Sunday Photo Shoot

This series of photos started because I thought Annie looked so pretty before church yesterday, and it snowballed from there.

My pretty girl.

Again.

And again.

I promised her she could make a silly face.  I think this picture would be my favorite if she was smiling.

Alex was at my knees trying to smile for the camera, so he got in on the action.

Then Logan wanted his picture taken too.

He also wanted a silly one.

Then Alex was sticking out his tongue for a picture like he saw his siblings do, and I tried to get them all lined up doing it together.  Alex lost patience for it before I could snap the picture and Logan ended up smiling.

Fun Weekend

This past weekend, my sister and her kids came to visit.  I've been craving some family time, so it was well timed!  We relaxed a lot, played games, and went sledding twice.  Fun fun.  I really enjoyed their visit.

This picture is actually from the weekend before, but it suits my purpose since we were all there again this weekend.  We have a big sledding hill just behind our house.  It's VERY fun. 

The kids went sledding without the adults on Friday.  Here they are ready to go.  Also, note the dog.  He's the real reason they came out to visit.  Danielle needed someone to take care of him for a while and we're it.  We have him until further notice (or permanently if we decide we're attached).  I can't deny he's a sweet little thing, and even Jim has enjoyed him (despite his supposed dislike for small dogs).  The kids are IN LOVE and are very willing to do their share for him (for now anyway).  Now if he'll just start relieving himself OUTSIDE instead of in my house, I'll be very happy.  I'll give him a break since he is a puppy, but can't wait to have him trained. 

Mariah

Bryce

Aubrey and Elway

We ate well this weekend.  Mariah helped me make Balkan meatballs the first night (yum), and Aubrey helped with waffles and green smoothies the second night.  Everyone ate everything both nights, so I'd say it all came out well.  :)  We also had fun treats: homemade hot chocolate ice cream floats (my invention thank you very much) and s'mores roasted in our fireplace.

Bryce and Logan had a blast together all weekend.

Alex was pretty funny the night we had meatballs.  He decided he really liked them.  Every time he wanted another one, he'd slide his plate to the middle of the table and wait patiently until someone gave him more.

One night we had a hilarious game of charades.  After last summer, it's becoming a family favorite.  We play in teams, and the teams work together to act out their own idea.  Everyone fights to be on Jim's team because he's so good at it.  I've finally discovered my husband's creative side!  So fun!

After sledding on Saturday, I caught Bryce reading to Logan.  They were so cute together.

I can't say enough how much I enjoyed our weekend.  Thanks for coming to visit Danielle!

Kids Say

Upon finding that Annie had hidden her fairy dress dishonestly I asked her, "Annie, did you ask me to have the dress up clothes?"  Annie, "Yes."  Me, "What did I say?"  Annie, "No...(pauses and her face lights up)...Was that a good hiding place?"

Logan after assembling a flattened box, "Look!  I just put a box back to life!"

After I said something about Annie's pretty sparkly eyes, she responded, "I didn't have any sparkles in my eyes.  Just dirt."

Logan, "What is sprinting?"  Me, "Running as fast as you can."  Logan, "On your legs?"  Me, "Yes."  Logan with a puzzled expression, "Why do you have to pay your Sprint bill?"

Logan, "Almost everything has shadows."  Annie, "Just not Heavenly Father of Jesus or the sun."  (She inferred that by herself based on the sources of light.)

Annie, "I want my sticker on for all the days, even when I have kids."

SNOW!

We've lived here in Iowa for almost a year now, and up until a week ago hadn't seen any of the snow we'd heard so much about.  Apparently, it's been a very strange winter.  Anyhow, one week ago we finally had our first real snowfall.  It snowed more the next day, stuck around for a few days, and then it snowed again.  We're loving it!  (Especially since the snowplows are abundant around here...our street is always plowed early in the morning, and even little streets eventually get plowed!) 

We played in the snow the very first day.  Here are some after pictures.  I always love the wild hair, pink cheek look.

A couple of nights ago, we went with Jim to clear snow at the church.  I was totally preoccupied with a grumpy Alex the whole time, but the other two really tried to help!  I loved watching them with their shovels, and then later trying to dodge the spray of snow from the snow blower!  It was freezing, but a good family activity nevertheless. 

Today I let Annie and Logan play in it again while Alex napped.  In the first picture, they were eating a large snowball between the two of them.

She's all sorts of pink.  I bet she won't get lost in a snow storm.  :)

Logan has been working hard to earn money because he wants to fly on a real airplane, so I gave him this job to earn some cash.  He worked really hard!  That shovel is quite heavy and very awkward for him.  He cleared the whole deck, though, and earned $5.  It took him over an hour.

Once A Month Cooking

This is my new favorite thing.  A friend introduced it to me, and we jumped on the idea because I very much DISLIKE cooking every night.  Three and a half hours later, we had 12 homemade meals in the freezer.  They were all new recipes, too!  We actually had a really enjoyable time working together in the kitchen, and were super impressed with the Once A Month Cooking book.  It gives you a shopping list, and then step by step directions to make the meals most efficiently.  We only did a 2 week menu plan for our first try, but I'm sure we'll work up to the 4 week plan.  The best part is that I haven't had to cook all week, and we haven't had sandwiches for dinner.  I have thoroughly enjoyed letting go of the nightly battle to figure out what to make and then to work up the will power to make it.  Instead I look at my menu choices (AKA my freezer) the night before and just thaw it out.  YES!

I took a picture at the beginning before we'd made much of a mess.  We kept up with the dishes, though, and it really wasn't hard.  After we were done, we went out to eat as a reward (and so we wouldn't have to spend any more time in the kitchen). 

My Loves

Who can resist a sleeping baby?  (Who's almost not a baby...) 

I can't resist these blue eyes.

This little guy has a temper, but his tantrums are so funny and dramatic!

I can't resist round tummies either.

My darling...looks like you're enjoying your treat.

Check out those bones muscles!

Kids Say

Beware the shock factor on some of these...

As we were getting in the car after having been at the YMCA, Annie informed me, "I'm not wearing underwear."  ?!!  (Thankfully she didn't tell anyone else that...)

Logan, "I couldn't wipe all that poop with the toilet paper so I used that towel and it worked!"  Me, "What towel?"  Logan suddenly looking guilty, "The one I could reach under the sink."  (Meaning the hand towel.)

Logan, "I wish we were the Petersen's."  Me, "Why?"  Logan, "Because we would have six people in our family!"

Logan after saying something that made us laugh, "Don't text that to somebody."  (He's totally caught on to how I keep track of the things they say.)

Logan, "I wish I was twins with Annie.  I wish we were triplets.  So we would all have the same birthday.  Then we would be March March March all at the same time!"

Annie after sipping her smoothie, "I have a brain freeze in my tummy."

Logan was explaining to us that there are various types of ambulances (ambliances in his language).  "The regular ambliance takes people with all kinds of sicknesses.  The medical ambliance takes kids and babies that have swallowed metal or batteries.  The really important ambliance takes mommies that are pregnant with babies.  Then there's this other ambliance that takes the FBRSM.  There's an ambliance that takes grownups that are really sick and hurt when there's a tornado and fire and they'are in their house...even kids and babies."  (I'm dying to know what the FBRSM is, but he can't seem to tell me.)

Annie in her bedtime prayer, "...and please bless us to know what happened..."  That's all she said, and left us all mystified.

Annie in a different bedtime prayer, "...and please bless the food.  OH!!  NOT bless the food..."
Then the next night,  "...and please bless the food for tomorrow..."

Logan, "When regular hunters hunt chickens, does the bottom of the gun stab the chicken?"

Logan during a slumber party with Jim, "Dad, I was actually going to sleep down here by myself...because Annie is a terror."

One morning Logan called to me from his room.  So I went in there and he said, "I'm going to tell you the truth.  My throat feels like it is going to throw up."

Annie, "I don't like that smell!"  Me, "What smell?"  Annie pointing at her bottom and wrinkling her nose, "That smell.  I put my fingers in there."

Annie, "I told my mom that I was going to throw up, but I was teasing."

We had our first request for an electronic devise recently.  Annie, "I want a Kindle."  *pause*  "I have a little Kindle.  It used to have papers in it.  I still have the papers."

Logan laying on our bed for nap said, "It smells like Dad.  Why does it smell like Dad?"  Me, "Because you're laying on his pillow."  Logan, "I don't like that smell."

Logan to me, "Your mom doesn't have a tv.  *pause*  Oh yes she does!  But she mostly sleeps."

Some more baby names that the kids came up with before everything happened: Tinkerbell, Rapunzel, and Fleecy

Annie after waking up, "The whole thing of me is sweaty!"

Logan, "I'm the fastest runner I've ever seen!  Watch my legs pump themselves!"

Logan, "Everytime I see a dump truck parked with its engine on, it drives me crazy."

Me to Logan, "When did you get so big?"  Logan, "On August 31st."

Annie, "What if I poop in my underwear again?"  Me, "You won't."  Annie, "Why?  Because Minnie Mouse will be sad?"

Logan, "If spinosaurs were chasing us we would have to kick our butt and run...a football run!"

Annie sharing her grievances to my mom on the phone, "I wanted Daddy to read the yittle duckling book.  I thought he could, but apparently he could not!"

Logan, "Dad!  My brain is bigger than yours!"

Annie's bedtime prayer, "...and please help us to sleep longer and to eat breakfast..."

Alex was being really cute copying Annie one day.  She'd been saying, "On your mark, get set, go!"  He over and over again was saying, "Set, go!"

The kids were playing hospital one day and I was their patient.  Logan said I had carbon binoxide poisoning and it was under my tongue, but would come out if I threw up.

In preparation for bed I said to Annie, "Go potty."  She replied, "I did!!  I went potty at lunchtime!"  Me, "That was a long time ago."  Annie, "But it was today!!"

The kids were drawing pictures and Annie says, "I'm drawing Cami's underwear!"  (She was referring to her aunt, who she was drawing as a baby.)  Logan was working on pictures of Alex from when he was in the womb, "I'm making his umbilican cord!"

Logan, "Mom, am I sort of a scientist?"  He was manipulating objects to see what was heaviest.

I also want to update Alex's talking progress.  He definitely isn't following the same pattern as our other kids.  He doesn't actually say very many words, but seems to understand more than other toddlers his age.  We were thinking up the various words he does say, and were surprised to realize that he doesn't name any objects.  In fact, his only nouns are, momma and aa-aa for Annie.  Otherwise the things he says are: hey!, hi, whoa, okay, oh, uh-huh, uh-uh, I did that!, You okay?, Set go!  He babbles a lot, with all the right expressions and expects us to understand him.  So he's definitely trying to communicate verbally.  That's all I can think of now.  He might have a couple more, but it sure isn't a very large vocabulary.  It cracks me up that he has three phrases already.  I wonder if he's going to start talking in sentences one day instead of single words?  

The best thing that any member of my family has said to me lately actually came from Jim, though.  One night he informed me that living with me is like being in a cheesy musical where the characters suddenly burst into nonsensical song.  I'm that character apparently.  (All in good humor of course.)

New Year's

We had a fun New Year's Eve at home.  This was the first year we let the kids know it was a holiday and they were quite excited.  We started the day by doing a lot of family work: laundry, cleaning, and putting away the Christmas decorations (my living room feels so empty and clean!).  Everyone pitched in and then we made a deal with the kids that they could stay up late if they took afternoon naps.  They were very willing and we had a nice long quiet time.  Aah!  The fun began when they woke up.  We had a special dinner (but not a fancy one) of mini-burgers, smoothies, and homemade potato chips.  Watch out Lay's!  Jim has figured you out!  The kids helped Jim make the chips while I made the rest.  I actually enjoyed working in the kitchen since everyone was helping.  :)  Then we watched the kids play for a while (enjoyment in itself at times) before starting a puzzle my sister had sent us for Christmas.  We actually stayed up past midnight this year thanks to that puzzle!  Logan and Annie stayed up the entire time, and Logan talked our ears off every minute of it!  It was fun, and we were good and tired the next day.  It's a good thing we now have church at 1:00.  (Logan actually fell asleep during sacrament meeting.)  I can now say I've been awake for the New Year at least once during my married life.  :) 

Twins

This picture was taken the day after Christmas and these cute boys are both in their Christmas jammies.  I babysit this other little guy every day; he and Alex are the same age and I now know what it would be like to have twin toddlers.  :)  Anyway, their favorite thing to do together is to climb on the table, look out the window together, and giggle.  It's hilarious.  They crawled over to me when they saw I had the camera out and Alex "smiled for the camera".

Christmas

Christmas started for us on Thanksgiving.  Almost every day afterward we did something Christmas-ey and we had Christmas music playing all the time.  We had several baking days, delivered lots of cookies and presents, and best of all found opportunities to serve.  Two days before Christmas we hosted a Christmas party at our house.  That is becoming a fun tradition, and I once again forgot that I owned a camera during it.  :)  On Christmas Eve we had to cancel our plans because Alex had thrown up several times that morning.  That was a double disappointment because this was also our first year not going to my mom's house for Christmas Eve.  So I was missing family in addition.  It wasn't feeling at all like the holiday to me.  BUT...we did remedy that situation.  We sang Christmas carols (which helped a lot) and then we did something I knew my family was doing without us: played a game.  The kids were thrilled to learn an adult game (Rummikub), although we didn't play until the very late hours of the evening as in years past.  After that we stayed up quite late reading a Christmas book (The Christmas Barn...a good one) before the kids very willingly went to bed. 

Christmas morning found healthy kids who all slept in!  I really thought this would be the year they'd wake early, but I guess we wore them out sufficiently the night before.  Jim and I were the first up and even had to wake them so we'd have time to eat and open stockings before church.  After a simple, but yummy breakfast of smoothies and biscuits with gravy, we got everyone ready for church.  Then we opened stockings.   

That is, after I took these pictures.  I've included this one because I love how Alex smiles for the camera.  He is so funny.

Stockings were fun and we had just the right amount of time to enjoy them before it was time to go.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions are the letters that Jim and I put in each other's stockings each year.  Writing his always helps me refocus on how much I appreciate him, and reading mine from him is such a sweet boost. 

Annie and Logan were surprisingly good for church (Jim had to take Alex out).  They even sat quietly by themselves when I went up to sing with the choir.  We had a nice sacrament meeting and then the rest of the usual classes were cancelled for the day.

After church we opened presents.  I was a little worried that this would be the year our kids acted spoiled over their presents because we had a LOT under the tree.  We've never had all our presents in one place because they'd always receive most of their gifts a few at a time at our various family celebrations.  So I was very happy with my kiddos this Christmas.  They were very excited about each and every gift, and we even had to pull them away several times to open more. 

The first thing they wanted to open was the large package my dad had sent us.  It was a croquet set and we're excited to use it when the weather permits.     

After that we passed out the presents one at a time, and I didn't take many more pictures.  The kids were given a nice variety of small toys, games, puzzles, and clothing.  My gift to Jim was a pile of presents to open: quite a few things he needed plus a giftcard to a bookstore (his fun gift).  Jim gave me a fun gift, a Kindle, and I've already read several books on it.  We're such nerds.  (As I type this, Jim is at the bookstore spending his giftcard.)  :)

Our special present to the kids were framed pictures of their favorite temples.  Logan has been placing his all over the house so he can see it displayed in whatever room he is in.

Long story short: Jim is becoming a salaried employee for John Deere in two more weeks, and his welcome gift arrived just before Christmas.  So I saved it for him to open that day.  I love it.

I was planning to make Annie an apron for Christmas this year, but then I was so sick followed by the miscarriage that I didn't make time to do it.  However, I was able to choose a free item after hosting a 31 party for a friend.  So I chose this cute little apron and embroidered the A on it after it arrived.  She's excited to have her own apron now.

After presents, we relaxed a lot and played with the things we'd opened.  We've enjoyed the family games and puzzles we were given this year. 

Jim's mom made the kids pajamas, so they all wore them to bed that night, and I got another cute picture.

Plus a silly picture.