The Law Blog

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T02:00:00.000-06:00

Christmas Fun

2011-12-05T18:42:00.001-06:00

Disneyland

2011-11-30T15:49:00.001-06:00

During the second week in November,

we headed to Disneyland in California

for a family reunion with Judd's family.

We missed those who couldn't make it,

but we had a blast!

The Rain Forest cafe:

They were setting up for Christmas while we were there,

which was a real treat:

Savannah's Baptism

2011-11-30T15:41:00.001-06:00

I made the girls matching dresses...

for a very special event:

On Saturday, November 5th our daughter, Savannah, was baptized into

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

We are so happy for her!

Halloween

2011-11-30T15:38:00.001-06:00

This year for Halloween, our house was filled with:

a zebra

a Buzz Lightyear

a witch

and a scrawny football player

School Pictures

2011-10-28T17:47:00.001-05:00

Savannah, 2nd Grade

JT, Preschool

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-28T17:39:00.001-05:00

Last year we started a tradition of visiting the

Pumpkinland at Vineyard Gardens. We went again last weekend:

We got lost in a corn maze,

played on some bouncy toys,

saw some animals,

played on a jungle gym,

and picked our very own pumpkins!

Birthday Girl!

2011-10-28T17:34:00.001-05:00

Our little Savannah turned 8 on October 22nd!

How did that happen so fast?

She had a birthday party at Kangaroo Zoo with cousins and friends.

Grandma Law with Haven

Yummy cupcakes!

Fun presents.

Aloha!

2011-10-28T17:21:00.001-05:00

Judd and I had the fabulous opportunity (thanks to Aflac) to fulfill my dream of going to Hawaii!

At our opening luau welcome dinner.

At the Pearl Harbor memorials.

Lovely palm trees, swaying in the breeze.

At the awards banquet.

We love the show "Hawaii 5-0"!!!

Judd likes the show "Dog the Bounty Hunter".

The Laie Hawaii Temple.

Awesome beaches.

Hanauma Bay

More Mischief

2011-10-28T17:14:00.001-05:00

JT and Graham colored on the walls in our basement:

Guess who got to clean it up?

Mess Makers

2011-09-30T12:59:00.002-05:00

I ground some wheat into flour this morning, planning to make bread. Then I left the kitchen for a few minutes:

The culprits:

Graham (2) and JT (4)

School

2011-09-20T18:40:00.002-05:00

School started... last month. Savannah has started the 2nd grade at a brand new school, Thunder Ridge Elementary! So far she loves it, but I have some concerns about her new teacher... we'll see how things go.

JT also started school this year - he is a big Preschooler now! (It was a very bright morning when this picture was taken, sorry.)

Red Front Door

2011-09-06T10:45:00.002-05:00

We had a very fun and productive Labor Day! First we took the kids to the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City. It was an overcast, warm (not cold, not hot) day and the zoo was surprisingly not crowded - it was perfect!

Afterwards we came home and cleaned, scraped, sanded, taped and painted our front door (and side pieces). We love it! We planned do to our back door as well but we ran out of time and daylight. Who knew painting and all that goes into it could take soooooo long??

In between helping Judd with all the prepping and painting I also made cinnamon rolls. Yum!

Family Reunion

2011-07-27T13:05:00.002-05:00

We had this oh-so-amazing family reunion in Bear Lake this summer!

See this blur? That's me on the zip-line!

My cousin Stacy on the zip-line:

My Grandma F with Brennen, Haven and Graham:

Lots of 4-wheeler rides:

So much fun we fall asleep at lunchtime:

A river-rafting trip I will NEVER forget:

A day of games, like the 3-legged race:

Eating doughnuts off a string (both Savannah and Judd won, I placed 2nd):

I have such a fun family and was so grateful that I could be

there for this awesome family reunion!!

Five Months

2011-07-27T12:51:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving Point Animal Farm

2011-07-27T12:47:00.001-05:00

Back in June we went to the Animal Farm

at Thanksgiving Point with my sister-in-law,

Jessica and her daughter Cambria.

Graham wanted to feed EVERY SINGLE animal!

Concert

2011-07-27T12:44:00.001-05:00

We had a concert in my very own subdivision this summer.
How awesome is that??
There's a great ampitheatre at the entrance to my
subdivision and this year Clint Black came!

Here's my sister Ruth and her husband Clint:

Me and my wonderful husband, Judd:

Judd's parents, Tim & Bonnie:

Mr. Clint Black himself:

Memorial Weekend

2011-07-27T12:37:00.002-05:00

For Memorial Weekend we headed back to Bear Lake...

ate some smores...

celebrated my sisters birthday...

I was introduced to Settlers of Catan...

and we woke up to snow.

WHAT?

Snow on Memorial Weekend.

So rude.

Happy Birthday, Judd

2011-07-27T12:08:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure how, but this is the only picture that was taken of Judd on his birthday.

Happy birthday, my love!

Bwaa-haa-haa-haa-haa!

2011-07-27T12:05:00.000-05:00

Creative imagination indeed!

The Cabin

2011-07-27T11:45:00.003-05:00

My parents have a cabin in Bear Lake... a BEAUTIFUL cabin! I went up during a weekend in the beginning of May to help my Dad set up this playset:

It's a big hit with all the kids!

My grandparents stopped by for a visit - it's always wonderful to see them.

Grandpa P playing with Haven:

Grandma P, my darling sister-in-law Sharlyn and Haven:

Happy Birthday, JT

2011-07-27T11:42:00.002-05:00

Our oldest son turned 4 this year!!

I love the look of joy and surprise when kids open birthday presents!

Yikes!

2011-07-27T11:32:00.001-05:00

Oh I am in bad shape, my friends. My last blog post was EASTER!! My cousin recently came to visit and said, "Oh yeah, I forgot you had Haven... since you never blog about her." My head is officially hung. Let's try to correct that today, shall we?

Happy Easter

2011-04-27T20:34:00.002-05:00

I made the girls matching dresses for Easter. You can't tell, but Haven has little 'unders' in the coordinating green. So cute!

Happy Birthday, Graham

2011-04-27T20:29:00.003-05:00

Graham turned 2-years-old on Saturday, April 23rd!

We will be celebrating this Friday,

so on his actual birthday we just had some

cupcakes and a few presents at home.

Happy St. Patricks Day

2011-03-17T19:38:00.001-05:00

Graham, Savannah, JT, Haven

There are no words...

2011-03-17T19:34:00.003-05:00

Graham, 23-months

Blessing

2011-03-17T19:32:00.001-05:00

On Sunday, March 6th we blessed sweet baby Haven at church. Judd gave her a sweet blessing. We were thrilled to have most of Judd's family there and my sister's family there to join us. We are so blessed to have Haven in our family.

Too Big

2011-03-02T13:48:00.001-06:00

Me: JT, you're so cute I think I need to eat you.

JT: No! Don't eat me!

Me: But you're just so cute! I really think I need to eat you.

JT: I'm not cute. I'm too little.

Me: Please can I eat you?

JT (panicking now): No! You can't eat me!

Me: JT, I'm just playing with you. I won't eat you. You wouldn't taste very good.

...long pause...

JT: Because I'm too big for your mouth?

What We've Been Up To...

2011-02-21T17:13:00.004-06:00

One Month

2011-02-21T16:47:00.000-06:00

Are you Jealous?

2011-01-31T09:42:00.000-06:00

More Haven Pics

2011-01-23T16:10:00.002-06:00

Ready to go home!

Home with Daddy.

Sweet Haven.

Introducing Haven

2011-01-23T15:57:00.003-06:00

At my last OB appointment on Wednesday the 19th (my actual due date) I asked to have my membranes stripped to see if we could get labor started. The midwife who performed it wasn't confident it would be successful.

My contractions started later that night at 8:30. They were pretty mild and I eventually went to bed around 10:30. The contractions woke me up about 12:30... much harder. I got up and walked around the house, played on the computer, just killing time monitoring the contractions while trying to let Judd sleep. Finally around 3-ish I went and told Judd what was going on.

We called his Mom around 3:30/3:45 am and she rushed out to our house and we headed to the hospital. We got there just before 5:00 am.

When they first checked me I was dilated to a 4. They were concerned about the baby's heartbeat so they gave me an epidural right away in case we had to go into emergency C-section. (Luckily we did not!). The doctor came in and broke my water at 5:30 and they let me rest for a while. I didn't feel like I was having many contractions and the nurses said that I wasn't. They checked me around 7:00 and were getting ready to start me on Pitocin to get my contractions started again but they discovered that I was dilated to a 6 so something was still happening.

The doctor came in literally 5 minutes later and checked me again and I was dilated to a 9 - and I never had a contraction! Immediately the room went into busy mode and we ended up with 12 people in the room! (There was meconium present so they had a whole team ready to help the baby breath when she came out, plus some nursing students.)

Since you're supposed to push with contracts... but my contractions were very far apart it took a little longer to get her out, but baby Haven May Law was born at 7:32 am on Thursday, January 20th.

Savannah wants to hold her constantly and only agrees to give her up when her arms get tired.

JT likes to look at her but has never wanted to hold her. Graham is indifferent... UNLESS Daddy is holding Haven, then he's mad.

38 Weeks

2011-01-08T20:45:00.002-06:00

My due-date of January 19th is almost here!!

We can't wait to meet our little girl.

He Did It!

2011-01-06T16:02:00.003-06:00

Our potty-training journey with JT began way back in June. (I had a picture, but can't seem to find it anywhere!) He was pretty receptive to the idea but made no progress. Then my week suddenly became very busy and I couldn't devote any more time to the training. So it got put on hold.

Then we had our busy summer and after we moved into our new house we tried again. This time he was NOT receptive... in the picture below he is screaming and crying about being forced to sit on the potty. This was October.

Judd kept saying that he really wanted JT potty-trained before the new baby gets here, but I was dreading it. Finally, on December 21st I broke down and braced myself for the tears and wails. I was not disappointed. It took two days of having the potty-chair in front of the TV, a supply of books, encouragement from everyone and anyone, etc. He finally surprised himself by actually going in the potty, which helped a ton!
After two days we were able to move the potty-chair back into the bathroom and just tell him to sit on it every 2 hours or so. After the first 2 days he didn't have a single pee accident! It took about a week before he started telling us he needed to go instead of us making him go every 2 hours.

The following week we tackled #2. Judd had a rough day with JT who seemed to be holding it, but finally went in the potty!

Two weeks after we started he now tells us when he needs to go (both #1 and #2), can hold it during car rides and shopping trips, and is dry most every night.

Way to go, JT!!!!

Projects

2011-01-06T14:36:00.003-06:00

The sewing bug has bit me again! I went to the fabric store a few days ago and picked up this pack of fat quarters:

I made something really cool with it, but I can't show you yet. It's a birthday gift for my mother-in-law, so you'll have to wait until after her birthday. :)

I also picked up some very girly fabrics...

and made a Pod Swaddler for our new baby girl:

Sorry, this is the only thing we have that is close to the size of a real baby:
I can't wait for this baby girl to get here so I can bundler her up and snuggle her!

Say Cheese

2011-01-06T14:34:00.000-06:00

This is Graham's new smile for the camera. Isn't it hysterical?

New Year

2011-01-06T14:27:00.003-06:00

On New Year's Eve Savannah and I went to a family party thrown by our neighbors. Judd stayed home with the boys, who both woke up with colds that morning. Savannah and I had a great time and we lasted until about 10:00 pm. Savannah could have and would have kept going, but my pregnant body had had enough. I came home and snapped this picture of me and Judd:

Yes, I am in my pajamas. Why do you ask?

Then New Year's Day we just spent the day together hanging out as a family and playing games! In the afternoon we went over to Judd's parent's house to spend time with his brother & his wife before they headed home. We even went out to dinner to Tucanos - yum!

Christmas Jammies

2010-12-29T23:16:00.002-06:00

I started the tradition just last year of making us all Christmas jammie pants for Christmas Eve. I did better this year and even got them made one day early! I was able to squeeze into mine just for the sake of this picture, but they will be packed away for a month or so. :)

Snowman

2010-12-29T23:13:00.002-06:00

We have discovered that by living in Eagle Mountain, we usually get less snow than the rest of Utah County. However, a couple of weekends ago we had just enough snow to make our first snowman... or two. You'll see (if you look closely) that JT wanted his own.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-20T10:24:00.001-06:00

Eight Years

2010-12-08T14:32:00.002-06:00

Judd and I celebrated our 8-year wedding anniversary on December 7th. I am so lucky to have him in my life and he truly is my best friend. He is a fabulous father, a wonderful provider, a great support... he's the best partner I could ask for.

Reindeer!

2010-12-08T14:24:00.002-06:00

Did you know that some of Santa's reindeer take a break from Christmas training and come visit Utah County at Thanksgiving Point? They do! Here's proof:

Graham loves animals so he was excited to get to pet them.

How in the world did I ever get that coat to zip up over my pregnant belly?

Decorating the Tree

2010-12-08T14:22:00.002-06:00

Our family tradition is to decorate the Christmas tree on the weekend after Thanksgiving, and this year was no different!

Now the stress has been learning how to keep Graham AWAY from the ornaments!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-08T14:15:00.002-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving with Judd's family this year. We are so excited to be living close to family again so we can celebrate the holidays together. Each member made 2 dishes to contribute so we had a 'genu-ine' feast! I forgot that I currently don't have much room but I still out-ate Judd and ended up feeling gross for the rest of the night, but that's part of the holiday, isn't it?

Savannah

2010-11-23T12:43:00.002-06:00

Savannah is 7 and she is the reason I have found a grey hair or two.

She is in 1st grade and is doing VERY well at school. She is a social butterfly and makes friends super easy. I think she's probably a dream when she is not at home.

I work with her on her reading for 20-minutes a day, but she gets irritated when I try to correct her on a wrong word. She doesn't like to be told what to do and will roll her eyes at me. We're trying to work on teaching her NOT to raise her voice. She usually plays well with Graham but thinks that JT is a nuisance, which usually ends up in a screaming match involving the 3 of us.

She is very much into crafts and I will often find drawn pictures, cut-out faces, etc. scattered around the house. She recently added paper faces to two lamps in our great room, complete with glasses.

She loves living close to Grandmas and Grandpas and cousins! He Grandma & Grandpa Law were able to come watch her Primary Program a few Sundays ago and she was ecstatic!

She is quick to give a hug and loves to help Daddy bake in the kitchen.

She is a very picky eater and one of the reasons that dinner-time is a stress for me. Sadly, JT is learning this from her now too. Grrrr.

Savannah has inherited all of my bad qualities and all of Judd's good qualities. I wish she would hold on to the good ones and drop the bad ones, but I guess I have to drop the bad qualities first. Wish me luck with that.

She is developing a love for reading (Hey! That's a good quality she learned from me!) which I'm grateful for and hope to foster. She also loves to sing and unless someone (usually me) makes her mad, she has a pretty happy disposition.

J.T.

2010-11-23T12:31:00.002-06:00

Now let me tell you a little about my middle child, J.T. JT is 3-1/2 years old and he is the reason I have a headache most days.

This poor kid was affected the most by our recent move. He went from a very social kid who loved nursery to someone who is very wary of strangers and has a hatred of nursery. It's taken a few months, but we think we MIGHT just be past the nursery problems (whew!).

There have been a lot of changes in this kiddos life recently and we're trying to reassure him that we aren't moving back in with Grandma & Grandpa anytime soon. Any tips on helping a preschooler feel secure when his life has changed so much?

His new recent love is "Blues Clues". I hear about 10 times a day "Turn on 'nother Blues Clues!"

See this picture? I couldn't tear his eyes away from the TV to look at the camera.

The dry Utah weather is bothering him the most. He wakes up frequently during the night complaining of "burgers" (boogers) but won't let anyone teach him how to blow his nose. Frustrating!

He has an absolute fear of potty-training right now, much to my dismay. Looks like I'll have 3 in diapers soon after all.

He has developed a very strong-willed personality recently (due to all the changes, I'm sure) so getting him to change his mind about something is a hassle. If he wakes up hoping to have oatmeal and discovers pancakes instead... oh boy... tears, wailing, screaming, etc.

I'm a little nervous about January when JT will get a new baby sister AND graduate from nursery into a Sunbeam in Primary. Just more changes for him. It might take a while and a LOT of patience (not my strong suit) but hopefully we can move past this stage!

He still has the best giggle ever though!

Graham

2010-11-23T12:07:00.003-06:00

Let me tell you about my youngest son, Graham.

Graham is the reason I am exhausted at night. He is 19-months old and FULL of mischief.

Last Saturday morning I went grocery shopping. Judd was using his hair clippers to give himself a trim when I happened to call him from the store (I had to call and tell him that I had just seen TWO of the FOUR Sister Wives!). We spoke for less than 60 seconds. When he came back around the corner, he found this:

I'm short, so I need a stool to reach the tall shelves in my pantry. I frequently find this:
It's no wonder I can never find the specific can I'm always looking for!

I've always had to wait to take my shower until he goes down for his nap. But now that he's down to one nap a day, usually closer to lunch-time, that gets harder for me to do. I have come out of the bathroom to find him sitting on TOP of the office desk, playing with pens, staplers, paper clips... you name it. Today I came out to find that he had emptied our entire Gospel Art Picture kit and spread it all over the piano room.

His favorite thing to get when I'm not looking is the toilet plunger from the main floor bathroom. Gross!

He loves electronics. Remotes, cell phones, house phones, etc.

I have found crayon scribbles on my tile floor. I have found PEN scribbles on my tile floor. I have found a pen streak on my leather chair.

He likes to make blowfish kisses on my glass curio cabinet. Lovely.

And yet, I find him absolutely adorable:

Halloween

2010-11-01T12:09:00.002-05:00

Buzz Lightyear, a witch, and Scooby-Doo.

We attended our ward's Halloween Carnival at the church, followed by a Trunk-or-Treat (in the rain), then we repeated the process at Grandma Law's ward. Their buckets were so full that we never even needed to hit the neighborhood afterward!

Pumpkins

2010-11-01T12:05:00.001-05:00

On Friday night (Oct 29th) we carved pumpkins. Even I dug in (dressed in an apron and gloves, of course) instead of opting out to take pictures. Graham's contribution was to eat the pumpkins (blegh!). JT was being a stubborn stinker and refused to participate (wow, he sounds a lot like his Mom) so he sat out and watched cartoons. When they were all done they looked awesome!

Birthday Bash(es)

2010-11-01T11:50:00.003-05:00

Our little Savannah turned 7 years old last month! I can't believe it. We had a family birthday party with all of Judd's family on the night of her birthday. A yummy barbecue followed by presents, then cake & ice cream.

She wanted a unicorn cake, so that's what Daddy made her. Awesome job, Judd!

The next night we had a family party with some of my family. Pizza for dinner followed by more presents then cupcakes & ice cream. This girl knows how to party!

First Grader

2010-11-01T11:08:00.002-05:00

Here's our big first grader, Savannah. She loves school and according to her teacher is doing really well. At her SEP (parent-teacher conference) she was marked above on all of her benchmarks. Way to go Sissy!

Note to Self... her hair will never look the way it did when she left the house, so get over it.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-01T11:01:00.003-05:00

We went with Grandma Law to a pumpkin patch in Orem. The kids loved it! We walked through a corn maze, saw a bunch of animals, played in some inflatables... a perfect day for the kids.

Weight Loss

2010-11-01T10:57:00.001-05:00

The first photo in this trio was taken October 2009. The last two pictures were taken October 2010. It has been one year since Judd had his Mini-Gastric-Bypass surgery and he has lost 150 pounds... and he's not done yet. Way to go, honey!

Thanksgiving Point Farm

2010-11-01T10:43:00.004-05:00

Our little nephew had a birthday in September, so we met up with them at the Thanksgiving Point Farm. Graham absolutely LOVED the animals! He had no fear of sticking his fingers into the cages so I had to conscientiously keep his stroller back. He squeals and smiles when he sees animals.

JT... not so much.

Evening Things Out

2010-10-08T12:36:00.001-05:00

According the our 22-week ultrasound (a few weeks ago), Law Baby #4 is going to be a girl! Now, anyone have any cute girly nursery ideas? :)

We are In!!

2010-09-18T13:00:00.003-05:00

Guess what? We are first-time homeowners!! It's thrilling and scary all at the same time. We LOVE our new home, love our neighborhood and we love being closer to family again. We moved in Thursday, September 9th and have been unpacking boxes, fixing leaks, installing mirrors, figuring out where to put stuff, establishing new routines and really just enjoying ourselves. We're blessed to have handy-men on both sides of our family who have willingly helped us out.

Pictures

2010-09-06T19:47:00.002-05:00

These are completely backwards.

My husband and kids, measuring up to apes at the Hogle Zoo today.

The whole family at the zoo today.

Savannah's first day of First Grade.

Graham being silly.

A wonderful reunion I had with some friends that I grew up with in Alaska. I love these ladies!

There is currently nothing else to post about. We are still waiting for the closing on the house we are buying. Should be this week but I've learned not to hold my breath.

Savannah loves school. It's getting old having to drive her out to Eagle Mountain for school, but it's worth it if she doesn't have to transfer schools.

I'm halfway through my pregnancy now. No, we don't know the gender of this baby yet but hopefully we should soon (although Judd is trying to convince me NOT to find out). I'll keep you posted.

The kids love staying here at Grandma and Grandpa's house. They are so generous to let us stay but I'm really ready for my own place again. At this rate I will owe them a pantry full of food, a couple bottles of laundry detergent, the repair of many items broken by my kids, etc. *sigh* Thank heavens for family though. We love them.

Big Changes

2010-08-12T14:44:00.003-05:00

While we were in Utah visiting family for July 4th we were also given the opportunity to consider moving back to Utah. Judd and I thought and prayed about it and felt a resounding YES!

The kids and I stayed here while Judd packed up our rental house during the month of July and then I drove home for the last week to do the final cleaning. Then we climbed in our cars and drove back down to Utah. We have been staying with his sweet parents while we find a place to live.

We have also decided that it's time for us to buy a home. After our headache last year of trying to buy a home I have to admit that I'm nervous... very nervous. But so far everything is moving along very smoothly. We've found the home we want, the contracts have been signed, the inspection completed, so now we just sit and wait for the loan paperwork to come through.

Ho hum.

Trip to Utah

2010-07-24T11:12:00.002-05:00

On July 2nd we loaded into the car and drove to Orem, Utah. We spent the 4th of July weekend visiting with Judd's family and seeing the amazing Carrie Underwood in concert at the Stadium of Fire. It was so fun!

Then on July 7th we drove up to Bear Lake to visit my parents at their beautiful cabin. This is a picture of my Mom with all 9 of her grandchildren at the lake.

Judd was only able to stay for a few days before flying home for work, but the kids and I are still here in Utah! We stayed for a little over a week at the cabin, then came back down to Orem to visit Judd's family again. This afternoon we will drive back up to the cabin. We love Utah!

Last Day of School

2010-07-24T11:04:00.003-05:00

Savannah's last day of school was June 18th. She was even lucky enough to be the Classroom VIP on that day!

Savannah with Mrs. Cindy Johnson

(She was an awesome teacher!)

New Bike

2010-07-24T11:00:00.002-05:00

Savannah saved up her allowance until she had the amount for her portion of a new big girl bike. She loves it and rides it every chance she gets!

Birthday Surprise

2010-07-24T10:56:00.002-05:00

This was Judd's face when he opened one of his brithday presents (May 23rd):

What is it? A positive pregnancy test announcing Law Baby #4 is on the way!

Priceless.

Catching Up - Mothers Day

2010-07-24T10:47:00.002-05:00

Yup, that's how far behind I am on my blog. May. It is now close to the end of July. Woops.

Here is me with my kiddos on Mother's Day.

(Savannah, Graham, JT)

Here's my wonderful husband Judd with the kiddos he adores.

Swagger Wagon

2010-05-06T11:42:00.002-05:00

I've been talking to Judd about upgrading to a minivan. I think this may have helped! Totally funny. (I can't get the video to shrink smaller... sorry.)

Random Photos

2010-05-04T12:03:00.001-05:00

Just a picture of Graham being cute.

Savannah is turning into such a good little reader!

JT is Three!!

2010-05-04T11:52:00.004-05:00

Ten days after Graham's birthday we had another one, this time for JT!

Here's the Brobee (from "Yo Gabba Gabba", JT's favorite show) that Daddy made (with help from Savannah).

A rare shot of JT actually looking at the camera... quietly.

For dinner we all went to Chuck E. Cheese.

Judd & Savannah

JT (with pizza mouth) and Kerilee

This "Cars" city mat was immediately put to good use.

Yummy cake and ice cream!

Time Out For Women

2010-05-04T11:45:00.004-05:00

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to go to this:

It was a fabulous day and a half filled with inspirational messages and music. This year's theme was "Infinite Hope". I learned about Hope for motherhood, Hope from the gospel and even Hope for my own sanity.

This picture is of Mercy River, one of the musical groups we heard. Fabulous!

I'm so grateful to have such a wonderful husband who supports my dreams, wishes and goals and who was willing to play with the kids solo all weekend so I could attend this.

For another perspective, read THIS BLOG by one of the speakers! (I bought their book afterwards!)

Graham Is One!!

2010-05-04T11:14:00.005-05:00

Our youngest family member turned 1 on April 23rd!

Sadly, poor Baby Graham was sick all day. :(

Notice the Infant Tylenol and thermometer in his hand? Yah, his fever spiked at 102.5.

We had his family party that night after Daddy got home from work.

Graham didn't care much about opening the presents, but big sister was glad to help.

This fun water table was a gift from Grandma & Grandpa Law for both Graham and JT.

It was too cold outside to let them play in it yet, but we took it outside anyway.

The next day it rained and filled it up with water for us!

Now we can't wait for a warm day so the kids can go outside and play with it!

Immediately after this photo was taken Judd pushed the cake a little closer to Graham so we could start singing "Happy Birthday To You". I said it was too close, but did anybody listen?

We now have a video of Graham reaching for the flame,

burning his hand and erupting into screams.

I told you so.

By this point Graham was pretty much done for the day but we carried on

with tradition. He had NO interest whatsoever in eating his birthday cake.

He got a little frosting on his fingers and whined about it and remained

whiny for the remainder of the evening.

The good news, his fever was gone the next day.

Graham's 1-year Stats:

20 lbs (12%), 31.5 inches (92%)

Still tall and skinny!

Riding Along

2010-04-20T14:33:00.002-05:00

Last night before Family Home Evening we took the training wheels off Savannah's bike. She has outgrown the bike but we thought it might be easier for her to learn on a small bike (not as far to fall off!) than on a new bigger bike.

Judd worked with her for about 15-20 minutes, then she gave up. We told her she could practice riding her bike or go inside and then we turned away and busied ourself with other things. Next thing we know she's doing it by herself!

Side by Side

2010-04-20T14:31:00.001-05:00

Walking

2010-04-18T12:09:00.002-05:00

We captured a little video of Graham walking, for the Grandmas and Grandpas. Please ignore the messy house. It was really clean just that morning, I promise!

Solution

2010-04-07T11:13:00.003-05:00

Have a cranky toddler who wants to be held but you're busy putting laundry away? Here's my solution:

I turned on a show with lots of singing (Graham LOVES singing) and stuck him in the laundry basket so he couldn't crawl/fall off my bed. It was awesome - he happily sat there for about 20 minutes which allowed me to get some cleaning done!

Soccer

2010-04-07T10:57:00.003-05:00

We signed Savannah up for her first ever soccer team. They had their first game last Saturday and she did great! She loves having Daddy be her coach. She gets distracted easily but we're hoping that a little more practice will help her focus. Good job Sis!

Happy Easter

2010-04-07T10:48:00.002-05:00

Savannah (6), Graham (11-mos.), JT (almost 3)

This picture was actually taken the week before Easter, since we stayed home from church on Easter Sunday to watch General Conference.

11 Months

2010-03-24T15:45:00.004-05:00

Graham, 11 months

Okay, now that Graham has started crawling... he is non-stop! He loves to climb things too, especially the stairs! He also thinks he's a pretty big boy and likes to stand by himself for a few minutes. We've tried to get him to take a few steps towards us, but he ends up getting so excited he starts bouncing and then falls. He'll get it soon though!

He is a great eater but his absolute favorite is yogurt (any flavor). He pretty much lights up when he sees the container come out of the fridge.

He loves it when Daddy comes home from work and breaks into a huge grin.

We recently moved JT into the same room as Graham and those two boys just love to chatter and play with each other! I know I should stop them and make them settle down to sleep but Judd and I love listening to them. I usually find Graham standing in his crib, rattling the railing and JT with his arms through the crib slats, handing Graham a toy or his binky. Their giggles are so great!

We love our little Graham!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-24T15:40:00.001-05:00

JT & Graham

Outside

2010-03-24T15:32:00.002-05:00

Our weather here in Spokane has finally started warming up a little bit (50s-low 60s). We took advantage and played outside one afternoon.

Savannah was practicing her soccer moves since Mom FINALLY signed her up for a soccer team. Practices start next week and the games start early April. How exciting! Wanna know the best part? Dad gets to be her coach!
Graham wasn't so sure about the grass. (It's still a little crunchy.) Notice his hair cut? It was done by necessity and I can't wait for his hair to grow back.

I Lied

2010-03-12T22:05:00.001-06:00

Her 2nd tooth didn't wait until next week!

She lost it tonight.

Toothless

2010-03-12T11:04:00.002-06:00

Look who lost her first tooth?

Savannah's 2 bottom front teeth have been loose for over a month.

One of them was barely dangling when I walked her to the bus stop

on Monday (3/8/10). Using the guise that I wanted to see how

loose the neighboring tooth was I inserted some steel into my spine

(touching other peope's loose teeth... gross)

and gently pulled to the tooth.

She was scared, shocked then thrilled in the space of 2 seconds.

I estimate that it's neighbor will fall out next week sometime.

Oh yes, the toothfairy did visit our house that night.

New Look

2010-03-10T17:19:00.001-06:00

I LOOOOVE IT!

Cabo!

2010-03-10T17:09:00.003-06:00

Less than 2 weeks after our Florida trip Judd and I had the opportunity to go to Cabo San Lucas. It was a trip that Judd earned at work, so we were able to attend with some other Aflac couples.

We got lots of sun, ate a lot of yummy food, went out on a glass-bottom boat and saw some fish and scenery, drank some non-alcoholic drinks by the pool... it was an awesome trip!!

Ten Months

2010-03-10T17:03:00.002-06:00

On February 23rd, Graham turned 10 months old!!

Don't ask me why he's topless...?

Mobile

2010-03-10T16:59:00.001-06:00

While we were gone to Florida, Graham learned to crawl!! He was on the verge before we left, so I asked my Mom (she watched the boys while we were gone) to bring her camera. Sure enough, he did it! So now, we have gates... everywhere.

Disney World

2010-03-10T16:46:00.003-06:00

I'm very far behind on my blogging, I know. I'll try to do better.

In the beginning of February we had the opportunity to take Savannah to Disney World in Florida. We met up with Judd's parents at the SLC airport and they joined us for the trip. How fun! Savannah got to see and meet all sorts of characters that she knows and it was such a treat for her.

It was unseasonably cold during our visit, so I packed on the layers attempting to stay warm, but we had still had a very fun week. It was so fun to have Grandma and Grandpa join us!!

I Will Drug My Kids

2010-02-02T08:53:00.000-06:00

Nine Months

2010-01-24T17:15:00.000-06:00

Our precious little boy is already 9 months old!

He had a rough two weeks at the beginning of January,

due to illness, but now is eyes are sparkling again,

his skin is clear and his nose can breathe.

Hallelujiah!

His smile has returned!!

We love this sweet little boy!

Sunday Pictures

2010-01-24T17:09:00.000-06:00

Me and Graham

Savannah Sue

Studly Juddly

The Three Stooges

Prayer... or Magic?

2010-01-23T17:39:00.000-06:00

One of my pet peeves is not being able to find something... whether it's a missing shoe, the car keys, an overdue library book, etc. H A T E it.

Savannah has lost her P.A.L. book for school (Don't ask me what that stands for. If I had to guess I would say "Parents And Learning" or something like that.) Anyway, we have hunted and hunted. I was ranting at her the other day and she said, "Mom! Shh! I'm trying to pray so Jesus will help me find it!"

Awww.

Thankful for the opportunity to teach, I sent her up to her room to find a quiet place to offer her prayer.

She came back downstairs and continued searching the living room, which had already been picked over several times. I suggested she look downstairs in the family room instead.

"No, Mom. I told Jesus to make the book be in this room so I could find it."

Apparently we have Jesus confused with a Magic Genie.

Pure & Simple

2010-01-13T12:22:00.003-06:00

Last night we had a Relief Society dinner and the message that was given was all about simplifying our lives. I've seen that message on a lot of blogs lately, so it's a popular message.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the talk and afterwards we were given little cards with 2 goals for each month. I think it's an awesome idea and thought I would share them here with you. Feel free to join us!

January

1. Set aside time and plan. Take a good look at your life right now and decide what you want to change and how you will go about it. *Remember - always ask the question: will this simplify my life?

2. De-clutter one room or closet in your house, then sit back and enjoy.

February

1. Make a weekly meal plan and see how you like it. (Extra credit - go for the whole month!)

2. Make a conscious effort to keep yourself from judging or criticizing others. *Remember - this includes your spouse, children and you!

March

1. Finish one project that has been left undone.

2. Practice "single tasking". Make a conscious effort not to multi-task. How do you feel? How do you perform?

April

1. Walk 20 minutes 3x week. Make a special effort to notice how it makes you feel better, gives you more energy and relieves stress. Wow! (Extra credit - go for the whole month!)

2. Journal this month. Include things you are grateful for.

May

1. Read your Sunday School and Relief Society Lessons this month.

2. Prune out a bad habit or cut down media time.

June

1. Take time now to plan out your summer. Focus on simple, fun and free! (Extra credit - plant a garden)

2. Set aside time to plan out a budget. If you already have one evaluate how it's working.

July

1. Arrive early to church. Give yourself margin this month. Plan to arrive 10 minutes early to appointments.

2. Don't procrastinate. Make a conscious effort to "just do it!"

August

1. Drive the speed limit this month. Make an effort to slow down and enjoy the scenery.

2. Help 3 people this month.

September

1. Seek out a blessing.

2. Take time now to sit down and plan Christmas. What gifts do you already have? What do you need to make, or look for on sale? Organize your lists. Take a family photo for your Christmas letter.

October

1. Laugh! Focus on what makes you laugh and what makes you happy. Rent a comedy. Have joke night for FHE. (Extra credit - journal about what makes you laugh. Include funny things your children do.)

2. Don't worry. When you are tempted to worry, pray instead. Give your burdens to the Lord.

November

1. Do your Visiting Teaching before the 15th this month. Take your calendar with you and schedule your December appointment.

2. Attend the temple. Meditate and count your blessings.

December

1. Don't rush! Make an effort every time you feel rushed, hurried or overwhelmed to RELAX, and ENJOY the moments and the season.

2. Write in your journal. Focus on how this year went. Think of ways you've become more PURE and SIMPLE.

Portraits

2010-01-10T11:37:00.002-06:00

Since our move this last summer, we haven't been able to hook-up our scanner. Our new office is MUCH smaller than our last one and we just don't have a place to hook it that's close to our computers. So I've been sitting on these pictures that NEEDED to be scanned.

Then, Judd needed to buy a new laptop for work... and along with it came a free printer/scanner... that's WIRELESS!! So we installed it yesterday and it's sitting across the room and working perfectly.

I was finally able to scan these pictures of the kids.

Savannah's Kindergarten Picture

JT's 2-year-old picture

Graham's 6-month-old picture

Brrr!

2010-01-04T22:22:00.002-06:00

When we got home from our trip to Utah we discovered that our furnace had been broken the entire time we were gone. Our house was FRIGID! We called the property management company and although it was Sunday evening they sent someone out to take a look. There wasn't much he could do, however, so we loaded some space heaters into the bedrooms and bedded down for the night, bundled up warm!

The experts came this morning and finally got it all figured out and fixed up by about 11 AM. It took a few hours, however, to get the house to a comfortable temperature.

Yes, Graham is wearing a girl's pink hat... it was the fastest this I could get my hands on.

A Trip to Utah!

2010-01-04T21:52:00.008-06:00

We loaded up the car on the Tuesday after Christmas and headed to Utah!

We had clear roads until just South of the Utah border.

We got to see some cousins!

I got to see my brother and one of my sisters.

The kids got to spend some time with this guy (Grandpa L.)

We got to help celebrate a birthday.

We got to see this woman (Grandma L.)

This couple got to spend time together.

We saw a really cool aquarium.

I got to see this awesome wonderful friend from Arkansas!

Savannah practiced her reading.

We saw Uncles and Aunts.

And of course we played games!

More Pictures

2010-01-04T21:25:00.002-06:00

Why am I NEVER wearing make-up??!?

Post Christmas Pictures

2010-01-04T21:12:00.005-06:00

Just some pictures of playing or wearing our Christmas presents!

The kids in the pajamas from Grandma P. Savannah is also showing her ink-stamped hands - thanks to a gift from her cousin.

Savannah made some donuts, wearing her apron from her cousin and using her donut maker from Grandma P.

Just some cute pictures of the boys.

Christmas Day

2009-12-27T17:09:00.004-06:00

Here's a snapshot at what our Christmas looked like!

(click to enlarge)

Christmas Eve, Part 6

2009-12-27T00:30:00.003-06:00

And yes, just in the nick of time I finished our matching Christmas pajama pants (although don't look at the hem on Judd's, because there isn't one).

Even little Graham got a sleeper!

Then it was off to beds, waiting anxiously for Santa Claus!

Stay tuned tomorrow and I'll tell you all about our Christmas.

Christmas Eve, Part 5

2009-12-27T00:26:00.003-06:00

When we returned from looking at Christmas lights, we got to work making our gingerbread houses... okay, they're graham cracker houses but go with it.

Savannah was very proud of hers.

Judd and JT made a temple, complete with steeple and gummy-bear Angel Moroni.

Mine was crooked, off-centered... and perfect.

Christmas Eve, Part 4

2009-12-27T00:24:00.002-06:00

I am not a good photographer... at all... so this picture is pretty pathetic. (I wish I was like my cousin Christi.)

Anyway, after dinner we drove over to a home near the temple that has lights set to music that you listen to through a radio station. It was awesome, but hard to get a picture to do it justice.

The kids got bored with it pretty quickly, but Judd and I enjoyed it.