Who's Who? And a Little For You.

I thought this would be fun for all the people who think you know us... And those of you who truly do! Tell me who is in each of these pictures:








On another note: We recently moved into a new house. Finally, I'm starting to feel at least a little settled and like I'm getting organized here. We are all doing extremely well, and everyone has been healthy and happy. Since it's been a while since I posted anything, much less something important, I thought I'd express my love and gratitude for some of the most important people in my life right now. Now, don't be worried or offended if I don't mention you specifically, because there are far too many people who mean a lot to me to list them here.

Sarah-
I am so proud and grateful for my first born daughter, Sarah. She has been such a joy in my life since she arrived a little more than four years ago. It has been the most challenging and most rewarding experience I have ever had to learn and grow with her and become accustomed to my responsibilities as a new mother. I am trying my very best to be a good example and a good mother to her, and I love and appreciate her more than she could possibly comprehend at her young age. Sarah is a bright, funny, loving, happy and forgiving child. She is very affectionate, and cannot stand to have people mad at her or disappointed with her. She's constantly finding ways to show her love for her family. Especially her little baby sister, Audrey. She can often be found chanting "I love you! I love you! I love you! I love you!" at the top of her lungs to anyone who will listen. She likes to learn and is constantly asking questions about her surroundings. She brings a bit of sanity to a chaotic house with her friendly smile and caring demeanor.

Alex-
He's my little hugabug. (And yes, I know that's not a 'real' word). He's quick to flash a mischievous grin whenever he's caught making trouble. He's a very smart and very intuitive child. He frequently brings everyone back to the simple things in life when he enthusiastically points out the interesting things in his surroundings. He will always hear an airplane flying overhead, a train whistle, bird or motorcycle, and when he does, excitedly points in the direction of the noise until someone acknowledges they hear it, too. He loves music, and can't seem to keep out of Mama's violin case. He gets it out to play almost daily, and is ecstatic when Mama helps him play instead of rushing to put everything out of harm's way.

Lucas-
Like his brother, Lucas is a quick smile and a laugh away from filling the room with cheer at any given moment. He loves his siblings and is always very sad and disappointed when he accidentally does something to offend one of them. His favorite thing to do in the morning is take me into Audrey's room to get her out of bed. He adores his little sister and is constantly trying to make her smile and laugh. He also likes music, and will join in anytime Alex starts to play the violin. He also likes to get out Papa's guitar and strum his own version of Papa's signature song. He also gets extremely excited when Papa breaks out the Guitar Hero game for the Wii, and can't help but take out the other guitar and "play" along. He's got the cutest little expressions, and is very good at making people smile at him.

Audrey-
I just LOVE this baby! I'm so thankful for her sweet and content personality. Even in the worst of moods, I can't help but smile when I look over and catch her gaze. It's almost as if she can't help but smile when someone looks at her. All I have to do is make eye contact, and the biggest, toothless grin spreads across her adorable face. Without even trying, she can make me feel like I'm the most important, most loved person in the whole world. I love her so much, and am incredibly grateful that she's in my life.

Jeff-
I don't know what I'd do without him. I love that he will eat what I make for dinner, even when I know it's not his favorite. I love that he'll grab me up in a big hug when he gets home from work as he asks me how my day went. I love that he never forgets to pray with me in the morning, even when sometimes he knows I don't hear a word because I'm still sleeping. I love that he cares so much about me and my well being. He definitely makes me feel like I'm worth something to him, even when I feel like I'm in a rut. He is my best friend, my soulmate and my guiding light. I am very grateful for him. Love you, baby!

Besides my family, there have been many people who have been an incredible resource for me in the last few months. I had the best realtor to help us through our home-buying process. We can't have been the easiest clients with all the work we put her through since November, but she has stayed involved and concerned with our situation through the thick and thin. We love the home we're in now, and I really credit her with an enormous amount of assistance to us. Thank you Diane. Our new ward members have also made the transition between wards and neighborhoods virtually seamless. The Elder's Quorum President called me multiple times before we even had moved to make sure we had all the help we needed, even though I kept telling him that Jeff had a plan worked out. He and about eight other guys showed up on the Saturday morning and had our old place cleaned out in an hour and a half! This was extremely nice for me because I wasn't looking forward to the week's worth of relaxed moving that Jeff had originally planned. It made the transition between houses smoother than I could have hoped for. A few of the women in the ward and neighborhood helped out tremendously with keeping my kids entertained and out of trouble during the moving process. It was very nice not to have to worry about kids under foot of moving furniture, or escaping down the street while the doors were open. I have felt so welcomed and so comfortable in our new surroundings, and I couldn't ask for a better neighborhood. And Carolyn (down the street neighbor) has helped out numerous times with countless tasks. I appreciate her friendship and feel so comfortable with her and her family. Her kids are adorable, and mine love to play with them. Thanks for helping me make my house a little more pleasing on the eyes!

There are many other people in my life that I am blessed to know and privileged to be acquainted with. I just feel very blessed at this point in my life, and wanted to let everyone know. Thanks for reading. I know it was a little long. Don't forget to try your hand at identifying which child is which! It should be fun. I'll post the correct face/name associations in a few days. Good luck!

Tagged! A little about Ashleigh.

Thanks Danielle!

3 JOYS?..
Only three?? Here goes:
1. My family. They are absolutely the best. My kids are SOOO frustrating sometimes, but most of the time they are just SOOO adorable. Every one of them.
2. Painting, Sewing, Baking... anything creative, I guess. Again, frustrating at times, but very rewarding. I love to create something that didn't exist before I did it.
3. A clean house. Although it doesn't happen very often, nor does it last very long, but a completely clean house really does make me happy! I now understand why my mom always asked for a clean house and happy children anytime a gift-giving holiday was coming up.

3 FEARS?..
1. The thing I probably fear most is something happening to Jeff and I find myself suddenly left all alone to raise my very young children. I am SO not prepared for that. Jeff is my sanity. He's my favorite person!
2. Something happening to one of my children. I would absolutely HATE to see them sad, suffering, or otherwise down hearted. It would crush me.
3. Something bad happening to me where I couldn't function well enough to raise my kids or be an active part of my family. I would hate to leave Jeff to raise our kids alone, or to have to care for me AND the kids.

3 GOALS?..
Again, only three??
1. To raise my kids with as much love and support as I can, teaching them everything I possibly can about how to live a physically, spiritually, and temporally rewarding life as the best people spiritually, morally, physically and humanly they can be.
2. To become the best person I can possibly be as a wife, mother, and overall person, including educationally.
3. Oh, yeah... I want to open a bakery someday. I love to bake and cook, and I think that would be a great outlet for my creative tendencies.

3 OBSESSIONS?..
1. Cleanliness and organization. At least when it comes to the house. Although it's NEVER clean! I really do strive to keep it up, but somehow it just gets away from me!
2. I don't think that I could say that I'm really "obsessed" about anything else... I'm pretty easygoing.

3 RANDOM FACTS?..
1. It may not be so random to some, but I've moved over 31 times in my life. And that's just when I stopped counting. I know for a fact that it's been more than 36, and I'm pretty sure it's been more than 40. I SO don't want to continue that trend. Especially after moving into our new house this time. We're still not unpacked!
2. I secretly want to be famous. I don't know for what, but just to be famous. It would be cool. Maybe for singing... Maybe for politics... Maybe for just doing something so ultra-cool and ingenious that everyone would just know who I am. Like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.
3. I never wore the color pink until I was 19 years old... or maybe even 21. Not sure. But I was really not a "girly-girl" when I was growing up. When I chose my own clothes, I always went with navy blue, black and white. Real girly, right?

Now it's my turn to tag. Let's see who's up to it: Brandi, Lance (that's you, Dad!) and Emily. Have fun!

Remember Me?

I saw this on Alicia's blog and loved the idea. Thanks Alicia!

Here are the directions:
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Sister and Brother

For the last couple of years (two to be exact), Sarah, Alex and Lucas have not been the best of friends. They clearly love each other as is evident by the abundance of daily hugs and the laughter that can often be detected floating on the wind. However, they frequently aggravate and annoy each other with constant teasing and tormenting. Recently they have taken to blissfully playing "Tag, you're it!" in the back yard and competitively reenacting "Mario Kart" with laundry baskets on just about any hard surface they can find. Lately their relationships with each other have blossomed into more of a closer friendship and less of an antagonizing sport. This metamorphosis from foe to friend has been a welcomed change in my roller coaster of mother emotions. I can now relish the laughter and kind words instead of punish the misbehavior. They still argue and pester each other, but the fun times have almost outweighed the franticness of the daily grind here at the Farnsworth household.

The kids like playing outside on the neighbor's trampoline. The neighbors have welcomed our presence and seem to enjoy their trampoline continuing it's usefulness after their kids have grown. The only rules are that only two people can jump at a time, one when flipping, and no standing or walking on the mats (It's an in-ground tramp). Before we even moved in, I could foresee an issue with the "only two" rule. I have three young children of jumping age who are already having to work on their sharing skills. My first thought was that I could try and help enforce that rule, but "Yeah right!" To my delightful surprise, Sarah caught on fairly quickly to this doubles rule and has been almost over-enthusiastic at helping to enforce it with the boys. Alex and Lucas are very receptive to taking turns, and even Sarah will hop off briefly to let her brothers enjoy a moment together. Alex is by far the best turn taker. He is quick to get off when it's someone else's turn and waits patiently sitting on the sidelines. They make me proud.

Sarah put on a "Baby Einstein" type movie this evening, and this is what I walked in to see after a few minutes of it.

Lucas sure loves his sister. These two pictures are his best effort at mimicking Sarah's every pose.

Happy Birthday Alex and Lucas! - Day 2

Since we went to Lagoon on their actual birthday, Alex and Lucas got to celebrate the day after with cake and presents. Recently, we visited Sarah's friend's house where the boys discovered their love for trains. The obvious choice for a birthday gift was a new train set. Sarah helped Jeff wrap everything up while Alex and Lucas were napping on Saturday.

The boys were so excited to see their new trains. I'm not sure if they were more excited to be allowed to rip paper, or to see the actual gifts. Either way, they really enjoyed their birthday this year.




After opening presents, we went to the kitchen to enjoy the train cake I made for the boys. They thought that was also the coolest thing ever. A train they could eat! Sarah really liked that the "plate" turned around as if the train were actually going in a circle. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed eating this special treat.

To finish off the night, we watched the Pleasant View Founder's Day fireworks display. We live just south of the high school, so the festivities were within easy view from the comfort of our own driveway.

HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY ALEX AND LUCAS!!

Happy Birthday Alex and Lucas!

Okay, this is a little late. But the boys turned two on June 27. We started the day with a trip to Lagoon for Jeff's company picnic. The kids had a blast riding on all the rides and even getting a little wet on some. Then we had a catered dinner with Bingo and raffle prizes. We didn't win anything, but we still had a very good time spending the day on roller coasters, kiddie rides and taking in the sights. It was a warm day, but not too warm. Nothing a little splash on a ride couldn't fix. I forgot to grab our camera, so we stopped off and bought a couple of disposable ones on the way. Wow. I never knew how tough it really is to get good pictures from a "regular" camera. Digital cameras these days are really spoiling me! Here are some of the best shots we got.

We took a couple of breaks to feed Audrey and the boys got so worn out that they actually fell asleep in their strollers for a little while! Too cute.

After a long, fun day at Lagoon, the kids were ready to go home and cool off. They had loads of fun and are constantly asking to go back. Especially when their commercial comes on the TV.