Piano playing and the sillies

I have very silly kids!!  They adore one another (most of the time) and love to play together (most of the time).  One of their favorite things is seeing if they can all fit in little places.  I think it's pretty cute and only occasionally ends in tears.

Ellie has been taking piano lessons from Tegan for a little while now and I keep forgetting to post this video. She does a pretty good job. We need to get a little better at practicing every day. This song she had been playing for a little while before we got it on video.

Saturday mornings tend to be very silly.  I think it has a bit to do with Ellie not having to go to school and us usually staying in jammies until 11.  Here are Ellie and Paden telling us a story...I think.

And lastly we have a little video of the Riley Boo.  Paden had just been dropped off at his friend's house and we were having Mommy/Riley time.

Just One Good Picture...Please!

Paden is in a weird photo stage right now. It worries me a little for when we get our family photos done. I can't get him to take a nice picture. Every picture looks like he is flashing gang signs and he has a goofy look on his face. I hope he gets past this soon. Although we have been in this stage for a bit now. This is just a few. Take a look...

I don't know what I am going to do. I think it might wear off soon...I hope. Oh well.

Also...

I know this is long over due but for those of you that saw the post about his fingers back in April I have one last picture that I never posted. This was taken about 3 weeks after the accident. If you look at his fingers now, 6 months later, you can barely see the scarring. I am so happy that things turned out well for those little fingers of his.

I've got my hands full

I love my children. I really do. Everyone always talks about how different kids are from each other. Ellie and Paden did have their differences but for the most part they were really good kids. Riley is his own person!!! He's a good kid but man is he busy!! I feel like I spend all day, everyday getting him out of things or off of things. Picking up all the things he has gotten out. He makes me tired. I love him to pieces and everytime I catch him in something he has a huge grin on his face. It's that grin that keeps him out of too much trouble. That and the fact that he is only 15 months old. Here are some pictures of a few of the things he has been up to this last week. Yes, just a week.

Here he is playing on the computer. Notice the missing buttons? Makes it very difficult to capitalize.

Here he getting into left over dinner. He loves ketchup.

Here he is stealing Sam's lunch. That look on his face? That's him looking at Sam when Sam noticed his lunch being eaten.

Just a better picture of him in the act.

This was dinner. Kirk set the pizza down in the middle of the tablewhile he waited for the oven to finish heating up. Riley somehow got to the pizza (there were no chairs at the table) ripped through the plastic wrap and stole a piece of Canadian Bacon.

This is a foot trail that I found on Sunday while I was folding laundry. I looked up to see Riley standing in front of me with his hands covered in white powder. The foot trail left behind him. I grabbed the camera and snapped this picture before I knew what was at the end of the trail.

Luckily it was an almost empty bag of powdered sugar. He still managed to get it everywhere!! The counters, floor, cupboards, stove, all over the oven front. It only took a few minutes to clean up thank goodness.
He is such a pill but so stinking cute. I can't help but laugh when I see this stuff.

A Nice Little Seat

Riley has discovered a new little place to sit. It cracks me up and he is always sitting there. He thinks that he is pretty hot stuff and I think he is too cute!!

Making Cakes

I made a couple of cakes recently. I showed a picture of one in the last post so I won't post it again but here is a picture of the wedding cake I just made. Not too shabby if I say so myself. And I do!!

Wilsonville Kid's Fun Run

We have found a new tradition. We participated for the first time in a kid's fun run. Kirk and I are participating in the Hood to Coast this year and our kids have been very excited to run in it also. I thought it would be a good idea to find a race of their very own since the H2C might be a bit much for them. I found the Wilsonville Kid's Fun Run and signed the kiddos up. They have been training very hard and been very excited for this day to come. Last night they had a bit of a tough time falling asleep due to all the giddiness. We woke up this morning and headed down to Wilsonville. We were not disappointed. We got the kids all signed in and headed over to get faces painted.

Then we went to play on the inflatables.













After that we played some games and looked at all of the booths they had for the kids. They grabbed a bagel and we wandered around for a bit until it was time for Ellie's race. All of the races started with a warm-up and then everyone lined up and they were off. It was so much fun and the kids had a blast and were so proud of themselves. My parents came to help cheer the kids on and Kirk's sister and her family were there to race as well. It was a great time and we will definitely be back next year.

Ellie doing her warm-ups

And they're off!!



Ellie coming up to the finish line.


Paden at his warm-ups.

At the starting line.

Right after he took off.
Coming up to the finish line.

Showing off their fabulous medals.Eating some lunch.There is no better way to finish a race than eating some superstar cake.

I am so proud of my little monkeys!! They did a great job and never gave up. They ran their little hearts out!! I found myself fighting back tears so many times today. It was really a great experience and I can't wait to go again next year.

The Tooth Fairy and the Critter in the Cupboard

We have had our first visit from the Tooth fairy. Ellie has had a VERY wiggly tooth for a while now and Daddy decided enough was enough. He helped Ellie floss that tooth right out. Ellie was a little nervous but did very well as Daddy tied the knot around her tooth. He started by just wiggling it a little and next thing we knew it popped right out. We tried to get her excited about the Tooth fairy but she just kept saying she didn't want her to come in the house. So Daddy told Ellie that when he was a little boy he would leave his tooth in a cup on the windowsill and the Tooth fairy would get his tooth through the window and leave his surprise there. Ellie thought that sounded pretty good so she dropped her tooth in the cup and went to bed. The next morning she was very excited to see if the Tooth fairy had indeed come. She ran to the windowsill and was not disappointed when she found a silver dollar. We let her know that the Tooth fairy always bring something super special for the first tooth that you lose. She was so excited she wanted to take it to school to show her teacher. It was a lot of fun and she can't wait for the rest of her teeth to come out. She said she might even let the Tooth fairy come inside for her next tooth. Anyway, here is a picture of our newly toothless girl.

Now then on to the critter. I have been noticing lately that there has been something in my cupboards. I couldn't say for certain what it was because I had not actually seen it. But I had a pretty good guess. I had to try to figure out someway to catch whatever it was. Well yesterday I finally saw it. It even cooperated enough for me to get a picture. I had to be quiet so I could get a picture of the critter caught in the act. Brace yourself.....

Are you sure you're ready?

Really sure?

Alrighty, Here we go......

That's right. It's a critter of the human kind. This little turkey has been pulling all of the stuff out of my cupboards. He's been pretty stealth about it though. He wouldn't be gone for long. Just a couple of minutes here or there. It was usually while I was in my room or helping Paden and Ellie. Anyway, if I have to have critters in my cupboards I think this is best kind to have. After all, what other kind of critter looks so cute after it is caught?

A Concert and a Recital

This post is mostly for Aunt Dani who lives very very far away in Wisconsin. Ellie had a concert at school last week and then had her tap recital tonight. Daddy had to work the same night as Ellie's concert so we taped it in full for him. We also thought that Aunt Dani might get a kick out of it. The filming of the concert is not the greatest at first. I was sitting by myself with both of my boys. Riley kept grabbing the camera making it shake and Paden kept tugging on my arm trying to see what I was taping. Then I was trying to get the attention of my parents so they knew where I was sitting. This also caused some wonky filmography. Is that a word? Anyway, My parents got to us and my mom took over the camera. THANK YOU!! However you will hear us talking a little and Paden crying. He wanted his own seat. The video is half an hour so I don't blame you if you skip right over. Really, I only expect my sister to watch the whole thing. And then again I don't even know if she will.

Okay have tried to post the concert video a few times now and it won't work. Sorry Danielle. At least the pictures worked.

Here is our little butterfly all ready to go.

Here is a group shot kind of. It was really dark in there so it was tough to get any good pictures. She is in the front row. Yellow dress.

"Bugz" The concert

Next up is her tap recital. These videos are only a couple of minutes each. Ellie has been taking tap lessons for the last little while. Her teacher actually taught Kirk when he was Ellie's age. She has been looking forward to this for a little while now. I think she was mostly excited because she got to wear some makeup. Kirk taped these ones so no one can give me a bad time about it. Enjoy!!

Caught mid blink but isn't she cute!?!

Here she is with Olivia. One of the girls from her class.
This is Ellie and her cousin Makellen. Look at all that loot!!

This is Teacher Annie with all of her students.

He's got the Whole World in His Hands

Good Ship Lollipop

The Boo!

So my Riley Boo has been walking for about a month now and I realized I haven't posted any videos of it. I figured now would be a good time to do a post dedicated to our Boo Boo Bear!

This little face is pretty darn tough to resist. He is so happy!!! I just want to squeeze him and love him and cuddle him ALL day!!

Here he is trying on some shoes.

Here he is trying to stay dry.

Up to no good with his brother. I didn't put him in there so he either did it himself or had some help from his brother.

I wouldn't be completely surprised if he had done it himself. He is a climber. He pushed this diaper box over to the table and then climbed onto it so he could play with the computer. He was 8 1/2 months old here.

He loves to eat!!

And he'll eat just about anything. SICK!!!

He was just introduced to spaghetti. It was a hit!!

This little guy just goes and goes until he can't go no more!!

And we sure do love him!!

Here is the video of him walking. This is just from yesterday so he has the walking thing down pretty well here. Don't you just want to squeeze him!?!

Sad, confused, and extremely grateful

Facebook has been so fun for me. I love to connect with people I haven't seen in a long time. It's fun to see where they are in their life. I love to see pictures of their kids. It's fun to tell stories from school or the young single adults. It's great and I love it. The thing I don't love though...? The reality of where some of my friends have led their lives. It is so hard for me to understand how someone can be so faithful to their religion. Live the gospel and even serve a mission and then decide that they are homosexual. I know that seems like it came out of nowhere, but I have so many friends from growing up that are now homosexuals. Most of them served missions. They were examples to me in times of trials. I looked up to them and their testimonies. I feel let down. I do love Facebook. I just don't like the reminders I get about the lifestyle choices that have been made by so many of my old friends. They aren't all homosexuals. But plenty of them have left the church. I read their status updates about their night at the bars or clubs. The foul language they use. I see pictures of them holding their beers. It's sad. I feel bad for them and choices they have made. I worry for them. But then I feel so grateful that I still have the gospel in my life. I read these things and it encourages me to stay strong. To be the one setting the example now. When I was in YSA it always bothered me that people would instantly start talking about church or "good" things when I would come around them. I always thought, " I wanna talk about what you guys are talking about". But then it dawned on me. Why should I be bothered by the fact that they are protecting me? My Patriarchal blessing talks about how I will be an example to my peers. That they will be able to feel my closeness to the Savior. I changed my attitude. I started to feel happy that the gospel is what's brought to mind when I am around. Even when I chat with some of my old friends on Facebook the topic always ends churchy no matter how the conversation is started. I sometimes miss the YSA days. We had a lot of fun. We were young, silly, faithful, and straight. But I am so grateful that I still have the Gospel in my life. I am so grateful that I can have a turn being an example. I'm not saying that I am perfect. I'm not saying that I never say inappropriate things. But I am saying that I love the Savior. I am so grateful to have a testimony of Him. I am grateful that every Sunday I get to go to church. I am so grateful for my family and for all my friends. I love my husband and I know that he loves me. I am so grateful that he has a job that allows me to stay home with our beautiful children. I love my children and I'm so grateful that they are so forgiving. I'm still learning how to be a mom. I am also so grateful for the Atonement and repentance. For the opportunity I have to try again everyday. I hope that I can be a good example to my children and all those around me. Oh, and I am grateful for sunshine and smiling faces.

Paden, were you playing with the camera?

Nope. It wasn't me.

Really?

It wasn't me. Really.

Somehow I have a hard time believing that.

Better Late Than Never, Right?

So my little girl turned 6 on April 2nd. She is such a fabulous girl and I am so lucky to have her in life. She is always there when I have the urge to paint some nails. I love that I have my little girl to have girly shopping trips with. She is a big dreamer and always makes me laugh. Ellie is in kindergarten and impresses her teacher often. He always has some new thing to tell us that we can brag about. It has been so fun to see her personality blossom more and more. On her birthday we were able to bring some cookies for her class. She had a lot of fun showing off her brothers and being able to leave a few minutes early. Our kids pick what they want for dinner when it is their birthday. Our little girl can down a cheeseburger like no other and was very excited to come with me to pick up Happy Meals. We had a fun evening together and had a very difficult time getting her to settle down because she knew her party was the next day. She woke up early and asked every 10 minutes how much longer. The time finally arrived and the friends did too. Ellie is the ultimate Princess. Last year's party was a princess/pony theme and this year was princess as well. We has 9 girls show up and they had a fun time chasing balloons, playing musical chairs, and eating cake and ice cream sandwiches. Ellie was beyond excited when she got barbie after barbie. It was a great day. Then on Sunday my family got together to celebrate the April birthdays. It was a lot of fun and Ellie got another barbie. She has thoroughly enjoyed them and rotates which one sleeps on her pillow at night. I love that girl of mine and look forward to many more birthdays!! Love you Ellie!!!

Here she is already for her party and showing us how old she is now!!

Opening presents. I wish I had gotten some better pictures but I didn't even know she had starting opening them until she was about half way through.

Blowing out the candles. She was most excited to eat the frosting off her barbie.

A new dress from Mommy and Daddy. This is her model face. She always squints her eyes. It cracks me up but it makes it really hard to get a good picture.

This is all the cousins on my side of the family minus the 5 that live in Utah. Don't ask how we actually got pictures of them holding still at the same time. They were being so good. And this was after cake and Easter eggs.