Tagged

My little sister Kelly tagged me on her blog, so now I am supposed to tell you five things about myself. Lucky you!

1. I love being a wife! Jeff is so good for me! He's a goof ball and drives me crazy at times, but he does so much for me and I feel so lucky to be married to him! We stay up way too late talking almost every night, but I love it! He is amazingly talented and cares so much about our family! He seems to be more excited about having a daughter than I am!
2. I love being a mom! My boys wouldn't think so by the way I just yelled at them to eat their food, but I really do! I love teaching them new things, and I love how excited they get at their accomplishments! I love being silly, reading, and snuggling with them! I especially love the times when I get to be with them one-on-one, even if it's just going to the grocery store!
3. With all of that said, I love running, and the biggest reason is to get away from my family! That sounds mean, but I've learned that taking the time to run and do something for myself makes me a better wife and mother! I love the time I have to think while I'm running. I've run the St. George and Salt Lake marathons and hope to do a few more over the years. I enjoy training for them and forcing myself to stick to a schedule!
4. I am NOT a good scrapbooker, but I really enjoy collecting supplies to use some day! I have a room full of tools and supplies to make amazing scrapbooks, but I just don't make the time for that right now! I justify some of the materials by using them to make cards, but it's been a while since I've done that. I do hope to be like some of my friends and have beautiful books just FULL of pages, but I know I will continue to put that off especially when I choose to spend my time doing things like reading, blogging, running, eating, and watching shows like "Life", "Dirty Jobs", "Amazing Race", "Myth Busters", and many more!
5. I absolutely love eating nuts! All kinds! I used to just love peanuts, but I have a bowl of cashews on my table right now and pecans in my freezer. I often eat a handful of almonds for a snack! I feel so sad for people who are allergic to nuts. There are so many fabulous ice creams, pies, brownies, cookies, fudges, and even salads that I love because they have nuts in them!

So there you go! I started out wondering what I would even say, and now I'll apologize for saying way too much! Now I'm supposed to tag five more people, so Brooke, Sarah, RaQuelle, Camilla, and Shannon--now it's your turn! Just write a blog with five things about yourself and then tag five more people!

Our Exciting News!

My last post for the night is to announce that we are expecting a baby girl! We had an ultrasound on Thursday, and everything looks good so far! We are so blessed! Chad wanted "another Chad" but he seems to be handling the news just fine! No, he really is excited and doesn't understand why we didn't get to take home a baby like our friend Bonnie did the other day! We're having a lot of "simplified" talks about how his baby sister is going to get here! It will all make more sense and be a little more crazy around April 23rd!

Thanksgiving

Before we left for Idaho for Thanksgiving, my sister Diane and her family spent a few hours playing with us and having dinner. It was so much fun to have them over, but I didn't take very good pictures. We then spent a few days up in Idaho with some of Jeff's family. It was a lot of fun! The boys had a blast playing with Grandpa's trains. Chad keeps asking when we're going back! I made a creamy pecan cheesecake for one of the desserts, and I put a picture in just for my mom! (The recipe is in that Mormon cookbook that Mom gave us, if you sisters want to try it! So good!) I am so thankful for such a wonderful family and terrific friends!

My Big Boy Kyle

With all of the birthday posts I recently did for Chad, I think it's O.K. to do a little update of my sweet Kyle who is growing up so fast! He is currently potty training at 2 and 1/2. I finally decided to give in to his requests to go potty like Chad. I'm sorry to be a mom who talks about bodily functions, but he is doing wonderful except he is scared or something about the whole poo poo business. He tells me every time he has to go potty and does great, but when it's time to go #2, he freaks out and cries and hits us and then eventually does it. He doesn't have accidents anymore, but it is such a fight to get him to do it! He got a stuffed Buzz Light Year that Jeff bought him the first time he did it, and we've promised a stuffed Woody doll when he does it without freaking out at us, but that has yet to happen! Besides the potty training, he just got a big boy mattress. Jeff will be building him a bed, but until then, he is on his mattress on the floor. He got so excited to have a quilt like Chad. He was climbing out of his crib frequently, and we just decided to help him be a little more safe. He comes out several times right after we put him to bed, but he'll get used to it! He loves riding bikes, playing dress up so he can work with Dad, and reading books! He is a wonderful two year old who drives me crazy at times, but he sure makes us laugh a lot and is growing up so quickly. I love him!

Fun with Dad

I'm going to do a little catching up since I've been slacking lately! Jeff tried to take the boys golfing a couple of weeks ago before the winter weather came. He quickly learned that they weren't old enough to be on the course, so they just chipped around. They had so much fun! Aren't they so cute? That afternoon they helped rake leaves. I think they did a little more playing than helping! With all of the fun they have with each other, they sometimes take naps on our bed all together! These photos are of a Sunday nap that I didn't get to join in on! Boy was our house peaceful for a few hours!

"Is this the first day of my birthday?"

Chad enjoyed several days worth of celebrating for his 4th birthday! As we drove down to Jeff's mother's for dinner on Sunday the 4th, Chad asked, "Is this the first day of my birthday?" After a little explanation about how we only have one "birthday" but we might celebrate it on different days, his birthday festivities for the week began! That night included balloons picked out by his cousins Abby and Cannon, dinner made by Grandma Hobson and Aunt Tricia, a shared cake with his Aunt Tricia made by his Uncle Clay ( a pink cake for Tricia with a #4 for Chad), super fun presents, and caramel apples! We all had a great night!

On Monday Chad got to play in the morning with one of his best friends, Landon. They then enjoyed lunch and playing at McDonald's. This was their party together since Landon couldn't make it to his party on Thursday. As you can see, I forgot my camera! I also forgot my purse, so I owe Jamie lunch money! These pictures are of Chad and Kyle playing with the cool Aqua-Doodle and puzzle book that Landon gave him and which they both love!

The third day of festivities which was really his birthday, was supposed to be simple and fun! I never learn! I think I got the fun part, but it was nowhere near simple! He woke up to his present from us, which was a tool bench to start off the Bob the Builder party. (This belonged to our neighbors and came with tons of cool tools. We thought it was a must to prepare the boys to be able to work with their Dad in a few years!) He then went to preschool with his buddies. He has so many friends that he just loves playing with, so we had them all over! Hey, I used to teach more than twenty kids, I can handle ten, right? No, we really did have fun, and all of his friends were well behaved and had a good time! He was totally spoiled and has been enjoying each and every one of his new toys and games! You'll notice a piece of cake on the floor in one of the pictures. That was totally ME! None of the kids spilled except for crumbs, but I totally dropped my piece of cake! And, you'll notice the birthday boy had one of those "it's my party and I'll cry if I want to" moments! He cheered up and played the rest of the time!

To top off all of his birthday fun, Chad got to go out to dinner with his Dad and brother to the Spaghetti Factory. Dad gave him an awesome Star Wars Lego shirt and a pair of Light Sabers! He loved it all! He ended the night by talking to his Grandma and Grandpa Blunck on their mission! The speaker phone made it so they couldn't understand him, but he loved it, they loved it, and I loved it! What a week!

5-K Race

A couple of my friends from Midvale Elementary, where I used to teach, invited me to do a 5-K race with them this morning. Thank you Cassie and Maria. You are such good friends to me and my family! Jeff brought the boys out to cheer us on. They got to look at snakes and have ice cream after, so they had a fun morning as well. Jeff and the boys are always so good about supporting me!

Halloween

Well, Halloween has come and gone, and the boys sure enjoyed themselves! Our festivities included our ward Trunk or Treat on Friday, a visit from Elmo and Cookie Monster on Sunday, carving pumpkins on Tuesday, and trick or treating with our neighbors on Wednesday. They played dress up with their friend Ashton and had a visit from their cousin Cahlin on Wednesday as well. Now they are both taking a nap because they were up late eating more candy than they needed! Now that I'm done blogging I'm going to go sneak some of their candy, but don't tell them!

The Witches at Gardner Village

Monday morning we met up with Jamie and Landon and took the boys to see the witches at Gardner Village. Oh my goodness! They had witches everywhere and doing everything! The boys loved them! We had Ashton with us as well! He's my little guy that I babysit on Monday and Wednesday mornings. It was a little cold, so he and Kyle spent almost the entire time in the stroller! They still loved seeing all of the crazy witches! A must see if you're in the neighborhood around Halloween time!

Colorado for Heather's Baptism

Two weekends ago we went to my sister Diane's in Colorado for my niece Heather's baptism. It was a great weekend, but I totally didn't pull out my camera until the day of the baptism! Diane has pictures on her blog as well. We were so glad we could be there. The boys did great on the drive and had a blast playing with cousins! We had a cajun boil after the baptism. Jeff and I absolutely LOVE doing cajun boils! If you've never done one, you're missing out! I'm proud of my sister's that don't like seafood and still tried everything! We tried to take a sister picture, but we ended up just being goofy! I don't have one that we all look normal! Anyway, the point of the trip was to be with Heather at her baptism, and I have to say that she has one of the sweetest little spirits I know. She was so emotional after she was baptized, but she gets it from her mom and dad who were completely emotional after she was confirmed on Sunday. We loved being a part of it all and feeling the sweet spirit that was there! We were also able to visit and spend an evening with our dear friends, the Hardy's. Of course I didn't remember my camera, but we loved visiting and having our kids play together! Oh yeah, and thank you to Kelly for finally cutting off that annoying patch of hair that Jeff had! It was a great weekend!

Pre-School Highlights

Chad started pre-school back on the 4th of September. He has five different teachers including myself. We teach for two weeks, twice each week, and then we rotate to another mother's home. I really enjoyed the two weeks of teaching that I got to do! It brought back so many memories of when I taught first grade at Midvale! Chad has absolutely loved going and loves all of his pre-school friends and his teachers. These pictures will include his first day, some of the projects we did during the transportation theme we did at our home, and our recent field trip to the Kennecott Bingham Canyon Mine. All of our pre-school friends, their siblings, and mothers went. It was so fascinating! Kyle is in some of the pictures as well. He's the dare devil that looks like he is about to jump into the mine! It wasn't as dangerous as the picture looks!

An End to a Wonderful Trip

During our next days in Indiana, we went to the Potawatomi Zoo, Notre Dame, The College Football Hall of Fame, and a chocolate factory. We were so lucky to get to do so many different things but especially to have been able to do them with our good friends the Sandersons. They were terrific hostesses, and we really had a fun and memorable trip!

A Perfect Day (depending on who you ask)

We had, what I would consider, a perfect day (minus the times I freaked out at my boys because they weren't acting like it was a perfect day!). We picked our own apples at an orchard on the way to a beach in Michigan, ate a yummy picnic, played at the beach, built sandcastles, and enjoyed the sun! Oh yeah, Brooke and I left our cover-up clothes on and just watched the men and boys play, but we took pictures! We then drove back, gave the boys a much-needed bath, ate one of Brooke's delicious dinners, and made carmel apples with the apples we picked! We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly!

Just Like Old Times

We definitely packed in a lot during our week with the Sanderson's, but the boys still managed to find time to play just like they used to. Wagon rides, playing at the park, movies, play dough, and ice cream! My boys had a blast! Chad even got a battle wound from cruising down the hill next to their house on Carson's bike! Playing just like old times was what I looked forward to the most when we started planning this trip!

Chicago - Day Two

Day two of our recent trip was spent at the Shedd Aquarium right on the shore of Lake Michigan. Gorgeous area, huge aquarium, tons of fish, and an enjoyable day for all of us! We left Chicago and went to Indiana after our day of fun! Chad was so excited to finally go to Indiana because we had been talking about it forever before. (I think he's the only one who didn't take a nap on the way to Sanderson's house!)

Chicago-Day One

We just returned from an awesome trip to visit our friends, The Sandersons. We met up with them in Chicago for a couple of days and then spent the rest of the week in South Bend, Indiana where Mike is doing his medical residency. We had a wonderful visit, and the boys continue to ask when we are going back. If Brooke and I have our way, we'll get another visit in before they are done with residency! Here's where you all get to know a little bit more about the hang ups I have with journal writing and scrapbooking. I don't know how to leave things out or simplify, which means I get overwhelmed by everything I could say or show you. We packed so much fun into each day, that I have included a very long slide show of our first day in Chicago. (plane trip, Millenium Park, Navy Pier, Stained Glass Window Museum-seriously!, Hershey's store, Lego store, delicious Chicago style pizza restaurant, train ride, and more of the windy city) My warning to you is that you may not care about all of the photos, but I do, Chad, Kyle, Carson, and Connor will love them, and Mike told me not to delete any pictures while we were there! I've listened to Mike, so view this slide show at your own risk and be prepared for many more photos and lengthy blogs to come!