Dog Park

Last Saturday we cleaned all morning and then took a family outing to a dog park and the kid park.  It was a gorgeous afternoon! I love Saturdays where we work hard and play hard together. 

Addendum to Food!

Apparently I took pictures with my phone and camera for this first feeding event. And who says only the first gets all the attention? These were too cute not to share.  Especially this first gem.  Oh I LOVE this boy! 

Head Lamps

Mike and I tend to use a headlamp anytime a flashlight would work.  The kids took double dice and taped them to their heads and for days we had "Head lights" for everyone.  They were so funny to watch!!!  Nut jobs!  I live with a few cute little nut jobs!  

Conference with Kids

I've always LOVED conference.  Growing up we had to go to the church and we lived far enough away we went and stayed all day, had a fun pizza picnic lunch in between sessions on Saturday (and usually a bag of Easter candy). As I've grown up, my love for conference hasn't changed, but everything else has.  I've had challenges adapting to: 

1. watching it at home. 

2. Creating our own family traditions. 

3. Changing those traditions as we change time zones drastically. 

4. Not yelling at my children to keep it quiet-ish so I can hear....(Yes, there are all sorts of things wrong with that pictures. 

5. Not getting frustrated that I miss ALOT of live conference.  I love that all the talks are in my fingertips hours/days after, but there is just something about the live experience of conference. 

As I try different things, some things work, some things don't.  This year by the end of conference I had lots of realizations about time and seasons and I took a serious chill pill. 

Before

 After...yes, that is the dog scrounging for scraps

We did something new as a family that I really enjoyed and can already see how it will adapt as they get bigger.  I've always had questions for conference, but I wanted my kids to see how conference truly is personal revelation.  We came up with a question together as a family. It was so fun to see the kids hear their question answered not only once, but in two different talks/sessions. I hope even through all the crazy, my kids gain a love of and testimony of General Conference....glad I have LOTS more chances to try. :)

FOOD!

This baby loves food!  We started solids last week.  All the kids have loved taking turns and helping. 

My Michael

Why yes, that is Luke....with food in his mouth, as always, but really this post is about Michael. This kid has been SO cute lately! A few funnies with him lately.

We were at Costco and he wanted to get out of the cart.  I told him he could not get out and then he said, "Oh, can kids not walk in Costco?"  Call me a bad mom, but I totally went with this one.  "Yep, that's why they have these awesome big carts."  "Oh, do they get in trouble for getting out?"  "Yep" Not 5 minutes later some random alarm started going off in the store.  He said, "Oh no!  I think that sound is because a kid is out of the cart!  Let's look for him and tell him to get in the cart quick!"  Seriously trying so hard not to laugh, but definitely kept going with it.  "Ok, let's look."  Every cart, "It's not that kid.  They are in the cart. Not that kid...." etc. We found a kid 7ish that was walking.  Oh no!  There he is!"  He's been super good at Costco since. :)

I've been coaching personal prayers a little better, so we've been starting with things we are grateful for and some things we can ask for before we pray.  Tonight I asked Michael what he was grateful for and he said, "My box.  You, Mommy.  Daddy.  Luke.  But not Spencer, he cries alot. Sometimes sister."

Spencer started solids this week and we had some of those super dissolving puffs.  Michael had one in his hand about to eat it and Isabelle told Michael they were only for babies.  If he ate one, and he would turn back into a baby.  He asked me if it was true.  (Yep, the evil mom in me went with that one too.  I get so sick of the kids eating those things for the 2 weeks I buy them.)  Anyway, I agreed.  Isabelle giggled and said, "then why am I still big? I ate 2 of them." So I said it took a few days.  Tomorrow she would wake up only 5. He looked at me with the biggest scared eyes.  "I don't want to be 3 tomorrow.  I brought this over for Spencer, and he shoved it in Spencer's mouth."

He is NEVER sick.  The whole family gets things and it just completely skips him.  He will occasionally get a cold, but has never really been sick.  We got a stomach bug recently and Michael actually got it.  It was the WORST night I've ever had with a sick kid.  He was ridiculous, whiney, stubborn, and all sorts of other words.   I was unbelievably grateful that he rarely gets sick. We ended up sleeping together on the couch.  It was the better alternative to changing sheets all night.  The next day he was so sweet to me.  He was loving and kind and thoughtful. When it's just the two of us, he is so sweet. I love my "Michael moments."

Michael had the hiccups tonight.  He tried everything to get rid of them.  I told him sleep was the best option. Later he got out of bed and asked me to check his head. I asked why.  "I have a hiccup bug in my hair giving me the hiccups.  Will you get it out?"  I pretended to find something and told him it's gone.  Then he hiccuped again and told me there was another bug in there.  I pretended to find another one. After another hiccup, he decided that now that the bugs were gone, he could sleep and they would be gone in the morning.

I love kids!

Getting Out

We've been spending lots of time at parks lately. It's been a cold wet winter around here limiting our outdoor usage. It's been SO pretty finally! 

Mike's Vacation

Mike wanted to take the family to Utah for a ski trip in January.  This boy NEEDS snow. And he was pretty burned out at work. After looking at all the logistics I made a decision that he was welcome to go skiing alone and I'd hang out here in my hot Florida winter.  I DON'T need snow.  Haha!  Then this trip with his cousin and uncle came along and he decided to do it instead of skiing. He went with a group of 5 other guys. He had an absolute blast! 

He went to Antigua, Guatemala.  They spent their time at a resort, on a boat fishing all day, pool side by evening. The resort was all inclusive so even though he doesn't drink, he still tried to get his money's worth in lots of virgin drinks by the pool. 

Overlooking the city

The city square with the fountain and big church.

Mike and Alan catching fish.  These things are HUGE!

This was what he did in between reeling them in. 

Mike, Ricky, and Marcus

They had one day bumming around Guatemala City.  They went to the temple.

 And the MTC

 Flying out

He had a blast.  He had free WiFi at the resort so we got to Skype him most nights which was the only way I made it through our tough week. Definitely a perk I wasn't expecting. He came home tan, bearded, and relaxed. He works so hard for us and things at work with the merger have been crappy.  I'm so glad he was able to go and enjoy some time off! He definitely deserved it!

The Switch

Spencer only sucks his right thumb, it's changed this gum line on just that side.  Mike wants to try to get Spencer to use a paci instead.  This is proving to be tricky because the only times he sucks his thumb is in his bed or car seat. Apparently it's going....well.

My Sleeping Beauties

I find it ridiculous that my children can't share rooms. Isabelle and Spencer share, but the other two boys are just plain trouble.  Michael wakes everyone up way too early, Luke keeps everyone up. Isabelle goes with the flow, but needs LOTS of sleep. I have tried so many times and even give it a few weeks but finally throw in the towel for the sake of a happier home. Last weekend they were begging to have a sleep over.  So I let them.  Madness. Absolute madness until 10.  I figured I should see this through for the week of spring break to see if we can consolidate sleeping arrangements to two bedrooms. We are 5 nights in.  It is still a disaster.  Almost every night, someone ends up getting sent to their own bed. Even minus one from the equation, the remaining two still doesn't work. I think in the long run Michael will make the cut sharing the bed with Isabelle for a little while and we can finally keep the trundle mattress off our office floor. Toddlers are just trouble when it comes to bedtime.  And then there was a light at the end of the tunnel. So cute. 

Then there is this perfection.  If you have never had the pleasure of a thumb sucker, you are seriously missing out!  He loves to hold his little blanket in one hand and suck his thumb on the other and he falls right to sleep,  and for the most part stays asleep, or falls back to sleep quickly if he does wake up.  He's a full 12 hour sleeper at night with 3 good naps. He is loving spring break.  He hasn't gotten woken up from a single nap to be put in his car seat!