I'm SORRY!!!

Boys... Mom has been impatient lately and I AM SORRY!!! At the end of the day I look at the three of you nestled in your beds and I reflect on the things we have done. The last few days I have had some regrets. You are all changing SO quickly sometimes it is difficult for me to know how to help you and I get frustrated.

I want MORE THAN ANYTHING for you each to feel SECURE and LOVED!!! I will ALWAYS do my BEST to meet your individual needs and our needs as a family. Know that I am trying and that I am still learning. I pray every day that I will be able to know how to help each of you in your challenges. I also pray that I will always be there when you have success... I LOVE you guys!

Know that your MOMMY will ALWAYS be here for you and will ALWAYS love you NO MATTER WHAT.... even on the days when it seems like you will never get out of timeout.

Night night, sweet dreams

Mason, Mason

I CAN'T believe that you are already one!!! Over the last year you have gone from a tiny newborn to a thriving toddler always one the hunt for something to do. I cannot imagine my life without my sweet little man... you always seem to brighten my day with your snuggles and babbling.

When you were born I worried about how your brothers would treat you. I have to say you three have your moments of sibling rivalry... in fact there are days that it doesn't seem to let up. I do see OFTEN the love that your brothers have for you and in those moments you all melt my heart.

Jaden is closest to you in age and has had the hardest time adjusting to your presence in the family. It is when Jaden follows you into a room and shuts and locks the door so that you will have no choice but to play with him that I chuckle at the way in which his love manifests. He can't wait for you to run around and play with him!!! Ethan is your protector (OK, most of the time) I find you on his lap snuggling when he thinks no one is looking. He helps you down the stairs and out of the highchair even when it may get him in trouble. I think your brothers will one day become your greatest allies.


Mason you have been blessed with the sweetest temperament and oodles of patience. I am often saddened when you are forced to wait to get your needs met or to have that extra cuddle time that you love so much. It's no wonder that many have commented on the death grip you have on me when you are in my arms... I can only imagine what is going through your little head. "If I hold on tight she can't put me down!" There are time when I literally peel you off of my shirt/pants/dress one finger at a time. I try to limit the times that I put you down unwillingly because I know that one day my arms will ache to hold my sweet baby Mason once again!!!

Mason my world was forever changed by your AMAZING birth and you are an even more AMAZING little person. I am SO blessed to be your Mommy and I will continue to try to be worthy of the job that I have been entrusted to do, raising my three precious little boys.

The MIRACLE of birth

I am in awe of the AWESOME power that women possess. I have been blessed to deliver three beautiful sons into this world,but today I have seen birth from a different side. My sister-in-law Amy asked me to attend the induction and birth of my nephew David. I was so glad to be there to assist in whatever she needed (from comic relief & sock finder to photographer & cheerleader).

I knew it was going to be difficult to watch her experience the discomfort that accompanies childbirth but it was worth any tears shed out of sympathy for my dear Amy when I was able to witness her deliver her BIG/little MIRACLE. At 9 pounds 11ounces Amy astonished all present when she managed to deliver her son with 4 short pushes. SHE IS AMAZING!!! I don't think anyone would have guessed that this was her first baby... she pushed like a pro.

I think we have all thought (or said LOUDLY) that men have it easy... but I am TRULY PRIVILEGED to have the title of woman and mother... I think we have the sweetest gig!!!

My "Jaderbug"

My sweet Jaden... today was a BIG day for you. I can NOT believe that today you are three years old. Oh, how it seem like I can scarcely remember life without you but days like today I am reminded that you have only been with our family for such a short time.




You have added SO much to our lives and I am AMAZED to watch you grow every day. One of the best parts of being a Mom is celebrating the day that you made me a Mommy for the second time...









You are such a sweet little boy and I hope that you are always able to maintain the gentle nature that you have been blessed with... it will serve you well.





I know that it is hard at times to be a child learning rules, butting heads with your brothers, hearing the word "no!" for what seems to be the hundredth time in a two hour period. I can see in your interactions with others that you are kindhearted and will easily give (normally to one of your brothers) even though your three-year old mind is struggling to fight the urge to hoard all the toys in the house.





I will be walking through the store and strangers will come up and want to talk to you commenting on how cute you are. You are so magnetic and everyone who spends time with you falls in love with you and your SUPER personality!!!





Today we celebrated as a family and you wanted a "HULK SMASH PARTY" and that is what I tried to give you. You were SO excited... it is amazing how such simple things make you SO happy!!!








After pizza and cup cakes you were satisfied but not until you licked off the last bit (you are TOO funny)





You were SO excited to get a SUPER Mack truck for your birthday... Daddy made sure you learned all the tricks with your new toy.





You even let Mason give it a try...




Jaden... Daddy and I love you to the moon, we could not imagine life without our Jaderbug, Jadertatter, or our lil guy. We will be here for you FOREVER!!!

UDesign Jewelry

UDesign Jewelry has officially come to Utah!!! Last night I was there to help Michaelene (my new sister-in-law) with her first party as an official UDesign Jewelry Rep. Needless to say we had a BLAST!!! There was a lot to teach her but I think she has the basics down and is ready to run with it!!!

The tables were set and ready for our guests. We were pleased with the boutique look we had established!

Our display was full of fun treasures for our guests to swoon over !!! We swung by this AWESOME fabric store yesterday before the party to add a touch of class to our table and I have to say I am TOTALLY jealous of the assortment of GREAT craft items at AMAZING prices here in Utah... don't worry Rick I am not going to make us move again!!!



This is jewelry making at it's finest... don't be afraid of the thousands of beads. DIVE IN with BOTH hands... LOL!!!

My sweet Chantel (my good friend's daughter that I babysat ages ago) came to the party and it was a BLAST to hang with her even though it was only for a short time!!! I miss you Chantel... Joe(her sweet husband) you are a rock star. Thanks for taking such GREAT care of my sweet Chani!

A completed design, with heart dangle... just in time for Valentines Day!!! This sterling silver design is SUPER cute for the season of LOVE.

UDesign Jewelry is a home party business that allows women to put their creativity to good use while getting the highest quality jewelry at affordable prices.

I am SO in LOVE with these party's.... come out and play with me at my next one!!! Feel free to check out my site

www.udesignjewelry.com/rep/lindaduree

If you are in Utah look up my SUPER sister in law at

www.udesignjewelry.com/rep/michaeleneduree

She would be happy to set up a party for you or customise something one on one.

A Baby Shower

Aunt "Nani" Amy is due to have a baby boy (David William Duree) on March 4th. In preparation for the little one we had a "baby bash" at our house today.

I decorated the empty shelves in our family room (so sad they still don't have much on them)



I made gift boxes for the guests ... these were full of special goodies as a thank you for supporting our sweet Amy!!!





The baggies of sweet popcorn were PERFECT for all of the energy deprived Mommies!!!

And they even revealed the new baby's name!!!

Mason even managed to sneak himself some sugar treats and had a GREAT time!!!

Most importaintly we invited the Mommy to be... we LOVE you Amy. Hope you had a GREAT time!!!

When all the guests were gone Mason was ready to hit the sack... too much fun for such a little man!!!

Rub A Dub Dub Three Boys in the Tub

OK... so I am not a big bath tub picture person but now that Mason is old enough to hold his own in the tub with his big brothers I had to get some pics...

OK... so maybe it is still a bit overwhelming for him... rub a dub dub three boys in the tub!!!

ME... as described by Ethan

All about me, by my son... I saw this on my friends blog and thought it would be fun to get Ethan's take on me. I have to say his answers are a bit too revealing. I had a good laugh!!!

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Be good.
2. What makes mom happy?
Being good!
3. What makes mom sad?
Being bad. (I see a theme here)
4. What does your mom do to make you laugh?
Tickle me.
5. What was your mom like as a child?
Umm mm?! I don't know.
6. How old is your mom?
50 years old (wow, I think I need to put on some make-up or something)
7. How tall is your mom?
50-80-100 feet tall
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Um, do crafts.
9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Go upstairs with Jaden.
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Cause you're SO a movie star! (Nice)
11. What is your mom really good at?
Doing crafts with me.
12. What is your mom not very good at?
Cause you're not very smart... cause I'm so smart, right? (WOW... ouch. guess a Master's
Degree doesn't matter mucu in the world of a five year old)
13. What does your mom do for her job?
Sell jewelry... and um, crafts.
14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Lasagna
15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Being good (here we go again)
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Johnny Test's sister... the one who gave Dookee (the dog) tea... that's which one you would be.
17. What do you and your mom do together?
Crafts. (OK so I DON'T really do crafts all day...LOL)
18. How are you and your mom the same?
Cause we do crafts together.
19. How are you and your mom different?
Because we don't do "stuff" the same sometimes. (I'm just glad he didn't mention crafts)
20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Cause you give me toys when I finish filling up my whole chore chart!!!
21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
Taking him on a date. (No honey... I didn't pay him to say that!)
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Walmart.. to buy stuff, right?

Big Brother

If there is one thing we have alot of in our home it is brothers!!! Brothers are good for many things... playing games of all kinds, telling jokes (Jaden always has the funniest jokes), wrestling, singing songs, and helping each other find food (sometimes this gets messy)...

Ethan has really been helpful over the past few weeks and has started doing all sorts of chores around the house and has been willing to help me from time to time with his little brothers. I didn't expect him to assist me in feeding the baby. He got a bananna and mashed it (just like he has watched me do so many times) and was even willing to get his hands dirty all in the name of brotherhood.




In the end Mason had a full tummy and a little stashed away for later.

My Future Missionaries

Ethan and Jaden got "Future Missionary" name tags for Christmas and they got the chance to try them out this past Sunday. It was difficult to get a good picture of the boys after a long day at church but we gave it a try...








After changing out of my dress clothes I realised that there was a missionary on the loose... OK well he was playing Battleground and it isn't "P-Day."



Well, I guess Jaden and Ethan have a few more years before they have to follow the rules of Missionary life. I am grateful that I have a few more years until I have to send them on the plane to the MTC. Boys, enjoy being young... you will be grown-ups before you know it!!!

Back To LIFE

Well all good things must come to an end.... even the Holidays.

We have had a GREAT Holiday season with a trip to Utah a new baby cousin (Bella Horton)and lots of family time. I must say this has been the best Christmas season I can remember full of magical memories that will be with us for a lifetime!!!

Today was Ethan's first day back at school and at first he seemed disappointed to be going back "Mom, school is SO boring!!!" by the time he got home he had fallen back into his old ways eating popcorn and drinking chocolate milk (his favorite afterschool snack choice)and talking nonstop about his friends and the days events.

Even though we are sad at the sight of the living room without a pretty Christmas tree (the boys had a BLAST taking it down with the needles falling everywhere but were sweet enough to help me clean it up) all good thing must come to an end. Only 10more months until a new holiday season is upon us. For now it is back to life... and what fun it is!