RIP Thumper

This morning Isaac found our baby bunny dead in the grass. Somewhat ironic considering that the little fellow has fallen into the window well twice and survived. I'm not sure how he died--I think bunnies die very easily. He is actually the fourth one we have found this year. But he is the first one I felt like I had a relationship with! I'm really sad! :(

Pioneer Day 2009

Seeing as how I didn't grow up in Utah, Pioneer Day has never been a big deal to me. But ever since we found a "Kirsten" American Girls Doll at a garage sale a few months ago, the girls have been obsessed with pioneers.

They are constantly asking me questions--What did the pioneers eat? Did the pioneers have toys? Did the pioneers burp? (Yes, that was a real question.) So I decided to take advantage of their obsession and celebrate the day this year. We ate flapjacks for breakfast, since that seemed like a pioneer meal and then started off the morning with a nice hike with some friends. The girls did their best to dress as pioneers (their Dorothy dresses were the best we could do--and Gap baseball hats for bonnets!) I did their hair in braids, but had to draw the line when they wanted to go barefoot. Chloe almost lost it when I couldn't provide her with a white apron--I'm not sure how she got it stuck in her head that the apron had to be white. We had a lot of fun on the hike and talked a lot (more) about pioneers.

After our pioneer lunch of grilled cheese, we watched "Little House on the Prairie" for some quiet time. It is always interesting watching the shows from your childhood as an adult. All I can say is if I was married to someone who told me it was "foolish to sweep a dirt floor", especially after he took me and my small children off to an unknown place in a wagon, I just might backhand him right out of the little log cabin. But that's just me. Poor Caroline Ingalls. I definitely need to go read those books again.

Anyway...We then made our own covered wagon in the family room and the kids played in it for the rest of the day. Well--sometimes it was a wagon, sometimes a tent, sometimes a log cabin. Either way it was a fun day. Lincoln and I got to be the indians. We ended the day with Sloppy Joes. I think we will make this a yearly tradition!

Stuff

This morning I went down to make the guest room bed (pathetic, I know, considering my parents left on July 5th!) Anyway, who should I find in the window well again? Little Thumper. So cute. Ryan rescued him again. I'm starting to consider just adopting him. Or getting a window well cover. Or both.

Yesterday it was beautiful in the morning and I was busy, busy, busy cleaning the house. I had opened all the windows to let in the cool morning air. All of a sudden Isaac said, "Mom, come look at Lincoln! He is doing something cute!" My normal response would have been, "Just a second" since I was in the middle of a project. But something told me to go see. The girls had put Lincoln up on his dresser which is right under the window. He was pressed up against the screen staring out. I about died. Thank goodness I went and checked on him--that would have been a long two story fall onto rocks. From now on I will only open that window when the kids are not home!

And finally...
The other day we couldn't find Lincoln's sandals anywhere and we had a few minutes before we needed to head out to school. I gave Isaac the "special mission" of finding the sandals. He was throwing out orders left and right--"Audrey, you check all the bathrooms, Chloe, you look in the car, I'll look in the basement." A minute later I heard them in another part of the house talking and Isaac said he had an idea. When I walked into the family room, I saw them all kneeling in a circle, taking turns saying prayers that they would find the shoes. A few minutes later Isaac found them under Lincoln's crib. It's nice to know that some things are sinking in.

More bunny news!

This afternoon I went downstairs to work out and I heard a strange thumping noise coming from the guest room. It freaked me out because Lincoln was upstairs asleep and I was home alone. I looked out the window and saw what appeared to be a squirrel in the window well. Upon closer observation I realized it was a tiny baby bunny! Not as small as the squirmy newborns we saw a few weeks ago, but so small and cute and fluffy!! It was jumping at the window, I guess trying to get in. I had no idea how to go about rescuing it from the window well so I threw some lettuce and a carrot down to it and waited until Ryan got home. He was able to get it out--it had crawled into an old can. The kids were absolutely enthralled with it. It was hard not to be. We watched it for quite a while and then went inside to let it be. SO CUTE!!! I just love our little bunnies. I know they ruin other peoples' plants/grass/gardens/lives but they have never done anything but bring joy and major excitement to our lives (yes, we are very easily entertained around here!)

Ryan saves the bunny from an awful fate...

Here he is!!
Lincoln running after the bunny...hee, hee, hee.
All the kids watching the bunny (he is kind of blending in with the rocks in this picture.)
Lincoln loves animals.
Okay, I'm a little obsessed too! :)

And it begins...

Isaac had his first pack meeting last night. Or was it a den meeting? I don't know. I'm not really a scouting fanatic. At all. I became even less enthusiastic when I found out how much I was going to have to shell out for the shirt. Really? I guess I thought the good old boy scouts of America was a not-for-profit organization. I seriously doubt it when they charge $30 for the required shirt!! (Luckily I got a free hand-me-down from someone in our ward.) I have yet to sew on the little patches. I don't sew. Hot glue? Hmmm...

I wasn't able to attend last night's meeting because I was scheduled to work. Darn. Isaac told me I wouldn't have liked it anyway because it was "total chaos." Twenty 8 to 12 year old boys running around chaotic? Gee, I can't imagine why.

I'm just glad Ryan will be done with school soon so the boys can bond over scouts.

Lincoln is growing up...

Yesterday I finally gave in and gave Lincoln a little trim. I haven't wanted to cut his beautiful blonde curls because I was afraid it would make him look too old and he is my baby. But even I had to admit the curls were getting mighty mullet-like and it was time to tame them. I think it turned out really well--and there are still plenty of curls to admire. He loved getting his hair cut--he just sat there and got upset when I was done!

In other news, he is progressing leaps and bounds since we started speech therapy about a month ago!! When we started he wasn't really saying any words at all and he knew just a few signs. He can now say Mama, Dada, Amy (the name of his speech pathologist), ball, baby, Elmo, Bob (the Builder), bird, Dizzy (from Bob the Builder), more, Isaac and a few other ones. He can sign all kinds of things as well so he is really able to communicate his needs most of the time. He is also attempting to mimic our speech which is a big step forward for him. It is so fun to watch him learn and grow. The therapy has been so helpful for us as his family to know how to help him learn to talk. You would think it would just be common sense, but there really is a lot to learn in how we interact with him to help him along. Anyway, just thought I'd give an update!

Summertime

Yesterday I had the best intentions of letting Ryan sleep in. He has been staying up until about 2:00 am every night for weeks now working on school. This summer class has been brutal!! Anyway, I got the kids and we quietly went downstairs to let him sleep. Lincoln looked out in the front yard and started trying to get my attention. I looked out and saw that half of our front planter was completely flooded with water. The drip system was obviously malfunctioning but normally we are upstairs getting ready when it is on, so we have never noticed it before. (This probably explains a lot about why my planter looks the way it does!) Anyway, I figured that this situation warranted waking Ryan up so I did so reluctantly. He groggily went outside and fixed the problem. Lincoln decided he needed some help so he got right into the action.
Yesterday also marked the last day of swimming lessons for the kids. I am glad they are over. I have decided that I really hate lifeguards. What is it with them and their God complexes? One in particular at that pool has been annoying me this whole swim season so I am glad to have that done with. Yesterday he got on my case because I got out of the 1 ft. deep water to help Lincoln get a towel. What is wrong with that you might ask? I left my two five and a half year olds (who have been swimming underwater unassisted since they were two) in the kiddie pool for a whole 30 seconds by themselves. Yes, it makes perfect sense--I have to stay in the water with the two kids that know how to swim and let my one year old wander around the pool unattended. And I love having a cocky 17 year old constantly on my case about every infraction that me and my kids make. Anyway...

We stopped and got ice cream on the way home. Ice cream helps most everything (even though I didn't eat any of it...)

Adventures in Potty Training...already?!

Today Chloe announced she needed to go potty and trotted off towards the bathroom. Next thing I know, Lincoln comes tearing around the corner, making his sign for help and pointing to his pants. I thought I would humor him and so I took him into the bathroom and put him on the toilet. Well, wonder of wonders, he peed!!! In the toilet!!! After all the excitement I offered him underwear or a diaper and he chose the underwear and has been wearing it the rest of the evening. He has had two accidents and two successes so far. The second time he did it was hilarious, only because all six of us were crowded into the half bathroom cheering him on. So, I don't really know what to think. Potty training hasn't even been on my radar considering he is only 19 months old, but I guess some kids do it really early, right? He might be ready, but the real question is, am I? Ugh, I HATE potty training! At least it's the last time I have to do it!

Nice picture, huh? Am I cruel to my children or what? :)

Eat your greens!

The other day we were talking about how there are a lot of things in life that are more important than money and I asked the girls if they could think of any. I was thinking along the lines of family or something like that. Audrey thought for a minute and said, "Healthy foods, like spinach." Okay.

Girls night out

Last night we had a fun girls night out to celebrate the first day of Kindergarten. We went with our other twin friends, Rachel and Julianna (and their mom) to a girly salon called Sweet and Sassy to get the girls' nails done. They each got to pick out a nail color and get their nails painted and even got a little flower on one finger. They finished up with glitter spray in their hair and glitter stars on their cheeks. After all that pampering we walked around the mall for a bit and got a treat at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. We are so glad to have good friends to celebrate with!

Bunny update

Well, I'm not sure you all want to read this...

I have a sinking suspicion that Mother Rabbit isn't going to win any "Mother of the Year" awards. I have been checking on that bunny nest like 30 times a day--and night--since the rabbit birthing incident and from what I can tell, Mother Rabbit has never returned to care for her offspring!!! I don't really want to dig around in there for fear of what I might find. I really hope I'm wrong. There is nothing cuter than those baby bunnies (once they have fur) and I was really looking forward to watching them grow up on our front porch. Ryan thinks I am crazy, but I already knew that! I will keep you posted...

First Day of School, part deux

The girls started Kindergarten today! I wasn't sure how they would handle it but they seemed to have a really good time. Chloe was a little clingy when I dropped them off, but their teacher reported that they both did really well and even talked to her! (If you know how my kids are, you will know how impressive that is!) I'm so proud of my girls!

First Day of School

(Insert your own rousing rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus here.)

Isaac started today, the girls start on Thursday. The house was so blissfully peaceful and quiet today. No incessant teasing of little sisters. No constant tattling of what big brother did. No mindless bickering about who saw the rabbit first. (Oh yeah, that did happen after he got home.) Just two little girls playing with pots and pans in their own little make-believe world for hours. I'm sure they missed him. Maybe. A little.

Isaac is a third grader! The girls will be kindergartners. I really never thought I'd live to see the day...

(Continue singing the Hallelujah Chorus. I have been all day. Handel must have had children.)

Excitement and education all in our own front yard

A few days ago we noticed a new hole in the planter in front of our house. My mom speculated it was a mole which kind of grossed me out. This afternoon we saw a bunny sitting on the hole and she wasn't moving despite the fact that we were really close. I had a feeling that something was up and I was trying to tell the kids not to scare her when she got spooked and took off running--revealing three BRAND NEW baby bunnies in the hole. Like so new they didn't have hair or open eyes yet--I think she may have been giving birth when we came upon her (poor thing.) I quickly ushered the kids inside so that she would come back and she did come back and cover up the hole. I have researched baby bunnies a bit and apparently the mothers usually keep them hidden during the daytime to protect them. Well, Mother Rabbit (as she has been named) has kept my kids occupied all afternoon. And then we really got a show when Father Rabbit came home from work (at least that is where Chloe decided that he had been.) The kids were delighted to watch the rabbits frolic on the grass and when the rabbits started giving "horsey-back rides" I decided that we would give them their privacy...

Maybe we will be getting some more baby ones soon!!

These aren't the ones from our yard (like I would pick those up!) but this is what they looked like.

Isaac's Baptism

Isaac got to get baptized on the fourth of July, along with two of this other friends from church! We really enjoyed the day--the baptismal service went smoothly and we got to spend the day with family and friends. We are so proud of Isaac!

This was supposed to be a picture of Isaac and his parents, but Lincoln felt left out...
Christopher, Isaac and Garrett

The family members who were able to come.

Happy Birthday, Isaac!

Isaac turned eight years old on Friday! He felt so lucky to have Grammie and Grandpa here to celebrate with him. We made him a special breakfast of his requested Swedish pancakes in the morning, then we enjoyed an ice cream sandwich cake after lunch. He had fun opening his presents--especially his build your own lightsaber kit. In the evening we picked up a friend of his and went up to the Rockies game for some baseball, fireworks and over-priced food! The game was really a ton of fun--I think we need to make it an annual birthday tradition for him! And the fireworks were amazing--ranking right up there with Disneyland fireworks in my book (without Tinkerbell, though.) We got home late but it was worth it. Happy Birthday, Isaac!!

Here are Isaac and Tyler being patriotic. At one point they even made it onto the big screen with their antics. Once the girls figured out that you had to be cute and wild to get up on the big screen they started dancing unabashedly every time any music came on. I wish I had brought my video camera with me to catch it--it was hilarious!
This was what Chloe did every time there was any cheering or clapping.

Castlewood Canyon

My mom came to visit this past week and we decided to go hiking down in Castlewood Canyon State Park on Thursday. We had such a great time! It was absolutely beautiful down there--there was so much to see and explore. I can't wait for Ryan to be done with school so we can take him down there with us. We started off the morning with a nice hike down to the river. Then we went to take a look at the old Homestead--a concrete house built by pioneers in the early 1900's. The kids (and I) were fascinated by it.

Grammie and Isaac looking down into the canyon.


Down by the river.Lincoln enjoying the water (and the chance to be out of the backpack!)

Exploring the homestead.

Blast from the Past

As I mentioned previously, I got to spend a few days in mid-June with some friends of mine from High School (and even earlier, actually--Lindsay and I have been friends since we were 12!) My good friend, Betsy was coming to town for a wedding with her family so we decided to get together and meet up with our other friend, Lindsay (who lives about 45 minutes south of here) and have a mini-reunion of sorts. We had so much fun reminiscing and catching up! I haven't seen either of them in 15 years, so we did have a lot of catching up to do! We spent our time going to the splash park, having a BBQ, going swimming, going to the Children's Museum and going out to Lindsay's beautiful home out in the country for dinner. We really had a lot of fun! I even got out my old scrapbooks to try to find a picture of all three of us together in High School, but the only one I could find was from my 16th birthday party and we are all in our swimsuits, so I don't think I will post it!

Here are Betsy and I (and Lincoln) at the Splash Park.
Lindsay, Betsy and Lindsay
Here we are with most of our progeny (Lincoln was in bed.)
Isaac, Chloe, Me, Audrey, Betsy, Libby, Clara, Lindsay and Audrey. (Yes, both Lindsays named one of their daughters Audrey...)

My kids having fun at the Children's Museum. We could have stayed there ALL DAY!! It was very, very impressive and so much fun.
Audrey, Clara and Chloe playing dress up at Clara's (Lindsay's) house. They had so much fun with Clara!!The view from Lindsay's back balcony!!!! She lived very far out in the country on a dirt road--but she gets to see this every night!!!!