December Fun

The end of December all jumbled together. That's what you get when there's not enough hours in the day. LOL!!!

Top left: I fell to the floor from exhaustion after church and the babies decided to join me. ;0) Top right: Babies playing under the computer desk together. Bottom left: Hatch family caroling pic under the Zeller's hanging Christmas tree. So cool!!! Bottom middle: Cutie baby girl posing in her rocking chair. Bottom right: Max in his favorite santa hat being silly. ;0)

Family Beach Trip 2011

I love that we have the opportunity to stay at the beach every year. It's so relaxing at fun. We usually get the best family pictures while we're there too. Bonus!!!

This was Maggie's first time walking on the beach and playing in the sand. I hope we're able to take them when it's warm. We have sandcastle buckets and tools Max got from their awesome Aunt Sam that we haven't used yet.

I love these shot's off Max walking in the clouds!

We also found out that he floats in mid-air. Cool!!! Baby girl did NOT like falling in the cold water. Poor thing!

Best part of all... We were able to have our super wonderful friends Todd, Erin & Ryker stay with us the last 2 nights. This is our second year to have them share our tradition of going to the beach house and I hope it continues. ;0)

We went out for a late stroll the night before we left. When we came in from the cold, the Daddy's bathed all the babies. Let me just say, us Mommy's really appreciated the help!

Beautiful November

I have a couple models on my hands. I just click the pictures and they pose. We're such a team. Such great memories!!!

I was lucky enough to catch a couple silly ones too. I was chasing Max with the camera and Maggie totally got caught getting into Dad's stuff. The scissors you see next to her have since been moved to a different locations thankfully. Yikes! I can't get enough of their sweetness!

We had our annual Hatch Family Thanksgiving brunch. This year Cline & Alli were sweet enough to host. We had lots of fun and yummy food. Charlie got this great pic of us before everyone took off. I'm so glad he did. These are really difficult to get with smiles. :0)

Time to Read

I started reading 'The Real George Washington over a year ago, and then stopped after 70 short pages. I really loved the book, but I was in the difficult last couple months of pregnancy with Maggie. I was having a hard time sitting in one position for long periods of time and had no patience to read. Since then I haven't been able to make much time to read for myself. I read to the babies every night though. Wes mounted this sweet shelf for them in their room recently that he and a friend made. I posted this in my 'Honey Do Project' post. I'm quite proud of him if you can't tell. I love just staring at it.

My sweet husband challenged me to read The Book of Mormon before the end of the year. It's a goal that we're trying to accomplish together. So, instead of the usual 3 month challenge, it'll be 2 months. I'm determined and I know that I'll not only be able to meet this challenge, but that it will enrich our whole family with the spirit that it inevitably brings into our home. When I began the other day, I remembered my George Washington book. I decided that I needed to accomplish that goal as well. Today I found that taking these both on at the same time actually helps. When I get to the point of needing to stop, I get revived by switching to the next book. Who knew?! The only catch here is, I have to get up early to read. I've also found time when the babies nap.

So tonight when the babies woke from their naps and dinner was complete, we put on a movie for the family to watch together. I read my George Washington book instead. Max saw that I had a book in my hand and climbed into my lap. Unfortunately I've failed in the part that this was one of the first times my boy has watched me reading to myself. But the part I love is that he insisted that I read to him. He grabbed his favorite blanket and climbed into my lap.

Such a fun memory that I hope happens over and over again in the future. I so want my children to have a love for reading and this is how to get it done I think. Read good books often and as a family.



Such a wonderful ending to my exhausting day. Now to sleep a couple hours and do it again.

Church Halloween Party

We invited our friends from across the street to our church Halloween party. It was crazy busy and super fun!!! The pictures of the babies with Daddy are priceless.

October Fun

We had so much fun this month as we usually do. Max moved from his crib to a toddler bed, then tried to claim Magnus's kennel. I can't resist a good family pic or sweet sleeping babies. What can I say. ;0)

We were outside every chance we got so baby girl could practice walking. She's getting pretty good and we're having a blast!

Pumpkin Patch Fun 2011

We had a fun-filled time at the Liepold Farm pumpkin patch. I just love seeing the excitement on their sweet faces when we do stuff like this. It'll only get better from here. That's my prediction.

Honey Do Projects

Handsome asked me to make a Honey Do list this week and these are a couple things he made. I've been looking for these on Craigslist and yard sales for a while now. I don't know why I didn't ask him sooner. So awesome. What a talented hunk of man!!!

Magdalena's 1st Birthday

Our baby girl turned 1 already. Can't believe how fast time fly's by. Red Velvet cake is a tradition in our family and she thoroughly enjoyed her cupcakes as you can see.

We had some of our family and a couple friends come over for the festivities. So relaxed and fun. I love these kinds of parties the most. Baby girl loved her presents, but mostly she loved the company.

September Family Fun

These are my favorites out of a month of fun.

Maggie and Max climbed onto our Moose cabinet and tossed the laundry everywhere while I was in the kitchen for a second. It was one of those, 'It's TOO quiet in there' moments.

The babies were feeling especially lovey dovey in these. Oh my teeth hurt when I look at them. LOVE!!!

We were able to spend time with our friends at our neighborhood park. We all had so much fun. They're all growing up super fast and they're all so smart and cute! It was a beautiful day to be able to spend time with friends!!!

Our Vacation to the Bonds

We had the fun opportunity to spend time with Sam at her home recently. Oh how we all loved it. Max chased the chickens and played in her backyard, Maggie ate lots of yummy new food and made messes while Sam tried to feed us. We all relaxed on her comfy grass in her yard as often as we could, which was pretty often. Even though Wes decided to pass a stone on the first day of our vacation, then rest of our trip was not interrupted. He's one tough cookie!

We drove up to Boulder Park for a little hike to a creek. The terrain was a little too much for our all terrain stroller, but Wes used his muscles and got it done. It was quite beautiful. We even got to see a dear family.

We relaxed at the creek for a while and let the kids play. Maggie mostly ate rocks and Max climbed the bigger ones. Max's favorite part was when we let him throw rocks in the water. Wes and I tossed a few big rocks in to get some big splashes. Max and Maggie loved it. We had an awesome time!

Such a wonderful family vacation! Can't wait to visit again!!! Thanks Sam!!!

Grandma Margorie Donkin's Valentine Cookies

Long, long ago... when my sweet husband and I were dating, he told me about his Mom's Valentine Cookies and how they were his favorite. He told me about the wonderful care packages he'd receive from his dear sister Wendy with these super yummy cookies inside. Well, when we got married I received a family cookbook with the recipe and I decided to give it a go. I thought it'd be really fun to surprise him. Unfortunately things didn't work out according to plan. I chilled the dough as suggested and then I attempted to roll it out. This didn't work at all. I was so frustrated after a few attempts, that I almost tossed it. However, I composed myself and decided to make them into snicker doodles. So that is how these cookies came to be. I made them for my babies yesterday after Max got a free snicker doodle from the Safeway bakery. I thought, 'I make WAY better cookies than these!' That's right... I'm totally tooting my horn. LOL!!!

Max dropped one of his cookies and Maggie cleaned it up. TEAM WORK! Such a fun memory. Grandma's recipe and my attempt at it. It all turned out wonderful.

Sad Good-Bye To My Excursion, Happy Hello To Wes's Dually

I sure loved my huge hunk of a truck. I cried. I tried not to, but I totally cried. We had to get rid of it because it's such a gas guzzler. Our diesel truck does a lot better. I'll get another Excursion and it'll be a diesel like our dually, and I'll probably love it too. I just got attached to my Excursion because I went through both pregnancy's in it. So... SAD DAY!!! I hope you make someone really happy sweet truck!!!

Remember when you were a kid?!

It's funny how much things have changed since I was a kid. Tonight I was thinking about when I was 7 years old. My parents would sometimes splurge on renting a movie for the family. That's when it was cheaper to rent the VCR than to buy. We'd be SOOO excited. If we didn't have a rental, it was the Sunday night movie speacial on TV that we'd look forward to watching as a family. All of us kids grabbing a blanket and pillow and plopping down on the floor. Mom would make popcorn on the stove (no microwaves back then). Yet here I am watching TV on DVR or movies on DVD on our huge TV. Our library of kid movies for our kids. It so different. I'm actually on my porch right now typing on my laptop. I don't think I could have imagined these kinds of changes would come when I was 7. The best part of my memory is that we were doing stuff as a family constantly. I was brought up in a close family strong in the gospel. This is something I feel blessed to pass on to our kids.

This is Max playing in the rain on the bike trail at the end of my run.

He was so excited to get out of the stroller to play.

Max and Maggie were playing in the yard a couple days ago.

I love watching Maggie try to keep up with her big brother. It's so sweet!!!

It's wonderful having all these sunny warm days. All the outdoor fun we get to enjoy as a family. I can't wait to go camping this summer. It's going to be so awesome!!!

Before and Afters - Wes & Brandon Go Bald

It's nothing new for Wes to shave his head. He's been doing it for about 14 years now. Well, tonight he shaved it for our nephew Brandon because he REALLY wanted to be bald. We were ready to take him in for a cut, but he begged for a shave.

Not sure how the shave turned Wes from smiley to crazy...

but it seemed to happen to Brandon as well. Yikes!!!

The end result was awesome. Brandon looks totally cool and handsome. Good job Uncle Wes!!!

Happy Father's Day Dinner for Wes

My sweet handsome hunk of a husband has been appropriately titled 'The Worlds Greatest Dad' as you can see below. He wore this shirt to the gun show on Saturday where a man tried to correct him, saying that he in fact held that title. Wes offered to fight him for it and the guy respectfully relented. To celebrate I made him this delicious meal. Oh and it was SUPER delicious!!! This is Wes's favorite meal his Mom used to make. Roast with au jus. The roast is the easy part, but the au jus is a little tricky. So I'm going to post it here so I won't forget. I've been forgetting things more and more lately.

3 to 3 1/2 pound Bottom Round Roast

Fresh Ground Pepper

16 ounces Beef Stock

1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce

1/3 cup A1 Steak Sauce

Place roast in slow cooker. Cover roast with ground pepper. Add beef stock and worcestershire sauce. Top the roast with the A1. Cook on low for 10 to 12 hours or high for 4 to 6.

For Au Jus: Remove roast. Place cheese cloth inside a strainer and strain the liquid into sauce pan. Reduce in a sauce pan. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Can't wait to do this again!!!

Sloppy Joe Craving

I remember having sloppy joe's at school sometimes when I was a kid, but I never had them at home. I don't even remember ever trying Manwich, and for some reason that seems weird to me. Well today I saw a recipe and decided tonight was the night. Thank you Pillsbury! It may not go with my diet, but I sure loved it. I hurt my back running for the past couple weeks so I had to take today off. I promised my sweet husband that I wouldn't even leave the house. My sweet sister Shaun helped me out by running to the store for the ingredients my pantry was lacking.

This first picture is Pillsbury's picture of their Sloppy Joe Casserole.

This is the picture I took of my casserole. I made it the same way except I covered my casserole completely. I think I must have used a different shape of dish or something. Didn't matter though. I loved it!!! I highly recomend it.

Sweet Memories

Tonight Max and I were playing with one of his toys that lights up while we were under a large quilt. This is a comfort thing for him. He LOVES forts! We were having so much fun pushing the buttons to make the music play and have it light up. It looked really cool under that quilt. Max sat on my lap as he always does and I couldn't help but to think of my first little while with him. To be specific... the day this picture was taken. Max was 13 days old. Daddy was at work and I was still recovering, so I just held my boy, fed my boy, changed my boy and took naps with my boy. I remember holding him while he slept on my chest in this picture. He still has the same sweet little boy smell he had that day. I can't stop kissing his little red head. What an awesome feeling!!! I love remembering my first days of being a Mom. It was all new then and now I can't remember how it felt not being a Mom. Babies are amazing and mine are the BEST. And yes... I'm totally playing favorites!!!

Taking The Day Off

While I was getting us ready for our run/walk this morning, I noticed Max playing ball in the living room. For the past couple weeks we've been going daily. It's great for us I think, but sometimes it's nice to just stay home. Not because it's raining, or because someone doesn't feel good. We all feel good and we want to spend time together at home today. We wish Daddy was here to play too, but we love that we're blessed with work for him. Can't wait to have him home so he can enjoy this as much as I am!!!

Comfort

My babies have been sick with one thing or another, on and off for the past month. They've both been teething, had the flu, colds and/or fevers. Comfort is sometimes all I can do. I want to take the pain away, but I can't. I try to make it all better and I can't figure out how. Then they get to the point where their little eyes droop and they grab for the softest blanket they can find. I snuggle Maggie close to me and Max scoots in too. This is how they both tell me how to make them feel better. One at a time I carry them each to their crib in the bedroom they share. Their eyes close and they finally have some time away from the sickness. Comfortable and safe in their favorite room, knowing that Momma will come running at the littlest whimper to make sure they're OK. Little do they know, I also come running when I know they're both snoring to make sure they have what they need or to correct the uncomfortable position they passed out in. My most favorite job is to comfort my family. Something that I learned from my parents. Something that takes years of love to teach. I thank my Heavenly Father for all my blessings and the opportunity to be a wife and Mother. It's the best tired feeling I've ever felt in my life!

Who needs to go to the beach when they have this at home?!

I've been wanting to go to the beach for some time now. It always helps me feel rejuvenated and all that. Well today my little family did it. I had a wonderful, beautiful day!!!

Wes is the gardener in our little family, but I wanted a garden for me to take care of this year. I really want to learn how to 'NOT' kill a plant. However, I didn't know what I was doing, so my sweet husband went from explaining it to me to doing it for me. I bought the stuff and put the plants in the ground, but he did everything else. Happy early Mother's Day to me!!! Max insisted on helping Dad. He had a ball walking in the dirt, finding rocks and sticks and carrying the tools for his Dad. Such a great little helper!!!

Once Wes started watering all the plants, 'help Dad time' was all over. He was ready to play in the water. Oh my GOODNESS is this boy CUTE?!!! We laughed and hugged and kissed him. What a crack-up!!!

We put both babies down for naps and finished up on the planting. Then Maggie woke up just at the time I needed to start dinner. Dad volunteered to watch her in the front while he edged the sidewalk for me. I love my pretty yard. It's not completely done yet, but it's well on it's way. I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!

Thank you Grandma for helping while Wes wasn't home. Max, Maggie and I loved having you over!!!

Happy May Day!!!

Friday was a tiring day!!! We were able to take a trip to the storehouse for some food storage with a couple friends we don't see very often. It was so much work and so worth it. I was working on 4 hours of sleep because of a teething baby and then I forgot to eat. Not a good combination I found out. Wonderful Grandma babysat for the billionth time. I'm so thankful for her!!! All I could do when I got home was to lay on the floor with the babies while they watched a movie and climbed on me. There was no more energy to be found, and I looked. LOL!!!
Because Friday was so exhausting, we all slept in Saturday. We woke up to the sound of Max talking and laughing. Words can't describe the feelings that go through me when I hear my babies playing. Soon after Max's sounds, came Maggie's lovely singing. When I got to Max, instead of wanting out of his crib to play in his room, he wanted to play in Maggie's crib with her. So I went to make a couple of bottles. Max crept over to Maggie in the crib and kissed her head softly. When they had their bottles, he moved slowly over to her to snuggle while they both relaxed. Max even shared his blanket with her.

Next thing on the list for the day was to go on a run with the babies. While I got everything together and buttoned down the house, Max continued to work on his bottle. Maggie was past that and on to playing. She rolled right into Max while he was relaxing. I knew in my mind that he was going to have an attitude and push her away. Instead, he put his arm under her belly and pulled her in for a hug and didn't let go. It was as if he thought she was his teddy bear. LOL! ~ I know, I know... No pictures. I failed. It was precious!

The jog went well till we got to the grocery store. Max started having a melt down... at the TOP of his lungs. AHHHH!!! I remember listening to people with the screaming children and thinking, 'Uh... Can you take care of that kid?!' Can you say Pay Back? Yeah, I got what was coming to me. I quickly got him out the door and had a talk. He was reasonable and allowed me to get a couple things before I ran that cutie boy home. I opted to take them in the car to Freddy's so I could shop and Max could drive his sports car shopping cart. One of the best ideas EVER!!! Well, at least for me today. He was in heaven. We were over in the children's clothing and I heard Maggie start to giggle. I looked over and Max was leaning toward her just jabbering away about something. She thought it was hilarious and so did I! Then Daddy stopped by and surprised him. Oh the smile. ;0)

We grabbed some yummy to go food after our shopping and headed home. Max went down for a nap. Maggie woke up from hers and then Grandma Cecelia dropped by for a visit and to bring us a couple of kid sized rocking chairs that she's had forever. They're adorable and both babies already love them. It was wonderful to spend time with her!!! When it was time for Maggie to sleep, Max woke up (of course!). I headed outside to mow the lawn and weed (@ 8pm). One of my sweet neighbors laughed when they saw me out there and offered to loan me a flashlight. ;0) I guess I was just determined to get my lawn looking nice and it totally does. Now I give myself permission to buy some pretty flowers to plant. I'm super excited if you can't tell.

When the yard was completed I gathered the garbage in the house, cleaned the litter box and started the laundry. This all sounds like lists now, but I was amazed at how much I accomplished today. The sun is so powerful. It motivates and makes people happy. Can't wait till tomorrow. Heading out for a picnic at the park after church with the family. Simple things make life wonderful.

(Sorry there were no pictures on this posting!!!)

My Wonderful Painful Exhausting Day

The day was going great. The babies played at their cousins. I went to my sisters birthday lunch. We went to visit Grandma. Then home for the babies naps. While they took their naps, Samantha watched Tangled and I washed my huge truck. When I was putting everything away I clumsily knocked the nozzle into my shin. It hurt so bad, but I went on with what I was doing. Then I made the mistake of looking at it. YUCK! That's when I freaked out. I took pictures so my husband would believe me and then iced it. Sammy was my helper while I rested. She ran around getting me an ice pack, pillow, meds and drink. When she was elevating my leg with a pillow she said, 'Easy, easy, careful'. So cute!!! What a sweetie!!! It looks much better now, but yikes.

I'm super excited that my truck is finally clean (even though I got hurt). LOL!!! That monster hasn't been washed since I was 6 months prego with baby girl, so that would make 9 months. Way too long, but I can't do anything about the weather or the fact that it doesn't fit in a regular car wash. We'll see how long it takes me to wash it this time. LOL!!!

Brotherly Love

Max is constantly taking care of his baby sister. This morning we were going through the usual routine... breakfast, baths, getting dressed, a nap or two for baby girl, yadda, yadda, yadda. I made a couple bottles for them and set them in the livingroom. Then I went to the kitchen to make my breakfast. That's when Maggie started to cry. Before could get to her, Max had brought her bottle to her. She was totally fine and he'd already moved on to playing with his musical card. These kids are ridiculous!!!