Worms taste like whip cream!

Bridger brought Myra a dirt clump and told her it was a cookie. They often play pretend. So she took a big bite out of it! Bridger watched her spit it out and rinse her mouth, and thought (this is what he told me) "I wonder what a dirt cookie tastes like?" So he took a bite.

...

Bridger came inside and told me worms taste like whip cream. Did you eat a worm? I asked. No. But I licked a worm and it tasted like whip cream!

A Good Wave

I read today some notes I made back over a year ago about the kids dumping a whole box of cereal on the living room carpet, and making a mountain of flour on the kitchen floor... Which also brought to memory the time I found the brown sugar container in my bedroom with the two oldest kids elbow deep and plastered in a sticky mess. And I thought, how crazy this motherhood thing is, and how much it is always changing. 

Luckily, we have moved on from those kind of disasters. I don't have to worry anymore that Bridger will overturn my garbage while I am in the shower. And Bridger and Myra have mostly moved on from their terrible tantrums. (Not completely in Myra's case, but she is getting so much better!) 

Motherhood is so good, and at times so hard. Gratefully it comes in waves, and right now (at least today), we are riding a really good wave! When Bridger and Myra can remember to be friends and forget their pestering, they get along wonderfully! This morning I didn't interrupt them while they played so well downstairs, then they moved outside, then to Myra's bedroom, and then Sawyer was a giant coming to get them and all three kids were laughing and playing. 

Sawyer is getting to his super fun stage too. He jabbers on so much. Bridger is always claiming he's said another new word! but all I think he really knows is "mom, mom, mom". He has started crawling after the kids to join in on their games. He eats the dirt they track in by the front door, and empties the dishwasher on top of himself. His top front teeth are all starting to coming in. And he has developed a monkey crawl. He keeps one leg in front like he's always ready to sit down, but it makes him look like a baby gorilla. All I have to do is talk to him and smile and he is all grins and fun.

Maybe its the weather. Or maybe they've reached a good age. Whatever it is, I hope its a good, long wave!

Here are a bunch of random photos of my crazy, fun kiddos.

Hats Aunt Deon made for them!

Amy said it looks like she's riding a roller-coaster in her sleep.

Warm days are great for finding worms!

Park fun!

Handsome Sawyer boy

He fell asleep waiting to read Charlotte's Web. Not sure why he's pinching his eyelids though.

Love these snuggles!

He slept soundly all through being dressed in his PJ's. Overtired from teething and not napping during the day. Didn't even wake when the other kids were moving his arms and laughing at him.

Make believe fun and more with Myra

Myra is the never ending songbird. After I made cookies today, she started up with her make believe song about taking cookies to her friends and how she asked mom for another cookie but I said no, but she still wants a cookie, and on and on. She's hilarious, she can fake laugh on demand, sing a song on any subject, and keep herself completely entertained just talking to herself. I'm always thinking that I should be videoing her... she is adorable.

Devin says she'll make a good salesman because she won't take 'no' for an answer. She just keeps on talking like she never heard it, and repeats her same plea again, and again, and again. She is really good at tuning out everything we say. Or I'll tell her to do something first and she'll say "No, that wasn't my deal!" And then proceed to tell me her way, which is better.

On those days that for whatever reason, I don't get my workout in before kids are up, she is mom's best workout buddy. She loves to exercise to the Fitness Blender Kids workout, on YouTube...they play red light/green light and she thinks its hilarious.

When she gets scared watching a movie, she covers her ears.

She loves to be mom's helper. She is sweet, and silly.

Sawyer Grant is 9 months old!

He has all of a sudden become a mover! I can't change his diaper without him trying to roll over 10 times in the process. He has started crawling, climbing on everything he can, and walking with help.

Trouble is what he is becoming. He goes straight for everything he shouldn't (the toilet plunger/scrubber, the stairs, the pile of dirt I am sweeping off the floor). He has already started unrolling the toilet paper, ripping the stickers off the kids artwork, and pulling, ripping, crinkling up the kids charts from off the walls. I realized recently that, though he pretends to be sweet and cuddly with mom, he swats everyone else in the face, repeatedly. I just thought Bridger was asking for it, sticking his face so close to Sawyer, "He's just a baby!" I would say when Bridger complained. However, it seems to be his automatic reflex when anyone gets too close or picks him up, except for mom.

Sawyer has a funny obsession with his tongue. He discovered it recently when we were at a check-up at the doctor's office. With nothing else to do, I started sticking my tongue out at him. What a discovery! Now he loves his tongue, he frequently plays with it.

I love the little bounce he gets going to the beat of our music. Sometimes when I hold him I bounce, or dance with him. When I stop, he starts bouncing up and down, which is his way of saying "Again! Again!"

He started doing a funny bear crawl- 8.5 months 2/14. 
Now he crawls for real (Started 2/17/15). And he is quick! Once during dinner, after I finished feeding Sawyer I put him on the rug to play with his toys... without us being aware he had left the room we heard the bump, bump, bump which led us to know he was rolling down the stairs! Luckily (probably with help of guardian angels), it was a clean, safe fall.

 Already getting into sugar without me knowing. He really liked those marshmallows... did not want me to take them away!

Trouble never looked so cute!

2014 Reads

So many fun reads this year! I think I just read to keep my mind off being pregnant. Since having Sawyer I haven't had so much time to read, but I am an avid audio book listener. Here are my super short book reviews, maybe this year I'll be better about writing my review on Goodreads right after I finish a book. Then maybe I'll remember what the book is about. :-)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book takes you into such an exciting world of fantasy. A magical competition, with everything at stake, and a romance on the line. Several stories intertwine creating such an intriguing story, I was sad when it ended.

 Bluefish by Pat Schmatz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fun story and a quick read. I read this after reading "Mindset", and in story form, this book perfectly portrays the psychology of how a student who is put in a growth mindset can learn and achieve great things, and how a teacher with the growth mindset can inspire his students. I loved the characters with their complicated history. I liked the way it all came together in the end.

Snow Days

We have been suffering from freezing weather! Yesterday morning I went for a run, because "Saturday is a special day, its the day" Devin can watch the kids. I didn't bother to check the temperature before I went. It was so cold! I could not wait to turn around, and I was starting to worry about my fingers and toes because I couldn't feel them any longer! Despite the freezing cold, it was a sunny day, but when I checked the temperature at home it was only 15 degrees!

I don't know what happened to our warmer Virginia winters, but I have a sneaking suspicion its vacationing in Utah!

Myra said: "Mom! I'm already to go outside"!

I don't much like the cold. But I do like the snowmen we are producing this year! For building snowmen, this year's winter gets a full 5 Stars!

We've taken advantage of our Christmas sled several times. 

 And sometimes we totally steal other people's dogs.

And they retaliate

Bridger has been able to use his new birthday snow shovel.

School aged kids have pretty much been able to take the winter off from school. And church has been canceled once, and once was let out early due to the weather. This is what we do when church is cancelled...