Celebrating Spring

Spring brings with it a celebration of sorts.  Winter and the feeling of being couped up in the house leaves and the sun finally comes out beckoning you to come out and about.  When I put that into words I all of a sudden have the image in my mind of scenes from movies where people have been underground for so long and finally get to immerge into the sunlight and outside world.  You can see them slowly coming out and shading their eyes and they are so happy to finally get a breath of fresh air.  Yeah, that is how I would describe Spring. I love all the seasons and the changes and feelings they all bring, all different and all good.  Okay enough "insightfulness" if some would call it that. 

Our celebration was a wienee roast.  Oh how simple are the things that entertain us Hubbards.  It is the simplest things that are the most fun as depicted in the pictures below.





All the boys off searching for firewood.  Eli was probably wishing that I would put away the blasted camera so I could do my part in gathering dry wood too.  But they were handling it quite well and it was so cute to see them following in Dad's footsteps.  They are good ones to follow my boys!



Playing in the weeds, Axel is begging me to take his picture while Grady is enraged because his hands are sticky from marshmallow.  You pay the price for eating roasted marshmallows...and the price is worth it!



Oh what fun to be had in nature!  Opportunities are endless.



My boys are a bunch of pyros...especially Eli.

Grady is fascinated with the whole process too.

The water was too cloudy for fishing...but it was still worth a try.  It was perfect for throwing rocks into though which is always loads of fun!



Who doesn't love a good roasted marshmellow?  And the goo that remains if you don't have the best aim to your mouth.  Grady for instance is sporting the handlebar marshmallow mustache..and might I say it looks good on you buddy!  Mine, on the other hand, would not be coined as adorable but rather just plain sad. :)



Fishing at a duck pond right by the mall in Bozeman..isn't that cool that this little set up is right by the mall?  Yeah, it is a well kept secret.  I love the look on Axel's face here. Some guy was there throwing a tennis ball in the water for his big black lab to fetch so needless to say we didn't catch anything.  And Axel kept yelling at me to tell me the guys name.  When I say, "I don't know" that is just unexceptable to him, so he resorts to his whiney voice which immediately gets a response from me, "Bob!  Axel his name is Bob!" And finally Axel is content.



Look at that stud!





Axel ran in his first ever fun run.  It was probably more of a fun gallop in Axel's case since that is what he did was gallop.  He attached himself to one of the teachers and kept nagging her to run with him.  Good work Axe. 

He did fourteen little laps and ran the entire time.

Us, cheering him on.  Grady finally wiggled free and ran straight for the play ground, and was inseparable with the slide.



Mid gallop.



Afterwards, Axel ate his entire bodyweight in bananas, which proved what a little trooper he was. 

Blog Party Weekend

Ha ha ha! Get it Blog Party Weekend...like Block party weekend. On that note, yeah I am pretty awesome and just decided to do one freaking huge update instead of a ton of small ones to catch you up on what's been going on in ole B town..aka Bozeman.

Axel got his first full on teeth cleaning done by the gorgeous fabulous all around great gal dental hygenist Mariah. She was amazing with him, she definitely has the experience under her belt so her awesomeness was to be expected. She showed him all of the tools and let him play with the water squirter and sucker thing-a-ma-jig that we would all love to play with really. She even made his day by letting him wear the spiderman sunglasses. She does make going to the dentist way fun! I love getting my teeth cleaned soley on Mariah's expertise, and conversation of course. She is my big sis afterall. He even sat still for flouride, which was cheesecake flavored and oh boy was it delicious! Axel thought so too.

This was Axel's first day of school, at least the first day where he got to ride the bus. Now, that is all he talks about. He colored a paper on what he would wish for if he could wish on a star. The teacher wrote in the blank per his request, "Ride Bus!" Those are two words that frequently leave his lips. He absolutely loves it. Hopefully he still loves it just as much when he is eighteen! Ha ha!

We were graced with a visit from the Gregory clan the last part of March and boy did we make some memories and have a blast. I know you are dying to ask how four adults and six kids functioned in a small two bedroom apartment. To tell you the truth, I didn't really notice the chaos that much. All the kids had a slumber party in the boys room and Sunny and Trav slept in the living room. Course I don't think much sleeping went on there....with kids getting up in the night...what were you thinking? Shame on you. ha ha. Really though, it was way fun. Axel insisted on sleeping on the floor with Braxton every night, so Pacen got his bed. And Pacen who was the biggest sweetheart would get up when Grady cried and find his binkie and rub his face til he went back to sleep. Where was I? you ask. Oh don't worry I was sawing logs down the hall oblivious to the whole dillemma. It did only happen a couple times, not every night, just so you know.

Axel was bff's (best friends forever in case you have suppressed memories from grade school and jr. high to remember what that stands for.) with a different Gregory every day. Can I just say how freaking awesome Sunshine's kids are. Even though there is a huge age difference between those boys and Axel, they didn't just tolerate him they would play with him and laugh at his jokes which made a big impression on Axel. Towards the end Axel wouldn't go anywhere without Camille (Tennille as Axel called her, he finally got it right by the time they left) and Addie was his playmate choice as well. It was cute to watch.

Our neighbor Jeremy didn't have the same opinion though as he kept asking when they were leaving and telling me that kids are okay from a distance. He is the Forest Gump of the complex and you would be stupid if you got offended so I would just respond with a, "I actually really like them up close!" It's funny now he doesn't complain about Axel and Grady nearly as much. Apparently seeing what six kids are like as neighbors made the two kids he does have as neighbors a dream for him!

Sunshine and I hit the tizown while she was her. We did a lot of thrift shopping. I had to show her Bozeman's hot spots! We found some great deals and ran those kiddos all over town. They were sure troopers. The store clerks however were not. I even overheard one employee in Costco dropping the F bomb about all our kids. They weren't that bad, don't take it out on the kids just because you hate your job. Would you rather us fit in with the normal population of Bozeman and come in with four dogs instead? She has my pity! :)

It really was the best to have the Gregory's here. I love hanging out with Sunshine. She cracks me up and is so freaking awesome. She has the biggest heart I have ever seen. She snuck buying me a new broom and a maple syrup holder to name a few. I just have the best sisters in the whole world. It gets lonely here and was nice to hang out with one of my favorite peeps. We talked into the night, painted toenails and even had numerous dance party's to try and get Pacen to bust a move. Even if she did bring the pink eye weird cold virus plague to our house, I would have them all back in a heartbeat. I can't wait til we can live closer so we can make these type of memories all the time and not just once in a blue moon. It is nice to know we left Sunshine with a lasting impression too as we passed on some of our favorite addictions to them...Saturday morning Dutch pancakes and Sunday night Orange Julius and popcorn. Yes! Their impression was left on us too as Axel prays for them in every single prayer to this day almost a month later..."Bwess Sunsine, Twabis, Pacey, Bwaxton, Cameel, Addie" He will repeat their names a couple times per prayer. It is pretty cute...unless it is fast sunday and we are eager to eat. :)

So, these are some of the things we did to entertain ourselves.

All the kids watching the new Chipmunks movie...oh yes that is Pacen picking his nose...in his defense he did not eat it. Luv ya Pacey!!

We put on a little easter egg hunt courtesy of Sunshine and the dollar store. They loved it. Check out them cowboy boots.

The kids showing off their spoils. I'm sure Jeremy will appreciate their sugar high.

Grady also enjoying the hunt. Sunny gave him a foe hawk much to Eli's total disdain. It never lasted more than a second in Eli's presence no matter how much gel she used.

Here are some pictures I took on a random day and experimented editing them. I thought they turned out cute. This is also an attempt to make the grandparents who better read this, miss us even more...maybe so much that they can't contain themselves and hurry up here to visit us!! The first one is in my April 12 of 12 but I had to post it a second time cause it is my favorite!

We can say goodbye to anymore binkie shots because the dentist made the weaning process official. Yes, he has binky mouth. He sucks on it pretty hard, probably since it was the only thing that got him through his meningitis trauma...in my opinion. So, now we see his temper rear its ugly head pretty frequently. Curse you binky...why do you take with you all the peace and happiness in our home?

This is the reaction Grady will give us every time we ask if he has a buger. He will bring his hand up to his wrinkled nose and blow. I absolutely love it. Unfortunately, since I snapped the picture he hasn't done it since. Oh well, at least I got it on film. :)

Mom sent the boys their Easter spoils that they would have gotten had we been able to go home for her annual Easter party. It is a pretty big deal and I'm glad they were still able to have some of the fun even if it's not quite the same as hanging out with the fam. We officially miss all you guys. sniff sniff.

Here are some more Gregory moments..a bit out of order. A whole lot of Horsey Rides, though I don't think this horse is going to make it very far at all before collapsing.

This one is a bit sturdier under the pressure....

I love Grady sneaking in this picture

I love that face...even if he is sporting the foe hawk

This is where we went on Easter Saturday. The Museum of the Rockies or Dinosaur Bones as Axe calls it is one of his favorite places. This is Big Mike the T-Rex

Grady sat still long enough for them to paint his face to look like a bunny. He has had the practice though. Axel paints his face all the time with watercolors, cheese, ink etc....

I think he was trying to figure out what the heck the lady was doing.

Axel requested a dinosaur on his face and held equally still. He talked about it the rest of the day and even said goodbye to it when we washed it off at bathtime all-official like.

Axel, Camille,and Addie are eating my attempt at homeade donuts on one of their favorite spots
the balcony. The donuts were pretty great!

Another one of my favorite pics.

And now for the finale: (drum roll) April's 12 of 12..

1- I am studying the Daughters of My Kingdom Relief Society manual which has been wonderful. It really makes me feel empowered as a woman and daughter of God and makes me more aware of the gifts that God has instilled in all of us. It motivates me to go and do!

2-Axel and Grady are my little helper chefs. I made the aprons a long time ago and Axel is always sure to pass everyone's out to wear while we are all "cooking". Things take a lot longer but it is fun having them help in the kitchen....most of the time.

3-My onery self taking a much needed nap and Axel snapping the picture. He is just getting so good and is really sneaky with the camera. I don't know what kind of nap I expected to get with Axel around. So, lets just say I rested my eyes.

4-Axe pants getting on the bus. He was actually excited to pose for the picture. I'm glad it's not such a fight to get a good picture out of him these days.

5-Laying Grady down for his nap. Tennille gave him his spotted puppy and he loves it. He always gives it kisses and just sits there stroking it.

6-The picture I also previously posted. It captures something I can't describe between the two of them. They fight together, they copy each other, they laugh together, and cry together. They are best buds and best bros. It is great to witness that love.

7-Axel's new found love....vacuuming. It is mine too since we had to get a new vacuum! The old one burned up after seven long years (not bad for a $50 vacuum ha ha). But he is making the mistake of showing me he can do these things...so hopefully he loves it as much when he is eighteen...it's funny how many things that phrase applies to.

8-Like I said they laugh together and fight together. This is why it takes me so long to get ready in the morning. They not only have to be in the same room as me always but also on top of the counter. The reason the counter looks so clean is because Grady has thrown everything off onto the floor. And I wonder why I have to keep replacing eye shadows...they shatter when they hit the floor in case you don't know. Bytheway, yes that would be a dentist glove they are fighting over. You have got to be kidding me.

9-That is Grady staring at our neighbor Jeremy walking away after a quick hello to us. He will usually say hello and ask if Eli is home and tell me that Eli seems withdrawn and stressed. Then he moves on to say how he can't understand what Axel is saying. He'll then tell me Axel kind of gets on his nerves and finish off with "when are you moving again?" It is a good time. Lately when he is out and sees that Axel is coming out to say hello, he will shoot right back into his house to avoid talking to him. It cracks me up. You gotta love Jeremy...or do you. ha ha

10-Axel came out in Grady's pants. It is funny that his little bootie fits in those little things. They actually look like capris on him. Maybe I should try just living on chocolate milk, pancakes, and hot dogs and then maybe my butt will fit in tiny jeans too. ha ha! He decided to model them for us on the cedar chest. Whenever he puts on his own clothes or shows me his undies he will pose by sticking his butt out to the side and putting his hand on his hip. Where does he come up with this stuff?

11-I also previously posted this one too. This is the facial reaction you are met with when you ask Grades if he has a boogie.

12-And finally the end of today is like the end of actually everyday in the Hubbard home. We sit down after the kiddos are in bed and crochet while watching the tube. That is right I said crochet. I taught Eli and you should see his hats. He is amazing at the hook. He's also successfully crocheted a sock....soon to be wool socks for fishing and various wintry manly activities. Did I also mention how manly Eli is? He definitely has the crochet fever when he described to me the sensation he felt as he ventured into JoAnn's and his mind started to race with all the possibilities of what he could make. I think he is the best thing ever. He always jokes about how manly he is as he sits down to crochet. I just love his guts and this makes him more of a man to me than ever.

March 12 of 12

1- Axel is quite the photographer. He stole the camera and was in his room for a while and this is what I find while browsing through his many many photos. He is actually getting pretty darn good. Franchesco aka Trickle is his favorite car. He got new Cars2 undies and will not take off the Trickle ones for anything. Technically isn't Franchesco one of the opposing characters...maybe Axe has a dark side. Ha ha

2-Axel got the watercolors and not only the world was his canvas but Grady too. Grady was obviously having a ball too. At least they are happy right? Even though the carpet in their room is now spotted as well.

3-I received a call at 7:30 this morning requesting my babysitting services today. One of the beloved activities of coloring was used to bide the time. I even sat down and colored one...it is pretty addicting. I actually miss coloring. It is nice when you have kids you have an excuse to do all the things that you loved to do as a kid...not for entertaining yourself of course but the sole purpose of making your child a rounded individual...ha ha... I am so looking forward to coloring eggs this year.. Thank you Axel!

4-Slivers. Our deck is wood and Axel's feet are bare. Natalia, the girl I was babysitting, brought Axel's slivers to my attention. He had three on the same foot. Of course I had to venture in digging them out...gently. He didn't cry but occasionally would say, "Ow!" And Natalia would offer words of encouragement saying,"Oh, Axel! Be brave! Close your eyes! It won't hurt I promise!" It was pretty cute! And Axel was very brave.

5-The squirt bottle is a much coveted item at our house. It usually only comes out on the worst of bed head days, haircut time, and recently has shown itself because we planted some grass in a dish so Axel could watch it grow and the squirt bottle is the watering can so to speak. Why the limit on the squirt bottle? Because as you can see in the picture, Axel squirts absolutely EVERYTHING and everyone in his path.

6-Apparently, Grady's naptime wasn't soon enough for him. He was kicking his feet on the floor one minute and the next he was in dream land snoozing away. Oh the positions and places that kiddos fall asleep.

7-We went to Dairy Queen for ice cream for Family Home Evening and this sign was in the window. Eli said, "Look Velvet, they have condoms available on request can you believe that?" Apparently I could because I let out a gasp and had to triple take the sign. I kept wondering why Dairy Queen of all places...they really are doing everything they can to stop teen pregos...Finally the true meaning of the sign clicked. Uhh duh!

8-Grady's adventure on the big wheel. It lasted for about a minute as you can tell. I went to take the picture and he fell right as it snapped. I guess we will have to wait until his feet actually touch the ground.

9-I am officially a biker babe! Eli was looking on craigslist for some chaps for himself and found a lady selling all of her harley leather gear for a STEAL! It would have been idiotic not to jump on that. So, I got the hook up, a jacket, vest, helmet, chaps, gloves, and even a bag. haha. I bet she paid close to $1000 for all of it. Yes, I love scoring a good deal! So, of course I had to fashion show it off.

10-Yes, Grady is in a jacket, shorts, and snow boots. Look, we were in a hurry okay. He did look pretty ridiculous, yet he pulled the look off rather well, or maybe it is just his cheery countenance that distracts from his outfit. ha ha

11-Axel had to have his picture taken too if Grady did. I told him to say cheese...which he did but also found it the opportune time to pick his nose right as I clicked. Hey I am fine with an occasional pick but it is the eating it thing that I am trying to teach Axel is off limits entirely!! I guess you could say he is coming up with a new definition to "Picky Eater" ha ha Okay I know that was a bad pun. But the good news is, he didn't even attempt to eat that one so he is at least listening to the important stuff we are trying to teach him!

12-Almost the second we got in the house from picking up my new motorcycle gear, they became Axel's possessions, apparently not mine anymore. When I attempted to borrow them to try them on, he wigged out hollering, "MINE!" Oh brother! It was a feat to try to explain to Axe that he couldn't ride on the Sporty yet cause it is still in storage. Don't worry Axe, we are all feeling the anticipation of getting the bike out so we can just ride! :)

I'd say it was a pretty darn good day!

February 12 of 12

Look at me actually doing the 12 of 12 for two months in a row!! I really enjoy this monthly project. I think Eli thinks I am a bit nutso and picture crazy lately for doing it, but it has been great fun so far..so here is our February activity on the 12th. It fell on a Sunday so let me tell you it got pretty crazy. ha ha!


1-Axel is getting really good with the camera...he was particularly proud of his Phineas and Ferb socks

2-This is what we did all morning long...just read the Hungry Caterpillar over and over and over...it's pretty cute how much he loves it.

3-A close up of Grady to illustrate what's going around the Hubbard house now...Pink Eye..or as Sunshine calls it Poo Eye. Poor Grady and his goopy red eyeball.

4-Grady's favorite place to be is on the kitchen table and the kitchen chairs...my least favorite place for him to be is on the floor after he has biffed it off the table or chairs...So, here is Grady on his favorite spot picking the leftover dry cereal out of Axel's bowl. You can't see his face but he is happy!

5-Axel's favorite past time is piling every rug we own on the living room floor to make a roadway for his cars. This time he involved the stools too. Grady loves it just as much as Axe so I got a great snapshot of both of them thoroughly enjoying themselves and their cars...the bonus is they aren't fighting over the same car!

6-Obviously as the picture suggests I repainted my toenails...all I can say it is about time.

7-I was actually able to shower and get ready while the kids played in their room with the door closed. I knew something crazy was going on in there with all the giggling going on. I finally got up enough nerve to open the door to greet Axel's excited face saying, "Look Mom, slide!!" I did see the slide, it was his mattress and board completely on its side. At least they were having fun right?

8-Banana Bars for a dinner we were invited to. Yummmm!

9-Eli driving to the dinner we were invited to.

10-We are reading the Book of Mormon as a family, so of course it was included in the day's events.

11-The shabby but happy couple at the end of a long day.

12-The day ended with my newest hobby..crocheting.

Ode to Velvet: The Survivor

Introduction
If you haven’t guessed this is not Velvet writing this, it’s me……Eli. Some people probable stopped reading when they read the title and thought to themselves “oh wow, she thinks she’s pretty special doesn’t she!” So if you have made it this far, pat yourself on the back because you are not a judgmental person. And trust me I’m the authority on being judgmental:) So I’m here to tell you why Velvet is the best person in the world and to describe the events of the past few days to illustrate that point. She is so strong and devoted to her duties as a mother and wife even under personal tragedy it would make any member from the cast of Desperate Housewives shrivel up and die just to be in the same room as her. Who do you know that has passed three kidney stones, and then got the flu the same day, and then had to take care of her husband with the flu, and then got another stone the next day? Who I Say! WHOOOO!!! No really, do you guys know of anyone? I would really like to ask them a couple of questions. So I have tried to capture the events as best I could to help you see why Velvet is so awesome.
So if you have ever asked yourselves these questions: Can children survive by just eating tortilla chips, chocolate milk, and cold cereal?; Is it possible to watch T.V. all day and not remember anything you watched?; or Can Eli even grow facial hair? Wait no longer, your answers are on the way!
Day 1
So our lovely adventure started on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Velvet said she didn’t get a very good rest that night and thought that she might have an infection. She said that she prayed that it wasn’t an infection. And for those of you, who wonder if prayers are answered, wonder no more because they are! It wasn’t an infection, it was kidney stones. Anyway for those of you who haven’t experienced a kidney stone (like me) I am told that the pain it creates is the closest a person can come to having a baby. But it is worse because after your done you don’t have anything to show for it like a baby. Now some of you are thinking “That sounds pretty good to me!” But I’m getting off track. After it became apparent that it was in fact kidney stones, I called in sick and skipped my classes so I could help out with the kids. She was doubled over pretty much all day. The crazy part was that she told a lady in our ward who is about to have a baby that she would make her dinner that night. Even in her pain she was making plans and I had to tell her that the family would understand. Fortunately, she didn’t protest. To our surprise the lady brought us dinner instead! Yeah women like her and Velvet make the world a better place. We figure that she must have passed three stones that day, the last (and worst) passed at about 12 that night and we finally went to bed at about 1. And thus ended the first day of the reign of the stones.
Day 2
So the second day was the day that Velvet started to feel sick. She started puking early that morning. So I called in again cause I only had one class and my homework is all caught up and she needed me. This day was fraught with T.V., chocolate milk and chips. That brings me to the boys. This whole time neither one of them shows any signs of getting sick or slowing down so I had our friend the T.V watch them so I could stay with Velvet. Don’t think I’m unselfish or anything, we live in a small place, I could still see the T.V. We figured that Velvet must be getting sick because of the pills. That is…until…I got sick, then it was serious! J/k. That is when we figured it was the flu. It hit me in the late morning and I got that feeling. You know the feeling, that “I’d better be careful what I eat because it’s going to be back” kind of a feeling. So I didn’t have much to eat and neither did Velvet (besides coke) and when we don’t have an appetite why would we cook anything for the kids?! They ate whatever they could find and whatever didn’t make us want to puke when we put it together for them (hence the chips and chocolate milk). Fortunately for me Velvet started to feel better just as I was getting worse. So that night she cleaned up the house while I tried to stop her by yelling from the fetal position on the couch. I don’t know how she does it. The whole time I’m watching The Big Country, a movie about what it means to be a real man, it must not have sunk in very well because, as I mentioned I watched it from the couch in the fetal position while my kidney stoned wife cleaned the kitchen. Mom, aren’t’ you proud?
Day 3
So Friday came, a day that is supposed to represent joy and freedom for the working man. All it brought us was dread. Well I started to snap out of it even though I didn’t feel much like eating. Apparently I got feeling better so Velvet could pass her last unexpected stone. But it came and left and that’s all you need to know about Friday. We really needed to laugh about this time so we watched Mystery Science Theater 3000: Final justice. There is nothing on this earth that makes me laugh/makes me look like a nerd better than MST 3K. And it worked, we laughed our pains away if only for a moment.
Day 4
You have to read this in a Christian Bail terminator/batman voice. It’s been over 72 hours since our last contact with the outside world. Tensions are high. This is a war that I’m not sure that we can win. Our supplies are slowly being used up (we had to make a second trip for some more coke and milk). Whispers of mutiny can be heard on the wind. I hear hushed voices in the kid’s room but only their silent cold eyes meet me when I enter. As if they don’t want their conversation overheard. Who would have thought such small stones could instill such fear and terror. “Such a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing…such a little thing.” I hold Velvet as she winces and cries out in pain. “What can I do” She asked. I simple tell her that she must stay the course. Suddenly she looks up at me with tears streaming down her malevolent face as she screams “If we stay the course we are dead! WE ARE ALLLLLL DEEEEAAAAAADDDDDD!!!” if your listening to this, you are the resistance!
I thought I’d throw that in for fun. Today is Saturday and it looks like thing are going better. Velvet is taking a much needed nap and she still feels a little sick but it’s much better. So now for some pictures.






So since Velvet would kill me if I posted a picture of her having a kidney stone I thought I’d do my best impression. Axel took the picture. Quite the photographer isn’t he? Now, can Eli grow facial hair? No. you see how it looks like I have a little dirt on my face? Well that is the product of not shaving for three days. Not much huh. I look like a pubescent Islamic terrorist. That’s politically correct right? Actually the last time I tried to grow a real beard we were watching the news and they announced that there was a terrorist caught trying to set off car bomb. When they showed a picture of the guy I thought “gee that’s weird, they just showed a mirror.” When I realized my mistake I walked into the bathroom and shaved never to try again.



Without Velvet we would be in a sorry state as you can see. In fact if it wasent for Velvet I would have ended up a mountain man living in water canyon eating squirrels and aspen bark. Yes, the worlds first beardless mountain man. I owe her everything and I hate to see her in such pain and be unable to do anything about it. She really is the best.

Jan 12 of 12

I decided to take on the 12 of 12 project for 2012. On the 12th of every month you take 12 photos to document your day. It gives me a new perspective on my everyday ordinary activities. It's also helped me go beyond my boring smile and click way of picture taking. Sometimes the best pictures are the seemingly flawed ones. It has been way fun. Hopefully I can stick with it. So, here was our day......

1-Tickets to the gun show anyone? 2-What kills Eli and I every morning! 3-Changing the Sheets..exciting I know! 4-Mac n Cheese...a classic. 5-Grady's 1st time with a spoon. 6-Axel reinacting Thomas the Train with his cars. 7-Axel's reaction to me wanting to take his picture with his new backpack for preschool. 8-Chocolate Milk for his glorious nap which are few and far between these days. 9-Axel's display when I said no TV. He's crushed! 10-Chocolate chip cookies for a girl's birthday in my primary class. 11-Bathtime Nudist! 12-Folding Laundry. Axel had to go "potty" which was his excuse for not wanting to stay in bed, so I showed him which button to push on the camera. His very first picture. He did a great job at being photographer.

Well, that is that folks. To update you on the last couple weeks....Eli's parents came to visit which was AWESOME. We are going through withdrawals having them gone. What did we do you ask...Sleep in, watch movies, eat food, and gab, and gab some more. It was just the perfect weekend. So, so much fun. Of course when they left they played the "you'll be glad to get your house back to normal" card but the reality was it was a real downer day with them gone.

Grady was mid poo before he went in the tub. I ran him to the toilet...too late but he still liked sitting there.

Grandpa taking a nap on the floor and his shadow doing exactly what he would do. What you missed before this was Axel jumping on his back, saying "Cowboy! Cowboy!"...Some nap aye?
Unfortunately those were the only pictures I got to document their visit. Wish I would have gotten more. Axel was so sad to see them leave.

It was a hard week for Eli too because he had a lot on his plate for his proposal meeting. It turned out all right and we both committed to the "Do It Now" principle which is exactly what it says it is. Start Early End Happy. This is our Anti-Procrastination movement in our lives. So far it has been working out pretty well in helping with his masters degree and keeping the house in order. So, that is the skinny with us.

Who will take Axel as a Sunbeam?

A New Year and old habits of bad blogging are tempting to return. ha ha! We had a great Christmas (of which I will document with a few photos) It was full of the usual...family, games, puzzles, presents, cousins, drama, and fun, but that is not what has motivated my blog update today. Yesterday was a....how shall I put it?....memorable day.

Our testimony meeting was really good. The counselor in the bishopric, Brother Pulsipher, gave a great testimony on how the Lord gives us weakness. It is often misquoted in the scripture in Ether, some people will say God gives us weaknesses, which isn't accurate. It isn't like God sat down and decided, "I will make Jim an angry person and Suzy prone to lie, so that they can get over these specific weaknesses that I gave them." Rather we as humans are weak in general and if we come to God, He will make weak things become strong unto Him. He will help us through whatever weakness we are struggling with at the time. Too bad we can't overcome our weak nature with one experience. It is a collective amount of experience upon experience of us constantly coming to God and eventually we can look back and see how far we've come. Yeah, definitely not an overnight thing! His testimony made me ponder a lot. I have fallen into the misquoted trap and have often thought, "Oh, God gave me this specific weakness so I could learn something." No, the bottom line is I am weak. He wants me to learn whatever I need to in order to be strong. Good thoughts. Speaking of coming to the Lord for strength.......today was Axel's first official day as a Sunbeam, and he didn't exactly "shine" as I would have hoped. He kept saying "this way" as Eli passed the nursery room and brought him into Primary to which he started throwing a temper tantrum. He has now incorporated the throwing down of the arms and jumping into his tantrums as of late and makes quite a display, much to my complete horror! So, this is going on during opening exercises. I finally have him come and sit with me. So, during music time, I am struggling to keep my class of five-year-olds in line while trying to stop Axel from jabbing the kids in front of us with his big boots. Not to mention trying to desperately silence his spontaneous outbursts of fits and screams that he wants a cup and go night night. His ploy to get out of being a new Primary member I'm sure. I can hear him now, "If I tell her I am ready for a nap she'll definitely go for it!" Little did he know that I was wishing for that very thing, anything in fact to stop the madness. The teacher in front of me leaned back during one of his displays in the aisle and said, "Whose kid is that!" (she knew full well it was mine and her light-hearted joke made me feel better as I responded, "I have no idea, but I wish they would get him out of here!") The secretary took Axel from me and hauled him to class with the other new Sunbeams and I had peace during sharing time. I looked back and saw my old class looking all spiffy in their suits and was kind of sad that I didn't have them anymore. That is until I saw the look in Alex's eye, the look I have seen many a time, the look that said "I'll tell you where to go" and those feelings vanished. ha ha After sharing time, I went to face the music of my new class. Much to my surprise, they were angels. I squinted to see their halos. They sat still, raised their hands, laughed at my attempts to joke, and all showed me the pictures they colored. One girl even wore a velvet dress in my honor. I couldn't believe it. From the last class I had, I was prepared to come in with the paddle full of holes to lay down the law. (okay I will clarify that is a joke for all you literalists out there that would actually believe that I would beat children...I would not!) So, the class went great and I was thrilled!! Then I went back to closing exercises to Axel repeating the same episodes as before. He was fine until he saw me. Grrr! I think he would do so much better if I wasn't there. So, there I was plotting how I would sufficiently punish and beat this little boy when the music leader announced that to welcome the new Sunbeams we would sing their song, "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" to which Axel loudly sang and did all the actions dilligently with a huge smile on his face. He then looked at me like, "Isn't this the best, Mom?" After it was over, he looked up at me and gave me the biggest hug and kiss ever. Lucky for him my heart melted and that little act saved his very life. He left me a very confused mother. How is it possible to wonder if Axel is the very devil himself one minute and the next be shining his halo for him? What is this madness called motherhood? Overall I'd say his first day in Primary was a fiasco but not a complete failure. Hopefully next week when the teacher in front of me sees him singing, folding his arms and speaking clearly in full sentences of all the family home evening lessons we've ever taught him, she'll say, "Whose kid is that?" And I will proudly rise and proclaim, "That's Axel Hubbard, and he is our son!" Hey! I'm allowed to dream aren't I?

When I took this picture I should have known he would be too cool for church!

Just thought I would include some memorable pictures of the little toad.

Riding naked in his truck should have also clued me in that he wouldn't make a good candidate for Sunbeams. :)

Here is our lovely Christmas true. We bought it...I know I know what a crime but it is the first year we have actually had a full Christmas tree instead of a sparse Charlie Brown tree. You will see how beautiful it is.

I told you it was beautiful!!!

Yes, those are all on one branch and he threw a fit if he found out we moved them. So, there they stayed. It was pretty darn cute. Christmas was so fun this year, aside from the obvious reason..that we weren't in a hospital...Axel got so excited Christmas morning and took part in all the Christmas festivities leading up to the Big Day. It gave us the opportunity to live Christmas like we were kids again. Loved it!!

I coaxed Eli to take a picture of the boys and me...because I think I am photogenic...NO...just for mere evidence that I was there. :)

I love how in all the pictures Axel won't look at the camera and Grady finds his way into all the corners of the picture. ha ha

Soooo happy. This is what he did the whole month of December. Those balls never stayed on the tree. We tried to tell him no and broke his heart and probably permanently damaged him. How can you say no to a face like that anyway?