Easter visitors

Keeping with tradition, my mom and 3 youngest siblings came up to spend their Spring Break with us again.  We love it!  My mom is such a huge help with projects I just can't get the motivation to finish (like painting my office!) and my boys love having their aunt & uncles to play with all day long.  We had a blast exploring Scheels, going to the movies, fishing, going to the Fly Fishing Expo (the boys), getting our hair done (the girls), going to a BYU Basketball & Spring Football game, and celebrating Easter.  What a fun trip.  I didn't take any pictures except of our annual Easter decorating at the Hardcastle's.

 Owen 2 1/2...only smiling because of the forthcoming bribe:

 Taryn & cousin Bailey hard at work

Luke

Grant and his Redneck egg

T-i-double gg-er

Homemade orange julius' with Grandma & Grandpa Fox's oranges!  Nothing better!

Susie's "egg".... hmmm....

Angie's butterfly egg

Mimi, Owen & the minion.  Cute!

I love that we can get both families together to celebrate this special time.  I'm so grateful for Easter and the knowledge I have of a Savior who lives and will come again & the hope I have for that day.

6 months & a haircut!

Porter turned 6 months old on March 21!  Wow.  How is that even possible?  Feels like his first year is flying by.  He is finally on a set schedule eating solids & oatmeal at breakfast and dinner.  I have a feeling that I'll be adding in lunch pretty soon.  He has 4 6-ounce bottles a day, sleeps from 7 pm-7 am (can I get a hallelujah!!), is rolling around, and is interested in anything and everything his big brother does.  He still isn't quite able to sit on his own, so lying on the floor is getting a little frustrating because he wants to be up where the action is (ie: steal all of Owen's toys).  He cut his first tooth just a few days after turning 6 months and is working hard on a few more.  He is a very smiley little boy and loves to flirt with strangers, especially anyone sitting behind us in church.  Perhaps the biggest milestone of this month-- he finally got a haircut!  It was very needed!  Yikes!  Didn't realize it had gotten so out of control.

 Real life going on right here-- messy hair, messy faces, and perhaps the most unflattering picture ever snapped of a baby:

We have a roller!

And now some post-haircut pictures... 

Thanks for keeping us smiling P-man!

Lately...

The weather has been beautiful the past two weeks! Thank you March! Between daily walks, park trips, riding the tricycle, and playing in the backyard we have loved being outside!

Throw in some potty training, and we've been busy! The best busy!

February

Between winter colds, croup, stomach flu, 2 1/2 year old woes, & a traveling hubby...February was a looong month!  We have spent over half of it sick!  So while I had visions of library story time, play group, lunch dates, etc. to keep our mind off of the gloomy, cold weather-- it just didn't happen. Instead we had lots of pajama days, LOTS of Despicable Me (per Owen's request) and lots of long nights.

But!  We are on the mend and hopefully back in the swing of things by next week.  Here are some picture of the past month:

Porter all spiffed up and ready for church.  Can I just say that 11:00 church has been amazing for his nap schedule?!  He is usually awake for Sacrament Meeting (but happy, which is good since I play the organ and Brad is flying solo), then falls asleep on the way to Sunday School and snoozes the rest of church.  I am loving it!

Porter turned 5 months old on February 21.  He is such a sweet baby.  Content to chill on the floor with his toys, jump in his exersaucer, and hang in his carseat while we walk at the gym or drive around town to run errands.    He sleeps from 7 pm-4 am, eats a quick bottle, and then is back to bed until 7:30 am.  I'll take it!

Owen ready for "work" in Daddy's jacket.  Notice the lunch pail.  Silly boy!

He is really getting into trains, especially Thomas the Train!  He will entertain himself for hours with these 2 little trains.  Bless you Thomas...

Just this week Porter has figured out that the exersaucer is much more exciting when you jump around.  He's been loving it!

Owen has started coloring for longer than 30 seconds at a time!  I sat with him the other day for almost 20 minutes.  If you know Owen, you know that it is hard to get him to stop for anything.  I love my "Busy Bag" activities, but he is 1-and-done with them.  It is hard to keep his attention for longer than a couple minutes on anything "quiet" (ie: not toys or food or TV or playing outside), so I am excited to see this progress!

 Here's a fun comparison of Porter & Owen in the same outfit.  I'll keep saying it-- these boys definitely have their own look!

The weather is finally warming up and my family is coming into town soon-- I have a feeling March is going to be a good month!

Porter vs. Rice Cereal

Porter got his first taste of rice cereal Monday night.  I was cracking up with the faces he was pulling.  But let's be honest, that mush isn't the tastiest food on the block.  I'm sure he'll come around once we start trying the good stuff!

 "This is definitely not milk!"

"Oh great, here she comes again..."

"Don't know what the fuss is about, this stuff is nasty!"

That about sums it up...

 

This is a perfect summary of life right now: a certain 2 1/2 year old who absolutely adores his baby brother, wants to "help" with him in any & everyway possible... and a certain 4 month old who has no idea why he constantly is being smothered by a curiously loud blond-haired boy, but nonetheless loves the attention and is constantly watching his big brother no matter where he is/what he is doing.  I have a feeling these two are going to have so much fun together-- and keep me busy as they do it!

PS: This little guy turned 4 months old on Monday!  As his gift to me, he is now sleeping 9 hours straight at night!  YAY!  Now if I could only figure out how to do something about that crazy hair!

Christmas in Utah

We stayed close to home this year and had a wonderful white Christmas with the Hardcastles.  On Christmas Eve a storm rolled in and brought about 6 inches of snow. 

 

Owen had a blast playing in the snow with all his new "friends" over at Grammy & Papa's house. 

 

Brad had a blast (obviously) shoveling it all.

 

Despite my best efforts, one of Owen's favorite things to do is eat the snow.  Better watch out for that yellow snow!

 

We were a little worried that the stormy weather may put a damper on our family Christmas Eve party, but the snow let up just in time and almost everyone was still able to come.  We had a great time with all the Hardcastle cousins!

Porter & Uncle Chris

Porter was quite the hit of the party.  The girls (this is only half of them!) loved holding him.

Owen crashed towards the end of the night.   I was hopeful that this meant he would sleep well, but boy was I wrong.  He ended up waking up as we moved him into a different bed and didn't go back to sleep until 3:30 am.  Brad & I started to have second thoughts about the gifts waiting for him under the tree.... did he really deserve them? 

It was a rough night, but the magic of Christmas morning erased it all. 

Santa brought Owen a new fire truck that spins, lights up, and makes all kind of fun sounds.  Oh how I love all these loud toys!  :)

 By far, the favorite gift of the day was his Woody doll.  Owen loved it.  L-O-V-E-D it!

After opening it, he disappeared and I found him lying in Grammy & Papa's bed with Woody "watching TV".  They were instant best buds.  I think Owen fully expected Woody to come to life, because he kept throwing him down on the ground.  When Woody didn't pop back up, Owen would lay down with him in the exact same position.  It was so darn cute.

 This little guy had a great Christmas!  So happy just to be there!  Didn't care about anything else!

 

We had a wonderful day with our family-- full of laughter, yummy food, and naps!  We also got to talk to Uncle Ross who is serving his mission in Tucson right now.  Merry Christmas!