thank you

thank you brock for doing the dishes
thank you saskatoon for temperatures in the +
thank you sweet old man, with a cane, for holding the door open for me, and my stroller
thank you trey and claire for sleeping past 8am
thank you tomato soup- for existing
thank you friend for a kind note
thank you "songza" for endless christmas music
thank you pajama pants for being so comfy

my babies

the past few months have been hard, but being with them each day (and, all day) has brought me so much comfort.

trey is such a big help to me, i can't believe that he is only 3! he loves to help clean up the toys, and make the beds. he plays and shares so well with claire. as its getting harder for me to bend and stretch, he is always willing to get things for me. and the things he's been saying lately are hilarious! most of all, he is so sweet to me. he notices right away if i am having a sad moment, he always gives me a big hug and a whole bunch of kisses and says, "you're sad mom? it's okay. i love you." which usually just makes me cry more. and he is the best little snuggler- when Brock leaves for school in the morning, trey and I stay in bed and cuddle until claire wakes up. i love it.

claire is so smiley and silly. she keeps me busy keeping up to her messes activities, and just when i feel i'm reaching the end of my patience, she says or does something so funny- smart girl :) she's my little shadow, and is perfectly happy to sit on my lap, with her head on my shoulder, probably forever, and read books or sing songs. her favorite toys are her baby and trey's ironman- that's our girl!

they are both so content to just be at home, which makes me happy, because, lately that is where I've been wanting to stay too. 

and then there's this little babe, who really is always with me. being pregnant is physically demanding, especially this time around. but i would not change a moment of it for how spiritually filling it is. feeling this baby move and wiggle is a constant witness to me of Heavenly Father's love and power.

i am so grateful everyday to be a mother to these three. even though it has been a tough time, not all of my tears have been sad ones. i have felt my family's, and Heavenly Father's love for me so strongly, so many times. i am so blessed!

trey is tres

as of october 4th, we have a 3 year old! he had his first "friend" party this year, and then we ended up going to alberta to be with family that weekend so he got to party with his aunties and cousins too! it was a memorable weekend!

i remember the day(s) i was in labour with trey like it was yesterday, we were SO excited to meet our baby boy! he had the most perfect little face I'd ever seen, and i don't think it's changed one bit!

i am so blessed to be his mom. trey is so loving. he loves me and brock so much, he is always saying to us "hey, do you want to cuddle with me?" niether of us can ever say no (a major reason Brock cannot study at home) and he loves his little sister "clairey", he calls her "my baby", and "my girl" and is so good at taking care of her and making sure she is happy. he says the sweetest little prayers, and the longest. he blesses everyone he knows, by name, his toys, our house, each animal he can think of, letters, numbers, the temple, the prophet, the van, and anything else we've seen or done recently!

he is so curious and smart, always asking us about the words and letters he sees, he has to count everything and tell us all the colors of everything too.

he loves all his superheroes and power rangers and pirates, pretty much all things little boy, especially when it involves dad playing too! he loves to sing, and swim, do puzzles, color and use stickers, and he LOVES to build forts! he is my best little helper with cleaning up, doing the laundry and cooking. i asked him once to scratch my back for me, and now daily he will just start rubbing and scratching our backs :)

we are constantly amazed at how patient and obedient he is. he is such a good listener, i rarely have to ask him to do something more than once. we'll tell him no and explain why and he'll say (sometimes through tears) "okay, mom." it is so sweet and breaks my heart at the same time. he is just such a tender, caring little man, i hear, "thanks so much, mom" for every little thing i do for him!

it has been so wonderful watching him grow into the amazing, little person that he has become! i love him so much!

november

when i flipped the calendar and saw "november" staring back at me, i was a little stunned. seriously? november?! i feel like Brock started school just a few weeks ago, and that was august. i also feel like I'm about 20 weeks pregnant...but i'm 31...a whole other reason to be stunned! at my doctors appointment this coming week i'll be 8 weeks away from my due date. that means within the next 8 weeks Brock will finish his first semester (only 7 more to go!) we'll drive to alberta, celebrate christmas with our families and come back to saskatoon to get ready to have a baby!

while part of me cannot believe it is already november, the other part is so relieved. i look forward to this time of year all year long! i just love it! and right now, i feel like i need it. i cannot wait to be back with family. that really is what i love the most. being surrounded by the people i love, all the special traditions, and celebrating the birth of the Savior. it really is 'the most wonderful time of the year'! so, (like my other family members) the tree is up, decorations are out, and i'm counting down the days until we are all eating grandma's baking together!