Missing Crayons

My patience was wearing thin tonight with Ellie. I went into her room and discovered a box of 64 crayons about 3/4 of the way empty and no pile of crayons in sight. I politely asked her where the crayons were because I'm sure the boys will find them and eat them if they're lying on the floor somewhere. Ellie's quick reply was that she has no idea where a pile of 50 crayons could be...someone must have taken them. Someone must have taken them...! I was searching for the crayons, and getting more and more exasperated with Ellie when my sister Alaina called. She finds this story hilarious. She thinks it's funny that "someone must have taken them." It made me stop and think that maybe I shouldn't be yelling at my four year old about a pile of crayons I know she's hidden so she doesn't have to clean them up. I should just be laughing too. Lesson learned...

Earlier this week my nephew was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I've had tender feelings all week and have been a little on edge. I'm grateful that my sweet kids are healthy and happy. I'm going to try to chill out and not worry about the missing piles of crayons in my life because who really cares, right?


Someone must have taken them...where does she come up with it? Sheesh...

Happy Birthday Eric!

Eric never lets me forget that I'm 4 months older than him. He loved being only 28 when I was so much older at 29. Well today he catches up! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Eric!
Last Saturday we went to Rodizio to celebrate. It was a fun loud time with Eric's family, Ellie, and the boys. Ellie ate her whole dinner, which consisted of mashed potatoes and rice, with her tongs. They boys were into everything as usual.
Eric picked out a Therma Rest pad to take on his backpacking trips as his birthday present. He's already looking forward to using it on the 3rd Annual Cook Family Wind Rivers trip.
We sure do love Eric and appreciate everything he does for our family. Happy 29th Birthday!

Eric's favorite gift.

Eric and the kids opening presents. Ellie made him a beautiful card.

Ellie and her dinner utensil of choice.

Here is our little family at Rodizio.

Utter Insanity

Shouting, spitting, crying, utter insanity... must be mealtime. The crying is usually me and Eric. The shouting and spitting is definitely the boys. If David's not shouting at us to get it to his mouth faster, he's spitting it in his hand to check it out and then rubbing it all over his face and hair. I'm so glad when mealtime is over!

Self Photography

I'm guessing Ellie got hold of the camera and took these pictures. I discovered these priceless gems as I uploaded the latest pictures we took on our camera. She's a crack-up!

Valentines Day Snowstorm

We had fun playing in the snow yesterday on Valentines Day. We all went out to watch Eric shovel the driveway. (I had every intention of helping...) He made Ellie a small hill to ride her sled down. It was tiny, but she thought it was great. She also had fun making snow angels. The boys LOVE to go outside. They don't have winter coats or gloves...notice the socks on their hands. They also had fleece jammies under their Nike sweats. They had fun on the sled, but John was not loving the snow on his face. They played for a minute, but were the most happy bundled up in their stroller to watch their sister run wild.

Eric did great for Valentines Day. He got me and Ellie a gift certificate to get pedicures. We can't wait to go! Also he got me some shoes to go hiking in. I think he has 4 or 5 hiking excursions planned already.

Tony Grove Snowmobiling

I went snowmobiling this week at Tony Grove in Logan Canyon. We had a great ride. I went with Matt Groll, a friend from the MBA program, along with his neighbor and a coworker. We were all amazed by how warm it was up there. The snow was not the greatest, but we had fun anyway.

I didn't get a picture, but Matt showed all of us how not to turn out of a hill climb. After rolling 4 or 5 times, we were all amazed that his sled still ran, and he rode it the rest of the day. Really, the only casualty was the windshield.

We rode up on top above Tony Grove Lake and looked down into White Pine Lake. The pictures below are from the top looking down into Smithfield Canyon (I think). What a view.

Getting Into Mischief

David needs to learn to leave the scene of the crime. The pictures in this entry show little David getting caught being mischievous, when his brother was always in on the fun. John has learned the art of a quick get-away.

Here is David surrounded by every bag of cereal in the closet. Luckily, the only one he could get open was the Cheerios. By the time I got there with the camera, John was under the kitchen table.

They love to open the drawer on the oven. Usually they just stand there and look at their reflection, but this time David crawled inside. His accomplice was under the table again.

They are into everything, and the fun's just getting started!

Reward

We have been working with Ellie for months (years) to get her to sleep in her own bed. She is in the habit of coming into our bed in the night and wiggling, kicking, and crowding one of us out. We have tried everything to get her to stop... charts, prizes, threats...everything. Finally, we told her that if she slept in her own bed for a week we'd take her to Chuck E. Cheese. The reward must have been worth it to her because she FINALLY did it! We went last Saturday and she had a blast. Her cousins, Uncle Mike, Aunt Alaina, and Grandma Jean all came with us to celebrate. She loved playing the games and getting tickets.

Ellie had a great time!

The boys love to be included in the fun.

Here's Owen showing off his bike riding skills.

Here's David doing his famous "hat" trick!

Since her reward things have gone a little down hill. She's had a couple of fits in the night about laying by someone. She knows she can't come in our bed so she wants someone to come in her room. It's SO frustrating! Also, don't go to Chuck E. Cheese on Saturday night unless you're prepared for a wait!

5 Addictions

Here is little David with new Carters jammies and my empty Dr. Pepper.

I was tagged by Camille. I tag Candace, Mandy, Abby, Natalie, and Melissa.
I must have an addictive personality because this tag was pretty easy for me!

1. I'm addicted to Eric, Ellie, David and John. To Eric because he's ridiculously handsome, to Ellie because she's a great companion, to the babies because they're so darn cute.
2. A recent addiction is Diet Dr. Pepper. Gotta have it!
3. The number of TV shows I'm addicted to is a little embarrassing so here are the top 3:
LOST, The Office, and Heroes. How I wish Eric didn't hate LOST. I need someone to talk it over with.
4. The new Carters store in Riverdale. Someone keep me away from there!
5. I'm addicted to losing weight. Too bad I suck at it! I'm love to hear the newest weight loss trends and how other people are doing it. Someday I'll find something that works for me!