Photo Tag

I was tagged so here are the rules: You have to post the 4th picture in the 4th folder in your pictures folder. Then give a brief description before you tag a few others. Here is the picture: Carson on our balcony last Fall...gotta love those sun glasses.

I tag: Alisha, Megan, Maria, and Stephanie. I look forward to seeing your pictures!

So Tired

After a long night of teething, the bouncer was just too much for Jonas.

How a Carpenter Carves a Pumpkin

For FHE we had a lesson on prayer...then Daddy showed us how to carve a pumpkin--Birch style.

The finished product.

We got our pumpkin a few weeks ago from the local pumpkin patch, a fun FHE activity with our cousins.

After the pumpkin patch we finished up the night with root beer floats at A&W.We were all supposed to get together tonight to carve pumpkins, but Jonas was running a fever of 101.3 (teething trouble, that's why he's fussy in the video) so we stayed home :(.

Hiking

Today we went for a drive up into Little Cottonwood Canyon above Sandy. We were hoping to see some beautiful foliage, but most of the leaves had already dropped. We ended up going on a hike up the "White Pine/Red Pine" trail. It was supposed to lead up the mountain to a lake, but we didn't make it that far because we hadn't prepared to hike and didn't have water or food. It was nice to go up the mountain quite a ways though. Carson was in heaven and did typical three year old things like throw rocks and hit things with sticks. He is certainly a boy who loves to be outdoors...I think I am going to have to get used to hiking with a family full of boys.

Business Cards

My new Scentsy business cards came today and I was so excited I thought I'd share! It's been a great way to get some EXTRA income for our family and has given me something to do. Hopefully I can use the money to pay off my student loans so I can get my masters! If you want any info on Scentsy just email me at sarajbirch@hotmail.com --I'd be glad to answer your questions! They make GREAT Christmas presents. Keep checking back because I am going to do a Scentsy giveaway on my blog in the near future!!

The Story of the Bee

Yesterday we had a bee fly into our apartment, nothing new as I am discovering Utah has a LOT more bees than Idaho. It came in as a result of Carson leaving the sliding glass door on the balcony open...ugh, how many times have I reminded him to keep the screen closed? Since I am allergic to bee stings, I tried to shoo it back outside but it flew further into the apartment and into my kitchen. I first tried to capture the bee in a plastic cup so I could take him back outside; I didn't want to harm it, after all I am sure it was a simple mistake to fly in an open door! The bee was more than uncooperative and doomed himself to me coming after him in a not-so-friendly manner. So finally I grabbed Jeff's baseball cap that was sitting on the counter and smacked the bee the first time it landed on the wall. It fell into my sink and I rinsed it down the drain. Carson looked at me with wide eyes and then we had the following conversation:

"Mommy, where did the bee go?"
" I killed him and he went down the drain."
"Did he go to heaven?"
"Yes"
"Jesus is going to be sad you killed the bee! We don't kill things Mommy!!"

Glad to know my son is being taught to value life.

Dancing

I posted this on Carson's blog, but thought I'd post it here again since it makes me laugh. Here he is dancing to some Christmas music. Yes, I know its October, but the cold, cloudy morning made me feel like getting in the holiday spirit. Don't tell Jeff I had Christmas music playing...he has a strict "no Christmas stuff until after Thanksgiving" policy! You'll have to mute the music on the bottom of our blog to hear the video. Oh yeah, I updated both of the boys blogs today, but for some reason Jonas' doesn't update on the blog roll.

Teething, Will it ever end?

We've had a rough few nights as Jonas is teething again! He will be five months on Saturday, and already has his bottom two teeth and is working on three more (top two and another on the bottom). Looks like I'm in for another child that will have a mouth full of teeth before his first birthday.

[Look at that sad little face!] [The first two teeth]
I ordered a RaZberry teether and I am hoping that it works! I had it shipped expedited so I am hoping it shows up tomorrow. For a great review on the product go to Babes and Kids.

In answer to your questions...

I've had several people ask me, whether through email or Facebook mesages, how we have been adjusting to Utah, so here you go...

We've finally hit a routine and it feels like life is back to normal. Jeff is now working on the City Creek project in downtown Salt Lake. The project is located across from Temple Square where the Crossroads and ZCMI Center used to be. They've torn down that whole section and are replacing it with several new towers and a walking mall that is very similar to the Gateway. Jeff has been helping with the surveying work and spends most of his days outside collecting data and then entering it into a computer. (I think they've finally realized they can put his education to work!) He commutes right into down-town on the TRAX and its saving a lot in gas money. I'm home with the boys and we spend our days over at the playground, at the aquarium, making art projects, or on playdates with the Snedakers or Kris and her boys. Carson now has an obsession for visiting Cabella's and asks all the time if we can go. I love being 5 minutes away from Target and 15 minutes from IKEA. I am loving having a spacious apartment, but when our lease is over in June we will be looking for a house. We feel like we have been led to where we need to be right now. We're hoping to be able to go to Idaho for Thanksgiving, but if not then, we'll definitely try for Christmas.

Its not easy to be three!

Another disappointing morning at the playground. Tons of kids out playing, but not one that would make a good playmate for Carson. There seems to be a scarcity of three year olds in this place. Most of the children out playing today were 5 or 6 or older and weren't interested in making friends with Carson. As a mother it is seriously so hard to sit and watch your child try to make friends with kids who won't even acknowledge your child is there.

And the other end of the spectrum...the kids that are younger. I mean, the next closest in age to Carson are the 2 year olds, but they are the kids that have barely turned two and are still very much toddlerish. Even at church there is only one other three year old and he and Carson haven't made friends yet. Frustrating. My son needs friends and since preschool isn't an option right now with our financial situation I'm wondering how we're ever going to find other three year olds to play with!

On the bright side, thank heavens for Chandler! At least Carson has one good friend (besides his cousins) and that is such a blessing. Now if only I could get Carson to play nicer with him...

Well-Baby

Jonas had his 4 month well-baby check up and immunizations yesterday. Here are his stats:

Length: 26 1/2 inches; 80th percentile

Weight: 15 lbs 3 oz; 50th percentile

Head: 17 inches; 75th percentile

So my baby is tall and apparently has a big head. The weight didn't surprise me because that's where Carson was at 4 months. Jonas is doing great. He had his first tooth cut through on the 6th and the second one broke through on the 14th. The doctor was surprised that he already had teeth, but like I explained before, my children teeth really fast.

Simple Joys

Some of the simple, sweet moments this past week has brought:
Watching Carson and Jonas play together in the pop-up tent...

Taking a tour of the Confernce Center (for FHE) and strolling around temple square....
Watching a guy in a wheelchair crowd surf at the Weezer concert, no joke, it really happened, I saw it! The lead singer came down and gave the guy his guitar pic.

Watching Carson's delight at the first snowfall of the season...."Mommy look, its Christmas time!"

Weezer at the 'E' Center

Last night we went to the Weezer concert and it was AWESOME! It was an amazing experience and we were so glad we got to go. We had originally gotten floor tickets (general admission) but through some sort of confusion they gave us regular seats and they were great! We were so close to the stage. I know we got more than our money's worth because those seats were well over $100 and we only paid the general admission price.

Weezer opened the night with "My Name is Jonas" and followed that with "Pink Triangle", Jeff's favorite! We got to hear some songs off their new album like "Dreamin" and "Troublemaker" as well as classics like "Island in the Sun" and "Sweater Song". An hour and a half later they ended with "Buddy Holly". An exciting part came near the end of the concert when Rivers (the lead singer) said they'd be back next year. What does that mean...are they releasing another album next year???? What I liked best of all about the concert was that they were clean! The opening band was HORRIBLE and I couldn't wait for them to stop playing. Oh well...Weezer was worth the wait!

Oh yeah, the song you are now listening to is "Dreamin" one of my favorites!

Friends, Family and Memories

What a wonderful weekend we have had! We have had a full house of visitors and I wouldn't have it any other way. On Thursday my Mom came down to visit and we spent Thursday and Friday exploring and shopping. Carson was so excited when he heard the doorbell ring Thursday morning because he knew Grandma was here!

Saturday we watched Conference together and feasted upon the words of the prophets. Later that night I held an open house for Scentsy at my apartment. I had a few people come, but most importantly I was able to spend some quality time with friends. Tiffany and Marshall came over and while the guys went to priesthood together, Tiffany stayed here to lend support during my dismal open house. Later my good friend from my childhood, Andrea Barnes, came over to visit. She just got back from living in Alaska. That girl is a traveler! She is staying with us through Monday and it has been so fun to catch up.

About 10 0'clock Saturday night Grandpa & Grandma Birch showed up. We were so excited to have so many people in our home!

Today was heaven. We all ate breakfast together and then watched Conference. I loved having everyone gathered around in our living room, all united in the gospel. Later in the day we had Kris, Alese, Alex, and Braydon come over to visit. It is so nice to have a place where even though you have a lot of visitors, there is still plenty of room!
[Carson and Grandpa on a bike ride]

Monday, Mom will be headed home and Andrea is going with her to go see some of her family in Idaho. Then Monday afternoon Molli will be here. We are all going to the WEEZER concert at the E Center on Tuesday. What a busy few days its been, but I LOVE having the doors of my home open to family and friends.

Beautiful Moments

Since Carson was born I have tried to make sure to enjoy the small, simple moments with my children each day. The other day I had one of the most perfect moments of my life. Jonas had been tired and crying for most of the day. I walked him around trying to calm him down. Finally exhausted, he rested his head on my shoulder and drifted off to sleep. I sat down on the couch and snuggled with my precious baby. There is nothing like holding your infant in your arms, kissing his beautiful head and feeling peace. While I was thus absorbed in the wonderful moment, Carson noticed us on the couch. He came over, and in my open arm cuddled up to me and put his arm around Jonas. Then he kissed Jonas' head and we all sat there calm, content, and in heaven! I sat there trying to absorb every little detail of that beautiful moment. There was no place I'd rather be at that moment than snuggling with my two precious gifts from heaven. What a joy it is to be a mother and to bring these wonderful little spirits into this world!