Monday, October 27, 2008

This and That

Joseph conked out on the floor....




The boys cleaning the bathroom -- yeah, baby!







Nathaniel and Bradley wearing ties that belonged to Chris when he was a kid....stylin'.



Preschool -- we are having so much fun already this year. Here the girls are having a Tea (Apple Juice) Party.



Playing Concentration.



This girl of mine makes me smile!

She went to a super-cool birthday party for a friend of hers and got some awesome party favors, like this cowgirl hat and horse.


Sometimes you gotta be a princess, too.







The boys on the first day at a brand new Timpanongos Elementary.
1. A fun and busy life
2. Kids for constant entertainment
3. School

Short and Sweet

Joseph's hair was getting LONG! I had to cut it; it looked unkempt, and that's just not his style. So Chris and I tag-teamed him and managed to cut his hair without him getting too mad at us.

Here's the before (complete with his usual bonk on the head):








He was not sure about those clippers.







Tah-dah! It was a little shorter than I intended, and I got teased about scalping him for a few days, but overall I think he looked so handsome!




The after-bath.

1. Clippers vs. scissors
2. Two sets of hands to help
3. An adorable boy

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

The Most Beautiful Sound I Ever Heard

(Joseph laughing -- not that sound Chris is making!)

1. Babies

2. Babies

3. Babies

So Fresh and So Clean

One day I just couldn't stand my surroundings anymore; I had to paint the house or go crazy. I was sick of the yucky walls and the boring monochromatic look. Knowing my landlord would not go for anything too out there and that almost no color on earth would match the awful carpet in the house, I settled on sort of a stone color for under the chair rail, and white for everything else. Not exciting, I know, but my options were limited.

Until recently I thought our walls were white, but they weren't even close. What I thought was just dinginess from years of little hands was really a color called Swiss Coffee that the landlord used before we moved in. Gross. (That combined with the dinginess from years of little hands).
When we started painting with actual white, the contrast was incredible. I know lots of people hate white walls, but there's something so clean and so nice about bright white paint.

Turns out painting is not fun. I thought it would be, but it's a lot of work. Getting everything cleaned up and taped and ready takes forever, and combine that with the many interruptions of motherhood, and you can see why it's taken a month to get the living room and hall painted.

Many, many thanks to Mel and Matt for all the wonderful assistance. I could never have done it without help.

Here's the before: (Blech!)



Everyone wanted to help!











Look at that contrast.



And the finished product:







The room feels so clean and beautiful now, even though the paint job is far from perfect. I love it. Maybe someday I will get the ambition to do the rest of the house.
1. A helpful sister and brother
2. Home improvement
3. Home

Monday, October 6, 2008

Harmony?

Lindsey had her friend Lily over to play today. They have a sometimes rocky relationship, as evidenced by the conversation I overheard this morning.

There was a lot of, "No, you're not in charge of me," and "You have to. . .," and plenty of sass. Then I hear Lindsey say:

"Ok, let's play the song together. Remember, it's "Love One Another."



I laughed so hard. Lindsey would play a note on the piano, and then Lily would pluck one string on the ukelele, as if they were tuning. Lindsey said, "Now play an L. Ok, now an S."



1. A daughter who loves music
2. Playdates with friends
3. Laughter

Camping Out -- Again

Nathaniel went camping last week with the 5th grade classes at school. The idea of him staying overnight, away from home, sent my super-over-protective-mom-senses into high alert, and I knew I wouldn't be able to let him go unless his dad went along as a chaperone -- I can't express how thankful I am to have a husband who is sensitive to the importance of things like this and who agrees with me, even when I flip out about stuff.

So, off they went. Nathaniel had a great time, especially getting to be "in charge" of our tent, in which he and several of his friends slept. On the campout they did some really cool stuff, like canoeing and a ropes course.





This was a bit nervous for me, but I can see he was safely harnessed. He had a blast!







They carved pumpkins, too.

1. Fun school activities
2. Chris
3. An adventurous boy

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Camping Out

Chris took the kids camping last week, and they had a great time. It was a quick trip up in the canyon, complete with roasting marshmallows and exploring. The next day, they went fishing, which they all really enjoy.

Admittedly, in this shot, no one looks to be having fun....but I know they were.



Not sure what is going on here . . .







A well-hidden trio of explorers.



You can tell my kids live in a basement and don't see much sun, huh?



Fall has begun.



What a view.





Mel, Joseph, and I stayed home. Too cold for the baby, in my opinion. Actually, the real reason is that I think camping requires at least a full week of planning; I'm not good at the impromptu thing. So we stayed here.

Joseph sitting in his toybox.





Some extreme closeups of cute baby parts.







1. A husband who is an amazing father
2. Kids who love adventure
3. The beauty of the Earth

She Enjoys Being a Girl

This little girl of mine is unbelievable! I couldn't love her more if I tried!

We have been blessed to have Melissa here with us so Lindsey has someone to do girly things with . . . and wow does she love to do girly things!

Mel curls her hair all the time. Last time she wanted me to take some photos.







"Take one from the back, mom, so you can get my beautiful hair."



1. Being a mom
2. A lovely daughter
3. A girly sister