Petri

I'm going to lead with James this time! He is talking up a storm and he says the cutest things!! So lets name a few... he calls our dog Pearl = "Purr low." He was trying to tell us something the other day "Pee Tree" Pee Tree" we couldn't figure it out until we looked out the window and saw his pee on the tree outside on the tree - where did he get that from! I have be doing a bunch of planting lately to get ready for spring and James is always right there by my side watering the plants with his bucket of water and then proclaiming "They are happy now!" Of course Will and I melt everytime he says "Thank you mommy" or "Thank you daddy" without prompting. One of his favorite phrases "He's not sharing" whenever someone has a treat or toy and James is convinced that it is whoever's responsibility to share with him, he has pointed out random kids he barely knows and tells on them in this manner. He is so so cute!

Ben is raring up for kindergarten he spends half of his time nervous about it and half the time excited. Ben is getting to be quite a responsible older brother he cleans his room with a little prompting and holds the Madison and James down in stores when they try to run off. I have been pleasantly surprised that instead of terrorizing our new dog he is becoming a little buddy to Pearl. I mean he still does some terrorizing but mostly they are a little team that runs around the neighborhood and Ben feeds her and scratches her little tummy. His new habit is to go around to all the neighbors houses to tell them the latest and greatest about his life. He does this all without telling me. The other day he snuck out of the house and went trick or treating to the neighbors-- the stinker took James and they both came home with a sucker!

Madison is smarter than a whip. She is very perceptive and puts us in our place when she doesn't get what she wants. Today Will chastised her and she wouldn't stop crying until he apologized and then after that she would be consoled. Maddy is tough, she doesn't shy away from jumping on the trampoline with her two rambunctious brothers and she doesn't complain when they topple on top of her. Madison also loves her mom she is a little more reserved than I am used to. James and Ben both have very few boundaries but Madison stays at my side with her hand in mine until she feels comfortable in new situations. Maddy loves the dog and the dog loves her-- mostly because Maddy is short enough to grab just about any food out of her hand with very little effort. And it doesn't help that Maddy will sneak food to the dog when I am not looking. Finally she was my best sleeper the first year of her life and now she is my hardest to get to go to sleep the second year of her life... totally opposite of the boys. Its like she has to decide when she will go to bed or she won't do it. She has been known to cry for five hours straight in the middle of the night if I don't come to her aid!

As for my William- I have not seen a lot of him lately and I miss him like crazy. He is studying every free moment he has to pass a very difficult accounting class he is enrolled in. My kids put me in looney town every other day and often by the time Will does come home I hand them off and go hide in my bedroom until I regain some semblance of sanity.   As for house projects since the bathroom remodel is pretty much done (except a few touch ups here and there) we have turned our focus to the garden. Will has cut sod out of our yard, built four garden boxes and brought in truck loads of dirt rock and sand. Meanwhile I have put together a rock path to our shed and Will is halfway done with a sandbox he is making for the kids....

Before garden picture

 Halfway done garden picture

The boys "helping" with the garden remodel

Halfway done sandbox

Things are going well in Blackhurst town. We are in love with our little family and with one another. Will and I went to the symphony a couple weeks back and I was reminded of the first time we held hands leaving the symphony about a decade ago Will reached down and held my hand for the first time! I was thrilled!

Hope alls well - keep with us on our journey!

Love,

Summer

Home Remodel and Pearl

From start to finish- Our master bath remodel January 2016- February 2016

Before

 The tear down

 The plans

 The framing

 The sheetrock 

 Shower bench

 Tiling

Walk in Closet

Vanity and Toilet

 Barn Door

 Shower

Pearl- 5 year old dog

The construction took two months and we only hired out the tiling and rough plumbing. With tons of help from family and friends we worked all day Saturdays straight and often into the night (poor William). We are thrilled to have the master bath almost completed- We still have to have the shower door installed and the medicine cabinet put in. 

The previous owner of the home came over and could not believe we were able to fit so much into such a small space. We could have never done that without my close friend's husband Brad!  We are so blessed to have so many good people in our lives. Thank you all for your help!!!!

As for the dog- I wanted one for me to keep me company while I work and everyone sleeps and Ben wanted one too so we got Pearl. At first Will was not too keen on the idea but he has since fallen for our cutie patootie Pearl dog. We adopted her from Hearts 4 Paws and she is 5 years old. 

Christmas and the New Year

It's journaling time again. Times are good. We have been blessed more than we could say with the generosity of family helping us update our home and with children who are growing and are pretty much our everything. Christmas was crazy busy. I am determined to start my christmas preparations in July this year so I can actually enjoy my holiday instead of rush too much. The new year has been full of tearing down walls in our bedroom and building back up a bathroom and closet--- more pics to come in our next blog post. So lets move on the kiddies:

Ben, Ben, Ben - what is one to say, I still wonder what he will grow up to be. He is so determined and very strong. He rarely cries and often can articulate the most complicated of topics. He is highly intuitive and very energetic. Needless to say sometimes I feel like a total failure raising such a spirited boy and some days I feel like a lucky mom- that I just get to sit back and watch greatness unfold.

James is adorable! He started primary this year and he is so friendly! He loves the friends in the class and he loves being called on to stand in front of the primary and participate. He has made the transition from nursery without a hitch. He is still right on his game with potty training. Rarely having an accident and he takes initiative to go himself now! He and Ben share a bed and James has proven to be the ultimate tease!!!! He is always giggling and always teasing and it makes Ben crazy sometimes!

Madison is a champion. She just switched from her crib to her toddler bed without a blink of an eye. I was so surprised. We lay her down and she goes right to sleep nap time or nightime!!! Totally the opposite of Ben who was weeks screaming behind his door before he taught himself to get in bed and stay in bed. Another thing about my little girl- I swear someone is going to report me to child protections services some day-- she ALWAYS has bruises on her face. She is classic for falling off of chairs. She loves to stand on them and doesn't really have the keeping both feet on the ground piece yet.

Will and I are a happy couple- we are watching as the life we have dreamed for is coming together. A beautiful home and beautiful children. We have worked hard and continue to work hard to see these promises fulfilled, we couldn't be more pleased with the blessings!

Well it's time to bid you adieu until another time. Keep the Faith and Love with all of your heart!

Love,

Summer

 The boys love harassing Maddy. 

Here she is with tape they put on her head and a kiss me sign on her back..

Halloween, Buying a house, etc...

So I just thought of something. What if they made a handbook. A handbook for moms. So we weren't so lost and our learning curve wasn't so horribly messy. Like my house for example. Nobody told me in a matter of three years I would go to well kept and clean to weevils eating off of popcorn kernels that have somehow made it to random hidden corners in my home. Or laundry than NEVER stops! It never stops. One load done and that accomplished feeling is there for like seconds before you trip over three other baskets that need attending to. I'm a mess! Any who, even though I went at it without a mother handbook - I have to admit I'm getting the hang of raising three small children and having some small semblance of a clean and organized home... Wish me luck on the next 18 years though... I don't know how long I can keep this up ;)

 Sprained my foot real good this week missing a step and trying to keep Madison from hitting payment cause I was holding her.... 

So the news- I'm going to lead with Will and I---- drum roll please........Tomorrow we sign on the home we have been living in Kaysville!!!! We are so excited and are going to be so poor! I'm all about having a charlie browns christmas in exchange for a house though-- so sunny days are here again!  We spent the last month redoing the kitchen - the landlords did some cost sharing to put in granite countertops and Will and I worked side by side late into the night for days on end to get our cabinets painted. I have never heard that guy groan and moan so much! But in the end he and I couldn't be happier with the results. Now all we have left is a little decorating and subway tile backsplash!

Before

After

After subway tile

As for Ben-- growing up fast and still in never ending motion. He is Curious George on steroids. Always into things- not trying to make trouble but somehow trouble always finds him! He is doing great in his Spanish immersion preschool, on his violin and with his site words and other homework we give him everyday.... smart as a whip he is. He is so excited for the holidays that a week and a half before Thanksgiving he asked if he could write up his Christmas wish list and send it to the north pole.... needless to say for sure Santa's going to give him priority this year cause he will have lots of time to plan--- now if we only had a chimney for Santa to shimmy down (that was Ben's main concern last Christmas "how will santa get our presents to us? we don't have a chimney")

This was Ben's Birthday cake request! He wouldn't let me put a toy superman on top! 

I had to make it out of fondant!

James finally picked up talking and he does not stop!!! He talks and talks and makes us repeat everything he says! He will ask me permission to turn into a Tiger than run around the house making tiger sounds and clawing at Ben and then come back and ask me permission to be a dog. This process repeats itself over and over for hours on end! He loves hugs. The minute he gets hurt in any way he runs to me and says "cuddles!!!"

Madison is DARLING! She is my little girl. She is independent and driven and determined and thoughtful and so cute. She plays by herself reading and building towers with blocks (I still haven't got around to getting this girl dolls yet -- She is destined for tomboyhood if I don't intervene soon ;)  She refuses to sit in high chairs so she eats all of her meals standing up and about once or twice a day she takes a tumble off of them-- this girl has more bruises than her brothers ever did. But even with all the falls she keeps on getting up!  She and James argue and fight over toys and Ben dotes on her all the time- his hugs are a little rough but she seems to take them well.

Well I've written enough to fill a few journal pages so I will bid you adue until next time :)

All my love,

Summer

Below are our Halloween Outfits this year