tis the season...

for family to be in town, apparently.

just a recap...
my sister-in-law had her sister and brother-in-law in town and they left this week. then my husband's cousins were in town for a few days, until thursday, then his uncle and cousin (from a different side) came in on thursday until sunday. my uncle, aunt and two cousins came today for a few days...and my mother-in-law's sister came into town on thursday or so and is staying until tuesday....crazy fun times!

it's a good time to visit Arizona people!!!

he's practically sprinting there...

{name that comedian!}

anyway, i just had this crazy realization. actually i have this realization everyday, multiple times and it is this...

my children are growing up.

they are far too big.

what is going on?

my baby is almost 5 months old people, 5 months! my life is on fast forward...i don't want to miss it!

i really do feel that i am doing better with blake at really appreciating what is going on and living in his babyhood with him. today he totally got the hang of tummy time and raised his little head high up and looked at me. as if to say, ha! told you i could! tomorrow i am sure he will roll over. he tried to roll from back to front the other day and that's harder than tummy to back. oh little man, stay little a while longer my love!

avery is far too cute and big for her britches. seriously she's going to need an entirely new wardrobe for summer...nothing will still fit. amazing.

ethan is smart and funny and saying things like, "actually mom, she ate everything on her plate!" or giving his siblings encouragement..."good job blaker, you are such a big boy" "avery you did that really well, good job" and he loves it when blake laughs or smiles at him and honestly, the baby LOVES ethan, just loves him. to pieces. it's so cute to watch.

here is friend nikki with blake. keep keeping on nik, andrew is a lucky boy to have a mom like you!

for those of you who might care...here is blake's crib set all put together.

the back of the quilt/blanket

the interior of the crib...

the whole enchilada!

blake: sitting in the bumbo for the first time this week.

blake: pushing that head up!

why am i still awake? must sleep! happy st. patty's day tomorrow!

The Kite Runner...

i'd always heard of this book. people always said they'd read it and loved it and so i thought it would be a good one to read. kind of a "new classic" or something. i started it...got through a hundred or so pages and stalled. it was so sad. it was so depressing. why couldn't amir just be brave and good and kind and all the things that the main characters of books are supposed to be. but he was more real. maybe that was the point. but i was talking with my friend audrey today and saying maybe i would just move on from The Kite Runner because i wasn't getting very far. and she said, the ending is so good and then i thought, well dang! now i'm gonna have to see about that....

i usually don't quit books though. when i was pregnant with avery there were two that i started that i just couldn't follow through with. Wicked and The Tenth Circle. for whatever reason, i just couldn't. elphaba scared the daylights out of me as a baby in Wicked and Jodi Piccoult, well, she writes about hard, hard issues and that was one i was not willing to tackle, once i got into it.

long story short (too late) (name that movie!), i finished Kite Runner tonight. i REALLY liked it. it made me think. it brought in cultural aspects of Afghanistan that i never really thought of, or knew to even think of. several twisty parts that i just wasn't expecting...a really good read. i enjoyed it but it was sad, for heaven's sake! but the subject matter isn't exactly daisies and sunshine here people!

so there you go audrey, i did it! whew! thanks for the encouragement.

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must document...

the blatant disobedience today....

i don't have a picture to go with this story because i felt like that would be rewarding the behavior so use your imaginations....

so i come in from our walk and from pulling weeds in our front yard today...get the kids in the bath..all three, but not all at the same time and we are coming up to the time blake needs to eat so i hop in the shower really quickly...and i get out and am changing clothes and am just about, literally, to say great job to ethan and avery for playing so well together and being so quiet and not fighting.....and then ethan comes upstairs --with his hands hidden behind his back--and says "hey mom, we are having a painting party!"

WHAT?????????????????????????

"ethan, what does that mean?"

"we are painting mom."

"ethan, you know you are NOT allowed to paint without mom..."

and then he shows me his hands...bright turquoise and yellow and red....and now it's on the back of his pants and shirt.....

i pick up blake and run downstairs and they've got EVERY bottle of craft paint down from the lockers, avery's shirt is COVERED with paint, her face has paint on it and into her ear (note: they just had a bath, of course they did!) and her hair...the table has paint all over it....

i think i might have yelled, "no no no, what are you doing?"

upon further inspection...avery has paint covering her hands, front and back, and all the way up her arms, and some on her tummy...how does THAT happen?

oh man.

and all ethan could say was, "Don't you like your picture mom?" of course i liked his picture. it was actually one of the best ones avery has ever done because she didn't just mix all the paint together and make black...they were really pretty colors and i told him so.

it breaks my heart and makes me upset that he did that all in the same breath. we had a very serious talk about why we don't do messy things without mom or dad, they got their clothes changed, lots of pepper on tongues and a 25 minute timeout, in their rooms.

poor blake finally got fed, about 20 minutes later...

the smile...

i just got back from california, where i surprised my dear friend Nikki for her baby shower...first baby, gotta do it! it was so much fun! blake and i had a blast. blake did really well. had a couple of rough spots but who wouldn't? really nothing to complain about and it was so good to see nikki! what a wonderful mom she's going to be!

look at that! brothers to the very nth degree huh? so cute:)

so true...

kendall found this quote in an actual case he was reading for work the other day...he said i should embroider it on a pillow and we should make it the motto of our life...

"It is common knowledge that one can expect almost any kind of heedless and impulsive conduct from small children."

ain't that the truth?

and for all who wonder, Blake weighed in at 11 lbs and 10 oz! woo woo!

the boy in the striped pajamas...

i just finished reading this book. i really liked it. it totally made me think. it really affected me this morning as i was finishing it. i felt really grateful for all the the blessings we have and that we don't have to repeat things that have already happened. i am thankful we live in this time rather than during WW2, although i know bad things are happening now as well, it just made me thankful. read it. it took me probably 3-4 hours over a day and half to read it. Bruno, the main character is so innocent of what is going on in his world, as any 9 year old would be...it's good. read it. there is also a movie, made in 2008. did anyone see it? i haven't yet...