Painting in the Bath

Lately, I've decided to let the boys paint with washable watercolor paint in the bath. It's actually little mess for me to clean up, and the kids are so good in the bath when they get to paint...meaning less splashing and fighting and pouring water over each others' heads. Connor is actually quite the little artist when he paints in the bath drawing out scenes with grass and sunshine. Aidan just loves to mix the paints and paint all over the bath and himself..as you can clearly see on his face!

Playing with Aidan

Here's a little game that Jason played with Aidan the other night...obviously Aidan LOVED it...and didn't want to get out!

Snuggle Time

We decided to pump up one of our blow-up mattresses in our basement for the kids when they want to watch a movie at night. They're so cute because they all just snuggle up together and are so good...especially if we give them a snack like popcorn. Then Jason and I can actually have a chance to watch something we want to watch upstairs which is really nice.

Dinosaur Museum

A couple of weeks ago, the kids and I went to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point with Gavin's school. The kids really loved it.
Here are Connor and Gavin standing on the walkway by some large (fake) dinosaur bones. The look really cool because it gives you an idea of just how big the dinosaurs actually were.

The museum has a little area where the kids can play with sand and water and plastic dinosaurs and trees. The kids played in this area for a long time. The big boys had a lot of fun building dams, and Aidan had a lot of fun destroying the dam and watching the water seep through the sand.

Here's an area where the kids can use brushes to dig for dinosaur bones. Aidan loved just sitting here with his brush watching what all of the kids around him were doing.

There's a mini-discovery center in the museum. The kids actually had the most fun here. There was a big fan at the bottom of this with lots of different shaped papers that you could try to get to float up to the top of this tube.

Here's Gavin with the best shaped paper for reaching the top of the tube.

Grocery Shopping

Here's what my beautiful baby normally looks like.

Here's what my baby looks like on a typical grocery shopping trip. (The picture is really old, but you get the idea.)

Today Aidan screamed like crazy almost the whole time I grocery shopped. One lady I passed was on a cell phone and gave me the dirtiest look for having a baby crying while she's on the phone. I was thinking everybody here is thinking they're just so glad they're not me...with three kids in tow...one screaming at the top of his lungs. I was tired and frustrated and anxious to just get the shopping done and go home. That's when a lady smiles at me and looks at Aidan and says, "Awww." That's when I said, "Yeah, I debated whether I should wait for my husband to come home, or just take the kids...I think I made the wrong choice." That's when she smiles at me and says, "I've been there so many times. Hang in there." And smiles and walks away. I was thinking, well that was nice...much better than the dirty looks I've been getting. A few minutes later, the same lady came back up to me with three lolly-pops in her hands. Aidan tries to reach for it and she says, "Oh, look he's shaking with excitement." It was true, he was. As soon as the lolly-pop is in his mouth, he's quiet and happy as can be. Then she hands me the other two lolly-pops for my other two kids. She said, "Just for future reference, they usually keep lolly-pops up by the pharmacy." I said, "Thanks." What a life-saver. I almost started getting teary-eyed...it's the sympathy that always gets me. I was just thinking how nice for her to not only give me encouragement when we first bumped into each other, but then to actually think of some way to help and to take the time to go to the pharmacy, get the lolly-pops and track me back down...although that last part probably wasn't very hard given the loud noises coming out of Aidan's mouth! It made me realize how often when I go to the store without the kids and I see a mom struggling with her kids, the first thing that I think of is exactly what I thought everyone must be thinking about me...thank goodness I didn't bring my kids with me. But, I never have offered to help. Wow, what a wake-up call for me to realize that I should look for simple ways to help people...that lady really made my day today.

Family Pictures

For New Year's, all of Jason's siblings and their spouses and kids were home, so Jason's parents had a picture taken of everyone.
Top row, left to right: Jason's brother, Bob; his wife, Ruth; Katie; Jason; Jason's Dad, Rick; Jason's Mom, Debbie; Jason's brother, Travis; Jason's sister, Angie, Travis's wife, Trudy.
(my kids and nieces and nephews) Middle Row, left to right: Aidan, Hannah, Abby, Shelby, Justin, Tyler
(my kids and nieces and nephews) Bottom Row, left to right: Gavin, Connor, Lorin, Taylyn, Talen, Taydem.

Here's one with all of Jason's parents grandkids.

Jason goes Shooting with his Brothers

We went to Eastern Idaho for New Years. While we were there, Jason's brothers invited him to go shoot clay pigeons with them. Jason had a lot of fun and did really well too.
Here's Jason's brother, Travis.

Here's Jason's brother, Bob.

Here's Jason.

Here's our nephew, Tyler.

Sledding

For New Year's we went to Rexburg, ID to visit Jason's family. It was so much fun. All of Jason's siblings and their families were there. My kids were in heaven playing with all of their cousins...in fact, I can vaguely remember even seeing my kids all weekend long because they were so busy playing with everyone. On New Year's Day, we went over to Jason's brother, Bob's, house. Bob drove the 4-wheeler with kids on the 4-wheeler as well as kids on a sled attached by a rope. Everyone had a lot of fun, but man was it COLD!
Here's Gavin playing with his cousins, Tyler and Hannah.

Gavin chasing after the sled. (The kids not on the sled would try to throw snowballs on the kids that were on the sled.)

Connor...loving every minute of being on this 4-wheeler. He LOVES 4-wheelers and begs for us to get one all the time. Unfortunately, he doesn't understand that those things cost a LOT of money and use a LOT of storage space that we don't have!

My nephew, Justin, fell out of the sled and just when he was about to get back on, Bob pushed on the gas and Justin fell over trying to get in the sled and held on for dear life! (That's one of Uncle Bob's favorite tricks to play on the kids!)

Connor only wanted to ride on the 4-wheeler, not the sled because earlier that day, Connor fell out of the sled and ate a face full of snow. OUCH! He was fine, but I think it scared him enough to not want to get back on the sled. Finally, Jason was able to convince him to take a ride with him, and Connor loved it.

2009 Christmas Letter

Dear Family and Friends,
We hope you have all had a wonderful 2009. Here's a little bit of what our family has been up to this year.
In February, Aidan turned one-year-old, and in the same month he learned how to walk. In March, the kids and I flew to California for my step-mom's 50th birthday party. Jason was busy working on finals so he wasn't able to come, but I think it was good for him to have the house quiet for a week while he studied. The kids and I had fun visiting all the family in California, and Laurie's birthday party was a blast with a kids' table set up, a live band and a really delicious BBQ. We also got to visit the beach as usual while we were there which is always a really fun treat for the kids.
In April, Connor turned four-years-old, and Jason graduated from BYU-I so we had a joint birthday/graduation celebration. Also in April, we found out that we would be moving to Utah. Jason got an internship working in the IT department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We only had about two weeks notice to move, so we took a quick weekend trip to Utah, found a place to live, said goodbye to some dear friends and family in Idaho, and moved to Utah the next weekend. Then the very next weekend after that, we drove to Sacramento, CA for my sister, Sherri's, wedding. It was a crazy time, but we were so glad that Jason got a job and so happy that we could go to the wedding to be a part of their beautiful day. Gavin and Connor were ring bearers, and I was a Maid of Honor.
In July, Gavin took swimming lessons and loved it. Gavin also turned six in July and had a Star Wars themed party. In August, our family went to Lagoon (an amusement park in Utah). Connor was our little Dare Devil while Gavin had a lot of fun just going on the kiddie rides like the helicopter and airplanes that you can make go up and down. Gavin and Connor both learned how to ride their bikes without training wheels on the same day and were just smiling from ear to ear when they figured it out.
This year Gavin started kindergarten, and we've decided to have him attend the Utah Virtual Academy which is where we do school at home with all of the lessons supplied to us and keep in contact with a certified teacher through emails and phone calls. So far we've really liked the program, and we especially like how the kids will pass each grade like normal because they're still required to take state exams and keep track of attendance. Also in August, Gavin started Soccer and really liked it. Connor said he didn't want to play this year, so he helped sit with our family and cheer Gavin on.
In September, Gavin lost his first tooth and was really excited to leave it under the pillow for the Tooth Fairy. For Halloween, the boys dressed up in a Star Wars theme: Gavin was Darth Vader, Connor was a Clone Trooper, and Aidan was an E0Wok. Also in October, we flew to California for my brother, Aaron's, wedding. Gavin and Connor were ring bearer's for this wedding too.
For Thanksgiving, we drove to Eastern Idaho to spend the holiday with family. Unfortunately, Jason's grandpa passed away the Saturday before Thanksgiving, so it was a bitter-sweet holiday with the family.
We think of you all often and hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. As we reflect on the Savior's miraculous birth and life, we hope all of our hearts can be filled with increased love and thanksgiving this Christmas Season.
With Love,
The Mortensens

Christmas Morning

Here are some pictures of how we spent Christmas morning:
Here's Aidan in his new car...he opened almost all of his presents from inside this car...there was no getting him out of it! He LOVED it!

More opening of the gifts...





Our family in front of our Christmas tree. (The poor tree has been dead for a week and spilling pine needles all over the place, but at least it stayed green!)

I love this picture...it's just captures perfectly the content feeling of just lounging around on Christmas Day!

Aidan Singing

Lately, Aidan has taken to singing at any given time of any given day. Sometimes it's really funny and makes me laugh, sometimes when I'm trying to drive it's a little distracting, and sometimes like in this video, he's providing his brothers with a little entertainment while they do their school work. One thing's for sure...whenever he decides to serenade us it sure is cute.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, How Lovely Are Thy Branches...

Last Monday, we told the kids that we could put up our Christmas tree only to remember that when we moved, we left the artificial tree behind! The kids were so upset about not putting up the tree like we said we would, and all week they kept asking if we could go get a tree. I went grocery shopping yesterday and they had some nice trees for $25 dollars, and the kids were so excited asking if we could Pleeese get a tree to decorate tonight. I agreed to get the tree and on the way home, Connor said, "Gavin, you finally got your tree! You've been waiting forever for this tree." (I guess a week can feel like forever when you're a kid!) Then Connor said, "Mommy, I've been waiting my whole life for this tree. Thank you!" (So dramatic, but funny!) Here we are decorating the tree...
All I can say is thank goodness for those little plastic covers on the outlets because this little baby was ready to light things up!

Gavin and Mommy by the tree.

Connor, Gavin and (the backside of) Bo.

Connor loves to take pictures, and right as he took it Jason surprised me with a kiss.

The big boys did such a good job decorating the tree. They were so careful to try to evenly distribute the ornaments only to have baby brother come by and knock them all off! But, they were patient with him and would just say, "No, No Aidan" and then pick up the ornaments and put them back on the tree...over and over again!

The boys couldn't decide who should be allowed to put the star on top of the tree, so I tried to help both of them do it. (Did you notice that Connor has his pants on inside-out! I had pointed it out to him earlier in the day and he just laughed and said "whoops!" but apparently wasn't affected enough by it to bother fixing it.)

Time to bring in some presents.

The boys love this little book. On the outside it looks like a nice red Christmas door, but on the inside I have one family Christmas picture from every year (starting with the first year Jason and I were married) along with an explanation of presents and what we did that year.

On a side note, I love having a real tree this year. It smells soooo good and fresh and foresty! I love it.

Aidan's Big Boy Bed

On Sunday night, we put up Aidan's big boy bed. He LOVES it! I was worried that he'd be so excited with his new found freedom that he'd just keep getting out of bed, but so far, as soon as we tuck him in for the night, he just goes to sleep. It's so great. The only time he gets upset is when he wakes up in the morning or from his nap and can't get the door open...he gets really, really upset, and it takes a while to calm him down. It's strange that he would get upset about being trapped in his room, but he wouldn't really get upset when he was trapped in his crib! Other than that, he's loving his toddler bed.
Here's Aidan turning on his mobile...

then he lays himself down and waits to get tucked in.


Gavin likes that he can snuggle with Aidan in the toddler bed.

Good Night sweet baby.