tulips

The best part of all the rain we get here in Bellingham is that we can look forward to Spring and the beautiful Tulip Festival! Robby knows how much I love going to this place and taking a million pictures. So every year he patiently comes and helps me with trying to get a few good shots of our boys. Getting our boys to smile for the camera is an almost impossible task. Have you ever tried to get three wiggly boys under the age of four to smile at the same time, it's pretty hard. But Robby is great at it, he takes on the roll of goofy dad in the background making silly faces and sounds. After all our work I think I got only one good shot of the three of them together smiling!

We came to the Tulip Festival last Monday. It was the last day that our relatives would be here before heading back to their homes. Monday began with most of the guys in our family going golfing at the Sudden Valley Golf Course. It was fun watching them walk in after playing a round of golf, they had so much fun together and guess who won? My 81 year old grandpa!
After grabbing some lunch we headed out to my favorite place, Roozengaarde (I think that's how you spell it) and enjoyed the rest of the day in the sun and around tulips. The best thing about this place is that there's a lot of green grass so my boys can run and play. I saw a family with 6 kids and they used a cute wagon to place some of their kids on and take pictures. I thought that was such a great idea! Anything to keep my kids contained and then you just push the wagon with the kids to the next spot, I've got to remember that for next year.
Here a bunch of pictures from the Tulip Festival...

ice cream and goodbyes

After leaving the Tulip Festival we stopped at this delicious ice creamery in Mt Vernon called, "The Big Scoop" and it was yummeee! Evan took a bite out of his cotton candy ice cream cone and decided that the color blue blue wasn't the best tasting ice cream and that our banana split looked much better! My parents took our relatives to the airport right after leaving here. It was so sweet of all of them to come and we had a ton of fun together. We already miss them but there's no better way to say goodbye than with ice cream!

Feel the Burn

It's been four weeks since I began running and I am now up to 3 miles! I have been going to the track to run between 4-5 times a week and the crazy thing is I haven't lost even 1 pound! What?!

I started running not with the intention to lose weight but to be able to compete in a 10K run with my sister in law this June however I figured that I would lose at least a few pounds with all this running I'm doing but nothings happened yet.

So, I need some help. What's the deal?

The only thing I can come up with is that I'm still breastfeeding and am constantly eating. Maybe I'm getting old? By the way my belly is a little/a lot flabby and I don't want to do crunches...they are my enemy! Is there anything besides doing crunches and eating less that will solve this problem?!!! NO LAUGHING!

Missionary....almost

Here are some pictures from last Sunday. We had some family come to visit from out of town to hear David speak in the fourth ward, and to say goodbye as gets ready to leave for a mission. My Grandpa York, Aunt Debbie, cousin Seth, another cousin Kristen and her three daughters all came to see David for this special occasion.

Pictures after Church

After church we all came to my parents house for a BBQ and some games. We played the game "signs" for hours it was a lot of fun and then took some pictures. Here is my entire family...Dad, Mom, older sister Jennifer, older brother Jonathon, younger sister Amber and youngest brother David. And, yes we get a little silly when we're together!

Me and my Granpa York!

Silly Boys

family+sun=a pretty good day

I love, love, love love, love, the sun! Waite let me add another love to that!!! Did I mention I love the sun. Okay just once more, I LOVE the SUN!




















My brother in law Lance stuck Evan in this tree and he was so happy and content to stay there looking over us and tasting moss.
















































When we have a sunny day you will always find me outside. I only go inside to grab food and lay kids down for naps and then it's back outside! Last Friday we had one of those days and it was BEAUTIFUL, I even look like I have a tan going on...woohoo! My older sister Jennifer came to visit (our brother David is leaving for a mission next week) and we spent the entire day outside together. I guess the only thing I love more than the sun is family but have them together and that's a pretty good day.

I heart...

...my yellow scarf!
I'm not sure what it is but I just love it!! I have already informed my family that for my bday (May 8th, 13 days to be exact) they can help me feel younger by each buying me a cute new scarf! That's not tacky is it?!!

I'm so clever!

Last Thursday I was extra clever!
First, I went outside and cut a bunch of flowering branches from my neighbor's tree and made a pretty bouquet for my kitchen table. I don't think it was stealing since they hang over onto our property...right?! Then I made a batch of these cute little molasses sandwich cookies for the ladies I visit teach. However I ran into a problem, no paper plates! I hate bringing my dishes over to someones house because then they feel like they need to wash it and then it sits out on their counter and they have to remember to give it back. It's just a big hassle. So, here comes the clever part-I made cute little bags to put them in with the Visiting Teaching message on it. I was so proud of myself, I told you I had a clever day!!!

a perfect day

Yesterday was the most perfect beautiful sunny day we've had all year. I was literally outside soaking up every bit of sunshine from 7am-7pm and am now paying for it with a sunburn BUT it was worth it! In the morning we played outside until it was time to take Paden to preschool and then the rest of us went to the track, I ran 2 miles in 20 minutes which is really good for me right now. I'm trying to speed up my time this week before I add another 1/2 mile to my run.
For the rest of the day we played in our yard and it felt like heaven. Kai spent the day discovering flowers, grass, lady bugs, and the sun for the first time in his life!! My favorite part of the day was watching Robby fly Kai around and then having him touch the dandelions and branches. Another favorite moment was sitting on the grass with Paden and Evan. We sat there for over 20 minutes watching a little lady bug. Evan was so into it he finally worked up the courage to let it crawl on his finger and then immediately shook it off. I kept thinking life really is so good!



















At about 4pm our good friends the Gordon's came over. I love them so much. We sat in the sun, played badminton and ate pizza...now what's better than that?!
I hope you were all able to get out and enjoy the sun. Here's to many more perfect days!

life is easier...

...when the weather is nice!

Last Saturday we had some pretty nice weather so we spent the afternoon outside. Paden and Evan played while I sat in the sun, talked to my sister Amber, and read a book! Paden loves his "motorcycle" and for some reason he kept riding it like this and with the same expression on his face. He's such a silly boy, he had me laughing so hard!











































Evan enjoyed playing with his big truck, eating flowers, and acting like a busy/silly boy! I LOVE that I won't be pregnant and SICK this summer...yeah!!! Life is good!

April's Book

I have started something new!
Have you ever gone to CTR Books or the Deseret book store and aren't sure what to get because there's so much to choose from? I agree, it can be overwhelming. So, here's the solution...I have decided to read a book each month from CTR Books and write about it and if you choose you can go support a local business (my family) and read something uplifting.
For the month of April I read, "The Continuous Atonement" by Brad Wilcox and it was absolutely the most perfect book to read because we also celebrate the Savior's resurrection this month.
The way the book is written is pretty similar to a Sheri Dew book (if you know who she is) there are lots of personal experiences and stories. The book is about 200 pages and 10 chapters, I read it within 2 days not only because it's a smaller book but also because I couldn't put it down! I felt like I learned a lot and got new insight on such a sacred subject. I also felt I learned more about the Saviors character and the depth of love He has for each of us as individuals. I highly recommend this book to anyone, it's also a great book to refer to for talks or for giving lessons. By the way if you know me you probably know I don't share books...no borrowing!!! So go to CTR Books and buy your own...AND if you mention my blog you get a 20% dicount on the book!
Oh and by the way I have already begun reading the book for May and it is SO good!

Feel the Burn

I have finally begun running. After giving birth to Kai I have had no desire whatsoever to exercise and no motivation at all. With Paden and Evan I began exercising right away (like the week after). Luckily I committed to run a 10K with my sister Beverly in June for the Utah Summer Games and that is the only thing getting me going. My goal was to start running the first of the year and than that turned into February, March, and now April (I told you no motivation)!!! So, what I've figured out is that I have to increase the distance I'm running by a half a mile each week until the beginning of June for when the race is scheduled. That way I''ll be able to run the 6.2 miles without dying.

I started last week running a mile and than this week a mile and a half and today I ran 2 miles!!! Woohoo!!! Okay so I know 2 miles is NOTHING compared to what all of you runners out there run BUT it's better than what I was running 2 weeks ago which was nothing. The only negative thing I've experienced is that I'm always starving like from the minute I wake up to the minute I go to bed...maybe it's that I'm breastfeeding still?? Anyways wish me luck.

Celebrating Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday began at 5:30 in the morning for me because I was hoping to catch the sunrise but unfortunately it was rainy, windy and cloudy and NO sun in sight. So instead I read out of a few books one of them my mom just gave me and I'll post about it later. The boys woke up and found their Easter baskets on the kitchen table. When Paden saw what was left for him he began examining the basket very excitedly and carefully, I told him he had to eat breakfast and then put on his Church clothes before he could have his basket. I've never seen him rip off his Spiderman suit so fast and yes he wears his Spidey suit to bed!!

































I had one of those mom moments yesterday. After I got the boys all cute and adorably dressed., I was just about to start taking pictures when Evan began throwing up! My boys never throw up. I don't know what it was? He had breakfast and ate only ONE piece of candy and then threw up everywhere (church at 9am)! So Robby grabbed Evan and began wiping his outfit off hoping it would be okay for Church but when we got to Church we immediately realized he was way too stinky so Robby took him back home for a change of clothes and then brought him back! Hopefully next week I can get some better pictures. After we left my parents ward we stopped at home to grab some food for dinner and then to my parents' home where we had a GREAT time and no more throw up!
I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

More Easter Fun

This morning we went to another really fun Easter party and oh boy were my kids spoiled! Paden had a great time playing different Easter themed games, running after kids, kicking balloons, and exploring their beautiful home. Evan wasn't as busy as his brother he did his own thing and just walked around the house aimlessly. Every once in a while I would check to see what he was up to and I'd find him in the kitchen reaching up to grab some treat off the counter. Luckily my brother David and his girlfriend Alyssa came along to help with the kids they held Kai the entire time so that I could play with Paden and Evan. Have I mentioned how wonderful it is to live near family!?!


playing games
















The Easter egg hunt was held inside the house due to our beautiful rainy weather. In some of the eggs they found "boney money" and they used the money to buy toys.












The Toy Store!


Thank you Hanks for such a memorable party you are really gracious friends!

Easter Party

My friend Tiffany and her two little girls invited us over to their house for a fun Easter party and an Easter egg hunt. I decided that I wanted to only bring Evan and Kai and leave Paden with Grandma and Grandpa so that I could spend some one on one time with Evan. I don't think Paden minded one bit he was spoiled rotten by his grandparents they took him to look at boats, play at the park and then out to eat and play at McDonald's!
The party was a blast. Most of the attendants were two and younger which makes for a pretty hilarious scene. The kids played then went outside for the Easter egg hunt then snacks more playing and pictures! Thanks Tiffany for the party it was much funner than staying home cleaning!




Tiffany and Eva

















Mommy and Evan!













look at that face!?!















At first they weren't quite sure what to do!

Evan finally understood what was going on and then began running as fast as he could collecting as many eggs as posible, he only stopped when he saw others eating treats and realized that there was something inside the eggs!

More treats...cupcakes, cookies, and milk! See the cute cookies I made below.

After the Easter egg hunt and snack we came inside and took pictures with the kids in this basket. Evan was terrified and wouldn't get close...I think it was the fake grass?!

When Kai woke up I stuck him inside and he loved it...even the fake grass!

Silly Bunnies

Birds Nest Cookies

I made these cute little cookies for the easter egg hunt and party that I attended and they were a huge hit. Not only are these adoable but they are also delicious and I love the three little eggs for my three boys!!

a taste of summer

The last few days have been GORGEOUS! The weather has been in the 60's (I'd prefer 90's) and beautiful and sunny, so here at the Loveland house we've been soaking up every bit of sunshine that we can before it turns to rain. I got so excited for summer that I went out and bought a watermelon (it wasn't the best) and we sat outside and let it drip down all over us!!! Robby even got in on the fun and bought Paden a new scooter with all the gear to go along. Paden had a helmet on, knee pads, elbow pads, and gloves! He looked as if he was some had core extreme scooter pro and it was the funniest thing watching him because he was going SO slow! You would think by the way he looked he'd be whizzing by! Paden said..."mom can I scoot" and "dad I'm done scooting now!"























































One more thing...look at those feet they are HUGE! And yes those ARE his size! Miss Mimi told me that when Paden's at preschool and sits in circle time he has to take off his shoes because his big feet get in the way and keep him from being able to cross his legs!! Poor boy.

"Ladies Night Out"

Last Saturday was my mom's semi annual "ladies night out" party at her book store and it was a ton of fun. The book store was packed with women talking, laughing, eating, winning prizes, and enjoying each others company. I'm pretty sure that just about every person that walked through the door went away with something free!


Francy's had the job of handing out raffle tickets.


















Here is the dessert table. My mom had a contest and gave a gift certificate out to the person that brought the yummiest treat. We voted on which dessert was the best and I'm pretty sure I should have won since my dessert was gone within minutes and was eaten up before the voting began but that's okay I'm not mad because.....I won the grand prize of $100 dollars!!! Woohoo!






Liz Adair talking about her new book.



















The beautiful Mrs. Bellingham singing to us!

I hope all of you "ladies" out there had a good excuse for not showing up because you missed out one one heck of a party!!

Happy April Fools Day

This morning I woke up and realized it was April Fools Day and Robby hadn't even pranked me yet so I decided to beat him to it. Robby was at work so I gave him a call and asked him if he had seen the news before he left. He said no so I continued on with my prank telling him that Kobe Bryant from the LA Lakers had been traded to another team!!! This would have been a great prank/joke except Robby knows too much about the NBA. He said, "what, that's not possible that's against the rules you're not allowed to trade someone in the middle of the season, oh hahaha April Fools!! I've gotta get back to work...bye! Alrigh, so that didn't go quite as I planned but I'll think of something good before he gets home!

Here are some pictures from last Monday night we were celebrating my Dads birthday. Amber and Lance made some delicious chicken cordon bleu I made chocolate molten lava cakes and we played games and hung out until almost midnight!













































That would be chocolate cake!


















Too fast for the camera!