Preschool Orientation

Today was Harlee's preschool orientation. I cannot believe our little girl is already starting preschool. Thanks to Jenna coming and watching Nash and Gray, I was able to go and spend a little time with just Harlee. Her teachers are Miss Cara and Miss Keri. It is in our old neighborhood- Chapel Bend. Today she did her hand print, was weighed and measured, and got to fill out a favorites paper. She said the following:
Favorite thing to do: play with barbies and go to dance class
Favorite things to eat: mac n cheese, chicken rice and cheese, and chocolate
If I had a wish I would: want to be like Dad
Favorite person: mom and dad
What makes me happy: when mom holds me

What a sweet little girl. She seemed a bit nervous so I will have to update on Thursday when she has her official first day!

Gray's Blessing Day

On Sunday we had Gray's baby blessing. What a special day for our family. I feel so blessed to have a husband that honors his priesthood and can deliver such special blessings to each of them. Joey blesses our children with such humility and love. Gray's blessing was just another example of that. His blessing focused so much on the Savior. He was told to get to know his Savior. To study His life. He was promised that if he does this then people will get to know the Savior by knowing Gray. He was also told to study the scriptures and of his opportunity to one day serve a mission. He was also told that when he looks for his future wife to marry in the temple, he needs to date girls that will love him the way his mother loves him. He was also told of his siblings that love him so much. Gray was also reminded of the great support system he has in his immediate family, extended family, and ward family. What a special guy Gray is and what a tremendous blessing he is to our family.

After the blessing was given we all enjoyed pizza and tons of treats. We had so many family members here to support him and felt so blessed that they would come to support Gray. What a special day!

Before and After

We have had our bar stools for about 3 years. They are so nice and sturdy but were in need of a little face lift. So our light wood bar stools are now black and shiny. I must say that I LOVE THEM. It is so amazing what a little stain can do. I am thinking that I might need to do the table and the chairs next.

Gray is the color of LOVE

I seriously love this little guy. He is becoming so interactive and loves the little attention he gets. Poor guy for choosing to come fourth! I cannot believe how quickly he is growing a changing. So grateful he is a part of the family!

Will I ever???

I guess it is safe to say that the more children you have the less chance of getting a good picture where they all are looking at the camera. I really would take that- just everyone looking. Smiling is totally a bonus! Here is the latest attempt. Looking or not, smiling or not, what babes these kiddos are!

First Day of First Grade

Today was Luke's first day of 1st grade, which by the way was the title he wanted me to use for this post! He was so excited and looked so cute. I cannot believe that he is already old enough to be at school all day. We started the morning with eggs ham and cheese at his request. Then he got ready in his new school clothes and looks like a babe. We took a few pics and we were off to school. I am so thankful that he was so excited and could pretty much care less that I was walking away! As I lay in bed last night snuggling Gray I thought, 6 years ago I was doing the same thing to my little Luke. What a great boy he is turning out to be. I love and envy his outgoing nature. He is so sweet and I know will be a great friend and example to all of those in his class. Riley is in his class which gives me added comfort knowing he will have someone to experience this new journey with. I am so grateful for Luke in our family and know he will have a great year!
*The lady in the picture is his teacher Mrs. Grimes. She seems so nice with a English accent. The picture of Luke with the principal Mr.Stephenson is one of my favs. Luke always does a funny lean when you take his picture and the principal decided to join him in the Luke lean!!

Nash is an Artist

So funny that the last post was about Nash decorating his face because now he is using his artistic abilities to decorate our walls! This time Nash found a crayon and then a ball point pen. When we told him "No!" he was not so happy with that response.

Nash is the sweetest little guy but is the biggest disaster. It seems that mess just seems to follow him. A little nervous as to what will be next. As for the walls, we were just searching for the perfect blue to paint those walls anyway. Just need to paint a little sooner than we thought!

Nash vs Marker

With four little ones it is virtually impossible to keep your eye on all of them at the same time. Last night Joey and Harlee were at the store, Nash and Luke were playing up in his room, and I was feeding Gray. All of the sudden Nash comes down stairs, marker in hand, and the biggest smile on his face. As he got closer I could see why he was so amused. He had found a brown and a yellow marker and decorated his cute face. It was so funny that I could not be mad. It could be so much worse and he could have decorated Luke's walls!

Luke Tennis Round 2

Erika, Riley's mom, found us another option for tennis lessons. This guy Austin, a BYU student, was teaching on an outdoor court and had 2 openings. So we signed Luke and Riley up. Luke loved it! He did really good. His teacher actually told me that he was the best in the class. So proud of you Luke!

Two Iguanas

What do you do when old navy has a sale on the white polo with the iguana on it? You buy one in Gray's size and another for Nash. I was not sure if I would like the shirt but it was about $2.50 and I think they look super cute on these super cute boys. I must admit that I love dressing the boys alike. Something I am sure they will tease me about as they get older. I must admit that Gray seems a little happier about wearing the shirt than Nash!

Seriously, what happens when mom is gone??

This morning I had to go and get a HIDA scan at the hospital to check my gallbladder. Hailee and Brody were so nice to come and watch the kids for me. As I was pulling up into the driveway after the test Erika was picking up Luke for tennis. I saw Luke come running out the door. What is he wearing?? I kind of have this thing about boys in tank tops. Reminds me of junior high when all the stinky gross guys would wear them. Just not a favorite look of mine. Luke really wanted a tank top so I bought him one stressing that is was only to be worn as pajamas. Obviously that little sneak had other plans! He also combed his hair down which is another thing he loves to do when I am not around! So Luke and his WT outfit went to tennis today. When he got home I told him I wanted a picture of his outfit of choice. He made that scowl face and I asked him what he was doing. He told me he was trying to look cool!!
**Harlee had to get in on the "cool" picture too!

Backyard Bath

Lately we have been having some visitors in our backyard. We have a family of birds that visit just about everyday. There is a mom and dad bird followed by about 10 little baby birds. It is the cutest thing. I have tried getting pictures before but the door opening scares them away. So today I just took a picture through the window hoping you can see the birds. They love to drink from our bird bath and the kids love to watch them do it. Who needs your own pets when we have so many that visit!!

It Finally Came Out

For about a week Luke's front tooth has been so loose. We keep telling him to just pull it out but he is too afraid. Last night while eating a bread stick with dinner it almost fell out but no luck. This morning while I was doing his hair, he was brushing his teeth. All of the sudden he yelled "Mom". He pointed to his front tooth and it was gone. We seriously cannot find it anywhere. I asked him if he swallowed it but he said no. So we are once again writing the tooth fairy a letter of explanation. He is so excited though to have it out and he couldn't look cuter.

Love that face

I am so excited to say that the smiles and "talking" have become a daily occurrence from Gray. I am LOVING it! I have been keeping the camera close by in hopes of catching a good one! He loves when you talk to him and he often tries so hard to talk back. We also catch him smiling and talking to the ceiling. I always wonder who is visiting him!! What a special spirit Gray brings into our family and we feel so lucky that he is a part of our family.

LAGOON

Yesterday we went to Lagoon. It was the first time for me and Luke and Harlee. Darolyne had offered to take us since we were unable to go on the family vacation earlier this summer because Gray had just been born. So Hailee and Ben watched Gray and Nash so we could go. I had such a hard time leaving them but knew it would be so much fun for Luke and Harlee. We left home around 3pm and stopped at Carls for a quick dinner. Then it was off to the fun! We met KC and Shawn there and started off on the rides. Our first ride was one of two Haunted Houses. Luke was so excited until we actually got on the ride! Then we went on some of the roller coasters. Luke went with me on one called Samurai. HOLY COW! That was so scary. As we got off the ride Luke said "That was WICKED!!" The crowds were minimal so we were able to get on all the rides that we wanted to without having to wait more that 15 minutes. Luke said that his favorite ride was the Old Train ride because he could not believe there were real aminals (animals!). Harlee loved the Tidal Wave that went back and forth. She kept saying "It tickles my tummy!" I loved Wicked and Joey did too!

Joey and I paid the extra money to do the crazy Catapult ride. They strap you in what looks like a big red open ball and it shoots you well over 200 feet in the air. It is suppose to be what the astronauts experience as they are rocketed off the ground. It was so great. I think Joey and I both screamed so loud. How fun to do something CRAZY with your best friend! We had such a great time. As we were leaving, Luke said that for his birthday next year he wants to go back to Lagoon and stay until it closes. He said he wants to stay until it is super dark and there on stars in the sky!!

Almost Twins

Well I guess that almost twins is not quite accurate but Hinckley and Gray were born one day apart. Gray was born on May 30 and Hinckley on May 31. Jeremy and Steph stopped by on their way to the fountains in Alpine so I had to get a picture. Jeremy commented that this is the first time one of their kids was bigger than ours. They are both so cute. How fun to grow up with a cousin so close to your age!!

Their New Car

Joey and I were on a quest to get a ton of stuff done around the house this weekend. It seems like the washing machine has been running nonstop and we still have a mountain of clothes awaiting their turn! The laundry basket was in the family room so Nash and Harlee decided to pretend it was their car. Harlee would shake the basket and Nash would crack up. They have such fun together and I hope that they always stay this close.
*I love to write these blogs with the hopes of showing them on a day that they are not getting a long in the future. See you two, you use to LOVE playing together!!

WHAT???

I have been trying and trying to get a picture of Gray smiling. He is starting to smile all the time but whenever I run to get the camera he decides to be done. I was trying yesterday to capture the happy moment and I got this picture. How cute is this? He looks like he is so surprised. What a babe!!

Our Two Fish

For the past two weeks Luke and Harlee have been taking swimming lessons. Luke and Riley did a semi-private with Rachel, the same teacher Luke had last year. Harlee's teacher Annie from last year is on a mission so Harlee had Emma this year. They have both come so far in such a short time. I love the way that these sisters teach.

Harlee has come so far over these two weeks. At the beginning of the class Harlee would cry and would not want to jump into the water. At the end of the class today she jumped off the diving board all by herself. She can jump in and float on her back.

Luke has done amazing also. He can swim on his back the whole length of the pool. He also jumps off the diving board with no fear. She also taught them how to tread water. What a great experience this was for them and it was worth every penny.

Gray's 2 month appointment

We went today for Gray's 2 month appointment. On one hand I cannot believe he is already 2 months but for all he has been through in his short life, it feels like longer. Gray is doing really good. He is right on target developmentally and here are his stats:

Weight: 12 lb 3 oz - 75%
Height: 23 3/4 in - 75%

I expressed to the doctor that Gray seems to struggle a little with his formula so he gave us a sample of something softer. I am hoping that might help. He also said that his head is looking mildly flat on one side. So we are going to start holding him on the other side and hopefully fix the problem. Let's hope so we do not have to do a helmet again. We are truly loving Gray and hope he keeps growing and thriving!

Picture of Perfection?

I have come to the conclusion that dieting makes me want to watch shows about food. I somehow find satisfaction in watching shows about things I cannot have. I have been loving this show called Cupcake Wars. They make the yummiest looking cupcakes and I often wonder if I could do that. So yesterday I was suppose to make a dessert for the dinner of a ward member and thought this could be my chance to try something new. So I found a recipe for caramel frosting online. I made chocolate cupcakes with the caramel frosting. I could not eat one but Joey and the kids loved them. Cannot wait to try my next recipe!