Love is in the Air

Valentines Day...

I wanted to have a fun, special Valentines day so of course I turned to Pinterest for some ideas. The problem with that place is sometimes it can be overwhelming with so many ideas! I decided to do both a special breakfast and dinner.

Breakfast was heart-shaped french toast, strawberries, whipped cream and oj. I am not a huge breakfast maker...well, at least not at breakfast time. It's usually cold cereal before school (or the girls will make oatmeal for themselves).   I love to do breakfast for dinner, though, and we probably have it at least 4 times a month. I bought Valentines paper products from the dollar store and made these cute love birds at a craft night last month.

We had a fancy little dinner with steak, baked potatoes, asparagus, and chocolate dipped strawberries. Oh and we can't forget the bubbly...afterall, you can't have a fancy dinner without a little Martinelli's. I made cute owl Valentines for the kids complete with cheesy sayings...

For Ashlee...

For Brynlee...

For Landon...

And for Trevor...

Ashlee had just walked in the door from ballet when dinner was ready.  Pinkies up...

A friend of mine posted a picture on Facebook of her daughter licking her elbow.  Apparently, most people can't do it. (go ahead and try...I know you want to)  I was telling the kids about it so of course they all tried and couldn't.  Then Brynlee said, "I can't lick my elbow but I can lick my armpit!"  And yes, she showed us and yes, I got a picture...

I guess we know which one was paying attention at the Manners Tea earlier that day at school.

One thing I found on Pinterest was this idea of little gifts for the hubster. The idea was to do 14 days of Valentines but who thinks of those things 14 days before. Okay, so actually I did think of it but just didn't put that thinking into action (plus he was gone to Atlanta the week before so I would have really had to be sneaky and put them in his already overpacked suitcase)  I used a few of the ideas and put together a basket for him. Again, complete with cheesy sayings...

Rob got me some flowers and a frame with a picture of us from our trip to Hawaii five years ago. Sweet, simple, and thoughtful.

We can't forget about this little love bug.  She even knows how to "say" I love you...

When I was making dinner, the kids were in the other room sorting through their Valentines with Olivia on the floor by them. Every 30 seconds or so, Landon would yell out "Ellie rolled over!" He would roll her back onto her back and again I would hear "Ellie rolled over again!"  Evidently, she did it five times!  But by the time I came in with the camera, she was done performing.

She also likes the Bumbo.  Not a fan of the bouncy seat though.  She always tries to roll over when she is in it so she prefers the ground or the Bumbo.

Anyone else agree that besides the fact that she is the youngest, she will pretty much be getting anything she wants with those big, blue, puppy dog eyes...



Olivia - 4 months old

Olivia had her 4 month check up today and after checking her over, the doctor again confirmed she is perfect (he really does say that!) She weighs 15 lbs. 2 oz. and is 25 1/2 inches long. She is perfectly proportionate....about the 85th percentile for weight, height and head circumference.

She has rolled over 3 times...the first two times she was on the bed so I think it helped having a soft surface and another body (me the first time and Brynlee second time) that she rolled toward. Yesterday, I put her down on her back in the living room and went into the kitchen. A few minutes later Rob asked me if I had put her down on her tummy. Little sneaky girl!

She is a very happy baby and still smiles and squeals when you talk to her. She loves all the attention she gets...even from strangers in the store that tell her how cute she is.

I didn't get it on camera the first time it happened during this little photo shoot but unfortunately she's been doing it often...

Little stinker kept putting her hands in her mouth...

Ah, I'll just hang out here for a moment...

Yep, too cool.

She still does this quite often....

But also does this...

She even does a pinky/ring finger combo. Luckily, when the binky gets put in, she'll take that as well.

(p.s. she even sleeps through the night...yep, like 10-12 hours every night.  i. am. spoiled.)

Ashlee's 11th Birthday

Eleven years ago I became what I had always dreamed of being.  A mother.  My chubby-cheeked baby has grown into a beautiful 11 year old!

We celebrated on Wednesday since she had ballet on the night of her birthday. She chose to go to Texas Roadhouse for her birthday dinner. There were quite a few people in the restaurant celebrating birthdays as well and Ashlee said "I am NOT sitting on the saddle." So we mentioned to the waitress that it was her birthday and lo, and behold, at the end of our meal, they brought over the saddle with her ice cream. The waitress said "Come on, girl! Come get on the saddle." She very hesitantly got on it but was so cute and all smiles. Then when she got off she said, "THAT was EMBARRASSING!"

Two Thumbs Up

Guess who decided he didn't want to suck his thumb anymore?!  Yep, this guy...

The other day we were reading scriptures before bed, and Trevor was sitting next to me and laying his head on me. He started nodding off, and I thought it was strange that he wasn't sucking his thumb. I pointed it out to Rob and he said he noticed one time that he wasn't sucking his thumb at a time that he normally would be. When Rob put him to bed the next day, Trevor just snuggled up in his covers and didn't suck his thumb. It's been a few days so I wanted to see if it was just a fluke that he hasn't been doing it. This morning I asked him if he sucks his thumb. "Nope," was his reply. I asked him why not and he said, "I just don't want to anymore." Okay, we'll roll with that.

Nine years ago...

this sweet, beautiful, little (only 6 lbs. 14 oz. and 18 inches) red-headed baby joined our family...

 Yep, still sweet, beautiful, and red-headed!

(but not so little...in fact, she is about a head taller than most of her friends!)

I am so thankful for Brynlee.  She is my little mommy.  She is the first to get Olivia when she is crying, loves to play with and entertain Trevor, and loves her dolls.  She really is sweet and very thoughtful (and also very stubborn...let's not forget the color of her hair!).  Last night when I asked her if she wanted me to bring in a treat for her class for her birthday at lunch or at the end of school, she said at lunch so she could play with Trevor at recess.  When we walked in the cafeteria, she ran up to Trevor and scooped him up in a big hug.  How cute is that?!  And it's also pretty normal for her.  Those two have a special bond.  She loves to play school with him and teaches him letter sounds and addition.  Then they come to me to show me what Trevor has learned and she is so excited that he is so smart!  When we are with extended family, you can usually find Brynlee playing with the little ones.  It's no wonder that the two things she wants to be when she grows up are a teacher and a mom.

Happy 9th Birthday, Brynlee!

Christmas in AZ: A Stop in Kingman, AZ

On our way home, one of our stops was in Kingman.  It was time for Olivia to eat and the kids needed to get out and play after a 3 hour stretch of driving.  We've stopped here before when going the "Vegas way" to Phoenix and remembered this fun train and Historic Route 66 museum.

 

While I was in the car feeding Olivia, a few other families also stopped and took pictures and went on their way. Trevor decided to make friends with one of the families.  It was hilarious watching him talk to them.  His body language is very expressive.  I can only imagine what he was telling them, one hand on his hip and the other waving around in the air.   Pretty sure it involved animals. The conversation probably started on the topic of pigeons since there was one walking around the train. When Olivia was fed, I got out to rescue the family from Trevor's non-stop, one-sided conversation. All they said was, "Wow, he is fascinating."

Olivia's New Trick

When we were at Jeremy & Clytie's house, I went to check on Olivia during one of her naps.  Is there a thumbsucking gene?   If there is, 4 of the 5 kids have it.  Do you notice where her binkie is?

Yes, that thumb was quickly replaced by a binkie.

And yet again during a nap at Grandma's.

Guess what Santa put in her stocking?  They're even pink and purple to distinguish from all the other "hospital" binkies belonging to the cousins her age.

I still find her every once in a while with her thumb in her mouth while she is sleeping.  Maybe that's why she's been sleeping for 10 hours straight during the night the last couple of nights.  Having dealt with breaking that habit with two children (and still working on the third), you better believe I will be putting that binkie back in every time.

Christmas in AZ: A Day at the Park

The day after Christmas we went to play at the park and enjoy the gorgeous weather.  We're talking highs in the upper 60s/low 70s!  And look at that beautiful sky!

The kids played on the playground for a few minutes and then played 500 with Landon's new football. Brynlee soon gravitated toward the trees. I shouldn't be surprised.

The rest of the kids soon followed...yes, even Ashlee.

Little monkeys.

Moving on to the big guns and feeling at home in the giant pine tree. Ashlee got really brave and said she made it "within like a yard of the top!"  I just smiled.

Can you spot her?

Christmas in AZ: Christmas Morning

Santa definitely worked his magic this year.  He brought just what the kids wanted. 

Bet you can't guess who all those animals are for.

Brynlee has been asking for a baby doll for the last few years.  I've always thought she was getting a little old for them but she REALLY wanted one.  Santa finally decided to fulfill her wish and even brought twins!

Landon = Legos.

Ashlee wanted a hammock-type swing that hangs from ceiling (she calls it a Hugglepod but this one is actually from IKEA) so she can curl up with a good book in her room.  Sure hope Santa checked to make sure there was an accessible beam in the ceiling in her room to hang it from!

Mirror mirror on the wall.  Who's the cutest baby of all?  Olivia is starting to become more aware of things around her.  You can tell she really tries to concentrate on things and hopefully this will encourage her to lift her head while doing tummy time and see that pretty little face.

The girls checking out the songs on Just Dance for Kids 2. 

Here's a little review....do not buy it!  The kids really like the first one so I thought we'd get the second one.  The song list had some good songs, but after trying it out on the Wii, I wish I hadn't bought it...errr, I wish Santa hadn't brought it.

Landon will have to wait to use this snowboard...even Utah didn't get snow for Christmas. 

His panda can try it out first.

Mary Anne made this fleece blanket for Grandpa.  Perfect for the dedicated scouter he is!

After opening presents and eating sausage egg "McMuffins" made by Grandpa and Grandma, we got ready for church and enjoyed a nice worship service centered on the Savior.  I think I'm going to start a petition to have Christmas always be on Sunday (like Thanksgiving is always on Thursday).  Anyone want to sign it?


Rob's sister, Cheryl, let us borrow this cute outfit for Olivia...so festive!  These days her hands are constantly in her mouth and she is so wiggly so after 19 attempts (trust me, I counted), here are a couple of the best ones. It helps when you hold her hands down and crop your hand out of the photo :)

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and wish you a joyous and prosperous new year!