Ours forever

Today, Aubryn was laying on a blanket and Bryce was talking to her while I was in the other room. Bryce comes running in and says, "Mom! Aubryn is doing tricks!" I ask what she is doing and he says she is kicking her feet up by her head and trying to sit up. I get excited with him and he goes back in to play with Aubryn. A minute later he runs in again and says, "Can we keep her forever mommy? I want to keep her." Me too little man, me too.

Lesson learned

While I was teaching pilates last month, the boys were being loud and crazy (as they tend to be while getting ready for bed), while Brady was trying to get Aubryn to sleep and Brady getting frustrated said to the boys something along the lines of, it hard trying to get her to sleep and the boys keep waking her up, so if they don't be quiet, they will have to put her to sleep. They were excited to accept the challenge. Carter sang to her for quite a while as Bryce and Carter both stacked blanket upon blanket upon stuffed animal on her. Much to Brady's amazement, she did go to sleep after 20 or so minutes. The boys did say how hard it was and I've even heard them remind the other at times, "shhhh... quiet or we'll have to put her back to sleep!"
Coming home that night to this....

... was interesting to say the least. Glad she didn't suffocate and that red stuffed dog, "Clifford," is about 5 times her size...

When I took off the stuffed animals and blanket and put them on the other side of the crib...

Seriously, all of that was on her and the picture doesn't even do it justice. Oh well... nicely done boys.

Another milestone...

I love it when they grab their little toes!

She is getting so big so fast. She had her 4 month appt today is weighs 16.6 lbs which puts her in the 90th percentile for weight and measuring 27 inches long, she is off the chart for height.
She is so loved by this family, especially her big brothers. :)

Sometimes too loved... lol.

Bryce brushing her non-existant hair

Brycie boo-boo

Bryce is one funny kid. Things he says just crack me up. His nickname has been Brycie since he was a baby and gradually became Brycie-boo, and then that graduated into Brycie boo-boo (a nickname my mom gave him b/c he always has a bruise, cut or bump on the head from all his "adventures"). So now sometimes for short we just call him boo or boo-boo. Anyways, thought I'd explain the title. Back to my funny little boy. He is always saying things that make me and those around him laugh. This is not funny to him though. When people laugh, he gets a serious scowl and asks (especially my mom)"why you always laugh at me??" I always tell him b/c he is so cute or because I'm happy and when I'm happy, I sometimes laugh. He is still not amused with our amusement.
I wish I did a better job writing down everything he says, but for now a couple things I remember I'll write here.
Of course boo-boo is always getting hurt b/c he is so fearless on his bike, scooter, running, or whatever else he happens to be climbing on of jumping off of. He ended up getting a little cut on his pointer finger below the joint and above the knuckle. On the left hand he has a hemangeoma (red birthmark) that we call his birthmark. When getting this cut, he was so distraught, not b/c it hurt but he worriedly cried out, "oh no!!! Mommy, look! My birthmark is ruined!" And he started to cry. I grabbed his other hand, put it in front of his face to show him it was on the other hand the whole time, and he looks at it says, "oh" and laughs. (showing off his birthmark)


After the dentist the other day, Bryce said he wanted to go back to the dentist b/c he wanted another prize from the box. What kid would do the dentist thing again for a cheap plastic frog? Probably the same one who wanted to get a shot last time we were at the doctors so he could get a dum-dum lolipop. Anyways, I asked him if he liked the dentist and he said he did, he just didn't like the vaccuum they stuck in his mouth.
The past little bit, we've been trying to memorize scriptures as a family. The bishop (my dad) invites the primary children to his office after church one at a time to share a scripture, article of faith or act of service they did that week. (Oh, and they get a piece of candy too). This past week we did a scripture from proverbs, "There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." We talked about what that meant- how Christ is always there even if our family and brother is not and how he will never leave us and although we can't see him, we know he is there and 'sticks' by us.
Anyways, Bryce always quotes it (and sings it- b/c these scriptures are part of hide em in your heart which puts scripture to music), even after going over it with him quizzing him "who is that friend in the scripture?" "Jesus!" And thinking he understood it, he asks me a few days ago, why is the friend made of sticks??"
Even today I hear him singing around the house, "there is a friend, made of sticks..."

Easter on the farm

Well, not really. It was a petting zoo actually, but it sure was fun. There is a little farm not too far from here that had an egg hunt. They also have storybook land where there are different sculptures/scenes set up like fairy tales. It was fun to go through a forest maze and stop at all the different set ups. Reminded me of my childhood actually since I had gone there as a child. Well a different place... this farm restored the originals from the old storybook land.
Anyways, they boys did a hayride, played on the slides in the shape of rainbows or a slice of cheese (hickory dickory dock), and best of all got to feed and pet some animals. They boys loved it and were pretty fearless. Bryce liked to chase the chickens... poor things. Carter fell in love with this one goat born in February so they share the same bday month.
Poor Bryce was on his first day of antibiotics for an ear infection and although wanting to have fun and be a good sport, whined and cried a lot of the time. Poor kid. I hate it where there is nothing I can do as a mom to help make the pain go away. The next day was Easter Sunday and we found baskets around the house with coloring sticker books, super-hero jammies (Spider man for Bryce, Batman for Carter), other knick knacks and best of all little tennis rackets with training tennis balls. They were so excited to go out back to the tennis courts and try them out, which we did of course. After church, we met at grandma and grandpas house with the Harris family for dinner after listening to general conference.
The kids caught tadpoles and frogs and all love playing on the trampoline and riding the bikes and scooters there. We found out the Harris family is moving to Hawaii in July for 3 years and are going to miss them so much- although it will be fun to visit. :)

Happy 6th Birthday Carter!

Ok, since we're getting caught up, another wonderful event happened... Carter turned 6 on February 19. Happy Birthday big boy! With a baby a month old, we gave Carter the choice to have a small party at the house with 3 friends, or to go somewhere and he could bring one friend. He chose chuck e cheese with his friend and cousin Isaac. We ended up bring cousin Ben too b/c when I went to go pick up Isaac and bring him to chuck e cheese, Ben got on his shoes and started out there door until Shandra told him only Isaac was going. His little cute face was so sad and he looked like he was about to cry, so I brought him too (someone for bryce to buddy up with anyways).
Carter's favorite ride there is the helicopter that you peddle and go up and down. He harder you peddle, the higher you go. But his most favorite part is getting tickets. It doesn't matter the game, as long as he gets a good amount of tickets, that is where he is. A nice man on freecycle gave us a bunch of his old tickets his son was saving but had outgrown so we already went in with about 3000 tickets! Crazy! Carter was at the prize stand for a good 20 minutes trying to decide how to spend his tickets.
For his presents, we did a bike theme and he got a kickstand for his bike (which he's been asking for forever), a bell, a new spider man helmet and a bike bubble blower thing so when you peddle it shoots out bubbles. He also got a spider man plate set from grandma and grandpa Petersen, a leapster game and outfit for his ee-oo which had to have been one of his favorites.
They had a great night of games, prizes, pizza, presents and cupcakes.
Carter is into....everything. He switches back and forth from obsession to obsession but doesn't forget about the previous one, he just adds on. :) He is determined to be a store owner and has 6 stores so far he will own. Among them are a toy store, car store, train store, boat store, pet store, stuffed animal store. He likes to make books about these stores and get "information books" from the library to study up. He then copies them by hand into his own "book." He loves to make his own books as well drawing pictures and either writing words himself or an adult write what he dictates. He loves his stuffed animals and they have taken over his bed and room and sometimes the house.
He always tells us that things in his store will be only one dollar for us, but free for Aubryn b/c he "loves her the most."
On days he doesn't have enough money to buy what he wants or hears us talking about saving up for such and such (minivan, trip to Idaho...) he says, he'll make his store a free store and give away cars to people who don't have cars and give away toys to kids to don't have toys. Along those lines, he always asks me to bring him to a shelter to give his toys and clothes away to the children.
He is very compassionate and sensitive in nature. He is going to walk in a juvenile diabetes walk at school and opted to not receive prizes, but instead either "give my prizes to the sick kids or just give them the money help find a way to make them better."
He is becoming quite a good little reader and writer and I love to see the pride on his face when he does either of those things.
He is a sweet, kind big brother to his siblings, especially to his baby sister. He and Bryce are great buddies riding in the jeep together, or playing trains, cars or dressing up like "super-hero's."
Carter almost every fast and testimony meeting either wants to or does bear his testimony. It's typically about either attending the Twin Falls, ID temple open house and how he felt the spirit, or about how he loves the scriptures and knows they and Jesus are true, or this last week he colored a picture of Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove, showed everyone from the pulpit and talked about how he knew JS is a prophet and true when he saw God when he prayed.
Carter, true to form for the oldest child, loves to lead a game or be in charge of things. He likes to have responsibilities to be helpful and feel big. He likes to keep busy and play with friends.
According to Carter:
Favorite toy: Geo-trax
Favorite song: Follow the Prophet
Favorite book: Nobody asked me if I wanted a baby sister
Favorite food: Sausages
Favorite color: Green
Favorite thing to do: Riding in the jeep
Favorite thing at school: train center and math center
Wants to be when he grows up: Carter: "can we do a lot of things?"
Me: "Sure."
Carter: "Train store, pilates store, boat store, candy store, swimming pool store and that's it."
I asked him anything else? His response: "I like playing outside, and playing on our play structures, I like to play tennis." (we got them tennis rackets for Easter b/c we have a court in our backyard) "I believe Jesus and Heavenly Father are true."


(birthday breakfast in bed)

Blessing Day

It's SO time to update... I can't believe how I seriously have no time now with 3, and a new house I'm still trying to move into, and clean, and re-organize, and clean, did I mention clean? Things tend to get messier with all the baby stuff and kids not as supervised and with my one arm/hand b/c baby is in the other. Oh well, such is life I suppose. Enough with excuses, onto my beautiful baby...
Aubryn's blessing was scheduled for February when the Darringtons were going to fly here on their way home from Orlando, FL. Of course, February was the snow of all snows, so airports were closed. We feel really blessed, they were able to fly back out here in March so they could be here for her blessing. Grandma Merz was able to come this time too and shared her 87th bday with Aubryn's blessing day. :)
It started out a little rough as Brady's mom that night said she believed he had strep throat and called in antibiotics. Grandma Merz had a nasty cough, and Brady and I were fighting off a cold and sinus infection. Not the best timing, but what can you do? It all worked out in the end and Aubryn stayed healthy. WHEW!
Aubryn had a beautiful dress knit by a woman in our ward and I could not help but be tearful during the opening prayer and announcements. Just looking at this incredible gift from God all dressed in white... the veil felt very thin. How blessed I am, and among all the clutter, mess, dirty diapers, dark circles under my eyes... I realize what truly matters. This is my purpose on Earth. To be a wife and mother and how I love my purpose and the people who give me that purpose.
Brady, Jason, my dad, Brady's dad, and Loren (our home teacher and friend) were able to take my sweet girl in their arms and Brady gave such a heartfelt, inspired blessing. I could feel the spirit so strong and the love that he had for our baby girl.
After church, we were able to come home, eat bbq chicken salad, bday cake for dessert of course and visit a bit. Pictures are always a little crazy with so many people, but managed to do that too.