Where do I start? (part 1)

Okay! It has been forever since I have added any family pictures or recaps on this blog. As I was looking through some recent pictures, I'm having a hard time narrowing it down...so I'm including several!

I decided to start a little tradition for the first day of Spring.

I made the boys the "mud pie" (oreos, chocolate pudding, and gummie worms)

and served it to them in little spring time bowls and

they had little plastic shovels to dig in with.

They loved it. I loved it. I think we'll do it again next year! :)

We discovered that the local High School did a drop in Gymnastic class. I took the boys a couple of times before they ended it for the summer. They both loved it.

Especially little Grant.

He really hasn't been able to participate in anything like this yet. He has endured watching Lincoln getting to do "everything." (Gymnastics in Idaho, soccer, pre-school, etc.) But Grant was finally big enough to participate! It was so fun watching him get so excited to try something new! They both did great.

Sweet little Eli got his first tooth (at 6mo.)! He was acting unusually fussy, not really eating, a little feverish a few days before we noticed this little tooth poking through. It never occured me that he might be teething, but when he opened his mouth at breakfast time, I saw that little tooth that was causing him so much discomfort! (the second one popped through about a week later...he now has 2 adorable little teeth on the bottom)

Bubble blowing is one of Grant's favorite pass times this Spring. He loves to blow the bubbles and chase after them to "get them." Once the soap runs out on the wand he hands it back to me and simply says, "More! "

My 3 special boys. This picture was taken on Eli's 6 month mark (I can't believe it)!

Notice cute Lincoln's lip? He had a pretty fat lip from tripping into the toilet rim a couple days before! He ran into the bathroom just before leaving for the park. I was finishing up feeding Eli his lunch when all of a sudden I heard a horindous scream from Lincoln.

He came back to the kitchen with blood all over his face and hand. I was finally able to calm him down enough to understand what happened. The inside of his mouth was split pretty bad. Thankfully no teeth were knocked out or pushed back. The left side of his face was pretty swollen quickly and the blood took awhile to stop. He was in quite a bit of pain the first day but he healed up pretty quickly. We were so grateful that it wasn't serious.

This picture was taken a couple of days after it happened. He was finally able to laugh a little about hitting his face on the toilet!

Celebrating Mommy's birthday!

Happy 6 months to Eli and 35 to Mommy!

Tag. You're it.

This just happens to be Lincoln's newest favorite game...but for this moment I'm talking about being "blog tagged." I don't know if I have ever been "blog tagged" (if I have and I missed your tag, I'm terribly sorry!), and I don't know if I would always "play" the game. But this tag came from my sister-in-law, Lindsey, and so because of you Lindz, I will play!

First list 3 things you like about yourself...

1. I LOVE that I am a Mommy. I adore my boys. They are wrapped around my finger and I love being with them everyday exploring, learning, and even tantruming! But even more than that I LOVE that I am a wife! I am in love with Brandon and he is wrapped around my heart. I love being able to progress with him and that with him eternity looks fantastic! :)

2.When push comes to shove I can get things done. Sometimes it's not easy or convenient, because I admit, I'm really good at procrastinating pretty much everything. But if I say I'm going to do something, it will get done. And thankfully my wonderful Brandon is usually right there with me helping me meet the deadline. I'm sure there are times he would rather be sound asleep, but he's a trooper and goes along with my crazy schemes and ideas.

3. I'm usually pretty calm and laid back about most things that are going on. Well maybe not at 4:45pm when 3 boys are hungry, one Mommy is hungry, dinner is cooking, and Daddy is hopefully on his way home. But usually I'm pretty calm with the ins and outs of the day. I try to remember and live the saying "keep calm and carry on"

Next post a picture that you love...
What? 3 likes and only 1 picture? That isn't right! I love pictures...they seem to freeze time and take you back to that moment....to the feeling, the emotion, the smells, the sounds, I love it. Hmmm...I may have to put at least 3 pictures that I love! I'm sure they will speak for themselves....since a picture is worth 1,000 words.

Okay...a few more than 3 pictures and I better stop otherwise I'll all of my pictures just may end up on here!

Family Pictures

It has been driving be crazy that since Eli was born, we have very few pictures of our whole family (even just everyday snapshots). I have felt terrible that the family pictures in our house are without Eli. I didn't like that there was a hole in our family pictures now.

I mentioned this to a friend about a month ago and she so thoughtfully said, "then let's go out after church on Sunday and take some." Her and her husband have a nicer camera and just shot a bunch of different pictures for us. There's just not many photographer options in the area...besides Wal-mart and I didn't want to pay for what I knew I didn't want!

All things considering, I think the pictures turned out quite good...we are so thankful these sweet friends were willing to do this for us! And man oh man, taking pictures with a preschooler, a toddler, and a baby is not easy...especially when part of the shoot was by lake!

But now we finally we have some pictures of our Wilde party of 5 in our house...I love it!

Happy (late) Valentines Day!

I love Valentine's Day. Sure some people may say it's just a silly "Hallmark Holiday," but I love that there is a day about LOVE!

I had big plans this year to have some fun decorations around the house, do fun Valentine's crafts with the boys, have heart shaped sandwiches for lunch and a special dinner with some chocolate fondue for dessert...but then life happened. I didn't get everything prepared like I had hoped to. In fact I didn't get anything prepared like I had hoped to. I spent my weekend helping with a Valentine's church party and preparing a talk for stake conference (which was terrifying for me). Then Sunday night poor Grant got sick at 2am and Eli woke up 2 times instead of one in the night...so come Valentine's morning I was a bit "groggy" to say the least and everyday things were needing to be done!

Anyway, I still had the boys in red (because Lincoln told me red is the color for love) and tried to take some pictures...Lincoln still made little Valentine's cards for his little friends...we managed to make heart sugar cookies a couple of days before...and we still had a FHE all about love! No fancy dinner, no fondue, no cute little crafts, even my little Valentine for Brandon wasn't as I had envisioned. But I hope these little boys and their Daddy know how much I love them. I guess it's the everyday things that make up love anyway...the quick kiss to start the day, cleaning up messes, and then cleaning them again, ordinary playtime, kissing "boo-boos" better, my endless piles of laundry...changing an gross amount of diapers...singing songs at naps/bedtime, and then a kiss to end the day too, the simple family dinner!

I love and adore my 3 little guys so much! I really feel so lucky to be their Mother. Being a Mommy is far better than anything I could have imagined. In each of their own little ways they make each day special and so much fun. I love being with them and watching them grow. They are changing and learning new things every second. And man alive that is fantastic, but it drives my crazy! I love having them be all mine and for me to be all theirs. I love these little ones just the way they are.

I love that Lincoln is such a leader. He is independent and caring and protective of his brothers. He is a great friend and loves to have his friends over to play. He always wants to make sure they are comfortable and happy while at our house. He is such a big helper and loves to do his "jobs" around the house. Even without being asked. He has the biggest imagination ever and he is so smart. He remembers what he is learning in preschool, church and FHE. I can't believe he knows how to ride his bike all by himself and already without training wheels, I can't believe he can write his letters and is starting to read, or that he can pour his milk all by himself and have just the right amount. You are amazing Lincoln and I love you so much!

I love that Grant is so funny. He is such a sweet boy and loves to do his own thing but will cuddle with Mommy or Daddy. Grant freely gives kisses and I love it. He has such a funny sense of humor and he likes to make people laugh. He absolutely loves and adores Lincoln (his Ga Ga). He is his little sidekick. When they see each other after not seeing each other (after school, primary/nursery, or even first thing in the morning) he sweetly says, "Hi Ga Ga." And gives him a big hug. He loves his "Lee Li" and is very protective of him. He loves to make Eli smile. He is asking questions right now for the meaning of words. I love it. My favorite has been, "What means love Mommy?" I am amazed that Grant knows his ABCs, his numbers and shapes, and I love when he sings "You Are My Sunshine!" I love when he laughs, I love when he does his silly faces. You always make me smile Grant, I love you so much!

I love that Eli is so calm and peaceful. He is full of love. He smiles at anyone who comes to see him. I absolutely love that when I go to pick him up he starts kicking and reaching for me. I can't seem to get him quick enough. Four months have already flown by. He is already trying to sit up, and he can roll over! He loves to play pat-a-cake and have Lincoln or Grant by him. I love his laugh, I love his baby rolls on his tummy and legs. You make everyday brighter, I love you Eli!

And then there's my Brandon, my number one, my love! As much as I love my little boys, I love their Daddy that much more. I am so amazed and proud of everything he has done/does. I love that when he does something he wants to do it right. He "practices what he preaches" and definitely keeps it real! I love the Daddy that he is. His boys adore him. I love the husband that he is. I am head over heals in love with him. I know that he loves me unconditionally. He encourages me and because of him, I want to do better. He is so supportive of anything I want to do. Even after all this time, I still love when he comes home and am so excited to see him. He makes me laugh. He is my everything. He is my favorite part of anything. My days are better because of him. I love you so much Brandon.

Eli

We decided to have Eli's special blessing day while we were in Utah so that much of our family would be able to share this day with us. Eli was blessed during a special FHE on December 27, 2010 at Gramma and Grampa Wilde's Utah home. It was intimate and perfect.

Brandon gave a powerful blessing to little Eli. Little Eli was able to have his Daddy, his 2 Grandpas, his Great Grandpa Perry, and his uncles Darren, Jon and Greg stand in the circle for him. Eli is such a special boy to us and we are so grateful to have him in our family. He is full of love for anyone and such a happy and peaceful baby. We love you so much Eli!

ELI DAREN WILDE

Daddy.Eli.Mommy

Lincoln.Mommy.Eli.Daddy.Grant

the Wilde brothers

Eli and his 'namesake'...Uncle Darren

Pop Watts.Eli.Gramma Watts

Pop Wilde.Gramma Wilde.Eli

Gramma Watts.Great-Grandpa Perry.Eli.Mommy

Almost all of Shan's family the Sunday before Eli's blessing

Pre Christmas Fun...

Just a few of my favorite snapshot during the Christmas 2010 season,,,

The little ones under the tree...

We took a little family outing on the local Polar Express...

Making Gingerbread cookies...

Merry Christmas!

Goodness! It's about time...it's only a month and a half after Christmas! We had a very Merry Christmas spent with extended family in Utah. It was fun to be able to spend the holiday seeing so much family. From traditional festivities to having a 'Just Dance' party with my family, and making a snowman and doing a puzzle with Pop and Gramma Wilde!

The boys were completely spoiled by Santa...I don't know what he was thinking. I guess those boys were pretty good for 2010! Lincoln and Grant's 'big' presents were Woody, Jessie and Rex from Toy Story (they both are a little obsessed right now) and a train table! Little Eli got his first Teddy Bear and some other little goodies just for him! They were pretty excited about the whole thing.