Brody's Soccer Game

Brody invited us to his soccer game on Saturday and we had the best time watching him play. And while Hope and I were enjoying the soccer game Sadie enjoyed our little man so much. She held him, washed his entire body with a wet wipe, and was so cute with him. Jenica told me that she named all her baby dolls "Bryce". I thought that was the cutest thing. she just loves him.
I actually woke poor Hope up from a nap to go to the game so she was a bit out of spirits. Not to mention that Grandpa Christensen was wearing a hat, which she dislikes for some reasons. She did love watching to game which delighted me. I would love to be watching her play on a soccer team in 4 years!
Brody played his little heart out and did a great job! As you can tell he exhausted himself.
Sweet Sadie cracks me up. She is always so happy and enjoying herself. She was actually playing peek-aboo behind the tree trunk but I didn't get a good picture of her doing that. Both Jared and I grew up spending a lot of time with cousins so we hope that our kids will be close to their cousins as well.

Strollin' with Little Man

When Hope was sick a few weekends ago we tried to cheer up her spirits by taking a trip to target to get her a few new play items. One of the toys we picked was a stroller for her dolls (which was surprisingly only $5 cheaper than the real umbrella stroller she rides in). We hit the jackpot with her because she hasn't stopped pushing it around the house since. Sometimes she even sits in it in the kitchen and plays. Last Thursday after dinner we were enjoying some family time. Jared was burping Bryce in the living room and I was cleaning up the kitchen while we chatted about the day. For no reason at all Jared spied the stroller and sat Bryce in it to find it was a perfect fit. We started laughing hysterically over it when Hope came down the stairs to find the marriage of two of her favorite things- Bryce and the stroller! She dropped everything in her hands and ran to it. It was one of those moments when you can see the determination in your child's eyes and all you can say is, "Oh no". She was desperate to push him around all over the place and did so with some aid and supervision, of course. The second picture below was her reaction to Jared stopping the stroller for a quick picture. She can be somewhat dramatic! I wonder where she gets that from?!?

Toddlers are like Christmas....

Asleep by the table in the kitchen......
Asleep in the high chair........
Exceptionally concerned about getting more pears that she can sit and eat in her stroller that is for dolls..........

Bryce.....3 months old......just thinking of him makes me smile........


Toddlers are like Christmas......they are always surprising. This last week Hope started falling asleep just wherever she is. She resists taking naps and bedtime as she is just at that age. She just goes as long as she can and then conks out. This last week I was talking to Jared on the phone and suddenly she is on the kitchen floor by the table with her blanket fast asleep. On Saturday Jared's family came by to visit us and play with the kids. Hope played and played and then acted hungry so I put her in her high chair for a snack. We had planned on going to a dinner party at my brother's house that night but she went to sleep in her high chair just minutes before we were supposed to leave for the party. Needless to say we didn't make the party. I am trying to do my best to parent two kids under the age of two but they don't seem to want to be controlled. I feel like I am in the backseat and they are driving the car! And let me tell you at times it is a bumpy ride. Our little bear Bryce is an angel sent from heaven. He is so good almost all the time. Bless his heart I think he is in the backseat of the car with me and Hope is driving us both around! I finally got a good picture of him smiling. He is delightfully sweet, a good sleeper, and patiently endures the many pokings, prodings, and kisses of his big sister. He is 3 months old now and I feel like he was born just yesterday. Jared has gotten him to start giggling just a tiny bit. He just loves attention and being held (don't all babies?!?) He will give anyone smiles and a sore arm who wants to hold him and play.

Before the end of the year I have a goal to have weaned Hope from a pacifier and begin potty training so the adventures of parenting will continue.....stay tuned..............the stories of our everyday life are a comedy................

Lets hear it for the boys!

I have been pondering over how nice this week has been and have come to the conclusion that it has been nice because of the men in our life. When I usually think of a little angel I think of a sweet girl, however, in our family the true angels are the boys. Jared had the kids for 3 hours on Saturday and cleaned the entire house from top to bottom so that during the week I would have less to do. (that is in addition to babysitting the kids) And Bryce is such a sweet baby. I don't mean to boast or brag, I just feel really blessed to have both Jared and Bryce. Oh, how Hope and I love both of them! With the extra time we have had and because Bryce is usually calm and easy going I have taken Hope to a new park this week, we took a trip to the library for an early literacy program, had a very fun playdate with Jamie & Liam Gilbert, and we've spent more time outside exploring. It has been a fun week. I think Jared has been pleasantly surprised each day when he has called to check on us that we have had good reports. Oh how we love our handsome men and appreciate them!

This picture was Dec 2004, when we first started dating.
And this is our little man at 2 1/2 months, I say man because he is getting to be such a big baby that he seems more like a little man. Bless his heart, his sweet disposition makes me actually want to have more kids. (in a few years, of course!)

Teach me a lesson........

Jared kindly took Hope to nursery on Sunday so that I could finally attend a class. The funny part was that I apparently have been gone so long that I was asked to introduce myself because they thought I was a visitor! Oh boy........it gave me a nice kick in the pants and determination to get to know my ward better and be more dilligent in getting Hope into nursery so that I can attend ALL my meetings.

As a side note I kindly stated that I was a member of the ward who hadn't been in awhile and when I said my name they all knew who I was. It was a little bit embarrassing.........but more funny. It was a good lesson that attending just Sacrament meeting each week does not qualify a person as fully active.