Big Brother

Luke, Evie and I all cuddled up in Evie's bed for awhile after bedtime. Evie snuggled right up, with her arms around my neck. Luke talked. And talked.

"Mom, Evie can get in bed with me if she gets scared. I don't mind. Evie, if you get scared tonight you can come right in my bed. See? Now it's free. You can come in any time. I don't mind Evie sleeping with me as long as she doesn't use my pillow. She can get in my bed any time. I like when she sleeps with me. Then she's not scared. Evie, come get in my bed tonight if you're scared okay? Sometimes she gets in my bed."

And she does.

Little Picassos

I love that Luke is able to draw actual pictures now. He comes home from school with a wide variety of masterpieces that always make me smile.

We made some pictures for the Grandparents a week or so ago. Luke came up with the ideas all on his own. Evie got involved, too.

This is our family. And the sun (who is smiling). The is the first picture he's drawn where Lily is not inside my belly anymore. Yep, she's been here for two months.
This is Evie's drawing of Tucker and Lucy (my parents' dogs):
Here is Luke's version. This is Luke, Evie, Grandpa and Grandma taking Tucker to go look for Lucy. Lucy has a little bit of a wandering problem. Luke loved to be the one to find her.
Luke, Kevin, Daddy, Mommy and Evie flying to see Grandma. We're going in February. He's excited. The guy in front is the pilot.
Luke's Halloween pumpkins. They lived in our window. He was proud because the first one had 2 faces.

Thankful Turkeys

Luke (He kept asking for more feathers because he didn't have enough):
Family
Baloo
Daddy
Mommy
Evie
Lily
My Friends
Legos
My Bed
Church

Evie:
Family
Family (yes, twice)
Princess
Coloring
Halloween
Daddy

Kelly:
Running
Holidays
Family
Time at home
A warm November
Kid pictures
Cuddly babies

Ken:
Turkey (yummy!)
Football
Children
Washable markers
Colored paper
Trips (this started out as "business trips." Until I reminded him he doesn't do those any more).
Home
* please note who didn't make the list. Gee, thanks.

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!


I've got a pretty good list going this year. We have so much to be thankful for.

1. I am thankful for family and good friends. We had 24 people at our house yesterday for dinner, including my sister and her family plus her sister-in-law and family (their company got sick at the last minute and had to cancel). It was wonderful to have so many people there. I am thankful my husband convinced me to buy the 21 lb turkey and that my mother convinced me to make 3 batches of rolls. I am thankful we had enough food for at least 60 people (I don't know how to cook small).

2. I am thankful for these little people. They make my day.


3. I am thankful for an 8-week-old baby who has slept all night for 3 nights now. 4. And started really, really full-faced smiling over the last 2 weeks. I finally have proof.
4.I am thankful for a job I love and for great people I work with. I am grateful that it lets me get in-and-out in 45 minutes when my little boy needs stitches on Thanksgiving evening. I am thankful that he was very, very brave. And that he ate pumpkin pie with me when we got home at 11pm and for breakfast this morning.

5. I am thankful for a husband who can cook a mean turkey. And who, despite going on almost 9 months of unemployment (and lots of stay-at-home time) continues to be supportive of me, patient with our kids and find joy in service.
6. I am thankful I got to get out shopping today with my great sister-in-law. We found some great deals. And we had a pretty cute shopping partner who spent the entire 2 1/2 hours like this:



7. I am thankful for a little girl who, for the last 2 days, has started coming up to me, throwing her arms around my neck, and telling me "Mommy, I wub you. Soooo much."

8. I am thankful for my Savior and his teachings. I am thankful for the spirit we have in our home.

Hope your day was wonderful!

Home Sweet Home

I love this comic



Especially the part about pants being optional.



The best part was that she came down the stairs wearing only one white shoe. On the wrong foot.

Scrooged

This is how we roll on Friday nights around here.





We took the kids (yes, all of them) to see "A Christmas Carol" this weekend. It was the first family movie-in-an-actual-theater we've done in a really long time because:

a)Luke is afraid of movies he's never seen before.
*Any new movie (he may have cried during "Bolt"). We think it's because he's such a creature of habit he doesn't like things where he doesn't know the ending. After we're done making him watch the movie, he will admit he loved it and it will become a new favorite. And he was excited about the 3D glasses, popcorn, Sprite and wanted to give it a try.

b) Evie can't sit still for more than 3.5 seconds without talking, moving, jumping on someone or yelling something

c) We're not (completely) crazy

My take?
Honestly, it was pretty darn scary. Way scarier than I thought it was going to be. I felt like a horrible parent half way through as Luke is hiding under his blanket asking if "it was all just a dream."m Evie (who wasn't afraid at all and was completely content to be huddled up on Daddy's lap) kept pointing at the screen yelling "it's a scawy ghost! a scawy ghost." But at the end, when Scrooge "becomes a good guy" Luke admitted it was a great movie and was happy he watched the whole thing. But the animation was amazing (You must see it in 3D). And I was grateful there were approximately 2 other people in the theater because my kids are not quiet. Especially when they are supposed to be. We didn't get any dirty looks and the other couple kept laughing at Evie. So I don't feel too badly about it.

We'll have to do it again.

Candy and Crunchy Things

Evie insisted that I play a game with her this evening.

And by "insisting" I mean that she walked over to where I was lying on the floor and plopped the Halloween pumpkin plastic bucket that she's been carrying around for 3 weeks on my abdomen and instructed me to not knock it over because "it feel you better." This is similar to when she "insists" that you read her a book, where she basically plops herself right next to you and turns your face to hers with both hands until she has your undivided attention. Mid-conversation, mid-meal, or mid-using-the-bathroom. It doesn't matter.

She then proceeded to instruct me to lie face first on the ground ("wie down! wight hewe!), covered my head with a blanket, placed the pumpkin on my upper back, and pounced on me.

When I asked what we were playing, she replied "Candy! And cwunchy fings!" (She has a little trouble saying her Ls and Rs if you are having trouble deciphering this. It's pretty darn cute.)

We proceeded to play this for about 1/2 hour until I couldn't take it any more. Then Luke obliged her.

He's a great big brother.