In your Easter Bonnet

Since conference is this coming weekend I had the kids wear their new Easter duds last Sunday. OH MY GOODNESS!! Super adorable. Had to share!
Love him in blue!

Be still my heart. Sheesh he is good lookin'.

Crazy Luke. Once Dad did the "silly" picture he wanted to do this for every picture. Next time we will save the silly till the end.

I thought this was super cute of Jake and Lily.

Brothers.

The Boys. I LOVE this picture!! Look at Ty's face. That is his typical mischievous grin. Gotta love it!

The girls. I think it is funny we look nothing alike. She is all Swensen. Every time I look at my beautiful baby girl I am so enamored. She is gorgeous!

New Pics of Lil

In the kitchen with Ty

Tyger...what can I say. Such a character. He is now 2 1/2. Life is never dull with him around. Although we often explain to others how "cranky" he is...which he is, he is a delight around our house. He is feisty and so fun!! He has a fantastic sense of humor and gets us all laughing. He is also quite the chatterbox...when he can get a word in between everyone else. He is an adoring big brother and never "cranky" with Lily. He LOVES to gives kisses and hugs.
His new favorite obsession...moving on from Batman a little and puzzles, is cooking.
He now has to help make EVERY meal. Breakfast, lunch AND dinner. It started with me letting him help when we would make cookies or something. But he is fascinated with all of it now. The kid also loves to eat, but when he is cooking with me he is all business. He won't even sneak some of it...even if I offer it. He is very particular about the whole process. I love my time with Ty in the kitchen. It is our thing. Just the two of us. Luke will join in occasionally, but usually only if we are making some sort of desert.
Oh and did I mention how stinkin' handsome he is? Oh, well let me say again...have you ever seen a cuter 2 year old? I would submit that you have not!

Whats New With Luke

This is Luke at school. I volunteered for the "Friendship Celebration" on Valentines Day.
Though at home you rarely find a quiet moment with Luke around, (like his mother that way) at school he is so attentive, quiet during appropriate times and his teachers tell me "so polite". Wow!! Every mother's dream to hear that. He is always the first to check on a friend if they fall and get hurt. He is a really great friend. His teachers also tell me how much they love his "animation". Having a conversation with Luke can be pretty entertaining. My sweet sweet boy. Oh, how I love him and am SO proud of him. Love the face in this one too :)!

This is our ward Primary talent show. Luke was so adorable. He sang "I am a Child of God". When I asked him if he wanted to do something he knew right away what it would be. He picked the song and sang every word. His dad likes to point out that he sang every word on key--a great ear for music. Daddy is so proud.

A sideways glance at Mom for encouragement.

Getting started, unsure how to get going with the pianist. But they worked it out on the third try.

Big Brother! He is so good with Lily. She LOVES him. Next to Mom, Luke is her favorite person. She completely lights up when she sees him.

Luke also just started basketball this week. Pictures to come...

Time Flies When You Are Having Fun

I can't believe it that Lily is 6 months old today. How sad is it that I was looking through my computer for recent pictures of her and there aren't any...wow, do I feel like a bad mom. I have heard it said that you take less pictures with each kid...guilty as charged.
However is not due to a lack of adoration. She still rules our household. She is still SUPER happy and has such an infectious smile.
She CAN roll both ways now...when she really wants to. But for the most part is most content to get talked to. She is loving her baby food at breakfast and dinner. She loves playing in her jump-a-roo. She scoots around in a circles on the floor. She has also discovered her toes and tongue this month which seem to be intensely fascinating to her. We love our pretty princess and can't imagine our family without her.


Technically this picture was taken on the 3rd or 4th of February I think...so it was in the last month. That counts, right?

Indulge Me

I haven't posted in a while. I don't have much to report...
Have you ever felt as if there was an external force conspiring against you? Nothing big, just all sorts of little things seem to go wrong at once? Then all of those little things start to feel like the weight of the world. Don't worry we are fine. Just in a funk. I told Jake yesterday that you know just how lucky you are when the BIG things you have to complain about are a broken down furnace, kids wetting the bed/making messes, and such. Now granted that isn't all that has come at us this last week. But I know that there are many that would trade what they are currently facing with what I am.
My sister said to me once, " You know those people who when life gives them lemons they make lemonade? They just let the bumps that come with life just roll off their back. I wish I was one of those people." I know exactly what she means. I have never dealt well with things not going, "according to plan". Even day to day. I have a pretty clear map in my head every night before I go to bed at what I want or feel I need to accomplish for the following day. When it doesn't pan out I have a really hard time letting it go. That doesn't even count all of the larger schemes I have in my head of house beautification, crafting, projects etc. Jake once told me when I was complaining to him about not getting enough done that he never had any idea that I have so many things I am trying to accomplish all the time. Most of them I never voice to him. I guess it is the OCD/analness in me. Though I don't want to spend all day cleaning and ignoring my kids I still secretly wish my house was as clean as if I had. Though I would love nothing more than to play with and teach my kids all day long, I still know I can't, but find myself feeling guilty at the time I do spend away from them. I have always been one with high expectations. So for the last week NONE of my days have gone "according to plan". Trying to roll with it, smile and make lemonade. Here's to trying to learn a valuable life lesson. Thanks for listening.

5 months old

She has finally learned to roll. On January 21st I took her for her 4 month check-up. She was actually 4 months and almost three weeks. I was explaining to the doctor that all she wants to do is lay and smile at people. No interest in moving or even toys really. So he had me lay her on her tummy to check her strength and over she rolled. Three times in a row! She would not stay on her belly. Pretty funny. Each time she would smile as if she were so pleased with herself. Making me look like a crazy paranoid mother :)

This is how I found her the other morning. I was trying to get the boys dressed upstairs and it was taking far too long. I knew she was tired and hungry and I could hear her fussing a little. I came down and found this...so sad, I guess her thumb is almost as good as milk.

Again, asleep when I thought she was playing and I was distracted with the other two.

LOVING bath time!

The day we took the boys sledding we came home because she was starting to get fussy and I knew it was time to feed her again. I layed her on the couch and in the time it took me to get Ty's snow clothes off (before he tracked wet snow all through the house) she had fallen asleep. It reminds me of a "Christmas Story" where the kid can't put his hands down. Too funny.

8 Wonderful Years

For the three years I have been keeping a blog I have always made a post on our anniversary. It seems almost trite and at least repetitive to post here again, but I can't help myself.
I feel so blessed to have Jake as my husband. I think back to the beginning. It was such a whirlwind. I knew almost immediately that I was falling deeply in love with him. I was terrified at that prospect. I had been burned before by giving my heart away so willingly. Ever since that time I had kept everyone else I dated at bay. But with Jake I couldn't help it. We both have said since that it felt like there was an external force pushing us together.
As we reminisced Saturday night we laughed at the changes 8 years has brought. We are certainly different people than the 19 year old bride and newly returned missionary who entered the Salt Lake Temple eight years ago today. But I am so grateful that as we have grown up, we have grown up together. The man who waited on us at dinner on Saturday laughed that we were celebrating our 8th anniversary. As he put it, "You don't look old enough to have three kids. You look like you just graduated High School." It is funny, I still feel the same as I did back then except for one truth...I love Jake on a deeper and more real level than I ever thought possible. Our years have had ups and downs, but through it all I have been so blessed by the wisdom, kindness and love of Jake. I am so grateful for him and the life we have made together. Happy Anniversary babe! I love you now and always.
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We aren't as skinny as we used to be...(big sigh). But still cute!

Sledding

Last Saturday we took the kids sledding. We have only been able to go one other time this year. The boys love it. Plus we are lucky to have a great sledding park within walking distance of our house. Lily is even a great sport to be toted along.
Sledding actually turned into a snowball fight, but the boys LOVED it!

Crazy Daddy!

All bundled up.

One, Two, Three...GO!

" Come on Tyger, you can do it!"

4 Months Old

On January 2nd Lily turned four months old. I can't believe it!! She is still smiling, laughing and cooing. She hasn't shown the slightest interest in learning to roll. But within the last few days and weeks she has begun to want to sit up, grab for toys and really engage with all of us. She is such a joy. We have started giving her rice cereal in the evening. She LOVES it! Neither of my boys were big fans until I was mixing it with applesauce or something. But she just really likes to eat. She has found her thumb and loves to suck it. Despite my best efforts to get her to take her binkie she prefers her thumb. This wouldn't bother me so bad except for having one binkie baby and one thumb sucker already I have learned that the binkie you can take away. Hence why my four and a half year old still struggles to kick the habit.

I can't believe how big my baby is getting!