Swingers... No Not That Kind...

My kids love to SWING! And it has been months since we have seen ours (they are still buried in a snow drift), so we borrowed Grandma Jacki's swings a few weeks ago and it was so nice to be outside! This was Kate's first time in a real swing and she laughed the whole time.

Ty is really getting the hang of what it means to "pump" and he goes so high on those suckers now- I almost have to look away!

Ryan still needs some help, but he still has a lot of fun.

Portland

I am the luckiest person ever. I got to go to Portland and visit my brother, his wife and their cute new baby a few weeks ago. We had visited Portland last summer when they first moved up there- but they didn't have a baby yet and I was dying to see baby Cam. So I flew up on a Friday and came home on Monday- and I had soo much fun. Cam is the cutest little stinker- I keep trying to get Natalie to let me have him, but so far she's not budging on this.

We got to do a little sight-seeing while we were there too. We went and saw a few places where they filmed "Twilight" and Dave and I got out and did some exploring. I can't believe how GREEN it is up there!! It's incredible- everything is completely covered in moss. This also presented the perfect place for a photo op- Dave was scaling the rocks, I was attempting to show you my chest (I don't think I looked much like Edward did in the movie), but baby Cam could have cared less- so he and Nat hung out together in the car.

And Cam was such a sweetheart on the plane ride down- he didn't even make a peep!

Thanks guys for letting come and play for a few days! I miss you so much and can't wait to see you again soon!

St. Patty's Day

We love holidays at our house! So, in an effort to get ready for St. Patrick's Day, the boys and I spent a day cutting out shamrocks- but two days before- they mysteriously disappeared!! We had no idea where they ended up! Ty and Ryan searched the house over looking for them and were pretty disappointed.

St. Patrick's Day dawned bright and early (as every day does for us- I don't know why they can't sleep past 6- I so look forward to teenage years where I get to yell at them to get out of bed!) and the boys were shocked and amazed that their room had been decorated in all of their shamrocks!! And there was a present by their bed to boot!

They all looked so stinkin' cute in their green gear. Problem was- they only had green things that were short-sleeved- so we had to dig for some clean white undershirts for all of them. Love those little kids!

I Hate Montpelier

It's April. 'Nuff said.

Snaggle Tooth

Kate's teeth are apparently ALL coming in right now. But, in an odd way. She was a snaggle-tooth for the LONGEST time, and looked so funny. Shaun got her laughing in the tub one night that really showed off her silly grin.

A Gripe

I'm going to gripe. Just for a minute. If you don't want to hear it, then switch to another page. If, on the other hand, you are on board to listen to my diatribe, please read on.

Today's grievance is... ANNOYING FACEBOOK POSTS.

You know the ones. Here are some that top my "please pierce my eyes out with skewers than make me read them" posts.

"Made homemade cinnamon rolls AGAIN for my kids. Guess I'm just a creature of habit." Gag. I get that you are trying to convince people that you are Mother of the Year, or you know what, maybe you are, but please, my kids are sitting here picking the marshmallows out of the Lucky Charms box and are completely happy. Plus- the Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls from the can are seriously delicious. So save yourself the flour.

"Woohoo! I'm back down to my high school weight! Love the gym!" Double gag. I can't speak for everyone (obviously- though I try), but I know I don't give two shakes about how much you weigh. And seriously stop bragging about loving the gym. The gym sucks, we all know it.

"Having a bad day" PLEASE- just come out and say WHY you are having a bad day. It's obvious you want people to ask- so just spit it out!

Any random song lyric. No one thinks you're cool because you can quote the Rolling Stones.

"My husband is cheating on me". Uhhhh... TMI.

And perhaps the MOST annoying facebook status... Updating the world with EVERYTHING YOU DO! Examples: "Just got home from work." "What to eat for dinner." "Gonna watch some TV now." "Sleepy now, gonna go to bed." Really. We don't need to know EVERYTHING.

Whew. I feel better. Just had to get that off my chest!

January and February...

I really hate January and February. They are such blah months. The holidays are over, there is still a bunch of snow and it's cold- so you are forced to stay indoors. Since we have been inside so much, we have had to get a little creative about what we've been doing so that we don't all go crazy with cabin fever.

The kids obviously got some new toys for Christmas, which has really helped me out. One of their favorites was a set of mega-blocks. Ryan loves to build towers and then knock them over. Kate loves to sit with him on the ground and hold the blocks- maybe she thinks she's helping. Ryan is sweet with her though- he will bring her a block if he can see that they are out of her reach, and she sits and laughs when he knocks over his latest architectural creation.

Ryan is also to the point that he thinks he needs to wear underwear now instead of diapers. Sigh. I hate potty training. If there was a place you could send you kids- like a potty training bootcamp- I would totally be on board with the idea. But no. We plug along in the usual way- with snacks and drinks and books on the potty. And in case you are wondering about the pirate hat- Ryan loves to play "Pirates", and is almost constantly wearing his pirate hat. I attempt playing "the good mom" and hide "treasure" around the house for him to find (he also has a bunch of plastic gold coins- which is what we use as his treasure).

Ty has also become quite the techie. Anything that remotely deals with a computer, video game, iPod, cell phone, etc. and he goes absolutely nutso. It drives me mental. He doesn't get to play with any of them very often because he gets this glazed over look that worries me- but when he does get to play- the whole house could fall down and he wouldn't notice.

We have also instituted a "Chore Chart." The boys didn't really put up much of a fight when I implemented it- which made me happy. The boys have certain chores that they have to do each week, and every time they do them, they get a star. Once they have a certain number of stars, they get to choose their prize (nothing too exciting mind you- ice cream cone, treat from the store, $1, Get out of Time Out free...). It's been good for them and good for me too- because they really do help me out a lot. Thanks boys for being such good helpers! Below is a picture of them vacuuming their room- you wouldn't believe the things we found when we cleaned it out!!!

Kate is still just a little sweetie. You can gag at me if you want to- but it's true. She is teething again and has a top tooth that has poked through and two more bottom ones- so she really should be miserable- but she's just as cheerful as ever. She got a baby-doll for Christmas from my mom (it's the cutest little Cabbage Patch) that she loves to eat. If you hold it out in front of her- she gets the biggest grin on her face and reaches for it. Once you give it to her- it immediately goes in her mouth and she sits and chews on it.

We also have a game at our house that we like to call "Where's Kate?" It goes like this... I will place Kate in the middle of the living room rug with a few toys to occupy her for a minute. Then I run downstairs to switch the laundry or I'll put the dishes away... Something that only takes a small amount of time, but something that I don't need her "help" with. I then go back into the living room and look for Kate- who invariably is somewhere other than where I put her. A lot of times she ends up under the piano or behind the chair, sometimes she even ends up in the hallway. It's so funny and it makes me extremely grateful for a room where she can't get into trouble.
The boys are usually looking for something new to entertain them and I am constantly straining to find things for them to do. Granted, Ty keeps pretty busy with school in the mornings, but the rest of the day is up to me. The boys wanted to watch a movie the other day, but they just wouldn't sit still to do it, and just ended up making each other scream. So, I built them a "fort" for them to watch their movie in- just in the hopes that it would shut them up for just a little bit. It totally worked! I put a blanket over Kate's play gym and they laid them in it with their pillows... And they just sat and watched "How to Train Your Dragon" in there! It was wonderful. It hasn't worked since- but I'll take one quiet afternoon if that's what I can get!

Here's Kate with her blocks again. We actually went out and bought another package of them so that there were more to play with (and lose under the couch). She is officially sitting by herself now, and loves to be right in the middle of things.

I have also undertaken something HUGE. As you know, I teach piano for a few of the neighbor kids on Monday and Tuesday afternoons... I have recently added my most challenging student of all... TYLER!! EEEeeeeekkkkk! Actually- he has been a model student so far. He is always bugging me to help him practice, and he has already learned several pieces. I'm very proud of him, and am really impressed with how quickly he has picked it up.

Here's Kate in her tutu. I always swore that I would NOT be one of those moms that put their daughters in ridiculous things... but dang it if they aren't freakin' adorable! For the record, I do try to keep it to a minimum.

Kate also has enough hair now for a few simple hairdos! She sported her first "pig-tails" this week. She left them alone once I got them in her hair- but the actual process she screamed the entire time. I would just leave her alone, but I don't want her to be one of those girls that have out of control hair that is just never done. Of course- because I just said that- she will probably be one anyway. At least you all know that I tried to do something about it at one time.

This is just a picture of me and my kids- who I love a lot. We recently had to go to a meeting with a few attorney's in order to get the money owed for Ryan's hospital bills from last year. And we were accused of being negligent parents since we allowed this to happen to our little boy (yeah that was an ugly meeting). I don't think we are (of course I'm sure that those that really are oblivious would say the same thing), in fact, I think that we try very hard to make sure our kids are safe and happy. It was one of those things that you always wonder in the back of your head- if you really are doing the best that you can with the spirits you have been entrusted with- and to hear it spoken aloud was one of the worst things a parent can hear (trust me). I was hurt. It was such a crappy day. When we got home- I grabbed all my kids and just held them for as long as they would let me. I love them so much- and if they ever read this- please know that we tried our best.

We also got one hell of a snowstorm last night. Yes. I said hell. You wouldn't believe the amount of snow we have here. The boys were so stinkin' excited to go outside and play in it. This is why I love kids. While I think terrible, rotten things about ALL the snow outside- they are trying to get out to play in it at 7:00 in the morning. I made them wait until the afternoon, when it had warmed up a little bit before I sent them out to play. Ryan insisted on goggles, so naturally Ty had to go find his too. They look like they are ready for take-off.

These are the pictures that I took of them outside next the the snowdrifts by our driveway. It's unreal and I'm thinking that the snow is NOT going to melt until July.

And finally- I took a picture of Kate today. She is so beautiful and such a good girl. She is trying to stand up on her own- and I have to keep telling her to slow down!! I'm afraid that she'll be walking before too long and then life as I know it will change forever!

Anyway- I know this was a MASSIVE update. But it had to be done!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

My grandpa's birthday is towards the end of December, and we were so excited to have the chance to celebrate it with him. He has been extremely sick and in and out of the hospital for a while now. He was actually in the hospital when his birthday came, but the nurses allowed us to steal him away from his room for an hour in order to celebrate with the family in a common area.

Christmas Continued...

See, the good thing about doing alternating Christmases is that when we celebrate one place, we get to go to the in-laws house a few days later too! We traveled up to Declo to visit Shaun's parents for a few days, and got a chance to see my fantastic brothers in law and their fantastic wives, and my most favorite Niece (we all used to live in Boise together and it was so much fun- I miss all of them so much and I love it when we get a chance to get together- I just wish it happened more often).

We opened presents first thing (which I loved), and Ty was estatic to find a Red Ryder BB Gun (I know- you're all thinking the same thing "You'll shoot your eye out!", and believe me it crossed my mind too)! He took it out as soon as everyone else was done and wanted a lesson from his dad- who was only too happy to oblige. It took some time, and a lot of BB's, but he started to get the hang of it by the end of the day and he even hit the target his dad set up for him (though admittedly he wasn't aiming for it at the time...)!

Naturally, because Ty was learning to shoot, Ryan felt he needed to do the same.

We spent about a week up in Declo, and had a very nice time together.

Merry Christmas To All!

The boys were total stinkers on Christmas morning. Every day they get up around 6 and I want to do nothing more than tie them back in their beds. Christmas morning dawns- Shaun, Kate and I are up at 6... And the boys are sleeping. And they kept sleeping. And then they slept some more. It was almost 8:00 by the time they staggered sleepily into the living room. Dirtbags.

Ryan ran into the kitchen first thing to see if Santa had eaten his cookies- which of course he had- though he left about half a cookie for the kids to eat this morning (there's nothing like starting your day with an Oreo).

The kids had so much fun opening presents and seeing what everybody got this year. Ty loved handing out the presents because he can now read all the names on the presents- naturally Ryan was his "helper." Each of the kids got a new hat, which the boys wore around for most of the day. Kate just wanted to eat hers. And then we got to sit down to breakfast- which is also the same every year... Mom makes this incredible breakfast casserole and German pancakes... Oh.... It was soooo good. One day when we have our Christmas' at home- I hope to continue this. We had a fantastic time down in Salt Lake and had a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

Christmas this year was spent at my parent's house (we rotate every other year with Shaun's parents), which is always fun for me because my parent's continue with the same traditions that they did when we were all kids. I'm sure Shaun thinks we're totally nuts- but he goes with the flow most of the time (thanks pookie). We had dinner with the Henriksen side of the family, and then went and read "The Christmas Story" (this is probably my personal favorite of all the things we do), then drove around and looked at Christmas lights listening to Silent Night.

The boys got to wear their Christmas shirts (I LOVE the look on Ryan's face- it looks like he's plotting)...

It was Ryan's year to put out the cookies for Santa and the carrots for the reindeer...

And at the end of the evening, the kids all put on their Christmas jammies and we tracked Santa on NORAD's Santa Tracker (if you've never done this- you totally should. Our kids eat it up- you can track where Santa is in his trek across the world and you can see just how close he is to your house) for a while and then sent every one to bed!

Christmas Party

Towards the end of December, we got to go down to Salt Lake for the Newren Family Christmas party! We do it every year, and it is always so much fun.

We have dinner, games and Santa ALWAYS comes for a visit (he even came back when I was little). Most of the kids were excited when the big bearded man came through the door... Obviously one of the exceptions is Ryan. He claims that he "hates" Santa and he took one look at him and started to scream. I forced him to sit on Santa's lap for a picture...

Ty on the other hand- had NO problems with the big man. He told Santa he had been VERY good this year and that he didn't know what he wanted. This isn't entirely true- he begged for months for a Nintendo DS- but Shaun and I had to tell him that Santa didn't bring Nintendos to anyone younger than 10. Shoot. He was pretty much open to anything else after that point, so he told Santa to surprise him.

Kate also had no problem with Santa. She was actually pretty in love with his beard and kept trying to pull on it.

I can sit!

It always amazes me when my little ones just aren't so little anymore. Kate is mastering the art of sitting during the month of December. It's crazy. I sat her in the middle of the bed, and she just stayed there! She sat and watched her brother play the computer for 10 minutes before she toppled over.