"you know who I'm gonna marry?"

With a look of excitement and a big smile on his face, M says to me:
Mom, you know who I'm gonna marry?!

Me: Who?!

Mr. M: June!

Me: How come?

Mr. M: Because she's my sister!

as of late

Time is flying by these days! There is nothing big or spectacular going on in our lives--just life. But life is a wonderful thing, even just normal days. I love normal days, even though they may be long and challenging with small children. I was telling a friend that time is going too fast, and that my kids will be grown before I know it! I told her there are moments where I can't wait for that day, but that mostly I am enjoying this stage. She said, "Write it down! If you write down what these days are like, you will always have those things to look back on and remember. I wish I would have done that with my kids." Brilliant idea, I thought.

So, here is our life as of late:

Jake
- still working long hours at his job. He is an incredibly hard worker, which I am so thankful for
- after work, he stays to study for a big test he has coming up. He has been studying a LOT these days
- still teaching the 13-14 year old Sunday School class at church
- he loves going out and doing things with M--running errands, hiking, etc.
- has become quite the fruit tart maker 
- Okay, I take it back. Something SPECTACULAR has happened in our lives--Jake quit drinking Mountain Dew. Those who know him know that this is spectacular! I am so proud of him!

Mr. M
- he is back in school and loving it!
- he really enjoys playing around the track when we go in the mornings
- he loves reading books about animals, science, how things work, etc. He will often tell me, "I wonder how _______ works. Maybe we can find a book about it at the library."
- still working on being respectful and using his big boy words when he gets angry :)
- still dances for hours until he will finally go to the bathroom.
- currently has no broken bones... (I will have to fill you in on this one)
- still LOVES to play with tractors, cars, trucks, trailers, etc. He spends hours on the floor playing with these things each day.
- loves to paint
- enjoys Primary, for the most part. He thinks it is a little long some days, but we are trying to help him be positive about it!
- I turn on past general conference sessions to listen to and he always says, "I love listening to conference, mom!" Makes my heart happy.
- Still has an endless supply of energy! He is as happy and sweet as they come (most of the time!)
- still a picky eater, but has acquired this love of Ketchup, of all things. Like mother, like son!
- has become quite the puzzle guy
- has learned how to hang up his church pants...kind of :)  They're not on the floor, so I'll take it!
 

Miss J
- she climbs on EVERYTHING and ANYTHING! I took the kids out to play the other day while I did some weeding. I couldn't see where J had gone. Turns out she had climbed up the ladder of the playground to get onto the high platform of the playground. Freaked me out!
- she keeps climbing onto the kitchen table. I am not sure if this is kosher or not for her age, but I started putting her in time-out for climbing on it. I am really trying to help her understand (without losing my mind!) that she can't climb and stand on the kitchen table.
- she is a warm milk kind of a gal, none of that cold stuff
- usually has messy hair due to the fact that she takes anything off that I put in it- hair clips, bows, ponytails
- loves to shower! When I take her into the bathroom, whether to shower or not, she points at the shower and excitedly repeats, "sh, sh." She just giggles and laughs when we put her in to shower.
- still has such a sweet personality. I'm not sure, but I sense she is a peacemaker. She starts to cry if there is any contention in the home.
- she is super attached to me right now. She does not want anyone else to hold her, and she does not like me to leave her with others. This could be a problem because...
- she goes to nursery next month! Wahoo for nursery!
- loves Baby Signing Time! She walks around saying "baby, baby, baby!"
- pretty good eater. Her appetite slowed down at around 13 months, but she still likes a lot of things. She loves most veggies and devours any kind of fruit you give her!
- loves to play with books. She is getting better at sitting still through a few books. She lets you know, however, if she is not interested in the book you chose to read her by leaving your lap to go find a new one.
- she LOVES to play outside
- really enjoys playing with big brother

Tiff
- keeping busy with running M to preschool and other errands
- really working to study the scriptures, not just read them
- still serving in the Young Woman organization of our ward
- am trying to work on patience with the kids, especially at the end of the day when I tend to not be so patient...
- am in the process of mastering the art of making homemade rolls!
- enjoy going to the track to walk/run with the kids
- miss being close to family
- have gotten much better at going to bed with Jake, which I have really loved! (he goes to bed early...I tend to be a night-owl)
- still miss teaching school, but love what I get to do each day--be home with my babes and teach them!