This is how we roll...

The kids and I come up with silly things to do all the time. Like on this day of Spring break when we decided to find every pillow in the house, turn up the Kid's Bop, set the timer on the camera, and...

JUMP!

Don't be jealous. You too can look like a dork. If you try hard enough. It's actually effortless for me.

Fun times! And yes, there were dirty dishes to clean, legos to pick up, messages to return. 

But, in the end, this is what matters.

This Moment

My sweet Hope captured this moment in time. It is a moment I want to remember forever because this is truly how I spend a huge portion of my days, these days. Sweet, right? All wrapped up in baby hugs from my littlest ones. A picture is worth a thousand words, except, sometimes they need volume, sound, a soundtrack to really tell the story. Because? Those two sweet babies who are all wrapped all over me?

THEY ARE SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF THEIR FREAKING LUNGS!!!! 

Emmy is pushing, pulling, pinching at Noah because she does not want Noah to hug me. Or touch me. Or even look at me. I am HERS. Not that she wants me to hold her all the time. Oh no. She just wants me to hold her when Noah wants me to hold him. Which is often. He is just so snuggly.

And Noah? He is using the headbutt approach to wedging his sister off of me. Which results in a semi permanent bruise on my collar bone from happening so often. All while the "V" shaped birthmark on his forehead is turning more and more red as he screams, grunts, and sobs. Because, I am HIS! That sweet arm laid across my shoulder is an advanced move. It waits for the perfect moment. It will serve as the final blow. The very effective "elbow to the sister" move that, when executed correctly, can send his "quickly catching up to him size wise" baby sister flying off the couch. 

And me? I am pinned.They have me in a position I cannot quite get myself up. My face is scrunched up and turned as far as I can possibly turn it, hoping to protect myself from yet another baby head hitting me in the nose. Or eye. Or teeth. And through my squinting eyes, I look through the window and think....

OH MY GOOD GOLLY! WHY IS THERE A COLANDER, MUFFIN PAN AND SPOONS ON THE TRAMPOLINE?!!!!

Hold On

This sweet moment happened when we were walking into Noah's school Tuesday morning. I know it was the first time they have ever held hands and it just made me melt! These moments are rare, but here is proof that they do happen! These two do love each other!

Park!

Soccer season has started again, and for Noah and Emmy, this means.... PARK!!!!

My Girls

Hope and Emmy had a little matchy matchy moment this morning! Their pink shoes were my favorite part, but you can't see them well here. Hope may have accidentally been tardy as everything fell apart this morning as it tends to when john decides to go to the gym at la buttcrackofdawnthirty. And when I realized their was just no getting around the fact we were not getting to school on time, I may have stopped hurrying and taken their picture. Got to stop and smell those roses, right?



Hope wrote about her Aunt Ninny's star character.


I love how she wrote about ninny showing courage by being a first grade teacher! I know I'm too scared! And yes, I have seen Ninny's self discipline on many occasions when she has had to grade papers before having fun! Love that Hope is already looking up to my biggest role model!

And lastly, a pic of my cute Emmy at the OT office on Wednesday. Love her.



Updated. I wrote this post last night and couldn't publish it from my phone. Turns out she was tardy again this morning. We were not stopping to smell any roses, however, and I'm pretty sure two tardies in a row makes me a bad mom. Getting with the program on Monday.

Emmy Love kind of loves my phone. It is funny to me to see the pics she takes on it. Here's what I found just now from this morning.


It looks pretty similar to one of the ones she took last week


Or this one second artistic video

This from another day

She's funny.

What is up?

I just want to stop and share some things! Life is busy and rare are the days that I open my computer anymore. But life is good!

Emmy is just changing so much and so fast. I could eat her up.

• I don't really get out much, even on days with just Emmy. When we do, it is usually just grocery stores or target shopping. I had to go to the mall for something and took full advantage of a day at the mall with my girl. 
• The Merry Go Round ride I had envisioned did NOT go as I expected. She did not like it! She just awkwardly held on and looked at me like I was not fit as a parent.
• She is finally walking everywhere. My latest walker for sure, but it's all good now! She is obsessed with shoes, making up for the many months when I didn't let her wear any. 
• She wakes up every morning saying 3 of the most non-adorable words you have ever heard. "I just pooped." John and I both pretend to be asleep when we hear her say them in the monitor and see who plays dead the longest before going to rescue her. 
• When you get to her room, she repeats those words to make sure you are fully aware. Then she points to her closet and says "I need shoes." 
• She will smear any food that is able to be smeared in her hair at every meal. It is not unusual that she is bathed 3 times in one day. she's very clean, that one. You know she is finished eating and smearing when she announces "I need a bath." She is always right.
• She loves to help correct her siblings. She is so helpful at making sure everyone is doing the right thing at all times.
• She gives the stink eye a new name. She rocks it.

• Oh Noah Red. Love him still. This is pajama day at school. He loves super hero pjs, but these Snow Bears ones are his favorite! He looks precious in them, so I love it.
• Noah has started Occupational Therapy once a week to work on some grasp and sensory issues he has been having. He loves his time with Miss Joy and never wants to leave. 
• He is still batman obsessed. His room is now known as batman city and he would be perfectly happy if he had no other toys.
• Which has led us to a new way of discipline. Noah is not easy. Our pediatrician suggested 1-2-3 Magic. We are using an adapted version where he gets a warning and a that's 1 and is told if you get to 3 we will take away a batman toy. It is fully explained to him in a calm tone. I would have laughed in the face of anyone trying to tell me this is what they do a few years ago. But, for Noah? Huge improvement in only about 4 weeks. I should say, immediate improvement, and still making progress. Certain things are automatic 3s where a toy is immediately taken (like hurting someone or doing something that is dangerous.) I guess different things really do work for different kids. And the key here for Noah has been being firm and consistent. If you don't agree with this program, then I would have to come back with a "Oh, you must not have a Noah Red." And if you suggest time outs, I will also say, "Oh, you must not have a Noah Red." I will still do what is best for Noah Red.
• He is such a funny guy. He wants to make everyone laugh and makes up jokes that you are required to laugh at. He is a hoot at dinner. 
• Every night at dinner we say our prayer and then everyone says something they are thankful for. Noah is always thankful for the food he has already been eating while we were saying the prayer.

• Hopey Louisey is growing up! She is looking older, acting older, and makes me proud every day.
• We decided to pull her from her pre-team gymnastics. She was already going 3 days a week and would be going even more next year when she started competing. It was such a hard decision. This gym produces the best. But, for us, the cost was too great. Both financially, and the time away from her family and being a kid. Her coach is the best of the best. It sounds silly, but it's hard to take your child out of something when you know there is no better instruction in the country. And when the dreams of becoming great are fed by the world class gymnasts all around where your child is learning her first beam routine. Those gymnasts are home-schooled there at the gym. Again, the cost was too great. I want my daughter. So, we took a deep breath, stepped away and signed up for a tumbling class! She is loving that right now and if she wants to go back to full on gymnastics, we might go to a less serious gym. 
• She is motivated by money right now! She knocks out chores every week for a big one dollar bill on Sunday. You can ask her at any given moment how much money she has and she will tell you to the penny. She recently saved up her birthday, Christmas and chore money and bought a new American girl doll. She was so proud, and so was her mommy! 

What is new with Mommy! No picture for this segway. Sorry folks.

• I finally feel like I am getting on top of things as a stay at home mommy. Balance is hard for me. I will never be the mom with a perfectly clean house everyday, but I WILL be the mom who got on the floor and played with each of her kids that day. I will be the mommy who read to each child that day, even if it means sending them to bed with toys still on the floor. The balance part has been having a plan, and cutting out the extra stuff so that my house is not disgusting. It has meant less computer time when the kids are down. Less texting and facebooking and twittering and pinteresting. It means finishing stuff I start. Life is rolling a little more smoothly lately, and our house has been less chaotic, and for that I will do anything.

I don't want that to be taken the wrong way. There are fabulous mommies who have perfectly clean houses and love on their kids all day and carve out time to blog and fb and twitter and text and find time for Teen Mom2. I, however, cannot. I just can't turn off the ADD enough to get it all done, so I'm learning what it is I need to let go of, and surprisingly, I am happier with limiting the fluff stuff. Happy is good.

Hope as Lady Bird Johnson

This is Hope practicing her Prezi presentation for her 1st grade Historical Figure project. She is presenting Lady Bird Johnson and wanted to dress as Lady Bird as well. I may be just a little proud. She researched, wrote down all the facts she wanted to include, picked the pictures, and helped her daddy put it together as a Prezi. She has worked hard!




How cool is this?! I can actually link her actual presentation they made on Prezi! Ninny wanted to see it, so CLICK HERE if you want to as well!

Noah's Christmas Program

Noah, Noah, Noah. Man, I love this kid. He told us for two weeks he was NOT going to sing during his Mother's Day Out's Christmas Program. 

 And, well, he was true to his word. He never opened his mouth. Not once. Didn't cry, didn't smile, and certainly did NOT sing. 

 He kept cutting his eyes at me like, "I can't believe you are making me do this."

Stubborn little toot. Where does he get this from? No. Clue. Ok, I might have an idea. 

She lost it!

We discovered Hope's first wiggly tooth just a few days before Christmas! She has been so worried that she wouldn't ever lose them! I am personally a fan of her super cute baby teeth, but at age 7 and one month, she was about the only one left who hadn't lost one, so I know she was more than ready! She didn't really wiggle it very much, so it took it's sweet time coming out! I have serious "wiggly tooth phobia." I have forever. I never pulled a tooth out. They stayed in until they fell out. And I still have dreams/nightmares about having a loose tooth. For real.

Anyway. So on Sunday, January 8 right before she went to bed, I asked her how wiggly it was. She said, well, I can lay it flat, an twist it. Dear goodness, if I had been standing I would have totally fainted. So I went and got John to investigate. He said it had to come out and he was scared she would swallow it if she went to sleep. So, this is the part where Hope lost her mind. No way no how was she about to let him pull it, or herself. So we eventually walked away. I had my suspicions that he wanted to lose it at school. At school, you get sent to the nurse's office to get a tooth necklace to put your tooth in. She has mentioned it many times. So, off to school she went on Monday, and when she walked out Monday afternoon she had the biggest smile I have ever seen. With a hole in that sweet smile! And... A tooth necklace.


Stinker pulled her tooth out that morning. John was sad he missed it, but I've got to tell you. I was thrilled! I didn't have to see it! Ha! So, of course she wrote her letter to the tooth fairy when she got home. Her cousin Clara told her if you write a note, the tooth fairy will leave you more money. I'm SURE the tooth fairy would love to thank Clara for sharing that info with her cousin. Before bed, she was a tad freaked out about the tooth fairy coming in her room after she fell asleep. So, she opted to sleep with us. Ha. And, she didn't put the tooth fairy pillow under her pillow. She put it on John's night stand so that the TF would come by daddy and not her. ;)






Mimi got her the cutest Tooth Fairy book ever with a little pillow. They were winners! We have a new tradition! The TF left her $5 and a gold coin! (chocolate, people. Chocolate.)

Now. How do I ensure she loses the next 19 at school as well? This is tooooo much. And omgeeee. I have two more kids to follow. I need therapy.

Christmas phone dump

Whoo! What a Christmas! Here's the fast phone version!!!

Christmas Eve we went to a family service at church. So special to celebrate the birth of Jesus with a lapful of curious babies! We came home and Auntie Amanda brought us some yummy cheesecakey goodness! Within minutes, someone had obviously snuck themselves a taste.



It really wasn't too hard to figure out who. She was caught red handed. And faced.


It was suuuper easy to get the babes down for the night! They were in bed by 8! Noah and Hope thought it would be best if they slept together in Hope's room.


He came!!! Because He came!!!


Emmy is usually the first up in our home. Not the case Christmas morning as we had a sneaky big sister waking up her brother long before the sun came up. Emmy was not thrilled to be awoken from her slumber. But, she's got food, a new chair, and life is good!


Noah seriously could not take his eyes off his new batman toys. Amazed that Santa loved him enough to bring him his 3 most desired gifts!


Gogo was a big hit with big sister!


Noah picked out this batgirl costume for Hope! She loves it! I'm sure they will be a fantastic duo!


Santa left us clues all around the house for a big surprise!!! The last clue was to unwrap our windows that our silly elf Charlie had wrapped up like a present two nights earlier!


It was a trampoline!!! What?! Mommy and daddy were a little concerned that Santa didn't leave a net! Would you believe he put a net up this week while we were on our trip?! Thanks Santa!


So then, we loaded up (a very concerned Noah... Umm, we are leaving all this awesome stuff we just got?) and headed to Arkansas! So Christmas day included about 6.5 hours of driving. Notice who still won't sleep in the car! And yes, she is facing forward. Busted. But hey, I bet we have the only 7 year old still in a 5 point harness.


We made a special stop in Van Buren this year. Papa Roy is sick with cancer, and John really wanted to see him on Christmas day. I'm so glad we did. This picture made it worth it.


I know I have said many times how sweet and caring and concerned Hope's heart is for others. This is my favorite Christmas story this year. Hope needed to pick out and purchase things for all 17 people in her extended family. She just needed to. So I did what my genius sister does, we went to the Dollar Tree. She carefully, with zero coaching, bought for everyone. Things like makeup for Julia, batman Pez for Noah, a chess game for her daddy. But the best was for Papa Roy. She bought him Kleenex because she wanted him to feel better. Oh dear goodness, baby girl. How I wish love could fix everything because there is enough of her love in that box of tissues to cure that cancer.



We also got to spend time with Mama Fae and Uncle Jamie and exchange presents on Christmas day for the first time!


We headed to little rock and met up with my whole family at my mom and dad's our crazy family Christmas is my favorite tradition. There are tons of presents in that living room, covering the floor, but even more love! More pics when I post camera pics!

We stayed at Ninny's until Friday! I loves being able to just hang out and catch up with everyone we miss so much. We took over Julia's room again, bless her heart. Which meant I got to snuggle with my favorite boy every night.


We had several girl day outs, including our annual trip to Dillard's after Christmas sale, lots of teen/tween shopping, and some yummy cheeburger cheeburger.





We went back to VB to spend the day with John's parents. We were happy to hear Papa Roy had been using his kleenex and they were helping him feel better!

Uncle Sam came for a visit too and we wet to City Park.





We got home late last night and today we are doing what we look forward to every year. Just hanging out and playing with our new toys together. I love my little family!


Merry Christmas!!!