10th Anniversary

April 25, 2013
Patrick to Jennie via FB:

The Ol' Ball n' Chain! Lol! 10 years ago We began our journey together. A week later, I dragged you into a lifestyle that is difficult for anyone. You've been the best partner I could ever ask for. Although...I've been wearing a gun and badge for 10 years now, but I have yet to wear the pants in this family. Haha! Thank you for everything. You make me look good (literally because you still pick out clothes for me to wear.) I love you forever and ever.

PS- Sorry we couldn't do anything fun because you're 8 months knocked up w/ #4. Seemed like a good idea at the time...

Jennie to Patrick via FB:

10 years of awesome, amazing, wonderful, interesting, fun, crazy adventure! Patrick, I just want to say... You're welcome! Hahaha. And I love you forever and ever! Here's to decades more!! Happy Anniversary!!

Good times. :)  Lol!

Getting Older...

The Second Anniversary of my 29th Birthday happened.  ;)  I would have skipped posting about it at all, because really, it's so not a big deal, right?!  But I happened to get to do the coolest thing I've gotten to do in a long time!!!  I got to see WICKED!!  :D 

Patrick got me tickets for Christmas that happen to be for the show on April 6th, the day before my birthday Anniversary.  :)  (He thought he was really clever killing 2 birds with 1 stone like that!)  But it was the best Christmas/Birthday gift!!  The show was INCREDIBLE!!  I wanted to see it again by the end of the first act!  Hahaha.  (My handsome date!)

April 7th, my actual birthday was good too!  It was General Conference weekend, so on top of getting to listen and be uplifted, I also didn't have to stress about church! ;) It was a relaxing day at home with my cute little family, and at 8 months pregnant, that was my version of the perfect day!!

So here's to another year.  I'm feeling a little run down and busted physically right now, so I don't want to talk about how old I feel.... ;) ....But so far my 30's haven't been too shabby.  So, all those worry wrinkles I gave myself in my 20's were for nothing.  ;) 

And don't worry, I know I'm not really still 29!  Harrison likes to remind me and anyone he talks to that I am now 31!  ;)  I should have told him I was 29.... hmmmm, hindsight.  Hahaha.

2 Peas in a Pod

These 2 goof balls are pretty stinking funny sometimes!!  Harrison has become Reagan's best friend!  She has gotten a lot braver in her play with her brothers.  And since most of what she observes as "play" at our house involves violence (usually in the form of wrestling), that is what she thinks is fun!  :) 

So she waits until he is on the floor playing and totally not expecting it.... and she takes him down! Hahaha. (The sunglasses were on her head for about a week straight!  She even had to wear them to bed! Hahaha.)

They were laughing so hard it was hysterical!  :)

 I think she won!  :)  (Even if he let her!)  I love it when they love each other!  

Bend it like Harrison

Bubba finally got to start soccer!  (Jan-March)  It was a rough start for him, he gets so nervous about doing new things and he gets embarrassed when he isn't sure what to do.  But he got more comfortable as the season went on and he found his calling... Goalie!  He was a good little goalie, and he didn't have to run around, so he fell in love with it!  Hahaha.  But most importantly, he had fun!!  :)

It was fun to watch him play and get so excited about doing it!  :)  Love this kid!  Congrats and good job, Bubba!  We are super proud of you!! 

EaStEr FuN!

Easter was pretty low key this year, mostly because I am slow and un-energetic!  ;)  But we did get to participate is a ward egg hunt!  (March 28th)
They started with an egg toss.

And then there were sack races. (Harrison almost won!)

And then... the hunt!   This is most of the waiting crowd!  (This was only part of our ward, they actually planned 2 hunts.  We have a LOT of kids!) 

And then they got to go through their loot.  :)  They were happy kids! 

Easter morning (March 30th), this is what they found!  (That is NOT all from the Easter Bunny! They got some treasures from family too!) 

And then the sugar overload was put on hold to go to church!  :)  They all looked so nice for church!  (But man alive, is it impossible to get a picture of them!!  Are every one's kids this goofy/weird?!) 

**I should also note that Jackson got braces in March!  He was very excited about them, which I thought was weird!  But it turns out he really likes going to the orthodontist!  Hahaha.  They make him look even older though, not sure how I feel about that! ;)

It was a nice holiday. I loved that the main focus of the day was on Christ and why we celebrate this amazing day! I am truly grateful for my Savior! For His love and example and His willingness to atone for us!  I don't know that I fully understand it yet, and maybe I never will.  But to me, it is about change.  Becoming a better version of myself with His help. He has been my source of healing, comfort, courage, strength, and peace. Which also gives me hope! :) I am so very grateful for the gospel and the knowledge we have of eternal families and our Heavenly Father's divine plan!  I love my little family so much more than there are words, I am forever grateful that they are, and always will be, mine!  :) 

Happy Easter!

Milestones....

I have to record these, because there have been so many over the last few months (Dec. 2012 to March 2013). Since Reagan started school she has made some really big leaps forward in so many areas!  But right before she started, she did this... 

And then this.... :D

She is walking/cruising along things now more than crawling!  Those few steps have grown in to crossing a room or walking out to get something, picking it up and going again.  Her confidence is noticeably better!  She still looks like Frankenstein, but its cute and so much fun to watch!!

Her fine motor skills and attention span have gotten so much better.  She will spend hours sitting and doing this.... (This is a pretty big deal for her!  Keeping control and following a pattern for more than a minute!)

And this....  For the record, no one helped her get on that couch!  :)

Her speech is improving too.  She is signing a ton and even combining signs, like "go" and "sleep" or "more" and "eat".  And she is learning to sort things by colors, and even learning to sign her colors.  Her newest verbal word is "this".  Everything is "this"!  :)  It's SO much fun to listen to her babble!

Her new favorite things are sunglasses!  :) 

And looking at herself with sunglasses on!  Hahaha. (Just being able to put them on is a big stinkin deal! But it's also pretty cute! :) And she wears them a lot!)

She is even eating big people foods now and drinking out of an open cup, which is amazing!  (Less than a year ago she was still on a bottle and eating baby food!!)  She loves to sit at the table with us and eat what we are eating!  :)

She is such a little person these days!  For the longest time she still felt so much like a baby to me.  And then in the last few months it's like she became this not-so-little toddler overnight!  :)  Her growth has become a source of celebration around here.  Every time she starts to walk all by herself or stand up unassisted in the middle of the room or starts to sing to herself in the bath tub while sorting her rubber duckies... it gets very quiet and everyone is watching and waiting to praise her with applause!  I love watching how excited her brothers get!  :)  I think after years of watching her struggle to do the things they do so easily they are starting to realize what a big deal those little things are!  And all that praise goes a long way with Reagan, she will do just about anything for applause!  :) 

Belly Post

After seeing every prego lady I know posting picture updates of their growing bellies, I realized I didn't have a single picture of this pregnancy.  Oops.  So at 32 weeks, March 26th, I finally took one.  :)

This picture is deceiving, I am growing... a LOT!  Just more sideways than out!  Hahaha.  I am going to try to remember to get one before baby day gets here in May.  But just in case I don't... here is the proof I really was pregnant!  (For what has felt like forever! lol!)  ;) 

Go West!

February 28th - Jackson's 2nd Grade Musical this year was "Go West!".  He got to wear his cowboy hat, which made him really happy!  He also got to do a speaking part!  And he was fantastic! :)  He was really nervous before, but you couldn't tell at all!  

 Jackson and his friend Nathan.  :)

He is such a good kid and student!  He just seems to be growing up way too fast!  But we are so proud of him and his courageous personality!  He is pretty unstoppable... it's kind of amazing!  :)  Nice job, Buddy!