Wedding Cake

I had the pleasure of doing a wedding cake for a cute couple who got married this week in the Bountiful Temple!  When she brought me her color swatches for the cake I was surprised at how bright of colors she had chosen, but they are such a bright and fun couple so it totally fit them.  This cake was a lot of fun and I am also doing her twin sister's wedding cake too...in two weeks!  Can you believe it, twin sisters getting married two weeks apart!  Watch out Michael and Jenny!  Luke of course helped me deliver the cake and he has a new appreciation for his dad that delivered wedding cakes for his mom for 25 years...it's a heavy and stressful job!  I'm very grateful for his help and support.  I get to start learning the "Mrs. Flinders" cakes (from Mrs. Flinders herself) in the next couple of weeks, so wish me luck!!

Summer Lovin Fun

One of my favorite things to do with the kids during the day is to go out and draw with chalk on the driveway and blow bubbles.  We do it several times a week, sometimes several times a day.  Last week our next door neighbor, Darlene, saw us out playing and grabbed her camera (she's a photographer) and came out to take a few pictures of the kids playing.  Wasn't that nice of her?  I love these pictures because she captured our normal everyday life, which I usually forget to take pictures of.  So it will be fun to look back and see something that wasn't a holiday, birthday or special occasion...just two kids and their mom out on a summer day.

You can all breathe now...

I know there are so many people who read my blog and are anxious for me to update it.  I'm sure you've all just been checking your computers daily for the moment when I will post something magical for you all to see.  Well wait no longer...the day is here! 

Ok really, I know my mom and mother-in-law are the only ones who really look at my blog, so for you two lovely women...here are some pictures of your beautiful son and grandchildren.  Enjoy. :)

 Yes, Master Luke graduated with his MBA (technically he walked across the stage and was hooded with a harry potter hood thing and will actually receive his diploma in two weeks when he finishes his last two classes!!!!)  Are we proud of him or are we proud of him?  I don't think I've ever met someone with the kind of dedication that Luke has had in completing his education...and yes, it is complete.  He is done forever!

 I know this picture isn't very good quality, but I feel like this picture sums up the life of Brock and Sophie so perfectly.  Brock is always such an animated little thing and Sophie is just enamored with him.  It is such a fun thing to see my children interact and play with eachother.  I absolutely love it!

 My sweet kids.  Sophie is usually such a smiley girl but for some reason the day that I wanted to take pictures of my kids in their Easter outfits she was feeling oh so meloncholy [read with a Megamind accent].  Still cute though wouldn't ya say?

 For Memorial Day weekend we decided to do our very first "stay-cation" and we took Brock up to the Heber Valley Creeper for a "Day Out with Thomas".  On this very special weekend, Thomas the tank engine himself actually pulls the Heber Creeper and we got to ride inside it!  I wish I could have captured the look on his face when he first saw Thomas...it was a look that you would imagine if a child saw Santa Claus; just complete awe and utter bliss at the same time like, "Thomas is real!!!"  Let's just say he was one happy boy!

This was Luke and Brock on the train together.  Mimi and Papa sat across the isle from us and Papa was able to capture some priceless pictures of Brock on his very first Thomas ride.  It's obvious to see where Brock got his adorable looks from! {raising eyebrows up and down}

"Look at my huuuusband ya'll!" -Flo, from Disney's "Cars" (I have way too many Disney movies memorized)

And last, but not least...our Beautiful Sophie.  Our little Peach.  She might possibly be the sweetest little girl on the planet.  She's got a little of her mom's crazy in her too, but what an angel we have living in our family.  We love our Sophie B.

Big Boy Underpants

Two weeks ago on a dreary Monday morning, we were stuck inside once again due to the non-spring weather and I was searching for something  I could do with the kids to pass the time.  Then I got a genius idea.  Why not potty train Brock today! 

 

 WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY????!!!!!!! 

Potty training is not all my mom cracked it up to be.  I'm pretty sure I don't have the same amount of drive and determination as my mom because she potty trained all of her children, save one (which would be 6 children) at the age of 18 months - in ONE day.  One day people.
 I have to say the first 3-5 days were the hardest.  The first day or two I was taking him to the bathroom every 10-15 minutes and the days following that I started being able to stretch it out to every 20-25 minutes.  I think by day 3 I was ready to quit.  It's not that he was having accidents or not doing well, cause he was accident free and loving it, but it was more the fact that it was consuming my entire life and I didn't have time to eat, think, or take myself to the bathroom.  Poor Sophie was probably feeling very neglected that first week too. 
Did she complain?

 Of course not.
But I of course did.  So here is the progress report:  After two weeks of potty training he is now going potty every 45-60 mins (and occasionally slightly longer) he wears a pull-up while he sleeps, although his naptime pull-up is starting to be dry when he wakes up.  He will go #2 in the toilet if I can magically sense that he needs to go and I wait with him on the toilet for about 30 minutes.  There has been an instance or two when he has told me that he needed to go potty (haaaaallelujah!!) and luckily he didn't have any accidents during church on Sunday because I was really worried about that.
So really, he has been doing a great job, I think I just didn't understand before we started on this little journey of potty training that in the beginning, it requires more discipline of the potty trainer (me) than the potty trainee.  And also that it would be nice if all toilets had a built in peepee teepee to stop the "over-spray" if you will.  I can not tell you how many outfit changes we've had to do because of that one.  Over all, I am happy with his progress and I'm glad to have him out of diapers just in time for Sophie's new solid-food diapers to start getting heinous.  I love my kiddos!

Update

What would an update be without a few pictures of Sophie? She turns 5 months old tomorrow and it is making me hyperventilate a little.  She is such a happy baby and such a good girl.  What can we say, we're crazy about her! 

 We finished our basement at the beginning of October right before Sophie was born but I don't think I ever posted pictures so here it is.  It has been a huge lifesaver to have a space to hangout with the kids and as a family.  I also teach my little singing classes down there and it's perfect.  Thanks to all who helped us finish it!

 Brock is now my little puzzle boy.  One morning he was playing really quietly in his room and I went in and saw him putting together this puzzle all by himself.  Ever since then he's been obsessed with doing puzzles.  Now he can finish this whole puzzle by himself- and fast!  When he wakes up from his nap he always says, "C'mon Momma, build a puzzle!"  I love puzzles too so it's fun for us to do together. :)

 Luke and Brock going out sledding in the back yard.  Luke doesn't get home from work until after it's already dark outside so it's freezing outside but somehow boys don't get cold when they're out playing.  Spring is coming and I'm excited for it to stay lighter a little later so they can keep playing outside together without freezing!

 "Granty Pants" as Brock calls him, or now, "Elder Pants" entered the MTC last week.  You would think after sending two other brothers on missions it would get a little easier but it was rough!  They don't let you go inside the MTC anymore, it's just a curbside drop-off now.  We went to Brick Oven with everyone and then stopped off at the temple for pictures and saying goodbye.  Let's just say there was no shortage of tears.

This picture could make me bawl.  Brock absolutely adores Grant and Granty has been such a good friend to Brocko.  It was hard trying to explain to Brock that he wouldn't see Granty for 2 years so he needed to say goodbye.  Of course he didn't understand.  I just hope he doesn't forget about his good buddy.  Granty will be an incredible missionary, we are certain of that, and we will miss him so much.  I'm so grateful to the men in Brock's life for being a good example to him and serving full time missions.  I can't even imagine what it will be like sending Brock on a mission.  Luckily I don't have to worry about that for a few more years.  Love you Granty, we miss you already!

Christmas a month late!

Here's a few pictures of Christmas.  I think I must have lost my camera on Christmas day and not found it until a week later because we have no pictures of the Black's while they were here!  Bummer!!

It was so fun to have them here in Utah...Brock and Porter had so much fun and were instant buds.  It was great to have my older sister around, I miss her so much!!  We had a great Christmas and a great week after with family and attending Grant's endowment.  So cool.  We love our families!!

 Jace, Izzy, Gabe, Brocko, Kinks in their matching Christmas jams :)

 I might have already posted this?  This is them in their matching Christmas church clothes on Sophie's blessing day!

 Brocko reading his new stories on Christmas morning.  He was so excited.

 Brock and Soph on Christmas morning.  I love that Brock couldn't even take his eyes off of his toys for two seconds to take a picture.  At least he's saying cheese though.

 Sweet Soph in her beauty jammies :)

This was the day after Christmas.  She is such a smiley girl it's so fun!

In case you forget...

here's a beautiful reminder

Happy New Year!!