There's something you should know....

I am fickle and impulsive. Seriously. That is why in the last week our house has been a crazy place because I am re-arranging rooms/furniture/etc.... Once I get it in my head that I want to do something I can't wait one second to start doing it. No matter the time or circumstances. Sigh. It has it's pro's and con's. I blame it on my parents. We were always doing things at the last second and re-arranging rooms almost every weekend! But that is why I just made our blog un-private again. Because like I said - I am fickle and impulsive! (Although I like to think of myself as spontaneous and whimsical). Anyway - go ahead and add us back to your googlereader!

Until next time that is!

A fair trade......

This weekend Brian and I were able to go to Bay City, Michigan completely and utterly ALONE. This is a remarkable thing because neither of us can remember the last time we were alone for more than a few hours...... I think it was just after Nora turned one. So... it's been awhile. We traded with our neighbors a few weeks ago during spring break and we took their three kids in while they went on an overnight trip. We were planning on going during spring break as well, but Brian and Sophie ended up being sick. So we ended up going this weekend - and it was wonderful. It was so amazing to have a peaceful car ride together and carry on a conversation without being interrupted and listen to something other than kid songs or stories on cd! I learned a lot about what Brian is doing in school right now and his goals for the coming months. Which is very nice because it bothers me sometimes that he is up at the school every day working on stuff that I don't know anything about, with people that I don't know anything about! So now I know. Okay, I may have already forgot. But I did know! We had a fun time shopping for a few things, going out to dinner, relaxing & swimming at the hotel and playing card games. We both came home feeling refreshed and more in tune with each other.

Of course, we love doing this...

this....

this...

and this....

But for 24 hours, it was so nice to just be this....

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Becca! We miss you and we love you and can't wait to see you this summer!

My SIL Becca is such a cute lady. She's simple and sweet - and adventurous. And she's a wonderful mother to her two adorable kids. I've never heard her say a mean thing about anyone and she has a heart of gold. We love ya Doots! (I don't know if anyone still calls you that - but Brian does all the time!) :)

Keeping busy...

We are keeping busy around here and enjoying the taste of spring we've had lately. Here are some pics of a few thing we've been up to:

Miles enjoying a juice box in the backyard (he can down them in no time)...

Nora is so easy to have at home... she has become my little shadow and is content to follow me and help me - she's such a sweetheart!

Miles loves riding on the vacuum (even when it is on). It's become one of those things you regret showing them because then they want to do it all the time....

We had our New Beginnings program for the Young Women of our ward. It turned out pretty cute. We had a chocolate fountain with things to dip in it that were all the colors of the values - except we couldn't think of anything blue so we had a blue drink (and purple rice krispies!)

I got to go with Sophie on a field trip to the zoo to learn about penguins. It was a lot of fun to have some time with her and ride the bus together. Here she is on her teacher's lap getting a better view of the penguins.

And here is Miles again - he loves being outside and exploring the backyard. It must seem HUGE and amazing to him! He loves being in our little playhouse.

We have been so lucky to have pretty warm weather here lately! We are soaking it up and even more excited for spring/summer....

How to catch a LePrEcHaUn!

Step 1. Make a leprechaun trap:

Step 2. Set it up in the yard where you think the leprechaun's might be hiding:

Step 3. Find a good hiding place where you can see the trap, but the leprechaun's can't see you:

Step 4: Check the trap often, because leprechaun's are very tricky. They just might leave you a note and some candy:

Step 5. Don't get frustrated if you don't catch a leprechaun. Because like I said before; they are very tricky. You could try leaving them a note like this:

(Dear leprechauns, please show yourself. Love, Sophie)

Birthday wishes

Happy Birthday today to my big brother Aaron. We've called him Bug for years and some of you may know why......... he is a pest! But he's my big brother who I know would still protect me if I needed it. He is also an amazing artist (check it out HERE), a funny uncle, a hardworking dad and husband, he's also my friend - and he has an awesome Irish accent (maybe because his St. Patrick's day birthday?) We all love you & miss you!

And Happy Birthday yesterday to our sweet nephew Truman. Who melts our hearts with his sweetness and leaves us in awe with his superhero powers. We love you and miss you Tru-bee!!

One Year Update... a little late

Miles turned one last month and is such a sweet boy. I love the stage he is at right now (I think I've said that at every stage!) His personality is showing more and he is just so fun! Here are some things about our Miles at one year old:

* He loves to make noise. He will carry something around in his hand (a pot lid, a ball, a spoon, etc.) and bang it on different objects (fridge, wall, floor, etc.) just to see what kind of noise it will make. He gets a very satisfied look on his face the louder the noise is.
* He enjoys pulling his sister's hair and laughing joyfully when we sternly tell him not to.
* He is figuring out how to make new sounds and will make the same sound all day long, and the next day move on to a new one.
* He could watch out the window ALL day long. He will walk over to the window - point to it and yell and jabber and grunt until someone picks him up and lifts him up so he can see outside.
* He loves watching the garbage man come and empty our garbage can. The garbage man always waves to us on Wednesday mornings. Very cute (I mean Miles, not the garbage man).
* He is still mostly easygoing and loves to wander around the house exploring & destroying drawers, garbages, baskets, etc...
* He is sleeping well! We recently moved him into the girls' room and they have all done great at adjusting to it. (We put Sophie & Nora in bed at 8, wait until Nora falls asleep at about 8:30, let Sophie come out, put Miles down - he cries for a bit, then when he's asleep we let Sophie back in! Whew!) I took the crib down to make room for a dresser and right now his playpen is in the closet, where he'll stay until we move him to a toddler bed :)
* He loves technology; banging on the computer or carrying the cell phone or ipod around.
* He knows how to throw a fit. He drops to the ground and throws his head back if he is upset about not getting his way.
* He is learning how to share. And by this I mean he has learned to get very mad when someone has something he wants!
* He doesn't say any words yet but knows how to get what he wants through grunting, yelling, pointing and jabbering.
* He knows how to sign "more" but usually only uses it in regards to toys... both the girls used it for signing "more food", but Miles will stand in front of the closet in their room and point up to the toy he wants and sign "more".
* He has 8 teeth - four on top and four on bottom (and two more on top getting very close)

I'm sure I could continue but those are the things that stand out to me the most about Miles right now. He is a joy and provides great entertainment for us all.

Dieters Beware!

Nothing better on a cold, rainy day than hot & delicious homemade doughnuts......
Find the recipe HERE.

* I doubled the icing recipe and used almost all of it.
** And I don't have a deep fryer so I used a skillet with about 3 inches of oil and a candy thermometer. I would recommend turning the burner on medium while the doughnuts are raising and giving it plenty of time to get to 350. I started my burner on high and it got my oil way too hot and a few lovely doughnuts were a bit scorched..... But still edible of course :)

It's official...

My 5 year old's drawing skills have now surpassed my own!

Find animals in this book

Uh-oh I see a crab

I see a starfish

Dolphins

(a squirrel)

(a seagull)

(A giraffe!)

I know I am always going on about Sophie's drawing skills.... but she brought this book home from school yesterday and I couldn't believe she had done it without tracing- especially the owl, dolphin and giraffe. Yep - she can now draw better than her mother. Which is not saying much about my drawing skills - but a lot about hers!

Can it be?

A day at the park after months of being inside - we are thrilled.

Sweet Sophie girl

It is time for an update on my Sophie girl. She has been having a few struggles with school lately and it breaks my heart! She has two "friends" at school that she has been playing with who have shown up in numerous drawings of Sophie's. She always draws them the same: one has short brown hair and one and has flipped brown hair. She has shed several tears over the fact that they are not always the best of friends (telling her she has gross hands, stinky breath, they don't want to be her friend, etc...) And despite my encouragement to play with other kids she is determined to win them over. She told me a few days ago, "I think they are getting used to me." Her teacher has talked to one of the girl's dads and it seemed to get better for a bit. I hate not knowing what's really happening, though. Wouldn't I love to be a fly on the wall in her classroom! I know she is pretty sensitive to anything she perceives as unkind, and since I'm not there to see what is really going on I don't know what else to do besides try to encourage friendships with other children and teach her how to deal with the situation. She brought home this picture the other day:

note: she draws herself wearing a crown in almost every picture she does :)

This was when I realized she was really feeling bad about the situation. This is friend #1 on the left, holding hands with Sophie, leaving out friend #2 on the right. She was obviously feeling like friend #2 and wanting to be the one who was not left out. Sad. Every morning for the past two weeks she has not wanted to go to school. She comes up with all kinds of excuses (I don't like Math, it's too cold outside, etc...) It breaks my heart to send her off to school looking sad, luckily she almost always has a good day. She does have other friends and she loves her teacher and most things about school, so it is not all bad. Yesterday I was putting her lunch bag away and found this note in her locker. I have to admit it brought me to tears!

Translation: Mom, I miss you when I am at school. I want to stay home. Love Sophie

Geez, she sure knows how to tug at a mom's heartstrings! Part of me really wants to let her stay home occasionally - but I know if I do that she's going to want to do it all the time. Next week we have a playdate with one of the girls from her class that is very sweet, so I hope by doing that Sophie will get to know her better and be excited for school again. We also have a parent teacher conference next week so that will be nice to get some more insight on what is going on at school. Anyway, I hope this post doesn't come across as too depressing or negative because Sophie is still happy and having fun and enjoying school for the most part!