General Conference Weekend

My brother and his family came to Utah for Conference weekend, so we spent a couple nights at my parents' house to be with them. It was so great seeing them again and being able to get caught up. My brother and his wife were able to attend the Saturday morning session, so we kept an eye on their kids while they were gone. They got a little restless, so my sister and I took them down to the neighborhood park. They all had a blast!

This isn't even the whole group...four are missing from this picture.

Chief Derek

Derek experienced his theatrical debut last night, as the chief in his class play. The Second Grade held an "Evening at the Arts" in which each class presented a song, dance, or play. Derek tried out for the part and he was chosen. I only knew that he was the chief and he kept all other details a secret from me. He wanted the whole thing to be a total surprise. He did a great job! He spoke clearly, slowly, and all right on cue. He didn't even look nervous. It was a lot of fun to watch. He always has been my little performer.

The "Chief" on his throne.

Yum!

I am always very slow to start my babies on solid foods. I don't like the mess, I worry about them getting allergies, and let's face it...it's one more thing to put on my daily to-do list. But at 8 months old, I thought it was time for Ryan to start eating like a man. :) At first he pushed his lips together and I couldn't even get the spoon in. But over a few weeks he has figured out how to swallow it and he is a big eater now. Yay!

(8 1/2 Months Old)

And what is that all over his face? His favorite food so far...sweet potatoes. He goes crazy for the stuff. I must admit that I have tried it and I would agree with Ryan. It's pretty good, but I don't love it enough to wear it like he does. In other exciting news...Ryan sleeps through the night, finally. In his 8 months of life he had never slept longer than 4 hours. We decided it was time to make him cry it out. It only took one night and he woke up 3 times crying, but he's been sleeping at least 10 hours a night for three weeks now! I love my little extra energy. I no longer feel like I'm going to fall asleep at 2:30 in the afternoon.

Happy "Green Milk" Day!!

I don't understand my kids sometimes. They are picky eaters on a normal basis, but once a year I make green eggs, green pancakes, and green milk and they all sit down to the table and yell "YUM!" I don't get it. You'd think they wouldn't touch it. I love that my kids are still amazed at how Mommy can change milk into different colors. Derek has caught on, but it's still magic to the others.

After dinner I put together a treasure hunt for the kids. At the end was a "pot o' gold" with a treat for each child. They love the clues and the prize at the end, and I love that all the running up and down stairs gets them tired for bedtime.

Hope you had fun "Green Milk" day!

Teething

Taylor lost his first tooth! Well, actually I pulled it out and it was nasty. I think this was the first time I pulled another human's tooth out of their mouth. Just a gross feeling. But I was tired of hearing Taylor complain about it and now he's happy to move on to something else to complain about. :) Ryan has been dealing with his own tooth drama for a while now. He has six teeth coming in all at once. The poor little guy has been a sad thing for about a month. First his surgery (which has healed nicely), then a horrible cold, then ear infections, and now teething. 2011 has not been a good year for him so far.

Even though he's not feeling well, he shows signs that our sweet little guy is still in there somewhere.

I had to add this picture because it makes me laugh. :)

Happy "Pink Milk" Day!!

Valentine's Day started as usual. I decorated the kids' doors with hearts and laid a trail of hearts for each child that led to a bag of hidden goodies. Um...yeah Derek, there is a big bag of candy under the oven. Keep looking, Dude.

Ryan (7 months old) enjoying his brother's candy.

For dinner we had our 2nd annual "Restaurant at Home". Dave was the waiter and I was the cook with the annoying accent. (Dave gave me those pretty flowers and my Mom and Dad sent me candy. I was one lucky girl!) They have gone crazy over this tradition both years. :) Dave hung sheets to create a cozy dining room and to hide the kitchen. They order from a menu and we serve them. I'm not sure how that's much different than normal though. :)

It was fun spending time with our kids on Valentine's Day...sure beats the long wait at a real restaurant.

Good Things Come...To Birthday Girls

Later in the evening we had our family party for McKenna. Poor Dave had to work late, but that gave me time to bake more layers for her cake. Apparently this ballerina Barbie is taller than the one I had measured with earlier. It was 6:00 when I discovered that the cake only came up to her thigh. A few pictures to kill some time... Finally, Daddy arrived at 9:00 PM with a ladybug Snuggle Pet (knock off Pillow Pet from Macey's...the kids can't tell the difference), McDonald's, and flowers for the birthday girl. What a sweet Daddy.

I'd like to think that I am a genius. McKenna loves combing my wet hair after a shower, so I bought her a hair tool play kit (blow dryer, brush, curling iron, etc.). And with no sisters to use it on that means I get more hair-playing time on me!! Whahoo!

We love our sweet McKenna. She is still a little Mommy to her brothers, so good with little Ryan, but she can definitely be heard when they bug her. She loves to dress up, dance, sing, and play with her princess polly pockets, but loves a good wrestle or pillow fight with her brothers and Daddy.

Happy Birthday, McKenna! We love you!!