Mom and Dad Were Hiding This From Me

Livi has finally discovered the great outdoors. By great outdoors I mean our 8000 square foot lot, but when you are barely over 2 feet tall, that's a lot of space to explore. Last summer she was still a tiny baby, and all winter we were pretty snowed in, so now that Spring has sprung we have been spending more time playing in the yard. Livi screams every time we come in. The look on her face is accusatory almost as if she is saying "You have been keeping THIS from me! What the heck!). She is a natural swinger, holding on like a pro. I was trying to get some leaves raked up when I looked over and she had climbed the climbing wall side of the swing set and was sitting poised to go down the slide. She looked at me, almost like she was daring me, and as I started to run over to her she launched herself down the slide. She is only 17 months old, and she just went down like it was nothing. She rocketed off the end and landed on her bottom, but got up and laughed so hard I thought she would fall over again. Now it is all I can do to make sure she goes down safely, forget about actually getting something done outside!

Nothing says kidnapping and slavery like wearing green

So we were having a fun Saint Patrick's Day (confused about the title, look it up, he's not even Irish), and thought I would share some of our fun through pictures. Ella and I painted our fingernails green. Ella made sure everyone had green on their clothes. It was her own version of the "green police." We had lots of green food too: Green Naniamo Bars 7-Layer Jello with Green on top (thank you Melissa!). For dinner I made green crust for pizza. Ella loved all the green at the beginning of the day, but by the end was asking "why does everything always have to be green..." in a nice whiny voice. Poor Bell. They need a day when everything is Pink (Valentines doesn't count because there is too much red, according to Ella).

We Love Dad (but not Mom)

Maybe some day it wont hurt so much. Maybe one day my kids will like me as much, but until then Dad is the clear favorite. When Eric gets home everyone is happy. They race to the door, jump all over him, and beg for him to play. It's hard to be the parent that no one likes, that is in charge of most of the discipline, chores, and limiting of favorites (i.e. chocolate and tv) It's hard that Livi has been able to say "Dad" since she was 8 months old, but still at 17 months refuses to say "Mom." It's hard that the kids fight to have Eric read them their bedtime stories. But on the same hand it is so nice. It is nice that my kids love their dad. It is nice that Eric knows our kids. He knows their favorite colors, favorite characters, favorite animals, what they are scared of, what worries them. Not all kids are lucky to have dads like that, so maybe Eric is my favorite too.

Need a Good Laugh? Ethan to the Rescue

I was cleaning off my counter (I know, shocker) when I encountered some of Ethan's drawings that I had set aside. He is such a prolific drawer (I threw away about 100 pictures just from that last couple of days, I am a bad mom, but I just can't keep them all) but these were some I had really got a kick out of.
The first is a food store in the middle of the jungle. It is run by an ocelot and has food in bins at the bottom for bunnies, gerbils, and hamsters (yes, even gerbils in the jungle have to eat). In the middle of the store is the food for the carnivores, with bones and meat for their enjoyment. At the top is my favorite, a chalkboard with the specials of the day written on it. For this week the specials are: Sunday - Meat, Monday - Bones, Tuesday - Everything. Awesome!
The second picture is of the X-Men. Ethan was playing with a Wolverine toy he's had for a while and started asking about the other X-Men. He has an X-Men backpack so he knew a few, but he wanted to know more. He would ask about their hair and powers, and came up with there interpretations of them. From left: Beast, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, and Professor X. The third picture is a scene that Ethan thought would happen in one of the X-Men movies. Storm and Wolverine are talking to Professor X. The 2nd frame at the bottom has Wolverine ask "Could we get some pe..pep...siep?" Ethan said he stuttered because he was nervous. I can just wee a nervous Wolverine asking for permission to get some Pepsi, can't you? (Don't know why Ethan is obsessed with Pepsi. We don't drink Pepsi, he's never had it, but for some reason whenever he talks about soda it is always Pepsi. He's even told people I love Pepsi, but I think he means root-beer. That's a great conversation at church!)

It's Not Easy Being Lois Lane

Okay so I'm not a successful reporter, but some days I feel like the Lois Lane to Eric's Superman. I sit at home doing things that feel important, immersed in my own life, expecting him to pay attention and act like he is interested in the petty goings on, all the while he is out there saving the world. I'm sure Lois and Superman had conversations like ours:
Me: "Can you believe that Ethan is suppose to read 20 books this month. Every day he comes home and has to work on spelling and reading. When is he allowed to be a kid and run around? The bathroom is leaking again. I really wish you would look at that pipe again. I feel so lonely, why can't you throw the "conversation ball" back to me once in a while? I am so tired of playing the piano at church. My bottom hurts after sitting on a piano bench for 4 hours on Sunday, plus I hate practicing boring music all week long...etc. So, how was your day?"

Eric: "I was able to terminate the parental rights of some parents that had sexually abused their children, they were living in 2 ft of dog poo and the youngest child hadn't been bathed in 2 years. The judge was going to send them back home, but my well written brief convinced him to change his mind. My boss and the Attorney General of the State both called to tell me they were proud. Oh, and I was able to get them adopted by a neurosurgeon and his professor wife who is giving up teaching to give them a loving stable home. So tell me some more about practicing the piano."

Me: "Ummmmmmmmmm, never mind."

You may think I am exaggerating, but this is basically the balance of our conversations (and the Attorney General thing really happened). It's hard to complain about the little things when Eric sees so much worse and is literally changing children's lives. He may not get paid as much as some Skeezy ambulance chaser lawyers, but I doubt Clark Kent was rolling in dough either.
I've been trying to do things that I feel are a little more of a .... hmmmmm...... contribution to our society, however locally it may be. I had the opportunity to play the piano for some kids in our ward for our Middle School orchestra recital. I thought "great, culture in Scottsbluff." Well, our piece turned out well, the rest I may have had to look at the program to see what piece was playing, but it was fun to feel apart of something outside of my home. They may have spelled my name wrong, it may have only been for 2 minutes, and I may have hit some wrong notes, but I had a blast! (kind of sad, but there it is, I am Lois Lane).

Here Come the Princess Girls

They came in the mail. Ella was so excited! Livi caught the feeling, the fever if you will. They both danced around on their toes as I opened the box, and as I pulled out the silky pink material they both squealed. Then I handed the dress to Ella and Livi collapsed on the floor in a puddle of screams. Luckily there was another, smaller dress in the box. After convincing Livi that the dress would be best put on with help (instead of her preferred method of shoving arm holes over her head) we had two ecstatic (that's a fancy word for happy) little princesses running around the house. It was not fun when I finally made them take off the dresses, and they have asked several times (well Ella asked, Livi points at it and then screams at me) if they can wear them again. I am trying to wait for Julia's wedding so the dresses still look nice, but we will see if my will or my eardrums win out.Here is what the dresses look like with my bridesmaid dress fabric.

Happiness is a Warm Lap

Livi is getting to that "wonderful" stage when she wants to do EVERYTHING herself. I've always enjoyed giving her a bottle because it is the only time of the day she will actually sit still and cuddle. I was so sad when a couple of weeks ago she started taking the bottle from me and feeding herself. Luckily she still wants a nice lap to sit on while she enjoys her "leche."

The Darker Side of a 4 Year Old Mind, or Just Optimistic?

We were in the car on the way to Ethan's parent teacher conference when Ethan started asking about Heaven. He said "I want to know what Heaven looks like." Ella answered in a cheerful voice, "Don't worry, you'll know soon!"

Do You See What I See?

I was at Ella's preschool today to help with their castle pretend play area. Livi and I were spending the time while the kids were singing their songs playing with the little doll house Mrs Hessler has in the room. This is a very cute 1950's era doll house, just like my Grandma Donna has. The figures are little plastic replicas that say "mother," "father," "little sister," etc. Imagine my suprise when I was lining up the figures and I found this one. Is it just me or is this a naked woman with just a towel around her waist. Her expression tells me that she was just as surprised as I was! I felt a little badly when Mrs. Hessler asked what I was taking pictures of and I showed her the figurine. She was aghast that the kids could have been playing with it. I don't know. Maybe I am seeing things that aren't there. Maybe it is a very cold woman, running in a skirt, with no shoes on, who just stepped on a tack and that is why she is making that face. Could be...

Bucket Head

I guess if my head fit in this bucket I might consider wearing it as a hat too!

3 Ways to Bowl, or Oh My Gosh, How are These My Kids

Now I like bowling, it's not my favorite past-time, but every once in a while I think it is "good fun" (yes, I turned into a stodgy 1960's old man). For all the enjoyment bowling has given me I have never had any of the reactions my kids displayed this last trip bowling:


I guess Ethan is in the "I could care less" category. I know his rolls were a little slow, but to just turn your back and enjoy a candy while waiting shows a real lack of enjoyment.


Ella falls into the "SO Very Competitive" category. She would run up, get in position, and if she knocked down less than 5 pins was upset.


Livi falls into more of the "I can't believe you get to throw things for fun" category. Listen for the laugh, it's faint, but there!

7 Layer Dinner and the "Look"

I haven't had 7 layer bean dip in a while, and was missing it. I always relate 7 layer bean dip with my favorite roomie, Laurel. Laurel understood the appeal. Eric, not so much. I laid the bean dip (made entirely from scratch, even the refried beans) on the counter and called everyone to dinner. Eric is not a big talker, and he knows better than to complain about something I actually cooked, but he gave me a "look". This "look" said more than Eric had said aloud to me all day. The "look" said:
"Bean dip for dinner? Are you kidding me? Bean dip is not a meal, it is a side dish! Where is the real food?"
I felt a little cowed by the "look" I hurried and pulled a pineapple from the fridge and cut it up. In that moment, the "look" made me miss Laurel. Laurel understood bean dip for dinner. It has protein (beans), veggies, dairy, carbs (chips). What is missing? Laurel was also good at understanding doughnuts for dinner, cupcakes for dinner and cinnamon bears for dinner. Laurel I miss you!

Liv-In-The-Box

I know it's mean, but when Livi got in the diaper box and got stuck, I didn't run to her aid. It was just so funny I grabbed the camera instead. It won't put me in the Mom-of-the-Year running, but I do have these funny pictures and video to share. Worth it!

Here Comes The Bride

What a fast, fun, amazing weekend. After Julia announced she was engaged on Sunday, decided to go wedding dress shopping on that Saturday, so on Wednesday I decided I wanted to be there. I only have one little sister, and she would only pick out a wedding dress once, so I wanted to be there. My wonderful friend Melissa watched the girls Friday afternoon so I could leave a little earlier, so I got to Provo Friday evening, spent all day Saturday going from dress shop to dress shop, and had a wonderful time. We found the most amazing dress ever for her that made me cry seeing her in it. It is soooo Grace Kelly and she is the perfect everything for the dress. I am not posting the picture, (who knows, her fiance, McKay, may be as addicted to my blog as my Mom and Joan are) but I am putting some of the wonderful, but not perfect dresses she considered. The trip was too short, but I did get to listen to some great books in the car, and it's amazing how the trip took 2 hours less when I didn't have little kids (or a husband :) ) in the car with me!

6 Kids, 2 Parents, and a Dog

We were lucky enough to have the Bagley kids spend the night at the beginning of the month while Melissa and Chad went to celebrate Melissa's birthday. From Friday afternoon to Saturday night we had 3 sets of twins and a dog. It was TOTALLY AWESOME! (imagine the hamster from "Bolt" saying that) The older kids were pretty self sustained. They would run off and play with their partner and resurfaces when they needed something. Carter and Livi were so much fun. Eric and I were able to each take a baby and so it was completely manageable. Friday night was interesting. It was a first sleepover for all our kids, so we had some excited kids on our hands. They are all such good kids though, that all it took was me sitting in the room for 5 minutes (and interrupting the block city that was being built) for the girls to drop off to sleep, and boys just needed a few reminders (really, how can you interrupt such funny conversations). Saturday we had fun going to McDonalds, making Valentine's cookies, watching Monsters vs. Aliens, and just playing with friends! At the end I'm not sure who was more excited to see Melissa, Carter or Bentley, the dog. Speaking of Bentley, it was SOOOOOOO fun to have a dog on loan. Sunday morning I woke up and missed having the cute little bundle around my feet and on my lap. Even Ethan ran up stairs, looked around and remarked "Where is Bentley?"Here are a couple of random pictures: Me with Livi, who wanted to sit on my lap and read a book, and Bentley who wanted to sit on my lap and eat the book. Carter loved all the necklaces around the house. I swear I would take one off of him, turn around for a second, and he would have found another. I never let them stay on, but I had to get a picture of how happy he looked wearing the "pirate treasure."Eric loved having the warm little body to nap with. Notice where Bentley is and where Ethan is. They are BESIDE each other Yeah, progress! Now here is one of my all time favorite videos. Eric was playing with the babies (they are only 4 weeks apart) and they LOVED it.
Thank you Bagleys, we had a great time!

Creative Ways to Increase Fluid

Well, we've had an "interesting" couple of weeks. 2 weeks ago I had all three kids home ALL week because of GI illness. It was not the most fun, and I will not tell you all the "joys" I had. (most involve various types of cleaning gross things up) Ella never ended up getting sick, but Ethan and Livi were hit really hard. Finally we felt like we were back to normal this last week, and the kids resumed their school (YEAH!) and various activities. On Wednesday night Livi started throwing up (which she hadn't done the week before) and had some other fun symptoms, and we ended up in the ER again (I don't like the ER. We seem to end up there a lot, because my kids get super sick at night, and the nurses at Denver's Children Hospital tell me to go. So far every time we've gone there HAS been something wrong. Sorry, just feel defensive). After a thoroughly traumatic x-ray where Livi looked and felt like a baby stuck in a well, we found out she had gotten a bladder infection from all the GI gunk. Lucky baby.
So super long story to lead up to these videos. Livi was placed on a clear liquid diet for a day and was hating it. She didn't want sippy cups, and all she wanted was whatever I was eating (I took to hiding in the stairwell to eat). We took a break from crying and watching videos to give Ella a bath. Livi was in the bathroom with us, and pulled the stool over to the sink herself. After screaming repeatedly at me I finally turned on the water to let her play a little and here is what she did:

Thank You "The Rock"

A BIG thank you to Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson for your upcoming film "The Tooth-fairy." My kids have seen the previews and now I have the joy (and Eric has the chagrin) of these wonderful photos of Ethan and Ella dressing up like tooth-fairies (the backpack and pig pillow are their wings):

Cherub Hair

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, all the kids in my family have at least wavy, if not curly hair. Eric has siblings that have curly hair. My hair is wavy, but Eric's is straight, so I always kind of wondered what our kids hair would be like. I know things will change as they get older, but it's fun to take note now. Ethan has body in his hair, but not real curl. Ella has ram-rod straight hair. Livi...well, it's been too short to tell, until recently. I've noticed when she gets out of the bath that her hair has beautiful blond curls. I thought it was a fluke, just a trick of the towel, so today I tried putting a little product in her hair and these are the results: If you click on the photos you can see the sweet curls a little better. It was cute that even her ponytail was curly. Of course, as soon as I took the picture she begged to get up on my lap, and promptly rubbed her head all over my arm, taking out most of the curls. I guess she could only stand looking like an angel for 2 minutes.

Videos Back From the Abyss

I've been going through all our pictures and videos, copying things onto our external hard drive, and an online service (no, I'm not obsessive) since our computer keeps threatening to die a horrible death. As I was searching through all the videos I found a couple that I thought were pretty funny and submit them to you for your viewing pleasure.
This first video is from our trip to Disneyland over Thankmus. Mom, Dad, Livi, Ebby and I were waiting for the others as they went on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Livi had barely napped all day and was a little slap happy. Poor Ebby is such a good little sleeper...

Next we have Ella and Ethan being silly. Okay, Ella is telling a story and Ethan is doing the silliest dancing ever. (technically this isn't long lost, it was today).

Last we have a video of Livi, who loves to help, but isn't very good at it...

Meeting Bentley

We got to spend Saturday with the Bagleys, which was awesome since we haven't seen them in a while with all the vacations and illnesses. We went to the zoo to see the new baby meerkats (so cute!) then came back for dinner and Melissa's yummy cookies. We were so lucky that they were able to bring their cute puppy, Bentley, who after spending hours cuddled up in a cave of pillows on the couch, finally felt comfortable to come down and play a little. Ethan gave him a passing pat, Ella actually would pose with him, but Livi was obsessed. She wouldn't actually pet him, but she wanted to be where she could look at him. When he got off the couch she ran over to Melissa's purse and started pulling things out and "giving" them to (ie throwing at) Bentley. Oh well, her heart was in the right place.