Project Life Scrapbooking

I'm so excited!  I've been taking online classes to learn how to scrapbook with Photoshop...with Project Life by Becky Higgins!  This is the first page of my 2013 book.  I love to scrapbook digitally...it's clean, easy, I can us my digital papers and embellishments over and over, and I can journal as much as I want on every page!  I'm sure I'll post more as the year goes on...it will make my blogging easier too...I won't feel like I've got to do both...blogging and scrapbooking...I kill two birds with one stone-efficient!

Won't be long now

Here I am at 30 weeks along...It won't be long now till I see this little Baby Boy. Feeling great, just sore and tired...but that's pretty normal for me.

Birthday, Birthday, Birthday!

Our family has a cluster of Birthdays around the end and beginning of each year. I kick things off on December 28th, then Ben on January 3rd, and then our big boy Max on January 24th. So here is a photo journal of our celebrations!

Here's me and Jake on my birthday enjoying some Brazilian food at Trolly Square in UT.

I call this picture, "Tiny Tim." He had a thing for my mother-in-laws cane. Lucky for him it was adjustable, so we set it to the smallest setting and let him walk around with it a little. It was the funniest thing.

Me and my cake the boys and grandma made for me...I loved it, white with PINK sprinkles. I must say it's fun to be the girl in this group.

Now onto Ben's birthday. He turned 35 this year and yes, we put 35 candles on that cake.

Someone call the fire department!

Max turned 6 yesterday! I can't believe how big and grown up he is getting. I'm starting to get nervous for him to loose his first tooth. His little look will change so much, his smile and baby teeth are the only thing keeping him looking like a little boy :(. He loves to eat at Red Robin, so we had our family dinner there last night. I'm not sure if it's the balloons or the spaghetti he likes the most.

I think he reminded our server it was his birthday like 5 times, no lie....he wanted that Birthday ice cream sunday and fun song they sing!

Pure satisfaction!

Luckily, he was kind and shared it with his brothers.

We came home and met some friends for some cake and ice cream. We are totally into star wars and legos around here.

The winning present this year was the Webkinz! I'm sure as soon as he gets off the bus this afternoon, he will be glued to the computer setting up his Webkinz account!

Happy Birthday my 6 year old. I sure love you. You are so responsible and thoughtful. I can still remember the beautiful snowy morning of your birth!

I know right?!??!

So here are pictures from the first day of school....yes, school started when your kids school started...I'm way behind on posting...I know right?!?!? So here is big Max going off to Kindergarten. It's everyday, half day. I love having him home for lunch! I wanted to drive him to school, but he didn't want any part of that. "I want to ride the bus because it is really long, it has lots of seats and has its own stop sign!" The swagger wagon can't compete with that.

This was also Seth's first year of Preschool. He was so excited and totally ready. After taking Max the previous two years, Seth has already become aquatinted with the school and the teachers. It was like Cheers! Everyone knew his name!

And of course our little fella, Jake. He doesn't miss a beat! He loves to help me watch for the bus and get those boys off to school. He is my little shadow. I love our time just the two of us!

I guess next school year I'll have two shadows, one to follow and one to carry!

Preserving

How to Preserve a Husband

"Be careful in your selection. Do not choose too young. When selected, give your entire thoughts to preparation for domestic use. Some wives insist upon keeping them in a pickle, others are constantly getting them into hot water. This may make them sour, hard, and sometimes bitter; even poor varieties may be made sweet, tender and good, by garnishing them with patience, well sweetened with love and seasoned with kisses. Wrap them in a mantle of charity. Keep warm with a steady fire of domestic devotion and serve with peaches and cream. Thus prepared, they will keep for years."

This is what was in the back of a 1974 Ball canning book. I thought it was hilarious!

Here's another picture I took of the book to show what women were wearing while working hard in the kitchen.

Now for what I was really trying to post about. Ben and I canned peaches this weekend. Ben has seen/done it before as a boy, but I was a first timer with peaches. It was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. We bought this bushel from a farmer, Mr. Burnham. He has a great farm about 45 minutes west of us. He also has apple orchards that we'll be visiting in about a month or two.

Hopefully I have preserved these peaches correctly and they will be enjoyable for the months and year ahead, but it will be a forever canning process to keep my sweetheart preserved ;)

The other side of the World

I'm so excited to see my folks and not only that, but to see them while they are in CHINA! Can't wait to post all the fun pictures and tell you about all my adventures when I return. Oh yeah...I'm going without kids and without hubby (I do wish Ben could come along, but we thought it best to not have us both so far away from the kids and for so long) (and don't feel bad for Ben, he's not having to care for the children on his own...his wonderful parents will be here with him and the boys....thank you thank you!)...just me and my sister!

Mother Goose

There are few pictures that have me in them. I'm usually behind the camera taking pictures of Ben and the boys. Now don't get the wrong idea...I know I'm looking like mother goose in this photo, but it is definitely a work in progress. I've been thinking a lot about this lately...how much time I actually spend with my boys. By actual time, I mean time I'm totally engaged with them. I know it's a work in progress, it's something I will always work at being and doing better. For now, I'm going to cherish this picture my mom took with me in it and actively engaged with my little ones.

Small and Simple Things

Happy New Year! We've picked our family motto for the year...Small and Simple Things. I've added it to my header at the top so that I can try and remember to include that somehow in each of my posts this year. With a busy family of little boys, I find that I don't take very many moments to be still and do something small and/or simple. The small and simple things I'm talking about are and not limited to: reading a story with my boys, looking through the Friend and Ensign, praying by myself, reading the scriptures, turning off the TV, temple work, laughing, enjoying, talking, being kind and gentle with myself and other. The list can go on and on and I'm sure I'll add many more to the list as the year moves along.

I leave you with a few pictures of me blowing out my birthday candles and a shot of me in my BiRtHdAy SuIt...yes, I'm 30 now!

Signing back on....

I'm back...moderation in all things...I hope to add some photos and updates real soon. Most of you have kept my blog address on your blog list, and for that I'm grateful and feel the love from the blogging world!

Signing off.......

Hi there Friends and Family! Just wanted to let you know that this is my last post. I've been thinking about getting rid of my blog for the last 6 months or so and finally decided to go through with it. It's been fun, but I'm done. I've decided to go back to the old fashion way of communicating, email and actually talking. In a few days, I will change my settings so that it looks like I've gone private, and then after I figure out how to put what I've posted into a book, I'll delete it. So when you come to check my blog and it says for invited readers only, don't feel like I left you out. Hope things are going well with everyone...I'm sure I'll talk or see you soon...this is Tara signing off............

Days Before

Nine days before Jake was born, a friend of mine took some amazing maternity pictures of me and my two little boys. I had never had this done before because I'm not one to be in the spot light or have any extra attention drawn my way. But with this pregnancy I tried to do all I could to make it special and one to remember...you never know when your pregnant for the last time (I'm not trying to make any sort of annoucement or declaration), but life is special and I feel like the older I get the more I come to understand that little fact. So, when I was approached by this great photography, I said, "Yes!" I'm so glad I did...I feel so maternal as I look at these pictures of my boys and large belly, and know I will always have something as a reminder of this short stage of my life. In the moment, nine months seems so long and uncomfortable, but it is such a small blink in the sceme of things.
Anyone that is pregnant, I recommend jumping out of your comfort box and let that belly hang out for a few pictures. I did have a few taking of my bear stomach...it doesn't look real...it's kinda cool. And any of my friends or family out there expecting, Congratulations!

Ready and Waiting

I've never been prepared and ready for a baby before, I've always felt like I would have time and that it was too early to get things in order. For my first two pregnancies, that was not the case...They both came at a complete surprise, one at 38 weeks and the other at 36 weeks--I was caught with things half done or not done at all. This time I wasn't going to let that happen, I was going to ready...totally ready--not just have the house cleaned and all the baby stuff out, but I've even had time to let someone take maternity pictures of me, something I've never done before. Some say you should treat every pregnancy and baby like it could be your last (I'm not saying I'm done) and I feel like I've really tried to make this one special. It would be easy not to since it's my third boy, but I've done some real special things for him that I'm real happy about. Now for the first time I'm waiting with nothing really to do before this little one gets here except get more excited to see him and how he will be received by his big brothers.
Just like the others, we never have a set name for our baby until we finally meet him. We do have a small list of names we like, but if any of you out there have a favorite boy name you would like us to consider that would go well with our current names (Maxton and Seth) please put them in your comments.
The longest I have to wait is two weeks (my due date is the 26th), but maybe this little one will show himself soon. We are so excited to see you little baby Hale...come out, come out, whenever you can!

A Big Day

My first baby boy turned four this weekend. I can't believe how big he is getting. In the last month he has changed so much, I feel like he has finally gotten through the terrible two and threes and has turned into such a good boy. I have so much fun just talking with him. He is interesting, funny and kind hearted. He loves Mario Cart Wii, Bakugans, Transformers, Super Heroes, Star Wars, Tom & Jerry, Chicken Salad with Wheat Thins, Apple Juice, Dogs, short sleeve shirts, his socks and shoes to be just right, going to Primary, baking cookies, gymnastics, wearing goggles to swim, snuggling, and going on adventures. He said in the car the other day, "I was your first Baby, right?!" Yes you were and you will always be my sweetheart...I love you and the little man you are becoming.

The next few pictures are of his birthday party and the construction of his birthday cake. We had a Father Son Bowling Party and Ben made a Light Saver Cake. He made it out of two cakes that he cut and froze over night. Placed them on a long piece of card board and I made tons of icing for him to dye and decorate with. He used glow sticks to bring it to life and a red disc of chocolate for the button. Max thought it was pretty awesome.

Here is Seth so proud of himself after pushing his first ball down the lane!

After Maxton's party, we hustled down to my parents house to celebrate my Mom's 50th birthday. Dinner was great, we ate a Japanese Steak House. At dinner my folks shared some important news with us...my Dad's company is sending both my parents to China for a year (not returning home at all for the year) on a project. My Dad leaves this Saturday and my Mom will follow once her passport and visa come through, probably the middle of February. It was a bit of a surprise. I think it will be so great for them and a wonderful adventure. Obviously I'm sad that they will just miss seeing our new little baby boy born and his first year, but it will all work out.

Last but not least, here is a belly shot of me...it's current...31 weeks along...this picture is really for my dear friend in the KS...enjoy VMS!

Wholesome and Nutritious

I might not be the best at it, but I'm pretty domestic. I love anything domestic and lovely. I'm always trying to learn new things and try out recipes or ideas. Since April, I've had an itch to learn how to make Whole Wheat Bread. You know, grind the wheat and everything. I even traded in my Kitchen Aid for a Bosch since most bread recipes are too over powering for the Kitchen Aid. It took me almost a year, and Santa brought me one for Christmas...I was so excited. So naturally, my "one track mind" kicked in and I was on a mission to learn and conquer whole wheat bread...so much so that once figured out, I would make a batch each week for my family in hopes to not buy the bread at the grocery. I had come across three different recipes since April and I wanted to try all three to see which one I liked the best. One came from a great lady in my ward, another from a dear friend in KS and another from Utah. Each recipe was a little different and each one asked for something a little out of the ordinary. I took my kids out in the freezing cold and snow to find such ingredients as: saf-instant yeast, vital gluten flour, 9 grain cracked cereal, hard red wheat, flax seed, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, wheat grinders from friends, 8.5 inch bread pans, etc. I called friends and bugged them like crazy with questions about each and every recipe. Once I had gathered all I needed and more, I settled in on my adventure.
In a matter of four days I had baked 15 loaves of Whole Wheat Bread, trying to perfect and figure out which recipe I liked and that liked me the best. I failed miserably at two of the recipes and did okay with the third, but it still needs a little work.
As each loaf was baked and eventually put in a zip lock, I began wondering if there was more to this bread than just baking it. Was it somehow filling a hole inside of me? All 15 were wholesome and nutritious, was I feeling like I was needing some nurturing, something warm and wonderfully filling?
Regardless, I've made 15 loaves. I've going to stop now and order my own wheat grinder and finally buy some wheat for my food storage and continue trying to make my recipe work...not like a crazy woman, but a little over time.
I guess there could be worse things I could do to fill some of those emotions!?!?

Sunny Saturday

I should feel great...We've had a beautiful Sunny Saturday and me and the boys have had a great time together, but I still don't feel like blogging. I'm sure you could already tell by the lack of posts. I don't know what it is....maybe it would be easier if the pictures didn't take so long to upload...or maybe I'm just too full of excuses for my blogging laziness. I do have something very exciting to report, drum roll please...............Ben just finished his 100 mile bike ride and I'm so proud of him. The sad news is that my baby is officially in his big boy bed and loving every minute of it. This is the first time in 3 1/2 years that I haven't had someone sleeping in the crib, however, I'm embracing all the fun that me and the boys are having and what a great summer it's going to be with the two of them. Hopefully their will be some pictures and a few more posts than usual over the next week or so...

Visiting Friends and Family

I'm comin' to you live from Kansas City! One of the many reasons I love visiting with family and friends is so I can pick their brains. I love to see what other mothers are doing with their children and what their different relationships are like. I learn what works for them and what they love about where they live. I feel so refreshed and come away with all sorts of great ideas and projects I want to do for me and my family. I love for my children to make new friends and have a little change of pace.
On this particular trip I'm visiting with a dear friend, who has three children, 7yrs., 4yrs., 14mos. We are having the best time here with their family. Maxton loves playing with her oldest, he has learned so much about dinosaurs and light sabers. Seth is so great, he always rolls with whatever crowd he's with...a very easy going child.
So (apparently that's how Kansas folk start all their sentences...with the word "so") here is one of the little ideas I've learned from my friend. It's called...COOPERATIVE BABYSITTING! If you click here, it is explained nicely. After reading, comment if you would be interested in starting this up when I get home. I think it would be a great idea!

Back on the Horse

I check blogs everyday...I know what you're thinking..."no she doesn't, she never comments on my posts!?!?!" I know, I know, I need to do better and I will do better. By the time I read all your blogs, I'm too tired to write something on my own. I'm recommitting to do better, I'm hopping back on the horse, going to give it another go...let's see how it goes. Since it has been awhile, I've posted 4 new things, so keep scrolling down.

Valentine's Day Tag-One day late

My friend Amy Tagged me with this, since I'm late on posting, I won't tag any of you with it...enjoy! If you want to check out her cute blog click here.


♥ How long have you been together? 6 years (5 1/2 married 5 months dating/engaged)

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating? one week

♥ Who asked who out? Ben

♥ How old are each of you? 28 and 32

♥ Whose siblings do/ did you see the most? My sister since she lives close

♥ Do you have any children together? Two boys

♥ What about pets? none...not till we finish having kids and they're all potty trained

♥ Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? Determining who loves who the most

♥ Did you go to the same school? nope

♥ Are you from the same home town? nope, we come from different worlds-me from GA and Ben from UT

♥ Who is the smartest? Definitely Ben...he knows a little bit about everything, which is great when talking to people and his patients.

♥ Who is the most sensitive? I'm not sure...we're both a couple of tender people

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? Mandarin-Chinese

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? St. John

♥ Who has the craziest exes? neither

♥ Who has the worst temper? I have the worst temper...and yes I'm trying to work on that. I've come a long way and it's all because of Ben-he's a great example of love and patients

♥ Who does the cooking? I would say it's half and half...we both love to be in the kitchen

♥ Who is more social? I think Ben and I both suffer from a little social anxiety...you might not tell it in the moment, but right before we freak out a little. I think Ben is a little more social than myself...I do better socially in small groups of one to two.

♥ Who is the neat freak? I am, but when Ben decided to clean he goes all out and does a great job.

♥ Who is the more stubborn? BEN

♥ Who hogs the bed? We have a king size bed so there's enough room for the both of us

♥ Who wakes up earlier? He does for work.

♥ Where was your first date? He took me to the Rodeo and then made me homemade peach cobbler because I'm a GA peach

♥ Who has the bigger family? Ben, he is one of seven

♥ Do you get flowers often? Not really...I have to beg for them

♥ Who is more jealous? Definitely me.

♥ How long did it take to get serious? Not very!

♥ Who does/ did the laundry? I do.

♥ Who’s better with the computer? Ben

♥ Who drives when you are together? He does!

Happy Valentines

I thought thevlast post would promote some question to how my little one lost his tooth at such an early age, but I guess not.
I've decided maybe I've become boring, so let's see what happens if I wave one of these in front of you...that's right folks, I'm going to draw one name out of all my commenter's from this post on February 15th and mail you your prize. I should just draw from my previous post of my three loyal commenter's, but I'll have a HEART this Valentines and give you all another chance. Good Luck!

PS-click on the word "these" to see what the give away is.

What do I know?!?

Me and the boys were just sitting down to lunch when out of the corner of my eye I something walking through the back yard. I ran to the window and yelled for Max, "Come here quick! Look! It's Deer!" Max then replies, "No it's not...it's a Donkey!"
Here's the picture, I'll let ya'll decide...What do I know, I'm just the Mama!