Washington Trip

This weekend we headed up to Washington to visit my cousin Drew, his wife, Kirsten, and their son Alden. We left around 3 so Google had us take a crazy country road path rather than the normal highway path. 

It was kinda crazy, lots of sharp turns. It made it hard for this kid to eat his ice cream (he was so delighted that I got him his very own!), but it was so pretty! Thanks to the ice cream, Aaron didn't nap till the last hour or so of the trip, but he was a good sport anyway. Even Audrey was awake for most of the trip... Silly kiddos!
It really was a fun drive though. Once the kids fell asleep Eric and I sang to the radio - I love it when he sings with me!!!

We got there in time for a spectacular meal and put the kids down! We brought lots of games and had a blast playing with Drew and Kirsten. We may have been a bit hyper and super happy the kids went down  --  but that makes the games more fun, right?

In the morning, the kids played for a bit and then we packed up to head to the Army/Air Force base.

Now, I want you to throw everything you've ever seen in a movie about a military base/post out the window. Good heavens they over dramatize everything! Perhaps it is because we went on a Saturday so the only people we saw in uniform were those who checked our ID's at the gate, but it seemed so civilian! We drove through neighborhoods, saw schools and parks ... the barracks look like dorms. Talk about an eye opener! We saw movie theaters, shopping centers, etc.

The most "military" like place was the museum and we had a blast there! Really, going to the museum with 2-year-olds goes like this:

Hey, look at this Aaron, it's a gun -- hey wait, no, come back! That's an emergency exit, don't touch that! See these ropes, don't go under them! YOU CAN'T CLIMB ON THAT! Oh shoot, where'd he go now?

But it was fun :)

 Aaron wearing a hat, me shooting a gun

Aaron thought this odd statue thing was Toothless. It was his favorite part of the museum. He wanted to touch it's nose and play with it ... It was hard to get him to leave. At least, until we told him there was a helicopter.

 Aaron got to pet a horse and pinch Saddam Hussein's nose!

Look, a motel made out of caution cones...

 We went to the mall for lunch afterwards and both boys were pretty tired so we headed home in hopes of naps rather than go bowling. Sadly, no naps for either boy... We watched Frozen before Eric and Drew headed off to go shooting. While they were gone, we opted to put in another movie for the boys.

Eric and Drew came back, showed us the shots, as requested by me (head shots are Drew, chest shots are Eric ... different guns for each page) and then got to work installing a garbage disposal - so manly ;)

After the kids went down we played more games super hyper once again. We were all so tired! But it's a vacation, it's supposed to be that way! Do you think Audrey has a dance career in her future?

We headed out after breakfast. We were sad to go but ready to have the kids sleep in their own beds.

It was such a fun trip, one we will for sure be making again! It's great to have them so close! (Though, let's be honest... while "3 hours" doesn't sound long, it is when you are in the car with children who refuse to nap ;)

Such a Goofball

Aaron is such a goofball. He really is. He is obsessed with the temple. I asked him one night what he "wants to do tomorrow," and his reply was, "we go to the store tomorrow, but I need to get married in the temple first." We also just finished reading the kids scriptures with him all the way through. We have stuck with our method of reading a phrase and having him repeat it back to us. I feel this helps him internalize it (and helps with his enunciation of words when he's trying to say things like Liahona and Zoromites, haha!). When we started, the book was pristine. Now it is trashed, but in a good way. When Aaron wakes up at night, we see him (over the video feed) get up and grab his scriptures if he is scared. He pulls them in bed with him and reads them talking about Nephites and Jesus and Joseph Smith pointing at the pictures. When he is calm, he will lay down clutching the scriptures close and snuggles into his blanket. I am amazed that even at his age the scriptures bring him such comfort. This is something I need to strive to find in myself and to teach my other children. I hope they all love and cherish the scriptures, the way he does now, for always!

He has such a tender heart. If he hears Audrey cry he calls out, "Don't worry Audrey! I coming!!!" as he races off to be her hero. And if he hears another child cry he will slowly grow agitated. It has happened where a child was crying and he exclaimed, after I told him her mama would take care of her, "but I have to help her!!!"

Right now, our main struggle with him is keeping him in our home... He has a habit of  going out the front door and playing without our knowledge. One neighbor brought him home to us and another time I discovered he had left his playroom (naked as the day he was born) and gone out to play with the neighborhood kids right as Eric came home.  Yikes. We are looking into ways to prevent him from going outside. Yeesh. What a crazy kid!

Aaron can pull himself up onto this windowsill without anything to stand on - and he's speedy quick too! When I found him, he posed for me. I couldn't help but snap a few photos! 

You thought I was kidding about how fast he gets up there, didn't you?

Doesn't he look like he's plotting something? Later after this picture, he told me he wanted to get in the car to go see Eli ... I bet he was plotting how to drive to see his best friend!

 With everything going on in our back yard, Aaron gets dirty all the time. He loves to pick me "flowers" and play in the mud. Some days he gets more than one bath/shower... and he loves it!

 This pile is Aaron hiding from me to take a late nap. Bahaha. It totally worked too!

Ever since Eric hooked up the water in the back, Aaron can't talk about anything but playing with the water with Daddy, haha! 

He loves to spend time with his Dad. Every night he prays that "Mama go teach dance so I can hang out with Daddy and Audrey." He will then follow it up with going outside with Mama, Daddy, and Audrey so I don't feel too shafted ;) He is such an amazing kid. Everytime he opens his mouth people are astonished that he isn't older than he is. He is so advanced in his speech and his knowledge. I love him so much and am so glad he is a part of our family. I wouldn't trade him for anything!!!

8 Months

I can't believe Audrey is now 8 months old!!! She grows and surprises me more and more every day.

Audrey crawls everywhere and anywhere, but she wants to walk. She goes up in a bear crawl position and screams until I come and help her stand up and take her hands. Then she walks to where she wanted to go.

Audrey learned how to stand up a few days ago and now she pulls herself up on everything.  

Audrey's favorite food is Ice Cream - isn't this adorable? She's so ready for more!

Aaron takes great care of Audrey. He had a play date the other day and it was the first day I had to perform a finger swipe. He makes sure she doesn't get to things that could hurt her.

What an adorable little ray of sunshine! She is popping her third tooth and unless she chomps down hard on something painful she will simply crawl and explore for over an hour all on her own.

She and Aaron are the best of friends. She looks up to him already and I know he'll be a great role model for her. He will teach her and help her to grow as she should!

I love Audrey more than life. She belongs in our family now and always. I wouldn't trade her for anything!