last bit of milk. His grip slowly loosens on the bottle and it falls from his mouth. His breathing becomes more constant as he drifts off to sleep. I admire his little lips, faintly pink beneath the glow of the outside lights. His mouth is still slightly open. He wiggles around to find that sweet spot where his head perfectly fits in the bend of my arm. His body goes limp signalling that sleep has taken over. I should take him up to bed, but my eyes are so transfixed on his little body, nestled so close to mine. He wiggles every now and then to get comfy. I can't stop staring at him. Already at nine months his little features are becoming more boyish. He's growing up so fast. And then when he's settled in and I can hardly keep my eyes open a moment longer, we make our way upstairs. I gently place him in his crib and tuck a blanket over him. Just as I leave the room I glance back at both boys sleeping sound. I poke my head into Camilla's room to check her and then make my way across the hall. Life is wonderful, and I am so blessed.

Happy 25th Anniversary

As promised, here is a recap of last Saturdays events! The weather was gorgeous and cooperative. The boys tested out the horseshoe pit in the morning and then we hung out in the yard until friends and family arrived. My parents celebrated 25 years of marriage way back in March, but we opted to wait for my brother to get off his mission before having a party. I think my parents were secretly hoping I'd forget, but I think 25 years of marriage is definitely a milestone worth celebrating. I am so grateful to them for their example of love and service.

It was so great to have family come from near and far to help us celebrate!

My brother and my Dad put together a sandpile the day before. The kids had a blast in it all afternoon. It was definitely a hit with the littles!

My sister spent the morning creating an awesome cake for my parents. She did an amazing job! I always call on her for all of my cake baking needs. She's pretty talented like that. We enjoyed a spread of fruit, veggies, smokies, crackers and dips. The whole thing was pretty low key and casual. My parents like it that way. I did manage to get them in for the cake cutting after everyone had finished eating. It was the first time they'd ever cut a cake together because they didn't do a big reception when they were married. It was fun to watch them.

My extra talented sister snapped a few pictures for me when she had some spare time. I wanted to make sure this thing was remembered. As I look at these pictures I am filled with happy memories from that day. I am also filled with gratitude for my parents and grandparents and the examples they are. I love the picture of my Mom, Gramma Purdon, and Gramma Hudkins all together. Such great women to look up to.

Another hit in the heat of the afternoon was the sprinkler. By that time all of the "festivities" were pretty much finished and Camilla stripped down to have some fun with her cousins. She cracks me up in these pictures!

And what a great Uncle they have, getting in on the action!

While the littles played, my parents went to check out the old car driven out by an old friend from when they were first married. What a surprise it was that he was able to come!

It provided some good time to visit, and a good chance for photos! I absolutely love the pictures that were taken of the two of them together. It's great to see that twinkle in their eyes and  the love that they still have for each other!

We also grabbed a few shots of my Gramma and Grampa Hudkins. Such a classy lady!

I love them!

Grampa Purdon has a hard time with bright lights and standing for too long, so we improvised and grabbed a photo over at their place. Such sweet memories captured in these family photos. I love my grandparents!

Before Gramma and Grampa Hudkins left for the evening, we made sure to get a group photo of the four of them together.

The rest of the evening was spent outside, enjoying the sunshine and warm weather. Joseph even got some play time in with his Uncle Mike!

Big thanks to my parents for hosting at the Acreage and a big thanks to all of those who contributed and brought treats! It was great to be together with everyone and celebrate! Pretty much after everyone left and all of my littles were in bed I crashed on the couch for the early hours of the night. I missed out on some great games of Rook, but I probably wouldn't have been able to keep my eyes open anyways. An awesome Saturday if I do say so myself.

Mucho Fun

This afternoon we enjoyed some family fun. We took the littles to explore a new park. They hadn't been to a park in a while and you could totally tell. They zig-zagged through the play structers exclaiming excitedly at each new thing.

"The swings!"

 "The slide!"

When Hyrum told us he was tired, we decided it was time to go find some dinner. Daddy suggested one of his favorite places and off we went to Mucho Buritto. The littles were pretty tickled to discover that a fancy drink came with their meal. 

 

Oil Spill

I'm not even sure where to begin. Today started out just like every other. Daddy kissed us each good-bye and then we got ready and went about our regular morning routine. I quickly ran downstairs to throw some laundry in and came back up to find Hyrum hiding in the pantry, happily munching on the lumps of brown sugar he was holding in each hand.

The rest of the time the littles enjoyed their Aunt and Uncle and some rocketship rides.

Soon it was time for Joe to go for his morning nap. I carried him up and tucked him into his crib. He has successfully fallen asleep on his own a few days in a row, but today was more difficult. Auntie Emma was downstairs reading a book to Camilla. She hadn't read two pages before she heard the pantry door. She went to investigate. There appeared to be water all over the floor. She lifted Hyrum up over the water and he slipped right out of her hands. It wasn't water, it was oil, a whole bottle of peanut oil infact! He went immediately downstairs for a bath. Lets just say his Auntie pretty much saved his life. I was impressed with her patience. We mopped up the floor, the shelf, the top of the sugar and flour containers, and the bottom of my wheat grinder. The whole time we were slipping and sliding around. The only good thing was the extra shine it gave my floor. When Camilla went to sneak a treat from the pantry a little while later she totally whipped out on the floor. It's still pretty slippery.

Then it was time to get out of the house. I was glad that my brother and sister were up for the day. They are always a hit with the littles. We took the bikes out to check out the trails and get some fresh air. It was a great walk. I love spending time with those two!