A Few Pics

Working together in the yard!














BUNK BEDS

Hogle Zoo

Fishing in Idaho

Catch Up

Okay it's beeen awhile since I posted. Life has been pretty busy and I have spent any free time I can find trying to catch up on the sleep I am missing out on at night. So for my own record keeping purposes I'm going to post a quick list of recent events.

• T-ball games. We were able to reschedule so we got to play 7 of our 8 games. Pason and Jared both had a good time and I was impressed at the improvement I saw in the kids from the first chaotic game to the last.
• Vacation. The last week of May we drove first to Utah for Jared's cousin AJ's wedding. We also spent an afternoon at Hogle Zoo (the elephants and the bird show were our faves), and ate at Rodizio's Brazilian BBQ. Sunday we went to Temple Square and were confined to the visitors center due to rain, but we did get to see the Joseph Smith movie (at least I saw the little bit I wasn't crying through!). Sunday afternoon we had dinner at my Aunt Joelyn's house and saw my grandparents who were visiting from California.
• Vacation continued. Spent the rest of the week in Idaho. Memorial Day at Grandma Farmer's. Fishing, bowling, and partying. We celebrated Grandma Rowan's birthday, Uncle Greg's birthday, and Erick's high school graduation. I also got a couple much craved for sno-cones, but not enough to stop the cravings!
• Bunk beds. We finally did it. Other than some talking at bedtime it has gone very well. The boys both seem to like sharing a room so far. We also got the crib and the cradle set up in the baby's room and I started going through all my baby clothes and gear. The nesting begins.
• Kidney stones. I'm 3 for 3 now. As if pregnancy isn't uncomfortable enough already. Luckily I didn't end up in the hospital this time like when I was pregnant with Carter. I had just been feeling icky for a few days and having some irregular but rather painful contractions. After passing a 1/2 cm stone I felt much better and am now trying to find a way to drink more fluids without spending the entire day in the bathroom emptying my bladder!
• Swimming lessons. Pason and Carter have both been taking swimming lessons for the last couple of weeks. Pason has made huge strides and will now jump in and go completely under the water. He loves to put his face in the water and doggie paddle. He can float with only one pinkie finger on his back, but still doesn't think he can do it on his own. Carter loves his teacher and has fun being in the water. He will put his mouth and nose and the water and blow bubbles. Despite wearing earplugs everyday, Carter seems to have developed and ear infection, but the tubes are still working and draining the infection and he seems un-bothered by it.
• Running. Jared ran in his first race last Saturday. It was the Heart and Soul 10K. He finished in just under an hour. He was a little disappointed in his time, but he said he started out way to fast so I guess it was a learning experience. I personally think he did great for his first time.
• Kindergarten testing. Yesterday Pason had his kindergarten test. I have to brag just a little. He did really well and scored well above average. The teacher that administered the test said he had the best handwriting of any of the kids she had seen. He really is a smart kid and if he can just sit still and listen to instructions....
• Sibling class. Last night we took the boys to a class at the hospital called "I was here first!" They drew pictures of their families, watched a movie about what it would be like with a new baby at home, what babies do lots of (sleep and cry), how they can help, etc. The learned how to hold babies with dolls and had a treat. We were supposed to get a tour of the birthing rooms, but all the rooms were full last night. I think it was good for them just to feel like they have a part in this life event.

Okay I think that cover most of the last several weeks. I will try to get some pictures on here soon, but I am having problems with the USB connection from my camera to the computer so who knows.

A Visit from the Tooth Fairy

We are enjoying our vacation (which I will post about later when we are back in Montana), but I had to put up a quick post about Pason's first lost tooth. It has been loose for quite awhile now, but he didn't really wiggle it much. Last night we noticed it was very loose and he decided he wanted to try to get it out. This was at about 9:30. About 45 minutes later it was out! While Pason and Jared were flossing and wiggling his tooth, I quickly looked through my mom's material scraps and made him a tooth pillow. So he finally made it to bed at 11. I thought he would maybe sleep longer after such a dramatic night, but he popped right up at 6:30 to find his $2 from the Tooth Fairy. I guess it's inflation because I only got $1 when I lost my teeth!

Late Great Anniversary Date

Friday afternoon Jared called me from work and told me I had to be ready so that we could be in Billings by 6:30. I really had no idea what his plan was and was kind of excited about a real surprise date. After we dropped the boys of with some friends Jared asked what I wanted for dessert. We decided to get cheesecake at Barnes and Noble. When we were newlyweds in Missoula we went there quite often just to browse around and have a little treat. After eating we got in the car and Jared handed me 2 tickets to the Nylons concert. The Nylons are an acapella group from Canada that have been around for about 30 years. The music was really good and it reminded me of when we were at Ricks and there were concerts like that all the time. Jared and I both really like acapella music, and they even sang Silhoutettes which is the song that inspired the name of the group Jared used to sing with in high school. They sang from 7:30 until almost 10:15. I was starting to worry about how late it was getting for the boys, but it sure was nice to evening doing something out of the ordinary. Thanks to the Footes for watching our boys, and to Jared for the surprise!
http://www.thenylons.com/inc/silhouettes.html

1st Tee-ball Game

Last night was Pason's first tee-ball game. They only got to play 2 of their 3 innings because it started raining, but it was sure fun while it lasted. Pason had a great hit off the tee and he had some good stops at the pitcher's mound (that was when he was paying attention and not running in circles around around himself!) It was so fun to watch the kids colliding as they ran after the ball or all just standing there as the ball rolled or just sat right by them. Kids ran when they weren't supposed to and didn't run when they were supposed to. I didn't get many good pictures but I will at one of his next games and post them later.

Seven Years

Monday marked 7 years of marriage for Jared and me. I have heard that the average marriage lasts 7 years so I guess we are above average now! No, really I have a great husband and a great marriage. Jared is my perfect complement. Ezer kinigdo. I love you! Happy Anniversary!

Time Out for Women

Friday evening and Saturday I got to attend Time Out for Women with some friends from church and my sister-in-law. It was great! It's kind of like a mini education week with speakers and musical presenters. It was so nice to be able to sit and listen and actually feel the Spirit without being interrupted by wiggling, noisy children. It did get a little long on Saturday, but luckily the 2 speakers that afternoon were 2 of the best. Jenny Oaks Baker (Elder Oaks' youngest daughter) was one of my favorite presenters. She played the violin and spoke a bit. She is AMAZINGLY talented and very funny, but I can't tell you how reassuring it is to hear that an apostle's daughter also gets fed up with whining children, or that she doesn't have time for service because she is so busy serving her children and her own family. I always try to remind myself that there are times and seasons in our lives, but sometimes we as women feel like we are supposed to be doing it all at once. It is just nice to know that even those people we put on a pedastal struggle with the same things. Anyway, I laughed more than I have in a long time and it was a much needed break after a long, pregnant tax season and I feel very refreshed. If anyone has an opportunity to attend TOFW in their area I highly recomend it.