Edwards Family

My Baby is 3!!!

2012-02-04T19:19:00.000-08:00

Well, he actually turned 3 on December 23rd, but since we were in the ER that night and our family has been plagued with illnesses, I'm finally getting around to blogging it for memories sake.

Nate is....

SWEET

ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE

SILLY

FUN LOVING

FULL OF PERSONALITY

A MAMA'S BOY

JOSH'S BEST FRIEND

STILL THE BABY!

We love this kid! He adds so much to our family!

NATE LOVES....

Puzzles (he will put together the same one over and over for an hour)

Cars (always wants to play cars and loves to crash them)

Josh (always wants to play with his big brother)

Drawing, Coloring & Painting

Going on Walks

Playing at the Park

Jumping on the Trampoline

Playing with His Marble Set (He loves to build towers and watch his marbles roll down.)

School

Primary

Cuddling

Hugs and Kisses

Reading Lessons (I do reading lessons with Josh, Nate started picking up the sounds quickly and insists on getting his own lessons. He knows the sounds to s, m, d, t, e, a, i, r and a few others and can read two to three letter words with these sounds (ie. mad, me, sat, see, am, etc.)

Mrs. Giraffe (This might sound weird, but she is a puppet that I use to teach Josh and now Nate reading lessons. He really believes she is real. It is so cute how he talks to her, how excited he is when she is around, how he will tell her about anything, and how much he loves to give her hugs and kisses.)

Food (He eats pretty much everything I give him)

Reading

Counting (He can count to 20 and loves to count objects out of the blue.)

Helping Mommy Cook in the Kitchen

Praying

Whales, Sharks, and Dolphins (Loves to pet the dog-sharks at the Zoo; he has no fear at all.)

Football

Running

Playing Sports

Soccer

Being Funny/Silly

His Blanket ("blankey")

His Binky (He's only been aloud to have it for naps and bedtime since he was one-years-old, but recently he tries to search for them, climb anything to get them, sneak them into his mouth. I know he's found one when he's walking around with his blanket on his head while giggling.... he thinks he is so sneaky.)

Attention

Laughing

To be Happy (He is a happy kid and so easy going. He is happy to do just about anything.)

WEIGHT: 30 lbs. (35%)

HEIGHT: 3.2 feet/38 in. (70th%)

JAXSON

2012-01-24T15:37:00.000-08:00

JAXSON

Our First Nephew/Josh & Nate's First Cousin Came to Visit with his Mama, Aunt Becca

Josh and Nate LOVED Jaxson and had so much fun with Becca!

Josh bawled when he had to say goodbye, he was so sad. Josh loves babies and absolutely adores Jaxson and Becca. I asked Nate if he was sad too and he said very matter-of-factly; "yes, but they'll be back soon," so he didn't feel the need to cry.

2012-01-04T19:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve

Part 1

Making the our traditional family Christmas Eve Dinner. Teriyaki Flank Steak, Butter-horn Rolls, Sauteed Mushrooms, Sauteed Vegetables

Finally Finishing Decorating the Tree. The boys and I had been sick since Thanksgiving with influenza, then gastroenteritis, followed by a cold virus, sinus infections, and another bought of influenza. We were worn out. I was also busy putting together our Church's Christmas Music Program. Half our lights on our Christmas tree burt out in the process of everything going on and by the time I went to find replacements lights they were all sold out. So I went to 15 stores and they were all sold out, except for the LED lights which were soooooo ugly and cost an arm and a leg), luckily a friend let me borrow some of hers.

Finally, we were ready for Christmas a few days before.

Nate also started Preschool the week before Christmas. He gets to ride the bus, just like Josh and LOVES it! The first day, when I got him off the bus, Nate's first words were, "Mommy, I love school!!! I want to go again! I rode the bus! It was so fun! We painted! Can I go again!..... " He then went on and on about what he did and kept telling me how much he loved school and wanted to go back.

He was too cute! I'm sad to see him go. He's my baby and seems way too young to be a preschooler. Dad was post-call and arrived home just as the bus was coming. John was so happy to be there to see Nate off on his first day.

Josh putting the finishing touches on the tree.

Finally dinner! Just for our family to remember. This is me trying to get the boys to eat vegetables first before I bring out the meat and rolls. Nate's always been really great at eating his veggies, and in the last year Josh now requests vegetables for breakfast (this has been a huge milestone for Josh, he has become such a healthy eater). Josh's favorite vegetables are any color of bells peppers and broccoli. Almost everyday, Josh comes home from school telling me that their snacks are so unhealthy and how upsetting it is to him. I didn't know a five year old could be so health conscious. I'm grateful he is becoming so healthy. His health is finally starting to improve after all these years.

Nate's Birthday!

2012-01-01T15:49:00.000-08:00

Nate's 3rd Birthday

December 23rd, 2011

AM: Nate woke up looking like a different kid. Josh randomly thought it would be funny to name him "William" since he didn't look like Nate. Nate's head, neck, and face were extremely swollen and he was in so much pain and was really emotional.

Paged his doctor who never called back that day. URRRR. Called John, who was out playing basketball with Josh, and told him we needed to take Nate to the ER. We knew that Nate either had a subcutaneous bleed under his scalp or an infection or both. John said he'd watch it. I was uneasy about this even though John is an expert in this arena. I kept telling myself, no one wants to go to the ER unless they HAVE too, especially on your child's birthday. I told John that it would be worse to go to the ER on Christmas day and Nate get hospitalized for Cellulitis, which was the direction he was headed for as far as I understood. As a pediatrics nurse, I had a patient who nearly died from Cellulitis and Nate was beginning to look alot like her. Also, John's little sister was hospitalized on Christmas Day when she was 8 years old with Cellulitis and nearly died. I really didn't not want to just wait around and watch him get worse.

Josh decided he should wear a head dressing too. It was so funny and Nate laughed so hard. Josh's example helped Nate decide that it was fine to keep his on.

His 3 year old Birthday Pictures, don't look quite like Nate, but we won't forget that day. I just think he is so amazing that he can still smile even when he is so sick and in so much pain.

I decided to relax and let try to let John do the worrying and we attempted to do something fun for his birthday. We headed to Panera Bread for a birthday dinner with plans to come home and eat cake and open presents. Just before we got our food, (don't read anymore if you cannot handle medical stuff) let's just say that part of Nate's head exploded a ton of puss and he was screaming.

Off to the ER we went.

3 or so hours later an IM shot of antibiotics.

5 or so hours later at 11:30pm home with kids begging for cake that had not been frosted and birthday presents that had not been wrapped. Kids straight off to bed with promise of birthday party the next day.

Me, just glad that Nate could be home with us for the holidays.

At the end of the night, I asked Nate how his birthday was. His reply was simply, "Bad." This kid definitely knows how to tell the truth. Hopefully, we can make it up to him in January.

***If you really want to know how Nate got his head infection, just go into your kitchen, make dinner, while your husband is working and have your kids set the table. They might decide it would be funny to chase each other while holding forks in their hands.... Basically, Nate was stabbed in the head with a clean fork thanks to his big brother, Josh.

CHRISTMAS CARDS

2011-12-04T13:19:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to gather addresses for Christmas Cards. Please send me updated addresses to maries77@hotmail.com.

Stationery card

2011-12-04T13:04:00.001-08:00

Our Family Name Christmas Card

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View the entire collection of cards.

Halloween 2011

2011-12-01T21:16:00.000-08:00

I'm back to blogging finally. We've had a crazy, wonderful, difficult, busy, fun several months with not very much time to spare. Hopefully, I can catch up on posts. I have posts of major events clear back to March that I need to post. Does anyone else feel like life is flying by way to fast that it's near impossible to catch up or stay caught up with life? Now back to the blog.

Halloween ZooBoo

On our way in the car to ZooBoo. The boys were so excited and so adorable in their costumes!!! Halloween gets better every year as the boys grow and understand more. There is nothing better than a mother seeing her kids so happy!

Nate always has the cutest expressions. I cannot help posting all these pictures. He has so much personality! I never want to forget his sweetness and his love for life.

Josh was so excited to be a Zebra. He wore the costume everyday and raced around the house for almost 2 months. A couple weeks before Halloween a friend thought it was so cute that he raced around the house practicing to be the "fastest zebra." She asked him if he had seen the movie "Stripes," which he hadn't. The following Sunday at church she gave him the movie to borrow. He loved it and he became even more determined to be "the fasted zebra." The next couple of weeks he was more specific about his costume. He wasn't only a Zebra, he was "Stripes."

This was the first time the bats were actually awake, which is perfect for Halloween. The wing span of these bats was almost 3 feet.

The boys loved the Tiger. The tiger got right up to Nate over 30 times, at least. At first Nate was a little surprised as the tiger got right into his face with only a few inches between them (mostly the glass). It seemed if at first he didn't realize there was glass between them and he wasn't so sure what to do with this large cat. Within a second he was laughing and completely fascinated with the tiger. We watched the tigers for about an hour.

The boys loved the penguins as well. We've never spent that much time at the penguins. We watched them for an hour as the penguins swam, jumped in and out of the water, fell on accident into the water, and laughed as the waddled around.

The boys also loved petting the Dog Sharks, which is always their favorite thing to do at the Zoo.

GAME FACE

2011-09-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

Fall Soccer 2011

JOSH is one determined little boy! He is so focused on being the "fastest." It's so funny to see how competitive he has become since last fall. He has been practicing racing and running everyday for the past month or so. He has become really fast and he never gets tired running up and down the field. In fact, he never wants to sit out. He could play easily for an hour straight and never need to sit out. He's a good sport about sitting out and letting others take their turn.

JOSH has made tremendous improvements in his abilities as a soccer player since last fall. He is even more fun to watch and HE LOVES SOCCER!!!

Team Name: Hornets

Here is JOSH in the warm ups as they run the perimeter of the field. His determination is very apparent and he makes sure he beats the kids including his coach.

In this picture he's telling his coach, "I'm faster than you! I'm going to beat you!" He's so funny and entertaining. Where did he get his competitive drive and how did it just pop up out of nowhere in the last month???

Josh really focusing on what his coach is telling him.

Josh praying on the field. Probably asking that he can be the "fastest."

Prayers answered!

The Avid Sports Fans!

Playing at the Park after the game.

Now what? How do I get down from here?

Just doing a crazy stunt climbing head down. I was thinking I could do a hand stand on the last bar and do a flip off. It didn't work quite like I planned. I may look happy in the 2nd picture, but I was really laughing so hard and telling John to help me and stop taking pictures of me. I was laughing so hard that I couldn't hold myself up any longer and let's just say I gave everyone at the park a good laugh at the expense of my neck.

Family Time at Museum of Art

2011-09-13T20:04:00.000-07:00

This is a post I started in the spring and never finished. Why? I have no idea. I cannot even remember when we took these pictures May or June? Most of the pictures were taken by Josh and some by Nate; hence the blurriness, but it adds character. Call me crazy, I trusted them with my really nice camera. They did a good job and they loved taking pictures.

Pictures by Josh

Pictures by Nate

2011-08-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

August 9th thru August 15th, 2011

Grandma came to visit and brought my little brother Ben along.

The Boys of course absolutely adore my Mom!!!

This is Ben, my "not so little brother" anymore. He is 6 foot 5 inches and only 16 years old. We are 15 years apart in age. When I left for Ricks College he was just 3 years old. He is still that little baby to me. I have know idea how he has grown up so fast. When John and I got married, he had just turned 9 years old. Just as Ben has grown up way too quickly, I know my boys will too. It makes me sad to think that it is such a short time that they are young. I hope that I can enjoy every moment.

My Fondest Memory of Ben

It was hard for me to leave for college since Ben was just a baby and my other little brother was 7 years old. I felt like I was going to miss out on so much. Everyday, I could count on a phone call from Ben. Yes, he had my phone number memorized at the age of 3. He would call multiple times a day until I was actually at my apartment to take his phone call. My roommates thought it was so cute. He would always say the say same things in his cute little voice. "Hi Mawie(Marie)! I wuv(love) you! I miss you! When are you coming home?... Those phone calls meant the world to me at the time since my first year at college was really rough. I always looked forward to that short sweet little conversation each day!

Can you tell who the shrimp of the family is? Yes me! My mom is 5'9'' or 5'10", my dad 6'1", Ben 6'5", Jonathan is 6' 4", Jacob is 6'2", Daniel is 6'2." I was 5'4.5" from the time I was 12 years old until I was 29 years old. Crazy thing is that every time I have been measured here in Indiana it comes out that I'm 5'5.5" or 5'6". Lately, out of shock, I have the nursing assistants recheck my height at least two times. Have I grown, are the height measurements different out east, or has pilates and weight training straightened out my spine? My guess would be the third.

Jacqueline and Gary came to town for a quick morning visit while my mom and brother were in town. My boys LOVE Jacqueline!!!

This is typical Josh. He is always making something out of anything he can find. He has quite the imagination!!! What do you think this is?

Nate always has to have Holly and Finn (from "Cars 2") with him.

I cannot help loving this ornery face.

Josh making friends at the neighborhood park. He just talked and talked non-stop.

Josh playing soccer with his new friends

Notice what's at Nate's feet? He seems to be dreamily imaging something about Holly and Sally.

Just had to throw this in here to embarrass John and Ben. Let's see if they ever notice it in the blog, they might make me remove it.

I think these two look alike.

Ben hasn't changed since he was 3 years old when I left home to college, he's just gotten ginormous!

Just had to throw these in. This is Nate during nap time. He always has to have his cars and will play as long as he can until sleep overtakes him.

I love how he decided to smile for the camera when I was just taking pictures to remember how he was at this age during nap time.

Josh's First Day of School

2011-08-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

August 10th, 2011

Nate got so excited when he saw the school bus! Here he is pointing to it! Screaming and shouting, "Yay, the bus is here! Yay...Yay!!!"

These two are best friends. I'm glad Josh will only be gone for a few hours in the morning instead of all day! I was a little sad when Josh left and I really missed him after I realized he was actually gone. Looking at the pictures it amazes me how grown up he looks! I know school will be great for him and that it will be nice for Nate and I to spend one-on-one time. I love spending time alone with Nate because he is so fun and "chill."

This morning was full of surprises for Josh. I first surprised Josh with breakfast in bed. I made him pancakes with cantaloupe and milk. His sleepy response was, "You made me breakfast in bed because I'm big now?" It was so cute. He was so happy and devoured his breakfast. After he got completely ready, the biggest surprise was yet to come. Grandma Susan and Uncle Ben were here (they flew in really late last night)! To say he was excited would be an understatement. I got it on video, but have no way for our ancient video camera (as in 6 years old, which is ancient in our technology driven society) footage to get downloaded on the computer and we didn't have time for pics with my sleepy mom and brother. We will get plenty of pictures while they are out here! I really hope he loves school and makes great friends!

In Memory of Kali, Charlie, and Boy

2011-08-05T21:53:00.000-07:00

August 4th, 2011

Yesterday, while John was mowing the lawn, he found this little surprise just outside of Josh's bedroom window where the trampoline had been conveniently protecting this little nest.

Baby Rabbits

They were just recently born, maybe a few days old.

Three Baby Rabbits

August 5th, 2011

First thing in the morning Josh had to check on them and wanted pictures with them. He was so excited to have a "pet of his own." At this point I wasn't sure what to think of having these baby rabbits in our backyard. I did think that maybe the mama rabbit was crazy for putting them in our yard with two little boys.

The boys were thrilled, especially Josh. Josh fell in love with them immediately and felt it his duty to be an animal rescuer (he might have gotten this idea from Diego). Since he never saw their mother he thought they needed him to take care of them.

All morning he begged me to be able to take care of them. I insisted that they needed to be left alone so their mommy could take care of them. Over a million questions and pleadings were asked with the same explanation...."it's not good for them if we touch them too much; they're mommy won't be able to take care of them if your around because rabbits are scared of people. No you cannot give them a bath! Bunnies don't take baths; their mommy will keep them clean. No, you cannot bring them in the house! No, you cannot have them in your bedroom or your tent!, etc. etc. etc......"

Well, did Josh listen? Maybe, for almost 2 hours.

As soon as he got the chance to "take care of them" without me knowing, he took it.

The morning started off wonderfully. The weather was nice. It was only in the late 70s/low 80s (it's been in the 100s with close to 100% humidity for a month, it even got up to 110 or 115 a few weeks ago), so it was finally cool enough to go on a nice walk. It's been a month with this relentless heat wave and drought. Afterwards, I embarked on yard work (transplanting flowers, trimming flowers and bushes, etc.) that I'd been planning to tackle on the first day the heat wave let up. The boys were playing alongside me like they always do. Josh decided to go inside for "a minute" and a minute later Nate decided to go in too. I went to go check on them and they were playing really well, so I decided to quickly finish one little thing so my flowers wouldn't die since I would have to get back to the yard work later. I didn't quite finish taking care of my flower that was near death because I didn't want to leave these two out of sight for even a minute. I planned on doing a minute here and minute there while checking in on them. Well, after my first minute or less.....

I went in and heard the bath water running (Note: we live in a tiny one level house. The bathroom is visible to almost the entire house and only about 10 to 12 feet from the front door where I was working)

I went in and they had started a bath and were playing together having a great time. I went in and looked in the tub because I sensed something was wrong. I saw nothing but some soap bubbles in the water, which they are not allowed to have soap in their baths (eczema). I thought that was what they were trying to hide from me. So, they took an uneventful bath for about 10 more minutes and got out. And much to my horror Josh was holding one of the baby rabbits....I asked "was the rabbit in the bathtub with you?" Josh's reply was NO. So, I asked Nate. Nate said YES.... I then proceeded to ask where the other two rabbits were and what happened. Nate acted suspicious as he was laying on his rainbow blanket and acting even more protective of his favorite blanket. I peered under his blanket and there were the other two. I started screaming and crying out of shock.....Yes, I know a little over dramatic, but to my horror I realized at that moment that they had drowned those innocent baby rabbits with me right there not knowing. I felt horrible. They only needed less than a minute to get them into the house in Josh's tent. Then the next moment they had, they took them from the tent and put them in the bath with them. Thinking they were doing them a great service by helping them to get clean. I don't know where they were when I scanned the bath water, either they were hiding them in the shower curtain or sitting on them in the water. The second thought makes me nauseous.

The next 2 1/2 hours were spent cleaning up this mess (which really only took the boys 2 minutes to create) and sanitizing the boys and all the things the rabbits had come in contact with.

Josh felt horrible and he literally cried all day and then cried himself to sleep (this is a boy who never ever cries). He felt so bad that he killed the baby rabbits. The rest of the day all I heard from Josh with tears and sobbing was "I miss them so much! Will I ever see them again?! Charlie was so nice to me, he was the nicest. Kali, she loved me and she was so sweet and the nicest! Can't we have them back? How did they die? Where did they go? I'm going to kill Heaven and get them back! Heaven cannot take them! I'm going to have them back! Why can't I have them back? etc., etc, etc.....

We had a funeral, just Josh and I, during Nate's nap. We buried them in the backyard right by Josh's window. We laid them in a red shoe box wrapped in paper towels. Josh picked them 3 clover flowers, one for each of them, and then he drew them some pictures and wrote them a letter. It read; "I love you rabbits. Thank you for being so nice to me. Love, Josh." He had me write it because he was too sad to write it himself. He then put the flowers and the letter in the shoe box with them. He said goodbye to them while sobbing and said, "I'm so sorry, I hurt you... I didn't mean to... I love you. Goodbye." This was followed by intense sobbing. Then we buried them and put a triangular shaped rock over their grave.

Above: baby rabbits in the clouds with their names that Josh gave them. Josh waving goodbye to them with the red shoebox right next to him.

I learned today, again for the trillionth time, that I cannot take my eyes off this kid for even a second, which is so exhausting. I really, really hope Josh learned to listen and to really obey me today, since he really saw the consequences of not listening and going behind my back.

Nate was really sad and cried when he realized they were dead and then as soon as I could I put him down for a nap. The rest of the day he went with the flow, like his usual self. He doesn't seem to really understand fully what happened. Nate doesn't seem scarred, but Josh so far seems to be. Josh has said many times today, "I will be sad forever, I will not stop crying....Mommy, are you sad too? I am so sad. I miss them so much!"

Note to self and particularly to John (who came home two days ago saying that he was thinking about getting a dog for Josh. I was shocked at his suggestion and I said NO!!! since I would be the one taking care of it): NO PETS!!! Especially after today, since his first "so called pet" lived less than 24 hours!

The Power of Light!

2011-07-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

All of God's Creations and Powers Truly Amaze Me!

I feel captured by the magnificence of the light brought about by powerful storms such as this one. One cannot deny the feeling of being drawn toward the brilliance of the light and yet a fear of the great power and fury can overcome as well.

I took this picture after watching this storm for about 3 hours! The lightning was constant, like every 0.001 seconds to 5 seconds for the first 2 hours. Nate and I at first thought they were fire works since it was the week of the 4th. When John first noticed he thought they were fire works too. I'm telling you this storm was way better then any fireworks!

In Idaho and Utah I always got so excited for lightning storms, I loved to watch them and was never afraid. In the midwest I'm usually too scared to watch too closely, but this storm was very, very mild for the midwest. It brought back memories of lightning storms in the summers out west.

Storms in the midwest are so much different from the storms out west.

Did I ever tell anyone that I'm terrified of tornadoes?

I'm terrified by those storms, but fascinated by them as well.

I experienced my first tornado at age six in San Antonio. Much of the damage was too close to home. It completely destroyed an apartment complex two blocks away from my home that we drove by almost everyday and took the west wing out of the hospital my dad was working at during his residency. Almost 20 years later I found myself in Iowa City. The tornado sirens went off weekly and at times daily. My memories of these storms as a child left a lasting impression of the reality of the wrath of storms. Everyone from Iowa assured me that they never get tornadoes and that it had been 30 years since the last one and it was mild. I told John that I had a feeling that spring that there would be a tornado and to stay inside and away from the windows. In April 2006, our first year out there three tornadoes that hit Iowa City. It ripped through and destroyed much of the downtown, including a historical church, on the other side of town part of the Walmart was ripped off and there was significant damage to a honda dealership. In May, our family drove through Alabama and saw unbelievable damage. Damage from tornadoes that spanned almost a mile wide as it travelled several miles relentlessly destroying everything in it's path. Needless to say, these experiences have left a lasting impact. The fury of these storms have a humbling effect, as one understands that GOD truly is in CHARGE, literally.

Mr. Personality

2011-07-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

Nate at 2 1/2

Nate has so much personality! He is very expressive in facial expressions as well as in personality! I wish I could capture all of his adorable, silly, fun facial expressions. You cannot help but LOVE this kid! He is still so adorable and always a joy to be around!

Nate Loves to Sing

in the car, in his crib, and in church with his own hymn book in his lap at the top of his lungs. I love it! It really is so cute and to me it sounds beautiful!

Nate Loves People

People are drawn to Nate. He can be a bit shy when he meats a new face; but once he gets to know you, you will get squeals of excitement and lots of hugs and kisses.

Nate Still Loves Food

I love that he loves vegetables and well anything else. He's a great eater and he eats a ton! Many times he will eat as much as what Josh and I eat combined. The only question is where is all that food going?

Nate is Compassionate

He really cares about people and is very intuitive toward others feelings. He is so sweet and can melt anyones heart, especially his mothers. Something about him just makes you feel good around him and always want to be around him.

Nate is in LOVE with "Miss Sally"

Nate's favorite possession is his "Sally." He is in love with her and she is his favorite character in the movie cars. For the past year Sally has gone almost everywhere with Nate and he must sleep with her. As of today, Miss Sally has some competition, as he got "Holly" today and she is the one that he chose for naptime.

Nate's Favorite Movie is Cars

He asks to watch it everyday!

Nate loves Balls

He loves to run around and kick balls in the backyard

He requests to sleep with balls to the point that he starts crying for one. He loves to play baseball and I love how he says the word "baseball." He loves to play golf with dad and brother. He also loves basketball.

Nate Loves to Pray

He always prayers out loud when others pray at church and at home. It can drive Josh nuts when he prays, but it is so cute to everyone else.

Nate Loves Josh

Nate is the best little brother. He gets along with Josh so well and they love to play together. They usually play cars, trains, or stuffed animals together.

Nate Loves His Mom and Dad

He really is a "Mama's Boy." I love it and wouldn't have it any other way. He is so cuddly and sweet and he is always by my side. Of course, he loves his dad and could never get enough of him. When he hears the garage door open he always runs to the garage and right out to John while squealing, "Daddy home, Daddy home!" As soon as he sees John he enthusiastically yells Daddy over and over followed by a big hug and kiss.

Nate Loves Books

He loves to snuggle and read. He loves to snuggle in his blanket and look at books on his own. Unfortunately, he sometimes loves to rip up books if I let him have them for nap-time or bedtime. He is constantly working on getting the privilege of having books for bedtime.

Nate is Very Independent

He insists on doing almost everything by himself. He is great at asking for help when he needs it. The other day he thought he could swim all by himself and didn't want us to hold him in the water although it was way too deep for him.

Nate Loves His Blanky, Stuffed Animals, Babies, and Still His Binky

Ever since he was 10 months he's only been aloud to have binkies during sleep time. He is great with this. Although, I know that one day he shouldn't have them anymore and I'm worried to take them away because I need him to keep taking naps.

Nate Has Recently Learned How To:

Button his shirts

Get fully undressed

Get dressed

Go potty all by himself when we are at home

Change his dirty diapers before I know he is stinky

Start his bath and get in all by himself

Open the Fridge and get his own food

Swing the golf club really well

Open doors

Get in and out of the car all by himself

More and more words and sentences

Funny Memory of Nate

About 6 months ago we were at church. In the opening prayer Nate prayed out loud with the person praying at the pulpit as usual, expect he was louder then normal. After about 5 minutes he decided it was long enough and exclaimed at the top of his lungs "AMEN!" Then he realized they were still going to keep on praying, so he kept praying out loud with them after another few minutes Nate exclaimed an even louder "AMEN." Well this was a really extremely long prayer and Nate said 5 total "Amen's." Nate's last Amen was so loud, I'm sure almost the whole congregation heard him. We were trying to keep him quiet and also trying not to laugh and be embarrassed at the same time. I'm sure that almost everyone was thinking what Nate was thinking. Amen already!!! 20 minute opening prayers are way too long for anyone especially children. He is such a character and a cutie!

A Beautiful Morning!

2011-06-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have put so much time and energy into landscaping our yard; which I love. The other morning was the most gorgeous day, so I decided I needed to capture some of the end results of my hard work and the beautiful day. So I stopped everything I was doing (hence Nate is not dressed and still in his soggy diaper) and snapped a few shots. Just as I started to take a few pictures, Nate decided to start posing and Josh quickly joined in. In the end, I actually ended up capturing my greatest creations, Josh and Nate, who I literally put every ounce of time and energy I can muster into them. Being their mother is not an easy task, but I need to always remember that all the hard work I put into raising these boys will bring really beautiful results. I just pray and hope that I can be the mother they need me to be.

WOW!

2011-06-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

HOW GREAT THOU ART
I really needed this today! If you haven't already seen this you REALLY need to! I don't know how anyone could hold back tears! Amazing!

The Perfect Day at the Zoo

2011-06-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

June 23rd, 2011

Perfect Weather

Happy Kids

Fun Together as a Family

Animals and Beautiful Landscaping

Josh's 5th Birthday Party!

2011-05-27T15:01:00.000-07:00

Josh really enjoyed his birthday party! He was so happy that so many of his friends could come and play. There were about 20 kids that came to his party. Luckily, the weather cooperated because it would have been crazy to bring them all indoors. The party went amazingly well. Thanks to lots of help from great friends, especially Mary Cat and John. All the kids had so much fun playing, running around, jumping on the trampoline, playing soccer, and eating. They especially thought the fondant, which they called "play dough", was so "cool" to eat.

Josh requested a "Cars Birthday." Josh also requested a red and blue cars cake with three layers. I decided to try making fondant for the first time. It was fun, but so much work. He loved his cake, thank goodness, because I spent well over 10 hours making it. I made a yellow cake with lemon marsh-mellow fondant, and lemon cream cheese frosting (the frosting was the best part, it was too good).

John did a great job, entertaining all the kids! He played with them for almost the entire party! He's such a great dad!

Nate pondering about whether to go play with all those energetic kids. He eventually ventured out, but mostly stayed by John, me, and the 2 little girls that came.

Nate, my little buddy, following me around, and eating his cupcake as I take pictures.

After the party was over, we brought out Josh's big present! A new bike. He has been working hard to learn how to ride without training wheels.

Josh is such a great little boy. He has grown into the sweetest, most thoughtful little boy. He amazes me each day with his imagination, all the many things he creates, his high energy level, his love for work, his love for his family and friends, his love for primary and school, his love for reading. I could go on and on, he loves to do anything and everything. He is also quite the homebody, like his mom and dad. He loves to stay home and play. He also does love to get out, but if there is a day we don't have to be anywhere, he prefers to stay home and play.

A Moment About Josh I Never Want to Forget

Josh loves that he is 5 now and "so big and grown up." If he could he would be driving the car. This morning he really wanted cookies. Out of his own will he decided that in order to earn cookies he would do some "work and be really nice and kind". So he vacuumed the house, washed the dishes and loaded them in the dishwasher, swept and mopped the kitchen floor, cleaned his room, made his bed, organized his closet, encouraged Nate to help, and ate a really healthy lunch. He actually did an amazing job! Where did this kid come from?! As a side note, Josh has been really wanted a baby brother or sister for a long time. He kept saying, "I'm helping you with your work, so that you can get a baby in your tummy and so the baby and you can be healthy." It was so sweet and thoughtful. He definitely deserved cookies. He was so full from lunch that he couldn't finish his whole cookie.

"TRAINS"

2011-03-23T18:43:00.000-07:00

My very talented mother-in-law made the cutest video of the boys. It made me cry the first time I watched it. Okay, maybe the first 3 times I watched it. My boys are growing up way too fast. They are so fun right now. I wish time could slow down. The song "Hourglass" was written and sung by Mindy Gledhill (mindygledhill.com), a girl John went to high school with. I love this song. It's perfect for the video. Hope you enjoy it!

Trains from shawna edwards on Vimeo.

What The Boys Have Been Up To (February & March)

2011-03-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

Here's an actual post of recent events.

Josh loves to draw, paint, color, cut out designs with scissors. He is extremely artisitic and I'm amazed at what he creates. He has decorated his room with things he has made. I need to take pictures and post it. He says he has created the world in his room. He made paintings that he cut out and taped to his bedroom walls. He made rainbows, trees, flowers, a sun, a bird, and a picture of himself. It is so cute! He is also very artistic in the way he does his hair. He insists on gelling his hair all by himself. He has made me laugh on more than one occasion with the hairstyles he has come up with. Usually he wears it "spiky." I will say that most of the time he does a really good job.

Here's another one of his creations that I just couldn't wipe off. I thought it was so cute. I'm just glad he didn't do this on the wall. He told me that the first hand was his, the next was uncle Gary's, another was Grandma Shawna's, and the last one was "Gary's friend. What's her name again?" He was just getting ready for them to come and visit us that day.

Nate truly is the sweetest most adorable boy! I know I'm biased, but it is true. He recently enjoys sitting down and playing the piano.

Nate can now jump on the trampoline and he is soooo excited! He loves it and we are so happy that the weather is beginning to get better.

Nate saying "cheese" for the camera.

Josh and Olivia

This was one of their last times playing together, since they just moved. He absolutely loved Olivia. A few days before they moved Josh asked me, "Mom, who am I going to marry now that Olivia doesn't live here anymore?" I just can't marry her since she doesn't live here and is so far away now!" It was funny. He really was very concerned over this. It was so cute.

Indianapolis Zoo with Sam & Max

Sam is truly an answer to prayers. They have become buddy's from the moment they met. They have so much fun together and Sam is such a good friend to Josh.

Sam & Max are almost the exact same ages as Josh & Nate. I hope that Nate & Max can be as good of friends as they get older.

Grandma Susan Visits

2011-03-11T13:11:00.000-08:00

April 2010

Grandma Susan Visits

Almost a year ago, my mom came to visit us the 1st week of April. She came for a week and it was a whopping 80 degrees almost everyday she was here. If I remember right the coldest day got up to degrees. It was heaven and we were able to enjoy going to the zoo together. The boys always love when Grandma comes!

Nate was really into the sharks and would squeal everything he saw a shark come clothes and he was so ecstatic every time he actually got to pet a shark.

Grandma & Josh really are best buds!

The boys loved it when Grandma read them books.

My mom helped me make homemade raspberry jam. It turned out great!

Grandma must have worn him out because he fell asleep on her lap. It was so cute!

Trip to Idaho - May 2009

2011-03-06T18:40:00.000-08:00

I'm unlocking my personal vault of posts that I never completely finished and therefore never posted. It's fun to look back and it's amazing how much the kids have grown. Here's a look back to May 2009.

Visiting my family in Pocatello where I grew up.

Josh had recently been diagnosed with severe asthma and allergies (seasonal and animal). The drive from Iowa was really scary because he was having asthma attacks. Then John left all of Josh's medications at our first stop of the trip at a rest stop in Iowa. This was the beginning to our 20 hour drive that we drove straight through the night and didn't stop. When we got to Idaho. Josh had a severe allergic reaction and his eyes swelled shut and he couldn't breathe. Luckily we were able to refill his medications in Idaho. It was scary and his poor eyes were swollen almost the entire trip. He really did have so much fun after he was able to breathe better. He was such a good sport.

My brothers Ben & Jacob

Grandma Susan with Nate

My mom wanted to celebrate Josh's birthday at her home in Idaho. Josh got to celebrate his birthday 3 times for his 3rd birthday. That could only happen for the first child who is actually the first grandchild on both sides of the family.

I was able to get together with my really good friend Lacey. We have been friends since grade school.

We went to visit my grandma's gravesite and her old farm in Bancroft, Idaho

Grandpa Stephens with Nate

My little brother, Jacob

Nate was an angel and so easy going on the trip.

Christmas Morning 2010

2011-01-20T13:12:00.000-08:00

The boys loved Christmas. We got up and ate breakfast, then we proceeded to open presents taking turns. Josh had the job of throwing away the wrapping paper between opening presents and he was thrilled about having the job and John and I were happy to not have to do it. It was a peaceful morning. My favorite part was to watch the boys enjoy their presents and watch their imaginations take flight. I think my favorite part of being a mom is watching my kids play because they are so happy when they can get down and just play. I love these boys so much. They are the light of my life.

This year John of all people found his Christmas gift early, as in on December 5th. He found the coat and he wanted it so bad since it had been colder than usual. I let him take it out of the bag for his early Christmas. I guess it is better that he got to use it than it sitting in Nate's closet for another month. He didn't have a gift for Christmas except for the golfing tee matt for him and the boys to share. The boys, well really Josh, was kind enough to let Dad open a gift!

We had a candle light dinner that the boys loved! We had butter horn rolls, teriyaki flank steak, sauteed mushrooms, asparagus, and sparkling cider. It was a great way to end Christmas Day! The boys request candle light dinners almost every night lately!

Technology These Days!

2011-01-12T13:01:00.000-08:00

This photo makes me laugh. Josh is talking on skype, on my phone, and on my blue tooth. It's amazing what technology we have to keep in contact with everyone back home.

Nate at 2 Years

2010-12-31T19:44:00.000-08:00

"Things I Never Want to Forget about Nate at the age of 2"

Nate brings so much joy to our family. He has a sweetness about him that makes everyone around him happier and he definitely makes everyone in our family better people. It's amazing that he already has these qualities and just turned 2.

His most famous phrases are:

"I Go!"

"I Come!"
"I wanna Come!"

He says them at least 100 times a day and most days that is not an exaggeration.

He loves to go places and if anyone is going anywhere he comes up to you with his sweet puppy dog eyes and says "I come! I come! I come!" It's so hard to say no to him.

"I fall"

"Choo choo!"

"sirsty" (thirsty)

"ecom" (welcome)
"aw done"(all done"

"daa daa" (dad)

"mik" (milk)

"wow"

"owie"

"ah oh"
"two"
"yay"
"wee"
"mmm"
"ee too" (me too)
"tees" (cheese)

"more" (says is without the r sound)

"gaama" (grandma)
"uhn, too, see" (one, two, three)

He can sign:

milk

please

thank you

all done

He loves people. He gets so excited when anyone comes over. He quickly melts anyone's heart. Even the strangers in the grocery store that he waves to.

Nate Loves to pray. He always babbles his own prayer whenever anyone is praying. A couple of sundays ago during the opening prayer in church, Nate said his own prayer. In the beginning of the man's prayer Nate exclaimed his version of amen really loud, which sounds like "yay". (As a side note Nate used to say amen, but decided he prefers "yay"). I told him the prayer wasn't over and to fold his arms. Nate began to pray again and proceeded to end the prayer early again with his even louder amen. Let's just say the man's prayer was really long and Nate said 6 prayers during the man's prayer with 6 very loud excited amens.

He loves Christmas lights. Whenever we are driving in the car at night every few seconds or less you hear "wow!" It is truly the cutest thing!

He loves cars, trains, books, stuffed animals, animal figurines, little people, throwing and kicking balls, throwing anything (food, toys, dishes). He doesn't throw his food or dishes very much anymore. Hooray, not as much mess to clean up in the kitchen!

Happily says "tees" for cheese while putting his pointer fingers at the sides of his big smile whenever I ask him to smile at the camera.

Loves to go on walks and push the baby stroller.

He loves to be outdoors so much that you cannot even keep him inside if it's super windy and below freezing.

He loves to look at the snow and thinks it is the most amazing thing he has ever seen.

He loves all animals. His favorite animal is probably the dolphin.

He claps, laughs, and squeals and exclaims "wow" with the most excitement imaginable for the entire show whenever we go to the dolphin show at the zoo.

He gets so excited when he hears the garage door open and immediately runs to the door squealing with so much enthusiasm da, da, da, da, etc. Then he runs up to John and gives him a big hug and kiss.

Nate loves his big brother and will do pretty much anything Josh tells him to do. Some nights Josh puts Nate to bed and he'll say "Nate go to bed." "Lay down Nate and go to sleep." I've never seen Nate move faster than to Josh's command to lay down. It makes me laugh just thinking about it. Nate will do anything for his big brother.

Nate loves his nap time and will still take long naps 2 - 3 1/2 hours. He also sleeps really well at night anywhere from 12 - 14 hours. I am so happy that he is such a good sleeper.

He loves to cuddle, give hugs and kisses.

His presence calms me down.

Up until a month ago, I would go into his room almost every night before I went to bed and would bring him into my room to cuddle. He was always asleep. Most of the time he'd wake up and he'd snuggle up to me and we would talk and cuddle and then he'd happily go right back to bed and right back to sleep. Now I only get him once every week or two.

He is so laid back and goes with the flow.

Nate always says, "mmm" whenever he eats. It makes me so happy that he likes the food I make him. He is still a really good eater and will eat almost anything we give him. He doesn't snack very much and really only eats 3 meals a day.

Nate has gone potty all by himself 3 times. We are excited, although I am not quite ready to potty train right now!

height: 87th percentile
weight: 25th percentile

He's my little buddy and I love him more than words can express! We are so blessed to have him in our family!

Happy Birthday Nate!

2010-12-28T19:14:00.000-08:00

Nate's 2nd Birthday!

December 23rd, 2010

Nate blew out the candles all by himself. It was so cute. It took a few tries. He was more successful at blowing his hair up off his forehead than blowing out the candles.

He loved blowing out the candles so much that we relit them several times just to watch him blow them out.

He literally dug right into the cake as soon as he was done blowing out the candles.

Nate saying that he is "2" while holding two fingers up.

Nate opening his present from Josh

Grandma and Grandpa were able to be at the party via Skype on the computer.

Nate was so excited about the little gift Josh got him. It was a miniature "Hot Wheels" motorcycle. Josh was so excited to give it to him. He wrapped it all by himself, made Nate a little card, and kept the present safe for a couple of days till Nate's birthday.

Nate saying "shhhhh." Things got a little crazy, actually a lot crazy, with the boys throwing balls at each other. Nate thought he should help mommy with getting everybody to calm down. Such good boy!

Uncle Jacob Comes for a Visit

2010-11-21T17:05:00.000-08:00

This photo of my brother and me is courtesy of Josh and his young budding skills of photography.

My little brother, Jacob, came to visit us the last week in October. As you can tell by the pictures, the boys loved Jacob. The boys were constantly smiling, laughing, and having loads of fun while he was here. I think Jacob must have a gift as a peacemaker because our home was so peaceful and happy while he was here. This last week he left to go serve a mission in Lubbock, Texas. It is crazy to me that he is old enough to be a missionary because I practically raised him until I left to college (he was 8 years old when I left to Ricks College). Jacob sadly was too young to really remember me living at home, but I have so many memories of him as a baby, toddler and small boy. He was my little buddy. He was always so cuddly as a baby and toddler and I created a bad habit for him by having him go to bed with me every night instead of him sleeping in his own bed because I loved to snuggle "my baby". I treated him as if he was my own baby and when he turned two years old, he started calling me "mom" before calling my mom "mom." Secretly I loved that he called me "mom" first because I couldn't wait to be a real mom one day. He has grown up so fast and I know that my boys will continue to grow up faster than I want them to and they will soon be out on their missions. We are so happy with Jacob and know that he will be a great missionary and so pleased that he is such a great example to my boys. Josh talks about how he is going to be a missionary just like Uncle Jacob and Uncle Scotty.

This evening Josh came back to my room to ask me question.

Josh: "Mom, are you going to be sad when I leave?"

Marie: Of course I'll be sad when you leave, you are my little buddy. I always love having you around."

"When are you leaving?"

Josh: "Don't be sad when I go on my mission. I need to be a missionary. I'll be back soon. Don't worry."

He is growing up too fast and he already knows, I don't know how he does, but he knows it will be hard for me to not have him around all the time when he is grown and old enough to be a missionary. But I am sure happy that he is already excited to go serve the Lord when he is old enough. Josh actually has his whole life planned out. He told me the other day that when he is 19, he's serving a mission, then he is going to marry Olivia when he is 26, and build homes for a living, and then Olivia is going to have babies. He is such a silly kid and is literally growing up too fast for me. I am trying to enjoy the time I am blessed to have with him.

Josh's First Season of Soccer

2010-11-09T13:21:00.000-08:00

Josh loved Soccer! He had the most excitement of anyone on the field. He never wanted a break or to sit out. He always wanted to be on the field playing. At the beginning of the season, when his coach would say go take a break and get a drink; he would run over to the bench, take a quick drink and be out on the field in less than a second. Josh didn't realize he was to sit out for 4 minutes. Lucky for him most games many of the kids wanted lots of breaks, so Josh got plenty of playing time.

There was one game early in the season where it was so hot that none of the kids really wanted to play; but Josh had so much excitement and energy that he didn't sit out the entire game and never stopped running. It was so fun to watch him! He has so much energy and love for life!

The beginning of the season he made a lot of goals for the other team, he was so excited every time. It is hilarious to watch 4 year olds play soccer. He figured it out by the end of the season and scored a "real" goal for his team and had several runs down the field that were so close. He also started turning the ball around to help out his teammates that were headed in the wrong direction. It was fun to see him improve so much in such a short time and most of all to see him love the sport.

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T18:00:00.000-07:00

The boys had a blast trick-or-treating. Nate's costume was the biggest hit. Almost every-one we passed said that it was the cutest costume they had ever seen. Although, literally everyone thought he was a girl. That's what he gets for being so cute. After we got home, Josh put himself in charge of passing out the candy. He decided to camp out by the front door. First he started out sitting on a red pillow waiting for the trick-or treaters, then he decided to get out his chair to sit in while he ate candy and read books! He didn't want halloween to end! He loved it! John and I loved watching the boys go from door to door. They were both so adorable in their costumes and it was so fun that both of them now understand halloween and we were all able to really enjoy it!

My Hardworker

2010-10-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

My Hard-Worker & Helping Hand

Josh makes dinner for everyone a few times a week. He always does it at the end of quiet time and then comes to get me to surprise me. He is so excited and happy with himself every time. His meals usually consist of fruit, cereal, yogurt, cheese, crackers, and carrots, with our drinks as well. He always finishes every last bite when he makes it.

If anyone knows me, they know that I love cleanliness. I am thrilled that Josh seems to love to clean up. He does the dishes from time to time, he sweeps and mops for me a couple times a week, and occasionally dusts. John and I decided that Josh is ready to earn his own money and we are not going to buy him treats anymore. He gets 10 cents for every chore (cleaning his room, cleaning the house, mopping, and dishes). He loves getting his money and buying treats. The house is much cleaner and I don't have to pick up toys all the time. It's worked really well for Josh.

He's even changed Nate's diaper a couple of times. I think this picture is hilarious that Josh put the hat and bib on Nate, then proceeded to change his diaper and Nate totally let him.

Today, Josh totally took the initiative after breakfast and did all the dishes and started the dishwasher all by himself (with a little help from Nate) and did just as good as if John or I did them. He must be watching me because he organized the dishes just like me. He even asked Nate for help. It was so funny how he politely asked Nate for help and told him exactly where to put the dishes. It was so adorable how Nate followed all of Josh's directions. It was so cute to watch them work together.

Josh totally takes after his dad in his high energy, love for work, and ability to be fast. John's mom tells about how Johnny, at the age of 6, cleaned out and organized their entire garage. So far, Josh is so much like his dad. I guess we'll see what he can do in a couple of years, he might even surpass his own father. All I know is that Josh is a great blessing in our lives and we are so blessed that he is a part of our family.

Josh in LOVE

2010-10-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

For 1 Year Josh has been in LOVE with Olivia! I thought it was just a phase, but he has been "in Love" since October 2009. He talks about how he loves her and wants to marry her almost everyday. They were inseparable in Preschool last year. He refuses to sit with his primary class because he is smitten and wants to sit by Olivia. We have the most hilarious conversations about it. Here's one we had the other day.

Josh: I'm going to marry Olivia, when I am 6 and Olivia is 6!

Marie: That's too young to get married!

Josh: 10!!! When I am 10 I am going to marry Olivia!

Marie: That is still too young. Don't you need to go on a mission first?

Josh: Okay!!! After I serve a mission, when I am 26!!!

Marie: That's a good age!

Josh: I love Olivia. We are going to get married!

Marie: What are you going to do if Olivia doesn't want to marry you?

Josh: I am going to pray to Heavenly Father all the time so she will marry me.

2010-10-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

Uncle Gary & Josh

Grandma Shawna with Her Grandsons

Edwards Family Picture

(can you tell the boys weren't in the mood and Nate really wanted and needed a nap)

The Scavenger Hunt

Visit with Great-Grandma Edwards

Gary & Johnny

Gary came to Indiana on his way out to medical school in Chicago. Gary shadowed John, they played gold, and watched movies. They had a blast together and it was great timing since I was in Idaho still.

Idaho Trip

2010-10-09T07:21:00.000-07:00

Can I just say the skies were amazing our whole trip!

My dear friend from Iowa came all the way up from the Ogden area with her two kids to spend the day! It was a blast and so fun to catch up and to watch our kids play together!

Uncle Daniel & Nate

Josh & Nicholas

The rest of the trip wasn't very exciting, but extremely eventful as we were going to 2 to 3 doctors appointments a day for 2 of the days. Josh got a really bad infection from his eczema and I had to go on antibiotics as well which made me so nauseous. The boys loved all the attention they got from my parents and brothers and they really love grandmas house. There was always constant entertainment. Hopefully, our next trip to Idaho won't involve going to any doctors or being sick.

A Thought on Motherhood

2010-09-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

Motherhood

I'd rather be a Mother than anyone on earth

Bringing up a child or two of unpretentious birth....

I'd rather tuck a little child all safe and sound in bed

Than twine a chain of diamonds about my [carefree] head.

I'd rather wash a smudgy face with round, bright, baby eyes

Than paint the pageantry of fame or walk among the wise.

-Meredith Gray

I came across this quote recently and it made my day! I feel that society is so hard on mothers and women in general. I hope that we as mothers really know that what we are doing the greatest job there is on earth. We may not get much recognition for what we do, the days can be some of the most challenging, but we are doing a great work! We are making a difference! Motherhood is "the highest, holiest service... assumed by mankind" (Improvement Era, November 1942 761).

Belt Family Reunion

2010-09-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

I loved how Uncle John pushed all the kids on the swings. The kids loved it.

Playing baseball with the mountains in the background. Oh, how I miss the mountains!

Everyone got so muddy after playing baseball!

John and I loved seeing everyone. We really miss seeing family! Josh had a blast playing with John's cousins kids. Grandma Shawna organized the event and it was so fun! We played baseball, the kids made crafts, ate yummy food, played games, and the kids just had a great time playing on the playground together.

2010-09-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

6 Years!

The last 6 years has flown by and so much has happened!

We both graduated from BYU

John graduated from medical school and became a doctor

John finished his internship/1st year of residency

I've had 3 different jobs

We've lived in 3 different states (Utah, Iowa, & Indiana)

We've had two beautiful boys!

Our life together has been wonderful and I cannot imagine my life without him and our boys! We've been through so much together! Life has not been without great challenges and obstacles, but we have been greatly blessed in more ways than we deserve.

Since we were in Utah for our anniversary and had family to watch the boys. We decided to go to one of the most beautiful places on earth to celebrate for an overnight getaway, Sundance! We took off up the canyon the day after Bear Lake. It was so relaxing and the scenery was breathtaking with the mountains, views, & wildflowers. It was so green and you couldn't ask for better weather! We stayed in a rustic little cabin, ate at the Foundry grill (the food was to die for), hiked around a bit, rode the chairlift, talked for hours (which felt like only minutes) and just enjoyed being together. I wish we could do this kind of stuff more often.

2010-08-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

Bear Lake

The pictures never do it justice. This place is beautiful! Our trip was short and sweet, but we managed to do as much as we could in one afternoon and evening.

Josh tubing on the deflated banana tube. He loved it.

Nate stayed in Orem with Grandma Shawna, so Josh got all the attention! He loved every minute!

Josh & Dad

Uncle Ben, Dad, & Josh

Ben and John were hilarious to watch as they jumped back and forth onto the other persons tube. Josh barely noticeable in the sunken deflated tube just chilled while being thoroughly entertained.

The BEST Part aside from being with my family was WATERSKIING! It is probably my most favorite thing to do! We were blessed to have the perfect conditions of glassy water all afternoon! I cannot even remember the last time I was able to go (either over a year ago right after I had Nate (which is a blur) or before I was pregnant with Nate (3 years ago). I was just thrilled that I got up on my first try every time and I stayed up as long as I could hold on!

This is a look of complete bliss after my ski run! Love this sport!

John's turn! I'm so glad that John loves to ski too!

My brother Jacob. He is such a clown!

Nothing can beat the skies out west. I had forgotten how amazing they are! Once again my camera doesn't give it justice and to top it off once I put the same picture on the blog the quality goes way down, but you get the idea. A bit of Heaven on Earth.

Josh & Uncle Daniel

Josh & Grandma Susan

It was so nice to be able to spend time with John, since it is a rare treat now that we are in residency! I just can't get enough of him!

Every year that my family and I went to Bear Lake there always were amazing sunsets! Did I mention sunset is my favorite time of day?!

We ended the evening with roasting hot dogs and smores while watching the sunset!

John, my Dad, and Aunt Jeannie

We left to head back to Orem at 10:30 that night and it took forever because it rained/flash flooded like it does in the midwest (seriously it hardly ever rains like that in Utah or Idaho). We didn't get home till about 2 am, but it was totally worth it!

Trip to Utah - Part 1

2010-08-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

As soon as we got to grandmas house the boys immediately started a race track with cars on Grandma's table. This continued the remainder of the trip whenever they got a chance. Grandma Shawna even joined in on the races.

Josh and Uncle Daniel

Josh had the coolest little room under the stairs. Grandma Shawna read books to Josh every night before bed in that tiny little crawl space. He loved it and couldn't get enough reading time with Grandma. He also loved his little room.

Gary, Landon, Becca, Johnny, Marie, Nate

We had the 1st Edwards Family Reunion. We started it off with the opening ceremonies and the lighting of the torch. John's brother's Nate and Gary assembled the torch and thought it fitting to use Scotty's underwear for the kindling. It burned really well. = O

John's parents

Nate with all the fireworks for the opening ceremonies. We decided to just have one grand finale and light all of them at once.

Great Grandma Belt.

She had the family over for dinner one night and she made this amazing guacamole. Josh wouldn't even touch the guacamole, but he still talks about it every day. He's such a silly kid.

The Newlyweds.

They are so cute together and Landon fits in perfectly with the family!

Gary the pro golfer. He just started medical school in Chicago and we are so happy he is so close to us.

While all the guys went golfing one night, Becca and I went to Cafe Rio (my most fav place to eat, my mouth is watering just thinking about it) and to a movie. It was so fun! Did I mention she is my only sister (well actually sister-in-law). We are both only girls and we both have 4 brothers.

Lots more to come. Next post Bear Lake....

Daddy's Home

2010-08-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

I was taking pictures of the boys when daddy got home from his last call shift and last day in the hospital for 10 days! This is what the boys do every time dad comes home, but I'm glad I captured the moment as our official vacation began.

While I finished packing John took Josh golfing with the elders quorum.

Look at my mini professional golfer!

This picture makes me smile and laugh. He is so tiny and he is such an amazing golfer for a 4 year old. He loves the sport!

Afterwards we headed to our friends wedding. Isn't she beautiful!

It was a beautiful wedding. The ceremony was in two different Indian languages with some English mixed in. The boys sat their the entire time just soaking up a different beautiful culture and probably wondering what in the world they were saying.

The next morning we woke bright and early around 3:30 to head to the airport.

Nate's first time in an airport and in an airplane.

He was so excited as he loves airplanes and he completely understood that he was actually flying in the airplane. He did great the entire 3 1/2 hour flight.

Josh was more than thrilled to be on a plane. He talked non-stop and loved the entire flight. He even talked to the lady next to him for an hour and convinced her to give him her window seat. She seemed to love talking with Josh.

For the record we almost missed our flight although we were there in plenty of time. We waited in line to check our luggage for almost an hour after we had checked in. They only had one person checking luggage and she was soooo slow. It took her 10 to 15 per person! She had no idea what she was doing. When it was our turn in line an airport staff let a girl cut in front of us. You couldn't help notice her while waiting in line because she was constantly swearing and whining about how she wasn't going to make her flight. It was finally our turn to check our luggage and they said they couldn't check our luggage anymore because of this girl. When the lady who helped this girl (who was much further behind us in line) found out we were on the same flight she started swearing at herself because she new she had made a dumb mistake. John told me to run with the boys through security and make the flight and that he would try to work things out and try to make the flight. Off we ran. When we were 50 yards from our terminal Josh started bawling as he was trying to keep up with me and I was running as fast as I could with Nate in the stroller. as they were announcing our names overhead for last final call. I really didn't know if we'd make it. I was almost their and I looked back behind me to tell Josh that he could do it and that he must run faster and not give up when I saw john sprinting in his socks holding his laptop, shoes, and bag. We made it just in time. I think we were blessed to have a great flight after all that. This is why I don't like to fly. Can airports just get their act together?!

Surprise on the Front Door!

2010-06-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I discovered this on top of my wreath on the front door.

The small nest is on the top left corner.

Last night I went to go water my flowers on the front porch. My opening the door pretty much scared the CRAP, literally, out of the Mama Bird. She pooped on my head(still grosses me out), wall, and my carpet and flew into the house after flying onto my head a couple of times with me screaming each time(don't worry not even one of the boys woke up, not even John). I still got John up and he helped get her out of the house and today she is back NESTING away. She has been way more protective and has hardly left the nest. I'm thinking the eggs are going to hatch any day now. I think from now on I'm going to be more careful when I open the door.

Trip to Philadelphia

2010-05-27T21:26:00.000-07:00

Trip to Philadelphia

May 2010

Me & Ami

John's co-residents

Highlights of the Trip

1. Spending time with my best friend (John of course!)

2. Having a date night every night for 4 nights!

3. Going on long walks around the city and talking for hours!

4. Getting sleep! Lot's of it! (I almost caught up!)

5. Dinner with Dr. Reichman at Four Seasons (honestly, the best food I've ever had)

6. Dinner at Morimotos with the residents and faculty(the second best place I have ever eaten)

7. Getting to know John's fellow residents. They were hilarious, fun, and such great people. No wonder John loves to work with these guys so much.

8. Hanging out with Ami while the guys were in classes (We were the only wives that went). She is so fun!

9. Going to the Art Museum and watching people run up the Rocky Steps.

10. Eating at the most amazing restaurants and getting everything paid for.

11. Staying at the Marriot for free.

None of this would have been possible without John's amazing brother Nate, who drove all the way from Provo to watch our boys! (Yes, that is close to a 30 hour drive.) The boys loved every minute of it and he did an incredible job! He is going to make an amazing father one day!

Flowers & Springtime!

2010-05-18T22:20:00.000-07:00

I Love SpRiNg!

I love flowers! They really amaze me and they make me happy every time I see them! I love to watch them grow and it is so exciting to me when they blossom.

Does anyone know what these are called? They are amazing! The flowers are fragrant like a rose (they have the most amazing smell of any flower I have ever smelt) and the blooms are two times the size of my hand. The last week in March, the plant just started to sprout from the ground kind-of like a tulip and now they are about 4 to 4 1/2 feet tall. They are so tall they are falling over. Like I said they are incredible!

I love seeing all these flowers everyday! It's amazing how well things grow out here in Indiana!

I planted my flowers right after Easter during the first week in April and they have quadrupled in the last Month. Below is the day I planted everything.

I love the changes and all the amazing new plants and flowers! I love how green everything is! Love it! Love it! Love it! Here you can see the change in our front yard in just one month.