Our Family in 2015: Week of 3/23-3/29

Adam picked up this toy gun from D.I. a few weeks ago, and Sam thinks he is oh-so-cool when Adam lets him hold it.

He loves those big brothers of his.

***

After dropping off the big kids and Mike one morning, I had to stop at Target.  I decided to let Sam out of the cart to check out the toys.

Pajamas and bare feet and all.

He was one happy kid with all of that freedom.

***

Josh's friends at pre-school taught him the fun standing-in-doorway trick that he's been dying to try at home.

Now at any given moment we can find Josh climbing up various doorways.

***

Our sweet strawberry plant is still holding on after 3 years!

I really want to make a big raised garden bed for it, because then it will really take off.

For now it produces about 10 berries a year in its little pot.

***

This boy has been walking for weeks now.  Whenever the front door opens at all, he's off down the driveway and down the sidewalk.

It makes me so nervous that I am constantly checking the door, and asking the kids to check it.

***

Our allergies have started to let up, so we've started venturing out to the park again.

We are loving this gorgeous weather (and being able to breathe again).

***

Josh loves to sleep in our bed.

He always has.

And as tired as I am sometimes of carrying his sweet body back to his room when I finally make it to bed, I try not to complain.

Because it doesn't last forever.

Lately he's been coloring himself to sleep there, rather than reading.

He's my sweet Mama's boy.

Who is growing up way too fast.

***

On Friday, Grace and I got to attend the stake Activity Days activity.

It was a Mexican Fiesta with amazing food, provided by the Spanish ward in our stake, along with dancing.

We had such a fun time together.

***

On Saturday, Grace and I got to attend the General Women's conference.

In our family, we always have a treat after the women's and Priesthood conferences, while we share with the family what we learned.

After conference, we went to the grocery store and picked up some cans of cream soda.  We thought it would be fun to do an object lesson about the "can" story given during the conference, while we told the boys everything we learned.

We were even able to find the videos showed on-line (they are fast!) so we could share those, too.

It was so much fun to spend time with my sweet Grace.

She is growing into such an incredible little lady.

Our Family in 2015: Week of 3/16-3/22

We started out our week by getting ready for sneaky leprechauns by making traps.

No one could agree on a type of trap to make together, so they made 3 separate traps for Family Home Evening.

Josh's:

Adam's:

He's been learning about he Prohibition at school.

Grace's:

The leprechauns all managed to escape, but they each left a little of their gold.

Along with green milk and tattoos on their cheeks.

***

I made a fun green lunch for them.

***

Our shower has been broken for months.  So, we've all been using one shower in the kids bathroom.

First world problems, I know.

But, Mike fixed our shower so we now have 2 again!

***

Josh is an incredibly determined kid.

Some days I call it "stubborn" but he's really very determined.

He wanted to get better at basketball, so he decided to shoot every day until he makes 20 shots with the small basketball and 15 with the volleyball.

When it rolls across the street, he sits there and dribbles until cars pass.

I am so thankful for his example.

***

After 3 kids who gag refried beans down (including Adam who used to throw up every time he ate them), we finally have a kid who loves them!

***

We are continuing with our "indoor exercising" by running laps.  We each run and see how many we can get within 5 minutes.  Everyone around here is pretty competitive, and we can easily spend an hour doing this.

***

Each year, Mike's job gives him a 1% raise. 

He received it this week, so we celebrated with some Cafe Rio.

I mean, I don't even think the amount of the raise covered dinner, but you know, it's fun to not cook for a night and have an excuse to celebrate.  :)

Our Family in 2015: Week of 3/9-3/15

This sweet guy turned 14 months old this week.

He says "Dada," "prayer" (and cocks his head rather than folding his arms when we pray... it's adorable.  His version of "bowing his head"), "Josh," and "night-night."  We all adore him so very much.

There is no way he is going to grow up normal with all over the spoiling he gets 'round here.

***

Adam had another great basketball game this week.  We all love watching his games.  They are so fun!

***

All of our allergies have started up.  My friend calls March her "Month of Misery" and I've adopted it.  I can't breathe, all of our eyes are insanely itchy, and we've gone through several boxes of tissue.

We are all miserable. 

Outside exercise isn't happening right now, so we dragged out the Wii Fit and have been having fun playing with each other on it.

***

Adam and Grace both had celebrations at school this week.  Adam's class celebrated Pi Day.  They all brought in pies to share.

Grace's class celebrated the 100th day of school by dressing like 100-year-olds.

Unfortunately, 2 seconds after this photo, the pie was set on the couch, and Sam went ahead and sampled it.

Approximately 5 seconds after THIS photo was taken, Adam tripped and dropped the entire thing on the ground.

And went ahead and sampled it, too.

***

Sam has discovered the joy of markers.

They are amazing to eat!  They are fun to draw on walls with!  They go with everything!

***

More sand and water play happened this week.

Sam is obsessed with all things outside, and bangs on the back door until we let him out.

My allergies are so bad that I want to wear a gas mask while he's outside.

***

I recently had a coupon at Sam's Club for fish, so we decided to try some for dinner.  I've never made fish in my entire life.

It was so good!

Everyone gobbled all of that fish up.  We are going to have to try out some more recipes soon.

***

On Saturday Mike took the older kids to a fun Scouting fundraiser for a friends' ward, while I stayed home with Sam.

They all had a great time together.

***

We celebrated Pi Day (3.14) as a family with some apple pie for dessert.

***

Sam found some more markers.

Everybody hide yo markers!

***

And my sweet Josh fell asleep on the chair.

This kid is my night owl who also wakes up early, but refuses to nap.

So he sneaks in sleep whenever he can get it.

(Photo credit: Adam Wilkins)

Our Family in 2015: Week of 3/2-3/8

This week was "Nevada Reading Week." The week began on Monday with "Dress Like a Book Character Day."

I'm all about the fun-while-learning.

But hunting the house for anything resembling a piece for any book character on Sunday evening is anything but fun.

We came up with a homemade "kitty" costume for Grace.

***

I gave what I like to think of as a "professional" Family Home Evening on Monday.

I mean, they aren't usually all that great.

But I had an object lesson!  A posterboard!  An inspiring video!  A dessert that went along with the theme!

It was pin-worthy, people!

***

Sam ate again.

And since everything this boy does is cute, we document it all.

***

Adam had another basketball game.

I love how "into" the games he gets and that he always tries his best.

***

On Thursday Josh, Sam, and I grabbed a pizza and ate lunch with Adam and Grace.

We had a blast eating and talking together.

I love getting a glimpse into their "school lives."

***

Every day I pick up Adam or Grace 3:30, we wait an hour until the other is done with sports/clubs, and then we head and pick-up Mike at 4:30...

... unless it's a Friday.  He closes the store on Fridays.

Then we pick him up at 8:30.

***

Saturday is deep-cleaning chore day.

The kids are assigned either Bathroom + Hallway, Tile Living Room + Trash, or Carpet Living to keep clean throughout the week.

On Saturdays they deep clean them... vacuum out couches, scrub tubs, dust, etc.

Intermingled with the Saturday cleaning, is Saturday playing.

Because there's no point in cleaning the house unless it's covered in sand, right?

***

On Sundays we play together.

Games are a favorite.

Unforunately, most board games around here are also followed by the "You-cheated-I-did-not-I-hate-you!" game.

Sigh.

We're working on it.

***

A sweet friend gave Sam a bunch of clothes (one of which was a GAP shirt).

We happened to find one for Josh at D.I.

He is as pleased as punch to dress like his little brother.

Fights and all, I am so lucky to be their mom.

Our Family in 2015: Week of 2/26-3/1

You wouldn't know it from all of the cookie-and-cake eating going on around here, but I've been trying really hard to lose weight.  My goal is to lose 5 pounds a month... and so far, so good.

I do strength and cardio every morning, and then drag my family to the park every night to walk and play basketball.

It's been so fun for us all to get out and exercise.

This guy is my walking partner... a naughty walking partner who always manages to squirm out of his seat belt and stand while we are walking.

***

Like every baby boy 'round here, Sam had his toenail painted.

It's what Grace and I do.

***

Adam got to go paintballing for the first time for a friends' birthday.  He had so much fun... even though the next day he was incredibly bruised.

***

At the beginning of February, I handed everyone 5 hearts for Family Home Evening.  We each wrote one thing that we loved about the other family members and taped them to my cupboards.

These cupboards have looked so bare ever since I took the Christmas cards down.

It was fun and perfect and I hope that each one felt a little more loved through the month.

***

Adam had another basketball game.  He played hard, ran fast, and is improving so much!

***

My new glasses arrived, but I forgot to document them a few weeks ago.  I love them (and Zenni Optical).

***

Shortly after Sam turned one, he had his first peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

And if that red hair ever made Mike doubt that this was his baby, he was reassured once this kid tried that sandwich. 

It was like he was coming home.

Every time he eats one he moans and sighs... the only person I've ever seen love PB&J sandwiches so much is Mike.

***

Josh came to me crying on Sunday, because he had "accidentally" drawn on the couch.

I don't think that was an accident.

But, being a mom for almost 12 years has given me the ability to laugh at these things.

So I did.

***

And we just love this baby falling asleep in his high chair.

11:00 church is SO hard!