The Grim Meeper: May 2013

This is going to be a cheesy one. So if you’re not in the mood to listen to a mother blubbering over her beautiful babies and husband you may want to skip reading.

It’s been a really fun couple of weeks. It was super sunny and then we had Easter celebrations and conference weekend. And I guess I've just been feeling really lucky. We are 4 weeks away from being done with our first year of law school, and only 6 week away from coming home to be with our family for the summer.

There are a lot of unknowns in life and we definitely had a lot of unknowns when we started this adventure. We knew that there were going to be many hard things that we would have to deal with, leaving our family and friends, lack of money, time away from one another, having a baby in the middle of nowhere… Not to mention the lack of a Doctor supervising Masons birth…

I’m not saying that every day has been just peachy and perfect. But I have definitely seen and felt many blessings from Heavenly Father especially on the days when things feel gloomy and lonely while Mike is away working hard for our future. Those are the days that I miss our family the most. I miss being close to all of my sisters. I miss being able to just show up at their door and even if they’re busy or tired, they still want to hang out with me and my boys. Well... They might not want to, but because we’re blood they have to. :) There have been a lot of challenges this year, and I may have felt lonely or stressed at times, but I have never felt alone. Not only because I have three of the most amazing boys in the world with me, but also because I know, and I have felt and I have seen, Heavenly Father’s help through this experience. I've seen him as I watch things fall into place; where we live, the ward we’re in, the friends we’ve made.

This may sound silly but I really believe that Heavenly Father even helped place us into the right apartments. We got this apartment because at the last second someone backed out and we were the next on the list. Not only was it a perfect location, it was a good option financially as well. About two days after we arrived here we saw a trailer pull up with a cute little family and the rest is history. Mary is my M.B.F (Moscow Best Friend) and without her I would be toast! The first thing Owen says every morning is, “Park? Johnny? Outside?”

It has been so fun to watch Michael go to school here and see him not only working hard to further his education, but to see him make so many amazing friends. He is really having so much fun working and learning with so many great people. I feel like he really enjoys where he is and that make me happy. He also scored an awesome internship with a really big company that will open so many doors for our future.

I feel like we are working hard and learning so much so quickly. We are growing as individuals but most importantly we are growing as a family. As much as I don’t want to admit it or even record it on paper. I feel like we have both found our own little place here in Moscow and we will survive…

So there you have it, me confessing to kind of liking Moscow…

Finals…

Wow! That is just about all I have to say. I know that Michael is working hard and that he is the one who has to take the tests, but…I kind of feel as if I’m being tested as well, tested to see who is going to make it out of this alive; Me or my children. To be fair, it really hasn't been too bad considering we’ve had a little bit of sunshine this semester. We’ve also seen Mike a lot more now that he has figured out his own little groove with studying. So I really don’t have too much to complain about. But I am writing this on a good day. It’s really sunny outside and we had play group this morning so Owen was able to get out a lot of energy, both kids are taking a nap at the same time. So lots of good stuff today.

Don’t worry; we have had some rough ones as well. Mainly those days consist of it being very cold and not having any outlet for Owen. I would normally just bundle them up and go outside anyway, but Mason has been sick and it makes him miserable. Not to mention the fact that when it’s time to come inside I usually end up carry both kids across the entire complex as Owen is pleading and crying for dear life “Park! Park! Help! Park! No inside please…” It’s especially fun when people are watching! Luckily most of them have kids and understand.

I get my workout running up and down the hills behind our house. Owen likes to go down the hill on his bike, and normally I let him but when we are waiting for friends to join us, we have to come back up to the top. Owen is slippery and persistent though, and can pass by me on the regular. Mason on the other hand will just sit in a stroller happy as a claim. These two boys have night and day personalities, and watching them grow is a joy.

Mason, Is the happiest smelliest little person. He never complains for too long and if I don’t come quick enough he will just lay his head down and close his eyes. For example Mason will roll over to get a toy and he can’t reach it he’ll lay his head down for a little break. He will totally watch T.V. It is the funniest thing I've ever seen. He’s done that since about three months old. He is such a funny kid. I knew before he was ever even born that he had a very soft and loving spirit and that has proved true. He will smile at just about anyone who looks his way. He doesn't even need to be in the same room when he hears his Dad’s voice he gets the biggest smile and kicks his legs as fast as he can.

Owen is ready for anything that comes his way. He wakes up ready for the day to begin. He’s always up for a party, and if there isn't one then he’ll start one. He loves people and loves being around them. He makes friends wherever we go. He wears his heart on the edge of his sleeve, and he has one of the saddest cry faces you've ever seen. People always ask how I ever get mad him because he looks up with those big blue eyes and huge alligator tears. I just tell them that between Owen and his Father most the time I don’t stand a chance. I've never been able to stay mad for more than a second anyway.

But the thing that I've notice more than anything is how Mason tends to be a lot more like Michael, and Owen a lot like me. The thing that got me thinking about it in the first place was our bed time routine. It happens the same way every night. Within a matter of seconds both Mason and Michael are asleep. Owen and I could lay there for hours before will finally give in. Mason doesn't necessarily have to be doing something every second but still loves to be held and have lots of attention. He’s also very passive like his daddy. He’s a people pleaser and wants everyone to be happy. Owen always wants to be doing something and once he decides something, good luck changing his mind. He’s a very excited and motivated little man. Don’t get me wrong, Owen defiantly has a lot of Michael in him as well. He is manipulative, loves having all eyes on him, loves making people smile, and would follow his Daddy anywhere. As for Mason I’ll take credit for his tender heart.

Movie Night

Just the boys and I while daddy was working hard at school.

Nutella for breakfast! Not one of my smartest ideas... But it was still worth it.

Doesn't everybody just lick the top of their toast????

Daddy playing with his boys.

Mason decided to stand on his own for a minute.

There is nothing better in the whole world than seeing how much these boys love their daddy.

Brotherly Love.

Good thing Mason is tough!

Owen is sharing YAY! Now if we could just make this a habit...

The sun!!!

This was the one week in March that it randomly warmed up. It didn't last long, but it was nice to have a break from the cold weather.

Went to a safety convention. Owen ate It up!

The Helicopter was his favorite! He asked me everyday for about a week to take him back to the helicopter.

The Easter Bunny came to our house! And we got to go on Three different egg hunts.

Happy Easter! We look happy right?

play group egg hunt

Play Group fun!!!

Bed head...

Safest swing in the WORLD!

Biggest smile in the WORLD!

Trying something a little less safe.

End of the year party for family housing!

Owen thinks Mary is his mommy too!

They thought this was the coolest thing in the world. Can't wait to take Owen to lagoon!

Mason had fun too!

Ada's Birthday Party!!!!

Johnny tried to eat the glitter. It was the funnest thing I'd ever seen. Moral of the story don't give a two year old glitter....

These two...

Sweetest baby ever...

We spend a lot of time at the indoor park when its cold outside.

Those have to be the cutest ears I've ever seen.

You would never know that its 2013. Considering the fact that all the picture I take inside our apartment make it look like it's 1970 or something...

How we roll these days.

It actually works really well for the most part. Except when Owen try's to escape. That is why you see Mason in the bottom here. Because Owen was not being very obedient.