Early St. Patrick's Day 2012

We decided to celebrate St. Patrick's Day early since the real St. Patrick's Day would be Randy and Kristina's Wedding!  We had a great green Irish dinner courtesy of Ashlee, decked out in green, and hit the local bowling alley.  Everyone bowled very well, and Kate was discriminate in her praise and high fives.  You only got some if you hit down ALL the pins.  

Haircuts!

We have a LOT of hair in our house!  4 heads of luscious girly locks to wash, comb, and style each day.  Avery's hair is super thick, which means lots of snarls and lots of time to brush it out.  She was due for a haircut.  And John said that he couldn't hardly wrestle with Macy anymore because she was such a hairball.  Usually, I cut their hair.  I think I was sick of hair, because I called Cookie Cutters and scheduled 3 back to back appointments.  Macy wanted hers cut "like Kate's."  I was worried she would regret it once it was gone, but I decided to honor her wishes.  She cut off over 10 inches and was able to donate it.  That was pretty special.  And she looks absolutely adorable with her short bob.  I love it.  Kate got the same haircut, which means that I get asked more than ever if they are twins.  And Avery, she still wanted it long.  So long it is, although a few inches shorter which helps a ton in the tangles department.  We also picked up a special brush there which also helps a lot with those persistent tangles.  I recommend this place, especially if the thought of cutting 3 heads of hair makes you want to run.  The girls loved sitting on their toys, watching shows, and getting balloons and suckers.  And I highly enjoyed not having to do the work or cleanup :)

Snapshots

 Snow! Snow was scarce this winter, so when it came, we jumped at the chance to play in it.  The kids had fun playing with Maddie and Brielle, and I had fun visiting with my cousin Bobbi Ann.

 Carston got into the swing of things with his new scout troop.  Our neighborhood is FILLED with kids!

Oh how we love to spend time at Grandma and Grandpa's house! I love those 4 cute little kids more than I could ever express.

The Rest of the Trip

Since my camera was pretty much dead the last few days.....these are my few pictures.  Xinru's brother worked at Dreamworks Studio.  We got the full tour, partook of their free catered food (amazing), and took a picture with Kung Fu Panda.  For anyone interested in animation, this company definitely knows how to take care of its employees.

We finally went to Disneyland.  I am not a huge fan of Disneyland, so we spread out the trips.  My poor children are growing up without a "magical mom."  The kids loved every single ride they went on.  Carston and Avery thought Space Mountain was the best part of Disneyland, and Screamin' took the prize at California Adventureland.  Tower of Terror freaked Avery out.  She liked the actual ride, but everything spooky in the line had her terrified.  Kate and Macy laughed so hard on Mickey's carousel they could hardly breath.  John got sick from Screamin' and had to buy himself an ice cream bar.  We were lucky to have Xinru as our guide because she knew how to maximize the experience.

 Do we look tired?  This was at the end of the day, waiting in line to go on Soaring.  Every time we head to Disneyland, I think that maybe, just maybe I won't dislike it as much as I think I do.  And every time I walk away saying, "Yep.  I am not a fan."  The lines, the heat, the tired legs....and hardly any exciting and thrilling rides.  I honestly think our family had more fun at Lagoon, but John isn't so sure.

We did hit the beach, hung out with Lisa (who was nice enough to let us crash at her beach house), and Leslie.  We checked out the Children's Museum that we had driven past several times.  I wish I had pictures from that place.  It was amazing.  They even had a Dora exhibit and Star Wars exhibit which made things even better.  We spent almost the whole day there.  We also went to lunch and had a scary experience where Kate decided she would come find me at the bathroom.  She left the restaurant, unbeknownst to John, and started walking down the pier all by herself.  Before we even knew she was missing, we found her holding a lady's hand, walking calmly down the pier.  Scared me to death.  I count us very lucky that it was a good person who took hold of her trusting, innocent hand.

It was a great trip.  Our kids are awesome.  It is amazing how much easier and enjoyable traveling gets when your kids are just a tiny bit older.  I love my family and I'm glad we got to have such a great time with each other.

The Castle Park and Medieval Times

 John grew up with this park.  There is a huge castle-like structure that didn't make it into the picture.  Very enjoyable to relax on the grass while the kids played.  

 We decided to go to Medieval Times.  We sure paid a lot of money for food we hardly touched :)  That's what happens when you aren't big meat eaters and they serve you what seems to be a full chicken on your plate :)  It was fun to watch the tournament.  At the end, they have the knights battle against the bad guy.  When the first knight went down, Macy burst into tears and said she hated this and wanted to go home.  Apparently, they did a great job making it realistic :)  It was about this point in the trip I realized the one thing I had forgotten to do was charge the camera.  Of course that would happen on the trip that I vowed to take tons of pictures :)

Sunday in Cali

We met up with some great friends in Irvine.  Micah and Xinru, and Todd and Gina from Vermont.  We love their families.  Xinru was so amazing while we were there.  Hopefully someday we can repay the hospitality.  Xinru and Micah attend a Chinese branch in Irvine, so we tagged along.  Half the talks were in Chinese, while someone sat up translating.  We wore headsets and were able to hear the translation.  It was pretty neat to catch the essence of people's testimonies.  It was also neat to sing with a congregation where half of the people sang in Chinese and half in English.  I really enjoyed going.  My kids were scared to go to Chinese Primary: what if they asked them to pray, what would happen when they sang and they didn't know the songs in Chinese.....Our formal sabbath worship ended after Sacrament Meeting :)

Love Kate's cheesy face

We headed out to see the San Diego Temple.  The grounds were beautiful and all my girls thought it looked just like a castle.

 From there, we headed to the Mormon Battalion Visitor's Center.  If you are in California on a Sunday, this is a great place to go.  They have an interactive video presentation that explains what the Mormon Battalion was, and then they have a bunch of children's hands on activities.  It was fun for the kids.  But it was a little weird when the sister missionaries recognized John from his Kid History videos and wanted a picture :)

Avery was lucky enough to be a volunteer

California Here We Come!

 We headed out to California! It was the first time we've traveled without a baby, and boy, was it enjoyable!  The kids were awesome!  We had a different snack or treat to commemorate each hour of the voyage and that helped the kids with the concept of how long it would actually take to get to California.  Add movies, DS systems, a Leapster, Bendaroos, coloring books, and we were good to go.  I love the bedraggled appearance of my girls.  Poor Carston had to miss the pictures because he was in the bathroom.  Just imagine how much he wanted to be there.   I love my sweet little family!

Valentine's Day 2012

 We had a great Valentine's Day.  It was one of those days where I fell completely in love with my husband all over again.  Without a word from me, he went out and bought all three daughters a rose and a card.  Carston was not left out either; he got a card and some gum from his dad.  John has sisters, but they were pretty much out of the house by the time his memories were able to form.  His childhood was VERY much ALL BOY.  Feelings were scorned and mocked, affection was found in the form of physical rumbles, etc.  So being a Daddy to 3 little girls initially gave John a run for his money.  Everything they wanted and needed did not come naturally for him.  He has put a lot of energy and effort into finding his soft and tender side for his daughters.  I love him for it.  I love that he is so good and sweet to them.  I love that they will run to him now when they've fallen off their bikes and need comfort.  We never hear, "No! I want Mommy!"  Daddy knows how to give them just what they need. I love him.  The beautiful flowers he got me made loving him that much easier too :)

We decided to give the kids a great surprise.  They found this note waiting for them, found the letters, and then found out we were going to Disneyland.  I think they were in shock when they figured it out.  They have been wanting to go for a long time :)

I love my family.  I love my husband.  I love my kids.  I feel so blessed everyday to spend my life with these wonderful people.  I love that I get to love them.  I love that I get to be loved by them.

February Sayings

AVERY

-Whenever people come over to have a tour of our new house, Avery likes to be silly.  She makes them close their eyes, and then she tries to lock them in places like the secret pantry or the cold storage room.  It gives her the giggles.
-Avery has loved our new neighborhood filled with lots of little girls.  She loves that there are so many houses to go play at.  She was invited to her first birthday party and was so incredibly excited for it.  She came home with an elaborate plan of what they were all going to do tomorrow.  There was going to be a map, and cheetos, and trampoline jumping....She was in heaven.
-On our trip to California, Avery was such a peacemaker.  She shared her gum with me, and let the girls watch another barbie movie even though she preferred another one.
-If Avery had her way, she would never let you leave her room when you put her to bed.  She can't get enough snuggles or enough of telling you all sorts of crazy things.
-We were driving through Newport Beach and Avery said, "I feel like I'm in Hollywood right now!"
-Avery likes to sneak out of bed and leave notes at our bedroom door.  One night we found one that said, "To Mom and Dad, Pleees don't wack me up tomorrow."  Another one she left for Macy (apparently after an argument) said, "Macy, I am loveing you and you aren't loveing me back."
-"If I had to choose between a popsicle and Grandma, I'd choose Grandma."

KATE

-Kate has had trouble wetting her pants lately.  I don't know if she has decided that playing is too fun and she doesn't want to stop and go potty or what.  So I put her back in a diaper and told her she was a baby again.  I asked her when she was going to be a big girl again and she told me in just a few minutes.

-Whenever Kate is playing make-believe (which is almost always), she'll say, "You be the mommy and I'll be the honey."
-Kate likes to ask everyone if they've ever seen an animal in trouble (that is Diego's line from the TV show :)
-Kate still talks about her birthday several times a day.
-We were eating dinner with some of John's extended family on the pier.  Avery and Macy had to go the bathroom.  We had to leave the restaurant and walk down to the beginning of the pier to use the public restrooms.  As we were walking back up, I noticed a little girls' skirt and thought, "Kate has that skirt."  My gaze continued up and I thought, "Kate has that shirt."  And then I thought, "That's Kate and she is holding hands with a woman I've never seen before!"  Apparently, without John knowing, Kate had left the restaurant to come find me.  This woman saw her walking alone on the pier and asked her where her mom was.  She pointed down the pier so they started walking down that way.  Needless to say, I was freaked out.
-Kate peed her pants again and so I told her she had to be a baby again and wear diapers.  "But mom, babies don't talk, they just say goo goo gaa gaa!"

MACY

-Macy is an early bird!  She is ALWAYS the first one up and usually gets dressed before coming into my room.  And then she gets bored because there is no one to play with.  So she fixes things by waking up Kate.  Although she doesn't approve of Kate getting into my bed to snuggle once she wakes up.  That defeats her purpose for a playmate.
-Macy was going on a daddy date, so I told her to start thinking about where she wanted to go. "I already know.  I want to go to Disneyland," she said.
-Macy has been working really hard on her reading and she is doing amazing!
-"Carston, when you grow up, you're gonna have to kiss a girl!"

CARSTON

-Carston played on a basketball team for the first time.  Every time he made a shot, it wasn't just a shot, it was a BIG shot.
-Carston has been writing like crazy in his journal.  He often brings it out to show me that he has written at least a page each night.  I love that he is developing a good habit of writing things down.  He enjoys looking back and remembering different things he has done.