Dear Santa...

Devin has been asking to write a letter to Santa for a month now.  I made him wait until Thanksgiving was over and we decided today would be the day.  We hopped on the computer and printed pictures of all the things he wanted (there are two themes, mostly How To Train Your Dragon with a few airplanes thrown in...like he doesn't have enough of both).  It was a blast!  He punched out christmas shapes, glued them on, and wrote his letter.  The end result is quite adorable!

If only he would let me mail it.  He is convinced the mailman would lose it and I have to call Santa, have him come over, and MAKE SURE he reads the letter which is now stuck to our fridge.  Who knew the mailman was not to be trusted?

A Month of Updates

Let's start with Halloween.  It was kind of a let down this year.  But my kids are young and they didn't seem to care.

Optimus Prime and Witch...of course the witch had to bring along her kitty.

Optimus Prime and his best friend Iron Man...didn't you know?

Devin's 4th Birthday.  He's a little obsessed with How To Train Your Dragon...thus the dragon cake.

Apparently we failed as parents to teach Devin how to blow.  After a few weak attempts he gave up and his friend blew out the candles for him.

Mmm...Happy Birthday Devin!

Another Injury

New rule...I'll post every time one of my kids gets injured.  At that rate, I'll be posting at least once a week. This latest occurrence involved Devin and a friend he had over at the house.  Devin and his friend Loic (cute right?  It's french) somehow managed to bang heads together.  Loic never made a peep but had the faint pink sign of a "bonk" on his forehead.  Devin, on the other hand, screams bloody murder and comes down with this on his forehead:

These pictures were taken 3 hours after it happened.  Shortly after it happened it looked like someone stuck a golf ball under his flesh.  It was huge.  Ice brought it down a little bit, but it's still hanging in there.  A little reminiscent of Elephant Man?

Almost Did It

So I almost cut the blog out of my life.  Five months without a post...so close.  Why did I decide to post something?  I have no idea.  No reason.  And I really hate blogging so it makes no sense.  Regardless, here I am. And here are a few updates:

Last swimming day of the year...of course it was.  Here's the before:

And here is the after:

Notice anything?  How about the BIG GAPING HOLE in her mouth?  She tripped, smacked her tooth, (not her lip or any other part of her face, just her tooth) on the concrete and after an emergency trip to the dentist, nothing.  It's gone.  They pulled it out in 10 pieces and now we just have to wait and hope the permanent teeth won't be damaged.  Just 4 or 5 years looking like white trash.  That's not too bad, right?

The Black Eye

Devin got his first black eye. He decided to try a game he saw cory playing in which he gets a spoon, holds it high into the air, spins around 20 times while looking at the spoon, throws the spoon on the ground, and then attempts to jump over it. Well, he got to the spinning part and that proved to be too much for him. He spun out of control and fell face first on a metal bar. Footnote: I was not there for it, so I cannot be held responsible. (He couldn't resist the funny faces when I got the camera out)

Glorious Day

83º F. Crystal clear blue skies. Sun warm on my skin.  My kids' high pitched laughter.  My idea of heaven.

Mean Words

Twice today while Devin was unhappy about being in trouble he said to me,

"I don't like you anymore mommy."

What?!? He's 3. Isn't that sentence like 10 years too early?

More Family Photos

The wonderful Madison Eppley took photos of our entire family this week.  I'm loving what she does.  You should check out her blog.  She did a photo session of these adorable little puppies.  So cute.

The {Almost} Easter Egg Hunt

On Saturday our lovely little community put on an Easter Festival.  Devin was pumped.  The Easter bunny was going to be there, there would be games and food, a petting zoo, but most exciting of all, an easter egg hunt.  Oh man.  Devin was sketching out plans, thinking up ways that would allow him to collect the most orange eggs.  We get there and off he goes.

Like he owns the place.  Then Jaycie runs around (she actually does own the place) looking adorable as ever.

We play on the playground, we check out the animals, but they aren't ready for the easter egg hunt yet.  Impatience is starting to set in.  Oh but wait, bounce house to the rescue.

And then it's Devin to the rescue as he flies about the bounce house.  And then it's Mommy to the rescue as he flies OUT of the bounce house.  And yep, you guessed it.  Another broken arm.  As we were rushing him to the car, the Easter Egg hunt started.  Darn, maybe next year.

His temporary cast and impossible-to-keep-on sling.  Why do they even bother?

After we picked out this totally awesome glow in the dark cast, he says, "Mom, next time I'll get orange."  Seriously? Are you planning on a next time?  Maybe I should.  It might be wise to set aside some money each month for Devin's next break.  Dave Ramsey would be proud.

A few more pics

Sex Preferences

Haha...did I freak everyone out with that title?  This is not a dirty post.  I am completely amazed that kids are born with preferences to toys according to their sex.  At least mine are.  With Devin I always assumed he loved balls and any vehicle on wheels because that is simply what we chose to buy for him.  But then I remember that he had approximately 15 stuffed monkeys in his room and there were repeated attempts to get him interested in them.  But no.  Nothing.  Then Jaycie came along and she has a clear preference to everything girly.  She loves books and will walk around with a doll or stuffed animal snuggled against her face for 75% of the day.  Sure she likes to play with the occasional ball or car, but her love is for her dolls.  Is it genetic?

Devin's preference: anything with wheels, but mainly airplanes.  I know...slightly OCD with the line thing.

Then there's Jaycie.  100% girl.  How does that happen?

Tag Your It

This is the tenth photo on my computer (see below) and it's not very exciting.  We went to the park one day in our neighborhood and Devin runs off as usual.  I'm messing with Jaycie so it's probably a good five or ten minutes before I realize he is talking to someone.  So I look up and don't see anyone.  Then I see this horse in his hands and found his new friend.  He was talking to the horse.  A horse I've never seen before.  A horse that was laying in the mud probably overnight.  Gross.  I told him that wasn't ours, it was dirty, and to get rid of it.  So he puts it up on the fence, yells "see ya later", and throws it from the top of the playground to it's immediate and most likely painful death.  Sorry Friend.

Tag your it.

Here's what you do:
Go to your picture file and open the first folder and pick out the tenth photo. If your folder doesn't have ten pictures in it, because the first one I opened did not, then open the second one.
Write about that photo and tag some friends.

I tag: EVERYONE WHO READS THIS!

Have Fun!

Attempt at Family Portraits

We made an attempt to get some family photos the other day. I stressed about it for days and then tried not to get disheartened when Devin wouldn't cooperate and Jaycie had had enough. But somehow, probably due to Madison's skills, my sneak peek turned out ok.

Hopefully I'll be able to post a few more soon.

(Photos taken by Madison Eppley)

Let the Sleepovers Begin

This was actually Devin's second sleepover with Cole and it wasn't technically a sleepover because Cole disappeared on Devin in the middle of the night, but it was a lot of fun. They played for a while with marble trails, cars, blocks, and trains. I love to just sit and listen to them interact with each other. They actually talk about things and swap toys and propose changes in activities. I can't believe how old they are getting. It didn't take long for them to request a movie and popcorn. That seems to be their thing.

Once the popcorn was gone and they played some more, it was time to cuddle. It was tastefully done, no tootsies, just manly bonding.

Then of course, just before bedtime, Cole started growling like crazy. A serious wrestling match ensued and I'm glad to announce there were no broken bones this time.

Following a short reading of Peter Pan, they finally crawled into Devin's bunk beds and went to sleep (after giggling for 20 minutes and a threat of separation). Cole really is Devin's best friend. He was so sad to wake up and find Cole missing. Maybe next time we'll get to keep him until morning!