Warning:Long Post About Cute One Year Old

I am not offended if you don't read this. It is more for journaling purposes. But, it is about Clay, who is super cute! I will post pics of his day later.

Today my baby turned one. That must have been the fastest year of my life so far. I have a bad feeling that the years will only get faster from here. I am trying my hardest to stop being so picky about my house and to sit down with my kids more often. After Clay's birthday dinner tonight we all went outside and blew bubbles for a while. It was so nice to just enjoy my children and not be worrying about anything else (and there was plenty to worry about!)

Clay is an absolute JOY. I have always said that he is the perfect baby and that he has made number three a piece of cake. He does have his moments and he has had more than his fair share of ear infections (tubes are coming soon), but he is still so great and so happy.

He is starting to "run". He is baby-talking more and more. He constantly imitates us by combing his hair with a brush or comb, putting the phone to his ear and talking, brushing his teeth, stepping on shoes to try to put them on and balls to try and kick them. He LOVES to be outside and playing with the boys anywhere. If they go downstairs or outside without them he will scream and scream until we take him too. He turns his screams on and off in no time. If you take away a toy he will protest, then stop immediately when you give it back.

Clay has the best smile ever. I especially love it when he scrunches up his nose and eyes and shows off those two bottom teeth. He just had one more tooth on the bottom pop through and has at least one of his top teeth just about to. He also has the best laugh. It is so much fun to get him going.

He just started the cutest thing ever - He will come up to someone and say, "Raaaarrrr" It is so funny. I guess that comes from growing up in a household of boys. Brandon, Koby and Spencer are always scaring him or each other.

I love my baby and love being his mom. I know we will continue to have fun and enjoy him.

The Twister - as my kids call it

I am sure everyone has heard by now about our tornado last Thursday, May 22, 2008. It was a very windy day and I wouldn't have thought too much about it, but I got a phone call from Chenel. She said that her mom had called her to make sure we knew there was a tornado warning in our area. Okay, that is strange, but really, we don't get those here! I turned the news on and got back to cleaning my house (which looked like a you know what hit it!) My poor boys watched the news on and off for probably 3 hours. They were very concerned. They listened to everything the newscasters had to say and knew what to do. They had to ask me where Greeley was every time it showed a radar map. Poor guys were pretty scared. But, we stayed busy and tried to keep their mind off of it. Spencer asked me if I could carry him and Clay downstairs if the tornado hit because he couldn't run fast enough. We never felt threatened enough here that we had to go in the basement. Later I realized that it was just a few miles from us (our Bishop's house was hit with no structural damage). Although, just across the street from them two farm houses were completely destroyed. I haven't been to Windsor yet to check out the damage there (Brandon says I have to go, it is worth the 20 minute drive), but have seen the farm houses, trees, and huge farm sprinklers that were gutted, destroyed and mangled. I am amazed that wind can cause that kind of damage. On Friday and Saturday Brandon had the assignment to round up some Elders from our ward to help clean up Windsor all day long Sunday. I was able to help with food for the volunteers. You can find more of his side of the story, plus his link to all the pictures and videos here. My friend Ashley also has a few pictures here. Here are just a few pictures that I have...

One of the ways we tried to get our mind off the twister...
I am sure Brandon made a huge difference with his broom! Notice the sign (that is cut off) on the house next to him - someone's joke - putting their house up for sale as is...

Rainy day with boys

It is only 9am and the boys have already been busy. It is a rainy day and cleaning day, so we are all stuck inside for a bit. I guess it was only a matter of time before they realized that ceiling fan+any toy= fun! Until mom catches them! Koby's wallet actually got stuck on the fan, so we turned it back on and it flew off. That was a hit. Next up, Spencer puts a clear plastic bin over his head while Koby throws things at him to see if he can feel it. (He can by the way) Next, let's try putting random things in the fridge and freezer. The only activity that I actually have pictures of is the wrestling match. The rug in the family room is the ring. They stand in opposite corners and someone says "Ding Ding." Then they ran at each other and when someone gets knocked to the ground it starts all over again. These have been the hi-lites of the morning. I am about to be an interactive mom and get a project out that we can work on together before they break Clay's little car that they are running full speed with around the house. At least they keep Clay entertained for me!

A Productive Father and Sons

This weekend was Father and Sons, so Clay and I had some great bonding time. It was fun to be able to focus on just him for a while. Friday we didn't really get anything done other than necessary housework and laundry. Oh, we did check out a store, Plato's Closet, that I have been wanting to go to. I found some super cute church shoes. On Saturday the big boys went to the Hansen's to play right after camping while Clay and I stayed home so he could take a 3 1/2 hour nap. Since I already had a clean house and I haven't done anything fun for a long time I decided to do some beading. Especially since I needed matching jewelry for my new shoes (although they still don't match exactly - I will have to keep looking). Here are pics of my new jewelry (I am not as creative as my sister with the beading), I basically do the same ideas with different beads...The necklace is meant to be worn with just one of the charms at a time...

Oh Yeah! The boys had fun too...
They would not move (no matter what) when they got home...

Yes, one more Mother's Day post

So, one more post about Mother's Day...My boys were so excited for this day because they had made me cute little paper crafts and wrapped them all by themselves - cut the paper, taped, etc. (Brandon tied a bow for them and drew a heart for them to cut). So, I had to post pictures of them (and they each wanted to take one of me with their gifts). We had to do pictures on the couch before we went to church. Instead of the nice one (that took about 10 tries), I decided to put a more realistic one in. In Koby's class at church they made necklaces for their moms. Brandon's family and I were laughing that Koby was thoughtful enough to make a green one (my favorite color that is actually a color), but he had to do a pattern. He is my child - organized and in order! Here is a horrible picture of me with Koby and my necklace. Plus, one last picture of Clay after B gave him chocolate, but I just thought he looked like such a big boy and not a baby. Sniffle.

Happy Mother's Day to me!

Happy Mother's Day is right when you get to celebrate with three beautiful boys. I feel so lucky and blessed to be able to raise these sweet boys. There are lots of times when I realize that I am a mom and it freaks me out. I am definitely learning as I go. I knew that I wanted to be a mom for a long time, but never knew how absolutely amazing it would be. And it is just as amazing every time I have a new baby. Thanks to Koby, Spencer and Clay for allowing me to celebrate this day as a mom. Happy Mother's Day to all of you wonderful mothers!

Koby and me (July 24, 2002)...


Spencer and me (December 2, 2003)...(I was aneomic)

Clay and me (May 31, 2007)...

J-U-D-Y spells the greatest mom ever!

J is for Joyful, U is for Unmean, D is for Dandy, Y is for Yippity

My little brother, Jonny wrote this for my mom when he was very young. We love it, what a cute (and accurate) description of Judy Claybaugh. She is incredibly selfless in every meaning of the word, anyone who knows her will (and does) say that she is ALWAYS serving in some way. What a great example, and what a perfect quality for a mom to have. I love my mom and am so happy that I got to grow up under her care, and now continue to learn from her. She is an amazing woman and I only hope to somewhat measure up to her. She is also such a fun and involved grandma, what a blessing. I often think about what she might do in certain situations, and if I'm feeling really strong, then I might actually do what she would! Happy Mothers Day!! Also, to the other great mothers in my family...My wonderful mother-in-law, Jennis Hansen, my sister Kimberly Jonas, my sisters-in-law, Shelbie Claybaugh, Chenel Harden, Marcie Hansen, and Mallory Cumrine, and don't forget the Grandma's, Grandma Marilynn (Garlock), Claybaugh and Chipman!

"Campout"

One of Koby and Spencer's favorite things to do is to have a "campout" with dad. This used to mean moving both of their mattresses into the family room where they would enjoy popcorn and candy while watching a movie. Then, of course, sleep out there with dad. Meanwhile, I normally do something really productive like paint my toenails or write in my journal, blog, etc. Then I get to sleep diagonal and take up whatever space and blanket I want! A few campouts ago I took away the move the mattresses part of it, it is a hassle! So, they would still make beds on the ground to sleep. Tonight, there was a new twist added - a downstairs campout (in our unfinished basement)! Clay enjoyed being with the big boys for an hour or so before I put him to bed. This is how I left them...Sleep tight, I know I will!

Our new friend...

Yesterday when the boys and I were in the backyard they discovered a bird's nest in our tree. I don't think I have ever seen a real live birds nest so close before. It is amazing, I wish I could have watched that bird build it's little nest. Notice below all the little sticks all woven tight together. And the best thing, there are three beautiful bright blue eggs in there. This morning we took pictures. I went around the corner first and there was the mom, sitting on her eggs. I snapped a picture or two of her and off she went. But, she stays on the fence and hangs out until it is safe again, then she goes right back to her babies. For some reason I am really fascinated with this. I hope we get to see the babies. I will for sure post about that. Here is our cute little mama and her amazing nest and bright eggs...(She isn't so cute at 5:30am by the way) PS - Don't mind our yard and garden that we haven't been able to pay much attention too yet!

Was that a dream?

Now that I am back to my "normal" life with all the responsibilities that come with it, the cruise feels like a dream. Be prepared for a lot of pictures in this post, I narrowed it down from over 100! I will try not to blab too much. We were on Royal Caribbean's Freedome of the Seas (the largest ship in the world). It was fully loaded with a huge rock wall, miniature golf course, FlowRider wave machine, movie theater, promenade shopping, many different kinds or free places to eat, awesome fitness center (yes, I used it every day), basketball court, ice skating rink, plus much more. We saw magicians, comedians, ice skating performances, and other funny and entertaining shows every night.

Brandon on the FlowRider (endless wave for surfing and boogie boarding)...

Brandon and me climbing the rock wall (it was hard, but fun!)...All dressed up in our 70's outfits for a dance party...San Juan, Puerto Rico - our first stop (in the evening) so we just shopped...Oh, this is me on our private balcony. Our room was actually big for a cruise ship room, and it was awesome to have a balcony.St. Thomas, Virgin Islands - our second stop where we also shopped, then took a catamaran ride to a cove where we snorkeled.

B snorkeling off a catamaran...

St. Maarten - our third and favorite stop where we, yes, shopped and spent a lot of time just laying on the beach amazed at the color of the water. Did we mention, we LOVE the beach?
We walked down the beach until there wasn't anyone else around and sat while Brandon tried to figure out how he could move here...

A humongous THANK YOU to my mom and dad and family, plus Kim and her family for being so great to our boys. We never worried about them, and only missed them a little!