We were TeePee'd...

This is what happens when you turn your back for a couple of minutes on a wild little two year old named Wyatt! He didn't like the decorations in my living room and decided to add his own take on the decor...
Can you tell how proud of himself he is? He decided he better take off before mom put the camera down! Wise choice little turkey! It's a good thing I love you so much!!!

Snickerdoodle-dee-dum....

Nothing like baking cookies on a Sunday afternoon with your kids. I was craving snickerdoodles, so... we made snickerdoodles. The kids loved coating the cookies in cinnamon and sugar. The older my kids get, the more fun we have together. I wish I could just freeze them where they are at for a while. They grow up way too fast!

Helping Hands ...

I love that my kids are big enough to help around the house. I love that they help me clean the bathroom and even fight over who gets to clean the toilet. I love that my girls mopped my kitchen floor all by themselves and I didn't have to redo any of it. I sure have some good helpers! It makes me excited to see how they help out when baby brother comes in May.

Don't worry, he was supervised!

Bedtime rituals ...

At most peoples houses, bedtime consists of stories, songs, and other quiet activities. Somehow, our bedtime rituals often include dancing. I put in a primary children's CD and next thing I know, instead of the quiet activities we are supposed to be doing, this is what we end up with ....

The next night we watched Beauty and the Beast. When I walked down at the end of it, I found these two dancing. It was cute!

Some of my favorite memories with my mom are when we would dance around the living room. We have continued the tradition. We have many dance fests at our house, especially when dad is working late. I'm glad we don't have that on tape. I am sure I never get carried away!

January Sunshine :)

Why does 45 degrees in January feel like 75? My kids asked me if they could go swimming in their pool this week while they were enjoying a warm sunny January afternoon. There is still snow on the ground in a few spots and I had to beg the kids just to wear jackets. Maybe it was all the hopscotch they drew and played on the patio.

Or maybe it was enjoying some fun outside recreation. Either way, the sunshine felt great and we had a great time!

Don't be fooled . . .

Don't let these big blue innocent eyes fool you. When you turn your back, she might grab a pair of scissors and .....
You might find out that her bangs now look like this .....

She is cute even with crooked bangs. Thank goodness for curly hair. It could be a lot worse. This is our first haircut incident, and hopefully the last, at least for my girls.

Bookin' It!!!

I love the Book-it program Pizza Hut does in the elementary schools. I love the motivation it is for kids to read, but mostly I love it because it is an excuse to go eat pizza with my daughter. Thank you Pizza Hut for a delicious lunch date -- it's just what the pregnant lady ordered!! Oh, and Morgan enjoyed her pizza too!

Family Night at its Best!

On Monday we decided we wanted to do something fun for our FHE activity. We were so excited to go bowling at ISU! Tracy and I were secretly excited to have an excuse to use the bumper guards -- no gutter balls today! Don't tell ;)

Wyatt absolutely loved it. He had a hard time understanding the long wait between turns, but with his daddy's help, he did a great job!

Lookie, I knocked eight pins over -- Yea!!!

The six pound ball was almost more than Abby could handle, but she sure did great. I think it took over a minute for the ball to reach the pins, but we learned it didn't take speed to knock over the pins!

Look at her ball, it is straight on for a strike!

Morgan did a great job too. The ball was just right for her and she had an absolute blast!

I don't know if we even needed the guards, look at her ball line up perfectly. I think we have some future bowlers on our hands.

At the end of the night with bumper guards and all, the high score was only 116. We were all within a few points of each other. I think Tracy and I need to work on our game. We used the bumper guards as much as the kids. I don't even want to think about the score if we didn't have the guards. It was such a fun time just hanging out and having a blast as a family!

Day out on the Town!

Tracy and Wyatt headed out Monday morning for a father-son outing. They were off to visit all the pet stores in town. Wyatt was so excited to pet some animals.
Abby's preschool was having a field trip so her and I had a mother-daughter date too. We visited a bakery and learned about making pastries. At the end, all the kids enjoyed frosting and eating yummy sugar cookies. Abby decorated a delicious butterfly!

The visit to the bakery didn't go as long as we thought it would, so Abby and I decided to see if we could find Wyatt and daddy and crash their party. It didn't take long, look at these rough couple of hooligans we found at Petco ...

Here is Abby checking out some sweet little birds. She thought they were so beautiful!

Wyatt enjoyed the birds too.

Here we are looking at all the fish displays. I think my kids are wondering if they will ever get to experience the joys of raising a pet. To bad their mom is not a pet person.

I couldn't finish my post without adding a picture of Morgan. She missed out on some fun, but this is her heading off to school for the day. She had a great day at school. It was even early release. We had lots of fun when she came home, and I will posts some pictures of our fun family home evening later this week.

It's all about the Great and Best!

We have some of the best great grandparents ever. Here are our kiddos with Great Grandma and Grandpa Tracy. What a bunch of cuties!
Of course we need a post with our new Sunday best. These are the kids in their Christmas dress clothes.

Wyatt is ready to head out to church. He is so excited Santa brought him a Book of Mormon and a scripture case. He is a big kid like his sisters now.

Another cute set of dresses from Grandma Marshall.

What Time Is It?

It's party time. Morgan turned 7 years old today and had a party with some of her friends. It was all about High School Musical! The invites were High School Musical, the cake was High School Musical, even the party gift bags were High School Musical.

What a cute bunch of girls. I think Morgan is going to smile that smile right off her face. It was such a fun time!

After her friends left we had a yummy dinner of sweet and sour chicken. Morgan and Abby made their famous fresh fruit salad with grapes, kiwi, oranges, apples, and bananas -- yummy. After dinner Morgan opened her gifts from the family. Abby was so excited to give here a pink tub of Lego's. They love to play Lego's.

Tracy and I had a surprise up our sleeves. We got her a Nintendo DS. She has wanted one for a really long time and had no idea we got her one for her birthday. It was such a fun night! She gave me the biggest hug ever and hasn't stopped smiling all night. We love you Morgan and wouldn't know what to do without you. You are so thoughtful and such a good big sister. Happy Birthday!!!

Here is a video of Morgan opening her DS. It was so fun. She is not super animated when it comes to surprises, but her smile in the end says it all.

A New Year to Remember!!

Our friends Troy and Tawna hosted a New Year's Eve party at their house. It was rocka-lockin'. They started the evening off by showcasing some of their sweet skills. I am so jealous. I can only dream about being this flexible.

All I can say is OUCH! They don't even have to stretch. Troy and Tawna, you guys rock!

We played some serious games. It is a tradition to have a Mexican Horseshoe tournament. I am pleased to say that Tracy and I brought home the Horseshoe trophy. Matt and Carin came in a very close second, but we triumphed in the end! We stayed up way too late, and played every game in the book. It was a great night, with great friends, and great food.

Tracy's sister Amber invited us to her house for New Year's Day for some more good food, good games, and lots of good times. Wyatt was excited to play with his cousin Preston. They loved the four-wheeler, I know it's hard to imagine.

Morgan and Abby bunked up with cousins Kaden, Josh, and Ally for the movie, "Night at the Museum." Abby thought it was a little scary -- can you tell by the look she is giving me?

We played some fun games. I won't name any names, but I didn't know spoons could turn violent. Here are some pictures of us playing Guestures. What a great time!

Amber and Carlan broke out the dance mats for the PlayStation. I never would have guessed, but Tracy and Carlan schooled everybody with their amazing dance skills. Tracy was pulling out moves I have never seen before. I think he is considering being a contestant on "So You Think You Can Dance."

What a wonderful start to the new year. Good times with good friends and family. We love all you guys!