Another birthday down in the books... I was given the same gift as last year - a night to myself in a hotel and plenty of time to finish Christmas shopping by myself. The break was nice, but the best part was coming home and watching two Christmas movies in a row with the boys. I just love that they are still little and love to snuggle with me. They didn't want to leave to do birthday cake so Chad brought it upstairs and they blew out the candles without getting up. Too funny.

I love this picture of CJ at my brother's wedding. He was in such a hurry to get back to taking the gifts to the gift table that he tucked his shirt into his belt and then went back to work. He loved the job of taking presents from the guests and delivering them upstairs. He had the worst blisters but wouldn't stop working!

So the three week break that CJ's year-round school handed us started out really great. I decided to take my boys somewhere new each day that would help us get to know our fun city better.


One day we went downtown. We literally walked around all afternoon and they LOVED it. Even the parking garage was a hit.
But not as awesome as the alleys in between the downtown streets that are full of garbage. Seriously, we spent 45 minutes right here. I sat on a crate and watched them marvel at the beautiful dumpsters.
One day we went to a barbershop for their haircuts and then to the cupcake store.
And one day we spent getting the tip of Trey's finger stitched back together after he slammed it in the door, causing the pad of his finger to almost fall right off. Of course Chad was out of town and CJ was screaming at me that he was going to faint because of the blood and I believed him. The ride to the ER was something like this, "Trey, it's going to be okay, don't take the washcloth off your finger, CJ, roll your window down and keep breathing..." You should have seen the look of relief CJ gave me as the nurse asked him if he'd rather watch iCarly in the waiting room. Poor Trey had to get three separate injections because the finger wouldn't numb and he kept yelling at the doctor, "Go away lady, go away!"
But 24 hours later he was happy again.
Because he's Trey. And he's always happy.
Time in the NICU at birth, a broken leg and hospitalization for infection, staples in his head and now this.

Tonight we had a Trunk-or-Treat at the church. CJ wore the costume he made me order back in September - a Zombie Prisoner.  Trey was supposed to wear whatever costume CJ had worn at his age, but Trey is taller and the lion costume wouldn't zip up without choking him. So, with minutes to spare, we threw together a garbage man costume and he couldn't have been happier. A costume parade, trunk-or-treating and then homemade scones and cider finished it off. CJ said he had "BEYOND a blast." I don't think all the little toddlers that cried because CJ was too scary felt the same but, according to him, "that's the idea."

This kid just kills me. He's turned into such a funny BOY. Where did the toddler years go? Last week in church they were learning about families being together forever and that when they get married they will have their own family and he said, "Not to be rude mom, but I was looking around the room thinking to myself, 'I don't want to get married to ANY of the girls in this class, I want someone hot!'"

So then he got fixated on needing a robe. He said he wasn't saving his money for Legos anymore, he was saving for a robe.  So his sweet dad took him to Target after his soccer game on Saturday and he picked out this robe. He has been wearing ever since. He even told me that "Fall happened right in time for me to get my cozy robe!" I love it.

This is a bit late, but last week was Chad's birthday which was very low-key, but fun, especially with the boys being so excited. I took the boys to the party store to get balloons and CJ picked out a big red, black and white bouquet in honor of the Utes. I love him so much!!

Eric brought the kids from Utah to Oregon to the game so they stopped at our house on the way there and on the way back. Seeing the boys have so much fun with their cousins always makes me sad that we live far from all of them and it doesnt' help that Trey keeps asking where they went and crying that they left.

CJ made us all breakfast the other day. Coco Puffs, yogurt, toast with {lots} of raspberry jam, and chocolate milk. He woke up and told me not to come downstairs. It took him a while but he was so proud to show me what he had done.
He's so big and helpful that he now warms up Trey's milk sippies for him in the microwave. I came in from the office the other day to see these to chillin' with their chocolate milk, watching Caillou.
But he's not big enough to figure out how his dad and I have such an easy time finding him at Hide-and-Seek... (Hint, we follow Mac. CJ's head is that big lump under his arm. It never fails, where the dog is, CJ is also.)

"Mom, is 'Fire burnin' fire burnin' on the dance floor a DJ song?"
"I'm pretty sure it is, why?"
"Then I want to wear my DJ shirt to school today."


And then Trey sees the backpack and starts bawling.

"No kee cool, no kee cool!" (No CJ school) Trey cried the entire way there, then on the way home without his "kee" in the car and didn't stop until I laid him down for a nap. It was traumatic for all of us.
As exhibited by this picture of CJ at his table when I was leaving (he didn't see me taking this picture through the glass door). Me, with huge sunglasses on, bawled to. I have a hard time with milestones and even little things (like when you cover them up with their favorite blanket and suddenly their feet stick out because they are too big for it now). Cheesy, I know, but it's just me. It hits you at times like this how fast they grow up and it's hard!! CJ's been in preschool for over two years so it's not the fact that he's going to school now, it's just that we're only a year away from him being gone all day and I miss him when he's not at home.

After school I got there early and he was frantically looking for me the second he stepped out of the classroom and as soon as he saw me he looked so relieved that I was there, ran over, hugged me and asked if he got to go again tomorrow because he "LOVED IT!"

Sweet

I love my little Trey, he's just such a delight. Last week he started taking off his diaper and going potty on his own.
As soon as he was old enough to get attached to this blanket I went out and bought the exact same one as a back-up in case the first one got dirty or lost or whatever. Except he became just as attached to the back-up and for the last two years we've carried both blankets everywhere and I just love every time he grabs them and rolls around on the floor with them... just so in love.
This little boy has been so easy from the minute he was born and continues to melt my heart on a daily basis with his sweet little personality. Even though he's as tall as most kids a year-older than him and completely fills his crib, he still loves his bed. When he wakes up he just lays there until we come and get him.

We just got back from the funnest week in a McCall, Idaho - a wonderful little resort town that we absolutely loved. We boated, hiked, shopped and the boys were in heaven with all the little boy cousins. I could have stayed another week it was so fun.

CJ spent hours and hours in the water, lost his voice from yelling, slept for hours when we got home which is something he's never done in his entire life. Even as a newborn. Slept. For hours.

Over the Fourth of July my mom indulged CJ in his wish to see the Jonas Brothers at Provo's Stadium of Fire with my niece Anna.
Watching the Airforce jets fly over. I loved watching CJ's face take everything in. But the best part is when he pointed up to the mountain and said, "Look mom, there's the poopy Y!"
As CJ gets older I'm having so much fun taking him to new things and watching him experience different places and events. He is so much fun to be with and I've loved spending so much time with him this summer doing and seeing.

July

Wow, it's been a busy month with lots of travel and lazy pool days. I've decided that the boys and I need to go and/or do something fun and summery every day before CJ starts kindergarten and.... what was I saying? My tears get in the way. Oh yeah, that life with both of them home every day is coming to an end and, here go the tears again.

7 Years



Salt Lake LDS Temple, 7 years ago
Tomorrow is our anniversary so tonight before the boys went to bed we watched our wedding video with them. I cried because, not only did I have the best wedding day, but my makeup looked horrible because I didn't sleep the night before. I don't know, I think it was because Hailey, who stayed the night with me, kept saying, "What if he doesn't show up? Would you like, totally freak out?" So I ended up with droopy eyes and for some reason, bad eyebrows.

Saturday our huge community had a neighborhood yard sale and CJ was loving it. He rode his bike up and down the streets looking at everything and buying things with his own money (a vintage Bingo game, a lighthouse to add to the Christmas village, some pine cones???).

So later I'm at my neighbor's house and she's showing me all the self-proclaimed "hideous" things she's selling that are all gifts from her inlaws. The worst? This horrible dolphin fountain that I told her she might have to pay someone to take. It was pretty ugly.

After I left to run errands, daddy let CJ go out for one more round of shopping. So imagine my delight when I came home to this beautiful thing on my counter and CJ saying, "Some people thought this was ugly but I think it's sooooo pretty, don't you mom? And guess what?? Winnie GAVE it to me for FREE!"