Top Ten for Yesterday, okay, maybe Top Fourteen.

**Rachael is demanding I post this even though I was holding out for the smallest of miracles- blogger actually letting me upload my video. I suppose there's always tomorrow...

1. Kids slept in until 9:15 and we ate brownies for breakfast.
2. Carson showing some major enthusiasm for having dogs on his pajama pants.
3. On-line chatted with sister, sister-in-law, and cousin, while simultaneously conference calling with same sister, and sister-in-law.
4. Having Aubrey spend, what feels like, the 32nd weekend in a row at our house.
5. Making spur of the moment plans to head out to what we thought was a Pacific Science Center Expo, only it was more of a Family Expo, with some cousins.
6. Listening to Colton and Spencer try to explain to each other how brick buildings are built.
7. Eating out for lunch, and dinner, making three very healthy meals today.
8. Hanging out at Rachael's with cousins, and our kids.
9. Playing the most ridiculous game called Lightning...? Help me out, Josh...where we essentially set ourselves up to be shocked.
10. Almost getting to play Beatles Rock Band, with my cousins.
11. Going to see Leap Year, with more cousins.
12. Shopping at Walmart at 11:30 p.m., with again, cousins.
13. Knowing that I didn't do a single chore today.
14. Realizing that from the moment I got up, until the end of my day, there was at least one cousin with me, whether it was one of my kids' cousins, or my own. It was super fun spending the day with Aubrey, Colton, Josh, Sarah, Lydia, Katie, Kimmie, Mallary, and of course the rest of Rachael's crew and all of mine.

Making a Comeback

After reading Rachael's post, I got excited about making a real effort to blog again. Like her, I am super sad about all the little details that I've neglected to journal or share that will hopefully someday mean a lot to my kids. We've decided to help each other along by suggesting ideas and topics to blog about. So, here's my 8th picture from my December photo folder.



These two kids crack me up when they head outside to play together. Spencer always has a plan, whether it's spying, or adding on to their playhouse/swing set, or chasing his sister around on his bike.

He was pretty proud of the rope swing he made by wedging one end of the rope through the slats in the fence, the other end is tied somewhere on the swing set.



Sophie was in awe of the chunks of ice. She was the first to go down the slide and break them all up. She was pretty upset though that her snowsuit got all wet and tried to convince me that she needed to go inside to change!



Aside from freaking out once I realized that there was actually water in the squirt gun that he was aiming at me and the camera, this picture turned out kinda cool. He was not happy when I confiscated the gun knowing that I couldn't trust him resisting the urge to soak his sister!



While I was outside taking pictures of the kids, we all thought Carson was securely, and very unhappily, stuck inside the house. There was ice everywhere and I was trying to be super careful in my slippers not wanting to fall with my camera. As I was taking pictures of Spencer, he starting running past me yelling and as I turned and looked, Carson was walking down the sloped sidewalk that was just a solid piece of ice, barefoot. It was one of those split second moments when you have to try to figure out how to rescue your child, save your camera, and somehow remain standing yourself. I somehow managed to get all three of us (Carson, the camera, and myself) back to the house safely. I'm not sure what it must have looked like, but Spencer couldn't stop laughing.

Trying this Out

My parents got us a Flip for Christmas and I am in love with it! It's so much easier to grab it out and quickly catch the funny stuff that goes on in this place.

Addiction

He's up to two pacifiers a day. May be time for a little intervention.



I don't know how he managed to keep them both in through all his smiling!

Pumpkin Patch '09

Spencer had his first ride on a school bus last week when his class went to the Country Mercantile. Jason, Sophie, and I met his class out there. As soon as he got off the bus and saw us he said, "The school bus ride was awesome!"

We followed his class around and I loved having Rachael's zoom lens. In two hours, I managed to take 240 pictures! You'll notice Sophie's wardrobe change, it was our first outing without a diaper and she had an accident in the middle of the pumpkin patch! Poor girl. After his field trip was over, we signed him out so he could stay with us as we explored the rest of the Mercantile. Here's the photo overload-


They had to make sure their pumpkins fit in their backpacks!


She was so excited to have her very own 'yeetle' (little) pumpkin.


After his class left we headed to the Corn Maze.






Next we hit the Strawbale Pyramid.





Before we headed inside to pick out some treats we played around with some of the huge pumpkins they had laying by the wagon. They had fun climbing on and around the pumpkins.



They also had fun trying to pick up the huge ones.







They finally found some they could pick up!








After we got home that afternoon, we went outside and played in Grandma Goude's yard. We brought out the three pumpkins and put them in the grass for Carson to play with. He ended up having to fight Franklin (the cat) for them.

Advice Anyone?

I know that by the looks of her, it will be hard to believe that she is causing me some major grief, but anyone that's been around her for very long, will not be surprised at all.

I have spent the last few weeks completely smitten by her and her emerging personality. She is fun to talk to, the things she thinks to say crack me up. She loves her 'lips' (chapstick), her pa and grandma's, her dresses, her movies, her cousins (big and little), and lots of other very girly things. She has grown up so much lately, and I'm crazy proud of her. She relinquished her nighttime bottle (no judging, she's barely 2.5) with relative ease and was potty trained within two days last weekend.

So what's the cause for grief? Bed time.

My kids have always been great about going to bed. Carson's down at 7:30pm, bottle and binky and he's a goner. Spencer and Sophie anytime between 8-8:30. A month ago, I gave her a bottle, tucked them both in, shut the door and that was it. Easy. But, in the last week or so, she's completely reverted. She yells and throws herself all over the floor when I say it's time to get ready for bed. Tonight, she ran through the house (times like this I love only being in a double wide, I only had to haul the 50lb kicking, screaming toddler a few feet to get her back to her room) and then yelled at me "I not see you! I not ever like you!" It's being coming a huge battle.

I have no problem letting her cry it out, but since the kids are all sharing a room, that doesn't work out so well for her brothers. Tonight, after letting her cry for a good 10 minutes, she came to her door, begging for her dad and I spent a good 3 minutes convincing her to let me lay with her. As I tucked her in and quietly sang to her, she was asleep after just a few minutes. I laid there next to her and wondered if I need to give a little in the situation or will that just lead to a bad habit? Is it a small sacrifice considering all the growing up she's done lately? I don't mind laying with her or sitting in her room, but I don't want it to become a regular thing. Do I regress in this one area since there's been so much progression in all the others?

I know that this stage is fleeting, as is her age. I don't mind giving up some of my time to spend a few extra minutes with my kids, but, I do worry about creating a habit that will have to be eventually broken. Ugh, I hope I don't sound heartless! It's just hard to regress.

Any advice?

The story of the first tooth

"The first day that I brought cold lunch, I totally opened my skittles with my mouth and it started to hurt and then I wiggled it and I realized that it was wiggly and the next day I wiggled it, and the next day I wiggled it, and the next day I wiggled it, and the next day I wiggled it, and at least I ate hard stuff and then we came home tonight from Grandma Goudes and I wiggled it and I twisted it before I wiggled it, and then finally my mom pulled it out. The end. Mom, t-h-e the end."