May 22--A Little Rain, A Wedding, & Lots of Tacos

Today we spent the morning wondering what the rain would do and hoping it would go away so Kristine (Dave's sister) and Duncan would not be drenched during their wedding ceremony. The universe must have been listening because the skies cleared and even though it was really cold the only two people that got wet were my nephew Scott who fell in the pool and the nice man who jumped in after him.

Here is the happy couple with my mother in law Mary and father in law Howard. It seems like Duncan & his dog Phil have been a part of the family for a long time so it was nice to make it official.

Kris looked beautiful--I loved the orchids in her hair.

After the ceremony everyone partied around the pool, venturing inside to warm up occasionally. Kris and Duncan arranged for a taco cart vendor to come and serve taco's --it was so yummy and festive. Congratulations Kristine & Duncan--Love you both.

May 21--Full Freezer & a the Amazing Tower of Ian

It's almost as good as Christmas--Pulled pork, hamburgers, coconut curry chicken, marinated grilled chicken, pizza roll, lasagna rolls, pork roast with lime and tortillas, stuffed manicotti, garlic Alfredo soup, teryiaki chicken. Mmmm....

It was a rainy day and so the boys draged the blocks up from downstairs and built many towers and temples which were promptly knocked down by their monster trucks. Ian created this crazy defiance of gravity and I was so impressed I took about 50 photos of it--maybe he'll be an engineer when he grows up.

May 20--What Crazy Things Can You Get High Centered On?

Wes is all over the place. Dave says he reminds him of the cartoon baby that crawl through the construction site completely oblivious of the height, moving I-beams, swinging 2 x 4's, gaping holes in the ground, etc. (I think it was Popeye) Not only does Wes crawl, but along with the crawling came the ability to pull himself up, but no ability to get down. He manages to get stuck in the strangest places and here his his latest...the Little People Garage. He had fun like this for awhile pushing the little button that makes the phone ring, and then he started screaming, with his mouth closed of course, for me to come to the rescue.

May 19--It's that time again--Cook 4 a Day

Made lots and lots of pulled pork today. Cooked in the crock pot(s) 3 to be exact all day. Smelled soooo... good. Trade is on Friday-I will pass out buns and fries with the pork. We are about done with last months so I can't wait for Friday!

May 18--Anything you can do, I can do better...

Tuesday is shower day at our house...okay the kids do shower more than once a week, but Tuesday is also piano day so the shower part of the day usually becomes the drama of the day. Today Ian after much encouragement and yelling went to take his shower. He came out after his quick dip in the spray and after a quick sniff mom decided he needed to go back. I told him I would be in to wash his hair, "No mom I can do it." Later after about 15 minutes and some really loud singing he came back smelling like roses. Oh, to live in a house full of boys.

May 17--A Puppet Show

As I was cleaning up dinner tonight I heard Miles out in the living room singing. I peaked around the corner and this is what I saw. Miles was singing this song..."A puppet show, a puppet show, let's all go to the puppet show, a puppet show, a puppet show, we'll have lots of fun." He was holding up toys, singing, and dancing and making his own puppet show...for who? Of course Ian. Can you see him? Yes he is outside in the front yard! What a bunch of goofballs.

May 16--What kid doesn't love ice cream...

Wes! But he will settle for an otter pop. So here is about the 100th picture of Wes in the high chair, and I know it won't be the last. Look at how good the light in the kitchen is and well frankly he does spend a good portion of his day there eating baby cereal. Lots and lots of baby cereal since it is all he will eat...oh and for dessert otter pops.

May 15--Old McDonald Had a Song

Here is me with my favorite piano student on recital day. I now have 9 students and they all did so well. It was fun to hear how much they had improved over the last six months. Ian played "Old McDonald Had a Song" and "Mary Had a Little Lamb." He looked so tiny sitting at the big grand piano, but he did great. Good job little dude. Can't wait for duets in November.

May 14--Happy Birthday Pirate Max

My nephew Max had his 5th birthday and we went to party down with him. If you know his mom (Carole) you can just imagine what a fun time was had by all. There was popcorn out of a fancy movie style popcorn maker, Grandpa Howard did a magic show, there were pirate eye patches and party hats, pizza, a pirate cake, and a singing Grandma Mary.

Here is Miles in party heaven. Thanks for the great time Max and Happy Birthday.

May 13--Slip Slidin' Away

Wesley is crawling! All over the place to be exact. Miles and Ian crawled a bit, but not at 9 months and not like this. Wes wants to be right where everyone is and now he can make it happen so he is in the kitchen, because that is where we usually are. The bummer is the kitchen floor is hard and slippery and he does some pretty impressive slip slidin' to get where he wants to go. Here he managed to get Ian's library book and look at some diggers and dump trucks. The other bummer about this crawling thing is now he can crawl over to my feet, put his two little hands on my feet and whine "pick me up I'm so cute and you need to hold me now!" Okay he can't say that exactly, but his big blue eyes and his puppy dog whine do it for him.

May 12--The Never Naughty Boy

Here is my perfect little 3 year old boy.

We won't mention how he keeps pulling down his pants when he is outside, or that he pulls the stuffing out of his stuffed animals when he should be napping, or that he takes the box of fishy crackers downstairs and eats half the box while I'm feeding the baby, or that he eats treats off the floor at church, or that he can throw a screaming fit at the drop of a hat...

But we will mention that he gives the best hugs, that he loves to help make lunch, that he will run and get a burp cloth when Wes is slobbering all over, that he is nice to his brothers, and that he wants to be like his daddy--so he is out mowing the lawn.

May 11--Zoo Day & a Laundry Basket

Today it rained some more! Ian's class planned a trip to the zoo and when Ian woke up to the rain he started to cry (and I thought girl's were dramatic). We called the school and they said yep, we are still going. Armed with a sack lunch, snow boots, and his winter coat he set off. I knew the kids would still have a blast I just felt bad for the cold parents who where with them. Ian came home super happy and excited about his trip. He loved the giraffe and singing on the school bus. A little rain couldn't stop this kindergartner.

While Ian was at the zoo I did laundry. Folded and folded and folded only to find a pile of dirty clothes in the all closet when I went to return the hamper. So, instead of loaded up the hamper with the clothes I stuck Wes inside. He has been crawling a bit and I thought if he liked it it would keep him contained for awhile--well he loved it! As least one person will be happy while the laundry is being done.

May 10--Rainy Day & Rainbows

Today it rained and rained and rained. I don't mind rainy days, in fact living in Utah we don't get very many so I kind of like them--but my kids wanted to play outside. So we spent most of the day trying to come up with fun things to do inside. Here is the list we made--bring all the downstairs toys upstairs, play cars, play memory, tickle Wesley, play dominoes, trace letters, play with letter magnets, and read books.

The sun came out around dinner time and there was this huge rainbow!

Here's Miles waiting to push down the dominoes. Wesley hated the way they sounded when they toppled over--he would start crying every time we knocked them down.

May 9th--Happy Mother's Day

Nothing like 4 handsome guys in your life to make Mother's Day great (the 4th is behind the camera).

Thank you to my mom who is the example I will always strive to emulate, and thank you to Dave's mom Mary who raised the amazing guy I call my husband.

May 8--Birthday Lunch with the Boys

Last month two of Ian's friends had birthday's, so inspired by my friend Nora instead of wrapping up a gift for them we set up a day to take them out to lunch. It was so much fun! We picked up the boys and headed over to Carl's Jr. The kids ran to the play land while we waited for our food. The ate, played, ate some more, played some more and were sweaty and tired by the time we left. Thanks for the fun time and Happy Birthday boys!

May 7--A Afternoon Well Spent

Put the little ones down for their naps today, tucked myself under the down comforter and slept like a baby for two hours!! Ahhh....Doesn't happen often, but sure was nice.

May 6--Adelaide Joy & Something Yummy

Here is my friend's little (all of 8 years) Addie Jo. I kind of like to think of Addie as my surrogate daughter. Whenever her siblings come over to play with the kids we get to hang out. We have baked together, crafted together, blogged together, sewn together and shared some much needed girl talk. She turned eight last month and we attended her baptism on Saturday (forgot the camera). She is such a neat kid so responsible, caring, and always watching out for the little ones around her. Lately her and Wes have become the best of friends. Whenever I drop the kids off at her house she runs out to the car to help get him inside where she dotes on him until it is time to go home. A few days ago he even fell asleep in her arms--he doesn't do that for me!!

While the boys were playing with Addie's brothers today I made some homemade granola. This stuff is so good and addicting. Before we got married Dave got this recipe for me from his mom and it has become a treat in our house. I haven't made it for awhile, but back in September when Mary came to help me with Wes she brought some granola with her. Ever since I have been craving this and today we finally made a batch. Here is the recipe.

6 cups oats
**1 cup raw wheat germ (toasted works, but I don't think it is as healthy)
**1 cup raw sesame seeds
**1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup honey
1/2 cup oil

1 cup raisins

1 cup toasted coconut

Pecans, walnuts, & whatever else you like

Combine all ingredients in a bowl except raisns and coconut. Spread on a cookie sheet. Bake at 275-300 for 15-30 minutes depending on oven. I just keep checking it and turning it over with a spatula so it cooks evenly. When it starts to brown at the edges take it out of the oven. Let it cool a little bit and then transfer it to an air tight container for storage. Don't wait until it cools completely or the honey with adhere the whole batch to the cookie sheet--not good. I like to add toasted coconut and raisins to it after it is cooked. Mary had pecans(mmm...) in the batch she brought in September--basically just add whatever sounds good. After making promptly hide it somewhere, don't tell anyone you made it or it will disappear within hours. Eat your secret bowl before the kids get up or for a snack while they are napping! :)

**I buy the wheat germ, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds at Kitchen Needs on Redwood Rd. but any whole foods store should have them.

May 4--Tight Lips & Sweat Pants

If I could take one picture to show what most of my days are like it would be a photo of all the laundry we do around here. Today was not laundry or bath day, but when Miles finally decided to wet the bed this morning and then wet his pants after his nap we changed plans. Five loads of laundry and two baths later we now have clean sheets and three clean boys. I didn't take a picture of the laundry but here are the cute boys that contribute to the smell of Tide in our house.

Recently Wes has decided to clamp his mouth shut except when he eats. Here he is pulling his little tight lipped face. It is so funny because when he gets mad he can never get very loud. Oh, and one more photo of his big blue eyes while he sits in the high chair--I guess he does spend a lot of time eating.

Here is my brown eyed boy pretending the basketball hoop is a horse. Notice the sweat pants--after two accidents we opted for the most absorbent pants I could find. This would happen after I posted that he was all potty trained!

May 3--Look Who's Crawling (Almost)

Here is Miles in his space monkey pj's reading the "noisy book." The Noisy Book is a book with a keyboard on the bottom. Inside the book is music and if you can figure it out you can play along. It use to play really loud--thus the name the noisy book, but over time it has lost some umpf and now it is soft enough that I don't want to throw it in the trash every time someone plays with it. This picture made me laugh though because of the little baby rolling around on the floor in the background--silly Wes!
Oh, and I bet that little baby is crawling within a week! Time to put up the baby gate.

April 30--Library Day

We went to the library today--it's been awhile. Ian sat down to read and it looks like everyone likes the book he picked out!

April 29--"I Potty Train!"

Well, it has been about a month and Miles has finally figured out how to make it to the "pot pot." A few talking cars (Disney Cars), lots of Skittles, many stickers, some tears, and I'm sad to say a bit of yelling and we have success! The little potty is under the stairs in storage for Wes along with all the size 5 diapers we had left. I must give Miles his props though, he never wet the bed--ever! Now we just have to teach him how to pull up his pants. :)