Salt Lake Road Trip

Last weekend I went on a last minute trip with my mom up to Salt Lake for Brynna's bridal shower. I left the girls with Nick and too Jack with me. It was so enjoyable to see all my cousins and aunts. I love talking with them and catching up on their lives. A couple months ago my sweet grandma LaRue was diagnosed with Alzheimers. We all don't know how long her memory will last and I really wanted to see her. It made me so happy to have her give me a hug and remember my name. She even remembered that I had a baby boy. I hope it is not the last time she will remember me. I have so many wonderful memories of my grandma. She had an amazing ability to make each one of her grandchildren feel special and I firmly believe I am her favorite:) I love that when we stayed with her she always made us waffles and fried eggs for breakfast. She would wake up extra early to get it all ready for us so that we could smell it cooking when we woke up up. Her house was always warm and welcoming and I loved spending many summer weeks up at her house. We would play with cousins and absolutely destroy her house. Yet, she always had a smile on her face and let us run around as much as we wanted. Those many weeks spent at her house are some of my most precious childhood memories. I feel so blessed to have an amazing extended family and especially grandparents. 

 I found this sweet note that Kim wrote at my grandmas house. Kim was just 10 when I was born and I am sure she was a huge help to my mom. She is a wonderful big sister. 

This picture I hold very dear and I found a copy at my grandmas house. My mom has one somewhere but I don't have a copy ( I do now:). Emily and I meet for the first time. I see my children in that profile of myself and see Emily's children in her profile. We know hold our own babies and spend as much time as possible together! 

This amazing couple will be married in just under a month. They are perfectly matched and I am so glad they found each other. 

 He was not that good on the trip but somehow I still love him!

Jackson 4 Months

Everyone always comments what an adorable and calm baby he is and I have to agree. Jack is content with his simple baby life. He is easily entertained by his sisters and if he starts to cry Scarlett sings him songs to sooth him. If he starts to get fussy in the car Alice always goes "shhh shhh shhh" until he calms down. I love having the older girls that offer such great help. He is a lucky boy to have so many little mothers. Jack is a very smiley baby and catches people eye and smiles all day long. While I do my hair he rolls around on the bed and he is always smiling at me. I love that when he is on his back he puts his hands together like his is prayer or in deep thought. It is vastly becoming his trade mark look... bright eyes, cute smile, and hands clasped together. Tonight he fell asleep on my shoulder all bundled up and delicious. When I said " I love you Jack" he gave me the biggest grin. He is a perfect edition to our family and we all need him in our lives!!

He rolls all over and loves to grab at toys. Yesterday Scarlett came running downstairs to tell me that Jack reached for and pulled the toy on his bouncer. We all get pretty excited about his achievements:)

My sister captured this picture of me nursing Jack. We both love the quiet time nursing brings. I make sure that when I am home I nurse him in our rocking chair so we can having a couple moments of uninterunted peace.

 

Hand clasp

8th Anniversary

On March 10th Nick and I celebrated our 8th anniversary. We have done a lot of living in these past 8 years and despite it being very ordinary it has also been adventurous. I want my children to know 1. That I love their father 2. That this is the life I always wanted 3. That living an ordinary life can be very extraordinary!

To celebrate we followed tradition and took our kids to the place in Seven Hills where we got engaged. We tried to tell them the story of our engagement and dating years but they just kept asking if we were getting married again. To them we having always been married and thats just the way it is.   One day they will understand all the miraculous twists and turns in our story that lead us meet, date, and get married. But for now we are simply mom and dad.

The day after our anniversary we went to a super fun and rowdy Rascal Flatts concert. For 2 hours I sang every one of their songs from memory. I was amazing how amazing the lead singer, he was flawless! The music was so loud and powerful you could feel in hitting your chest, Nick and I are not used to such excitement these days. To top of a great night we even got to go back stage and meet the band. I have been listening to all their old songs in the car and the kids have been begging me to turn on "kid" music again;)

 Traditional selfie on the very spot our family began. 

Last night I looked at this picture of Nick and I that was taken on a trip to California before we got engaged. I am so glad we married young and I could/can grow up with Nick by my side. My life is not perfect but it is those imperfections that keep it interesting, entertaining, and often times very hilarious. Every since I was old enough to know what I wanted, I wanted what I have now. I am married to a wonderful man, I have three healthy children, I live close to family, I have my education as does my husband,  and I have a strong testimony of the gospel. I feel so blessed to live the life I always wanted!

The everyday life according to my iPhone

It's a girl!!

Little Savannah made her debut a couple days ago. It was such an exciting day and she is perfectly perfect from head to toe! I could not help but say "welcome to the sisterhood" when I held her. She is coming into a family of wonderful woman and I know she will fit right in. Emily has held on to every doll and cradle from childhood and I am SO excited she finally gets to use it all. No one is more suited for raising a sweet girl than Emily and Savannah 

I caught my sisters talking about how, after 4 boys, they both got their girls. They talked about being able to go wedding dress shopping, get pink princess dresses, have a son-in-law, and do little girl hair.   Though having all the same gender is rewarding you do miss out on a whole life of experiences. I feel  so blessed to have my sweet boy. He is so much more than cute boy clothes. Because of him I get to send a boy out on a mission, help with an eagle scout project and watch him play sports. I get to teach him how to be a gentleman and ultimately see him grow into a man.  I would have loved to have three girls but because of Jack I get to experience it all!

Savannah Jill Flake. She can not help but have a little spunk with that name;) 

Alice Birthday Party

Alice really wanted to have a birthday part and I just could not say no. We celebrated her birthday on Presidents day and had a party at the park. Alice is so lucky that her birthday falls in the most beautiful time of year! It was just gorgeous out and she loved every minute of her party. I literally saw her for about 5 seconds as she was so excited to run around and play with all her friends. She is such a social little girl. We kept it simple with just playing at the park, eating food and cupcakes, and opening presents. 

Birthday breakfast of oatmeal at her request. She only drinks almond milk and calls it "her milk" since we all drink normal milk. 

Her birthday card from Great Grandma Dunhill in England. She loved opening it and having me read and reread the birthday message. The stamp on the envelope was Alice in Wonderland...very cute!

She loves kitties so i put kitties on top of her cupcakes. We had Hello Kitty plates at Alice's request.

Jack and grandma Sue

Alice 3 Years Old

Alice is a very complex 3 year old. I will try to explain what I mean. This little girl is sweet and gives me the most sincere hugs and kisses. Whenever I am nursing Jack she comes up to me and asks "mom can I give you and Jack a little cute baby hug?" I can not leave the room after I put her to bed without her demanding a bed time hug and kiss. Talk about sweet and adorable. She also tells me every day that I am a "bad girl", that I am  "mean mommy", and that I  am "very, very naughty". So maybe by complex what I really mean is she a walking/talking opposition. For every sweet moment we also have an angry one. For every girly princess twirl we also have a wrestling match on the floor. She cries when someone looks at her wrong but she can fall off her scooter and scrap her knee without a tear. Alice has a mind of her own and it doesn't matter how tiny or big the issue there is no convincing/bribing her otherwise. Ultimately, there is no one on the planet (especially me) that can figure her out. Everyday is an adventure for sure! 

Here is a little about Alice

1. She is princess obsessed. Her favorite thing to do is dress up in her Anna, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Elsa dresses. She will go down for a nap in normal clothes and the next time I see her she will be full princess (dress, high heels, crown, purse). Getting dressed in the morning is very hard if it's not a dress because jeans are not "princess clothes". 

2. I can bribe her into wearing jeans or leggings or anything not a "princess dress" if I tell her we are going to the park to ride her scooter. She goes fast as can be on that scooter but if there is a hill she insists I carry it. Sheesh

3. We read stories and sing songs before nap every day. She lays down in her bed while I nurse jack and put him down. Then I go into her room and she picks out a book or two. She makes me sit right next to her and she loves to turn the pages. If I skip a page she always calls me out.

4. She give big hugs and loves to "lock us in". That is a phrase she made up to describe hugging us tight and locking her fingers together so we can't get out. Nick and I love giving her hugs!

5. She always has a purse. ALWAYS!! She got a doggy purse for her birthday and has not put it down. She calls it her "sparkle dog purse". In the purse goes necklaces, rings, and my little ponies.

6. She easily  forgives me if I loose my temper with her. When I get mad she cries and says "mom you got mad at me and know i am crying. You can't do that". I give her a big hug and tell her sorry. Within seconds she is okay and happy again. But... If I do not hug her she will cry for hours. The hug is very important.

7. She is naughty and does naughty things. When I confront her about she always has a reason why what she did was absolutely necessary. She is very manipulative and good with words. By the end of the discussion I am usually convinced.

8. She is manipulative and knows how to get exactly what she wants when she wants it.

9. Her social skills are amazing and people love talking to her. She holds conversations with everyone we meet. Old people especially love talking to her and are always stopping us at the store because she is so cute. Seriously, she is beautiful.

10. She has gorgeous curly hair. It is so quick to do and somehow always looks put together.

11. Good thing she has nice hair cause she is always ripping out her bows and hair ties. She loves to take her shoes off, bow, and jacket while sitting in the car seat

12. She loves music. When Scarlett is at preschool she gets to pick out the songs we listen to. Her favorite is the Little Mermaid sound track. She knows all the words, of course.

13. Every Wednesday while Scarlett is at school we go to story time at the library. After story time she brings me a huge stack of books and we read them all. She calls it "her date". Ya, she is obsessed with "family dates" and "dates with mom and dad". Really we just run errands with her and she loves it.

14. Speaking of dates... she still cries whenever Nick and I go on a date. Even if grandma watches her she cries.

15. She thinks my old i-pod is a phone. She talks on it constantly and keeps it in her purse. I love hearing the conversations she has with herself. She talks to grandma and her friend Michelle in china the most often.

16. She is the most confident, bossy, and overly emotional child I have ever met

17. I love her beyond description!!

18. Oh and she doesn't share and she LOVES baby dolls. 

Favorites

food- chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, mcdonalds, yogurt

tv shows- my little pony, strawberry shortcake, and tinker bell

books- Olivia, Brown Bear Brown Bear, Very Hungry Caterpillar, Little Critter Books

color- pink!

movies- Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Tinkerbell

activities- riding her scooter, playing outside, watching shows on the iPad, playing with her Frozen and My Little Pony toys, getting her nails painted by me. 

Scarlett got a Frozen shirt for her birthday and you better believe Alice insisted on one too.

The best of buddies. I am so grateful for Scarlett who plays with Alice all day. Scarlett is so patient and kind to Alice.

I know that you will grow up and your adorable, innocent naughtiness will fade. Knowing that does not take away the sting of watching you, my sweet baby girl, turn into a kid. Alice, I love you. I love you so deep inside my soul I don't know where it begins or ends. Your sweet smile and tender hugs warm my heart everyday!! Last night you came into my room at 3 am and told me you were scared. You crawled into my bed and snuggled against me and within moments fell asleep. Your gorgeous hair rested against my cheek and I hugged you close. I could hear you breath and I remembered all those nights I rocked you to sleep as a baby. Please grow up, marry a wonderful man and have a little girl just and I mean JUST like you. That way when I say I love you, you will understand the depth of those words. And I can be her grandma!