Valentine's 2013

 

Marinn had to make a Valentine's Box or animal for school and so we decided to let Taurin and Shaw make one too... Can you guess who's is who's??

 Marinn specifically suggested that we not give her "Love Bug" any front teeth... Hmmm I wonder where she got that idea??

Taurin carried around her butterfly pretty much all day... Her name was Lizzie.  How do you like Taurin's all pink outfit?  I thought it was so fitting for the day.  

I didn't get a picture with Shaw and his monster guy but he had a great time suggesting all the colors and accessories for him.  He especially loved the pipe cleaners.  

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Christmas Decorating:Memory Making

Since we don't have a mantel,  we found a new place to hang our stockings this year.  I particularly like this idea because it's about 2 feet or more higher than any of my children can reach... perfect! 

We also devised this space saving placement of our tree... that's right we put it right on top of the coffee table in the corner.  I really like this because there are no lights in this living room and it always seems dim in the evenings.  I'm considering just leaving the tree up all year so we have a nice happy glow in the living room :) 

I have such beautiful tree models. 

For the last 3 years I have video taped parts of our Christmas morning to put together a video of some highlights of Christmas.  Last year I decided to put them all on one DVD and pack it away with our Christmas decorations.  So that this year we can sit down as a family on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and watch the years past and see how everyone has grown and changed.  I didn't really plan it out to be that way but just thinking about having something like that, that we can add to every year is so exciting.  Many years down the road when all the toys have worn out and the memories have faded I will be able to give my children 10+ years of Christmas mornings. 

This year I decided to record our tree decorating, it's not crazy exciting or wild but it shows us as a family and it will be fun to add to our Christmas DVD collection.  Here's to making some memories this Christmas! 

Oh Marinn...

Marinn was helping me fold some laundry... she loves a competition so she decided she would divide the laundry between the two of us and race to see who could fold it the fastest.  She was winning and would occasionally throw an extra piece in my basket.  I threw a few back in hers, but she was paying attention and gave them right back to me.  So, I decided to get sneaky and told her to check out the cool birds outside on the tree so I could put some in when she wasn't looking.  She glanced over for a moment (I barely had enough time to toss some in), and turned right back saying, "I'm not going to look because it might be a trick.... So, I'm not going to look."  Then inspecting her basket she notices the new articles of clothing and promptly tosses them back in my basket.  When did tricking a 5 year old become soo difficult?!?!

Marinn's funny quote of the day:

Marinn is in the van asking everyone what they want to be when they grow up... she gets to Blaize and very animated asks, 

"Blaaaaaize, what do you want to be when you grow up?!"  

There is a pause.... "Oh... he said he wants to be a food messager.  I know that's what he said because when I asked him he looked at his feet." 

Marinn's celebrity look a like... Joey King (Ramona and Beezus)

She even has very similar mannerisms. Crazy!

All in a day...

All of these pics were taken today.

Honestly how fun are my kids?

I love them. 

Roasted Marshmellowy Goodness

A nice fire on my moms fabulous patio.

+

Marsh mellows Marinn found in the cupboard.

=

Roasted Marshmellowy Goodness

Notice Marinn's marsh mellow flaming... : ) 

She was so excited about our Mellow roasting.

The product of her flaming marsh mellow.

Toto was really enjoying the fire...

...and her marsh mellow. : )

This is my favorite picture... all of our silly faces and goofy outfits.

My mom took this one because I had marsh mellow on my lip.  I never knew I could make a face like this. I thought it was funny. 

What a tasty Mess!

It's a beautiful 64 degrees today.  We went to the park and then grabbed a 59 cent ice cream cone...

Taurin saw a lady walking her dog, she is saying, "Puppy! puppy!" in this picture. 

Notice the river of melted ice cream running down her arm. 

Marinn's cone was soggy and smooshed by the end. 

This one makes me laugh : )

This is where Taurin's cone ended.  She literally had her hand inside the cone holding it (that might explain all the ice cream down her arm).  You can see the remaining blob of ice cream in the distance.  

There was ice cream dripped all over the drive way so we sprayed it off.  Marinn thought it was hilarious to jump in front of the hose.  Let's just say it made for an easy clean up. 

Jacuzzi Time!!

Benefit of living in Southern Utah: you get to hang in the Jacuzzi in January!

First of all I love this picture!! (way to go mom!)

Marinn kept sinking down where her mouth was in the water... one time she got a little to low and snorted up some water.  She came up pretty fast blowing her nose trying to get the water out... hilarious! But she recovered really well. 

They decided it would be fun to jump off the side.  Taurin always had to put her feet in the little cup holders before jumping off the side.  It's all about the form people. 

She was fearless... and would jump with little hesitation. 

Marinn looks so tall in this pic... she is growing up so fast!

Yes, my mouth is open because my mom was having us say, "Jacuzzi time!!"