I Finally Beat Someone

A few weeks ago, Wes's mom came down for an Oma visit and helped us out watching Liam while I was in the middle of finals and whatnot. We had a great visit, even though poor Liam was sick. :( But, that actually meant more snuggles for Oma. They had a fabulous time playing racquetball and 'Hi Ho Cherry Oh!' though. For some reason, our family never really played Scrabble growing up. When Wes and I got married, I realized I married into a scrabble playing family, which Judy is the Queen of. She's seriously got some mad Scrabble skills. I definitely always came in last the first couple of times we played. Well, she got me a Scrabble board for my birthday a year or so ago and I have gotten a tad better. I now know how to semi-strategize. So, this was our lucky weekend. Wes and I actually beat her! CRAZY I know. It's probably because she was so tired from chasing around our 2 1/2 year old, but I like to think it's because we're improving. Anyway, here is the score card and board to prove it!!

Yeah, Wes still kicked my tush in this game, but I got closer to him the second game. We only swapped one letter once or twice. ;) The truth comes out... I still think we would have won without it, though. :) Sorry this is wonky.

Thanks for an awesome visit, Oma!

More Talent Show

I forgot to post these photos of Liam singing with the other primary kids in our ward talent show. He's not in primary yet, but he knew the songs, so he raced up there to be with the big kids. He did a great job and was so cute!

'The Wise Man and The Foolish Man'

A Little Visitor

The night of our ward talent show we were getting ready to leave and I just happened to catch a glimpse of a little visitor we had. Since when are there big lizards in the city? These photos don't really do the 'little' guy justice. Having grown up in rural Nevada, I've seen quite a few lizards, and this guy was a very good size--especially for a 'city boy.' :)

Liam was quite intrigued by him and got a very good look at him since he was 'playing dead.' We couldn't get him to move for anything. Wes got a stick to get him to move and then he finally took off. He had some long legs! Liam was so confused about where he was going and we told him that he had to go home to his rocks. He still talks about the little lizard and how he lives at the rocks now and how he wishes he'd come back for a visit again. I told him he'll have to keep his eyes open at Nana and Papa's because he might just live there!

Second Day of School Cuteness

Liam had 'crazy hat day' for his second day of school. He loved it and looked pretty cute as a Liam the Builder. :)

A Lovely Day to Celebrate Mothers!

We had a wonderful Mother's Day today. We weren't able to spend it with either of our moms but we enjoyed a nice mid-morning at church, studying, and a lovely BBQ with our friends. It was very relaxing day (well, minus studying for this horrible final for tomorrow) and the greatest gift was the glorious weather!
I wanted to do a little tribute to our moms.

Nana:
Liam loves his Nana very much. He really enjoys going to her house and playing with her. He loves talking to her on the phone and telling her about all the fun things he did that day. He especially loves waking her up very early at her house and watching cartoons on her TV. And she's nice enough not to wake his mommy and daddy! He also loves that she gives him baths and lays down with him at nap time. He loves those special little moments.

Nana is also a wonderful mom to me! She listens to me talk about nursing school all the time and is one of the few people that understands and appreciate my stress about it. She's supported me in my efforts and understood my breakdowns, and I'm very appreciative for that. She taught me to be the best mom that I can be and was a wonderful example of sacrifice.

We love you, Nana!

I don't think I can fully write how much Liam loves his G.G. It has been a huge blessing in our life to live so close to G.G. for a while. Liam loves to be G.G.'s drop off when I go the grocery store. The do all sorts of fun things for that hour while I'm gone: play puzzles on the computer, build car tracks, play with bubbles, color, read, watch cartoons, etc. As a matter of fact, he usually cries when it's time to go home!

I've also always been a Grandma's girl. I used to spend lots of time with Grandma on my school breaks and we'd enjoy sloppy joes, chinese food, Wheel of Fortune, lots of fun crafts, playing with her old walking boot from when she broke her leg, etc. She's taught me a lot of crafting and cooking and I still love going to Grandma's house and knowing that there will always be cookies in the cookie jar.

We love our GG!

Liam also loves his Oma very much! We were soo lucky to have her come and visit and take care of all of us this last week. She graciously came down when we needed some help and took care of a sick Liam and played racquetball and 'Hi! Ho! Cherry Oh!' to Liam's heart's content. She loves Liam so much and he loves her too. He was so sad when she left us, but we feel so blessed that we get to see her often being far away. We all shed some tears when she left. She definitely knows how to take good care of us. I'm also grateful that she taught my husband to be such a loving, patient, and kind father and husband. She's a wonderful example of charity to me as well, serving all the women in her ward as the Relief Society President. She puts in countless hours serving the sisters in her ward. They are lucky to have her.

We Love You, Oma! I feel so blessed to be a mother to this handsome little lad:
Being a mom is truly the ultimate gift in life. I can't believe I've been blessed with such a wonderful little boy and the opportunity to be a mom so early in life. Sure, we've had our struggles, but at the end of the day, there are the sweet little moments that you share with your child that mean the most. It's been really nice to reflect on that today, as I've had a more difficult time with this 'two-year-old phase.' But, the small moments tickling his back, rocking him in the chair, having him try to spell 'mom,' are the ones that count the most. And I'm so grateful that he's so forgiving of my imperfect parenting and mistakes.

Being a Mom is my greatest joy.

Lilacs in Bloom

This is what my life was like the last time lilacs bloomed in our yard... 32ish weeks pregnant with my baby boy.

My, what a difference three years makes! This is the first time the lilacs have bloomed in our yard since the first year we lived here. They were blooming right when we moved in our house, a nice welcome.

I *love* lilacs. This is surprising because, as a child, my mom and grandma would take us up to the old, mostly empty neighborhoods in my hometown and we'd 'steal' from the bushes at the abandoned houses. I thought for sure the cops would come and arrest us for stealing the beautiful, blooming lilacs from these old, empty houses, so I'd sit in the car watching for the cops to come while everyone else was cutting the flowers. (yes- I was a very paranoid child) I really thought my mom just wanted us to go to jail even though, once we were home, I liked having my own little vase of fresh flowers in my messy bedroom. I can now appreciate why we did it: 1)my mom can never get lilacs to bloom in her yard 2) I remember the bushes bursting with the full blooms ready to fall over they were so heavy 3) the neighborhoods had a beautiful assortment of colors that no one was enjoying 4)the smell of fresh cut lilacs on the kitchen table is just the best.

So, you can imagine my joy when our good ole' lilac buds survived the cold and snow to produce these beautiful, fragrant blooms!

This is the beautiful vase that my sister gave me for Christmas. This is the first time I've used it for fresh flowers and it looks beautiful on my dining room table. Ahhh, I love spring!

My School Boy

My Little Liam is now a school boy. I've been thinking for a while that I wanted to start getting him on some lists for pre-schools in the area, but just hadn't had a chance yet. I knew he'd love it and would love the activities, projects and being with the other kids. One day, my friend Erica let me know that they had an opening at the center where she works. So, I called and talked to them and went on a tour and got him all set up for 'school' two days a week.

He was sooo excited the night before school. We let him pick out a backpack after he had gone to the dentist and he chose a very cool Thomas backpack(new obsession). Some of his friends from his regular daycare have started pre-school so he's been asking me to go to school for a long time. I guess he was just thrilled with the idea of school.

His first day of school was during the regular track's spring break, so they were having a 'spirit week' at school and his first day was pajama day. He was very confused about why he was going to wear his jammies to school, but he had no complaints.

When we got to school, he just ran and immediately started playing with the other kids. He had a great day and did well. He even took a nap on the mat his second day, which was my big concern because he's always slept in a bed by himself for naps.

At any rate, he LOVES school and has been doing great. I'm glad to get him that interaction and it's so nice that Erica is there because it gives me a little piece of mind. He's excited for school every week now, but still loves to go to Sammy's as well. The best of both worlds--lucky boy.

Here are some of his first day of pre-school pics. I had to do a classic 'hand on the door, first day of school pic.' My mom made us do one every single year and while I know he's not really in school-school, we still think it counts and I had to take this picture for tradition's sake.Showing off his rockin' new backpack.Just some cute ones showcasing his excitement.

My big boy with his new school shoes. :)

He seems far too grown up... Wasn't he just born last week?