Rainy Days and Mondays...

Grr--I haven't figured out how to make the stupid pictures organize themselves in the order that I would like. It's irritating. Anyway, these are the things I got accomplished today. I finished Maddy's wall hangings--they have been sitting, unfinished, for a long time. I finally sewed the border and painted the frames, and got them all finished. Aren't they totally cute? After I finished, I almost wanted to keep them cause they are so stinking adorable!

The other project is the shower curtain I have been working on for months. I know it is sideways--I was too lazy to rotate the picture before uploading it--pathetic, huh? Anyway, the countertops in the bathroom are blue, so I wanted to tie in the blue without having to decorate with blue. Actually really like the bright colors--I was worried when I first hung it up, but I think I really like it. I put grommets in the top for the hooks. I haven't totally decided how I am going to hang it, if I am going to keep the hooks or use the cute orange ribbon I bough. Either way, it is FINALLY done!! I am so happy about it!

Today was pretty much a blah day. It was icy...again. So, once again, there was no school. I was bound and determined to get something done since I was home all day. The house still looks like a bomb hit it though--Cameron was working from home, and Levi was sick all day, so I didn't get nearly as much done as I would have liked. I got the boys' rooms cleaned up and a couple loads of laundry done and I did make some homemade cream of broccoli soup (we even had bread bowls, although I cheated and didn't make those because I was doing some other stuff).

I wanted to post a couple pictures from yesterday--these are from the boys' little birthday celebration we did after dinner last night. We had cake (it was sickeningly sweet, and I LOVE cake!) and ice cream. The boys had gotten their presents earlier in the day. We gave Sam his gift yesterday because our original intention had been to let him pick out a gift, but then he got sick (you might recall...). Both boys loved their gifts, so that is great.

Cameron and the babies--isn't Maddy getting so fat and cute? She has the cutest little pixie ears and the most precious smile--she is the smiliest baby I have ever seen. She has been smiling since she was like 2 weeks old (real smiles!) and laughing out loud since about 2 months. My kids still barely laugh out loud--at least Levi.

Here are some of the ice shots from today. They are not as impressive as the ice storm from before Christmas, but still...it is a pretty good one. We had one heck of a thunderstorm to go with it--lightning, thunder, hail, and a lot of rain and sleet (and freezing rain--did you know there is a difference between sleet and freezing rain?).
We'll see what tomorrow brings. It was supposed to continue raining until about midnight, and the low is about 20 tonight, with windchills below 10, so it'll probably freeze again. I apologize for the disorganized nature of this post. I had lots of pics to post and was being too lazy to make them do exactly what I wanted--frankly, I find blogger to be a huge pain in the rear, and am considering using a different host.

Happy Birthday, Samuel!!!

Today Samuel is 3 years old! It's crazy to see that. I can't believe how fast our boys are growing.

THEN: Sam was such a super sweet baby. He cried a TON at first, and for awhile, I thought we would have to send him back...but then, he turned into an angel baby--just like my mom always called him. He was so happy and just completely adorable. He slept well. He was good-natured. And he and Ben have always been inseparable.


SAM'S VERY FIRST SMILES: Krista just happened to have her phone handy when Sam graced us with his very first smiles. He has the most beautiful smile that is contagious to everyone around him. Isn't he the cutest??


NOW: Samuel has become a super energetic, crazy little boy. He is incredibly smart and totally fearless. He climbs EVERYTHING! (The cabinets, the beds, the FRIDGE, etc.) He managed to break our dryer door just 6 weeks after we bought it, by climbing on the door. Luckily it was covered by our warranty still, so we were able to get it fixed. He almost always has a bruise or a black eye or something. He has managed to blacken one of his front teeth--we haven't figured out exactly how he managed that. Sam is super independent. He turns on his own DVDs (which makes me CRAZY!!), he is constantly trying to brush his teeth, he gets his own drinks, he puts on his own shoes, etc. Sam LOVES fashion--he thinks shoes are the best things ever. He gets upset when I try to put the wrong clothes on him. He tells US when he needs a haircut. He has an opinion about everything, and tells me that he "can't want to" whenever I ask him to do something even remotely contrary to his plans.

Sam is so creative. He loves to color. Playdough is his new favorite thing. He makes all kinds of shapes out of the dough. Today it was balls. Last week it was carrots (for his snowmen) and snakes (and boxes for the snakes). He has made bunnies and doggies (we had to ask him to tell us about those!). Sam brings energy and light into everything he does. He loves to read and be read to. He hates going to bed. He is afraid he will miss something. He is a little (or a lot sometimes) defiant when he doesn't want to do something. He is VERY stubborn. He has THREE blankies! He is the sweetest, most sensitive little boy--whenever there is tension or Cameron and I are upset with one another, he gets very distressed. He gives sweet little hugs and kisses and loves to snuggle. He hates being thrown in the air--it is the one thing he is VERY afraid of. Sam is such a special little boy. He is incredibly challenging, but we are doing our best to raise him to be happy, to love his family and Heavenly Father, and to be a good, confident little person.

Samuel is totally the apple of his daddy's eye. Cameron absolutely adores Samuel! Frankly, if I didn't know firsthand how nuts Sam sometimes makes Cameron, I would say that Cam has blinders on regarding all of Sam's faults. He and Sam have a special bond. I love watching them together. Sam loves to jump on Daddy and wrestle and he LOVES to be tickled. It doesn't hurt that he looks exactly like his daddy!


I am so proud of Sam. There are a lot of things that I wish he would do that he won't--I wish he would obey better, and that he would go to bed. But, I absolutely adore Sam. I love how he runs up to me when I get home from work and gives me a big hug. I love how he is so adament about his opinions (I want THAT one, pointing at the Hot Tamales, which are, incidentally, his FAVORITE candy!). I love how sweet Sam is to his brothers. I love how well Sam talks. He can communicate his ideas and wants and needs so well. I love how independent Sam is (when I'm not hating that!). I LOVE how smart and clever he is. I love how absolutely charming he is. I love how cute Sam is. I love how he has such a special sensitivity--he loves to look at pictures of Jesus (especially when he is in trouble--he points them out to me then). He loves his primary class. He notices things we don't--tension AND happy moments. I love that Sam is such a happy boy--he has a smile that lights up my life. There are so many things I could say about Sam. He is such a blessing to our family. I can't imagine life without him. His arrival was such a surprise, but it has truly become one of the best things that has ever happened to me. He brings me such joy...and frustration...and happiness. It is impossible to stay upset at a little boy who is like Sam.

We tried to take Sam out all by himself--found a babysitter for the other two boys--but it didn't go like we planned. We were going to take him for a treat and let him pick out a gift that he wanted. But...he was being really weird. The whole time we were gone he just laid on Cameron or in the stroller. Then, he said he wanted to go home...he didn't feel good. We got ice cream, since that's what he said he wanted. He ate ONE bite! Then, on the way to the car, he threw up everywhere. My sister says he hasn't felt good all day. It makes me sad that he's sick on his birthday! Hopefully he'll feel better tomorrow.

Happy Birthday, Sam!!

Why oh why oh why

is Samuel the way he is? I love the little thing to pieces, but he is a serious trial sometimes. Yesterday, Krista and I were trying to decorate a cake--we bought some tips and decided to teach ourselves how to do it. We did pretty well, by the way--and Samuel wanted some. He likes to open the cabinets and use the shelves as a way to climb on the counter. He gets yelled at about a thousand times daily about this. Last night, after being pulled off the counter for the 54th time, he had apparently had it. So, you know what he did? HE STOOD THERE AND PEED IN MY KITCHEN CABINET! Yes, it is just as bad as it sounds. It required the washing of dishes, the cleaning of the cabinet AND the floor, AND him getting a bath, which is what he wanted all along. In fact, when we asked him why he did it, he said it was because "now I get a bath." He has serious middle-child syndrome! It's a good thing that we love him as much as we do, because between his current attitudes, and his complete lack of willingness to go to bed, he can really make a person crazy!

I was reading another blog earlier, and I realized that a lot of people are much freer with their emotions than I am. I am mostly ok with that. I am not an emotional person. I do things based on reason and logic, and although my gut feeling is ALWAYS what I go with, I don't usually talk about that with others. I do want to make sure that I get the important things across though. I want it to be clear that I firmly believe in the Savior and have a strong testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. I want everyone to know how much I love my family. I love Cameron so much! And my boys are the lights of my life--they are a trial, but I can't imagine being happy without them.

On that note, I was also thinking earlier about the idea of love at first sight. I really always said, and still generally say, that it is a load of bologna! But, then I remember meeting Cameron and realize that I am, in every way, fitting that stereotype (and dang it! I hate that!). The night Cameron and I met was anything but ideal. I had spent the weekend up in SLC at my aunt and uncle's house (including a blind date they had set up for me), and had just been home (at Gary and Vicki's) long enough to get totally nastified--ponytail, jammies, sociology homework. I was in the process of writing a sociology paper when Amie came hurrying in, informed me that I needed to get up, get dressed, and get to the car, because we were going out (Tunnel singing at BYU to be exact--it's where a bunch of local youth get together on Sunday nights and sing hymns in a big tunnel at BYU, and those who have gotten mission calls announce, etc.). Of course, I knew that Amie knew what I looked like, and so did all her friends (so I thought), so I left the ponytail, just changed the pj pants for jeans, and put on a bit of mascara. Yeah--pretty scary.

Little did I know that I would be meeting my husband that night. When I got to Amie's car and climbed in the front seat, I immediately noticed that it wasn't just the two of us--there were two other people in the back. Amie's best friend, and this guy that I assumed was dating Amie's friend. After brief introductions we were on our way, and Cam proceeded to bug me, poke me, generally strive to get my attention, the whole trip. I steadfastly ignored him. Completely. I was convinced that he was dating this girl--besides, I had a couple sorta boyfriends. The whole evening he did lots of dumb stuff to try to get me to notice him--he sang in Portuguese (he knew my dad had gone to Brazil on his mission), he talked up Brazil and the return missionary thing, he even climbed a tree barefoot (to show how agile and athletic he was???). The poor guy tried desperately, and sadly, I was completely unaware.

After being dropped off so I could finish my homework, Amie took her friends home. Then, she came to my room and the first thing she asked was "what do you think of Cam?" I remember her hysterical laughter when I told her he seemed nice, but why was she asking since he was dating her friend. Yeah, apparently he wasn't. She said he had grilled her the whole way home about me. It was the weirdest thing though, because I KNEW that he would be the guy I was going to marry, even though I didn't know him at ALL, and even though I had thought he was dating someone else. I really knew. After we actually went out once, I remember saying my prayers and knowing without a doubt that he was the right guy for me...and worrying about my family's reaction. There were so many reasons not to get married--I lived in NC and had a great scholarship; I was 19; my parents were going to FLIP!

But, I knew, and just 2 weeks after we met, while at my grandma's watching "Dances with Wolves", Cameron told me he loved me, and then asked me to marry him. Although he hadn't yet met my family, I knew things would work out. We picked out a ring, he talked to my dad, we talked to his family, I went back to NC (yeah that...), and eventually, he met my family, moved to Missouri, and we made our plans. Of course, we got married, in the Logan, UT, Temple, and three kids later, are still doing well.

Ok, well that went off on a total tangent, but that's ok. I guess I need to say that stuff too. Now I have to get back to my real life--the one where Ben is running around wearing flip-flops, underwear and nothing else, sitting on the upside-down toy bucket while Sam, who is underneath it, crawls across the floor (trapped). And the life where everything I say to my children is totally ignored. And the life where it is bedtime.