My Brother and Me

Maybe it’s because Dax is now three. Maybe it’s because Wyatt is now one. Maybe it’s because it is a brand new year. Either way, these boys are growing up. And they are starting to be the best of buddies.

I have realized over the past few days just how well these two have been playing. It all came to me when I realized I had cleaned the entire kitchen, I’m talking floors swept, dishes loaded, oven and counter tops wiped down, table cleaned and even a head start on dinner, all without having to break up one wrestling match or utter any threatening words to either one of them. Over here, that’s pretty big news!

I have caught myself smiling listening to them play. They have taken turns racing their cars down the coveted 4-lane Hot Wheels tracks, Wyatt has been walking toward Dax’s open arms when he braves letting go of the couch instead of crawling away from Dax at lightening speed to avoid him. Dax has invited Wyatt to follow him outside to actually play with him rather than use him as a human hurdle to jump over in the grass. They have had their very own jam sessions with Dax on the guitar of course, and Wyatt beating on the drums courtesy of Santa. And, at the play area at the outdoor mall yesterday Dax proudly introduced his brother, who has passed the stage of happily sitting in the stroller and wants to be where all the action is, to all his “friends”. It was heart-warming to see the pride Dax had for his little buddy.

Then, I knew we had crossed a major mile stone when yesterday Dax expressed his true love to Wyatt. His new guitar from Santa plays the music to a lot of fun songs, from Smashmouth, to the B-52’s and the Police, to Dax’s favorite right now, Wild Thing. Dax is quickly picking up the words to the song and belted out for all to hear, “ Wyyyyyyatttt, I think I loooooooooveeeee yyyyyyou.” Cute, right? It definitely is a change of heart.

Now, my mind has gotten the best of me. I can’t help but envision camp outs in the back yard, forts being built in their room with every pillow and blanket in the house, Dax teaching Wyatt how to ride a bike and climb trees, the two playing cowboys and Indians and pretending to be pirates digging for hidden treasures. They are going to have so much fun together....

Just as soon as Wyatt starts walking.

Sedona, AZ

For Austin’s birthday I surprised him with a little getaway. We have never, ever spent a night away from the boys, but when better to make a trial run for our 8 days away coming this Spring, then to celebrate Austin’s 30th birthday? My mom offered to stay with the boys, so I thought it would be fun to go somewhere we have never been before and to plan something he has never done before. He did turn 30, right? Might as well be a little adventurous. So, I planned a little night away in Sedona, AZ.

Sedona is about 2 ½ hours north of us and is known as “Red Rock Country”. It’s a beautiful little town filled with art, history, adorable little shops, jewelry, and cozy restaurants with the backdrop of one of the most beautiful scenery's I have ever seen.

We had a wonderful dinner of prime rib and buffalo on Friday night, attempted to walk the main street, but got too cold, so relaxed in the hot tub instead. On Saturday morning we woke up and enjoyed a morning of off-roadin’. We toured the back canyons of Sedona in these hilarious pink jeeps that made it through some crazy descents over the red rocks and through passages where I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest. We were literally off of our seats with some of the trails. We took in Submarine Rock, Chicken Point, Eagle’s Nest, a natural fault line and a sink hole the size of a football stadium. It was definitely an adventure and the scenery was breathtaking.

I wish the trip wasn’t so short. We had such a great time and it reminded me why I feel in love with my husband. It was so nice to have uninterrupted conversations, each others undivided attention, and quality time together, even if it was just for a day. My mom said the boys never asked for us once. We might just have to sneak away more often if that’s the case!

No matter how you say it....

....Austin is the BIG three-oh!!

Happy Birthday babe! We love you!!

Yellow

Austin is wonderful at meeting someone and remembering their name. He amazes me! He does this little trick that I guess he learned on his mission. He has tried to explain it to me and it makes no sense at all. When we first began dating he met a room full of my extended relatives. I’m talking 2nd cousins, my dad’s aunts and uncles and so forth; family I have a hard time keeping straight. By the end of the day he had remembered every single one of their names. He even helps me out on occasion. He can still list patients he has treated years ago, and even what they were treated for. It’s a little gift that he is quite proud of.

Dax has a lot of Austin's qualities, but in this case, remembering names is not one of them. Not even a little bit, not even close. He has a wonderful memory. He can easily remember things from months ago. But names? That’s a whole other story. He can play at a friend’s house weekly and not know his name. “That’s Colby.” He gets cousins confused all the time. “No, her name isn’t Cole. It’s Kobi.” He can’t even keep boy names and girls names straight. Everyone is always "that boy" or "that girl". I am always correcting him. He has never once known the name of his Nursery teachers at Church or any of the other names of the kids in his class. It know. It’s pretty horrible.

Up until now I just shrugged it off and passed it off as an age thing. Maybe even a boy thing. But definitely nothing to worry about.

Until last night when I realized just how horrible of a situation we have. I was putting Dax to bed and we had a strange little conversation. It went like this:

Dax: “Yesterday I was running with Yellow.”

It was more of a statement than a question.

Me: “Hmmmmm.”

I had no clue what he is talking about, which is often the case and I have to play detective and prob for more information.

Me: “Yellow what?”

Dax repeats himself, but adds just a pinch more help.

Dax: “Yesterday I was running with Yellow at the park”.

Yesterday in this case means earlier in the day because we had been playing at the park. I just couldn’t figure out what Yellow was. Was there a dog I missed? Was he talking about the yellow shovel we brought or the Yellow Tonka truck?

Me: “Were you running with a yellow shovel?”

I could tell he was thinking so hard. And then he tried again.

Dax: “Yesterday I run with Yellow and I tagged him”

Now I was starting to get it.

Me: “Oh, you mean the boy who was wearing yellow?" I vaguely remember the friend he was playing with was in a yellow t-shirt. "You were running at the park with the boy in the yellow shirt?”

Dax: “Yes. What that called?” (Isn't that such a nice way to ask what his name is?)

Me: “The boy in the yellow shirt name’s Bradley.”

When I said his name Dax smiled. I could tell he was happy with my answer and content to go to sleep.

Dax: “Oh, Bradley, not Yellow.”

Yikes! I might have a serious problem on my hands. Apparently, if my son calls you a noun, some person, place, or thing, a letter, a color, or doesn't know your name at all, don’t be offended. You probably made quite a nice impression on him. He just has a horrible memory.

Wyatt's Party Party Party

Recipe for Wyatt's birthday party:

1 perfect Saturday afternoon
4 Grandma’s and Grandpa’s
1 bounce house
8 presents
17 cousins
36 Funfetti cupcakes
9 Aunts and Uncles
1 gallon of ice cream
2 lucky parents
134 Sugar Babies in Wyatt’s baby bottle for a friendly guessing game which turned not so friendly when a certain Grandpa MacGillivray cried in the corner for not winning when he wasn’t the closest because he went over. Long Story! :)
1 proud brother

7 first steps
1 giant cupcake
and…

1 ADORABLE ONE YEAR OLD!!

We hope all your wishes come true Wyatt! We love you!

Birthday Wishes

I remember foolishy thinking before Wyatt was born how I was going to possibly love him as much as I did Dax. I was worried about bonding with him and found it difficult to be certain if I would have just as much love for my new arrival as I did for Dax.

How could I be so silly?

The second I met him my love somehow seemed to double. Now he's one and I couldn't be more in love.

Happy Birthday Buddy!!

Bath Time

Every since Wyatt was a baby, the boys have taken baths together. Every time we would give Wyatt one, Dax wanted in. No matter what Dax was doing, as soon as the water started for Wyatt he was running in the bathroom half undressed. Even when we had Wyatt's ugly purple tub in the bath, Dax would squish and squirm his way in too.

When Dax was a baby, I had rules. Major rules. Major bath time rules. No standing. No splashing. No drinking the water. No turning the water on after the bath was filled. No climbing in and out. It was kinda extreme, but it made for a spotless bath experience.

With two in the tub, this was impossible. Wyatt loves to stand at the spout and smile his crazy tooth smile. Dax loves to pour water over Wyatt's head making a mess everywhere. Wyatt loves to smack Dax's behind when he is laying on his stomach playing with the rubber ducky. Wyatt tries to climb out every time, every time, to grab that shiny, silver, toilet handle. And I can't get either to stop drinking the water via squishy rubber ducky. So gross!

On the other hand, if there is one thing that tells me my babies are getting bigger, it's the fact that I can now actually sit on the toilet seat and watch this craziness unfold. I can actually sit, and watch my adorable sons play in the bath without holding onto my youngest afraid he is going to slip out of my hands due to the waves that my oldest is making in the water. There is still splashing, and standing and drinking of water, but I don't have to be hunched over the tub, with water up to my shoulders and dripping down my nose anymore. They both can survive the bath time experience as I sit on the toilet seat and watch.

I'm guessing one day there will actually be a time where I might be able to leave the bathroom and fold some laundry, get dinner started, or catch up on emails. But, then again, when that time actually comes, sometime way down the road (I'm afraid to see what will go on when I am NOT in the bathroom), there will probably be another little one to watch in the tub too (no, this is not some kind of announcement!).

So, here's to many, many more nights in the bathroom watching my kiddos in the bath. It may just be the highlight of my day these days!

Help! I just re-decorated the boys bathroom, officially making it a "boys" bathroom, and I want to use two of these pictures. What are your favorites??

December

Where did the month go? I have been a bad blogger...and I mean bad! This month was packed with more fun, more activities, more parties, more everything, and I haven't blogged about one! At least I got Dax's birthday party documented! I feel like it would take months to get on track with everything else. I don't even know if I am going to try. We have had family Christmas parties, birthdays, visits to Santa, bundling up to see Christmas lights, dinners, desserts, Christmas cards, baking, family in town, decorating, cleaning, cooking, Christmas programs, shopping....the lists goes on. Let's be honest, I have probably just been enjoying all the festivities too much to sit down and write about them!

Oh, there may be another little reason why.

I'll give you a hint: A three year old who wants to be silly plus a one year old who doesn't stay still equals two boys who can't seem to look at the camera at the same time.

I tried to capture all these fun moments, this is what I got.

But, I guess if looking at these pictures makes me smile (I mean they are having fun even though I was about to lose it behind the camera! :) )then I captured the moment of how things went for our family this month.

Dax was adorable finally getting the magic of Christmas. He figured out just where Santa lives, what an Elf was, discovered that Rudolph pulls the sleigh with his tiny friends, and learned the first verse of Wham's "Last Christmas". He loved helping me wrap presents, dip peanut butter balls, and turn on all the Christmas lights on both trees and the house every morning by 9am. It was so nice to tell him about Baby Jesus and Joesph and Mary and watch him play with the toy nativity set we have. My mom made the month even more fun by giving our family a Twelve Days of Christmas and a little present to open each day. Dax loved this and it definitely got him excited to open presents on Christmas morning. Of course his Christmas wouldn't be complete without his red airplane from Santa!

Even though Wyatt fought back to back colds with an ear ache, fever, and running nose for the majority of the month, he was the perfect little age to enjoy his first Christmas. He is so much fun and like a typical almost one year old, enjoyed the wrapping paper and ribbons the most.

Austin and I love watching the boys experience things and see their joy and excitement. We are so grateful for family, friends, the gospel and our health. This year, I think I have realized more than any other how blessed I truly am.

Oh, and here's my favorite from the disaster of a shoot. This I can live with!

Happy Happy Birthday Daxton Dear!

Yesterday, our little Dax, our crazy, energetic, little Dax, turned three. I am having a hard time wrapping my head around it. Some days it feels like he has been with us much much longer than just three years, and other days I can’t believe that the 8lb 15oz baby who was born a week late, has been here for only 1095 days.

That isn’t very long.

That’s only a 24 month mission plus another year. That’s only two Halloweens and three Christmases. But, that’s also two houses, two states and a baby brother later as well. No matter how I look at it, time is flying by.

Who knows where it goes, but with each passing day we are more and more in love with this guy. He is such a joy in our home. He says and does the funniest, cutest things and we are so blessed he is ours. He teaches us so much. I can’t imagine loving him more or not having him in our life.
We were so excited to celebrate his birthday with his family and friends...

It’s only in AZ where you can plan a birthday party outside, not have to worry about rain or snow or 30 degree weather, and get delivered a gorgeous, cloudless, 72 degree day. I am not lying when I say the day could not have been more perfect. His friends started to arrive around 11:30 and we ushered them into our backyard. The theme for this year’s party was good ol’ traditional birthday party fun and games and food. Dax helped with all the planning and picked out everything. You’ll see what I mean by everything! :)

I made this banner for Dax and hung it outside. I don’t think Dax cared one way or another about it, but I loved the way it turned out. I might be tempted to pull it out each year from now on.

This is Dax’s birthday tree that I adopted from my sister Jamie’s tradition. I couldn’t find any non-Christmasy ornaments, so I took some pom-poms and made these paper ornaments instead. Under the tree I bought some cute wooden trains and placed them on a train track as one of Dax’s birthday presents. He LOVED them!

Dax loves bean bag toss, so that was the first thing we did. Austin and I made some wooden boards and I sewed up a million bean bags, well 30 or so, and placed them in buckets out on the grass. Dax had seen the boards and had been playing in the backyard for weeks with some other bean bags we have, but was so excited to see all the new ones on his party day. My dad was a great recruiter and got all the kids playing and they all thought it was so much fun. They also played Pin the Tail on the Donkey and they were so funny.

Afterwards we served the kids lunch. It was simple. Pizza, grapes and Capri Suns. Apparently you are not supposed to borrow tables and chairs from the Church, but when you take them at 8:00 in the morning and have them back by 2 on a Saturday, that’s gotta be okay, right? Shhh, don’t tell. There was absolutely NO other alternative. That is the way I had envisioned the patio, and when I heard that it wasn’t allowed, I just couldn’t accept it. I know, I’m going to pay one day, but I didn’t have a choice. And they looked so cute and fit so perfectly around the table, it was all worth it!

Next came presents. Dax got so spoiled! He doesn’t need a Christmas at all now! He was thrilled with everything.

Afterwards we dumped out bags and bags of balloons for the kids to play with and pop. Now I have to tell you something you probably don’t know about me. I can’t blow up a balloon. I just can’t. I bought three bags of 15 balloons, that’s 45 balloons. Austin said he would blow them up. Poor guy had a horrible long week with work and school and his new calling in the Bishopric and I didn’t have a choice. I had to learn to blow them up. So Thursday night I sat down and watched Ugly Betty, Grey’s Anatomy, and The Office, (yes I was a couch potato, but I was working) and for dang sake I blew up ALL 45 balloons. Austin came home and the floor was covered and he was so proud. I told him I only almost fainted twice. Not bad. Anyways, the kids loved this. They ran around forever.

Next we sang Happy Birthday. Last year Dax didn't love so much the whole singing and blowing out candles. Thankfully this year he had a little more expression and he was a lot more happy about everyone singing to him.

Lastly came the piñata. Before you scroll ahead and see what kind of piñata Dax picked, be certain that we tried everything to persuade him towards Lightning McQueen, Diego, Mickey Mouse…anything. No go. He wanted the brown and black, original, authentic Mexican piñata…The Donkey. Austin and I couldn’t stop laughing when we were buying it. But Dax loved it. He filled it with Austin with tons of candy and little games and all the kids took turns hitting it. The thing was tough. I finally had to use my mad softball skills and bust the thing open. I truthfully don’t remember ever hitting a piñata before. It was fun!

All in all it was a great day! My mom and dad came and helped and my sister Jennifer took these great pictures for us. They were all such a huge help!

Now I’m off the plan Wyatt’s First Birthday and Austin’s 30th both in January. Help! I'm birthday-ed out and have no ideas for either!!