On to Christmas Festivities: Painting

Mom and Dad gave the kids this fabulous nativity set they could paint back in Septober. And the kids asked me almost every day between then and December if they could paint it. I'm so mean... making them wait. Alas, December came and we pulled the funtivity out.

And oh was it fun!

Mr. Atticus was a bit slap dash on his animals and wisemen.

Jo, as anyone would predict, was meticulous. She is a wonderful artist. I love watching her work so intently.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for a very, very fun morning!

One day I walked in my room and found this scene.

"Mama! I'm reading Maggie the scriptures!"

Multiple times a day I contemplate how blessed I am that I got
Jo and that I got her first. She will be an awesome leader of the pack.

Family pics Oct. 2011

My sister Jules took these for us in our backyard. She did an excellent job- especially considering she had my handicapped camera to work with!

Thanks Jules! Move back soon so we can run together again (unless, as we discussed, Tracy proves to be more conversationally fun than you:) Ha ha)!

Some friends we miss...

I have many pictures from the blessed Christmas season to blog about, but first I want to do a quick post about some sweet friends the kids made this fall. We were so thrilled to meet the Hoge's in our ward. Brooklyn and Will are about the ages of Jo and Tic and they all quickly became good buddies. I ended up watching the Hoge's kids about one day a week. Then they broke our hearts with the news that they'd be moving to Idaho just after Christmas. How we miss the Hoge's!

Here the kids are waking up Mags after her nap! This was a pretty regular routine:).

Jo and Brooklyn especially loved to craft together. I am not an especially crafty person so this was a little out of my element but tried to get creative. Remember how they look like twins?

Same hair, same size, same high foreheads.

Will was a hoot. He's the most coordinated kid I've ever seen. At the age of 2 he could serve a volleyball correctly, throw balls accurately across the family room, and sporadically drop kick anything. The kid is 110% male. Here he is shooting.

The picture does NOT do justice to the awesomeness of Will's shooting abilities. He'd usually stick his bottom out pucker up those lips, and hold his gun sideways as shown. We had to mock his dad (who is an expert hunter) for teaching his son this most excellent stance.

Ryan trying to get Will to show us his talent. Mostly it's just a great one of Ry though:). One to keep forever and ever.

Emily became an instant friend too and I dearly miss talking with her. But we're excited for their new life up north :). Love you guys!

Good News!

Our upstairs bathroom is finished! Joe (the "working Joe" as my kids call him to differentiate between him and my daughter) has been sprinting to the end of this project and tonight we're DONE. When we got home from Thanksgiving at Bear Lake and saw the progress Joe had made on the bathroom (specifically a tub and sink!) I asked Ryan for permission to kiss him. Ryan said something about that being okay if he could give Joe a good smack on the rear. Joe was very uncomfortable when we told him of our affections for him. We decided not to go through with our plan ... didn't want to scare him away before he'd finished.

It's hard to say which individual in our family was the most excited about a tub. We battled over who got to use it first. Ryan totally pulled out the trump "I'm sick" card. Lame. How could I compete with that? First time I wanted a fever in my life. Here are pictures of the kids enjoying their new tubby.

I have been feeling so sentimental the last few days. I don't know what it is... maybe the holidays approaching. But this morning I've been grieving the loss of time.

So much of motherhood for me thus far has been knee deep in diapers, spit up, throw up, waking multiple times a night, and fussy babies with separation anxiety. There have been so many moments spent stretching for increased patience and telling myself, "This too shall pass."

I will one day sleep through the night again.
Atticus will one day keep his hunderwear dry.
Maggie will one day gain weight and accept someone else's comforting lap.

So I'm surprised at myself this morning. On this Monday morning I do not want another minute to pass. I don't want peaceful nights or an empty lap.

But I do want Atticus potty trained.

Right now I ach for every single moment I've spent comforting one of my children. Those times I've been able to ease pain or fear. Or know at that precise moment they are 100% content.

I just finished looking through Jo and Atticus's baby books. My heart hurts that they will never again be babies. I know I could never keep up with triplets. And yet I yearn for Jo, Atticus, and Maggie to all be infants- right now.

Even though so many conversations were spent looking for advice and guidance and asking the question- "when will this stage be over?" In this very moment, right now, I'm wishing so badly I could somehow have all the moments back, feel the amazing- indescribable joy of each one. And not have those moments pass. I wish they could be ever with me. That I could, with all of my senses, remember everything. And forever have an Atticus holding my neck, a Maggie snuggling her snotty nose into my chest, and a Jo forcing my head to kiss me right on the lips.

Boy have these kids done a number on my heart!

Halloween

Josephine and Atticus loved trick or treating this year... not a big surprise, right? We started about 6 and ended at 8:30- after Ryan and I finally called it quits. Two and a half hours. I feel like that's a long time for a 4 year old and 3 year old. Mr. Atticus was an elephant, Jo was a flower (I bought the clothes from savers and glued petals around her hood), Maggie was a duck, Ryan was a Newsie, and I went as a Mom who didn't have time to dress up:).

Please note how far out her little bottom sticks. Pretty pinch-able!

I will tell you what- walking around town with Ryan is like being with a celebrity. His students love him a lot.

Driving to the "trunk or treat" first! Can't you just FEEL the excitement from these two!

And you HAVE to end the night by checking out your booty. The kids are now loaded. I'm not sure what to do about this since I am on a "no sugar diet" until Thanksgiving. So I can't even help them out!

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween too!