It WAS Nice Outside

When it was surprisingly warm and nice outside last weekend, we went to play at the park!

Eryn was giving me serious attitude because she really just wanted to play and not have to smile for the camera!

I said, "Smile nice and you can go play." Then, I got 1 picture like this. I guess all you really need is one anyway, right?

Brooke, on the other hand, was amazing!

She even busted out her super model swimsuit pose!

Mike had this brilliant idea! The girls went crazy for it. The laughs and squeals were the highlight of my week for sure.

They had sooooooooo much fun!

Eryn refuses to swing on the big kid swings.

Brooke wasn't chicken to try the big swings (with a little help of course)!

Brooke and Daddy had fun watching Eryn play and run around.

I also put a couple of other pictures on my photography blog, so feel free to check that out too! I'm really looking forward to warmer weather and more picture taking. Just as soon as Mother Nature stops playing mean April Fools Day jokes on us. Snow, really?

A Bird in the Hand

I've always been a fan of the old saying, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." Today we had an interesting experience with a bird in the hand.

For the last couple of weeks I've been hearing scratching and other noises while standing in my kitchen. Our neighbors have mice, so I was really concerned that it was a mouse. But mice wouldn't scratch mid wall, so what then? When I turned on a fan and it would go away. One of the vents out from the bathroom was stuck open and birds were moving in. (Hooray! NOT MICE!)

Last night I turned on all the fans for awhile and watched 2 birds leave the vent. Then, I had Mike reach up with the rake and close the flap that was stuck in the cover. It now opens when the fan is running and closes when it's not properly. We went to bed thinking it was going to be ok, but still trapped in the back of our minds was the thought of, "What if..."

Well, those thoughts were correct. As you can see...

When Eryn went to use the bathroom I turned on the light and the fan and heard a horrible grinding sound! My worst nightmare... I KILLED A BIRD! Nope, but that little guy (or girl) was stuck in the vent trying desperately to escape. The fan blades were pretty stiff, so it couldn't squeeze out and trying to take apart the vent proved to be a very challenging event for Mike and I both.

We really had no clue how it was put together or what to take it apart with. When the bird stopped trying to get out, I started to panic! I didn't want it to die. Plus, I didn't want a dead bird stuck in the fan and stinking up the house either. I started making calls to friends and neighbors to see who might be able to help.

Mike tried one more thing and poof- magic happened! We were able to get the bird out. The fan has been put back together. It's not perfect, but it works and it should be fine.

This is the same bird moments from its release

The "Bird in the hand" saying leads most of us to believe that what you have is far more valuable to you than what you don't have. Which I'd normally agree with. Today I am going to have to disagree with that old adage and say that, "A bird in the tree is worth far more than a bird in the bathroom!" Some things we were never meant to have in our possession. Those things are those which are of the most value.

Brooke's 9 months

I was realizing the other day that my frustrations seem to come out more than my joys lately. So, here's the cure for that! Adorable pictures of my happy little peacemaker. Brooke still has that calming effect on me and she's been a big help to bring smiles to my face.

She officially hit 9 months this last week and is really becoming quite the little chatter box. We hear lots of "Maaamaaaamaaaaooooom" and "Dadadadadadadadadaaaaaaaaaaada" with an occasional "Gaaaa" and "Bababababaaaba" tossed into the mix.

Brooke got her first official "ponytail" the other day. Eryn said that it made Brooke look like she was, "from da jungle!" It was pretty funny looking. She's pretty bald on one side of her head so pigtails aren't an option for sometime. I think we'll stick to headbands and flowers for now.

Eryn's Birthday

After a HORRIBLE day yesterday, Eryn has improved dramatically! It's really amazing what a good night's sleep can do for a cranky little person.


We went to the "fishy doctor's" today and the girls had their check ups. Both are tall and skinny! I really hope that they stay that way. Especially- TALL. Brooke officially has eczema and it's pretty strong on her little face especially behind her ears. More lotions, creams, and ointments should do the trick to take care of it.


Easter Sunday we will be celebrating Eryn's birthday! Anyone who would like can feel free to stop over for some cake and or ice cream pretty much whenever throughout the day. General Conference will be on, so feel free to stay and watch it with us if you'd like. Gifts are always accepted, but never expected. She just LOVES to see her friends and that's really present enough for my little social butterfly!

10 Easy Steps

She may look disgustingly adorable and be able to charm a thirsty man out of water in the desert, but I know the REAL Eryn. Today she's pushed every button that I have and it's time out for her and blogging for me!

So, here's the list.

How To Drive Mommy Crazy In Just 10 Easy Steps

1. "I want to watch Princess and the Frog!" Repeated at least 100 times.

2. "Ooooooooowwwwwwe, I pinched my finger!" With what? Yes, the other hand. She was pinching her own fingers just to see what it felt like. She managed to hurt them pretty bad and the crying tantrum ensued.

3. (Baby crying) "Mom, da baby crying. Brooke's crying. Baby Sister is crying." Really? I wasn't sure, thanks Eryn.

4. "I want a grilled cheese." Normally not annoying, but at 8 am- ANNOYING.

5. Jumping on the bed in just underwear and screaming, "I'm the Little Mermaid!"

6. Fell off her bed, bumped her head, and gave me my cell phone to call the doctor to see what he had to say. Where's my humor? Well, it was funny the first time. The second got a chuckle. The third time I was all done.

7. After just cleaning 1 of the 3 bathrooms Eryn threw up all over the rugs and freshly cleaned toilet. It HAD to be the clean bathroom, didn't it?

8. "I want to play at the park." Repeated 25 times and with each time the blinds are shuffled and dust flies everywhere. Thanks for reminding me I need to dust.

9. While in time out for screaming... The screaming get progressively louder and higher pitched. Then enters the even more angry Mommy with the death look. The screaming is now replaced by crying and kicking her feet on the wall. Grrrrrr...

10. "Mommy, I love you so much. Can I play at the park? Watch Princess and the Frog? Have grilled cheese? Chocolate milk? Go to Daddy's work? See my friends? Wear my Princess Dress? Play basketball? Paint? Color? Watch Princess and the Frog?" All said in the sweetest tone of voice and with big bulging eyes about to water with sheer joy at a "Yes" to any and or all of those questions. My response, "No." The best part? Her reaction. With clinched fists and grinding teeth she glared up and me with the meanest look I've seen her come up with yet and says without moving her jaw, "Maybe another time!!!!!!!!!!" Smiling a huge smile at the awesome power of the word "no" I chuckled a little and said, "Yes you're right. Maybe another time."

If you were wondering what the little princess could be up to right this moment I'm pleased to announce that she's still screaming and crying. It might never end today. Vanilla Coke in one hand and Excedrin Migraine in the other I am armed to combat this horrible Monday.

I really do love her so much. I just honestly can't wait for this rotten phase to be done.

Pictures of Sam

Since every Mother wants those dashingly handsome pictures of their ARMY sons I figured that I'd take a few that my mommy could be proud of!

Wow, that camouflage works good! I can't even see Sam unless I really stare at this picture for a loooooong time, then he pops out in 3D!

Sam's secretly a little boy trapped in a soldier's body.

A *eh hem* special little boy. : )

He thought he was stuck for the longest time. It was so embarrassing.

The real amazing pictures are still to go through a little retouching and frankly I'm just too tired to go it tonight! The suspense will drive you all insane. Muhahahahaha...

When you get to the bottom be sure to click on where it says, "Older Posts" to see more. It put up a bunch of new posts and it pushed some of them to the next page.

Sams Moving

Sams Moving! That's no type-o. This was in fact more than one Sam moving. My Brother-In-Law Sam sold his house and since they were moving while my brother Sam was out here, we figured that we'd help them move.

Anything to get free pizza and a few hours of free activities, right? Ha ha. We had a lot of fun helping them move out of their house and into their new place.

Here's a picture of the Sams playing with a dolly!

Eryn had more fun riding this little bike and wearing a helmet she found in a box.

Brooke and Shayllie had fun wrestling around and trying to escape supervision.

She really had fun going through boxes trying to find things to take out and play with!

The upside is that they are going to live a little closer to us, but the downside is that this adorable little house won't be theirs anymore.

Allie and Eryn were busy playing doctor.

Sam had fun playing with Brooke and was a big help in moving a bunch of the big stuff around.

We had fun dragging Sam around the entire state of Utah! He's been from Logan to the Four Corners with a little Park City trip thrown in there. Poor guy probably got sick of riding in the car, but in 1 week he saw more of Utah than most people do in a few different visits.

Arches

We roamed down to Arches National Park and had a great time dragging Eryn around in the snow against her will, showing Brooke things to "Ooooh and Ahhhhh" at, and letting Sam explore the beauty of Utah and the experience some of the true pains (Oh, I mean joys) of parenting!

She was so ready to go! Brooke even put my shoe on the correct foot!

If you imagined Eryn behind the wheel and ran for cover consider the fact that it's actually her puppy who's driving. She's just holding him up so he can see how fast he's going!

Here Uncle Sam be the Nanny! He was glad to haul around a few extra pounds in a cute little blue pouch.

"Mommy take my picture!" Ok. She stopped and sat down on about half of the rocks along the trails. It got really old really fast!

Construction was always near us.

Mike found a way to enjoy surfing and hiking at the same time!

One of my favorite pictures of the trip!

Sam had to spend a lot of time being Eryn's personal Drill Sargent and encouraging her to keep going.

Landscape Arch. This is the longest arch in the world. A large chunk of it fell off in the 90's and it's only a matter of time until the rest of it falls!

Our little family. Brooke fits into the baby carrier much better now than she did a few months ago when we first came down to Arches.

Sam-I-Am you are such a HAM! Where are my Green Eggs?

We started out normal...

Then it turned into our standard fist fight of family fun!

The death grip.

Mike missed the head butt in the midst to taking a ton of pictures to capture our little scuffle. Hence, the look on my face. Sam's head is way harder than mine!

Sam gave in and carried his little solider for awhile to try to keep her from screaming and whining.

It backfired. Once she was carried that was all she wanted and this was the result when she was put down again.

Sam sees the Delicate Arch!

The girls and I were taking a nap and then hiked a little ways up the trail to meet the guys on their way back. There was no way that the little ones were going to make it up the Delicate Arch trail in the snow.

The underside of the arch. Mike's got a great artistic side!

Sam discovered the "Sam Arch." This is the world's smallest arch. He even took the time to carve his name on it.

We really are blessed to have such a beautiful state and National Park just a ways down the road. Granted, it's a long ways down the road, but it's still our state and it's amazing and different each and every time we go down there!