Letter to Kathryn 2/16

Foer the sake of my journaling, I am copying my letters to Kathryn here because thats easier than editing and trying to rewrite things :)

Hey Kathryn!!!!!

Hope all is going well for you in good old England, it is so fun to read about all the adventures you are going through and the neat experiences too. You are truly incredible and I am so proud of what you are doing. We had the missionaries over for dinner this week, and they were so hilarious! They had matching metal old school briefcases( in which they were carrying their manuals, scriptures, a random toy for kids and some chocolate syrup haha), matching socks, and matching ties and they kept me laughing the whole night--lol, I forgot how hilarious 19 year olds could be :) We had them over a couple weeks ago too--but this week they must have been feeling goofy, because they were pretty funny. Anyway, I couldn't help but think about you and hope that you were having lots of fun times too.

Life is good here in Rigby ID. Jared got some super exciting news this week--his RZR showed up! It is like a hyped up four wheeler, and because of his job we get one for free :D he has been waiting for it for 4 months and was SO excited to get it. I will attach a picture. I have yet to get too excited about it, but we're going out riding next weekend, so that should be fun.

The kids are doing great, learning and growing and driving me crazy and keeping me sane all at once. Dallin moved to a big bed this week and has been sleeping better which is a gift from heaven for me. He currently runs around the house making revving sounds while he plays with any toys, and he loves to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in a tone deaf voice.

Elsie plays and coos all day, and loves to eat her solids, she prefers to feed herself. She is growing fast and is now 7 months old! I love her smiles and her rare cuddles.

I am surviving winter and dreaming of summer :) I succumbed this week and bought strawberries and mangos at the grocery store and they tasted like they came from heaven to me. I spend my days busily doing a million things I can't recall by the end of the day, but I can usually get dinner on the table and get the kids to bed without losing my mind or my temper, so for now I will consider that a success :) I am camp director for our ward and have been working a little on that as well.

I love ya lots and pray for you every day. God Bless

My Valentines

In the spirit of love, I am giving a shout out to my sweet valentines:

To Elsie

The little girl who reminds me there is so much more to life than poopy diapers and naptime :) (Can you see her eyes!-Just like Jareds)

To Dallin

My little man who teaches me that excitement waits on each horizon, and there is nothing quite as soothing as a good storybook... and some goldfish and raisins

And to Jared

The man who is always by my side, keeping the magic in the air and making me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

Which I am

Happy Valentines Day!

Baby Girl

We found out a couple weeks ago that the little being growing inside me is a GIRL!!!  I figured it was time for a baby update!

 We were ecstatic to find out we had a little girl on the way, and the next day we went out and bought a couple outfits that are pink and frilly and adorable!!  Dallin doesn't quite understand what's going on.  Though if you ask him where baby sister is, he will point to my belly.  It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to being a big brother...but he still has 4 months of ruling the roost as he pleases. 

Baby girl is very active!  I feel her kicking and moving around ALL the time, especially when Dallin is sitting on my lap.  She likes to have her space. :)  And she is carrying really low, so I have to pee all the time and my lower back is already all cramped up.  

Jared has felt her a couple of times, which is fun, but I am ready for her to kick hard enough that he can feel her every day...it's more fun to be able to share those experiences! I'll be 23 weeks on wednesday so that is exciting.  I'm glad I still have the summer to get ready for her arrival, but we can't wait to see her sweet little face in person. 

But for now he gets to look at this beautiful face whenever he wants.  And isn't she precious!!!

Easter

March 31, 2013

Easter weekend was a lot of fun for us.  We headed to Logan to spend time with our cousins and go to Grandma and Grandpa Mahoney's 70th Wedding Anniversary party.  Saturday morning was sunny and warm and we played all day out there with our cousin friends.  

Dallin especially enjoyed pushing a soccer ball around in a doll stroller.  

And cute Ellen played alongside him.

And William, Mandy, Kelsie, and Max biked and played baseball.

And the not-so-little-anymore Mont sat with Tiffany.  And Amy was there too!

Friday was Amy's birthday so we celebrated with cake and everyone helped blow out the candles!

It was a weekend full of fun, and the anniversary party was really neat.  It's not very often you hear about a couple celebrating 70 years of marriage!!  I admire my grandparents so much.  Their love and dedication to each other and their family is so inspiring.  It was special to be able to see them and give them hugs and kisses.  They will be turning 91 years old this year!!  

Sunday was Easter.  Dallin and I woke up sick.  So the morning was spent cleaning up throw up (Dallins contribution), and running numerous loads of laundry, and laying on the couch watching Little Einsteins.  Jared went to church and held down the fort for the primary class that we teach, and Dallin and I slept until afternoon.

But then we started feeling a little better.  I hid the easter baskets and we celebrated the Easter Bunny around 4:00 PM. :)  

Dallin's was under the sink (his current favorite hiding place for nearly anything he gets his hands on)

He got bubbles and Hot Wheels!!  And a couple eggs full of candy. :)

After that we were all feeling up for a stroll through the park to soak up another beautiful day of sunshine.  Overall a pretty exciting Easter Day for the Hughes Family.  

A Day with the Ducks

  

March 25, 2013

Another nice day has dawned in Rexburg, ID and we headed to the local nature park to feed the ducks!  It was a breezy day, 30 degrees, so we had to dress warm but it was great to get some fresh air in our lungs.  Our friends Denae and Hyrum were there too.  We love them!  Hyrum and Dallin even have the same birthday. And the ducks were a hit!  These ducks are obviously accustomed to being fed copious amounts of bread (thanks to the many college students and small families that inhabit Rexburg) so they were quite friendly.  

Dallin didn't quite get the idea of feeding the ducks.

I helped him throw his first piece of bread, which only led to tears...because he was more interested in eating the bread himself!!  He did enjoy pointing at them and talking in his own little language to them.

And chasing them.  I'm not sure how the ducks felt about this, but Dallin thought it was hilarious. :)

And there were airplanes going by, which meant squatting and searching the sky.  

Dallin is a squatter.

And then we got to play at the park.  Dallin is getting so much bigger.  He runs through on the playset and takes the stairs like a 'big boy.'  And I think I lost 2 years of my life watching from the ground.

And he loves the slide.

I love this little boy.  

St. Patricks Day

Growing up, St. Patrick's day was one of the biggest holidays celebrated.  Because of my Irish history (as well as the fact that my grandparents served a mission in Ireland), there was always an excitement surrounding the 17th of March.  Green outfits were put on the night before in order to avoid merciless pinching when woken up for scripture study early the next morning, and the leprechauns always mischievously died our milk green, and left candy for munching.  

And so the traditions continue in the Hughes household!  Sure enough, when we awoke we found green milk in the fridge, and we dressed appropriately in our greenest sunday best!

Here are my handsome fellas!

And dinner was fettuccine alfredo, with a charming green sauce. :)

And no good St. Patties day afternoon is complete without a cozy nap!

Life Lately

The last month of our lives has done anything BUT fly by.  My optimism flew out the door and vacationed somewhere in Hawaii while we were stuck here in the trenches of an eastern idaho winter, greatly affecting my desire to write on the blog, or do anything other than run away and join my optimism on the beaches of Hawaii and consume as many fresh strawberries and fruity drinks as my pregnant body could handle. But alas, spring has poked it's head briefly over the horizon, and my optimism is slowly cruising back to Rexburg where it belongs.  Although, Jared and I have decided that our 'Summer Family Vacation' will now take place in February each year because otherwise the idea of living in Eastern Idaho for potentially the rest of our lives resembles a dark torture. :)

Nevertheless, life has continued and there have been plenty of wonderful little moments.  With a one year old scampering around, there is always something exciting going on. And his life has come with its bumps and bruises. (This was a particularly bad day, (a face plant on the the cement path at the park and another face plant on the kitchen floor later that night) but not too unlike many others)

Dallin loves getting his quality time with daddy. When Jared gets home, he knows that it is his DAD TIME.  I think he even understands that Saturdays and Sundays are dad days too because he clings to him as much as possible. Last week in church, Jared gave the opening prayer and I had to walk out with Dallin because of the screams!

They will play games and read books together

Or my favorite is when I look over and Dallin is just snuggling up with him.

As for what goes on in our days.  We play and read and sing songs and run around.  I try to get him out everyday for SOMETHING, and he loves going or just going for a walk (though he prefers to be out of the stroller nowadays.)

Dallin has recently become fascinated with his little "seats" around the house.  He will sit on a platform of legos, or a shoe or a box--whatever is just his size.  And lately anytime I open the fridge he will sprint to the kitchen and steal a seat in there.  He is well entertained by organizing the condiments, and it always makes me giggle. 

Another pastime (usually when I am trying to put dinner together) is to tear apart cupboards.  He will pull out all the tupperwares from the drawer, or all the shoes from the shoe basket.  One day, after zoning out while cutting up veggies for dinner, I turned around to find this. He had pulled everything he could grab out of our makeshift storage shelf!  :)

He had a blast exploring all the different tools and sitting/jumping on each and every one of them. 

And sometimes I let him help me make dinner.  He loves making bread--he is obsessed with our Bosch!  Every time I open the closet we keep it in, he freaks out wanting me to get it down, and there is no way I can run it during his naptime or bedtime--he wakes up in a snap and screams until I come get him and let him 'help' me 

There is no doubt that he brings a spirit of excitement and discovery into our home every day, and we can't imagine our lives without it.