life lately

Freddie started Primary and Sunbeams! The weeks leading up to the change were looking great. He was excited. His nursery teachers said he was "so ready!" He went in to Primary a few times and loved it. Then the big day came and he was ALSO asked to give a talk on his very first day! It went great! It was about how God is the father of our spirits and he was super cute and only got nervous once and had me deliver a line, but then did the rest himself. BUT THEN....the next week came and he FREAKED out. and with each week it got worse and worse and worse... it was breaking my heart. He would cry and tell us he didn't want to go to church or primary or sunbeams and said he didn't want us to leave him and that he didn't like his teacher. (It didn't help that he had a different teacher every time for a few weeks while they sorted things out and that the teachers were never sitting there when he got into primary..but I know how hard it all is so I don't fault anyone!!) He went through something similar to this when he first started nursery though, and after a few hard months, he became a pro. So we stuck with it. Week after week it got harder and harder to leave him though and once I just stayed with him the whole time. And then the next week I was ready to leave him but was asked to stay and sit with his class as the teacher was not able to be there. That was horrible because Collin was home with the flu and Hattie was going nuts. I was honestly about to leave church and stay home till they graduate but I stayed and stuck it out and was blessed. He had a breakthrough. The primary chorister is so sweet and came out in the hall, where we were, and said she had a special job for him and that she didn't want him to miss it. He stopped crying, took her hand, and went in! And again the next two weeks, he went right in without being upset!!!! They got all the teacher stuff worked out and it's been consistent for a few weeks now, too. I couldn't feel more happy or blessed. I had been praying hard that it would work out and that Fred would feel happy and confident and I feel like my decision to stay at church that day when ALMOST all hope was lost, was a huge turning point. I know I made the right choice. It's hard to have little kids at church and sometimes it seems pointless, but I know it's important. I know Heavenly Father is aware of me and loves and blesses me. uggg...remind me of this when Hattie goes into nursery in a few months.....

lots of walks through the neighborhood. Sometimes it's like this and sometimes these two are running wild through the streets. I love our double stroller.

Collin and I have been attending the temple. One of us goes in and the other stays at the temple with the kids or at home. I got to go to the Gilbert temple for the first time (besides the open house) and do sealings. It was such an incredible experience. I felt the Lord strongly call me to repentance and that I am not living up to my potential. I need to pray more...and not just go through the motions, but actually have a conversation with my Father in Heaven. Talk to him and trust him. I have felt my marriage strengthen as I have tried to do this. And then Collin went away on business for a while and I let it all go, and let loneliness, insecurities, and fear creep in. So time to regroup and try again.


pottys in our house. Everywhere. We had to order another for Hattie because she loves to sit on Freddie's and they kept fighting over it. (we AREN'T potty training her by any means....just like having pottys for them to sit on and develop a positive relationship with while they are little.) Thank goodness for this $7 potty on amazon..and free 2-day shipping...and AJ Money's account.... :)


 

HE DOES EAT....now and again....


Lots of fun stuff at the Children's Museum of Phoenix

Very dear friend, Carla Frick, got baptized last month! It was a beautiful day!!!

We got a rocking chair. $30 from criagslist. I love it.

FHE, Uncle Jojo's basketball games, parks and heart museum

Work trips for Daddy all over the country. Collin now manages the social media for the AAA Delaware region. He is blessed with awesome coworkers.

we are so glad when he's back!!!

Favorite stills from the Mother's Day weekend.

Saturday morning we woke up and Collin had a haircut at a nearby Aveda salon and Hattie and I went and did some shopping. I got my mom a really cool looking book filled with questions about her past with lots of space to write at Frances Boutique and also got a selections waffle from waffle crush, the best place in the land!!! They now have fresh peaches and I had one w biscoff (I made the mistake of not getting this once and it WAS a mistake I will NEVER repeat)....so biscoff, peaches and cream. Oh man, delish. I got Collin one w cinn/sugar, cream chz frosting (his go-to) and peaches on top. Yumma Yumma.

Here's me in Mother's Day breastfeeding waffle bliss!!! Love those babe arms!! Hattie was a great shopping partner and she and I lauged and laughed about all the fun we are going to have spending all of daddy's money!!!! (Hehehhehahah...yeah right!)

Ups and downs

I was feeling blue so I spent some time with my mom and kids, then talked to my parents in law on the phone and then picked up Collin after work and we had an extraordinary family night. We picked up treats, played at the alligator park well after dark, then ran over to AMC to see Frozen again on the big screen. Hattie slept the whole movie and Fred and daddyo and I all sang along!! It was the best. Love my family and friends who lift me up and love me. Today has been up and down. I think I might be experiencing a little pp emotion so I'll stay on top if it, keep busy, keep w good people and love on my children extra amounts. It's beautiful outside. Today we returned to the gym! It went pretty well. I wish someone would hold Hattie the whole time instead of putting her in one of those swings but it's only an hour and I'm going to kick this weight's butt just in time for summer!! Gotta be happy and same so that everyone else can be.

Collin has the car today so we three at home will have an adventure on the train! So excited!!

The lovliest. Loved the oscars! And that frozen won two categories!!

Daddyo reading to kidZ yesterday

blustery and Fhe

We had literally 2 days of nice/interesting weather in Phoenix this summer (so far, I hope). And one involved a tornado in Ahwatukee!

And here's a typical family night at our house...Collin and Freddie dancing/marching around like crazy, me documenting, and the cats lounging.

Kendra and Kyle come to visit!

Collins sister, Kendra, and her husband, Kyle, stopped through for a visit in their way moving out East. It was a quick trip, but so much fun. Fred was totally in love with them. There's something so amazing about watching him with his aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents.

We made up their bed as creepily as possible w all of Fred's cute stuffed animals.

Thirty-day shred

Today was day two. Collin and I were dying the first day and were very sore afterward. Tonight my endurance was greater and so was the burn. I'm diggin this shred. Freddie politely watched and was a really good boy. Then he barfed on himself: shower time! Now we're all clean, happy, eating, and watching SVU.

Great FHE tonight.