These silly kids of mine!

Me: We are going to be late for church! Come on, eat people!!!
Tanner: We don't eat people!!!

Me: Dallin, your face is covered with chocolate. Go wash it.
Dallin: I like the chocolate on there. I think it looks FANCY!

(Spot, barking at Tanner who is trying to take her toy)
Peter: No barking!
Tanner: I'm not barking (repeat 10 times).

Seaside

On presidents day we took off and went to visit my sister, who lives near Astoria for her birthday. We had a big family get together to celebrate and then we all went over to Seaside for some fun. I didn't take many pictures of our day, but got a few on the Carousel. I just love this first one of Carter. He was really in awe.


What is it about carousels that is so magical? The kids sure loved it. I enjoyed watching all the kids and neices and nephews faces so much.

Bathtime Cuties

Tanner and Carter are such cute brothers. I think they will be great friends as they grow up.

Tanner is such a ham!

Baby in Mourning

Yes, we have one grouchy baby around here today. He is grieving the loss of his binky. How do you explain to a child that is only 20 months old that it is time to let go? When I put him down for his nap today he kept crying for his "dinkdy!" This is not going to be easy. When he woke up for his nap he just cried and cried for it with big old alligator tears. I told him that his binky was "all gone" and "all done" to try to help him know that I understood what he wanted. He keeps coming to me for comfort hugs and then wiggling away frustrated that I don't fix it. Poor little Cart Cart. He has always had a very strong addiction to the binky, more so than the older kids were. After letting Dallin have his until 4 years old, I started weaning the kids between 10 and 12 months from the binky. But then Carter came along and he just loved his binkys so much, I couldn't bear to do it just yet. But now that he is starting to talk more, it is just time. I wonder how many days it will take for him to stop having binky withdrawl. Life is so rough sometimes when you are one.

To All Moms!!!

I found out about this amazing program called Accountable Kids. I am always making charts, schedules and games to get the kids to learn to be accountable. I have been wanting to make a system that incorporates everything into one simple clean cut program, but hadn't quite figured it all out. Then I heard about Accountable Kids. It is my Heaven sent answer to it all!!! After watching the two intro videos on the site, I was totally sold, and I didn't even know the cost yet. I have to have it! After checking into it some more, I figured out I want it all, everything they sell. I ordered the deluxe kit plus 3 additional kid kits(4 in all for now). You can have the names etched on their boards for 9.00 extra...sold! There are even reviews from Dr. Laura and Steven Covey on there! After shipping, it all came out to about $200. I pulled out my debit card quicker than a gun slinger, I have to have it! That is a lot of money for us for sure, but I also found out about their advertising program. Once I get our stuff and use it, all I have to do is write a review with a pictures on my blog and I can submit my proof of purchase for a 50% refund!!! I swear the angels are singing for me today. So go order yours and you can do the same thing!(disclaimer: I haven't done this yet, so I can't say this will be as easy as it sounds to get the refund, but that's the plan) I will put my review up shortly after we start the program so stay tuned. I am so pumped! Hip Hip HURRAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cute Tanner Quotes

"Hi Tanner. What? I am Tanner!"

Prying my mouth open "Mom, let me see in there. Oh!!!"

Giving me a big hug "You are the best mom in the whole deep blue sky!"

Valentine Cookies

We had a fun get together with the family to decorate cookies for Valentines day.


Its hard to tell, but there is about an inch of frosting in the middle of Dallin's cookie!





Grandma is so fun!!!











Lucy's masterpiece.

Honey, will you please go jiggle the handle?

I couldn't help but laugh every time it came out of my mouth. Since we came home, our toilet on the main floor would keep running after being flushed every once in a while. I kind of liked it just because it made me giggle every time I said it. I don't know why it is funny, it just is. Just something you don't really ever imagine you will say, you know? But finally the other night after Peter had just "jiggled", I finally decided to get to the bottom of this mystery. Peter and I lifted the lid off the back of the toilet and he explained how everything inside there works. Funny how you just take advantage of things and don't put thought into how they work.

Basically, when you flush the handle, it pulls up on a chain that pulls a plug in the toilet tank and drains out all the water. When the handle went back down letting the plug down as well, sometimes the chain was getting caught under the plug and so the water kept draining. It wasn't too hard to think it through and I quickly shortened the chain by a couple of links so that it wouldn't be long enough to get caught. Problem solved(pats on the back).

The next day, the problem came back twice so I shortened it a little more each time until it was just right. Ahh, much better. So now, since I have no reason to say "Jiggle the handle", I thought I would at least get one last laugh out of writing about it.

No More Curls

I was having one of those days recently. You know, the ones girls have when they just feel like they need a change? I considered cutting my hair for a minute. It is very long and hard to manage, but on the other hand it has taken me 3 years to grow it out so I want to enjoy it for a while. Then, as I looked at Tanners unkept, wild, Einstein hair I decided to take my need for change out on him.

Peter has always wanted me to cut his hair short like the other boys, but since I am the scissor holder in the house, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. His wild hair is part of who Tanner is and I just could not let go of how it made him look more like my baby to me.

He was in dire need of a trim anyway, so I decided that it was time to let it go. I told him that I was going to cut his hair so he would look like Dallin so he was down with that. As the curls began to fall I had some serious remorse. Yet curiousity for how he could look with a clean cut kept me going (and the fact that it was too late to turn back). Peter was not home so he had no idea that I was doing this.

Here are a couple of before pictures. He had just bathed so it was combed and wet.





This was about the time I wished that I could find some way to glue it back on.

Then I had to figure out how to manage the dreaded double cowlick! He is our only child that has 2. I left it a little longer there and it laid down just fine. I have always wondered how that would work out with shorter hair.
He kept asking to go look in the mirror, but I made him wait until it was done. Tada!

I must admit that I am used to it now, but at first it just seemed wrong. Even Peter, the one who has been counciling me to let go of my attachment to the long hair for a couple of years was pretty shocked by the change. Where did our Tanner go?

I felt guilty, like I had cut off part of his personality along with his hair.

I thought, this looks so normal and plain, both of which are not how I would describe Tanner.

But now I have adjusted and I am certain that his personality was not affected by this haircut!

Now that I am used to it, I think he looks so handsome. He is such a cutie with either look. Now you may ask, after experimenting with this new 'do, will we ever see those cute messy curls again? You Betcha!!!

Family Time

Since we moved home, there is so much about life that I have deeply considered. Thinking about what I need to do better, trying to get myself more organized so that I can help run this family smoothly. Peter and I have had many conversations as we try to adjust and improve. We had a long talk the other day about our schedules and parenting and how we really want to get it right. It seems to me that children are just so teachable at the ages we have right now at home. I imagine that since 8 is the age of accountability that there is a very good reason for that. We were thinking about that and how important the first 8 years are. We really want to make these years count.

So we decided that we are going to try to improve our family time each evening while we are all together. There are so many nights that by the time Peter walks in the door, I pretty much hand the button to him and take a much needed break. We kind of get through the whole evening that way with one of us kind of taking the lead and back and forth and until all is quiet in the house. We are both present but not always mentally. So our conclusion was that during that block of time between 5:30 through 8:00 we are going to try to make that our most present time of day. I know it won't be easy since we are both so exhausted, but that is the time that we can make the most difference in our children's lives.

So we will be eating family dinner together every night with a lot conversation, learning table manners etc. (we do this, but many times is it just chaos, not a great meal and not really a good experience).
We will then clean up dinner TOGETHER, each person will do their dinner chore. After that we will have family time for 45 minutes. We will use that time for anything from games, to bike rides, to practicing sports, family councils and always scriptures and prayer.
After that we will help them do their night time schedules and read to them for 20 minutes(we have gotten pretty slack with these things since we moved).
Then the kids will go to bed and be allowed to read by themselves for another half hour before lights out.

This has really always been our schedule, but it is more like going through the motions and not really making the most of these precious years, and not always consistent, so that is the difference.

For me, I still really need that break, but I think I can put it off until 8:00. Then I will have 2 hours of time for myself. I am resolving to use this time for only fun things; no cleaning, laundry or anything "mommish". I can blog, work on pictures, read, take a long bath, work on fun projects, hang out with peter. That sounds so nice. I really need that time to rejuvenate for the next day and I am hoping that knowing that my guaranteed "me" time is coming will keep me energized. That time to just be me, no other job descriptions.

LOVE

Valentine's day is such a fun holiday, but I really don't like the commercialism. For some reason it bothers me more than other holidays. I guess because of the inflated prices of flowers and pressure to buy useless junk for your valentine. I always tell Peter not to get me flowers on that day for this reason. I know he loves me and he gives me flowers at other times of the year(my favorites are the ones for no particular reason). On the other hand, I love sentimental gifts that cost nothing or even just feeling lovy dovy for the day. Don't get me wrong though, I do like exchanging those little valentine's cards and making cookies and the fun traditions that make life fun. One thing about it though is that it is a day for love, and I do indeed LOVE that. I loved the extra hugs and kisses from my kids and explaining to them what it is all about. It got me thinking about how important it is to learn how to give and recieve love. When Dallin asked to hold Lily, instead of the usual, okay make sure you hold her head and lay her across the lap, I sat her facing Dallin belly to belly, cheek to cheek and had him hold her with a big hug. It was sweet. Later, he decided to try holding her in the baby carrier. It was too cute. He marched around with her for a few minutes. Dallin is very attached to his baby sister.

Sweethearts Ball

It was so fun to be able to go to the sweethearts ball that our ward puts on again. We missed it the last couple of years. This time it was a western theme and we invited Peter's parents to double with us. It did not disapoint. There was fun food served by the youth as waiters, skits and dancing.

Marbles

Dallin got this marble track for Christmas. What a great thing(although I don't really like finding marbles in Carter's mouth now and then). This is one of the few items that we don't regret buying for Christmas.

Rapunzel

So Naughty!
"Eden GET DOW....wait let me take your picture first."
Okay, kinda cute.

Our fireplace wall. Who has a fireplace WALL anyway? I seriously don't like it, Peter seriously does. I keep telling him that one of these days, I am going to do something about it.

Feeding the Ducks

It is fun to live near a duck pond again!


On Sunday we took a pleasant stroll over there. Well, all except the wagon accident on the way in which Dallin, who was pulling the wagon got out of control down a hill. His fell and his legs got ran over which tipped the wagon over with the other kids in it. That made for about 5 minutes of drama. I finally told them to take turns, show me their owie and I would kiss and hug them better. All was good again.







Here I am trying to be in the pictures. I need to practice with these self taken shots, I have never been good at that.






Love this. I get pretty stingy about how much bread I am willing to sacrifice to bring so the kids had to make the most out of what we brought.





I just love this one with the radio flyer wagon background.





This is a new concept for Carter, he was fun to watch. Here he is getting in on the action.














I loved this and thought it might be worthy of some fun texture.

Great Daddy

This is what I came home to the other night after running errands. Just imagine Tanner sitting on Peter's knees and Dallin laying over the top of the couch and you have the full picture.

That's Hot!

Overindulgence and Parenting

In our day, many children grow up with distorted values because we as parents overindulge them. Whether you are well-to-do or, like most of us, of more modest means, we as parents often attempt to provide children with almost everything they want thus taking away from them the blessing of anticipating, of longing for something they do not have. One of the most important things we can teach our children is to deny themselves. Instant gratification generally makes for weak people. How many truly great individuals do you know who never had to struggle? ~Joe J. Christensen, “Greed, Selfishness, and Overindulgence,” Ensign, May 1999, 9~

Double Date

A couple of weeks ago we got to go out with Larry and Michelle. They had a gift card to PF Chang's so they treated us. It was the first time Peter and I have gotten out on a date for a really long time so it was very fun. I love that we are home and can be with family so much more now. All the kids played at Larry and Michelle's house while Grandma held down the fort. The food was so good and I loved having my favorite lettuce wraps.

This is the start of my new blogging goal. I really try to capture our lives on this blog and I realize that it is not very accurate when I am so rarely in any pictures. I am so much more comfortable behind the camera, but I want my kids to look back and see that mom was there. I would love to see more pictures of what my mom looked like when I was little, the things she wore and such, so bad hair days and all, I will now be appearing a lot more often...well as soon as my rash is gone that is.