ELMO!

Tyson is obsessed with Elmo. I think it's adorable. All of my kids have like Elmo, but I think Tyson loves him most. He says his name very clearly. I am convinced that I hear that word out of his mouth more than I hear Momma. Every time we walk by my room, he yells out "ELMO!" If we are in the living room and the television is off, he points to the t.v. "ELMO!" When I tell him no, he puts his head in his hands and cries. It's a tough life. Love my cute little boy.

St. George in January, aaaah

Greg went to St. George all week for work. We love to go visit Great Grandma and Grandpa Springer there so I decided to pack up the kids and head down there too. It was a little crazy doing all the packing and loading. It took a lot longer than I expected, but the kids were a big help. I was nervous about the drive, but they did surprisingly well. Especially Tyson and he DOES NOT like being restrained. It wasn't as warm as it usually is in January. The snow on the mountains was pretty against the red rock. But it was still warmer than home and sunny.




We usually just hang out and go for walks, but this time, I wanted to do a small hike with the kids. They are old enough for some adventures now. I looked on line and found Snow Canyon State Park. I was surprised that it was only a 15 minute drive and yet we had never been there before. We went on the Jenny's Canyon hike. It is only 0.5 miles round trip and perfect for kids. The kids kept grabbing handfuls of sand along the path. As we neared the red rock formations, Preston discovered his echo.



I love red rock and the way the wind and rain carve out spaces. The kids were fascinated. I got this great shot of all three of them. Great because no one is crying which is what usually happens when I put them all together for a photo.



The hike is a slot canyon that ends rather quickly. There was an area the kids could climb up in that was kind of a cave. They loved that. Tyson just wanted to go to the end and hang out there. I haven't really been in a slot canyon. Now I want to explore Zion's and find other hikes.



I took this shot in the cave area. How I wish I had taken my tripod. Still not bad though for being handheld. I love how the light reflects off of the walls.



Preston poses for a shot with mom. I had to have some proof that I was on this trip too! I usually don't get many pictures with me in them.



Next we went over to the sand dunes. It was a small hike to get to, but the kids loved it. They took off their shoes and ran through the sand. The sand was cool and the sun hot. I was actually wishing for shorts mid-day. I think the high was about 57. I love this picture of Tyson tromping through the dune.



We had fun running down the hill. Tyson would run until he lost control and fell. I'd pick him up and he would keep on going, then fall on purpose because he knew it made us laugh. He is the comedian and a little thrill-seeker.



A close-up of the last shot. Note the sand springing from his head as he face plants.




The time at Grandma's was great too. We had a good visit and relaxed. We took the kids' rollerblades to help them learn. Paige loved rollerblading with me. I haven't worn those things since college. She liked to hold my hand and roll down the hill onto the grass.



Preston plays football with Great Grandpa Springer.


The kids loved to cuddle and got a lot of special time.





There is an awesome playground up the street. Everything there spins and uses a person's own momentum. The kids had to test everything out. We played there for quite awhile. The things Greg and Preston are sitting in spin. You have to lean back and then forward to get them going, then you get cruising. I got so sick. I miss being able to do that stuff. How old am I again?



My attempt to get a picture of the kids with the Springers. I am grateful that they can have these opportunities to spend time with their great grandparents. It was so special going to San Diego with them last year. I love visiting St. George. The sun was a welcome change. Coming home to the cold was not so fun.

Christmas Season

I love the holiday season. I never feel ready for it, but I really get into it. The kids are the perfect ages. They believe in Santa. Both Preston and Paige keep breaking out in random Christmas songs that they have learned at school. It's so cute. Paige especially loves music. She is obsessed with Taylor Swift. But, the other day, Preston started singing a Taylor Swift song. So funny.




Anyway, we decorated the tree a the beginning of the month. I laugh at myself because I bought this beautiful tree and decorations before I had kids. It is red and white and the ornaments are mostly glass and in the shape of candy. What was I thinking? Kids love candy! When they are toddlers, they don't get that the candy is not real. So Tyson is all over it. We quickly had to revamp our decorations and now only the top half of the tree is decorated.




I remember going downtown to see the lights as a kid. I had no concept of how hard it must have been for my parents, but I remember being in awe of those giant trees. We took the kids down this year and it was really their first time. Preston doesn't remember going when he was younger. We went out to eat at IHOP first, then headed downtown. I haven't been down there forever and didn't realize how many changes have taken place. The parking wasn't bad since we got there early, but Temple Square was packed! The kids didn't notice or care though, all they saw were the lights. They oohed and aaahed. Tyson kept saying "whoa!" and pointing at everything. Paige loved the pink lights, of course. Preston was more interested in the water features. I only took my point and shoot camera because I knew I wouldn't be able to set up my tripod. I turned off my flash and I'm impressed with the photos I got with that little camera.




Preston LOVES legos. I love what he makes with them. He is so creative. I don't know what is "normal" for a seven year old, but he seems to have a unique sense for building things. I would like to figure out how we can encourage his creativity. He came home from church a couple of weeks ago and decided to build a lego Jesus. Yeah, I don't know that any other kid would think of that. Here is what he came up with-



Preston's Lego Jesus.



Then, yesterday, he made this reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh. My favorite parts are the antlers and Santa's hat complete with the white ball on the end. Wow Preston!



And last of all for my post, here is my Tyson being his usual monkey self. He will hang from anything. Love that boy too.

Tyson's baby book

I have been working hard on Tyson's baby book. I still have two more months to scrap, but I am getting close. I have made sure not to fulfill the prophecies of mothers everywhere that you don't take as many pictures of your kids as more come along. I have TONS of pictures of Tyson. I have also written about him every month so that he would have a record that is just as detailed as Preston and Paige. It didn't take much time to just jot things down in a notebook each month. But typing it into a document was a pain. I should have done that all along. I love digital scrapbooking. It fits right with my love for photography and photoshop because I can make it all myself, exactly how I want it. Then, I can upload my pages as full bleed images to Cherish Bound and get a beautiful, classy hard bound book. I can order a copy for me and one for him.

Here are some of the spreads from his book. It is already 100 pages. I kept it simple by using the same background for the whole book.







I just finished this spread for his measurements. I love seeing how much he has changed over 18 months. He is so adorable. I love my cute boy!





I am hoping to submit his book through cherishbound.com by the end of the month!

If you want to learn more about digital scrapbooking, check out my sister Meg's awesome blog HERE!

Deer Widow Weekend

While Greg was off to galabant around in the mud an rain, I decided to make sure it was a fun weekend with the kids.



I started off the weekend by letting the kids sleep in my bed. I haven't done this before and thought it would be nice to have someone there. I worked on the computer for awhile and when I came in, I couldn't figure out how they were laying. I walked around the bed and felt a foot hanging out. I had to turn on a dim light in the bathroom to look and I laughed. I grabbed the camera and flashed a picture in the pitch dark. It didn't even phase them. I moved them back the right way and they actually slept really well.

I have been wanting to make a tinker toy set of sorts out of PVC pipes and elbows for awhile. I really want to make the water one where you attach sprinklers and fun things, but never got around to it this summer. While looking up ideas online, I found a pattern for marshmallow shooters. I have never seen these before which is surprising since I have served for years in the cub scout organization. They are so simple and cheap. Preston followed the blue print after I cut all the parts. He hadn't even shot a marshmallow and he wanted to reconfigure it and use his imagination. I love seeing that mind at work. We figured out the trick in loading the gun and the mini marshmallows blasted all the way across the basement.



Shooting at a target on the wall. We had to put it high enough that Tyson couldn't grab it.



Check out Paige's marshmallow bouncing off the wall at the top of the picture. And Tyson eagerly awaits its fall...


Tyson was more than willing to help "pick up" the ammunition that hit the floor. We kept telling him he was eating all our bullets!

That afternoon, we went over to Melissa Dahle's and watched How to Train Your Dragon. We had popcorn, pizza, and friends. What more could you ask for? The movie was so cute. I couldn't believe the animation. I will definitely be buying that one.

Sunday morning was a little crazy getting ready. We missed sacrament, but made it to the last two hours of church so I could play the piano in primary. We came home and had lunch and I put Tyson and Paige down for naps. I cuddled with Paige and dozed (one of my favorite things to do) then came upstairs to check on Preston. I was so groggy, but he wanted to make the other PVC stuff I bought. I bought 10 bigger pipes and a bunch of fittings. I wasn't sure what size to cut them. If they are too small, then you have to buy a ton of fittings which are where the expense is. I made a bunch of 1' and 2' pieces. Thankful for the PVC cutter and that I didn't have to use a hack saw. Here is my boy at work.





What a weekend. I love having time to play with my kids. As much as I would love to stay home with them all the time, I am grateful that we both appreciate our time together more because I'm gone two days a week. I'm a crafty person and always have some little project we make together. I hope they will remember these fun times.

Paige's new hair cut

Here is Paige's new do. We are twins.

Yesterday, Paige was playing with her friend Sophia. I let them get out the Halloween stuff. She saw the pumpkin pictures and asked if she could have them. Then she came up asking for tape. Then she came up asking for scissors for the tape. I didn't worry about the scissors because she uses them often. A bit later, Sophia came upstairs with her hand over the side of her hair. Paige came behind holding her hair and confessed "Mommy, sorry we cut our hair." While I was concerned about Paige, I was MUCH more worried about the neighbor girl. Her hair was much longer and she hacked a good 4 inches behind her ear along with her bangs. Paige cut part of her bangs completely off. Then took a chunk out on both sides of her hair. When I asked her why she did it, she explained.

"My hair was in my face. So I cut it." Not sure why it progressed to more. It must have gotten fun at that point. Still, it's hard not to laugh knowing she was trying to solve a problem. She just didn't choose the best solution. Luckily, Sophia's mom was cool about it and came over to show us Sophia's new hair.