8 and Counting

(The younguns - in the dating days: BYU-Idaho March 2002)

You know what they say about Californians. 

They like to ride into town with their sacks full of money and buy up all the land. 

Well, 8 years ago, Dave took it to another level. 

He saddled up, rode into the wild west of Idaho and stole their women. 

Well, maybe not women (how many women does a guy need?).

But he did take one.  He took her, and eventually carried her off to his native land.

Yes, this clipping actually was in my home town paper.  How hilarious is that headline?

Oooooo....A Californian.

awesome.

Well, the full story has been released
and it turns out that this woman loves her "Californian"
and was happy to go wherever he went and has been flourishing
(and cranking out babies) ever since.
What a happy 8 years we've had!

A 2 Year Old

Those words tend to make me either laugh and shudder (or both)

Depending on the day.

Or hour.

Or minute.
My child that fits within that category most definitely marches to the beat of his own drum.

And has the cutest little "man voice."
He has figured out how to use those "blueberries" of his to make me swoon.
...and give him cookies.

But man, he is funny.

And B.U.S.Y.

Always dirty.

And such a boy!

But do you know what?  He's a special one.

And even though he likes to be LOUD, wedge himself between me and everything else,

make big ol' messes, and eat everything in sight,

I love him to bits.

A Word From Captain Aubrey

Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen.

Welcome aboard flight 006

This is your captain speaking.

We are scheduled for a short flight today

We've done a thorough inspection on our equipment and we are ready to fly.

We have reached our cruising altitude so feel free to move about the cabin.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts.  We are beginning our decent.

A beautiful landing.  We will arrive at the gate momentarily.

Warning!  Warning!

We are experiencing unfamiliar territory!

Throw this baby in reverse!

Thank you for flying with us today and welcome to Spoon Feeding City.

Home of messy faces and pureed goodness.

I finally gave in and whipped out the rice cereal. 

I am not the biggest fan of the spoon feeding stage.

Aubrey did great with it.

And I might shed a little tear...she's growing up!

Look out for that...

This is an official warning to all pedestrians within a 2 mile perimeter of our house;

Jack is now able to move at an even faster pace.

I warn you all because his lack of training wheels hasn't improved his

"watch where you are going" skills.

Need a closer look?

Seriously, my next door neighbor was nearly cut off at the knees by this 2 wheeled maniac.

It took a little convincing to get the wheels off. 

But once they were off, I gave him one push to get him started -

and.that.was.that.

He's been looking back ever since.

ha ha

I'm proud of you, little buddy!

RIP Skuttles

Brooklyn's little world came to a stop this week.

Little Skuttles motor stopped - and he couldn't be revived.

No amount of AAA batteries could convince him to come back to life.

We held a small burial service for him.

Ya, that's right everyone - I just posted a picture of the inside of my trash can.

I'm just awesome like that.

Poor Brooklyn waving goodbye.

She loved  that little fella.

I guess it's a good thing Christmas is coming.

I think Grandma's got her covered.

Of course, this experience makes me wonder what it will be like

when one of our real pets dies.

Oh mercy.

My day of "rest"

Today was Stake Conference. 
And unfortunately Stake Conference usually = exhaustion.

Trying to keep 4 small beaners quiet for 2 straight hours can be a little rough.

But, 3 bags of Fruit Loops later, we made it.

Bradley only fell on his head once, Brooklyn only flashed her too small tights once, and Jack only had to sit in "The Bush" once. 

("The Bush" is timeout at church.  ha ha  I wonder what others think when they hear us say,

"Jack - do you need to go sit in the bush?) 

Really though, it works.  I love the bush.

Anyway, when we got home from SC I decided that I needed a little recharge.

So by George, I took it.

And it was lovely.

Aubrey was sleeping.  Jack and Bradley were quiet in their room and Dave was coloring princess pictures with Brooklyn.

Peace. And. Quiet.

I awoke about 1.5 hours (1.5 hours!!) later and walked down the hall with a new spring in my step.

That is until I passed the boys room.

Oh yes.  That would be the contents of the forbidden art box - mysteriously lowered from it's very high shelf.

But that weee little mess wasn't really the problem.

I was a bit more concerned about

the fairly large amount of acrylic paint all over the carpet.

Oh, and this

I love permanent markers, don't you?

They are so useful for defacing your mother's property.

I thought it was a nice touch for Jack to draw a self portrait complete with an autograph.

This dresser could be worth millions someday.

But until then, it will only be a reminder of why we shouldn't purchase anything of real value until our youngest child is 18.  (My mother gave me that advice.  Such a wise woman she is.)

My first thought was that Jack had carried out this mischief alone because I saw Bradley peacefully sleeping on the couch.

But upon removal of his beloved blanket - the truth was made known unto me.

Uh huh.  Nice try pal.  I'm not that clueless.

I am still not sure how they got that box down.  And I'm afraid that I don't really want to know. 

But the box has now been moved to a new remote location.

The good bad news is that acrylic paint comes off skin a lot easier than it comes out of carpet.

You know what though,

I think the nap was worth it.

Does anyone want a sneak peek at our family pictures?

Go here

Isn't it a little early for this?

My daughter is only 6.

And she is already clipping pictures of boys out of magazines and hanging them on her bedroom walls!

Older boys, no less.

I. Love. This.
Brooklyn, you have my permission to keep on clipping the "boys" out of the Friend magazine.
I eventually pull all your other art work off the walls, but these can stay there forever.

Halloween Part II

Here's a couple of photos of our youngest spooks.

Drum roll please....

Here is Bradley...being...Bradley.

Ya, he had NO love for the whole dressing up thing.

It took major man-handling just to get this little vest on him.

All he wanted to do was get some grub.

The Monkey

Note to self:  Don't bother getting a costume for Bradley - it will only create more options for Jack.

Halloween

Our little ggoblins had a great Halloween and are now recovering from a mega sugar overdose.  Since the relatives are far away, here's a little peek at the kibbles in their Halloween duds.

Part One

Tinkerbell

Seriously, aren't those the cutest little puff ball shoes ever?!

Woody/Buzz

(He couldn't decide which costume he wanted to be...so he was both!)

To be continued...