St Patrick's Leprechauns

March 17th the kids woke up and found at least one leprechaun had entered through our magical door during the night and created mischief. He'd turned couch cushions, he'd dropped coins and gold nuggets, he'd gotten into our flour, he'd turned our milk and poppyseed bread green.

Go Leprechauns.

On being positive about parenthood

Casey just posted this link and I LOVED it. So I had to repost. Read it. You'll love it too.

http://powerofmoms.com/2012/05/joy-or-just-wait/

March Life

Aye, Dark Overlord. We acquired this game awhile ago and have enjoyed playing it with all kind of groups. The game play requires making up a tangent story whilst lying constantly. So of course we like it:). The game is meant for adults... but one day we let Jo play with us. And she blew us all out of the water. I think she just might be a life long writer. Just maybe. Anyway, sometimes we get out the cards, sit in a circle, and just tell a tanget story together. It's become a fun family activity. 

Jo ran upstairs one day very stressed. "Mama! Mama! Maggie's stuck!" And this is what I found as I rushed into the family room.

And she really was stuck... but not too stressed herself. Hey, hand weights are dangerous for little people.

We started the General Conference game last October (you listen and get little candies according to what words you hear from the prophets.) This has become another activity we've used a couple times in home evening. We talk about the prophet and then the kids take turns pretending to be him (All you really need is Dad's tie), give us a talk using some GOOD words, and we get treats if we pick-up on those words.

Ryan had a spur of the moment work conference in California. And we missed him.

We tried to keep things together without him around for a couple days. A slumber party became very important to our cause.

One day I walked past the bathroom where I caught this on camera. I can't handle how cute the primping is. And the underwear hanging out of her tutu.

Spring inched it's way toward us (but don't worry, it snowed yesterday). And Atticus proved a sweet brother as he pushed Mags around the yard one day. Maggie, as usual, had to wear her "PUP el" boots. "Yea, my boots!"

And Abigail continued to be really cute. She also really mastered running her little walker into my ankles while I work in the kitchen over and over and over again. I sometimes think I'm going to lose it when she does this. I can breathe through the first few rammings. But the shear number of repeated attacks just makes me want to scream out and glue her feet to the ground.

Abigail these days

5 to 6 months

She's mastered rolling... so if I leave her alone in her room, she always goes for under her crib.
Where's the baby...

There she is! (Think Ice Age)

Sittin' in a bucket of beans with her mouth hanging open... "Is this a good activity?"

She's pretty much the most popular kid in this house.

She feels REALLY successful when she can get both feet in her mouth at once.

She likes eating pretty well. Cereal morning and night plus something tasty at noon: green beans, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas, pears. They're all gold.

She's a sweet snuggler, her Dad might disagree.

We're still working on Torticollis. Physical therapy 3 times a day. It sounds more fun than it is, believe me:). But she's learned to tolerate the stretches a bit more.

She's pretty vocal- going both high and very low depending on her mood.

She's scooting... trying to crawl but having difficulties on our wood floors, very slippery.

And she's just nailed sitting up. 

We friggen love her.

FHE: Dance Party

For Home Evening one night we invited Mom, Dad, and Andrew over to play the Wii with us (I gave Ryan one for his birthday).We started with Mario Brothers which was fun. But then we realized with that group- we needed to dance. 

It was a riot!

Dad held the little gals so I could join in too.

I was really proud of Jo for joining in! Everything she does is so cute.

And Mags was definitely moving to the music as well.

Sister love.

A few February things.

Josephine lost her first tooth (and second shortly thereafter) and enjoyed her first gift from the Tooth Fairy!

She also got her first (and maybe last?!) black-eye. Her teeth falling out was natural. The black-eye was the result from a head fight she got in with the couch at Josie and Josh's one Sunday. 

 

You can not by ANY means see how awful this thing looked. Her kindergarten teacher, and many others, definitely questioned her about this wound.

Atticus and Jo played a frightful game of "bird sits on it's egg."

 

Guess who's the bird and who's the egg...

Such a perfect nest.

Jo's a nice sister in so many ways. I would never in a million years let Atticus sit on me like that... nothing but some red hunderwear protecting me from his sometimes dry bottom. 

Alman (from around the corner) became Atticus once in a life time best buddy.

 

And they play together almost every single day now. Dragons. Dinosaurs. Pirates. Cowboys. They're very serious about what they play.

  

 Maggie decided there is exactly one way to smile for a camera.

You shall never see her eyes again.

Or the top of her head.

 

But it's still tute.

 

 Thank goodness that's just a wig.

  

Abigail spent some time getting acquainted with her cousin Cameron (Josie and Josh's 3rd)! They are about 2 months apart.

She also became fairly abusive to her family. Scratching and such.