Bring on the Summer!

We're just loving this warm weather and we're so happy that summer is here. Jordan just finished up at preschool, he's playing baseball, Jared's playing softball, and the kids are happy to be swimming and playing at the parks once again.
Here's my little baseball player in action:



Jordan's Preschool Graduation:


After his graduation we took the kids to Dairy Queen for an ice-cream to celebrate his big day!
Monday nights are softball nights for Jared; we all try to go and watch him play and there's nothing cuter than two little boys standing by the fence cheering for Dad; Austin stands holding the metal fence yelling, "DaDa"!! And Jordan will sit on the bench clapping and cheering when his team scores.


We went on a drive up AF Canyon and stopped at Tibble Fork Reservoir; we had a little picnic and the kids spent an hour or so throwing little rocks in the water. So easily entertained!

Here are my two little fish swimming at the pool:


And that wraps it up for now. We're all just getting antsy to meet this new baby and I think we're getting close. The Dr. checked me out yesterday and things are moving along, so we're staying close to Alta View hospital just in case. I have a feeling he'll be here very soon!

A Shower For Tiffany!

As much as Tiffany insisted that she did not need a shower - we all could not resist throwing this cute little mamma a shower to celebrate her new little baby boy who will be here soon! I sure love this girl and I just think the world of her. This girl has faced some things that I can not even imagine facing and through it all she still wears that beautiful smile around where ever she goes, shares her sweet personality with all of those around her, and offers up her love and concern for others in need. I love my sweet little cousin more than anything and it was fun to have a little party just for her (and thanks to everyone who helped out… ahem – Camille, Aunt Laurie, Whitney and JoAnne). We all love you Tiff!!!

My random life... catching up

This is a montage of pictures/posts - just posting some of our where-abouts and what we've been up to. We're re-arranging rooms (getting ready for little brother who will be here soon!), movies, baseball, museum, and more...
My two boys watching a movie while mom and dad are checking out some stuff at beehive brick:
We went to see Night at the Museum with the Machons, and then hit Red Robbin for dinner.
Dinner at Uncle Layne and Aunt Diane's with all their kids and grandkids
We signed Jordan up for a baseball team months and months ago with his friends Jackson and Noah, and he's been asking me about it ever since. Every time we pass a park and there's a game going on, he'll blurt out, "mom, can I go play on that team?", he just wants to get out there and play. He had his first practice game this past week and he absolutely loved it!

Jordan watching a 3-D animal safari movie at Thanksgiving point (the kids were learning about lions in preschool, so I told Jordan I'd him to the lion movie)
And then the boys got to dig in the wet sand and look for dinosaurs
My Birthday! Thanks to my sweetie of a husband, I got to get totally pampered on my birthday... couples massage at the Sanctuary (ahhh!! I was in heaven)
And dinner at my most favorite spot: Log Haven (in my opinion, the best restaurant in the valley) Loved it, loved it!

Birthday get-together with Jared's mom and dad at the Mayan Painting and re-arranging the kids rooms: before Austin was born I was really worried that Jordan would be sad that he was going to have to give up his room (the nursery), so I got online, put him in my lap, and I let him pick out his "new" room (bedding, etc.). He wanted a blue room with cars - so this is what we came up with:
He loved this room so much and when we'd go out of town, he'd tell me he misses his room and wants to sleep in his big bed. I wanted Austin and the new baby to be close and share a bathroom, and it made sense to put Jordan down the hall in the guest room with his own bathroom since he's the oldest. So, I asked him if he could have any room he wanted what would it be; he told me that he wanted a bed with a ladder and everything to be red. The windows, the doors, the carpet: RED! I wasn't sure how to manage his wish-list and make this room cute with so much red. So we went with big, red stripes, and I let him pick out a bunch of football, basketball, and baseball team logos. So it's not all red, but he loves his new room:

And what I thought was a 2-day project was more like a 6/7 week project... oh my. Here's the room in the making:

Every spring I get the itch to plant flowers and spruce up the yard, so we had the yard cleaned up and I got to plant my flowers. Note: last year I planted all my flowers about 2 weeks too soon and we had a cold front and everything froze. So I guess the rule of thumb is to wait until the 1st or 2nd week of May.





And mission accomplished. I think we are all ready for our baby brother to be here. Jordan loves to put his hand on my belly and feel the baby kick and move around. He'll tell me the baby is hungry, the baby needs to eat, the baby is sleeping, etc. Anytime Austin sees a picture of a baby he gets excited and says, "ba-ba".
Counting down: I'm 36 weeks along so we're closing in. My bags are packed (just in case!) and I think we have everything ready to go for our little baby boy.

Happy Birthday Angel Baby Jack!

Today is Jackson's birthday; today Jack would have been 2... and we all miss those big chubby cheeks and that cute little laugh.. and those gorgeous blue eyes. We all miss you little Jack! Tiffany and Coby had the sweetest little birthday/memorial this past Sunday at Jack's grave site and they asked us all to do one random act of kindness today, so I'm spreading the word. I think that Jack would be very proud of his mom and dad for their unselfish love and thinking of others on such a special day.





Mothers Day
A few weeks ago (on Mother's Day) our close friends, Danny and Emily, had to say goodbye to their little boy who was only here for about 6 weeks. This little family has been through quite a roller-coaster ride these past, well.. 5+ years or so. They tried for years to have children and were finally blessed with those beautiful twin girls, and they were told that they couldn't have any more children without going through the whole in vitro process again. Miraculously, they got pregnant just a few months after the twins were born! And then they found out they were having a little boy so this was just the most exciting news for everyone. They found out their little boy was going to have OI or brittle bone disease and that was such a blow, but they kept their spirits high and knew they'd have a lot to deal with once this little boy was born. He was born a few months ago and had another disease that was so rare, they mis-diagnosed the disease and told the Kooymans their little boy would be lucky to live 6 months to a year (and there were a series of major complications). Another major blow. I've seen Danny and Emily take care of this little baby boy and they were so loving and nurturing to him, spending countless hours every day in the hospital just so they could be with him. I really think if this little boy's only mission was to come here and get a body, there is really not a more perfect mother to send him to than Emily. Emily has never complained about the cards that were dealt to her, she's one of the most compassionate people I know, she cares so much about others, and I just love her to pieces.
It was a hard day to see our friends loving and missing their little boy; even though he was only here for 6 short weeks, I know they loved him and they had a lot of time to bond with him and feel his sweet little spirit.

So in memory of Jack and in memory of little Danny, (or D3, Dan Kooyman the 3rd, or "little man") this is just a special month and I'd like to follow what Tiff and Coby asked everyone to do: some act of random kindness to a loved one, a friend, or a stranger. And say a little prayer for these little angels and their loving families who miss them so much.

Take me to the Zoo!

We took the kids up to Hogle Zoo for the day with the Machons and it was just a beautiful day! Jordan always loves being with his little pal, Jackson, and the two boys chased each other around all day pretending the be Jedi's.


This past Saturday we were invited to go to Michael Wayne Henry's baptism and it was such a special day. We ablsolutely love the Henry's and they are some of the most genuine and thoughtful people we know; we're lucky to have them as friends.
Tiffany, Camille, Whitney, and all the kids met up at Draper Park for a playday. I think Jordan and Samantha have a little thing going on; aren't these kids cute? Jordan is always thrilled to see Corbin and we always look forward to our Friday get-togethers.

Finally!! It's warm enough to start playing in the water again; this is where you'll find us this summer:


I just had to take a picture of this one; just strolling the isles of Harmons. These two little boys are buds.