Valentine's Day

For Valentine's Day this year, I went all out...or at least I felt like I went out "enough."

It was actually a lot of fun! Well, besides the part where Matt didn't get home from work till about 8pm. :(

During preschool on Vday Devin and I had our own little "pre-school party."

We tried to make these heart necklaces, and kind of failed. 

 And this was actually the night before Vday, but some of my close friends and I wanted to get together to do a little craft together. But sure enough when Kassie is hosting it isn't anything simple, it's absolutely AMAZING! I snapped a few photos of the gorgeous set up. She made us all feel so loved. 

 Yes, that is layered jello and heart-shaped croutons in the background.

 Heart-shaped jr. mints anyone?

And the funny thing is, she does this kind of thing flawlessly. I would have to plan something like this weeks in advance, but she just throws it together on a whim! 

These are terrible pics, but she even made us these cute little "cupid kits" to take home.

I am so grateful to have such great friends here!

Since I'm pregnant, most things revolve around food, and so did our day. 

 The kids are at the age where they get SO excited about holidays. 

We were rushed (since I had a late night the night before with my friends), but I threw together these heart pancakes and dyed our milk pink.

 Lunch time...I think you'll notice a theme here.

 That night we waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and waited for Matt to get home....................................Luke and I had decorated the dinning room to have a fancy Vday dinner and party. And I had worked most of the afternoon on our dinner. So we continued to wait and wait...and eventually the boys were SUPER grumpy and tired. I threw some chicken nuggets in the microwave and we had our own crappy dinner and party. We watched Charlie Brown's Valentine, and exchanged valentines.

I had gotten the boys these little boxes of chocolates.

 Luke ate one and saved the rest. Dev scarfed the whole box down. 

 Luke tends to make this face in a lot of photos these days. Goof.

These are the valentines the boys gave to their friends and we had some left overs.

 So I sent the little one to bed and Luke and I stayed up waiting for Matt. 

Luckily most of the food could just  wait and keep warm.

Yes, those are heart-shaped carrots in our yummy chicken heart-shaped-noodle soup and cupid-hearts made out of grape tomatoes in our salad. When he was finally coming home we threw in some rolls and had those with strawberry jam too. For dessert we had strawberries dipped in chocolate and had planned to have "cupid's floats," (vanilla ice cream with cherry 7up), but since the kids were down there wasn't a point.

 And my little stinker Devin would run through the room and yank down hearts that we had hung up. 

He thought it was so funny. 

 The following night Matt and I had date night and went and got some greasy-good food at the Bspot (that I've been craving ever since)....so it wasn't all bad. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Lately

Just some more random pictures from my phone and whats been happening lately.

I've been trying to get some exercise, which is SO hard for me when I'm pregnant (and just because of the time of year). Walking is like the only thing I can do (I've tired many different forms of exercising and they all result in puking pretty much). And I love to do it and swear that's how I was in pretty good shape when I had Dev (which makes everything easier). So even on cold days I try to get out at least once a week, sometimes more. As long as there isn't snow on the roads and it's not below 25 degrees I'll try!!

At the beginning of February we had our big anatomy scan for this little man. I was 19 weeks I think. Dev came along, Luke was at school and we got to meet up with Daddy! Yay! Devin sat on his lap and said, "Hey, you a doctor?!" It was funny. He was so excited to sit on his lap the whole morning. 

And here's the most recent "cutesy" photo of baby, as the old Doc described it. I am not used to these 3D scans, so I just think they are freaky! Some people think he sort of looks like Devin. 

Most importantly, everything checked out and he looks healthy! We couldn't be happier.

 Marble run with our "run-down" papa. Doesn't he look tired? He works too hard.

 More on my smarty pants...Luke is learning to read these I Am Sam books. He is doing awesome and is so excited about learning. 

Then for his birthday, he chose to spend some of his birthday money on more work books. He is so good. He'll sit and do them for an hour or more every day and just blows through them. 

Maybe I already posted this pic...but Devin stopped napping and I think it's because he thinks Luke and I just eat ice cream and cookies all afternoon.  

 For an HSSA activity we got to go bowling for 2 hours, with all-you-can-eat pizza and soda. It was at the alley we usually go to and the boys always LOVE it. I'm surprised that they can actually last bowling the entire 2 hours (I got bored).

 Dev and his favorite Kassie and Janey.

 And just recently this AWESOME indoor pool, The Gold Fish Swim School, came to Cleveland. It's a fancy pool, where they teach private swimming lessons, that I wish I could afford. At random times throughout the week they open it to the public. We ventured out in the cooooold weather and went and enjoyed a little bit of paradise! It was SO warm in there and the water was amazing (especially since I'm prego). But they have the most fun toys for the kids!!! You can kind of see in the background some floaties. They had a heavy-duty foam canoe with paddles, car, motorcycle and other awesome huge floaties the kids could play in in the water. My kids were in heaven!!!

  And since it's so new and has such odd hours, no one was there!

 The whole facility was just adorable. 

The boys also loved the showers...don't ask me why.

We will definitely be going back soon!!!

Luke's "real" Birthday

I feel like since I am a photographer I should do an "official" photo shoot of Luke since he turned 5...but Cleveland is cold and dreary this time of year and it just does not sound found to me (or to make Luke do it)...but maybe I'll eventually get around to it.

Here are just a few shots of our busy birthday day Luke had....

He miraculously slept in and I had to wake him up at like 8:30...which was good, because it gave me time to do this (which he really wanted)...

And make blue pancakes before heading off to preschool.

 While he was at preschool I visited his Kindergarten open house (sniff, sniff). 

And afterwards we went straight to Chuck-e-cheese (a total surprise for him). 

 And it got even better. 

We stopped at Cold Stone on the way home (he asks all the time and we never go here).

 Other miracles happened that day:

-Devin took a nap.

-I took a nap (while Luke played on the iPad-another birthday request)

-Matt got home in the 4'o clock hour (waking me up from my nap!!). He is on a tough rotation, so it was a complete shock. 

Then we took off to Chick-fil-a for Luke's birthday dinner and they gave us free ice cream cones! 

On the way home we picked up Ice Age from Redbox and had a movie night and a few presents.

He was most excited for his new watch, he has to show it to everyone.

 It was a CRAZY busy day...I'm not used to go-go-going all day. We usually have a few hours of quiet time each day, but it was so fun for us to spend the day together!

The next day our bigger gift to him finally arrived. 

 It's like little boy heaven...until your 2-year-old brother knocks it down and the fighting begins. :)

A little about Luke these days.

Luke is so smart, kind and caring. He is a lot like his daddy. He loves to work in his "work" books, practicing writing, but especially loves math right now (addition and some subtraction). Any book really, mazes, dot-to-dot, sticker books, you name it, will entertain him for hours! He's also working through I Am Sam books, learning to read. He's such a smart boy and can focus for a long time on things (like putting Lego's together too, following the instructions). 

He's become a much better eater over the years, but is still pretty picky and is a light eater. He sleeps throughout the night in his bed most nights, but goes through phases where he comes in our room (ugh!). He does have to sleep with his Ikea night light on...all night long.

He loves to play with his friends and tends to be the "leader" among them. He isn't pushy or bossy, but I think is just a natural leader and kids tend to follow him. 

He loves to sing and dance, but dance more. Right now he likes to break dance...and it's pretty hilarious (almost embarrassing! haha). Oh and still beat boxes every now and then.

He loves to tell jokes and thinks they are SO funny, even though they never make any sense. 

He is very excited to be a big brother again and prays for me and the baby in every prayer...saying funny things like, "please bless the baby will be good in mom's tummy."

I can't believe how much he has grown over the years. He is so curious and eager to learn. He is a great big brother to Devin and teaches him some pretty hilarious things. He is so sweet and tender, always caring for others and thinking about other people. 

We just love our little Lukey and are thankful that Heavenly Father sent him to our family!

Happy Birthday Luke!

January iPhone pics

When I do these month posts I realized that I take A LOT of photos with my phone. 

Some are edited via Instagram.

As always, these are totally random photos.....

Child labor...

A little light reading 

(Luke-pocket book Constitution, Dev-Duty to God)

 I asked Luke what he was doing (he's sitting in front of the heating vent by the way)

 and he said, "I need peace."

Sledding!

 It was a dangerous hill for these little dudes. Luke got taken out once by a sledder (he was fine) and Dev was seconds away (or just missed) getting plowed by another one-and I don't think he would have been fine. Thankful we survived! ;) However, the boys LOVED it.

I mean, look at that smile. 

We were just next door to the one and only Patterson's donut shop...my FAVE!!!

The boys cutting out hearts to send to Sandy Hook. We heard about it through my sis-in-law. The PTA was going to decorate their school in hearts and were asking for donations. My boys LOVED it! It was sweet. 

 Luke was playing in the attic and said, "Mom, come up stairs, but stop on the first step!"

Thanks Luke.

We had one very random (this never happens) Saturday that we didn't have any plans and not a care in the world, so we went to the Temple...

 It's a 3 hr drive each way (in Columbus) and then Matt and I have to swap sessions, so it ends up being a whole day event really. It was such a BEAUTIFUL day. This was the beginning of Jan and it was 65 degrees!!!

 I LOVE these pics of Dev. He kept telling us to be quiet. So cute.

 Luckily the temple is right next to the stake center, and it's a nice little area, so did a lot of exploring, scavenger hunts and found this hill for the boys to roll down. They thought it was awesome. There is also a nearby stream and when they were with Matt they built boats out of leaves and sticks and had races. He's so clever.

 And they are SUCH posers. Haha!

What happens when Dad dresses Devin...

Matt is quite the storyteller. He makes stories up for the boys all the time and they just love it. The following pics were taken when Matt was telling Luke a story.

I love Luke's expressions.

Dev, cuddling my pudgy baby belly.

Matt wanted to buy cloth napkins (because he uses about 20 per meal...okay maybe that's an exaggeration, but he goes through way more than one person should). So now Dev loves to use "captains."

One of the many faces of Devin.

 A long day+Dad working all night= picnic in the basement with a movie....happy boys and happy mom.

One lovely Saturday, my friend and I did a little shopping out at Aurora Farms. I had to bring my boys, since Matt was working, but they were angels! It was a miracle. And I scored and got some great deals! Yay!

Devin has been waking up INCREDIBLY early for weeks now (5:30-6:30am). I think it kills me a little more every day. He is also becoming more and more independent and will wander down to the kitchen in the mornings to get some breakfast. He can reach the light, open the fridge (we have to Velcro it shut), etc. One morning, I was having an extra hard time getting out of bed and when he came back up stairs I noticed chocolate and powdered sugar on his face. I asked him what he was eating and he said, "cereal!"

I think he meant, "muddy buddies."

Needless to say, he was hyper and happy at 6am...until I took it away. :)

More randomness...

I started this wreath a year ago...and finally finished it this year in time for Vday.

I think it's a little small for my door. But it took me FOREVER (literally), so I don't care. It also looks unnaturally bright in these photos.

 To see the detail...I cut felt in spirals and twisted every. single. rose. and glued it on.

Looks cute, but was a pain. And it reminded me that I actually DO like to buy decorations already made. :)

Oh and then I woke up the next morning and said, "HEY! I'm going to potty train Devin today."

Ummm???

7 accidents and 1 success!

He did NOT get it. 

I was taking him every 5 minutes by the end of the day, and he would still pee on the floor or somewhere in between. He obviously was not ready and neither was I.

I tried to load him up with fluids and make him stay in one place. He thought it was cool. But he also thought it was cool to pee on every towel and blanket that we owned.

Matt said, "maybe just give it one more day."

Then the next morning, who started barfing? Devin! So that was good enough for me. 

We'll try again in a couple of months. :)

Fortunately, the pukes only lasted for 5 hours, literally. It was the coolest flu bug ever (I know this first hand, because it hit me while driving the other day. I barfed while driving, like I was a 2 year old too. It passed a few hours later. It was pretty sweet).

 This was him after a bath that  night...

Luke painting his pinata for his party...

The boys filling it with candy, watching Mickey Mouse and baking cupcakes at 7am. Pretty sweet morning, wouldn't you say?

So far, Luke LOVES to go to the dentist. He asks almost every week if we can go. 

It was like the happiest birthday ever when he got to go a few days before his bday. He's so funny.

And you saw my last post about his birthday party!
Well, this was the after-party....

 Dev running with an airplane and Matt and Luke racing remote control cars. I was eating some well-deserved cake and putting up my aching feet!!!

People were SO generous. He got a lot of great gifts! It was like a second Christmas here (but, I guess that's what you get when you invite 17 kids!).

Matt was making cookies with the boys, teaching them about service. They delivered them to a family in our ward that night who had just had a baby (along with a dinner I made :).

Luke was singing opera and Devin was licking the lid of the baking soda...That sums up cooking with dad.

Remember the part where I said Devin is not a good sleeper anymore???....this would be the result of that.

 We've had some very unseasonably warm days throughout the month of January. It's felt more like Spring. On our way home from preschool, we saw 3 big deer in someones yard. The kids thought it was so cool to stop and see "the reindeer." It's always weird to me to see deer in the city...even though we see them a lot actually.

Devin at 5:30-6:30 AM-he gets out of bed, lays on his floor and YELLS "cock-a-doodle-doo!!!" 

Drives me insane. 

Matt found himself saying to Devin the other night, "Devin, if you say cock-a-doodle-doo again, I will take away your binki!" 

Even though, it's really time for the bink to go...but most days he'll still nap and I'm just not ready to give that up, if that means getting rid of the binki. 

Luke making a mess while eating leftover cake and making thank you cards from his bday.

 He got about 5-6 sets of Lego's for his birthday. He's so good and after me guiding him once or twice on some, he will now sit down and follow the instructions and build them himself. I love it!

 I think rain boot weather is my favorite, which happens quite frequently in the Cleve. 

Even every now and then in January. 

 I got to attend the open house for Luke's Kindergarten this month too....SCARY! I cannot believe he'll be starting K this year. :'(

I think he will love it actually...but I'm just trying to soak up the months until he goes. He's growing too fast!

Baby bump has definitely popped around here. I took this photo at 18 weeks. I'm now 20 and baby is doing great! We couldn't be happier. And we are so excited for this little man to come. Half way there!

 Apparently this is how I look to Matt........or maybe he got me confused with another patient (I hope!)???

Nice.

 Umm Devin, why are you filing your nails?

 My boys love to dress up, Devin especially.

  And the boy after the after party of his birthday bash...notice he's sleeping in his room with the "trip-wire" still up? 

I didn't realize how busy January was until now. For that time of year, it was a pretty good one!