Valentine's Day

Our Day of Love happened one day early, with the school parties and our Stake Valentine's Dance. The kids loved their parties, and Eden was my little helper and tagged along with me. She is adored by all of the kids. Its funny to me that she is such a novelty to most of the kids in the school, let alone the fact that I am carrying around a little one and that I am going to have another one so soon!! In Peter's class a kid yelled out, "Your going to have another one!"

This time I didn't go into Joseph's class...and he was so disappointed....His teacher came up to me when I went to pick him up to warn me that he was really upset because he kept saying that his mom was in the school and that she was going to come to class, even though I told him I wasn't going to be able to. Being the party mom for Hannah's class makes it hard to leave in the middle to go to other classes. I will have to make sure that next time we go and eat lunch with Joe before the parties start.

The kids enjoyed all the Valentines and goodies from school and home that they were able to partake of. Valentine's Day just isn't Valentine's Day without chocolate dipped strawberries!!

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Alan and I went to the Stake Dance that evening....Alan did a fabulous job DJing it! Yes it is my fault that he was doing it, but he loved it and had so much fun!! He not only enjoyed the "performance" night, but the planning that led up to it as well. The theme was "Valentine's Through the Ages." Being the ballroom dancer that Alan is, he was able to play music that people who knew how to dance could do: swing, foxtrot, waltz, salsa, Chacha, etc., but for those that didn't know how to dance, they could still get out there and move and dance around. It was really interesting seeing the songs that people danced to and the one's they didn't. And the requests that people made that didn't ever cross our minds but would have been good...oh well it was a great night and we had lots of fun dancing!!


Happy Love Day!! Thanks for all your love!!

Little Helper

It is usually craziness in the mornings as we are trying to get everyone ready for school. While the kids are eating breakfast, Eden is usually drinking her "Baaaa BA" while I am making lunches or getting backpacks ready. This particular day I was making lunches, and I guess I am pretty focused, because the next thing I knew there was a stool pushed up to the counter and Eden was standing on it, happy as can be, as you can imagine.

She had brought the stool in from the playroom and climbed up onto it. It cracks me up how quick kids are and how they know what they want at such a young age. I can't wait for all of the climbing that has just begun.

Ice Storms

Even ice storms can be a lot of fun when you have no school and the roads (at least the main roads) are clear! Especially when you go sledding with friends who came up from VA.
This has to be my favorite picture of the day!! This is Maggie Tippets, you can't get much more adorable than this, even if you tried!

As proof from this picture...the kids had a great time!

This was a great day to go sledding because it was pure ice, I know it looks like snow but that's not the case. It snowed first and then turned to a freezing rain during the night, turning the snow into ice. It put a couple of inches of ice everywhere. Nice and slick to go super fast, even down little hills!

There was about 2-3 inches of solid ice on the driveway which made a great slide for all the kids to just sit down and go!

Eden didn't know what to think.....look at those beautiful eyes!

size difference

Kind of crazy how BIG Peter is compared to Joseph, who is only 18 months younger then he is.
What might be even crazier is how close Peter is to passing Hannah, who is almost 3 years older than he is.
Sorry the pictures are so dark. Well have to do these comparisons again in the light!

Happy Birthday Pirate JOE!

What a fun, entergetic, hungry kid! I love his quick smile and his ablity to love and to share all that he has with those around him. I won't lie...he drives me batty sometimes, but he always does something to make all of that disappear. He randomly says the most wonderful things without prompting, "Your beautiful Mom," or "Thanks for helping me," or "Your the best mom ever," or "Thanks for dinner, it's really good," or "I love you Mom." How did I get so lucky? What a joy Joseph has been in our lives.

Joseph had a great birthday and he couldn't wait to go to school to get a crown and to bring his treats!! He also couldn't wait to give Peter a card that he made. Knowing that he would be getting presents and cards, Joseph wanted to give a card to Peter, so he could have one too.

We had a little family party the night of his birthday where he got his "pan" and his own food! He also got some great gifts from his grandparents. He couldn't be happier.

Sadly, we had to cancel his orginal party because he was sick and we didn't want to send home more goodies then the ones we bought for his friends. We were able to have it the following weekend. It was fun to have his little friends from church and school come over and celebrate and become pirates as they searched for the treasure! It was a lot of fun. The hardest part was to keep Hannah and Peter quiet while we would read the clues, to let Joseph and his friends figure it out. The whole party was one big treasure hunt with activities and/or prizes at each clue. Alan was hilarious! The kids loved when he would start talking like a poyrat (pirate). He would read the clues and got the kids all excited! Swab the deck ye scurvy dogs!

Joseph was very disappointed that I made a treasure chest cake intead of a "marriage" cake which is what he really wanted!! One day, all to soon, he will get his marriage cake. At least Peter thought that it was a really cool cake!

8 more days!!

My sweet Joe.....needs so much sugar in his blood stream just to keep being sweet!!

Joseph turns the big 5 in eight more days....he couldn't be more thrilled. Every day he asks if it is his birthday, and how many more days until it is! We finally made a chain for him so that he could just go count by himself how many more days and we can stop the madness.

I asked Joseph a week or so ago what he wanted for his birthday. He thought for a moment and then replied...."I want a pan, like the one that Hannah broke at school, so that I can make brownies and cakes in it." I smiled thinking it was just a passing thing. Two days ago I asked him again what he wanted for his birthday. "I told you already...I want a pan so that I can make brownies and cakes." We went to the grocery store, and he started adding to the list...."I also want gummies, and my own chips, and lots of food that I can put into my room." (side note: food to Joseph is any type of junk, cookies, candy, chips, goodies, etc.) We walked past the cake section and Hannah asked if he should pick out his cake. I said no, that we still have time. Joseph then said, "Do you know what kind of cake I want for my birthday?" "No Joe, what kind?"....."A wedding cake"...With a giggle I told Joseph this is your birthday, not your wedding! Then he said with a totally strait face, "Well we could invite over Julia (a little girl from his pre-K class)." Now I have known for a long time that he has wanted to marry Julia, because he is quite vocal about it. But the question I have is, what does a wedding cake look like in a 5 year olds mind? Continuing with the shopping trip....He also wanted a Scooby Doo movie and another movie that has slipped my mind. Then as we were checking out, he proclaimed...."I don't want any toys, just my food, and a pan, and movies!"

I am very inclined to grant him his wish.....but the tale is not over...

On Sunday during Sacrament Meeting, he saw a picture of a Razor Scooter. He looked at me and said, "Mom, I want one of those for my birthday!!" I said "Would you rather have a Razor or a pan and food?" He thought for probably 2 minutes and came back with "BOTH." I shook my head and said that he had to choose which one he wanted, that he couldn't have both. Three to four minutes passed and he looked at me and said, "I want a pan."

I couldn't believe it!! This kid is killing me.....he is 5 and he is so obsessed with a pan so that he can make his own brownies and cakes and how he wants his own food in his room. It cracks me up. I keep thinking this eating thing is just a stage and that one day he will shoot up from his short stature and be taller and not eat constantly. But he has so much energy that he has to have something to feed his fire!

Ice Skating

Joseph has a problem with listening and this post demonstrates it perfectly. "Hannah, Peter, and Joseph get your socks and shoes on, please." "OK, make sure that you have a coat, hat, and gloves, and then go get in the car." We pull up to The Gardens Ice House to participate in their free skate day. We get all the skates, go to put them on, and Joseph is not wearing socks. Nice!! Took a deep breath and asked him if I had asked him to put on sock and shoes. Yes....OK so we are going ice skating with no socks....good. Everyone now has their skates on, making sure they are all bundled up. "Joseph where are your gloves?" "In the car, I didn't want to carry them." Another deep breath. Okay, we will skate without gloves or socks!! Maybe he will get cold enough that next time he will listen!

Hannah and Peter have never been ice skating before and they LOVED it! They thought that it was so fun and awesome!! Joseph was convinced that the ice would break and the he would fall through and drown. I tried to explain that it was only a couple of inches thick, but it fell on deaf ears. Joe and I went around twice and then I left Joseph to take Peter around once, and then we watched Hannah and Peter go around. There were other friends there to watch as well. Mom also got to try out her new camera, which was a lot of fun!!
Joseph did get cold and was crying by the end to go home....hopefully the lesson is learned. I can always hope!!

New Years

I really wanted to go to Times Square in NYC to watch the big apple drop this year, but I didn't have a willing companion to go with me. After seeing the weather report I was glad that he didn't want to go. Being outside for a long period of time in 1 degree weather doesn't sound too appealing. Instead we made our own apple drop (literally). We counted down, and when we got to one, I dropped an apple. We do what we can to live our dreams!

We counted down with England (7:00p.m.) at a friends party for the kids. It was fun to be able to spend that time with friends, and to let our kids enjoy themselves. Plus we had them to bed by 9:00 p.m. having celebrated New Year's Eve!!

Date....mid week

Alan took me out on a fabulous night on the town....on a Tuesday none the less! It was a lot of fun!! We had a friend who was home from college for Christmas break watch our kids (it was our ward youth activity night) while we went to Sakura's restaurant for dinner and than to a Maryland Basketball game! Maryland won 76-50, because we were there I am sure! It was nice just to have the time to be with Alan and to chat about the year that has passed and the upcoming year. It was also very nice that I didn't have to plan it and that it was of his doing!!

Way to go lover boy!

Merry Christmas

What a wonderful day we had!! We gathered bright and early to Dad and Mom's bed to read the account of the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ (of course after discovering that Santa did in fact come....we were contemplating not having him come, becuase we have had such a hard time being good this December). Then it was off to open presents.....Santa could not be more real in the lives of our children and he did it just right once again! We had so many wonderful gifts given to us and had fun unwrapping and seeing all of our surprises!! We even had a couple of intermissions. Eden wanted to go back to bed, plus we need to eat breakfast (cherry turnovers and cinnamon muffins). We also just couldn't wait to get some of the fun gifts out of the packages fast enough!!


The kids were a dream....It was a fabulous relaxing day full of joy and love!

Bethlehem and other Christmas Eve Observations

We just got back from visiting the Washington DC Temple visitor center. While there we got to see the beautiful lights, watch a live nativity, and hear a 40 minute concert by the sister missionaries assigned to the visitor center.

Rebecca left the concert with Eden, who was so excited, she just couldn't sit still.

During the performance I heard:

Peter: This is so beautiful.

Hannah: This is awesome!

Joseph: Dad...did you see the star?
Alan: Yes, I saw the star in the East.
Joseph (hushed and in awe): Are we in Bethlehem?
Alan: No Joseph, we're at the temple visitor center in Washington DC.

His innocence and longing to be near Jesus made my eyes well up with tears. Oh that I could be as childlike, faith-filled, and innocent.

Earlier, however, he pointed out that it was okay if he was bad and that it was fine if Santa didn't come, because we already have a lot of presents under the tree.

Joseph has this knack for burning both ends of the candle...

What's His phone number??

My mom's brithday was today (Happy Birthday, MOM!!) We had gathered the kids together to sing Happy Birthday to her over the phone. I started dialing and Joseph yells out, "You know Jesus's number??" Nope, we are calling Grandma Wendy. It's her birthday. "Well it's almost Jesus's Birthday!!"