Thoughts and things...

Some things I want to remember:
-Livia galloping around like a horse everywhere she goes
-How Livy is really into surprises. She will jump out at you with her hands up in the air and yell, "Prize" with a big smile and usually a sippy in one hand
-How much Brooke adores Jackson, and any baby. She will be playing with her friends and hear Jackson and all of the sudden run over to him and ask if she can hold him. And she will ignore her friends for five or ten minutes just holding him and talking to him, until I have to remind her that her friends are here to play with her.
-Brooke and livy dancing ALL the time.
-Jackson giggling and smiling whenever his sisters come near him
-how hard it is to get three kids into a Mazda (so when we finally do get a minivan, I won't complain that I have to drive a minivan...not that i really care, but, just like most people, you don't ever picture yourself driving a minivan when you are a teenager...you picture yourself driving a sweet SUV of somesort)
-how much imagination brooke has
-how funny it was when Jackson pooped all over me and the seat today when we were trying to get out of the city...(poop was everywhere! it was pretty funny)
-how cute livy's voice is

A few portraits by Brooke

These are a few of the hundreds of portraits Brooke has taken. Good thing she has her own camera now!

Happy Birthday Brooke

Happy 5th Birthday, Brookelyn!

5 of the best things I love about Brooke:

1.Brooke is so sensitive and caring. She has the most tender heart, especially towards her little sister. Yesterday at dance class they got suckers, and she was so distraught that Livy didn't get one. So she made sure she could get one too. And today at the doctors office, Brooke had to go back to get a sticker and lollipop for Livy (even though Livy wasn't with us.)

2. Brooke is the best big sister. She cannot get enough of Jackson! And she is so good to him too. I would have thought by now the newness would have worn off, but she still absolutely adores him and can't get enough of holding him. She also loves to play with Livy and tries to make sure she is included in everything. (I hope that lasts through the teenage years!)

3. Brooke loves music! Her favorites right now are Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA" and Taylor Swift's "Love Song." She dances around the house singing at the top of her lungs. Just tonight before she was going to bed she started singing "She wears short skirts, I wear T-shirts....It's a Love Story..." then she realized she'd mixed two Taylor Swift songs together and busted out laughing!

4. Brooke is the best morning person! She ALWAYS wakes up happy and smiling. She walks in and wants to hug somebody! And she loves to give hugs and kisses. Her new thing lately (which is also Livy's new thing because she copies everything Brookelyn does), is to tell you to close your eyes and then runs up to you and gives you a kiss.

5. Brooke loves life. She loves reading, art, bikes, dancing, music, FRIENDS, COUSINS, and all social activities. In her prayers she says to Heavenly Father "Thank you for making this world and everything in it. I love everything so much and I love you so much." She just loves life!

(Brookelyn got her own camera for her birthday today. She LOVES taking pictures. This picture of her, is taken by her after Ben showed her how to use the timer on our camera)

Jackson

Jackson almost rolled over all the way today. He also started whistling/slobbering/rasberrying with his mouth. It is so cute and funny, and totally wet and slobbery. He also loves, loves, loves to eat his hands. He sucks on his hands, bites on his hands, and is constantly looking at them. He is giggling so much and is so ticklish. Such a happy, easy going baby!! And what a great sleeper (compared to the girls).

Provocity

It's always fun to come back to Provo and remember the college days. This morning I played ball with the Imagine Learning crew at the old church that Ash and I went to for our young married ward. The snowy mountains in the background are absolutely beautiful. Check it out.

Snowy Memories

Six years ago, before we had kids, Ashley and I went cross country skiing on these trails at Aspen Grove. I remember it clear as day, and I remember how in love with her I was. Something's time will never change.



Love you Ashley!

Ballet Dancers

Brooke borrowed a movie from her friend on Ballet. Her and Livy love to do it together, and of course get all dressed up!

Potty Training

We tried to start potty training Liv today. She peed on the floor 4 times and pooped her pants once - all within one hour. How is that even possible? Looks like we have a long journey ahead. Fortunately she loves gum and candy and will do almost anything for it, so the reward bribery is on!

Catch up

So I originally started this blog to help me record my life. Well, like most of my journals in the past 5 years, I have a lot of catching up to do. Like all of our summer vacation, how we celebrated our anniversary on the wrong day (yeah, that will be a funny post), my life with three kids, how jackson is growing, Livy's second birthday, Jackson's baby blessing, ben's scuba trip, our cruise to the caribbean with my married siblings (Taylor you should've pulled the trigger and gotten hitched before that trip, because you missed out big time!!), Thanksgiving, christmas, new years, fun times with the Rotars and other Fremont Eyres, volleyball this season, trying to enjoy Ben's calling as a seminary teacher and support, rather than get frustrated, and all the little moments I am trying to soak in wiht my kids. So maybe my new year's resolution will be to catch up on life! But for some reason I don't think that happens often, so my new year's resolution this year is:
Discipline.
Most of the time i like to set one goal, and then set smaller goals that are going to help me reach that goal, but this time I think I am going to keep it general.
Discipline.
Ben had to give a talk last week from the General Conference report on Moral Discipline. I think it was Elder Christoferson. On our drive down to gilroy we talked about all the different aspects of Moral Discipline and how the tiniest acts of discipline transfer so heavily into your life, other's life, and even into your community, state and Nation.
So my general idea of Discipline this year is discipline in my time-using my time wisely (so I don't feel like I am constantly having to catch up on life), discipline in my scripture study (which can be a trickle down affect from time discipline), discipline with my exercise (also an effect of time), discipline in my speech (always being positive and looking on the bright side), discipline in my finances (keeping to my budget more precisely), disciplined with a sleep schedule, and I think I can go on and on. But the general idea for me is that I need to be redevelop the characteristic of discipline. I used to be so disciplined as a student and athlete. But it is easier to be disciplined when it is only you you have to worry about. So I am going to try to get back some of that discipline I miss.

So this year I am going to try to be more Disciplined with myself so I can be better able to help others, mainly my children, my husband and my family and friends. And I am hoping that if I can master discipline in one area, it will have a trickle down effect into other aspects of my life.

So here is to a new year of being disciplined!! (And hopefully I will catch up on all the stuff I want to record for 2009, so i can print this into a book and it will really be like a journal.)