ThAnKs to GiVe!

Thanksgiving Day we got to join some friends, the Harris Family and the Hoenes Family, for a wonderful dinner.  We did some eating and then some ATV riding and then more eating!  :)  It was so much fun! 

Later than night, Grandma and Papa Salisbury made it to AZ!  Which meant we needed to have a second Thanksgiving!  Obviously!  ;)  So we did a lot more eating the next day with them and the Christensens!  It was my kind of Thanksgiving!  haha.

We had a fun and relaxing time while Grandma and Papa were here!  They helped us get our Christmas decorating done!  (Which was a huge blessing because I still wasn't my normal self and it probably wouldn't have happened for a while without everybodys help!)

(And we only had one ornament casualty!  Glass and Reagan are not friends! haha.)

We had movie nights...

And we made a gingerbread village...

They turned out very cute!  :)

And of course we had a project in there too. More on that in another post. ;)  It was a great visit!  And we got to keep them for more than a week, which always makes it more fun! 

Thanksgiving felt like a crazy time for me, mostly because I couldn't keep up with life in general.  But it is one of my favorite holidays!  I love that we take the time to just spend time.... no gifts, no added pressure or stress.... just the people you love and food and time.  It makes it easy to be thankful.  Getting to just be with together.  They are all that really matter in the end. I am overwhelmed on a daily basis by how much and how often we are blessed!  It makes the hard things seem less hard.  And it makes simple things seem less simple.  And I'm grateful... endlessly grateful for all of it!  :)

My Excuse!

(November 9, 2012) 

So... the fall was kind of a blur!  I don't remember a lot of October or November!  I know that sounds terrible, but I have a good excuse!  :)  On September 7th, 2012 we found out we are going to add another little person to our family!  :)  Happiness all around, we are VERY excited!!  ...And then a couple weeks later, this sweet new little person inside me started trying to kill me slowly!  hahaha.  It was a very long few months!  I don't want to complain because I know it could be worse... But I will use it to explain my lack of cleaning, cooking, blogging, picture taking, etc.  I'm excited to say that we all survived my 17 weeks of light duty!  :)  ...The house is still recovering... but all things considered... I still call that success!!  :)  

This will be an exciting and interesting adventure!  :)  4 kids seems like a lot!  Especially when I count Reagan as 3 and Patrick is like the teenager I shouldn't have yet!  hahaha.  So what's that?  7.  Ya, it will be an adventure!  

We are due on May 18th, 2013.  The last week of school and the day after Jackson's 8th birthday.  We have impeccable timing. ;)  Although truthfully, the timing wasn't ours.  So it must be meant to be.  :)  

But now that I am mostly up and running again... until I randomly fall asleep... things should be more normal... Until May.  :)  

This is our first look at Baby #4. 

 

HaLlOwEeN!!

Halloween is so fun!  :)  It was pretty low key this year, not quite as busy as usual, which was a bonus!  We carved pumpkins with a group of neighbors and friends, it was a fun night!  The boys both did their own (or at least helped).  Jackson came up with his own design - Harry Potter.  And Harrison chose - a creepy spider.  ;)  They turned out very cool!

When it comes time to pick a costume, it's always fun and surprising to see what they end up as! Because it's never what I would have thought they'd pick! 

Jackson is still very into Star Wars, so he chose Anakin Skywalker. But it's not the Anakin from the movies, it's the Anakin from Clone Wars.  (I don't know what that means exactly, but it was important to him.)  :)  

Harrison really wanted to be a super hero, I thought for sure he would pick the Hulk.  But he finally landed on Thor... with muscles. ;)  They both looked very tough!  

Reagan is fun for me, because she could care less about what she is dressed up as!  :)  (As long as it doesn't slow her down!)  So I found this cute little jumper, and since it was unusually hot for October, she went as a very girly candy corn!  :)  

We had a great time at our ward Halloween Party and Trunk-or-Treat.  Patrick competed this year for the best pulled pork!  It was his first try at it and it turned out VERY good!!  After we ate we set out with the kids to get us some sugar.  :)  They loaded up!  Reagan even got into the fun for the first time this year.  She can't sign "Trick-or-Treat" so she went from car to car signing "Please".  :)  It was very cute!  

There is a super fun couple in our ward that always have the most amazing costumes!  This year was a big hit with the little kids!  They came as Elmo and Abby!  :)  There was a line of kids waiting to have their picture taken with them.  Harrison included!  :) 

Reagan happens to be obsessed with Elmo!!  So naturally she became very possessive of him!  Hahaha.  She didn't like sharing him and it took a LONG time to get her to come back to boring old mom!  ;)

The boys made out like bandits on Halloween night, making their way through our whole neighborhood!  (We had to get a picture with their pumpkins!) 

And Reagan stayed home and ate candy while I handed it out!  :)

It was a really great Halloween!  I loved watching all 3 of them get into it this year!  :) 

What a Bright Idea!

(October 9, 2012) When we moved into our house almost 4 years ago, we had to put in and/or replace a lot of light fixtures because the house had been finished quickly to sale when the original buyers fell through.  So some of the finishes are not real high quality, and a lot of them are on our list of things to upgrade/change.  But one of the biggest problems we had was light in our kitchen!  They put in this old school track lighting, on a vaulted ceiling, and that was it!  (This picture is old, but I forgot to take a before picture and you can sort of see it! :))  

So we decided to start there.  And with the help of a very good friend and an entire day of work...

Patrick and Darin made it look like this!!!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE how it looks!

Love these too!!  :) (I was so excited!  They match my paint color exactly!)

It took us a week or so to get used to all the light!  We all walked around squinting!  Hahaha.  But we are loving being able to see what we're doing!  It's amazing how much better everything looks with good light!  :)  Outstanding!  

Our Visitors.... :/

I haven't had any crazy creature posts in a while... and we've actually been avoiding them sort of.  But this year was a record year for us and rattle snakes.  We had our 5th... yep, there have been 5 in our yard in one season.  I seriously thought with it being the end of September we were past snake season, but I was wrong!  

This one made it all the way to the back patio.  I was folding laundry in our family room at about 11 pm and watching tv.  I could hear rattling (The tv was on and the windows were shut!!... Insert shutter here!) so I got up to turn off the fan thinking it was making the noise.  When that didn't fix it, I started paying closer attention.  That was when I heard the low growling coming from our dogs in the back yard.  I turned the tv off and then I could tell the rattling was coming from out there too. When I looked out the window both dogs were sitting very still about 6 ft. from the window facing me but staring at the bottom of the window. So I ran around to our bedroom back door to get a better view of the patio and sure enough... this is what was sitting there!

All coiled up and MAD! So I ran and got Patrick... I don't do the snake killing at our house!  :)  The dogs were getting way too close and not very calm, so we brought them in!  haha.  

And then Patrick and a friend, Nick, snake wrangled!  We had to get it away from the house and when it uncoiled and started to move... shutter again... we realized how big it was!!  He was a good 4-5 ft. long!!  Which is the biggest one we've seen at home so far!  (And hopefully ever!)

Long battle story short... the snake lost his head!  And his rattles made a nice trophy. :) 

I HATE SNAKES!!!

The Party!!

Harrison happened to have preschool on his birthday, he totally loved it!  And his cute teacher made him a giant hat... which he also totally loved!  :)

He had lots of surprises from family and friends far away waiting for him.  

He had to wait all day to open them, since Dad was at work.  But it was all worth the wait!  He was very spoiled!

He wanted spaghetti and meatballs for dinner.  And he picked out his mint chocolate cake!  :)

For his friend party that weekend, he decided on a McDonald's party!  A Happy Meal and you make this kids' year!  haha. It was like a present for me too, since I had 12 4-5 year olds and I didn't have to clean or prep at all!  They had a great time!!  

He doesn't get to be the center of attention very often!  And sometimes I think he prefers it that way. But it was so much fun watching him light up and feel special for his big day!  :)  We love you buddy!  Happy Birthday!

Bubba (Harrison) is 5!!!

September 18, 2012.  Harrison was more excited about his birthday than I think I have ever seen him!  Turning 5 means "being a big kid" because he is now a whole hand! That's a pretty big deal! :) Here are 12 things about this special guy that I really want to remember!  

1 - He really is funny!!  He says things all the time that crack us up!  He mixes up words a lot, or just flat out makes a word up for whatever it is he needs a word for! He remembers and repeats lines from movies. He loves to dance and has a very unique style!  Hahaha. Or does the goofiest things with his face!  He has a great sense of humor and we love it!  

2 - He is a sweetheart!  He thinks about others a lot, and is often aware of their feelings!  He likes to make or draw things for people just because he thinks it will make them happy! And though not many things make him cry, he will cry when he thinks he has hurt someone or if he is in trouble, because he feels so bad! He is all soft and squishy on the inside! :)   

3 - He is my sweet little buddy!  My cuddler. My shadow. The one who never fails to want to curl up next to me and just hang out! He will spend hours of his day just being where I am... just because that's where I am. :) I LOVE it!  He has been that way since he was born and I hope he never outgrows it!    

4 - He is a BIG helper!  I usually don't even have to ask, he just likes to be helpful!  You would think it was Christmas morning every time I go grocery shopping, he lights up at the prospect of having to haul all the goods inside while showing me just how strong he is!  Hahaha.  He likes to help clean, help Reagan, bring me things, help cook, and on and on.  He really loves to help!  And I really love that he loves to! 

5 - He is a hoarder!  It worries me a little!  He likes to pile and stash things! Random things he finds, anywhere he can fit them.  The spot for the most prized objects is usually under his pillow.  He will all the time find something sitting on the counter or on a shelf or in my room ;) and ask me "Can I have that?".  Hahaha.  Things like chip clips, book marks, credit cards, rocks, anything Jackson keeps in his stash!  It's bad!  hahaha.  But he's always ok with the answer to his question... and at least he asks first. :) And then there's the heap of stuffed animals he has to have on his bed to make it just right for sleeping!  It's crazy and really funny at the same time!  :)

6 - He is creative!  He has a very wild and funny imagination! When you ask him what he wants for his birthday or Christmas he will actually make up things that have not yet been invented!  (Which makes him very hard to shop for!)  He will draw pictures of the most amazing creatures and places I have never heard of!  Hahaha.  He loves him some paper and masking tape!  He can color and draw and create for hours.  And he loves to pretend!  It is so much fun to watch!  

7 - He is chill!  He is the middle child.  And not just the middle child, but the child that came before the tornado also known as Reagan!  ;) So he easily gets the short end of the stick more often than not. But he is so laid back and easy, and it is such a blessing!  I don't know if he'll ever know just how much of a blessing that has been for me!  He loves to do just about anything that is offered to him.  He is ok with riding in the car for hours and going to appointments that are not for him.  He will eat just about anything.  He can play and entertain himself for hours.  I could have 15 of him!  :)

8 - He is HUGE!  He is 2.5 years younger than Jackson but he has managed to nearly catch him in size!  He is 1 size smaller in shoes and clothes.  And he is only a couple pounds lighter. He measured in the 95% for his height.  He is a whopping 46" and a whole head taller than every kid in his preschool class. :) A gentle little giant!  Hahaha.  But he also eats like a horse!  So here's to hoping he also uses his size and lands an awesome college scholarship so we can use his college money to feed him!  :) 

9 - He's a lefty!  He has gone back and forth for a couple years now, using both hands a lot for everything.  But this year with sports and throwing and then preschool and writing more, he has chosen a dominant hand! Patrick is already planning his future in baseball!  Hahaha.   

10 - He has a lot of athletic ability!  Credit to his dad!  He has great coordination, he learned to ride a 2 wheel bike last Christmas in a few minutes without ever riding anything but a scooter.  He can throw really well!  He does amazing (and scary) tricks on the trampoline. He is excited to try soccer out this year and then hopefully start baseball next year. I am excited to be his cheerleader!  :)

11 - He is tough! He can wrestle and fight and take hits and just keep coming back for more! And he usually does it with a smile on his face! :) All boy! He rarely cries unless he really is hurt... or there is blood!  Hahaha.  

12 - He is an AMAZING brother! He and Reagan have become 2 little peas in a pod!  He signs with her, plays with her, keeps her happy in the car. They crack each other up and she really misses him when he's not home! He has taken it upon himself to get to know all of her therapists and what they are doing with her. He takes his role as big brother very seriously, so he is also very aware and protective of her! He also helps protect our house from her, which is super helpful to me!  :) He loves and looks up to Jackson so much, he always has!  He is always thinking of Jackson.  We can't go to the store and leave without a treat or surprise for him. He even saves his Happy Meal fries for Jackson just so he won't feel bad that we went while he was school. :) He knows everything Jackson likes or wants. And he never misses a chance to tell him "Good job" or "You did awesome!"!  Hahaha.  He is always their biggest cheerleader!  He just loves to be involved and apart of their lives!  And I have no doubt that they know just how much he loves them both!  He never fails to show it! 

Oh little big man! We love you SO much!  And we're so very very grateful you are a part of our family!  Happy Birthday!   

Grandpa D

On July 11th, my Great Grandpa Davidson (Grandpa D) passed away at the age of 95.  (He was pretty determined to make it to 100.)  :)  He and Grandma D have always been a pretty big part of my life. (They even made it to our wedding.  How many people get to have 4 generations at their wedding?!)  We spent a LOT of weekends and holidays camping out at their house in Elsinore, Utah. I have so many great memories of that place and with them.  It was always a gathering place for our family. It's hard to see that era come to an end.  

But... I am happier for him, than I am sad for myself.  He is with Grandma again!  And I'm pretty sure there isn't anywhere else he'd rather be.  He is missed!  But he is also remembered!  2 of my kids got to know their Great-Great Grandparents... that is pretty amazing! They got to make their own memories with them.  And they both like to talk about them and going to that little house in Elsinore.... the same one I having been going to my whole life.  :)  It makes my heart swell!  I am so grateful for those memories. They were both such extraordinary people! I feel very blessed to have known them, loved them and been loved by them. 

I also felt very fortunate that I got to attend his funeral.  If we hadn't been in Utah at the time, I don't think that would have happened.  Patrick kept the kids so that I could make the all day trip. It was a beautiful day.  The overall feeling was not sadness.  He lived a very good, very full life.  But it was good to say goodbye... until we meet again.  :)