Little Miss Naughty

Look at all the fun things I have learned over the last few weeks.
I can climb the stairs. I especially like the point where both sets of stairs meet. I think it makes mom nervous. . .
Aren't I so cute! I can climb all 11 steps up to the next level of the house. What an adventure!
Look how helpful I am. Flushing the potty is fun. . .
but not as fun as this roll of toilet paper.
Hello world! Here I am and I am ready to explore!!!

One of those days. . .

Do you ever have one of those days where things just don't turn out right?

Misc. Update

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the past month. I can't believe how quickly my kids are growing. I figured I needed to post these for posterity. . . I love Connor's smile. Just watching him makes me smile.
One of Parker's latest interests is the Thumb Wrestling Federation. Little boys. Go figure.
Parker and his best friend in the whole world. As much work as that dog is, pictures like this make it worth it.
This picture was caught at the perfect moment. Avie loves her brothers so much, and her brothers LOVE to make her laugh.
All three of my sweeties!!!
Avie, the crawler. Yes, that's right. My life is now over because my baby can crawl. She has even figured out the few stairs that separate my family room and dining room. She is getting big way too fast.
This is Avie being helpful. Can't you see what she is saying with this look. "Hey Mom. Look at how helpful I am. Now the dog can eat his food off of the floor!"
Who doesn't love Vanilla Wafers?

We Work REAL Hard. . .

My mother-in-law is getting ready to speak to the Relief Society sisters in her ward. In her preparation for her talk, she has been going over a few of her favorite sayings. As we have talked about them, there are three that stick out in my mind.

1. Every YES is a NO to something else.

2. Everything will be alright in the end. If it's not alright, it IS NOT the END.

3. We work real hard, and then we die.

I have been feeling a little overwhelmed by life. There is so much to do. Some of the things on my to do list are fun, some I dread, some are things that are just going to get undone within hours of my hard work. . . The list could go on and on. I am sure my list is no different than the rest of yours. Now, I will admit that quite a few things on this list are fun and wonderful things, but the list has gotten so long that the pressure of getting everything done is almost too much to handle.

I had an epiphany last night as I was thinking about these sayings. First of all, if life is about working hard until we die, doesn't that make a good attitude EVERYTHING!!!! And second, how do I teach my kids to have fun while they work?



My new goal. . .


Adjusting my attitude.
Let's face it. Life is work. Hard work. My Mom used to say that you can choose to be happy or choose to be misrable. The choice is yours. I am realizing just how true those words are. Hopefully a good attitude is contagious and hopefully my children (and myself) will catch on quickly. After all, work is good. Work is fullfilling, but it is a little hard to feel great with a bad attitude.

What do you think?

My Sister, the Alien

I am finding that long, stringy baby hair tangles easy. (Thank heavens for detangler!) I have found that Avie gets fewer knots in her hair if I put it in piggy tails. However, her hair isn't long enough to STAY in piggy tails all day. Her bangs fall out or the back comes loose through out the day. I thought I would try 3 piggy tails today just to see if we had any better luck with three. Admittedly, I wasn't too sure I liked the 3 piggy tail look, so I asked Parker what he thought of it.

Me: "Parker, what do you think of Avie's hair?"
Parker: "Not good."
Me: "Not good? Why not?"
Parker: "She looks like an alien."

Sometimes 5 year-olds say it best. I had to laugh.


I realize I haven't updated my blog in a very long time so, here are a few extra pictures. This picture is actually of Avie's very first pig tail back in early December.

While I am still discussing hair exploits, this is her very first curler experience. (I just love the expressions on her face.) This picture is followed by the post curler experience. I didn't keep the curlers in long enough, but it did give it a little life. I think she was so excited to have the curlers out at this point.

Parker is getting so big. He just had is 5th birthday. Can you believe it? My baby boy is 5! He doesn't understand why he can't go to Kindergarten yet, even though he is 5 now. I haven't quite been able to convince him that his Kindergarten class will start in the fall. This is his favorite picture as of late. He just loves this dog! He told me I needed to take this picture because he and Mokie were on a date. I am sure he won't want to date is dog forever, but I am sure glad he enjoys him so much.
Connor is getting very big. I can't believe all that he is learning in school. I looked at him the other day and though to myself, "Holy Crap!!! How did he get this big?" I don't know when he grew up, but he did it pretty sneakily. I think he might possibly be missing more teeth than he has in his mouth. The new teeth coming in are definitely adult teeth. He is such a great kid!
My three crazy kids. So happy, so loud, and loving life to the fullest. Good times.

Ode to My Ignorance

Just the other day I was recalling a conversation with a co-worker while I was pregnant with my first child. We were talking about the possibilities of working from home after my baby was born. I always assumed I would work from home one way or another. I remember my co-worker, a seasoned mother of three, trying to explain how difficult that actually is. I also distinctly remember replying with something like, "I am sure it would be a bit difficult, but kids take naps. Right?"

I also recall another conversation with a good friend about how she couldn't even find time to read a favorite magazine. I was baffled that she couldn't find 15 minutes take a quick look at a few articles. I must admit to complete ignorance. Little did I know that raising kids would be all-consuming. I must admit to feeling a bit overwhelmed by life. But I also need to assure you that I am loving it. Life has never been more rewarding or complete. Here are a few pictures of what we have been up to lately.

We had a great Halloween. The boys are at ages where it is incredibly fun to dress up and have an adventure. Connor chose to be a vampire this year, and Parker chose to be Wolverine. Neither of them really know who those characters are, but they were insistent anyway. Avie was a little witch.
I have decided that a tu-tu is probably the most versatile part of dressing up for a little girl. Take a tu-tu and pair it with a few simple accessories and you have a witch, a pirate, a ghost, a princess, a ballarina, a fairy. . . The combinations are limitless.
Here are a few pictures of the clothes I bought on my little shopping spree. The boys loved posing for me. Don't they look handsome. (I know the remnants of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are endearing.)
Here is my favorite outfit I bought. I thought this little sweater was to die for, especially paired with the little jeans.
This is outfit number two. We christened the first outfit when Avie's diaper exploded. Have I ever told you how thankful I am for washing machines? With this baby my washer and dryer have been VERY well used. Oh yeah, I am thankful for stain remover too.
Here are a few soccer pictures. Both Connor and Parker spent their Saturday's playing soccer this fall. This is the first year either of them have played. It was fun to watch them learn and grow over this first part of the season. Parker's team was called the Blue Sharks. It was fun to watch five 4 year-old's learn the basics of the game. It will be interesting how much they will have learned at the end of the spring season.
Connor's team is called the American Fireballs. (One of the boys wanted them to be called 'The Flamers' but the coach and I vetoed that one.) Connor has learned so much this season. He has always been naturally athletic. It was fun to watch his progression and the progression of his team. Connor ended the season on a high note when he had a killer break-away play (from one end of the field to another) to make a goal for his team. The fall season of soccer is over and while Jeremy and I are enjoying having our Saturday's freed up, I think the boys will be excited for the season to start up again.
The kids and I had the opportunity to go to the zoo over a school break. We had such a great time seeing all of the animals, riding the train, and riding the new carousel. I've decided that fall is the best time to go to the zoo. The nice cool weather was very refreshing. It was a great outing. Sometimes it is just nice to get out and go. All in all, I'd say that we've had a great fall!

Oh how I LOVE a great deal

I love coming home from shopping feeling like I got a steal of a deal. Tonight, I went to the mall with the purpose of going to Bath and Body Works to buy a few new scents for my room air fresheners. Little did I know that there were some huge Columbus Day sales. I have been meaning to buy the boys a few new pairs of jeans for the fall and winter so, I decided to wander through a few stores. One thing led to another, and by the end of the shopping trip this is what I had found:

For the boys I purchased: 6 pair of pants, 6 long sleeved shirts, 2 pair of fleece pj's and one pair of church shoes.

For Avie, I bought: 2 pajama jumpers, 2 "Carters" outfits, 1 pair of jeans, 1 sweater, 1 skirt and 3 long sleeved shirts.

Everything that I found was at least 50% off, and warm enough to wear through the winter. I bought 24 items of clothing and one pair of shoes for a total of $220 dollars. A few of the pairs of pants were originally $25 dollars marked down to a final clearance of $3! I love a great shopping adventure!!!