Preschool

I taught preschool this week. These are the cute kids that are in the class. Thomas really 'likes' the girl with the bright colored kite standing next to him. Her name is Ellie and he talks about her all the time. We talked about insects this week and had a blast. These are their 'butterfly' kites. They had a great time running around the front yard trying to get them to fly.

We also did some searching for insects. We didn't find much. It is still a bit early in the season. We did find ants and rolly polly bugs. This little preschool has been so great for Thomas and for me. I love teaching on my week, and I also love the little break when it is not at our house.

Trip to Richfield and Fillmore

As usual, I am slow at getting pictures on the computer and writing a post. These are pictures from our trip the week before Easter to Richfield and Fillmore. This is our kids with Great Grandma and Grandpa Groesbeck (my dad's parents). We love them so much!


Jackson and Essie in my parent's backyard. It was a lot colder than we expected. Of course I didn't pack warm clothes for anyone. Jackson was trying to keep Essie warm.
There is an old lava flow about 5 minutes from my parent's house. Jackson loves it, so we always go out to explore while we are there. That's Thomas with Jackson in the background. He really isn't very far away...it just looks like he is.
This is actually from Easter weekend. This was Thomas's first soccer game! There is small indoor soccer field (?) in the same office complex that Jackson works in. It is so perfect for little kids! It is as non-competitive and fun oriented as you can get. Thomas LOVED it! He was on a high the whole day after the game. The bad thing is that there isn't much room for parents to watch...hence the poor picture. I'll try for a better one this Saturday.

Video Test

This was my (Jackson's) first attempt at video editing.

Hard shoes

Last week I took the kids to a park that has a sidewalk all around it. I pushed the two little ones in the stroller and Thomas rode his bike. Thomas rides faster than I can walk, so he was a bit ahead of me. He stopped, staring at the ground. When I caught up I saw that he was looking at two shoe prints in the cement. He sounded totally amazed when he said, "Wow, look Mom...someone had REALLY HARD SHOES!"

Cousins

We are so lucky to live so close to cousins. Jackson's brother (with 4 kids) and sister (with 2 kids) live here in town. We see them at least once a week. We had Jackson's brother's family over for dinner last week. They came over right after church, which is why they are all dressed up. They all love to take turns holding baby Essie.

Clarissa (8) holding Estella


Juliette (1)
I love being an Aunt!

My sister Kara got engaged last week to a great guy named Cody. They are planning on getting married this summer. I am so happy for her. Cody is a very lucky man! Kara is going to be such a great wife and mother. Maybe within 5 years I will be an aunt on my side of the family!

Blurb

I have been wondering how to save a hard copy of my blog...not that I'm all that great at keeping it up. Maybe I would write more often if I knew I could save it somehow. Anyway...my friend Karin mentioned on her blog this website www.blurb.com which will 'slurp' your blog and put it into a book. A hardcover book with 40 pages is less than $25. You can do up to 440 pages. I just browsed the site and it looks really good. I thought I would share in case anyone else is interested.

Sunglasses on Cloudy Days

Nicholas is so funny about his sunglasses lately. He wants to wear them all the time! It is even cuter because he usually puts them on upside-down. What a fun, silly boy.




I don't have a picture of this, but last week I took the boys to watch our young men play church basketball. After a particularly rough play Thomas asked, "Mom, when are they going to put their helmets on?" Later, there was a time out and Nicholas said, "What are they doing Mommy?" I said, "They are having a time out." He got a very sad look on his face and said "Oh." I realized that he thought they were getting in trouble. The people behind us kept laughing at all of their cute comments. I love my little boys!

3 Months Old

Our little one is over three months old now. These pictures were taken Feb. 1st, which was two days before she was 3 months old. She is already full of personality. She loves to look people in the eye and coo. She can't resist a smile. I have to stop myself from looking at her while she is nursing, because she is always looking at me and if she sees me look at her, she can't help but smile, which disrupts nursing.

Nicholas is potty training now. He is doing great! He decided about a week ago that he was through with wearing diapers. He doesn't even want to wear them at night. He is definitely not able to go through the night yet, so that has created some problems. The first night he was adamant, so we let him fall asleep in his underwear and then put a diaper on over the top of his pajamas to at least save the sheets. He didn't wake up wet until 2:00 a.m. (I was expecting much sooner than that). He was then willing to put on a diaper. Anyway...enough details...he is doing well, and I am proud of him for deciding to do it.

Thomas started taking piano lessons and violin lessons. I know you will all think that is crazy. I was not planning on having him start either for a few more years. Jackson's Grandma Birkedahl teaches piano and LOVES to teach the grandkids. I mentioned to Thomas that if he wanted to, she would teach him. He was so excited and just wouldn't let it go, so we decided to give it a try. He loves it. Grammy and I decided to just be very laid back and make things fun and pressure free, so it is fun for him. While he has his lesson with Grammy, Nicholas plays with Grampa doing little puzzles that Grampa makes and playing with other toys. As soon as we get there Nicholas runs around the house calling, "Grampa, Grampa, Where are you?" It is so fun to see them interacting with their great grandparents. Jackson's mom teaches violin and she also likes to teach the grandkids. She had mentioned that in order to develop a good ear (to play in tune) it is important to start early. I just kept thinking about it and feeling like this was a good time to have him start, so we went for it. If it gets to be too much for him we are totally willing to stop, but he LOVES it so far. He loves the lessons and even the practicing. We will see how long it stays fun. I will try to remember to take my camera to the lessons and take some pictures of him. He looks so cute during the lessons!

Tagged

I have been tagged. I couldn't resist this tag...it is all about my favorite person in the world! I hope this helps those of you who don't know him very well get to know him better, and help those of you who do know him, remember how much fun he is.





















1. What is your husband's name? Jackson Alexander Berry
2. How long have you been married? 5 1/2 years
3. How long did you date? Not long! Technically, our first real 'date' was when we got engaged. I know it sounds crazy...it was. I am thankful every day that it happened, though!
4. How old is he? 29...he will be 30 on June 1st this year...that seems so old!
5. Who eats more? It depends. If I am nursing (which I have been for the majority of our marraige) we eat about the same. He eats a bit more than me, but not much.
6. Who said I love you first? I don't actually remember. I think it was him.
7. Who is taller? He definitely is.
8. Who sings better? Definitely Jackson. He has a great singing voice. When it comes to remembering the words to songs, though, I am better at that.
9. Who is smarter? We are both smart in different things. He is a great writer and amazing at history and remembering facts. I have a horribly short term memory, but I am good at math and science.
10. Whose temper is worse? I would like to think that neither of us have bad tempers, but now that we have a 4 and 2 year old, our tempers get tried more than we can handle sometimes. We can read each other really well, so when one of us is starting to get frustrated with the kiddos, the other will try to step in and let them cool down. As to getting mad at each other, I do that more than Jackson does, but I don't yell...I just get quiet and weepy. I am getting better at letting silly things go, though.
12. Who does the dishes? Both of us if we are both here. This is hard for us sometimes, because Jackson really likes to lay down and relax right after dinner, and I like to clean up the mess first and then relax. Sometimes I try to wait for him, but usually I just start doing them and he feels bad and gets up and helps.
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Jackson does. I don't like change, so that's the way it's always been and that's the way it will always be. It is actually kind of a joke between us. Jackson will sometimes jump in before me, get on my side, and say he wants to trade sides, but I won't stand for it. I don't think he really wants to trade, he just likes to get me riled up :)
14. Who pays the bills? I used to pay all the bills and file everything. We went through a time when I was struggling with depression, though, and it really stressed me out for some reason to do them. Jackson did it then, and now we need to work out a system because sometimes I do and sometimes he does, so something could go unpaid with each of us thinking the other did it.
15. Who mows the lawn? We both do. At the end of the day, I would much rather be outside mowing the lawn than watching the kids by myself again. I really enjoy outdoor work.
16. Who cooks dinner? I do. Every once in a while on Saturday Jackson will make his special Eggs A La Goldenrod. They are delicious. He usually gets breakfast ready, and on the weekends he always helps with lunch.
17. Who drives when you are together? Jackson. I prefer it that way. On long trips we take turns, because the one not driving has the harder job of caring for the kids.
18. Who is more stubborn? I am pretty stubborn. I would like to think I am less stubborn than I used to be, though.
19. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Definitely Jackson. He is so good at apologizing.
20. Whose parents do you see the most? Jackson's now that we live in the same town. It used to be the same. I wish we could see my parents more often.
21. Who proposed? Jackson, and it was super romantic and sweet. I will never forget it.
22. Who is more sensitive? If I am pregnant, me.
23. Who has more friends? same
24. Who has more siblings? Jackson has 4 and I have 3.
25. Who wears the pants in the family? We try to each take a leg.
26. Where did you meet your husband? BYU
27. What was the first thing you said to your husband? I don't really remember. It was 5:00 in the morning and I had just rolled out of bed without even brishing my teeth, so I tried not to talk much :)
28. Where was your first date? We went on walks together and studied together. Then school ended and Jackson went home to Colorado. He came to my house for a weekend and I went to his for a weekend. Then he was supposed to go to Russia for 2 months and then come back and move right to Texas with the Air Force. He had come to Provo to pick up his brother and sister from swim camp and he was saying goodbye to me. I was expecting some sort of DTR, but all I got was, "Well...I guess I'll see you when I get back from Russia. Bye." I thought it was a lost cause, and I went home and cried. Luckily Heavenly Father is in charge and his passport didn't come through and he had to postpone his trip by two weeks. That's all the time it took!
29. Where was your first kiss? So unromantic...in front of DT (the dorms) at BYU. A very public place for anyone who doesn't know. We hid in the shadows by the bushes. I was so happy I could have cared less who was watching! :)
30. Where did you get engaged? Up Provo canyon at a place called Theater in the Pines. It was great!
31. Where were you married? Manti Temple
32. Where was the honeymoon? Oceanside, CA. We rented a condo for a week. It was so wonderful. You could see the ocean from every window.
33. If you could have changed anything about it what would it have been? I can't think of anything...it was wonderful.

I tag anyone who wants to do it!

Community Playthings Blocks

First of all, I was looking through my pictures, deciding what to write a blog on, and I realized that I don't have very many pictures of Thomas. This isn't because I don't want to take pictures of him, it is because he doesn't want me to take pictures of him. Any time I get out the camera and point it at him, he turns his face and says, "No pictures." Estella is the easiest to take pictures of right now. Nicholas doesn't mind it, but it takes some work on my part. Anyway...to the point...I did get a few pictures of Thomas while he and a friend were building a jail for the bad dinosaurs and a castle for the king and queen.
Let me say that I LOVE these blocks that we have. We bought them for Christmas 2006 and I am happier and happier with them as the boys have gotten older. Jackson had this same block set when he was growing up and LOVED it, so that is how we knew about them. They are from Community Playthings. They are expensive, but worth every penny. If anyone is considering getting them, the shelf is SO nice. My mother in law bought that for us when we told her we were getting the blocks. It is from the same company as the blocks.

The other shelf that has toys on it is also a Community Playthings shelf and was a gift this year from my parents in law. I love it for a few reasons. 1-it has wheels that you can flip, so you can use them or tuck them under. They are great because if I don't want all the toys out everywhere I can easily turn the shelf around facing the wall, putting the toys out of sight and reach. 2- The back of the shelf is a flannel board. I don't have any flannel board stories yet, but Thomas and I made a few animals that are fun to arrange. Well..there's my plug for Community Playthings...expensive, but worth it.

Essie 'Talking'

Here is a video of the sweet little one babbling a little bit. She just melts all of us.

I Like to Move It, Move It!

Thomas loves to dance and move...especially if the song is a bit wild and crazy. He heard this song and asks for it over and over and over now. Here is a sample of him dancing to it. I took this video on his third time through the song, so he is a bit tired. When he is tired he uses the part of the song that is just music as his "point and rest part." He cracks me up! Oh...you can also see the tile that Jackson and I put in just before Estella was born. Doing the grout is what put me into labor. I just watched the video again and realized that both boys are only half dressed. That isn't abnormal at our house. Thomas always takes his shirt off because he likes to run really fast and feel the air on his chest. Nicholas takes his pants off for various reasons...lately it has been because he is going to the bathroom in his little potty. I think we are going to begin potty training whether I am ready or not.

Mr Fix-It

We have our screwdrivers hanging on a pegboard int he garage. Nicholas has figured out that if he stands on his tiptoes on the edge of the step leading to the garage, he can reach the screwdrivers. When he first figured it out he was trying to undo the screws that hold the electric socket plates onto the wall. This was VERY stressful for me because he would also stick the screwdriver into the socket. I have learned that nothing bad happens if you stick something into the round hole...at least nothing did the three seperate times Nicholas did that. I think I have sucessfully diverted his screwdriver attention to something much safer and less stressful...doors. I'm not sure what I will do when he gets strong enough to actually get the screws out, but for now we are both happy.


I can't ever post anything without including a few pictures of this sweet litte one :)

Sweet Girl

Here are a few pictures of sweet little Essie. Thomas has been taking pictures with our camera lately. I was nervous to let him use it, but after I explained how to handle it he seems to treat it pretty well. The first two pictures here were taken by Thomas. I was pretty impressed. Something I have learned from Thomas about photography is that if you take enough pictures, a few of them are bound to be good. The second picture here I put on because it shows her crazy hair. Wherever we go I always hear, "Look at all that hair!"

Sick

Here is a picture of our sweet little Christmas girl. We have had some computer issues the past week and Jackson had to wipe the computer clean and start from scratch. It is sure nice that he learned how to do that when he was working for the Air Force. It has saved us more times than one. We have been hit pretty hard in the sickness department lately. We all (including the baby) got a BAD cold. We all had barking coughs and felt pretty crummy for a good week. Most of us are still coughing, but I think we are past being contagious. Today Nicholas has been flu sick. He has thrown up at least 8 times...poor little guy. We feel lucky, though, that this is unusual for us and that we are usually very healthy. Feeling a little under the weather sure helps you be grateful for feeling good most of the time.

Sledding

We had such a great christmas. My dad, mom, brother, and two sisters came to stay with us. It was so much fun. This is a picture of My brother Jake, sister Kara, and sister Jamie sledding. I will post more christmas pictures soon. I just worked on this one last night, so I was excited to post it so my family could see it.

Nicholas Mac

Oh, how we LOVE our little Nicholas Mac. He is such a fun loving, kind boy. Here are a few of my favorite memories of him this month.



Sledding in our front yard.








When the forecast included snow, I bought the boys their first pairs of snow boots. This is the first place we have lived that we have actually needed them. Nicholas calls them his "rubba boots." I had the pleasure to walk in to the kitchen to this sight. He is always doing something that brightens my day.











This is a picture of our daily walk to the mailbox. It is about a half block away. Once, Thomas slipped on this pile of rocks and said, "Ouch! I slipped!" Every day since then, when we reach this spot Nicholas carefully sits down and exclaims, "I slipped!"



If you ask Nicholas to smile, this is the adorable grin you get. I love it!

Ward Christmas Party

These are really bad pictures, but I was playing the piano for the whole program and Jackson was not there...he was at an Orchestra concert, so this is the best I could do. The first one is of Nicholas with a group of kids who go to "Music Makers." This is a special interest group a friend of mine started here and it is SO fun. If anyone wants more info on how to start one just email me. It is a great thing for nursery age kids. Nicholas is in the middle of the group.

This is of the nativity they had the primary kids do. Thomas was a shephard. It's really hard to see him...he is inside the manger with a maroon wrap on his head.

These are of the kids on Santa's lap. Santa was Jackson's uncle, so they knew just who it was. They loved it...they both jumped right up on his lap. Once again, the pictures are bad, but they are the best I could do. It was a fun party.

Smile

Here is a video of Estella smiling. I finally caught a grin on camera.

4 weeks old

Estella is 4 1/2 weeks old now. She is such a joy! She is smiling everyday now...I just can't seem to catch it on camera. This is the best I have got so far.



This is what she looks like most of the time. Actually, most of the time she is sleeping. This is what she looks like most of the time she is awake.

Thomas and Nicholas adore her...Thomas especially. He always wants to hold her and have me take pictures of them together.

Yummy Ears

Nicholas has such soft yummy ears that I can't resist taking a little nibble sometimes. A few days ago I was tickling him and his ear was convenient, so I grabbed his lobe in my mouth. He started to laugh and said, "They're not poc-i-sles mommy!"

Eyes

Thomas wanted me to take a picture of his eyes so he could see better what they looked like. I happily fulfilled his request and then did the same for Nicholas. Pictures don't do them justice, but as you can see Thomas's eyes are bright blue and Nicholas's rich brown. I find it pretty interesting because neither Jackson or I have eyes these colors. In fact, no one on either side of our families has blue eyes except my dad. We are anxiously waiting to see what color Estella's will be.

More pictures

Here are a few more pictures of Estella. We are just loving her to pieces. Thomas and Nicholas adore her and want to hold her all the time. A few days ago Thomas said, "When Estella gets big I want to be her man." I'm not sure exactly what he meant by that, but I'm sure it means he loves her a lot. Every time Nicholas has a turn holding her he just giggles at every move or grunt she makes.

Estella Dean Berry

Estella arrived Saturday, November 3 at 1:03. She is healthy and we are so happy to have her here. My mom just left this morning, so we will see how things go with just me and three little ones. Here are a few pictures...more will come as I have a few minutes to work on them.