Keeping Busy!

 Adrian

He is really such a joy in our lives, and we love how he is learning and growing. He likes cuddling with me, and it makes me laugh when I don't sit close enough, he moves over to get right next to me, or on top of me sometimes too. I do enjoy the cuddles, though, and he needed some this weekend because he woke up Saturday morning covered in throw-up! I changed him and got him straight in the bath while his blankie was put in the washing machine. The smell was hard to get out of his hair, but he was clean enough and was able to get a little to eat while cuddling, but ended up throwing that up too. Luckily, that was all the throwing up, and he started feeling better after his nap time and very little food compared to how much he usually eats. The whole day, he didn't eat very much, but was at least happier when we went to the birthday party for Claire and Shay's friend. 

The Party

The girls had fun at the princess party because they had a trampoline in the backyard! I had dropped them off at the party and went home with sick Adrian to get him a nap, but came back and they were out playing somewhere else instead of watching the birthday girl open her presents. I usually feel like I don't have to worry about Claire around a bunch of other kids because Shay is my stinker butt, and she had her moments, but Claire was a little spacey and crazy, too. At least these are family friends and have had experience with our crazy daughters before, so they were prepared for it. There was a piñata and lots of food to enjoy, and they had a great time. 

Projects

We've been relying on them to play and watch over Adrian more this week while we work on projects in the garage or outside. Usually, I just ask them to read him books when I'm cooking dinner, but they took on longer periods of time yesterday and I was very proud of them. It gives me hope that they will be more responsible eventually, and I won't have to nag them all the time to get things done. I've been looking into getting them into more extracurricular activities, but I feel like they wouldn't have time for homework and reading if we started anything. They liked gymnastics when we did that, and we just got a used piano that I would love for them to start learning. It is most important for them to have time to do homework, but I seem to always be telling them to clean their room because they play together so much. They still get to have fun ways to go to bed every night with daddy, and I got the newest one in blurry pictures. They usually do 'train rides' on his back, but also ride as shoes on his feet, but this time they hung from his arms!

I'm getting worse and taking pictures!

 Adrian

He follows our direction when we are praying for meals, and we think it is so cute. He is starting to figure out a lot of different things and will go upstairs when I say it's time to change his diaper, or if he wants to go to sleep. I think I can understand most of the words he is saying because they sound close to what they should be, and he is usually near or pointing to the thing, like going outside is by the door, 'snack' is in the kitchen, and sitting is by a chair. He also has a funny way of walking around while drinking from his cup and doing little projects like opening the drawers in the kitchen while I'm trying to cook. I've started allowing him to eat at the table during other meal times to give him practice because he wants to be included when we are all eating dinner together, and he has always wanted to sit on daddy's lap, which makes it hard for him to eat. 

Shay

Since Adrian was being so cute, Shay wanted to taste the sour cucumbers that he was playing with, so I got a video of her, and I can't tell if it is fake or not. This week was picture day, and I had fun practicing curling their hair overnight in different ways last weekend, and then it turned out so cute on Thursday! Of course, I forgot pictures here at home, so I get to share them when they come back with the girls in a few weeks. Daddy even had them practice their pretty smiles, which I think the photographers should help with when they take the pictures as well. They liked getting pampered, too, and having their hair curly and pretty, so they might ask in the future for church. By the end of the day, the curls were pretty flat from all the fun they had at recess and school.

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Claire

Another fun thing at school for the girls is their fundraiser fun run that was on Friday. They had the same one last year, and they got a few more laps than last year! The prizes for raising a certain amount of money are really cheap, but one is free games and Chuck-e-Cheese, so now we have to take a trip to one soon. I don't think I've been to a Chuck-e-Cheese since I was a kid, so it will be interesting to see how things are different. Claire wanted to help us with the painting project we started on Saturday, but she doesn't understand that watching Adrian is the best help she can give! He wants to be involved too, but it is both dangerous and the opposite of helpful, so having him play with his toys inside would be best.

Making Memories

 Adrian

His personality has been so fun and energetic as he has been growing, but out of nowhere, he was acting shy this week! I brought him to my eye appointment, and he stayed close to my legs while getting checked in. He eventually opened up in the exam rooms, but it was the first time seeing him like that. He did it again an hour later at a friend's house. I was there to get my hair done while her daughters played with him, but when we first got there, he was shy. I wondered if it had to do with having his grandparents in town last weekend and remembering the time Chris and I left for a vacation. Hopefully it doesn't last long because it broke my heart to see him sad in nursery when we left him there today. He had a pouty face for a few minutes and was standing away from everyone until they got him interested in a car, and he was perfectly fine when we picked him up.

Light the Lake

As a remembrance of 9/11 and a fundraiser for the firefighters and police in Star, there was an activity on Thursday. Freedom Lake Park was a perfect place for this event, and it was full of supporters, music, and patriotism. It was interesting to try to explain the events of 9/11 to my kids, who don't remember, but this event really helped them understand the importance. They loved decorating their lanterns, and even though a small wind storm tried to carry them away before it was time to put them on the lake, they were lit and got to float for a while. Most of them ended up overturned after only a short time, but I got a picture to make Shay happy that we can remember them.

Saturday

In the morning, the girls actually did their chores quickly because they had been invited over by their neighbors for a movie day to watch their favorite movie. They couldn't go until they finished their chores, which was the perfect time for the neighbors to finish their morning soccer game. While they were visiting, the parents asked if they could take them to an open house for the new fire station in Star, and they had a great time there! It was right when Adrian went for a nap, so I didn't get to join, but the pictures show the crazy fun they like to have anywhere they go. Then we had a birthday party for one of their friends from school and got some cowboy hats, bandanas, and memories. It was nice because I got to chat with some of the moms that I've met before and feel more connected with people from the area. 

Baptism

Claire

What a great spiritual weekend our family was able to have because Claire had her baptism! We had grandparents and some of my cousins who live close by, able to come and watch and celebrate. It was wonderful, and we worked hard to make her feel special and loved. She had been excited all week because I had finished putting the sleeves that are made from my wedding dress material onto her dress and hung it in my room. She got new shoes from one of her grandparents and a beautiful, handmade quilt from her other grandparents. After we got home, our guests came to play and eat some refreshments and she ws really shy when she rang a bell to get everyone's attention for prayer. I've rarely seen her shy, so it was quite funny, but we had some good time catching up while she walked around with that bell. Once everyone left, I had her spend some time writing her feelings and thoughts in her journal, and then I showed her how to mark her new scriptures she got for her birthday. I had bought good marking pencils and marked my favorite to show her how, then she went around asking her dad and all 4 grandparents what their favorite scriptures were too. They are all different colors and she put bookmarks on them so she can find them easier. She even wants to spend her homework reading time with her scriptures instead of books. 

Shay

With all the attention on Claire, she was a little extra sad and frustrated, but she had a special day with her grandparents because her school had a grandparents day that my parents were in town for! They got to eat lunch with her, and then she stayed for lunch with Claire and them as well. They checked them out of school early, and we all went to the zoo for the afternoon. Shay is the only one who has been to this zoo before on a field trip last year, so we let her lead the way to her favorite animal she did a report on last year, the snow leopard. We didn't see it, though because it was a hot day and it was probably hiding inside its shelter, but there were lots of other animals we saw. They also rode on the small carousel, and then I let them get one souvenir. They even got doughnuts in the car because grandpa needed sunglasses, and bought them at the same time. On Saturday morning, the girls came down, and Shay was scared of her dream, so they had a dance party that turned into just watching the music videos to help her fight the bad sound in her head. Adrian joined in and I got a picture because I thought it was funny.

Adrian

He has been having so many new, fun ways to play recently, and my mom kept commenting on how much he has changed in the last 6 months. I don't notice but he has so much more personality and can play little, short self games when he wants to. It took him a few days to accept the love of his grandparents because the last time they were here his dad and mom left for a week, but he had fun with them in the end and will wave bye and play with them. We set up a computer desk downstairs for him, and he can be just like his family when they sit at computers! He went back to that game over and over again this weekend. In the morning, he tells me I'm being loud when I make a shake for Chris by plugging his ears