Life as of Late

Here is a completely random post of pictures that will give you a good idea of what life has been like lately!

We have been spending lots of time at the park, soaking up these end of summer/beginning of fall days. The weather has been beautiful.

Nathan loves to make Thomas laugh. He works hard to find what will spark a giggle from his little brother, then does it over and over and over again. With Ellie gone in the afternoons at school, Nathan has really taken over the "oldest" role.

On Mondays and Wednesdays we have 35 minutes between dropping Ellie off at school and picking up Nathan at preschool, and Jonah and Thomas take advantage of being the only two home by playing so sweetly together. I almost forget what it's like when my older kids bicker... Almost.

Of course we take lots of trips to the grocery store. I love this picture because it is a pretty accurate representation of what it's like to shop with all four kids.

Thomas likes to "help" the kids get their laundry ready to take to the laundry room.

As a family we went to the BYU-I orchard and picked a few apples.... I made tons of apple sauce and dehydrated even more. It took me a few days to get through this laundry basket, and Thomas loved to play with the apples and say, "ball."

I absolutely loved this picture I saw on instagram from ldsliving. The representation of our Heavenly Parents and all of their children is so beautiful.

And I laughed SO HARD at this picture. I'm not sure why... Maybe because it's pretty comparable to bed time at our house? That couldn't possibly be why....

Ellie loves to wear my shirts to bed recently. The other night I sent her in to pick out a shirt to wear, and she came out wearing this shirt and some heels. I thought it was funny how she had to puff her chest out like that to keep the V-neck from going nearly down to her belly button. She loves to wear my high heels all over the place lately.

Snot + Grass = Yuck! (but kinda cute)

Someone got a little bit sleepy! He was practicing his letters while I worked on homework... I guess the letter A is boring!

We have a neighbor that often brings over hand-me-downs, and Nathan was beyond ecstatic to get these ninja turtle pjs. He wears them pretty much every night. I have to sneak them out of his room to wash them.

I don't love this picture of myself, but hey, this is real life! Me in my granny night gown and Christmas socks in September, reading a book to my little guy who is only in a diaper. That book is "The Wheels on the Bus," and Thomas loves it. He dances along when I sing it to him by shaking his head back and forth and jumping up and down.

Before Jonah's haircut on Sunday we put it in a ponytail. It's the cutest little "man bun" that I have ever seen! Though it's much better now that it's short! (Ignore the hand towel hanging all weird on the oven...)

"Look Mom, take a picture of me crossing my fingers!"

Nathan's love language is definitely "Quality Time." He revels in the one-on-one time he gets with either Sam or me! Yesterday afternoon while the other two boys were sleeping and Ellie was at school he and I sat out on the back porch for awhile and he got his very own whole piece of gum! Pretty exciting stuff.

I don't know how to flip this picture, but this is Jonah trying to feed Sam some chicken over FaceTime on a stick he found. Delicious.

And a little video of my bathroom-cleaning helper singing "Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me." I missed the first part, but it still captured the cuteness of his little voice!

I love being a mom to these four cute kiddos!

Another Bookworm

My older three all love books, and I think Thomas is catching on too! 

He can pretty much always be found pulling the books off of the book shelf, and I don't usually stop him (unless he's ripping them or something, of course!).  I want him to always feel drawn to the books. I guess it's kind of like my mom says with her piano - as long as the kids aren't being rough with it, they are welcome to play it. I don't want to kill his curiosity by telling him "no" to touching the books. I want him to always be drawn to them. Besides, that's why we have a kid book shelf anyway!

(As I post this he's behind me emptying the bookshelf!)

Keeping it Real

Candid photo of me helping Nathan and Jonah clean their room. Sweet.

(Photography by Nathan, who was supposed to be cleaning. Also note that Jonah is nowhere to be seen.)

It's amazing how messy two little boys can get their room in one day. Good thing I love those little mess makers!

Nathan's First Day of Preschool

Nathan started preschool yesterday after MUCH anticipation! Once Ellie started school it was hard for him to wait.

First Day of School Interview

I am 3 feet and 1/4 inches tall

I weigh 30.1 pounds

My favorite color is: blue

My best friend is: "Hammer" (his uncle, Hyrum)

My favorite book is: Almost Ready for Kindergarten

My favorite movie is: Little Einsteins and Blue's Clues

My favorite song is: The ABC Song

My favorite food is: "Candy Teddy Bears" (Gummy Bears)

When I grow up I want to be: a police man

My favorite thing about myself is: my eyes

The thing I am most excited to learn about in school this year is: about my name

Sam and I weren't sure if we wanted to start preschool with Nathan this year since he turns 4 in November, which means he still has 2 years until he starts kindergarten. But we decided to put him in this year because he was ready.

After getting all dressed for school I told Nathan that I was going to go grab my phone so we could take pictures, and I came around the corner to this:

He knew exactly where to stand, and he was already smiling. He's much quieter than Ellie, and sometimes he gets overpowered by her - so he was excited to have the attention all to himself!

Don't forget the silly pictures!

"Mom, take a picture of my backpack!"

I thought he would be shy and have a hard time heading into class, but he wasn't hesitant at all. He put his backpack on the hook, saw his friend from church playing with play-doh, sat right down next to him, and waved good bye to me. I think it was helpful that he knows his teacher and has been in the classroom several times to pick up Ellie. 

When preschool was over he saw me and ran right up to me, then jumped into my arms for a hug. That melted my heart!

He was so excited to show me what he made:

In his prayers last night he said, "Thank you I could go to school and we could paint with the dotty thing and play with play-doh." I guess you could say we are glad we put him in this year! He absolutely LOVED the first day, and I don't see the excitement wearing off any time soon.

Ellie's First Day of Kindergarten

Ellie started kindergarten on Wednesday. I know it's cliche, but it's totally true - they grow up way too fast! She was a little nervous, so she requested a picture of our family to take with her in case she missed us. 

First Day of School Interview:

3 feet 9 3/4 inches tall

42.1 pounds

Favorite Color: Pink

Best Friend: Troy and Saurey

Favorite Book: Peter Rabbit

Favorite Movie: Batman (it's a cartoon...)

Favorite Song: Can't Stop the Feeling by Justin Timberlake (she started singing it as soon as I asked her what her favorite song was)

Favorite Food: Spaghetti and Meatballs

When I Grow up I want to Be: A Mommy

My favorite thing about myself is: How I can hear

The thing I am most excited to learn about in school this year is: Learning to read

Of course I made her take the obligatory first day of school pictures! I didn't pick the most well-lit spot ever, but I wanted to have her picture next to the growth chart on our wall so I can see how much she grows between school years.

She didn't really want to smile for me. She just wanted to "make a video," so we did that:

She came up with her own "script." 

Then she had to do silly pictures, of course!

And I finally got her to smile:

And I guess I was doing an overly animated smile to get her to smile, because then she raised her eyebrows and said, "You're smiling like this, Mom, that's why I'm smiling like this."

The boys were really excited to see "Ellie's school," so they all came with me to drop her off.

When we walked in the door Ellie exclaimed, "Hi Teacher!" She walked right over to the coat/backpack hanger with her name on it that we had seen in kindergarten open house the day before, found her name tag and had me put it on, then found her friends and didn't look back. She wasn't emotional at all, and surprisingly, neither was I. Just proud of my little girl.

We met her at the bus stop that is a few houses down from ours after school:

As we were walking home she said, "Mom, why did you come pick me up? I can walk home by myself." 

She also said the same thing she said after the first day of preschool: "Mom, they didn't teach me to read yet." I had to explain that it takes a long time to learn how to read, but I guess she will learn that for herself in a few weeks when they start reading!

As soon as we got home she showed me her folder and the craft they had made and said, "I didn't even have to look at the picture of you guys!" 

I guess she is all grown up now!

I went to my first PTO meeting last night before Back to School night, and it was just strange. I feel like I am still a kid myself - how can I be old enough to be a part of PTO? I am excited to be starting this new chapter of life with my kiddos, though. I am trying my best to enjoy each stage as it comes, because I know it won't last.

Shining Moments

I wanted to post a few pictures from moments I have loved being a mom this week:

Watching a movie and having popcorn in the middle of the day, "just because." It's amazing how much this meant to my kids. We weren't doing an amazing activity - my kids just enjoyed having me close to them.

On Wednesday Ellie went to a friend's house for a water party, and the boys wanted to head to the splash park so they could have a water party of their own. While we were there Nathan and Jonah would play for awhile, then run back to me and tell me whatever their little hearts desired, then run back to play. On one of these little runs back to me Jonah started growling at me like a bear, then when he would get close to my face he would pucker up and give me a kiss on the lips. He did that several times, then just ran back to play. The next time they came back Jonah started tickling me, and pretty soon all three of us were in a big tickle fight on the bench at the splash park.

This morning Jonah was following me around the house talking to me, so I decided to just sit down with him and talk. It was one of the highlights of me week to hear his sweet little voice chattering away.

I was reminded of this quote:

"...Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction." - L. Tom Perry

That is what these moments were to me - shining moments of joy and satisfaction. And this will hopefully serve as a reminder for me to purposely create moments like this with my kids, rather than getting so caught up in housework or whatever else I may be doing at the moment. 

Getting Ready for Kindergarten

Ellie has worked hard to learn lots of things before she starts kindergarten next Wednesday (address, phone number, etc.), and the one she is most excited about by far is being able to tie her own shoes!

It takes lots of concentration...

So proud of herself!

Her teacher sent her a letter last week telling her about what they will be doing in her class, and Ellie was over the moon excited.

Her backpack came today, and she loves it. I was pretty proud of the one I found on amazon. It's small enough not to dwarf her like the ones at the store but big enough for a folder and other things she needs, durable enough to last a few years until she needs a bigger one, and of course her favorite color - pink. The best part? It was less than $10. When we looked at backpacks at the store I couldn't believe how expensive they were!

This Wednesday is kindergarten registration, next Tuesday she gets to tour her classroom, and then Wednesday is her first day. I can't believe it, but she is ready!

Funny Kid Quotes

These are some quotes/funny or cute things I have been keeping track of that the kids have said over the last 9 months or so. I thought I would put them here mostly for my own memory, but also because some of them are pretty funny! Here we go!

Ellie, out of the blue while she and Nathan quietly sat eating lunch at the island: "I'm really going to miss you when I get married to another man."

Ellie and Nathan say "Patrick" instead of "package." I think it must be because they have a friend named Patrick. (Actually a few weeks ago Ellie said "package" for the first time and then said "I said it right!" It makes me a little sad that she's growing up!)

Nathan was telling me a story (he loves to make up stories) and he said "Garden of Egypt." I asked him what the "Garden of Egypt" was, and he said, "Where Adam and Eve were."

I was helping Ellie clean out the dishwasher and she said, "You get the glasses and I'll get the plastics."

Ellie came running in the house from outside and said, "Mom! There are bloodsuckers out there!" (Talking about mosquitos)

I overheard a conversation between Ellie and Nathan: 

Ellie: I'm going to be five tomorrow!

Nathan: Yeah, and you're going to break the whole house down!

Me, to Nathan and Jonah: Come on, my cuties.

Nathan: We're not cuties, we're handsomes!

Nathan and Ellie call their big toes "thumb toes."

Jonah calls someone's birthday their "happy cake." 

Instead of saying "person" or "people" Ellie says "human" or "humans." So we will randomly be walking around public places and she will say, "There are a lot of humans here." or "What is that human doing?"

We were sitting at dinner when Nathan randomly said, "Some old people look like this:"

After watching the live action Cinderella Ellie said, "We need to watch Cinderella 2 to see how many kids she has."

We were trying to distract Jonah in the car by showing him baby horses, when Nathan says: "Look Jonah, a baby house!"

Jonah calls flashlights "green lights."

I love listening to all of the funny things these kiddos have to say!

Barely Made It!

Looks like someone had a rough night...

At least he woke up happy!

Riding the "Caro-horse"

Ellie and Nathan earned certificates from the reading program at the library for a ride on the carousel (or "caro-horse" as Ellie and Nathan call it) at the park, and today they wanted to use them. I thought Jonah would be sad that he didn't get to ride, but he was happy to just watch.

It's always fun to watch kids on the carousel, waving and saying "hi Mom!" every time they come around. 

Nathan was especially excited to see me each time.

Ellie has been saving up her money earned from doing jobs around the house, and today she wanted to spend her money on cotton candy. She was so proud as she walked up to the counter and put her change down.

 

Ellie is excited to share with her brothers when they wake up from naps, but I'm not looking forward to the sugar high... 

7 Little Strawberries

We moved our strawberry plants closer to the house this year, so we weren't expecting many strawberries due to the shock of being transplanted. Last night, however, I picked 7 cute little strawberries!

Sam and I shared them since the kids were in bed, and they were delicious! Yay for gardening!