Christmas Happenings

These pictures have nothing to do with Christmas, but I just LOVE it when my boys are happily doing things together, without any help from mom or dad.

We attempted to make Ginger bread houses. We gave up when we couldn't make them stay up.
We got a new really soft Christmas ornament. It doesn't stay on the tree very well.
We got a new tv for Christmas. This is what we waited in line for four hours on Black Friday to get.

The boys got a play kitchen.
William got a garage.

I got a new computer. And desk. And chair.
Orion got and Angry Birds pig.

Oliver got books. He didn't really want to pose with them. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas too.

Don't Judge

Why yes, William IS eating grapes out of a plunger.

The plunger has never been in a bathroom, and is strictly a toy.

Happy Halloween

Pumpkin Patch Adventures

We took our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch on Friday. The boys had a lot of fun! Orion LOVED the maze. William loved the train house. Overall, a huge success. I love our yearly tradition of going to the pumpkin patch!

Oliver 9 month check up

My little baby Oliver is TEN MONTHS old already!! I can't believe it!! He had his check up a month ago, but I am a huge slacker, and just reporting it now. Anyway, he is pretty small. He only weighs 20 pounds 10 ounces (47%) and is 29 1/2 inches (83%). He isn't crawling yet. But he is close. And he will clap his hands when you ask him to play patty cake, and he loves to play peek a boo. I love this little guy SOOOO much!! I am so sad that he is getting so big already. I wish they could stay little longer.

Life is tough when your 4.

Orion has had a rough couple of days. Yesterday morning, I took him (and William) to get a flu shot. I went first so that he could see that it wasn't too bad. When the nurse pulled the needle out his face got white and he turned his head away, afraid to watch. When it was his turn he hopped up on the table. The nurse had him lay down, and then had me lay over the top of him so that he had to hold still. She started washing his leg with the alcohol pad, and that is when the screaming started. "OUCH IT HURTS IT HURTS" I replied with "Orion, get a grip, she is just washing your leg." Then she stuck the needle in. I her a big "OW!!!" followed by a "well, that wasn't so bad."

Later, that day he took his balloon outside to play with it. The strong wind promptly blew it away. He cried and cried and cried. " Why won't the wind bring it back. Can't we say a prayer so that Heavenly Father can make the wind bring it back? Can Little Einsteins get in their rocket ship and go get it and bring it back. It just makes me so sad that it is gone and I can't ever play with it again." On and on and on.

Today, we went to McDonalds for lunch. (Right after a play date I might add.) While playing on the outside of the equipment, Orion fell about 10 feet onto the cement floor, on the INSIDE of the netting that you aren't supposed to be able to get into. (Don't ask me how he got in there. None of us could figure it out.) He got a bloody lip and a huge goose egg on the back of his head. After convincing the manager that we didn't need an ambulance, I got to fill out an incident report. Before I was done filling out the paper work, Orion was back inside the play area playing hard. He is totally fine. I just have to convince him of that. I have asked him to do a couple of things this afternoon (like pick up that cracker you dropped or put your plate in the sink), and he replies with "I cant because my head is broken." I make him do it anyway.

Yep, life is hard for a 4 year old.

A family of 6??

Yep, I guess it is time to announce this. We are officially a family of six. And I am no longer the only girl in the house. Introducing:

Cricket. She is a good kitty. She hasn't scratched the boys once.

30 Days

Yep, that is how long I was away from Philip. The kids and I went on a trip to Idaho. We left (on July 2nd) about two weeks earlier than originally planned, so that I could swing by Salt Lake and see my best friend be sealed to her husband. It was so wonderful to go to a sealing again!! The last one I went to was 5 years ago when my brother got married. I loved listening to the advice the sealer was giving the beautiful couple. (George, I think you should hurry up and get married, so that Philip and I can go to one together soon. :))

After spending a couple of days in Utah, we headed up to Idaho Falls. My parents didn't know that we were coming. I lied to them, and told them that our family was in Nauvoo for the weekend. Needless to say, they were surprised when I pulled into the drive way and let the boys out of the van.

We did lots of fun things while we were in Idaho. The boys took swim lessons for two weeks

. We went up to Montana to visit Great Grandma and Grandpa.

Orion got to ride a horse.

.

We played with ducks. We went camping,

and the boys got very dirty.

And many other things. The boys had a great time!

Philip finally got into Idaho Falls on July 31st. It was beyond wonderful to see him!!

Monday morning was the start of our Family Reunion. We started off taking family pictures, in the rain. We were supposed to hit the lake afterwords, but it was raining. So instead we headed to Pizza place that has an indoor play area. The kids had a lot of fun. Monday night, we had a GIANT Family Home Evening.

Tuesday, we went Rigby Lake. Tons of fun was had there as well. Especially in the sand.

Wednesday morning we went to the zoo. And then that afternoon, we had a talent show. I am constantly amazed at how wonderful my family is!! (Not to brag or anything) That night ended with a lot of us gathered around the fire listening to stories of my fathers childhood. It was a great end to a great reunion.

Thursday morning, Philip and I went to the Temple. We did some family baptisms for mom. It was nice to go and do something a little different. Then Thursday night, Phil and I went and saw Harry Potter with my sister Tasha and her husband Chris.

Friday, my nephew Samuel turned 8. We had his baptism that day too, so that everyone could be there.

Saturday morning, we packed up the van and headed down to Salt Lake. We wanted to see Grandpa, but he wasn't home. So instead we hung out with Phils cousin Brittany, and the Philip went to go see his old friend Darren. Sunday morning, we went to the hospital to visit Grandpa. Afterwords, we drove to Colorado to spend a little time with Desi and her family. Monday morning we went swimming, and then went to Jack in the Box for lunch. Then, we headed out for home. We drove all night, and finally pulled into the garage at 7:30 am. It was a great trip, but I was super happy to be home!

Upgrade

The boys LOVE to play outside in the water. On really hot days, I filled up my two biggest bowls with water and put them out on the deck for the boys to play with. They thought it was great fun and would play with the bowls of water for quite a while.
We decided that perhaps they needed something just a little bigger to play in. They love the pool even more.

Happy Birthdays!!

We had a couple of wonderful birthdays here this last week. William and I both turned 16 this year! Huh? You say we didn't turn 16? I was under the impression that you only got a car for your birthday when you turned 16. Yep, you read right. William and I both got cars for our birthdays!!

I got a 2008 Grand Caravan, and William got a 2010 Handy Manny Motorcycle.

For my birthday, we had Wanda and Robert over to play games and eat cheesecake. Philip got me a couple of cute new shirts and the boys got me a new pair of flip-flops.

William started his birthday off with a bang. On Friday, I took him to Wal-Mart to pick out a fish from Grandma M. and to spend his birthday money from Grandma and Grandpa B. (He picked out some balls.) This morning after a yummy muffin breakfast we opened presents. He got some new summer pjs and a new Thomas puzzle. And then, he got his cool new car. (I think Orion was super jealous of William this year.) We also all went to go see Rango, and had pizza for dinner. A great day for our wonderful 2 year old!

Compare and Contrast

Oliver recently had his 4 month check up. The doctor commented on how big he was, just like his brothers. And then she commented on how much they all look alike. And asked if they all looked like "this" at the same age. I told her no, that I thought Orion and Oliver looked more alike, and William less so. I'll let you decide what you think.

Oliver at 4 months

16 lbs.15.8 oz.

26 1/4 inches

William at 4 months

19 lbs. 14 oz.

27 1/2 inches

Orion at 4 months

19 lbs. 13 oz.

26 1/2 inches

Zoo

We went to the zoo the other day. Orion was our guide. I think he was more interested in the map then in the animals. He was ALWAYS looking at that thing trying to figure out where we were and where we were going next.


Ok, this picture of Oliver is supposed to be at the end. But I can't move pictures around anymore. (And I don't know why.) But isn't he just so cute!!!



Towards the end, the boys were walking rather slowly. William was THRILLED when Daddy picked him and gave him a ride.
So, this picture isn't great. But it was the last thing we did on the way out, and getting William to actually stay in one spot for it was nearly impossible!!

Easter

We had a fun Easter holiday this year. I'll admit, this year I kinda struggled with if and when we should do Easter Baskets. I really want my kids to know what Easter is all about, and not just that it is one more opportunity for candy and presents. But after much thought, I came to this conclusion. Growing up, we had Easter Egg hunts. We had Easter baskets. And I still have a testimony of the Atonement and Resurrection. I still know what Easter is all about. And my kids will too.