Shantel's October Post

This is a post of some of the random things that we did in October that I felt should be documented, but didn't really have a better post to go in. (And let's be honest - it's basically just the random pictures from my phone that haven't been blogged about yet.)

-Building towers and going on adventures (the weather has been beautifulllll!)

-Jenna came down to help me clean and organize our basement to surprise David for his birthday. I can't say enough how grateful I am for her help and for her friendship. I didn't make her work the whole time... as soon as the kids were asleep for the night we just hung out and relaxed and it was wonderful. But, one of the days when we were bringing up empty boxes to recycle we let Camille and Austin play with some styrofoam and they started playing "snow". It was everywhere. Everywhere. But, they were happy and we were working so we just let them play and figured that the damage was done and the cleanup was worth the time they spent playing with it. It probably was worth it, but man, it was a mess! 

-My shopping buddies. Seriously, these kids are wonderful at the store. The hardest thing is just fitting them in the cart AND all the things we need to buy, but as far as shopping with them goes - they're pretty great. I will add though, that I've started using the Walmart Grocery Pickup and even with how good my kids are at the store it has been amazing. I can not say enough good things. You order at your convenience at home (which takes basically the same amount of time as making the grocery list in the first place, you just make it on the computer), sometimes even taking days to compile a list adding things here and there, then you just drive up to the store - let someone else put your groceries into your car while your kids hang out in their carseats and you scroll through instagram - sign your name on their little ipad and then drive away. It's incredible I tell you. I don't know how parents ever grocery shopped without it. 

Actually, my in-laws used to grocery shop on their Friday-night Date-nights. They'd leave the kids at home and let them eat cold sugar-cereal for dinner and go to the grocery store together. (The kids took turns picking which box of cereal everyone got to eat for the night.) It is one of David's favorite childhood memories, and I think it's such a sweet story. I admire how they made grocery shopping and dating each other work for their family. But I am grateful for Walmart Grocery Pickup! 

-We went to a Pumpkin Patch/corn maze to pick out pumpkins. Not surprisingly, Caleb was a champ and was content to hang out in the stroller while we looked for the best pumpkins and then wandered around the cornmaze. Also, Austin loves bounce houses just as much as Lydia ever has - and it's so nice that they can go together, over and over and over.  

-I feel like this October has been the perfect mix of outdoor adventures and stay-home-days. The kids just play so well together, I feel like they are at this perfect age. It doesn't matter what we are doing, they are just pretty happy to do it together. Not that they never fight, or bug each other, but it's definitely more common for them to play together. 

-As far as Shantel-things: This month I helped my friend with some dress alterations for her "Belle" (from Beauty and the Beast) Halloween Costume. I don't sew so much anymore, so it's fun when I get to bust out my skills and help a friend. Also, I've started swapping babysitting time about every other week so I can go to the temple and it has been such a wonderful thing. I'm feeling so grateful that my kids are old enough that I feel comfortable leaving them for three hours, and that I have a neighbor that is willing to swap Temple mornings with me. I can't always use those three hours on Friday morning for the temple, but I've been able to attend the temple so much more frequently and I'm grateful for it.

Other random pictures from the month: 1-Reading a book while David watches some sports is one of my favorite evening activities. (This is not indicative of how we spend our nights. Usually I'm forcing myself to work on Primary projects or RLD design projects and I'm usually wishing that I could just relax instead of working after the kids go to bed. But maybe that makes nights like this even more special.) 2-Watching my children sleep never fails to melt my heart. 3-David is such a wonderful father. He loves these kids so much and he is so patient and kind. Sometimes I just can't get Caleb to sleep, but David will go up and bounce/walk with him until he falls asleep and then will stand and hold in his pacifier to make sure he stays asleep after transferring him to his bed. I caught this shot of him on the baby monitor and it just filled me with gratitude for such a good parter to do this parenting thing with. 4- These boys just got matching jammies and it's the best! Austin loves to match Caleb, and will request that they wear their matching jammies all the time. I kind of love them. 

Shantel's September Photo Dump

Just a quick recap of some things that I missed blogging about during the month of September. 

1.  Our beautiful new stair light fixture. We've been looking for the perfect new stair fixture for a long time because we wanted something to fill up the space a little better (better than the little mushroom fixture that came with the house). We found this beauty at Sam's Club for a super good deal and we loooove it! We'd never replaced a light fixture by ourselves before - but with some good ole' YouTubing we figured it out! (Although at one point we were both up at the very top of a super-tall ladder together, one trying to hold the super-heavy fixture up, the other trying to screw it together. It was quite a sight.) 

2. David and Lydia's "matching Jammies". 

3. Super Caleb and a big sister that already loves playing dress up with him.

 4. We had this picture taken at a wedding reception for one of David's co-workers (whose wedding announcements I designed/printed). I hung this picture on the dash of my car because I love the way it turned out and I looooove this boy. Call me a cheese, but I love him more now than I ever knew I could. I still feel like a school-girl when he calls me on the phone or tells me that he loves me. I'm lucky to have him, and glad to have this picture in my can to make me smile every time I see it.

5. Lydia's bed set up in my bedroom for the nights that David was gone on a work trip. Lydia and Austin took turns sleeping in my bed with me, and the other one slept on the toddler mattress in the corner. It was a win/win/win except for the fact that David wasn't there and that was less of a win.

6. Reading books with Grandpa Peaden. Cal is always so good to play, read, and otherwise shower these kids with attention whenever he's around. I'm so grateful for kind, loving grandparents. 

7. Austin helping me carry the library books to our car. 

8. Austin is in a huge "I can do it myself" phase. And I'm frequently surprised at how much he really CAN do. And sometimes we end up with ketchup all over everything. That's the way we roll. We're just enjoying the ride.

 9. We invited a bunch of neighborhood kids out in our front yard to help eat the rest of Austin's birthday cake, and the next day our sweet neighbors, the Warnocks, came over with a delicious treat and a stack of super darling letters saying thank you. We have great neighbors and this made my day. (Katie Warnock is the kind of mother I aspire to me, she's good and kind and teaches her kids so many good, thoughtful, and uplifting things.)

10. I hosted a Baby Shower for my sweetest friend, Ali Middleton. It was super simple, and each guest brought a freezer meal to stock her meal-supply up for after the baby comes. I just love her and I'm grateful for the good friend and example she is. I'm constantly amazed at what an incredible example of motherhood she is, and really an example of just genuine goodness.  So excited for that sweet baby to join the crew.

11. It's possible that the sweetest thing in all the land is when your five year old daughter who is just barely barely barely learning to read, memorizes her favorite book and then reads it to your baby whenever he feels sad or needs attention. This girl is such a great big sister.

Summer Leftovers: Shantel's Phone

Summer was good to us and we've got the pictures to prove it. 

The Farm: 

The Store: 

Picture A- how we do shopping now. See all the food squeezed around Caleb's carseat? And sharing the upper seat with Austin? Ha. Picture B- Grand Opening of Smith's Marketplace in Saratoga. So fun.

At Church:

(seriously, best baby points awarded to this guy)

At home: 

Out on an adventure:

With my dad:

At the dentist:

At the parade:

(Did I already blog these? I don't remember. And I'm on a roll so I can't stop to check now.)

The result of playing outside all afternoon:

(Childhood is supposed to be dirty, right? This is childhood at it's best.)

Visiting with Friends: 

My friend Tausha Barclay Bentz came into town and so we got together with a few other high school friends, Bekah Armstrong Ackerman and Ashley Jackson Jones. (We sure missed Kayla Barclay Hall!) It was crazy to see the amount of children we have between the four of us.

At home again: 

These kids love their little brother. 

Cleaning up:

 I was working on blogging and the kids were playing with toys one morning. Then they decided to "clean up" for me - and proceeded to move every single toy out of the family room and into the kitchen. I have to admit - it did look nice and tidy. Moving all the toys into the kitchen is a favorite (albeit weird) activity of theirs.)

Adventuring: 

In July, they hung a giant flag in one of the canyons. We didn't hike all the way up to see it, but from the trailhead you could see it hanging. We decided to go, because during July the kids started really noticing American Flags. Every time we drive anywhere they point them out, even times that I would never have noticed that there was a flag there. On the 4th of July I think we counted up to 88 flags that we saw while we were driving around. It was fun to take them to see this giant flag. (The pictures really don't do it justice

Going for a walk: 

Making lines with cans from the pantry: 

Rocking the Paw Patrol Watch: 

I lost mine and Lydia found hers, brought it to me, and told me that I could borrow it until I found my own. It was so sweet! Finally found my watch just in time for David to buy a fancy Fitness Tracker Watch. It tracks your steps/activity, calories burned, and displays messages from your phone. It's pretty fancy! He's never worn a watch before, so hopefully he likes it - because I like it!

Coloring at home: 

I have been really working to finish my paint by numbers painting this summer. I have it set up in our extra bedroom, and my favorite thing is that right after we all wake up in the morning, we head in there for a few minutes. The kids color while I work on the painting and it's really nice. A perfect Summer morning, I think.

Books & Bedtime

This book! Bedtime for Frances.  My mom has "A Little Sister for Frances" at her house - which is a classic and Lydia asks to read it every time we go there. So when we found it at the library she picked it out to bring it home and it's SO funny for me. It's an older book, like 1995? (That doesn't seem that old to me now that I looked up the date - but it's definitely an older book from a different generation) But it made me laugh out loud because basically every night as soon as we get our kids down for bed, we come downstairs and make a treat and sit on the couch to watch a show. Sometimes we hear Lydia walking down the stairs and we hide the candy/popcorn/ice cream before she can see that we're having a party without her. Ha. This book just made me laugh. And it made me feel slightly better- because we aren't the only ones that eat a treat and watch TV after bedtime!

Mother and Father were watching television and having tea and cake. Frances said "There is a giant in my room, May I watch television?" - "No" said Mother and Father.
...
"Everybody has a job" said Father, "I have to go to my office every morning at nine o'clock. That is my job. You have to go to sleep to you can be wide awake for school tomorrow. That is your job." ..."If the wind does not blow, the curtains he will be out of a job. If I do not go to the office, I will be out of a job. And if you do not go to sleep now, do you know what will happen to you?" - "I will be out of a job?" said Frances. "No," said Father. "I will get a spanking?" said Frances. "Right!" said Father. 

Watching Daddy go to work on the Train:

Building with waffle blocks:

Summer Fun with the Peadens:
Julie and the kids flew in from Indiana so we had a summer fun day and we got together and let the kids play with the water toys outside while we chatted. I seriously lucked out with this family that I married in to. I love them very much. It was so nice to be able to visit with Julie, too. I admire her for so many reasons and always value the times that I get to rub shoulders with her.

Also, Luke and Austin just look like little twins. It was so fun to watch them together!

On the porch: 

Playing with Daddy at bedtime: 

aka - the best dad in the world.

Surf & Sun

We found a little manmade reservoir in American Fork that has a little beach for the kids to play at. We went a couple of times this summer and the kids really enjoyed it! (Not as much swimming here, but fun to play in the sand!) Plus, it has the most beautiful mountain view. 

Ice Cream with a Grandpa: 

Sunshine and Summer:

Backpacks for Refugees:

Amy Peaden shared a link of the Utah Refugee group that she volunteers with. They were asking for backpack donations for refugee families for school. I saw that link and thought, "This is something I can do." I can't do a lot of things right now that I might like to do in a different stage of my life - but this? I felt like I could do this. So I posted on my neighborhood facebook pages and asked if anyone else would like to donate because I was going to coordinate the effort. We ended up with something like 16 elementary school backpacks and 8 secondary school backpacks. It was a really neat thing to be involved in. When we went to drop off the backpacks, it was overwhelming to see hundreds and hundreds of backpacks stacked all over this big room. I want to do more, but for now, knowing that we made a difference in a small way to a few people was wonderful.

Making Pillowcases:

For a long time, like years, we've been talking about making pillowcases with Aubrey and Jacob. We finally made it happen! They came over and I taught them how to sew a little bit and together we finished the project. Lydia got in on the action too and made her own little pillowcase.

Zachary's Birthday:

We drove up to West Valley for Zachary's 8th birthday party. He's such a sweet cousin, and we were glad to celebrate with him. Also - Austin reallllllly enjoyed the cupcakes. 

Homemade Ice Cream:

Our neighbor, Leah Ward, invited us over to make some homemade peach ice cream. It was by far the best homemade ice cream I've ever had... in my entire life. So good! 

Hanging with dad: 

We love our Coopers!

Making Homemade Breakfast Sandwiches:

And last but not least... enjoying the final days of the Pool:

I can hardly believe that Summer is already over, but after going through these pictures - it's clear that we made the most of our Summer days. Love this sweet family of mine! (And one more time, let's hear it for having a Spring baby - summer is the best time to have an infant!)