Kitchen Fun

One thing that we all have in common is that we all love to eat good food, especially treats and everyone loves to help!  As soon as the girls see that someone is cooking, they are dragging their chairs and stools over to help.  Teagan loves to cook as well and is wanting more and more freedom and independence in the kitchen.  This honestly scares me because of his talent for making huge messes, but I think he is ready to learn a few basic recipes.

They especially love making homemade pizzas and they put on lots and lots of cheese!

Looking good!

Hugs

Adeline had a rough day.  I didn't really notice because I was running kids here and there and everywhere for piano, soccer, more soccer, and scouts.  By the time I went to put her to bed she was a mess and wouldn't let go of me.  I couldn't figure out what was wrong, she usually loves to be read to, but she wouldn't even listen to the book, she was just fussing and thrashing around trying to scratch me.  I had the thought that she needed to be hugged, for a long time.  I thought that she needed to be hugged until I counted to 200.  So I sat and hugged her so tight.  I slowly counted to 200 and she held on tight the whole time too.  I am so weak that my arms were actually starting to get tired, which made me laugh.  I finally let go and she breathed a little sigh of relief, crawled into her blankets and asked for me to read.  I did our normal bedtime routine with a book and song and she went right to sleep.  I sometimes forget that Adeline needs touch.  She needs cuddles and hugs and kisses, more than me or the other kids.  I need to remember to fill her cup more often.  

Addy Lou

When she isn't drawing on herself and furniture or emptying bins and drawers and cupboards, Adeline is just about the sweetest little girl you'll ever meet.

Today she shut herself into my room and fell asleep on the floor, what a sweet girl.

Her happy place is outside, just like her mom. We spend lots of time admiring the freshly blooming flowers and digging in the dirt.

Bug Girl

I was very shocked when Eloise was squealing with the light because she had found a ladybug. She giggled and giggled because it tickled her and she didn't want it to fly away.

Later that day (after some extreme rough housing and hair messing) she came running into the bathroom screaming that there was a spider.  I later asked her how big it was and this is what she did:

When I said, no really, how big was it? She showed me her more realistic estimate.

By the time I was out of the shower and armed with a tennis shoe, the spider had disappeared. You can't imagine how frightening it is knowing that there is a spider the size of a softball lurking about your closet!

If you add her extreme fear of worms I think it's safe to say the the lady bug was a fluke and Eloise is as girly and afraid of bugs as any other little girl.  Such a cutie cute.

Miss Independent

It has taken us a while to understand Adeline.  I think it's because she couldn't be more different than Eloise.  They look a lot a like, but are opposites in personality.  Adeline has to do everything "herself."  And if she doesn't have anything to do she gets extremely cranky (and destructive).  She loves to have a job or project to work on.  We used to think that this was just pure naughtiness, but she is just as delighted to empty the dryer into a basket as she is to empty everyone's drawers onto the floor.  She just needs to be busy.

Adeline is so independent, or wants to be, when it comes to clothes.  She is always dressing and undressing herself and no matter how frustrated she gets, she rarely is willing to ask for or receive help.  Although it is challenging when she doesn't have the skills yet, I know that in 10 years we will have an independent homework doer, worker, and thinker.  She won't be bullied into doing anything and will be on top of all of her work.  So we will endure the battles of will right now, because I know it will be worth it.

Did I mention that when she gets bored she sometimes makes trouble?  This particular day she got into my bathroom drawer, opened my make up case, found the dark red lipstick and painted with it.  At first I thought it was just on the couch, so when I walked in I took her straight to her room for a time out.  Teagan walked in while I was discovering it and noticed that I was loosing my mind a little bit/a lot.  He suggested using the stain remover that I use on clothes.  What a smart boy!  The lipstick came right out, no problem.  I calmed down a lot once I realized there was no permanent damage. When I went to go get her I found tiny red handprints all over her door.  She had painted her hands first and in my fury I hadn't noticed.  They were actually kind of cute, maybe I should have taken a picture.

Addy was having a terrible time sleeping and since she was way to big for her crib we decided to put her in a big girl bed.  She has been the easiest, BY FAR, to teach to sleep in a bed.  She is in heaven and so comfortable now.  She has been sleeping so so much better which is making everyone happier.  She just needed to be in charge, I guess.  We shut her in there and we will hear little knocks on the door and then find her asleep in her bed later on.

Another sign of her independence is how she is always undressing herself, including the diaper, when she needs to go to the bathroom.  I figured she was ready to be potty trained.  That did not pan out.  So we put her back in diapers and I just watch her more closely now.

Adeline, we love you, we love your fiery personality and know you will go far in this world!

Conference Weekend

We always look forward to the spring general conference for our church.  This year I got out the butcher paper and colored with the kids in hopes of keeping them occupied.  The idea was to draw a picture of whatever the speaker was talking about.  It worked great for me, I don't know about the kids.  

Teagan made a self portrait of President Monson.  It was excellent and I loved it so much.

That afternoon we got to have visitors from the Daniels family.  Eloise is smitten with baby Quinn still and wanted to hold her the whole time.  I think she must have gotten it from me because I was trying to hold her all night too.

Addy loved playing with Grandma and Grandpa, especially when she discovered that they had treats.

It was a very fun weekend, but if I'm being honest, I have to say that I didn't learn very much.  Watching 8 hours of conference with little kids and company isn't very effective.  I am trying to re-listen to them now so that I can actually take it all in.  Everyone else said it was wonderful so I am excited to re-watch!

Spring Break

It was so nice to have spring break and get a chance to rejuvenate.  On the last day of break we decided to invite cousins Taylin and Zoey out for the day.  We picked them up that morning and they played and played and played all day.  It was a cold day (which makes me wonder why no one is wearing a coat!) so we took a ton of blankets and sleeping bags out to the trampoline so they could keep warm while they played.  They were out there for hours!

 Adeline got cold so she came back in and climbed on Eloise's dresser to see what her and Zoey had been hiding up there...it was all the lipstick and chapstick and lipgloss you could imagine.  She was rubbing it all over her neck and face and had a very guilty expression when I walked into the room.  She wants to be just like those two girlies.

The sleeping bags ended up on the hill, which turned into sliding down the green mat on cardboard.  I love that these cousins have each other, all the same age.  They have a blast together and I love them all so much!

After a lot of begging I relented and let Teagan go spend the night with Taylin, to say Eloise was disappointed would be an extreme understatement.  We went to get him the next day and loved playing on the playground and Zoey and Tay's apartment complex.

I am so glad that we moved back to a place where the kids get the chance to grow up with their cousins on both sides of the family.  I loved spending time with my cousins growing up and I'm so glad that my kids get that chance now!  There is something special about cousins.