"Knock On Wood"

It's been 3 days with NO DIAPERS and better yet.... NO ACCIDENTS!!! Whoo Hooo!!!

I've decided I'm a firm believer on just letting potty training happen on your kids own time table. For months I've been fighting this dumb thing... and all it took was a couple princess stickers and a desire on her part and it was taken care of. Way to go Aves. I'm proud of you!

I think I'm going to go private

I think I've decided to go private now that my name and business name is all over the web.  When I google my name, my blog pops right up...(I don't think I want all these people booking cakes from me to see my whole life story if ya know what I mean) so if you would like be on my blog list, let me know.  

My Kind of Sunday Afternoon

This hardly ever happens at our house, but when it does... there is nothing better.  So this is what makes the best sunday afternoons ever!!       

 Being with my family all day with no where to go                                                             

Kids all go to sleep  

Afternoon naps with Brian

No cleaning allowed!

Cuddling with sleepy kids 

Breakfast for Dinner                                                            

Hubby MAKES dinner

FHE with our kids

and a little bloggin!

Can't get better than that! What a great day!!

                              

Sugar Kisses Blog Updated

I still haven't updated my personal blog from the last month or so, but my business blog is in the process of being updated. I have a couple new cakes up if you want to check them out. If I get a chance, I'll post more in the next few days. You can link here or from my website or just by clicking the Sugar Kisses Blog button on the sidebar.

ALSO....
The offer still stands if you want to join Tidbits. Thank you for those who have posted cute things your kids say. This blog is a great way to keep track of all the funny and priceless words that come out our kids mouths. Check it out.. If you want me to send you an invite so you can post as well, let me know. The more we have.. the more often we can laugh!

The Sweetest Boy I Never Knew

It's been a pretty rough week for our family as well as one that has changed my life. I have been blessed this week by learning to love more, appreciate life's challenges for how they strengthen us and once again realize the importance of family.

Last Wednesday, my sister in law went in for her monthly check up to find out her little baby boy had no heartbeat. Since she was so far along, it was not a miscarriage, but a still birth. My heart ached for her and my brother as I thought of what they were going through. Not knowing how to show my love, concern and sympathy for them... all I could do is pray. What I gained from this experience is an overwhelming feeling of love for a little child that I never even met... one who changed so many lives and so many hearts in a life that never even breathed an ounce of this earth's precious air. His name is Matthew Keith Sohm. A name that stands for friendship and a love for all people. The name alone brings wonderful memories of good people from our past, but the name was not what brought that feeling of love into my heart. The love came from a small little boy.. who's hand didn't even wrap fully around my brothers finger. This little boy... Matthew Keith was not just an unborn fetus.. he is a boy. He is my nephew. He is a grandson, a cousin, a brother and most importantly.. a son. The world may tell us that it is not necessary to bury such a child... since he was never out of the womb alive... or that we he wasn't fully developed. But I am here to say otherwise. This little boy.. who left us before he even was here is a child with arms and legs, fingers and toes, a nose and a chin. His little body may not have been any bigger than a barbie doll, but his little spirit changed the lives of a whole entire family. He taught us how to love deeper and how to hold on to life in a better way. He gave us the desire to be a little better on this earth so that we may be able to be with him again. He taught us how important the gospel of Jesus Christ is in our lives and the knowledge that families are forever is what gives us strength.
I watched my brother and sister in law today at the graveside service we had for this precious little guy and was lifted up by their strength. In their humility and sorrow.. in the most darkest hours of their lives, they have rose above the pain of loss and pulled together in faith. They have been taught in quiet moments the purpose of family and know they have a loving Heavenly Father who is with them. I am comforted by them and realize that God DOES take care of us... especially through our trials. I can't imagine the loss that they have felt, but I know they are strong. I watched them today in awe by their unwaivering faith. They were not complaining.. "why me??" but they were thanking Heavenly Father for what they had learned this past week. I hope I never have to go through a trial like this, but I know I will go through trials of some kind. All I can do is pray that I will be as strong and inspiring as my brother and his family were during the hardest trial of their lives.
I love my family so much. I don't know what I would do without any of them.

To end this post.. I just wanted to remember some of the neat words that were shared by Tyler and Jana's kids this past week. I think they understand death so much better than we do. They never even got to see their brother, but that didn't stop them from loving him and understanding his place in their family.

Riley:
I'm sad too.. but it's a happy sad. Now he gets to go live with Heavenly Father.

(in his prayer the night they found out) "Heavenly Father, please let my baby brother sprit get back to you ok"

I love Matthew because he was the first in our family to die and go back to live with Heavenly Father"

Abby:
I love Matthew because he is the third brother in our family.

A lot of catching up to do

I have so much to catch up on this past month. Life has been a whirlwind of ups and downs that I need to blog about, but of course... I don't have any time just yet.. But first and formost... I gotta give a happy birthday shoutout to my darling little brighton. (see post below)

I'll start updating soon... I promise.

A Year of "Brightness" for our family

Today is Brighton's Birthday. I feel so blessed to have this little guy in our lives. His smile radiates my soul. His huge eyes sparkle and shine. He is a joy and has brought so much love into our home this past year. He worships his brother and sister, and they worship him. Here are some of my favorite things about my little bright.

His high pitched squeal when he doesn't get his way
His smile and his enormous eyes that melt my heart
They way he "army crawled" before he became the speedster he is now with real crawling
His dimple on his right cheek
The way he giggles when Kaden and Avery are around
Cuddles on the couch
The way he grins every time a camera is in his face
That he sucks his thumb and pulls a blanket up to his cheek when he's tired
His midnight play time - when he just wants to be up with us and hang out
His little temper tantrums.... yes.. they've already begun
His chubby little legs.. cheeks... arms... belly
The way I INSTANTLY fell in love with him

It's been an incredible year with this little guy. Wow.. it's hard to imagine that I cried and cried when I found out I was pregnant with him. He's been the greatest little "surprise" I've ever gotten. I love you so much Brighton. Happy Birthday.

ps- Thank you Jen for the AMAZING picture of Bright. (check out www.jenleephoto.com)

Brighton Discovered the Christmas Tree AND that he could GET to the tree!

Brighton doesn't get too many posts that are just dedicated to him. Call me a bad mom. But I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more posts on Bright due to the fact that he's figured out how to get where ever he wants and that usually equals into getting into trouble.
So, he's already 11 months old and he's still not crawling, but he has discovered the "army crawl". It is the cutest thing ever! He moves his little arms as he drags his lower body as fast as he can. Today he was in my bedroom and he heard my in Avery's room and pretty soon, he comes crawling in with a huge grin on his face. He thinks he's pretty cool now that he has a little Independence on his side.

Avery's First Day of Skiing

Today was a great day for Avery and Daddy. Avery got her own ski pass this year so Brian took her up for the first time. She was so excited to go "deein wiff daddy". She kept telling me "I doe deein wif daddy and you can't come!". I love that Brian takes the time to make special moments for our kids. I think these little ski days are going to be so much more than skiing in fresh powder, or hitting the jumps (yes... Kaden already loves the jumps)... I think the greatest part will be the memories of being with their dad. And the coolest part is that Brian likes it just as much as they do. They are so blessed to have such an amazing dad. I hope someday they realize how special it is that he takes so much time to hang out with them.
One of my favorite things in the winter is heading up to watch them ski. I'm the cheesy one at the bottom of the hill in my jeans, tennis shoes, a kid attached to the front of me in a carrier, video camera and point and shoot camera in both hands ready to catch the shots of the kids heading down the slope. They are so darn cute!
Avery is going to LOVE skiing. She did AWESOME!!! She didn't want to stop. She kept telling Brian, "lets doe adin! Go deein now!" She couldn't get up on the lift fast enough and then would giggle all the way down. It's going to be fun watching her improve. She had these great little skis that kept her going slow enough she could stop on her own and turn pretty easy. Soon enough I bet she and Kaden will be skiing right along side Brian. That will be a fun day for all of them. But for today, we're just going to enjoy the big smiles, giggles and the excitement of seeing these guys learn to get down the hill by themselves.

The Call of the Christmas Tree

It's that time of year!
Our favorite tradition to start off the holiday season is always heading down south to cut down our Christmas Tree with Brian's family. This is something Brian has done since he was a kid.. and it's something we LOVE to do with our own kids. It is so much fun to go hang out with family.. hike up and down the mountain and watch Brian haul down the perfect tree.
I realized something this year about tree cutting. You can't just find any old tree. The tree has to call to you. It sounds funny... but it's true. You look at so many trees and you always find something wrong with them until you see "the one". Cutting down trees on your own.. you never get the perfect shaped tree... they are all a little charlie brownish in their own way, but they have character. Some are better than others... some take hours to find... others end up being the first one you set your eyes on. It's different every year.. but when you find it... you know it's your tree. It's a lot of fun. We have had a blast the last couple years finding trees that are huge! We usually end up with a 15 footer and it's always an adventure trying to cut it down and/or drag it back down the mountain. This year was no different.. we found a great tree.. a huge tree. Brian marked it on his GPS and headed across the mountain just in case he could find one better. After an hour or so of hiking... he ended up getting the first tree we found. I guess it was the one that called to us this year.
The day is full of fun. We visit, watch the kids play, swing on the huge tree swing, eat sandwiches and treats, blast Christmas music from our car and enjoy the nostalgia of this fun tradition. I don't know a better way to start the season off than by doing this. It's awesome!!!

I am Thankful

This time of year I start reflecting on all the things I'm thankful for and many things I take for grantid. As I get older, it seems as if the months pass by without being able to take a breath. Years go by quickly and I tend to blink and realize another day is gone... my kids are getting older each second and these years I hold so priceless of raising young kids are one more day behind me and I can't slow it down. How can I change this feeling of speed? How can I stop and make life go in slow motion? In reality.. I don't really want life to stop... where's the fun in that? But I do want to take advantage of EVERY MOMENT. I wish I could promise myself that I will NEVER FORGET each and every moment of watching my kids grow up. I find myself praying at night that I will be able to LOVE every stage my children are in as much as the previous. I can't imagine that these years right now.. that I treasure beyond belief... will probably not be the ones I will remember as my kids are adults. How can I REMEMBER? How can I keep in my mind the sweet voice of a 2 year old.. the belly laugh of an infant... or the innocent sparkle in the eyes of a 5 year old? How can I remember that every day I call Brian at work and say, "you'll never believe what Avery did... or Oh my gosh.. Kaden said the cutest thing today.. etc, etc.. Every day we laugh at their innocence and are in awe by their little lives. Even watching Brighton wave to us while he's in his jumper brightens our day. THESE ARE THE THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR.

Family is everything. My little family... The 5 of us... who would have thought this would be my life 15 years ago? And not just my life... but what makes me whole. Brian and my kids are my center.. they bring me the inner happiness I long for. I look at life differently because I am blessed to be able to see it through my children's eyes and then get to share that with my husband. What a privilege that is! Especially this time of year where magic seems to be around every corner.

So as I think about all the things I am grateful for this time of year... my list could go on and on... but above all.. I am thankful for my life and how it has evolved into my own little piece of heaven.

What A Weekend

This week was a little crazy for me. About 6 weeks ago I got called into the primary presidency and was told I would be in charge of writing the primary program. Writing a program for kids from the age of 4-11 is quite an interesting task. We have about 115 kids that are active. Trying to get each one of them a part and keep the program under 40 minutes was quite a task when the songs they sang took up about 20 minutes. Well... the program was Sunday and it went perfectly!! I am so grateful for all the people that helped manage chaos and especially the music leaders who did such an amazing job with those kids.
So if the primary program wasn't enough... I had a huge cake week. I had entered into a wedding cake competition for the Utah Chocolate Show. It was a really fun experience, but a lot of extra stress for such a busy weekend. The winner got $500 and guess what?????? drum roll please..... I didn't win.

I felt my cake was pretty darn creative and I was happy how it turned out, but the judges hated it. Yup.. they actually told me there was nothing about my cake they liked. They hated the concept of a chocolate fountain... they thought it was a terrible idea and I would have been judged a higher score without the fountain. (and they said this all to my face) So... I guess my chocolate fountain was not that great of idea. Oh well.... you win some - you lose some. Luckily... one of the judges did say she thought my cake tasted fabulous so at least that was something going for me. I'd hate to own a cake business and have crappy tasting cakes. (I guess I just have crappy looking cakes) -- ha, ha. Even though the judges didn't love my cake, I was still happy with it. I thought it was a fun idea.

My next couple cakes were not for competition.. but for clients. Luckily, I didn't get the same response from these two cakes. They were actually the opposite effect. Nothing makes creating a cake more rewarding than when you can see the excitement and emotion in people's faces. These two cakes had that effect. One cake was for a little girls birthday. I didn't get to deliver this one, but Brian said she kept wanting to hold it and she couldn't stop staring. I love it when that happens!!

My next cake was probably one of the funnest deliveries I have ever had. The party was for a ladies 75 birthday party that her kids threw for her. Her cake was decorated with figurines of all her grandkids doing things they were interested in and the birthday girl on top. It was so much fun to see all the family members come up and crowd me as I was putting all the figurines on the cake. They would say... "Oh look, it's you Sarah" "Hey, there are the twins", "Oh look at Hannah" etc, etc. Then all of a sudden I look behind me and I have about 6 people taking pictures of the cake and the birthday girl showing her guests her cake with her grandkids on it. Oh my gosh.. it was really fun. It's rewarding to do a cake when it's so customized to the client and they appreciate your work. It was a pleasant change from the judges of the cake competition.

(click on picture to see a larger image)

So... needless to say... this past week was insane and there were several sleepless nights. I was so grateful that all I had to do today was blog and hang out with my kids.

Is It Bad Parenting to be Entertained by Traumatizing your Children?

So here's a quick run down... then you can enjoy the visual!
Our Children..... Kaden especially are about the WORST eaters ever! Avery is usually pretty good, but today was an exception. We have tried many tricks to coerse our kiddos to eat.. some work.. others don't work so well. We've done the timer method. Which usually ends up with Kaden being so worried about the timer going off that he stops eating all together. We've done the "give me 5 bites" method... which works off and on.. but usually ends up having us feed our 5 year old (not cool). Sometimes it's pure frustration and we just give up all together and figure he's not going to starve if he doesn't eat his dinner. Then there are the other times..... times like this.... you know.... the times when you've had it with the typical threats and you have a little sense of humor in you so you bring out the big guns. Or in this case.... THE BLOW TORCH and a couple FAVORITE TOYS. As I'm writing this, it just dawned on me that we've just become our parents. Not that they ever threatened to burn our favorite things... but I know they would "encourage" us to get things done in slightly traumatizing ways. It's quite entertaining really. So entertaining that as my children were about to have a nervous breakdown with Brian's threat, all I could do was grab the camera and say... "This is so blog worthy!". So there you have it... Who's the worst parent here? Brian for almost burning our kids toys for not eating their dinner... or me.... taking pictures of them in their time of distress?
But... all you parents out there with any bit of sense of humor or sense of frustration that comes from child rearing... I think you'll enjoy this little series of events you are about to see. If you don't... please forget you ever saw this post and try not to call child services on us :)



AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO GET THE KIDS TO EAT..... DAD BRINGS OUT THE BLOW TORCH AND TWO INNOCENT LITTLE TOYS.










THE LOOK OF PANIC IS IN THEIR EYES.... BUT WILL THEY EAT?





IT LOOKS LIKE THE BLOW TORCH DID THE TRICK!!!! THEY WERE SHOVING FOOD IN THEIR MOUTHS!


AHHHH... BABY DOLL IS SAFE WITH HER MOMMY. (AVERY TOLD BRIAN... "DADDY, THIS ISN'T YOUR BABY.. THIS IS MY BABY" AND SHE WOULD NOT PUT IT DOWN FOR THE REST OF THE EVENING)

PARENTING RULES!!! IT'S MOMENTS LIKE THIS THAT KEEP IT ENTERTAINING. YOU GOTTA LOVE KIDS!

Our Own Little Sledding Hill

We found the "Hot Spot" for this winters activities. Every great neighborhood has the places where the kids all get together and hang out. Ours happens to be a hill across the street from our house where the kids spent hours sledding and throwing snowballs with all their friends.
It was quite nostalgic as I remember the long winter days of doing the same thing with my own neighbor friends growing up. I remember pulling our sleds to the hill and coming home with red hands and hot chocolate waiting for us. Oh the memories..

Sorry... I gotta brag (it's my blog - I can do what I want)
MY KIDS ARE SO DARN CUTE!!! I CAN'T STAND IT!

Thank You Snow Gods

We know the drill. Labor Day weekend the beard starts growing and won't come off till that first ski day of true powder.
It's a Brian Thing......

So I am pleased to announce that kissing my husband is much more pleasant again! The beard came off and my sink looked as if a large rat had exploded... (ya... it was pretty bad). I love this guy and his crazy rituals.

After years of "fake" mumbling... I must confess

I am a summer girl. Always have been.. Always will. I would prefer my days hanging out on a boat in my bathing suit soaking up the rays and getting a tan while the sun is bleaching my brown hair. For years I have made quite a scene over the first snowfall of the year. I grumble and complain, make disgusted faces and moan. This means summer is over and the LONG Utah winters have begun.
As a child my dad would come in to wake me up and say, "Turia... I have a suprise for you. Look outside!" As I would look out my window in the darkness, all I see is soft billowy clouds not in the sky but on my front lawn. It's all quiet and the lack of sound that snow seems to bring is a peaceful one. Me.... the summer girl would groan and roll back over in bed and say to my dad.. "I can't believe it's snowing already. I'm going back to bed."
Year after year.. I would wake up to a fresh cloud of snow and the quiet peace that accompanies it. I complain.. I grumble.. I "act" as if it's the worst thing that could happen.
BUT.... it is now time to confess. Even in those early years when I acted as if the snow was a gift from the devil himself... I always felt the magic in that first snowfall. Heaven forbid I actually admit that me.. the summer girl could actually enjoy snow as well. That was too difficult. I always play that day a little melodramatic. But not today. Today I woke up and I couldn't deny that magical excitement that I've felt year after year. I looked outside and joy filled my heart. Not because the long utah winters are about to begin (still hate that part).. but because of what the snow represents. It represents blankets, hot chocolate, soups, more time at home just hanging out, the holidays, playing in the snow and my husbands mood instantly turning to good to ecstatic. This is his "summer"... his "time on the lake". My excitement for this season is mostly in part by watching him... and now.. watching my kids. Today as the snow was falling, Kaden was staring out the window in his jammies and his ski helmet. He hadn't been awake more than 30 seconds before he was running in our room saying.... "Guess what? There's snow on the ground!". That magic is in him just as it's in us.

I don't know why I've fought this season for so many years... just because I prefer long summer days, great tans and flip flops doesn't change the truth that there really is magic in this first snowfall of the year.
Whew!!! It feels good after years of self denial to actually admit that (at times)... snow is pretty cool!

Halloween 2008

We had a wonderful Halloween. The kids were so cute trick or treating. Avery wanted to go to every house. Even when she was so tired and practically asleep in my arms, she would say... "lets go dat house". They went for a good couple hours straight and when their bags were full and their little legs too tired to walk anymore, we headed home.
The highlights of the evening were Avery saying "Arrrrrrr" when you asked her what a pirate says and Kaden running up and down the street too excited to stick to any organized route for trick or treating. On the way home, Kaden said, "Oh.. I just LOVE Halloween!". They were so darn cute! I love celebrating the holidays through their eyes. It brings back all the excitement of being a kid again.... but in a much more fulfilling way!

Grandma Becky's Halloween Party

My mom always does fun little holiday parties for the grandkids. She always does such a great job. This year was no exception. The kids all came over in their costumes and after a photo shoot from all the moms, they started with the festivities! Stories, games, monster mash, scavenger hunt to find the spooky ghost with all the treats, crafts, and of course lots of yummy, spooky food!
Thanks mom for all your hard work. The party was a hit!

Cousin Late Over

The highlight of my kids (and their cousins) week is "Cousin Late Over". Me, Jana & Jenni each take a Friday night where we watch all 9 grandkids so the other two couples can go on a date. It has been so much fun to have two free weekends of babysitting each month. But more importantly, the kids get to be together. The LOVE spending time with one another and look forward to the weekend. Kaden is usually counting down the days on Monday!
This past cousin late over was at my house. Kaden told me, "Mom.. I've been waiting 100 years for my cousins to come over". Since it was the weekend before Halloween we drew spooky pictures made spider cupcakes and decorated my basement with spider webs and ghosts for an upcoming family party.
I am so grateful for my sister in laws and their friendship. I feel so blessed to have them in my life. I could call on them for anything and I usually do! It's so important for me to have my kids close to their cousins. I think little night outs like the ones we're doing are helping out with that.

The quiet hours of the night part 2

Attention: This post is strictly for the soul purpose to make a note to "future me" that parenting wasn't always a bed of roses. :)

you know the post I did last week?
Well... it's 4 am, I've been up with Brighton for 2 hours now.... ya..... not feelin the warm fuzzies tonight.