Happy Birthday, Uma!

Happy birthday mom! While you and Hil are living the life of luxury and travel, the girls and I made some birthday videos for you. The one of Magsy is her telling the story of when she was sick and throwing up at the hotel. It is so funny. She tells it all the time. She even prays that she "won't get any more of Uma's germs at the black hotel." Hilarious!

It sounds to me like you had a great birthday, even without me. :) You deserve it! You have and always will be a wonderful mom. I appreciate all that you do for me, and for my family. I love seeing you with my girls, and seeing how much they love and admire you. I love you!

Happy Birthday!

Lunch and Laughter.

The girls' personalities are really blossoming lately. They are starting to figure out humor, and are often hiding behind the couch and jumping up and yelling "BOO!" to startle me. Bronwyn also loves to come up behind me, tap me on the shoulder, and run away. She really cracks herself up! But the most humorous moments are still the unplanned ones. Lunchtime today was especially delightful. We were singing "Jesus Loves the Little Children", (meals take FOREVER at our house, as my children obviously can't zero in on just eating!). After we finished singing, Magsy looks at me, and with all the innocence in the world asks: "Does Heavenly Father love teenagers, too?" It took ALOT of willpower to not laugh at her question!

There was a time when I wondered if Bronwyn would ever learn how to get along with other kids. I avoided playgroup for almost a year because she would hit and kick all the kids. So seeing her at preschool with all of her friends brings me so much joy. She sure has changed! Here she is with her best friend from school at their Halloween party. Bronwyn is a great big sister to Ty, and really loves babies, and talks all the time about becoming a mommy someday. Also at lunch today Bronwyn tells me: "Mom, I'm going to be the greatest mom because I'm going to have cuter names." I will try not to take offense to this one since I couldn't be happier with the names we have chosen! She also talks about having 20,000 babies, and says she is going to go live in outer space when her kids are grown. Where does she come up with it all?

Also today, while I was preparing lunch, and not really paying attention to all the jibber jabber coming from the girls, Bronwyn says to me "Mom, why do you keep forgetting that I'm growing up?". Hmmm... wonder what I responded to incorrectly...

Since I am posting, I will do a short Halloween summary. This year I hosted the cousin party, and we had a lot of fun. Here are all the cousins about to hit the neighborhood. It is SO fun to see all the girls dressed up every year. I love living close to family, and hope that I am making at least a small contribution to my neices' childhoods.



Our ward also had a Harvest (but really Halloween) party, and there was Karaoke singing. Magsy really wanted to sing, so she went up and sang "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" a capella. She was So adorable and did a great job. I think she is definitely taking after her mother!

The Autumn Leaves....

There are times in your life when you wonder if you will be happy again. I had one of those times exactly four years ago, when my dad passed away. It was such a huge loss to have at such a young age, and continues to be a loss I feel on a regular basis. That first night, Todd and I walked the neighborhood in the dark. I remember hearing all the leaves crunching under my feet with each sad step. It is hard to walk across leaves without remembering that night, and the day that preceded it.

My dad was a lot like my husband. Totally playful, and spent alot
of time getting tackled by his two little girls.

This little girl is the only grandchild that got to meet her Grandpa Ingoldsby. She was a young 10 months old when he died. Bronwyn-Rose is named after both of my parents: Bron and Valerie Rose. It is a name I picked out when I was about 12 years old.

This little cutie is the first male offspring from my dad's line.

I was pregnant with Magdalen, our second child, when my dad passed. And though it sounds too good to be true, the first time I felt her kick was at his funeral.

But now, four years later, I am happier than I ever really thought I would be. Despite losing my dad, I am loving life as a stay at home to my three kids. I will always wish that my dad was here to be a part of all our lives, but I have learned to be happy without him.

I can only hope to handle teenage drama with two girls as well as he did!

And pray that these two princesses will adore their daddy as much as I adored mine.

I couldn't resist taking some pictures today.
The weather was perfect, and the leaves were amazing!

This smile says it all. Life is good! I have certainly wasted too much time feeling sorry for myself. Life is short, and I am thankful to be enjoying it so much.

Final Days of Summer

For those of you who also grew up in Sugar City, September isn't exactly Summer anymore. But here in Boise, it's still super hot. While Summer is certainly lingering, my kids are growing up at warp speed. Baby Ty got his first tooth at 5 months old! Two months before the girls. I was so mad at him. Doesn't he understand that he is my baby, and should not age any quicker than his sisters did? Sigh.. So I spent the day trying to catch a shot of him showing off his now two bottom teeth, and this is what a got. Grins with his mouth shut tight!

Luckily, my friend, Emily, got this great shot of Ty and me at the fountain the other day. Added bonus: his chompers are showing!


Our family also recently attended a family-primary activity. The girls had SO much fun! All the activities were designed to strengthen families, and teach the kids the importance of eternal families. While these little rugrats can really ruin a perfectly good Saturday morning, they are mine, and I love them dearly. How lucky we are to be stuck together forever!


Todd's grandma turned 103, and isn't she a beauty?! She used to play the piano at silent movies! Her birthday always brings in family members from out of town. Here we are all trying to fit on our couch. Actually, we fit pretty well!


These little princesses both started preschool this last week, and loved it! They are so excited to show me whatever craft they did that day. I am so proud of their accomplishments.

Here are pictures I took of each girl on their first day of preschool. What cuties!


The girls found the little hat each baby gets at the hospital when they are born, an insisted that Todd put it on Ty. He looks like such a little homie!

We play hard, and every now that then, we crash hard! Isn't it the cutest when a kid just can't stay awake any longer?

BIRTH

It is somewhat comical that I was so reluctant to start a family blog, and here I am posting to let you all know about another blog I am running! What can I say? I love internet hobbies.

Many of you know that another love of mine is childbirth, attending births as a labor support doula, and teaching Music Birth Childbirth Education Classes at St. Als. When people hear about this part of my life they are either intrigued, finding the work I do to be very interesting and important; or they think I am a weirdo/granola! Every now and then there is even a pregnant friend of mine who somehow manages to avoid me during her entire pregnancy, most likely not wanting to hear about all the benefits of natural childbirth because they are quite fond of the epidural. :)

I have spent the past 6 years in this field of work, and have learned that childbirth is a very touchy subject. Every woman views birth differently, prepares for it differently, and dreads it differently! Often, women seek out my advice AFTER they have delivered. It is all too common for a woman to be unhappy with her birth. She then begins researching and looking for answers to what went wrong, and could it have been avoided.

Since it is difficult for many women to reach out and ask for answers before or during their pregnancy, I am trying to do more to help educate women by running a blog dedicated to birth stories. Many of my clients and class members feel the same way I do, and want to share their own success stories to inpsire women to love their births.

Please share this blog with your friends. Let's get the word out that birth is awesome! Even if you are done having kids, I still think you will enjoy reading this blog. Happy reading, and most of all, happy birthing!

musicbirth.blogspot.com

Memory Lane

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of fun, family, and travel. While many of these activities deserve their own blog posting, I am playing catch up today with one long post. Hilary and I had our highly anticipated, 10 year high school reunion last weekend. On the way to Rexburg, we all stopped at Craters of the Moon, which was awesome! Todd and I are already planning to go back when we can stay longer, and when it isn't as hot. I highly recommend taking your kids there. Lots of fun, easy hiking; and some great caves too! Loved it!

Here is the Sugar Salem class of 1999! It was SO fun to see everyone. Everyone was super nice and outgoing, and everyone looked great!

Here are my girls with Joel, my close friend's son. He is so adorable, and probably learned alot of naughty things from his hour with my girls!

For those of you who may not know it, Todd and I pretty much hooked up in a practice room at Ricks. The first time we ever hung out was a 3 hour talk in this very practice room! He impressed me with his piano skills, and I wooed him with my singing; and the rest is history! Todd even proposed to me in this room, so we couldn't pass up the chance to re-enact the proposal with our three crazy kids!

We also took the kids to the Idaho Falls temple so they could see where we were married. Eight years later, I am still crazy about this guy!

We had a nice evening at Temple Square on our way to Orem. Bronwyn especially enjoyed the visitor's center. It is amazing to watch her grow up and start to understand spiritual matters.

Here are Magsy and Ty sitting in Grandpa Lynn's chair. Just had to throw this picture in because it's cute!

Hil's inlaws have a great cabin about 2 hours away from Orem. We all had a great time! Hil was quite the Tomboy growing up, but it still cracked me up to see her all decked out in her fishing attire! Sorry Hil, but I just HAD to post this one!

We obviously aren't on the water in this picture, but we all enjoyed canoeing! It was very peaceful and relaxing, and a beautiful environment.

I hesitated letting the girls on the 4 wheeler since I didn't have their helmets. But I did eventually let uncle C take them on the short ride. They loved it! Bronwyn looks so happy here!

It was Ladies night at the Orem Owls (minor league baseball) game, and my mom's CURVES was the main sponsor. It was a blast to get all the family together, eat junk, and watch a little ball. Hilary threw out the first pitch too! (video coming soon)

The trip ended in Logan, Utah. Todd and I lived there for 5 years before moving to Boise. We love going back and visiting friends, eating at our favorite restaurants, and running around Utah State. Here are are on the "A" where you can become a True Aggie!

I have been looking forward to this trip for a long time. It is hard having Hilary live so far away! I am sad that it is over, but grateful for all the wonderful memories! A huge "thank you" to my mom as well. She watched my crazy girls a ton so I could enjoy some adult time, and it was wonderful.

Youngest Survivor

For the third year in a row, Bronwyn was honored as the youngest survivor at Relay for Life. I have to admit, it was pretty exciting the first year this happened. She was only 2 years old, the cutest thing ever in her huge purple, survivor t-shirt and pink sunglasses. As the mother of the youngest survivor you get alot of attention as well. This year all that attention was bittersweet. Who wants to be the youngest survivor? All it means is that you were the first one to get cancer. Hopefully someday Bronwyn can be the oldest survivor. Being a survivor at any age is truly something to celebrate, but I would much rather be celebrating decades of being cancer free!

The first lap of the evening is the Survivor Lap. It is always moving to see all the survivors out there together.

Our good friends, the Tuellers. Aubrey is a cancer survivor herself! I think I have convinced her to registering as a survivor next year...

With Todd's parents and my mom, always there to support us!

These are the people who raised over $1,000! So a big "THANK YOU" to all of you who helped Bronwyn reach her fundraising goal. As you can see, it is a very small and elite group!

Since Bronwyn raised over $1000, she got to ride in the golf cart for some of her laps. I was glad they let Magsy go in as well, as she was starting to feel a little outshined. This year I even bought her a little medal to wear so she didn't feel left out. Both girls thought riding around the track was great, and definately made them feel special.

All 5 of us walking the track. We truly love supporting Relay for Life! It is a wonderful fundraiser for a hugely important cause.