How to Keep Adelynn Quiet

The first option is to continually hand her trash. She loves to race over and throw it away.

When you run out of trash, take off her teething necklace. Open, close, open, close, for all of relief society!

Puddles, Why Not?

There are some pretty big puddles at Costco ... Audrey was pretty desperate to jump in. Since the girls happened to have their rain boots in the car, I figured, why not? Besides, they definitely brightened the mood of everyone who walked past.

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Playmags

Hours of fun, my friends - hours! You might think Adelynn is too small to play, but you'd be wrong. She can stack them and build with them.

She may be a little obsessed...

For example - what appears, on the surface, to be an adorable, hooded baby watching a show is, in fact, a sneaky little midget, watching a show, while hiding a stack of Playmags from her sister.

I need to get some pictures of Aaron's creations, but Audrey is getting better and better as well!

A Call to a Crush

My kids absolutely adore my brother Tom. He and his buddy Kito came out to visit earlier this year and Audrey may or may not have a crush on Kito ... some evidence: she prays for him in every prayer, twice, she pretends to talk to him on the phone, as in every time she pretends to talk on the phone, she pretends to read stories to him ...  The list goes on and on. She loves both Kito and Tom, don't get me wrong, buuuuut, trust me, Kito is special to her

Pretty cute.

"Love You"

One is in his room and I am no longer loved, one is in the library and we are no longer best friends, and moments ago, one was having a dramatic, ear-shattering tantrum because I wouldn't let her take the dirty diaper out of the trash to play with. But then I was followed by an angel who very recently just received her wings, chanting: "love you." It does get better, thank goodness!

Powdered Sugar for Lunch?

Nevermind that the bag is 7lbs ... when Adelynn makes up her mind about what we should have for lunch, she'll do everything she can to make it happen!

Adelynn's ABCs

I could very well be the only person who finds this funny, but still ...

Earlier tonight, I sat with Adelynn and sang the ABCs to her - and she decided she wanted to try it too! I gabbed my phone to see if she'd do it again and she totally did! This girl cracks me up.

Her "ta-da" makes me giggle every time!

Last one, I promise. She wanted to see, so we switched to selfie mode - she became distracted by her hand, lol. At the end, she starts singing "Let it Go."  Anything to be like big sister.

Sisters Rock!

Adelynn's Let it Go!

Audrey loves the song Let it Go from the movie Frozen and so she is often singing it. Well, Adelynn, of course, wants a little piece of that action!

Harmony

Audrey received this for her birthday, but now, it's basically like joint custody... Adelynn adores it.

A Boost!

Aaron was having an unusually difficult time climbing up onto the stage at the church, so Audrey called out, "Climb on my back!" I was so shocked that I made them do it again, haha.

Little Lady

Sometimes, I find myself simply gazing at my three-year-old - top knot, and pants that I would wear if only they came in my size. In those moments, all I can do is be still. One day, her top knot will be complete without a little bow, and not only will her pants come in my size, I will probably be borrowing them from her...

Last night, she got stuck upstairs and when I went up to help her, she said, "Mama, thanks for being there for me." Oh baby girl, I'll always be there for you! It won't be much longer that she says, "Mama I need you," so I need to slow down, and hopefully time will slow with me.

 

"Mama, I'm Not Tired" ... liar

Fun fact: research shows that, statistically, this is the most commonly used, and biggest, lie -- in the history of all lies! At least, it is in my house. 

My Heart Leaf

Each morning, I gaze out my window at the two beautiful trees we have just beyond the house. As with every tree, these leaves are all individually and uniquely shaped - the leaves look like hearts. When I awaken, these glorious leaves are the first thing I see as I roll over toward Eric - my eyes drawn to a particular leaf, right in the center. This heart - a gentle reminder, as I admire the daylight, that love is the reason I climb out of bed each morning; the reason for my very existence. Love for my family, and love for my God, who caused this tree to produce a hint and a refocus to give me the aid I need to start my day inspired.

The Jog of a Lifetime

This morning, Aaron's school had a jog-a-thon. The families were invited and Aaron told me that he really wanted us to come. A few minutes before the event, I was putting the girls in the car and realized the car was dead. I flew into a frenzy and told the girls to jump in the stroller. He wanted us there, so we were going to be there! We're Oregonians now, we fear no rain! 

Whoever came up with the "walking distance" time estimate for Google did not include the fact that three-quarters of it is up hill.  However, we jogged the whole way and got there - less than halfway through the event. (Next time I fly into a frenzy, I will definitely have to remember to take off my high-heeled boots - thank heavens for a college degree with a requirement to move fast in heels!) 

When we got there, we saw Aaron scanning the crowd as he ran past, searching for us - which made me even happier that we'd pushed through to be there and support him, as he'd hoped. As he came back around and saw us, he was so excited! Originally he'd said we should come watch, but now, he had us run the track with him. (Sometimes walk, but lots of jogging and actual running!)

His plan was to complete 5 rotations. Instead, he got 13. Each set of 2 "rotations" is a quarter of a mile.

I finally got to meet his buddies and loved watching them take care of eachother on the track. One fell a ways back and Aaron told us to stay put, he had to go help his friend. The three of them also played tag to help push through their exhaustion. 

We looked like drowned rats by the end (ok, *I* looked that way), but it was well worth it!

Jared, Nathaniel, Aaron

October 7, 2016

Aaron's Kindergarten School Picture

Listen Closely to Aaron's Song

You'll have to listen close, but if you do, you'll hear the made up song coming from the heart of a very sweet little boy.

Craft Time!

Craft time! Complete with paper, scissors, glue, and paint! Aaron is drawing a bike, and Audrey is drawing a person. Thanks for the paint shields, Nona!