Thomas is Two!!

My baby is already two years old! We feel so blessed to have Thomas in our family.

When I learned that we were expecting, I "joined the club" of all the other women in our ward having babies spring and summer of 2007. We were very excited. Ben was contimplating taking a new job, and I had just been put in Young Womens. We had a surprise at my first doctors appt. when I was really three months along instead of the two months I thought I was. I wish I could say that it was an easier pregnancy, but it wasn't. Camille and I had to come to terms with having another boy, but all went well. Thomas, like all my others, came two weeks early. Just in time for having all the kids home for spring break- thoughtful family and friends offered to keep the older kids busy.

It is so fun to have older kids that find as much joy in watching Thomas grow up as Ben and I do. Jarom, Camille and Evan have constantly prayed for Thomas ever since he was born to "grow up and be healthy and strong" or "help him learn to walk" or whatever is the next milestone. Just this morning Evan prayed for Thomas to "hurry up and turn three."

I love having another brown eyed boy! Thomas loves his dad and a quick phone call to talk to him can stop any tantrum. He loves to swing outside and go to the park. He copies the last few words of everything we say, but for the first time this week Thomas actually answered "Yes" to a question. He loves all his grandparents and cries to see them. He knows the names of all his and his siblings friends. He knows he can do anything that he sees the older kids do. Thomas is addicted to chocolate milk and is very demanding about getting food when he wants it. He can be pretty rough with everyone, but is quick to say he's sorry and give a love.Thomas has been watching the Elmo's World about Birthdays. We have been singing the Happy Birthday song and has been singing it to himself for a couple of days. I laughed on Sunday morning when he was in the shower and he was singing it over and over!
We were pretty low key for his birthday. Sunday lunch was at my parent's house with a candle stuck in his chocolate chip cookie. Grandma and Grandpa gave Thomas a scooter, so he can keep up with the big kids.

At Skinner's for dinner we had brownies and ice cream and Thomas is loving the bath toys he opened from them.

Saturday Hike

We took the kids to Peralta Trail to hike since the weather has been pretty cool.

Evan begs to go hiking and did a great job keeping us moving- I bet he could even keep up with Grandpa Taylor! Camille had just come home from spending the night with her Grandma Skinner, and is never really excited to hike with us, but we learned that if we keep the snacks and water coming she will get her second wind and doesn't complain. Thomas is getting pretty big to ride in the backpack, but definately can't be trusted to walk by himself. Once we let him out before we headed down, he cried to get out the rest of the trip.

On Sunday at my parent's for dinner we noticed Evan had some sort of rash.

He ended up with hives for three days from something he picked up on the trail. He was miserable and had round the clock Benedryl and baking soda baths.

Jarom took several landscape pictures while we were hiking, maybe this was the bush that kept Evan home from school for three days?

New Talents

My youngest boys have discovered some new talents this week.

Thomas has started to pedal this tricycle. He is just starting to get it and I'll give him a push to get started, but he loves feeling like one of the big kids on his bike. He also is getting pretty good at the kids Razor scooters- and he insists on doing it by himself.

Evan has mastered his bicycle- with no training wheels. He has been begging me to take off his training wheels for at least six months. I knew once they came off the likelihood of them going back on if he couldn't do it would be very small. So I finally took them off and we have been helping him a little for the last two weeks. On Monday at a family trip to the park he got it- even starting by himself! And now he is obsessed! He is always thinking of the next bike ride.

In fact, this morning he was extremely upset that he had to wait until after he went to a friends house to ride his bike. After he got back, during his 10 minutes before he left to school we went outside so he could ride for a few minutes. He was getting brave and was showing me how he could ride without his feet on the pedals- and was watching me, not the road. He couldn't get his feet back on the pedals and get control of his bike before he ran into a parked car. He didn't hit too hard, but the side of his face did hit the headlight as he fell down. So sad!!! I brought him inside and was trying to stop his bloody nose as he calmed down. Then he said he was fine. I was trying to clean up the blood all over his face wondering if he could leave for school in the next few minutes, when he said, "Stop it mom, you are wasting my time to ride before school!"

Lunch with Colleen

I enjoyed a lunch with a great friend that I never get to see! Colleen has been a treasured friend since high school and we have started keeping in touch more lately, inspite the distance between us. I couldn't resist posting my favorite picture of us from our senior year. (I like this natural pose much better than our Contempo Portraits we took together with matching shirts!) I have so many fun memories of Colleen: country dances, youth guides, sewing, trip to Pinedale, working at Data-Cal and the group date for MHS Christmas formal where she took Ben (can't find that picture or I'd post it!). We went through a lot together, but most of my memories include us laughing so hard we cry. We had a great time catching up- next time her sister Rochelle has to come too!

The first time I saw Ben after his mission was at a New Years Eve Dance in downtown Mesa with Colleen. Ben had only been home from his mission for two days, and his friends had dragged him there. Colleen and I were standing talking, and Ben comes up to say hello to us. Then he promptly asks her to dance and they left me hanging out by myself. Little did he know that he had just chose a friend to dance with and not his wife!

In the Snow!

We headed to the Ranch for the weekend and were surprised to find two feet of snow in Pinedale. We kept telling the kids that we would have to drive to find snow to play in and they were so excited that they got warm clothes on and went out to play. (Never mind that it was 9pm!) We had a great weekend of games, Wii, hot chocolate and even a trip to see the Dog House, where we had free reign of the video games.

To sled we walked across the street to a hill with a little frozen pond at the bottom. So the kids either took turns with the good sled, or tried to walk across the ice without hurting themselves too bad.

The trip ended with a touch of the stomach flu- could it have been from the two week old snow they were eating?

Christmas Happenings 2008

Well we did it, we made it to every family Christmas party planned plus a few more in celebration of having my brother Jared in town. Here are our favorite memories of Christmas 2008:

FOG singing on opening night of the Temple Lights

Decorating Mom's tree with her mom's ornaments

Roger's party with the addition of nachos for the not so sweet toothed

Celebrating Kristen's ASU Graduation

New Skinner traditions

Grandma Osborn sharing her favorite service- rolling yarn into balls

Perfect gifts from Grandma Skinner

Marshmallow gun fight cancelled due to rain

Watching the Nativity

Each child sharing a talent,

including Evan's version of Jingle Bells with the karate move at the end

Visiting around Grandma Skinner's kitchen table

Babysitting co-op on the 23rd

watching Miser Brother's Christmas

Haircuts before Taylor Christmas Eve Party

Santa's visit to Great Grandpa's House

Melissa's 2009 Book Club

watching my favorite- It's a Wonderful Life

moving the Christmas tree downstairs on Christmas Eve

leaving a note with Santa's goodies

Camille's favorite reindeer is Rudolph

waking kids up at 7am

watching the kid's faces as they open their gifts

Christmas morning at Taylors- Reflections of Christ

Zero Gravity Race Cars

Beef Jerky

Making the perfect biscuits

Rogers brunch with fresh squeezed orange juice from Grandad's trees

Yummy Tamales at Skinner's

Grandma Skinner's story of swaddling clothes

Nate recruiting Ben to give a talk on Sunday

Quiddler game

Thomas playing/eating with the dog

Staying up late to play with favorite Christmas toys

Thomas and the neverending basketball game

Camille becomes Hannah Montana

Evan's new scooter

Jarom's talking robot

BodyStep with Mom and Allison

BBQ, Kick ball game and Hot Tub with Jared

Party here with Pizza, Nertz and the longest game of Catch Phrase EVER!

Dinner with Nate and Jen

Listening to Ben and Nate's messages on marriage

A Sunday night at home

Camille's Baptism Day

Camille's aunt Kim took these pictures of her in her baptism dress! Thanks Kim!

Everything turned out so well for Camille's baptism. We weren't last on the program which made me so happy (we were last for Jarom's and I felt so bad that our family had to wait so long!). Camille's friend Hunter was also getting baptized that day so it was fun to see her that morning also. The baptism went quickly and everyone watched a church video while I helped Camille. Ben did such a great job on her confirmation and I was able to bear my testimony. After some quick gifts and pictures we headed to my mom's for some food.

It was a beautiful warm day and being outside was perfect. My aunt Eileen, my mom, Allison, Melissa and Kristen helped put together the brunch and decorations. My mom made one of our family favorites- biscuits and gravy. The kids loved playing around my parent's backyard and making a craft. Thanks to all of our friends and family that came!