Easter

Easter was a lot of fun! We had all of the nieces and nephews (and parents) over to my moms house for a big Easter Dinner and a fun little Easter Egg Hunt. This was also the day that the Masters golf tournament was on. I could not find Doug for the life of me for the longest time until I went and found him hiding behind a sofa chair in my parents room so he could finish watching the Masters. Apparently it went to a play off and that's a big deal :)

Here he is looking like an angel! Isn't he beautiful!!!

The funniest part of the day had to be the Easter Egg hunt. The older 5 grandkids were all racing around trying to find the eggs and Linkin and Codan were just chillin playing with one egg. That is until Linkin found out that he could open up the egg and jelly beans came out. This is where his day because the coolest day ever and my day became a game of don't-let-the-baby-choke. Not really a fun game for the mommy let me tell ya! Linkin was very strategic in the way he went about getting his candy. He waited until all of the older kids put their baskets down and weren't looking. This is when he went in for the kill! He raced over with his spider man crawl and raided their buckets. He opened the eggs and shoved as many jelly beans as he could fit into his mouth. I think the most I pulled out at once was 7! The dude is crazy!!! He is way smart and sneaky too! When he's 16 I don't know what my life will bring! :)

Linkin's greatest discovery of the day! "There's candy in here and it's not the crap my mom lets me eat!!!!"

The following is what I like to call, "Things That Happen When You Leave Your Brother And Your Husband Alone With A Camera".......

...Okay so I may egg them on just a little bit....

Utah

Our family had the chance to go to Utah over Conference weekend. It was soooo much fun! We stayed at Doug's grandma and grandpa's house. There was hardly any sleeping going on because we had so much crammed into one weekend, but oh well! Saturday night Doug got to go to the priesthood session at the Conference Center. He said it was the coolest thing ever. I went over to my Grandma Gene's house and had a fun little birthday party without the boys. (I turned 24 and was a little freaked out about it! Man I'm getting old!)

Sunday we had such a blast going to visit Doug's aunt Peggy and her girls. They have the cutest kids ever! It was so much fun to see them all again. We haven't seen them since our wedding and they haven't met Linkin yet. It was so fun to watch all of the little cousins play together. Here are some pictures from our fun filled trip!

Girls just wanna have fun!!!! (at grandma's house) left to right- Annie, Teresa, Grandma Gene, Shannon, Tyson, Ashley, Me, Linkin, Kate, Lauren, Candice, and Catherine. (Nana Jany was taking the picture)

Linkin's first snow adventure! We had to stop for the photo op! He loves his grandma and grandpa!

This was his face after tasting a snowball. He kept going back for more so he must have liked it!

Doug, Phil, Kayla, Me, Linkin, Grandpa, and Grandma. This is where we stayed! Thanks grandma and grandpa!!!!!
I love this picture of my two favorite boys! Don't they both look so stinking cute! (Doug looks hot in blue! Sorry to embarrass you babe but it's true! :)


It was so cold while we were up in Utah. Linkin was furious the entire time because he couldn't go outside and play. We practically live at the park here in Arizona so he couldn't figure out why we were all cooped up inside. He got to go outside and play at Aunt Peggy's house and he loved it, as you can see! (Melanie, my pics of the boys are all blurry. If you got some good ones I would love them!) This is a picture of Linkin getting to go down the slide like a big boy! I usually make him go backwards on his tummy. Silly mommy!

It's Official

I can't believe it, but Linkin has officially said (and said, and said, and said, and said) his very first word. I shouldn't be surprised given Doug and I are his parents, but his first word is, "Hi!" I put the exclamation mark because he truly says it with this adorable, high pitch, little voice. It is absolutely adorable. When we go to the grocery story all of the cute little old couples just eat him up. We walk by them and he leans around me to get their attention, gives him his cutest grin he can muster and says, "Hi!"

The only problem is, I tend to find things funny when I shouldn't. Linkin likes to say his cute little word at the most inappropriate times ever. Doug and I were trying to say our family prayer and he crawled right up in our face to say hi to us. When we wouldn't respond to him, he slapped us across the face. At that point there was nothing we could do but bust up laughing ourselves.

Than, Sunday at church they reorganized our young women's presidency. They released the president and the 1st counselor, but the 2nd counselor and I stayed in. They had to release us all and recall us. I was holding Linkin in Sacrament when they called my name to be the secretary and when I stood up Linkin shouted, "hi" to the entire chapel and started waving to everybody. At this point, I felt like everyone was looking at me and I was trying not to make it worse by laughing because it was kinda funny. I will try to get some video of him saying it so you can understand what I'm gushing about. Sorry about the first time mom-ness! :)

Calling All Moms.....

Okay so here's the deal, Linkin has decided that any food that comes in a jar is a bad idea and refuses to eat it. He has sworn off all baby food. This wouldn't really be an issue, but homeboy has two teeth. That's right! Two tiny, little, baby teeth on the bottom row. I am totally struggling trying to figure out what to feed this kid. He wont even eat apple sauce. He thinks I'm feeding him baby food. I've even tried mixing baby food with stuff to try and trick him, but he figures me out. This little man is smart! I need help! What ideas do you guys have for feeding a baby that has hardly any teeth and refuses baby food or anything that resembles it? I need your input!!!!

What a great day...

Do you ever have one of those days at church where you just sit there and think, "This day was seriously made for me?" Today was definitely one of those days for me. One of my young women's older brother came home from his mission and today was his homecoming. It was such a great homecoming. I didn't even know the kid, but I could tell he was an amazing missionary and has such a strong testimony. He started talking about how when he was younger he was diagnosed with dyslexia and the doctors told him he would never be able to read well or speak another language. He said that his mom decided other wise. She worked with him for hours and hours and he was able to read really well. He said he still struggled with a 2nd language in high school. When he went on his mission he was completely blessed by the Lord and given the ability to learn Spanish easily and speak to the people. I couldn't help but think about how much work his mother put in to teaching him not only his school work, but how she taught him the things of the gospel. You could tell that this boy was taught right by his mother. It made me start to think about the Stripling Warriors and how their mothers taught them well. They were raised to know what was right because of their mothers. This young man attributed a lot of where he is now because of his mother. I starting thinking how lucky I am that one day Linkin will be able to go on a mission and teach people somewhere in the world the gospel truths. I just hope one day Linkin will look back and say as this young man did about his mother. I want Linkin to say I knew it was right because my mother taught me the truth. It is my hope that I can be like the mothers of the stripling warriors and teach my son as they did. Later that day, I found a half eaten Apple Jacks in my hair that Linkin had so graciously put there. :)

It Sunday School we talked about D&C 25 (Emma's Smith's revelation on being a wife to Joseph Smith). I had a rough week this week and this is definitely the lesson I needed. It is so easy some days to get caught up in my "issues" and forget that Doug too has a hard day at work. It is tempting to meet him at the door and throw the baby at him so I can get some things done myself. I learned today how important it is for me to be there to strengthen and support Doug as he so willingly does for me. I am not just a mom, but I am a wife and a mom.

Yes, It's poop again...

(This picture totally cracks me up because he looks like the guy Mike Kwazowski from the movie Monsters Inc. Totally awesome!)

Okay, I'll run through this one quickly just to redeem myself from the previous poop story! :) Today Linkin and I went to the mall with our friend Vanessa and her adorable little boy Isaiah. When we got home, I went to get Link out of his car seat, and you guessed it, POO EVERYWHERE! This kid is like a machine or something! Getting him out of his car seat was tricky to not spread the poo, but I totally did it like a pro. I got him upstairs holding him all weird like so I would get all covered. I knew the drill this time, stripped him down, wiped him off, than threw him in the tub. I'm a poo pro! I didn't even let him rub it around on our carpets or anything! I must say I'm pretty proud of myself. ha ha

(This picture is proof that there was a baby behind that big green ball)

Anyways, onto cleaner topics! Yesterday I totally rewarded Linkin for being naughty at Target. (I figure he's to young to catch on. Keep your fingers crossed!) I was trying to grab a couple of things I needed, and I ran out of his favorite snack. Once he had his cheese puffs (made from veggies I must add :) he was not going back to the Cheerios. I had to switch his attention to something else, and than it happened. We turned down an aisle and Linkin saw the thing he has been missing most in his life. A gigantic bouncy ball. What could a mother do but buy it for him! It is his new favorite toy. It is hilarious to watch him play with it because he isn't exactly sure what to do with it because it is so big. He wouldn't even let the guy at the store hold it to ring it up. He looked like the statue of the man holding up the world. This kid is crazy in love with playing with balls.

Don't stomp it out with your boots Ted!

Today was one of those days that makes you want to call up your parents and apologise for all of those things that you did when you were a child that you didn't even know that you did. If you were that parent on the other end you would probably laugh and say something like, "I prayed this child into your life." (My mother would never say that though :) Here the story goes.....



I have been down with a migraine for about a week and a half now. I had been staying with my parents and I had tons of help with Linkin with both my family and Doug's. I was on a bunch of meds and couldn't really do much. Today was the first day I was back home and Doug was going back to work and I was going to be on my own. My mom would be coming over for a little bit because she had an appointment out here so she was going to stop by for a sec and see how we were. Well, I woke up this morning at six o'clock (before Linkin woke up) and started giving myself a little pep talk about how I was going to do a great job and how I could totally manage taking care of him and the meds and the whole bit. Well, he wakes up and I feed him. Pretty usual day so far, right? Wrong! I knock over a huge glass and send shards of glass everywhere at the exact moment he poops his pants. I take him in his room to change his poop. I get him all clean and realise I don't have his medicine in there with me to put on his bum so I can't put on his diaper yet. I lock him in his room safe to go get the meds and realize it would be a good time to clean up the glass. He was safe and happy in his bedroom! Seemed like a good idea at the time!



I get the glass cleaned up just in time to hear him banging on the door to let him out. I have his meds this time and his clean diaper and I walk in his room to see him in a HUGE pile of poop that he had smeared all over himself, the carpet, his clothes, the walls, and the door!!!!!!!!!! It was stuck between his toes and he was mashing it between his fingers. I ran to the bathroom to start the tub. He raced after me dragging the poop with him. Why I didn't pick him up I don't know. I am trying to take his clothes off and wipe the poop off with out making it worse and he is getting mad because he wants in the bathtub. He goes all limp fish on me and refuses to help me. (You know what I mean where they get all slippery all of a sudden and jelly like they have no bones in their body) I am like, "Linkin stand up so I can clean off the poop." Doug comes up and says, "Honey you need to be calm." (Men! I swear I wanted to smack him cuz just than he got to say got to go to work! :) Love you babe!) (Oh, and when he walked in and saw the original mess he all of a sudden had to go and "hurry" and get ready really fast!!! wink wink) :-)



I got him all cleaned up and called my mom and asked her, "How do you get poop off of your floor, walls, doors, ceiling, and clothes?" She said, "just shut the door I'll do it when I get there!" Gotta love that mom of mine!!!!!!!!! The poop is clean and so is the baby, but I am scared for life! :) Thank you Linkin for another memory. May I one day get a call from you that your child has pooped everywhere at six in the morning! jk :)