Josh's party on his birthday

I know, another post about Josh and his birthday and it's a lot of pictures. This was from Friday, Josh's actual birthday. It was just me and the 3 boys celebrating his birthday. I think he had a lot of fun. Nate and I would sing to him all day and he would just get so smiley. He loved all his presents but I think he's really enjoyed his very own back pack. We ran some errands that day and he wore it with us to the store. He and Nate really enjoyed his jumper, they had fun with it that day but now it's been to cold to use it. That night when it came time to light the candles and have some cake, I could not find any lighter or matches. I seriously searched my house everywhere for an hour and found nothing. So, I ran to my neighbors and borrowed a lighter from her, then when I returned it she handed me a cheap one to keep cause she figured I should have one in my home just to be safe. But it was really nice of her, I'm just glad that Josh had candles to blow out cause that just wouldn't have been a birthday with out making a wish. All in all, I think we let him know it was his special day cause he was smiles all day long.

Josh all excited about his backpack

Nate eating his ice cream cone (this is out of order but I couldn't get it to move)

He loved "our" scobby doo movie as he called it.

He has enjoyed this Velcro glove.

Everyone gets in on the fun of unwrapping.

Testing out his new jumper

My 3 boys. I couldn't not get Colton to stop chewing on it no matter what I did.

These are the pics of Josh's cake that I made him. Although it's suppose to be a car, I think it looked a little more like a van but it still turned out pretty fun. Josh loved it! The tools that Ronda gave me really made all the difference. I know it's not perfect but for me it was pretty good, I just need lots more practice. But this cake is pretty easy to make. I spent about 2 hours on it the night before and the boys were right there with me the entire time watching it come together. Josh really loved his cake even though now he says that Mommy ate all his cake. (oops, I really did it was so yummy and moist, I just couldn't stop myself.) But here's another look at the cake.

My big 3 year old with his cake

Blowing out his candles

Enjoying his cake and icecream.

My mister Colton finishing his icecream cone. And yes, he really did eat the entire thing and actually whined to have more but I held strong and didn't give in.

Happy 3rd Birthday Josh!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH!

April 3, 2006

April 3, 2007


April 3, 2008



Today

Happy Birthday Josh! It's hard to believe you are 3 already! You may be our 'small-fry' but you have so much spunk and determination in that little body! You don't let anything stop you when you put your mind to it. You have been cursed to be vertically challenged but that has never seemed to phase you at all. I laugh because I find your stool all over the house because you have to drag it around just to turn lights on, brush your teeth or even use the stool to climb up on the toilet, you poor boy! You have the most contagious smile, I can just look at you and you will be all smiles, and I can't help but smile back. You have such a strong will to do things your way and while it can be infuriating, I love that you have that will. It amazes me that you are not afraid of older kids, who just tower over you, you do not let them bully you around. I'm amazed that you can literally take Nate down to the ground. (In school this will really be handy since you are so tiny)
But at the same time, you are also so easy going and just go with the flow of life. Whatever I need to get done you are just willing to go along with it. And I know you are smart, you just choose not to let us all know what you really know. You always act like you don't know things like your colors when in reality you do. Josh, you are so independent and care-free and not at all afraid to be alone that as your mom I am guilty of not spending enough time with you. You are a great boy and I'm so glad that you are in our family! You are my little funny man that just keeps me laughing all the time. I know that Nate loves having you around to play with and Colton loves his big brother because he makes him laugh! Mommy and Daddy love you more than you will ever know simply because of who you are! We all love you so much!
Happy Birthday Josh!

Crazy Hair Day

Today was crazy hair day at Nate's school and this is what we managed to pull together. Nate loved it and Josh laughed at Nate when he saw it. Amazingly enough it really didn't take a ton of gel to get this look!

Utah Trip

These are some of my misc. pictures that I had left from our Utah trip. I really didn't do to well at taking pictures while I was there.

Tilisa is trying to get out of the picture but I still got her. And Colton is enjoying one of Josh's birthday cupcakes. Thanks goodness there is soap!

Taking advantage of Grandma & Grandpa's hot tub! The boys love it just as much as all the adults! (My mom is going to kill me for putting his up!!)

So, I have now been home for a week now since my vacation to Utah and I'm just now writing about it. I took this last week to just rest from my vacation since we were so busy up there. We had a lot of fun! Nate probably loved playing the Wii the most. For Josh is was probably having a birthday party for himself and Colton just loved everyone giving him attention and loves. I think my favorite, well, I had lots of favorites but it would have to be the girls night out. (no kids, yeah!) I went out with my mom, Tilisa and Janae to dinner and an Esthetics school to get pampered. I got a facial and a full body bronzer. The whole thing was so relaxing and nice. I love being pampered. And even though the bronzer had lots of streaks, mostly my legs, it was still fun! And thanks Grandpa and uncles for watching the boys I really needed the break!

From the beginning of the trip it was just a riot! On our second day there, right after lunch, Nate says he needs to throw up. So, I'm pulling off the freeway, Kyle is literally handing him a grocery bag in his fingertips, he didn't make it and threw up all over Josh's car seat, gross! We cleaned up what we could with water bottles on the side of the road, then put it in the trunk. Josh then got Nate's booster seat and Nate sat on blankets with just a seat belt. But the rest of the trip the car stunk! Little did I know that was the beginning of throwing up. A week later, my mom and us were heading to Logan for Lily's baby blessing when Josh said he needed a bag. Well, I didn't realize it was cause he needed to throw up. I told him to hold on cause I was pulling over to give Nate a cheese stick anyways, well, he didn't wait and threw up! Mostly is was just on his church clothes, luckily I brought extra clothes but not dressy ones. So, he was super casual at church that day. But needless to say we cleaned it all up and still made it on time. At this point I am just laughing at it all. Well, another trip up to Logan to buy cheese and pepperidge farm cookies we make it back to Syracuse and stopped getting gas when Josh throws up all over again. It was just funny to me, I just figured it was Colton's turn next. But it wasn't, yet again, 30 minutes into our return trip home to Missouri Josh throws up. And continues to throw up into a Slurpee cup that day only because at this point he has a cough that is so strong and long it was making him puke. The other times were just from too much junk! BTW, I've never washed a car seat so many times in my life! Since we are talking sick here, it was Friday night and we are scheduled to leave Saturday morning by 8 or 9 am. Well, Colton has a fever and is just miserable so I call Wee Care and at first I was going to take him in at 12:20AM but then he finally feel asleep so they we arranged for a 7:50am appt. So, I take him in that morning and he was an ear infection and some kind of virus. So, I go get antibiotics and more Tylenol and Motrin that morning. But as a plus, I was able to buy Twilight since I was already out so early. He still had some wheezing lingering on and he'll finish is antibiotics tomorrow. It was a miserable trip for him, poor little guy!

I'm trying to think of all the things we did up there. I've already posted about the birthday party and Chuck-E-Cheese. The only thing that was on my "must do" list was get some good Mexican food! And I have to say that my wish was granted. Pop and mom took us to a great Mexican restaurant and it totally hit the spot, that carne asada burrito was exactly what I was craving!We also made it to a candy factory in SLC, yummy! We did some shopping for some decorations for my home, and that was kind of overwhelming. Oh, the very next morning I got there, Danny's brother David, got married in the SLC temple. I was so glad that I was able to see him and Carrie get sealed for time and all eternity. I am so excited for him, he just looks so happy! We had pictures taken of all the grandkids for my mom. They turned out so cute, Target in Layton does so much better than my Target out here. I'm giving up on my Target! Oh, and it was so awesome of Aaron and Janae to take Nate and Josh for a night. I know they had a lot of fun at McDonald's and sleeping in "their" room, thanks for their sleepover. Of course there was hair cuts involved while I was there. That's to be expected but I don't mind. I was able to get some fun stickers out of it. We were able to visit with friends, Becky, Kennedy, Jackson and met Hallie for the first time and go to the Air Force museum with them. We had lots of fun. And most importantly while we were there, we were able to spend lots of time with our family. It was so nice to have us all there (except for Danny) but it was a lot of fun just talking and laughing. I wish I lived closer to all my family, I wish I could have it both ways, have what I have here in Missouri but also be nice and close to my family. I guess they are just going to have to all move here so I better get them convinced that's what they should do. Well, if you are still reading this, sorry it's so long but we did so many things in our 2 short weeks. It just went by way to fast, and the good-byes are always tough especially for those left behind. And my poor tender hearted Nate just has his heart broken every time we say bye. Well, thanks for helping me drive Kyle and Kellen and all the help with the boys and packing and unpacking. I couldn't have done it without you. And thanks pop and mom for all the fun!

CHUCK-E-CHEESES

The one and only Chuck-E-Cheese!


Nate and Josh enjoying a simulated roller coaster.


I loved watching their faces as they went up and down on the roller coaster!


How cute is this with Josh and Colton cruising in the jeep. I love Colton's sweet smile!


Grandma and Grandpa watching the boys have some fun!


Josh is trying his hand at bowling!


This is the closest we can get to a real horse ride for Nate!


It's not complete unless until you have some pizza! (They couldn't play unless they ate their pizza and let me tell you they ate it all and even asked for seconds!)

Grandma and Grandpa spoiled the boys by taking them to Chuck-E-Cheeses when we first got there. This was one of the first things we did because Nate insisted on going there immediately. Which is good we did since things were so busy the whole time we were there. The boys had a lot of fun going from one thing to another. Josh would start one thing and loose interest really quickly so he was all over the place. He had fun just doing things on his own. He didn't really care what it was. Nate on the other hand likes people to be with him so Grandpa was his buddy and helped him spend his coins. And sweet, sweet little Colton was such a great boy the whole two hours we were there. He did so good, not once did he cry or fuss. He's such an awesome, easy going baby. I just love that kid! There was some fun games and things to do at Chuck-e-Cheeses. And it was even better because we went in the middle of the day in the middle of the week. I can't even imagine how busy it would be on a Friday or Saturday, that just seems miserable to me. But the boys had a blast and really enjoyed themselves there, so thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the fun and spoiling the boys rotten!

Josh's Birthday Party

So, we had an early birthday party for Josh while we were in Utah! We tried to get him to say what he wanted for his birthday dinner but that kid just goes with whatever you say. He isn't too picky on most things so we decided to have a BBQ. We invited all the family, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and cousins out for hamburgers and hot dogs and of course lots of salads. It was all very yummy! Thanks to everyone that came and all his presents too! Josh really had a great time, he said to me: "Everyone come to my party!" He really loved that it was a party celebrating him! This is also my attempt at cake decorating. Not the greatest but Josh loved it, so that's all that mattered. And I'm really excited to try the bags and tips that Ronda bought me, thank you so much for them, I'm way excited! We had a beautiful day for Josh to celebrate his 3rd Birthday with all his family!

Josh is checking out his caterpillar cake and balloon bouquet.

He's getting ready to blow out the candles after everyone finishes singing happy birthday!

Nate is waiting for his cake!


Josh's new bike from Grandma and Grandpa, he loves riding it!


All 3 of my boys, with Uncle Kyle in the back.


You'd think it was Nathan's birthday the way he is opening Josh's presents!


Look at Nate's face he was just as excited about Josh's new swimsuit and clogs. Josh really was excited, he wanted his swimsuit on right then and there and he LOVE, LOVED, LOVED, his new clogs!


Josh in his new suit with his sand toy and Aunt Janae in the background.


Look at my Colton, just shy of 10 months and standing on his own!


No that's not a binky, it's a ring pop! He loved it, we couldn't get it away from him. Uncle Jason was tolerating his touch because he was soooo sticky. (He loved the ring pop so much that I bought one for him for our trip back home, but only as a desperate last minute option.)

Snow Day!

Aren't they the cutest little snow angels you ever saw!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Up, up and away! Josh is flying the mighty skies above!

Colton, Josh, and Mommy on the yellow brick road! (I had to hold Josh cause he was petrified of the displays)

Tilisa and Sofie on the yellow brick road!

Colton is being forced to have his face in the tree!

With Sofie's beautiful, bright eyes, she makes an awesome tree women!

Tilisa and I went to Crown Center and walked around. I had never been there before so she went with me to check it. Josh had a blast at the Wizard of Oz display. It's celebrating like the 70th anniversary of the movie. Nathan was in school when we went and was very jealous of Josh for what he got to do. So, we went back with Nate a few days later with Melissa and Giddeon. They loved it there and wore themselves out. It was a really fun display! A great family adventure!

T.G.I.F.

The clock just keeps ticking away, I don't know why it has to go so darn fast. Can't time just stop for a little bit? I can't believe I find myself at Friday again. First off, I wanted to thank Tilisa and Sofie for coming out and visiting. I hope you had fun and we didn't bore you to much. We are so glad that you came. So, this week I'm keeping this a little shorter than other posts in the past.

1. I am so thankful for a nice, soft, warm bed. I love having a good bed to lay down at night. And nothing beats your own bed especially after you have been on vacation or away from it. I just love the comfort of my own bed!
2. I am very grateful that my husband has a job. I'm glad that we have an income coming in and that we aren't facing unemployment. I am so glad that we have the security of being employed at the FAA.
3. I'm grateful that my boys have each other and are creating brotherly bonds. They were having a special "camp-out" downstairs and even though they were suppose to be going to sleep I could hear them laughing and talking for well over an hour. And I couldn't get mad at them because they were after all in bed. And I always wished that I had a sister to share that same kind of thing with. And I honestly believe that it's things like this, that create those really strong bonds between siblings. So, occasionally I'm all for it. (As long as they don't get up too early:D)
   

T.G.I.F.

Alright, I know, I know, I was bad and didn't make a post last Friday. I was going to but time just got away from me. It really is true that there isn't enough time in the day to do everything that you need to. And there has been even less time for me since Danny has been gone and I've been a "single mom" for the last 3 1/2 weeks. I would never-ever want to be a single mom. I have alot of respect for single mom's, it's hard work, and I don't even work outside the home. So, here's my list of the things I'm grateful for.

1. 
   
   I am grateful for my Mom. She does so much for me and my family. I am so glad that she was able to come out and visit us. It was a lot of fun having her come. It was so nice to have adult conversation, especially at night. I really, really appreciate her taking time off and flying out here to keep me company. I have been blessed with such a great Mom. So, thanks Mom for all you do!


2. 
   
   I am also grateful for an awesome sister-in-law being willing to come out and visit us as well. I'm so excited to have her come out and see sweet little Sofie. I'm so glad that she is coming out and we can catch up on everything. Since I don't have any sisters of my own, I'm so glad my brother's chose awesome women to marry. Janae and Tilisa are so awesome and I'm glad that they are in the family cause now I have 2 wonderful sisters. You guys are awesome!


3. 
   
   Lastly I am grateful books. I love, love, love to read! I don't always have the time to read, especially lately. I finally checked me out a book at the library the other week and quickly read it up. I'm always taking the boys there to get books but I never take the time to find me one. And honestly, I could not tell you the last time I read a book. I think it was before Colton was born and he's now 9 months old. So, needless to say it's been a long time. But did I mention that I love to read and love having books around. I just began Twilight, my mom just brought it out for me. I know, I'm way behind the times but I've kind of been holding out because EVERYONE'S reading it and I don't like to do things just cause everyone is doing it and I really haven't felt like I had that much spare time lying around to just read; but I was finally broken down by curiousity. So I'll have to let you all know what I think of it when I'm done. Anyways, I love to read and having good books around is awesome so if you know of a good one to read let me know.

Colton's 1st Haircut

"Come on let's get this over with!"

"Just cut my hair already!"

"I just want that camera!"

"Hehehe, I got that camera!"

"Look at how handsome I am now!"

"I am so happy, I am all done!"

I forgot to grab the camera before I began the haircut so I didn't get a before shot of him. I did get some during and after shots of him. He desperately need a haircut since we are getting pictures of the boys tomorrow so now he looks more like a little boy! The other two boys didn't get a haircut until after they were one but Colton has so much more hair and it really does look so much better! And as a side note, he did so good sitting on Grandma's lap for his first haircut, I was so proud of him! (Probably didn't have anything to do with the chocolate orange sticks that we kept bribing him with!)