Happy Birthday Mike

***I just realized that I didn't re-post this after editing..... Happy Belated B-Day!!!

I got a migraine for Mikes birthday, so I wasn't much into the parting mood, but I think he had a great day. We went to lunch with my parents, Patch, Jordan, Shaun, Ty and Nayvie, and then had dinner at Mikes parents house. I think he is most excited about his new exercise bike! (Me too.....)

We don't have any furniture in our living room for a few days, so the kids used Mike as their chair.

Mike is hoping this year will be a very long year! My child of the 80's husband will be 30 next year - 6 months after me. I believe that it is just one more year older, but he seems to think 30 is when all your goals should be accomplished by. I love him!

And they sleep...

This is how I found Grace and Mike at 7:58 pm tonight. It's Friday, and we had big plans. (Yeah, right.) So, I got Max a bottle, moved Grace to her bed and by 8:10, I was the only one stirring. I'm sure I could do something useful with my time before my ultimate exhaustion sets in - but after doing the dishes, the laundry, scrubbing Max's car seat in the snow with a toothbrush and plastic fork well, I'm going to play online now.....

Oh my sweet boy! I love Max so much. He is so full of smiles. He says "Mama" (debuting on Christmas morning.... :) He says "Bubba" (which is what Grace always calls him) and he says "Bye". Max has a very low rumble laugh, and he growls - do all boys do this?





He also loves to play with toys, he is a mad man in a walker and is so close to crawling - I just want to jump in and help him every time, he just can't figure out where his right leg goes! So you may be asking yourself, what is person - a seemingly normal person doing scrubbing out a car seat with a toothbrush and plastic fork in the cold and falling snow? Max christened his car seat today. His brand new car seat. I could not believe it, it's in the buckles, the crevices, Oh my gosh - can you just say that this morning was not my favorite!!!!!! I was late to work, which I hate - Max had two baths before 8 am, and I had to call Grandma to come and pick the kids up this morning. I'm pretty sure all the poop is gone. I hope.

Grace is still as rambunctious as ever. She loves, loves her kitchen and baby dolls and plays with them nonstop. This morning when I was getting her dressed she kept asking me if the outfit was cute -

"It's so cute?" I know she is a girl - but are they really suppose to care this early? I'm in so much trouble -

Mother of the year strikes again.

I caught my darling daughter in the bathroom again today. Again! When will I learn to shut the door? Actually I do about 90% of the time. Mike does about 1% of the time, but she never goes in when he leaves it open. She was back in the drawer. She had her brand new stuffed puppy "Jake" (Jr.) and I told her to get out. About an hour later I noticed puppy Jake had red on his light brown fur. I asked her if she did it. (making them admit it is the first step right?) She said yes, so, I told her to go to time out. Time out at our house is the stairs - which she did. I was so proud that I didn't yell. I was thinking what am I going to say to her? Should I take puppy Jake away? Will she understand that it's a result of what she did? How am I going to stop her?

Well - I go and sit by her on the stairs and I told her she made mommy very sad. (guilt always works for me) Then I noticed my wall - it had red all over it, so did her shirt, and her pants and her hands, how did I miss this? Then I thought, that's not chapstick, crayon or marker, it's blood! She had cut her finger, sliced it right open and I put her in time out! What a good little mommy I am!

Could someone please get that child a hair cut? Oh, Hi. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

My mom has this little bench in her living room that all the grandchildren love. I think we have pictures of every grandchild on this bench. It's adorable, and just their size. Well, after exactly 46 pictures I got one of Grace and Max looking at the camera, and it's not too shabby. I love their little holiday sweaters.... (Hey they are cute when they are young... :)

Nayvie and Ty are never one's to miss a photo op! We were at Grandma Kate's for Christmas Eve. We spent time eating, decorating Ginger bread houses, trains, condemned buildings and castles. We talked, ate some more and called it an evening.

Patch getting some loves from Jake.

Grace really did not understand the concept of Santa this year. I told her all month long that we have presents because the wise men brought baby Jesus presents - and she stared at me like, "Yeah, I'm not two yet - ..... duh!" And we had such a wonderful meeting with Santa earlier in the year I wasn't sure how she was going to react when we told her he had visited during the night.



She came into the living room, and stood there for a few minutes, then she saw the baby doll.. (Her first CPK....Mommy might have told Santa specifically which one...) And the stroller, and the crib and the swing and she was in heaven! We had to lug the baby and the carrier and the stroller every where we have went for the past three days...

Grace also got a kitchen from her Grandma, she has played with her dollies, and the kitchen non stop. I love it! She is just so cute.

Max got a car seat for Christmas, since his feet hung way over the edge, and it was like lifting a 30lbs bowling ball in his carrier. Mike says it's a baby lazy boy, and I admit it's pretty plush. He also got a basketball hoop, which he has learned really fast where the balls go and some other fun toys.

Christmas day we had breakfast at Mike's mom and dads and then headed up to Hyrum for Christmas lunch. We expected snow. We should have planned better. We ended up spending the night in Hyrum, both of us missed work on Friday because of the snow. Hyrum got at least a foot, but with the drifts the snow was up to the middle of my car door. It had rained before it had snowed, so all of the car doors were frozen shut, and it took Mike and my brothers 2 1/2 hours to shovel us out. Thanks boys! Then after a two hour drive home, on the worst roads I had ever been on - we made it home, to clean up Christmas. What a fun week we had! Lot's of Love to all our families and friends! (Only 362 days to go til Christmas 09!)

Make up!

"So after a long, long, night of drinking I felt trashed in the morning. Maybe mom needs to check the date on my apple juice?"




OK, so I should probably just leave this one to the pictures, they speak for themselves... But I won't. So, the other day I was making some treats which required constant stiring. I thought Grace would have fun with me in the kitchen, but I was so wrong. Of course she got into my drawer in the bathroom and made herself pretty.

My first thought when I saw her was, "I don't have anything that is red!" but then I saw that she had used chapstick as her base and blush, and eye liner to accent her cheekbones. What a talented little girl I have. (Thanks Cassie for leaving your chapstick.)

You should have seen her face, she was so scared when she got caught, but I'm not sure what she thought when I laughed and said I need to get the camera don't move!

From Max's point of view

Hey, were being good mom.

See, we are all smiles, mom.

Mom, I'm the good one, remember?

Hmm...how many times has my bis sis been mean to me?

Oh, she is in perfect position now!

And then I whack her, just like this!

And then, she takes this fun toy from me, just like always!

And then she tells me no. I'm not sure what that means...

And then she laughs, and laughs. She thinks she's won, but soon I'll be bigger than her and then we'll see.

Really getting into Christmas

Max loves the Christmas tree, he has for the past week. He won't stay out of it, but he has never got anything off the tree, so I haven't really cared. All that changed.

I was in the kitchen when Max started coughing really bad, and crying. I ran into the living room where he had pulled a bulb off my tree. Well, my darling Max got the glitter bulb off the tree, separated it from it's hook and had glitter EVERYWHERE. In his mouth, in his eyes, in his hair, in his walker, on the floor. When all was said and done I was covered, and I had glitter in the living room, hall way, my bedroom and the kids room. Now, my sweet, sweet boy has a cough, it started that night and has lasted for about 4 days now. I don't know if it's from the glitter, or just a cough??? I love him. But I was so not pleased!

I tried to post a video several times, but it just sits there for hours and hours and says loading....