1 month and some thoughts.

Time is gong way too fast. As I'm posting these 1 month pics....sweet Tildy is actually almost 2 months.  She is a little sweetheart and such a welcome addition to our family. I love her bright eyes and how she has a furrowed little brow a lot of the time. It is almost as if she is concerned about what that brother of hers might do next...it concerns me too, Tildy :). Although, he does love you. All day he asks, "Where's Tildy, Mom?" and when you cry, "Tildy sad, Mom. I go get her." So he may be rough around the edges, but he sure loves you...just like the rest of us.

Some days I feel overwhelmed by the thought that I am in charge of these three little human beings. The transition to three kids has been busy and exhausting...but it is pictures like this that remind me it is all worth it. I love these kiddos...and I love this picture of them. Hank is being his silly self, Ruby is being her sweet, helpful self, and Tildy is hoping for a nap. After looking at this picture tonight, I hope to have more patience and less frustration with my kids. Life is going too fast not to slow down and enjoy them. They won't be little forever and one day a clean and orderly house will seem way over-rated compared to the joyful chaos of these three youngsters ruling my world. 

Henry Scott turned two!

And he was not pleased...at all.

Seriously, he had a blast!

In true Hank form, we had a little Buzz Lightyear swim party to celebrate. Thanks to our great families for coming and spoiling our little man. He really did enjoy himself. For Hank, nothing is better than Buzz, pizza, swimming, a beach ball, and birthday candles.

We sure love this little man...wildness and all! My favorite thing is putting him to bed at night and after telling him "I love you, Henry" having him say through his binky, "I lub you, mommy." Makes all the crazy moments from the day disappear. He wears two well!

Happy "two august" my little Hank!

Who needs gifts when you have Buzz and gang Pez? 

And a special thanks to my assistant party planner. Putting the party together would not have been nearly as much fun without Ruby's help. She was so excited for Hank's party and even more excited to give him her gift. She wanted to get him a dreamlite because Hank likes hers. We went to Walmart together and picked it out. Such a sweetheart.

This little Hank of mine.

Hank always has a ball with him. Everyday he hands me his shoes and asks to go outside to play with his "boop" (hoop). He would shoot baskets all day long if I let him. And when he gets done practicing his shots, he puts the ball on the ground, pushes me against the wall, and kicks the ball to me. "Sotter" he says. If I go inside for a second, he whines until I come back out either to watch or pass the ball with him. Although it is April, some mornings our winter coats are still needed.

And although Hank is all boy...this kid loves his blankets and binkie like nobody's business. After some morning errands this is where I found Hank...asleep on the floor after trying to pull his blanket from the crib. For whatever reason, he must have both blankets. 

Last week, Hank was sick all week and after two trips to the pediatrician...we finally found that pesky ear infection delaying his recovery. (I had ear infections all the time as a child...I'm starting to think Hank is following suit.) He had a rough time sleeping and found his way into our bed many a night. Most nights, he kept requesting the "toutch" "show" and "buzz". He just wanted to sleep on the couch and watch a show...specifically Toy Story. This quickly turned into a bad habit which has now been nipped in the bud. It was hard to say no to his cute little face and high pitched requests. 

Hank is also loving Go, Dog, Go! Just like Ruby. (This was one of my favorites as a child as well. My dad still talks about me saying, "It's a dog party!"). Surprisingly, Hank will sit through the entire story. 

I sure love this kid. Tantrums and all. Just the other day I wouldn't give him a treat at the grocery store so he had to run away full force until he found a caution cone to kick. This type of thing happens whenever he gets mad. I find it hard not to laugh. But on the other hand, he melts my heart when I hear his sweet "pease" when he wants a bottle of milk and then says "tay too" after I give it to him. Or watching him sleep so peacefully after a long day of playing hard. I also won't forget the smile that spread across his face when I picked him up from nursery a few Sundays back. He was so glad to see me...and I felt so lucky to be the mom that got to scoop him up and take him home. 

 Friday date night...

...with this handsome dude.

Hugh had a BYU soccer game and Miss Ruby has been feeling sick almost the whole week, leaving the night wide open for Hank and me. Initially, I was pretty bummed about the way our night seemed to be shaping up. After having to cancel our fun filled day...easter egg dying with cousins, time with cousin Gwen, and a birthday party for one of Ruby's new "Pleasant Grove" friends as she would say, I felt like maybe we could make dinner with my Dad and sisters to celebrate McCall's birthday. Needless to say, after a long week, I have been looking forward to getting out of the house. But, as the night went on, it was clear that Roo wasn't feeling up for leaving. (I have now realized how selfish I was to be so bummed about the change of plans when Ruby is feeling so rotten.) After watching a few Disney shows, Ruby appeared to be snuggled up in bed for the night at 7pm.

After playing outside on our balcony for most the night, I persuaded Hank to come in for some pizza. So there we sat, just the two of us, enjoying a Costco frozen pizza. And suddenly, all my disappointment about the day and night disappeared and I felt so fortunate to be sitting at the table with my little Hank. The second I brought the camera out he said "cheese" with a mouthful of cheese pizza. So fitting, right?

I'm grateful to be a mom...mostly because of the important lessons it teaches me. Here are the take home messages for me from tonight:

1. Be less selfish and worried about my own needs/wants.

2. Enjoy my kids now, they won't be little forever. And a Friday night spent playing basketball on the balcony (even if Hank MAKES me stand-up the whole time) is time well spent.

3. Go with the flow....learn how to let go of my expectations and make the best of the situation at hand. Especially when things happen out of my control.

**And for memory's sake, Hank LOVES playing with his basketball hoop now that we put it outside. Almost as much as he likes kicking the ball. He would be out there all day if I let him. Today, he brought me his shoes asking to put them on so he could go outside. He is growing up fast. Talking a lot and making me smile a lot. 

 Buddies.

I was wondering why they were so quiet while I was making dinner. Ruby set-up a "bow shop" under the desk with Hank as her handy helper. Reassured by this scene I left them to finish dinner. Only to come back to find Hank using a pen to draw all over the computer keyboard. 

Watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while mom showers...our new morning ritual. One of the few shows that keeps Hank's interest the entire time. (as you can clearly see by his posture in this pic)

These two cute kids are becoming little buddies. Don't get me wrong, they still have their fair share of arguments, but overall they love each other. It is fun to watch Hank follow Ruby around and mimic all she does. Many a morning when he wakes up before her he asks, "Uby?

...

Ruby frequently asks me to tighten the ponytail in her hair throughout the day. She usually asks me while holding onto her pony. The other day Hank followed right after her, with his tiny hands holding the wisps of his hair, and looked up at me with asking eyes.

 I asked, "Do you want me to tighten your pony too?"

Hank replied, "Yea" 

And so I pulled his wisps of hair and sent him on his way, to follow his sis to her next adventure for the day. 

...

And on another funny note, the other night I was lamenting to Ruby how tired I was and how she needed to hurry up and get ready for bed. While putting toothpaste on her toothbrush, she nonchalantly started this conversation:

"Do you know what you need, Meg?"

"No, what?"

"Five hour energy. Then you won't be tired."

"Where did you hear about that?"

"On a commercial."

From the mouth of babes!

So glad to have these little buddies to keep me on my toes. 

My monkey man, Hank.

Trying to get his beloved blankets and binkie 

"Thanks for retrieving my binkie, Mom. Now, how to get these blankets out?"

...

Our sweet Henry Scott will be 18-months-old on the eleventh. I can hardly believe it! He sure keeps things exciting in our house. We have recently nicknamed him "Stitch" after Disney's Lilo and Stitch. He's sweet, destructive, active, mischievous, and oh so funny. His cuteness and darling grin keep his punishments minimal after his naughty shenanigans...(i.e. throwing his food everywhere, dumping water everywhere, throwing balls at the T.V., taking his plastic bat to the T.V.) He is also getting good at saying sorry to his sis. When told to say sorry, he gives a hug and kiss. Just the other day, I told Ruby to say sorry to Hank, and without hesitation Hank went to Ruby with a hug and kiss. Pretty cute. 

Hank is really starting to talk these days...some mornings he can be heard jabbering away in his crib, waiting for someone to get him out. 

Hank's vocab:

mama, dada, mine, ball, fooball, NO!, uby (Ruby), neigh (horse), moo (cow), duck, tat (cat), be (blankie/binkie), me (milk), pease (please), ta to (thank you), go (goal).

I had such a nice mom moment this morning. While getting ready for the day, my heart was full listening to Hugh play some "indoor soccer" with the kids. Hank was squealing with delight and repeating "go" after Hugh and Ruby would shout GOAL! I felt very lucky to be a mom...especially Ruby and Hank's. 

 January Shenanigans...trying to get through this bitter cold!

Cheering on our Utah Jazz! Ruby loves Gordon, and when she sees him playing says, "There's my boy." One morning after a game I told her that the Jazz won last night and that Gordon played great, she responded, "Yes! Thanks for telling me Meg, I wanted to know if they won."

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I couldn't help but smile when I saw that Ruby had found homes/beds for all her mini animals. I love how she so neatly set them up on the book shelf.

...

Ruby soliciting us for money. She set this up all on her own. She doesn't mess around when it comes to filling up her piggy bank.

"Mom take a picture!"

...

Hank carrying around his box of cereal. This is an on-going obsession for him. It is pretty cute to see him haul over to the pantry, then look at me with his wide eyes (his request to open the door), all so he can pull out the cereal and carry it with him everywhere. One evening, I was busy making dinner when Ruby informs me that we have a problem....kix are everywhere! I should have known Hank couldn't be trusted alone with a cereal box. 

These kids wear me out, and some days take me to my wit's end! But I sure do love them...and wouldn't trade them for anything.

 Hank's Sunday best...

...doesn't keep him from playing hard.

He's got some mad dunking skills, and this kid loves to kick the ball around...he could do it all. day. long. Let's just say, his dad is proud. 

Rub-a-dub-dub...

...cute boys in the tub.

Don't let this sweet face fool you.

...actually, he is pretty darn sweet most of the time! Unless he is throwing his bowl of food from his highchair....time and time again. Gets me every time...one would think I'd catch on to his mealtime antics. Apparently, I'm the one being fooled by that sweet face.

Gotta love this little Hank of mine.

 This cute boy...

...is getting so big and continues to steal my heart. 

I love the way he calls me, "mu-mu-mum"and the way he points his finger and grunts when he wants something. The best is at mealtime...he sits in his highchair like a king, ordering me around the kitchen with that finger of his until I serve him what he wants. 

This kid loves balls and books. He is always pushing/throwing a ball around the house and lately, he loves finding books. I especially enjoy when I see him with a book trying to read it...he jabbers to himself has he turns the pages. One morning he spent a good 5 minutes flipping the pages of one single board book....front to back, then back to front.

He is so close to walking full-time. He's been walking around the house, but in little spurts. After a few steps, then falling, and a few more wobbly steps, then falling...he decides crawling or walking on his knees is much more efficient. 

Unlike his sister....he LOVES his binky and blanket. He would drag his blanket around all day if I let him. Same thing with his binky....luckily, he functions just fine without these objects, but he if sees them he NEEDS them (remember the whole pointing and grunting thing?) It is actually pretty sweet...I call him my little Linus. His blue blanket was actually Hughie's, a gift from their grandmother Marilee. Makes me think of Hughie every time I see Hank toting that blanket around, a sweet reminder that Hank has a big brother in Heaven looking out for him. 

And my favorite thing of all, is watching Ruby and Hank interact and play together. Just the other night they were both in the bathtub splashing each other and giggling to their hearts' content. It was one of those fulfilling mom moments where you want to freeze time. They were so happy being together...make me think how lucky they are to have each other, and how lucky I am that they are mine....forever. 

So proud of himself.

One day I was busy cleaning and getting some things done around the house. I was lost in my tasks when I suddenly realized that quietness had overcome the basement...never a good thing, right? I rushed into the playroom to make sure Hank wasn't getting into some sort of trouble. These pictures are what I found. Cute Hank just sitting in the lion chair...pleased he had climbed onto it all. by. himself. When I walked in, a huge smile spread across his face and he started clapping. He still claps for himself whenever he climbs onto any chair. I hope he always finds confidence in his accomplishments.

Baby steps.

 Our trips to Provo.

I'm not going to lie. I love Provo. My favorite part about Hugh coaching BYU soccer, is packing the kids up and heading down to games. Nostalgia stirs like crazy when I'm in Provo, and I can't help but think about all the growth I went through as a college co-ed and then a married student at BYU. Provo has been good to me...and for that, it will always have a special place in my heart.

When we go to games we drop Hugh off early to attend to his coaching duties, then the kids and I find things to do to kill time. Our favorites: devouring a j-dawg (yes, both my kids can throw down a hot dog like no one's business...definitely my kids), feeding the ducks at the pond, and coloring in the car while Hank sleeps. These BYU games have become a family tradition....Ruby loves it! Her favorite part is running across the field to find Hugh at the end of the game (and for some reason going to the bathroom in the indoor practice facility, before heading home).

This particular day while we waited for the game to start, I remember how content Ruby was just sitting next to me in the car, coloring away. When I looked over at her, I realized how grown-up she is becoming. I had a distinct feeling of not wanting to forget this moment....Ruby with her big girl pigtails, the bows she had to pick out herself, and the outfit she also picked out, and working on her workbook reciting all her letters and numbers. In that moment I felt pure joy and happiness. 

Hanging with dad and some ducks.

Ruby yelling "Go fetch" to the ducks as she tosses them bread....too funny!

Love these faces.