Random Video to Make You Laugh

It is a moment like this that makes me so glad to be a mom. What did we laugh at before we had kids? Oh yes, other people's kids!

Leah turned One! and other things in life...

A little light reading....ON the bookshelf?

My shaggy girl



Kennedy and Jake made some fishing poles to catch those pesky fish that are swimming around my bedroom. Go figure. (I couldn't get it to upload facing the right way)

Caught one!

I was busy in the kitchen and when I came to check on Jake I found this. He had set up a picnic for his animals, complete with a table, "cookies", and utensils. He has a great imagination.

Leah's big day! One year old. I think it's funny that Kennedy is in the background opening Leah's presents, and Leah is trying to open the present her Aunt sent to Kennedy. I guess the grass is always greener...

I love this picure because it captures the essence of Kennedy and Jake....Kennedy regulating the candle-blowing situation, and Jake giving me the "she's doing it again, mom" look.

Leah's rainbow cake. Jake called it her "happy day". I agree.

Leah has a great relationship with the bookcase. It's a great entertainer.

Kennedy and Jake got to camp out in the living room because mom and dad were too tired to set up the tent outside in the cold backyard. Good thing they were willing to compromise.

Missing You

So Brian is leaving Tuesday for Florida for the HPBA (Hearth, Patio & BBQ) show. He won't be home until Saturday. I guess it is a good sign that after almost 11 years of marriage I can say that I already miss him. He is mopey today too, after playing with the kids and knowing how much he'll miss them while he's gone. I think it's cute. One thing that I always knew about Brian was what a good dad he would be. He has definitely proved me right. A million different things come to mind in that regard, but a quick example happened the other night when Leah woke up in the middle of the night crying a sad little cry like she had just had a terrible dream. He rushed to her crib and came back about 10 minutes later. I asked if she was okay and he said, "she just needed her dad." So true.

And on the humerous side, today he was taking a nap on the couch while I played with the kids. Kennedy and Leah were in the other room, when Leah started fussing. Kennedy shouted, "Leah needs help getting out of the toy mess" (she was stuck in the corner where the two couches meet, with toys all around her). Brian shot off the couch like someone had just tazered him and started running in the direction of Leah's voice. When he woke up and looked a little dazed, he said "Leah's stuck in the toilet?!" I just laughed and laughed. What a good dad to jump up when he thought his little girl was stuck in the toilet.

So we'll miss you daddy. Bring us back some Florida sunshine, will you?

Some miscellaneous stuff

No time like the present to update the old blog:

A random photo of Leah, who will be turning one this Friday!Kennedy on her annual sledding trip with "the gals" (her friends who are twin sisters).

Kennedy "sledding" down the mountain near Idaho City. What you don't see is that her dad pushed her down and that when she gets to the bottom, she's going to let him have it!My poor kids. What mother doesn't have coal for eyes, a carrot for a nose and a pipe for a mouth? I guess there is nothing wrong with brocolli eyes, a cucumber nose, and sweetart mouth (thank goodness for old Halloween candy!)

The only problem they had was building the snowman before the snow all melted.

Kennedy busy at work with the Halloween candy. Jake busy at work trying to EAT the old Halloween candy.

I went to check on Kennedy in the bath the other day and this is what I found.

Then there is Jake. Sweet, messy, lovable, funny Jake. He's working hard to learn his words!

Let's just say he enjoys his food....don't ask me what it is he is eating because I have no idea.

This is his "train" and he gets very upset when Leah tries to throw stuff into his train.
Notice how Leah has already unloaded the dishtowel drawer and has moved on to the lid drawer. Hmm.

Then we haveLeah, the shaggy-haired, lightning-handed, free-spirited sweetie that loves to leave a path of destruction in her wake. If you need to find Leah, just follow the piles...

She also loves to tackle her brother and sister.

Funny. After posting all these photos I'm beginning to see why I am so tired by the time the weekend comes :)

My funny daughter

So Kennedy told me last night that today she was going to do anything I asked her to do the first time I asked, so I smiled and said okay. This morning I was changing Leah's diaper on the living room floor and noticed something of Kennedy's that needed to be picked up and asked her to come put it away. She comes dancing in and says, "okay, mom, sure I'll do that!" Then she looks at me and says, "this is like your greatest wish is coming true, huh mom?" I cracked up so hard and just told her how much I love her. She is so funny.

Lucky mom

Leah is the most distracted little eater ever. Even if she's starving, if there is ANYTHING or ANYONE in the room that is even remotely interesting, she won't eat. But if you put her down she'll fuss and chew her hands up like she's starving! Anyway, I was getting ultra frustrated the other day because I knew she was hungry (she hadn't eaten for five hours), I needed to feed her before it was time to take Jake to school because otherwise it would have been another hour before she could eat. But she wouldn't eat. I finally went to her room to feed her in the recliner and I guess I shut her door kind of hard. Kennedy came in and said, "how come you slammed the door mom?" and I just sighed and told her I was frustrated with Leah's eating because it felt like that was all I did some days was try to get her to eat. So Kennedy disappeared for a few minutes and then came back with a giant red heart she had colored just for me. She gave it to me and said, "I know it's hard for you sometimes, Mom, but I still think you're the best mom in the world." Let's just say my eyes were wet and I DID feel like the best mom in the world, but not because of anything I had ever done, but because I was lucky enough to have Kennedy for a daughter, and that she is so insightful and mature for her age in the emotional area; and for that I am very grateful. I felt a lot better after that sweet little gesture and was able to just let the frustration go.

I've had so many people from our ward tell me how much they love Kennedy and when she comes to play how polite she is and thoughtful. They always tell me what a great job I'm doing as a parent, but I have to honestly tell them that it is really just her personality, god-given, that makes her this way. She teaches me so much. Of course she's still just five and she definitely has her moments, but she's entitled to that because, after all, she's just five. Anyway, I just had to share how much I love that little girl and how glad I am to be her mom.

My Date

Today Kennedy had a rough day. It is so easy for her to get lost in the commotion each day of taking Jake to Meridian and feeding/changing/holding Leah. I knew she was at the breaking point when she started crying when I told her I couldn't hold her pencil and use it as a music-leading baton while she sang because I had to feed Leah (yet again). I told her to come to Leah's room and asked her if she needed a mom & Kennedy date. Her face lit up as she said "yes!" and we were off. I took her to the Disney 3-D version of Up. It was a really cute show and she liked it for the most part. By the second hour though she was ready to go home and kept saying she missed Leah and Jake. I figured she was just scared of the scary parts of the movie, and this was confirmed when she even resorted to saying, "mom, I'm really getting sleepy. I'm ready to crawl into bed." I don't think she's ever uttered those words before in her short life! So I had her sit on my lap as we finished watching the movie (hey, I had to get my $23.00 worth out of the show-I wasn't leaving until I saw the end). I convinced her that they would save the day in the end and it always turns out good, so she hung in there with me. Of course after the movie she said she loved it and it was the best date ever. I agree. I loved holding my oldest girl that long without her complaining and wanting to get up. I don't get to do that often anymore, so I relished it while I could. Afterward we made a trip to Target to pick up a few things (Kennedy loves target). Kennedy always comes up with some kind of game to play while we're driving. Tonight it was the "find-the-store-to-match-the-sign" game. If you saw a sign on the side of the road advertising a store, you had to look for that store. It's great reading practice for her. The other night she read an Amelia Bedilia book to me-I was amazed! She is an awesome reader. Tonight she asked me how to spell the word "giant" and when I told her she said, "oh, so it has the word "ant" in it then." She has all these great reading strategies that I used to teach to my third graders! Watching her learn to read and seeing the joy she gets out of it has been one of the most fun things of motherhood so far. It ranks right up there with their first smiles and first "I love you's", which, by the way, Jake has learned to say. He concentrates really hard and says slowly, "I.....lub....you" It is the absolute best. I love being a mom. Leah is still loving chewing on her hands like they were made of sugar. Today she even started growling while she was doing it. It made her laugh when I growled back at her. I love this stage, when they have a serious look on their face, but as soon as they catch your eye they break into a big grin! It is another best feeling in the world kind of thing. I still can't believe I have three kids, but it is awesome because I get more chances each day for these great moments (mixed in with a little-or a lot-of chaos, running around, tantrums, whining, etc. etc., of course).