Family Pictures

Last Saturday, September 15th, we went up to campus with Matt's dad and he took some family pictures for us. He took a lot of our engagements, too, and he does such a good job!
It's obviously way hard to get two kids to look at the camera at the same time, let alone smile, but we still got a ton and here are some of my favorites.
In some of them the kids are really cute but Matt and I aren't. So...just don't look at us! :) And some are obviously candids but sometimes those turn out the best.

Super Woman!

I think that a lot of women feel like they have to do it all and be the best. We have to keep our houses clean, our kids have to be perfectly behaved, we have to cook gourmet meals, and be happy and cheerful all the time. Hopefully we all realize that that just isn't going to happen all the time!

But sometimes it does.

I've been feeling awesome lately. I've found that I am must less down in the dumps and negative about myself and life in general if I keep busy and try to do things that I enjoy.
My mother might faint if she reads this but since I've been a stay at home mom I have found two new things that I actually really enjoy: cooking and (gasp!) cleaning!
So here's what a typical weekday looks like for me lately. There is no routine to my Saturdays and Sundays except for church. I really am not trying to say that I'm super woman, but when things go well I feel like I am! And it feels great. :)

~Boys wake up, get them breakfast, clean up the kitchen.
~Put Dean down for a nap then go for a 2-4 mile run on my "new to me" treadmill (I LOVE it!).
~Shower and do my makeup. I rarely do my hair (which is why I want to cut it) but if I at least do my makeup then I feel better about myself. :)
~Do my cleaning for the day. Each day I have a self-assigned chore to do. Sometimes I take my kids out to the park now do cleaning later, it depends on their moods. Also, on Friday I don't have a chore, it's my catch up day. If I got everything done and don't need to catch up then I bake! It's good motivation for me. :) I'm finding all these new recipes on Pinterest so I've been trying new ones every Friday. Yummy.
~Lunch and kitchen clean up.
~Hopefully Dean takes another nap and then I use this time to play with Brennen and teachn him stuff and if Dean's not asleep then I try to get the boys outside (especially if I didn't in the morning) and/or run errands if I need to.
~Head over to Gwen's to teach piano from about 3:30-5:00 or 5:30. I have 16 students now! I LOVE it! I feel like getting all of these piano students was an answer to prayers. It keeps me in a good routine throughout the whole day and it gives me something to do that I really enjoy that's for ME. Plus the little bit of extra income is going to be nice.
~Cook and eat dinner then clean up the kitchen.
~Read scriptures as a family (we're not the best about this every day.... we're trying to find a time that works well for us!)
~Baths if it's bath day. If not then we usually just play with all the toys while we're cleaning up. I say "we" because, yes, I do play with the toys. :)
~Read stories to the boys and get them ready and in bed.
~Hopefully Dean is in bed by 9:00. Whether he is or not, Matt and I usually watch an episode or two of whatever we're currently watching on Netflix.
~Journal writing and bed.
~Wake up and feed Dean at least twice during the night.

Every now and then the day actually goes like that and then I do feel like super woman! I LOVE routines but I'm getting much better at being flexible when things don't go exactly as I planned.
I'm also really working on some personal goals like reading my scriptures and writing in my journal every day and I'm doing a good job keeping up! It's been a few months since I've missed a day reading and I feel so much more spiritually uplifted. I'm also working on being more patient. I'm the primary pianist in my ward and the kids just finished learning (reviewing, really) "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus" and I just love the line "be gentle and loving in deed and in thought" in that song and I think of it often when I find myself losing my patience.
I'm not blogging this to brag about how awesome I am (HA!), I'm doing it so that I can remember that it's ok for me to feel good about myself and my little accomplishments.

No super woman would be complete without her super MAN so I wanted to write a few things about mine. :)
*Matt is usually the one who gets up with the kids because he lets me sleep in most mornings since I get up with Dean a lot.
*He goes to school and is working hard to finish up his degree. He's keeping up with his homework which is mostly just a LOT of reading in Spanish and he also helps me a ton with the kids and makes them feel loved and special.
*He's working two jobs right now. Neither of them are full time but it still keeps him busy. He just started working at Spring Wind (an assisted living home) as a CNA and then also does work for his dad's lawn business. He likes this CNA job because the people are more able.... :) But the poor guy has to wear scrubs with a pattern, they can't be solid, and man it is HARD to find scrubs for a guy! The first day he had to one with cartoon turkeys and bright pink leaves. It was the least girly one at wal mart. :)
*He really shows us that he loves us. When we first got married I was a little bummed that the cute "romantic" things like poems and flowers stopped coming (yes, he wrote me poems! they weren't cheesy, though, just funny and cute) but he shows me he loves me in ways that are so much better than that! He helps me when I need it, he encourages me, he loves our little boys, and he works really hard so that our family can have the things that we need.

And as if this post wasn't long enough, the last thing I wanted to post was these lyrics. We heard this song on the radio the other day. I've heard it a lot but haven't really listened to the words. Matt doesn't pay attention to words of songs at all but he actually noticed these along with me and I think it's our new theme song. It's called "Better Life" by Kieth Urban (Not that our life is bad! We've just had a bit of bad luck lately).

Friday night and the moon is high
I'm wide-awake just watchin' you sleep
And I promise you you're gonna have
More than just the things that you need
We ain't got much now, We're just startin' out
But I know somehow paradise is comin'

Someday baby, You and I are gonna be the ones
Good luck's gonna shine on
Someday baby you and I are gonna be the ones
So hold on
We're headed for a better life

Oh now there's a place for you and me
Where we can dream as big as the sky
I know it's hard to see it now
But baby someday we're gonna fly
This road we're on, you know it might be long
But my faith is strong
It's all that really matters

Someday baby, You and I are gonna be the ones
Good luck's gonna shine on
Someday baby you and I are gonna be the ones
So hold on
We're headed for a better life

So hold on, hold on
C'mon baby, hold on

Yeah, we're gonna have it all
And ooh

Someday baby, You and I are gonna be the ones
Good luck's gonna shine on
Someday baby you and I are gonna be the ones
So hold on
We're headed for a better life

Oh, a better life
Hey we're gonna leave this all behind us baby, wait and see
We're headed for a better life, you and me
We're gonna break the chains that bind and, finally we'll be free
We're gonna be the ones that have it all, you and me
Just hold on tight now baby

Us

Matthew
Matt started school again yesterday. I could tell he didn't really want to strap on his backpack because he thought he was done with the UW campus but he was a good sport. :) He's taking 12 credits of only Spanish classes and will graduate in December with a Spanish degree. Then he will apply to the BRAND program and if he gets in then he'll start that in May 2013. Keep your fingers crossed and pray for good luck!
During the summer he got some fishing in and just last week he took my brother, Kasey, and they caught some huge ones! He worked, too. :) He did a lot of work for his dad on the lawn business and also the apartments. He also got his CNA and already passed the test. He got hired at an assisted living place in town so he's glad he'll get some experience but he is certainly not aspiring to be a CNA for the rest of his life! :)

Matt and his giant brown trout. It was tasty. :)

Melissa
I am doing absolutely nothing new! Although, I did get a couple new music students, one piano and one voice so now I have five piano students and one voice student. I would really like to get more, though! I really enjoy it and it gives me something to do. I've been trying to be a better mom and do more things with Brennen that don't involve watching "the monkey" all day.
I've been having a lot of emotional ups and downs and days like today I feel pretty good and tell myself to buck up and just be happy! But other days that is way easier said than done.
I've also decided to actually work out and lose the rest of the baby weight. I only have 5 or so pounds to go so it shouldn't be too hard (I hope...) And I also want to cut my hair... I'm putting a poll up on here and you can vote whether I should or not ha ha! I never do my hair and feel like it's scraggly and ugly. I just want to feel pretty, you know?

My and my boys!

Brennen
This kid is dang near potty trained. (well, I am potty trained for him. :) I take him to the bathroom and still have to help him) He has a few accidents now and then but he's doing a good job! He still loves going outside and watching "the monkey." He LOVES his baby brother and will do anything to make him smile. He can climb on anything at any playground and although it makes me nervous sometimes it also makes me happy that he's so able. And he has adult conversations. He can say every word (really, he can) and understands most anything. We've started having him "read" a verse when we read scriptures. He repeats every word perfectly. So smart. :)
He and I have been building a lot of block castles and roads and stuff. He also likes playing with trucks and toy dinosaurs.

Castle #1

Castle #2 (with Dean in the background.) This castle isn't all that grand but you can tell I'm getting better. :)

Dean
My Baby Dean is 5 months old! He has two teeth (bottom middle) and I love his smile with them! He loves rice cereal (mixed with a pinch of applesauce) and last night he tried peas. He didn't like them too much... He can roll over both shoulders, back to belly and belly to back. He gets up on his hands and knees (or toes) and scoots backwards. I bet he'll be crawling before we know it! He moves all over the room and I can't put him on our bed for naps anymore. I learned that the hard way... oops. :) He still doesn't "talk" but smiles like crazy! His whole face lights up when he smiles. The only complaint I have is that the little turd still wakes up like 4 times a night!

He roamed to the bottom of the book shelf. He started all the way across the room.

And a couple pictures of both boys.

Kinda matching and I didn't even do it on purpose. (I don't know why it's sideways and I can't get it to go the right way...)

You may not believe me but they are not naked. Brennen's wearing underwear and Dean's in his diaper. :) Dean isn't actually wider than Brennen but it sure looks like it in this picture.

Sometimes...

~Sometimes I get discouraged. I applied for a job that I thought I would be good at and I thought it would be perfect for me. It was music related and only about 15 hours a week and the pay was really great. I really felt like I rocked the interview but I didn't get the job. This is the 3rd music job in a row that I've been shut down for. It's hard not to think that I must suck at the only thing I thought I was good at. I guess I really am just supposed to stay at home with my kids!
~Sometimes Brennen runs into my arms, gives me a huge hug and a kiss and says "I just love you, Mom." and it makes my day. And when I give him a kiss he says matter of factly, "Thank you, Mom."
~Sometimes I wish our little family could catch a break. The past three months have been pretty tough and there are times when I think things are going to turn around.... and then they don't. It's hard because I feel like we're living the way we're supposed to and that we're trying to do what's right. But I guess there's another plan for us.
~Sometimes Dean makes me smile. Ok so all of the time. He is SO sweet and I could just look at him and smile all day long. Plus he likes to cuddle so I just snuggle with him on my lap a lot. Sometimes when I'm holding him I just have to say a silent prayer of thanks that I've been blessed with this little boy.
~Sometimes I think my boys look nothing alike and then I look at baby pictures of Brennen. They're different of course but they look more alike than I realize. They are definitely brothers! They're both 3 months in the top one, 4 months in the bottom. Guess who is who? (it's way easy if you know them)

~Sometimes I stay up until close to midnight even though I know that Dean is going to wake up at 2:00 AM and that I'm going to be tired the next day.

~Sometimes I get frustrated with my two year old. He is so smart and sweet but sometimes by the end of the day I either way to pull my hair out, cry my eyes out, or both.

~Sometimes I feel like I'm not a very good mother (see above). I lose my patience a LOT and I feel like I have no clue what to do when it comes to discipline and stuff.

~Sometimes I feel like I'm the most awesome mother in the world because I keep the TV off, play trucks, read stories, go to the park, cook good healthy meals, and keep the house clean. Sometimes...

~Sometimes I'm afraid that my husband wishes he could throw me out the window. Maybe if he did, it would help my attitude when I'm not being very nice.

~Sometimes I get songs stuck in my head. Like right now I have one that we sang in high school choir in my head. It was called "Sometimes I Feel Like" or something like that. Wonder why that one popped into my head...

~Sometimes I think I'm pretty funny when I'm actually not.

~Sometimes I sing lullaby's to Dean and they actually work. He calms down and falls right to sleep. It melts my heart.

~Sometimes I wish my family (me and my brothers and sisters) could get along better. I know we all care about each other and that's why I personally am so hard on them. I want them to be the best people that they can be. That being said, most of the time we have great times together and I feel like we're all friends!

~Sometimes I feel like keeping Brennen in diapers forever. I swear it would be easier than this potty training mess.

~Sometimes I want to have a house of my own. I want to live in a nice neighborhood and be settled.

~Sometimes Matt puts Dean in random places and then says, "Let's play find the baby!" This one took me awhile...

~Sometimes I remember to remember that I have the best husband in the whole world!

~Sometimes my boys play together and laugh at each other. I love this time and I just want to keep them little forever.

~Sometimes when I wear tighter clothes I don't eat as much. It makes me feel like I'm already chubby so I shouldn't gorge myself (like I tend to do when I'm wearing gym shorts and a t-shirt).

~Sometimes I let Brennen watch Curious George on Netflix for the majority of the day just to keep my sanity. Judge me if you will. Other days the TV doesn't come on at all. I try to find a balance. :)

~Sometimes we do fun stuff together. On Saturday we went to the Snowy Range and hiked along French Creek. It was raining and, dare I say, a little cold! It actually felt really nice and it was a nice afternoon. An older couple from Ft. Collins (stay in your own state, dang it!) :) passed us and the man said "What a precious family! Do you have a camera?" And he took our picture.

 ~Sometimes my posts get a little long and I need to end them so goodbye for now!



What Happened in July

July was a really fun and busy month for us! Let me just give a quick run down of all the stuff we did. A lot of info in a fairly short post! :)
July 4th: We went to Freedom Has a Birthday for the first time. It was ok but I think it would be more fun with older kids. Plus we weren't really willing to wait in line for anything. :) Then in the afternoon we went to Matt's parent's and had a bbq with the family there. Too bad there were no fireworks. 


Dad and Brennen with the fire trucks

Strawberry cake with strawberries and blueberries. Festive. :)

Brennen climbing on Grandma at our bbq.



Brotherly love.

Camping: I did a whole post about this trip so I'm not going to say anything more. It was just fun. :)
Jubilee Days: The only thing we did was go to the parade. It was Matt's 10 year high school reunion and he didn't want to go to any of the festivities but he did ride on the float so I watched the parade with my two kids. Brennen loved it and he didn't get bored.


Matt on the float.

Brennen at the parade.

Dean chillin' in the stroller.

Gardner Reunion: We went to Star Valley for a big reunion for the family of Randy's Grandfather (his mom's dad). Brennen had fun playing in Great Grandma's big yard and we had a lot of fun hiking to the spring and just hanging out with family.

Brennen on the stair at G-Grandma's.



Walking the dog up at the spring.

Dad and Dean at the spring.

Fishing: Matt took Brad and I on a fishing trip. We left the boys with Gwen because Matt said it was pretty rugged and difficult to hike and fish. It was hard but well worth it! I caught at least 15 fish and Matt and Brad both caught over 20. It was beautiful and way fun to get so many fish. Matt wouldn't let me take my camera on the river because he was sure it would get wet and it would have. I was submerged at one point. :) So these pictures are from after.

Me and Brad.

The raging waterfall! (we didn't fish this part). :)

My cute hubby and I.

Brad by the waterfall. I feel like he looks older every day!

My best friend moved away: I remember the fist time I saw Sarah Bassett (now Ringer). It was the first day of classes on my first day at UW and she was auditioning for Collegiate Chorale. I was waiting for my turn and heard her singing and thought to myself, "Man, she's good. I'm screwed!" And I looked in and saw her then looked at the list and figured out her name. :) We weren't friends that first year, I had two good guy friends. But the next year they were both gone and I remembered that Sarah was a member of the church so I sat by her in theory. We became good friends quickly and have been best friends ever since! We've gone through some pretty rough times (and good times!) together and I'm exicted that she gets to start the next chaper of her life in Alaska but I'm going to miss her!
I didn't even take a picture of us right before she left so I'll post some blasts from the past. She's sure to enjoy these. :)


Swimming at All State. (January 2008)

We were FREEZING!

Learning the clarinet. We were both pretty bad at it. :)

Solos in the Messiah! (December 2007)

After our recital. (March 2008)

Holding each other's babies! Our dream for so long! (November 2010)

These last few things happened in August but I want to post them now anyway.
Trip to Utah: This last weekend we went to Utah for my cousin's wedding and for the baby blessing of our little preemie nephew Isaac. It was a fun (although HOT) weekend and we got some good family pictures.

Our family at the temple.

Everyone who was at the temple.



Grandkids at the temple.

The entire family before the baby blessing. Lydia's smile is my favorite part of this picture!

Sweet baby Isaac.

Brennen was tired of pictures.



Grandma and Grandpa with Dean and Lydia.

Dean's first solids: This morning I gave Dean some rice cereal. I wasn't in a hurry but I feel like he's hit a sudden growth spurt and I've been needing to nurse him every 2 hours so I thought I'd give him a little extra. He really liked it! Much better than Brennen did.

Can I just say that I hate blogger?! I used to use window's live writer to do my post and suddenly it won't work for me anymore. It's is a pain to post pictures using blogger!! This post took me longer to write than it should have. :)