Snow

We have been enjoying a lot of snow this week! After Ian's school on Monday we decided to pack up the whole family and head up to the Sundance Ski Resort. Aaron and I included. Aaron and I enjoyed playing in the snow while Tim and Ian hit the slopes. Everyone stopped when they saw Aaron to try to get him to smile and giggle. He was a big hit! All of the people walking to the restaurants would smile and wave at him (it was pretty busy with the film festival going on). We took a short break in the lodge for the kids to refuel. Then it was off again. It had also started snowing and was coming down pretty hard.

Ian went on the big lift for the first time! He thought it was very exciting until he realized that mom was not with him anymore. Then he did not want to go unless I came too -so cute and frustrating at the same time.

Tim stayed back at the resort and got in a few more runs on his snowboard. While Ian and Aaron crashed on the drive home. When we got home everyone was excited that it was actually snowing at our house as well. Not sure what is happening this winter but we are really missing all of the snow.

On Tuesday morning Tim headed back up to Sundance. The kids and I headed to Ian's sports class. Then after nap time for Aaron, and quiet time for Ian, Tim was home and we decided to head outside and play in the snow while it lasted. Aaron was undecided if he wanted to play in the snow or not. I had to post all of the pictures because his expressions are just funny. Happy, Sad, Happy, Sad....



Aaron did enjoy sledding down the hill. As did Ian.

While Aaron and I sledded. Tim and Ian built a snow-bear.

Aaron and I later decided to go inside and watch from the window.


On Wednesday it was skiing lessons! Ian went up the lift and down the mountain a million times with his instructor and loved it! I had to come up and drop Aaron off with Tim because I had a couple math tutoring appointments. Tim was going to just stay in the lodge with Aaron. When I arrived apparently he had a completely different plan. Take Aaron skiing as well. I was (and still am) against it. At the time I was out numbered by many fellow skiers saying that he would be just fine, and people do it all the time. Although Aaron did love it! There is still the chance that Tim could fall and Aaron could hit his head or something. While Tim is excellent at skiing and is very cautious you still have to remember even the best fall. I told Tim he could take him again but only if Aaron had a helmet on as well. He informed me that they do not make helmets that small. Hmmmm....I wonder why?!??!?!!! Below is Tim and Aaron on the lift. Ian is just ahead with his instructor.


Today we enjoyed our last day of sports class and a little relaxing around the house! Aaron playing at the kids table in the kitchen.

The boys playing with puzzles just before bedtime! I love Ian's tongue sticking out.

Aaron found his baby sun hat.

Ian had to go and get his hat as well.

In other news Aaron made a new discovery this past week. Go ahead and see for yourself...

Crazy right, I can't even stand trying to get out the plug protectors.

January Events

January has been great! Somehow we have all managed to keep very very busy and I love it! Our friends from SLC called us one night to meet up and have dinner. Ian and Aaron loved their little girl Sienna and she had a blast cruising around with the walker. So cute!

The boys have been loving reading books. Yes, finally Aaron is reading (more like looking) at books! While he cannot read for hours, he can last a good 5-10 minutes now!

We headed to the Auto Expo to check out cars. The boys had a blast. They enjoyed looking at all the cars and people. Ian also had fun testing out the seats and seeing if the trunks were big enough to fit him inside. While Aaron hit a very nice Mercedes with his toy Lightning McQueen car. We walked away as quickly as possible :) Don't worry it did not look like any harm was done.


After the car show we headed to Nordstrom Rack to look for shoes for Ian. Unfortunately one of his Buzz Lightyear shoes is missing -and you can't exactly wear just one. It was quite devastating for him. A couple of times he did just wear the one shoe with another none matching shoe. We still have not been able to find it, but due to Aaron's garbage obsession we are 98% positive it ended up in the trash :( All of shoes have now been moved because Aaron thinks it is fun to throw them in the trash. Gives a whole new meaning to please remove your shoes. Basically remove your shoes, leave them outside, or they will end up in the trash. Due to a complete meltdown by both children we left the store immediately with no shoes.

We came home to find a wonderful Christmas surprise from Uncle Jim and Aunt Suzanne! Ian and Aaron loved playing with their new puzzles. Aaron in particular likes to play with his while standing on top of the box.

We did eventually find Ian a pair of illuminescent puma's from Zappos.com that light up which he loves. Not to mention I ordered Ian's shoes at 7:30 pm Monday. Received free next day shipping and they arrived before noon on Tuesday -wicked fast!

Occasionally we get to enjoy a movie night together!


Aaron has become quite the adventurous thrill seeker. We thought he was going to be the mellow child -no so much. He would get so annoyed whenever Tim would stop, it was hilarious.


Ian also had skiing lessons this week. Each week he absolutely amazes me. He can go on the tow rope all by himself! So proud. The conditions were not the best that day -a little icy. He still had a lot of fun! Thank heavens it has been snowing in the mountains all week -we definitely need the snow. If only it could stop raining in the valley's and snow- we also do not want anymore of our dear Smithfield friends homes to flood.


Ian had fun chasing Tim down the mountain. Every morning when he wakes up he asks if we can go skiing again! I am so glad that he is enjoying it!


January has also brought a lot of trouble! I am not sure what has gotten into Ian. Actually I do know -he is so overtired. He is refusing to take naps. It has been two weeks since he has had a nap and he is grumpy -we all are. He still has quiet time in his room but it is not helping. If he does not take a nap then at 5 o'clock he is ready for bed. At that time we are sitting down for dinner. I have been putting him to bed at 6:30 which he seems to have hit his second wind. I have tried putting him to bed right after dinner 5:45 but he still seems to have hit his second wind. I tried putting him to bed at 5 and he woke up at 11 pm ready to play. So at bedtime when tucking him in he starts hitting, kicking, screaming and everything. When this happens he sits here....

Mr. Flamingo was currently in time out. Aaron is usually in bed for the night at this point. Which is when Ian decides it is fun to scream as loud as possible. If he starts screaming I put him outside where he is allowed to scream. Keep in mind he goes to bed in his underwear and it is just above freezing temperatures outside (I know judge all you want -but I don't need Aaron awake and screaming too). This usually brings everything to a halt very quickly. Ian then comes inside quietly and finishes time out. If he gets out of time out, or chooses to hit me in time out he looses a privilege (treats, shows, friends). These can be earned back with good behavior and chores around the house. I don't like sending him outside so I tried just taking away privileges first -it did not work and made things worse. So this is the scenario that has been playing out every night for the last two weeks at our home. I am hoping this is some kind of phase or something because it is driving me insane. If anyone has any good suggestions please share...I am all ears.

Food

We are obsessed with chocolate fudge covered mint Oreo's. My mom gave me a package for Christmas and I ate every cookie in two days. Delicious! Then when we were in Logan over New Years she got another package and yes I consumed the whole thing in under a week. This time I did share a couple with the boys and they too discovered how delicious they truly are.

We have also found that Aaron is obsessed with ketchup. I was getting the boys dinner ready and Ian likes to dip his hamburger in ketchup. Without thinking I put some on Aaron's plate as well. We now have to hide the ketchup at all times. If Aaron see's it he wants it, if he wants it he screams for it. You get the picture. Below is a picture of Aaron first discovering ketchup tastes even better all by itself.


Notice anything in front of the pillows?

Ian left us dumb dumb suckers by our pillows. Apparently we were really good that day :)

We moved the play kitchen up to Aaron's bedroom and both of the boys have been having a blast cooking while I am cooking. I particularity like Ian's ensemble -monster towel, Cars S/R underwear, and none slip socks. Not to mention that Aaron has two play strawberries stuff in his mouth (I couldn't get him to turn around). While cooking Aaron has also discovered the metal bowls are really loud. Which means Tim has now installed all new baby proof locks on all of the drawers and cupboards :)

Dining around our house has been very unusual lately. Ian has decided that he does not like anything, and it seems Aaron is following his example. For two little boys that used to eat absolutely anything -they are driving me crazy. Today Ian informed me that he was moving to live with Lacy (his imaginary friend). He did not want to live in our house anymore. Lacy has her own house all to herself. I am guessing it has to do with the fact that he has been grounded twice this week (I'll discuss that later). I asked him what he would eat for dinner at Lacy's house. He told me he would cook something on the stove. Needless to say he is fast asleep in his own room in bed :) As for Aaron he was happy just chillin' at the counter today while I made dinner. I had to snap a picture because this rarely happens.

Hopefully the boys decided that they would like to eat soon. I don't make anything that outrageous, so that better start eating!

Skiing Lessons

This week has been an eventful week and we are loving it. Well most of it. Let's start with the not so wonderful part of the week....

On Monday afternoon Aaron suddenly started with a fever. Nothing to be to concerned about 99-100. After a dose of tylenol the fever never returned. However, just after midnight Aaron awoke with an ear defining scream (not normal for him). When I went to check on him he was boiling, I grabbed the temperature gauge which read 104.1 degrees. I immediately began taking off his pajamas and hollered at Tim to come and help. Thankfully Tim was actually home that night and not working. Tim grabbed the ibuprofen, started getting him a luke warm wash cloth, and a semi-warm glass of milk. While I was holding him in the rocking chair his whole body shook and he went stiff as a board. It lasted roughly 20 seconds. He had a mild seizure. After about 40 minutes the fever started to come down and he wanted to get down and play with toys. Tim stayed up with him the remainder of the night and he seemed to be doing fine, and eventually went back to bed. The next morning he woke up without the slightest fever and it was as if nothing had happened the remainder of the day. We luckily had a well check-up already scheduled Wednesday for his 15 month appointment.


Weight 21.6 lbs -10th percentile
Length 30 inches -10th percentile
Head Circumference 47.3 cm -50th percentile

I was sure he must have an ear infection again given his recent history. At the check-up everything was great! His ears looked healthy but there was a lot of clear drainage, which may possibly be irritating him but overall he looked great! If he gets another ear infection this winter the doctor would like us to see and ENT to discuss the possibility of tubes. Hopefully all is smooth sailing from here on out :)

On to the better part of our week...
Ian is loving all of the new activities that have started this week. He is currently in an All-Ball sports class at the American Fork Rec Center two days a week with his friends Kimball and Taft. They introduce the kids to various sports such as soccer, football, basketball, t ball, field hockey, etc. The first day for Ian was ok. About 20 minutes into the lesson he asked if he could go over to gymnastics that this was boring. I can't blame him I was bored too. In order to get to the sports class you have to pass through the gymnastics area which is a problem. Ian loves gymnastics he took for just under a year in Logan. I was planning on starting gymnastics in February after the sports class ends but it appears we may be starting sooner. Ian wanted so badly to run and show the gymnastic coach that he could do everything. Hopefully Thursday sports class is a little more entertaining.

This week Ian also started skiing lessons. Kid's Village (Ian's preschool) offers discounted skiing lessons at the Sundance Ski resort (25 minutes from our house). We jumped at the chance given Tim's family comes out to Utah every February to hit the slopes. The lesson is semi-private (two kids to one instructor), one day a week and a two hour long lesson. The lessons are for children 4 and older. Ian doesn't turn 4 until the end of May...so we lied :) In our defense the school director told us to lie because she thought Ian would do great. When meeting his ski instructor the first thing Ian told her was "I want to go really fast down the mountain." The instructor said he would have to learn how to stop first. His response, "I don't need to know that." He also told her he was three (thanks Ian way to be honest). Our response almost four right. Wow aren't we great parents. Sure enough Ian was skiing all by himself from the beginning. I was blown away he could speed up, slow down, and even stop all by himself. The other boy with him was not feeling into it (he could not stop) so the instructor had to keep him with her (boy in the orange in the video) while she also directed Ian.

First Time!


After about an hour the other boy with Ian had enough. She returned him to the lodge and continued to teach Ian. We were all very impressed with the resort and how well set up it was for kids. They had free snacks and hot chocolate available for the kids in the lodge, as well as an activity table with different crafts for the children to do.

Ian riding the tow rope with his instructor Ian is the smallest kid on the right cruisin' away


Since Ian was doing so well the instructor decided to start teaching Ian how to turn -airplane style.

Some pictures of Ian working on turning.


Last run down!


Ian was ecstatic at the end of lessons and his instructor was great! When the kids started to get a little tired she stopped and they made "magical" snowballs at the top of the lift. Yes it was a little hard given the lack of snow we have in Utah right now. As you can see they have been making snow on the main runs for the skiers/snowboarders. Once they would get to the bottom they would head back to the top to check on their snowballs. On the last run they brought down their "magical" snowballs and took them to the ski lodge. When they handed them to the worker he assured them it was a magical snowball and that he thinks the elves left something just for him. They left him a toy dinosaur and Ian was quite excited! Overall the entire day was amazing. Ian was by far the smallest and if you ask me he was doing the best! He absolutely loves it and wants to go back tomorrow. I couldn't be more proud- looks like I may have to refresh my skiing skills. I think he has already passed me :)

After a long day of skiing he made himself a lounge chair in the play room to rest!

New Year

For New Year's we headed up to Logan! It ended up being a quick trip but we still had a lot of fun! On Friday night Tim and I left the boys with my parents and we headed out to see Mission Impossible 4. It has been a long time since we have been out with just the two of us. If you are wondering we enjoyed the movie -good movie to see in the theater. Luckily Aaron was already asleep and in bed before we left (super tired boy). Ian on the other hand just wanted to stay up and play! Plus have grandma and grandpa read him tons of books and rub his back before bedtime.

Saturday we had a fun day shopping around Logan. We were able to find a helmet for Ian's skiing lessons as well as a three foot trampoline. Ok, we were not looking for a trampoline. We were leaving Al's Sporting Goods (our favorite sports store) and Ian climbed into the display and started jumping. Then I saw the price tag of $49.99 and told Tim that we had to get it! I had been looking for one before Christmas but they are just too expensive. The one we bought retails for $136 and good luck finding it much cheaper. So while Tim rolled his eyes at me, I reminded him that we had Christmas money for the boys! Special thanks to Uncle Dave and Aunt Dianne :) Our cold winter will be much more active and entertaining.

That night we headed to the Thompson's house for New Year's Eve. From Providence to Smithfield Ian asked "Are we there yet" a million times. He was so excited to see Ellie. When we got there Erin had made a delicious pizza which everyone enjoyed. Then the kids enjoyed a little playtime. Aaron was in heaven with a new house to explore (plus it was all baby/boy proof) and tons of fun toys. The face he is giving on the right just makes me laugh. I think he is eying Isaac to make sure he doesn't attach.


Ellie and Ian were as inseparable as ever. They played together all night long and watched the movie tangled. We did not see much of them unless they decided that they needed more snacks. They would run upstairs grab a chocolate kiss and inform us that it would be their "last one." I think they each had about 15 last ones. We sure do miss being close to them :(


Brock and Isaac were as cute as ever. They always love Tim, which he definitely does not mind. The two of them had fun tackling Tim and trying to figure out what they could about his belly button. So funny!



After we put the little kids to bed it was game time! Brian and Erin are the ones that introduced us to one of our favorite games "Ticket to Ride." So it was no surprise that they had some great new games for us to play! When Brian first pulled out the game "Dominion," Tim and I were a little worried. It looks intense and complex. It is not -we absolutely loved it! Which is why I took a picture of the games, so I could add them to our game collection one day. We also enjoyed playing Blokus and Saboteur. Mostly we enjoyed the great company, and being able to actually play games (that doesn't really happen anymore).

It was nearly midnight so we all headed downstairs to watch the ball drop on TV. Tim is usually always working on New Year's Eve so it is rare for us to actually be together (I think we were together the first year we were married, and possibly our 5th year -that's it). I ran downstairs and had to use the restroom (when you drink seven glasses of water it only makes sense). We had a nice chuckle that when we were finally together for the new year I decided to use the restroom. Hey, I made it back with 20 seconds to spare. After the ball dropped we all headed outside and ran around shouting "Happy New Year."

Erin got spoons and pans for the kids to run around with outside and bang on. They did not want to come in..eventually they came in and got their coats on. We made Tim go back outside with them :)


Definitely one of the best New Year's! After finishing up our last round of Saboteur we called it a night (it was 1:00 in the morning). On the way back to my parents house both of the boys were fast asleep before leaving the driveway. We ended up driving home that night. We had been going back and forth between staying in Logan longer or heading home. We decided it would eb best to head home.

Ian is now a sunbeam! He has struggled going to our church so we decided to was important to get him home for his first week in his new class. The kids line up in the hallway before heading into primary (to help them enter reverently). Ian struggled and did not want me to leave him but put on a brave face and headed into primary anyway. They started singing as they were walking in. Ian realized he knew the song (my hand's upon my head I place) and the actions and was happy as could be from then on. They spotlighted each of the new sunbeams that week and made a big deal out of how big they were now.

Ian Spotlight
favorite food: Pancakes
favorite color: Pink
Favorite thing to do: Jump and help make pancakes
Choose the right by: using my right hand
After he understood the question he said he could choose the right by talking nicely

In class they had a party to celebrate them becoming Sunbeams with a lot of fun treats. They even took a walk to the bishops office where he gave them a treat. When I asked Ian about his fun day as a sunbeam he informed me that they didn't even sing the sunbeam song, and that the bishop gave him a candy and it was gross (it was bottlecaps), but he was nice. So honest :) The chorister said that Ian was adorable and volunteer to help every time. He came up twice in front of the whole junior primary to help with the songs. So proud of my little boy, he is growing up way too fast. We are glad that we were able to make it back to attend our ward, Ian is so excited to go next week (I am not sure how I break it to him that it is stake conference). When we got home he ran to mess draw and grabbed a paper and one of the permanent markers. He then asked, "mom, I am big enough now, can I use this marker?" Of course I said yes.

We had such a great time in Logan and always enjoy going back. Sorry that we were not able to see our other great friends in Logan but hopefully we will be able to make it back up soon!