Big Changes Coming Our Way!

I've been waiting to write this post for quite some time now.  Waiting for the perfect moment.  and Waiting some more.  I think its finally the time.  We have finally started our NEW HOUSE!!

We love our home right now, and love our neighborhood, but Chris' dealership is all the way in Draper, and we hate the commute! When he opened this new lot in March Chris was working long hours and the drive just made it even longer! So we decided to start looking at a place to move.  We searched for hours on the internet looking at homes for sale.  We started in Lehi and looked up through the Draper/South Jordan area.  We walk through many homes and searched and searched.  Chris and I each had a list of things we wanted to have in this house and wanted one that our family could expand in and we could stay for a LONG time.

Chris' list:
   3 car Garage for his toys
   A very Large Lot! (remember he grew up with tons of acres!)
   Vaulted Family Room

Shani's List:
   4 bedrooms on the 2nd floor-including master bedroom
   Double ovens
   Kids Playroom on main floor

We found lots of houses that almost fit our standards.  Many homes that we almost put in an offer on, one we did.  We even looked at many builders comparing their prices, homes, and neighborhoods. There was an Ivory model home for sale in Lehi and I loved the layout! but we didn't love the price.  This brought us looking at Ivory homes a little bit.  We saw they had a neighborhood in Draper so we drove up there and met an ivory realtor, Ty.  He showed us the neighborhood and sent us information on models that fit our "house criteria".  The next week we went to see "The Hanover" model in South Jordan.  The house was PERFECT.  It had all of our list and tons more.  It was beautiful.  We also fell in love with Ivory's gorgeous communities.

But, we still thought maybe we didn't want to build again, so we searched a little bit more; NOTHING compared, and the prices were close to the same as a brand new house.  So we talked to Ty again and started looking at lots available in the Draper, Riverton, and South Jordan communities.  All of them are super nice.  We loved the Draper community but it was tons more money than the other 2, and the lots were smaller.  We found a large lot in Riverton but it wasn't wide enough to fit our house, finally we found a .35 acre lot in South Jordan.  We thought, and talked, and prayed, and talked and decided that was our lot and the Hanover was our house.  YEAH!

After the decision was made we put in an offer to Ivory Homes.  It came back saying that the person who bought the lot next to ours was putting a Hanover on that lot so we couldn't.  WHAT? Our realtor said they could "resurrect" an older design of our house called Huntington and we could make the changes to the plan to look just like the Hanover.  We had a huge list of changes that would need to be made.  We wanted the exact Hanover on the inside and wouldn't budge.  Finally we met with an architect of Ivory.  We talked to him about what we wanted.  To our luck he decided to draw a new outside called the "Hanover Grand" instead of redoing the inside of a house we didn't want.  A week later he send us the plans and we LOVED it! I'm pretty sure our neighbor with the regular Hanover will be pretty jealous when he sees our Grand!

A porch out front was removed and they added the long stone work up the middle of the house.  Also added are the large pillars in the front.  We squared off the garage and the vents.

With that taken care of we started picking out all our options.  This was fun.  We knew things that we would change after building our first house.  Ivory had tons of options to choose from and we spent many hours in their design center.  This was during the parade of homes so we went to many of those to get ideas.  The tile we loved was every where!  We were told that they really wanted to get moving on our phase of homes in this neighborhood and could be looking at moving around the end of the year! Awesome we thought.  So worked hard and fast to have all our stuff picked out and had it completed the middle of August.

Next steps were to wait for our street and sidewalks to be put in, and our permit to be excepted by South Jordan.  I'm not sure what happened during these last few months, mostly nothing! We waited and waited.  Finally we had a street.  Then we waited more, and finally our permit to build came back.  Then we had a predig meeting last week and were told that they would dig after our meeting.  When we got to the meeting (our house was all staked out) but they told us they wouldn't dig for another week. What?  I'm pretty sure our realtor just tells us whatever he thinks we want to hear-this has not been a positive thing as I have been disappointed so many times because what he usually says is not right! Chris drove to our lot today to see if they did infact dig our hole today.  Guess what he found?

A HOLE!

HOORAY!! After months and months of waiting our house has been started! The whole thing is already decorated in my mind, I've bought a few things here and there for the house as well.  I've been so tempted to start packing but really glad that I waited, and waited...

A little bit of Summer

We have been busy busy busy, but having lots of fun.  The boys are getting so big and getting crazier and louder every day!  Here is a few pictures out of the thousands we took this summer!

Brighton pulled the fire alarm at Amy and Woody's apartment and got to meet the firemen!  I think he learned his lesson.

Troy learned how to go down the slide by himself.  We are so proud!

We had the Bird Family reunion.  Brighton loved playing with his cousins!

We got to visit Kim and Alan in Washington.  We went to the Moses Lake Rodeo one night!

Of course, we had our summer Beach Trip! It was soOOOOO much fun this year.  Both boys loved playing on the beach, and no one got sick!

Brighton had "summer school" which was really a play group; but by me calling it school he actually went by himself!!

We did LOTS and LOTS of water balloons.  The boys were pretty much obsessed!

Took the Razor out a few times and always had a blast.

We've gotten a little craftier around here and made Homemade bubbles.  They were awesome!

Brighton had soccer camp for a week.  He may look excited here but he would not go on the field with out his mommy holding his hand!

Troy is such an adventurous little kid.  He loves riding on all things and playing all day. I love his big bright smile.

We love the lake!

We took some cute family photos on the beach.

Our summers are so crazy.

Hungry Caterpillar Party

I've been meaning to post about Troy's super cute 1st birthday.  I had a blast with his Hungry Caterpillar theme and went all out.  

 This is a caterpillar made up of pictures of how Troy grew each month

 This is our party decor when you walk in.  He had a Hungry Caterpillar book for the guests to sign, and some cute caterpillars that hung around.

 The treat table was full of food from the book.

 Caterpillar Cupcake Cake!

I had heard of kids really Digging into their first birthday cake, but never actually witnessed it until Troy's birthday.  He loved it!!

 The kids had a Caterpillar Hunt in the backyard.  Here is a picture of Troy's shirt I ordered on Etsy.  I love it!

Then all the kids did some fingerpainting.  Thanks Madison for doing it the way I envisioned!!

Look at these cute kids!

Every time I look at my kids I can't believe how dang cute they are.  Did they really come from me? 

Thanks Aunt Amy for taking our pictures.  We love them!!

Madison's Baptism

Doesn't she just look adorable!?!  I can't believe I met this pretty lady when she was only 2 months old. Her baptism was a great day.  I am proud of Miss Madison's decision to become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  She is the perfect person to be the leader of all the Bird grandchildren.  She is so sweet and helpful; and just like her aunt Shani (wink, wink) She loves all things sparkley, high heels, and just look at that dress.  Definitely something I would pick out.  I am lucky to be a part of her life and enjoy watching her grow!  Love you Madison!

Here is the whole Bird Clan, and Mike and Julie-so fun to see them

Love these kids!
Below is a picture of Madison and me 4 years ago a little before I finally Officially became her aunt.  She spend the night and we did fun girly stuff all the next day.  I love this little girl so much!

We also got to go on an Easter Egg hunt that day in Madison's neighborhood.  The boys' loved all their loot!

 Troy is very excited about his eggs.  He loved shaking them!

Life as a Stay at Home Mommy

     So, it's been about a year now since I quit teaching and became a full time mom.  I just love it, but it did get some getting used to!  The first few months we watched a little too much tv, the house was a wreck, and there was little organization in my life.  This was hard on me.  When Troy reached about 5 months I was able to pick myself up a little bit.  I started working out again, scrapbooking, and a new hobby: couponing.  This was good to start getting my life back in order.  Troy still wasn't sleeping, and there wasn't much cleaning going on; but my kids were being played with and loved.  That is always number one on my list. 

    I had a few friends try to talk me into Pinterest.  I held off for quite a while.  I was still a bit over-whelmed with life and felt like it would just add "things to do" on my "things to do" list.  I gave in, and it has been in inspiration.  I have found some great recipes, which has upped my cooking, useful cleaning and organization tips, and fun things to do with the kids.  I have promised myself that I would not just "pin" but also do the pins.  

   What a change has come over our house.  My mom has always teased me because I like to be organized, plan, and follow through with my plans.  See why I became a teacher?  That was one of the hardest things I've dealt with since being a stay at home mommy.  I really don't have deadlines and just let myself go.  I have now created a weekly planning paper that helps me plan meals, cleaning, workouts, and activities.  I have made a 2-week cleaning list and kept with it for 6 weeks! I have started working out everyday; even if its just 20 minutes.  All these things make me feel better about myself and I feel like I am doing what I am supposed to do.  I still spend most of my time on the floor or outside playing with the little cuties of mine!  Its amazing how quickly I can clean and I meal plan mostly on Sundays when Chris is home.  I love being organized and having certain things that I know I need to do everyday.  

     I loved teaching and will never forget those year.  I feel that teaching has made me a better mommy and I learned so much by doing it.  I am glad to have the opportunity to be home with my boys everyday.  

*Amy took these pictures of me during my boys/family photo shoot.  Sometimes these kids can drive me nuts, but we have the most fun together.  They are so loving and bring me happiness everyday!!

Birthdays!

My little Brighton is 3! I cannot believe it.  He still gets cuter and cuter everyday.  He has the funniest personality.  He loves to say silly things and make people laugh.  He eats all day long, but never enough to be full.  He loves hot dogs, tct, bananas, juice, milk, popcorn, and candy.  Brighton could stay outside all day long. He loves to watch Netflix! He can be the happiest boy; all the sudden a switch will flip and he can throw the biggest and loudest tantrum, and will not give up!  He loves his mommy and daddy so much that he cannot stand to be without us.  He won't stay in nursery or play at friends' houses unless we are there.  Every night he tells us that he doesn't want to sleep alone.  It is hard to leave him in there but we know it is best for him.  He sleeps about 9 1/2 hours at night, around 10-7:30, and still takes about a 3 hour nap.  He is potty trained during the day but still uses diapers at night. Brighton can count to 11 and sing his ABC's. He makes up words many times a day.  Most of the time he is so sweet to Troy, plays well with him, shares with him, and gives him tons of hugs.  Sometimes he has a hard time sharing the attention, will hug a little too hard, and take all his toys away. He loves to talk about how big he is getting and how he will be just as big as his daddy.  Brighton still loves to put on his Spiderman mask and shoot webs at everyone.  We play games, play dough, and blocks a lot.  He loves to help cook.  Brighton has a wonderful memory.  He loves to talk about things that happened weeks and even months ago and can remember specific things about the events.  His best friends are his cousins.  We are so lucky to live close to family.  He is very strong willed and knows how to get his way.  He is the cutest toddler I have ever seen.  I love playing with him and listening to all the things he is excited to say.

Our little Troy Boy is already 1!  He has learned and grown so much this year.  He is doing awesome at walking and getting the hang of it in shoes.  He likes to run away from me when I chase him.  He likes to go up and down the stairs.  To come down he faces forward and scoots his little bum on to the next step down. Then stands up and does it again.  It makes me a little nervous but he just will not turn around.  He continues to be a mammas boy but absolutely loves his daddy now as well.  He will call Dada around the house looking for him, giggles when he hears his voice on the phone, and gets SO excited when he comes home at night.  Troy also loves his big brother.  He wants to do everything that Brighton does and follows him every where he goes.  Troy gets so excited when he hears his voice will quickly crawl or walk to him and give him a big hug and lots of kisses.  He takes two 1 hour and 45 minute naps a day, and sleeps from 9-7 at night.  He is a HUGE thumb sucker and is uninterested with anything else.  He is great at drinking his bottles and learning to eat better.  He likes bananas, baby fruit, pears, tcts, and chicken nuggets.  Troy can say mama, dada, woof woof, uh oh, yeah, and no-taught to him by Brighton.  He loves to come at you with his fingers moving saying, "tickle tickle tickle".  He has started climbing on things and loves to be standing up tall on top of things.  Troy likes to knock on doors, look out the window, and play on his swing set.  He blows on his food to make sure that its not hot.  He is great and making a stand against Brighton. He won't easily give up his toys and will fight back.  He screams to get attention from others.  Troy makes little come here signals and lifts his arms up when he wants me to pick him up.  All Troy wants to do all day is play with his toys.  He loves to drive cars around the floor, stack blocks or cups, and play with all his ball bouncers.  He is always smiling and laughing and is such a happy boy.  He only gets sad when I walk out of the room. He will play and interact with others as long as they don't try to pick him up.  I'm so proud of everything he has learned this year.  His personality is so cute and he is such a sweet heart!

Family Fun

About 2 months ago Chris got us a Razor Side-by-Side. We love to go out riding together. Both boys enjoy it and its fun to spend family time out in nature!

Troy's 9 Months!!

I’m pretty sure this is my favorite baby age. Troy is so happy with himself and life right now. He plays and plays and plays; loves to be around on the ground with other children. He learned to wave. If he is playing and B and I are in the kitchen, Troy will often wave at us to make sure we are paying attention to him. He also likes to show/share what he is playing with or the food he is eating. He got roseola this month with a yukcy fever and slight rash. Troy loves to crawl up the stairs and thinks it is so funny when I come running after him to make him stop. If he sees me while he is crawling towards them he giggles and crawls faster. It is amazing how much he knows at this young age. On his 9 month birthday he looked at Chris, reached to him and said, “Da”. Troy is very agreeable and says, "yeah, yeah" all day long. He still loves his thumb and my hair. I've got to find something else for him to get hooked on, but so far nothing else will do. He stands most of the day, can walk along things, transfer himself to different objects, and loves to push his car walker around the room. He has stood alone for a few seconds a couple of times. He is always happy and has the hugest grin on his face. He loves to take baths with his big brother. They enjoy splashing one another and giggling when they get me wet. We love our little boy Troy!

Toddlers say the funniest things!

My little Brighton is probably the funniest person I know. I love spending the days with him; we just laugh and laugh. Here are some of our recent conversations:

Driving in the car

B: Mom, sometime I am going to sit up there and you will be back here with Troy

Me: Yes, you will get to drive someday

B: You better watch out mom! I'm a crazy driver!

Me: Yes you will be!!

B: Call dad and tell him that

(He is into having Chris and I tell each other things from him)

B looking at my wedding ring

B: Mama, sometime I will have a ring like that, but mine will be one like daddy's

Laying in bed after Chris had just been in

B: Mom sometime I am going to be HUGE!

Me: Yep, you are getting bigger everyday

B: Like as big as daddy! Mama, why are you not so big?

Watching The Incredibles

B: Mom, why does Mr. Incredible have boobies?

Me: Well, we all do, just sometimes boys' are small

B: Like mine? They are not big

Me: Nope, but see you still have some

Funny sayings he comes up with

-Ima mix you like hot chocolate milk

-I'ma change you like a diaper

-I'ma put you in the oven and cook you

-I'ma feed you like baby food

-I'ma scoop you like a spoon

He also tries to say things that he thinks will make me mad so he says, "Sucka" but its kinda cute and funny -he's not supposed to say suck. He also says things like peanuts and other such words trying to remember the name of his boy part :)

He loves to be silly and make me laugh

Happy New Year!

We had such a fun year and had so many wonderful things happen to our family

Here is our top 11 events in 2011 (Chronological Order)

v Chris started a car dealership, Velocity, in Lehi which sells an outrageous amount of cars each month. Its been a blessing and such a fun new opportunity

v Brighton turned 2: terrific and terrible at the same time. He has such a strong personality; and is so funny!

v Introduced baby Troy to the world! He came on his scheduled date, and is the cutest little baby. He quickly loved his brother and they are little trouble makers together already.

v Shani had her last day of teaching and became a full time Mommy. I am so lucky to have taught for 6 years and had such wonderful students. It is fun to keep up with them on Facebook. I will miss teaching greatly but love being with my boys all day long.

v Went to Newport Beach with the Albrights; Brighton had a blast playing in the waves and with his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousin K, Troy had a little bit of a harder time with so many people around and no schedule but he will love it next year.

v Chris had his 10 year reunion in Washington. We were able to fly there and spent time with his parents as well; flying was so much nicer than the 11 hour drive and we got to enjoy time at their lake

v Chris got to drive a Lamborghini all around Vegas for his birthday, he is now even more obsessed with them and talks everyday about getting one.

v Halloween: Brighton was Spiderman (shot webs at everyone in his way) and Troy was a very adorable dinosaur

v Cooked our first Turkey for Thanksgiving-Chris did most of the work while I cheered him on giving instructions

v Cruised the Caribbean with Brighton and the Birds while Troy stayed with his Albright Grandparents; curing him of his Only Mommy ways. The cruise was amazing and it was fun to have some one on one time with Brighton

v Celebrated Christmas with the entire Albright clan! We saw Christmas lights, made gingerbread houses, went hot tubbing, and opened lots and lots of presents. It was so nice to have everyone there.