Family Pictures

It has been driving be crazy that since Eli was born, we have very few pictures of our whole family (even just everyday snapshots). I have felt terrible that the family pictures in our house are without Eli. I didn't like that there was a hole in our family pictures now.

I mentioned this to a friend about a month ago and she so thoughtfully said, "then let's go out after church on Sunday and take some." Her and her husband have a nicer camera and just shot a bunch of different pictures for us. There's just not many photographer options in the area...besides Wal-mart and I didn't want to pay for what I knew I didn't want!

All things considering, I think the pictures turned out quite good...we are so thankful these sweet friends were willing to do this for us! And man oh man, taking pictures with a preschooler, a toddler, and a baby is not easy...especially when part of the shoot was by lake!

But now we finally we have some pictures of our Wilde party of 5 in our house...I love it!

Happy (late) Valentines Day!

I love Valentine's Day. Sure some people may say it's just a silly "Hallmark Holiday," but I love that there is a day about LOVE!

I had big plans this year to have some fun decorations around the house, do fun Valentine's crafts with the boys, have heart shaped sandwiches for lunch and a special dinner with some chocolate fondue for dessert...but then life happened. I didn't get everything prepared like I had hoped to. In fact I didn't get anything prepared like I had hoped to. I spent my weekend helping with a Valentine's church party and preparing a talk for stake conference (which was terrifying for me). Then Sunday night poor Grant got sick at 2am and Eli woke up 2 times instead of one in the night...so come Valentine's morning I was a bit "groggy" to say the least and everyday things were needing to be done!

Anyway, I still had the boys in red (because Lincoln told me red is the color for love) and tried to take some pictures...Lincoln still made little Valentine's cards for his little friends...we managed to make heart sugar cookies a couple of days before...and we still had a FHE all about love! No fancy dinner, no fondue, no cute little crafts, even my little Valentine for Brandon wasn't as I had envisioned. But I hope these little boys and their Daddy know how much I love them. I guess it's the everyday things that make up love anyway...the quick kiss to start the day, cleaning up messes, and then cleaning them again, ordinary playtime, kissing "boo-boos" better, my endless piles of laundry...changing an gross amount of diapers...singing songs at naps/bedtime, and then a kiss to end the day too, the simple family dinner!

I love and adore my 3 little guys so much! I really feel so lucky to be their Mother. Being a Mommy is far better than anything I could have imagined. In each of their own little ways they make each day special and so much fun. I love being with them and watching them grow. They are changing and learning new things every second. And man alive that is fantastic, but it drives my crazy! I love having them be all mine and for me to be all theirs. I love these little ones just the way they are.

I love that Lincoln is such a leader. He is independent and caring and protective of his brothers. He is a great friend and loves to have his friends over to play. He always wants to make sure they are comfortable and happy while at our house. He is such a big helper and loves to do his "jobs" around the house. Even without being asked. He has the biggest imagination ever and he is so smart. He remembers what he is learning in preschool, church and FHE. I can't believe he knows how to ride his bike all by himself and already without training wheels, I can't believe he can write his letters and is starting to read, or that he can pour his milk all by himself and have just the right amount. You are amazing Lincoln and I love you so much!

I love that Grant is so funny. He is such a sweet boy and loves to do his own thing but will cuddle with Mommy or Daddy. Grant freely gives kisses and I love it. He has such a funny sense of humor and he likes to make people laugh. He absolutely loves and adores Lincoln (his Ga Ga). He is his little sidekick. When they see each other after not seeing each other (after school, primary/nursery, or even first thing in the morning) he sweetly says, "Hi Ga Ga." And gives him a big hug. He loves his "Lee Li" and is very protective of him. He loves to make Eli smile. He is asking questions right now for the meaning of words. I love it. My favorite has been, "What means love Mommy?" I am amazed that Grant knows his ABCs, his numbers and shapes, and I love when he sings "You Are My Sunshine!" I love when he laughs, I love when he does his silly faces. You always make me smile Grant, I love you so much!

I love that Eli is so calm and peaceful. He is full of love. He smiles at anyone who comes to see him. I absolutely love that when I go to pick him up he starts kicking and reaching for me. I can't seem to get him quick enough. Four months have already flown by. He is already trying to sit up, and he can roll over! He loves to play pat-a-cake and have Lincoln or Grant by him. I love his laugh, I love his baby rolls on his tummy and legs. You make everyday brighter, I love you Eli!

And then there's my Brandon, my number one, my love! As much as I love my little boys, I love their Daddy that much more. I am so amazed and proud of everything he has done/does. I love that when he does something he wants to do it right. He "practices what he preaches" and definitely keeps it real! I love the Daddy that he is. His boys adore him. I love the husband that he is. I am head over heals in love with him. I know that he loves me unconditionally. He encourages me and because of him, I want to do better. He is so supportive of anything I want to do. Even after all this time, I still love when he comes home and am so excited to see him. He makes me laugh. He is my everything. He is my favorite part of anything. My days are better because of him. I love you so much Brandon.

Eli

We decided to have Eli's special blessing day while we were in Utah so that much of our family would be able to share this day with us. Eli was blessed during a special FHE on December 27, 2010 at Gramma and Grampa Wilde's Utah home. It was intimate and perfect.

Brandon gave a powerful blessing to little Eli. Little Eli was able to have his Daddy, his 2 Grandpas, his Great Grandpa Perry, and his uncles Darren, Jon and Greg stand in the circle for him. Eli is such a special boy to us and we are so grateful to have him in our family. He is full of love for anyone and such a happy and peaceful baby. We love you so much Eli!

ELI DAREN WILDE

Daddy.Eli.Mommy

Lincoln.Mommy.Eli.Daddy.Grant

the Wilde brothers

Eli and his 'namesake'...Uncle Darren

Pop Watts.Eli.Gramma Watts

Pop Wilde.Gramma Wilde.Eli

Gramma Watts.Great-Grandpa Perry.Eli.Mommy

Almost all of Shan's family the Sunday before Eli's blessing

Pre Christmas Fun...

Just a few of my favorite snapshot during the Christmas 2010 season,,,

The little ones under the tree...

We took a little family outing on the local Polar Express...

Making Gingerbread cookies...

Merry Christmas!

Goodness! It's about time...it's only a month and a half after Christmas! We had a very Merry Christmas spent with extended family in Utah. It was fun to be able to spend the holiday seeing so much family. From traditional festivities to having a 'Just Dance' party with my family, and making a snowman and doing a puzzle with Pop and Gramma Wilde!

The boys were completely spoiled by Santa...I don't know what he was thinking. I guess those boys were pretty good for 2010! Lincoln and Grant's 'big' presents were Woody, Jessie and Rex from Toy Story (they both are a little obsessed right now) and a train table! Little Eli got his first Teddy Bear and some other little goodies just for him! They were pretty excited about the whole thing.

Tree Cutting...

I don't know if it is the great Colorado mountains that surround us or what, but this year Brandon was determined to cut down our own Christmas tree. Forget the fact that he started mentioning this goal after our artificial tree was put up! With his excitement of relaying the fact that a permit to cut a tree down was only $8 and that the tree opportunity was endless, what else could I do, but help him fulfill this goal?!

We made a family day out of it, and thought maybe we could get a snowy/mountainy Christmas family picture at the same time. So early in December we packed the boys up and headed to the mountains! The boys were excited that they could play in the snow, Brandon was on the hunt for the perfect tree and shaking his head at my choice of boots for the day, and I was busy taking pictures.

While taking pictures, I spotted a tree that I thought would be perfect! Brandon and Lincoln agreed and Brandon started cutting the tree down. Saw #1 broke, but thankfully Brandon is always prepared and went to get saw #2 out of the car. The tree came down, Brandon hauled it to the car...with some help from Lincoln and Grant, and he attached it to the top of the car. We made an attempt at the family pictures, but lighting and a lack of some place to put a self-timer camera made it difficult!

Anyway, we were off - freshly cut Christmas tree and all! Once we got home, Brandon set it up in the play room and we started laughing. The good sized tree in the forest was now a gigantic tree in our house. It was probably 12 - 15 feet! For some crazy reason I never got a picture of it in the house, but thankfully the ceiling in our playroom is high, and thankfully the stand we got to fit a 7 foot tree held our gigantic tree up!

Regardless...it was a fun day and hopefully the start of a fun family tradition!

Love my guys!

So Much To Be Thankful For

This past semester Brandon has had an assignment to teach a class once a month in Grand Junction. For the most part, we all went along for the ride and swam in the pool, played at the park, hung out with my brother Jon and his family, and walked around the mall while Brandon worked!

In November, the weekend to go was just before Thanksgiving. We decided since we were half way to Utah, we would just go the rest of the way and spend the Holiday with family. We were able to stay with my parents and spend time with my brother Greg, my brother Darren and his family, and even a little time with my sister Wendi and her family.

The boys loved seeing their cousins and playing with them, and even sledding at the park thanks to a HUGE snow storm! We did a family home evening while we were there about all of our blessings. Lincoln and Grant helped fill the turkey up with feathers. It was a fun Holiday time!

These 3 guys are some of the greatest blessings in my life.

I love how much they love and are already quite protective of each other...

...and help each other out

(Grant was watching something and wanted to hold Eli. Eli fell right asleep!)

Grant loved playing with his cousin Robbie. These 2 little guys decided to just help themselves to yummy Thanksgiving food. I think they followed each other into the kitchen, they were all alone and just started digging in!

Eli and Elizabeth...cute little cousins, just 2 weeks apart.

Grandma and her "Eli Eli" babies

The boys with Pop after a Thankgiving FHE. Everyone helped put feathers on the turkey by sharing something they were thankful for. We were able to give it lots of feathers!

Someone once said that Thanksgiving is the transitional holiday which brings us from the darkness (of Halloween) to the Light (of Christmas). I liked that thought because as we remember our blessings and the many things we have to be thankful for, we are happier and our lives are moved towards the Light. There are so many things to be thankful for, and as I think about our family's past year I am humbled by the blessings we have received individually and collectively. I am humbled by the service that has been rendered to us. I am humbled as I recognize the Lord's hand and his guidance in our life.