Reading and Room

I suppose this post is just a little catch-all for my random happenings, but they are things that make me happy none-the-less! 

I've been thinking about starting to incorporate family scripture reading into our day (vs. just Kris and I), and I realized that Marin was at a seemingly appropriate age.  Just about 4 years old seems just about right for attention span, comprehension, that sort of thing.  SO....since my sister and I went to the Distribution Center when she was here, and she picked up a copy of the illustrated children's book, Book of Mormon Stories, I've been salivating to get one for myself.  It was exactly what I wanted!

I'm *amazed*...hear me...*amazed* at how well Marin has responded to the stories.  I figured that we would read one story around the breakfast table in the morning, but we've been reading two to three stories together on the couch every day.  She actually really LIKES reading them!  It makes me happy as a mother, of course, and it totally brings back memories...I looked at the SAME book when I was a kid, and they haven't changed a bit!  So, check out the books, softcover, about 10 bucks for this one, I got it at Deseret Book, but I know they sell them at the Distribution Center.

 And, my "new" dining room.  Obviously it's not new, but it's a new-to-me space!  We were using it previously as a play area for the kids, with all of their toys stuffed over there, and big blue comfy chair.  It worked fine for that, but let me tell you....toys-everywhere-all-the-time!  We've put the little pink kitchen set downstairs in Marin's room, and the other toys and books in Owen's room, and brought my lovely little  dining room table out of storage.  I LOVE having my table back again.  We had friends over for dinner on Sunday and it was absolutely perfect to have a proper dining table to sit at.  LOVE my table!

And, I picked up a few little finds at DI to make my own.  That black basket on the table was originally a regular old blah-basket until I spray painted it black, and now it's gorgeous.  And I found some icky picture frames and spray painted them gray, and now they are waiting for me to print off some pretty pictures to fill them.  Love that DI store.

Lazy Day Lagoon Date

So, Kristoffer did an overnight training at work last week, and they gave him a paid day off.  And what did we do with that day off?  We dropped the kids at Bestemor's house and took off! We were one of the first cars in line to get into the park, so we had a nice empty park to start.  

It was SUCH a great day, just the two of us.  We laughed and ran around and acted like kids and screamed on all the rides and soaked up the hot sun.  We ate hot dogs and cookies and rediscovered what it was like to NOT be a parent for a few hours.  Totally refreshing, and exhausting and totally worth it.  We got into the park at around 11am, and by the time 6pm hit, we were pooped, and ready to go...that part made me feel kind of old.

Kris and I taking the sky-walk across the park to get lunch.  And, just so you know, I only post the good pictures of myself, especially when it's a no-make-up day...you're welcome.

 Eating subway subs on the park bench.

 What in the....my crazy husband.

 We took a little whirl on the Ferris Wheel after lunch...to settle our tummies before more adrenaline rides.

 Ahhh, the towers on the left were just craziness, the rocket blast off ride...the one that shoots you up into the air and drops you, or the re-entry ride that just drops you from the top.  They really caught my breath, phew!

 The river raft ride (or something like that).  This is just a picture of random people, but it was a really nice way to cool down at the end of the day.

I will say, I was a little nervous before we went that day that having two babies had changed my love of amusement park rides.  Having babies totally messes with your body!  I was pleasantly surprised that I still love rides!!  If that weren't the case, it would have been a baaaad day.

It was a great date-day.  I love just being one on one with my hubby, he's pretty awesome.  And while I love my kids, someday, they will leave me and find someone new, and it will just be me...and Kristoffer, so I have to make sure I still like him ;)

Love My Sister!

My one and only sister, Tabitha came into town the other week and we had fun fun fun together!  She came with her cute little Lydia-bug in tow and the kids had a playmate to entertain, and practice sharing skills with, haha!  And, count on me to be so enthralled with having my sister in town to completely forget my camera....everywhere!  Oh my, all of these pictures are courtesy of Tabitha's preparedness and her trusty camera.

Our first stop after picking Tabitha and Lydia was to stop at the goat farm for some goat milk for my little Owen.  And we couldn't get milk without saying 'hi' to the goats....and maybe offering them some tasty leaves to munch on.  The kids thought the teeny-tiny baby goats were the best.  They were such little goats, they couldn't even eat the leaves, they were that tiny!

There's that cute little Lydia.  She has the sweetest face with bright blue eyes and long curled dark lashes.  Her daddy had better watch out for them boys in a few years!

 Trying our hand with the BIG goats.

 We walked to the park and Owen immediately hi-tailed it to the steering wheel, he is all boy, this one is.

 Running and running around the playground.

 I can do this, I can do this!

 Hey, smiley boy!

 This little boy, he kept climbing on the bench; when he climbs on the chairs at home, I point my finger at him, and he thinks this is pretty silly, so lately, he's been pointing back at me.

 Crazy boy, he makes me smile.

 There's my sweet girl...headed down the slide with Lydia.

And then we also went to the zoo!  It was a HOT day, my-oh-my was it hot, phew!  We trudged through it and the kids, well, I think they enjoyed it!  We were all feeling the heat though, wowza.

 Sitting in the eagle's nest.

 Watching the sea lions.

 Owen and mommy.

 Here we all are!  On our way out.  I really do love the zoo, I just need to choose a cooler day.

I really am ashamed that I don't have more pictures to document on FUN-NESS, I like to think we were enjoying ourselves too much to bother with the camera!  Tabitha and her hubby (who flew in later) and Lydia went to their family reunion in Cedar City for a few days and then came back to finish the party at the Lyman house before heading home.  We were SO grateful to see them all, I miss seeing my sister, it always seems too long between visits.  Thanks for coming!!

Sunday Family Pictures

Lest you get all excited and think that I have a multitude of pictures...well...I don't.  My awesome friend at church who does newborn photography (and more!) agreed to help me out and take a few pics of our family while my sister Tabitha and her family were in town (more on that later).

We hauled three very hungry and sleepy children out in front of the chapel after church on Sunday for a very abbreviated photo shoot.

Look at our cute family!  I am amazed when our family pictures turn out, and this one is just super cute.

 From left to right:  Ben (Tabitha's hubby), Lydia, Tabitha (and ((can I share?!)) little baby due in January!), Samantha, Marin, Kristoffer, Owen.

 Posing is tricky in slippery flats on damp grass on a hill with a floppy disinterested child on one hip, phew!

 My handsome boys, love them.

I am so glad we got to take a picture of all of us together, it always seems waaay too long in between when I get to see my siblings.  And hopefully I can coerce my friend Jessica into an actual family photo shoot for us later this summer, we reeeeeally need family pictures!

I Want To Be Like You...

In our house, daddy has reached 'super-hero' status, at least in Owen's eyes.  Daddy is on the brain from the moment Owen wakes up in the morning until he snuggles with froggy for bedtime.  Owen LOVES his daddy.  Owen also loves shoes.  He is very good about getting his little shoes when it's time to go, and also enjoys following you around the house with your shoes....whenever.  So Owen combined his love of daddy and shoes, and tried on daddy's shoes the other day.  What a cute little fella, he melts my heart...even though mommy is chopped liver when daddy is home,  it's the way it was meant to be. 

 Someday all too soon, my sweet little Owen, you will fit into your daddy's shoes and it will break my heart and fill me joy all in the same moment.  What a bittersweet dichotomy motherhood is; full of insurmountable joy and heart wrenching sadness all in one.  I've been told to enjoy my children while they are young, and I can totally see why!

 My two handsome boys.  What a proud wife and mom I am.  I could change the world in every other way there is and find medals and trophys on my shelf, but I would never find the happiness in my heart and in the smile on my face as I do with my little family.

Owen, My Sweet Boy....

....Today, oh how do I describe today?  You've recently discovered how to climb, and this has opened up a whole new world to your innocent 16 months of experience.  Everything is fair game... the soft blue chair, the couch, the bed, and of course, the kitchen chairs.  They have been climbed and fallen off of more than once today, they have given you access to window looking, to curtain pulling, picture knocking, cookie grabbing, water spilling, spoon banging...all of the fun things any little boy would love.  In addition to this, you've sprayed the milk in your sippy cup all over the carpet, pulled the recyclables out of the bin and scattered them throughout the living room, reached a hand into big sister's not-so-empty potty chair, found the TV remote and played up/down volume, pulled my ziploc bags out of my kitchen drawers, pulled my kitchen utensils out of my kitchen drawers, attacked my potted poppies with a trowel, stolen big sister's stuffed animals much to her shrieking dismay and emptied my hair/makeup products from the bathroom drawer.  This amidst all of what mommy was trying to accomplish today: two loads of laundry, two batches of cookies, breakfast, mid-morning snacks, lunch, mid-afternoon snacks, making dinner, playing jungle, reading books, singing songs, not going crazy....the usual. 

 It's been a very challenging day my young sir, but in addition to all of these things, you've giggled when big sister dropped her toys to make you laugh, you've snuggled into me while I rocked you and hummed you a song as you drifted to sleep, you've reached your still chubby hands up to me to pick you up after you fell off the kitchen chair, you gave me big cheesy smiles as I was making dinner that made me smile, you squealed "DADA!!!" when daddy came home, and you let mama kiss and kiss and kiss your freshly bathed and lotioned face before I handed you off to daddy for your bottle and bed.

You are no other than my little Mr. Mischievous, but I couldn't be more in love you, my sweet boy.

Whirlwind Summer

I am almost incredulous that it's the END of June.  Really, the END of JUNE!!!  What is going on around here?  So far the start of this summer has just been an absolute whirlwind!  We start the week and all of the sudden it's Friday again and we celebrate the weekend, phew!

I feel like I have so many little updates to share, I just don't know where to start, so I'm really hoping I don't forget! So, let's make a nice little organized list, I can't help being organized...(most of the time):

*Kristoffer received a new calling!  He's the new ward mission leader!  He's been a ward missionary for about 8 months or so, and now he's assumed the lead.  This means more meetings of course, but it's obviously important enough for the Lord to call him to it, so we as a family (read: me, as a wife) will see/support him through it.

*Samantha received a new calling!  I'm not sure if I'm allowed to share, since I haven't been sustained yet, but no one from our ward reads my blog, so I think I'm safe.  I'm now the stake primary chorister!  So.....I'm not really sure what that means/entails, but I'm eager to get started.  The only thing I do know is that I'll also have a few more meetings; *more*, what am I saying, I don't have any meetings *now*!

*Next month, Kristoffer starts a new shift at work; he's signed up to work the 2-10pm shift for July-September.  We've chatted about this and have decided it's something we can do to minimize cash outflow and maximize cash utilization to it's highest potential...AND we're realizing that Kristoffer will get to spend even more time with the kids in the morning, since he won't have to leave for work until about 1pm.  This is something that makes my little mother heart so very, very happy!  I may even be able to pick up a few extra hours at work in the morning.  But, we'll see how things go for the next three months and go from there.

*I getting my hair done on Saturday!!!  I know that's totally not big news, but I couldn't hold my enthusiasm any longer.  I LOVE getting my hair done...

*I've been doing a little experiment with Owen.  I took him in for his shots at 15 months and while his height was in the 90th percentile, his weight was surprisingly in the 20th percentile.  This kind of caught me off guard, he's always been a pretty solid boy.  The doctor wasn't worried, and I wasn't really worried either, but as a mom who knows her little guy, I left the office with some thoughts brewing in my mama-noggin.  The week before the visit, Kristoffer had mentioned that Owen really hadn't had a solid stool since I stopped nursing him when he turned one.  Then I also recalled that as a child, I was lactose intolerant.  I made a very fluid/tentative decision that Owen may be lactose intolerant, and started doing some research online.  And I stumbled across....goat milk!  I know, I know, ya'll are scrunching your noses and raising your eyebrows at the thought of drinking goat milk.  I was a little hesitant too...before I researched how amazing this stuff is for you!  SOOOO much better for you than cow's milk; it's like canned green beans vs. fresh green beans from your garden.  Anyway....Owen has been on goat's milk for about 3 weeks and he's been doing great.  His stools are more formed (TMI, right?) , I haven't totally cut out all milk from his diet-he still eats cheese so I think that affects his belly somewhat.  And he's climbed up into the 30th-35th percentile in these last 3 weeks, which is amazing!!!  Goat milk ain't cheap, and this makes me sad, but my little buddy is totally worth it.

*Marin, the little cutie-patootie is just growing and learning and getting ready for pre-school in the fall.  She is pretty excited, and I am too.  When we moved here last summer, I was amazed that so many people were starting their tiny just-barely-three years olds in pre-school!  We weren't ready for that last year, but this year, Marin is ready to socialize!  She'll be going 2 days a week for about 3 hours each day which is perfect.

*I'm also doing a little diet experiment, although, it doesn't involve goat milk.  This is my final, last ditch attempt to lose the weight by myself before I do Weight Watchers.  This past week, I've been doing gluten free and as carb free as I can stand.  It's been going surprisingly well, and I've felt pretty good!  I LOVE carbs, and pasta and all that stuff, and even though we always buy whole grain bread and pasta and I'll try to limit the gluten, it still doesn't work.  I can't eat a healthy low carb wheat wrap with veggies and tuna inside and lose weight.  So, I'm cutting out the wheat (gluten) and cutting my other carbs (rice, potatoes, corn) way back to hardly anything.  I've had success in the past doing this, so I'm crossing my fingers it will work this time around, it's still too early to tell!

*My sister's coming to town!!  She and her little girl, Lydia are coming to Salt Lake in about two weeks and I'm so excited!  I'm mentally making a list of all the fun things we need to do together while she's here, so hopefully we can get them all done.

I hope I remembered everything!

These are picture of last Saturday, we took the kids to an indoor aquatics center just a few miles from our house.  It was our first time and it was soooo fun!  They have a perfect setup for little kids, and they have a little half lazy river and a waterslide and fun water spout things for the kids to play with, totally worth the 16 bucks for the whole family.

All About My Dad- By Marin

Marin had some help filling out a little sheet for Father's Day in her Sunbeam class at church, and Kristoffer and I just barely read through it tonight.  It was the cutest thing!

MY DAD IS  as old as my grandpa YEARS OLD.

MY DAD WEIGHS as big as an elephant POUNDS.

MY DAD WAS BORN IN oregon.

MY DAD'S FAVORITE COLOR IS blue.

MY DAD'S FAVORITE SUPER HERO IS super grover.

MY DAD ALWAYS SAYS no when I hit Owen.

MY DAD'S JOB IS to fix the leak on the house.

THE FIRST THING MY DAD DOES IN THE MORNING IS gets me breakfast.

MY DAD LAUGHS WHEN he gets hurt.

MY DAD'S FAVORITE FOOD IS I don't know.

I LOVE MY DAD BECAUSE he gives me hugs.

Awwww, does this not just melt your heart?  She is such a sweet girl and she just *loves* her daddy.  I am so grateful to have an amazing husband who loves our sweet children and is an incredibly loving father.  I must have done something right to deserve this great guy and such cute kids.