Have you ever been there?

A few weeks ago Jake decided that he thought the boys would be easier to wrestle during church if we sat on the very back right pew. It has been going well for a few weeks and has been helping to make sacrament meeting less of a struggle. In fact Luke sits better than he did before...until yesterday. Jake went up on the stand to sing with the choir. They began a beautiful music number and Luke turned and looked at me and said, "Mama's turn." Meaning that he wanted me to go up and sing. I explained that it was just Daddy's turn. He seemed unsatisfied so he said, "Baby Ty's turn." Again I explained it was just Daddy. Then he said, "Luke's turn!!!" He turned around and bolted! I threw Ty into the arms of my friend sitting just the pew above and crouched and ran to catch up, but alas he made it to the stage before I could get him. I was so embarressed. Of course everyone laughed about it because most people have been there before.

Happy Birthday Grandma Ball

Oh, Grandma, how we miss you. You are one of the nicest and sweetest people I know. I love you so much and I really do miss you. I loved it when you came to see us last July. I treasure the times and memories we have shared. I will always remember how you used to let us choose your lipstick and comb your hair and pick out earrings to wear, and often wear some ourselves. Your house was always fun because we could open up as many cereal boxes as we wanted-which was a big deal at our house. Pick out special placemats, play in tons of dress-up clothes and play lots of old games. Now I see you loving our children and all of your great-grandchildren. I feel so privileged to be your granddaughter. I love you.

Bringing Beads to Brooklyn when she broke her leg.
July 2007, Decatur, IL
With Luke in the hospital

Pizza, Pizza!

Tonight I had a scrapbook party at my house with some friends and Jake graciously watched both boys while I was in the other room. He ordered some pizza for dinner. He was eating it on the couch watching March Madness and Luke asked him to watch a movie so he set his plate on the floor while we walked down the hall to our room...he was probably gone a minute. All of a sudden I heard him laughing so hard from the other room and calling for me. I walked in and Ty had ahold of the pizza and was clutching it with a death grip. He had crawled across the room (even though he was eating his own teething biscuit at the time-which was abandoned on the floor) and grabbed the pizza and went to town-cheese and all. His sleeves were covered in pizza sauce and his face with greesy cheese. It was so funny. Jake said that after that he was trying to feed Ty his baby food for dinner and he was very uninterested--well who wouldn't be, right? We all like a little pizza now and then.

Happy Birthday Evelyn!

This is our neice, Evelyn! She turns 1 today. Sad to say that we have never been able to see her and hold her and kiss her, but little Evelyn, we love you. Happy 1st Birthday. We hope it is memorable.

Avery, Easton, Collin and Zoe!!!

We had such a great time visiting the Deshler family for Easter. We had lots of laughs and so much fun. Luke would randomly scream, AveryEastonCollinZoe! He would string it together like one word. He LOVES them. They played "bad guys" in the basement in the dark with their Nerf gun sniper scopes, (they were protecting Queen Zoe) for hours. Of course they played Star Wars and all sorts of other games. He adores them all and would copy anything that he saw them doing. We caught them all downstairs playing Clue Jr. and he was sitting in a circle with them, quietly holding his paper and pencil pretending to write things down just like them. We had a glow-in-the-dark Easter egg hunt and they all had matching Easter clothes-not planned.

One morning Jake and I woke up and realized Luke had gotten up and we didn't know. We came upstairs and he was gone. He had gone with Heather to take the kids to school. He thought that was pretty cool, and we loved watching him spread his wings away from us. He loves his Aunt Heather too. In fact tonight when we got home he picked up my cell phone and was pretending to talk on it. We asked him who he was talking to...."Aunt He-He" he replied. He was so concerned when Uncle Reed left, and he kept reminding us all that "Uncle Weed went to work!" Ty thought that Zoe was SOOOO wonderful. He would just grin and grin at her. Heather took some great pics of our family -I am so retarded, I forgot my camera. I loved spending time with my sister-she is awesome and so funny. Hope everyone's holiday was great.

Okay after re-reading this, it is like I am spewing thoughts, just trying to make a quick post about our great weekend.

Easter Eggs!

We had so much fun last night dying Easter eggs. Luke keeps asking today to do it again. He doesn't get that it is a once a year thing. But it was fun. Check it out. Luke loved the Star Wars stuff. Not pictured here...Yoda, Darth Vader and R2D2.

Happy Birthday Syd!

Syd at Thanksgiving with Aunt Heather.

My neice Sydney turns two today. Wish we could be at her party, but we love you little Syd and are thinking of you. The fair skinned beauties have to stay together.

Kids say the darndest things...

Jake and I have been laughing as of late because of the things that Luke says.

Here are some of our favorites...mostly Star Wars related.

"Goodnight, Mama Qui-Gon" (we had been playing lightsabers-I was using the green one)

We were singing Old MacDonald Had A Farm, I always let him choose what animal is next so the other day I sang "Old MacDonald had a farm, e i e i o, and on that farm he had a......."
"lightsaber!" said Luke. So cute

Jake and Luke were playing outside with his lightsabers and Luke kept trying to go in the street. Jake kept saying no and to stay on the sidewalk. After a few rounds of this discussion Jake said again, "No, Luke, stay on the sidewalk." Luke paused and looked at him for a minute, and then with a lot of force jumped onto the sidewalk wielding his blue lightsaber and said, "Luke SIDEwalker!"

At Christmas time Jake was helping Luke get ready for church and was putting on his belt. Jake was teaching him the word belt, then Luke sang, "Jingle Belt, Jingle Belt."

Last night we were eating pork for the first time. We told him it came from a pig, so he said,
"oink, oink, ...help, help" then he ate it.

Anyway, we are loving all of these funny little moments, hope you do too.

I've been tagged

I was tagged by my friend, Natalie. So, here is a little info about my hubby and me...
What is his name? Larry Jacob Swensen.
How long have you been together? Married just over six years.
How long did you date? We dated for 5 months total with engagement! We were quick!
Who eats more? Currently me, and probably usually a toss up. I am still nursing-so consuming more calories...or at least that is my excuse and Jake is on a diet and doing a fantastic job at it. Already down 15 lbs.
Who said "I love you" first? I did. He said it right after.
Who is taller? Lets think about this...anyone who knows me knows it isn't a hard feat to be taller than me...so Jake.
Who is smarter? I'd say it's Jake. Really I think that is true. I am not saying that I am not smart, but at least in IQ tests and other standardized testing he scores a lot higher than me. But we both add something to the relationship and I don't think that it is unbalanced.
Who does the laundry? 95% me, and 5% Jake. I feel that it is mostly my responsibility because I am the one home.
Who sleeps on the right? When we were first married we didn't have set sides of the bed. We were constantly changing it, depending on who got up first. But now he always sleeps on the side next to the alarm clock, so the left.
Who does the dishes? Again me. But we have a nice little system of chores. I put up on our dry erase board the chores I need his help with. At first I thought that this seemed to bossy/elementary/silly. But hey, don't knock what works. This way I feel less stressed, he knows what I need-no guessing games. Everyone is happy.
Who pays the bills? Me.
Who mows the lawn? Jake does almost all the outside stuff.
Who cooks dinner? Jake hates to cook. So always me. But I don't mind. I love cooking dinner for my family. He has had to watch me evolve in the kitchen, but is always supportive and grateful for whatever I make. The great thing about Jake is that he could care less what we eat, even if it is cereal night because Mom has had it. Although, I do think that he is getting a little pickier-he says it is because I am getting better.
Who is more stubborn? I love this question, and babe, don't hate me. But HIM definitely. But he is really working on it. I have my stubborn side, believe you me, but, still its Jake.
Who kissed who first? That would be me. What can I say? I was not usually like that, but I couldn't resist his charm I guess. Plus he had been teasing me for weeks, his whole goal was to try and get me to kiss him first. He won. See, the stubborn thing.
Who proposed? Jake, at Temple Square, December 4, 2001. It was beautiful.
Who has more siblings? Jake beats me hands down. 8 to 3.
Who wears the pants? Well, we both wear pants..ha ha. I think that Jake and I are an equal partnership with various roles but the same goal. As strong willed as we both are, we truly care about the others happiness and well-being above all, and respect each others opinions as well. But I feel that he is the leader of our home, which he does well with love, respect and the guidance of our Heavenly Father.

I tag Caitlyn, Callie, Sarah, and Heidi....(Heather I didn't tag you because you hate it).

P.S. Callie and Caitlyn, when you are tagged you just highlight this post on my blog, right click, copy and paste into a new post on your blog. Then change my answers to yours.

Jake the Master!

It's official, Jake is done with school!! Whohoo!!!!! I couldn't be more excited for him. He has worked so hard all while having two kids, working full time, moving, taking care of me, taking care of a new house etc. etc. I don't think that I could have done what he did. He rarely complained and just went about it each day with a good attitude. I am so grateful that he made the sacrifice to do this for our family. He has set such a good example for our boys about the importance of education and working hard. Jake, I love you so much. Way to go!! Thank you.

"Pinch"

Happy St. Patricks Day!!! Don't forget to wear green, or someone may pinch you.

P.S. Luke didn't want to get his picture taken, hence the grumpy face.

"Celebrate Good Times!"

Yeah Daddy!!!!
The sign I made for him, he saw this when he came home and that is when he knew something was up.

Jake, always the kidder.


Last night, as most of you know, I planned a surprise graduation party for Jake. I invited our great neighbors and some of our friends from our ward. It was great. No kids, good food and lots of relaxing and fun. Jake was actually surprised, which is a difficult feat. I can rarely, if ever, truly surprise him. Somehow he always finds out. But I was so good this time, he didn't have a clue. We are so proud of him. Just a few more days and school is behind him.

Dr. Check-up

Ty had his 6 month appointment today. He is doing well. 17 lbs. 4 oz. The doctor said that he looks like the "Michelin Man" and that he does. He is such a blessing, we love our little Tyger.

Inspiration

Sunday night was our Young Women's New Beginnings. As a presidency we prayed and planned for this for quite a while. I was given the assignment to attain a speaker. I asked this awesome lady in our ward. Their family recently moved here and in the short time that I have gotten to know her I have been blessed by her example. I don't know exactly how to describe her other than inspiring. Within a few moments of her talk I was truly touched by the spirit. I felt overwhelmed that we had made the right decision in choosing her for our speaker. Our theme was "Make and Keep Sacred Covenants". My deepest desire and that of our presidency, was that she would be able to truly touch our girls hearts, especially those of less-active or part member families. We want their goal to be Temple Marriage-no matter what. As I sat and listened to her inspired words I gained insight for my own life.
She began explaining to the girls how as a young woman herself she was insecure and lacked the confidence she so obviously exhibits today. She went on to say that she was never shy, but nonetheless devoid of a strong self-esteem. I utterly identified with this description. For many reasons that are too personal to share here and probably inappropriate to express in this venue, I was an awkward adolescent with a blurry picture of my divine potential and my earthly gifts and talents. I still find myself often feeling the need to prove myself to those around me and I, more often than I care to admit, compare myself with others-and rarely measure up.
However, don't feel to bad for me I am getting there and I have come a long way. Thanks in most part to a strong, supportive and unconditionally loving husband. He is the first person I truly believe, to ever REALLY know me-all the good with all the bad. Even from the very beginning I found myself drawn to him, but in a way so different from other people. I was for the first time uninhibited. I could completely be myself around him, and to my astonishment-he actually liked ME and later loved me. He has helped me on my road to self-confidence and continues to do so. I am so blessed to have him. I think that it may have been really easy for me to end up with someone controlling and emotionally neglectful . I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for him. As I listened to her speak about the importance of Temple Marriage I was so grateful that I married the right man in the right place.
So back to my insight. She explained that when things changed for her was during and upon her return from her mission. She said that she knew that she hadn't changed at all. She wasn't any prettier, smarter or more talented. Intrinsically her talents had remained unchanged. The KEY, the difference, was she finally gained the vision of who she was, who she really was, a daughter of the Almighty God! There is such power in that. How did she do this? By strengthening her testimony of her Heavenly Father and developing her relationship with him and more importantly with our Savior Jesus Christ. Simply the formula is elementary, meaningful scripture study and prayer..stressing of course MEANINGFUL. So I have decided to redouble my efforts to gain a new level and dimension to my relationship with my Savior and by extension my testimony. I will always remember the way that I felt that night.

Missing You

You know, for the most part I think that we are really happy here. We have recieved so many blessings by making this move and I will always feel like it was the right decision, but sometimes...especially on weekends I get feeling a little down. I miss our family and friends. Anyone who knows us well knows that we were always planning something with someone. Most of our weekends were full with being with our favorite people, all of you. I miss game nights, movie nights, and going out together. I miss family birthday parties and other celebrations. Sometimes, and at first, it felt a little nice to slow down a little, but I really miss the relationships. Thank you to all of you...you know who you are, that are our sunshine on a rainy day. Miss you. Love you.

6 Months Old

I can't believe it, Ty turned 6 months yesterday. He is so fun and really a happy baby. He loves to hear Dad's voice and play with him. But, if he is sad or hungry or agitated he wants his Mama. Eating time is a joy, especially for Dad (just kidding-he actually hates it) Ty makes such a huge mess. He always has to get his hands involved. His favorite food is applesauce, but what he really wants is anything that we are eating. He stares with much longing at our plates during dinnertime and watches the food from our plate to our mouths with every bite. It is enough to make you feel a little funny and also a little cruel. He will get there soon enough.

He is scooting all over the place and getting to most things that he wants by throwing his body weight in different directions and turning in circles. He tries to get his knees underneath him but hasn't succeeded yet. He has the biggest most infectious smile, but saves it for special people. When someone he doesn't know comes up to him he usually just studies them expressionless.

Ty-our Tyger- brings so much love to our house. We couldn't imagine our family without him.