BYU baseball

It is so hard to make it to BYU baseball games because it is just chilly enough that the kids would be too cold to have fun.  But fortunately we were able to make it to one as a whole family and Mark took the boys to another one, just the three of them.
The one we made it to as a family was the one where kids in Cosmo kids' club got to go on the field after the game to hit a ball off a tee and have Cosmo give them pointers.  It was so fun to watch them run the bases and get so excited to have Cosmo help them bat.  I am so glad we do Cosmo kids club each year and love how much BYU sports now mean to my children.  They love supporting their cougars and I don't think Mark could be more proud.  And this was ACE's first BYU sporting event so big day all around!

St Patrick's Day and Easter

Is it just me or were holidays one on top of each other this year!?  Man alive...plus we had ACE's blessing soon after Easter and then Shortstop's birthday is in May so I have been planning and celebrating a lot!
This year we decided to tell the boys the truth about leprechauns.  Honestly, I don't know how the leprechauns snuck their way into our family traditions.  It is not something I was raised with but we got caught up in it all.  We don't even do the Easter bunny...they know we hide the eggs and baskets so again, no clue how or why they were giving credit to a leprechaun for all the fun things that get done on St Patrick's day.  They took it super well and Shortstop said "wait...you are the one who does all the fun stuff in our shoes and dyes the milk and toilet water green?  Oh mom!  That is so sweet of you!!"  Now...let's hope they don't put two and two together with Santa Claus because that is the only fictional character we really indulge in and I am not ready to take away that magic.

For St Patricks day we did the gifts and new shirts in shoes and dyed milk and toilet water.  We had rainbow pancakes for dinner and homemade shamrock shakes for dessert.  Such a simple holiday but so much fun.

 We made rainbows in a jar the night before.  This was so simple and so much fun!

 Their haul...I LOVE going overboard for holidays

We made green kool aid ice cubes to add to our Sprite for dinner.  These boys love helping me in the kitchen and I don't mind it one bit

For Easter we always do their baskets and easter egg hunts on Saturday which helps us focus on the true meaning and the Savior on Sunday.  It was a little cold out so we did an indoor egg hunt and they loved finding all the eggs with candy or money (pennies and nickels) in them.  Of course their baskets had new Sunday outfits that coordinated in color and even ACE got her own little basket with a little book and new toy.

Sunday was low key as we enjoyed a nice day at church where Fullback recited his first scripture in sharing time.  I whispered it in his ear and he grinned and repeated it perfectly.  When he was done he looked at me and whisper-shouted "I did it mom!  I did it in the microphone!"  His older brother was beaming with pride throughout the whole thing.
We came home and had a delicious ham dinner just the five of us.  After dinner we did our 12 resurrection egg lesson which is probably my favorite thing to do.  The boys are so reverent, opening each egg, taking turns looking at the items and then listening to the scripture.  We watch whatever Easter short video the church puts out that year and talk about how our testimonies of the Savior have grown since last Easter.  Shortstop has such a strong testimony and before I could get to the scripture with each item, he would explain what it was and how it had to do with the Atonement and Resurrection.  Fullback enjoyed listening to his big brother and adding his thoughts on Jesus, random though they were.  ("Jesus had to wear white underwear after he was dead in the rock place" etc...)

I am so grateful my boys have such a peaceful reverence towards their Savior.  They love Him and try so hard to be like him.  The other day on the way to school Mark was asking Shortstop if the class bully was still bothering him.  It has been going on all year and has truly been heartbreaking as we work to help Shortstop know how to handle it and what to do.  Mark said "You don't have to just tell the teacher...you can tell the boy to knock it off and leave you alone."  After a moment of reflecting, Shortstop said "But dad...let me explain something.  Jesus was up on the cross and he let people do what they did to him.  He didn't get mad at them.  He just dealt with it.  And that is how I want to be.  Like Him."  This kid amazes me every single day with his love and I am grateful for the example he is setting for his brother and sister.

Playing dress up

Having a little girl ROCKS!  It is so fun to play dress up with her and put bows on her to match her outfits.  I am all about keeping her in pjs on the days we stay in but when we go out or people are coming over, I love to get her dressed up.  And the boys love seeing her wear cute new things and they always comment on how cute she is.  Lately Fullback keeps calling her "his girl" and it is about the best thing I have ever heard.  

I really am not a fan of the HUGE bows but this was the only one that matched her outfit...

Tights...on a newborn...I can't even...

Gotta see the back of this shirt!

Again...not a big fan of the bow but it worked.  This outfit has me all crazy in love with it!

First time to church in the dress her dad picked out

We girls have to stick together!!

Provo City Temple Open House

We were able to go to the Provo City Center temple open house a couple of weeks ago and I am so glad we did.  The boys were so reverent and asked so many great questions.  Fullback wanted to know if we were gonna get married again there, Shortstop asked about the architecture, the baptismal font, and the artwork.  As he held my hand as we walked through he looked at me and said "My heart feels so warm and beautiful mom.  I love being in the house of the Lord with my forever family."  I am grateful every day for the knowledge and truths of the gospel, that my little family will be together forever.  But I am even more grateful that my children are gaining their own testimonies of that at such a young age and recognizing the feelings of the Spirit.

We were able to get one picture together and that was it.  My boys loved the fountain and would not sit still for any more photo ops.  BTW:  I LOVE wearing my little Ace.  Best inventions ever are these wraps.  

One month old and Valentine's

On Valentine's day, my little sweetheart turned one month old.   She got her first Valentine's shirt and a new book and teddy bear.  I think she liked it.  The boys thought she looked pretty cute and loved wishing her a Happy Valentine's day.  They had a good Valentine's and even though Shortstop was sick and had to stay home from church, he was excited about the traditional decorated table and new shirts.  He had a fantastic time at his school Valentine's party the Friday before and loved giving out TMNT mask/valentine cards.

Luke loves to ham it up for the camera!

I don't know if she is impressed with the bear...

I went over to my sister's that day for a few minutes and we got a cute picture of these Valentine cousins.  They are 6 months apart and destined to be good friends.

Our little Ace has gotten so strong and loves tummy time.  She lifts her head and holds it the whole time.  She has been lifting her head since day one in the hospital and she is only getting stronger.  I have even seen her rock and try to roll but thankfully she is not growing up THAT fast.

One thing we always say about her is how sweet she is...it is the perfect word to describe her.  She is smiling so much, cries only when hungry, sleeps 5-7 hour stretches at night and loves to cuddle.  None of use can get enough of her and her adorable face.  The other day Shortstop said in his prayer "Please bless that our little sweet Annie will keep her cuteness forever and never get bigger or grow up."  These two older brothers truly adore her and have had zero problems adjusting.  They want to kiss her, hold her, stare at her, hug her and "nose" her (rub noses) as often as possible.  I often wake up to them peering in to the cradle to just watch her sleep.

Even dad has to get in on the snuggles as often as possible

One funny thing she does is grunts...all night long and often during the day.  We call her our little dinosaur.  For being so petite and sweet, the sounds coming out of her are very surprising.  Often times we laugh out loud at her sounds.

I want to record this just for journaling purposes but I ended up getting a uterine infection.  It was not fun and was complete with vomiting, lethargy, fevers, shakes and pain in my stomach every time I moved or ate.  My poor boys were so neglected until Mark would get home from work each day.  I just laid in bed with Ace all day long and somehow made lunch for the boys but that was about it.  Finally one day when Mark came home from work and I had a 106 temperature, I allowed him to convince me it was time to go to the doctor.  They put me on some antibiotics and said within a few days I would feel mostly better.  That was true and I was so grateful.  I did end up having an allergic reaction to the medication and had all over hives...the worst were on the palms of my hands and the bottoms of my feet...so itchy!  But the doctor told me to finish out the antibiotics and the hives would eventually go away.  Luckily they started to fade the day before I taught Relief Society...on adversity.  Haha!  But I saw the whole thing as truly a blessing.  It allowed me to lay with and bond with my third child more than I probably would have.  I was forced to rest and take it easy rather than get back to reality sooner.  Mark was incredible and really played all the roles of parenthood around the house.  I had friends and family bring me meals and check on me often.  All in all, it could have been much worse and now we are all better around here.  No more infections and the boys are over the colds they had and Ace never got sick.  Not too shabby!

First bath

Naked wet newborn babies are the best!  I love wrapping them in a warm towel and snuggling them before putting yummy lavendar lotion on them and cuddling them some more in fresh pjs.  It really is a true joy in life!  As soon as Ace's umbilical cord fell out I couldn't wait to give her a full bath.  I did not have a newborn tub so we bathed her in my bathroom sink...she was not a fan.  She loves the baby bath mat I use for her in the big tub but her first experience was less than enjoyable.  I loved it but she was happy to be out of the cold porcelain sink.

She was very happy to be warm in her new robe though

Potty training Luke

It sounds crazy...but I decided to potty train Fullback this week...a week and a half after having a baby.  I wasn't going to but then I looked at the logistics.  Ace is still tiny and sleeping most of the day so I can give my full attention to Fullback, I have a friend picking up Shortstop from school each day so I don't have to go anywhere, and I wasn't planning on any outings for a while so we are home all day anyway.  And guess what?!  It has paid off.
We tried to potty train back in September and it was a disaster.  In three days he had two successes in the toilet and by the third day he said "Mom...can I have my diapers back?"  So I said yes.  Well we are on day 3 and he has had ZERO accidents, woken up dry from naps and even dry one night.  I am in shock.  He is trained!  And really has done it himself.  He is so proud of himself and loves the praise and attention.  This is a tender mercy for sure.  Not sure I could have handled it emotionally if it didn't go well but I was willing to try.  Love this 3 year old of mine!

Look at that sheer excitement!