EIGHT days

GRADY Worth

Here is our new sweet boy. He is 8 days old and amazing. Icky and Mar love him so much as do Carl and I. I hope your Christmas was as good as ours was.

Have a great new year.

Oh the lies. . .

I know I am a horrible parent, but really I didn't know what else to do. But let me tell the story.

The kids and I went to my parents a couple of weeks ago. We waited until my Dad would be home because my Mom kept saying how much he has been missing the kids. So we got there and they played outside with Grandpa for hours, I know because I watched from the warmth of the house. They did take a break for dinner and I told the kids it was time to go, they never want to leave Grandma's house is so much more fun than ours. Just as we start getting our stuff together Garrick says, "We forgot to make a nest." So Grandpa gets a paper bag, cuts it small and goes out in the dark with Garrick and Marley to make a nest. He comes back with the bag full of twigs and stinky cut grass and proceeds to put a couple of duck eggs in it. (I know what you're thinking, duck eggs, he has a friend who has egg laying ducks. He and my mom have been eating them.) He then tells me that the shells are really thick and they will be harder for Garrick to break.



On the way home I decide to break the news that the eggs aren't going to hatch. Needless to say Garrick is upset he knows they are going to hatch and is yelling at me. I even started to try to explain the difference between a fertilized egg and an unfertilized egg. Carl looked at me and said, "Are you really having the birds and bees talk with our 4 year old?" I guess I kind of did. Well, nothing worked Icky was mad, so I cut a deal. I said, "Okay Garrick if these eggs are going to hatch they will in a couple of days, if they hatch you are right and I was wrong so lets wait a couple days and see what happens." He agrees and I successfully smoothed over a knock-down-drag-out with my boy.

After he went to bed I didn't want to put the eggs and the nest in the fridge so I decided to put them out on the back porch since it was cold I figured the eggs wouldn't get gross yet. I didn't know it would be really windy that night. Next morning when I went out back to check on things the nest was gone and the poor eggs were lying on the patio cracked (not broken just cracked). I scooped them up as quickly as I could and carried them quietly to the garbage. I then crossed my fingers and waited for the questions.

He finally asked about the eggs later that afternoon. Oh the lies, I told him they had hatched and flown away. He then asked about the nest (which I still have not found) I told him they took it with them so they would have somewhere to sleep. He decided they hadn't gone far and asked with tears and sobs if we could go look for them. Oh the lies, I then said that they had flown to Oregon (our favorite vacation spot) because ducks love Oregon and that we could see them next time we went. He was completely satisfied and we have had a great story to tell ever since. But oh the lies a parent will tell to appease their beautiful child.

This Girl

This girl of ours is so cute.

Example:

Me, "Marley does Jesus love you?" Marley, "Yeah, he licks me all the time."

Garrick, "Can you reach it?" Marley, "I can't reach it I don't have wings."

Me, "Mar do you love the new baby?" Marley, "Yes, I have a purple one and a princess in my belly button. Baby loves his princess."

She has forced me to put a necklace and bracelet on her all week. She told me today that she is a princess. I love this girl and I worry for my boys, because she thinks she is the boss.

Halloween

This October was filled with fun. It all started when Garrick (and Marley and I) went on his first Pre-school field trip to Black Island Farms, he thought it was amazing. It was fun to see how much he likes his teacher, he didn't let Mrs. Tonya out of his sight. It was also nice because Marley and I got in for free, yeah field trips! A couple of weeks later we went to a little party with Leah, Lindsey, Laura, and their kids. We had a good time (with the exception of Marley peeing outside) and it was fun to catch up the the ladies while the kids played. The kids decorated cookies and broke open a pinata, my kids didn't quite know what to think, but had a good time anyway.

Friday night our ward did a trunk-or-treat, which Garrick loves, he got to hang out with his friend Aiden a little and of course they love the candy. Then on Saturday we went to Grandma Gatherum's house to hang out with the cousins and have our favorite Chicken Corn Cowder, thanks MOM, then came home for pumpkin carving and Trick-or-Treating, I lucked out this year and Garrick was done after only a cul-de-sac (thank you rain). Carl was gone all day Saturday helping his brother pour cement and so we turned our light out on the porch at about 9 and I passed out on the couch thanks to a 32 week pregnancy and my pre-existing narcolepsy. Needless to say I was not extremely sad to see Halloween go, however I am extremely proud again of my home-made costumes, the kids really loved them. Now its Christmas right (at least that is the holiday I saw when I went to the store today).

The Greatest Show on Earth

A couple of weeks ago I noticed that the circus was in town. Carl was headed out of town and so I decided to take the kids to Salt Lake to the show. I remember going to a circus when I was a kid, but it was in Roy and I remember everybody being mad or disappointed or something. I was a little nervous to say the least. I am so glad that we went. The kids loved it and I loved it. They sang the whole time and moved quickly from one feature to the next so it kept our (the kids)attention. We had a ton of fun.
Garrick loved the cotton candy and the popcorn. He loved the elephants and it was his favorite part. He was just himself and he watched without saying too much.


We all loved the elephants. The kids were asking the whole time when the elephants were coming. It was the highlight of the show.

Marley was amazing, which she really is for a 2 year old. She sat on her chair almost the whole time and wore big girl under pants and kept them dry the whole time. She thought the animals were great and because the elephants were Garrick's favorite, they were hers too.
The tigers were really cool and I didn't feel like the trainers were cruel.

We ended the excursion by going to the Gateway for some lunch and to hang out at the splash pad for a few minutes. I love my kids, they are so great to take places. I honestly feel like I do a lot with them because I trust them when we go out. It may not have really been the "Greatest Show on Earth" but it was really good.

Change is in the Air

(The sunset on our last night in Hawaii.)

I guess change is inevitable and here is ours.



Marley is getting so big and she thinks she is as big as her brother. She is growing up. She is pretty close to being potty trained, she only wears a pull-up night. I've been so impressed by how quickly she caught on to the whole concept and I love that after I tell her I'm proud of her for going that she says "I'm so proud too." So there she is on Garrick's first day of school thinking she is 4 too.



Garrick has always been big but now he is definitely getting older and too smart. I don't think he knew what to think of his first day but he gave me a cute thumbs up. He had a great time, his favorite was the crafts. I didn't cry and neither did he, until he thought I hadn't come to pick him up. I'm proud of what a great boy he is, and I'm looking forward to see him learn.



And last, if you haven't seen me, #3 is on his way. I'm due at the end of December. Pregnancy is really easy for me so things are pretty good. Garrick wants to name him Garrick and so Marley wants another Marley. Crazy as it may be here we go. The only down side is a Christmas baby, which is not really what we were planning, but it will be an exciting holiday.

It is a good thing that I like change because here it is.

Life

So as life gets busier and busier and I blog less and less, I thought I'd take a moment while I still have one before school starts back up and life becomes, well, more busy.

Garrick: a quandry.
He is hilarious and frustrating. While I sit here watching them play in the pool, and he tries to make the boat his Dad made him float, he is asking Jesus to make his boat float, since neither Carl or I can. This is hilarious, what is frustrating is the hours he spends talking about the boat he wants to make and how I need to make it for him. (We are talking about a full size paddle boat that I can whip out of thin air, after we've made a trip to Home Depot of course.) He is also all of the sudden interested in all sorts of animals; what they eat and how to catch them. On the way home from Carl's parents when we thought he would be passed out he was asking us what every animal he could think of ate and then he asked us about chipmunks. He said he wanted to catch a chipmunk and we explained that it would bite him because it would think he was trying to hurt him because wild animals don't know we are nice, to which he replied; "I kiss wild animals."

Needless to say he is constantly keeping us on our toes and surprising us with how much he remembers and how bright he is.



Marley: a busy-body.

I spent 30 of Garrick's 40 minute swimming lessons consoling her because she didn't get to get in the pool. She is into whatever Garrick is into and talks a mile a minute. She doesn't let you ignore her and will say your name until you reply. She knows exactly what she wants and is trying to get it at all costs. She eats all my ripe tomatoes and some green ones. She is getting to be such a big girl. Her favorite things to say are "Right now." and "I need a snack." (Which she says the minute you get her out of bed.) I love that she'll play in her crib and give me a couple of minutes to wake up before she wants out, which is why we haven't given her a toddler bed yet.

The super belated 2.

Well the girl turned two a few weeks ago, which was really fun. The kids played in the pool in the morning which, tuckered little Mar right out, and she fell asleep during lunch. While they were in the pool I got her #2 shirt painted. (I love this new birthday tradition, the kids seem to like it too.)

We didn't have a big party but we had my parents over for dinner and presents. Marley only had eyes for grandpa, which Grandpa loves. She changed her outfit about 4 times (everytime she opened a new dress she wanted it on). She got a little pink kitchen and Garrick gave her a Tinker Bell doll.
We love our baby girl (which is what she says she still is). She is sassy and keeps up with Garrick even though he is twice her size, and after careful observation we've figured out that she does most of the teasing. She is as shy in public as Garrick is friendly and can't get enough of her mimis (blankets) and her thumb. She is so much fun. We love you baby girl.

9

Carl and I celebrated our 9th anniversary earlier this week. We had a low key day, Carl went to work and the kids and I hung out with aunt Chann, then we went to see the A-Team (which was a lot better movie than I thought it was going to be) and ate at Iggy's. We did a super low key anniversary because we are going to Hawaii at the end of July, yeah! We are having a great run we have a great home, great jobs, and two amazing kids, what more could you ask for. Carl is such a great dad and husband and I married my best friend, which makes life that much easier. I love you babe!

The Coast

We're at the Oregon Coast with the Gatherum's again this year. After a switch of houses, from a hole with a gas leak and potato bugs crawling everywhere to a $2.2 million gorgeous home, and a bunch of rain we are having a great time. This is one of our favorite places to visit.

Here are the kids at the Fish Hatchery in the Columbia River Gorge. Garrick ran away from the sturgeon, he said, referring to the fish, "He could eat me whole."

Marley thought she was so big hiking up Latourell Falls, she wouldn't let me hold her hands and kept putting them behind her back so I couldn't grab them. It was hilarious.

Marley loves the sand and didn't want much to do with the water.

Garrick loved running from the waves he was so funny and kept getting more and more brave, those waves are stronger than they look.

What kids pick up

It is really interesting what kids pick up from each other. We have begun introducing Marley to the 'potty' a little bit. By introducing I mean, we leave the door open when Garrick goes and we ask her if she wants to go. What has come from this is not what we expected. The past few weeks before we put Mar in the tub we ask her if she needs to go. The problem isn't that she won't try it is how she tries. She lifts up the seat stands up and arches her back and puts her belly over the rim of the seat and if I try to sit her down she gets upset. So until today that is all it has been Marley pretending to go potty. Tonight at bath time we did the same drill except, while I turned to check to bath water, she actually pottied. All the way down her legs. Needless to say I hope we can get her to sit next time, and we may start shutting the door when Garrick goes..

ICK Man

Our not-so-little Icky turned 4 last week. It was a much awaited birthday since we picked out his present the month before. We just hung out as a family and had our friends Wade and Erin over for cake.

O In the cute 4 shirt I made. Which didn't turn out perfect but he LOVES it. We couldn't get it off him for 2 days.


The goods. Check out his awesome blue bike. This balloon was HUGE.













Carl got trick candles and Garrick just wanted to keep blowing.



This is where they've been riding for the past week, thanks to mother nature who forgot how much I love spring and gave us a flashback to winter.


I can't believe how quickly he is growing. We love you bud.

Amazing

I know you all think that your husbands are amazing. But, really?! Carl is AMAZING. This shed went up in our backyard in a matter of probably a month if you cut out the few (winter months) in which he wasn't able to work. I am talking cement, building, hardy board, and painting. All of which he did by hand. Yep, this is not a kit. He borrowed the plans from some website, which was advertising kits, did his own measurements and built the whole thing (with a little help from siblings, parents, and neighbors). I am telling you my man is amazing, a little crazy (he roofed in the snow, and put up hardy board in the pouring rain) and obsessive (I can't tell you how many nights in the freezing cold he said, "I'll be in in a minute"), but amazing. You can see the progress below.








In all honesty he is such a great husband and father and person in general. I don't know of anything in his life that he doesn't do wholeheartedly. He takes pride in his work and does an amazing job. I love you babe!!

Update

The past few months we've had a few changes at our house, not bad changes, but changes none-the-less.

I was released from my calling in the Young Women's, which I'd been in for 3 years!! It has been a bit of a relief, but weird, to not have anything to do on Tuesday nights. I also have become obsessed with craft blogs, my newest favorite is Knock-Off-Wood. This lady looks at Pottery Barn furniture and makes a knock-off plan which you can get at her site for free. They look so good. I am planning to build a Cameron Shelf.

Icky is getting too smart for his own good, I asked him a question in the car the other day. Given it was a repeat, but he didn't answer the first time. His response was, "I told you that five minutes ago Mom." Also after getting after him for squeezing Marley's arm (which she hates) he said, "I didn't hurt him very bad." (every boy is a him as is every girl, I now find myself mixing the two up sometimes) He'll be four soon and I have found a couple of pre-schools I'm interested in sending him to and I'm getting a little heart sick that my boy is big enough for school.

Marley's personality is really starting to come out. She is so sweet, she shyly smiles at strangers and says cute things like "lub oo daddy" and "pease" and "ta tu". But I am learning that she doesn't like to be crossed or told 'no'. She hits and yells 'no' when her diaper is being changed (which she hates, by the way). She already knows how to run away when I'm trying to get her to do something. Marley knows how to get her brother in trouble, he'll come close to her and not touch her, she will yell and scream so I think he's done something and when I ask what has happened she'll say "Gayick hit." I really try not to laugh. But it is funny.

Carl hasn't changed much, he is a teacher in the elders quorem now, a break from primary. He is learning that the kids want him as much as me, every morning they ask for him then tell me I'm lying when I say he's at work. Marley runs after him and says "daddy, cawal," (Daddy, Carl)he loves this. Garrick wants to be his right hand man for fix-it jobs and Mario Cart Wii. He also keeps asking if Carl is getting old. He is such a great Dad.

Isn't a married-with-kids life fun.

WINTER Fun

We've been enjoying the winter months this year with some traditional and nontraditional activities.
Once there was a snow man. . . small, small, small.

Dashing down through the snow. . .
with Josh and Erin and the Petersons

and behind the four-wheeler at the Benchs.

It's a bird, its a plane, its. . .

super Garrickand super Marley.


I looked out the window and what did I see. . .
THE SUN!!

And finally going on a bear hunt. . .

DOWNSTAIRS. Our first official camp-IN.

The kids have been great, but have felt a little couped up. So any chance we get we try something to entertain them, even if it is a lot of work, we do it. We took a Front-Runner ride up to Union Station in Ogden, which is always great. They both loved sledding both down the hills and behind the four-wheelers. (We also rode horses that day but I didn't get any picks, Marley loved the "phishes" and wanted more rides.) I took them to story time at the library, which happened to be on SuperHero day. And the sun was out the other day, so I let them play in the empty flowerbeds in the sun, in they yard. Marley actually fell onto her head while her feet were still under her, she was stuck, it was hilarious, and yes I helped her up. Finally Garrick has been begging to go camping, the camp-IN was the next best thing. (We are really glad we have a big finished room in the basement.)

Hope you are having as much fun as we are.