Going, going....

Wait!!! Not yet! I still have so much to catch up on! Here is a quick run-down of the last month or so:

Lauryn turned 8. She, of course, was excited beyond anything - I am still trying to figure out how she got that old so fast. She said that 'all her birthday wishes came true' - thanks to the Zhu Zhu pet, and getting her ears pierced.

She had her birthday party at the pool and had a great time even though the majority of her friends were out of town. From there, it was off to the mall for the much anticipated ear piercing...

I think Brinn was more nervous than she was. She really, really, didn't want to be in the store while it was happening because she didn't want to hear it. This look stayed on her face the entire time!

There they are. Pierced ears. I swear those little earrings made her instantly older. What happened to my little girl - I know she was with me when I brought her into the store... sigh. On the way home, she was just beaming and said, "I sure hope this isn't all a dream!" I think she was pleased with how her birthday turned out.

I had to throw this picture in because it shows all Tay's little chubby rolls. Oh, how I love them! If only fat rolls were just as adorable on me... :-(

We headed to California for a little mountain air and a whole bunch of fun with Cameron's family. We spent a couple of days at the lake where the kids rode in the boat and did a little swimming.

They had these paddle boards and once the kids saw them, they just HAD to have one. We rented one for an hour. They lost interest in about 10 min. It sat on the shore the rest of the time.
Tay enjoyed a little water and a lot of snacks while sitting on the blanket in the shade. Just like his mom. :D

Lauryn and Brinn had a fun time building things in the sand with this little, super friendly little 4 year old. Tay LOVED this little girl - if I didn't know better, I would say he was flirting with her!

Unfortunately, the camera didn't get brought out for the rest of the trip, but we loved being able to celebrate Gavin's second birthday with him. It was nice to finally get to see most of Cameron's siblings - we all live too far away!

Cameron and I celebrated our 12th anniversary. Cameron surprised me with a beautiful diamond heart necklace and a delicious dinner at the Tree Room up at Sundance. It was a wonderful evening!

I loved this picture, not just because it will serve as a reminder that the girls did not fight the entire summer, but because it represents what summer mornings are all about - taking your time, enjoying the morning with no rush to be anywhere - and doing it outside! I am SO going to miss those summer mornings.

We managed to squeak in a few hours of boating. Cameron gets better every time he gets on the board.
Lauryn got right up on the skis - we realized that we never told her what to do when she wanted to stop - she just kept on going and going. We finally had to kill the engine and let her sink! She could have skied all day. Thanks to the Wrides for a fun day at the lake!

This past Saturday, Lauryn was baptized and confirmed. She was so excited for this day, and a little nervous as well. We had some very special moments preparing for this day. I hope it was as a memorable day for her as it was for us.

We were fortunate enough to share it with family - thanks to those who drove hours to support Lauryn and our family. It means so much to us!

And now, despite my loud protests, the backpacks have been hung back up and the alarm clocks are set. Summer is..... Gone.

(sniff sniff)

The summer is flying by and we are having a blast! Here's just a sampling of what we have been up to:

We were able to sneak in a fun trip to Lagoon. We were lucky enough to go on a day when the weather was not terribly hot which was great. Brinn was so excited to finally be tall enough to ride a few of the bigger rides. Here she is about to take off on 'Bat' - kind of a dumb ride if you ask me, but to a 5 year old it was the best ever (it always helps when you are in the front seat)!

I had not been to Lagoon in years and I was surprised at all the new rides. It was fun to try some of the new attractions and just as fun to ride the ones from my childhood. We all had a great day.

Lauryn had her piano recital and she was thrilled that Nana and Papa were able to stop on their way through town to see her perform. She played "The Dance" and "Supercalifragilistic". She did a great job and this year tied another student for the most perfect songs. She is determined to not share that title again next year.

The kids have been pretty good at playing with each other and keeping each other entertained. Tay really does love to be around his sisters. They are a big help to me!

For one week Lauryn was enrolled in Rad Kids which is a child safety/self defense class. She loved it and performed really well in the simulated abduction. We have some great video of her yelling, kicking, headbutting, etc. her principal from school (he was playing the 'bad guy'). It was a great class and we highly recommend it to all kids.

For the 4th of July, my parents ward had their traditional bike parade and breakfast. The kids love decorating their bikes and throwing candy to those watching. Almost all the cousins were in town and we had a great time spending the rest of the day with them.

In the evening we went to the Airmet gathering. It was great to see most of my cousins from the Airmet side - it has been a long time since we have all been together. Everyone had a great time talking, creating new sports (soccer volleyball), and driving my uncles vintage car. We always have a great time whenever we are with them!

Then it was off to watch fireworks. No big ones in the park this year :-( But, since it was quite chilly, it was a great excuse to snuggle with my squirrels! :D
This is one of Camerons favorite things about summer - lighting off fireworks. He (and Adam) put on a great show for us all.

Tay is now 6 months and just had his doctors appointment -(my pediatrician in California gave us this great little booklet that they would record all the kids stats and info in... here they just scribble it on a piece of paper that inevitably gets thrown into the black hole that is the diaper bag never to resurface... So I am putting them on here so there is some record of them). He weighed in at just a little over 20 pounds (90th percentile) and 28 inches tall (95th percentile). He is healthy and strong and cute as ever!

Hope everyone is having a great summer too!

May

Here's what went down in May:

Not really - Tay did not go down. This picture actually cracks me up - Cam was only pretending to be asleep and Tay really looks like he is about to fall off his lap! The timing on that shot was perfect! But there was no time for napping because May was busy, busy...

Tay is growing and growing and so darn cute if I don't say so myself. He is rolling all over the place and is getting so close to sitting by himself. He loves ice water and if you have some you had better be willing to share.

Brinn graduated from Preschool. She will miss her preschool friends - none of them are going to the same school next year - bummer. She knows all 50 states, the Preamble of the Constitution, and she is getting really good at reading and math. I think she is more than ready for Kindergarten.

The girls had their dance recitals - kind of. They take dance at a small studio and I guess there were too many kids that were going to be out of town for the big recital, so they cancelled it and just performed for the parents the last day of class. Kind of a bummer for the girls, but it saved me $150 in costumes. :D I feel a little bad because I guess we never got any still shots of Lauryn's performance - just video. They both did a great job!

Lauryn was a swan in the 2nd grade's production of 'The Ugly Duckling'. The smile on her face says it all - she was SO excited for this play - talked about it for weeks, woke up an hour early the days of the rehearsal and the shows. She had to have 'special' breakfasts those days (blueberry pancakes, eggs, toast... all her favorites on the special plate, of course) so she could perform well. She had one line: "The animals stay clear of that weird guy!" and she was in the special swan dance. She did great, and of course talked about it for days after.

We had a fundraiser auction for the youth programs in our ward - they had a karaoke machine and you could bid to have a youth leader or member of the bishopric perform. Cam had to sing 'You're So Vain' - it was great! I wish they would have paid more so he would have had do dance too. This will be the only time you will hear me say it, but I was so glad that I was released! (I guess everyone there should be glad that I was released too!) He was a good sport about it and in the end came home with a round of golf, a photo session, and some yummy giant cookies.

The weather has been horrible (the furnace was on last weekend) and we need it to change quick! We are looking forward to swimming lessons, picnics, camping (maybe) and lots of nice relaxing days... we just need summer to come!

Till We Meet Again

Last week, we buried my sweet Grandma Maxfield. She was the only Grandma I ever knew, and there are so many things I will miss about her - her smile, her laugh, her stories, her food, and how she always had a kiss hello and goodbye for me. She was a special lady, and I was proud to call her Grandma. Our whole family will miss our "Grandma Max" and our visits to her. I love you Grandma- you will be missed greatly!

Her obituary:

VIRGINIA MAXFIELD

Virginia Mackay Maxfield 1929 ~ 2010 Virginia Mackay Maxfield passed away, surrounded by her family, on Saturday, May 29, 2010. Virginia was born on November 19, 1929, in Murray, Utah to Harold Moses Mackay and Ruth Hintze Mackay. She was the youngest of six children. She was raised in Bennion/ Taylorsville, Utah. She attended Granite High School and the University of Utah. She married Shirley Lewis Maxfield on April 28, 1948, in the Salt Lake Temple. They were the parents of three children and settled in Murray, Utah, where they resided for over 40 years. In 1995 they moved to Star Valley, Wyoming, where they enjoyed some of the happiest years of their lives. When Shirl passed away in 1999, Virginia moved to Midvale, Utah, to be near her family. Virginia was beautiful, intelligent, and talented. She excelled in her love of oil painting, quilting, sewing, and gardening. She had a beautiful voice and enjoyed singing in Church choirs and productions. She loved reading and thoroughly enjoyed watching movies. She had a fun sense of humor and loved to laugh. Virginia will most be remembered, however, for her excellent cooking skills -through which she showed her love to dear ones. She was famous for her excellent homemade pies, rolls, and chocolate chip cookies. Virginia worked in the Murray School District school lunch program for many years. She later worked for AT&T from 1976-1986. She served in church organizations and in the Salt Lake County Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary. She was president of the Western Fire Chiefs Association Ladies Auxiliary. Virginia is survived by her three children: Linda (Dave) Airmet, Sandy; R. Jeffery (Kathy) Maxfield, Draper; and Sharon (Lee) Westover, Murray. She is also survived by 12 grandchildren, 23 great-grand-children, (with one more on the way), and one sister, Evelyn (Allen) Frandsen, Centerfield, Utah. Preceded in death by her husband, parents, brothers Gordon, Harold, Everett, and sister Donna McGarry. Virginia will be interred at the Murray City Cemetery. Virginia's family would like to express their appreciation to the Wentworth Assisted Living Center at Willow Creek for their tender, loving care. Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m. Thursday, June 3, 2010 at the Jenkins-Soffe Mortuary, 4760 S. State St. Viewing Wed. evening from 6-8:00 p.m. and Thurs. from 10-10:45 a.m. at the Mortuary. Interment Murray City Cemetery.

"Happy Mothers Day You Moron"

Nice title I know, and I don't really mean it. Well, the Happy Mothers Day part I do - not the moron part. I am NOT calling all the moms out there 'morons'. Promise. I am not really sure where it came from or why we say it, but everyone in my family has been saying that phrase every Mothers Day for years. (Oh, and you have to say it with a thick Boston accent). If anyone in the family would like to enlighten me about this tradition, please feel free.

I had a wonderful mothers day- thanks to my 3 little sweeties and a great husband. I was spoiled with breakfast in bed, gifts, and lots of hugs and kisses! Everyone made my day so special! Thank you, thank you!

Earlier this week, I was reading a blog of a mother of teens who was writing about some of the struggles she is facing raising her kids. My heart was breaking for her, she was trying so hard and seemed to be making no progress. It made me reflect on my own kids, and what a wonderful stage of motherhood I am in right now - Lauryn is so eager to help and learn, and she will talk and tell me everything. Brinn will still come snuggle in my lap, pick me flowers, and always has a smile and a kiss for me. They both are constantly making me cards and love notes or pictures drawn in my favorite colors. They are not embarrassed by me (yet!) and really want to be with me. They are so excited to surprise Cam and I, or please us in any way. They are trying so hard to be good. Tay will give me giant smiles whenever I go get him out of bed and the way he holds on to my fingers when I feed him melts my heart. I really am blessed beyond words. I don't want this stage to end! I don't know how much longer it will last, but I am going to try and enjoy every minute of it. Thank you squirrels for making me so happy - for making me a mom!

Easter

Maybe someday I will get caught up on this blog... (sigh)

Here are some pictures from Easter:

We had a busy Easter break filled with lots of cousins... the girls were able to visit the zoo with their cousins Allie, Emily, and Amanda from Boise. They were so excited because the zoo is one of my least favorite places (especially in the cold) so they actually got to go, and I was excited because I got to stay home with this cute guy:
(OK so this picture was taken a week or two ago, but it got stuck in here out of order so I am going with it...) Tay is getting so big - he just had his 4 month appointment last week and is in the 90th percentile for weight and height (17 lbs, 26 inches) and still has a tiny head. That has been all my kids - big chubby bodies, tiny little head! We were so excited to get this picture of him smiling because he seriously will stop smiling, laughing, talking, (basically he stops being cute) EVERY time we pull the camera out. Little stinker. The girls are so cute with him, Brinn has nicknamed him "baby wonson" - because she "likes the way it sounds". They are still constantly wanting to hold him and help out - I hope it lasts!

But I digress - lets get back to Easter...

Nana and Papa were here for General Conference and it was great to see them as well as our Logan cousins for the weekend. If only the weather had been nicer... and if only i had taken my camera out! We love spending holidays with family! We are so thankful to those of you travelled to be with us! Thank you!

Taylor

Our little guy is getting so big - he had his 2 month doctors appointment and weighed in at 12 lbs 13 oz and 24 inches. He is growing so fast and getting the chubbs that I love! He is usually pretty content and happy, however, he doesn't like to smile for the camera, and he absolutely hates the computer and T.V. I guess he knows that our attention goes to the screen, and not him :D He loves to 'chat' with me, follows Cameron around (with his eyes, of course) very carefully, and seems to be easily entertained by his sisters. We sure love our Baby Tay!
This past Sunday was Taylor's blessing. He wore the same outfit that Cameron (and his brothers) wore when they were blessed. If we had waited another week, the little outfit would not have fit - it was a tight squeeze getting it on him. But he looked so cute in it!

We were very fortunate to have so many family members come for the blessing. It was a full house, but we are grateful to each and every one of them for helping celebrate Taylor and his special day!

Are You Smarter Than a Second Grader?

(I may be proving to you all what you have suspected for some time about me - that I am not the brightest crayon in the box - by posting this, but I am taking a chance...)

Lauryn is in 2nd grade and comes home with the most bizarre spelling words. Usually out of the 25 words on the list, she has heard maybe 4 or 5 of the words before, and actually knows what maybe 2 or 3 of them mean. I have usually heard of 20 of the words (the other 5 I swear are made up - they just take the root word and add a different ending on them - like obsolete and obsolescent), and I have actually used 3 to 5 of the words before. (Probably only once though - on a day when I was feeling extra intellectual - those days are quite rare). And, every week, there is at least one word that I have no idea what it means, how to spell it or how to even pronounce it! I call them the "mystery words".

This weeks mystery spelling words are: perspicacity and perspicacious.

So, apparently I am not smarter than a 2nd grader.

I knew the day would come when I realized that my kids were smarter than me - I just didn't expect it to happen at age 7! Am I the only one that thinks these words are a little weird for a 2nd grader? And, tell me the truth, do you know what they mean? (without googling them like I did?)

You do? Sorry. I warned you, I am not very perspicacious.

What we've been up to...

Much to her mothers dismay, Brinn turned 5! She loved getting to have 4 birthday celebrations - it was a party all week! She loved having a luau party complete with a bunny cake, and loved that she got to "eat her nose" at Nana's house (Nana got her one of those cakes with her picture on it). We love our Brinnybop!

Cameron took the girls to California and Disneyland for a week. They loved every minute of it!
They were especially excited to be able to have Nana and Papa join them for a few hours each day.
This is one of 16 rides they took on Space Mountain. Apparently the rain scared away most people, so the parks were not crowded at all. No lines at all. If you don't mind a little rain, January is the time to go.

We have been enjoying this little guy. He is growing so fast! For the most part he is a very content baby. We all sure love him!

He's here!

We are so excited to finally introduce Taylor David! We welcomed him on January 5, 2010 at 12:19 pm to be exact, weighing in at 7lbs 8 oz and 20 inches. So, for the three of you that actually still check this blog, here are some pics, in no particular order:

Lauryn and Brinn just can't get enough of their new brother. They are having a hard time calling him by his name, they still refer to him as L.B.B (short for Little Baby Brother) which is what they called him the whole pregnancy. So far, Taylor doesn't mind.

At first sight, both Cameron and I thought he looked a lot like Lauryn did when she was born, but as the swelling has gone down we are noticing he looks very similar to Brinn. And yes, he inherited that famous Airmet dimpled chin... I don't think he stood a chance of not getting it!

True to Nichols fashion, this baby is bald too - I am still quite surprised at how blond he is! I guess I was expecting a darker haired baby. He is adorable!
We are so glad that he arrived safely and healthy. And quickly :D He came so fast he was almost born without us knowing! That epidural was on mega dose! It took me over 6 hours to be able to move my feet again. Not fun.

I think we are all in love with this little guy! We are thrilled to have him join our family!