Improvising

Gabe wanted some tortilla chips and brought us the unopened bag. We said no and set the bag aside. Gabe went into the kitchen and found a can opener and got the bag of chips again. He then proceeded to try to open the bag of chips with the can opener. I give him an "A" for effort! And Ryan thought it was so cute that he opened the chips and gave Gabe one anyway so really, it worked. (Side note...Do you see Freya waiting in the background because she is sure she is going to get some of those chips? ) Much love to you all!

Literally Bouncing Off the Walls

Last weekend we went to Airborne Trampoline Arena with the kids...and when I say kids that includes my husband, my sister, and her husband as well as Gabe and Sera. If you have not been to this place and you have kids (Or adults that act like kids.) you need to check it out! It is really fun and extremely exhausting.

This is Sera on the rope ladder that is over the big foam pit. She loved climbing this because she was really good at it and almost always reached the top to ring the bell.

This is Gabe playing in Kids Area. I am really glad they have a designated area for little ones because as much as he liked being on the big trampolines sometimes he got a little bit overwhelmed.

And as I said before, we went with Becca and her hubby Spencer. I wish they would have given us the heads up on wearing yoga pants and not jeans! Seesh Becca! I am still glad they were able to come with us because they made it that much more fun.

Spencer is a natural at a place like this. People were stopping to watch him when he was doing flips into the big pits. He is really amazing!

And even though no one stopped to watch him, Gabe was equally amazing at making baskets with the foam blocks.
And Ryan was proving himself to be my own personal Superman by taking a flying leap into the big pit as well. Side note, after belly flopping into the big pit he got a little stucks in the foam blocks...like a turtle on it's back. It was cute!
And just to prove that I wasn't sitting the whole time here is a group shot of the Baker family.

Airborne Sports is a lot of fun and good if you want to wear out your hyper kids. But a word of caution: you will be sore the next day! Much love to you all!

Nuts About the Zoo

With the money we get for Christmas from family members we buy a yearly membership to the zoo. It is always a great place to take the kids for a relaxing outing. And with the membership we don't feel bad if we only go for an hour and miss some of the animals because we can always go again the following weekend.

One activity we almost always do when we go is the Conservation Carousel. The ride operator was nice enough to take our family picture. That is another thing I like about the zoo-friendly staff!

In the winter the animals tend to be more relaxed because there are not as many people. In fact, Gabe and Sera got a good look at one of the tigers that lives in Asian Highlands. Gabe took one look at the tiger and said, "Mommy! It's big!"
And Sera, being the cheeseball that she is, just couldn't help but being silly!

If you haven't been to the zoo in the winter you should check it out. And remember that the new Polar Bear exhibit is set to open this spring so be extra sure not to miss that! Much love to you all!

Clearly They're Not Golfers

Took the kids bowling last night in Ogden and Sera decided she would teach Gabe how to bowl. In the end Gabe ended beating Sera's score but come on...HE HAD BUMPERS!

Let's Hear It For the Girls!

This video goes out to all my female friends and family. I think I have watched this video about 20 times now and it is still funny. Mostly because I hear myself saying A LOT of these things. Ladies, if we can't laugh at ourselves sometimes, we will just end up getting laughed at.
Much love to you all!

Precious

I check the clock and see that it is just after 7:30 AM and I know I have to go. I have to load my purse and my son into my “not-mini-van” SUV and go to work. But I linger just a moment longer. “Just a few moments longer.” is what I tell myself.

Gabe is sitting on my lap. He is too tall for me to cradle him like I once did plus I don’t think he would let me. He is fixated on the small singing animals on the T.V. which is the only reason I can hold him now. And I do hold him.

I lean in and smell his fine blond hair that is so stick-straight in places and in others points to the sky because of his cowlicks. The scent of his baby shampoo gives my heart a little poke as I realize that the word “baby” is somewhat inappropriate.

I hold out my hand in front of him with my palm up and he instinctively places his hand on mine. I sit for just a minute and study the differences in our hands. He is a part of me and his hand is half of my hand. I will forever be a part of him and I hope to be the best parts of him and his life.

One day I hope that he sits with his own son cherishing the moments that may seem so small. I hope that one day he is a part of something as special as he is to me. But for now I will hold on to that moment where as big as he is, he is still so small. He is still so precious.

2 Year Celebration!

Last night Ryan's mom Linda sent me some pictures of Ryan as a toddler and some of Sera. I was blown away by Ryan's picture! I can hardly believe that the pictures are of my dark-haired husband. So after giving it some thought and getting a picture from my mom I decided to post a blog with pictures of all 4 members of our family when we were about 2-years-old. It is amazing to me how much Gabe looks like his Daddy. Hope you all enjoy these as much as I do.

Ryan at 2-years-old. His kids look so much like him!

Me at about 2-years-old. To me, I still look the same!

Sera at 2-years-old. She had such adorable chubby cheeks.

Gabe at 2-years-old. Such a big boy with such an adorable smile.

Much love to you all!

Happy 10 Year Birthday Sera!

Dear Sera,

Last week on January 5 you turned 10-years-old. I cannot believe it. Double digits! I think your Dad is still trying to wrap his mind around it.

We spent the evening eating terrible Chinese food and playing at Nicklecaid. It was fun to be able to spend a birthday with you since you have the tendency to be out-of-state a lot. We miss getting to share those special moments with you when you are gone Sera. I want you to know how much it means to your Dad and me when we can be there for you. I know that sometimes it gets confusing for you because of what you are told but some day when you read this I hope you believe me when I say, we love being in your life as much as we can!
I have known you since you were 3-years-old. I remember the first night I met you. Interestingly enough, you wanted Chinese food then too. We sat on the floor of your Dad’s apartment in Sugarhouse and ate sweet and sour chicken and fried rice. After that we played with your blocks. You kept handing me different blocks telling me that they were various types of food and then insisting I eat them. When ever I did as you asked you would laugh and clap your hands. I wish it was still that easy to make you laugh!

Over the past 7 years I have grown to love you just like you were mine. I need you to know that. I love you Sera Bear! You bring so much sunshine into my life. You make me smile when you tell jokes, even when those jokes don’t make much sense. You amaze me with how creative you can be.

I also want you to know that your Daddy is so very proud of whom you are. He is always remarking about how smart and clever you are. It makes him nearly explode with pride when he sees you reading at such a high level. He loves asking you about what you are doing at school even though I know sometimes you get bored talking about it. I think your Dad would call you every single day if he thought it wouldn’t drive you crazy. You are not always a big fan of talking on the phone.

You have an excellent memory which is something that will help you a lot in later life. You can recall things I said a year ago and it amazes me every time you do it. You like to play jokes or pranks on people, which is fine. But when it comes having a joke played on you, you are not such a big fan. Like when we told you Becca got bit by a tiger at the zoo-you were so worried about her leg and were trying to be so careful around Becca so she didn’t get hurt. But when you found out that we were teasing you, you were not so happy and decided to sit in the bathroom by yourself for a little bit. Even now every time we have you for the weekend you ask if we can play a joke on Becca to get even. And I trust that some day you are going to get your revenge on Becca even though the whole thing was really my idea.

You give excellent snuggles. Both your Dad and I love it when you want to snuggle up next to us on the couch or sit on our lap. You love to play games with the family and are very good at it. Some of the games we play are made for older kids but you are so smart that you always pick up the rules so quickly and can keep up.

And of course, you love to be the star of the show. You love the attention people give you and eat it up when all eyes are on you. You love to sing and dance. You love to make people laugh. I think that you are destined to be some sort of entertainer.

You are an incredible big sister. For me Sera, this is such a blessing. You love to help your brother. You will read to him if he asks. You play with him. You get him a drink he if needs help. You go into his room in the morning and crawl into his bed with him so that the two of you can play. Gabe looks up to you Sera and always asks if he can come see you. He loves you with all his heart and you are one of his favorite people. I know as you grow older you may not always want to play with you baby brother but for now, I am glad that you love him so much and will play with him.

You are an amazing, compassionate, tender-hearted, brave, and smart young woman Sera. Sometimes I don’t give you enough credit for how grown up you really are. But I hope that through everything that you have been through in your 10 years, you have always known just how much your Daddy and I love you.

Happy Birthday Sera Bear! I love you always and forever!

Love,
Rach

Big Stinky Feet

Gabe: "Mommy look! Socks off!" said while proudly holding socks over his head.
Mommy: "Did you take those off because you have stinky feet?"
Gabe: sits down and smells own foot..."Yep! I have stinky feet!"

Also would you look at the size of that kid's foot? HOLY COW! Is it big or is it just me?
Much love to you all!

Adios 2011!

Things I Have Learned in 2011

1. Marriage can be hard work but when you have a great Husband the work isn't so bad.
2. 2-year-olds can be challenging.
3. 2-year-olds can and will outsmart you
4. 2-year-olds are so much fun!
5. It doesn't matter how many times some people screw up, if they are nuts they will not learn from their mistakes.
6. NBA lockouts SUCK!!!
7. Good people will always be good people.
8. When good things end it just means there is something better coming.
9. Never give up on what you want.
10. Have a little faith and God will help you out.
11. When it comes to a home-owners crisis...I tend to lose my shit.
12. I learned that I really am a tree-hugging Liberal.
13. Hammer Time will NEVER be out-of-style.
14. Like always, I have the world's best friends!
15. It doesn't matter how old they are, they will forever be my little brother and sister.
16. I love cooking!
17. Take time to relax and focus on yourself every once in a while.
18. Being a Mom can be tough but it is always worth it when you see your kids smile.
19. Nothing is better than hugs from your loved ones.
20. It doesn't matter how it is prepared...broccoli is EVIL!
21. What is better than having a loving husband? Having a loving husband that will fight for his kids no matter the odds.
22. Sometimes it feels really good to yell at stupid people.
23. I enjoy the show Doctor Who and I realize that I am a total nerd.
24. I need to hear the words "I love you." every day.
25. And even though I have said it before I am always amazed at just how much more I love my husband and kids every single day.

Much love to you all! Hope you have a wonderful 2012!