Valelntine's 2014

Katie's 27th Birthday

I had a great birthday this year! It started with being woken up a half hour early by Spencer standing over my bed saying "Happy birthday mom!" Then my dad came into town and took me and the boys out to lunch. I enjoyed several birthday phone calls and messages from family and friends. That night I went to a Relief Society activity as church. And literally the second I walked out the door Steve must have kicked it into high gear. I was gone about an hour and 45 minutes. In that time he cleaned up dinner (and the boys because they get super messy during dinner) Picked up the entire apartment, including the bedrooms. Went to the store to get my favorite cream cheese frosting and chocolates, made a cake, wrapped my presents and got the boys ready for bed. 

Steve is actually a really great present giver. He always gets me things I love, even clothes. (Not all girls can say their husbands are good at picking out clothes for them). A couple months ago I mentioned that I didn't have any SUU clothes and that I should get a shirt or something. Well Steve remembered and he got me this way cute SUU jacket and sweat pants. I loved them both. My husband pretty much rocks. 

One of the best birthday presents was this picture. I had no idea how well the boys had smiled until I looked at it after. I love my boys!

First Field Trip

I helped drive and supervise for the Spencer's first preschool field trip. No, they did not go to jail. They went to the dentist. The office is decorated in a 'wild west' theme so they had a little play area with different building the kids could go in-including the jail. The kids had fun in that one. 

First they read a book about teeth and then they got a tour of the office. They got to sit on all the special chairs and even use some of the equipment. 

I was a fun first field trip. 

Family Pictures and Year in Review

Above and below are blooper pictures. I had to include the one of Spencer attempting to hang from a tree. He is trying to stay brave and but you can see the sheer terror in his eyes.

2013 Year review:

(This is a copy of the letter we sent out to family/friends)

Steve:

Steve is just finishing up his 3rd year of school. Hopefully this time next year we’ll be writing about his graduation. He is going into Graphic Design. This semester was stressful for him because he had 4 studio classes and 2 regular classes. Studio class means he spends 6 hours a week in class plus at least that much time at home working on projects. So he averages about 12 hours a week per class. It doesn’t help that he’s a perfectionist.

He just got a new job on campus as a student graphic designer in the Admissions Center, so hopefully he’ll be able to get some good experience and add some things to his portfolio.

He is currently serving as a Boy Scouts Leader for the 11-yr-old scouts. He’s paired with a 50ish year old veteran scout (and former Bishop) and doesn’t really feel like he fits in the assignment.  But the boys really love him, and can identify with him since they aren’t huge scouters either.   

Katie:

Steve and I (but mostly me) still manage 3 student apartment complexes. This is our second year doing it and it’s much less stressful this time around, now that we know what we’re doing. This will probably be our last school year doing it though. I love being able to stay home with the boys and it’s been a huge financial blessing, to help put Steve though school, but I am ready to be done. It’s hard to do when you have little kids. Especially come this spring when I’ll be on the phone and giving tours nonstop. It’s hard lugging them around to all the apartments.

I am still serving as the Primary (children’s Sunday school) President. I don’t especially like the organization part of it (Assigning classes and teachers) but I love working with, and teaching the kids! They have such special, sweet spirits.

Other than work and church I’ve been reading and cross-stitching and trying to enjoy my boys as much as I can. It hits me all the time how fast they are growing and how much I’ll miss this stage: when mommy is still their best friend. 

Spencer: (Turns 4 on December 11th)

Spencer started pre-school in September. He loves his teacher and has made a lot of friends. He won’t be going to Kindergarten until September of 2015 so he didn’t necessarily need to start preschool but he is very social and was bored being home with me all the time. He loves being able to get out and be with other kids. Between school and me working with him at home he’s learning a lot. He very proudly learned his phone number last month (singing it to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star).

He is growing up so fast. I bought him 3 brand new pairs of pants that were a little long, hoping they would last him through next summer. About a month later he had a growth spurt and now they fit him perfectly. If he grows another inch they’ll be too short. He also has recently started trying to use grown up words and expressions. “It’s complicated” “Speaking of that” “You Startled Me” “Hilarious” “Unfortunate”… He could seriously have a whole show on TV called “Spencer Says the Darndest Things.”

Roderick: (Turned 1 on October 25th)

Rod, Roddy, Rodder, Roddy Poddy, Naughtly Roddy, or as Spencer says– Woddy. Our child of many names is also growing like crazy. He has 3 ½ teeth, is walking, running, dancing, singing and eating me out of house and home.  He’s starting to say more and more words. The thing he says most often is “Don’t touch” while he waves his little finger back and forth. (Can you tell what we say to him most often?) The other day he said his first sentence while I was cooking “Hot, don’t touch”. He is my rebel child, I can tell already. When I told Spencer something was hot or dangerous or whatever, Spencer took my word for it. Even though Rod says “don’t touch” he usually follows it up with touching it anyway. Rod is going to be one of those children that has to touch a hot stove before they believe that it’s really hot. Hopefully he gets that out of his system before he’s a teenager.

Spencer and Rod have a love-love relationship with each other. They love pestering each other as much as they love playing with each other. It’s been so fun watching them laugh together and watching Spencer be such a great big brother.

  

We are truly blessed and grateful for all we have and especially for our friends and family.

We love you!

Rod Happenings Part 1

Rod doesn't really talk yet so I’ll just tell you some fun things he does. And this first one is kind of catch up so I’ll have several together

12/12/13:

He is really into his tummy and belly button right now. We've been teaching him all his body parts and he had a lot of them down, until we taught him tummy. And now no matter what we ask him he pats his tummy. (The only exception to that is eye. If we don’t watch sometimes he’ll poke us right in the eye with his little finger and say “Eye!”) He is very proud of his tummy and he loves showing it off. If he’s not wearing a onesie he will lift and up his shirt very proudly and show anyone around his tummy and his belly button. He also loves going up to us and lifting our shirts and poking our belly buttons. He doesn't really have personal boundaries right now.

He understands pretty much everything we say now. If we ask him if he wants a drink he’ll run to the fridge. If we ask if he wants to go outside he’ll run to the front door. He’ll find his shoes, go to daddy, throw things in the garbage can, get a new diaper. Etc.

His new favorite word is “Ta-dah!” Usually after he’s brought us something or done something he’s proud of he’ll say it. The other day he took off his pants, brought them to Steve and said, “Ta-dah!”

Spencer Said Part 3

10/01/13: We were watching the movie Princess Bride as a family. In the movie a Grandpa is reading a book to his grandson. He was reading the part where a shrieking eel is coming toward a girl about to eat her. The grandpa stops reading and says “She doesn't get eaten by the eels at this time.” The Grandson: “What?” Grandpa: “The eel doesn't get her. I'm explaining to you because you look nervous.” The Grandson: “I wasn't nervous.”

Then Spencer turns to me and says “I  was nervous!”

10/15/13: I love when Spencer exercises with me. Whenever we start doing squats he narrates “I think I’m going to sit down… no I’m going to stand up…no I’ll sit down…no I think I’ll stand up…etc.”

11/21/13: We were driving home from preschool and Spencer suddenly said, “Mom what’s a shimmy?”

Me: “A Shimmy?!”

S: “Yeah.”

Me: “Ummm. It’s a dance move where you shake a lot.”

S: “I thought it was that thing that you go up and down and get really dirty.”

Me: ……… “Oh a chimney?!”

S: “Yes.”

I then explained to him what a chimney was. He had recently watched Mary Poppins for the first time and didn’t understand why those people would go up and down those things and get so dirty.

11/29/13: We were up having Thanksgiving at Steve’s mom’s house. Jessica was going through a box of old pictures. She found one of mom when she was in her early 20’s and asked Spencer who it was.

Spencer: “That’s Brian wearing silly hair!”

12/2/13: I’ve been trying to make Christmas more Christ centered this year. So yesterday I showed Spencer the Nativity movie and we put up our manger scene. Then I explained to him why we celebrate Christmas and give presents, the symbol of the Christmas tree etc. After he went to bed last night I put up an advent calendar with little pictures of presents on the wall, one for each day of the month. They each have a little service project or random act of kindness on the back we are going to do. This morning I showed Spencer the countdown to Christmas and explained that they are presents we are going to give Jesus each day.

Spencer: “Mom, Jesus wants real presents.”

Me: “No, the presents he loves most of all are when we serve and love one another.”

Spencer: “No mom look.” He walks over to our manger scene. “The wise men gave him real presents.”

Sheesh.

12/4/13: This is kind of a 2 part story. First off: Like most children Spencer loves to pretend. For the past several months whenever he is pretending something that he wishes were real but he knows isn't he says that that’s how it is in his “second family” or “other family”.  So for example one day we drove past a blue house that Spencer thought was really cool. He said “I wished I lived there.”

Me: “That would be pretty cool.”

Spencer: “My other mom lives in that blue house.”

This is just one of many examples.

So part 2 of this story:

Spencer watched a cartoon where the main characters celebrated Hanukkah. So he started asking me what Hanukkah was and if we could do it. I explained to him a little bit about the Jewish and Christian religions and why Jews celebrate Hanukkah and Christians celebrate Christmas. When I was finished I asked him if he understood and he said yes. Then he sat and thought about it for a while and said, “My second family has Hanukkah.”

Me: “Oh yeah?”

Spencer: “Yep. My second family is Jewish.”

12/10/13: Spencer has gotten into a really bad whining habit lately. Today he was whining about what I made for lunch. Finally Steve, in the next room, couldn't take it anymore and came in and told him very sternly to stop whining. Spencer got sulky, put his head down on the table and said “How did I get into this mess?” I started laughing a little because I had never heard him say that before. He looked up and realized I could hear him.

Spencer: “Why do you always hear me when I say ‘how did I get into this mess’?”

Me: “Because you said it out loud. You need to just think it if you don’t want anyone to hear it.

S: “Ohhh.” Then he stuck his head under the table and said in a whisper, “How did I get into this mess?”

I started laughing even harder.

 Spencer: “Why did you hear me!?”

M: “Because you said it out loud. You have to just think it in your head like this.” Then I just sat there. “See? I was just thinking it and you couldn't hear it.”

S: “Ohhhh I see. You just have to say it really quiet.” He gave me a thumbs up and then put his hand over his mouth and said something in an inaudible whisper. I think I know what he said though…

Christmas 2013

Christmas this year was spent at Amber/Garrett and Dad's house in St. George. Jamen's family and Jace and Daniel were all able to come. It wasn't the same without Scott and Danielle but it was still wonderful. Unfortunately 2 days before Christmas Spencer and Rod both started having flu like symptoms. We held off a day going down to St. George but then everyone told us to just come down and we went on the 24th. Little Hinckley got sick a few days after we left, but luckily everyone else stayed in good health. My boys were pretty out of it. Spencer, who is usually bouncing off the walls, mostly just laid around. He would say he was going to go upstairs to play and we would find him fifteen minutes later laying on the stairs cause he didn't have the energy to make it up. Rod cried a lot and didn't sleep well. Luckily for me-Steve was really good about helping me watch them so I got to spend a lot of quality time with my siblings and dad. 

Christmas Eve Nativity Program: 

Rod was baby Jesus. Spencer was a shepherd. He walked out and looked at baby Jesus and then went to go rest on the stairs. 

This is me and Daniel looking at each other trying to make a "We are so happy and having so much fun" face. But Krista said it just looked creepy. Amber looks really nice though. 

That night we also had a wonderful experience after my Dad read the grandkids a story and we sent them to bed. My dad had gone through a box of his things and found a cassette tape from when him and my mom were first married. It had a recording of my mom telling a story on it. It was bitter-sweet hearing her voice. I cried the entire time but smiled in the end. She was always such a great story teller and it brought back so many great memories. She was there with us in spirit. 

Christmas morning:

Christmas morning was crazy and chaotic-just like it should be. This was Rod admiring a doll his cousin Hinckley got. He loves anything soft he can cuddle with. 

Spencer got a chefs hat and apron so he can cook with mommy.

His favorite gift was a box of costumes: Spiderman, superman, wolverine, pirate, buzz lightyear, indian and ninja. He puts at least one of these on everyday and plays his favorite game: pretend.  One of his other favorites was a dragon from Grandpa that had wand that makes it move. He is really into Harry Potter so he pretends it's his wizards wand. 

We went sledding the day after Christmas. It was the first time both of my boys had gone. Spencer loved every second of it! Rod mostly whined. 

Steve couldn't make it-so my brother Jamen took my boys under his wing.

 (My boys are blessed with awesome uncles and aunts-on both sides)

Spencer's face soaking wet after a wipe out. 

Rod didn't cry the one time he went down-but he didn't love it either. He got gold fish and hot chocolate after this though-he really liked that. 

First time Spencer went down by himself he crashed into bushes. Couldn't wipe the smile off of his face though. 

FYI: I forgot my camera- so all of the above pictures were taken by my sister-in-law Krista. She's amazing!

Jessica just got back from Christmas up north and brought back some more Christmas presents from Grandma Oliver. Spencer was so excited about his puzzle. (More excited that he could do it by himself)

 He wanted me to take a "scary picture"

Like I said before-Rod loves anything soft and cuddly. He wouldn't put his new teddy bear down. He  had a hard time eating his breakfast with one hand but he did it. 

I love Christmas!