Feeling Blessed

It's been a long Saturday indeed. Daddy is away at the University until late tonight, so it's just me and the littles. We had smoothies and banana muffins for dinner (yeah, it's been that kind of a day). Then I decided it was bath time. They love bath time and it's a good time killer. After baths I dried them each with a towel, diapered the boys' bottoms and cozied them up in some warm jammies. As they laughed together, I just felt so blessed. I love their little laughs and comments. I love their glowing faces and rosy little cheeks. I adore their toothy little grins and I am so glad I get to call them mine!

Seriously, feeling so blessed!

Practise Makes Perfect

This little dude has been practicing his walking skills today!

He's getting pretty good!

Trick or Treat

Today was one of those days. I woke up and threw my hair in the same messy bun it was in yesterday morning and put on a pair of mismatched socks because it was the only pair of socks I could find. By the late afternoon I wanted to escape into my own little world. Hyrum was sitting in his shirt and diaper in the middle of the table playing in a tub of Moon Sand (flour and baby oil) and Camilla was insisting on my attention. "Mom!" "Mom watch this" "Moooooommm!" "Hey, Mom come see this!" "Mom! Mom! Mom!"..... It was making me crazy. I took Joe upstairs to change his bum and locked he and I in my bedroom for a few minutes of peace and quiet. After that five minute break, I felt much better.

After Daddy got home we ate dinner and waited for Uncle Arland and Naomi to come by. Camilla handed out handfulls of candy to a few kids, until we reminded her that just a few each is plenty. One kid who came to the door got his candy, looked up and asked, "Is that it?" I felt like saying, "Yeah! I can take back what I already gave you though if you aren't happy...?" Between groups we stepped out on the front step for a quick picture, in my mismatched socks. Then we shut out the lights and took the kids around the block. Just as I was locking up the door Hyrum says, "I need my boots!" Poor kid was still in his socks, that could've been interesting. 

 And then we were off, our whole family, Auntie Emma, Uncle Arland and Naomi.

Shortly after we had begun, Camilla asked if we could go home and eat some candy.

 

 Part way through, we had to empty the buckets into the stroller. They had scored a couple cans of pop and it was getting heavy. Hyrum was hesitant to let anyone take his bucket, but Daddy convinced him. Check out the smile on Daddy's face at the thought of saving some of this for later.

We made our way around the block in pretty good time. Some houses were pretty decked out. The littles didn't want anything to do with anything scary! If they were unsure of anything, they made sure to steer clear around it and not touch it if their lives depended on it. Hyrum also stole Uncle detective Arland's magnifying glass for the evening. He totally cracked me up!

 

 Then we made our way back to our house. It was getting dark and chilly and the kids just wanted to eat what they collected. I only wanted to take them as long as they wanted to go, so when they called it quits, we went home.

All in all a pretty good night! We shut out our lights early, brushed teeth and put the littles down to bed after their mad chocolate eating. Now we get to cozy up and watch a show while we snack on the stuff that the kids can't eat. Muahahaha! Happy Halloween!

Memorable Moments

Life isn't perfect, but it sure is full of perfect moments. I know I've said it before, but I stand by it. Though we have plenty of bad days (like yesterday), I am always glad when I jot down sweet little moments to look back on and smile at later. If I don't jot them down right after they happen, they seem to get forgotten.

I love feeding Joseph. He always growls (yes growls) with excitement and scrunches up his little nose, showing off his three bottom teeth. 

I love our morning routine and the things it teaches our kids. The other day I smiled to myself as I listened to Camilla hum a tune from Peter Pan (tee-dum-tee-dee) as she tidied her room and made her bed.

I laughed when Camilla started wailing because she thought I said "sew" her toe instead of "soak" her toe.  We both had a good laugh about it after.

Another favorite moment was coming downstairs to find Camilla and Hyrum kneeling side by side, arms folded on the couch saying morning prayers. Camilla helped her brother with a repeat after me version and then said her own. Moments like that totally melt my heart and confirm to me that we are indeed doing something right!

I have also loved helping Joseph practise his new found walking skills! He took five steps in a row on Monday morning and is getting better and better at balancing.

Halloween Party

Tonight we attended the Ward Halloween Party at the church. The youth, Primary and leaders did such a great job organizing everything. They even had a little bouncy castle in the corner. Mike put in a lot of prep work for our costumes this year and they turned out pretty awesome if I do say so myself! We had fun painting them together this weekend.

Camilla's came off shortly after we got there so that she could jump in the castle, and decorate cupcakes and stuff. Hyrum was a total die hard and kept his on all night long. He even joined the Halloween parade at the end of the night and walked circles around the gym, always taking a short cut through the center and back to the other side to join in again.  We've got some glueing to do before Thursday.

 

Our family ended up getting awarded the best family costume. It was pretty fun! Sadly being in a box isn't super conducive to a baby who needs carrying all the time, but Joe did great toddling around and holding his own. He walked around most of the night holding my hand. It was some good family fun!

Pumpkin Carving

Tonight we did our annual pumpkin carve with the Wolsey's! It's always fun getting together with good friends. I spent the day talking about it with the kids and getting them excited to touch the pumpkin guts.

They get a little braver every year, but still aren't totally taken with it.

Camilla was the first to really get in and help out. It took too long though, and she had a hard time sticking it out to the end.

Joseph wasn't sure about things at first.

Then he got pretty into it.

 

By the end of it all, he was scooping the seeds back in quicker than we could get them out!

 

Hyrum was the only kid who stuck it out to the finish.

 

And boy was that kid proud of his simple pumpkin! He sat by it all night long.

 

Once we all finished, we munched on roasted pumpkin seeds and apple turnovers made by Jessica. We all went down to the basement and watched the rest of Toy Story II with the littles. We are so thankful for great friends and fun Holidays!



First Snowfall

Early this morning I found myself in Hyrum's bed snuggling Joe. Hyrum had taken over my spot somewhere around 4:30am, so we did the old switcheroo. The room was dark and the wind was howling outside. It sounded like a cold winter's wind. When Joseph woke up, the first thing he did was fumble to a standing position to peek out the window. He immediately started pointing and babbling. I love that baby babble.

We had gotten our first snowfall over night. Although the temperature change isn't my favorite, there's something about the very first snowfall that fills me with excitement! Christmas feels like it's just around the corner. Cool evenings call for hot chocolate and blankets. Early mornings can be spent cuddled over a vent warming up toes and fingers. Christmas cards will soon be sent and the baking and chocolate making will begin! And lets not forget the overwhelming feeling of Joy and Love that always seems to accompany this white season.

Soon we were joined by Hyrum who smothered his little brother in morning hugs and kisses and excitedly peeked out the window to see the snow for himself. Seconds later Camilla hopped on the little single bed for some snuggles and lovin'. Hyrum asked her how her sleep was in his cute little lispy voice. They gave morning hugs and began talking excitedly about snow forts and Santa and Christmas. As I listened, my heart filled with gratitude and love. How grateful I am for children who love each other and for the excitement that comes with the ever changing seasons!

All Tuckered Out

Today was a pretty long day. Hyrum ended up missing out on his nap since we were busy outside constructing Halloween costumes and doing yard work. He did pretty good! Just before dinner, I ran to do a quick errand and came back to this...

Boots and all...

Owies and Wii

Poor Camilla had a little mishap with a kitchen chair at dinner last night.

When I took her sock off her toe was bleeding and turning purple. 

She kept taking deep breaths and giving herself a peptalk. 

"It's okay Camilla. Just breath. But I was fine a minute ago!! I'll be okay! Mommmmmyy!"

She was pretty cute.

She didn't like the ice I gave her, so she ran it under cold water while I bathed the boys.

She's a trooper!
The red on her nail is actually nail polish.

She's not really up for doing a whole lot today. 

Currently she and Hyrum are playing some Wii, MarioKart to be exact.

It's pretty hilarious watching them.

Every time they do something amazing they take a 60 second cheer break!

Good thing this race isn't for reals.

On a side note, you'll never guess who dumped a try of melted ice,

a bag of shredded cheese and his bowl of milk and cheerios all over my 

freshly cleaned floor at 7:00 this morning...

It's a miracle he made it to see the sun rise.

Artwork on my Refrigerator

This morning everyone slept in until 7:44am. Hyrum, however, was back and forth between our bed and his about ten times last night! His newest favorite shoes are his sisters light up sneakers. When he steps they light up, so imagine my surprise when these little red lights blink across my bed room floor at 2:00am. Sometimes I just give in and let him snooze with us, but when he sleeps sideways and has a pair of sneakers on, it's not always the comfiest. 

Instead of homemade cinnamon buns, the littles wanted cheerios for breakfast. Things were going great until Camilla accidentally knocked her bowl into her lap, soaking her favorite Jammie shirt in Milk. I calmly, and quietly cleaned it up with a towel reminding myself that I was going to wash the floor today anyhow. Then Hyrum left his spot at the table and his stuffed animal knocked his bowl of cheerios clear across the kitchen and into the wall. I may have lost my patience as I mopped up the SECOND bowl of cheerios and milk before 8:00am. I'm sure I will look back on this day down the road and laugh.

I fixed our computer this morning for like the tenth time! I was so relieved when the screen finally turned on. I had put about ten hours into a blog book that I hadn't yet had a chance to publish. I quickly typed a little dedication in the front and published it first thing. I was glad that my hours of work spent organizing the pictures and blog posts wasn't lost. I am also going to be updating my hard drive today with all of the recent pictures and videos on this old computer.

Camilla and Hyrum made use of the little table downstairs that we are borrowing from a friend. They drew a whole bunch of stuff. Hyrum mostly scribbled all over his paper and then went upstairs and proudly hung his work on the bottom half of the fridge. Camilla has gotten pretty good lately. The things she comes up with make me laugh. Yesterday she started drawing giraffes, and they are pretty hilarious. Although I save most of the good stuff in a shoebox under my bed, I thought I should post a few in here for safe keeping. The first one is of Me, Camilla, and Daddy. The second one is Camilla and I going on the swings. The third one is an elephant that I drew (don't laugh) and she colored. The last one is one of her many giraffes. I love watching her work grow and change. I love the way that girls get eyelashes while boys get eyebrows. Fills the space nice on my fridge!