holding Eli

what is quickly becoming a favorite around our household?

...why taking turns holding the cutest ever little brother. seriously, it is amazing how much arguing goes on in determining who's "turn" it is to hold him. which means propping mr E in front of them while they give me big grins :)

tid bits

*We are driving the other day and Robby says "Mommy, bump that big car" (the car directly in front of us) "Come on mommy, faster, faster" Apparently we have been watching the movie "Cars" too many times

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*This morning Maddie noticed that there were several dead-looking plants and trees along the road and with a straight face said "We need to go home and tell Heavenly Father to make those trees not die so they can grow good"

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*I just learned last week that my three year old has learned how to unlock the latch on the front door and the pantry, scale my closet shelves to locate candy on a shelf that is probably 8 ft high, and drag a chair over and get contraband items off the top of the fridge....oh joy :)

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*apparently Robs has already mastered how to turn a real car on with keys. About a month ago I put the kids in the car and went on a search for my car keys. ten minutes later i went out to the car with my keys and learned that robby had already started the car with the spare: SCARY

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*My kids LOVE bugs. Crickets have taken over our house the last few weeks and one of the highlights of our days is miss M and Robs running around seeing how many "hoppers" they can kill. After they are dead they will bring them to me in a tissue with a big smile on their face (isn't that something only animals do to their owners?). Thank HEAVENS we had pest control come this week and I am feeling much better.

Real Life

As hard as life is right now.....

I am grateful for:

1. hot weather which leads to ice cream or otter pops at 6:30pm almost EVERY night out on our front patio

2. the full belly giggles that mr E gets when miss M prances around the room in her newest dress up ensemble

3. the way Robby grabs my face and says "Mommy, I hold you pease"

4. building forts in the playroom with LOTS of blankets

5. being able to almost always be home with my kids while working full-time~ even if it means I am constantly in a sleep-deprivated state of mind

6. the smell of freshly clean laundry, children, and sheets...mmmh!!

7. the most wonderful mom in the whole world, who always comes up with the funnest games and activities for my kids

8. going swimming on an almost daily basis, including at our newest, bestest friends/neighbors house!

9. the gospel~ probably the only way I have managed to stay sane at the moment

10. the happiness my kids bring to me as they chase each other around the house shrieking and laughing in delight

11. ruth. my good friend in whom I admire so much. she is the best listener and gives great advice & encouragement to me!

12. spending hours building train tracks with my little buddy

13. cuddling up on miss M's bed with all three kids and reading stories together

14. having my heart swell with pride, when Maddie gave her first talk in primary (and by the way did a fantastic job and was NOT the least bit nervous)

15. spending time with mr E nursing him each and every day~ something I never thought I would enjoy :)

16. having a good book to read