Outtakes of a chilly family photo Shoot

Have you ever tried to take family pictures, when it's cold outside, and the kid's don't want to cooperate?
The Tyler/Hymas cousins made a good, long attempt at Easter/spring pictures. The grandchildren looked so smart in their Spring colors, there was a serious case of not wanting to sit still and smile going around.

And who could blame them? We were in a big open grassy area, where they could run. And run they did.

Mr. Comedian himself thought everything was hilarious that chilly afternoon - I'll most more pictures of him later. He kept looking at his cousin Travis like - "dude, that was funny!"

But, he was suffering from too short of nap syndrome, combined with I really need to not look at the camera and participate issues... But doesn't he look handsome in green?

It didn't last long, and the two of them started taking off in different directions.

This was the last picture I took - I figured it was time to call it quits.

Dinosaur Park

Welcome Spring!

I'm not sure what's my favorite part - the sunshine, the warmth, the playing outside, the not having to wear coats...

Wednesday Mike took the day off work and we took Grace and Max to Dinosaur Park. Max has recently developed a fascination for Dinosaurs so I knew he would LOVE it. He calls them "Dinesors".

For Christmas Mike's mom bought him some shoes that have a Dinosaur on them and they have an eye that lights up when he walks. Max loves them - he wears them every day and gets angry when I try to put him in other shoes. He won't let me take them off at night and brings them to me first thing in the morning. They are really heavy shoes too - but they make him happy.
Look how grown up they are getting!

Grace kept saying they scared her and all she wanted to do was go and play or feed the ducks. I finally told her she just needed to relax and we'd get there. Max wasn't scared at all - he kept pointing his finger everywhere. I loved just watching him - his smile said it all!

Both of my kids could live at the play ground, Max is more fearless than Grace and didn't think twice about going down the big slide.

Grace and her pouty face - some times she wanted to smile and sometimes she'd be so happy until I said smile and she'd pout and cover her face. She really did have fun -

I love when Mike takes a day off in the middle of the week. It's fun just to hang out and not worry about what needs done before the weekend is over. I love these three so much!

Catching UP! a bit

This post is going to be filled with much randomness... Just a few things that make me smile and a few things I want to jot down for posterity...

This first picture is Max saying "Cheeeeessseee" He is actually in trouble here because he's learned how to open all of my cupboards. They are all child proofed but thanks to Grace he now can stick his finger in and unhinge the doors. He was opening up my pan cupboard when I caught him, he just says "Cheeesseee" and smiles.

Isn't it funny how kids can be entertained by the simplest things? Grace found this blue glitter ball under one her bed. She got the ball about a year ago and it's been missing for a few months. She's convinced it's a new ball and is so excited! She hasn't put it down in days.

Of course after I took a picture with Grace and a ball Max had to go find a ball for a picture. As long as it's his idea he'll let me take it! What a stink.

Grace keeps getting in the fridge for her own snacks. Which I really wouldn't mind except she leaves messes and keeps eating unwashed food. Yesterday she told me she was eating clean grapes. I said no, they haven't been washed, to which she told me the fridge washed them for her. (I don't have water in my fridge, or an ice maker...) What a good appliance I have.

The week Grace wore her pink and brown skirt we took her over to Grandma Ruth's to show her how cute she was. Several days since then she keeps asking to go to Grandma's to show her how cute she is. Mike says I've created a monster...

The other night Grace told me I had to wait to run to the grocery store until Phineus and Ferb was over - because she said.

One night I made dinner and Grace wouldn't eat, I told her she didn't get any treats unless she ate her dinner so we left her alone when we were done. Several minutes later she came in and told us Max had spilled her dinner all over the floor. I said no, Max was in with me the whole time. Two or three more times she blamed Max. Finally she said "Ok, then I'm sorry I spilled it. Can I have a snack?" Nope, and I held my guns.

Max has started talking more, he says; thank you, nack (snack), more, no, mine, uhhuh (with the cutest full body/head nod), jacket, car, train, bus, truck, tractor, boat, cow, Cassie, grandma, grandpa, Max, Gracie, Daisy, cheese, star and ball. He calls his blanket "nanny" and is completely attached to his two green fleece blankets.

The poor guy can't get a break - last winter it was constant ear infections. He had tubes last Max and has only had one ear infection since. But he has had a runny nose and an on again off again cough for months. This week he got really sick and was down Saturday night - Monday with a high fever and a really bad cough. The dr said it's viral and he just has to wait it out. By today his cough is worse but his fever is controllable with Motrin/Tylenol. He's much happier!

Max always surprises me - he's so strong, he can jump with both feet several inches off the ground, he can throw a ball pretty accurately. He's finally starting to sit down through a whole story, but he's a tease and he may just be doing this to bother his sister who usually gets reading time all to herself.

The kids are normal and watch the same movies over and over. Right now their favorites are UP!, Bolt, Toy Story 2, Bugs Life and Nemo. Thank goodness for Disney! They also love Curious George and Max will stop anything and run for the TV when he hears George come on. We watch Handy Manny, Imagination Movers and Mikey Mouse clubhouse pretty much everyday.

We are awaiting spring and thankful for anytime we get to spend outside!

A rare Sunday

I just love when my kids are all dressed up for church. Grace has more dresses than than any other child I know - Poor Max, he's either had a runny nose, an ear infection or a cough pretty much the whole winter. I think this was the 2nd or 3rd time he's been to nursery since he hit 18 months. (And this week he's got the worst cough yet, so he'll be staying home with daddy. Again. Which means daddy gets the nap time, which means.... I'll stop there.) So, last week all four of us went to church.

Max has started fighting pretty much every picture I want to take, he either closes his eyes or just stares - he's so dang fast most of the time I get one of him turning his head. This was the best we could do...

Mr. Mellow.
Grace however can be bribed and played along nicely for a few pictures of her in her big brown tutu skirt. I'm addicted to Gymboree, I can't go in there because every time I do I want to spend lots of $$$. They just have the cutest stuff!

Now... what to wear today?

Crazy Cold Animals

I found out last month that Hogle Zoo has a free day November-February, and since my kids had so much fun last summer, and I'll do anything to get out of the house, I bundled up the kids and headed to Salt Lake last week.

It had been snowing on and off all morning, but only barely and the kids really enjoyed it. When I went in January there was maybe 30 people in the whole zoo, well, apparently it caught on because I was there by 10:20 and had to park in the back of the parking lot. You would have thought it was June!

I had always heard the animals are more active in the cool weather, and that was true with the tigers and other large cats. It was fun to get to see them up and around, last summer we barely could see the tigers. But the elephants were not out either time, and since Grace is obsessed with elephants that pretty much was lame!

The kids loved to get out of the stroller in the indoor exhibits and walk right up to the glass, Max is enthralled with the huge gorilla, which truthfully freaks me out. I think it would kill someone in a second, his eyes are evil! (The gorilla, not Max's....)

The carousel was open this last time so I let the kids have a ride, they love it too. One nice thing about going in the winter is all the drink and ice cream vendors are closed so I don't have to tell Grace no a million times.

We had a lot of fun, I'm thinking of buying a season pass, I'm guessing the kids won't get bored :)
Grace loves to go upstairs in the giraffe house, and she loves to look at their big bums....

They both were as warm as I could keep them, and were not ready to leave when I wanted to go, so I guess they had fun!

(On a side note, I have no idea how most of this post got underlined, nor can my brain figure out how to underline something!... Lovely blogger...)

A little over 3 years ago....

My sweet little girl was born.

Happy birthday Gracie Girl!

I wish this picture didn't have red eyes, I'll take them out when I develop it, but couldn't figure it out with blogger.... She was so happy on her birthday!

Grace kept saying she wanted a Cars birthday cake, but I wanted her to have something girly... She was so funny when we went to pick her cake, she wanted most of them, but then changed her mind quickly. Finally we found a Care Bears one and she said that it's I want that one, but just as I went to order it she said she wanted Cars again. Then we found the Princess and the Frog cake, it was so cute and she said yes!

Grace got spoiled by everyone... She had two birthday parties, and of course I forgot my camera for the 2nd one. She got fancy new shoes, an Fur Real pet Elephant, some cute clothes, a V-tech computer, a little phone/piano, a leapster and a puppy vet set with a kennel.

We played Kiss the Frog at Grandma Ruths too. Seeing the kids in their blindfolds was so stinking funny, they looked adorable! Travis and Tylor were good sports too!

I think this video is so funny, Grace could not leave the blindfold on to save her life!

A little picture from the past - one of my favorites!

At three years old Grace amazes me at her communication skills! She talks so well, she keeps us laughing and smiling. She is highly opinionated and always wants things her way, right now. I love the few minutes each day that she wants to be held, because usually she is "go go go!"

Grace would rather be out of the house, shopping or playing at the park - but she does like her movies. Right now she loves Up!, Pete's Dragon, Car's, Finding Nemo and the really old claymation Curious George. She rarely naps - and has a hard time with the concept of quiet time.

Grace LOVES books. We could read together for hours. She is good at remember which page says what and fills in the blanks when we read her favorites. She loves "But No Elephants!", And of the Little Critter books, but especially "Going to the Dentist", "Jenny in the hospital" and the little Elmo series from Target.

Grace used to be able to count to 10, but she WILL NOT do it now. She counts to three, some times to four or five but then she stops. I try to count with her, but she ignores me. That's my stubborn little girl!

Grace also loves her puppies and kitty, her snake, her elephant and her teddy bears. Much to my sadness she is not a baby doll lover. How could MY child not love dolls? My mom thinks it's funny because I hated stuffed animals, but not Grace, she plays with them all day long.

She loves to "help" in the kitchen, dress in her princess dresses and walk in the snow.

This past year she has changed so much, her feet are starting to straighten out, she still wears braces every night and is doing better about keeping them on. The doctor really wants her to keep up with the braces instead of casting them, because even if we cast them she will just have to wear braces at night to keep them from turning in. Grace also "lost" her binka this year, or at least the nipple off the end of it. She went for several months without one and then got an ear infection and cried for her Binka again, I was strong, I didn't cave. Even though I found a whole plastic bag full of them in my drawer a couple weeks ago.

Love you baby girl!

My funny girl

Grace says the funniest things sometimes - well most of the time. She remembers everything, good or bad and she can be quite a pill - but she makes me smile!

Yesterday Max was stinky - she came in my bedroom and said "Mom, you've got a poopy bloke!" How she knows what a bloke is I have no idea.

The other day I tried to make the kids take naps after lunch so I could go do some scrapbooking. After two hours I moved Grace to my bed and told her if she got off my bed before Dumbo was over I was going to have to beat her. Max feel asleep quickly so I went downstairs. After about 10 minutes I heard her get off my bed, go down the hall and proceed downstairs. When she came in my scrapbooking room she said "Mom, I'm just coming to make sure you're okay. I'm just checkin on ya." How does a mom get mad at that? "I'm good Grace, go back upstairs and take a nap." "Mom, I've got to do my excersizen." To which she gets on my eliptical machine and starts huffing and puffing. (I don't know where she got that from!)

During Christmas Grace's aunt Caitlin asked what she wanted for Christmas - she replied "How about a kick in the head?"

Mike's mom watches the kids while I work, the other day she said, "Grandma, do you know why you're watching me?" Grandma says "Why?" and Grace said "Because my moms at work and my dads in therapy."

The other day Grace started singing Row Row Row your Boat "scarily down the stream". I just laughed, Mike went to correct her and said don't - it's better that way!

We've been planning Grace's birthday party and she told me she wants to write Santa a letter - I told him that would be nice. "So he can come to my party." Hmm - I wonder how sad she'll be when Santa doesn't come?

When Grace prays over dinner at night she always says "Thank you for Heavenly Father, thank you for prayer, thank you for foo (which sometimes sounds like poo)."

I need to do better about writing these down - I think I will remember and then I don't - but seriously the girl keeps me laughing!