Forgotten

8 Great Years

Yes. I'll admit it. We forgot our Anniversary. It just completely passed us by! I guess this means we've fallen into our routine and are resigned to our fate as an old married couple. I didn't even remember to emotionally blackmail the man and weasel a good present out of him! It was on a Sunday (January 3rd) - so we couldn't have gone out and done something fabulous anyways, but it is a little pathetic that we completely skipped the day. ( In our defense, the kids had strep throat and I came home from church and collapsed into bed for the rest of the day) Maybe Dan's present was taking care of the house and kids while I tried to keep my breakfast down? I'll count it. Best. Present. Ever.

Top 8 Reasons I Love Dan

1-His ability to make me laugh- even when I'm so angry I could spit fire. I can't stay mad at the man!

2-His work ethic. I never have to worry about Danny working hard or taking pride in the tasks he's set out to accomplish.

3-His Optimism. Nothing gets this man down! Not even my constant nagging...

4-His devotion to family. His, Mine and Ours.

5-His Faith. Dan doesn't say much- but he lives the Gospel and sets a wonderful example for our boys (and me) by his quiet dedication to the Lord.

6-He Cooks. Every night. I never have to worry about Dinner because Danny takes over the second he gets home. This may seem trivial, but I LOVE it.

7-He gave me my boys. I can't imagine our life without the 3 little monsters and can't wait for the 4th

8-He Loves Me. He puts up with me. He indulges me. He's stayed with me.

There you have it. 8 great years to a great guy. I love you Danny! (even though I forgot our special day)

YOU BETTER WATCH OUT- YOU BETTER NOT CRY...

Merry Christmas!!

Here is the annual Dickens Festival Santa pic. Tuck and Tate were THRILLED to go see "Father Christmas" and gift him with their list of demands. Thad... not so much. I absolutely LOVE the face he's pulling. He didn't cry at all and sat quite still for the pictures- but as soon as he knew we were done he was flinging himself into my arms and begging for sanctuary. I told the boys that Santa wouldn't come visit our house unless he saw some great cheeser smiles and they complied beautifully. I think this is my favorite Santa picture yet. HO HO HO!!

So Thankful

Thanksgiving was a nice quiet affair in St. George this year. We went down Wednesday morning to kick off the festivities with the fam and took the kids to the Wildlife Museum that afternoon. And no- I don't have any pictures because I forgot my camera. Well Done Hollie. Well Done.
The kids LOVED the animal exhibits and we spent a few hours walking around and looking at the different displays. Their favorites were the Camel, Zebra and the Reindeer. The bears scared them- as well as the stuffed Crocodile and Alligator. I think I had just as much fun as the kids- listening to the guided tour and looking at all the exotic animals. Brad and Ashlee went with us for crowd control and then we all got together and had a fabulous dinner at Paula's that evening.

Thursday morning started out with Todd getting sick from Paula's the night before and all of us trying to avoid him in case it was the flu... We kept the kids outside and Dan played a rousing game of- well- I wouldn't call it Football so much as just throw the ball? Chase the Ball? But the boys loved playing with Daddy and worked up a perfect appetite for the feast.

We all gathered around the table and enjoyed all the traditional fixins' and Tucker actually tried a bit of every dish! Tate refused to try anything and insisted on Mac and Cheese and Thad went from chair to chair begging for scraps. Good Times. (Todd laid on the couch and got little sympathy and no leftovers.)

It was great to spend the holiday with the Burton's and see old family friends as well. We ended the evening with every kind of Pie imaginable and watching old Christmas videos of us as kids. Ah Memories.

To kick off the Holidays- We took the kids to SantaLand here in Cedar City on Saturday. They decorate the Heritage Center with tons of trees and displays tailored to kids Christmas fantasies (think Disney characters, Candy and Toys.) The boys loved the SpiderMan tree and the Police car tree the best. Dan's parents came to spend the rest of the weekend with us (and to make us another Thanksgiving Feast to enjoy). The boys loved going to the "North Pole" and walking through the maze to find Santa with Grandma and Grandpa Jewkes.

We don't have pics of Santa because they charged you extra for snapshots of him (and he was a crummy Santa anyways.) The boys did get to sit on Santa's lap though and (with a little coaching from Mother), he told them they couldn't fight with each other or pick on Thad if they wanted their Christmas presents... Thanks Santa!!
The kids loved looking at all the different trees and decorations and insisted that we come right home to decorate our own tree. It was a nice weekend spent with family and a great way to start the Holidays. Look for our annual Santa pic ( with a pretty Santa) coming later this week!!

CowBoys and Indians... and a Horse

SOooo- I'm a little behind. But here are some pics of my boys from Halloween or "Wowlloween" as we Jewkes like to say. We had a great time dressing up this year and enjoyed our trick n' treating. Go October!

Thaddy Babe was probably the cutest horse ever. Period. He even learned to say "Neigh" on cue.

Tuck loved telling everyone to "stick em up". He made an excellent Sheriff and still insists on wearing his boots and hat everywhere.

Tate was wild about his Indian costume and fully embraced his inner savage self. He LOVED his Tomahawk and face paint.

Love these 3 little punkins.

The Wheels on the Bus...

Back To School

Here are the boys showing off their new school clothes and back packs or "pack-packs" as Tuck calls them.

Well- The boys are officially back to school. Tate got to transfer over to 3 Peaks Preschool with Tuck this year- so they get to ride the school bus together 2 of the 4 days a week and look out for each other. I am LOVING the one on one time with Thaddy, but I do miss my boys. I can't believe I have 2 preschoolers already. Where does the time go? Tucker moved up to 4 days a week and is doing really well with more school time and Tate is just getting started with the 2 day program. I love the preschool here.
They both love their teachers and tell me fabulous and unbelievable stories about school and new friends and bring home more art projects and papers than I can fit on the fridge or tape to their bedroom doors. They each have their very own school-bus that I bought them to talk about how to be safe on the bus- and they drive them around the house telling me all the safety rules and about the bus driver and where they sit and so forth. It's so flipping cute.

We are the first stop on the bus route- so I have to have the kids up and ready to go by 7:45 am. EEK! Anyone who knows me- knows how awful this is. I am NOT a morning person. Not even really a mid-day person. Mostly I'm at my best around 7 at night. Trying to communicate with me before the P.M. is just not in your best interests. So... It's been an adventure trying to drag myself and the sleepy boys out of bed each morning. Thus the pics of Mama in her sweats and bedhead. The poor bus driver sees me at my worst each morning. Bless her soul.

The boys are pretty good natured about getting up so early, and stand at the front door just quivering with excitement until the bus pulls up in front of the house.

Tate was a little nervous the first few days- but having his older (not bigger) brother there with him has made the transition a little less painful. I just love that they are together twice a week. Tucker always holds his hand and tells him "It's not scary Tate- The bus is fun!"
I think the best part though, is that after they get home around 12:30 pm, they are completely exhausted and fall into their beds for a good 3 hour nap. Love it.

Sunday Best

We spent a nice Sunday after church at Gwandma Fawa and Gwandpa Woss's house- celebrating Tate's 3rd Birthday with them. It's kind of nice sometimes to have family a little further away. We get to spread out the Birthdays the whole month long- visiting both sides of the family and planning our own little parties. Tate was thrilled with his new school clothes and Wiggles DVD's from the Burton's and loved his cake even more. (mostly I think because Grandma let him sit on the "big people table" to blow out his candles. He wouldn't eat the cake but he loved the gross waxy frosting it was coated with and kept asking for more. I can't believe he's 3.

Then we got to spend the rest of the afternoon walking around the St. George temple with the kids and enjoying the sunshine. Tucker kept looking for "ramoni" on top of the temple (see picture below) and Tate kept trying to pick all the flowers right out of the flower beds. Thad as usual was an angel and was content to sit in his stroller clutching a pinecone Tucker found for him.
These last few weeks, Tuck was been singing "I Love to see the Temple" non-stop, and has been asking if he can go to the temple in his prayers every night if he's a good boy, so I thought we'd take it to the next level. He was very disappointed that the temple was "closed" and has decided we need to come back so we can say hello to Jesus. Oh- the minds of children. Love them.

It was a lovely day and made me thankful for my 3 darling blessings. What a lucky Mommy I am to have such sweet boys. and Danny.

Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer

Here's an overview of the last few Summer activities.

Enjoying a parade with the fam.

Took the kids to a petting zoo- They loved tormenting the animals and riding on the ponies.

Riding the Alpine slide in Purgatory Colorado- We were smart enough this year to buy a repeat pass- No screaming kids this time!!

The annual Ouray Colorado trip- with the entire Fail family. We dragged the Burtons along as well and had a rip roaring good time. Lots of jeeping and shopping and camping and family "bonding" time.

Up to SLC for Great Grandma Burton's Birthday party.

It's been a busy few months!!

Tucker Vaughn Jewkes

Love these smiles. Tuck is such a ham for the camera.

Here are a few of my faves from Tucks 4 year old pics. He is madly in love with trains- so we thought we'd pay homage. We went out to the railroad tracks and he got to play in the miniature boxcars and such. He was a little nervous to play on the tracks- Me teaching him to be safe has obviously sunk in and he didn't dare get in the way of the fast "twains".

It's been fun each year to try and tailor their Birthday pics with their latest obsessions. At least this way I can remember what they "loved" on their "birfdays".

THAD OWEN JEWKES
February 19, 2008

1 year pictures taken March 2009

Ah Ha!!
I finally found the disk of Thad's 1st Birthday pics today. Woot. It was in the kitchen drawer with all the dishtowels and washrags. Don't ask.
I do in fact realize that his birthday was a good 6 months ago- but let's just enjoy the pictures- hmmm?

I think this one is my fave. His little curls are so sweet. He's gonna have a curly head full of hair just like Tuck. I figure if I don't have girls to play hair and make-up with- at least I get some curls. He loves to help me comb his hair and LOVES to squish the mousse through his fingers and rub it all over his head when we primp.

He doesn't look especially happy in these ones- He doesn't like to be naked. NOT ONE BIT. It's so funny when I get him changed every day. If I don't have his outfit all ready to put him into right away- He starts to fuss and won't crawl around or move on the carpet until his little body is covered up. Modest little guy!

Love these faces. He is such an expressive little man. He still isn't talking AT ALL- but he pulls all kinds of faces to let you know how he's feeling. He loves to giggle and clap his hands and he screams bloody murder if you take away his food or snacks before he's finished. He's started to babble a lot more and sing himself to sleep- which is adorable and he knows how to pull a pouty lip with the best of them.

Thad has been such a joy. This is the longest I've gone without being violently pregnant and miserable between kids. While that isn't exactly my choice (I desperately want #4)... I have enjoyed Thaddy's toddler-hood in a way I've never been able to before. With Tuck and Tate- I was lying on the couch trying to make it through each day and didn't get to appreciate this age as much. I've got a lot more energy with Thaddy and he's so much fun to chase after and play with. I'm constantly amazed at the things he figures out and how delightful it is to watch him discover new things.

I worry sometimes like Thaddy is getting left out (being the 3rd wheel) and doesn't get as much attention as his 2 big brothers- but lately they've been so cute with him. He's finally walking around the house- slowly- and the boys love to play with him. Tuck calls him his "pwecious baby bwother" and loves to make him giggle. Tate is an excellent sharer and showers him with cars and books. He loves following after them and I can't imagine our family without this little guy.
He really is our precious baby brother.

Burton Reunion

Mom and Dad Burton were in charge of the annual Burton reunion and festivities this year- so I grudgingly packed up my babes and came prepared to "rough-it" for a few days.
Bless Aunt Nancy and Gaylen endlessly for letting us sleep in the cabin. No miserable tent experience for us this year. It. Was. Wonderful.
The boys had a great time playing in the dirt and following Danny around everywhere and it was a treat to see everyone. I've become something of a hermit lately, so it was nice to be seen.
Here are a few pics of the camping events.


Danny participating in a root-beer chugging contest. What a man.


Grandma "Fawa" with her 3 grandsons. Just chillin in the cabin.

LOVED the paddle-boat! Todd and Jodi were both good sports and entertained me and the boys all morning long. (while Danny fished)


Daddy and Tuck fishin'. Tucker caught a fish (with quite a bit of help from his pop) and can't stop talking about it.


Mama and her boys. Love these little guys!
It was a nice, relaxing trip-filled with some fun memories. Even if it was a camping trip...