75 Things...

Every year I make a list of my likes and dislikes and that of my family. I usually get them out every spring and read them - it's fun to see what is the same and what is different. I saw on my cousin Melissa's blog that she had put a list of 75 things about her - I thought it was fun to read and it has motivated me to make mine and my families lists again. So, here are my 75:

1. I love to watch my children sleep
2. I love it when McKay calls me sweetheart
3. I think a dandelion is one of the greatest gifts your children can give you
4. I love to sleep in - however, with three children it doesn't happen very often!
5. I love to take bubble baths
6. My toe nails are always painted
7. I love it when Carter crawls into bed and cuddles with me in the morning & I love it when he asks me to lay down with him at night!
8. Pink is my favorite color
9. I am a homebody
10. I have to have a blanket when I am sitting on the couch watching TV or in the car when I travel
11. I love fresh flowers
12. I seldom eat breakfast
13. I love Mondays
14. I can't stand grocery shopping - James does it for me!
15. I talk to my Mom everyday
16. I love to open the blinds in the morning and let the light in
17. I love anything that glitters!
18. I wished I played the piano - So, my children will!!!
19. I have a fetish for pajama bottoms
20. I love to go out to dinner
21. I love to plan my children's Birthdays
22. I love it when Cannon is fussing for James and when I take him he stops!
23. I love a clean car
24. Oreo's are not safe in this house!
25. I'm not a romantic...
26. I love to mow the lawn - I love the smell of fresh cut grass
27. I LOVE the beach - any beach! But, I especially love sitting on the beach at Redfish lake with my family - swapping magazines with the girls and sharing treats with the kids - while Trevor makes amazing sand castles with the kids and Travis has the boat out!
28. I love the fair... the food, the animals, the Indian Horse Races... all of it!
29. I can't stand crowds! Funny that I like the fair though!
30. I have a major weakness for scones and Carmel apples!
31. My husband is my best friend
32. I LOVE to camp - there is nothing like sitting around a campfire with your family.
33. I have to have chap stick, lip gloss or Mentholatum on my lips... I can't stand dry lips
34. I love baseball - I will be sad if my boys don't!
35. I love the 4th of July
36. I love Kenny Rogers! I was raised listening to him with my Dad and I love him! Have him in the CD player in the car right now!
37. I'm always up for a good game of Dare!
38. I miss Carson and Lacey
39. I have a weakness for purses, shoes, clothes and jewelry! It drives my husband crazy! He thinks you only need one of each and they should last you for 10 years minimum!
40. I can't stand it when people ask me if I have red in my hair - I don't! - Or, I don't want to!
41. I love to dip crunchy Cheetos in strawberry yogurt... something I started in college!
42. I drive a Toyota Sienna minivan and LOVE it! I swore I would never drive a minivan!
43. I love to look at magazines
44. I can't sing to save my life! My children are very forgiving!
45. I secretly like President Obama - I just heard all the gasps from my family!
46. I love living in Utah
47. I love Cherry Hill as much as McKay does
48. I love Mexican food
49. I cry when my Mom leaves from visiting us!
50. I love to cut my kids finger nails!
51. I love that my Grandma and Grandpa hold hands!
52. I love the smell of my Grandma's house - I think we all do!
53. I love it when people tell me that Cannon smells like me!
54. James and the boys got me a fancy IPOD last Mother's day and It's still in it's case... I am very technically challenged. Maybe this year he can figure it out for me!
55. I make lists for everything - I make lists of lists I need to make!
56. I love to plant flowers in the spring - But, I hate to water them during the summer! I pay McKay!
57. I love anything to do with paper and creating
58. I wish I was a professional photographer!
59. I love the reality show True Beauty
60. I am very OCD about keeping a clean house....
61. I am obsessed with food storage
62. It scares me to leave the country! I wish I was more like my cousins and dared to travel the world!
63. I am proud of my husband for being such a fabulous father
64. I LOVE TARGET!
65. I can't stand it when my kids get dirty - something I'm working on letting go since I am a mother of boys!
66. I have a major fear of earwigs, scorpions and ET!!!
67. I love summer nights
68. I love pictures
69. I love it when people don't know what Carter is saying but I do! I love being the Mother that knows!
70. I love it when McKay and Carter sing the song from Old Yeller
71. I love having a baby sleep on my chest
72. My favorite Maggie Moo's ice cream is cheesecake with snickers and strawberries mixed in!
73. My husband makes me laugh more than anyone!
74. I love it when my kids are fresh out of the bath
75. I love my life - I am truly blessed!
76. I love my husband
77. I love my husband
78. I love my husband
79. I love my husband
80. Yes, my husband is standing over my shoulder right now reading what I am willingly typing!

This Song...

This song is one of my all time favorite songs. I first heard it when I was pregnant with McKay and had just gone through the complete roller coaster of all of the fertility drugs and treatments... So, it kind of became my anthem song for him! In fact, around here it is known as McKay's song! When he hears it he will say "Mom, this is my song". As he has grown from a baby to a little boy it has become even more special to me. As we have since added two more boys to our family it is truly my anthem! Every time I listen to it it reminds me how truly lucky I am to be a mother to my three little boys!

So, we made a Costco run the other day... It was my first trip since having the baby and I had a list a mile long! James was good enough to come with me and as we entered the store we split the list and the children - I had Carter and Cannon and James had McKay. So, as we went by the flowers Carter said to me "I'll buy you some flowers Mommy"! I stopped for a minute because fresh flowers really are a weakness of mine... and I thought that it was such a cute offer... how could I turn it down? It was just then that James and McKay came around the corner and McKay was holding a big bouquet of roses for me! They had beat us to it! So, Carter was a little heart broken that he didn't get to pick them out that I handed them to him and told him he could carry them for me... I told him that they smelled good and to smell them - So, he did just to inform me that "they smell disgusting Mom, they smell like chicken"!!! - as his face was all crinkled up in the funniest little face! So, everyday McKay asks me if I like my flowers and everyday Carter tells me they smell like chicken!

For All The Mothers & Grandmothers!

Last Fall I went to a little craft fair with my cousin Megan and she showed me this brand of childrens books called Usborne. I had never heard of them before, but was really impressed with what I saw. I think I ended up buying 6 books that day! The first book I bought was The Big Book of Science Things to Make and Do - It is full of so many awesome projects for kids to make. It's not just science projects but art projects too. My Mother-in-law loved this book when she was staying with us to help with the baby - I think they did a couple projects a day. She wants me to get her one to have at her house for when the grandkids are there. McKay will scour the book for a half hour before he finally decides what project he wants to do! I try and do project days a couple days a week with my boys and this has been fabulous!

I also bought the Animal Stencil Book - Carter loves for me to stencil the animals on paper and then he paints them. It has a bunch of different animals to choose from and then it has pictures and teaches you about the animals too. I bought a puzzle book that Mckay loves and I keep it in our church bag and I also bought a case of activity cards. You use a dry eraser and draw on them to complete the different activities - McKay really likes these. I sound like I should be a sales rep for this company! I looked on the back of the books and here is a website: www.UBAH.com/K0567. I was excited to see that you can order books from the site - So, now I am going to go and do a little book shopping!

A Little Bit Of Sweetness!

My very sweet and talented 10-year-old nephew Jackson made this hat special for Cannon. It came in the mail last week and I have to tell you that James was with me when we opened it up and the notes that he sent just about brought us to tears! I love the "Care" instructions! He worked so hard on this little hat with the help of his neighbor - and put so much time, effort and thought into it! I don't know very many boys that would do such a thoughtful thing! Thank you Jackson! We love you!

Come & Get Me If You Can!

So, We have started the process of breaking Carter of his pacifier... I have to admit that we pretty much had it done until we went to Idaho for the baby... But, everything was just chaos and I broke and gave it to him!!! I also have to admit that I am not as strong in this category as James is! So, we have the rule that the only time he can have it is if he is going to go to bed... When he wakes up he has to go and put it in the drawer. Well, I started noticing that our number of pacifiers was dwindling... and at first I thought that James was throwing them away... But, then I figured it out - Carter was hiding them! But, the funny thing is that he has them hidden all around the house! So, yesterday when he got up from his nap I told him he had to go and put his pacifier in the drawer... He was not wanting to give it up and I ended up having to take it from him. As soon as I did he took of running down the hall. I knew he was going to get a hidden pacifier and I waited a minute and followed him! But, when I went into his room he wasn't there... So, I looked in my room and Cannon's room and he wasn't there either! So, I went back into his room to hear something and this is what I found hidden under his bed! He had three pacifiers hidden behind the back post of his bed in the corner!!! He was just looking at me like come and get me if you can! I just laughed and of course just got the camera out!

Good Mail Day!

The boys were excited to get their Valentines package from my Mom. As usual she out did herself and spoiled them. McKay told me that one thing he loved about living in Utah was that he gets things in the mail! As we were opening the package it totally took me back to Hawaii when I was there for college and I would get care packages from my Mom and Grandma! So, in my own little way I totally get their excitement! However, the best package came a couple days later... I heard the doorbell ring and the boys answer it. I went out into the kitchen to have James looking oddly at this box. He was unrolling the bubble wrap looking for what was inside... Then he looked at me and said "I think your Mom has lost it, she forgot to put what ever she was mailing in here"! I just had to laugh! Because what she had mailed was the bubble wrap - I handed a roll of it to both McKay and Carter and they just started jumping on it and going crazy with it!!! James was still in shock that she had mailed bubble wrap, but the boys loved it!

Don't you love Carters shirt... I know it's a little out of season! But, it's his "punkin" shirt that my Mom bought him for Halloween! He always says "I want to wear my punkin shirt from Moe". "Moe" is what my boys call my Mom. Thanks Mom for all that you do for my little family! We love you!

A Few Pictures For Grandma!

So, my Mom called and told me that she needed to see a couple new pictures of the boys... So, here they are! The boys both actually do really good at holding Cannon - When he starts to fuss McKay gets nervous and wants to hand him back - Carter however just gives him his pacifier and sits and talks to him until he gets through it. Cannon is starting to get used to their constant attention and kisses.

I feel as if we have made the transition pretty well. As many of you know I am a little OCD!!! So, there are a few things that I have had to learn with the third child - It's ok if the toys are on the ground and don't get picked up right when we are done with them! It's ok if the breakfast dishes don't get cleaned up until 9:30 a.m.! It's ok if McKay makes the sandwiches for lunch because he is tired of waiting for me to get done nursing Cannon! It's ok if Carter brushes his own teeth for more than 10 minutes. It's not worth freaking out when McKay informs me that Carter is throwing the Carrots everywhere that they took downstairs for a snack! (Yes, my kids love carrots and consider them a treat!!!) And, it's ok to bribe your five-year-old to pick up those carrots for you because while you are once again nursing the baby the thought of those carrots are driving you crazy! It's ok that we are still in our pajamas when James comes home from work!!! - Everyone needs one of those days every now and then! It's ok if you don't sweep the floor after every meal - you can just get it when you vacuum! It really is ok if the boys pick out their own clothes and get themselves dressed! If it is too bad I can change them before they go out in public! And, it's ok if James does McKay's hair... It might not be the way that I would do it, but does it really matter if the child is happy! He talks his Dad into doing all kinds of crazy things!

One thing that has really changed in the last month is Carter and McKay's relationship. I was really worried about how Carter was going to handle a new baby - he was very much a Mothers boy! But, there haven't been any issues at all so far and that has been because he has attached himself to McKay. Before he wouldn't really play with McKay - he was just my little shadow, But, now he and McKay are constantly together paling around. It's actually really fun to see and watch. I love listening to them down in the family room making up games and interacting together. Carter can't wait for McKay to come home from school and McKay can't stand it when Carters nap goes a little long! They have really formed a sweet bond!

The Boys

So, I thought that I would do a little photo shoot this morning and take some pictures of the boys together... I bribed McKay and Carter and fed Cannon right before I started - So, I thought that it would go pretty good! However, I didn't take into account the fact that the boys haven't got to hold Cannon very much because they have both been sick... So, once I handed him over to them they couldn't stop touching him and kissing and mugging on him! I couldn't even get them to hardly look at the camera because they were having too much fun with him! It was pretty cute other than the fact that Cannon got sick of it and had a melt down and that very quickly ended the photo shoot!

James's Mom left yesterday... So, the reality of three little boys on my own is hitting!!! Yesterday was actually a pretty good day - I was able to get sheets washed, laundry done and folded, bedrooms cleaned, kitchen cleaned and a couple other little Valentine projects done! I'm just going to take it one day at time and know that there will be good days and bad days and I just need to roll with it! But, so far it is going pretty good!