Guess who's back...back again

A combination of life slowing down and me getting more organized over the last few months has made it so that I can start writing again!  Yay!!

I have not written a post in almost a year.  Yikes.

So.......

I have a lot to catch up on.

Which I will probably do in bits.

So you don't get bored.

And my hands don't hurt :)

Us currently:

Neal:  Still being a rockstar at the UCCC.  He's designed several shows, and is still doing the "dj thing" (as many people call it when they ask him about it).  He is an amazing and adorable dad, who is so excited that his boys are getting old enough to actually play with him (in the way that dads play).  He is currently the Executive Secretary (secretary for the bishopric) in our ward, and is enjoying learning, receiving opportunities to serve, and growing.

Amanda: Still a stay-at-home-momma.  Best job in the world, I tell ya.  Learning a lot about being a mom, God's way of parenting, and about who I am and who God needs me to become.  I'm currently learning the organ for church, and enjoying being able to breath a little bit after being Young Women's President during the Cultural Celebration for the temple that was dedicated in Fort Collins in October.  I am still teaching piano, and will have eight students as of next week. 

Joey:  Will be THREE tomorrow!  AH!  He is definitely becoming a little kid instead of a toddler.  He currently loves trains, construction trucks, President Monson, nursery at church, and being outside.  He often tells people that he is going to marry his friend, Lucy, in the temple.  He is very tender-hearted, loving, and compassionate.  He is a fantastic big brother, and currently has a "love-hate" opinion about Hunter getting bigger: he loves that they can wrestle and run around together, but he hates that Hunter can come steal his toys.  He's incredibly inquisitive, and enjoys learning "why" (about everything...until mom gets annoyed).  He is also....*drum roll please*.....POTTY TRAINED.

Hunter:  Turned 1 in March.  Loves knocking over blocks, dancing to music, and anything that he can bang against something else to make noise.  He enjoys running after his brother, and will give almost anything to be outside instead of inside.  EVERYTHING goes in his mouth, so we are on constant watch for little things on the floor.  He has five teeth, a dimple on one side, and a mischievous twinkle in his eye that you can't help but smile at.

As a family:  We have paid off everything except our house, and are working towards that as our next goal.  We bought a van (woo!), and are excited for the amount of space that we have in our car now.  We're working on several home organization projects, putting the next piece in our garden, and strengthening our little family's bonds.

I'm excited to get writing again! 

May 2016

May was an exciting month for us.  In May, Neal and I both have birthdays and we celebrate our anniversary.

This year was our fifth anniversary.  I have a hard time believing that we've been married for five years already!  It definitely does not feel like that long.  A few Christmases ago, my aunt gave us some Marriott gift cards, and we finally got a chance to use them this year.  Joey went and stayed at my parents' house while Neal, Hunter, and I headed down to Golden for a night out.  They had an awesome date night package that gave us a room, dinner, a free in room movie, desserts, and late checkout.  We also went over to Colorado Mills to explore because we'd never been there before.  We really enjoyed our little adventure together :)

For my birthday the boys gave me money to go get some new shirts (two babies have made a difference in my shirt sizes...hahaha).  Joey was so sweet while we were out shopping - he refused to let me carry my own bag.

For Neal's birthday we went to the Family FunPlex in Greeley.  Joey and Neal have SO much fun every time we go there, and this time was no different.

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that our garden last year failed because of drainage issues in our back yard.  This year we decided to do a raised bed instead.  We spent a lot of the month prepping and planting our garden.  It's doing good so far!!  Last year we had to dig a drainage ditch to help our garden, and this year we finally knocked down the dirt mound from the hole.  Apparently, ants found it and turned it into an ant hill.  When we knocked it down, we got a really good view of the inside!

Hunter smiled for the first time.  He is the "smiley-est" boy ever.  (He's also chunky.  He currently weighs just over 16 pounds).

It finally warmed up enough for us to go to the park which made Joey very happy.  He still loves being outside, and asks to play outside every day.

We had some friends invite us to the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery and IT. IS. AWESOME.  Joey was enamored by all the different areas the museum had.  He especially loved the trains and the water area.  I'm pretty sure we could spend an entire day there without him getting bored.

Joey and Neal went on the Father's and Son's Campout with our ward, and they had a blast.  He still asks if he can go camping with dad again.  He was pretty excited when we got to go up to the mountains again for Memorial Day.  Hunter loved having me to himself for a whole 24 hours.  Joey was so tired when he came home, though.  He's never fallen asleep at the table before, but he did the night they came home.

The boys and I came down with a pretty nasty respiratory virus (Neal, of course, didn't get it).  Neal was working A LOT during the week that I was sick, so my kind parents came and stole Joey for a night so I could get more rest and try to recuperate, and be able to help Hunter get better by giving him the attention that he needed.  It was so helpful to have them take Joey for a night, and I'm so grateful that we live close to family so they can help us when we need it.

For Memorial Day we went up to Hermit Park with Neal's family, and had a really enjoyable time.  Joey loved being able to get dirty and play with his cousins.  We saw three moose while we were up there.  It's so nice too see the moose population thriving in Colorado.  We also enjoyed flying kites, exploring around the cabin, sitting by the campfire, and I even got a nap ;)

June's going to be another crazy, busy month for us, and I look forward to all the summer has to bring! 

April 2016

April was a wonderful month.  We celebrated Joey turning two, and continued to get to know our sweet new addition.  Here's about April:

Neal was hired to design three shows over the summer.  He loves summertime because his full-time job slows down enough for him to be able to pick up side jobs doing what he really loves.  We're also super excited because these three jobs (baring any unforeseen emergencies) will pay enough to pay off ALL OUR DEBT EXCEPT OUR HOUSE.  We are SUPER excited about this!!!

I continued to adjust to life with two kids.  I finally started enjoying breastfeeding again (I've hated the first month with both boys), and gave up on having a solid bedtime for Joey over the summer (which is a big deal for me).  I'm still eternally grateful for the opportunity to stay home with these boys every day and to get to be their mommy.  I'm also eternally grateful for the knowledge I have of my Savior and of His Atonement.  It's been a rough couple months in other areas of my life (things that aren't my story to tell, but have affected me), and Neal and my Savior are what have been getting me through it.  I never cease to be amazed at the strength He will send when I need it and when I ask.

Joey has developed into the sweetest older brother I could have asked for.  He loves being around his brother, helping him (sometimes his "helping" causes terror for Hunter and mommy has to step in), and watching him.  We're grateful that the sun started coming out so Joey could play outside and get some fresh air.  His vocabulary grew by leaps and bounds, and each day we were amazed when he would say new words we didn't know that he knew.

Hunter is adjusting to life.  He was diagnosed with reflux at the end of the month, so we got some "Baby Zantac" for him.  Three hours after we gave him the first dose, he smiled at us for the first time.  He also has a Milk-Soy Protein Intolerance (aka Cow's Milk Protein Intolerance).  His only symptom has been that he gets REALLY fussy the day after I eat milk, so hopefully he'll grow out of it quickly.

We did some really fun things as a family in April:

- We celebrated Joey's birthday by eating a yummy cake and giving him garden tools and play food.  I still can't believe he's two (in case you hadn't noticed).

- We went to "Baby Animal Days" at Centennial Museum.  They have all sorts of baby animals that the kids can look at and pet if they'd like (and if the animals cooperate).  Joey loved the pigs - he kept asking to go back and see them.  The day we were there they also had horse rides.  After Joey's first ride he kept asking to go back because he loved it so much.  I think we got a taste of how much he's going to love Idaho when we go up this summer!

- We had Hunter's baby blessing and Joey's second birthday party on the same day. (I'll do another post with the pictures of this later...there's A LOT).

- Murdoch's has an anniversary sale every year, and this year they had a 25 cent BBQ.  The proceeds all go to a local non-profit, so we went there for lunch one day.

Other fun pictures: