A Few of my Favorite Things...

So, since I'm still working hard all day long on unpacking, organizing and decorating, here are a few more of the house. Not that that's the only thing we've been doing. This task has been put on pause for: vacation time with Grandma Judy, Kendi and her kids! We were so lucky to have them come for a few days, one being Judy's birthday. We had a blast celebrating and the kids had tons of fun playing together!

...unpacking, organizing and decorating also gets put on pause daily for lots of trips to the park, shopping errands, airport with Grandma Shauna, play-dates with friends, and gymnastics. We are always having fun!

So, without further ado:

The special flower pot from my Mom! I love it on the porch- and since we've had so much rain lately, I set it on the lawn for a water :) Thanks Momma! Oh, and what to do with those bricks? Maybe I'll find a craft to make with them...

My mantle decked out in St. Patty's green! I made the banner and will post about it on my Kk blog soon. I love me some green!

Thanks to Naomi, who reminded me a house isn't a home until you put pictures on the wall, we put up some art!! I have always loved this picture of Christ with the children and had one in my bedroom growing up too! And I will be updating the blue shelf with a brother's saying instead of the animals. Jeff also built Tyler's new headboard/shelf, so I'll get a picture when I figure out what to put on it.

Playroom decor... AZ for the alphabet, not the state of Arizona, although we do LOVE many people who live there! I still love these animal decals that I got from a trade with JoDell! I made some superhero capes and tutus for some vinyl lettering. I also have "so many toys, so little time" that I need to paint a board and put on for the play room.

and our room-- when Jeff and I got married, he told me he wanted a RED room. Well, red is probably my last choice of favorite colors, but I feel like I have added enough PURPLE- my very favorite color to make it reflect my personality too! There are some girly touches, but he doesn't seem to mind :) I just finished making the chandelier- another vinyl art piece :) This one from Lolly Jane! Now I'm wishing I did white instead of grey, but oh well. I remembered we had a small table in the garage (Jeff's man-cave) that he so kindly brought in for me to put by my bed. Not black, but it works!

And my all-time favorite piece of art from Katie and Randy this past Christmas, the CLARK letters! I love them and knew I wanted them in the front room and I love this spot, with the orchids from Jeff from Valentine's Day, I smile every time I walk in the door and see it all.

We feel so blessed to have a place that is ours, and I am trying extra hard to keep it clean and nice (since I had close to 7 months of nesting stored up!) and it truly feels like a home where my boys can grow up!!

Idiot.

Well, thanks to a couple G rated movies that think Idiot is a great word to teach 3 year olds, Tyler has learned the word. It happened a couple months ago when I heard him yell, "give me that toy, ya idiot" to Jackson and I had to stop everything to have a little chat about mean words and nice words.

And then again one day when Katie and Randy were visiting us, we drove to the store to pick up my Mom and Dad for lunch and Katie said to Tyler playfully, "where are we?" He answered with "At Wolfe's Market, ya idiot!" It was actually totally hilarious and how am I supposed to scold and teach when I am cracking up? Dilemma.

So, the other day, we are driving to gymnastics and there is a true idiot parked along the street (not broken down, just parked for fun.) I had to change lanes so I didn't hit her. And I yelled, "Get out of the road, you idiot!" Well, Tyler in the backseat gave ME a lecture about nice words and mean words. "Do you want people to think you are a bad guy, Mom? We don't say idiot. Or poop or stupid or dumb. But Lightning McQueen can because he is a car."

Master Bedroom

Here is our bedroom. Still a work in progress. But I love the colors and the romantic feel of the room.

The black and white damask with touches of dark red and jewel tones. I am going to make black and white pillow cases and I'm working on a really cool chandelier vinyl canvas... Think light charcoal grey with dark purple- I hope it turns out like I'm imagining it.

AND, I must put up our curtains on this window soon. I am getting really sick of the ghetto towels. I'm not sure why I have a fear of drilling holes in the wall, but I do. And Jeff would be so ashamed, as he reminds me that the drill is actually MY DRILL since he gave it to me one year for Christmas. Of course.

And like our bedside table that is actually the 6th chair to our dinning room. Must. find. cheap. bedside. tables. soon.

the BOYS ROOM!

I still haven't put anything up on the walls yet (except our key hook, for obvious organizational reasons :)- imagine us losing our keys every day if we didn't) but with the addition of a pretty picture of Jesus with children, a blue shelf, Tyler's name, Jackson's name, you'll have a completed room...

This is the view from the door- a dresser in between the beds.

Tyler got to pick his own special bedding and got a big boy bed for his new house!!

And since it's a small room, but we needed to fit 2 dressers, we put one in the closet!! So Jackson get's changed up by the hangers (and loves it!)

They have such a fun, clean room- since the toys go in the play room. I can't wait until we get the pictures and letters on the walls!

Our Valentine's Day!

We had a great Valentine's Day! It was so nice to have Jeff home all day long.

I started out by letting him sleep in and then Tyler helped me make scrambled eggs and toast.

We all ate it then headed to do errands. Jeff and Jackson went to Lowe's and Tyler and I went to the dentist. He did a great job getting a cleaning. Opened his mouth the whole time, flirted with (I mean talked to) the hygienist, had no cavities, and got to pick 2 prizes!

Of course, we had to wear red :)

We got lots of treats from Grandmas :)

We had a delicious dinner from Wolfe's Market- I had shrimp alfredo fettuccine and Jeff had filet mignon stuffed with cheese and spinach. Not only was it so nice to not have to cook, it was fancy and delish!!

And my valentine and I ended the night with some yummy Sparkling Apple Cider!

What a lovely day with the ones I LOVE!!

Some pictures of our new house!

I remember driving over to see the new house before we officially signed the agreement. My grandparents bought this home when my family lived in the house across the street until I was 4. I had a close friend who grew up in the house 2 doors down. So I knew the neighborhood. I loved the neighborhood. But I hadn't seen the house yet. We knew it was a 3 bedroom, 1 bath, and that the kitchen and bathroom had recently been redone. but that's all I knew. I told Jeff on the way over, "I'm hoping for two specific things. I know they may just be wishful thinking, but I hope there is an area that would be good for a playroom. And I really want a fireplace mantel to put my holiday crafts and decorations." Well, I got both! How lucky am I?

Here's my mantel in the front room. There's also 2 bookcases built-in and they will be great for photo albums, books and more decor. We don't have any photos up yet- probably will do that tomorrow on Jeff's day off.

And here is that playroom. The magical playroom that wasn't in my grandparents description- the prior tenants turned their patio into an enclosed room, so it's not included in the floor plan or sq. footage. What a bonus this bonus room is! The kids run out of their room in the morning to this playroom. They run in from the front door whenever we get back, to this playroom. They love it!

And the best part? I can close the doors when it gets messy!!

More pictures coming soon!

The mystery of the Owl's Head

So, we keep finding random things that the prior renters left. Like the entertainment center-shaped paint job in one of the bedrooms (who paints around furniture? Luckily our lovely landlords-my grandparents hired a painter for the bedrooms and front room. Gotta love a fresh paint of light beige and white trim!) And we found a little bunny figurine in a closet drawer, and like this owl in the backyard. Well, I woke up one morning and this owl's head was knocked off. So I said, "aw man, the weird little owl's head fell off." under my breath.

Tyler said, "What did you say mom?" So I repeated myself. I have to do that a lot lately.

Tyler said to me, "I did it!" In a very matter-of-fact way.

"Really? Why?"

"So it doesn't scare the birds." He must be on the birds' side. Thinking about that made me laugh out loud and I asked, "Who told you that owls scare birds?" I couldn't wait to find out who gave him that information because I know it never came up in a conversation we'd had.

"Daddy told me that owl is there to scare the birds. And I didn't want him to scare the birds, so I knocked off his head." Well, there we go. Mystery solved. What a funny thing to do.

Quick Update and Tyler Funny

I am here with internet now! YAY! We moved into our new house on Saturday and everything went sooo smoothly! We had great help and one of my sweet friends stayed almost all day to help unpack and get situated. Which is what I am still working on doing one room at a time.

I can't wait to get some pictures on here of my favorite parts of the house, right when I find my camera!

I just keep thinking how blessed we are to have our own place now and it's so nice to have my stuff back! We are in walking distance to the park and a great backyard so the kids can play while I work in the house or the garage as I pull out new boxes full of toys they don't even remember we had!

I'm off now to start reading Catching Fire- I just finished Hunger Games and LOVED it! I really don't read often (last book I read all the way through was Twilight Series!) but I got hooked right away and enjoyed the suspense.

So one day I was reading on the couch and Tyler was looking at me super weird. He got up close and looked at the pages and then looked back at me and said, "What are you doing?"

I said, "I'm reading my book."

and then he said, "But why aren't you talking to it?"

HAHA! I didn't even think about the fact that I am always reading out loud to him and I'm sure it must be baffling for me to be reading inside my head!!

Anyways, I'll be back with pictures of our new place soon!

Grandpa Robison

 Jeff's grandpa battled cancer for a couple of months, then passed away in Grandma's arms. Jeff has so many wonderful memories of his Grandpa Robison, he spent a lot of time with them during college at Ricks and BYU-I. Grandpa called him "Chief" growing up. They were always so loving to us, and included me as family when we started dating and got married. We had Sunday dinners at Grandma and Grandpa's every week during the school year, and I always enjoyed that time with them.

Ferris Harry Robison, 85, Hibbard, died February 8, 2011 at his home of natural causes. He was born August 23, 1925, in Rexburg to Charles Brigham and Geneal Alida Rock Robison.
Ferris attended Hibbard Elementary and Madison high School. At the age of 17, he joined the U.S. Navy and trained at Farragut Naval Academy during World War II. 
After returning home, he dated his childhood sweetheart, Arva Jones. They were married September 4, 1945, in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple. He was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served as Explorer leader, taking several youth groups through the Bechler to Yellowstone. He served in the bishopric, on the high council and as a high priest group leader. Together, he and Arva served a local mission at the Rexburg Deseret Industries. most recently he served in the Rexburg Temple.
He worked in construction, building churches, schools and homes. He also worked on the Palisades Dam. In 1976, he began working as a general contractor in construction with his three sons.
He has always loved the outdoors, hunting, fishing, camping and riding four-wheelers. he has always been an example to his family he will be loved and missed by all.
Last August, he celebrated his 85th birthday and he and Arva's 65th Wedding Anniversary.
He is survived by his wife, Arva of Hibbard; children Rick (Pauline) Robison of Hibbard, Marsha (Mike) Kennedy of Rigby, Ralph (Jan) Robison of Hibbard, Judy (Kenny) Clark of Peoria, AZ, Klint (Valerie) Robison of Plano and Pamela (Rodney) Hart of Hibbard; a brother, Nolan (Barbara) Robison; 26 grandchildren and 63 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister and brother.
Funeral services will be held at 11 am Saturday, February 12, at the Hibbard LDS chapel...Burial will be in the Rexburg Cemetery. 

Funeral Program:

August 2010- at Grandpa's 85th Birthday/ 65th Wedding Anniversary Party

Bad News/Good News

The bad news: we are all sick. Tyler and Jackson have off and on fevers and colds, I have had a headache for about 2 weeks now, feel achy and now the sore throat.

The good news: I'm getting caught up on laundry. That's all I've accomplished today, but being quaranteened to the house always helps.

The good news: My friend Naomi sent us a "handmade pay it forward" package- 2 little knitted (or crocheted?) monsters that my boys love and 2 super cute home made headbands! We love them all- pictures coming sometime! Tyler named his "bob" and Jackson's "max" and then he un-named them and said it was just green monster and orange monster. They're sleeping with them now.

The good news: I'm almost done with all my Valentine crafts (Kirstikoo post soon) and the I Spy quilt- I just don't know how to get all 3 layers together and baste it.

The good news: We move into our house next weekend!

The good news: There are frozen go-gurts in the freezer right now. Headed that direction soon!

Hollywood

This week we went to Hollywood and had a blast! We visited the wax museum on Hollywood Blvd, the Hollywood sign and had a blast driving around.. Here are some pics:

I love that guy holding our kid upside down. Funnest. day. ever. But I say that everytime we spend the day together!

Jeff said, "look at the camera" The camera was side-ways :)

This is not fake. I was really pretend eating the Hollywood sign.

GPS

On Saturday, Jeff took Tyler to a family birthday party with some work friends (I was feeling crummy with some virus/sinus infection so stayed home with the Jack). On the way back, Tyler called me on Jeff's cell phone and talked to me for a few minutes then said he had to go so he could play on Dad's phone.

When they got home it was late so we put Tyler right in bed. He asked to play on the phone and I said, "no it's bedtime. Didn't you play on the way home?"

Tyler: "No, I didn't play on the way home"

me: "oh, was the battery dead?"

Tyler: "no. It was talking. It was saying, turn left. Turn right. That's way I didn't play on it, cuz it was talking."

Some Funnies. Why? Cuz.

This week Jackson asked me why. Why? The word he hears his brother say all day long, but could not possibly be old enough to say it himself.
Then, later that day when I asked him Why, he told me, "cuz"

The other day, we were at the store and I didn't see Tyler. I said, "Tyler, where are you?" And then he answered, "I'm over here, honeybear." I was so happy there was another customer next to me so I had someone to laugh with!

Every once in awhile we have a day with a couple temper tantrums. Tyler's pretty dramatic when he's upset. This particular day, I was trying to get a few things done and told the boys if there were good, we'd go to the park. Tyler did something wrong (I cannot remember, probably blocked it from my mind) and I yelled at him. Then he yelled back, "be nice, or I won't take you to the park, Mom!"

In between Tyler's gymnastics class and his free play time, I went out to our car to get some snacks. Tyler jumped on the hood of the car and I told him, "no way buddy- we do not do that. It is NOT a good idea." He responded with, "But daddy says its a good idea" I'm gonna have a conversation with Daddy about this soon.

What We've Been Up To...

...lots of baths and of course the after bath cuddling:

then of course there's the tiger vs. dinosaur war. The large cat family always wins, in case you were wondering. (and I know you were)

followed by some alphabet learning time with our "alphabet treasure"

And this little guy is as cute as can be...

Oh, and while they do that, I've been working on an I Spy quilt... Tyler and Jackson have already seen me working on it and when they ask what it is and who its for, I tell them it's a surprise for some very special boys. Tyler always says, "is it for me? Is it? I won't tell!"

Nursery pictures and a Primary miracle

The last couple weeks have been a little traumatic for Tyler. Leaving nursery and entering primary was harder on him than I thought it would be. He and Jackson have been in Nursery together for about 6 months, so that was very comfortable for them. I helped in Nursery after we moved here and even after that, I never had any problems with either of them wanting to stay. They loved it and they loved being together!

I scanned in these pictures that Brother Young gave us so that they'd be backed up and I would always have record of them. They gave him his own Book of Mormon with his picture in it, that he loves already.

So here's the story (the long version): The first week of the year, the older kids went to Primary instead of Nursery. Tyler and I sat in Primary for a few minutes and I was delighted he was sitting next to me and I have always loved the primary scene. They did the scripture and prayer where the kid assigned walked all the way up and stood at the podium to speak. Then they invited the Sunbeams to come up and be sung to since they were new. Tyler stood up and walked all the way up to the podium like he was ready to give a talk!! It was so sweet. And even after that he asked me when it was his turn to go up. Well, after about 2 minutes later, he ran out screaming "I wanna go to nursery" and never snapped out of it. Jeff ended up taking him home for the rest of church.
So the next week, I was really worried and hoping that for some reason, he'd be willing to give it another try. I sat with him again, but this time we didn't last half as long. He ran out and we sat on the couches, me hoping and praying that he'd be willing to go to his new class third hour. I just know my Tyler and when he's afraid to do something (or just doesn't want to) there's nothing I can do or say to change that. So a few minutes later, Kari Dunkley (the primary pianist) came over and talked to Tyler. He was shy for a few minutes, but then she hid behind the curtains with him and got down on his level and he let her in and talked to her. Then she said, "Would you like to see where I get to sit in Primary? I get to sit behind the piano. Wanna come with me?" and he said yes!!
So he followed her back to the primary room, sat on the piano bench with her while she played the first couple of songs. I heard him poking at the keys and I realized all the leaders were giving me thumbs up instead of frowning at me for his subtle disturbance. Tyler sat with her for a few minutes and then he sat with the rest of his class. Kari motioned to me to go away :) and I snuck out. I had to teach in Young Women, so all I could do was assume he was doing ok, but after church I walked to his class and he came out grinning with a bag full of handouts, pictures and goodies from his new teacher. He said, "Mom, Primary is fun!" and I couldn't have been happier!

I called Kari after church to thank her for taking the time to talk to Tyler. She told me that Tyler's name kept coming to her mind all week and she meant to stop by but didn't have the time, so she took the opportunity when she saw us at the couches. I knew this was an answer to my prayers! I am so thankful that Kari listened to the promptings and acted on it. This may not seem like a big deal to some, but to me it is another experience that teaches me that our Heavenly Father loves us all so much. That he is aware of our hopes and prayers and worries and concerns. And that he wants us to feel loved- even a little 3 year old who is scared to try something new. I think about how much I love Tyler, and realize that as much as I love him as his mom, God's love for him is even greater. I am thankful for angels in our lives and miracles that make life so sweet and enjoyable!