Mastermind Brad

Brad and I were playing Mastermind the other day and while I did have to modify the rules a little, and how ya play, he did AWESOME!! I was seriously in awe at how well he figured things out. The way we played was I picked a 4 colored thing, and he would start trying to guess what my thing was. If he guessed one that was right I would tell him which one was right, and then he would go from there- and as you can see (kinda) it only took him like 5 tries to get the right answer. I was amazed. Looks like he's taking after his daddy- Nate always kicks my trash at this game!

Top of the Class!

Nate got this letter in the mail the other day so I just had to tell everyone- he was not only on the Dean's List, but he was at the TOP in Aviation. I couldn't get my photo editor to zoom in, I'll have to do that again later, but if you zoom in you can see his name at the top. I am SO proud of him. I know he didn't do this without the Lord's help, but he is just AMAZING!!! And to have done it with so much else going on with work and family. He's incredible. And now he is on his way to a great career. It's so nice to have Nate in charge of our family. It's so nice to be married to someone who has such drive. I love how hard he has worked for this and I love that the reward will be that much sweeter- he's just INCREDIBLE! (okay, I'm done bragging now :))

Cool experiences I want to remember...

I've been getting discouraged really easily lately. I've had a few days that have really left me feeling incomplete. I keep wanting to be more consistently reading the scriptures on my own and not just as a family on a regular basis. But just like finding time to take a shower, finding time for spiritual nourishment is hard to do with kids around and still come out feeling clean and refreshed. Well, this morning something amazing happened! Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING seemed perfect! I got up read an ensign article, got breakfast for Luke (which is a totally entertaining experience in and of itself), fed Noah, and started on the laundry all before everyone else was awake. Then, as each kid woke up I was able to pray with each one of them individually (it's been a while since I was able to do this) and everyone was totally getting along with each other. Kelly was helping everyone get their cereal, Brad was happy and smiling, Luke was being soft with Noah, and Charity was bouncing around the room being sweet to everyone. It was seriously PERFECT!! I was thinking, "This is going to be an awesome day! and it's all because of the Ensign article I read, and my prayers" and I was so happy about it. Then immediately, I felt the Holy Ghost telling me to that it was not going to stay like this all day. I had the feeling that this was not how the whole day was going to be. BUT that I needed to enjoy this moment for what it was, and not put conditions on it. In the past I would think times like this meant that the day was going to be wonderful, and then if anything went wrong I would think, "Oh, nevermind, that was nothing, this day is awful" and forget about all the good that had happened and wondered why Heavenly Father had not blessed me more since I had done what I was supposed to. Not this time though, the Spirit had prompted me to remember how nice this felt and to enjoy it and let it make me happy and let it make me smile no matter what the rest of the day was going to be like. I needed to enjoy it and cherish it so that my happiness in that moment could carry me through my day and whatever it had in store. Well, the Spirit was right- this only lasted for about an hour or two before things got a little crazy. It was normal crazy, not anything too big, but thanks to this prompting nothing SEEMED like a bigger deal than it was, and I was able to stay calm and patient through each little fit. It was incredible!! Like a light had gone on! Just cherish the little moments, enjoy them for what they are, and let them carry you through the hard times. I just want to remember this forever! And it's funny because all the times that we are told to find time each day for scripture study or prayer- spiritual nourishment, I've always felt like it would just make my day better- the kids would magically turn into perfect little angels and all would be well. Now I know that it may not do that, but it does open ME up to more inspiration and deeper insight and understanding. It makes me SO HAPPY to think about this :) I just want to remember it!

So another cool thing that happened today- Brad was totally throwing this huge tantrrum (not the first time mind you :)) who knows what he was freaking out about, but he was MAD. He was yelling at me and hitting me- total blood boiling moment for me. I usually don't handle these situations very well and I usually end up feeling like a crappy mom before things get worked out. Well today, just before my last nerve, I remembered something that Nate had said one time about the Savior. He said that one of the greatest things the Savior had said was, "Come Unto Me". Nate relates this to parenting by saying that Heavenly Father doesn't tell us to go to our room, he wants us to go to him. He wants us to feel his love when we have done something wrong rather than feeling his anger. So when Bradley screamed his last scream at me I decided to try something new. I reached my arms out and told him to "come here". He of course doubted me and wouldn't come (I almost cried when I realized that he felt that way), but I told him again to "come here" and then went over and picked him up. He melted in my arms and stopped crying, stopped being angry. It was incredible! We didn't say anything, just hugged for probably 4 or 5 minutes. After the hug, we talked about what was wrong, and he apologized for what he had done wrong, and then we even had a little laugh. I thought it was the neatest feeling ever. I don't know that this will be the solution EVERY time one of my kids does something wrong, but it felt like the right time to do it with Brad, and hopefully I will be able to recognize those times in the future. I really thought this experience was one to keep with me, so I hope you all don't feel like I'm an idiot for putting it on my blog. When Sherry said that she thought it was nice, I decided what the heck. Plus I look at this so often, I knew it would be a good place to keep a reminder.

I really feel like these moments of inspiration came to me through the Holy Ghost because I had opened my heart and my mind to my Heavenly Father this morning and I am so grateful to have learned this. It will motivate me to do better with finding time for the Lord tomorrow, and hopefully forever. My kids deserve to have a mom who is more in tune to the Spirit. What a great day this is!!

Will Wonders Never Cease!

So this morning, I was working on some things in the the girls' room so I had little Noah with me just laying on the bed. I ran upstairs to grab something real quick, and ended up taking a little bit longer than I thought- it was probably like 3 or 4 minutes- before I was heading back down the stairs. Well, when I turned the corner into the family room----there was cute little Noah (2 1/2 month old Noah) sitting on the couch, just chilling, propped up with a pillow, blanket on, watching a little Bob the Builder, ALL BY HIMSELF!! I expressed my wonder and excitement to the kids, explaining to them that with such short, little legs, and being as top heavy as he his, this was MIRACULOUS to say the least! They all, much to my surprise, AGREED that this would have to be some kind of miracle! "WOW!", "Amazing!" We all thought! How could this have happened- nobody knows! I think I'm going to have to call the Guiness Book of World Records- I think we may have broke one!


(as I'm sure you could have guessed, and as Kelly has confessed to since this occurance, Kelly was the one to move him to the couch. Am I dissappointed? a little. But I think it's a little early to have him walking. I am still wondering what I should do about the lying problem in this house though.)

HAPPY EASTER!

It took the kids a while to find their baskets this year- Nate hid them, no clues, no nothing- just go find them :) (well, they did get a few clues after a while :) but how impressed was I when they actually found them!


mid-sentence :) she's such a cutie :)

AWWWW!!! how cute is my little Noah!

he doesn't even have several pounds of sugar surging through his veins like the other kids and yet he's still smiling :)

such a cute little guy!

Not sure what this little animal is up to- looks like he's being a dog or something, but he dumped his candy out to eat it off the floor- what a nut.

took her a while but she found it!

YAY!!

sorry Kelly, another mid-sentence picture!

We hope you all had a nice Easter. We did. We enjoyed a nice relaxing morning, then scrambled to get to church on time. Then we headed on up to Nate's parent's for a yummy Easter Dinner. Very nice. It was a good Easter this year.

I for one am very thankful that I made it through another one without having to explain that there isn't really an Easter Bunny. It's so sad, but on St. Patrick's Day we did the little- hide the "pot of gold" from the Leprechaun thing, and it didn't go over so well with Charity. She kind of caught on to things and asked if there really was such thing as Leprechauns, and I had to explain it all to her. She cried. It was SO SAD! So I was afraid she would use the logic on the Easter Bunny too- thankfully she didn't. I'm totally dreading explaining Santa- that was a tough one for me even. So anyway- it was nice.

I was really pleased (one of those "I'm an okay mom" moments) when Nate was trying to get the kids to realize that the Easter bunny had come, and he said, "Do you remember what happens on Easter?" and Charity answered, "Jesus is Resurrected?" I had actually gotten that through to them this year! How cool is that! Mission Accomplished :)

We had some parasailers come through our neighborhood- reminded me of the days in Sandy when we would sit and watch them on the point of the mountain- sorry for the lame picture, but it was a cool little memory trigger.

Hunting for more eggs!

This is Luke showing me where the airplane is :) He loves them!

We went to my mom's on Saturday and she spoiled my kids rotten with easter baskets and an egg hunt. Thanks to Brent and Sarah the eggs took a while to find- that was fun for the kids to not just have them spread around like the other egg hunts they had had.






It's weird to be in grandma and grandpa's backyard without Grandma. Really made me miss her!
Sarah- did you get any of Grandpa?? I didn't!

Coloring Easter Eggs

On Saturday we went to my dad's

(obviously a little person had the camera )


We got to color Easter Eggs at his house. (I kinda spaced the egg coloring this year, so luckily Grandpa was okay with letting us do it at his house)


Luke totally got into it- literally. He would slam dunk the eggs into the colors....a couple of times each.....in different colors :) He's funny- and he had a good time, so it was all good (plus it was grandpa's table- JUST KIDDING- it all came out!)


We all had a good time I think.




Brad really got into it this year, he made some really bright beautiful colors on his eggs- he was really patient, just checked them a million times.





Cheese ball

I love these!

Brad wanted in on this fun- you can tell Noah's hungry :)

This is for all you Jazz fans out there :)

On Tuesday, Brad, Nate, Nate's brother, and his daughter all went to the "Meet and Greet" with the Jazz players. (we had a very generous offer from an awesome season ticket holder for this one time opportunity that we just couldn't pass up) So they all went to the Delta Center (or whatever that new dumb name for the place is), and got to see most of their favorite players (Boozer had hurt his back the night before and was resting up and.... oh I forgot the other guy's name....but he was "sick"- can you imagine calling in sick to a meet and greet? ha ha jk.) They got to meet them and have them sign their basketballs.
My little boy looked SO STINKIN cute when he came running in the back door with his ball under his arm and the big smile on his face, (He totally came right over to me and gave me a big hug and a kiss! What a cutie--) but he just looked so grown up, and I knew he felt so cool that he had been hanging out with his Dad. He's totally growing up to be such a great little kid. Nate was pretty cute too- He tried to be cool about it, but inside you could tell he was a giddy little school boy about meeting his team. HE couldn't stop smiling either.
But anyway- here are the pictures Nate took- I'm sure he would love to have these on here to look at every second :) He LOVES his Jazz.

Bradley got a special little head rub from Andre (I tried to spell his last name- can't do it without looking it up) and he told Brad that he liked his haircut and how his hair stayed in place without gel unlike his :) WAY COOL!



Williams

Jerry Sloan- gotta love him

somebody that I don't know


(and I don't know if any of you are aware of this or not- but the Jazz are actually doing really well this year too! wahoo! If anyone EVER has extra tickets or ones you're not using- call Nate he's totally the funnest person to watch a Jazz game with- and he would love you forever!)

a "little" update

We were just goofing around on St. Patty's day- the girls and I get a little carried away picking poses and stuff :) (luke's overalls are green in case you were wondering :))

So, life is good! I just wanted to post an update (I am using this for journaling, so just ignore it if it's too boring for you :)).

Noah is doing well! He went in for his 2 month checkup, he's growing like a weed. He weighed 11 lbs, 4 oz, he was 23 1/4 inches long, and his head was 39 3/4. His lungs sounded as good as new, there was no sign of the pneumonia at all. He's just such a good little baby. He doesn't cry all that much, he sleeps a lot during the day, and he is SO good at smiling :) We LOVE to make him smile. I think Charity's the best at it so far. We just love baby Noah.

Luke is doing good, but unlike his little brother he is NOT growing. He went in for his 2 year check up, and had lost a pound from last year :( He only weighs 25 lbs now (he's not abnormally small, just the 10%, so no biggie really). He is SUCH a fun little guy. He has definitely got a mind of his own now, and he's getting very independent. His last few teeth are coming in slowly but surely. He loves to be outside now that it is getting warmer. He's the first one to take off running down the hill when we open the back door. He has a way cute run too- it has a little bounce in it. He's talking almost as good as Bradley now- he really enunciates his t's and k's at the end of his words- I think it's adorable.

Bradley is growing up to be a cute little boy (or BIG boy I should say). He is doing SO WELL with recognizing his numbers and letters lately. And I only say all this because he has learned them ALL by himself. Unfortunately it's been a while since I sat down and tried to work on anything with him. He is drawing his B all over the place (yes, the walls- thank you magic eraser), and he is SO PROUD of how well he can do it. I heard him counting the other day and he can count to 29 (well, he actually got all the way to 20-19 before he went back down to 20, but to me that was impressive in and of itself). I haven't sat down and taught them to him either, so he's either a really quick learner, or the girls have been grilling him behind closed doors. (I'm proud of him- can ya tell) Brad's got a really good sense of direction. Some days when I am driving up and down a few more streets to get home from taking charity to school (with the hopes that luke will fall asleep) he knows EXACTLY where we are and when we need to turn to get home. It's so incredible. Today I actually tried to trick him and it didn't work. He's a pretty smart little 3 year old.

Kelly is getting more and more anxious to go to school in the fall. She askes how long till her birthday like everyday. She loves to draw pictures still, and write letters, she is getting better at sounding out words and almost reading with Charity. She likes Primary and making new friends. As I've said a million times before she is Noah's second mommy. She LOVES him and actually does a really good job at holding him and helping him calm down. I think he likes her too. She is such a sweet daughter. She is always telling me how pretty I am (har har), and how much she loves me- it's SO SWEET! Makes being a mom that much more enjoyable. She's a good friend to me.

Charity is doing really well in school. She just got bumped up to the higher reading program because she is reading so well now. With no thanks to me- she does it all on her own it seems. She is rollerblading now! And she just started piano lessons last night. I must say- she is a born natural! We'll see how this week goes with practicing and stuff. I don't know if I'm really up for the whole thing (I'm teaching her) it's time consuming and it's difficult to be the mom and the teacher, but I think it's fascinating to watch Charity learn- she's just so smart!

I am just plugging along, trying to learn how to be a mom. It's so funny how one day you can feel like you've totally got the hang of things and then the next day your back at square one. Keeps ya on your toes that's for sure. But I do love it. I am thinking about starting a playgroup in my ward. Now that it's getting warm- time to head on down to the park for some Mommy time. We'll see how it goes. We just had so much fun in the Russian Jack Ward playgroup.... I miss that! I am also the assistant Den Mother for the Wolves in the cubscouts now. I'm liking it so far. Hopefully they will let me do some assisting some time soon :)

Nate's just hanging on by his fingernails waiting for the FAA to get back with him. They are supposed to be contacting him to schedule an interview real soon here- but like I said- we're just waiting. He's biding his time at his current job working with Foreclosures, but hopefully there will be news from the FAA soon. At least he has time to keep up on the Jazz- he follows their every move, and is chomping at the bit to sign up for cable. Unlike me and mothering, Nate has totally mastered the art of Daddyhood. The kids just adore him and have SO MUCH fun with him these days. I don't know how you moms that don't have helpful husbands do it- I would die without Nate and his help. He is SO GOOD at making my days end pleasantly too. I totally dread when he has to go to Oklahoma City.

So that's us- we're all doing well, no one is sick (knock on wood). It'll be nice to get out and do some fun stuff this summer- we are looking forward to having a longer summer this year- those Alaskan ones just weren't cutting it for me. I actually got a little sunburnt at the park yesterday!! wahoo! We're excited. So anyway- we're still trying to catch up with everyone- please let us know when you can hang out! Have a nice Spring (starting tomorrow!!!)!

Who's On First.

Kelly's so patient. She was trying to sing "Who Stole the Cookie" with Bradley- this is how it went:
KELLY: Brad stole the cookie from the cookie jar.
BRAD:
KELLY: Brad, say "who me?"
BRAD: Who you?
KELLY: No, say "who ME?"
BRAD: WHO YOU?
KELLY: No Brad, you say "WHO ME"
BRAD: Who me?
KELLY: yes you
BRAD:
KELLY: Brad, say "couldn't be"
BRAD: then who?
KELLY: No, you're supposed to say "couldn't be"
BRAD: Charity!
KELLY: NO BRAD- SAY "THEN WHO?" I mean "COULDN'T BE!"
BRAD: Charity stole the cookie from the cookie jar...
KELLY: Oh nevermind....
(she tries so hard, and she puts up with it for so long... bless her cute little heart!)

A Nice Thought

So I got this book for Christmas (yes I am a slow reader), and I just love it!! I came across this part that just totally was an eye-opening thought-- REALLY awesome to think about. And I wanted to share it with everyone......

"As I've studied the scriptures over the years in an effort to seek guidance as a parent, I have found myself drawn again and again to Alma's prayer when he takes Helam into the waters to baptize him. Just before Alma performs the batism, he cries out to he Lord, saying: 'O Lord, pour out thy Spirit upon thy servant, that he may do this work with holiness of heart' (Mosiah 18:12). As a mother, I love this parayer because Alma is praying on his feet, so to speak. There is no time in this instance for a great, long pause in which Alma can collect himself and pray a lengthy, thoughtful prayer before he goes about doing his Father's work.
Like Alma, we mothers cannot always find time in our busy days to send a focused, well-thought-out prayer to heaven. If we are going to stay in tune with the Spirit, we're likely going to have to spend some time praying on our feet, whether those prayers are whispered to heaven while we're tackling a sink full of dirty dishes or comforting a fevered, restless child in the middle of the night. Alma's prayer reminds us that praying on our feet is acceptable and likely even pleasing to the Lord."

She goes on to talk about how WHAT he said was important too- as well as how he said it. And that it is still important to find time to really ponder the scriptures and say long meaningful prayers to the Lord.
But I REALLY like this part!! I don't know about anyone else, but I find myself "praying on my feet a LOT" and a lot of times feeling guilty for not making it more solemn (I guess you could say). I never thought that it was actually okay :) It's hard as a mom to find the time to sit down and meditate and pray, read your scriptures in peace, and feel like you are devoting time to the Lord. And while I still feel it is important to take advantage of those moments as they come. NOW I feel like the times when I do have to pray on my feet are GOOD, useful, special moments and that those times are just as meaningful to Heavenly Father.

Anyway- I just thought that was neat, maybe someone else will too :)

Easter Egg Huntin'

The Maynes family had a fun little Easter Egg Hunt for the kids on Saturday morning. We had a good time. It's funny how much you have to convince them that they want to pick up the eggs and put them in their baskets. Luke was totally loving the dragon basket- it was distracting him from the eggs :) It's not until they see that there is candy in the eggs that they start to really get into it. Funny kids. They're all practiced up for the next one now though :)

They would seriously walk right past eggs to pick up a different one. It's so cute!



Charity got to go with the little bit older kids- her's were harder to find of course!

This reminds me of Halloween for some reason. Good times!

My big brother is THIRTY!!!!

We went to Grandpa Hatch's house on Friday night to celebrate Uncle Brent's Birthday- we had a good time, hopefully Brent did too! HAPPY 30th BRENT!!

He got a little remote control helicopter that kept him pretty entertained most of the night. Bradley and Luke couldn't really get enough of it either- hopefully they didn't break it.


Does this one seem like a little bit of a rerun? Nana is the best Noah holder there is. She held him for like 2 days straight while my dad was fixing our car.

I'm sure Steve made this face just so that I would put his picture on my blog, so here it is Steve.


This was funny- the bag of M&Ms was just sitting on the floor and Luke is like a moth to a flame when it comes to candy, so he was right there, just running his hands through the M&Ms. It was so funny, unfortunately we didn't get a very good picture because Brent took them away (apparently he doesn't like his candy covered in little boy goobers). I was laughing.

Blowing out the candles- Sarah opted with the 3 and the 0 rather than covering the WHOLE cake with candles only to become as a fire hazard....just teasing Brent- 30 isn't THAT old :)

man, could someone wash this kid's face :)



Steve was preoccupied with his significant other, so Brad got to spend a lot of quality time with his Aunt Heidi. She's pretty fun too!