Cousin Weekend

The weekend of Jace's blessing we spent with Brett's brother, his wife and their 3 kids and Brett's dad. We stayed down in Newport, which was so fun!  We spent our time swimming, going to the beach and even spent a day at Disneyland.  I really did not want that weekend to end. We love having family come visit!.  

Jace's Blessing Day

What a special day it was to bless our third son!  Amazing.  I still can't believe it.  We had lots of family come and be with us that day.  We are so grateful for all of them.  Jace didn't really love his blessing day.  He screamed his lungs out during the whole blessing.  I don't think that I heard a word and I was a little sweaty at the end... I just wanted to run up there and hold him.  But he was tired and when he is tired that last thing he likes is to be held by anyone but his mommy.  Brett persevered  and still gave a very nice blessing... or so I was told.

All of the family.  Love these guys!

Luke was really into eating his tie... not so much into posing for pictures!

We had a family dinner at my parent's house afterward. My mom had this cute little display up.  It was perfect!

 I took a few more shots of Jace in his blessing outfit.  I love these sweet pictures and they show off his personality so well!  He is such a sweet, smiley boy/

These boys absolutely love their brother.  I hope Jace can survive it!

Halloween 2012

Halloween this year was so fun.  It is all a little hazy for me since I was still coming out of the new baby fog, but seeing my two big boys in their matching costumes was SO cute.  Aren't they the cutest Batmen ever! But don't call Luke "batman".  He would get very upset and say "No, I Superman." Luke always said he wanted to be Superman, but I thought he would fall apart if he saw Ryan in a Batman costume and he wasn't. So I got them the same thing.  Next time I will just listen to Luke and get him what he wants!   We went to our ward party, which is a fun, outdoor party.  Love CA! We spend actual Halloween with our cousins in Newport, which was a blast! Thanks from a tip from our Newport friends, we trick-or-treated in an amazing neighborhood.  The people were so friendly and the houses were beautiful.  The kids enjoyed getting candy while all the adults enjoyed some house gawking.  It was a great night.  

Newborn Pics

My wonderful friend Maria came over when Jace was 3 weeks old to take these pictures for me. These are some of my favorites. This wasn't too long ago, but it feels like it was ages ago.  Jace is growing and smiling and we adore him.  I am so grateful that I feel 100% better than I did when these pictures were taken.  Sometimes passing time is a good thing. Even though it is sad to see how fast Jace is growing, I am excited to see what kind of person he will be,

Which Baby?

All cuties.  They look like brothers, but each have their own look.  I am a lucky mommy.

RY

Lukie

Jace

Little JJ

JJ is the nickname that Ryan gave to Jace.  I like it. Although, technically, we should call him  JD since his middle name is David, but I like JJ better. Anyway, it is safe to say that little JJ has stolen all of our hearts.  Our family feels more complete with him in it. 

A Mommy's Payday

The other night I was making cookies with Ryan .  We make them a lot around here( my diet starts... tomorrow).  I told Ryan that when he is 16 and starts to date, he can impress girls by making them cookies. Then, I said, he needs to come home and tell me all about it.
Ryan responded, " Mom, I am just going to marry you! Dad is going to be a grandpa some day and then I can marry you."
Those moments are worth more than a million dollars to me!

Little Bruiser

Our little Luke is an injury magnet.  He is so energetic and likes to do what his big brother does. That equals some hard knocks.  He is 2 years old and has had 2 concussions, 3 split lips, 2 holes in his tongue and a chipped tooth.  I need to build a padded room for him!  Poor guy!

At the park last week, Luke tried to do " superman-style" swinging and  jumped a little too far.  He landed face first. When I picked him up he had a bloody nose and lip.

Showing off his hurt lip.  He walked around the park showing everyone that day.

   

Just this morning, Luke stuck a bean up his nose.  Luckily, I got it our with tweezers.  

Showing off his sweet smile with his chipped front tooth!

General Conference

Oh General Conference.  It always comes at the right time.  The message that hit me loud and clear was to STOP FOCUSING ON THE NEGATIVE.

I needed that.  It made me realize that I am wasting away this precious newborn time focusing on how crazy it is to have three kids.  It is crazy, but it is good crazy.  And there is a lot of good that happens in our day.  Jace smiles and snuggles me.  Luke is so stinking cute and makes us laugh all the time. Ryan is sweet and thoughtful and is my little buddy.  I love being able to spend my days with them.  Days are different now - a little slower, but that will change.  

I know that by focusing all the good in my day won't take away the hard or the crazy. But it will help me realize that life, in all it's stages is just that - good.

This came from one of my favorite talks which you can watch here:

Elder Ucthdorf

Ryan rubbing my feet.. by choice!  What a kid!

Our funny Luke!

Cutest buns around.  

Smiley on first day of church.