Ty's Funny, Too

Besides the fact that he just has an awesome personality, McKay is at an age where he says lots of funny things.  But I don't want Ty to get overlooked, either.  He makes me laugh daily, too.

Last Sunday night, I was in the kitchen washing the dinner dishes.  Ty came in and said, "Just so you know, I got released from Primary today."  

Me:  "Oh, really?"  

Ty:  "Yep.  I got released, so I don't think I will be going anymore."

Me:  "You will still be going actually.  But nice try."
Um, can I just remind you that this kid is four?  This could be trouble. 

And today while out running errands, we were listening to the primary song, "Hum Your Favorite Hymn," in the car.  After the line, "Just hum your favorite hymn, sing out with vigor and vim..."  Ty yelled from the back, "Oh, Vigor and Vim!  Those are some of Santa's reindeer!"

Awesome.  These are the moments when I realize I have the best job in the world!

You've Had a Birthday, Shout Hooray!

Yesterday Adam celebrated another birthday.  It was a pretty low-key day, actually, especially because it fell on a Sunday.  We went out to dinner on Saturday night at a Mexican restaurant that we had never been to before, and it was delicious.  I'm not even all that much of a Mexican food person, and I seriously loved it.  What was even better was that we ran into some of our greatest friends from our previous ward there, so we all ate together.  It was so, so fun to catch up and enjoy the evening with them!

I got up early yesterday morning to make Adam some cinnamon rolls before his first church meeting at 7:30.  Oh, no, I'm not all that awesome--they were just Rhodes!  Then he was off to meetings and church.  It was a pleasant and unusual surprise that he didn't have any meetings after church, though--we were able to spend most of the afternoon and evening together.  

At Adam's request, I made him a Chinese dinner, and our feasting ended with a yummy red velvet cake.  We had several young men and one young woman drop in after stake youth choir practice to sing to Adam, and they ended up staying and having cake and then watching 17 Miracles with us.  It was a fun way to end a nice, calm birthday.

I'd say 31 looks pretty darn good on him!

Happy Birthday, Adam T.!  Sure do love you!  And Happy 30th today to my brother, Josh, too!

New Niece

Yesterday my sister delivered her first child--a beautiful, healthy little girl named Alexsi Nicole Savage.

Isn't she just the sweetest thing you have ever seen?  And can you even believe all that hair!?!

Here are my parents giving her some love.  I so, so wish I could snuggle her right now, too!

Mommy and Lexsi

Congratulations on a job well done Ash and DJ (especially Ash!! ;-))  She is perfect!

Little Utes

Happy Valentine's Day from our Cute Utes!

This one's for you, G&G Marchant!

Saturday is a special day...

...it's the day that we spend playing basketball!

Ty has been playing on a city rec league team since the beginning of January.  It's especially fun because his friend, Isaac is on his team.  Ty and Isaac's daddies are the coaches, too, which is pretty special.

Ty and his buddy, Isaac, who is moving to Arkansas next week.  Oh we will miss him!

Matt has also been playing ball in the stake young men basketball league.  So far, CF ward is undefeated!

And speaking of Matt and basketball, since he has been around he has taught our boys a thing or two about the NBA.  It's not uncommon for Adam to come home from work and be greeted with, "Hi, Dad! I'm Lebron James!"  Adam is less than thrilled about this since he and Matt tend to disagree on favorite NBA players/teams.

The boys look good in their dresses jerseys, don't you think?

But, really, what four-year-old do you know who knows about this many NBA players?

It leaves his daddy simultaneously proud and shaking his head.

Minivan Mom

So, we bought a van.

We have been looking for one on and off for about a year.  Last spring, we test drove a Nissan Quest, and I sort of fell in love.  I determined that if I was going to get demoted from SUV to minivan (and yes, in my mind, that is a demotion), this was the one I wanted.  After some serious thought, Adam and I decided last year to hold back, stick with what we had for a while, and wait a year or so until we really needed a minivan before making the purchase.

Fast forward to January 2012.  Adam's car (which we bought the first year we were married) was having yet another mechanical problem.  After getting a quote on how much it would be to fix it, we decided it wasn't worth dumping more money into.  Adam didn't want to continue driving it with the problems it was having, though, because he was afraid it might just totally break down at any minute, and frankly he was probably right!  We listed the car on craigslist, and in literally 30 seconds, the car was sold.  

We were happy about that, but it also meant that we were a one car family--something that we have't been since 2007!  So the hunt for a minivan began in earnest.  

Then, lo and behold, within a day of each other, two Quests were posted online within our budget!  We checked them both out, test drove them, and finally decided upon this one: 

I am not crazy about the gold color, but the price was right and it is in almost pristine condition!  And it has all the bells and whistles:  leather interior, heated seats, dvd player, and a side door and trunk that open with the push of a button.  What's more, Matt will no longer have to be smashed between the boys' car seats when we go somewhere with the whole family!  And come June, when Baby Girl joins our family, we will still have ample space for everyone.  That's one thing that I love most about this particular minivan as opposed to some others we have looked at--it is so, so roomy.
The boys are in love.  Last time we bought a car, Ty looked like this:

So needless to say, it's a major novelty for them.  Ty especially loves that he can open and close "his" door by pushing a button.
And me?  I'm beginning to think maybe this isn't such a demotion after all.

My McKay

I truly believe that McKay's very existence in my life is to serve a dual purpose.  The first is to exasperate me and try my patient to the utmost limit.  The second is to amuse me to no end!  Seriously, the kid is funny.  Today as the sacrament was being passed, McKay was looking at the Church History maps and photographs in Adam's scriptures.  Except, he wasn't really looking at all the buildings of historical significance in the photos.  In each picture, he was pointing with his little boy finger at the trees in the background, and whispering (very reverently I might add!), "Those trees!  Those trees!  Those truffula trees!  All my life I've been searching for trees such as these!"
I was trying oh, so hard to focus and be reverent, but seriously.  I was internally laughing my guts out!

When I picked my boy up from nursery, he greeted me with a, "What up, Mom?"  Just the way he said it, in a low, I'm-so-cool voice, nearly sent me over the edge again.

I've been trying to do a better job at living in the moment, focusing on the little things that make me happy rather than wishing I was somewhere else, doing something else (or wishing it was the boys' bedtime!).  Yesterday morning my boys were up at 6:45 AM, which is ridiculously early for them.  One boy jumped in on each side of the bed, and I had the privilege of having McKay on my side.  He lay so still, and the only sound he made was the smack-smack-smack as he sucked his thumb.  We stayed that way for more than an hour, but I never fell back asleep.  Instead, I relished the way he fit so perfectly in the crook of my arm, with his downy-soft hair rubbing against my cheek.  It was heaven.

Why has Lord blessed me so abundantly, to allow this little man to be mine?  He brings an unmeasurable amount of joy to my life on a daily basis.  I'm quite sure that he will be the kid that makes Adam and I  prematurely gray when he's a teenager, but oh, how grateful I am that I have him!