1st DAY OF SCHOOL

can't forget to document this day cuz it's the best one of both of our lives to date.  it was sooooooo time for jack to start school.  he's crazy social and extremely smart.  he was ready for something new and to be challenged.  i completely 100% stole this idea from my good friend, charlene, but her picture of her kindergartner was much much cuter.  but thanks, char, for the idea.  a fun way to document through the school years.  

so he's been in school for the last 2 months and is eating it up.  i went to my first parent-teacher conference and i walked out one proud mama.  if i may brag (cuz i don't very often), mrs. bowles said he was the smartest kid in the class and is very kind and OBEDIENT!?!?  imagine that.  he loves, loves, loves mrs. bowles, he's already written her 2 love notes. so cute.  love that kid.

miss charli's arrival

 she is here, people.  

announcing the arrival of:

charli sonny gibbs

born 5:00 pm, august 24, 2012

6 lbs 13 oz

19 in long

 i was induced the morning of aug. 24.  she was very excited to come out and DID NOT STOP MOVING through the entire labor process, it was a little crazy.  her heart rate did some funky things, but everything went smoothly and she was born at 5 pm on the dot.  the whole thing took about 6 hrs, same as sam.  it was kind of weird at first because she looked so different than jack and sam (who were identical coming out of the womb), but when my mom first came to see her, she squealed that she looked exactly like i did when i was born. 

 to say that jack loves her would be an understatement.  he ADORES her.  on one of his visits to the hospital, he literally held her for an hour.  AN HOUR.  to get him to hold still for an hour...i have no words.  but he held her and loved on her and was mad when he had to give her up to grandma.  still wants to hold her about 20 times a day.  so sweet.  she brings out his softer side for sure.

 this is the perfect depiction of how sam feels about her.  he's holding her but he's way more interested in the looney tunes playing on the tv.  he loves her too, gives her fabulous kisses, but is a little more oblivious.  he just rolls with the punches, this kid.

 first bath at home.  so teeny weensy.  she still likes the frog position best and it's like wrestling a bear to get her legs and arms straight enough to get her dressed.  she's a strong little sucker.

what i want to remember:
how jack WILL NOT touch her without putting on hand sanitizer first.  sam asking if he could poke her eye.  the awesome hospital visits from family and friends.  my visiting teachers taking such good care of me.  my dad stopping by after work almost every day for a week (he is also smitten).  charli's charm on everyone.  her calmness.  her first hair bow at the hospital - shawn picked green.

miss charli is healthy and happy and a very good baby.  and i don't feel like i've completely lost it yet, with 3 young 'uns.  i feel blessed.

ps.  it is charli, as in charlie brown.  not as in sharli.  many have asked. 

summer fun 2012

we weren't able to do anything too fancy this summer by way of vacations, but karianne and shaun were kind enough to invite us all up to bear lake to stay in their cabin.  and it was perfect.  a few days on the lake with the gibbs clan.  we all stayed in the cabin together, so it was the first time the cousins got to stay under one roof for more than a few hours.  they had a great time.  i think there were moments where all of the adults thought we'd go crazy, but the good far outweighed the bad. (no pics, no surprise.)

what i want to remember:
the warm water.  laughing and playing games with the adults.  being 8 months pregnant and sleeping in the freezing cold basement=heaven. randy passing gas and shawn making fun of him.  playing on the deck. sam being too prissy to walk through the muddy stuff to get to the good sand.  jack playing in the water all day long.  shawn weed-wacking.  the grill-master (shawn) fixing the best steaks ever.  corn on the cob.  playing skip-bo junior with jack.


OUR OTHER BIG SUMMER EVENT

mike and katie's wedding. 

such a great day.  they were married on the 16th of august.  one picture of the boys in their getup.

so dang cute.  it was good day starting with the ceremony in the salt lake temple, then the luncheon, and the reception outdoors in the sorenson's gorgeous backyard.  

what i want to remember:
katie being nervous and worn out the night before.  katie absolutely radiantly happy after the ceremony.  decorating for the lunch.  the awkward stories my mom told about mike at the lunch.  getting to know katie's family.  chatting with brenda at the reception.  the 80s dance.  my brothers playing guitar and singing.  my boys loving the chocolate fountain.  joking with larita about delivering my baby on the tramp.

WHAT I WILL FOR SURE NOT FORGET:
being 9 months pregnant, hot, and on my feet all day.

but we made it.

ah, the i-phone

the convenience of the i-phone cannot be beat.  i suck at picture-taking, so the fact that shawn can whip out his phone at any time has saved us.  here are some fun ones.

july 4

 i think it's pretty funny that for i think 3 years running, i have pictures of the balloons in the morning and then nothing for the rest of the day.  well, here they are again.  we love the balloons.

 we ran into our good friends tyler and lindsey and their son carter.  he and jack are great friends.

we did things a little differently this year.  instead of going to the parade, we met the ridings up south fork canyon, ate yummy cinnamon rolls and peaches, and played, played, played.  the boys loved every second.  then we went to grandma dudley's for the annual bbq that night.  i love the fourth.  always good food and good people.  so grateful for this country and the safety and beauty that is here.  very blessed.

oh, sam

 this is a sad story.  one of those great mom moments that you feel so good about.  i had been spray painting some frames, and left the can within reach.  the rest of us were eating dinner with our backs to sam, he grabs the can and sprays himself right in the face and eye.  screamed bloody murder.  shawn and i panicked, thought he was going to be blind.  but shawn shoved him under the sink and ran the water in his eye for a while.  he was a sad little boy.  he looks like he's been beaten to a bloody pulp.  poor kid.

 grandma and grandpa riding went to disneyland over sam's birthday and brought this home for him.  let's just say he does a killer goofy impression and him and shawn love to talk to each other as goofy and mickey.  sam's 3rd birthday was a great one, again lots of family and good food.  my favorite thing was when i asked him what kind of cake he wanted and without hesitation he said "a purple cake!".  okay.  so i made a chocolate cake, covered it with purple frosting and sprinkles, and the kid went nuts over it.  (do i have a picture of the purple cake?  nope.  i don't believe in cute pictures that help make wonderful memories.)  love him.

one day, sam and i were hanging out, jack was somewhere else.  i was cleaning the kitchen and sam was happily entertaining himself.  i turn around and find this. the kid did it all by himself.  put down the colored felt, went around the house and found objects for each color.  some favorites: my brown flip-flops on the brown piece, and some white paper bills on the white piece.  he's too smart. 

 this is the backside of my mom's guinea pig, guido. the boys love to hold him and feed him lettuce.  his face says it all.

 sam boy loves sticks.  well, here we are at our annual riding reunion (which was fabulous) and sam goes off on his own for a while.  then he comes tramping across the lawn, which is no short distance, mind you, hauling this thing and says "look, mom, a stick."  a stick that was 4 times bigger than him.  it was true love.

and last but not least, here is puss in boots.  at least that's what he calls himself when he puts on shawn's ginormous winter boots.  bwa ha ha ha!

t-ball, the second time around

this was jack's second time in t-ball and he loved it just as much as the first.  although i think we're all looking forward to coach pitch next year where it will be a little more challenging.