Thanks Noggin!

Taylor told me today after her bath, "Mom you have to save water because we have to take care of the Earth." I always knew good things came from watching TV.

I brought a Mercedes Benz home for Tanya today

She was pretty excited about the luxury car I parked in front of the house as a surprise today.  Check it out.

Just in case there is any confusion, this post is being done by Tyler. 

The little things.

The last couple months, weeks, and days have been very stressful for our family, and I am sick and sleep deprived so I blame my current uncontrollable emotions on all that but I read a blog today mentioned by one of my friends and I just can't seem to forget the writer and her family. They lost their little one year old daughter in a drowning accident in their own back yard. One of her posts talks about her first Sunday at church after the accident and how weird it was to not have a nap deprived baby on her hip and how sad her husband was because he didn't have to spend Priesthood in the halls. She mentions in another post the things her other children do that normally drive her nuts but now are not such a big deal. I felt like she was talking to me because I allow my kids to drive me nuts way too often. I spend the three hours of church walking the halls and every day when I make dinner, I hold Ashlyn, have Andy crying and hanging on one leg, and Taylor on the other (it is amazing the food turns out edible). How badly would the mom I am mentioning want to have her nap deprived child attached to her hip at church on Sunday or have her hanging on her leg while she makes dinner? Probably more than we can even imagine. Her blog has struck a profound chord with me and I think I will be forever changed. It reminds me of the country song "You're Gonna Miss This." If something ever happened to one of my children I would MISS walking the halls or having them hang on me. I need to appreciate them, rejoice in them and be grateful that Heavenly Father has entrusted them to me and that they are healthy and happy and here. I need to not let the stresses of this life darken my eternal perspective.

In another post she posed this challenge:
Take a minute for me tonight and record the little things your kids do right now. They don't even need to be cute things. Someday when your baby is grown you may even miss the food thrown on the ground or the face wiped on the sleeve.Cherish the little things. For the little things are the spice in life.

So here it is, the little things about my children that bring spice to my life:

Taylor:
-Always, always dressed for the royal ball. And not just her, she makes sure Ashlyn has a tutu on and Andy has his Prince cape on.
-Always wants her hair down with a hideous headband on.
-Incredibly picky about the clothes she wears. Likes skirts and jean shorts. Does not like her shirts to have anything on the front like a bow, or a gather, and can't be too long or too short..good heavens!
-Her favorite line, "I get a marble in my jar!"
-Loves to play with friends.
-Can get excited about anything (ie: marble in the jar).
-Has a great vocabulary, is very smart, and loves to talk.
-Has an insane memory.
-Talks about her bday party everyday (we are on the 5 month countdown).
-Loves to read books.

Andy:
-My incredibly sweet, handsome boy who loves to cuddle. Today he would run to me as I put my hands out just to give me a kiss (we did this about 10 times).
-Loves music and to dance.
-Loves to throw balls with someone.
-Loves his daddy and Grandpas (spends too much time outnumbered by girls).
-Walks and runs like Jack Sparrow from Pirates.
-Loves to play in the water.
-Great Laugh

Ashlyn:
-Our little firecracker with more spunk, attitude, and confidence than should be allowed in a 17 month old.
-Loves to climb on anything and everything (counter tops, couches, chairs, table, crib, etc)
-Loves music and dance and is currently trying to master a somersault.
-Loves shoes. She can be found throughout the day with shoes on that belong to Tyler, me, Taylor, Andy, or any visitor at our home.
-Has a round little belly, cute little booty, and the smallest feet ever.
-She has no fear and does not see anything as an obstacle (ie: walking like a big kid down stairs, climbing onto the side of the couch and letting herself drop onto the floor, climbing out of her crib onto the changing table into Andy's crib, grunting the entire way because remember she is small). Just as a side note: the changing table has been moved =)

I tried to keep it short but I could seriously go on and on now that I stop and think about each one of them and the funny things that make them who they are. I need to do it more often. I now have a smile on my face as I think of all the quirky things they do that are the icing on my cake. How blessed I am to have these 3 sweet spirits in my life. In addition to Tyler, they are my everything.

My Sweet Girl

Ashlyn woke up feisty as ever this morning (I blame it on the fact that she is teething). An example of her craziness was when she climbed up the bar stools and fell hitting her head on the hardwood and then was so mad she had to go and bite the chair and throw a 15 minute tantrum. Obviously it was the chair's fault. I didn't know what to do with her and apparently Taylor could tell that I was a bit overwhelmed. Ashlyn had a bag of goldfish crackers and of course dumped it out all over the floor which is one of the worst snacks to have spill because little orange crumbs go everywhere! Instead of saying anything, I just walked out of the room and decided I would clean it up after we came back from a birthday party. It was only 10:30 in the morning and my patience and mental energy was fading fast. To my surprise and amazement, Taylor got out our little vacuum and cleaned up Ashlyn's mess. She has never done that before and she made sure to get every last little orange crumb. Her small act of sweetness gave me the little boost of patience and energy I needed to continue on with our day. She is such a good big sister and is turning into a great helper!

He's Back!

I finally have my husband back. Tyler was back at work today for the 1st time in over a week (not so great when you are self employed). I even had some help during the bath and night time routine. YEA! His throat pretty much looks like normal again. We are so grateful that the throat infection is gone and that no one else in our family became infected. Thanks for all the help, thoughts, and prayers.

Dance Recital

Last Year...This Year...What a difference a year makes. They look so grown up. I swear they are only 3.This was Taylor's 2nd year participating in the Talent Factory dance recital and she did AWESOME!!! We are so proud of her. She remembered all the steps, was on cue, and sang the song. Not to mention she looked super cute! The studio definitely doesn't take short cuts on the costumes and I love it! They are so cute!
Here is a little video clip of the 2nd half of the dance. She just makes me smile!

Getting ready for rehearsal.

Sara and I added a little dazzle to their dance shirts (rhinestones and ribbon) but they were nothing compared to what the crafty dance moms do. They completely recreate the shirts..it is pretty impressive. Our girls looked super cute though and it didn't take us hours to do.

Unfortunately we still don't have a working camera (AGH!) so I am relying on other people for pictures. I haven't received all the pictures yet so I may post more later.

As for Tyler, he wasn't able to make it to the recital which was really sad. We did however go to the ER a second time on Sunday (YEA!) when his throat became so swollen he was having a hard time breathing and swallowing. The mixture of drugs they gave him that time DEFINITELY helped him and we believe he is on his way to recovery (fingers crossed). We will be happy when this is all over.

Update on Tyler.

I WISH I had better news. Unfortunately, the pain has gotten worse. I tried talking him into going to the ER this afternoon but he didn't want to go so I gave up the fight. However, he changed his mind when he started feeling his airway getting blocked and within a half hour he was downstairs, dressed, and ready to go in. Thank goodness! Only they couldn't figure out what it is!!! I think he should be quarantined and put on a medical mystery show all the while pumping him full of drugs. They ran a ton of tests and took xrays, gave him pain meds and antibiotics through the IV and sent us home with our own little pharmacy. The results from the culture should be in Monday or Tuesday and hopefully that will provide us with much needed answers. I am so grateful for our friends and family that have helped out so much the last couple days. I would be much more out of mind without you.