Date Nights

Something I've always wanted to do, and recently just started, with my kids is have Date Nights. I think it is very important to have one-on-one time with each child so they can get to know you and you can get to know them. I think it makes them feel so special and they love the attention!
Sophia and I did a date night, just her and I last month. We went to the movies, saw "How to Train Your Dragon", and then to IHOP, which of course was her choice. On the day that we went, it was so windy outside, she and I had to hold hands and run to the theater, car, etc, we joked that we were going to fly away! I love that she still remembers this day and talks about it all the time!
This month is was Nick's turn to go on a date with me.
Since Nick is 3, I wasn't sure what he would want to do. I didn't really want to do a movie with him, since he barely survives them as it is, and there wasn't really any new good ones out that I thought he'd love. The day of our date I kept asking him what he wanted to do for our date, he'd always reply with a smile and say "I don't know!"
I knew he'd be happy with anything. So I decided that we'd go to the mall, eat something there, ride the carousel, and see what else we may find to do.
Nick was so excited to go. It was so fun to see him so excited!
When we got to the Mall he choose Hot Dog on a Stick for dinner, and I went with the Pizza place they have there. Nick didn't touch his food. I thought for sure he'd be down with the 'dog' since that is ALL he ever wants to eat at home. But NOPE didn't want to eat any of his food. He just wanted to play on the stairs and climb on things that aren't made for climbing on. SO dinner was a bust.
After that we rode the carousel, and he LOVED this part. Then we rode the elevator, like 5 times, with Nick pushing ALL the buttons, and rode the escalators another 5 times! Nick LOVED this part of our date. He also got to play in the water fountain and threw in 4 pennies!
On our way out of the Mall he got to use the quarter he's been saving and bought himself a bouncy ball in the quarter machines. He couldn't wait to get home to show Sophia the ball he got!
Overall it was a pretty fun Date Night with Nick.
He is such a good little boy. I love his personality and the sweet little boy he is.

Sophia's Preschool Graduation Day!

Sophia is officially done with Preschool! She LOVED every minute of Preschool, and is really really going to miss it. We love Miss.Dawn, her teacher, and all of Sophia's cute classmates.
Her graduation was really fun. The kids all sang songs, and each had a part in the graduation program.
It is so hard for me to believe that Sophia will be in Kindergarten in a few short months....wasn't I just in Kindergarten? It's so much fun though to watch Sophia grow and learn. She is sooo smart and loves learning!
These pictures were all taken by my Sister-In-Law Amber. I love them!

Kids Watching TV

While I get ready each morning, I stick the older two in front of the TV so that I can get ready in peace. The peace I'm looking for usually only last about 10 minutes. The other day I had to laugh because Nick was totally in "The Zone"! He was mezmorized by the show they were watching. I went and grabbed my camera, and then he got out of his zone...So I asked him to reinact the look on his face, and this is what I got! LOL


Then Little Miss Sophia was just sprawled out like the little princess she is! She seriously is so lucky! How I wish I could be her for a day!

Jack at the Park

Now the the weather seems to be cooperating, we went to our park the other day. The kids had so much fun. Jack was looking extreemly handsome in his little overalls and baseball cap! Here he is eating some Mum Mums and enjoying the great weather!

Going on a Walk

I LOVE where we live! There are sidewalks everywhere as well as walking trails.
The other day the kids and I decided to go on a walk. Luckily I have a sit and stand stroller that both Sophia & Nick can sit on and Jack can be up front.
It was a great workout for me, pushing the huge stroller with three kids in it! I felt pretty strong afterwards.
Sophia got sunscreen in her eyes right before we left, so she was miserable the whole time. So unfortunatly she was NOT into taking pictures and our family walk didn't last very long.

Hawaii Equals Happiness!

Today in Utah I woke up to snow covering the ground, and falling from the sky!
Its times like this that I have to take myself to a happy place, and the happy place for me right now is the thoughts of me in Hawaii!
I've been to Hawaii once, to the island of Oahu, eleven years ago.
Ever since then, I've been anxious to visit again.
In three weeks I will be boarding an airplane, this time to the Big Island of Hawaii, HAWAII!
I will be staying HERE!


I am sooo excited for a much needed and well deserved week of sunshine, beaches, peace & quiet, yummy food, meeting new friends, and lots of time at the spa! I also am planning on taking my first helicopter ride!

What makes this trip even better, is that it's FREE! This will be my 5th all expense paid trip from Scentsy! Of course I worked for it, but really, can I call that 'work'? Probably not! Thank you Scentsy for giving me this trip!

The countdown begins! Hawaii here I come!

Happy 7 Months to Jack!

Can you believe this little hunk-o-burnin' love is 7 months old today!?!?!
The kids and I watched the video of his birth/coming home from the hospital yesterday and it made me realize just how big he really is, and how the last 7 months have flown by WAY to fast! Even Nick and Sophia look older today than they did 7 months ago.
Jack is sitting up, eating more baby food, still smiling at everything and everyone, and can (kind of) walk around his exersaucer- (its one where he sits with his legs dangeling to the floor, and he can move around the toy, it's pretty cool)! He loves to grab my face and kiss my face- it's more like he's trying to eat my face, but I like to think he's trying to kiss me! He sleeps really good, and he's very predictable- a nice feature to have when your 7 months old! We are so blessed to have Jack in our family!

Sophia's PJ Day at School!

Check out this cute little girl! Today at preschool it was PJ Day! Sophia was so excited to wear her Tinkerbell nightgown and her Hello Kitty slippers!
She also requested that her picture be taken by the "tree" in her classroom!

She only has 3 more days of preschool, then she graduates! It just dawned on me the other day that she will be going to Kindergarten this Fall! I am a little nervous about it....she of course can't wait!

Interview with Nick

Name: Nick
How old are you: holds up 4 fingers...(he is three).
What is your favorite color: blue
What do you want to be when you grow up: A doctor
Who do you want to marry: A girl
How many kids do you want: holds up five fingers
What is your favorite treat: Chocolate
What does Daddy do: Work
What does Mommy do: Work
Who is your favorite person: Bentley
What is your favorite Movie: Wall-E
What is your favorite thing to do outside: Swing

Interview with Sophia

Name: Sophia
How old are you: 5
Who is your best friend: Paige
What does Daddy do: Work a lot
What does Mommy do: Take care of Jack
What do you want to be when you grow up: A mom
Who do you want to marry: A boy
How many kids do you want: 3
What is your favorite cereal: Marshmallows
What is your favorite vegetable: Corn
What is your favorite drink: Milk
What is your favorite toy: Polly Pockets
What is your favorite TV Show: Camp Rock
What is your favorite game: Candy Land
What is your favorite book: The Elmo one
What is your favorite restaurant: Cafe Rio
What is your favorite holiday: Christmas
What is your favorite animal: Elephant
If you could change your name, what would you choose? Cupcake
What do you love about each person in our family? Daddy- he takes care of me. Mommy- She takes care of me too. Nick- he plays with me a lot. Jack- He laughs a lot.
Where would you like to go on vacation this year? Grandma Smith's House
What are some of your wishes for this year? I wish I had a Polly Pocket room, I wish I lived in the Earth, I really wish I had an ant house, I wish I had a sparkle house. I wish I was a baby right now.

Sophia's Dance Recital at Lagoon

Today was a day I had been fearing for a few weeks now...Sophia's Dance Recital at Lagoon. For those of you who are outside of Utah, Lagoon is our one and only amusement park. I was scared to see how I would manage taking all three kids there by myself and having Sophia performing, since that requires lots of extra preparations and attention.
So being worried about this day became even worse this morning when I woke up with a sever head cold! This would be the FOURTH time I've been super sick since my hot husband left...I've seriously never been this sick, this often before.
But I sucked it up and took all the kids and myself to a fun filled day.
Sophia LOVED performing, and did an awesome job. Then Sophia and Nick rode a few rides, we ate some junk food, played a game and I even let them finish off the day running through the water fountains! The kids loved our day at Lagoon. I hope when I look back on it I wont remember how sick I felt this day, but how much fun the kids had and the permanent smiles on their face!

Sitting Baby

On May 14th our little baby Jack decided to sit up all by himself!
Sitting up babies just seem to look so much older, and SO much cuter!

Making Oatmeal Choco Chip Cookies with Nick

If I have chocolate chips in the freezer, then I can think of nothing else but to make cookies. Knowing that I'd end up eating all of them myself, I tried to make them a little bit healthy by making them oatmeal choco chip cookies.
Nick was a great helper. Especially when I looked back to see he was making a huge mess with the flour. I could have gotten upset, yelled at him and made him get off the counter, but instead I decided to just let him continue to play and chalk it up as me being a great mom!
The cookies end up not being very good, I think I only had 10...




Here is the easy receipe if you're interested:
Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2.In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
3.Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.