Final Days of Summer

"National Cheesecake Day" - a day where The Cheesecake Factory serves half price cheesecake - 

was the same week as Andrew's birthday.

So I asked my mom to babysit, and he and I enjoyed a nice and probably long overdue night out.

I was going to meet Andrew downtown; he was coming straight from work.

My mom wanted to take the boys on a field trip.

So we rode the Front-runner together.

The boys were excited to be up on the second level of the train.

Andrew and I were trying to keep our evening cheap.

We had dinner at Apollo Buger, then the half priced cheesecake at the City Creek location.

We still had time to spare, so we stopped in at a Deseret Book for some shopping.

By this time, I was feeling pretty sick.

This pregnancy has been hard on me and I haven't been up and out much.

So we headed home and got there just before the boys came back.

They had a blast and were mad at us for being home already.

They had been looking forward to having Grandma put them to bed.

The next morning we had the opportunity to go to the movie with Michael.

The three boys had a great time.

Michael had brought some money, but we didn't buy treats.

So afterwards he and the boys played motorcycle racing games in the lobby.

Ammon did such a great job that he earned a second game free.

On Thursday of that week we had a chance to go hiking.

Early in the summer, I had a friend announce that she would be doing weekly hikes.

I was so jealous!

It was the exact sort of thing I wanted to plan for the summer.

But I was so so sick and knew I couldn't do it.

By the time the morning sickness started to be behind me,

she was onto some challenging hikes that I knew I would be able to do.

But on this particular week I looked at her hiking plans and thought we could pull it off.

It turned out to be a great time.

We went to Cecret Lake.

The walk was beautiful.

There got to be a decent climb, especially towards the end.

But we all made it!

The boys had a blast.

The hike was actually on Andrew's birthday, but we waited until Saturday to celebrate.

We invited all of our families from both sides to come over for cake and ice-cream.

He originally asked for a yellow cake with chocolate frosting.

I asked him if I could do something more fancy.

We ended up with a chocolate cake with mousse filling, ganache on top, and toffee chips all over.

It was awesome!

We enjoyed having everyone come that could make it.

One thing we traditionally do at least once a year is go to Silver Lake.

For several years we did multiple trips.

Last year we didn't get to it at all.

(I think moving just threw us off.)

I was determined not to miss it this time around.

Andy was busy with work, so I invited my mom to go with me and the boys.

We had an extra seat in the car, so we invited Kambria to join us.

The evening before our walk, my back started to bother me.

I wondered if I should cancel the hike.

But I really wanted to go.

My mom kept asking me if I was going to be able to make it and I kept insisting that I could.

But by the time we got to the fishing dock I realized that I had made a critical mistake.

Fortunately, Ammon wanted to stay and watch the fishers.

My mom took Peter and Kambria around the lake.

They saved a butterfly who had gotten too wet to fly by keeping it safe until it's wings dried off.

My back was hurting so much that I couldn't even drive anymore.

My mom took the wheel and after dropping off Kambria, she made an impromptu stop.

I wasn't able to get out of the car, but I sent my mom with the camera.

These animals were super friendly and the boys had a great time petting them.

Over the next couple of days my back continued to decline.

I had intended to spend the next week at BYU Education Week with several family members.

I had arranged babysitting and had everything scheduled and ready to go.

As it turned out, those babysitting arrangements came in handy.

I spent the entire next week completely laid up.

The boys enjoyed going to the homes of various people to play.

It wasn't the ideal way to spend the last week of summer, but it worked.

And then, it was back to school!

The summer was plagued with a lot more sickness than I had  imagined or hoped for.

The summer was nothing like I had planned.

But I'm thinking that around the first week of January, when we hold our precious little girl,

we will unequivocally say that it was worth it.

Turning Six

I originally told Peter he could only have eight people at his party.

(He really wanted party hats and they came in sets of eight.)

We sent out invitations only to realize we forgot key people - like cousins!

His party slowly grew and grew until he ended up with fourteen guests.

Somehow it had ended up as big as Ammon's party.

Only with younger kids.

And before we had a chance to recover from the previous week.

We played soccer, bingo, balloon games, relays and even duck duck goose.

At some points I felt like trying to keep the kids entertained was sheer torture.

Peter had a blast, though, and I'm glad we were able to have so many friends come.

I had made the cupcakes for Ammon's party, and went the easy route with Peter's.

They enjoyed the store bought cupcakes and we did ice cream sandwiches, so that was easy too.

Ultimately, Andrew and I swore to never do back to back parties EVER again.

But they were worth it (this one time.)

Peter had his first real "friend" party and overall, it was a success.

Ammon's Birthday Party (Four Months Late)

I am terrible about throwing parties for my kids birthdays.

This year I promised myself I would do it.

Ammon's birthday is the day after Christmas.

A party totally didn't happen.

So I decided to do it a month later.

That didn't happen either.

I kept meaning to do it, but I never did.

One day Ammon and I were driving.

We were talking about the importance of obedience.

He had mentioned that he loved me.

I explained that I didn't FEEL like he loved me when he was disobedient.

I asked what made him FEEL loved.

He said, "If you give me a birthday party."

It just about broke my heart in two.

I really, really, really meant to!

I just hadn't done it yet.

And so once again I was resolved to throw a party for him.

Only  to have it delayed over and over again.

Then I looked at the calendar and realized it was time to throw Peter a birthday party.

I knew I couldn't do a party for Peter, when I hadn't done one for Ammon yet.

That is how he ended up having a party in April - exactly one week before Peter's birthday.

We had a Power Rangers Samurai theme.

We made swords for everyone and let them lose in the backyard.

Then we had training boot camp.

My husband taught the kids some kicks, punches, and blocks.

After they were properly trained, we had a board breaking demo.

It was a last minute addition to the party.

My husband got some boards and did some breaks with punches and kicks.

Then he took some bricks out to the yard and punched them too.

The kids all swarmed around him and took home pieces of boards for souvenirs.

Apparently the demos were the talk of the town for days and even weeks to come.

After the entertainment, we had a BBQ dinner.

Then we wrapped it up with the traditional presents, cake and icecream.

It was exhausting, but I think we met our goal:

Ammon felt loved.

A Day in Pictures - Turning 9

Enjoying a special birthday breakfast made with love by Dad - chocolate chip pancakes.

I know this picture has bad lighting, but I love the expression on Peter's face.

Ammon LOVED his new electronic kit.  He whipped through the first 10 projects in a matter of minutes.  (There are more than 300 to do.)

Two of my favorite people!

Peter was DEVASTATED when he didn't get to go out for Ammon's special birthday lunch with Grandpa Derrick.  We decided to make him a special lunch at home.

Adorable cousins!

Ammon received a megazord for Christmas.  Little did the adults know that there are MORE zords it can join with.  He knew what he was doing when he picked out his Birthday present from Grandpa Derrick!

It worked out so nicely that my sister and her family were at my parents house for dinner.  We were able to sing and have cupcakes and presents and once again Ammon had a "party" in spite of his derelict mother...

Hand and Foot.

Nothing like family card games!

Enjoying Ammon's new game from Grandma Laurel

Peter's Birthday

Pictures taken throughout April, 2012

Peter was able to have several different celebrations for his 5th birthday.

One things that he looked forward to and included in  his prayers for weeks was his special lunch with Gramma Peggy.

She took him to Red Robbin, and then to the store to buy the toy of his choice.

Weeks earlier he had decided to "save all his nickels" to earn enough for a double-sided light saber.

It was amazing to him that Gramma would buy it for his birthday.

This countdown was bigger than Christmas!

They had a great time together.

I love the picture of him just gazing up at her with those adoring eyes.

The Saturday after his birthday was his first day of soccer.

That made it difficult to have a birthday party with our neighbors and friends.

But we were able to gather together the extended family on my side and they helped us celebrate.

He had fun opening presents and eating more cupcakes!

Towards the end of the month, we signed Peter up for Kindergarten.

He was able to ride the bus home with Ammon.

It was so precious to see those boys walking home from the bus side by side.

They (along with their handsome dad) are my greatest treasures!

It's hard to believe that my baby boy is already five years old.

He's an amazing kid.

He loves to run and always has tons of energy.

He still has funny anxieties that are just so typical of who he is.

He is smart and social.

He craves attention and gifts.

He adores his big brother, but is also confident on his own.

I can't  imagine life without my "little" Peter Joseph.

(Who really isn't that little anymore...)

5 for 5!

Pictures taken April 12, 2012

Every time I asked Peter what he wanted to do for his birthday, he had a different plan.

So, despite my best intentions, we went another year without a well-planned party.

But of course we woke up the morning of his birthday and wanted to celebrate.

We picked out his favorite cupcakes from the store and invited several of his friends to come share them with us.

I realized that five year olds don't need you to plan games and activities.

These boys spent hours just running around, playing, and having fun!

Picture Dump

For Christmas Andy's parents gave him and the boys some money.

The three of them went shopping and they came back geared with Nerf guns and accessories.

They had so much fun warring around the house with each other!

On Ammon's birthday Andy's parents came to visit.

Andy and I were still feeling under the weather so we kept things low key.

We ended up visiting for a while.

Then we had dinner at Panda Express and ate cupcakes there.

Ammon's Baptism
January 7, 2012

On January 7, 2011 Ammon was baptized.

It was a special day and we were so happy for all the extended family that was able to join us.

We had a nice family dinner at the church afterwards.

Having turned 8, Ammon also started scouts.

He LOVED getting dressed in his new uniform and has enjoyed his meetings.

Peter has become known as my bottom-less pit.

He eats and eats and eats and then eats some more.

One of his favorite snacks, lately has been ice cream cones.

Can't you just see how much he LOVED ice cream!

He must have some of that Rosemann blood.

(In my family my mom's dad gets credit for our love of ice cream.

When we were young and he came to visit we remember him buying ice cream daily.

Every night he would have two 1/2 gallon containers for us to choose from.

And by the next day they would be gone and he'd go get more.)

In January Peter finally got the snow he had been waiting for.

Santa had brought him snow pants, gloves, boots and a snowboard.

But winter didn't provide snow this year.

He had so much fun getting out on his snowboard.

He was really good at it too - a total  natural!

We only had about three days of snow before it melted again.

But you'd better believe Peter was out on it every second he could be.

He had a blast!

One afternoon Peter and I decided we needed an activity.

So we went to the Church History Museum together.

My mom was actually doing some stuff there as well, so we were able to see her.

Peter had a fun afternoon playing and enjoying the various activities.

Peter's class took a field trip to the Aquarium.

He hadn't been since he was pretty little.

He really enjoyed it.

Andy and I were both able to go with him.

He really loved petting the manta rays.

The penguins were awesome and we saw them at just the right time.

They were going crazy diving in and out of the water.

It was fantastic!

Valentine's Day 2012

Valentine's Day was really fun this year.

I always think it is so hard to find a babysitter on this day.

But this year I asked my mom for a special favor as a birthday present.

(It also helped that my dad had to be out of town on business.)

We had a gift card to the Olive Garden, so that's where we went for dinner.

We got there and the restaurant had a 45 minute wait.

I was so glad Andy made reservations.

We walked right in to our seats.

After dinner we went to watch Celtic Nights at Kingsbury Hall.

We came home and Andy followed our annual tradition of making me chocolate covered strawberries.

It was a great evening.

Our ward had a family Valentine party.

We had games, food and dancing.

The people who planned it did a GREAT job!

The decorations were awesome.

It was lots of fun for all who came.

Last night Andy and I were able to go out for Stake Temple Night.

We attended a session at the Salt Lake temple.

We went to dinner at the Lion House afterwards.

And that, I think, catches us up for the past three months.

:)

Christmas, New Years and Ammon's Birthday

Nunes Family Christmas Party 2011

Every year we enjoy Christmas parties with our families.

With my family we had games, crafts, gift exchanges and great food.

It was especially fun to have my grandparents there.

This was their first Christmas with us in Utah.

Shadel Family Christmas Party 2011

With Andy's family we had the children act out the nativity.
Peter was Joseph (a tribute to his middle name) and Ammon was a wise man.

We had a buffet of desserts and another gift exchange.

Aunt Kara made all the boys hats that looked like Angry Birds.

They love them and have had lots of compliments since wearing them.

Christmas Eve 2011

On Christmas Eve we saw Arthur's Christmas with some of Andy's family.
We really enjoyed the movie.
Afterwards we went to my parents house.
My sister Rebecca came over and we exchanged gifts with my parents and grandparents.
We also enjoyed a delicious Christmas Eve dinner.
One of the gifts Andy received was a fondu pot.
You can see from the picture that he is THRILLED!
Ammon received his first Monopoly game - he is so into games right now.

Christmas Day 2011

We had a great Christmas morning.

We opened presents and the boys were each thrilled with the things they received.

We enjoyed going to church and feeling the nice Christmas Spirit there.

Sadly, Andy and I ended up with a flu bug and spent the rest of the day feeling pretty lousy.

We learned that the best time for parents to check out is the day when the kids get new toys.

The boys spent the afternoon and evening playing and having tons of fun

While Andy and I drifted in and out of sleep.

Christmas Break 2011

Over Christmas break we went ice skating as a family.

I think I enjoy ice skating more than the rest of them, but we all had fun.

By the time we left, Ammon was pretty comfortable skating around the rink himself.

Peter was capable but not comfortable alone.

I'm betting that by next year they will both be able to do quite well.

New Years Eve 2011

We spent New Years Eve at my sisters house.

The kids have so much fun playing together.

I love to take every opportunity we get to let them spend time with each other.

This was the first night we played Forbidden Island.

Ammon loved it so much that Carolyn, Kylie and Isaiah bought him the game for his birthday.

(Which had already past, but we hadn't had his party yet.)

The kids stayed up all the way until midnight.

Uncle Jeremiah lit some fireworks before we headed home.

The boys were asleep almost as soon as they were buckled into the car.

New Years Day 2012

In addition to Andy receiving a fondu pot, my sister Rebecca did as well.

(Ironically, these were gifts from different people so it was a fun coincidence.)

My brother Joe and sister Katy already had their own fondu pots so we decided a party was in order.

We had four different chocolate dips.

There was a buffet with just about EVERYTHING you could imagine putting chocolate on.

It was yet another fun night with my family!

Ammon's 8th Birthday Party

We had Ammon's birthday party at our church, which turned out to be awesome.

We had so much space for kids to run around, which was good for the 13 of them!

Andy was at work during the party, but thankfully a great friend of mine volunteered to help me.

I don't know how I would have managed without her!

I think the party was a great success and hope Ammon has great memories of it.

About Ammon

(This was written about Ammon on his 8th birthday.)

Happy Birthday to my sweet son!

Ammon has an adventurous spirit that he brought with him to this world.  Before we knew I was pregnant, it was made known to us that I was going to have a boy.  We knew he would be called Ammon and as a couple, Andy and I prayed for him by name every day from the time my pregnancy was confirmed.  I think he must have been excited to get to this world.  As a spirit, he visited my mom while she was on vacation in Colorado.   He made himself known to Andy's mom at the temple.  I know he was so very eager to come to earth.

He had a rough entry coming into the world.  On Thanksgiving I was assigned to go on bedrest.  He and I were both monitored closely from that point forward, but even still he was born via emergency C-section 16 days early.  I remember holding him in the hospital and watching him adjust to his body complete with hunger pains, gas etc and having the distinct impression that he was struggling with the experience.  Even as a new-born infant, this life was harder than he expected, and for all the enthusiasm he had to get here, it seemed as though he was caught off guard and extremely overwhelmed with the reality of mortality.  Once he caught his first breathe, he was never critical, but somehow I felt that he went through this process of struggle and made a choice, again, of whether he was going to give up due to life being so much harder than expected, or if he was going to face it head on and live life complete with the unexpected challenges that would come his way.   I felt like he made the decision to make the best of living in a world full of opposition - to face the difficulties with strength, and to enjoy the beauties with passion.

As he grew, it became quickly apparent that Ammon is a boy of tenderness.  He has a lot of love and is never malicious.  He is getting old enough to be a student of the gospel and is beginning to gain greater understandings of our Heavenly Father, of the Savior and of the Plan of Salvation.  In these past few months his kindness and level of obedience has increased.  I repeatedly see him making good choices simply because he has developed the discipline and moral compass to do so.  As parents, Andy and I have spent many recent nights talking about what a pleasure Ammon has been and how we are so impressed with his behavior.

This boy is so very very special and I feel so lucky to be his mom.

Happy Birthday, Ammon.   I love you more than anything!

Lunch Date

Pictures taken August 13, 2011

For Andrew's birthday we had another "eat free" coupon for Tucanos.  Since Peter eats free we decided to take the kids with us again.  We probably won't do that next time as they got a little rambunctious.    But it was still a fun afternoon.  Like last time, Ammon loved the chicken hearts.  He hate at least ten of them.  And as always, everyone loved the pineapple.

Andrew's Birthday

Pictures taken August 06, 2011

This is the second year we celebrated Andrew's birthday at Silver Lake with his family.

It is a fun tradition and one we hope to continue.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch.

Then walked around the trail.

We finished the party with cake.

Gotta love that frosting!

Mario Kart Birthday Party

Pictures taken June 26, 2011

On Sunday evening Peggy and Derrick came over so that we could celebrate Derrick's birthday.  We planned to play Mario Kart, which Peggy had only played once and was willing/excited to try again.  Derrick had never played.  They enjoyed the game while I finished up dinner.  We had a mexican fiesta, so we put the candles in the corn bread cupcakes and sang Happy Birthday.  For dessert we had root beer floats.  Weird choice since it wasn't mexican food-ish or birthday-ish, but Andrew designed the menu and after making sure he thought the birthday boy would like rootbeer floats, we went with it.

After dinner we had some more Mario Kart and then Ammon snuggled on the couch while Derrick read Harry Potter.  Ammon was almost at the end of the second book and Derrick read for an entire hour!  Ammon didn't want to stop.  Peter alternated between listening and playing the fish game with Gramma Peggy.

We finally sent the boys to bed and visited for a while longer before Andrew's parents went home.  Thanks for celebrating your birthday with us, Derrick!  We had a great time!

***

Funny comment from Peter:

While looking at the picture of the two candles he asked, "Is Grandpa 11?"

Summer is Almost Here

Pictures taken June 4, 2011

It has been a cold, wet spring, but the weather is warming up.

We made sure to enjoy our perfect seventy+ degree weather on Saturday.

In the morning we took a family bike ride to the local library.

As a child, I frequented the library often with my mom.

As an adult, I find the library too costly.

I don't go nearly often enough, and always end up with fines and late fees.

But I am hoping to turn over a new leaf.

With us being able to walk/bike there as a family, I hope we get there at least once a week.

We had a great time.

(And if you follow me on Facebook you know about the surprising book Ammon checked out!)

After our library trip, we headed down to say Happy Birthday to Gramma Peggy.

The boys really wanted cupcakes and I found this cute cupcake cake.

It was perfect.

We had a nice afternoon with fruit, veggies and treats!

We had planned to go over and use and abuse my parents grill for dinner.

(Something we do often.)

But the boys wanted to get some food from Panda Express.

Andy wanted something else, but when we saw that Cafe Rio was in the same parking lot, he was sold.

We went to the separate restaurants, ordered our food, and took it to a nearby park.

We had a great time playing and eating.

The park actually sits just East of the Jordan Parkway.

If you take a bridge over the river, there is a second park.

Ammon found a trail that followed the path of the river (although higher up).

He was so thrilled to explore.

After initially scouting it out, he came back to retrieve the whole family.

He was insistent that we all come explaining,

"Mom, the end of the trail is the most beautiful sight!"

I'm glad my boy is such a nature lover.

It was the perfect end to a nearly perfect day.