I know I have one other child, but I didn't have any random pictures of her

This little girl is the silliest.  She loves to put her hands in pockets.  This day, she put on a shirt that has a front pocket, then a jacket with pockets and finally a vest with pockets to finish it off.  Too bad she only has two hands!

About every two weeks, I bring up the basketball hoop for a day or two to the front room.  Easton literally shoots hoops for hours.  Especially if we are watching basketball on TV (note the Lakers on the TV in the background).  He loved this picture because you could see the ball after it had gone through the hoop.

 Cutie.  Obviously a day that I didn't want to fight to do her hair.

 Easton occasionally needs to strike a silly pose.

 And then lets mama have a handsome picture.

For your viewing pleasure

A little video catch up:

I wanted Kendree to count.  As it turns out, she is much better at counting backwards than she is forwards.  That couldn't possibly have anything to do with the fact that I count backwards from five when the kids are not behaving and have a limited amount of time to make a good decision, could it?

Now that I've watched this again, she says 3, 2, 1, 0 and then blast off.  Cute little girl.

You really have to listen, but she is singing "Happy Birthday" to herself.

The new Dora kitchen plays some songs. The kids decided that dancing to them was the best thing ever.

Classic birthday cake scene:

The post where I document Kendree's 2nd birthday

You should have known it was coming.  The birthday wrap-up, just a bit shy of a month late.

A good friend located this Dora kitchen on Freecycle for me.  You can't beat free.  Someday I hope to have one of those super cute wooden kitchens, but based on how much my kids love any kitchen, maybe I'll never bite the bullet to buy one. I guess we'll have to see.

We set it up unwrapped in the living room.  When Kendree woke up (she is ALWAYS the first kid up and at 'em) she walked right over, asked if it was for her and then proceeded to wash her hands. She obviously knows what you do prior to food preparation.

 Once Easton was up, they went right to work putting all of our play food and dishes away.  Also, my kids have no idea who Dora is, so Kendree pointed to the giant head and asked, "Me?"  I guess Dora does look similar to her.  So now, she thinks the kitchen is all about her. Gotta love it.

 Enjoying her favorite lunch, mac n' cheese.

 And later that night, unwrapping presents.  I love all things Melissa and Doug, and a new kitchen was begging for some new food.

 Kendree with her loot.

 Right after blowing out the candles.

 And a close up of the cake.  I made cake in soup cans (idea from Oh Happy Day) and then frosted in "rosettes" of a sort. It was the perfect amount of cake for our little family.

 The next day, we celebrated AGAIN at grandma's house. Kendree got her very own wallet (in hopes that she will stop emptying mama's all of the time).

Then she and Easton unwrapped her big present from Grandma and Grandpa Wyo...a new shopping cart!

They immediately got to work filling it up with friends.  This cart is awesome.  It won't roll when there is two much weight (say if a kid gets in it) and looks super cute to boot.

Now we play "chef" all of the time!

I have some videos to upload as well, but it looks like that might be a post for another day.

Leap Day

February 29th was quite possibly the 3rd greatest day ever, at least in Easton's mind.

His favorite would be his birthday, with Christmas taking a close second.

But on February 29th, Mama told him that we were going to have dessert for dinner and dinner for dessert.

He could not believe it. (His exact words were "What the heck?!?!?")

And so, we all got a heaping bowl of ice cream with chocolate syrup and sprinkles for dinner.

Mama even let Easton and Kendree have small second helpings before dessert was served (burritos, rice and beans).

The easiest tradition ever, since I only have to do it every four years. I can't take any credit for the idea though.  That goes to this cute girl.

Photographic Evidence:
Seriously, the word "cheese" leads to some pretty funny faces on Kendree.

 Can't even take the time to smile.  That ice cream might disappear any second.

 Even this one loved Leap Day, just look at that dimple!

Devynee - 3 months

Devynee continues to be such a chill and sweet baby.  She is starting to react to her sister and brother (which they LOVE) and she seems to like the attention as well.

At 3 months:

• She continues to sleep through the night.  Usually 9:30 p.m. until 6:30 a.m. I always thought that people who said their baby slept through the night were lying.  I guess I stand (or should I say sleep?) corrected.
• Devynee takes about 4 naps a day. I have not started a schedule at all with her yet.  I plan to in the next 3-4 weeks.
• She is starting to stay awake for the entire time between two feedings at least once a day.
• She is wearing 0-3 and 3 month clothes and size 1 diapers.
• Devynee seems to get her bubbles out through spit up and has very few problems with gas.  I have yet to open a bottle of Mylicon.
• She is spitting up less and less.  We have at least one semi-major spit up a day and since I don't know when that is, I always have to be prepared, but most times now I can burp her without a burp cloth if I am feeling brave/don't care about what I have on.
• She loves her car seat and will sleep in it for HOURS if I let her.
• She is not taking a binky and prefers her hand. The heel of her hand unless she happens to get her thumb in there.  We continue to try to thwart her.  I do not want a thumb sucker so she can have the binky or nothing.  She obviously doesn't really need to suck to sleep since she sleeps through the night with her hands swaddled at her sides and does fine.
• Devynee sleeps swaddled at night and "free" during the day.
• She will take a bottle when needed, but is still a great nurser.
• She is starting to coo and talk, but most times it sounds like she is a little upset (even with a smile on her face).

Now for some pictures:

Official 3 month picture:

 Loving the swing:

 Cutie Pie in a dress Aunt Aubrey made:

 Hanging out in the bassinet:

 Her current "hangout" spot in the house.  Tucked into a corner with nothing high next to her for her siblings to get on and bug her.

 Brother holding time:

And now some videos:

Kicking in the bassinet (she had been cooing right before I got the camera, of course):

Finally, some cute baby noises on film (around the 30 second mark).  You also get to see her be mesmerized by her daddy (who is off camera).

Lesson Learned

I made a very important phone call today.

You see, I made my first batch of sugar cookies from scratch, ever. (I know, judge me if you will).

And you know what?

Sugar cookies are a heck of a lot of work.

So after I was done, I called my mom to thank her for the many batches she made for us kids when we were in the house.  She even made another batch just last week for Valentines's day and my kids thought they were in heaven.

Sugar cookies are no joking matter.

My kids will be lucky if I ever make them again.

Easton - 4 years

I meant to do this right around Easton's birthday, but life was a little hectic then, so I did it yesterday.

Easton's 4 year old interview:

Name: Easton Jay
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Food: Peanuts, Popcorn, Grapes and Pancakes
Favorite thing to do: Play with Kendree's kitchen
Favorite Movie: Spiderman (he's never seen it)
When he grows up, wants to be: Spiderman
Favorite Sport: Basketball, Football, Hockey, Soccer and Baseball
Favorite Basketball team: Lakers
Favorite Football team: Cowboys, Broncos and BYU
Favorite Baseball team: Angels
Favorite thing at preschool: Coloring
Favorite Song: Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam
Favorite Animal: Dog
Favorite Toy: Spiderman, Sonic and Shadow
Favorite Book: No, David!

Some of my favorite things about Easton currently:
If you win, you are the champy-ist (instead of champion)
He loves to tell Kendree what to do and she willingly goes along with anything he says.
He has these obsessions with things he knows virtually nothing about (like his current obsession with Spiderman).  He has seen one episode of the old, old cartoon and has one Spiderman toy and now thinks that Spiderman is the coolest. thing. ever.

Kendree - 2 years!

It's hard to believe our Kenny-girl is two!  Although I have thought of her as two since the day Devynee was born, so I suppose I've been waiting to make it official for just about three months. :)

At two Kendree:

• Got all of her canine teeth this month.  It caused some fevers and fun diaper situations, and I'm glad it is over, at least for a while.
• Is quite the little chatterbox.  I'm always laughing at what comes out of her mouth.  I'll try to get some examples documented on here soon.
• Will do anything her brother tells her to do.
• Is dying that her mama won't let her hold or touch baby Devynee (she has been sick for 10 days!).
• Is in size 24 month or 2T clothing and size 5 shoes.  Not all of her size 5's fit anymore, so I think we're on the way to size 6.
• Loves nursery at church.
• Takes one 2-3 hour nap a day.
• Sleeps great at night, but thinks it is time to get up at 4:45 or 5:00 a.m.  We're working on this, but it has proved difficult now that she shares a room with Easton.
• Has quite the obsession with "money." Most times her money is a set of poker chips that Ronnie and I were given at some point. She also loves wallets and credit cards (learning young!).
• Favorite tv show is Caillou and the only one she ever asks for.  She calls him Yi-you.
• Doesn't really like to play with the ipod (very different than Easton).  Occasionally she will play with it for a few minutes, but never asks for it.
• Wants to do things on the computer, but usually just pushes the power button and turns it off.
• Loves attention from Easton's friends who are girls.  She thinks they are the coolest and they all are so good to let her in on whatever they are playing.
• Really likes macaroni and cheese (she NEVER turns it down) and pizza. 
• Will drink whatever I put in her cup, but will always make sure that she will be getting some juice sometime in the future.
• Doesn't seem to mind when her hair is totally in her face (you'll see this in lots of pictures).
• Is starting to want to dress up in girly dress-up clothes, but will be just as excited about a karate costume or Buzz costume if Easton is excited about it.
• Loves Snow White the best of all the princesses.
• Will watch Cinderella and Snow White from beginning to end, but doesn't need to watch movies every day.
• Makes what we call the "mangler" face when she wants to show love to Devynee but can't figure out what to do.  It is a teeth clenched together, lips puckered out thing that more often than not, means she will do something to Devynee that she shouldn't.
• Occasionally asks to sit on the potty.  She sits, nothing happens, we do the cleaning drill (hands, etc.) and then go put on a fresh diaper.  I'm letting her lead this adventure and it doesn't seem like she is quite ready.

Now, you'll have to bear with me as I go through Kendree's first two years.

Just 10 days old.

 1 month:


 2 months:


 3 months:


 Blessing day: May 15, 2010


 4 months:


 5 months:


 6 months:


 7 months:


 8 months:


 9 months:


 10 months:


 11 months:


 1 year:


 13 months:


 14 months:


 15 months:


 16 months:


 17 months:


 18 months:


 19 months:


 20 months:


 21 months:


 22 months:


 23 months:


And today:

Don't worry, I totally give you permission to pin this*

Wanna know how I remember that it is time to mop my floor?

When one of the sticky spots takes off my sock as I am walking through the dining room.

Reminds me every time.

[*I kid.]

A day in the life...

I don't know about you, but I am secretly enthralled with how others live their life.  I'm not even talking about other cultures, I'm talking about my neighbor down the street (don't tell her!).

I've read a few blogs where people chronicle their entire day and I love it so I guess I am hoping that there are a few of you out there who will care and if not, at least I'll have a record of what my life was like in February of 2012. :)

We'll start with yesterday, which just happens to be one of the days that I go to Laramie.  I'll do a separate post on what my days at home are like, since the two days are vastly different. If you make it all the way through this monster, I'll be impressed. We'll start at midnight...

5:15 a.m. Kendree wakes up whimpering (she had a runny nose and slight fever when she went to bed).  I rub her back, put her blanket back on top of her and whisper soothing things (I think, it was 5 in the morning after all).
5:17 a.m. Crawl back into bed and fall immediately asleep.
5:45 a.m. Alarm rings, I turn it off and sit up.
5:47 a.m. After sitting in bed for a bit, I get up, partially close my bedroom door (to muffle any sound I make from the kids) and head to the bathroom.
5:56 a.m. After showering, stumble in the dark bedroom to the closet light so I can see to get dressed without waking Ron or the kids.
6:05 a.m. Fully dressed now, head back into bathroom to do hair and make-up.
6:09 a.m. Finish putting hair into ponytail.  Blow drying just wasn't in the cards today.
6:20 a.m. Finish with make-up and teeth brushing. Gather shoes, phone, sweater and head to front room.
6:22 a.m. Get drink of water, turn on "soft" (i.e. not very many) lights in living room. Get packed lunch for kids from the fridge and place frozen milk and ice packs in it.  Also get ice pack for my pump.  Grab kids sippys from the fridge and place next to pile of everything else that needs to go in the car.
6:30 a.m. Wheel Devynee (who is still asleep) in her bassinet to the front room. Change her diaper (waking her up in the process).
6:33 a.m. Begin to nurse Devynee, check work email, google reader, facebook on phone.  Then start reading the February Ensign (also with an app on my phone...it is so much easier to read than holding the magazine and having to [gasp] actually turn the pages!)
6:45 a.m. Easton stumbles out into the room but is in a good mood (hallelujah!).  He crashes on the couch.
6:46 a.m. While I continue to feed Devynee, Ron gets Easton dressed and has him go to the bathroom.
6:57 a.m. Ron gets Kendree out of bed and takes her temperature.  She still has a fever, dang! Ron then gets her medicine and gets her dressed. He also decides to suck her nose with our beloved NoseFrida.
7:07 a.m. Devynee is finished eating.  I change her clothes and her diaper, again.
7:12 a.m. Ron sucks Devynee's nose.
7:14 a.m. I put Devynee in her car seat.
7:15 a.m. I pull the Mazda out of the garage, and then start the Yukon so it can start to warm up.
7:18 a.m. Easton gets his coat on and I help him into the car while I bring out the first load of bags (I have my pump and a bag with a pad of paper for my work and my planner and wallet as well as a bag with lunch for the kids and a bag of "everything else" for the kids).
7:22 a.m. I get Kendree (Ron has put on her coat and shoes) and take her out to the car.  I strap her in and walk around to strap Easton in.
7:26 a.m. I get Devynee's car seat and put it in the car.  I try to shield her from her siblings with the sun shield, but Easton immediately pulls it back again.
7:30 a.m.  I grab a pop tart for Easton's breakfast, a pop tart for my breakfast and Kendree has informed me that she does not want anything.  She only wants toast at Grandma's.  I also grab myself a can of delicious-ness (Diet Dr. Pepper) as I already know I'm going to need it at work. (We don't always have pop tarts, but they are an easy portable breakfast on these days - and yes, I know they are like pure sugar).
7:34 a.m. We pull out of the driveway.  I call my mom on the way to the freeway to let her know we have left.
8:23 a.m. We pull into my parent's driveway after an uneventful drive.  The kids watched Cars and Devynee slept the entire way (well, she was at least silent the entire way).
8:23 a.m.  I get Easton out of his seat, he runs to the door and begins banging loudly.  I walk around and get Kendree out of the car and carry her inside (normally she walks, but I'm babying her since she is sick and I don't want her out in the cold for long).
8:25 a.m. I get Devynee out of the car and carry her into the house.
8:27 a.m. I get the two bags that stay at Grandma's and head into the house for the last time.
8:30 a.m. After saying good morning to my mom and depositing coats on the stair railing, I sit down to feed Devynee. I spend this time giving my mom the "basics" (when to give Kendree more medicine, when to feed Devynee her bottle, if anything is out of the ordinary. My kids love to eat breakfast at Grandma's house, so they almost always have a second breakfast when they get to her house).
8:56 a.m. Finish feeding and burping Devynee.  Lay her down on my mom's bed (too high for Kendree to reach her) for her first nap and head downstairs to say goodbye to the kids (they have migrated down to play basketball).
8:58 a.m. Grab my parking pass (I share it with my brother and his wife) and get in the car.
8:59 a.m. Take advantage of the ability to drive and talk on my cell phone (hehe) and call my dad to see what his day looks like.  Discuss the ins and outs of his upcoming meeting with the Planning Commission as I drive to work, park and walk into the building.
9:07 a.m. Unlock my office door, turn on computer, get ready to work, work, work my little heart out. Seriously though, I run around like a chicken with her head cut off on the days I am in the office as I try to get as much as possible done while I am working "kid-free."
1:03 p.m. After a day of emails, letters, phone calls, errands and well, work  I lock my office up and walk out to my car.
1:12 p.m. Arrive at my mom's house.
1:13 p.m. I am greeted by VERY excited kids.  Discuss how the day went with my mom and grab Devynee from her room where she is waking up from one of her naps.
1:25 p.m. Sit down to feed Devynee.  Solve all of the world's problems with my mom while she changes Kendree's diaper and gets the kids shoes on, etc.
2:03 p.m. Finish feeding and burping Devynee.  Change her diaper and put her in her car seat.
2:08 p.m. Clean up toys in the family room.
2:14 p.m. Carry Kendree out to the car, strap her in.  Easton climbs in as well and I strap him in.
2:18 p.m. Grandma carries out the bags while I carry Devynee.  Get everything situated in the car and movie started. 
2:23 p.m. Say goodbye to Grandma and drive away.
2:24 p.m. Get a call from Grandma that Easton didn't go to the bathroom. Make a loop back into the neighborhood so he can go.
2:32 p.m. Leave Grandma's house for the second time.
3:21 p.m. Pull into the driveway after another uneventful drive.  Kendree fell asleep, Easton finished Cars and Devynee did a little crying and a little sleeping (crying is super rare for her in the car).
3:23 p.m. Carry Kendree directly into her bed so she can continue her nap.  The poor thing looks EXHAUSTED still. Well, she sleeps every day when we get home from Grandma's but this day she looks particularly tired.
3:24 p.m. Unload Devynee, Easton and the rest of the bags.  Unpack all of the lunch food and freeze the pumped milk.
3:45 p.m. Pull up work email on home computer, send a few personal emails, check a few private blogs and follow up on a few things from work (catering that needed to be finalized). Also play soccer with Easton from the computer.
4:13 p.m. Begin typing this post, chat with a lovely aunt on the phone, text Ron to see what time dinner should be ready (still while playing soccer).
4:58 p.m. Wake Kendree up from her nap so that bedtime can go smoothly, select America's Funniest Home Videos from Netflix for the kids to watch for a few minutes. Devynee is still sleeping in her car seat, so start getting everything ready for dinner prep.
5:35 p.m. Dinner is ready.  Pasta Roni and Grilled Cheese tonight (days when I work in Laramie always have very simple dinners). Get Kendree in high chair and Easton up to table so they can eat.
5:42 p.m.  While the kids eat, take the load of laundry out of the dryer (deposit on couch), switch the laundry from the washer to the dryer and start a new load in the washer.
5:51 p.m. Start unloading and then loading the dishwasher while chatting with kids (and encouraging bites).
6:02 p.m. Devynee is officially awake.  Get her out of car seat, change diaper and let her kick for a minute.
6:07 p.m. Wash Easton's hands and face, excuse him from table.  Get Kendree washed up and down from her high chair.
6:12 p.m. Begin feeding Devynee while refereeing the other two kids (they are playing football).
6:28 p.m. Ron is home!  Continue feeding Devynee while he fixes his own dinner (I decided that a grilled cheese I made an hour ago just wouldn't be appetizing to him). 
6:52 p.m. Devynee is fed and burped. Lay her in her bassinet and turn on the mobile.
6:53 p.m. Make myself a PB&J sandwich for dinner (I really don't like grilled cheese). Also switch over laundry again.  Deposit the second clean load on the couch (right next to the first clean load).
7:04 p.m. Decide that it is a good night for baths for the kids.  Start water while Easton and Kendree get undressed. Supervise/wash children accordingly.
7:32 p.m. Get the last kid out of the water.  Head to the living room to get on pajamas and lotion up their bodies.
7:43 p.m. Hold Kendree's arms while Ron sucks her nose again (she's learning how to fight it).
7:47 p.m. Floss and brush Kendree's teeth.
7:52 p.m. Floss and brush Easton's teeth.
7:57 p.m. Read The Shape of You and No David! to Kendree and Easton
8:03 p.m. Read scriptures and say prayer with Kendree and Easton.  Tuck them into bed and sing "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" then turn off the light, give kisses and walk out of the room.
8:09 p.m. While I was giving baths, Ronnie did the dishes and started folding clothes (love him!).  I switch laundry over again, giving him even more clothes to fold. I begin my end of evening pick-up (all of those random toys, etc. that are hiding around the house.
8:13 p.m. I sit down to feed Devynee (who is squawking) and she falls asleep after eating for about 5 minutes, tops. I burp her and lay her in the bassinet, assuming she will be up in about 30 minutes when she gets hungry again.
8:21 p.m. Ron and I put away the folded clothes (why is this the WORST job in the world?).
8:42 p.m. I gather supplies to finish making Easton's valentines since preschool is in the morning while Ron checks what is on the DVR for our viewing pleasure.
8:49 p.m. After settling down on the floor of the living room, I cut paper, stamp and glue while we watch The Firm.
10:02 p.m. We decide that we better change Devynee's diaper and feed her so that we can get to bed soon. Ron changes her diaper and she sleeps through it.
10:04 p.m. Devynee continues to sleep through Ron holding her, me wrapping her in her swaddler and me trying to feed her. 
10:08 p.m. We decide to just put her to bed (roll her bassinet to her bedroom) and see what the night holds.
10:10 p.m. I do one last sweep of the house and put all of my stamping stuff on the desk.  I have several more card orders to do, so nothing really gets put away yet.
10:17 p.m. I brush my teeth, wash my face and get my pajamas on.
10:27 p.m. Ron and I check on the kids, cover them up and open their doors.
10:29 p.m. Say prayers and lights out. I am exhausted.

Whew! You made it. And for curious minds, Devynee did sleep through the entire night.  Kendree on the other hand was up two times.  If it is not one kid, it is another! :)