Behind Once Again

So every time I get an opportunity to update, I never take it. I always do something else. Oh well, its only been a month. But so much has happened, once again. We had a wonderful Conference weekend. Love hearing from those wonderful men and women!

Easter was super fun this year. We did baskets for the first time and Ethan thought it was pretty cool. Brayden didn't really care. All he wanted was the basket to destroy. We went to Brian's parents' house Saturday for a yummy dinner and a super fun Easter egg hunt. Ethan loved it! Sweet Aunt Emily took him around, searching for all his eggs. Brayden had all his eggs out in the open and he LOVED putting the eggs in his basket. That kid loves to pick things up. Hopefully that continues as he gets older. Sunday was great. We went to church and the kids were awful! So I ended up taking them home to take naps while Brian taught his class. We then headed down to my mom's and Doug's to have some dinner and visit with my family. A few of my new siblings were there, so that was fun to get to know them a little better. Easter is one of my favorite holidays because of the reason for it. I always watch whatever little video the Church puts out that year for it. It helps me to stop and think of Christ and His sacrifice He made for us all. What a great holiday to have!

This last week wasn't so great. Brian had a last minute trip he took to Vegas for work. He left Tuesday morning and by Tuesday night, I was throwing up like crazy. I caught the flu and my boys both had miserable colds. Wednesday was a very long day but my sweet mother-in-law stopped by to see us and I was able to take a shower. It was so nice and I felt so much better being clean! I don't think she realizes how much that meant to me. She is seriously one of the sweetest, most thoughtful women I know.

We all three started feeling better Thursday and Brian got home around 1 a.m. Friday morning. We went to our neighbor's house Friday night for dinner and a game. It was fun to get to know them better. They have two boys as well, same ages as ours. It was fun to see all four of them going crazy, having fun.

Saturday was a wonderful day. Once again, Lorie was super thoughtful and invited us to join them for dinner and the temple while Emily would watch the boys. I needed that visit to the temple so much. It is the one place I can find peace and comfort when I have a week like I did. We had a great evening with great company!

What our boys have been up to:
Ethan is growing like a weed. He is in 4T clothes mostly and he just looks so big to me. He speaks so well  and understands a lot more than I give him credit for. He is continually surprising me with what he picks up and knows. He is so good at his letters and we are working on sounds. He loves to watch TV, which I have to regulate because he would watch all day if I let him. His favorite shows right now are Mike the Knight, Bubble Gubbies, Team Umizoomi, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and Word World. He is seriously the friendliest little kid you've ever met. He is not afraid to talk to anyone and is so kind to strangers. Any little kid he sees is his 'friend' and he has to go play with them. I can't stand how cute he is sometimes. He gets so incredible frustrating sometimes but then he will come hug me and say he loves me and I can't stay mad or frustrated. He is so energetic and full of life! I just love this kid so much!!

Brayden is getting quite the spunky personality. He was such an angel as a baby and is definitely making up for it now. He gets into EVERYTHING he can, which is one reason he cut his finger. Which is doing fabulous by the way. No more bandage and its almost all healed. Yay! Anyway, he is learning so much as well, it blows my mind. He can say a few words, like da, mama, hi, uh oh, and kitty. Most of the time he talks, its all jibberish and I love it! His little voice just makes me so happy. He also knows what puppies and monkeys say. He is so clever and finds a way to climb up on to really anything he wants. He is so stinking cute with his sweet smile and the way he says hi. He now has 6 teeth, which we are so happy are all through. He is not a very good teether. He gets super cranky and clingy. He loves to cuddle still, which makes me very happy. There are times that he won't go to sleep for his nap so I will go in and cuddle him for a minute and he snuggles right in and goes to sleep. I love those moments. I know they are dwindling and I take them any chance I get.

I had to write this blog to remind me why I love being a mother so much. This last week was extremely frustrating and hard. I was so frustrated with being a stay-at-home mom and not ever getting breaks. But writing all these things about my boys has made me remember why I love it so much. They are the light of my life. They are the reason I am who I am. They are my everything. I love them so much! I hope they get that feeling of love more than the frustration. I love being a mother and wouldn't trade it for anything in this world!