Play Time is Always a Good Time

Jack started walking! He's so cute. I love the little toddle walk with the elbows up and the tummy sticking out. So adorable. Tanner took a video of him the other day dancing and walking at the same time. Jack LOVES to dance. He's just the cutest.

Sometimes I bust out my nice camera and snap a few pictures of us just hanging out. I've been so tired for the past few weeks that we haven't been doing too much. We can usually be found enjoying the sunshine in the backyard most afternoons.

Rayleigh is such a true beauty. I get lost in her eyes. But she has a hard time standing still for a picture!

Jack has also realized that he's tall enough to reach the door knobs and tries all the time to open them.

And he's very good at putting the blocks away that his sister dumps out.

I love when Tanner goes to the store! We have so much yummy food to eat! This was my brunch for a week straight!

It's a good thing our backyard is so private because one might think we run a nudist colony!

Rayleigh has been very into accessorizing lately.

Ana's mom asked me to watch her after school one day so we packed up some snacks and headed to the park. She's a wild one! The kids had a blast. I was too tired to really enjoy the hyper activity of these 2.

My own wild child.

Ray loves to snuggle. This particular morning, Parker was quietly playing some video games while I was getting everyone ready to head out the door for school. She climbed up next to him and snuggled under his blanket and was pleased as punch!

It hasn't been too hot which is strange because it was blistering hot in February. But we did have one hot day and our sweet friend from church invited us (and a few other moms/kids) over to swim after school. It was soooooooooo fun!!!!!!! My kids LOVE the water. I was surprised at how well Jack did in his new little floaty. I mean the kid is only 12 months old!!! But they get in the hot tub every single day so they are all about swimming. They were thrilled to be in a nice big pool!

 Mia and Rayleigh BOTH wanted to swing. ha ha

This girl has been hit and miss with her naps lately. Sometimes she can go all day just fine and other days she totally crashes. I love to creep on my children when they sleep. They are so angelic and get into the weirdest positions.

And when Ray is asleep and Parker is at school Jack and I get some one on one time! 

These 2 are starting to play together more. Either play or Ray sits on him and makes him cry.....

Saturday was kind of chilly but since the kids had such a great time swimming at our friend's house I made Tanner take us to Ladera. We only lasted an hour. That night we met Tanner's new bosses and their wives for dinner and it was so fun!!! He's going to be working with a phenomenal group of people.

I'm always trying to capture a good picture of Ray's eyes....

If you give a baby an Oreo.... This gave me so much anxiety. He was so messy with his Oreo- stuffing it in his mouth and then spitting it out to look at it and then shoving it back in.. gross. BATH TIME!!!!

Parker brought home the sweetest journal entry from school all about ME! I just love him so much. All the time people are coming up to me and telling me how sweet and smart and GOOD he is. It makes me feel so proud. He's got the best personality and he IS such a good kid.

So, you know how I've been tired lately.... oh man. It's been such a struggle to keep the house clean and the kids fed! (and dressed) But I do it. And I've been doing yoga every day too. I am so looking forward to Tanner being home more now that he'll be working closer to home. I know that won't happen right away, though. 99.9% of the time I can do it all by myself and I love it. It's great! But when I'm not feeling my best I need back up! So it will be so great having him closer. Especially for dinner time! It's not really "family" dinner without the Dad!!!!

This lunch was called "Balance".

3,2,1 BLAST OFF!!!!

I signed Parker up for "splashball" which is like an introduction to water polo. It's from 6-7 which is pretty much the worst time for me to haul all the kids out. This particular day I had the kids fed and bathed and was getting them in their PJ's at 5:30 to get Parker to the pool on time. I wanted them to be all ready for bed so I could just throw them into bed as soon as we got back. I knew that hour was going to be torture so I tried my best to be prepared but I was still so nervous. And tired. As I was wrestling Jack on the bedroom floor trying to get him dressed Tanner walked in and I just started sobbing. Like a baby. He NEVER gets home at 5:30 and seeing him was like a miraculous answer to prayer. I was so grateful to have him home to help me!!!! But,,,,,,,,, he was only stopping in because he had an appointment close to home. He was interviewing a new marketer. He said he would only be a few minutes and he would meet me at the pool and so I could take the babies home. But he never showed up. Splash ball ended and I took the kids home and put the babies in bed and he still wasn't home. I was furious. He knew I would be mad so he came home with flowers but that was no where close to making me feel any better. He knows he let me down and he's committed to coming home early to help me get Parker to sports in the evenings now. I think he just sees me "doing it all" without complaining that he doesn't realize how much I really DO need him!!!!!!!!! If not for back up, for hugs and kisses! ha ha

Josi sent us this picture after she got her hair done the other day. I think she looks so beautiful and I can't wait for her to move to Vegas this summer!!!!!!

On Friday morning I let Parker skip school and come with us to Disneyland! The Monorail was finally reopened! Whew! We had such a great time!!! I love taking my kids to Disneyland!!!!

We got some Fast Passes to Space Mountain for Parker to use that night with Ana and then we stopped over at the theater and watched this little Star Wars film. It was so good!

Ana's mom asked a few weeks ago if she could pick up the kids after school one friday and take them to Disneyland for the night. Parker has been looking forward to this so much! Parker has a blast when he's with Ana. But Ana has a major huge crush on Parker. She's in first grade and only 8! But she's taller than he is and has a little bit of a rebellious streak. To tell you the truth, seeing these pictures freaked me out. When I looked at them I got this deep dark ache in my heart the burned up my chest and into my eyes and made me bawl. I don't want my kids to grow up! I don't want them to leave me or have broken hearts/spirits/bones!!!! I want them to stay little and attached to me. When I heard other mom's lamenting the fact that their kids were growing up I'd think how ridiculous that sounded. Watching your kids grow up provides the biggest source of pride and fulfillment. But it's also so so scary.  I don't know if I'm strong enough to let them go! HE'S ONLY 8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 8 more years and then he can THINK about dating. Sheesh......... Stay away ladies! And in the mean time, HOMESCHOOL! ha ha

I've been planning a weekend to really sit down and work on my CME's (Continuing Medical Education). Since Parker was going to be at Disneyland all night on Friday (he didn't get back until midnight) and he had scout camp all the next day, I asked Tanner if he could stay with the babies so I could go to my parents house and focus on my work. Obviously he said yes, although he was jealous when I told him about all of the pampering I squeezed in.  I went to dinner and shopping with Robyn and it was so nice to catch up with her. The next morning I worked on my CME's for a couple hours and then my Mom and I grabbed some brunch and then got massages and pedicures! I also got a Groupon for eye lash extensions! Woo hoo! I loved spending time with my mom!! She's my best friend and we have the best conversations!!! Tanner had a blast with the babies. He fixed up some things around the house and took the babies to Home Depot and for a bike ride. When I came home the house was spotless and the kids were darling and so happy. They loved spending time with Daddy!

That night we went to a BYU Vocal Point concert at Corona High School. It was sooooo awesome! Such a great show! And we ran into our stake president, Jermey, and his wife Liz. And also his Dad, the SD temple president. Tanner's boss was there too and a whole lot of other administrators so it was fun to chat with Tanner's buddies. It was a great date night!