Top 10 Reasons Why My Dad is Cooler than Yours

I'm not a fan of buying cards (unless they're super hilarious) so here's my version of a card to my dad...

1. Knight in Shining Armor My dad has always been the fixer of any problem I've ever had. I think this is a man quality because Matt is the same way. But if I ever had a problem or was sad for any reason, my dad would jump into fix-it mode and immediately rectify the problem. No matter what it was, he would take care of it.

2. Best Buds My dad and I have always had a really close relationship, in high school especially. I went to him for everything. And there was never any topic off limits. He's always been able to really relate to teenage kids. He talked to me like an adult and he respected me an my opinion which taught me to really respect him. It was a big deal to me to have him treat me that way, it made me feel like I mattered. This is something that I really hope rubbed off on me for when my kids are teenagers. I want to be able to have the same special relationship with them that I had with my dad.

3. People Person I wish I was more like my dad when it comes to his ability to talk to ANYONE. My dad can make a connection with anyone, any day, any time. It's insane. He started a tradition with our family on Christmas Eve - we all go downtown and personally hand out gloves to homeless people. And the rule is that you have to talk to that person and get to know them. It was really scary for me at first, but then you'd see my dad talking to someone and they would be sharing with him how they use to have this really great job and great life and then everything went down hill, etc., etc. But you can just open up to him, it's the craziest thing. My dad treats everyone like they've been best buds for life.

4. Example of Service One of my absolute favorite memories of my dad is when Drew and I were little and he was driving us to our babysitter's and it was winter time with a lot of snow on the ground. All of a sudden - he pulled a dramatic U-turn and pulled in front of this old lady's house. I was so confused and then my dad got out of the car - and in his normal work clothes - he took the shovel that this sweet old lady was holding and we quickly shoveled her entire driveway. It was the greatest example of service to me to a complete stranger. And it will always stick with me. This story is him in a nutshell - he's the type of man that is willing to do ANYTHING he can for you - even if you're a complete stranger.

5. Funny Man My dad is a pretty funny dude - I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm the funniest one in the family, but I will credit him with my sense of humor. He's always made me and my brothers laugh - I think it's a big part of our family dynamic. We communicate through little hilarious comments. Nothing's ever too serious for a joke.

6. Choose the Right My dad has made the right choice at crucial points in his life. And by doing so, he has taught me and my brothers to do the same. It's because of his ability to be an amazing father - that me and my brothers are where we are today. We are making the right choices in our lives and we have a deep love for our Heavenly Father and our Savior and that is because of his example, guidance, and teachings.

7. Master G This is another favorite memory of mine and it also involves him taking us to our babysitter's. But my dad proudly knows every word to Sugar Hill Gang's "Rapper's Delight." When me and Drew were little - we would beg him to rap that song - especially the macaroni and cheese part. We could not get enough of it. My dad has taught us to appreciate some sweet music including this song.

8. Above All My dad has ALWAYS put family first - me and my brothers have always been number one on his list. He has taught me how important it is to have your priorities in the right place. I feel like so many people are looking for ways to get away from their kids, but my parents never did that. What's more important, is that my dad enjoyed spending time with us. Me and my brothers' friends choose to hang out at our place because my dad is so fun to be around. I remember a couple of my guy friends asking to come over so they could watch a game with my dad! But anyway, he has made sure to give me everything he never had and I really appreciate him for that.

9. Perfect Attendance Record My dad didn't have a father figure growing up so he decided to be the world's greatest father - and I believe he accomplished his goal. He made sure he was there for EVERYTHING I was in, even the super lame cheerleading competitions and disastrous spelling bees. Every major thing that has happened in my life, I will always remember that he was there for it - never missing even the tiniest event in my life.

10. Loves the Lord We don't have a lot of pictures and stories of our Heavenly Father like we do our Savior, and so the way we get to know our Heavenly Father is by knowing our earthly father and I couldn't think of a better man to exemplify the loving attributes of our Heavenly than my dad. He has taught me so much about my Heavenly Father because of the father that he's been to me. He's taught me compassion, unconditional love, mercy, kindness, etc. My dad is one of the reasons that my testimony of the Gospel is so strong. He provided me with the self-esteem and confidence I needed to withstand peer pressure in high school. I really hope I can be the parent to my kids that my dad was to me. I will consider myself lucky if my kids think of me the way I think of him.

Love you, Dad! Happy Father's Day! Woo!

Livy-isms

I always love reading people's hilarious conversations with their little ones and I remember being so excited to have them with Liv. Well we've had quite a few hilarious little conversations with our crazy toddler that I don't want to forget:

(Preface: Livy had been calling Matt "babe" and "Matt" lately and Matt had just told her that she calls him Daddy, not babe or Matt.)

Me: Babe, can you come here? ... Babe... Matt!!!
Livy: No Mommy! Not babe! It's Daddy!


Livy: (While laughing and completely out of the blue) There's no monsters, Daddy! See ya later aliens!! (???)


(Preface: We've been making Liv use sentences when she asks for something.)
Me: Liv, are you done with your yogurt? Do you want a banana?
Livy: Want... Nanas... uhh... Mom, I done with yogurt. I want banana... PLEASE!
(*It's so fun to see her think through things like that!)


Me: Alivia, you can't go outside and play right now.
Livy: No, mom. SHARE!!!

(*She tells us to share all of the time in instances when it makes NO sense - I'm not sure she knows what it means.)

Me: Sitting, minding my own business, watching T.V.
Livy: Oink!

(*This is Livy's go to word to get our attention or to show us something. We have NO IDEA where it came from!)

Me: Just finished doing her hair - nothing fancy just a half ponytail.
Livy: Oh mom! I so cute! I a princess!


Livy: See ya later suckers!
(*I blame this one on Matt.)


Livy: Good job Mom!

(*Livy is constantly telling me that I'm doing a good job on things. It's so funny to be complimented by a 2 year old.)

Me: Alivia, you need to calm down, stop crying.
Livy: No mom! I cry for a minute!


Livy: Oh I wuuuuv it, Mom!

(Warning: This one involves male anatomy - so if the "P" word makes you squirm - skip down.)

Me: No Livy, that's Adam's penis. Don't touch.
Livy: Adam has penis?
Me: Yep.
Livy: Does Daddy have penis?
Me: Yes.
Livy: (To Adam) Adam, you and Daddy both have penis!


(Preface: We've been working on her L's and Y's. So before she says a word I make her make the L sound three times.)
Livy: Daddy, l-l-l-wook!! or today she said: Daddy, l-l-l-watch! haha

Oh and this is random, but one day when I was getting home, Matt showed Livy how to pretend sleep and so they acted like they were sleeping when I got home. Now Livy thinks it's the most hilarious thing ever, so every time I go to get her out of her carseat, she pretends to be sleeping. And she's dedicated. I will tickle her all over and she will not budge - she concentrates so hard on keeping her eyes closed - it's the funniest thing!

We've been having family slumber parties lately. This is her slumber party blanket and then we have popcorn and watch a sweet movie. We all lay on the big blanket together and she LOVES it! She has a very good memory. We had only done it once and then I mentioned we should do it again and she goes, "Daddy make popcorn??" haha

This is the day she said she looked like a princess. haha Go figure - not the days when I put her in her big princess dresses.

Here's our special boy! As of today, he can't breathe through his nose and he hates sleeping at night - it's been a rough week... But we still love our little pug dog!

He can roll!!!

This little thumb sucker can roll! How cute is this picture, by the way? Anywho, he's rolling over about a couple weeks after Livy was when she started. And we thought he'd be our chill kid... Anyway, here's the proof:

And how much do you love those chunky legs!?!? I can't get enough of them!!!

*Note about the movie: I was gone when Matt found out he could roll and so when I got home, Matt started showing me the video and I was like - if he rolls over on this I'm going to be very upset! And Matt goes, "Oh well then I better turn this off..." haha I was so mad! Hello! This is why I stay at home with my kids - and of course they pull this stuff during the 20 minutes that I'm gone during the day! Little buggers. I'm not bitter...

Time to Toot My Own Horn

I generally don't like posting things solely about me - I prefer to have this blog about the kids and family happenings - but this particular post affects our whole family so I'm making an exception...

So I haven't really been blogging a lot lately because I've been consumed with my new hobby/way of life. I've become one of those crazy coupon ladies and it is SO AWESOME!

Since May, I have saved over $500 on groceries/diapers/health stuff/etc.

This morning has been my most proud moment so far. I spent $43.28 and saved $172.47!!! And that was on a total of 69 items!!! Included in those 69 items were a couple $10 razors; a couple Herbal Essences products; a mega pack of Huggies (normally $18 - ended up being about $5!); a ton of groceries (including 6 boxes of cereal - 3 Frosted Flakes, Honey Nut Cheerios, and 2 normal Cheerios - ended up being .50 a box); a couple body wash es and deodorants for Matt; AND MUCH MORE.

Ah! I'm so proud! Every time I go and save a ton of money - I make Matt look at everything I bought (which is all nicely laid out on our table, of course) and I make him marvel for about 5 minutes. He LOVES it... haha I've learned that the most I'll pay for cereal (always name brands) is $1 - but that's only if it's a cereal I really want - besides that it's usually .50. I've also learned that you should never pay more than $1 for expensive battery-powered razors. And I'll only get toothpaste, toothbrushes, and deodorant if it's free.

Here are some examples of my awesome savings:

Do you like how nicely they are all laid out? haha
All of this cost me $20.03!!! (That includes 11 boxes of cereal!!!)

This doesn't look like a lot - but I got all of this SHIPPED TO ME for $2.50!!!

We are so stocked on food and toiletries right now - we had to go get some more shelves for extra storage space! It's funny how happy it makes me... haha

Done tooting.

3 whole months!

This cute little bugger turned 3-months-old yesterday. I can't believe it! He is SUCH a sweet baby and still usually pretty chill.

Things he loves:

*To be sung to and will always start cooing when I sing
*To sleep at night just like his mom! We put him down at 9 and usually don't hear from him until 4 and then after he eats (while sleeping) he then goes down till 7:30 or 8
*To talk and giggle
*Doing the motor boat song with his feet
*His binky
*Baths with his sister with HOT water
*His swing
*To slither down out of his bouncer or when he's propped up on a pillow
*His sister (even though she is usually the reason he starts crying)
*Sleeping on his tummy
*Scooting on his back and moving up by pushing off his feet
*Chillin with Daddy watching sports
*Chillin with Mommy watching crazy TLC shows

Here are some cute pics of him in all of his 3-month glory:

This last one is his talking face. He concentrates so hard!

I love Sundays

Today was a good day. Sundays usually are for me. Today was also a first for Livy - she said our family prayer tonight completely by herself. It was the cutest thing. The main motivation behind it came from me telling her that once we said the prayer, she could go outside with Daddy and turn off the sprinklers, but I'll take what I can get! She jumped down on her knees and folded her arms and started her prayer and then Matt was trying to help her and she was like, "No! Me Daddy!" Then after that, I put her down for bed, and I was leaving her room and she yelled, "You too Mommy!" (Roughly translated = I love you) I love days that end like this!

Anywho, here's another cute pic of her and her Sunday dress.

I told Matt to get a picture of her dress without the sweater and when he took it off she came running into me yelling that Daddy took off her sweater! She had to get the okay from me first...

And here's our handsome boy! I can't get enough of his chunky cheeks!

Also, a friend from our ward pointed this out to me the other day, but he is totally the kind of baby that just sits and stares at you and waits for you to make contact and then becomes ALL SMILES. It's the best feeling in the world when I look down and I see his little smile sweep across his face when we make eye contact! He's the sweetest little thing. It's hard not to fall head over heels for this little one.

Quit taking a billion pictures of me!

Here are a couple randoms:

One day I was cleaning and I realized I hadn't heard Livy for a little bit and I walked in the kitchen and found this happening. Pajamas, winter hat, and all the bowls she could ever dream of. I have no idea what weird game she was playing.

Then another day I was getting ready to vacuum our front room and I put Adam in his bouncer on the couch and I put his other one facing him. I left the room and came back in to find Livy in the other bouncer just chillin with her brother. So cute!

This is what we hear ALL DAY LONG

Livy has recently become obsessed with Little Mermaid - and singing. It's super cute the first time - and then the billionth time it becomes a little too much...

Princess Alivia

For church today - we put Liv in her princess dress and then I did this to her hair:

She looked so cute and fancy - I had to take some cute pics. She was so excited with her little get-up - she kept saying, "I a princess!"

The last one is our little Livy in a nutshell. This kid is so hilarious lately! I wanted to write down some funny little quirks about her:

*She does this hilarious thing when she's dancing - she spreads her legs apart as far as they'll go before she falls and just bounce up and down.
*She knows the ABC song thanks to her little table that sings it over and over and over again
*Her favorite song is "Old McDonald Had A Farm" thanks to nursery
*She likes to go pee and poop on the big potty without us helping her and without a little seat to make it easier for her - she fell in a couple days ago - luckily Matt was there and helped her out
*She gets super excited if she has little pooplets in the potty and says, "Oh, tiny poop!" Then when she flushes, she says, "Bye tiny poop!"
*Her normal volume of speaking is yelling
*She'll say I love you out of the blue and give us big kisses
*She's our little parrot and loves to repeat everything we say.
*After I get her dressed - she always gets up and says, "I look so cute!"
*She loves to go up really close to her brother's face and say, "Goo! Can you say that? Goo!"
*Whenever she wakes up (in the morning or from nap time) she loves to say, "Good Morning!"
*She remembers EVERYTHING. I promised her that we could do bubbles when Matt got home - and hours later - she heard the garage door and said, "Daddy! BUBBLES!!!"
*She always says she wants to go home - and sometimes we are home - so I'm not sure what that means?
*She quotes movies and T.V. shows and will tell us what T.V. show or movie when we quote them

Life Lately

These two love each other.

She has to do everything he is doing, all. of. the. time. I'm not quite sure about the whole lifting her shirt up thing though.

When you don't look too closely, it looks as if she put her underwear on the right way...

You'd be wrong, though. I didn't catch it for like 20 minutes! She put her leg through the part that is suppose to be around her body.

This is a 6 month outfit! You aren't even 3 months, dude!

I like to see how my kids are growing by noticing where/how they lay across my body. He's getting so huge!

I love this little monster!

Long day after church - the boys were pooped!

This is us

This little bugger is 2 months!

I know a lot of people think they have the cutest kids ever, but I think I'm being pretty objective when I say that I actually do have the cutest kids ever. :)

Adam had the dreaded 2 month appointment today. I hate seeing them get shots, so I make Matt hold them while they're tortured. Our doctor was impressed with how much eye contact Adam had with him. He said that, developmentally, this little stud is a 4 month old. Everyone has always been surprised with how alert he's been, even since day one. Anywho, here are the little guy's stats:

Weight: 12 lbs. 15 oz. - 74%
Height: 23.3 inches - 50%
Head Circ.: 41 cm - 51%

Here's the chunky little leg that got the shot.
Here's a little video we took while at the dr.'s.

All About Adam:

*This kid is so content and chill. We love it!
*His favorite position to be held in is to have his tummy against your chest - once he's put there he'll fall asleep immediately.
*He doesn't really cry - unless his big sister accidentally pulls him out of the bouncer - but he will get annoyed and yell at me if I have to adjust him while he's eating.
*He's also super smiley.
*He LOVES to talk lately, he's so cute. He yelled at me the other day - it was hilarious. It was where he was crying but talking at the same time. It was so funny. He also talked in his sleep the other night, it was so cute!
*He was sleeping through the night for a while, but has been sick lately.
*He's also so chunky that his airways are a little tight right now which makes him the loudest breather EVER, he's my little pug dog
*He definitely loves to be held, but he'll chill on the floor or in the swing
*He's a chunk because he loves to eat! This kid is downing milk almost every hour.
*He likes to watch baseball with his daddy
*He still loves to hold hands. He has to be holding something while he's eating - usually it's the middle of my neckline on my shirt.
*This kid only sleeps on his tummy.
*He hates being swaddled.
*He's a pretty good sport for his sister who has to shove his binky in his mouth all day long
*He loves the bathtub. We put him in Livy's bath for the first time last week and he absolutely loved it. He was splashing everywhere, it was so cute.
*When he sleeps, he always has a cold forehead. It's the weirdest thing!

Here are some cute pics:

This kid loves to suck his fist when the binky isn't around. Sometimes he'll get his pointer finger in there. I hope he sticks to the binky and doesn't go for the thumb!

Love this smile and those chunky cheeks!

However, the smile can turn quickly into a mad face!

Check out the rolls that are starting to emerge. I love it!

I just love this face.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

This is my mom:

And yes, she looks ridiculously too young to be my mom; most people guess that she's my older sister. She also shares the same face as my daughter and probably my son. Since my kids refuse to look anything like me, they instead choose to look EXACTLY like their grandmother. (I'm not bitter...)

Anywho, there are about a billion reasons why mom is my hero. But here are the top ten on my list. These are the things that I've learned from her that I can only hope make me even half the mother she is.

1. Really loving your children. I've recently learned to really appreciate this. When we were little, my mom was constantly cuddling with us and showering us with kisses even when we were crazy. No matter what kind of stresses were going on in her life or whatever pressure she was under, she always made us feel REALLY loved. It always made me feel like she was happy to be our mom and I know a lot of people in the world grow up without that.
   
2. Working through sickness/tough times. My mom does this every day of her life and it's really hard to watch her go through this, but it's also inspiring to watch. My mom is a fighter and understands how important it is to focus on the ending goal, not the temporary set backs or strains. I'm really proud of her.
   
3. Birthdays = BIG DAYS. My mom always made such a fuss about our birthdays and I LOVED it. We would wake up to a decorated room and presents to open. The entire day would be dedicated to whatever we'd like to do and we'd get to go eat at our favorite restaurant. Isn't it funny how big of a deal that is to a little kid? I'll always decorate and do the same for my kids because there was nothing better than having your mom so excited for you on your special day.
   
4. Giving your whole heart to your church calling. I really appreciate how much time and effort my mom puts into her ward callings. She loves to serve people and she does it in every calling she's ever had. She understands that every calling, no matter how big or small, is important to our Heavenly Father and to those she's been called to serve. She's so dedicated and people love her for it.
   
5. Making ordinary days special. Some of my favorite memories are from when I was sitting in school, and I would get called down to the office and there would be a bag of treats waiting there for me. It wasn't for any special occasion. My friends would ask why I got them and I'd just tell them that my mom loved me more than them... I can't wait to do that kind of stuff for Liv and Adam when they're older.
   
6. Keeping your cool. One of my favorite memories of this is when my mom was teaching me how to drive. My dad started off the lessons, but it was just a tad bit too stressful... And I should probably mention that I was learning on a stick - so every time the car stalled, I think it took a year off of my dad's life. So then my mom started driving with me. Anyway, there was this one time where I accidentally cut off some guy in a van and I felt really bad and I was preparing myself for the screaming to begin--Dad, it was the screaming that I know meant you cared...--anyway, my mom didn't even flinch in anger - instead she just said, "Don't worry about it, I mean, he's driving a van! He's probably a huge geek." It was so funny! I just started laughing and immediately felt calm.
   
7. Sharing your talents. My mom is one talented person, and not just musically - she's been blessed with every sort of talent a human can have. There's nothing that she can't do, and if there is - she figures out how to accomplish it. And when she learns how to do all of this amazing stuff - she shares it with those around her. She never hesitates bless others with the gifts that she's been given. This is something I really hope to master one day.
   
8. Continually gaining an education. My mom is an incredibly intelligent woman. She stays updated on what's going on in the world and what it means for us. Her brain just contains a wealth of knowledge and she continues to learn more about everything. It was always nice to have her give my papers a look over throughout my high school and college careers.
   
9. Willing to do anything for your family. My mom had to give up being home with us and spent a lot of my childhood working. This is probably one of the hardest things she's ever had to do, but she was willing to do it so that she could give my brothers and me the things she never had as a child. As a newish mom, I'm just understanding how hard that must have been for her.
   
10. Loving our Heavenly Father. My mom really loves our Heavenly Father and depends on Him so much. She's been an example to me of His love and I'm so grateful for that. You can always find her each morning praying to Him and reading His instruction in the scriptures. She takes her problems to Him and counsels me to do the same.
    

As I started making this list, there were about a billion more things that were popping up in my mind that I wanted to share, but I'll keep it shortish. Love you, Mom! Happy Mother's Day!

Happy B-day Jer Dog!