Mother's Day

I love Mother's Day. Especially now that I am a Mother... it's the closest thing to a day off that I come to. Scott always does his best to make it a special day for me, and this year it was fun hearing Jackson say, "Happy Mommy's Day"! I love gonig to chruch and hearing all the talks and lessons focused on mothers, listening and watching the primary kids sing in sacrament meeting, getting yummy chocolates as we leave sacrament meeting, and ending with a cute card that Jackson made in nursery.

After church we went to my parents house and had a delcious dinner grilled by the men, played outside, celebrated not only Mother's Day but Scotts, Adams, and Candices Birthday. It was a really fun day!

Scott, Miles, and Adam grilled for the girls. I love how men almost ALWAYS grill for Mother's Day. I guess its the one "appliance" they know how to handle.
Jackson loves to go out on the 4-wheelers. He calls this blue one the "BYU Cougar". And yes, he came up with that all by himself. My dad would take him down the hills and go really fast, Jacks loved it. You would think he was on a ride at Disney Land!We looked out the window and saw Adam, also known as, Uncle Abo and Jackson sitting outside together. They looked like they were having a deep conversation, it was pretty funny. Jackson loves his Uncle Abo! After all the playing outside and rides on the "BYU Cougar", Jackson was pretty warn out. He cuddled up with Miles and had his arm tickled and took a nice break from all the hard playing he had done.
Scott took Jacks on one more ride before it was time to go home. He came back with a bunch of flowers for me. It was so sweet, a great way to end my Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day to all you women out there. I hope your day was filled with lots of love!

Lucy's Baby Blessing

Little Lucy was blessed this weekend. It was such a fun weekend with all the family in town.

Dennis and Jenna were here with Davis. I think Jackson might me a little scared of Davis, I am not sure if its because they are the same size and Davis is only 9 months or because Davis knocked him down a couple times when he was pulling up on Jackson. Ha ha, poor little Jackson. Someday he will realize Davis just wants to hang out and be boys together.

Kristen and Garret brought little Duke (their Yorkie puppy). He is so cute and all the kids adored him. He does so well with them chasing him all around the house. Although every once in a while, you would see him cuddled up on his mom and dads suitcase, it looked as though he thought this was his safe zone. I love this little dog, I think I may have to get one of my own some day soon?

Lucy looked so precious in her blessing dress. She looked like a baby princess. And with all the loves she gets from her older sisters - she is a princess. The whole family after church. Say cheese. All the grandkids. Lillie, Abbie, Lucy, Jack, and Davis. I loved Davis in his little suit - what a stud!

Suprise Baby Shower!!!!

My sister-in-law Jaime shocked me with a suprise baby shower Saturday afternoon. Here is the story:

A few months ago she mentioned throwing a baby shower for me. She brought it up that one time, and never again. So of course, I forgot about it and never thought twice about the conversation. Little did I know, for the past couple months she had been talking with my mom, sister-in-laws and mother-in-law about planning the whole thing. She planned it for the same weekend of her baby blessing for Lucy, so that all the Randalls could be there. Saturday afternoon they got me out of the house for an or so while they set everything up and all the guests arrived. I came home, and Abbie told me I was needed downstairs. I got to the bottom of the stairs and was shocked to see my friends and family all around the room! It all was a bit confusing at first, but it slowly came together and I realized what had happened.

I am always so amazed at peoples generosity when it comes to showers. I got so many cute things for my little baby girl... clothes, toys, burb cloths, blankets, a stroller (hooray), and all the lotions and potions that make babies smell so sweet!

Jack had so much fun at the party. He thought it was my birthday, so for the next couple days after that he would sing me bits and peices of the hapy birthday song... it was so sweet.

The food was so yummy. My favorite pasta salad, Salad de Maison (a Richards tradition), and angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberries.... mmmmmm ....

Thank you so much to everyone that helped make this party happen. It was so fun! The food was delicious, the games were so fun, and the whole thing was such a suprise!

Thank you to everyone who came. It was so fun to see you all and have you celebrate this special time in my life!

My Favorite Things

I feel like sharing a few of my favorite things! Here they are:

1. Go Lean Cereal. I love this cereal! The "Go Lean Crunch" is my favorite. It is a great source of protein and fiber, which of course are great because it makes you feel fuller longer (for pregnant women, it is a must)!

2. Camelbak water bottle. My sister, Candice introduced me to these. Thank you!!! I love it. I take it everywhere with me. It is the adult version of a sippy cup! I love it!

3. Secret Fit Maternity Clothes. If you are or plan on being pregnant... you have got to try these out! Although, a word of warning: you will never want to wear any other fit ever again! They are so comfortable, it is amazing! I have a few different pairs with this waistband fit from Mimi, but I have also seen it at Motherhood and other specialty stores and boutiques.

4. Back To Basics Mango Coconut Shampoo and Conditioner. If your hair needs moisture, you NEED this! It keeps my hair so soft, and smells delicious.

5. Pink Bench Headbands. A new type of headband that stays in place with Velcro. They have so many fun fabrics and designs. Go check it out: http://www.pinkbench.com/

6. My little cousin Cody is 17 and writes music, sings, plays guitar, he does it all... I just learned of this talent of his a couple weeks ago and I am so impressed. His friend wrote a poem and had him write the music to it. I love this song! Go check it out, the name of the song is "Paper Airplanes", it is the first song on the list to play. Here is the link: http://www.myspace.com/kelleravenue

7. Jan Marini Age Intervention Face Cream. My skin is combo, both oily and dry. This is so perfect for my skin. It is creamy and moisturizing, but soaks in so perfectly, I can hardly tell its there. Really I love this whole line, but this one product I absolutley cannot live without!

8. Layers Clothing. One of my micro clients told me about this line. I have to thank her a million times over and over again because I love it. Their clothes are extra long, so I can wear them while I am pregnant and its all really cute and comfortable. If anyone out there is looking for a cute modest tankini for summer, I just saved you! Check out their website, you will love it all! http://www.layersclothing.com/?gclid=CLr35vDc_pICFRwqagod-Sf3Fw

9. Beach Berries ... okay, while I was in Hunington with the girls I was introduced to the most amazing yogurt shop! We had it every day while we were there, and I have been craving it every day since I have been home. But of course, I have never tasted anything like it in Utah. Does anyone know of anything similar so that I can get a fix on this craving!!!

10. Victoria Secrets, Mosaic Bronzer in Goddess. Love it! For me, it gives that perfect springtime glow. Which in Utah, in April, when we are still getting snow - I need the perfect glow!

I hoped you enjoyed everything I love! I hope some of you get the chance to check some of these things out!

Jacks Swim Lessons... Day #3

So, for those of you that don't know, our little Jackson is quite terrified of the water. He always has been. Up until this past winter, he even had a hard time in the bath. The past 6 months he has slowly been getting better. He now LOVES his baths and the last time we went swimming he actually enjoyed it, as long as he was in his "boat". I had thought alot about swim lessons, but wanted him to be a little more comfortable in the water before I put him in a class with a bunch of other kids, while he kicks and screams and makes all the other kids do the same. But then, my sister-in-law, Jaime told me about this swim teacher that everyone refers to as "The Swim Nazi". She offers private lessons and supposedly your kid is swimming by then end of the 2 week course. Without much though I called and signed him up. I so badly want Jackson to at least feel comfortable in the water. And at least with a private lesson, I don't have to worry about making the other moms upset, right?

Monday was his first lesson... and oh my! She really is "The Swim Nazi"... it is probley the hardest thing I have ever had to watch Jack go through. And really, I didn't even watch much of it... I was looking down and away as much as I could because I could hardly stand to see him struggle. She took him right out and was bobbing him up and down, and letting go of him and making him grab the side of the pool, all the while his little arms are waving above water while his head is underneath... ahhhh! He of course screamed the whole time, any kid would when put through what he had just done. But he finished and even gave teh teacher a high-five when he was done, that's a good sign right?

Tuesday - can you believe I took him back? A little bit better. He swam across the pool with a kickboard, noodle, and fins (with her help, of course) and really enjoyed that - I think I even heard a little giggle come out of him. He was a little better at finding the side of the pool and pulling himself out. He jumped off the side off the pool with his teachers help. He floated on his back for 1 minute. He still cried for the entire 20 minute lesson, but it was a little better than Monday.

Wednesday - I am so proud of my little guy. He didn't cry out for me once! He still cried, but never once yelled for "mommy". He jumped off the side all by himself! He wore goggles, and looked so adorable in them! He is learning to flip to his back all by himself, and float comfortably on his own!

I am so proud of my little Jacks so far. He is hanging in there and growing each and every day. I am so glad that I put him into these lessons, I think this will really help him this summer. He will not only have more fun with it, but he will have confidence in himself.

Funny things about how he responds to swim lessons:

1. He hates putting his swimsuit and swim diaper on before we go because he knows what is coming. He always points to his other diapers and cries, "no, those ones".
2. The whole drive over he is absolutely silent in the car. And he is never silent in the car.
3. When we pull up to her house, he starts to cry. But then I tell him if he is good and doesn't cry then we will go get a sucker afterwards. It usually works until we go into the pool area.
4. He loves to watch all the other kids swim and point out what they are doing that he can do too.
5. After he is all done we stay and watch the next lesson so that he can see another little boy do it too. We talk about what the boy is doing and compare to what he did in his lesson. I ask him if he thinks the boy is having fun, he always says "yes". And then I ask if he had fun and suprisinly, he says, "yes".

A Day At The Zoo...

My dear Grandma Rose has spent the last 10 days caring for a 2 year old. For those of you that have had a 2 year old, you know that the twos are not an easy stage. She has been chasing her all around and I sure that once little Sophia is back home with her mommy, my Grandma will spend the next couple weeks in bed recovering!

We decided to get all the little Grandkids together and go to The Zoo. My sister Candice came and walked the whole zoo... her poor swollen feet (she is preg and due in 5 weeks), my cousin Nikki came and brought her little boy Marshall, and she is also due with a little boy in October. And my sis-in-law Jaime came with her 3 sweet girls. And then of course my Grandma Rose brought my little cousin Sophia. Sadly, we didn't think until after we had already walked the whole thing, we should have brought Sophia with us and left my Grandma to relax at home. Geez - what great grandkids we are...?

Grandma Rose with Jack and Sophia.
Jack loving the penguins.
Mommy and Jack loving the Giraffes.
This is Jack about half way through the day. I think he was a little worn out.
All the cousins and the kids.
It is fun to be pregnant with family at the same time. It's all we seemed to talk about the whole time. Abbie, Lillie and Jack playing in the lions head. Ahhhh.... don't get your head chopped off!Jack loved The Zoo. I had told him the night before that we were going to The Zoo the next day. Normally, when he wakes up in the morning he just about wears out his voice, yelling "Mommmy! Daddy!"... but the morning of The Zoo he woke up yelling, "I want to go to The Zoo!" over and over again. It was hilarious. I think I might have to get a pass this year so that we can go whenever - I know he would love it.

Just The Girls...

This past weekend, I took a much needed vacation to Hunington Beach, California. All of us girls in Scotts family met up and crashed at Kristens new place by the beach. First let me tell you how incredibly lucky this girl is ... Kristens husband Garrett just got a new job outside of Hunington with LymaBean (for those of you that are college students - check it out - it's awesome). They found a great little place just one block from the beach!!! It is absolutely beautiful. I think we all spent about half our time imagining what it would be like if we had a place there! Jaime brought her sweet little Lucy (just 2 months old), and really for all of you moms wishing you had the best baby out there - be jealous - because Jaime has her! Jenna brought her "big" baby Davis. He is about 8 months and weighs about the same as Jackson - he is his Daddy's boy! Scott was so nice to let me have a child free weekend. It was so nice to relax and have nothing to worry about! A little weird at times, I am so used to having my little side kick with me at all times, but a much deserved break from being a mommy round the clock!
We did a lot of walking, shopping and eating! The weather was gorgeous... it felt so good to be out in the sun and get some color!
Kristen has the cutest little dog, his name is Duke. They have a dog beach not far from her house, so Sunday morning we took a walk and let him mingle with his fellow friends. We put our toes in the water and wow! it was FREEZING! Hopefully by the time we are back out in June it will have warmed up a bit. But, I think we will take wet-suits just in case.
Davis is such a stud. He looks so much like his dad I can't believe it. I can't wait for him to grow up and beable to play with his cousin Jackson!
This picture was taken on Balboa Island. It is the cutest little Island with gorgeous homes all facing the water. We all decided it was one of our favorite things we did and wished we could have spent more time there.

Thanks girls for such a fun weekend! I can't wait for June to be here so we can all be out there again!