December 2014

Only 15 days until Christmas! I can hardly believe it! We've had a lot going on lately. Marcus started going to nursery at church. I thought he would scream and cry the entire two hours and that I'd have to sit in there with him, but I underestimated him. He did cry, but for less than two minutes and then he was fine the rest of the time. Each time I peeked in he was either in the teacher's arms or standing right next to her, but that's okay!

Spiffied up for church!

We had family pics taken with my side of the family. I really love how they turned out! At the end I put the kids in their Christmas outfits for some pics by the Christmas tree. Unfortunately Marcus was D.O.N.E. by this point and all we got was a picture of him crying. Oh well, it's cute anyways! The week before family pics Marcus fell down on the sidewalk and scraped his forehead up. It was sad. I was glad they did a good job editing it out for the pictures!

My favorite picture!!!

Our sweet niece, Tennesey. She is a doll!

The week after Thanksgiving, Mitch and I were able to go to Orlando, Florida together! Mitch was invited to go for a conference put on by the people who awarded him his scholarship (I/ITSEC, which I can't remember what that stands for right now; something about simulation education). One evening we went to a black tie dinner with over 2K other people where Mitch was presented his scholarship award in the form of a giant check. It was awesome and I was so proud of him! I took a little video of him receiving the award, but for some reason it won't post here. It was a fun night to celebrate my smart husband!


(Side note: After the dinner I convinced Mitch that we needed to mail the giant check home as a keepsake. How often do you get a giant check, right? Well, we were almost back to our hotel, when we realized they had made the check out to Michael J. Bott instead of Mitchell J. Bott! Arghhh! I was so upset at first, but we quickly realized it was funny and now it's a good joke to call him Michael. And after standing in line at the local post office for an hour, we did manage to mail the check home.)

Also, I tried on the dress to the black tie dinner before I left and showed it to Layla. She said, "Oooh Mom, you look so pretty! As pretty as me! As pretty as I think I am!" ;)

We spent another day at the Kennedy Space Center, which was much more fun than I imagined. We learned a lot and had fun too. Mitch was in nerd heaven when we walked through the missile garden and he could tell me more information about the missiles than what was listed on the plaques.

On my birthday we went to Universal Studios! I picked it because I heard it had good roller coasters and I love roller coasters! Unfortunately, Mitch got really sick while we were there and we ended up in the First Aid station. He had a fever of 102. (See a pattern here? Marcus had a high fever when we were in Disneyland. Apparently we need to stay away from theme parks.) That definitely put a damper on our day, but we still managed to have fun. We stuck to easier rides or plays, etc. and I rode another roller coaster by myself. Pretty sure the people I was sitting next to thought I was crazy, because as my feet were dangling hundreds of feet in the air while moving at incredible speeds, I kept yelling, "Don't look down! Don't look down!" Ha, ha! It was quite the thrill! We ended the day after I got super sick on the stupid Harry Potter motion ride; I can't do the motion picture/moving all over rides. By this point Mitch was feeling a little better. We had a yummy dinner at Hard Rock Cafe too!

Our last day we drove to Melbourne beach and ate lunch before heading to the airport. It was a great little get away! I missed the kids, but thoroughly enjoyed my quiet time. :) The kids stayed with my parents and had a blast. Each day it seems Marcus picked up their phone and said, "Mamma, Dada" and they would call us. So cute! It's nice to be home and I'm thankful for the time I got to spend with my hubby! He also really enjoyed the conference, which is good, because they asked him to be a part of it, so we might be going again.

Here are some funny/random things the kids have said/done lately:
-While listening to the song "Always in my Head" by Coldplay, Layla said, "Maxon is always in my head. I can't get him outta there! He's too funny!"

For an activity with the young men and young women at church a few weeks ago we made kits for homeless people. The kits had things like socks, food, gloves, water, etc. We kept one in our car to pass out when we saw someone in need. I explained to Layla what it was and who we would give it to. When we finally passed it out one day, Layla said, "Mom, we should have invited him to come live with us!" I didn't know what to say and before I could come up with the best answer, she said, "Oh, but we don't have enough beds. Maybe I should have just colored him a picture." I am so grateful for a sweet, loving, and thoughtful daughter!

Marcus is sweet too. I love when they sit side by side in the giant shopping carts at Costco and Layla will lean in face towards Marcus and say, "Kisses!" and he will kiss her on the cheek repeatedly while saying, "Muah!" It's the sweetest. I've trained him to give kisses on demand and it's my favorite.

Baking pies for Thanksgiving, pumpkin and chocolate.
They turned out good.

I might have said all of this before, so excuse me if I'm repeating myself. The kids are both at such fun ages and they are playing together really well. I can't wait to give them their Christmas presents since many of them are things they can do together! When they play, Layla often calls Marcus by the name Gary and it makes me laugh every single time.

Layla drew this at church. It's Nephi with his brothers, Laman and Lemuel.
Nephi was a prophet from the Book of Mormon and his brothers were always
very mean to him. I think her depiction is spot on!

After preschool the other day, Layla's teacher, Miss Tiffany, pulled me aside and told me how impressed she is with Layla's reading skills. She said she has taught preschool for over ten years and that she's had a few readers over the years, but that "none have been as advanced as Layla, by far." She really does amaze me every day with the words she can read and comprehend. She is a little sponge!


Lastly, I have to note that I love the street we live on. We have the best neighbors! They are so kind, and this time of year they are also so festive! We have 20 houses on our street and all but three or four have Christmas lights up! That might not seem like much to some people,  but I've never lived in such a festive community. It's really fun to look down the street at night and see all the pretty lights. Our lights are all white and they are very pretty. But Layla told us that she's "disappointment that our lights are just yellow. They're not as cool as Lily's!" I love her use of the word disappointment, but we were sad that she has the grass is greener syndrome. Being the awesome parents that we are, we told her (exaggerated) stories of our childhood of no Christmas lights, no Ipads, no large tvs, no computers, etc. while she half-listened and acted annoyed. Ha, ha! Merry Christmas!

Randoms

Layla quote: "Marcus, you're so stinkin' cute you make me fart! It's true! He almost made me fart!"

While driving in the car: "I'm going to marry Marcus because no other girls will want to marry him."
Me: "You don't think any other girl in the whole world will want to marry him?"
Layla: "No, so I guess I'll have to. But that's okay because I'm cute and funny too!"

 We paid a company to put Christmas lights on our house. Turns out it's a way better deal than I thought, and we get to keep the lights!

 It's so much easier to shower with the kids than to bathe them! Plus, they love to stay in there and play after I get out so I can get ready easier. Win win!

How's that for random???

Halloween 2014

Mitch was the trooper parent who carved pumpkins with the kids. I was at mutual on the only night we had available to carve them, so he took it all on himself. Personally, this is one tradition I could go with out, but the kids love it, so whatever. They carved "a scary face with lots of teeth" for Marcus, and a kitty cat face for Layla.

This year we went with Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. Since I couldn't find a reasonably priced Peter Pan costume, I decided to go all Martha Stuart and make both of the kids' costumes. They turned out pretty good as long as you don't look too close. ;) It cost more the make the costumes than I thought it would, so I'm not sure I'll do it again, but at least I had fun doing it this year!

Layla wore hers the day before Halloween to her preschool party where she had a blast. On the actual holiday I took the kids trick-or-treating with my mom to Aunt Natalie's work and my dad's work. Marcus was so pooped after Natalie's that he fell asleep on the way to grandpa's and was out for a majority of the time at my dad's work. Poor Peter Pan.

That night I took the kids trick or treating to two houses, but Marcus was slow and not very interested, so I took him home and Mitch took Layla out. They were gone for over an hour and managed to hit lots of houses. Now we have way too much candy, of course, but we do have lots of good memories. :)

Layla definitely had the most fun, but Marcus loved it too. He just didn't seem to get the concept very much; his only concern was eating candy (including wrappers) and he didn't worry about getting more as long as he had one in his hand. I'm sure he'll get it down pat next year.

This wasn't on purpose, but six months ago I scheduled a dentist appointment for myself and Layla for the week after Halloween. I can't think of a better time to get my teeth clean than after a week of eating too much sugar!

Moab Wedding

Katie and Brandon got married in Moab last month! I was so happy and excited for them! We made a little trip out of it and enjoyed the beautiful views and spending time together.

Layla was the flower girl. She rocked it. Brandon's nephew, Maxon, was the ring bearer. He is also Layla's first crush! She acts so giggly and hyper around him. She even tried to kiss him! Mitch told her that she needs to "play hard to get and make Maxon think you don't like him," to which she responded, "But Dad, I LOVE Maxon!" Oh boy. We're in trouble! She's only four!!! Ha, ha. At least she picked a really cute boy to have as her first crush!

I was the photographer for their engagements and wedding day. It was so much fun! It was a little stressful since I was also trying to get my kids ready and participate in the wedding, but overall I truly enjoyed the photography side of it. I am even more convinced now of my desire to be a wedding photographer. My most embarrassing moment did happen while I was taking the big group photo and fell off the chair I was standing on. Miraculously I managed to land on my feet, which lead to everyone referring to me as "Ninja" for the rest of the night. Oh geez. But I digress. The pictures are beautiful, but how could they not be with a gorgeous bride, handsome groom, and stunning scenery?!?

After the wedding we were able to see Dead Horse Point and Arches National Park. I really loved the Sand Dunes Arch and we spent quite a bit of time there. Marcus was NOT a happy camper about spending so much time in the car— not that I blame him, but the screaming and crying got old real fast. I don't think we'll be doing any road trips or vacations that require a lot of time in the car for a while. I will say that the kids were very well behaved considering that it wasn't always fun or ideal for them. They are so much fun, even when they're exhausting.

It was so great to spend Katie and Brandon's special day with them. It seems that everyone shed tears of happiness. They are perfect for each other and I am so happy for them! It was also nice to spend time with Kevin and Kathy; the kids especially loved having them around to play all their silly games together.

Now Katie and Brandon are closing on their new home this week! They will be living less than a quarter mile away from us! It will be fun to have them close. I just hope they don't get sick of us!

Girls' Trip!

Layla and I were able to go on a girls' trip with Nicole and Oakley! It was so fun and something that we need to do annually. We went to St. George and saw The Little Mermaid at Tuachan Amphitheater. All four of us enjoyed the play and Layla keeps asking me when we're going to see it again! It was really nice to spend some time with just my baby girl. That doesn't happen often enough anymore. She is so sweet, smart, and fun to be around; I love her so much!

Layla was concerned about how Mitch would fare while we were away. The night before we left she said the family prayer and she said, "We're thankful we can go on our girl trip. Please help Daddy to know what to make for dinner while we're gone."

When we picked Nicole and Oakley up Layla said, "Oakley I'm sorry Marcus couldn't come, but don't worry, I'm funny too!"

The drive down and back went by so fast! We only stopped once each way and the girls chatted and colored the whole drive, never complaining once! I guess we'll have to bring Oakley on all our road trips from now on. Layla would love that!

She asked me to take a pic of her doing this.
Not sure why, but it does make me laugh!

We spent time shopping, of course, and some time with my grandpa. It was a great trip and I hope we have another girls' trip next year! I'm thankful for our friendships with Nicole and Oakley!

I am thankful to my husband who was supportive of our selfish desire to get away for a weekend and for his willingness to watch Marcus all weekend (though they did have fun together and Mitch spoiled Marcus all weekend). After we left, Mitch took Marcus to Wal-mart and let him pick out a new toy before going out to eat. On Sunday Mitch said he "took Marcus up the canyon to look at the leaves but he didn't appreciate it." It made me laugh out loud. So cute!

Autumn 2014

Only in Utah is it 90 degrees on Thursday, and 60 degrees just three days later! We were so hot and then in a matter of days it became autumn and we have frost on the rooftops in the mornings. I was sick of the hot weather, but I wasn't ready for such a sudden change. Anywho, 'tis the season for pumpkin flavored treats and making Halloween costumes (both of which I have been eating/making)! 

Last week Layla went on a field trip to the fire station. I drove her and one other little girl while my kind grandma stayed with Marcus. It was fun to join them and see Layla with all of her classmates (she is definitely the talker/know-it-all of the group! Ha, ha!). Then a few days later, Mitch and I took the kids to the fire station for their annual shin dig where they had balloons, goody bags, displays, etc. and we even took a ride on a fire truck! It was pretty neat. Marcus and Layla both had fun imitating the sound of the siren. We saw Smokey the Bear and learned about fire safety.

 Last month I kept meaning to take my kids to this field near our home where there were lots of sunflowers to take some pics of their sweet faces. I waited too long and the sunflowers were mostly dead, but we still got some cute pictures. Next time I will go sooner in the month, and not so late at night (some of the pics were too dark so we went back the next morning and took a few more (this was also when I made Layla pee in the bushes because she didn't go before we left the house and we weren't near a bathroom. It was pretty funny, and gross.)).

Picture overload:

Layla took this picture! Pretty good, huh?

 And now for an unflattering picture of myself, but one that I love because it shows what part of my mornings consists of: snuggles with my kids! Layla will always snuggle first and then Marcus gets jealous and pushes her off my lap so he can sit there himself.

This boy LOVES to play outside and screams every time we head in.

He especially loves to "ride" Layla's bike. Never mind that it's pink and covered in princesses. Oh, he also insists on wearing her helmet. It's pretty funny.

 This is the smile I get when I tell him to "say cheese." Oh.my. He melts my heart!

 Just chillaxin' at church, drinking his milk from his sippy cup. NBD.

 He walked in my room with Layla's princess crown on his head like this. He was so proud of himself.

 She wanted to do these poses for her "first day of preschool" pictures.

 I had to bribe her to do a normal pose. Silly girl.

I wanted a free box of Krispy Kreme donuts on International Pirate Day, but I didn't want to dress up like a pirate. Then it hit me: Layla can dress up like a pirate! Yummy!

 Lately she insists on rolling her pants up like Steve Urkel and tucking her shirts in. It's a daily battle. She is such a sweet girl though! Last Sunday in Primary she drew a picture of herself with Jesus. At the top she wrote, "I love you Jessis." There is a gray scribble above her head in the picture. When I asked her what it was she said it was Jesus "fixing" her hand because it was "messed up" and pointed to the hand she had drawn that was slightly scribbled on. It made me so happy that she is learning about our Savior and the many miracles He performed while He lived on earth. We talked about it for a minute and she smiled. It was a sweet moment as a mother where I know she felt the Spirit and I was grateful for the role my faith plays in my life and my childrens' lives.

Marcus got a new hairdo! I can't remember if I already posted about this or not, but it's super cute! The faux hawk definitely fits his personality.A few things about Marcus lately: he only says Layla's name when he's yelling at her. He yells and grunts it at the same time, if that makes any sense. He pronounces it "Ah-ya!" They have been playing together really well lately. They play The Chase Game, which consists of Marcus chasing Layla around the house while they both yell and giggle. Marcus lets out this high-pitched squeal that I can only assume is his imitation of Layla's girly scream. It's pretty funny.

Most mornings I put Marcus in the shower with me. Then I don't have to wonder what trouble he's getting into while I'm showering. He usually stays in there while I get out, get dressed, and do my hair and make up. He really enjoys using the squeegee on the glass and has gotten quite good at it. Teaching him young.

I may have already wrote this on here, but after the park one day, Layla was sweating and told me, "Mom, my face has tears on it, but I'm not crying." She was so confused. My kids make me laugh every day! 

In other news, I was recently called to serve as a Young Womens' advisor at church. I am a Beehive Advisor, so I work with the 12 and 13 year old girls. I LOVE it! They are such good, good girls and their energy and zest for life is contagious. I hope I can raise Layla to be as kind and loving at that age like these girls! They are good examples to me and it's supposed to be the other way around!

Mitch and I have bought a few Christmas presents for the kids already! We got them some books; Layla's are all coloring or drawing books. She's really into that lately. We also got them a Fisher Price Up and Down Roller Coaster, which is basically a 10 foot long rolling track with a little cart they can ride on. It's for ages 2 to 5, so they can have fun playing with it together. I can't wait for them to see it Christmas morning!!! I can only imagine the fun they'll have on it! 

A couple of months ago, Mitch and I went and floated the Provo River with my parents. I was really excited and it started out great. Then about 20 minutes into our 1.5 hour long float, it started raining. Pouring, actually. And we were SO cold! It was a total bummer. It cleared up for about the last 10 minutes. We did laugh it off, and it was something I'll never forget, that's for sure. Next time we'll check the weather before we go!

I have been enjoying taking more pictures for people. I have a few more booked now that fall is here. I am taking Katie and Brandon's wedding pictures in a few weeks for their wedding in Moab. I am nervous because last night I had a dream that as Katie was walking down the aisle and I was snapping away, my camera broke! I started crying and had to tell Katie as she was saying her vows that my camera was broken and I didn't know what to do. I woke up nervous and now I think I need buy a spare camera. :)

Speaking of Katie, I went to her bachelorette party last month. It was fun to meet her friends; she has some really good friends. I am so excited for her and Brandon to get married! And for their new house to be done so they will live within walking distance to us (0.25 miles away, according to our GPS watch). They might get sick of us ... 

Brock and Natalie are preggo! YAY! I am beyond happy for them and can't wait to hear what sex their baby is so I can start buying new/ giving our old stuff! I am also excited to finally meet baby Tennesey when they come for Thanksgiving!

Welp, gotta go fold laundry and start dinner. I seriously love my job as a stay at home mom and feel so blessed to be able to do this!