You Be My King, I'll Be Your Queen

My sweet children

2011-07-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

My Sweet little Jarod

Lots has happened, and unfortunately, I am not the best blogger. So, most pictures will just have a very brief synopsis. Hopefully, I can later add more to it.

This is a picture of my boys at their very first soccer practice!! They loved it at first (despite the INCREDIBLE chaos that ensued with 3 and 4 year olds), and Gabe demanded that he carry the ball everywhere.

Jarod loves his big brothers!

Brotherly Love

Just for fun

2010-11-08T09:11:00.000-08:00

All of us have been enjoying our new little addition.

Jacob absolutely adores Jarod.

He's always rubbing his hair, touching his face, and soothing him when he's crying. Gabriel is following Jacob's example, and likes to go over and look at his baby brother.

He loves brushing Jarod's hair, and feeding him his bottle.

Jacob and Gabriel love drawing pictures, and I must say, I'm mighty impressed!

Painting is also a fun activity that my boys really, really enjoy.

<

On another note, we've been having fun doing several new things. I decided to brave a walk with all three children. Jacob and Gabe rode their bikes while I pushed Jarod in the stroller. The older boys really enjoyed riding their bikes around the neighborhood, and did a fantastic job crossing the streets and watching for traffic. It was good exercise for them, and a good chance for me to get out of the house.

I decided to introduce the boys to a treasure hunt. I used to make them all the time for my sisters growing up, and I loved doing them. This time, it was a bit trickier. I had to draw the place the next clue was hidden in since my children are too young to read. Jacob had a blast with it, and every day since then has asked for a treasure hunt. Gabe, on the other hand, was a bit too young. Every time I would ask him to identify the picture, he would yell out a number or a letter. Or, perhaps, my drawings weren't as good as I thought they were... :) Their treasure ended up being a couple of small gifts in a gift bag, and some leftover Halloween candy. They enjoyed their gifts, and we had a candy splurge. Lots of fun!

With the rain we've been getting, the boys have been begging to go outside and play in it. In the past, I've been a Scrooge about letting them go out in the wet and cold, fearing they'd get sick. Well, what parent won't let their kids play out in the rain?? So, I decided it was high time they go out and enjoy their childhood. Rain play is such fun!

Now, from my Halloween post, I mentioned that Gabriel doesn't like to dress up. I take that back. He loves wearing Daddy's work glasses. And he looks like a little computer nerd. :)

Post Halloween Celebrations

2010-11-08T07:47:00.000-08:00

Halloween was celebrated for several days in our family--a most unusual circumstance. Trick-or-treating happened on a Saturday, and we ate a jack o'lantern pizza for dinner. Sunday night, I decided to get creative and try some fun Halloween recipes I had discovered from a magazine. And so, for dinner Halloween night, our family had stuffed jack o'lanterns (meat mixture in a biscuit),

bandaged fingers, bones, crispy pumpkins with pumpkin dip, fruity jack o'lanterns, and witch's potion.

The boys absolutely loved it! Gabriel stole the pumpkin dip and ate most of it himself. I didn't mind too much since pumpkin IS a vegetable!

My next creative dinner was pumpkin brains (spaghetti inside orange peppers),
buttered bones (garlic bread strips), and goblin fingers. While Jacob pretended to like the dinner...

Gabriel truly enjoyed it. I'm definitely trying fun recipes from now on for holidays!

One week after Halloween, we happened to come across Walmart's 90% off sale of all Halloween goods. So, we stocked up on costumes! Jacob, of course, found an awesome Spider Man costume that he wears every day, all day long.

And guess who decided to try a costume on? Granted, he only wore it for 3 minutes, but he still dressed up! Miracles never cease...

And speaking of dressing up...
We told Jacob if he would wear his vest and tie to church, he could wear his costume after. Not only did it work for HIM, but Gabriel decided that if a tie and vest were good enough for Jacob, they were certainly good enough for HIM! The occasion definitely called for a picture.

Halloween

2010-11-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

With Halloween approaching, we were doing small projects to get ready for this exciting holiday. This was a bat that Jacob drew. I must say that I was utterly impressed!

A few days before Halloween, just to get in the mood, we all painted our faces.

I was a witch.
Wait a minute...I really didn't need all that paint, did I?

And the boys were leopards.

Rrrraaaaarrrh!!! Jacob was a "bad leopard" he declared.

Definitely not an easy feat to paint a 2 year old's face. I was lucky it turned out this good!

But wait until you see their Halloween costumes...

I was a masquerade lady. I bought a blonde curly wig, but unfortunately, the hair didn't work with the feathers from my mask, so I ended up dying my hair purple. Spencer made adorable cowboy costumes for the boys. Still thrilled from having his face painted from a few days earlier, Jacob insisted on more face paint. Luckily, rather than being "Sam, the blue leopard cowboy" (don't ask me the origin of the name Sam! lol!), Jacob saw a skeleton on the face paint kit, and decided to be a dead cowboy. Gabe, on the other hand, refused to wear any costume. I was very, very lucky to paint his face green, and just call him a goblin!

In the morning, Spencer took the boys trick or treating at Macey's and to the mall. Neither one seemed to be worth the effort, but later, we all went to Lee's, which ended up being a hit. The boys got tons of candy, and I took Jacob and Gabe through a spook ally. Jacob became terrified of the people, but once I reminded him that they were wearing Halloween costumes, he was fine with it. Honestly, I was so caught up with Jacob's panic, that I failed to notice Gabe's reaction. I suppose that since I didn't notice, he must have been fine! Spencer ended up dressing as a cowboy. This really amused me, since he's got quite the theory on "cowboys." You should ask him about it some time. :) Now, I'll admit that I was somewhat glad that Gabe refused to be a cowboy, because I would have felt really out of place with 3 cowboys, and me being a masquerade lady! Also, Jacob's face paint lessened the fact that I was not western. :)

Now, this is my favorite part: Spencer did such a good job of aging himself, that the got an older lady to check him out! She claimed he looked like Rock Hudson, and said his eyes were beautiful! Such a good story!
He DID look quite distinguished, though!

And our sweet little Jarod was dressed up as Winnie The Pooh.

The night of trick-or-treating was going to be a challenge, I thought. It had been raining all day, and unfortunately, it was raining all night, too. I took Jacob and Gabriel out in the car to hunt down some homes to trick or treat at, but no one seemed ready. I was determined not to disappoint the boys, so we found our stake center was packed with cars with people trunk or treating inside! We enjoyed ourselves there, and the boys collected plenty of candy. Out in the rain, Jacob turned to me and said, "It's so beautiful, Mommy! The rain isn't naughty, but it's good!" I was so glad he was so happy about everything! Overall, it was a very enjoyable Halloween!

Jarod's baby blessing

2010-11-01T12:40:00.002-07:00

On October 17, 2010, we decided to bless Jarod Ephraim King in our church at 5 weeks old. Because my parents were sick, they were unable to attend, but some of Spence's family came.

2010-11-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

Jarod had his first photo shoot! I may be biased, but I don't see how any baby could get any cuter!

Baby Jarod

2010-10-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

Our adventure with our newborn began ten weeks too early when my water broke. I was eventually admitted into the McKay-Dee Hospital and went on bed rest for 4 weeks. When the baby would be safe to deliver and risk of infection was at it's lowest, I was induced at 34 weeks. After 19 hours of very slow labor and enduring FOUR epidurals (two of which went into a vein and one that stopped working after a few hours), I finally gave birth to Jarod Ephraim King.

He weighed exactly 5 lbs, and was 17 1/2 inches long. He was born healthy, and needed the oxygen for just three hours after birth.
An IV was needed to give him his nutrition, which he had for a few days until he was strong enough to nurse. He was placed in an isolette just until the IV came out. Other than his inability to eat and suffering from biliruben for a few days, there was nothing wrong with our little premature angel! He stayed in the NICU for 16 days while he gained weight and strength. The happiest day was when I found out he would be going home!

Now that he's home, he is doing so well. He is a sweet little boy, and is taken care of by his older brothers, especially Jacob who is very tender towards him.

He is a very good eater, and is gaining weight fast!

He is so beautiful, and although nothing but gas, has got an amazing smile. We are so blessed to have our little bear with us!

Bragging Rites

2010-06-16T11:53:00.001-07:00

Everybody claims to have the cutest children, but mine top all. Here are some photos and videos I thought I would share to show everybody what amazing children I have! Enjoy...and don't be jealous. :)

I was absolutely amazed at Jacob's drawings of a smiley face and a bird! It wasn't until today that he drew anything but squigly lines, and I'm trying my best to get him to draw some birds and smiley faces for me on paper to better preserve these precious works of art!

I couldn't resist getting Gabe's sweet smile on camera!

After suited up and hair neatly combed for church, Jacob and Gabriel donned their cool sunglasses for a hip picture. Both boys LOVE their glasses, and wear them wherever and whenever they can.

It's rare to catch such a tender moment between the two brothers who love throwing each other down and wrestling, or chasing the other while screaming around the house.

Camping Trip

2010-06-16T07:36:00.000-07:00

On Monday, our family decided to give camping another go. Last year's trip was nothing less than a total disaster: it rained all night on us, the boys were terrified of the dark in the strange new tent (not to mention the thunder and wind), and we barely slept two hours. However, we DID make it all the way until morning...abandoning our campsite at 6 am to go home to eat and get some sleep. Spence ended up going back later on during the day to pack up our things and bring them home. Jacob had sworn off camping, saying he never wanted to camp again. This year, our fingers were crossed.

Once we reached our campsite up Green Canyon (about 2 miles from our home), we set up our tent, and loaded it with our bags and blankets. Things got a little rocky once we decided to cook dinner: since it had rained the day before, the wood was wet, and nothing would light. About an hour later, our fire was going, and we cooked our hot dogs for a late dinner. Following dinner, we went on a walk up the trail. Unfortunately, on the way up to our campsite, we smelled a skunk, and told Jacob about it. And so, on our hour long walk, Jacob spoke of absolutely NOTHING else. When we returned from our walk, we gave s'mores a try. Apparently they are not as enticing to young children. Gabe opted for graham crackers, and Jacob ended up picking the chocolate bars off all of the uncooked s'mores.

After our treat, I thought it might be fun to sing songs around the campfire. Jacob chose the ABCs, which, I'll admit, I felt a little silly singing. Immediately following the song, Jacob said, "Okay, let's go to sleep in the tent now!" So, around 9:00 pm, we got into our pj's and climbed into our sleeping bags. I was surprised that Gabe actually stayed inside his, because he's typically a jack-in-the-box with his bed, and we end up putting him back to bed several times during the night. What was hilarious was that for an entire hour, Gabriel quietly spoke non-stop to himself. No wonder his vocabulary has been taking off! Although it took Jacob until 11 pm to fall asleep, they slept very well through the night, and remained in their sleeping bags.

We slept until 6 am, and awoke to Spence chopping wood. We got dressed, and joined him around the fire. He cooked us pancakes and bacon...which was a little tricky since since the flames wouldn't die down and give good coals. Following breakfast, we hiked up the mountain, climbing steep trails covered with boulders. A little scary for me, being pregnant, and holding the hand of my young child, but we had lots of fun...until Gabe insisted that Daddy carry him. Tired and hot, we headed back to camp once the trail became unsafe for young ones (okay, and because I'm not the fittest gal on earth). We (meaning Spence) packed up camp, then ate our submarine sandwiches for lunch, going home immediately after. All in all, it was a really, really good camping trip for us.

On this trip, I learned some things about camping that I thought I'd pass on:

1. If you smell a skunk and tell your 3 year old about it, you'll hear of nothing else for the next 3 hours.
2. Peeing in the trees is so much fun that your 3 year old will try to go every 20 minutes. (might be great to try for potty training your next child!)
3. Playing in the tent is so much more fun than exploring your campground.

4. If you hike with a tired 2 year old, chances are he'll want you to carry him on the most difficult parts.
5. S'mores are not meant for children 3 and under.
6. If you dig a hole, chances are you are going to miss it...entirely.
7. Sleeping on the ground is not meant for pregnant women.
8. Don't expect to see any animals when hiking with children.
9. I don't care how much of an expert you think you are: women will ALWAYS need a spare pair of pants in case of, er...misses.
10. Burnt pancakes are surprisingly good!
11. Bacon can actually catch on fire.
12. The more you want a fire, the less likely anything will catch. I've concluded that if our home ever caught fire, all of our possessions would be safe, because apparently, nothing we have is flammable.
13. When given the choice between pull-ups and diapers at night, ALWAYS go with diapers!
14. Always bring spare batteries for your camera.
15. The one camp chair that is different is the once chair that both kids will fight over.
16. Flashlights are the coolest toys.
17. Family camping trips are priceless. No, literally, they are. Our chair and part of our tent broke, and we can't afford new ones.

Despite some hard lessons learned, camping, I hope, will be a common event for our family. As tiring as it may be, it is just oh-so-fun!

Let's go fly a kite!

2010-06-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

This morning, we made the most out of the very cold and windy day by going across the street to Logan High's field, and flew our kites! The boys got very excited by how HIGH our kites flew, but once the strong gusts blew the string from their hands, they lost interest. Spence and I, however, were having too much fun to stop. In my eagerness to stop an almost fly-away kite, I ended up getting my finger cut from the string--twice! Spencer ended up getting his kite incredibly high, and was worried about the high winds destroying it. Right after he said that, he started laughing crazily. Turns out that the high winds tore his string right in half, and his kite took off across the neighborhood! We ended up taking the boys for a walk to search for the missing American Flag, and discovered it three blocks away in the park! Once we found the kite, we went to the park and the boys got to play. It was a fun morning!

2010-05-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

On this ultrasound picture, you can see the baby's head looking down on the right, and his leg on the left side.

We have just officially announced the future arrival of our new little boy! I am getting more and more excited anticipating the due date...which, unfortunately, has been pushed back two more days. I thought I was half-way, but as it turns out, he's due in exactly 5 months minus one week! What?? How does it mathematically add up you might ask? Well, I'm wondering the same thing myself. :) It seems that my babies are always late, but I guess it gives me something to look forward to just a little bit longer! So now, the 5th member of our family is expected to arrive on our 5th wedding anniversary, October 22!
I had been getting nervous since I hadn't been feeling my baby move (although I'd swear I felt it several weeks back). After my ultrasound, I was so relieved to hear his heart beat, and it was so sweet to see him move around. Every time the ultrasound technician tried to look at his face, either his back would be turned to us, or his arms would be crossed over his face. Spencer and I thought it was so adorable! That night, as I lay in bed, I suddenly began to feel my little boy move around in my tummy! It is such a comforting feeling knowing that he's alive and well, and it really makes me feel like all of my symptoms have been worth it. It also makes me feel closer to him, like it makes him more real, I guess.
Anyway, everything with our baby is perfect so far. All of his vitals are within normal range. He weighs 9 oz, and his heart beat is 154 (from a desired range of 120-180). I can't wait to meet the newest member of our family! Jacob, of course, was adamant about not having a sister. He needed a brother, he told us. Luckily, he got his way...this time. ;)

2010-04-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

Since Spencer quit his job 2 months ago, we have been enjoying a lot of good, quality family time together. Sometimes, trials can be blessings. It's been so much fun to hang out all the time together. We've gone to track meets, baseball and softball games together. We've visited First Dam a couple of times to feed the ducks there. Jacob loves feeding them, while Gabriel really loves eating the bread himself. My favorite activity has been going for drives "chasing" storms, and enjoying the rain as it falls in the country. Our family saw "How To Train Your Dragon," which was quite the adventure. We kept Gabe's attention by feeding him candy and popcorn. Unfortunately, we have discovered that he is officially the popcorn monster. Who know a 2 year old could stuff so much popcorn so greedily into his mouth? After the movie, we took the kids to the mall to play, and we ended up taking a family picture in one of those photo booths. After that, we all went to Charlie's, where we celebrated our day with malts! Definitely one of my most favorite days.

The boys enjoy blowing bubbles, and two weeks ago, Jacob learned to ride a bike! OK, so it's pink, but he doesn't mind. The picture of him is that of sheer concentration as he tried to pick up the daunting task of learning how to petal. After one frustrating hour and a break for dinner, he soon picked it up, and was a regular pro by the next day! Gabriel also received a new tricycle, but unfortunately, he's still a bit too short to ride it by himself.

We also love going for walks down the Logan River Walk, where the boys have discovered their very first snake, and Jacob made his first attempt to climb a tree! Jacob loves making his way to the river, where he can toss in rocks and sticks. Gabe, on the other hand, loves being in charge of the water bottle, and was strict about getting us back onto the trail to continue down the path. He did, however, get distracted by the plaques lining the trail, and felt the need to step on each one.

The warm weather also brought out the need to enjoy our food outdoors. We had a picnic in our backyard, which lead to a nap for me and Spencer on the blanket while the boys played with their toys. And we can't forget the divinity of barbecued hamburgers on the grill. Thank heavens for grills!

Overall, the past 2 months have been filled with lots of family fun. While it'll be nice having income again, we're sure going to miss all the fun we've got to spend with Daddy!

2010-02-02T21:54:00.000-08:00

I have learned that Jacob's most favorite color in the entire world is BLUE!! He MUST drink from the blue cup, MUST eat with the blue spoon. One of the funniest things that happened was during Christmas. He got into my bag of bows, and pulled out every single blue bow, lining our kitchen table with dozens of blue bows. When Gabriel came into the room, he was horrified at the mess Jacob had made! "Mess!" Gabriel scolded him, and began to pick up the bows to put them back where they belonged! It was so hilarious!
Jacob is just bursting with personality. While he has temporarily lost interest in playing with cars, he LOVES playing games on the computer, and playing board games, and reading to himself. He's at the point where he loves primary, and will come home singing his primary songs all day long. He loves teasing everybody, and is always bursting with beautiful smiles!

Gabriel is absolutely obsessed with cleaning things. Every time he plays with something, he must be the one who puts it back...even if it means back in the middle of the floor where he found it. He is so tender and loving when it comes to his stuffed animals. Their noses are all filthy from months of being kissed by a chocolately mouth, a runny nose, and all out slobber. His blanket is something he holds near and dear to his heart. He has to ball it up, and stuff it under his belly when he sleeps. And whenever he wakes up, everything that was in the crib must come out with him. He absolutely adores Jacob, and has learned that playfully pushing each other or wrestling can be a blast!

Both children are learning their ABCs, and Gabriel is picking up on the whole counting thing. They both enjoy coloring, story time, and playing at the mall playground. They love it when I sing "You are my sunshine" when I tuck them in at night, and Jacob sometimes helps me sing it.

As for me, I am having lots of fun working on a story I started a little over a year ago. It's a science fiction novel, and has required a lot of thought and research. I am also in heaven over a book warehouse we just discovered. At Jensen Books, I have filled a grocery bag with 51 books, and it only cost me $7. I am into those 5th grade level books. Why? Who really knows, but I really enjoy reading them!

Spencer is BUSY with school, work, and his calling. He's decided that he's majoring in Physical Education Professional with a teaching emphasis. He's also minoring in chemistry. Smart boy! There's not much time at home since he works full time. Then, on Sundays, he is gone an hour doing his thing for ward financial clerk. We are really looking forward to summer when we can have Daddy back at home!

Fall!

2008-11-01T08:20:00.001-07:00

Dr. Horrible's #1 Fans!

2008-09-22T21:11:00.001-07:00

Here are some tidbits you may or may not know about us:

Daddy--often walks 3 miles to and from work, refuses to eat "regular" oreos--only double-stuffed will do! Loves driving, not a huge fan of the idea of a cruise (oh well), MUST have his Sunday popcorn (with a full cube of butter), always says, "That's easy enough to build!" and NEVER forgets to kiss me goodbye before going to work (as well as one on the cheek for Jacob, and one for Gabriel).

Mommy--only digs herself deeper when she says, "I'm a college graduate" (always after a blonde moment), loves hotels, REALLY enjoys childbirth--and the reason has finally been exposed: it's as close to a hotel as she can get! MUST eat cheese following chocolate to "kick" that I've-eaten-too-much-sugar feeling, gets most of wardrobe from DI--and likes the clothes! Loves the Saturday ritual of going window shopping, visiting the library, and hanging out with Daddy, and the Sunday ritual of walks down the Logan Riverwalk Trail. She loves it when Daddy makes fun of her SkipBo playing skills (you oughta ask him to "do the voice").

Jacob--LOVES getting into trouble: pushing baby brother over, throwing the cats, kicking wildly while trying to get diapered, pouring out his milk, throwing food from off his tray. He loves "driving" our car, loves police and their sirens (associates police with "throw candy, parade"), loves construction vehicles, airplanes, busses, and helping mommy cook and do the dishes. He loves sitting on our front porch to blow bubbles, but instead, watches for Grandma King to drive past in the bus, or watches the cars and "biiiig truuuuucks!" to pass. He must "blow nose" with the baby wipes (and kindly puts the wad back into the wipes box), and his all time favorite game is lining up all of his cars and trucks in a row all over the house.

Gabriel--absolutely adores his big brother, even if it means gettiing squashed beneath him. He loves our cats, helping mommy feed himself, squishing his food between fingers, and has really begun to notice that he can put his thumb between his index finger and middle finger. When he smiles, he wrinkles up his nose and lowers his eyebrows for the BIGGEST (still toothless) grin. He loves pulling off his socks, hates being on his tummy, and gives huge hugs by wrapping his arms around our necks and banging our head against his.

Big Goals

2008-09-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

Well, things are changing for us around here (hopefully, as long as fate remains on our side). First of all, somebody is coming tomorrow to hopefully take home 2 of our 3 kittens. Timing couldn't be better, since tomorrow was the day we were taking them to the animal shelter. Secondly, the big news (no, we're not pregnant...). *drum roll please* Spencer and I are officially training for next year's Top Of Utah Marathon!! We started today. Why this premature announcement? Well, some of us (and we won't mention any names here) are really apt to lose motivation quickly, especially when it involves the dreaded "e" word: exercise. But now that we have a huge, tangible, and hopefully achieveable goal ahead, I think it will work, especially if we announce our intentions to as many people as we can. That way, there's more pressure to not back out. haha. Really, though, I am really excited for this. Running has never been my thing, and I have never dreamed I would want to EVER participate in any sort of running event--not even a 5K. But the thought of running a MARATHON as husband and wife seems like a thrilling concept. A goal that I thought was never a part of my life, but something that I am completely capable of doing with a lot of help. I am truly excited for this!

Other things that are happening is that Gabriel has become our little "space man" or, as Spencer lovingly calls him, "Bottle rocket man" for his loud, piercing scream that sounds like a bottle rocket, and of course, because of his helmet. His helmet is for molding his head, because as many have seen, one side was severely flat. In fact, the left side was a whopping 19 MM flatter than the right side of his head. I am proud to say that after only 3 weeks of wearing his helmet 23 hours a day, the sides are now only 9 MM different. Still a ways to go, but major improvement, and I am grateful for that.

Lastly, we are now planning a "my -babies -are -weaned -and -we're -finally -dropping -them -off -at -grandma -and -grandpa's -so -we- can -take -a -romantic -vacation" vacation! Or, in other words, we're planning a cruise! Gene and Jen Bott have invited us to vacation with them next year. Tentatively, we want to take an Alaskan cruise, but we'll see financially.

How It All Began

2008-04-25T19:57:00.001-07:00

This story is going to haunt Spencer for the rest of his life. We were introduced by our mutual friend, Gene, and were set up for a blind date. "But don't worry," Gene assured me, "It's not like I'm trying to set you guys up: Spencer's 2 years younger than you." Well, our blind date was a hit. We doubled with Gene and his date. On July 11, 2003, Spencer picked me up at my house. When I opened the door, I was very excited to see a very handsome young man standing there. He must have felt very awkward because instead of walking me to the car, he walked about 5 steps ahead of me, leading me to the mini van. We drove down to Sandy, Utah, where we miniature golfed, ate dinner at the Macaroni Grill, attended an outdoor Jon Schmidt concert, and got ice cream afterwards at Dairy Queen. Despite our flirtatious advances towards one another throughout the night, he was still too scared to romantically share a hot fudge Sundae with me. Instead, we ate our separate cones while we watched Gene share a hot fudge Sundae with his date. Once our wonderfully fun date was over, Spencer walked me to my doorstep. I expected a hug, and was rather taken aback when he said, "Well, I'll probably never see you again, so have a nice life!" And off he walked, leaving me standing on the doorstep with my mouth hanging open. Two years and three months later, we were married.