Random Grateful Notes

I just had to take a minute to say how grateful I am to be a wife and a mother. Today I spent the whole day with my family. I did laundry, sorted through clothes that my sister, Michelle, so generously gave me for my only daughter. Thanks, again Michelle! You're too kind! I reheated some homemade pizza for the fam for lunch. Devlin ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner with us (a rare occurrence with his travel schedule for work). He and the kids raked all the pine needles in the front and mowed the lawn. They blew all the birch seeds off of the walkways and front porch. It was fun to watch them work together out the window while I did chores inside. My sister, Julie came over to give us a creative invitation to her annual Halloween party which was adorable. She then told Devlin and I to leave for an hour while she watched our kids. Seriously, who does that? My sister Julie...I know she's the best. We stopped by "The Chocolate" dessert cafe and talked uninterrupted while eating delicious food. We came home, Devlin gave the kiddos baths, then we ate dinner and watched a movie together as a family. I think I had more fun watching William choke on his food from laughing so hard at the movie than watching the movie. Gwen fell asleep on my lap as we watched, then we put the kids to bed. Devlin's about to get back from Bajio with take out and now it's our turn to have some more uninterrupted time together. I'm due in 2 months with our 4th kid, Devlin has a job, my kids are healthy and beautiful. I have a husband that loves me...I'm so blessed. I just wanted to write it down so I could remember on the days I forget.

Maxson's started to use the phrase, "Delish!" every time he likes the food we're eating. He says, "This is delish!" Most likely he got that from one of his aunts.

William came up to me randomly today and gave me a big hug and said, "I love you, Mom!" I asked what that was for...and he said, "I love you!"

Gwen kept calling her new shoes, "twinkle toes" and was so proud of them she wore them around the house with her nightgown on after bath time. After brushing her hair this morning, Gwen exclaimed, "I'm beautiful, Mom!" I responded, "Yes you are!"

Today was a good day.

Neha's Visit

Our good friend Neha came to town to direct a conference she was in charge of at Snowbird. We had a great time catching up...and more importantly, going down the Alpine Slide! It was great to see you Neha! Come visit again soon!

Stay-cation

This year...because I am pregnant and still not feeling up to traveling (you know, having to eat every 2 hours so you won't get sick isn't really conducive to traveling...and I would feel super weird visiting someone at their home and asking for food every second) we decided to do a stay-cation. Devlin took the week off and we took it easy. We slept in, watched movies (Kung-Fu Panda 2 and Cars 2), went to the zoo, did the full visit to Temple Square, and ended with baseball games. We had a blast. Most importantly we had some much needed family time and I didn't have to stress about getting everyone ready for a big vacation. It was just what I needed!

Maxson getting sprayed by a robotic dinosaur

On top of the LDS Conference Center

This was at the Church Museum of History and Art at the children's display upstairs. They had a large screen with individuals dressed in native costumes that taught you how to dance, with a mirror behind you so you could see yourself.

Below is where the boys learned about different countries where the missionaries share the gospel and how some families live on farms.

4th of July

For the 4th all the Marcov's (except my parents...we missed you!) came for our water slide party! We had a blast! Here's some of my favorite photos from the weekend!

Family photo on the porch

Cousins after the parade

Gwen at the fireworks

Maxson and William as they would say, "Super light fighter guys"

Maxson

William

Gwen

The awesome pinata I made...I was so proud of myself!

T-Ball and Coach Pitch

Maxson

William

We finished t-ball and coach pitch for Maxson and William last month! They are quite the little players...but you can see that for yourself....

Go To Bed!

My Mom and Devlin's Mom made some adorable Christmas pillowcases for the kids and by request, we changed their pillowcases to the Christmas pillowcases tonight. Anyhow, I told each of the kids if they got out of bed, or talked, or goofed off, their pillowcase would immediately return to the pillowcase they had on their pillow before the switch.

I put my kids to bed an hour ago. As usual, Maxson and Gwen are off in dream land. They arrive there about 1 minute after their head hits their pillow and I leave the room.

William on the other hand is another story. That kid can never turn his energy off...or shut his brain down. I've been in my room listening to William. He hasn't said a word, but I can hear his mattress squeaking. I keep ignoring it since he's not bothering me and the other kids are asleep. I went in a while ago and he was sitting upright in his bed. I told him to lay down and try to sleep or the next time I came in the pillowcase would be gone. He replied, "I just can't sleep." I said, of course you can't sleep...you need to lay down, not sit up." I still wasn't sure what the squeaking noise was when I left. 15 minutes later...more squeaking. This time, I timed it right and found him doing a handstand with his feet touching the ceiling (he sleeps on the top bunk of the bunk bed). He was caught in the act! So... you guessed it...the pillowcase came off, and he returned to his boring BYU pillowcase. He was heartbroken. But guess what? No more squeaking mattress sounds. However, it has only been 10 minutes....

Happy Belated Birthday, William

I never posted about William's birthday...he's 7 now! We had a great time having a "How to Train Your Dragon" party with all his friends. We had a great time making Viking shields and masks! William also got some space pajamas that he had been wanting for several weeks and had been quite disappointed when they didn't show up under the Christmas tree. The picture in his pajamas is not staged.



Some fun things about William:

• He has amazing handwriting for a 7-year old. I think he could give some adults a run for their money.
• He is a very talented artist. He loves to draw pictures and write stories to go along with his pictures. I won't be surprised if his future career involves him creating/designing something.
• He has a sense of humor. He's always trying to make us laugh and he usually succeeds. Some of his favorite jokes right now are:

1. What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear.
2. Knock knock. Who's there? Interrupting man. Interrupting man (KNOCK KNOCK!!) who?
3. Knock knock. Who's there? Interrupting cow. Interrupting cow (MOOOOO!!!) who?
4. (My personal favorite) What has a bottom at the top? Legs.
   

• He's a good kid. He's very good at playing with his brother and sister and helping me around the house.
  

Devlin Got His Masters!!

I debated on naming this post, "We're DONE with school!" But I guess, you can never be too sure! Devlin graduated with his Masters in Computer Science from BYU this last week (okay, so he walked...and will "officially" graduate in December-but he's ALL DONE)! When he went to pick up his cap and gown, they forgot to give him his cap. He went back to get it and a kind gentleman gave him 6 free tickets to BYU Day's catered dinner ($20 a plate). It included a live band and dancing. Thanks to this kind fellow, we were able to party the night away before Devlin walked in the morning. If that wasn't cool enough, they gave us all free t-shirts at the end of the night (you'll see us wearing them in the video).

The next day, Devlin walked, and then it was back to work. I'll save the gory details of getting his thesis turned in for those of you who ask. It would make this post 3xs as long! Enjoy the video...it's a must see if you're a fan of my kids' dance moves! Thanks so much to Angela, Marcus, Thomas, and my Mom and Dad for coming to support on such short notice!

Deep Thoughts by William Daley

William: Mom, how come the daddy's just leave and the mommy's have to do all the work?

Me: Why do you ask that? (trying not to laugh)

William: I'm looking in all the cars, and they're all mommy's!

Me: William, where's Daddy?

William: At work. But Daddy only works on his thesis and you do everything else.

Me: No, William, Daddy does lots of jobs. He works on his thesis and works at Instructure. We're on the same team William. I get to take care of you kids, make the meals, clean your clothes, and most of the time, I get to play with you. Daddy does a lot of things too. And because of him we have a nice place to live, clothes for mommy to clean and food that Mommy get's to cook.

William: Oh.

4th of July with the Marcovs

William on the Water Slide

For the weekend of the 4th we had a water slide party at my Mom's. It was a hit! With popcorn, snow cones, and bbq! Who wouldn't have fun? All the girl cousins had matching dresses (thanks to the designer eye of my sister Michelle). They're all too cute together!

Maddie, Claire, Julia, and Gwen

That night we went to Provo High School's Football Field to watch the fireworks. We broke out the dollar store glow-in-the-dark bracelets for the kids and William and Maxson turned into "Bracelet Guy!"

Maxson and William AKA "Bracelet Guys!"

Deep Water

When visiting my parents today, my Dad told my boys, "If I find any bananas (banana runt candy) on the carpet or the couches, you guys are going to be in deep water."

William responded, "Deep water where?"

Happy Birthday William!

Hapy Birthday, William!

Just a note for you to read when you're old enough to appreciate more fully what I see in you ;-).

Thanks for picking your younger brother as the "reverent child" during singing time this last week. I know you felt pressure from all the "pick me's" out there! Thanks for announcing to everyone after you picked him that "he's my brother!"

Thanks for sharing your toys you got for your birthday with your brother. Thanks for letting him open your presents too.

Thanks for always getting me a walmart or target bag when I'm changing Gwen's diapers.

Thanks for playing with Gwen when I'm making dinner.

Thanks for being a peacemaker.

I love you. Happy Birthday.

Merry Christmas!

William is age 5 (he turns 6 in a couple of days). He's enjoying Kindergarten. He loves to draw and is quite a performer at our house. Tune in here in a couple of days to see him performing Jingle Bell Rock!

Maxson is age 3. He's big for his age--he grew 4 inches last year! He's in Joy School and is having a great time. He's the easy going one at our house and fun to have around.

Gwen is 1 and 1/2 years. She's a good influence on the boys, but still rough houses with them as much as a 1-year old can. She's extending her vocabulary every day and said "Candy Cane" to her Aunt Tiersa the other day--much to the chagrin of her mother (I wish she'd say phrases to me!).

Devlin's still working hard at building his business (http://www.instructure.com). If any of you have friends that teach at a university or college, send them Devlin's way! He'd love to have more users for their free (did mention free?) pilot!

I'm keeping busy with the 3 kiddo's at home. I'm thankful we're all healthy and happy. Thanks for your Christmas cards and emails! It's been wonderful to hear from all of you. We think of you often and are grateful to have such wonderful family and friends. We're thankful for this time of year to reflect on the birth of our Savior.

Merry Christmas!

Puppy Love

On Monday I picked William up from school, and our conversation went something like this:

William: Mom, I have a new friend.

Me: You do? What's his name?

William: It's a girl. Her name is Kylee. Her cubby is next to mine. She just moved here. (Long pause.) She's pretty.

Me: Have you told her she's pretty?

William: Nooo.

Me: Why not? You tell me I'm pretty?

William: Because, Mom, it's my secret.

Too sweet.

Happy Halloween!

My sister Julie, threw her annual Halloween party last weekend for my family. Here's a couple of photo's from the evening.

Gwen is Raggedy Ann
(thanks to my sister Michelle for giving us her old costumes!),
I'm a witch
(yeah, I know, reserve your smart alec comments . . .
thanks to my sister Julie for letting me borrow her costume),
Devlin's Horatio Hornblower,
Maxson's a dragon
(thanks again to Michelle for recycling her kids costumes!) and
William's a robot
(again, thanks to Michelle's creativity and kindness in giving us her old costumes!)

A close up of our doll.

Richard and Stephanie as "Hansel and Gretel"

Dad and Mom as a scarecrow and bunny rabbit

Tiersa as a trekkie and Brooks as Brooks

Julie sporting a mermaid costume made by myself!
Yes, that's right, I actually sewed something!
Matt as a fisherman, Cole as a shark, and Claire as a mermaid.

Cornbelly's

So, my dear sister, Julie treated my kids to Cornbelly's last week. We had a blast! It was a perfect weather to be outside and have fun. I've never been there before-and I was impressed. There were so many fun things for the kids to do. There were no lines either. I think we could have stayed there all day, if my little Gwen could have fought not having a nap a little longer.

Maxson at the water duck races. My kids would have stayed here all day if I had let them!

Maxson and William in the "Corn Box."

Maxson, me folded in half, and Gwen in the cow train.
By the way, I think this is the first picture I've posted with my new hair cut. I cut 8 inches :-).

William and Maxson on the cow train.

William on the ATV trike.
I think I would purchase one of these if I had the extra funds.
They were really fun.

Bragging

These pictures were too cute not to post! I remember my sister telling me when she took her daughter, Claire, to Kiddie Kandids to get her picture taken she was sure they would ask her daughter to be the next model for their store. She was seriously disappointed when she left and there was no special comments made about her child. I guess that's what happens when you're a Mom. I'm totally biased. I think my children are the most beautiful kids in the world, inside and out!

Visit to Idaho

We went a couple of weeks ago to visit my sister, Michelle and her family. We had a good time hanging out. William asked several times if we could stay there forever. Unfortunately, I had to say no. Anyhow, here's some pics of William and Maxson and their cousins making spider cookies. Eventually, they couldn't resist the licorice and began to drape it on themselves. They were dying of laughter at how funny they were.

William's First Day of School

William getting ready to go to school

William waving goodbye from his classroom.

Well, William started school last week. I can't believe I have a Kindergarten student. So far he's enjoying himself.

Apparently (don't say this to him) he has a type of girlfriend. He told me that he held her hand on the way to the playground for recess the other day. I know he get's that from Devlin, but I didn't think he was that forward. So then I asked, "Did you hold her hand, or did she hold your hand?"

"She took my hand." He replied.

So there you go. I guess it's already started. I'm going to have to shoo the girls away.

William's Betrothal

We're sad to say goodbye to our friends, the Shelley's. Last Sunday when Ayslind (she's William's age) announced she was moving, William responded, "But I was going to marry her!" According to Katie, Asylind's Mom, William has to wait 18 more years. I on the other hand am a bit more liberal. I think William could wait 17 years :-). Here's their first and last dance together (for now). If you can't tell what Ayslind's saying, she's saying something like this, "We're dancing like a prince and princess!" When you hear William ask, "Did you skip it again?" That's him making sure I took the "fall" out of the video. Take note of William using the TV screen as a mirror.