Memories

I am so awful at journaling so I figured I would jot down a few quick memories of my kiddos so that I will always have them.

My Joshua Bruce is a pill! :) He is always making a mess and learning how to get into things. He is at such a fun stage and I love it! He loves to sing "Shake it a me" that is from a country song (Shake it for me girl) and it is absolutely adorable. He dances and sings and every time it brings a smile to my face. His laugh melts my heart and I just want to hold him and give him a big squeeze. He also makes a mess with everything. It is a lot of work to clean up after he eats but he always has the best messy faces (as you can note from his pic). His favorite movie right now is Gnomeo and Juliet. One of the last things I really want to remember is how he says castle. Every time he sees the Disney castle he screams castle, only he can't say the c so it ends up sounding like a swear word. It's kinda funny lol. I love him so very much.

William Spens is an angel! We are so very grateful to have him. He makes the funniest little goat noises in his sleep. He is our noisiest sleeper, and it always makes me smile to hear his noises. Gramma called him Billy Goat and that made me laugh, too true. He is getting bigger every day and is a lot more alert. He is starting to smile, and some days I wish I could freeze time because he is growing too fast. We all love our baby so much!

Ethan Paul is a big help! He is growing up and every day I swear he learns something new. He is getting so smart. He is talking very well now and he loves his friends and playing at the parks and outside. He helps mom by throwing away the diapers and retrieving things. I couldn't do it without him. He started preschool this month and I still can't believe it. I see pics of him as a baby and him and William look a lot alike. It seems like he should still be a baby. He is now sitting in a big boy car seat and knows its very ''deengerous' to get out. He says the word so cute. I love my Ethan!

I am so grateful for my 3 boys and a wonderful husband. God has truly blessed me!

Inspiration

Today a very inspired MOPS friend shared this with our group. A lot of us were touched and it was the inspiration some of us needed to hear. Life is not always happy, but the trials and tests we endure are also for our benefit. I have a friend who just lost her 6 month old son to SIDS and I have been struggling with this since I found out. I keep thinking, it's not fair! She has endured so much already why her? But as this story was read I caught a glimpse of the big picture. This trial is not one of the happy moments in life, but when her life is over what a beautifully mastered 'cake' she will have. If you enjoy this please share it with someone else who might be in need!

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.raesmith.com%2Fgods_cake.htm&h=FAQAMbQjqAQBy2-uP6JSyI5hkx_FXzDkK-gYzo4y6qxuPfA

Overdue!

Wow! I didn't realize how pathetically long it had been since I posted. I have summed up our past 9 months quite quickly below. I have also added pictures but the website is not allowing me to move them so they are all over the place. :( Hopefully this kinda makes sense.

December-

December 18th my brother, Michael, and Travis' sister, Kimberly, were married in the Billings MT temple.

December 21st was Joshua's 1st birthday. So glad Saren was able to come help me out for a week and spend this time with us.

We spent Christmas with my family this year and we had a nice but short vacation.

On December 31st we found out that we were indeed pregnant with our 3rd child.

January-

January 8th we arrived in Palmdale, California to start our new life. We were s

o glad our parents were able to help us pack and move!!!

We also went to the San Diego Zoo this month. It was a lot of fun to get away and we had a wonderful time.

February-

February 19th was Trav's 26th birthday. He is getting soo old. ;)

March-

We found out that #3 was a boy!

April-

Ethan had his 3rd birthday. Our oldest baby is growing up. :(

May-

Ethan, Joshua, and I flew home to Wyoming for a few days. It was nice to be back in Wyoming, but it was so crazy that it rained the entire time we were home. Don't think I remember it raining that much while growing up!

June-

Travis and I had our 4th anniversary on the 29th.

July-

We had a nice relaxing 4th at home. We miss the Cody celebration though!

I had my birthday on the 19th and turned 27.

About now we found out or due date had been off and the doc said we could expect our baby any day..... of course he didn't show up in July though. ;)

August-

William Spens arrived August 10, 2011 at 5:09PM. He weighed 8 lbs. 4 oz. and was 21 inches long. My water was broke that morning, but I didn't have contractions until 2PM when they gave me pitocin and the epidural. I had him a short 3 hours later. He was by far the easiest labor. His little head was black and blue from coming out so fast. Dr. Edralin said he looked like a prize fighter. We were so glad to finally have him here!!!

Mom and Matthew came the Saturday after he was born and stayed for a week to help. Gramma got lots of cuddle time with her 3 grandbabies and Uncle Matthew got worn out! He was such a good sport and the boys still miss him!

September-

Travis' parents came for Labor Day weekend when we blessed William. We were so glad they came. We got to play at the beach and go to the Santa Barbara Zoo while they were here. It was a pleasant visit and we were all very sad to see them go.

Ethan started preschool on the 13th. He was so cute about it. He loves learning, but both him and Josh were sad Josh couldn't stay at preschool. What a great pair!

We are currently in escrow for our first home, yay! :) We are so excited and should be moving in the 1st of October. We are very thrilled to be getting out of apartments!

That sums up the past few months in a nutshell. Hopefully it will not be another 9 months 'til I post.

Tribute to a teacher

Yesterday someone very dear to my heart passed away. Mrs. (Judy) Morgan, my high school English teacher and Speech and Debate coach passed on. She will be greatly missed! I often did not feel like I was a super important person when I was in high school and Mrs. Morgan always made me feel better about myself. She was not only a teacher, but my friend. I will never forget the many speech meet trips with her and Gwennie. We had a lot of good times and I appreciate all she taught me. Her smile and laughs always made me happy. I remember that one year she got me a huge stuffed rabbit at a speech meet. It made me feel so important. She was amazing and no one will ever take her place. She made this world a better place, and I hope that I can emulate her happy spirit. Mrs. Morgan you are so loved! You will be greatly missed! Love you and sweet dreams 'til we meet again.

A month of Thanksgiving

This week has been trying but at the same time amazingly wonderful. We are closing in on the big move (7 weeks from last Friday) and things are beginning to fall into place. I am so thankful for the many blessings which my Heavenly Father has seen fit to bless me with. Things get stressful when you move, but things have gone fairly smooth at the same time.

Earlier this week I was giving Joshua a bath and he laid his head down in the water and gave me the biggest smile ever. It filled my heart with joy. He is learning so much and growing up too fast. He has picked up shaking his head no and yelling 'Dad'. He is also standing up on his own very well. He is such a wonderful blessing in our home. He fills our lives with joy and it is so hard to imagine that he has only been with us 11 months.


Ethan is beginning to talk... a lot. :) It is so awesome to see him learn things and begin to put things together. He knows a lot of shapes and is starting to get the colors more and more. He has a very funny, silly personality and makes us laugh a lot. He is growing up too fast.


Travis only has 1 week 2 days and finals (as he tells me :D ) 'til graduation. He has been working hard on school and hunting. He also works at Handel and we are VERY excited to go to his Christmas party.

As for me, I have been busy blogging and crafting. I am also working on a couple of piano pieces and teaching myself the guitar. It has definitely been an experience. The guitar has been harder to learn than the piano.


Well, that about sums it up. This week we are having Thanksgiving here and we are very excited to be cooking our own dinner. Hopefully it turns out well. We are truly blessed and have so much to be thankful for.

P.S. Pic of Trav to come. We have no good recent ones of him alone.

Halloween: Tricks and Treats!

This past Friday and Saturday we celebrated Halloween. It was a weekend jam packed with a ton of fun. This year we got two costumes: Buzz and Woody. Ethan of course wanted to be both so Friday he was Woody, Saturday he was Buzz. Joshua didn't care because he hated both costumes.


Friday, we started our Trick or treating out by going to the Union Trick or Treat. There were a TON of people there and Ethan was a little overwhelmed. He really got the hang of saying Trick or Treat though. He got to do a pumpkin toss, pumpkin bowling, and got to walk through a little haunted house where he was scared. The people running it dropped the candy on his Woody hat and he ran out crying. It was an interesting experience for him.


Next, we went to the Children's Clinic Trick or Treat where the boys were gushed over. Everyone thought they were so cute. They got a lot of good loot there including some glow sticks which Ethan was bound and determined to try and open.

Saturday Travis had the FE Exam so the boys and I were on our own. We trekked downtown to Trick or Treat. I wasn't quite sure how to do this so I loaded both boys in the John Deere wagon. They did amazing. Woody (which was Joshua on Saturday) passed out early on and enjoyed a snooze almost the whole time. Buzz was busy charming everyone and smiling extra candy out of them. It was a beautiful morning and we had a nice time.

From there we went to the Scrapbook store and took Halloween pictures. I will post one when I get it back.

Saturday evening we went to the Trunk or Treat at the Stake Center. It was a little chilly so Ethan and I walked around while Travis and Joshua handed out our candy. Ethan got a little tired and started to shout Trick or Treat so we didn't stay out too long. He still said thank you but rather interestingly.

It was a very nice weekend and next year will be a new adventure since we will be Trick or Treating in California.

Oops! Pictures

I forgot to insert the pics in my last blog so here are a couple.

Travis and the 'box car' children

The Beet Digger and Semi

My Mom at her 50th Celebration

Time flies!

I was thinking this morning that it had been a while since I had posted so I decided I had better catch up! This past week, especially, has been quite eventful. We have had lots of comings and goings already this month and we are just a little over half way through October. Anyway, here it goes.

First off I wanted to mention that Travis shot his first antelope! I have not yet seen a picture, but I have 30 pounds of antelope meet in my freezer to prove it. :)

Last week the boys and I went home for my mother's 50th Birthday on Ocotber 11th. She is such a wonderful blessing in all of our lives! We stayed from Sunday - Friday. Ethan got to take a lot of tractor/combine rides and he loved it! Best of all I got to smell beet harvest. Yes, I said smell. That is the best smell in the whole world. I love going out to the beet field and smelling the crisp fall air. That would be the best Scentsy smell in the whole world. :)

The following weekend Trav's family came down for Tina's birthday which was the 17th. We went to a homecoming parade, football game, had a b-day party with the family, and went out for breakfast. It was fun to hang out.

What a busy, fun-filled month we have had so far. Not to mention my brother, Michael, and Trav's sister Kimber are getting married December 18th. We have a full fall season this year! I would say I want things to slow down, but I don't. It is nice to be on the move and to have things to do. :)

9 months!

Joshua Bruce is 9 months old today! I can not believe how time has flown! He is getting so big and is trying to do everything his older brother does. I took some quick photos of him and Ethan today and these are the best ones. Happy 9 month birthday to my baby!


Don't you just love the happy face in the one of both of them? Priceless!

Memorable Moments

Today there was a special moment that made me fall in love with being a mom all over again!

After a wonderful morning session of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) we came home to eat lunch. I got pizza for Ethan and Jamie and baby food for Joshua. I had to run to the little girls room and could hear Jamie and Ethan eating. Josh began to cry because he was hungry so I hollered that I would be out in a minute. When I came out of the bathroom everything was quiet and I got a little nervous. I rushed to the kitchen to find Ethan standing on my chair feeding Josh. He was telling him, "shh, Josh k!" (which in Ethan language means shh Josh its ok). He was actually feeding him quite well. It made my heart happy. He knew Josh just wanted to eat and was trying to help his brother. It was a moment that made me feel like I was doing something right. It totally made my day!

Michael McLean and Batdorf

This last Friday I had an amazing opportunity to go to Billings, MT and see my favorite pianist of all time: Michael McLean. For those of you who don't know who I am talking about, first shame on you, haha and second, he does the Forgotten Carols and many other amazing works.

I got an email saying that he would be performing in Billings and immediately began to form a plan. I facebooked my friends to see if anyone wanted to join me and one of my best friends, Raegan wanted to go. We made a plan to meet up in Billings and have a girls weekend!

It was amazing! The whole weekend was perfect for my needs! I was even able to stop off at Big Horn and watch my little sister Saren play a volleyball game. It was a great weekend.

When I got to Billings Raegan and I enjoyed dinner at Red Lobster to start the evening off. Then, we headed to the concert where McLean and Batdorf performed Mission 2 B :) . It was uplifting and so fun! Afterwards, since our hotel pool was closed, they sent us across the way to another hotel where we hot tubbed for about an hour. Then we talked late into the night and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.


In the morning we enjoyed a delicious hot breakfast at our hotel and then began to map out our shopping. When we checked out Raegan informed the hotel people we weren't super happy about the pool situation so we got our room for like $50 bucks which means we had more to spend shopping. Yay!

We went to Hobby Lobby first and spent over an hour pouring over projects we wanted to create. It was very therapeutic. Then we went to the mall and shopped some more for sweet deals and totally enjoyed ourselves. Lastly, we ate lunch at Noodle Express and then I headed for home.

It was a long drive... I think close to 14 hours in the car for both days but it was so so so worth it. Not to mention it was 14 hours of peace and quiet to myself. I enjoyed the quiet time and the scenery was beautiful as well! Thanks Raegan for an awesome weekend and thanks Trav for letting me go!

Bear Lake

I know this is a little out of order, but I thought I had already blogged this. Silly me! Anyway, for Labor Day we took our annual trek to Bear Lake and as usual it was wonderful! We were able to spend time with Trav's family and to get away from Laramie for a couple of days. We played lots in the water, ate lots of good food and visited a lot.


This year we got jet skis and it was soo fun! Ethan absolutely loved them and did not want to get off! I actually enjoyed them too this year since I was not prego! :)

We (the girls) were also able to make some awesome bead watches. Tina brought beads and we had lots of fun.


It was a great weekend with family!

Life's Simple Pleasures

Last Thursday was one of the best days I have had recently. What made it so special? I had an awesome date with my husband Travis. It was a last minute idea since I was heading out of town Friday and Saturday. We decided to go out to eat and then go bowling. We ate at Luciano's and had a blast just talking to eachother. We ate good food, laughed, and had a great time. After that we headed out to the bowling alley. It was league night so we were unable to bowl so we decided to go to Walmart (so original I know). It was so fun though! It was just Trav and I so we took our time and flirted shamelessly. :) It was almost as if we were on our first date again. It made me realize what a lucky woman I am. I am still so in love with the man I married over 3 years ago and I only continue to love him more each day! Life is so good! I love that my husband is still in love with me after 3 years and 2 kids. He truly is the man of my dreams!

Back to School

After this past week I have a new appreciation of my mother! I don't know how she did all she did with 2 little kids and no hubby. Granted mine is at work and school but still, holy cow. I guess I got a little spoiled over the summer.

Trav started school last week and Ethan decided to break through 2 of his 2 year old molars. It was fun, ha! He ran a fever pretty much from Wednesday thru Saturday. It was crazy! I hate seeing him so miserable.

This semester I am watching my friends little girl Jamie. She is the same age as Ethan and it is good for Ethan to have someone to play with. They do pretty well together and it is nice to only have to entertain one child. :)

I have taken up a lot of hobbies lately and have been enjoying myself immensely. I have redesigned a cowboy shirt, made several photo projects, 3 fleece blankets, hair ties for my sister, flannel boards, working on a skirt and also a carseat cover. It has been so busy but fun. I have also really taken to indexing names on a geneology website. These little projects as well as trying new foods have become my obsession. I will post pictures of my projects soon!

I am ready to fall asleep at the computer so I must retire. Yay to Trav's last semester at school!

SILHOUETTE MACHINE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

SILHOUETTE MACHINE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I am sooo excited about this! If you are interested in this type of stuff it is soo worth it! :)

Finally home for real!

It has been a very busy couple of past weeks! I went home, again, but am finally back home in Laramie. I have never missed home so much or been so glad to sleep in my own bed! I missed my stuff and I even missed cleaning, to an extent. It feels so good to be the boss of my own house. Haha! :) It was nice to see family and have adventures but it is nice to be home also!

The first day I was home my Uncle Gary and his entire family came down. It was wonderful to see them! It had been 5 years since I had seen any of them and it was nice to catch up. Kimberly came down Sunday to drive us back on Monday so she got to meet some of the family too. I bet she felt so lucky.


Wednesday that week Dad, Mom, Saren, Matthew and the kids and I took a trip to Yellowstone/Jackson. It was so beautiful. While we were there the boys got to experience their second earthquake. It was crazy! It was a lot bigger than the one we felt in California and it was surprising to me that it happened in Wyoming. We got to see my cousin Ronda who lives in Jackson Hole and she said that they have tremors quite frequently. Overall we had a very enjoyable time and I took lots of wonderful pictures.


Throughout the week we were able to ride 4wheelers, tractors, and combines. Ethan was spoiled rotten with being outdoors so much that I think he would have rather stayed. He loved it. Even Joshua enjoyed being outside and chasing the dog.

On Friday Travis came up and Saturday we went to go spend time in Cody with his family. His grandparents arrived on Sunday and got to meet Joshua for the first time. I love his grandparents!

Monday we went up to Shell Falls and had a wonderful day. Ethan practically lived in the creek the entire time we were there. It was beautiful and again a wonderful opportunity to take photos. It was a perfectly wonderful day!


Wednesday we were finally able to come home and we have been busy unpacking and cleaning ever since. By the time it we get all settled in and comfortable school will start. At least I can not complain of boredom. Life is good!

Home again! Home again!

Wow! What a couple of busy weeks it has been. After we got back from California we melted in our apartment in Laramie until Friday when we packed up and went home to Burlington. I had a friend get married Saturday and attended two receptions that night.

It was wonderful to be in Burlington with a lawn and lots of extra babysitters! :) Monday was my birthday and we had a nice dinner with both families. I got spoiled and had a nice day. Tuesday we went to Billings with Gramma Waters and helped Uncle Dan find a motorcycle jacket. Wednesday was pretty relaxing and we played in a splash pool I got in Billings. Ethan loved it and Josh just chilled in it. Thursday was my Dad's birthday so we went to Cody to hunt down gifts for him and then had a nice dinner. Friday Travis came up to Burlington and we had another nice relaxing day. Saturday was the Pioneer Celebration and we were able to see Saren perform in a program and ride in the parade. It was a nice day. Sunday we packed up and came back.


Now I am beginning to play catch up with all the house work. My wonderful husband put in AC while we were gone so we are now not melting in our apartment so it is back to work.

We have been so tremendously blessed this summer and it is wonderful to have such good family and friends. We love our families and are thankful for the wonderful people they are. It doesn't seem like we realize how lucky we truly are until we grow up and move away. It has also been such a blessing to have the church in our lives. We have made so many new friends this summer and have been so well taken care of. The church is true wherever we go. It is truly a blessing to be a part of it!

My Boys

So this is more of just a sentimental post of things I want to remember later, but I wanted it to be in our blog so I could print it out later.

I AM SO BLESSED!

I have the most wonderful family in the whole world! I have a wonderful husband who supports me in everything I do and I am so in love with him. I also have two amazing children.

Ethan Paul is 2 years old and is growing and learning so fast. Today, while we were at the Play Place at the mall he started actually playing with other kids. There was one other little boy in particular that he was playing with. It was so sweet. The compassion my little boy showed to the other children today overwhelmed me. Don't get me wrong he is definitely your average rambunctious 2 year old, but today his sweet demeanor almost brought his momma to tears. It feels so good to see them do something right. It makes me feel like I am not doing everything wrong. I love Ethan so much!

Joshua Bruce is the sweetest baby ever! He is only 6 months and is already on the move. His new favorite place is under Ethan's table. He finds all sorts of food treasures there. He loves to suck on his lip and it gives him this funny toothless look and it just makes me laugh. Josh and Ethan sometimes make each other laugh and it is so cute! Joshua is so patient and happy and he is such a blessing! I love Joshua so much!

I am so blessed and I just hope that I can always remember little good things like these every day! I love my family and thank God every day that he has brought these amazing people into my life!

Last week in Cali= Bitter Sweet

So, this is our last week in California, sigh! We have had so much fun here and it will be sad to leave, yet we are very excited to sleep in our own bed! We have made lots of great friends and we can't wait to come back to the awesomest ward in Palmdale (Ana Verde =) ). Trav mentioned that it is too bad we couldn't have just graduated and then we would be here for good. We really do love it out here and enjoy having so many things to do.

Last week was the 4th of July week, but unfortunately I got an ear infection so I was sick pretty much most of the weekend. Thursday we were able to go to the Bash on the Base out at Edwards AFB. It was really fun. They had free carnival rides and water slides and Ethan loved them! We also discovered another thing he enjoys: cotton candy. It was so funny! He absolutely loved it and scarfed it down as quick as he could. The only thing exciting we did on the 4th was eat In'n'Out Burgers. Trav's glasses got broken by Ethan that day so we didn't watch fireworks either. I guess we were kinda party poopers but we all enjoyed each other's company. I love our family!


Monday we finally broke down and went to Dry Town, the water park in Palmdale. It was wonderful! They have a little miners' camp and Ethan absolutely loved it. Josh and I walked the Lazy River most of the time we were there. It was a very relaxing enjoyable afternoon. Next year we will definitely get season passes!


This week we have tried to do one of Ethan's favorite things each day so on Tuesday we went to Apollo Park to feed the ducks and play. I don't know if Ethan got more of the bread or the ducks. He would eat a piece, throw a piece. It was so fun to watch him! Unfortunately the playground was closed because they were seeding grass but we took him to Hull park and then got ice cream after we played. For the most part it was an enjoyable evening. :)


Yesterday, Wednesday, we felt our first earthquake! It was really weird! In Borrego Springs it was a 5.9. We luckily only felt a tremor. I was actually talking to my mother on the phone and all of a sudden just felt everything go up and down. At first I thought I had just had a really bad moment because of my earache, but after calling a friend, found out we had indeed felt a tremor. Ethan just looked over at me with a really perplexed look. I am so glad it wasn't anything bigger!

We move home Saturday and are not looking forward to the drive. California adventures and friends we will miss you but we WILL be back! Wyoming here we come! :)

3rd Anniversary

This past week has flown by! I can't believe that we are down to the last 2 weeks in California. The time has gone so fast. We have made a lot of friends here and we'll be sad to leave them. Good thing we will be coming back in January! :) I am very excited especially since it will be so cold in Wyoming then.

This past weekend we pretty much just hung out, watched soccer, and swam at the pools. It was very relaxing and low-key. Ethan loves the water and is quite good at kicking his feet while we swim around with him. Josh loves to just chill in his floatie device and splash. They are very wonderful boys and we love them so much!

Monday, when we went to take out the trash, Ethan insisted on pushing the umbrella stroller all the way around the building with Josh in it. He did a very good job and is becoming quite the big brother and helper.


Yesterday was Travis and I's 3rd year anniversary. I can't believe I have been married to my best friend that long. I am looking forward to forever! We went out on a date and saw the movie Robin Hood and ate at El Torito. It was a very nice evening. We even got dressed up for the occasion. :) Too bad we had to come back in and change because the wind was so bad my dress was not behaving. Ha ha! Travis got me a beautiful bouquet of roses for our Anniversary. He is so sweet.

We are so truly blessed and love each other so much! We love our life!