You've got a little something...right there...

Let the Halloween festivities begin!

Going...

Going...

Gone...

Sometimes I am amazed (and secretly jealous) at the amount of yummy goodness these kids can consume when given the opportunity to go for it.

I stood back and watched Bradley devour this cupcake. 

Amazing. 

Amazing that it doesn't bother him to have all that stuff all over his face.

He didn't care one bit.

Of course, he never does.  He's always filthy.

And always eating, come to think of it.

Halloween certainly isn't my favorite holiday, but Bradley seems to enjoy it!

I fully anticipate the next 3 days to look a lot like these photos.

Yay for children who've had too much sugar and not enough sleep...

Bring it.

Note to self:  Never take your children to a cupcake eating extravaganza without wet wipes. 

(Thank you Sharlene for your generous donation.)  :)

Gobble, Gobble

Brooklyn is a dreamer. 

Day and night.

Now, I certainly don't enjoy getting up in the middle of the night when she has a nightmare, but sometimes, it's just funny.

The other night I heard her in her room letting out little shrieks of fear.  I went in there to comfort her and see what was going on.

I came in and she said she was being chased.

Chased by what?

A giant turkey, my friends.

Thanksgiving dinner, anyone?

Note to self:  Never take Brooklyn to pick out a live Thanksgiving turkey.

The Cure

I have finally figured out the cure for the grumpies.

I've never had to rely on formula before - but apparently little Aubrey was needing a bit more chow.

A little supplementation (is that a word?) is worth having my little cherub back!

I took her to the pediatrician today - and the little peanut is growing.

(almost) 5 month stats

Weight: 12 lbs 12 oz (10th percentile)

Height:  24 inches (22nd percentile)

Note to self:  Next time, don't get the trash can in the background of the picture...

Cute baby, not so cute trash can.

The Program

Today was our Primary Program.  The day when, as a parent, you enjoy both the Spirit and the humor of the kids.  You never know what you'll get - or if it will be your kid being all crazy.

I was asked to substitute in Brooklyn's class so I got first hand experience in watching her stand up and sit down on cue, stare at the other kids while she's supposed to be singing, sit with her legs open (Hello, modesty...), sit back down very  loudly, and stroke my arm out of sheer excitement.

It was lovely.

And entertaining.

Probably the best part of the experience though was being seated behind the Sunbeams.

One of which belongs to me.

He did pretty good, I must admit.

He raised the roof when they sang "Follow the Prophet."

I'm pretty sure they heard him down the street.

Dave said he could pick out Jack's voice during all the songs he knew. 

From the back of the room.

Sweet.

(The kids - Oct. 2010 - 3 out of 4 looking at the camera = Success!)

Do you know what else was sweet?

It's sweet that we could "adopt a grandparent" to take care of Aubrey while I was on the stand.  And then she ended up keeping her while I taught the Primary class.

It was fun for her, and super helpful for me!

Teaching 6 year old's is a lot easier without a smallish baby on your lap.

Thank you Sister Shepard!

Note to self:  Be an adopted grandparent when you grow up!

Grumpy Gills

My littlest one has been quite a grump for the last couple of weeks.

She doesn't want to be on the floor, she doesn't want to be in her chair, and she doesn't really want to sleep.

I think she mostly just wants to cry and be held aaaalllll day.

Now, I love this little peach, but as any mother knows - I can't hold this wee one aaaallll day.

We are going on week 2 of this grumpiness and my fortress is showing the signs of it.

I'll spare you the pictures of the disorganization and laundry I'm behind on.

sigh.

Last night we made her cry it out.

And cry it out she did.

From 1:00 to 3:30 am

Sheesh - now I'm really tired and have had a mega headache all day.

We've definitely got to figure out whats bothering the babe.

Cause I am missing my happy, content baby.

And I've got a lot of work to catch up on...

This last picture makes me want to go gobble her up.

And my question for the day is: 

If this were your baby, (that is not an offer) what would you do with ALL THAT HAIR?
It's all crazy 'n' stuff and I just don't know what to do with it.

Handsome Devil

This boy has a smile that absolutely makes my heart flutter.  Like some boy-crazy teenage girl.

It's ridiculous, really.

And if that weren't bad enough, it gets worse. 

Last Sunday I dropped him off with his Sunbeam class.  They line up in the gym to wait until their leaders are ready for them.  After I dropped him off I stood back and watched proudly as he stood there with his arms folded trying his best to control that busy 4 year old body.  I gave him a thumbs up for being reverent and he flashed me that smile and threw in a little wink to finish me off.

This Girl of Mine

This girl never ceases to amaze me. 

Really, I have been blessed as a mother to be able to raise this girl.

Remember these?

These beauties that she worked so hard for?

She wore them to school today and came home without them.

When I asked her what happened to them, she said that she gave them to a girl in her class 

who didn't have any.

Then she said that she couldn't wait to earn more because there are more kids who don't have any -

and she plans to change that.