"Frosty the Snowman Kid"

Grant has been after me for about a month to build a snowman, so when it snowed so much last week, we went out and built one. I didn't get a picture of the finished product, but he was pretty cute. I say was because after it snowed, we hit a little warm spell which melted Frosty's face off. Grant cried on the way to church because we didn't have time to fix his face.

Here our some pictures of our venture in the snow:

Sledding

Grandpa Wally came down a couple of weeks ago and went sledding with us. Jackie fell asleep on the way so she slept in the truck and I fed Luke, so it was just Grant, McKinley and Grandpa Wally. After about 30-45 minutes, Grandpa got cold so they all came down and ate ding-dongs in the truck. It was a lot of fun to see my kiddos playing with Grandpa Wally - that doesn't happen very often so it was nice to see them having some kind of relationship with him. (I will write more about this later and I will hopefully be able to explain.) Here are a few pictures, I was in the truck with Luke for most of the time so there aren't very many.

Grant did about two and a half 360's the first trip down the hill.

McKinley giggled the entire time. When she would get to the bottom of the hill, she would just up and run back up the hill leaving her sled behind for Grant to bring back up for her. I was in the truck and couldn't tell if Grant was objecting to the whole thing, so I am just going to say how nice he was to carry her sled up the hill for her. After this happened a few times, I saw Grandpa giving McKinley a talking to, from then on she carried her own sled. :)

When Jackie woke up, Grant and I went down three or four times with her. Jackie had fun, but she wanted to walk up the hill by herself, after about half way, I couldn't take it anymore and I picked her up and ran to the top against her protesting.

Christmas 2009

So I am a little slow at getting Christmas posted, but better late than never right?! For Christmas this year, we spent the night at Grandma LaJean and Grandpa Paul's house. It was quite fun to have everyone together for Christmas. We started with a dinner on Christmas Eve, after which Grandma had the kids sing/listen to some songs, like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Grandma also made everyone dress like Rudolph - and I mean EVERYONE (even Luke - Kaelyn somehow got away without dressing up though).

Honk - Honk! :) (I love Jackie's tongue!)

Grandpa, the Red Nosed Reindeer!

Some of us had more fun with it than others.

After dinner and playing the kids all opened their Christmas Eve present (JAMMIES). Then Santa came and since we were all still awake, he decided just to make sure he had all the correct gifts, so he came in and visited with us.

McKinley got a little giddy and said she wanted a new bike, but luckily Santa knew that she had been wanting a Jessie doll for 2-3 months and remembered that was what she really wanted.

Grant kept adding things everytime we talked about what he was asking Santa for. Mostly he stuck with a castle and a yo-yo.

Luke was a trooper and was okay with sitting on Santa's lap.

Jackie was not okay but decided that she could sit next to Santa on Dad's lap.

Christmas Morning

Grant got his castle and the kids also got some walkie talkies. McKinley did get Jessie after all.

Nurse Jackie

It was a fun Christmas and we were very lucky to have everyone together to celebrate the birth of the Savior. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for a fun weekend.

The Smell of a Baby - Part 2

The other day McKinley answered my question - "What makes a new baby smell so darn good?"

I walked into the bedroom and she followed me and told me that she wanted to smell my lotion skin. "?????" Okaaaayyyy. Then she told me she wanted to smell Luke because he smelled like Heavenly Father. Apparently I told her when I was putting lotion on him that it made him smell "Heavenly". So now she thinks that he smells like Heavenly Father.

So there you have it - the reason babies smell so darn good is because they just came from Heavenly Father and they still smell like him.


Profound thoughts or just a good imagination?? I love how this girls mind works!!

"Tootsie Rolls" All Around

Jackie has been trying to potty train since before Luke was born, but I was not ready for her to do it so I did my best to NOT encourage it. This week I decided that I was ready to devote the time to full-on potty train her.

In the last 3 days we have pottied on the carpet about 3 times and the tile about 5 times. I decided to do what we did when McKinley was potty training. When she potties in the toilet, she gets a tootsie roll - works like a charm. There is only one thing - when she gets a tootsie roll EVERYONE has to get a tootsie roll. This makes it a whole family affair, because McKinley and Grant cheer her along so they can get tootsie rolls too. Needless to say, we get tootsie rolls every 17 - 30 minutes (depending on how thirsty Jackie is).

Everytime Jackie goes to the bathroom, she has to strip down to nothing. So we have had to re-dress her every 17 - 30 minutes also. Which usually there is a little coaxing involved to get her dressed again, so we have spent approximately 10 hours (give or take) this week just getting Jackie re-dressed. This does not include the time that she just runs around in her panties because I am too tired to fight her about getting dressed AGAIN. She must think it is a game or something and loves to just shock us by streaking across the room - she also must like to hear us say, "Jackie where are your clothes?"

Good job Jackie!! It will be AWESOME to get back to only one child in diapers (except for naptime and bedtime)!!! Church is tomorrow - hopefully we don't have accidents there!!! :)

The Smell of a Baby!

Whenever I have a new baby I always think of this question "What makes a Baby smell so darn good?" I mean when they don't have a dirty diaper of course. I am not just talking about my babies, but every baby. They have the "New Baby" smell. After thinking about this for a while I went to my bathroom cupboard to discuss it with Johnson & Johnson. The only thing I got from them in their Baby Lotion is "Fragrance". So what is this "Fragrance" and why is it so intoxicating for most women? And here is another question, why does it not affect men the same way?? The smell of a baby is as good as the smell of chocolate to me maybe even better. I mean whenever I hold a new baby, I automatically have to smell it, to breathe that sweet smell - AAHHH HEAVEN!

My sister and I have joked about making a "New Baby" smell and marketing it to moms that have older kids, they can spray it on their older kids and then they would smell like a "New Baby". Kind of like how there is a "New Car" air freshner. Anyway, Bart's cousin Kristin told me a few years ago that she saw something called "Baby Cologne". And yep you guessed it - it is made by Johnson & Johnson. I have yet to see or smell it, but I will some day!!!!!

So I better explain why I have been thinking of this today. My day actually started at 5:30 this morning when Luke didn't just go to sleep after I fed him and I laid in bed just holding him, not wanting him to get bigger. So after I sat there for 1/2 hour, Grant got up and so I decided to get up and make breakfast early. The house was freezing (62 degrees) because the kids turned the furnace off when they got some chairs out of the furnace room last night. So I had to wake up Bart to turn it back on too. While Bart turned on the furnace, I made breakfast and listened to Sheri Dew. Then at breakfast we read our scriptures (a whole chapter - we keep sleeping in late and either don't read or only do 1/2 a page or something). It was really nice and a great way to start our morning. So I guess the saying "Early to bed, early to rise, . . . . " worked real good for me today. I even put dinner in the crock pot at 11:00 this morning so VIOLA, dinner is done. What is up with me today?



After breakfast Luke was tired and hungry but needed a new diaper so I changed him and went to throw his diaper in the garbage. About 1/2 way to the garbage he nestled right into the side of my neck and cheek and fell asleep (about 25 - 30 seconds after I picked him up). I thought it was so cute and I just couldn't put him down. Just to feel the weight of his body on my shoulder was so nice and comforting. I had to kiss his cheek a few times and just listen to his steady breathing and feel the rise and fall of his chest against my shoulder. It was amazing and I wanted to stay like that all day. I think that having a baby or any of my kids sleeping on my shoulder is so soothing. Kind of like when you are upset about something and someone simply puts their hand on your shoulder to comfort you - that is what it was like. After lunch I gave Luke a bath and just walked around smelling him.

Sorry to be so chipper it is just that I have had a real good day today. This whole "early to rise" thing is really getting to me I guess. I even worked out while Luke was taking his morning nap - I must be sick. Actually, my skinny pants are just getting a little snug again. :( Anyway, I guess I am just trying to say, that I love being a mom today, and I am reeeeally going to miss having a new baby here in a couple of months. Luke started rolling over Monday (thanks to Kaelyn's example). Before I know it, he will be walking and talking and having his second birthday. And I will wonder how it went by so fast and why I didn't cherish the babiness more.

No reason to put this on here - just a fun picture that I wanted to share.

Mrs. Clause

This morning McKinley informed of something that has apparently been on her mind.

She said, "Mom, I am going to ask Santa if he has a Mrs. Clause. If he doesn't, then I will ask him if I can be his Mrs. Clause. If he does, then I won't."

So we may have a McKinley Clause in the family some day. Pretty Funny!