This week at home

Makayla has been very anxious to lose her teeth, and has been working hard at getting them loose.  After she lost this one a couple days later she lost the other front tooth.  I began to wonder if she was knocking them lose for more money from the tooth fairy!  If she looses another one soon I will be very suspicious.

She was very brave and let dad tie her tooth up to the remote control car to pull it out.  It worked like a charm!  I tried to put the video on the blog, but it wasn't working.
Dad is teaching the kids how to change the oil in the car.  I love that Ben wants to do everything daddy does.
Makayla getting in on the greasy fun
My sweet Benjamin showed Savanah where the flour bucket is and how to have a good time with it.

It's great bein a mom

I think that one of the best parts of being a parent is being able to see the funny things your kids do.  Or seeing the adorable smile on their face that melts away any anger you might be feeling.  The other day I saw the jug of milk on the floor.  When I went to pick it up, I noticed several straws in the jug.  My first reaction was arrgg, but then I couldn't help but laugh because the thought came into my mind "this time, this time, this time." maybe this time my straw will reach the milk.  And then after church I found a pile of hotdogs in the fridge.  Ben informed me that he put them back in the fridge all by himself!  I love to see my kids wanting to help out and do things for themselves.  And even though it might not be how I want it, you gotta give em credit for tryin!

Happy New Year

Happy day, a new year is here! I am so excited for this new year. It's so nice to have that feeling of a clean slate. Last night we brought in the new year with my family in Utah. The hardest part about visiting a place where you grew up is there is always so much you want to do and so many people you want to see that it is hard to get it all in. The fun part about visiting for Christmas is you get Christmas morning two times! This morning Makayla lost another tooth, way to go Makayla! Start the year off right by bringin in the dough from the tooth fairy!
Aunt Kellee gave Makayla a special tooth holder for her tooth.

So this is what it's like to stay up all night! (She looks like she's been hitten too much of the sauce!)We played match after match of twister because everyone was trying desperately to beat the twister champion. I'm am happy to say that I am still the twister Champ!I'll tell you what, that yoga comes in handy in a game of twister!

Mike thought it would be funny if he came in underneath and then made it so I took my foot off the color (according to the rules this is not allowed) It's a good thing I'm elasti-girl!

Cookies

I have thought about posting a lot but it seems I never get a minute to sit at my computer to put anything on.  Excuses, excuses, I know.  So one of the fun things that I like to do this time of year is bake.  I love to cook, and when I cook I love for the things I cook to turn out so pretty that Martha Stewart would want to take a picture and put it in her "good things" section in her magazine.  I have learned that cooking with kids does not always end in the desired result.  It has been a learning process in patience to realize that it's okay if it doesn't turn out like the picture (it's fake anyway).  I need to get over the fact that Bens way of spooning and leveling the flour isn't done in the same neat way as I would do it.  And if a little bit of shell falls in, we simply improvise and add some nuts to disguise the crunch.  I used to get frustrated and think I can do this so much easier by myself (not to mention it would turn out just like the picture) but I also realized what my kids are missing out on if I did.  How can I teach them to enjoy cooking when my wisk is wound too tight?  So Like we have heard so many times before, I am finding joy in the journey and in the here and now with my not so perfect confections, and I am enjoying every minute of cooking with the kiddos.  And hopefully they enjoy it as much as I do.  And even if it doesn't look like the picture, it still tastes good...minus the occational random crunch!

Kids say the darndest things

Pretty much all the honest truth telling there is in the world is done by children

-Oliver Wendell Holmes

My dad taught me how to pick my nose. -makayla

uh.  -savanah

I think I broke my pecker. -Ben (*sigh*thanks for that one mike)

I told Makayla and Ben "It's a good thing you two are so cute." and then Makayla piped up and said "yeah, if we weren't we'd be grown-ups!"

Wow mom these are big, but their not holy smokes! -Ben

Why does everyone have big bums? -Makayla (we were in wal mart and as i looked around, everyone was overweight and did have big bums) And of course it wasn't said in a quiet whisper.

Mom will you wipe my bum so I don't get scribbles in my underwear.  -Ben

Daddys Girl

Savanah is such a daddy's girl, she loves to be anywhere daddy is.  I walked into the office one day and this is what I saw, two peas in a pod!  Both working hard pushin buttons.  There are times where she won't come to me because she wants daddy, and for some reason I am okay with that because it is the cutest thing to see her snuggling with her daddy. Or seeing her hold on to his finger dragging him where ever she wants him to go. (maybe I like it because I can say, she wants to be with you... then I can sneak away and get one more thing done, like the laundry or something exciting like cleaning my toilets.  Wow, I really need to get out more). Yes you could say she has him wrapped around her little finger!

Fabulously Fantastic Fall Fun

So I realized that the last three posts were about Ben. Maybe i should make the blog of Ben or something dedicated just for him! We have done some fun things since the leaves have began to fall. Playing in the leaves is a must this time of year, it just never gets old.

We went to the Berry Ranch with our friends the Woolners and picked us some massive pumpkins. You had to be able to carry it back to the wagon. The little white one is Savanahs it matches her hair perfectly! I wish I had a picture of my buldging biceps as I hefted my 50 pound pumpkin with ease across the field.