Bedtime Ritual

Its pointless for us to have a family room because more times than not our evenings consist of all of us watching TV (way past normal kids bedtimes) on mine and Nate's bed. Our kids LOVE to cuddle and as long as they are calm and relaxed we will enjoy their company for hours. No better way to end the day than some scriptures, family prayers and some quality cuddle time. Love my little family!

All about Jackson {age 6}

Where has the time gone?!? I can't believe Jackson is already 6. Seems like yesterday I was miserably pregnant awaiting his exciting arrival and now he is a big kindergartner losing teeth. Me and him butt heads often but honestly I couldn't have asked for a sweeter little boy. He is always so obedient (in general), thoughtful and very kind to those around him. He definitely is my soft-hearted one that loves deeply. He thinks he is bigger than he really is by getting his little source of school independence but I am loving watching him grow up to be such a great kid. He tries so hard to be silly and he is most of the time but most of the time he is just the nice boy that is going along with the crowd and whatever trouble his brother tries to get him into. Every always compliments on how spiritual he is and how he knows all the answers in primary but my only comment is he came that way. He is one that just "knows"! I love that at the beginning of new primary class his teacher gave him a CTR ring. He wore it for days, green finger and all! He even slept with it on. I love that I was able to capture it on camera because that picture is perfect for Jacks. This year he has lost 2 teeth and loves it. He can't wait until he loses more. Although Jackson's naps are few and far in between, I love capturing them on camera because it reminds me of his innocence and what his real age is compared to his size. Jackson LOVES being with friends and making new ones no matter where he is. I love that he is so social and I love that he has some good friends in and out of the neighborhood to play with. Jackson recently had a little medical scare and thank goodness Dr. Boud is so good to work with because he set me at ease. But for days Jackson was really lethargic and tired with no appetite (totally not like himself) and after 3 days of laying around I decided to call the dr. They immediately wanted to see him and draw his blood to screen for anything major. This was Jackson's first time getting blood drawn, but with a few tears and a bunch of pokes from the nurses they finally got the blood they needed to run some tests. We waited for an hour or so in Dr. Boud's office and eventually he came in to tell us that everything look good except his glucose count for diabetes. With Jackson not eating much all day and then eating a granola bar right before we went (just because I was trying to get him to eat something) his test wasn't completely accurate. Dr. Boud said his numbers were border line diabetic but that one granola bar could have changed everything. He didn't seem too concerned but said it could be that or just a yucky virus and only time will tell. With a virus the symptoms will go away, but with diabetes they would continue and get worse. It was a long few days especially because he developed a freaky rash all over his body that stayed for days. Luckily after a week things started going back to normal and the diabetic scare went out of my mind. It was then that I realized how fast our lives could have changed but if it was going to be any of our kids, I knew Jackson could have handled it because of how strong he is. Our family wouldn't be the same without this awesome sweetheart. He is the best big brother, especially to his little sister! My favorite thing right now to do with him is cuddle with him at night before he goes to bed. We have the best pillow talk conversations and he is the best cuddle bug. I just hope as he gets older he will stay just as sweet. Man, we LOVE you Jacksie! 

Maelyn {6 Months}

Man, I can't believe my little girl is growing up so fast! Here she is 5-6 months in most of these pictures. She has mastered rolling over and has definitely learned to use her voice and is so proud of it too. She is enjoying her variety of fruits and vegetables rather than just her oatmeal and rice cereal. She has even learned to hold her own bottle and my personal favorite is her back bend. She hasn't quite figured out the crawling thing but she has realized if she stays on her back and lifts her hips up she scoots backwards across the floor. Not a good cause in helping her hair grow but its pretty darn cute. She still hasn't really grasped the muscles to sit up independently and with her being so skinny she falls out of the bumbo but I did catch her lounging away in it the other day. Maelyn is still a little girl that loves her sleep and continues to bless her mommy with full nights sleep without a peep. She loves getting her toenails painted and her day wouldn't be complete without cuddling with her Daddy. 

CHECKUPS! {6 yrs & 6 mos.}

I couldn't have two more opposite children!! Checkups went great like usual. Jacks measured off the charts still for his 6 year old check up and Maelyn barely hit the charts at a big 1% for her 6 month visit.

Everything EASTER

What a busy but FUN weekend we had having Easter and Jackson's birthday just two days apart. We celebrated Jacks all day Friday but still managed to fit in the Easter Egg Dive! My boys definitely did better this year, but anything more than Jackson's bag of water that he got last year was great! Andersen was finally brave and big enough to go by himself and definitely scored the most eggs. We were also happy the Balls could join us because everything is better with a friend around our house. 

Then Saturday we did the traditional decorating of the eggs

And then my favorite, EASTER MORNING!! I love the excitement holidays bring with little kids. I know there is always a spiritual side to holidays but I think if the kids enjoy the fun side now as they get older they will appreciate the spiritual side that much more because of the fun they had as kids... or at least that is how I feel. They loved waking up to see what the Easter Bunny brought for them and then finding all the eggs. They even made sure they found a couple for sister.

After our morning fun, it was off to church we went in their new church outfits. I don't know what I am going to do when the boys tell me they are too old to match each other but until then I will enjoy it as long as I can. 

Then it wouldn't be Easter without Nana's egg hunt. This has been a fun tradition even for Nate and I because Nana knows how to do to a hunt!! There is always plenty of candy to go around and always a surprise or two with some cash stashed inside as well. The last few years its been all for us, but Natalie and Chase joined us so we didn't mind sharing. 

Then a new Easter tradition we started last year was throwing our decorated eggs down the hill! I LOVE doing this because its the one time a year they get to smash eggs and its ok. I am pretty Jamie (Landon's mom, not me!) thought I was crazy when I told her we were going to the park to throw our eggs but I think Landon Blackwell enjoyed it too and man that boy has an arm! I love spending $2 on double the fun. One fun activity to decorate them and a few days later another fun activity getting rid of them since we don't ever end up eating the cooked eggs. Its definitely more fun than just throwing the eggs in the garbage. 

 This long weekend of birthday and Easter definitely wore me out but we had many fun moments and created many memories together as a family! Man I love this little family of mine!

Birthday Boy turns 6!

With Jackson's favorite buddy Landon leaving town over his birthday, it was mandatory that we do the party before he left. So the Saturday before Easter we invited all his neighbor friends over for pizza. Instead of blowing out candles on a cake, we stuck 6 candles in a slice of pizza and let the boys sing away. After we fed their tummies we did presents where all his friends spoiled him! 

After lunch we packed up all 3 cars and took all ten little boys, including Andersen, to see the movie Croods. Jackson has always wanted to get those little movie kid packs so I rather than having a big party and spending the money on a fancy cake I told Jacks we could get all the boys movie packs to snack on for the movie. Now that right there made his birthday, but we still celebrated all week because his birthday was that following Friday. He had his annual Nana birthday date on Wednesday where he already knew what he was going to get from the store before she even came to pick him up. Jackson came home with a big Lego pack that him and Nate spent the night working on together. The morning of his actual birthday he got to open all his presents before school and then a couple hours later we brought his class a little treat. That night we did the egg dive at the Rec Center to celebrate Easter with the Balls. After the boys each had a turn to dive for eggs, Jacks picked Red Robin for his birthday dinner.

I think this big 6 year old definitely got SPOILED!! After his long birthday week, Jacks still continued to celebrate by getting his Nana dinner and then going on his shopping spree with is birthday money for a new bike from Grandma and Grandpa Hansen. Man we love this boy! I can't believe six years ago all 9lbs of him brought me into the unknown world of parenting and changed our lives forever and for the better. We love you Jacks and I am so happy you had a fun day all about you!

More Soccer!

We started the year with another fun season of indoor soccer. This time both Jackson and Andersen played just on different teams. So we spend most of our Saturdays back and forth to the rec center to cheer them on. More than half the team was Jackson's buddies so it was fun to watch them play, especially because they are grasping the concept of the game. With the games being so fast moving and enjoyable I slacked at taking pictures of Jackson's games because we were too busy cheering them on. Sorry bud! I did keep track of your goals though... you probably had over 10 goals total with 3 in one game being your record.

Andersen wanted nothing to do with his soccer team the first game, but it wasn't until we ALMOST asked for a refund of our money that first game that he snapped out of his craziness and got out there to play. Once that had passed he got out there and was awesome at going after the ball. He even got a goal this season... he ended up on his bum because of how he kicked it, but hey it was a goal!  Jackson and his buddy Landon were always the best cheerleaders from the sidelines and I loved watching them cheer on their little brothers while they were playing. 

Soldier Hollow Part 3

It seems like every year I see the coupon for discounted lift tickets to Soldier Hollow so now after 3 years of going with the Christensen's, it has become an annual tradition for us! Back in late February on a Friday afternoon, I dropped off Maelyn to Nana's school and then me and the boys met Nate at his work. We have so much fun doing this as a family but I think Landon and Jackson have the most fun!. They are finally big enough to ride together without us adults so they spent the entire 2 hours linked to each other. It was colder than usual and windy which made for a cold ride down the hill, but besides that it was another successful tubing session. After tubing we made our usual stop at Diary Keen for some dinner and shakes. A funny story that happened while we were at dinner... If you have ever been to Diary Keen you know they have train sets for the kids to play. Well after the boys were done eating they all were playing with the trains. Us parents didn't hear the whole thing but what we did see was HILARIOUS! From what we gathered is another kid playing with the trains at the same time as our boys was having an issue with Parker, so his big brother Landon went to step in to protect him. Well the kid didn't like that and started going after Landon. Jack's being the protective friend saw what was happening (and this is when I started noticing something going on!) and decided he would step in. Lets just say this little kid wasn't expecting Jackson the giant to step in and take control of the situation. The look on that kids face was pure terror... and I couldn't help but laugh! Who knows who was really at fault but it was good to see Jack's stick up for his buddy and protect him and even better to see that at age 6 he already has the intimidation factor! 

St. Patrick's Day

Yes, I was one of those crazy Moms again this year that had a "leprechaun" come to our house this year to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. With Jackson learning all about the holiday in school and hearing all the silly traditions I couldn't help but play along. Its totally unnecessary and more work on my part but the kids loved it! They all woke up to a treasure hunt around the house and green paint on their noses. They noticed our silly leprechaun left footprints all over their bathroom this year and they loved the green "pee" in the toilet. The Sunday fun lasted for ten minutes as they enjoyed their "gold" candy that was found at the end of the treasure hunt. Maybe the sugar rush wasn't a good idea because this was the best group picture I could get of the 3 of them... but I loved it! If I can't get all three of them smiling I am happy to capture their silly personalities. Andersen is always the family goof ball that is always distracting Jackson and then there is Maelyn that is just along for the ride.... at least for now! 

i {heart} these 3

Some days I look in the back of my car and I can't believe I am a mother of three kids. Seems like I am still a kid myself. I often ask myself where did the time go? Sometimes as a mother I feel like its the blind leading the blind, but then other times I wish I could tuck them away and shelter them from this world we live in. Both ways of thinking are wrong though. I think of all the things I have learned and experienced throughout my 28 1/2 years. A lot is happy and a lot is trials accompanied with many errors. But through it all comes knowledge for good. I feel so inadequate at times and guilty of not doing enough, but at the end of the day I am grateful for these sweethearts. They love unconditionally... ALWAYS! Nate and I would be nothing without our children. They teach us more than we could have learned and experienced on our own. Thank the heavens for trusting us to teach and protect them through this mortal experience. With today's terrorist attacks during the Boston Marathon, my heart aches for those that feel so alone or unloved that they need to cause harm to innocent people around them. The few careless hands and minds that are responsible for all this effected so many lives in a matter of seconds. I just hope my children will always continue to love and feel loved by those around them. One day when you kiddos read through our family books, I hope you are never doubting you were and are LOVED SO MUCH!!

Jr. Jazz {Jackson's First Season}

 Jackson has been looking forward to this season for awhile now. He's had the height to play for years, he just needed the age to be eligible to play. Lucky for Jacks Nate was able to coach his team. They spent every Thursday night practicing and played games every Saturday. By the end of the season the boys were getting a good hang of things. Half of the team was Jackson's buddies (Landon, Tate, Jackson Mather and Logan). My favorite thing Nate taught Jacks was to always keep the ball up. With him being so much taller than everyone else, as long as Jackson kept the ball up no one could steal it. Once the rest of the team realized they could use his height to score baskets they were unstoppable. Jacks would stand by the basket and his buddies would pass him the ball and pretty much toss it in the hoop. Jackson loved every second of it! Maelyn and Andersen on the other hand used this hour most of the time to catch a quick cat nap. Overall I think it was a good first season. We didn't win a lot of our games but it was a good experience, especially for Jacks to have Nate as his coach. Good work boys!

Any Resemblance?

 Many years ago my Mom gave me a few outfits from when I was younger. Of course I held on to them in hopes I would have a little girl one day to share them with. Finally this Valentine's Day I had a dress (and a little girl!) that was perfect for the day. It was a dress I wore for Christmas, but was perfect for Maelyn on Valentine's Day because it had little hearts all over it. I just added some cute lace leggings from Jodie and a red headband. We get asked all the time who we think Maelyn looks like in our family. I don't see a whole lot of resemblance, but she definitely takes the prize on the cuter baby!

Best Valentine's Day EVER

Valentine's Day has always been a day of fun (good and bad) memories for our family. Way back when Nate and I were dating the "Happy Valentine's Day" inside joke began. This year I thought it was going to top that year with how it started (too personal to blog about). I will just say those gorgeous bouquet of flowers started out as the biggest "SORRY" flowers I had ever received. I started my day busy and it ended busy. First we started the morning with some presents to the kids from us both. Then I helped with Jackson's Valentine's Day party in his class then lunch at Cafe Rio with Grandma Kay while she was in town watching Jared's kids. I wasn't in the "love" mood to stop at Nate's office but I couldn't let the kids down. They were so excited to give him their present I helped them make with their hand prints on it. Then we stopped at Nana's school real quick and then made it home for a quick power nap. After that we were back on the road to take the kids to Nana's house while Nate and I went out on a date. Weeks before this I had saw an ad about Matt Townsend's Valentine's Date Night with Hilary Weeks. I thought it would be something fun and different to do together but after the way our day had started we weren't on the best terms getting there but we had already paid for tickets so we figured we shouldn't let them go to waste. I will be the first to say that was the best $50 we have ever spent. Not only was it a fun night together but it will be the night that changed everything (for the better) for us and our relationship. And to top of the already incredible night I got to meet Hilary Weeks.. one of those people I have wanted to meet for a long time! At the end of the day Valentine's Day was just another day (besides all the "extras") but it was such a good day to help me remember how much I love those around me and how much they love me.

Thirty-One and Counting

We love birthdays around here!! and it just wouldn't be the same to celebrate Nate's 31st birthday without some cake and presents all weekend long just like the kiddos. Nate's birthday landed on a Saturday this year so we started celebrating Friday night. Nana watched the kids while we went to dinner at Tepanyaki... our favorite. With us making it to dinner so late, there wasn't much to do afterwards so we just went back home. Saturday, his actual birthday, was quite busy but we still made time to celebrate. I can't remember everything we had to do that morning but I know Nate had to coach Jackson's basketball game. After the game it was still kind of early for dinner so we went back home to open presents. Nate got spoiled this year and he deserved it! With Christmas and Birthday always being so close his birthday usually gets cut short, but not this year. He got some new shoes and clothes and finally his own set of snow clothes... snow pants, gloves, coat! (not to mention everything else he got from our parents) Then we went out to dinner followed by some Rothe style "crack" cake per Nate's request (its a cookie dough, chocolate pudding, whip cream layered cake...SO GOOD!) Next day we celebrated at Nana's for our Sunday dinner. Can't believe I met Nate ten years ago, just fresh off his mission. Can't wait to share many more birthdays with you Nate. Our family loves you... always and forever!

Toothfairy Visits Jacks... finally!

This was a big day at the Rothe home... Jackson finally lost his first tooth! I remember one night after he had gotten out of the shower and I was helping him brush his teeth I asked him, "when are you going to lose your first tooth? Let me see if any are wiggly". Sure enough he had a tooth that was starting to get loose. I totally had a mommy moment and was so excited for him. It wiggled and wiggled for a couple weeks and we even had to make sure it stayed in one night while Nate was out of town so Daddy could be apart of it. The night Nate got home Jacks bit down on it while eating a Subway sandwich and pushed it forward completely. Jackson couldn't stand it anymore and it was hanging by a thread so I grab some tweezers and it was OUT without a tear shed on his part! So proud of him for being so brave. I work with teeth all the time and hate doing that to other kids, but for some reason it was second nature to do it for Jacks... and I kind of enjoyed it! Jackson was beyond excited and he willing went to bed, no questions asked! The only thing he was concerned with was that the Toothfairy was going to take his tooth and he wanted to keep it. So before he went to bed he left this cute note with his tooth under his pillow. The Toothfairy listened and he woke up with his tooth and $2. A couple days later Jackson got this adorable card in the mail from his Aunt Lynne and another $2 to celebrate with. Definitely another reality check that my baby is growing up... how can one be so happy yet sad at the same time! Just like this card reads on the inside..."and to tell you the truth, you look cute without your tooth!"

Swimming in January!

The boys LOVE having the Herriman Rec Center so close and have been begging to go swimming for weeks. Finally, with Alison's planning, we made it to the pool with some of our buddies. The boys were loving the water and playing somewhere else besides inside someones house because of all the snow and cold weather we've had lately. Maelyn loves the bath tub, but I wasn't sure how she would take the colder water in the pool. I didn't put her in all the way but she was loving having her feet in at least. Even all the splashes she was getting from her brothers weren't phasing her. Lets hope this summer we can spend many more days at the pool with these kiddos!

Maelyn {4 Months}

The 4 month visit is just as dreadful as the 2 week PKU testing I think. This check up Maelyn got a few more shots. I think she knew what was coming because I laid her on the doctor table and she instantly gave me this cute frowny face. She weighed in at 10.8 lbs (2%... crazy!!) and 24 1/2 inches long (58%). Her brothers were this weight at their 2 week check ups! The last two months Maelyn has made some personal achievements. She started realizing she could move her body around. I had her playing on the family room floor one night while I was cooking dinner and would go back and forth to check on her. Every time I checked on her she was in a different position. She figured out how to spin her body around in 360's and hasn't stopped since. As time went on I was noticing she wasn't holding her head up properly or developing the strength in her neck and core like other babies  her age were. I asked our doctor about it and he didn't seem too concerned, but I decided to get our chiropractors opinion as well. His professional opinion was she is just little and lazy. He was thinking the signals from her body weren't getting to her brain and suggested we do a couple adjustments on her. Sure enough after just the first (out of 3) adjustment she was already able to hold her head up, finally started pulling her legs up and holding some of her weight in her core.  One of my favorite pictures so far of her was the day I was painting her toe nails. I love that she lifted up her legs in excitement and gave me the cheesiest grin! I am loving having a little girl to doll up and accessorize, lets just hope she lets me continue to do it as she gets older. These past weeks we also started her in her bouncer chair and rice cereal. The bouncer was a whole new world of entertainment. She is still tiny in her seat and her arms drop down in her chair sometimes but it keeps her busy and having fun long enough for me to get something done around the house. Surprisingly she LOVES her cereal and starts shaking her arms in excitement as she anticipates me making it for her. It only took her two times to figure out the spoon and now we can't feed it to her fast enough. We love her little personality coming out and I love how chill she is. She is always so calm and just along for the ride where ever we are going. I keep thinking its going to change one of this days and were going to get a little sass out of her but until then we will  keep on loving our little princess!

Maelyn {2 Months}

Our family is in LOVE with this little peanut! This month we had her 2 month check up with Dr. Boud. Maelyn weighed in at 8lbs and 13 ounces and measured 22 inches long. Almost caught up to her brothers birth weight! So crazy to have such a small little baby, but I am not going to complain. We have loved the extended newborn time we have gotten because she is so small. She is finally getting enough weight though to fit into some of her clothes and it has been so fun dressing her up, especially in little dresses. Two of my favorite things happened when she was about 6 weeks old. We started getting the biggest gummy smiles on command and she started sleeping through the night. It wasn't just a good 6-8 hours, but the full 10-12 hours every night. I kept worrying if she was breathing every night because I have never had a child sleep so well, but she is a girl after my own heart. She LOVES her sleep! She also is loving her brothers but I think they are loving her more. I am always catching Jackson and Andersen giving her hugs and kisses while I am not looking

Jesus wants another SUNBEAM!

                                                                                                                                                                                      We spent the first Sunday in 2013 sending this little goof ball to Primary. For Christmas we gave him his own set of scriptures just like his big brother Jacks did before he went to Primary for the first time. As you can see Andersen was SO excited to go and to have his own set of scriptures for himself. The first Sunday he went no problem, now a month or two into he started to get nervous and shy and wouldn't go to class without Nate there with him. Unfortunately (thank goodness!) Nate can't stay with him, because a time or two of him having a hard time going he now officially loves being Sunbeam. He is the only one in our family that doesn't enjoy changing out of his church clothes and will stay in them until he changes into his PJ's for the night. I love watching him carry his scriptures like big boy and can't wait until his first Primary program this fall. I just hope this love for the Gospel and learning of Jesus Christ touches his heart and stays a constant desire throughout his life

Just me and the kids {New Years Eve Style}

Usually we have some sort of fun plans scheduled for New Years Eve but this year we kept things low key. Little did we know it would be even more low key than we planned. With it being the last day of the year for Nate's work, him so close to hitting his quota and a deal on the edge of signing he stayed late to make sure things went through. The boys requested Red Robin for dinner so we had planned as soon as Nate was done we would meet him over there right after work. As each hour went on, our plans of being together as a family were dwindling and I was starting to have some really hungry and disappointed kiddos. It was probably 7:00 that I had decided rather than scratch all the boys plans I would take one for the team and take all 3 kids to dinner... by MYSELF! I was a little nervous to go plus it is kind of awkward seeing a mom with 3 little kids out to dinner, but the boys were beyond happy that we still went out. Surprisingly they were super obedient and on their best behavior. The only problem we had was Andersen spilling his drink not once, but TWICE! After dinner, Daddy was STILL at work so to continue the "mom to the rescue" moments so their night of fun wasn't ruined I stopped to get them a redbox. We came back home, blew up the air mattress, had popcorn with our movie and had a sleepover in the family room. The boys were so happy that it made the night without Daddy just a little bit easier. Maelyn was our first party pooper and fell asleep long before midnight. The boys didn't stay up until midnight but they did last a little bit longer than their sister. Sometimes a last minute change in plans turns out to be the best plans, just like this night, but the only thing we were missing was our Daddy. Hopefully next year!!