Being Selfless

"At the heart of the message of the Savior of the world is a single, glorious, wonderful, still largely untried concept. In its simplest terms the message is that we should seek to overcome the selfishness we all seem to be born with, that we should overcome human nature and think of others before self."

--President James E. Faust

My Sweet Noah!

Ben and I were truly blessed with Noah. He is the sweetest, most mellow child and I adore him! He always has a smile for you and wants to laugh at everything. He is so happy!

I am especially tickled with him today. Why, you ask? Well, from the time he was born, sweet Noah has never slept through the night. However, last night we fell asleep at 11:00 pm and he didn't wake up until AFTER I did at 7:00 AM!! I could not believe it! He actually made it through the night without a bottle, without being burped, without a change of diaper, without any extra help from me! What a blessed event!!

To commemorate this occasion, I have decided to post some cutie petutie pics from his first big boy bath with Matthew and Isaac. What a wonderful day it is today, don't you think?! Could I possibly be in such a great mood simply because I got some sleep? Who knew?!

Seriously, the happiest kid ever!
"Thanks for drying me off, Mom!
For that, you get this humongo smile!"

A little blown out, but check out his eyes.
I still can't decide what color they are -
They're always changing!

Look at those dimples! Ahhh! I could just gobble him up!

Isaac just loves to pull faces. I wonder
where he gets that? (BEN!!)

Am I a lucky mom or what?
I'm probably biased, but I think they
are the cutest boys ever!!

Matthew's First Day of First Grade

It was a big day for Matthew last Tuesday. It was his first day of First Grade! He has been so excited to ride the school bus TO and FROM school, so he was anxious to get out the door. After taking the required photos (I'm a sucker for pictures!), I walked him to the bus stop. I was "welcomed" to the bus stop by the other moms as we waited. Just before the kids got on the bus, I told Matthew to turn around as he climbed on so I could get a picture, but he didn't and I didn't get the shot in time, so I just climbed on the bus and took one of him on the bus! The bus driver, who lives right across the street from us, offered to let me ride in with him, but I had to get to work. So off he went! I cannot believe he is old enough to go to First Grade! Time is amazingly fast, you know?!

This is Mom, trying too hard to "pose" the shot.
I just told him to turn around and look at me, and this is what I got! :)

Say goodbye, nerdy Daddy! Ben thinks I take too many
pictures, so he thinks it's funny to make weird faces. Goofball!

Walkin' to the bus stop.

All the kids at Matthew's stop.

The "on the bus" shot. Will I stop at nothing
to get a good photo? I might be obsessed.

Bye, Buddy! Have a great first day!!

The Salt Lake Bees!

Last Friday Ben and I took the boys to a Salt Lake Bees baseball game. It was so much fun! We decided to take the Trax train from Sandy, so we drove up and bought tickets for the train. While we were waiting, Matthew started having a little bit of a panic attack. First he was afraid Ben and I would leave someone behind, then he was afraid the train cars would come apart and leave us stranded in a stopped car. No matter how much Ben and I tried to explain things to calm his nerves, nothing really helped. He just kept crying, saying he was tired and wanted to go home to bed. Never mind the fact that he was SO excited to see the game, he was willing to give that up to just get off that train! Isaac and Noah had a blast. They just watched out the window at everything rushing past.

We eventually got to the game and bought tickets. Even though it was almost sold out, we got great seats down the first base line. (Matthew then decided the train was ok and he was glad to be there!) We went in, bought some food and sat down for a great game! Even though the Bees lost in the end, the boys had a fantastic time! They were SO GOOD the entire time! The game didn't end until after 10, but they never complained, never cried, never even tried to run around. I was astounded!! Even the people sitting behind us commented on how well behaved they were. That never happens! One guy even offered to trade his kids for ours! :) They all loved Noah, who wouldn't!, and were sad when we left. As I was packing up our things, one gentleman commented that Noah had the best disposition of any child he'd ever seen, and he was completely serious! What a wonderful comment. Of course, I agree! Noah is such a happy baby. ALWAYS smiling, that one.

There were supposed to be fireworks at the end of the game, but the fire marshall nixed them because of the wind. I can't say I was too upset, it was, after all, almost 10:30 and we had a train to catch. By the time we bought the boys their "treats" (Matthew and Isaac both got mini Bees bats, and Noah got a soft baseball), got on the train, in the car and home it was after midnight! It was worth it. The boys did great and we had a wonderful family night out.

On the train, tears and all! Noah wasn't quite sure what to make of the tantrum!


At the game, still a little leary of the taking the train home!

Cheesy Isaac and his cheesy burger!

What's a baseball game without a box of Cracker Jacks??

I threw this one in cause you can actually see the field.
I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of the field!

Thunder Stix! What a wonderful sound these make,
especially in our VERY SMALL CAR! Thanks, Bees!

Self portrait. Not bad, eh?

Ahhh. That's better. Thank you lady sitting in front of us!

Look at that cute, tired little guy! This is his new bat.
We signed Matthew and Isaac up for the Knothole Club and they
got their ticket to the game AND these shirts for $0.50 LESS
than the price of the regular ticket! How great is that!?

Matthew is his "Baseball" shirt and his brand new bat.
(He didn't want to wear his Knothole Club shirt home.)
See? On the way home he was fine and dandy riding the train.
I think he just psyched himself out the first time!

My goodness, what handsome guys!
And even cheerful at 11:00 at night!

How are these boys so happy, sooo late!?
Noah is showing the signs, but he still didn't cry even once!
What great kids I have, don't'cha think?!

Off the train, getting in the car and heading home.
It took about 20 minutes, but they all fell asleep
on the way home. Thank goodness!

President Faust on The Price of Everything

Here is a wonderful quote from President Faust, which was sent to me by a friend. I thought it was more than blog worthy.

"My dear young friends, there is another great truth that you must learn. It is that everything has a price. There is a price to pay for success, fulfillment, accomplishment, and joy. There are no freebies. If you don't pay the price that is needed for success, you will pay the price of failure. Preparation, work, study and service are required to achieve and find happiness. Disobedience and lack of preparation carry a terrible price tag. As members of this Church, part of the price we need to pay is by living differently from the world. We are possessors and custodians of these commanding powers which can and do roll back the power of Satan on the earth. With all my heart I urge you to please help us push back the world. We must stand against the wind. Sometimes we must be unpopular and simply say, "This is not right." - President James E. Faust

What's More Fun Than a Summer Pool Party?

Last Friday night we all went to my firm's summer party at Riverside Country Club. It was the only thing the boys would talk about ALL DAY LONG! Everytime I talked to Isaac he wanted to know why we weren't going to the pool RIGHT NOW! They were very excited to say the least. And even though it was warm outside, with the wind blowing and the sun going down it was a bit chilly in the water. It didn't bother the boys though! They stayed in the pool THE ENTIRE TIME! Blue lips and all!

To make it even better, Kara, my boss's sweet daughter, got in the pool just to play with the boys. They had the best time. She was fantastic with them. She took Isaac into the "deep" part of the kiddie area and he thought that was the greatest thing ever. Isaac found a water gun and he had fun running around the pool "shooting" Matthew and Kara. What a great time!

Here are a few pics for your viewing enjoyment! :)