My mother has several pictures of me in my youth with my nose taped up. I think they are her favorite pictures of me. :o) This evening William and Dad were playing with tape. This is what we got as a result. Mother like son...or should I say Son like Mother. :o)
So I pulled my hair into a ponytail and cut it shoulder length a couple mornings ago. It is an odd length to wear down so I was debating whether to A-line cut my hair chin length or if I should grow my hair out again. I just needed a change. Anyways last night I was laying in bed looking at celebrity hairstyles when I came upon a beautiful hairstyle which I replicated today for church. I felt beautiful again for the first time in a bit. Those darn pregnancy hormones and ever expanding tummy does crazy stuff to the brain.
Three cheers to a great hair day! 
I don't know if we have done a recent post on how much we love our Dad (my husband Gordon) Before I got married I had check list of qualities I was seeking for in an eternal companion. I had the top 5 "must haves" which were honest, faithful to the gospel and priesthood (which obviously included being true, chaste, virtuous,and served a mission), goal oriented, loves his family and mother..treating them with respect and lastly he had to be taller than me. The rest of the list consisted of "bonus" qualities such as the ability to play the piano, cook and doesn't snore. (The whole list was about 25 in length)
We'll I just have to tell you that Gordon met every single quality and characteristic on my list....plus some! He still surprises me with hidden talents and abilities after 6 years of marriage. Not only is he my husband and provider for the family he is also my lover, best friend, psychiatrist, chiropractor, chef, handyman, builder, manager, personal trainer, motivational speaker, professor, mechanic, farmer, gardener, organizer, spiritual advisor, leader, shofer, hair dresser, masseur, nutritionist, plumber, bee keeper, and so much more.
Most importantly he is so loyal and committed to me and the welfare of my entire being. I heard a quote once that reads, "To love a person is to learn the song that is in their heart, and to sing it to them when they have forgotten." Gordon has done that for me during my low times. The truth is Gordon is my song. He made my heart sing with happiness from the first time I met him and it hasn't stopped. I think we have something special and I am grateful Heavenly Father guided our paths to meet.
The pictures below are of chicken korma and nan bread that Gordon makes for us. We love this Indian meal. Gordon's cooking is so delicious and satisfying that many times William will fall asleep at the dinner table like in the picture below. I would too if I had a place to lay my head! :o)
We love you Gordon! 
A couple weeks ago the boys and I rode the train into SLC to pick up Dad who had just come back into town. It was the boys first time on a train and they LOVED it. We then spent the rest of the day walking around temple square and took a tour of the conference center. What a lovely day we had.
Who would have known that one day a view like this would make me smile? Before having kids a mess like this would have sent me into OCD stress/shock. But I found myself smiling the other day when I saw this site. It means that I have sweet kids in my home to love. If anything were to happen to any of them I am sure I would miss the "mess."
I had to do a post about Alexander since I did one about William last night. How can a parent say they love one child over another? Asking me to choose would be like asking me what my favorite vacation has been. I love them all and for different reasons. I can't tell you just how much joy the boys have brought into my life but my heart often feels like it is going to burst! Alexander was a great way to start off our little family. 
He is so full of life. He is a very energetic, curious little boy who learns so quickly.
Alexander is friendly, outgoing, always smiling and very trusting. His bright personality often brings smiles to strangers faces when we are in public.
Alexander is FANTASTIC at puzzles, loves books, cars and playing any kind of super hero, especially when he can carry around a pretend gun, sword, or bow and arrow. 
This kid would live outside if I would let him. He is an explorer at heart. He has no fear that I can tell. (The only time I have seen him nervous enough to whimper was a couple weeks ago when we let him climb the indoor rock wall. He got up pretty high and looked down. He LOVED it though and says he wants his 4th birthday party there.:o)
When he was just barely 2 years old we went camping. Alexander disappeared from the main lodge where we were preparing dinner. I went outside to holler for him after not finding him indoors. I could barely hear his voice. There he was walking in the forest during a moonless night. No flashlight, nothing. Just happy as can be. Needless to say because he is fearless we have to keep close watch on him.
He has always been super tall and had advanced motor skills for his age that has allowed him to do a lot of dangerous stuff without him understanding the dangers of his choices. He is now able to make safe choices which has given him much more independence and allowed me to relax. 
Did I mention that this kid loves to jump? He LOVES trampolines. He also enjoys jumping off anything that he could possibly jump off of in the house. Including his headboard as shown above. Alexander also enjoy dancing.
Alexander is our protector. If William cries when I have to put him on his bed for a time-out Alexander will come running to tell me to be nice to William. There have been times when I accidentally bumped into William knocking him down and Alexander will spank my behind and exclaim, "Don't hurt William!" If dad is tickling me Alexander and William will attack Gordon. 
Alexander is a problem solver and super creative. He does great staying in bed at bed time and verbally reminds William to do the same. 
He has a wonderful, enjoyable sense of humor which will be a blessing to him in his life. Yesterday after a meal Gordon said "I'm full", to which Alexander exclaimed "You're FULL of bologna dad!" 
Alexander is a quick learner and says says things that take me by surprise. A couple months ago after we had gotten ready for bed Alexander ran, got a piece of paper and began to write. I said, "It is time for bed. Come on", to which he replied "I can't. I have to finish my speech." (I don't know where he learned about speeches.) I let him finish. When he was done he stood in the middle of the kitchen and proudly read the speech which consisted of proclaiming to me that he was going to be a hero and kill a dragon with his sword and bow. 
Alexander's favorite movies are Disney's Cars and Ratatouilli. He loves to watch Curious George on the computer as well.
He eats about anything except for avocados which make him dry heave. He absolutely loves rootbeer, broccoli, tomatoes and homemade bread. Last spring we went to baby animal days at a local historic farm. The older cousins were daring each other to eat chocolate covered ants, dried warms and BBQ flavored crickets. Alexander walked right up and shoveled them in as fast as he could exclaiming "Yum, this is good!"
Alexander is very independent. He loves to cook and make his own fried eggs and waffles. (Really anything we'll let him make on his own) He knows how to properly hold a knife and cut vegetables and cheese. We wants me to teach him how to do everything himself. His most recent "I want to know how to do" is laundry.
This kid loves to give big bear hugs and kisses. He also enjoys snuggling with me and Gordon in our bed. I love Saturday mornings when we all are snuggled warm and safe in the bed together. Especially when I wake up to see Gordon and my sweet children's smiling faces. I am so blessed.
I have wanted to write a post about my little William since his birthday in December. The child has brought so much joy into our home.
He came into the world with me laughing with delight. (The doctors, nurses and Gordon exclaimed "He has a bunch of hair!" I felt the top of his head and started to laugh with happiness which pushed him right out. It was an awesome moment.) William has kept us smiling and laughing every since. 
William is my snuggle baby. We take naps together almost everyday. He usually wakes up around 4 or 5 a.m to come lay next to me in my bed and we'll sleep until it is time to wake up for the day. 
He is a bit bashful and reserved yet I call him my quiet clown because he likes to tease and make others laugh. 
William is also very compassionate. If anyone is hurt his face shows empathy and he'll hug them or kiss the boo-boo. For his birthday in December he had a Curious George figure on his little cake that got burned a bit on the side of his head from a candle being too close. William was visually disturbed by the poor "hurt" monkey. He wouldn't touch him or his cake until I washed George, put a band-aid over the burn, kissed it better and handed it back to him. With sadness in his eyes he kept kissing Curious Georges head through out the night. 
His favorite animals are horses and cats. During the year when the neighbors horses pasture next to my bedroom, every morning William would watch them from the window and exclaim with excitement "horse!" and then make horse sounds. If he sees a cat he instantly makes a meowing sound. He carries his stuffed cat and little plastic horse around all the time. 
William is bit calmer than his older brother but is still a very curious busy bee...and a problem solver. If he needs a drink or is hungry he often times will climb to get his own cup or climb onto the table to get the peanut butter. This kid loves to eat peanut butter from a spoon just like his mom. He doesn't let me know he needs something. He just tries to get what he wants first and if he is not successful then he'll have me help. (Did I mention he is a climber? He climbs on EVERYTHING!)
William will lick the peanut butter off his bread but leave the bread. He insists on having cheese on crackers but will only eat the cheese. He doesn't like messy hands and is intrigued by bugs. Sometimes he'll walk around the house with a tissue, exclaim "Yuck bug" at the site of even a crumb. He'll pick it up and throw it away. At the same time he'll pick up real bugs outside with his fingers and bring them over to show me. 
This cute guy has a wonderful imagination. Although Alexander and William are playing together more, William does well "creating and imagining" in self play. He has a command of the pencil and has held it correctly for the past year. He has great focus to details when coloring and writing. 
He is currently fascinated with recognizing letters from the alphabet and colors. He also loves to wear his red super hero cape Grandma Kim made for the boys in August. He wears the cape just about everyday.
William has reached that point in toddler life where he tries to talk and communicate but we can't understand much of what he says so he often gets frustrated. His vocabulary is expanding though and he is really working on pronouncing what words he can say. (I think this is such and exciting time!)
Just like his older brother William has been going #1 in the toilet since he was 1 years old. We are so close to having him potty trained during the days. He finds joy in being a big boy and doing "big boy things" such as using the toilet and wearing underwear. 
William loves to help me with chores. He favorite is helping me grind wheat. It is his responcibility to keep the wheat grinder filled up with wheat. William does a great job and hardly spills at all.
Before I knew I was pregnant one night when I was putting the boys to bed William pointed at my stomach and said "baby." I asked if he wanted a baby sister or brother and he nodded yes. A week later I found out I was pregnant. Since then William takes notice to every baby he sees or hears. Sacrament meeting consists or hearing William shout "BABY!" every time he hears a baby cry.
The other day he took the baby doll we have and took her cloths off, walked into the bathroom (I could see all of this from where I was sitting) and placed the doll over the toilet. He waited a minute then wiped the dolls behind with toilet paper, flushed the toilet then got the baby dressed, wrapped her in a blanket and gave the doll a kiss. William is going to be a great big brother.
We are so blessed to have our William. I could kiss his little face all day!
