A Few of My Favorite Things

Owen & Jack are definitely at the top of my list. It's ony been in the last year that I've felt so blessed to have twins. I will be the first to admit how hard the first couple years were, well maybe Nick would be the first to say it but I'm a very close second! We didn't have a clue what we were doing but we've managed and they still love us! They love being outside and always want to make sure we're watching them do all their "tricks" on the playground.

I love little girl tights! Leyla now has several pairs and they're just the cutest. I just can't resist tights and a cute dress.

(she's finally getting some chubs on her)

Snuggly footie pajamas from Costco. I've been impatiently waiting for Leyla to fit into 6 month clothes to buy these. I really wanted the cute pink pig ones but this was the only pair in her size. The boys even love them (I don't have any pictures of theirs). I've got to admit, though, that it kinda bothers me to buy footie pajamas in 5T, they're HUGE!

I love bath time with Leyla. It's pretty rare for the boys to ever take a bath- they do get clean, they just prefer showers. I've forgotten how fun it is to watch babies play in the water and soap them all up. Let's face it, I've basically forgotten everything about babies! It's exciting going through it all again, and this time we're able to enjoy it a whole lot more.

Pumpkin Patch

And we're not even in Oregon!

I heart Oregon, big time, and this time of year always makes me yearn to be there! I think pumpkin patches and Christmas tree farms are among the best things ever. It's just not the same going to Fred Meyer and digging through the giant cardboard boxes searching for those perfect pumpkins. Aunt Kenzie came to visit us for the weekend and we decided to search for somewhere more thrilling than Fred Meyer for some pumpkins. The boys are going on a little field trip in a couple weeks to a little farm so we thought we'd check that place out first. This 10 minute drive ended up being double that because we just didn't quite know where we were going. Once we found it Nick just drove right on by, not giving it a second look. It was a pretty sad little farm and it made me pretty sad thinking that it might be as good as it gets here. Nick had heard of another place about 30 more minutes away so, on we drove. Again, we really didn't know where we were going so we stopped at a gas station to ask around. No one seemed to know of anywhere to go except for one super nice guy who thought he saw a sign for pumpkins that very morning. Yay! He said he was headed that way and that we could follow him out there so, on we drove. Another 10 minutes of driving and we arrive to a little country house with pumpkins no where in sight. I guess it was just other produce a family grew and sold on their farm. Dang it. Feeling desperate, I call my dad to ask if he knew of anywhere we could go. He asks around his work and calls back about a little Red Barn that does pumpkins. By this time the boys were snoozin'

and the rest of us wished we were, but it was only another 30 minutes away so, on we drove.

Oh the pumpkins! The beautiful orange pumkins, green pumpkins, the cute gords, the kiddie straw maze- I loved it! And for a short while I was in Oregon...right here in Idaho.

Here's our loot back at home, and check out my bats!. I need a bail of straw to put them on (and the star needs to go) and I could definitely make another trip to the little Red Barn, I didn't even think about the inside of my house!

High On a Mountain Top

As you can tell by the posts below, we had a great weekend. Almost all my family met down in Park City, which just doesn't happen often enough anymore. It's hard when individual families start getting so big and busy that we can't coordinate a time when everyone can make it. There are now great great grandkids running around! My family is so great and it's such a privilege to be in their company. It was especially fun to see the cousins that I grew up with getting to know my family and all our kids being able to play together.

Not only was it a great weekend because I was nestled with my family up in the mountains but, also because it was conference weekend, and, although I have a lot to watch on DVR, still, the talks that I did listen to were, of course, quite inspiring. One such talk was exactly what I have been needing. I think we all go through times where we see other families and can't imagine them being anything but put together and perfect. Lately I feel like I just can't get it together, there's always something needing to be done. Always more cleaning, always more work, never enough time with my kids and husband. My testimony should be stronger, my prayers more thoughtful, and my knowledge of scripture stories more...shall I say, accurate? It's incredibly hard to prioritize all these things, to do any of them well, and to ever go to bed feeling like I did pretty good that day. A part of this talk talked about how we should pray to the Lord to help us love our spouses more; to earnestly pray for our spouses. It's made me think about how much I should be asking for help, such a simple (should be anyways) thing that I honestly don't hardly think about. I'm not just talking about asking Nick to do the dishes or Jack to put his clothes away. I'm talking about sincerely asking our Father in Heaven for help with the things that we truly desire. More loving relationships, more meaningful service, and more happiness. I know He wants to give us these things and it takes but a small effort on our part. So do it. We can do it together.

Hanging Out: Park City Style

We stayed in a great Cabin, fit the whole family, Nick and I even scored a king size bed! Six bedrooms, four "family rooms", two dining rooms, a theater room, and deer outside the bedroom window every morning- it really was great! It's the kind of place I've always wanted to spend Christmas, maybe someday.

Owie is certainly getting better with the camera, you can see all of our heads in this one!

Grandpa with Leyla.

Colby had been talking to Leyla and she thought he was just so funny! Wish I could have gotten her smiling with him, it was so cute to watch.

My pretty sister, Jessi. We missed having Jeremiah there with us.

The boys' best bud there, Brylee.

Conference Weekend at Park City

I can't even tell you how many times the kids watched Robin Hood. Brylee, Jack, and Owen could always be found snuggled up together watching movies on the couch.

So fun to see Janice and her daughter, Ayla (who has the most beautiful hair with ringlets all over!)

Shaylee playing Go Fish with the boys. There were a few times when it was just her and Owen, and he loved that. She was so great to play with the boys. I remember when she was a baby I was so in love with her, always wanting to hold her and be with her. She has grown up so fast I can't believe it!

Here's Mackade, my cutie nephew! He loves Leyla, he just stares at her and steals her sucky.

Lyssa and Leyla. She, too, was super great with the kids. She LOVES babies and couldn't keep away from Leyla and Mackade the whole weekend. Wish she lived closer, I'd make her into a real babysitter!