Summertime Fun

I came across this old video of the boys and got really excited for summer break (just three weeks left of school).

Feeding Horses

Blake loves looking out the window at the horses. Today I decided to take him out to feed them carrots. He was a little confused at first and started eating the carrots himself.


Then he caught on.


Pure delight.

Rock on Mike!

Michael has been working hard in Colorado (and practicing a little guitar hero on the side) while the boys and I finish up the school year in Utah. Its been hard to be separated. We miss him. We love him. Tonight we thought we'd write to say hello.

Caleb says: "Dear Dad, I liked the picture of you in the wig playing Guitar Hero. When is next time we are going to see you? We'll try to call you this week so you don't tickle us. Yesterday I got 100% on my spelling test and my soccer team won. The score was 11 - 1. I scored three goals and my team scored the rest. I wish you could see me and I could see you. I am excited to go camping with you and fishing with you this summer. I love you.
Love, Caleb

Dallin says: "Dear Dad, I hope you have fun in Colorado. I hope we have fun there with you, too, when we move. Today I helped mom clean and jumped on the trampoline with Blake and Caleb. Blake thought it was funny to bounce. I love you. Oh yeah, I ate chocolate milk with my cereal ... you gotta try it. You just take Cinnamon Toast Crunch and you put chocolate milk in then take a bit. It sooo good. Also, I can catch the Yo-yo now. I'll show you next time. Mom says I need a hair cut tonight, I say no. What do you think? Call me tonight. I am at our house.
Love, Dallin

We're looking forward to being together soon. Until then, Michael, Rock on!

Lessons Learned

Today, I was unpacking from our spring break trip to Co. I asked Dallin to help me with the boys suitcase before playing with his friend. Blake was following us around. As I unloaded the boys suitcases, Dallin ran and put the items where they belonged. While we were in the boys room, Blake became interested in his big brothers toys and started wandering around pulling things out of their places.

My conversation with Dallin went as follows:

Dallin: BLAKE stop making messes when mom and I are trying to clean.

Blake: huh?

Mom: It's not a big deal, Dal!

Dallin: It's a big deal to me cause I'm the one haveTing to clean up after him.

Mom: I'll take care of it, let's leave him alone and focus on what we're doing.

A few minutes pass, Blake dumps the bucket of Lincoln Logs

Dallin: No, no, no, Blake.

Blake moves on to a Lego horse in the mouth

Dallin: Blaaaakkkeee deep breath pleeeeaaase stop!

Mom: Hey Dal, really don't worry about it.

Dallin: But there is slober all over my Lego mom.

Mom: Educational opp. Babies learn by getting into things. It's important for them to explore. They make messes because babies need to touch things, look at them, and sometimes even taste them in order to learn about them. Blake's just trying to discover what these big boy toys are all about. Let's just leave him be while we finish up here, Okay?

Dallin:No comment, slight nod.

A few minutes pass

Dallin: Mom?

Mom: Yes

Dallin: I understand how we need to learn to be smart and grow bigger ... but how come it is so important for babies to learn how to just make big messes and then five year olds need to learn to clean everything up?????????

Star of the Day - Part 2

On Saturday Blake turned 1 year old. We celebrated with some chocolate cake and ice cream. This year has gone by so fast I could hardly believe this little guys already one. Blake has been such a pleasant addition to our famliy. His big Hanchett grin and belly roll laugh keep us entertained.


At one year Blake...
*refers to food as na na (I think because he loves bananas). He will request it pleasantly at first, but quickly demand it(na na, na na, Na NA, NA NA, NAAAAA NAAAAA).
*loves to take baths. The other day, I was running a tub and doing my hair. Blake was standing at the side while the water filled up. I looked down when I heard a splash and saw that he had climbed in with all his clothes on. He was soaking wet and smiling.
*is beginning to walk. He has been timid up until now, but lately has been braving it on his own.
*enjoys wrestling and tickling. He'll jump in on the boys wrestling matches and crawl up to me requesting ickle, ickle:) Love it!
*refuses to cuddle. He is so active that cuddling with him is rare.
*adores his big brothers. When he's awake, he wants to be with them. Often when I go in to get him from his nap he is looking out the window at his brothers playing basketball or jumping on the trampoline. He also knows where their room is and will crawl to the door and wait for them there. It's awsome to see.






Chocolate kisses from Aunt Sarah??? I don't think so!!!

Star of the Day - Part 1

On Friday, Caleb had a school program in which he was excited to sing and give his part. It was a special treat to have his Aunt Sarah watching him. After the program, I was really proud when his teacher complimented him for a job well done. Especially, because she singled him out as being responsible and told me she had selected him to be in charge of the microphone and stool during the program because he is such a great helper in class. I really appreciate this quality in Caleb.


Caleb has been fortunate to find a few close friends at school. These guys all play on the same soccer team and live in our neighborhood. It's fun to watch them pal around together.


Big responsibility...the microphone.


Caleb's part: "Children from all over the world enjoy music. Listen as we sing some songs that we have learned from different countries."



His adoring audience


Aunt Sarah:)

A Little Congestion on the Way Home

Double Stuffed!

This little man has got his mom's sweet tooth and his dad's smile.

Homemade Slide

This week we had a great time with cousins. The Willis girls came for a visit and they were lots of fun. For their spring break, they decided to join us in snowy Utah. We took a few trips out in the snow, but had just as much fun indoors. On one morning we decided to make a slide using the boys beds. I don't know what was more enjoyable...the actual slide, or making funny faces for the camera.



The human train was a one shot experiment. There was little padding provided at the bottom and this train ended in a pile up.



We decided to take it one at a time instead.








Dal loves these girls.



P.S. At first I thought it wouldn't be nice to post this picture. Upon further thought, however, I decided it's just far to funny and needed to be shared. I especially love the look of pure delight on Mary's face. Good thing she's such a great sport.

A Cool Shot

A photographer friend of ours wanted to practice some shots to accomplish a certain effect. This is what she came up with. I thought it was pretty cool and especially love how the sun looks. I also love the squinty-eyed similarity of all three of my boys.

The Aquarium

This Saturday we had a fun family day. The boys like to plan family outings as a reward for helping out and being good kids. This outing included a trip to the Aquarium, a dollar movie (Bedtime Stories), and dinner at their new favorite restaurant (an all you can eat Asian buffet). As a bonus, we were able to watch Aunt Dee play her final season basketball game on T.V. with Aunt Suz and Bri TAN y. It was action packed and fun:)

When we arrived at the aquarium there was a line wrapping around the building. We didn't realize the popularity of a new exhibit "Journey to South America". Fortunately, as members, we were able to sneak in for a sneak peak and avoid most of the crowds.

The boys favorite part is trying to touch the sting rays. Blake especially got into it this time, however, he enjoyed splashing more then anything.

The Best Valentines Day

This year I was reminded of the approaching holiday many times by Caleb. Since February 1st he has been insistent that we go to the store to purchase Valentines for his class. “You know mom, we need eighteen for the students and two for the teachers. Remember we need twenty valentines.” How could I forget when reminded so often? We did go to the store to purchase twenty Transformer valentines. I thought I had things covered until Dallin started in with his concerns. He asked, “Who is going to remember me for Valentines Day?”

I wanted to think of a way to make Valentine’s Day special for the boys. They knew it was approching, and I felt it was important to celebrate my love for them. In the end, my offering was simply this surprise heart attack with hidden valentine notes and some candy treats.


I attacked them late at night after returning home from work. Secretly, I posted my pre-cut hearts and arranged the treats around the room. When I was finished I walked back to my bedroom imagining their surprise in the morning. When I arrived at my door, I discovered I had been heart attacked as well. I fell asleep that night loving my family and feeling loved by them.

The next morning we laughed about our heart attacks and had a nice breakfast while watching Planet Earth. In the afternoon we decided to go swimming as a family. One of our neighbors has offered a standing invite for us to use their indoor pool. We decided that a family swim would be a fun Valentine’s treat. We really enjoyed swimming and playing ball at their pool. With no lifeguards on duty, however, I assumed the role myself. I encouraged the boys to wear life jackets, to take turns on the diving board/slide , and to walk slowly along the slippery surfaces.

I should have paid more attention to my own advice. Not long after we arrived, I was excited to show Blake a certain pool toy. I hurried toward the bin to get it. In doing so, I slipped onto my back side. It pained me to fall so hard on the concrete and to confirm once again that I am one who often falls far from the definition of grace. I was left with a giant bruise on my hip and a dent in my pride. I was embarrassed, but when I caught eyes with Michael his look communicated, “that wasn’t pretty, but I still think you are.” It definitely wasn’t a moment I was proud of, but it’s a moment that has brought me comfort since.

This Valentine’s Day I am grateful for the gift of knowing that I’m married to a man who loves me when I’ve got my best foot forward, as well as when I slip and fall on my butt. Also, I am grateful to have other family members and close friends with whom I share similar confidence. It's empowering to feel unconditionally loved. I hope that is what Dallin was feeling when he stomped up to me wearing his swim suit and snow boots to say, "This was the best Valentine's Day, don't you think mom?"

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Good Morning Dallin

One of my favorite times of the day is the morning. After a good night sleep, the boys usually wake up happy and excited to tackle a new day. The other morning, however, was an exception. I found it quite entertaining and I thought I'd share...
Me: Morning buddy!
Dallin: I had a disaster night.
Me: I’m sorry… Did you have a bad dream?
Dallin: No! It’s just Caleb kept snoring and snoring all the time.
Me: Oh!
Dallin: I tried to get rid of him.
Me: Really!
Dallin: Yeah, first I closed his mouth. That didn’t work! Then I squeezed his nose. That didn’t even work! Then I just put my pillow over my head.
Me: Did that work?
Dallin: No. The only thing that worked was waking up.
Me: Well, good morning. I’m glad you’re awake.
Dallin: Ugh!
I guess it was just one of those days.

Snow! Lots of it!

Another day...more snow! I, for one, am ready for the snow to melt away. It appears Jack Frost has a different agenda. The other day, we awoke to a winter washout. Nearly two feet of snow had fallen all around. I thought ... "SNOW DAY" and had visions of curling up in front of a fire with hot chocolate and my family home from work and school. Moments later, however, I saw the school bus pass by. So instead of a cozy day, we threw on our gear and spent the morning shoveling. Caleb made it to school, Mike headed to work, and I went about my day as normal.

After school, Dallin burried himself in the snow and Caleb made Rudolph. Good times!