I have a Scout!

A cub scout to be more specific. It is so fun! I love it!
I had to get a picture of him in his cute little scouts uniform. He didn't like the fact that he had to do pictures. So this is the face he gave me,



Then he couldn't help smiling...


and finally I got a good picture:


So scouting days are here! Yay! Tonight is the Pinewood Derby. And soccer practice too! We are entering the days of crazy busy. Today goes like this:
Get Kyle off to school, then Blake to preschool, run to WalMart, pick Blake up, babysit, clean the house (ignore the laundry), keep Dallin on some sort of schedule, pick Kyle up from school, get homework done, ride the boys so chores get done, get Blake and Kyle from soccer practice, cook dinner, go to the derby, do the dishes, bathing everyone and get the bedtime routine done. Wow, I am tired. :) But I love all the things I get to do with the boys. I definately want to preserve some free time and family time too. But I want the boys to have the chance to do all these fun things too.
So pictures to come of soccer practice and pinewood derby!

Kyle is 8

Happy Birthday my little buddy!

I cannot believe I have an eight year old! It is so fun to have Kyle in our home. He is a happy and playful boy. He is a great big brother and super helpful.













Kyle, I love you so much. Thank you for being the wonderful little boy that you are. You have a very strong sense of right and wrong. You are so kind hearted. Your teachers always love having you in class and you are very smart too! I am so lucky to have you as my son!

The Par-tay

The morning of Blake's birthday, he woke up and was acting a little strange. He was quiet, he was laying down a lot and looked worried. I checked him for a fever and sure enough he was warm. I asked if he felt sick. With eyes wide, he said, "No." I said, "Blake, if you don't feel good we can do your party another day. Are you sure you are not sick?" He started crying, "I'm sick!" he said. Poor guy. He was afraid that if he admitted he was sick, his birthday wouldn't happen. But as soon as I told him we could do it another day, he fessed up. So he spent his actual birthday not feeling good. Then Dallin and Mom got it, and it was no fun. Finally, we were all better and could celebrate Blake's 5th birthday, 2 weeks later.
I saw a cute cake idea in a magazine, a ninja training camp. I thought it would be fun with Kung Fu Panda. With Blake's approval, that is what he got for his cake. It was really fun!



The awesome neighbor kids came. I love having great kids nearby for my kids to play with. We did Kung Fu Panda masks and Kung Fu Panda tattoos. We also did a bean bag toss.



The cute blondie next to Blake is Onyx. Apparently Blake and Onyx are engaged. They sure are cute together. :)





Birthday Party accomplished, Happy Birthday Blake!

Now I get to do it all over again for Kyle in 2 weeks. :)

5 Years Old

Here is Blake's 5 year old picture. Oh, he is getting so big!!!!

Blake is 5!

Oh Happy Birthday to my sweet Blake.

















Looking through these pictures made me a little sad. Blake was such a beautiful baby! And now he is getting so big! He is still just cuddly as can be and always has something nice to say. He tells me all the time, "You pretty mama, you a good cooker!" He also does happy thoughts for me at bedtime so I don't have nightmares. He tells me to close my eyes and "Think of flowers and butterflies, and a little lamb coming to sleep with you." And it works, I don't have nightmares. :) He does has a temper sometimes, but gets over things quickly. He is very smart and eager to go to school. Blake is very social. The first thing he does when he goes into a room full of people he doesn't know is wave at each person, quickly saying, "Hi, hi! I'm Blake."

Blake, we are blessed to have you in our home. You are so sweet and are always willing to give hugs and cuddles. Happy Birthday my affectionate little blue eyed boy! I love you love you love you!

Look Alikes

There seems to be no doubt that Dallin looks exactly like Brian. When Brian holds Dallin, he looks like a little mini me.



But I have wondered about Blake and Kyle, who looks more like Mom, or Dad.

I found this old baby picture of me, and for sure I think I look more like Blake as a baby.







Blake also looks a lot like my Dad, especially in the eyes.

Kyle does has my eye and hair color, but he still looks like a Schwab to me.



They sure are cute little boys!

We Love Sledding

The park across the street has small hills perfect for sledding.







Super fun!

Naughty

Hey Mom! Baby proof this!

Sunshine!

It's January and the weather has been so beautiful! Usually January is my least favorite month. It's cold, dark and there are no Christmas lights to lighten things up. But if January was always like this, it would be one of may favorites.

I took Blake and Dallin outside and we had a great time! Blake and I played hide and go seek.





and jumped on the trampoline:



Blake is super fun to play with.

Dallin was fun too, can't you just hear him saying "Ball" when you see this picture?



We also went to the park:



Kyle is getting older, and wants to be alone more. That is why he isn't in this post. Really, I never thought that would happen to Kyle. He has always wanted my time so much. It's a bit of a shock to see that he doesn't always want to play with me.
:( Oh well, we do other things together and we still talk every night. So I still have some Kyle time.

Having a yard is such an important part of these boys lives. They need outdoor activities. I love being outside with them. I know the snow will come and cover everything up, but it sure has been a great way to start January.

Wishful Thinking

When it comes to your kids, you always have in mind the way you think or want something to go. The way things actually go is usually different. You think of playing games together, everyone happy, smiling, and lots of I love you's flying around. You also think of going fun places together and everyone excited. Pretty soon, you realize that it is just wishful thinking and reality sets in. Going places with little people is so much work and it doesn't always result in smiling faces. You come to accept that games are frought with lots of tears and pouting because they didn't win, and the rivalry sets in. This year, I wanted a picture of all the boys in front of the tree with their Christmas Jammies on. Here is what I got:



I tried my best. But, well, this was it.

I settled for 2 out of 3.



We don't always have the best family home evenings, or the happiest game of candy land ever played, but they are still awesome. Even when they are throwing a tantrum.

I love my boys. And maybe next year, I will get all three of them smiling at me in front of the Christmas tree.