quick trip

my brother eric had a convention in columbus last week, so we took a quick jaunt down to columbus to see him and have dinner with him. It was totally worth the drive. eric is always so much fun to be with. he loves my boys so much. there is something about seeing people love your children and making them feel special. we sure miss the old days when we used to drive up from ny to boston nearly every other weekend to see eric and sarah. it was a bummer that we couldn't see sarah and the kids too, but we'll take what we can get. luckily i got to chat with sarah on the phone the next day :) here are some pictures of us hanging out in eric's hotel room after dinner.




thanks for making time for us eric! we love you.

blah

i'm kind of in a funk today. jeffrey has to work nights occasionally and i can't seem to get used to it. last night he worked from about 10pm to 2am. I never go to bed when i should when he's gone too. it's just hard to fall asleep without him there. anyway, i woke up with the boys and got ready and i've been quite productive getting my young women stuff caught up and cleaning out my email, but despite being productive i am still feeling quite blah. i'm sure everyone has days like this. so here's hoping for a better attitude tomorrow.

these pictures make me feel happier.

today

cleaning up my house today in preparation of jeffrey coming home. jeffrey went on a trip with his dad to southern utah to do photography. i am very excited to see the shots he got. i love that they got to do this. we did great here too. the boys were very good. i lost my temper a few times, but we got through it and we're all alive and happy. it was sweet though to see how much the boys missed their dad. i am so glad that we love each other so much. it helps me through the hard, grumpy days. it was interesting how when sam would get mad at me he would start crying for jeffrey. it's nice to have 2 of us so when 1 of us is off, or upset, the other can step in to help and comfort. so yeah, i'm ready to have my teammate back.

calder is growing so fast. i love how when people see him walk, the comment i usually hear is, "that kid looks way to small to be walking." he's so stinky cute and little. his hair is getting longer too and we're just letting it grow. it gets a little crazy sometimes, but i love it.

elliot is taking piano. he started in august. he just got a christmas book and he is soo excited to be learning christmas songs. we'll have to have a little concert here in our home in december. wishing i had family here to invite over. we miss you family...

sam is a sweet kid and a punk at the same time. he still hits and punches elliot and i cannot figure out how to teach him not to! it's so frustrating. i've tried love and logic. i've tried 1,2,3 magic, spanking doesn't work, we've done cold showers....what do i do??? any suggestions? when he's in a good mood you can find him playing with calder, drawing and cutting things out at the table, looking at books, etc.

i'm quite happy with my life. i have decided for now i am not expecting myself to do any hobbies. i find when i do, i feel overwhelmed. so i am just enjoying being a mom and all that goes with it. every morning calder and i play on the floor with his toys for over an hour. it's so wonderful to have that quite time with him to bond and just enjoy this stage. it's over so fast, so i gotta get in as much time as i can right now. i've been lucky to go into my boys school once or twice a week. i love seeing them interact with their friends and their teacher. they always light up when they see me walk in the door. it's so worth it. i'm also loving being in young womens. it's busy but so much fun.

so yeah, that's what's on my mind today. again, if you have any suggestions for me about sam, please pass it on. thanks.

highs and lows

sometimes to get the kids to tell us about their day we have them tell us their highs and lows. i think that might be what i am going to do on my blog for a little while.

my highs today...
watching calder walk around saying, "mah, mah" (which means he wants more food)
seeing elliot sitting, looking, and listening to conference (of course it only lasted for a little while and he jumped back up to play)
watching jeffrey make a pie for me
getting the pans all washed
putting the kids to bed by 8pm, yes all 3 of them.

my lows today...
losing my temper with my kids too many times
caring too much about how the kids sit while they eat
seeing calder fall and hit his head straight on the door of his dresser. he split the skin and got a pretty bad bruise
having to say goodbye to jeffrey as he left to go to priesthood meeting