4 Years of Pure Joy

Has it really been 4 years already?!?!? Liam has been such a joy in our lives. I still think of the time when he was a new born, how new parenting was and the instant bond I felt with the boy who stole my heart (in a different way then his daddy :). I relate to Liam. I understand the way he thinks and acts. When people take the time to get to know him they all seem to have a soft spot for this amazing little boy. He has a love for life like no one else I know. He is excited about everything and anything. He loves people. He really loves his family. I love watching the way he takes care of his little sister. The other day at the store I watched the two of them walk with their arms around each other. They did it all on their own and walked the whole way like that. I will never forget during the Primary Program at church they invited the nursery kids (Layla) to come up and sing a song. Liam hugged his sister the whole time with such a content smile on his face. She screamed when the song was done and she had to come down. She was crying for her brother. She admires him. I can see why, so do I.
When I think of his third year I will think of:
- Pirates, Pirates and more Pirates
- Backyardagins
- His, I am trying to act like I am sad face
- The way he watches out for his little sister
- His loud voice
- The way he draws (this boy really does have talent)
- The way he loves his Aunties and Grandparents
- How he jumps out of bed every morning bright and early ready to start the day with a smile on his face
- How he loves to talk like a born again Christian. The other day we were walking into church and with a fake smile on his face he said, "There are sure a lot of cars here today. That means we are going to really feel the Holy Spirit!"
- When he might be in trouble he asks, "Do you want me to tell the truth?" and he always does
- The way he has grown to LOVE babies. He is always so drawn to them.

The list could go on and on. I hope Liam will one day understand the amount of love we feel for him and his sister. At one point in my life I would have said I hope to give my kids everything they want, that they may be a super star at the different activities they are a part of. But the longer I parent the more I seem to realize all I want is for him to grow up to be a person who loves our savior and through that love is a true disciple of Christ. I hope he will take the time to think of others long before himself, I hope that he will be a man of integrity, I hope he will be slow to judge and quick to forgive, I hope he will surround himself around good people reaching for the same goals, I hope he wont be consumed with the material things of this world always trying to fit in,  I hope that he will continue to do all of these things he already does so well.  All of those things are characteristics that make him who he is. In Mosiah 3:19 it reads, "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." I hope to be like Liam one day. He helps me put my life in perspective. I just hope I can return the love and example he is to me. I sure do have a lot to live up to. We love you Liam more then words can say.

 Yup another Pirate Party...  He had a blast and It was his big day :)

Gotta Love Them

Mom and Dad from Cheyenne came in for a few days last week. We LOVED having them here. Every time they come I have a million wonderful things to say about two of the best people I know. What a honor it is to be a part of the Perriton family.
Mom and I were able to go to the "Voice Mail" concert. It was so fun and neat to watch. We even attempted doing our own voice mail on our way to the lights the next night. That lasted about 5 seconds. It was still fun and one of those things I will never forget :)
Love you guys!

To Cool for School

Liam had his Christmas program this past week. He loves Preschool more then anything. Well maybe not pirates but it's a close call. I hear him sing the songs at home constantly. We go to the program and this is what we get... It was still super cute!

Christmas PARTY!!!

My friend Trisha and I threw a Christmas party this year. I think we have a new tradition. Thanks to all who came and those who couldn't make it we hope to see you next year:)

It's BACK...

I am openly admitting that I am a lazy Mom. It's fine and I feel great.
Yup, the pacifier is back. It was almost two weeks. She didn't even ask for it. I did... She only has it in her bed. We went from napping every day and into bed by 8 to no naps and asleep by 11 if we were lucky (we could hear her jumping on her bed and singing batman). I have NO IDEA how this girl has functioned on such little sleep in her life. She is a lot more sassy when she goes with out sleep. We like to call her teenager. She loves to go to bed late and just keeps sleeping in the morning. We go and try to wake her and she turns her back to us. So after not much thought a few days ago when it was 11pm and all I could hear is her bouncing on her bed and the song to "Diego"/"Batman" for the hundredth time I just walked in there gave it to her she laid down twirled her hair and went to sleep.
To make myself feel better I like knowing she can fall asleep with out it if she ever needed to and she only sees her pacifier when it time to sleep. Once she is asleep we go in there and take it out (if we remember).

Still Young Enough to Party!





It was my Dad's birthday this last Saturday. We had a ton of fun eating out, eating pie, and an intense game of UNO. Apparently in the past 55 years my Dads life he hasn't praticed playing UNO much. Happy Birthday Dad! I am sure this year will be wonderful you.

Something is Missing...

The pacifier got the boot. It has been a week and it was much harder on me then Layla. She had one melt down and we then explained to her that the fairies took it and replaced it with a little doll from our new favorite movie, Tangled. She has done well for the most part. She always asks us to draw a picture of her. When we are done she takes the pen and draws a circle around her mouth and calls it her pacifier. Sometimes when she gets really sad/mad she mentions that she wants her pacifier to help comfort.  It would be like someone taking away my sweets cold turkey whenever I am stressed. Other then that she really has done great. As for me I am a mess, not really but close. She hardly ever twirls her hair and naps are a thing of the past. I will do it for the sake of her teeth (we could really tell it was effecting them). Considering I don't know the last time I went to the dentist (yes, I will admit that) we better do all we can to take care of our family's pearly whites.

Santa, Nice but Scary

I was really wanting to focus this Christmas a lot more on our Savior. We thought we would take the kids early so we didn't have to worry about it later. I guess we need to try a little harder on having our focus be more on Christ because later Liam asked me, "So is Santa coming or Jesus?"... Whoops. Or we have the other extreme. I am pretty sure Layla thinks Santa is more scary then the Grinch. We asked her if she wanted to see him and she just kept saying, "I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared." Hence the reason there is no picture of her with the big man. Then, yesterday we were walking out of a store and all the sudden Layla was holding super tight to me and trying to be as close as possible. We were right next to a statue of Santa. I laughed so hard. I loved on Despicable Me when he said, "He's nice but he's scary like Santa." There is a lot of truth in that.

Blizzard 2010... Still Waiting :)

As people flew out of town to beat the huge storm, we decided it would be best to stay put. I woke up the next morning thinking I would see a mountain of snow. I am pretty sure there was still some grass poking through the snow. Well we hurried and took advantage of the snow before it all melted. The kids loved it.

Give Thanks

We had a pretty low key Thanksgiving this year. Our little family and my Dad. I did cook the WHOLE entire Thanksgiving dinner from start to finish. That was fun :) We ended the day with watching Disney's, "Tangled". It is Disney at its best. The whole family loved it. It was nice to relax this year but I do hope next year to have a ton of family around for Thanksgiving. It just seems wrong sometimes that family doesn't live near to one another. One day....

As I sit back I realize how much I have to be grateful for. Although things may not always go as you would have planned, we seem to realize through those trials who we truly are. We seem to recognize blessings we may have never noticed.

I have no idea what was wrong with me this summer (health wise) whatever it was I was very scared andthe way I felt physically is hard to put into words. I am overwhelmed with the love and concern I had from some of my dearest friends and family. My sweet Mom was always so concerned, My Cheyenne Mom came and helped for a whole week, My Dad was so helpful in getting me the best help possible, April was always there to talk to all day everyday, Tara, Steve, and Trisha were always there to help with questions, Summer was someone I knew I could talk to and she would understand. The list continues with family (these are just a few of the many that were of strength to me). My dear friends Aubrey, Brooke, Samantha and Haleene showed such concern and such a willingness to help (also more names to mention). I wanted to feel better just so I could give thanks and payback the huge amount of love I felt from family and friends. I hope to never be in that situation again, that's the truth, but I would NEVER take back what happened. Over those few moths I came to learn so much. Obviously, I really realized what a blessing my family and friends are. For every hurtful person we may come across in this life, the lord blesses us with a dozen good :) I was reminded how important personal prayer really is. We have a loving Father in Heaven and Savior Jesus Christ who know and understand us. When we are willing and ready to really open up to them our prayers will be answered according to their will. If it is not our own will, they will help us understand what we are going through and give us the comfort we need through some of our toughest times. I know the comfort of the Holy Ghost is real. I know it is so important to be worthy of that comfort. The biggest lesson I learned through that trial was the power of faith and the Priesthood. I know when Josh placed his hands on my head to give a blessing he was truly inspired to say the things he did. He talked about the amount of faith that would be necessary for me to be healed. It was months later when I truly realized what amount of faith that meant. Even though I thought I was having faith throughout the whole ordeal it wasn't until one hard night where I felt a humility, a meekness, and amount of faith I cant put into words. I woke up the next morning to virtually no pain, no rash, no fatigue, my blood pressure that week climbed back to what was normal for me. My husband through all of that truly was the biggest support. As I watch him struggle to keep his head out of water in this economy and provide for our little family he showed such concern for me.  Everything in his life as busy as he was, was put on hold so he could come home, clean, take care of the kids, do LITERALLY everything. He didn't belittle the way I was feeling. I am embarrassed to say that for the first time in our marriage, I realized how truly amazing he really is and how much I need him in my life. He is a man of great spiritual strength and a eagerness to help that strength grow which most of us (yes, I'm guilty) forget to nurture and aid in growth. Through his willingness and devotion to the gospel I have seen such a blessing in our family's home. We aren't perfect as a family by any means, but when I take a step back and realize where we were at the beginning of our marriage to now I am overwhelmed with gratitude for where we stand today. It has required a huge amount of humility that most pride would destroy. I love you Josh and thank you for who you are and who you continue to become each and every day. I know your gifts will be a great strength to many through out your life.

I am so grateful for my two children who I love dearly. I can't begin to express how grateful I am to have them here on this earth with me healthy and happy. What a gift that is. I know life can change in flash and I thank the lord each night for blessing me with my children. 

I am eternally grateful for the parents out there who have lost a child or have a child with a disability (most of whom I don't even know). Through their strength, integrity, faith, and love they teach me how much harder I need to try in this life.  I truly believe that people who are placed with the most difficult of trials and approach them with great faith in our Savior are the most righteous people on this earth. I once had a boy in my high school who suffered from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome tell me as I went to comfort him after watching him be teased, "Marcie, I sometimes get mad at what my Mom did to me but I know God put me on this earth to help people realize what a blessing their life is. If that is what I am here for, I am happy to do it!" Even though he wasn't of my faith I truly believe what he said applies to everyone everywhere. So thank you to those who face some lives hardest trials each day. I wish you can and do understand what inspiration you are to those around you.

I am grateful for the blessings we have experienced in this economy. I know we aren't alone when we see the effect it has had on our little family. It would be so nice to wake up in the morning and have a great sense of financially security. But life has been put into perspective this past year or two. I needed that. I also have seen the lords tender mercies as we try to get by. It really was a miracle Josh sold his truck in just a few days. There are a TON of trucks that have been trying to sell for months but we sold his right away. I am so grateful we were able to rent our Town home out so quickly we were very nervous. My neighbor came by with a whole turkey the other day she got for a great deal. I wanted to cry. It was one less thing I had to worry about. The list goes on and on. I know all of these things are the blessings of a honest tithe. It seems so small to pay a ten percent tithe when you realize the blessings you receive by doing it faithfully.

So to sum it all up I am grateful for good health, the priesthood, family, friends, people who help me be a better person, tithing, and my husband... My attitude towards all of these was strengthened greatly this past year. I guess it is safe to say, I am also grateful for my tials as small as they may be.

Christmas Ideas

Lets face it, we buy our kids tons of toys and they only end up playing with 1 or 2 of the many toys they have. So here is my question... What are the 1 or 2 your kids play with? We are keeping Christmas very small this year and the years to come. We realized after last few years there was no point in the many presents, I think it was more for me then my kids. Plus, I hate the thought of my kids getting almost everything they ask for I know that isn't healthy. I want to make the few they get really count. What do your kids love and what do you love? I tag you to leave a comment, make your own blog post, etc. of some of your favorite things. Here are a few of my FAVORITE toys and things for me. Why do I love them? Because they keep my kids busy so I can get a thing or two done. I couldn't live with out:

We love our Doodle Pro. We do need one for each kid. They can't really both play with it at the same time. We can take it places and not worry about losing it. There is no clean up and everyone loves it. We have tried the cheaper one and they broke and dont worry nearly as well as the nice. Spend the extra few dollars for the name brand.





When kids come over this is the hot toy! I love it for fine motor skills. They are made by Fisher Price's TRIO line. They come in girl colors as well. We make swords, people, dinosaurs, hooks, and the list continues out of our snapping blocks. Girls and Boys love these and every kid that comes over plays with these.



I love b12 it has helped me so much with gross I know but PMS and energy. I haven't used this brand but if you go to a vitamin store they can help you find one. You will notice a difference your first cycle.



I LOVE THIS CD!!! My kids do as well. Not annoying at all. Adults love it, kids love it.  My new two favorite songs are on this CD.





I love this work out video. It is quick, hard and totally doable with little one running around or if you don't have a lot of time. You will notice results for less then 30 min a day. There are 3 different work outs on the video. You can get it as cheap as $5 on line.

 

Tag your it. I should of done this a week ago so I could have some ideas prior to Black Friday... I guess what I am saying is the sooner you post the better. I hope some of these ideas are helpful to you!

Goodbye Old Guy

Bitter-Sweet, we sold the truck. Bitter for Josh and Sweet for me. In car years, this poor guy was getting a bit old (14 years). I know it wasn't easy for Josh to say goodbye.  Apparently it doesn't matter if the paint is peeling, 12 miles to gallon (not to mention he commutes an hour each day), leaks oil, etc. A guy likes having his truck. The argument always comes up that we need a truck (or other people need to use our truck) I counted a total of 3 times we "needed" the truck. Perhaps it is the peace of mind? I am grateful we sold it because we should save money on gas. I will admit, I was excited that Josh drove a truck when we met (weird I know, it reminded me of my Grandpa). Maybe that is why guys love it, it is a chick magnet. Either way, Josh was a great sport and sold it quickly. He rebuilt the truck with his dad (it had a salvage title) and I know it meant a lot to him. Any how. I thought I would post pictures. It will be one of those cars you never forget.
Liam asked where Daddy's truck is I told him we sold it he then said, "Ohhh that is sad Daddy had the thing for like 20 years!".

Feliz Cumpleanos Layla!!!




The Birthday Girl

 

Opening Presents

He already took off the head. Now he is after the candy.

I am sure Jace helped prepare for when his bigger brother Carson broke the pinata. He is so cute!

One of Layla's favorite peope, Auntie Tara. There is no where she would rather be then sitting right next to her Auntie.

Even though Layla has only been here for two short years I can't help but wonder how we ever had a life with out her.. She has brought so much joy and taught us so much in this short time. Layla personality has kept us on our toes. I will never know someone as determined, passionate, sweet, and as strong willed as her. Her laugh is contagious. She can be such a ham. When I think of Layla I think of:

-Her twirling her hair

-The way she always says "I love you". She waits until she really connects with someone and then will go out of her way to go tell them in her muffled pacifier voice, "I love you"

-Her pacifier

-How much she LOVES her brother

-The way she closes her eyes to fall asleep

-How she always makes sure her hair is done

-What a hard little worker she is

-Hey hieroglyphics (she will sit and fill a paper with all of these tiny symbols when she draws)

-Her feet scooting across the floor as she flys by on her three wheeler

-How much she smothers Panther our cat

There is so much I admire about her personality. We have all heard the saying, "The harder you work the bigger your reward!". Layla is a perfect example of this. I have met very few babies/toddlers with this strong of a personality. I am so grateful she has it. I would describe it as Passionate. Some of the hardest moments and feelings I have had my life have involved parenting. But the reward of doing your best and doing it right far exceeds the low moments. The reward of parenting really can't be put into words.

Layla completes are family. She is strength to us all. I can't wait to watch as her personality continues to grow and blossom into someone I know will be truly amazing. We love you Layla, thank you for being a part of our family.