Fun in Vegas

We have really been enjoying ourselves here in Vegas. It has been great visiting family and the kids have loved all the extra attention. The kids (read Landon and Tori) have loved all the outside time.

Landon enjoyed playing with the hose.

The kids have also had a great time playing with their Aunts and Uncles (I am sorry to the Aunts/Uncles who have not yet been featured in any of my Vegas posts thus far)

Landon asked to hold Ella today and I thought this was a cute picture.

We have had such a great time in Vegas and we will be sad to leave on Sunday, but my sadness is overshadowed by the excitement I have to get back home. I missed Jared so much and it will be nice to be home again.

Sleeping with the Dogs

So yesterday I was busy getting things ready to go to my Dad's house and I hadn't seen Torilynn in a while. I decided that I'd better be a good Mom and go look for her around the house. I looked for her all around the downstairs and I couldn't find her, so I went upstairs. I looked upstairs and still could not find her. I was about to panic when this is what I found: I think she thinks she is a dog, not only does she fall asleep next to them but I also often find her drinking from their dog bowls. Oh the joys or being a toddler.Landon on the other hand has out grown the "I think I'm a dog" stage. He sat on the couch and watched cartoons while I got ready to go. They grow up so fast, it seems like only yesterday it was him drinking from the dog's bowl.

Yesterday we also went swimming at my Dad's house. It was a lot of fun. Landon is a cautious boy and wanted me to be near by at all times, but I am pretty sure Tori though she was a big kid. She kept trying to get out off my arms so she could swim off. Maybe Tori liking the water will motivate Landon to like it more, I don't think he wants to be out done by his little sister.

Ella did not join us in the pool (because I am a paranoid mom and I had two other children to deal with) but she looked super cute in her swimming suit. I especially love the back of the swimming suit with the little ruffles.

A Visit from Grammy

Last Thursday Grammy (Jared's Mom) flew in for a visit. It was SO nice having her here. She was such a great help around the house and with the kids and the kids obviously loved getting to spend some time with their Grammy.We also had a ton of fun! Jared's mom is so fun to talk to and we able to do a little shopping while she was here too. She took the kids to the park, the Zoo, and Amish Acres which gave me some one on one time with Ella. I am so thankful to have such a great Mother-in-law and I was very sad to see her go today.

Landon and Jared at the Zoo. From what I hear Landon was not a fan of the Pony ride and cried pretty the whole time. What can I say my boy is a scaredy cat.

Grammy and Tori at the Park. I am so appreciative of all the attention that Grammy gave Tori. Tori has had a hard time adjusting to having a baby sister and having Grammy here helped a lot.

Landon pushing Grammy and Tori in the swing.

Fun at the park!

Cute kids with their cute Grammy!The girls love Grammy.

In other news not only did we say goodbye to Grammy today but we also said goodbye to Landon. Landon is flying back to Vegas with Grammy and he will be there for 4weeks before I fly out with the girls for my sisters wedding. I have not been away from Landon for more then a few days at a time ( while in the hospital after having Tori and Ella) and I am so sad that I won't see him for so long. I know he is in good hands though and that he will enjoy getting spoiled and being the center of attention in Vegas. I really am sad for Jared though. He will not be able to come out to Vegas with the rest of us and since we will not return home until the 24th of August Jared will have to go almost two months without seeing his son. We love Landon so much and it will be a little sad around our house without him.

Gone Swimming

Today, Jared, Landon, Tori, and I went over to a family in our wards house to go swimming (Ella stayed home with Grammy). Landon was pretty much afraid of the water but he enjoyed squirting the squirt guns and floating around in the boat. Tori was not afraid of the water and enjoyed playing in the pool. Jared played with the kids and I sat on the side of the pool and took pictures. It was a beautiful day and perfect weather for a swim. We also had a great time visiting with our friends Adam and Lisa, they are expecting their first baby in August and so they got a lot of practice in today playing with Landon and Tori.

Playing in the Rain

This morning it started raining and I figured I'd let Landon put his rain boots to their proper use (he wears them whenever possible, rain or shine). Tori and Landon had a great time playing in the rain and splashing in the puddles. I enjoyed getting some cute pictures of my kids. Win win win.

Ellalyn didn't join in the fun of playing in the rain but she did enjoy a nice nap.

Life with 3 Kids....

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while, I have been adjusting to life with a new little one and I have been SO tired. Today Ella is two weeks old and the last couple of weeks have been exciting and full of adjustments.
We got off to a little bit of a rough start after I got home from the hospital. Landon and Tori were both sick and extra grumpy and whiny. My kids are rarely sick and it figures they would come down with something right when we were bringing the new baby home. Tori was extra grumpy due to her sickness and it did not help that she is no longer the baby in the family.
Since the kids have recovered from their illness things have gotten much better and they are adjusting well to having a new baby sister. Landon is really not all that interested in Ella, I think once she becomes more interactive he will pay more attention to her. Tori on the other hand is really interested in Ella. She is always looking at her and wanting to touch her. Tori seems to like Ella a lot but I also think that she is a little bit jealous. I sometimes feel bad for Tori because I feel like she was cheated out of her time as baby of the family, but I know that she won't remember this time and in the long run it will all be OK.
The first few days of being home were tough for me and had me questioning why I ever thought I could handle three children. I am doing and feeling much better now and I think that I will survive;). Our ward has been really great with watching the older kids for us and with providing dinners, despite the fact that they all thought Landon and Tori had whopping cough (long story but the kids did NOT have whopping cough).
Ella has been a really good baby. She really only cries when she is hungry. She is getting cuter by the day and I look forward to when she becomes more interactive and starts to smile. She is a great addition to our family and I really look forward to seeing her personality develop. Here are some recent pictures:

All dressed up for her first Sunday at church
Sleeping babies are so sweet and cute

This picture made me laugh
What a silly boy!
I feel so blessed to have 3 beautiful, happy, and healthy children.

Pool Party!

About a week ago I bought the kids a little kiddie pool in anticipation for summer weather. Well today the temperature finally got into the 70's so the kids had a pool party. Landon and Tori both had a lot of fun playing in the pool. I was a little worried that Tori would not like the pool since Landon wasn't really a big fan when he was her age but she LOVED it. It was fun for the kids to get to spend sometime outside, Tori spent about an hour in the pool and Landon was in there for about an hour and a half. I finally had to convince him it was time to go inside because Mommy was getting too hot.

Landon put on this "hat" and declared "I'm Chinese!" The boy watches too much Ni Hao, Kai-lan

Spring is FINALLY Here!

It seems like just over this past week Spring has magically appeared. The grass is suddenly greener and leaves and blossoms are starting to sprout on all the trees. The weather has been beautiful and it all just makes me so happy! Indiana is so beautiful in the Spring and Summer and having all this beauty around me makes me less homesick for the desert of Nevada. The other day I took the kids out to play in our yard and it is amazing to see how green our lawn has turned in just a few weeks, pretty soon we are going to have to start mowing it again.

Easter Fun!

We had a pretty fun Easter this year. Holidays are a lot more fun now that Landon is older and can get excited about them.
On Saturday we dyed Easter eggs. Landon loved doing this and had a great time.

On Sunday the kids found their Easter baskets.

I tried to get some pictures of the kids in their Easter clothes before church but they didn't really turn out, oh well...

After church we went over to a family in our wards house and had Easter dinner. It was delicious. I loved having a place to go and not having to cook. The kids enjoyed being somewhere other then home and having new toys to play with. The Browns are great people and I love visiting with them so the company was really nice too.