Eight is GREAT!

Eight years ago I woke up on the sofa downstairs (since it was the only place I could get any sleep at that point) and went upstairs to tell Jared that I was having contractions and that our little baby boy would be coming that day! I told him to go ahead and go to work, because I was sure it would be several hours before we'd even need to go in. He just barely made it to work when I called and told him to come back and take me to the hospital! Apparently, Bryson was in a hurry to get here. I was so excited (and a little scared) to finally have a boy. I wasn't sure what to do with boys, since I didn't have brothers, and I had only had 2 baby girls so far, but I soon found out that boys aren't any more difficult. His sisters loved him so much, and wanted to hold him all the time. They had to wear surgical masks for the first little bit, because they had nasty colds, but they didn't care as long as they could get a good snuggle in every now and then. They were sweet and helpful. And Bryson was a sweet baby (once he decided that this big ol' world really wasn't all that bad!) We were so glad that he joined our family. He is a complete joy!!

He had a pretty bad case of Jaundice, and we had to bring him home with lights. The first little light box we had didn't seem to be working. For a few days, his bilirubin counts kept going up, so they had to bring a little bit stronger set of lights (like a little tanning bed in a suitcase) and they seemed to work better. Soon his counts were going down, but his little heels were so bruised from all the poking. I hated that he had to be on the lights all the time. I just wanted to hold him and snuggle him. I was grateful for feeding times when I would actually get to hold him!

He has always been such a sweet and funny little boy. He earned the title of Spiderman when we found him up in the windowsill, standing against the window (the window sill is probably only about 4 inches wide, and the window is a good 3 feet or more from the floor with a wooden cedar chest below it). He was only 1, and it scared me half to death!! You couldn't leave him alone for long, or he would climb onto something dangerous. He still loves to climb: trees, walls, you name it!

He is ALL BOY. He loves superheroes, sports, Bakugan, Avatar, legos, cars, and Star Wars. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that he is really eight. He is looking forward to being baptized in a couple of weeks. I just wish he'd stop growing up so darn fast!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE SWEETEST, MOST THOUGHTFUL, MOST HANDSOME, FUNNIEST, SMARTEST EIGHT-YEAR-OLD SUPERHERO I KNOW.

We love you Bryson!!

We had a super fun "March Madness" birthday party on Saturday for him, and we're celebrating with family today, so there are plenty of PARTY pictures to come. Stay tuned!

Are YOU Smarter than a 5th Grader?

A few months ago, I got an email from K's teacher at school. She said that UVU had invited some kids from the school to go and participate in "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" Of course, it wasn't the REAL one that you see on TV, but one that they do with some of the college students. Her class could take six kids. K was one of the six selected. The "event" would be held in March. By the time it finally rolled around, I had almost forgotten about it (Kaitlyn hadn't, though!) and I was supposed to be the official chaperone! It ended up that most of the other moms wanted to come, too, so we just shared the title of official chaperone ;) We arrived at UVU a little earlier than we were supposed to, so we just hung out and watched people - one of my favorite past-times. When the man in charge came to meet up with us, he showed us around a little bit (things have changed a lot since I went to school there) and they actually provided lunch for us. Very cool. Then we were taken to one of the main hallways, where they had it all set up for the game. Three 5th graders at a time would play, and they would just grab some of the university students as they came down the hall and put three of them up at the table. If the college students won, they would get free T-shirts, or other prizes. They then asked questions. Some of them were actually pretty tough questions! Each player had a button to buzz in if they knew the answer. Kaitlyn was a little bit timid at first, but after she answered a question or two, she became a lot more confident. She ended up answering quite a few, and had a super fun time. In fact, she said "Mom. I wish I could be in 5th grade again next year so I could come back and do this again!" It was a tight competition between the college kids and the 5th graders. 5th graders are pretty darn smart! There was one point where the 5th graders went 3 on 3 and just played eachother, and that was kinda fun, too. They had quite the audience at times, as people would walk down that particular hallway and just stop in their tracks to watch. We really did love it. It was a really fun time. Besides, what 5th grader is going to complain when they get to miss school for a little while? And of course, I had the trusty camera with me so I could document K's moment of fame :D

Seriously, some of the questions they asked were TOUGH!!

They enjoyed sitting out and watching eachother, almost as much as they enjoyed being at the table with the button in their hands!

At the end, each kid received a UVU bag full of little goodies.

Outside UVU, with the Wolverine ;)

And this whole experience wouldn't have been the same without our trusty sidekick. It may have been a little easier, but it definitely wouldn't have been the same. Atleast he got a free slice of pizza and a yellow highliter out of the deal ;)

March... MaDnEsS!!

Okay... I need a little help here. I'm trying to identify the young man in this picture with Kaitlyn...

HAHA... PSYCH! (Wow! I don't think I've used that term since HIGH SCHOOL). Actually, it's JIMMER FREDETTE... maybe you've heard of him? Yeah, the Stafford house has been Jimmered and is now experiencing March Madness in all it's glory. Honestly, we were on the Jimmer-wagon before there WAS a Jimmer-wagon. We've been going to BYU Basketball games for the last few years, and have enjoyed watching him all along. Sometimes we wonder what took the rest of the world so long to catch on!? LOL!

Jared has been to quite a few games this year, and I was able to go to three of their home games. I love watching Basketball, and I'm getting more and more into the whole March Madness thing every year. Jared and a bunch of his buddies fill out their brackets, then he's in charge of crossing things out, scoring it (they don't bet, really, just score them for bragging rights), and watching the highlights on ESPN of all the games we miss. I still haven't ever filled out a bracket, but I'm still loving it! I even watched the BYU Game alone last night, because Jared had to help someone with their car, then go to Young Mens. My kids probably thought I was crazy yelling at the TV. ;)

We were able to go to the last home game at the Marriott Center, which was Senior night, and see them win an amazing game. Before the game, we ate at J-Dogs... if you haven't been there, you are missing out. Especially if you like Hot Dogs. Best. Hot Dogs. Ever! Then after the game, we stayed and watched them cut down the nets! It was so fun! Oh, and the student section did a Flash Mob dance, which was so cool. We were dying that our camera's memory card was full. It would have been fun to get it on video and show our kids. We have really enjoyed watching our Cougars have a super awesome season. Go COUGARS!

Jared was so busy taking video of every play, that we only had room for a few pictures before the memory card said "FULL."

And of course, it wouldn't be the same without my favorite Basketball-watching Buddy. We have had the MOST fun watching basketball this year... LOVE IT!

Thankfully, the Cougs pulled out a win last night in the NCAA Tournament. They play Gonzaga on Saturday. I'm already getting nervous!! I hope they can pull out another win. But if not, atleast they have the Player of the Year... THE JIMMER!!!

LUCKY!!

It's the day of Good Luck. Good ol' green wearin', pot'o'gold findin', Lucky Charms eatin',

St. Patrick's Day!

Last night my boys HAD to make Leprechaun traps. They were sure that this would be the year they would finally catch one. We gathered up some empty boxes, some scrapbook paper, and some glue and got to work.

Here's what Hayden and I came up with:

The Leprechaun would climb the "rope" and fall through the top. He obviously fell through, since the top is gone, but he got away. We found the trap tipped on it's side, but there was a package of skittles inside!

Here is Brysons:

He came running into my room to tell me: "Mom! I caught the Leprechaun... except he got away!" The trap had fallen onto the Leprechaun, but he must be pretty strong, because he knocked the rock off (that Bryson thought FOR SURE would keep him in) and left him a package of Skittles too!

On the table, there were a few other items that the Leprechaun left. The boys each got a new kite, to go along with their Skittles, the girls each got a green tank and a package of Skittles, so they could "taste the rainbow" too, and of course, there was a box of Lucky Charms. The Unlucky moment of the morning was when the kids had poured their cereal into their bowls, and when I went to the fridge to get the milk... there WASN'T ANY! So I said "Hurry and make your beds and get dressed, and I'll run to the store and grab a gallon of milk!" Luckily, it only took about 10 minutes, and I was back with the milk so they could start their St. Patrick's Day out right!

Eryn, of course, had accessories to go along with her green shirt. The kids were so excited to be able to wear GREEN, instead of the usual uniform tops to school today.

And true to my craziness, I had to make them all sit together for a St. Patrick's Day picture. They actually did okay... there was only a little bit of the "don't touch me" syndrome going on, so we managed to get it done quick so they could be ready for the carpool to pick them up.

The LUCKIEST part of today? All of it. I am so lucky to have my kids and my husband. They make life worth living! Have a great St. Patty's Day, and

DON'T GET PINCHED!!

Is This What I Signed Up For?

All I ever wanted to be was a mom. I remember people asking me what I was going to study in college, and I really didn't know. I picked nursing because there was a waiting list, and I figured that maybe I'd have time to think of something else.

I didn't.

I ended up going to nursing school.

It was okay, but I never felt like it was what I really wanted to do. I only finished up my LPN, and right before "graduation" I found out that I was expecting our first baby.

I was so excited! I knew I wasn't going to work after I had the baby, so I was just grateful for the knowledge I had gained in college, and even more grateful that I wouldn't have to use it in a work environment. Not that I ever thought that being a mom WASN'T work. I knew it was. I knew it was the only work I wanted to do.

I have always been so thankful that Jared works so hard to support our family so that I can be home. We've made lots of sacrifices. Actually, I don't really even consider them sacrifices. It's all so worth it! We don't have a big, new home. We bought a slightly older home that was (and quite frankly, still IS) in need of a little TLC, and that's okay. We love it and we have big plans for it! We drive a mini-van that has a few dents here and there, and my poor, sweet hubby still drives the Geo Metro that I bought right after my High School Graduation. It's kinda a piece of junk, but that's okay. Sometimes we have to wait to do or buy things, because they simply aren't in the budget, but that's okay. I'm doing what I always wanted to do, and I love it.

I have really hard days. Today was one of those days. I felt like I must sound like the adults on Charlie Brown (you know, that "wah wah wah" sound they make) because my kids didn't seem to hear or understand a word I was saying. Or maybe they had just hit the MUTE button. I felt like I was talking and nobody could hear! My shins hurt from the workouts I've been doing, someone didn't like how their hair looked, I haven't been able to keep track of what day it is, let alone what WEEK we're on, I had to fix a clogged toilet (um, yuck?) and everyone seemed to be going in slow motion, all the while I felt like I was a broken record saying the same things over and over. I couldn't wait for the carpool to come and pick them up. And when "Kindergarten Man" asked if he could play the computer? I said YES! I just needed a personal time out, apparently. Ugh! I sat down and asked myself:

 "Is this really what I signed up for?"

Um, YES.

Yes it is.

I stumbled upon one of those little YouTube clips on the Mormon Channel by Jane Clayson Johnson. Remember her? Big National News Anchor? She gave it all up, all the fame and fortune, to do what I do. Be a mom. She said some things that reminded me of how important this job is that I'm doing. It's every bit as important as any other career in the world. Actually, MORE important than any other career in the world. I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I knew there would be really tough days. But I still signed up for it. And guess what? The good days FAR outweigh the bad days. I have to remind myself of that once in a while, but it's true. There is MUCH more good than bad!

Last month, I attempted to do a little free, online photography workshop (more like a challenge) called "The Joy of Love." Each day you were supposed to document something along the lines of the theme for the day. All having to do with people you love. I didn't do so hot. I only did a few of the daily challenges, but it was still fun. Here are a few of the things I captured... all reminders of this sweet family that I love so much.

One of the themes was "Together - Self Portrait." The idea was to set the timer and take a picture of you and your spouse. I love this guy. He makes life fun, and funny, and keeps things in perspective when I need him to!

Another one was "The Eyes." There was no doubt who I would pick to do this one. These eyes! Seriously. They work to his advantage the majority of the time. My favorite, though, is when he smiles at me, and his big blue eyes twinkle, and the little dimple in his cheek shows up. Love this crazy little boy!

One was "Space - Where They are Comfortable." Honestly, this kid is comfortable anywhere she is reading. Anywhere! As long as she's buried in a book, the rest of the world just kinda goes away. This is not always a good thing, but this is her.

Then there was "Passions and Hobbies." Kaitlyn loves to do hair. She begged forever for a "Barbie Head" to do hair on, and she still loves it. She wants to be a soccer player/hairdresser when she grows up. Her TRUE passion is soccer, but doing hair is a close second.

There was even a theme about what I "LOVE TO HATE" about one of my sweeties. I HATE that my kids have inherited some of my bad traits and bad habits. Especially the nail biting one. What a nasty habit! However, I still can't seem to quit. Poor B has inherited it... from a long line of nailbiters. Thanks Mom and Grandma!! So even though I hate this dang habit of his, I sure love the kid!

I did a few other themes, and those pictures are posted on my photography blog from back in February. One was "What they Wear" and Kaitlyn always seems to have a beanie on her head... so I took pictures of her in each of her many beanies, picked the best ones, and made a collage. It was pretty cute. Another one was "What they Do" Well, what Hayden does almost every day, is build with his Mega Blocks! Except for this week, because he is grounded from them. Sorry, Buddy!

Looking at these pictures, and thinking about some of the things I love about my kids and husband, makes it easier to get through days like today when things don't go so well. I'm sure they have their days when they think "Did I really pick this mom? She's crazy!" But I know that they love me. Not sure why, sometimes... but I'm sure glad they do!

The Big Date

Jared had wanted to surprise me on the night of our big date, but since certain arrangements have to be made for things like that, he had to tell me a couple of days before Valentine's Day. He had been trying to arrange this date for months. Things kept falling through. This time, however, it was going to work out. He has connections to a Utah Jazz ball boy, who could get us some super sweet seats! PLUS we would be eating dinner downstairs in the V.I.P. Room. It was going to be so fun!

The day of the game, it was windy. Like, CRAZY windy. One of those winds that feels like it's trying to blow your minivan right off I-15. I just kept thinking, "hopefully we'll be able to park pretty close." No such luck on that one! It took us a little bit to find a spot to park, then it was a bit of a walk. We were meeting Jared's friend and his daughter about a block away from the Energy Solutions Arena, and I seriously thought my hair was going to blow off my head! Things weren't looking too promising as far as the "sweet seats" go, but we weren't going to let that get us down. They don't know until right before the game whether the tickets are a sure thing or not, and apparently a lady who was with the opposing team, had asked for a TON of tickets, which meant that there may possibly not be anymore of those close seats left for us. We had bought upper bowl tickets just in case that happened, and it was looking like we were going to be hanging out in the rafters. Luckily, dinner was super delish. Our dinner tickets allowed us to eat in the V.I.P room with a really yummy buffet, and the opportunity to come back down during half-time for snacks.

After dinner, we headed up to our nose-bleed seats, but found out that the ball boy had gotten two tickets. Jared's friend and his daughter would take them for the first half, then when we met at half-time for snacks, we would take them. The view from the top is CRAZY! And I don't mean crazy awesome, I mean crazy as in "How many miles up are we?" We were literally on the very back row. (Obviously, only two of the pictures in this collage were taken from the upper seats. The other two were from our close seats!)

After a quick snack back down in the V.I.P room, we headed back upstairs... thankfully not as FAR upstairs this time. The seats were pretty good. Nice and close (which is more than we can say for the final score. The Jazz ended up losing... but what's new this year? It's kinda sad!) We still had a fun time. This was Deron Williams' last game at the Energy Solutions Arena. Shortly after this game was the All Star Game, then he got traded to New Jersey.

I'm kinda like a kid when it comes to the Jazz Bear. I love seeing the crazy things he does, and I just think that whoever is inside that costume has a pretty fun job. Not one that I could ever do, but seriously he must have the time of his life. I would prefer the job of the Jazz Dancers, personally. It looks fun, but you would never catch me in any of their little outfits!!

It was fun, even though the Jazz lost. Jared and I have had some fun times attending basketball games this year. But... I love hanging out with Jared no matter what we are doing. He just makes things fun. We did get a phone call at one point from our kids, asking us where all the flashlights were. The storm was bad, and the power was out in Lehi. They were afraid it might happen at our house, too. Luckily the power stayed on for them. It was a mega-blizzard when we went outside to walk to our car. There was already about a foot of snow on the ground, so we called the kids to let them know that we were on our way, but that it might take a while since the storm was pretty bad. We made it home okay, and the kids had survived the storm and were sound asleep.

Thanks for the fun/crazy/unpredictible date, Jared. I love being with you no matter where we are or what we are doing ;)

So, there was this one day...

...called Valentines Day. Remember that? It was, like, a whole month ago, and I never blogged about it! I have great excuses. Just read back a few posts. Anyway, I'm hoping to get back to posting more often, because we really have lots of fun going on at our house all the time. I guess it's not ALL fun, but it IS busy, and it IS life for us, and we are just swimming along trying not to drown ;) LOL! Ever since I got seriously into photography, I've tried to incorporate pictures into our Valentines. I still remember one I took several years ago. I had put cut-out hearts all over the front door, and dressed my kids in various shades of red (Hayden was still a baby) and I still have that funny little snapshot hanging on a message board in my kitchen. I've learned a lot since then, and my photos have dramatically improved! This year, we decided to have the kids "holding" a sucker for their valentines. Here is the end result:

I couldn't just take ONE picture of each of them, though. I had to torture them a little bit more, so here are their official Vday portraits! (Poor kids!)

And then, of course, I had to make one for the Grandparents with all four!

Now, Jared likes to get me a dozen roses every year, which I love... however, I didn't want him to spend that much money on something that was just going to die. I could think of a million other things to spend that on... (*ahem* eating out!!)

He did get me one rose, and I was happy as could be with that, because I found out that he had quite the date planned for us. (That will be the next post!!)

I wanted to do something fun for my kids, so I got up earlier than usual, and made chocolate-chip, heart-shaped pancakes, and they LOVED IT! They keep asking me to make them again. I guess I better get some chocolate chips!

Of course, I think the highlight of any kid's Valentine's Day is their class party. Getting all the candy and all the fun cards, along with the games, crafts, and super awesome "Valentine Holders" that they make, all add up to a fun day. The boys made their Valentine envelopes at school, but Kaitlyn was supposed to make one at home and bring it. Here's what we came up with:

It was a great Valentine's Day this year. I even decorated the kitchen a little bit. The sad thing, is that here we are at March 9th, and those Valentine's decorations are still up. Sorry St. Patrick's Day... looks like you're not getting any love from me this year.