Life with Hallie- the movie

I took this movie yesterday after taking the pictures below. Brian said this is the perfect movie of Hallie at 2, especially with all the different emotions. She is such a cutie!

Life with a 2 year old!

I came upstairs yesterday, and this is how I found Hallie. I had to take a picture. :)
I love this picture. Hallie LOVES balloons. I think her biggest fear in life, is that the balloon will fly away.
Hallie is so good with Landon. She loves to hold him & be by him. He doesn't seem to mind too much : )

Jackson's Pre School Pizza Field Trip

Yesterday I got to go with Jackson & his Pre School class to the pizza place to watch them make pizza. I had gone last year with Morgan & it was really quite interesting, so I figured this year would be the same. I showed up to the school, packed the 4- 4 year olds in the van, and started following the other Mothers & teachers. We soon came to a yellow light, and the truck I was following sped up so they wouldn't miss the light. I on the other hand decided to slow down and stop (because of the extra special cargo I was carrying.) :) I soon got to Main Street & went to the pizza place... just one problem... none of the other drivers were there!!! I had thought that we were going to the same place as last year... nope! I asked the 4 year olds if they knew where we were going today. They all shouted "Slice-A-Pizza!!" I had seen this new restaurant, but couldn't remember where it was. I thought it was on the south end of Main Street so I headed in that direction. I called Brian to ask him if he knew where it was, and he didn't, so thank goodness for my cell phone! I called "411" and they gave me the exact address... just one more problem... I am TERRIBLE at directions. I knew kind of where it was, but didn't feel like I had time to calmly look for the place (knowing that he teacher was probably a little concerned) , meanwhile politely telling 4 year olds to please "leave their seatbelts on" and to "be quiet while I find the pizza place." I think I had a little headache & looked a little tired when we finally showed up (thanks to Brian for telling me what the address was by.) Oh, and not to mention, that while I was trying to find the place, I heard a chorus at different times from 4 little kids, that my kids know they can't say in the car.... "I hafta go potty!" another kid, " I hafta go potty too!"
I responded with, "Well, you're going to have to hold it because you're not peeing in my car!" the kids were quiet after that, and I even said it nice. :)
Once we were there, the kids all ran inside to use the bathroom while I explained where I had been. One of the Mom's was really sweet & introduced herself to me. I'm sure she could see how worn out I looked and wanted to make me feel a little better. :)
Now onto the pizza! Jackson had been practicing throwing the dough in the air and catching it with his hands. The dough was Morgan's nightgown. He was so excited to see the man throw the pizza in the air and catch it. At the actual pizza place--- no dough was thrown, and no man was there. (obviously because we were at a different place, and they have a "Pizza Presser") Jackson was a little let down, but according to his words to Brian last night "Yeah, and we got to see the pizza oven, which isn't like our oven, it's huge! and we saw the pizza come out, and we backed up, but we didn't back up into the fridge!" So, I guess overall he was happy.
And finally eating the pizza!

Happy Birthday Karen!

Today is Karen's birthday. I think that she is still claiming to be 29, although, since Brian is now 30 I don't think that will work anymore. But I think 32 sounds young, so today Karen is 32 (plus a couple of years) :) Anyway, Karen is such an amazing person! I look at her life & how she is constantly striving to be better & learn more. She is the perfect example of enduring to the end, and remaining steadfast in her faith in Christ. Here are some pictures from Christmas that I haven't posted yet, and thought that now would be the perfect time.

Grandma Karen (as the kids call her) gave this little Southern Belle dress & hat to Morgan for Christmas. Morgan was absolutly thrilled & has worn it many days since. Doesn't she look adorable! Morgan & Jackson & Hallie love being with Grandma Karen. They get so excited to go to her house & visit her. Grandma is always good about spoiling them & spending time with them. One of my favorite things to watch her do is read to them. I love how intently they are all staring at the book, and especially how calm they all are. :)
Karen is such a great mother-in-law to Brittany & Josh & I. She does so much, and has welcomed us all in as her own. She is always a great support to us. Whenever I have had a baby or the kids have had broken bones or are sick, she is the first one to offer support, help, & love. Brian & I both know that we can do anything we want to in life & she will support us & be there for us.
Karen has a real talent for always making people feel welcome in her home. I remember when Brian & I were dating and engaged, and sometimes it was really hard for me to be far from home. It was so nice knowing that I had somewhere that was like home to me & a place I always felt welcomed.
Karen has a GREAT sense of humor & has passed it on to her kids. Brittany was so sweet and gave Jeff this nice set of glow in the dark footsie pajamas for Christmas. Karen held him like he was her little baby, and it was soooo funny! I only wished that I had gotten some for Brian so he could sit on her other knee along with Jeff. Unfortunatly Brian didn't really like the idea of wearing glow in the dark pajamas, or being a grown man and sitting on his Mommy's lap. Maybe next year. :)
Karen has so much love for all of us. She is constantly showing her love for us through service, generosity, thoughts, prayers, & food-- especially her yummy Sunday dinners.
We are so blessed to have her as a part of our family & to continue to learn from her & the way she lives her life. We love you Karen & Happy Birthday!

Question...

Is it a good or bad thing if your 2 year old drops a bowl of cereal on the ground, and before you can respond she says, "Dang it!" :) At least it wasn't the other word.

Valentine Pictures

I'm not sure why these didn't load on Sunday, so here they are. Our cute little Valentines. :)

Our Valentines

Our cute little Valentines before church. Landon was wearing a shirt that said, "Hug Me, Kiss Me, Hold Me" & after this picture, as we were rushing out the door, he decided to spit up all over it, so I made a quick change at church. I love my little sweeties. In this picture I think Morgan looks so grown up. She looked adorable today! She was wearing her black & cream plaid shirt that matched Hallie's and she had on her sparkly red shoes to match the red ribbon on her skirt. I could tell she liked the clothes I had laid out on her bed last night because she came into our room this morning dressed for the day. She has been such a huge help with Landon, & is such a sweetheart.
Jackson looks like he is sitting on something really uncomfortable & trying to smile even though he is in pain or is it surprised? :) Hallie looks like she has just done something to Jackson & thinks she is really funny. What funny kids!
At church today, my friend was getting ready to teach her lesson. Just before she started speaking we hear this conversation in the hallway from a little boy with a loud voice, "Yeah, and guess what, we came and washed the church the other day." I instantly recognized the voice, the conversation continued from the teacher, "Oh really?" the little boy, "Yeah, me and my Dad, we went in that room, and then we washed this, and we washed that, & we washed the church!" (we actually washed/cleaned the church back in October) Of course this was all spoken loudly & with excitement, while the sisters in Relief Society were sitting nice & quietly listening to the conversation. I laughed & admitted that it was indeed my son. :)
Tonight Brian spoke at a Court of Honor for Greg, one of the Y.M. he had taught. While we were there Jackson came and sat by me (we were sitting next to the dessert/ picture table that had a huge cake on it) Jackson stared at the big flag on the cake for a minute or so and then said, "Mom, let's eat that cake right now!" The room was dark because there was a movie about our country playing and I said, "Jackson, what do you think the people would think if we started to eat the cake right now?"
He quietly, but very assertive replied, " They will say, Oh! It's time to eat cake!!!!" I told him that we should wait until they were ready to serve it to us & then we could eat it. When the cake was being served, he then gladly helped himself to 2 plates. :) He brings so much entertainment to our house & family.
Hallie is definatly showing us how a 2 year old should act. I don't think I have ever met a more determined, opinionated, or funny girl than her. She tells us all the time what she does and doesn't like. She woke up from her nap today & was excited to see the table all decorated & couldn't wait to eat the candy. I feel like I am watching a different movie every time I watch her. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's sad or mean, but overall... very entertaining.
My sweet Valentine! Since Hallie's birthday was Friday, & we celebrated more on Saturday, Brian & I went out for our Valentines date on Thursday night while my sister Kaylie watched the kids. The kids love Aunt Kaylie, and get so excited when she comes over. Brian & I went to dinner at Out Back & had a heavenly Pina Colada & a delicious dinner. Brian ordered a meal that came with shrimp stuffed with crab on the side. I think they actually took a whole cube of butter, if not more, melted it, let it sit for a while on the counter, and then placed the shrimp in it. One bite tasted yummy but then we felt like we had eaten a pound of butter from just that one bite so we didn't eat anymore. Other than that though, the food was excellant & the company was even better. I love Brian so much! I love having date nights with him & being around him. He is one amazing guy!
And look at this cute little fella. My boys were definatly trying to entertain the people at church today. One of our friends, Hollie, asked if she could hold him during Sunday School. She was sitting on the row right by the door at the back of the room. The teacher asked someone to say the prayer, and we all bowed our heads to pray. A couple of seconds later, after the prayer had been started, we hear a loud explosion. I knew immediatly what it was... yep Landon filling up his diaper. I bumped Brian's arm & started saying my own prayer that the diaper had contained all that had just been filled in it. The prayer ended & I hear the back of the room laughing. I already felt a little embarrased & can only imagine the attention I would have gotten had Landon done that while sitting on my lap in the middle of the room. Brian quickly got up to go and rescue our friend & enjoyed getting friendly smiles from friends in the back of the class. :) The bishop later told me that his wife had been anxious to hold Landon, but after this incident, he leaned forward & told Hollie that his wife wasn't envious of her anymore. :) Landon is such a sweet little guy & smiles all the time. He has brought so much love to our family.
I am so grateful for my Valentines. Valentines Day is one of my favorite holidays because I love expressing love to all of them. Brian teasingly asked me yesterday if I would be his Valentine. I told him, "Are you serious? I thought you would never ask!" I am so blessed!