Who has more fun Christmas morning. . .really?

Is John having more fun than the kids? You be the judge.



Cute pictures of MJ eating egg whites for the first time!



What a cute little smirk!

Yes, Santa brought her "pol nailish".

Christmas was overall very fun and nice. I was sick today, but we still enjoyed our day. The kids were spoiled rotten and they loved every single minute of it!!

Christmas Eve

Alexis got a hold of the camera and took a self portrait. . . isn't she cute?

John and I looking fabulous, kind of.

John reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. If you could see the kids, you would see that they are eating donuts or the frosting off of them and not paying much attention.

We drove through the festival of lights and Alexis asked if we went through with Grandma Tobi before. Neither John nor I could remember going last year, let alone with Grandma Tobi. So, I called her, sure enough, last year we drove through with her. What a fabulous memory Alexis has.

What do I really do?

In response to the question of how do I do school, kids, husband and house here's my answer:

After two weeks of testing and finals, here's the laundry that didn't make it to the bottom of the stairs, yes, that's right, this picture doesn't show all of it, I'm standing on the rest!
The kids had such a fun time collecting laundry and then flinging it
down the stairs as far as they could. I knew it was bad when Alexis asked
how we were going to get down stairs. Very carefully was the answer!

You'd think it would get easier to do things with no school, but honestly now I just don't have any excuses not to do it. So, how does one go about cleaning while watching the kids? The two older ones are easy enough to con into "cleaning", if throwing clothes down the stairs counts. But Maddie is another story, I discovered measuring cups, or I should say she discovered measuring cups. It bought me an entire thirty minutes! Now if she could only open her mouth wide enough to get it in!

Naughty or Nice?

My little Maddie Jo is six months old! Where does the time go?
She's sitting, rolling, eating and growing so quickly.
This week she fully processed the fact that when she rolls the music makeron her little toy, music will come out. She's been doing it for months but for some reason, it seems to have just clicked that she's the one behind the noise and not one of the other munchkins running around.
She was so excited to get to earth, she wouldn't quit bugging me. I know it sounds odd, but I swear, she wanted to be here yesterday! We're glad she came!

Alexis loves to rub her head on the couch and get static hair.

Steph came over and was playing with A and decided to tip the chair back to scare her. It had the desired effect. She came crying and I asked her if Steph had ever hurt her before or if she thought that Steph would want to hurt her.
Funny me, I assumed hurt meant to physically harm.
Alexis looked at me and said: "yes, she always hurts my feelings"

Drew has turned into a true mischevious boy, oh happy day. Yesterday, I went downstairs and found him covering the wall with his fingers and putting his cute little nose up against the wall too. What an odd position for him to be in I thought as I walked by. And then I noticed the crayon in between his little fingers. Sure enough he was covering up his artwork on my wall. A couple of hours later I found him sitting on the top of a shoe pile he made with his nose pressed up against the wall again, I knew better this time. When I asked what he was hiding he opened his little hands and there was pen all over them. Better than my wall!!

We are giving out chocolate candy bars for neighbor gifts, and D found this one all on his own! I found him sitting on the floor hiding his chocolate prize!

Weaknesses

Who would have thought that children learn from such an early age? I have a weakness, I admit it, only one though. . . I love to eat Pillsbury cookie dough, raw. I thought that this was something that I could keep to myself and enjoy, seeing as John thinks it is nasty raw. I went to get myself a cookie today and this is what I found . . .

you'll notice that there are no more cookies. I know I didn't eat them I'd been pretty good recently, what with John having bought 28 Hershey's with almond biggie sized bars to give out as neighbor gifts. My own little treat was not to be, Alexis and Drew loved every last one, especially Alexis who said that three in one day wouldn't make her sick but five would! Oh well, I'll have to find something else . . . mint Millano, nope, John likes them, chocolate candy, nope everyone including Madison likes that, Rocky Road icecream? Ha ha, the kids don't like nuts in their icecream and as long as I buy John his own, it's all mine!!

John came home from scouts and took the kids down to the toy room to play, such a sweet husband you think? He truly is, but he has ulterior motives. 8:30 came and I realized they were still playing. Odd, I thought, John is usually all over the 8:00 bed time, the sooner the better. I made my way down stairs and what did I find? Happy children, check, happier husband, check. They were still up because John found a way to watch his basketball game without having mommy telling him the kids need to go to bed. Don't worry, as soon as the game ended the kids were in bed!

Mr. Sandman forgot our house

What do you do at 2:03 am? I bet you're snuggled up in your nice warm bed dreaming of the sugar plum fairy or something equally as nice. For some reason, tonight is the night of childhood problems. First, Alexis woke up and was having a hard time going back to sleep, or so I thought. The third time I went in, I realized she was sleep talking. After a few minutes I was able to get that she was very upset that Drew had ripped her last piece of bread. Don't bother asking, it doesn't make sense to me either. Anyway, she was holding it in her little hands, nothing was there, with tears running down her face because it was the last piece and he'd ripped it. I thought maybe I could figure out where this was coming from so I asked her if there was any more, she jumped out of bed and went out her door and started crying even harder because it was all gone. I promised we'd make more bread tomorrow, which is now today, that seemed to make her happy and after she said a prayer, she remembered to say that she loves barbies and princesses, she finally went to sleep for the night.
I remember thinking, ahhh a nice warm bed just for me. Sadly, it still is not to be. Madison woke up and I figured since I was awake I'd go ahead and feed her so that I could sleep without interruption for a longer stretch. Honestly, I should know better by now. I fed, she fell asleep and then pooped. I can't leave my baby in a dirty diaper so I changed her x5, she's slightly backed-up. Two hours later and countless small feedings and Madison and I were still very awake. John woke up came and took her and promptly rocked her to sleep. Heavenly you think? Ha Ha Ha. He can get her to sleep, but can't put her in bed without her waking up. So, he gives her back to me. With her amazing sense of smell she decides that she can't sleep in my arms without eating, again, there's nothing left. Luckily she's tuckered out and she only whines for a moment when I put her in bed. So now, my warm bed is calling and as much as I love my little girls and their cute little hands and cheeks, I'm going to find a happy place in my dreams and let John hear them next time!!

Mom in training

I've decided that if you ever need to know what you sound like or act like, you just need to listen to your toddlers. This morning Alexis woke up and I told her to go play her games on the computer. She came back a little bit later and said that the computer wasn't working. Odd I thought, she's been gone for a little while, but maybe I miscalculated and I haven't been sleeping as long as I thought. Nope, I was right. She then tells me she "accidentally" painted her fingernails. Like I would be believe it was an accident. The best part is. . .I was telling John this story while I was making breakfast and Alexis is listening to it. When I get to the "pol nalish" story Alexis says: "Don't tell him that!" She had the same voice inflection that I do when I say that to John. Oh, it made us laugh like Santa and his big belly!

Sunday oops' and prayers

John took the kids to the basement so that I could go upstairs and study for the two finals and a test I have to take on Tuesday, what a sweet husband, I know. Anyway, while I was studying Alexis came in and asked if she looked cool. Of course she does! She then proceeded to get out her "homework" so that she could be with me. Her homework consists of getting paper and anything to write with and then writing the letters of her name. She does pretty well for a three year old, but I have yet to convince her that putting them in order is the best idea. She likes to write Axlise or some variation on the last three letters.

Friday evening John was coming home from work and we were talking on the phone. Anyone with children knows that as soon as you pick up a phone, the noise begins.
Be it crying, needing help, wanting you for something that very second, or some variation, it ALWAYS happens the moment you get on the phone. And if you think you're in the clear and you've covered your bases before hand, think again!!




Back to the story, while we were talking I put Madison on my legs like an airplane to keep her content while I was talking. Alexis decided that since I couldn't go anywhere, it was the perfect time to do my hair. Read: pull, yank, tear and overall hurt my poor head.
Drew decided that climbing under the airplane and elbowing parts of the body that don't appreciate hard bony things being shoved into them would be a fabulous idea.
Not to be outdone, Madison decided to drool all over me because I couldn't do anything about it.
So, my head was in pain, my torso was being pulverized
and I was getting spit on.
It really was great! I know it sounds weird, but I get to be at home with my kids and let them do all this to me and I can do it. I don't have some big problem where I can't get down and play with my kids. I was laughing uncontrollably because I was in such pain and yet it was so funny.
Never thought I'd say I was enjoying that did you?

Today was Jacob's baby blessing, he's Matt and Angie's newest addition. It was a very nice blessing. The part that will stick out the most to me was that when it was time to bless him, he was not there to be blessed. Angie came flying in a couple minutes afterwards and he was blessed after sacrament. I've never been at a baby blessing where the baby isn't there on time, I loved it! That is just what happens during life when you have a baby, and since she seems like the perfect mom, it made me feel good to know that she's a normal person too!

Yesterday Drew said his first prayer all by himself.
He started it correctly, said that he was thankful for his parents, there might have been something after that, and then he closed it correctly!! We were so proud and he was so excited to have said a prayer all by himself.
After he said the prayer he realized he hadn't said that he loves princess and barbies, that's Alexis' line every single prayer, sometimes the only line. So, he hurried and said it and then reclosed the prayer. What an observant little boy!

The following picture is grotesque and graphic and may not be for sensitive stomachs. I wanted my shelving unit hung last night but it didn't happen. So, I got John to do it today. Because I had him working on a Sunday it couldn't go smoothly, there was a price to pay. John slipped while using the drill and put it through his fingernail, ouch! It is still bleeding pretty well and the throbbing really hasn't stopped yet. Poor guy. On the up side, my shelving unit looks fabulous!

The picture's not that bad is it?