Baseball!!!....

well...T-ball that is. It is stinkin' HILARIOUS! And SO much FUN!! I had a feeling that it would be a good idea, and that A would probably enjoy it, but who knew he would enjoy it THIS much? He looked SO happy,  elated really...he loved EVERY minute of the time we were there. 
For the first half they just practiced hitting and catching, but for some odd reason, they never went over the rules or flow of play of a baseball game with the kids at all, which seemed strange, since how most of them (pretty much all except for one older kid actually), had NO idea at ALL how to play, ha ha!!
So after the first half, they have gotten down the whole idea of hitting and catching....apparently enough to play an actual GAME??? ha ha...against another team!!! LOL.
FUNNIEST. THING. EVER!!
So...A's team is up to bat....the first kid swings, misses, swings, hits...and then runs after the ball, and then runs in random directions...and then eventually his coaches coax him in the right direction. Alas, no worries, because the ball that he hit was TACKLED by every player on the opposing team...and they all wrestled each other to the ground to retrieve it. So, even though it took a while for our first player to find first base, the other team hadn't quite figured out there purpose yet, or that they were on the SAME team, ha ha. 
A was the second player up to bat, and he hit it pretty well, and went on to do the EXACT same thing as the first player, and run after his own ball to catch it....he figured out pretty quick where he was supposed to run to (due to his coaches and us telling him, lol). The entire first inning, the opposing team never quite figured out that they weren't ALL supposed to tackle the ball, and fight each other for it.
The whole game made for some pretty awesome video footage. When A's team was in the outfield, due to a long description by their coaches, they figured out that they weren't ALL supposed to run after the ball, so they did pretty well. A caught the ball a few times, well RAN after the ball and grabbed it, once he missed it the first time...but he is definitely getting the hang of the whole thing. 
It was a very enjoyable time, and I hope to be able to figure out how to add the video to the blog...cuz I'm pretty sure its AFV worthy, ha ha. Can't wait till Thursday for their next game!!

our kid-less getaway!!

This weekend my wonderful mother took the children for us, so we could have a nice relaxing weekend away. We drove to her house late Wednesday, and the kids were SO ecstatic to see the family, that they wouldn't sleep, ha ha. I'm pretty sure they were up until at least midnight, visiting and playing with all their fun toys. 
A asks me at least weekly if we can move to Lacombe, so he was over-joyed to finally be visiting them again...he even told me this weekend that he likes his Uncle J more than he like mommy! No way! I made him take it back before he could search for his easter basket, LOL. 
Needless to say, they had a wonderful time(besides R getting sick)....I think mommy was the only one sad to be apart for them, ha ha. It was definitely nice to get away, but I love those kiddos! I hate being away from them! 


The hubby and I went to Banff and stayed in an amazing suite at the fox inn and suites. It was so relaxing! It kind of seemed like we were at a spa the whole weekend. We slept whenever we wanted to, ate at amazing restaurants and spent most of the time soaking in beautiful hot tubs and saunas. At our hotel, the pool was in a man-made cave/basin thingy, and we went to another one that was on the side of a mountain, overlooking banff...it was amazing. We also went shopping, of course. We spent our airmiles getting gift cards that we could spend while we were there...at The Gap, Banff hot springs and The keg. 
All in all, we had a wonderful time, and it was nice to get away, even for just a few days. Also nice, to spend some time in with my family!
Hope your easter weekend was fabulous too!

oh how different they are...

Its amazing how different 2 little boys can be! When I had A, I could tell his personality from the get-go....vivacious, lively, energetic, stubborn, loud, gregarious....ha ha...all of the above. He's amazing, super smart, really fun, and funny...he loves to make us laugh, and he loves to play. 
I presumed that R would have the same personality that A does, well, at least something similar. The names I had picked out for him before birth were a lot more for A's personality than for his....Zaid and Maverick were to of them. But nope he came with a personality of his own.
R is so sweet...he loved to play by himself, read himself books, and cuddle. I just LOVE that boys snuggles. the terrible 2's for him have been non-existent thus far....which is SO far off what it was with A. 
This weekend we went to the children's fair (way FUN! but too many people) and A kept wanting to look at the fire trucks and big police guns and stuff. R, on the other hand, wanted to play FOREVER with the tea set in the little house...making me drinks, ha ha. When we lined up for air-brush tattoos, A goes for a Decepticon transformer tattoo...and R goes for Dora! ha ha.
R loves to play with older kids, specifically females...and A seems to get a long better with older or younger males....A will NEVER be happy or content playing on his own...we always have to be playing with him. R loves to play on his own....he'll just sit happily in his high chair playing with a toy, and some food, for at least an hour.
Its amazing that those 2 even get a long with each other!! They are both SO amazing in there own little ways...its just funny to see how truly different they are. Each baby comes to us from heaven with such a unique and individual personality...it'll be interesting to see what kind of personality our next little baby comes with. I can't wait!!!!!

so I have a winning streak...

Growing up, I always wished that I would win something, anything....a draw, a roll up the rim to win, anything! ha ha...but it just wasn't in the cards for me. 
About 2 years or so ago, I just started on this winning streak....I win things all the time now! Some are big, some are small....but it happens quite often. I wish that I had written down all of the things that I've won in the recent years, but I forgot. In the past I've won a $75ish gift basket from avon at a trade show, a $150 miscellaneous gift basket from a trade show (including a $60 swarovski crystal necklace) and a flat screen HDTV. 
Well, this weekend I won a date night (2 movie passes, popcorn and drinks) and a blog giveaway for 50 invitations/holiday cards from Uprinting. Cool, huh!
Well this summer is full of trade shows, so bring on the winning!!!
(since how its Sunday, I should probably mention that I attribute all of this "luck" to paying tithing regularly...it does pay off! ha ha)

It's OFFICIAL!!!

So....we've been applying for adoption for what seems like a REALLY long time...but was only really....hmmm...3 months and 2 weeks or so?...and we just got the news that we are APPROVED! yay!!
It may not seem that exciting...but it is!
I know we have a lot more waiting to do now...but it's exciting waiting...not the kind thats full of lots of boring paperwork, but full of butterflies, and a lot of prayers. 
Man, I'm excited!! I know it could take FOREVER, or never....but it could be any day now! So, lets hope and pray for the any day now....ha ha...thanks for reading, and I'll keep you posted!!

I am LOVING aquafit...and finally getting into that much-needed rhythm of working out....again, ha ha. 
I have been going at least twice a week, and once I get a 3 month pass, I plan on increasing that to 3 times a week. It is SUCH a blast, and a really great work out too. 
One of my FAVE things about going, is the SAUNA! he he. I was really excited about losing so many calories in the sauna...until reading more about it online...and apparently you are only losing water weight, and gain it all back as soon as you drink water! gaaahhh....oh well, at least its relaxing. 
One of the hard things about working out, is not seeing results right away. I'm also worried that I'll NEVER see results, I mean....shouldn't I have lost at least ONE stinking pound yet? oh well...hopefully it'll happen, and at least I'm getting healthy in the mean time. 
In other news....oh wait, there is no other news, ha ha. Life is the same, playgroups, playing with toys, going outside. A is starting baseball next week, which I am SO excited about....especially because his little uniform is going to look SO cute on him! ha ha, I know, I am a great sports mom, its all about how they look, ha ha. 
Hope you guys are having an awesome week too! If anyone has tips on how to actually LOSE weight, I'd LOVE to hear it!! (be warned: I LOVE food! :))

some funnies...

The boys seem to say THE funniest things!! I wanted to write some of this weeks down, before I forget:
-after R went down for a nap, A said "Oh. I'm glad R went to sleep, I was really wanting to spend time with you" 
-R wanted to wake me up this morning, and daddy wouldn't let him...so he said "let me wake that silly goofer up!" ha ha ha
-the boys told me that they went to the Probe school playground last night  with the babysitter. After which R said over and over again, "Probes school! I want probes, I want probes.." Which wouldn't be that funny on its own, if it wasn't for the fact that he pronounces "probe" "poopy!" ha ha ha
-I was telling R, its book time! From him comes..."I don't want momma read reuben (pron. boobin, ha ha) books....never ever ever ever ever!!" ha ha ha...he knows that means bed time is near! LOL
-from A, I wish I had a real Barney so that I could play I spy with him, and a real brother and sister dino, like on the show. 

I love...

I love...to go into my boys room when their sleeping and watch them. They look so sweet and innocent. they look as if they would never say a ad word, or do a bad deed, and that they would love anyone that they cross paths with. They look so tender and mild. 
I love these times, when I can truly appreciate being a mother. I can remember all of the sweet things they said and did to me that day, like R's hugs and kisses, and A's constant "I Love you's'" to me...he also "shoots" me kisses instead of blowing them....its adorable. 
I'm glad for these times...because during the chaos of the day, its hard to fully appreciate the sweet and tender sides that they have. I love those boys. I love what they have taught me, and I love being a mother to them. I know that they were given to me, to teach me...not the other way around. They are always teaching me so much...especially patience, charity and unconditional love. 
Its times like these when I truly appreciate being a mother. I am so glad for this gift the God decided to give me....these sweet little boys that stole my heart. And my sweet man, that stole my heart many years ago...I wouldn't be anywhere without him. 
I hope I can remember these moments as early morning chaos ensues....

workin' out...or not...

For all those who are wondering how my whole "working-out-ness" is going...ha ha...it was going much better previously. I'm back to craving unhealthy snacks and not having very good endurance. 
I went through a few weeks with a cold, and it took its toll on my work out routine. Its so much harder to get back into the groove once you've been out of it for a while. 
Recently I decided that having a dress be my "getting skinny" reward just wasn't working for me.Its too far in the future, and not tangible enough for me. 
So....I LOVE (or at least thought I did...ha ha) AQUAFIT!!! My idea was, if I do my work out at home every day, then my reward can be going to aquafit 2 days a week. Which is a great idea in theory, but when I went tonight....whoo-whee! It was WAY harder than I had remembered. And with my endurance level down so low...it was craziness. After the first 15 minutes (which felt like 15 hours) I was SO ready to give up. The lady next to me said "If I can do this, you can do it...I'm almost 50!" ha ha...and she was right...I stuck through my agonizing muscle cramps and made it through. 
Moral of the story....NEVER stop working out...ha ha...hiatuses just aren't worth the hassle. I'll post again in a week or so and tell you how well my new routine is going! Hopefully good!!

once upon a relaxing weekend...

Man, I loved conference....isn't it great!! I remember so vividly being a young child and/or teenager, ha ha, and thinking it was SO boring! And now I relish in listening to all of the sessions, and reading all about the talks later on.
I heard from a talk one time, that its helpful to just listen to conference, without taking any notes, the first time. If you feel inspired by something, just write down a few words or lines, but to not be distracted with note taking. Then, when the talks come out in The Ensign, to review them then, and take notes...added to the previous inspiration you already received. 
I have been practicing this for a while, and have really found it helpful to teach me what it is that I need to learning, personally. I am so much more open to inspiration, when I'm not worried about writing down every other word.
I also have been reading on a lot of great blog posts like this one and this one...some GREAT ideas on how to get your kiddos involved. I want them to truly enjoy conference weekend, like we do, and to look forward to it. 
I have thought a lot about what things I can implement for our next conferences, and I'd like to make some great traditions in the future....hopefully I remember come October! :)


A few cute things that happened to us this weekend:
-A woke up Saturday morning saying, "Its general conference! yay! I wanna watch general conference!"...he was SO excited, which made me happy. He sat down, all comfy on the bed with the rest of us...and watched fervently for the first few minutes....you could see him start to get a little more antsy as the first talk wore on...and by the end he exclaimed: "That was a LONG talk!" ha ha...and he played for the rest of that session, it was pretty funny.
-When President Monson was speaking, I pulled R into the room, and said "Listen Roo, its the prophet!" and he replied emphatically, "No! Its grandpa!" and stood right in front of the TV, saying "grandpa! grandpa!". It was adorable, and reminded me of the talk yesterday by Russell M. Nelson, and the story he told about his grandson.


Anyways....I feel overjoyed and truly blessed to have been able to listen to conference this weekend, especially because of the personal inspiration that I received on how to make myself a better wife, mother and person. I feel uplifted and more ready and willing to serve, and be an equal partner to my husband. 
What a great weekend! I hope you all enjoyed it as immensely as I did! 
Here is a link, in case you missed it, or want to learn more about what "General Conference" is all about!