Field Trip

Our ward has a little play group & this month we took a trip to the Fire Station. They got a little tour of the fire house & the fire trucks

This is Ethan & his cousin Kessie standing by the fire truck. I think it's funny that the tire is the same size as Ethan- maybe even a little bit bigger
This is Lexi inside the fire truck, she loved it! She didn't want to come out.

Ethan got to be the fireman's helper. He showed the other kids how to stop, drop & roll when your shirt is on fire

The kids learned a little bit about fire safety. They mostly had fun swinging side to side on the chairs

When Kessie comes over the kids favorite thing to do is play Sleeping Beauty & the Prince. Kessie will lay down & pretend to sleep & Ethan will go kiss her & wake her up. Then they'll dance & dance. It's adorable for 3 year olds. It'll be a fun story to tell them when they get older. They both say they want to marry each other in the temple when they get big.
We've enjoyed the warm weather & can't wait for the rain & snow to stop! My kids are a lot happier playing outside & so am I.

Things I'm Loving

I stole this idea from Stephanie's blog... although at the end I promise not to reveal that I'm pregnant like she did. I'm loving that Makelle is sleeping through the night & that she's rolling all over the place. She's such a happy go-lucky girl & brings so much joy into my life. Every time she sees me she gives me a big ol' cheeser & I love it! She has her first two teeth & is loving all the solids we give her. I love that she smiles everytime she sees Ethan & Lexi. She loves them so much & you can see that love displayed so clearly on her face & in her body language.

I'm loving watching Ethan play soccer. Two weeks ago (which was his 2nd game) he watched himself run the entire game. He looked at his shoes & would lean over to random kids & say, "Look how fast I am!" or "I'm soo fast!" It was very cute, but he didn't score any goals & was a little disappointed. So last week he tried extra hard to follow the ball & he scored 7 goals. He was so proud each time & made sure everyone knew how good he was. I guess he'll learn humility later on in life? Ethan is such a sweet little boy & I love when he teaches Lexi things.

I'm loving watching Lexi learn new things... she loves to cook with me & is finally coming out of her shell a little bit & singing songs that she knows, counting & learning colors. No luck on getting her to sleep better. But we did cut out her nap during the day so she'll usually zonk out in about 10 minutes instead of 2 1/2 hours. She's still getting up a lot during the night & is extra ornery during the day.. this means I'm looking for new things to do every day to try & keep her happy & focused on something else besides her & Ethan fighting. Any ideas? Anyone up for a play date?

I'm loving watch Ethan & Makelle interact. Ethan loves to have Makelle lay by him & watch shows with him. She loves to watch shows too, but doesn't have the attention span he wants her to have. Ethan & Lexi love Makelle & constantly give her hugs & kisses.

And last of all I'm loving my husband. He's such a good daddy & works so hard to provide us with a good life. I hate that he's back in school, but I love that he's willing to do it for us. I love this gospel & am so grateful that we can be an eternal family!

1st Soccer Game

Ethan had his first soccer game today... he was soooo excited! He got to dress just like his daddy - minus the yellow shirt.

This was him just after he scored his first goal. I missed his initial reaction. He put both arms in the air & started running & screaming "Mom, I scored a goal!"
He got to be the first one to kick it off, he didn't really know what to do, but he got the hang of it

He ran his hardest! They all just followed the ball... although there were a couple that just stood there & didn't know what to do, or just didn't want to. It was funny to see them all clump to the ball. Our team scored some goals for the other team & they scored some for us. They were a little confused which way to put the ball.

This is Ethan & his cousin Makailey just before the game. The ages for the teams are 3-5, kind of a big gap, but they sure had fun.

This was during practice, he's doing his best to use the techniques his daddy & uncle have showed him. All in all it was a pretty good game. Ethan scored 2 goals & each time it was the same reaction, both hands in the air & screaming "I scored a goal!" He's so excited to do it again next week.

HELP!

We've been having major issues with Lexi at bed time. We cannot get her to stay in her bed. Last night it took us about 2 1/2 hours to get her to sleep. We put her in her bed & 2 seconds later she was out again. Punishments did not work, a stuffed animal or baby didn't work, closing the door or blocking the door... We are out of ideas. As you can see from the picture she finally crashed... just not in her bed. I wish it was as easy as putting up a gate, but she just climbs over anything in her way. I'm up for any suggestions... we are going crazy!

Tag You're It...

1. Go to the photo folder in your computer.
2. Go to the 6th folder of photos.
3. Go to the sixth picture.
4. Put the picture on your blog and description of it.
5. Invite six friends to join the challenge

Looks like Makelle's trying to suck her thumb-again... the little turd! But a cute one at that

I tag Rachel, Melissa, Linetta, Angie, Tiffanie & Stephanie

Cabin Fever

Me & the kids have had cabin fever for quite some time, we're ready for winter to be over! So with Spencer coming home a trip to the cabin was evident & we were so happy to take the weekend off.

Lexi had her first salt & vinegar chip up there, it's pretty evident she didn't care for it
Ethan loved watching movies & playing with his cousin Kayla & 2nd cousin Ben. They played so good together, we rarely saw them come downstairs.
A rare occasion when Lexi actually held still & posed for the camera. She had so much fun exploring, she found lots of bugs & didn't mind picking them up & observing them
Ethan went a little camera happy, and this one actually turned out ok, at least the picture is centered
This was Makelle's first trip to the cabin. She was so good, even though she cut her first tooth the day we got there
It was perfect sledding weather, Lexi had the most fun going down the hill a million times a day. Jeff was a good sport to take her.
Jeff & Spencer getting ready to go sledding, they found a pretty good hill to go down & just couldn't stay away from it.

I went cross country skiing for the first time while I was up there. Me & Melissa enjoyed a quiet time together. We had lots of fun, I fell a lot, but once I got the hang of it I actually did pretty good.
I went a little camera happy on Makelle today, I feel bad I don't get as many pictures of her as I do of the other kids. This one turned out to be my favorite

Ethan took this one, he's getting to be a pretty good camera man.

I'm an idiot!

Spencer came home yesterday, I remembered everything I needed except the camera. I was so mad! His plane arrived a bit early, my mom was extatic! She'd been up since 4:30, she was too excited to sleep. We were all excited, even Ethan, he was counting how many more sleeps til he came home, but my mom was definately the most excited. Ethan stared at the stairs, almost the entire time we were there waiting for him to come down. He held his signs that he made & waited patiently. When Spencer finally came down the stairs Ethan just stared. Spencer is just a picture, not a real person, right? For 2 years we've pointed to his picture & tried to help him remember, Lexi even knew his name from the picture, but they were both a little wary. Spencer bent down & Ethan gave him a hug, Lexi was too unsure she just stared at him. As I introduced him to my two girls I started bawling, he's missed so much of their lives & I was so excited to show him what they could do & how sweet they are.

Two years has done him good, he's changed so much & you can see it in his countenance. In all his letters he never seemed homesick. He's loved serving there & loved the people. He said his favorite part of his mission was the service. We were able to go see him get released & before the Stake Presidency would release him, Spencer had to tell us more about his mission. He talked about his testimony & how much it grew, how much he loved the people. The Spirit was so strong, it helped my testimony knowing how much the Lord cared about the people in Ventura & was aware of them. He saw many miracles & had a hard time leaving those people. I'm grateful for his sacrifice & am so grateful to have him back!