..dad turns 31..

dear boys,

today dad turned 31 years old! i can hardly believe that he is that old. haha i only say that because i remember his 25th birthday like it was yesterday. anyway, last year i really dropped the ball on dad's big day. i mean, i was pregnant and sicker than i've ever been in my life (with the flu), but still, that is no excuse. so this year i set out to redeem myself, and i must say, no that it's all said and done, i think i did a pretty fabulous job. ;)

i was talkin' to grandma cindy last week and mentioned that i wanted to throw a surprise party for dad. we deliberated about where to do it, and after much thought (not really!) decided denny's would be the perfect location. haha it's sort of a family joke that lance's two favorite restaurants are ruth's chris and denny's. i was a little embarrassed to invite people to denny's, because if we're being honest here, it's the most disgusting restaurant ever. however, i knew it would make dad laugh. so i sent out a mass text (i know, i know, it's so unlike me not to send an actual invitation, however i was running short on time so mass text was the best i could do) and that was that. surprise party planned!

over the next week or so, it wasn't really hard for me to keep it a secret, but it was a little difficult for me to contain my excitement! i felt like i was going to burst at the seams. i had a whole night of surprises planned for dad, and i just couldn't wait for his birthday to get here because i was so excited to see his reaction with everything. i told dad not to plan dinner with anyone (we usually go out with grandpa jeff, wendy and grandma cindy) because i wanted it to be just him and i. dad made it very clear that he wanted to go to la caille for dinner, and was 95% sure that's where we were going. he kept saying, "other than dinner, i have no idea what we're doing on my birthday." haha i got the biggest kick out of hearing that. ;)

anyway, the big day finally arrived! we ran some errands this morning (let's be honest, we've been running errands all week long for this), came home and napped. then grandma cindy got here so i could do a few last minute things sans crazy children (like go pick up the balloons and cake) then dad and i were off on his surprise birthday adventure!

i blindfolded him because i didn't want him to know what we were doing until the last possible second. he was surprisingly good and didn't even try and peek. first stop? sanctuary day spa at the gateway, where dad was treated to a 30 minute massage. i would have made it a 60 minute, but we didn't have tons of time. he was so excited when he realized that's what he was doing. while he was getting that, i surprised him with getting my eyebrows waxed and dyed (something he frequently urges me to do, ha!).

after his massage, the blindfold went back on and we headed back to bountiful....to liz's nail salon to be exact, where we both got pedicures! it was kinda funny how much dad enjoyed his pedicure. traditionally a pedicure is not something men get, however i see men getting them almost every time i go in, so i figured it couldn't be too girly. of course he didn't get his toes painted, and i mean he does work hard all day long, standing on his feet for a good portion of it, so i'm sure it felt nice for him to get his feet rubbed. :)

back in the car we went, and i told him we had one last stop to make before heading to dinner (since he was still certain dinner was at la caille). i took a little detour driving to denny's, because i didn't want him to know where we were going. once we got there, i made him keep the blindfold on, and i helped him out of the car, along the sidewalk and into the restaurant. dad kept saying, "where are we? are we at a restaurant??" haha he said he could hear the silverware. smart guy! anyway, when we got inside where we could see everyone, i took the blindfold off and dad's face was priceless (and i have the pictures to prove it!) some of his favorite people, all in one place, at the grossest restaurant ever, i might add, to celebrate him. it truly was a wonderful night, full of laughter, good company and gross food. ;)

tonight when we got home, he thanked me and said it was one of his best birthday's ever. that sure made me feel good! i had been so so excited for it, and was glad to know he appreciated it! big thanks to grandma cindy for watching you little rug-rats, and to everyone that came. finn, you've been sick so you weren't feeling too good but you were a trooper. and little samuel...well you had a bit of a melt down and were screaming when dad and i walked into the restaurant! :( grandma said you'd been crying like that for nearly an hour. i think you were just overwhelmed at all the unfamiliar faces, and didn't know where your momma was. after a quick drive around the block you fell asleep, so that was nice. it broke my heart to see you so upset.

anyway, happy birthday to our dear old dad! he does so much for all of us, more than any of us probably know. i'm so thankful for how hard he works to provide, so that i'm able to stay home and be with you crazy boys all day long. he loves both of you more than you'll ever know. i seriously see him light up when he is around you guys. i think i've told you both before, but all his life he has wanted to have two boys....two little buddy's to go out wheeling, and shooting, and camping with, and you guys made that dream come true for him. even though it makes me a little sad that finn likes dad so much more than he likes me, at the same time i'm so very grateful. i know all three of you will be best friends when you get older, and that warms my heart more than you'll ever know. :) love all of my boys so very much (dad, finn, sam, duke & claus). i'm one lucky gal.

love,
mom

..love day..

my dearest boys,

happy valentine's day! even though most people i know consider valentine's day to be overrated, i am thankful for it because it is at least something pleasant to look forward to during the gloomy winter months. this winter seems to be particularly bad. i swear between the four of us, at least one of us has been sick since the beginning of january. :( no bueno! i am ready for some sunshine and warm weather, i tell ya!

we kept things pretty low key this year, since both sammy j and i are sick right now (flu & pink eye). i started a tradition a few years ago of doing a home-cooked, candlelit dinner for valentine's night (since restaurants are over-crowded, thus making service and bad and the food not nearly as good) but i didn't even feel up to cooking tonight. :( i was a little bummed that we didn't keep that tradition going, but i promise i'll pick it up next year.

we were running errands for a good portion of the morning. i was looking for gifts to give grandma cindy and dad. we finally found a little somethin' for grandma, but nothing for dear ol' dad. he prob thinks i'm the worst wife ever! ;) we dropped some valentine's off to locke and mccoy, then headed home, where we were surprised with balloons and beautiful flowers. daddy-o sure is great, isn't he?

grandma came down to bring each of you a cute little gift, so after opening those, as well as the gifts cupid (aka your dad and me) brought you guys, we set out in search of a restaurant that, hopefully, wouldn't be too crowded. after calling two steakhouses to see what the wait times were, and being told by both that they couldn't seat us til 9 o'clock, we decided to set our sights a little lower. just as we decided on winger's, i remembered that j wong's never seems to be too terribly crowded, so i called to see if they could seat us any time soon and he said to head on down and they'd get us seated strait away! yay for good chinese food and no waits on valentine's day! the food was still as delicious as it always is, and we were seated in back so we didn't have to worry about bothering other patrons. i'd say it was a very successful valentine's day dinner. :)

i love you boys more than i could ever put into words, and even though valentine's day is a little cheesy and overrated (since, let's be honest, we should celebrate love every day of every year), i love that there is one day of the year set aside for it. even though i'm sick and not feeling too good, this was probably one of my favorite valentine's days ever, thanks to you boys and your sweet dad.

love ya!

love,
mom

..island park..

dear boys,

this past weekend we took a little road trip up to island park, idaho. our neighbors/friends, the kettle's, have a cabin up there, and were gracious enough to invite us up for the weekend. it was fun to get away, even if it was only for a couple days.

the drive up went much smoother than i was anticipating. thanks to the iPad, finn was entertained for most of the drive, there and back. and mr. samuel was a little champ and slept most the way. :)

we had so much fun hanging out with max, lucy, viv, danny and jess. we love them all so much, and are so glad they moved across the street from us. finn played so well with the kids. he especially loved viv. just wanted to give her hugs and kisses all day long.

finn wasn't a big fan of sledding, but he did seem to enjoy going for rides on the snowmobile. way to make your dad proud, finners!

this was our first trip as a family, and i'd say it was a success. thanks to grandma cindy for staying at our house and watching our furry brothers. :)

love,
mom

..sam is 4 months old..

dear sam,

mr samuel james, how are you already 4 months old?! i just cannot believe it. you are changing before our very eyes, and i really wish we could just press pause...slam on the brakes...slow down for a while, ya know??

i have to say, i'm totally loving this age. you are sleeping so well, are on a schedule, and you are just a happy, content baby. i used to think your brother was the sweetest baby i'd ever seen, but i'm thinking you are just as sweet! so lucky for me that i have such sweet boys. i love it! you smile all day long, giggle at the most random things, and are just so much fun to be around.

my heart swells with love and pride as i hold you in my arms and watch you grow each day. it's amazing to me the capacity for love that a mother possesses. i never thought i'd be able to love another child the way i love finn, but then you came and proved me wrong. i love you so completely and unconditionally, and what is so interesting to me is that my love for you is separate from my love for him. i love you both equally, but definitely as individuals. i tell ya, being a mom is such a special thing, and i'm so grateful for the opportunity i've been given to raise you two little boys. :)

here are some things about you at 4 months old:
-you sleep between 9 and 11 hours most nights, and are getting close to sleeping 12! way to go!
-we figured out a schedule for ya, and you stuck to it. you wake up around 8, eat, play,  go down for a nap at 9:30, wake up at 11:30, eat, play, go down for a nap at 1:00, wake up at 3, eat, play, go down for a nap at 5, wake up around 6:30 or 7, eat, play, sometimes go back down for a quick nap around 8:30 or sometimes you'll just go to bed then, and you sleep til 8 the next morning! love it!
-started laughing more. you laugh at the dogs when they bark a lot, you laugh when i play peek-a-boo with you, you laugh when we tickle you or when we get right in your face and make silly noises. you laugh the most at night, it's kinda funny.
-you started talking a ton. it's crazy to me, because you didn't really start talking until this month, but you seriously just jabber all day long. especially after you've eaten and are super full and happy.
-you suck those fingers of yours all day long.
-as stated above, you are an extremely sweet baby. you have the saddest cry i've ever heard! it makes me want to take care of your needs instantly, because i just hate hearing you cry. not because it's annoying to me, but because it's so sad! same thing with your sad face. oh man, when that bottom lip curls down, i'm done for. saddest thing ever!
-you scratch yourself. it's really sad. we try and keep your nails clipped, but they most grow fast and they must be sharp because you have scratches on your face all the time.
-you are quite the chunk. you have the most delicious chubby thighs...i just want to take a bite out of them! ;) your torso is very long, so a lot of your onesies barely snap! but the rest of your clothes fit.
-your eyes are going to be brown, i think. they still aren't a totally defined color yet, but they are dark, and i love it! i also think you are going to be a little toe-head because your eye lashes and eye brows look non-existent, unless you look really closely! i'm so excited, i've always wanted a brown-eyed blondie. :)
-when you wake up from a nap or get up in the morning, you just lay in your crib and talk. love it!

your stats at four months old are:

weight: 16lbs 3oz (73%)

height: 251/2" (69%)

head circ: 41 1/2 (28%)

your doctor said you are developing right on track. we need to be better about tummy time because you still haven't made any attempt to roll over, but the dr didn't think there was any need to worry about that just yet. :) he said that we can start you on solids, if we'd like. for some reason, that makes you seem so old, so i think we'll hold off for now. maybe just for a month or two longer. when he asked how long your "long stretch" is at night, and i responded with, "11 hours," his jaw dropped, and he said, "don't tell your friends that!" haha meaning that it would make them jealous. you sure are a great kid, and i feel lucky that you're mine. you didn't like your darn shots. the second the nurse injected you with the first one, your body went rigid, your face turned bright red, and you screamed and screamed. broke mine and dad's hearts. dad said he can't come to these appointments because he can't stand to see you in that kind of pain. anyway, it's over now and hopefully there won't be too much residual pain. 

1) kisses. 2) finally, a video monitor! 3) you have such a good big brother. you're a lucky little dude.
4) cutie. 5) valentine pj's. 6) always sucking those fingers!
7) so happy! 8) rare snuggle time. wish you'd cuddle me more!! 9) matching boys for church. 

i love you more than i could ever put into words, sammy boy. you bring so much love to our family, and i'm so happy you're a part of it. you are so lucky to have a big brother that loves you more than you could ever imagine. he is just smitten by you, as are the rest of us. as sad as it makes me to see you growing up so fast, i am also loving all the different phases you go through. i'm especially looking forward to watching you and finn interact more and more as the months go by. i already know you're going to be the best of friends.

happy four months here, kiddo!

love,
mom

..finn is 22 months old..

dear finn,

today marks the 22nd month you have been here on this earth, and a part of our family. it honestly blows my mind, on one hand to think that 22 months have already gone by, and on the other hand to think that you've only been here 22 months. i know that totally contradicts itself, and doesn't make sense at all, but when i think about our family, it's like i don't even remember being a family before you came. i guess our life just started as soon as you got here, and honestly, i wouldn't have it any other way. dad and i had fun when we were first married, with no kids and a lot less responsibility, but the amount of love in our lives grew tenfold when you got here. at the same time, your almost-two-years here have gone by in the blink of an eye, and it makes me really sad to look back and realize how fast you are growing up. i have loved every single phase you've gone through (well, almost, ha) and i know in lots of ways things will just get even better. but there is so much of me that wishes i could just press pause, or rewind even, because you are turning into a little man too dang fast.

here are a few things i want to remember about you at this age.....
-you are talking more and more every day, and i'm loving it! hearing words come out of your mouth is one of my favorite things as a mom, yet. my favorite words of yours are "cracker," (which comes out "crahckah"), "bumbo," "sam," (comes out "nam"), "baby" ("beebee"), and "w," ("dubadubooh). haha there really are too many to list.
-you can now repeat the alphabet. it only took a day or two for you to really be able to say most of the letters pretty clearly. this is something we try and work on every day!
-when we ask you how old you are, you now hold up one finger and say "two." haha i don't know when or why you started doing this. in the past, when we've asked you how old you are, you always just held up one finger. i don't know why you started to say you're two!
-you learned what a snowmobile and truck say: "roomroomroomroom," (said in a very, throaty voice). haha dad taught you these. one day we were out running errands, and i all the sudden hear you say, "rooommroom," just as we were passing a truck! it was too cute.
-you officially switched over to taking just one nap a day. we still haven't totally figured out what time is best for you to go down, and the length of your naps is still very unpredictable. some days you'll sleep only two hours, other days four hours, and most days three hours. for the most part the transition hasn't been too terrible, and even though we've been cooped up in our house, you and i still find plenty to keep us entertained until nap time. :)
-you started spending some time in time-out this past month. this may sound horrible, but there are times when i put you in time-out, and it's all i can do to keep from laughing! haha sometimes you're pretty good when you're in time-out, and will stand patiently in the corner until it's time to come out. but most of the time you try and flirt or charm your way out, and that is when i really have a hard time not laughing. you'll look up at me with those baby blues and say "hi-eee" in your cute sing song voice and my heart melts a little. :) i do feel that you understand the concept, somewhat, and that you refrain from doing the naughty things that put you in time-out in the first place.
-you really have started to take an interest in the iPad, and are becoming really good at the games we have downloaded for you! just in the past few days you have learned to do things on there, and it literally blows my mind. you can unlock the iPad, get into one of your games and just start playing without help from me or dad. you are so close to figuring out how to play "sesame street" on netflix. craziness!! we went to island park this weekend, and having the iPad to entertain you made the drive there and back soooo much more bearable for all of us! :)
-choo choo's are definitely your favorite toy/thing right now. one of the games on the iPad has a choo-choo, and every time you turn the game on you say, "hi choo choo!" haha we have a few little trains around the house, and you love playing with those. i'm so glad, because i think trains are so cute and fun!
-you sing the clean up song whenever we clean up your toys. i guess you don't really sing it, but you hum it, it's really cute, and you do it every single time.
-you are becoming very helpful. you love carrying things in from the car for me and dad, you have helped dad take the garbage out a few times, you like putting the dishes away (mostly the silverware), you still like throwing both yours and sam's diapers away, and the list goes on! it amazes me how i can ask you to do certain things, and you'll actually do them! keep up the good work, kiddo! :)
-you still love your baby bro so much. you give him kisses and hugs all day long. you just love to be near him. one of my favorite things lately, is that when i go get sam in his crib after he's woken up from a nap, you'll come in there with me, climb up on his crib so you can see him, say "hi nam," then try and give him a kiss! if you can't reach, you ask me to help you! i love seeing you with him. it's my absolute favorite thing. :)
-one thing i don't like is this hitting phase you seem to be in. i don't know if you feel provoked by the dogs, or if you just think they are playing with you, but you try and whack them all day long. it is getting really annoying. the thing is, you love the dogs, and it's very obvious, which is what leads me to think you are just playing a game. but it isn't just the dogs. you do it to us to. the person you do it to the least is sam, which i'm kind of surprised about, but grateful for at the same time. hopefully this is just a short phase that you'll grow out of soon.

well mister, we've had a pretty boring month. besides the trip we took to island park this weekend, we haven't really done a single thing. it is so unlike us. normally we are all about getting out of the house, even if it's just to go walk/stroll around the mall, but we haven't done that very much even! there was one day, a week or two ago, that i drove to the mall because i was just going stir crazy. we got into the parking garage and i decided i didn't feel like getting out of the car, so i just pulled out of the garage to head home. you started screaming as soon as you realized we weren't going in! haha i think you were needing to get out of the house even more than me! i have just been so worried about going anywhere because i don't want you kidlets getting sick. you had the flu (just a 48 hour bug) last week, and it's just no fun seeing you sick. you were so cuddly, which i secretly loved, but it really wasn't worth it because i could just tell how miserable you felt. poor babe.

..taking pictures with your friends at the superbowl party..

..the day you were sick. you just wanted to cuddle all day, it was so unlike you :(..

1) chillin in the bouncer with sam. 2) building blocks is serious business, check out that tongue! 3) kisses.
4) watching someone snowplow our driveway. 5) feeding sam his baba.. i turned away to look at something, and when i looked back, this is what you were doing! melt! 6) artist at work!
7) i said, "finn, go sit by sam so i can take a picture." by him, on him, same thing! ;) 8) after eating a cinnamon sugar bagel. 9) matching boys for church. 

 anyway, here's to hoping that february goes by relatively fast, because once march hits i feel like the winter blues go away, and we can get back to playing outside and doing all the things we love to do that much sooner!

love you more than you'll ever know. a million billion times infinity squared, to the moon and back, and beyond!

love,
mom