Only A Brother...

We were all ready for church... When Carter ran into my room and tripped hitting his head right on the corner of my dresser... It was bad... lots of crying... McKay knowing how much Carter LoVeS money went and tried to get money out of his piggy bank through the little slot! He tore the dollar in the process (nothing a little scotch tape didn't fix!). But, for $1.51 he made his little brothers tears turn to smiles. When Carter asked McKay why he was giving him his money - McKay said "Because you mean more to me than my money"! I TRY to teach my children that there is nothing more important than their Brother & it is so rewarding to see them act & feel that way.

I'm Learning...

• I'm Learning... that it really is worth taking 5 kids out to lunch with you as long as you get to have a fabulous visit with your cousin!




• I'm Learning... that if you tell your children that they don't get ice cream for dessert until their dinner is gone - they will eat their dinner all gone even if it takes them an hour to do it! AND, it doesn't hurt them to eat it cold!




• I'm Learning... that you should never take someone for granted.




• I'm Learning... that my children rather have me read to them than watch a movie.




• I'm Learning... that even though I don't like buzz haircuts - it is nice I don't have to worry about McKay's hair in the morning!




• I'm Learning... that a complete stranger can make a little kids day! James took McKay skiing on Saturday to Snow Basin. It was the first time they had been there and didn't know the mountain very well... Needless to say James accidentally ended up taking McKay down a couple black diamonds... But, all McKay could talk about when he got home was the guy who stopped to cheer "Good job little dude... you rock" - as McKay went over the moguls!




• I'm Learning... that if you treat your husband like the love of your life he treats you the same!




• I'm Learning... that there are some people out there that you can't kill with kindness - they're just too mean!




• I'm Learning... that no matter how old you get your parents still want to take care of you & your brothers still want to protect you!




• I'm Learning... that miles truly can't separate you from a friend!




• I'm Learning... that there are a lot of things out there that I can do that I thought I couldn't! I start Hunters Safety on Tuesday - I want to shoot my first elk this fall!! I just heard a couple jaws drop! I'm still trying to talk myself into the marathon!




• I'm Learning... that there really are people out there who go out of their way to try & make you feel bad... and it's ok to not need them in your life.




• I'm Learning... that if you take a minute to sit still on the floor three little boys will be in your lap in no time!




• I'm Learning... that if you sit down and genuinely ask your 6-year-old how his day at school was - he will tell you!




• I'm Learning... that the most important thing you can do as a mother is pray.




• I'm Learning... that there really isn't much that is worth getting upset over.




• I'm Learning... that the extra mess of letting your kids help you cook is worth it.




• I'm Learning... that no matter how much of a pain Lego's can be they are totally worth it when they entertain your kids for hours!




• I'm Learning... that life is what YOU make of it.




• I'm Learning... that I am a VERY blessed person & my Heavenly Father knows me better than I know myself.

A Few Little Projects...

So, I can honestly say that my boys don't fight with each other very much... (knock on wood) However, it seems like every Sunday they fight with each other all during Sacrament over who packed what toy and what book is whos... I came up with an easy solution! Their very own church bags!!! These bags were so easy and fun to make i think i might have to make a couple more!!! And, here are a few things that I have made to go in their bags!

Crayon Roll - I made 21 of these for little Christmas gifts... Don't know that I will be making anymore anytime soon!

This Little Bag Holds:

I found this Mr. Potato Head idea on a blog I like www.makeitandloveit.blogspot.com - And as usual as I always do I can never just make one... I ended up making 6!!! I have a few other things I will post later that I have been making... of course they are on my other camera that is dead... and I can't find the charger ANYWHERE.... My next option is to offer Carter a dollar!

Only Girl...

Going through some pictures tonight and this one touched my heart. Truly grateful to have my Brothers in my life!

Daily Life....

• I Love to watch Cannon as he crawls around with two pacifiers - one in his mouth and one in his hand! Every few minutes he will stop and switch them!

• I don't like buzz haircuts on little boys... I don't know why but I just don't! Needless to say my children have never had them! But, for some INSANE reason (probably because In all honesty I messed up pretty good on McKay's haircut!) I let him talk me into buzzing his hair.... He then went to school the next day and when his teacher commented on his haircut he told her "My Mom had to cut it short like this because I had bugs hibernating in my hair"! Needless to say they had someone come in and check the little bugger for Lice...

• Carter has a little problem with his digestive system... and as I have mentioned he is very motivated by money! So, he gets paid a quarter for every prune he eats! Needless to say I had to hide the prunes!

• Cannon LOVES my cell phone... Whenever he sees me on it he crawls over to me and wants it - as soon as I put it down and won't give it to him he has a little melt down! I have been known to give it to him while I am running errands to keep him entertained! However, last week he speed dialed my parents and they got to hear a melt down I was having at the DI with McKay and Carter as they were jumping on the demo beds... My parents thought it was very entertaining! Needless to say Cannon doesn't get my phone anymore!

• I am missing a box.... A very important box.... I KNOW that it is somewhere out in the garage where all of our stuff is stored right now.... I have skimmed over them to see if I can find it - But, it is in the back in the corner somewhere.... Why is this box SOOOOOO IMPORTANT??? Because it has all of my jeans, dresses & dress shoes in it.... THAT'S WHY!!! So, I have been surviving on two pair of jeans and a black skirt and one pair of black heals......

• McKay came down the stairs today ready for school smelling VERY ripe! He had sprayed my perfume and James' cologne on! I felt for the kids that had to sit at his table at school!

• I'm Grateful for a husband that doesn't believe in our kids sleeping on our floor when they come in in the middle of the night - he doesn't think it is fair for them! So, instead I go many nights and find him sleeping on their floor!!! What a good Dad!

• We watched the movie Forever Strong the other night with the boys & Wayne & Becky (James' parents)- Wayne had really been wanting us to see it and said it was safe for the boys to see... It is a VERY good movie! I highly recommend it! However, there is a part in the movie where a man asks a kid for the password to let him in the building - the kid is mad and flips him off... So, I hear McKay ask Becky for the password yesterday.... I went running out to stop him - but, got there just in time to see her almost pass out because he was flipping her off....... The Kid doesn't even know what it means! But, those sure are the things that they catch onto....

• Carter is down to one pair of jeans... He told me that he hid them so that he wouldn't lose them... However now neither he or I can find them...

• Cannon finished his last canister of baby formula today... It always makes me a little sad when they hit those milestones that mean they are growing up! I remember being sad with McKay and Carter when they were finally old enough to be off formula! You would think that I would be happy that I don't have to pay for it anymore... Instead I start to think of all the crazy fertility treatments that I might have to go through again to get another baby here... Cannon is still in his rear facing car seat because I can't bring myself to take him out of it - another milestone that is difficult!

• Carter is doing VERY Well in Sunbeams - a lot better than we all thought he would! He was a little miffed that he didn't get to play with toys and have treats anymore! AND he does have to sit by McKay during opening exercises... But, all in all he is doing pretty good!

• I noticed that McKay was getting a little sloppy with writing his name at school... I can tell he is in a hurry and isn't doing his best. So, I told him that when he came home I was going to look at his school work everyday and check his name - If he wrote it sloppy he would have to write his name for me 25 times!!! Today was the first time he had to write his name for me! We always do his homework right after lunch and he has a form that I have to sign each day. Today he looked at my signature and said "Mom, I'm the smartest kid in my class and I can't even read your name... you owe me 25"! Needless to say I wrote my name 25 times too!

• Cannon LOVES cheerios... When you put them on his highchair he grabs at them like there are a hundred other kids there trying to steal his food!!! He gets his little hands as full of them as he can and then he eats them one by one. When he has had enough of sitting in his high chair he fills his hands back up and after I let him down he crawls around on his knuckles and will stop every little while and eat a cheerio that he has saved in his hand!

• McKay has his follow up appointment tomorrow with the ear specialist... He was complaining of some ear pain and we took him in to have them tell us the inside of his ear is shaped wrong... He said that usually they catch on to this a lot sooner because children start falling behind in school because they can't hear well. But, McKay has always done very well & never struggled. However, it would explain why he has always talked really loud! I felt bad for all the times I told him I was going to get his ears checked because he was talking too loud! They'll tell us tomorrow if he has to have surgery...

• Tomorrow morning is the morning that all the Wall's get on the computer and go like crazy to get camping spots at Redfish Lake! We've been on the phone back and forth for the last week setting out strategy! I seriously have little butterflies in my stomach!

• Since I cut Carter's hair he hasn't looked at himself once in the mirror or even combed his hair! He is truly a happy little man without his curls...

These are just a couple little happenings in my daily life right now that I needed to write down. If I don't they seem to get lost in my mind so quickly...

It's Gone....

He got to the point that he wouldn't let me take his pictures anymore because "I don't like my curls... they make me look like a girl"...

Carter's fetish for his Tye dye shirts (he has 6 of them!) is a story for another time...

Ok - So, I LOVED Carter's curls... However, Carter did not... Someone (who shall remain nameless! But, I will say that Grandma's can be tricky when they think something should be done & it wasn't my Mom!) told him that his curls made him look like a girl... Oh the stress that one little comment caused! He even went into the bathroom and attempted to cut them off - but just the ones around his ears! He would go into the bathroom seriously 2-3 times a day, plug the sink, draw cold water, get a comb & comb his curls until they laid flat! So, then he just looked like he had a totally crazy mullet! He would have to check his hair before we left the house to make sure it "looks perfect"! When he would wake up from his nap the first thing he would do would be to go and comb his hair! AND last Sunday he cried and cried before church because his hair was curling and he didn't want it too!

So, I was cutting McKay's hair and Carter literally started begging me to "please, please, please, please, please cut my hair so I don't have to look like a girl anymore"! Seriously, what do you say to that! And then Wayne (James' Dad) told him he would pay him $20 if he cut his hair... Which Carter is my little money man! He loves to earn money & truly understands the whole money concept... If you want him to do something just offer him money! So, after Wayne offered him $20 I knew that if I didn't cut it Carter would do it himself with his little craft scissors & that would be a total hack job! So, I finally did it. I tried to trick him and only cut off a little - But, then he grabbed the electric clippers and said "No, I want you to use these...". I truly shed a tear as his little golden locks fell to the ground. So, all that is left now of his curls is in a little bag in his memory book!

Lego Boy

This year for Christmas McKay got Star Wars Lego sets. On the first couple I just sat down and did them for him while he watched. Then he decided that he wanted to do one without any help. I will admit I didn't think that it was going to turn out very well. McKay's attention span usually doesn't last very long - and the poor kid happens to be a perfectionist like his mother... So, I sat down to watch and he asked me leave! He was fine with me there as long as I was taking pictures and not trying to help! But, he did AWESOME! So AWESOME that I took apart the ones that I had done so that he could do them too! He was so proud of himself that he walked around with a perma-grin on for the rest of the day!

Who Said???

Who said that little boys can't wear leg warmers???

This picture seriously depicts Cannon's life right now... always on the go!

And look how cute the toes look peaking out the ends!

I will totally admit that James wasn't too excited when I told him I had my Mom get Cannon leg warmers for his Birthday!!! It was a SERIOUS eye roll! But, Cannon is seriously the most hot blooded little man - he is always too warm. He lives in a onesie - but, with him crawling all over his little knees were getting chapped... In comes the leg warmers! I found the most boyish ones I could! He even has a pair that has little pirate skulls on them!

Christmas

For Christmas Dinner we made pizza's! The boys thought it was great to make it all by themselves and get to put whatever they wanted on them! There was just one rule: whatever you make you eat!

Making cookies for Santa

"For the reindeer to drink". McKay made cider for the Reindeer... It consisted of apple juice, water, carrots, marshmallows, chocolate chips, chocolate cake & Cinnamon! They loved it so much they left a note asking for the recipe!

Opening Christmas pajamas

Our tradition is to get new games to play on Christmas Eve. I seriously forgot how much fun Perfection is!

All he wanted was Lego's!

Stocking Stuffers

It took him a while to realize that there was a Wii there too!

Cannon was teething and not feeling very well...

Cannon with Uncle Wade and Rylee

McKay, Cohen, Carter & Ethan - Carter's pose cracks me up!

The blanket that Grandma made for Cannon

We went to Idaho for New Years and celebrated with the Wall's

Pajamas from Grandma!

We were lucky enough to be able to spend Christmas with the Turley's this year. The boys thought that it was the greatest to be with Grandma and Grandpa. Carter wanted Lego's this year and McKay wanted a Wii! James had been telling McKay that the elf in charge of making Wii's was sick... So, McKay was a little stressed out! On Christmas Eve he finally told me "Mom, I have been thinking about it and it is ok if I don't get a Wii - I will just be very happy with whatever Santa brings me!" Then the next morning he didn't see it right away - and sure enough he was happy even when he thought he didn't get it! Carter saw the Lego's and sat right down and started to play with them and wouldn't open any of his other presents!

We headed up to Idaho over New Years to celebrate with the Wall's. We got to spend lots of time with family and friends and spent an afternoon sledding and went to the new Chipmunks movie with Amy and the boys. It was only the second movie Carter had been to and he was standing up dancing in the isle! He loved it! It was sooo nice to get to spend a night with Carson and Lacey and sooo sad to see McKay and Addy heartbroken when it was time to leave! I truly could feel their pain because I miss them too!

All in all it was a fabulous holiday!!!