Thursday, November 3, 2011

Irelynd turns 9

 We had a family party on Irelynd's 9th birthday.  In our family, we do heavy hangover, which Scott still finds weird.  Must be a Utah thing.  The twins and Brighton, and, ok, if we're being honest, Savannah too, LOVE this tradition.  It's funny to me to see who is soft, and who is not.
 Waiting for it...
 Whack!  That wasn't so bad!  Cuz it's a bath frou frou!
 The anticipation
 The moment of contact
 Too fun to bump only once!  And Mom and Dad laugh and cheer!
 That one smarted!  It's a puzzle.
 As did that.  (Nail polish)
 Really?  Savananh gets to bump too???
 Is that what I think it is?
 It looks like a camera...
 It feels like a camera...
 It is a camera!  I'm so excited I can't hold my eyes straight! (no, no physical problem; this is just her excited face)
 We love you Irelynd!
Let 'er blow!  I would love to know what she wished for.

Monday, October 24, 2011

The twins at 3

 This post is 3 months late, but better late than never, right?  Waverly is my girly-girl.  She loves to dress up, have her nails painted, and all things pink.  She loves Pinkalicious, Tinkerbelle, Rapunzel, and all Disney Princesses.  She is planning on being Pinkalicious for Halloween.  She loves to ride her bike outside and go on walks.  When she hears someone say the word "go", even if it is related to "going to the bathroom", she pleads to come too.  She is always on the go, and is my shopper.  She likes to be tickled, and loves her big sister, Savannah.  She is not friendly; she's aptly described as a prickly cactus, though she's a mommy's girl. 
 I can count on her to be my helper in making cookies or bread, or anything that requires dumping stuff in a bowl.  She hates having her hair done, and rarely leaves in anything I put in it.  She can be mischevious, and likes to "explore" her surroundings.  Her favorite color is pink, favorite foods are cheese, gum, and cupcakes.
 Keaton is my sweet, loving little man.  His favorite thing is his blue blanket; he holds the corner with the tag, sucks his thumb, and rubs the tag on the end of his nose.  He is a mommy's boy as well.  He is a man of few words, as Waverly is the talker.  He is so expressive; I love to try to capture all his funny faces.  He wears his heart on his sleeve and it gets wounded easily.  He loves to ride his bike and jump on the trampoline.  He is always up for an adventure, thought up by Brighton, usually.


 He is the only one of my kids to get his dad's blue-green eyes that I just LOVE.  He is my helper; after the other 2 little ones have drifted off during a job, he will be right there by my side, wiping, sweeping, vacuuming, or digging; whatever work is going on.  He LOVES to vaccuum; sometimes I swear he makes a mess, just so he can clean it up.  When he cries, he has big crocodile tears that melt my heart.  (Unless he's the cause of the huge mess).  For such a little guy, he has no fear of the water, and I've had to leap to his rescue in the pool.  He loves to swing high, and play at the park. 
 I absolutely adore his tow-headed blonde curls, though they are growing out and are going to have to be cut off soon. {sniff!}  He loves Lightening McQueen, Mickey Mouse, and Thomas the Train.  His favorite color is blue, favorite foods are yogurt, cereal, and cheetos.  We sure do love this little guy and his big, blue eyes!

 The twins as a unit are so NAUGHTY!  They are Brighton's little minions, as he is the evil mastermind.  We love them anyway.  They have to know where each other are during the day, and Keaton has chewed me out for making Waverly cry sometimes.  They are the best of friends, and worst of enemies.  Keaton can be quite a tease, and makes Waverly crazy sometimes.  And by extension, me too.  When it's just the 2 of them, they will invent games and stories to play.  They like to play "pretend" with each other, and take turns adding to the story.  Their latest adventures together are going to the moon, as they sit on the top bunk bed, and playing pirates.  Keaton usually gets assigned to be Smee.  They are so completely different from each other; we rarely get asked if they are twins anymore.
 They love to play in the car together, inside and on top.  I love to hear them giggling together, though it usually signals trouble, and a mess to clean up.  Though having 2 toddlers has been very challenging, I wouldn't trade them for anything; it's been so fun to watch them grow up together, and they bring so much joy to our lives.  We love them both very much!  I can't wait to see where their lives take them, and watch their personalities continue to unfold. 




Sunday, October 23, 2011

Thanksgiving Point

 I took Savannah and her cousin to AF Hospital for a babysitting class/CPR training one afternoon.  While they were there, we used the time to go to Thanksgiving Point with the Bentleys.  It was a gorgeous day, and not busy at all.  Since then, Waverly asks to go back nearly daily.






 I have to include all these photos of Keaton for all the expressions he makes.  He kills me!

 Not sure what actions from the ducks evoked this reaction, but it must have been intense!


 Ooh, a tractor, Mom!

 All 3 really enjoyed the pony rides.  Surprisingly.


Puff paint art

 We had a fun art project day with homemade puff paint.  I stole the idea and recipe from mymixofsix, which I just LOVE.  It was fun for us all to watch how the paint puffed up in the microwave.  Waverly and I painted rainbows.  Brighton had a friend over that participated with us too.


Fun lunch Friday: Clown

Since school started, we do Muffin Tin Mondays, and Fun Lunch Fridays.  I love the website, Meet the Dubiens, and copy all her fun ideas for Fun Food Fridays, though mine don't look anywhere as fabulous as hers.  Here I did my best to copy her clown lunch.  It's been fun for me to do something different and creative for lunches, and the kids look forward to them, and ask if every day is Fun Lunch Friday.  Hopefully it will help teach them the days of the week, too.

Lunch with cousins

We had a fun tea party lunch with cousins on a nice fall day.

Brighton's first day of preschool

 I thought I'd NEVER get to this day!  I'm not sure which of us was more excited for and anticipating this day more: Brighton or Brighton's mom.  Probably me.  In any case, he was very excited to go, mixed in with some anxiety and trepidation.  I walked him in, got him settled with some play-doh, and he was ok to say good bye to me.  The only problem was having to drag his little brother and sister out.




Back to School mantel

 This is my back to school mantel.  I made the blocks using some ugly Easter blocks I bought at a garage sale earlier for $2 for the 3 of them.  I just modge-podged some paper on and used crayons to draw the ABC's.  I love changing the mantel every month!  I love having a mantel that I can reach to change!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Quotes by Brighton

While saying his prayers tonight: "and please bless the Lamanites that they can choose the right and be happy..."
While being a superhero at Grandma's last week: "wow!  I ran so fast that snot came out my nose!" {hate it when that happens...}
Being scolded by Mom and Dad:  Mom: "Brighton, where is your brain?" (ok, not a stellar mom moment, but let's be real)  Brighton:  "um, maybe it's in St. George"