To be a kid again...

Here's the two best friends...unless they are fighting. Pictures ARE really worth a 1000 words. This IS Madi and Porter's relationship. She is definitely in charge; he is by her side waiting for the next order. If you mess with "her" Porter she will come after you. She's very protective of him. He is of her too, it's just that she's such a tough little cookie she doesn't need it that often. Porter's outfit was picked out by Mom--and in his true Tom Sawyer-like boyishness, he prefers to be barefoot. Madi's outfit was selected by her--after two or three other tries. She digs boots, hair bows, and dresses. (All provided by her cool, stylish aunts.) Mom is none of those things. I could look at this picture forever, and I am sure in 10 years or more it will bring a tear to my eye as I look back and remember my today with my little cherubs.

And for the singlet...let me tell you about this picture. He is always trying to be funny. So, when he found this empty cereal box he thought it would be hilarious to wear it as a hat. It was not as funny to everyone else as it was to him--which made it even funnier. He is sporting open-toed shoes and he must almost always because he has such big, fat feet. The cushions have been removed from the back of the couch, by him. It's his favorite thing to do--throw them in a pile and then dive into them head first. The shirt on the arm of the couch is the one I picked out for him, but not the one he wanted to wear. Madi's favorite blanket is on the floor because he found it and wanted to give it back to her--he is sensitive to others and knows how much she likes it.

Look Mom! No Cavities!

We took the kids to the coolest dentist's office. It was a Children's Office and was totally decked out for the kids. They had a blast, and on the way home they wanted to know when they get to go back. Now, that's a good dentist.

Before leaving, they got to pick out a free children's book, a helium balloon, and they each got a gift certificate from Red Robin's for a free kids meal. (That was a bonus because had no cavities.)

Here's the dentist website: http://www.childrensdentalstgeorge.com

Going to the Car Wash!

I love that the Car Wash was almost as exciting as talking about Disneyland. Our car was SO dirty. I noticed it yesterday when I was coming out of the church building yesterday. It was so bad it was really embarrassing. This morning I decided to take it through a wash. The kids were in their underwear on the couch watching cartoons. I thought they would enjoy it as they have never been to a real car wash before. We loaded up and I tried to explain it all to them. They are so funny to watch. How can a car wash be this exciting? I guess it's all in how you look at it. I had to snap a picture with my phone. They look like little trailer-trash babies, but that's because I decided last minute to load them up--knowing we wouldn't be getting out of the car and that we could load up in a closed garage and return under cover!

Cute little litter

My kids are in such an entertaining stage right now. I love just watching them play together. They have such an interesting dynamic between them. Each combination has it's own personality. When the three of them are together, Madison is the leader of the pack. She dictates what they do. Porter always wants to follow her around and play with her.

When it's just the boys, they are into cars, rough housing, hiding from bad guys, and chasing each other around.

With Lane and Madison, she turns into the Little Mama. Lane obliges her in what she wants to play. They're both headstrong though, so sometimes it's a battle. Lane is not afraid to tell her what he thinks.

The Porter/Madi combo is kind of like the threesome mix. Porter just wants to make Madison happy. When he gets mad at her he says she is stupid and that makes her very mad. She always tries to put him in time out. They sometimes have a love/hate relationship.

Sweet Sleep

I love watching my kids sleep. They look so peaceful. The pictures don't seem to do justice to how it makes me feel to look at them.

Camping?...Kinda

We set out for our first real family camping trip on Lane's birthday. (Last Friday.) I was so excited. I thought the kids were going to have so much fun. But, I am really a novice when it comes to camping. Brant, on the hand, can go anywhere and camp. He actually lived in a tent for awhile--before I met him.

We went to this place that was highly recommended--as we don't really know a lot of the areas around here. I was surprised at how many people were out camping. I guess getting away from it all it something everyone likes to do. The kids were in heaven. They were playing in the dirt, picking up sticks and in awe at the small stream nearby. After we had made several trips to the campsite from our car, Brant started with the tent setup. Not long after that, a woman came to inform us that we were not in an approved camping site and that we could not stay overnight. Furthermore, all "approved" sites were already taken. Lame.

So, we had to pack everything up and take it back to the car. Although Brant and I spent our time unpacking and then packing, the kids had fun. I think they are somewhat confused by what camping is. We decided we would try again later and plan ahead. It's a shame you have to make reservations to go camping. I remember as a kid, we just loaded everyone up and went camping in the middle of nowhere. It was fun. I guess even remote areas are "civilized" now.

Lane Turns 2

This post is a little late. He actually turned 2 on Friday, May 21st. They're so cute at this age. He was excited about everything, but wasn't really sure what it was all about. Of course, he wasn't complaining about opening gifts and eating cake. He got lots of toys--mostly from other people. I think his favorite toy was his Handy Manny fix-it race car. It has a drill and talks to you. There are 15 different spots to drill. You can also fill up the gas tank. He loves cars.

He got a Thomas the Train car from his Grandma and Grandpa Smith. Porter has a smaller Thomas the Train. They would put them together and say they were a Mom and a kid. Funny how they can play for hours with one idea. Great Grandma Smith and Grandpa Jay each gave him $5. He carried the money around for a long time. And, he was so excited about it. It was cute. He has no idea. Brant is going to take him to pick out a toy with his money. I want to put it in savings--but I'm b-o-ring!

After the little family party, Brant and I were lounging on our bed. We came out to this--the kids got carried away. He was supposed to do this on his first birthday.

We bought him a Diego (from Go, Diego, Go!) He loves "Eggo." That's how he says it.

The twins were chomping at the bit to get in on the action. They can't wait for their birthday. It's all they talk about.

Lane is developing a very animated personality. He loves to be funny. He is so excited about words. He repeats everything and wants to learn more. He loves to be called nicknames. We call him "Bam Bam" and "Love Bug." His favorite game is "Ring Around the Rosies." It cracks him up.

He is cranky when he first wakes up and has to slowly awaken. He doesn't like anyone to talk to him and he's onry in the morning. He knows how to use the toilet, but isn't really interested because a diaper suites him fine. He will tell you when he has pooped and asked to be changed. He is a neat freak and likes to put things back. If I take the milk out of the fridge, he immediately is tell me two things: "Lid!" and "Up!" He wants me to put the lid back and put it up. He won't leave until I do.

He is the sweetest, happiest kid--until he gets pissed off. And, that doesn't take much. He has a wild temper, can be defiant, and stubborn. He's content being called a "Mama's Boy."

Lane looked at the camera!

This is a miracle! Lane did not yell at me when I got the camera out. I had just cut his hair--which I cut as short as I could--because he does not like his hair cut. I started snapping pictures and he just looked at me and smiled. So, I had to take what I could!

Boy, oh Boy!

My two boys. So cute together that they almost look like twins. I was trying to get them into the church, but they were lollygagging. We had to take Madison home--she woke up early and got very tired. We only have room for ONE Drama Queen in our family.

Viva Las Vegas...as Viva as you can get with kids

We went to Vegas for the weekend to visit family. Brant's Dad, John, was in town with his girlfriend Laurie (sp). They met us at Chuck E. Cheese as soon as we got in. The kids had a blast. Unfortunately, I ended up using John's camera to snap photos and didn't get much on my camera.

After Chuck E. Cheese we went straight to Grandma and Grandpa Smith's house. They could not have been anymore excited to see, "Gamma!" Lane especially. He was all hugs and kisses for her. I think for a brief period of time they forgot their mother even existed. It was so great to see them happy. It made me feel good about the 5 months I had to leave them every week to work in St. George. I know Rhonda took such good care of them.

I really miss all of the talking Rhonda and I used to do. I can totally understand how those polygamist women could enjoy living together. It was nice to have someone to trade off babysitting, someone to talk to, and someone to go to the temple with. I used to learn so much from her. She is a really good example to me.

Saturday Morning Cartoons

We loved Saturdays as kids...we actually thought cartoons were like color TV. I guess we confused animation with color. Dona and I would always watch the Flintstones or Tom and Jerry. I remember we thought it was so clever of us to try to be quiet so we wouldn't wake up Mom and Dad. Now that I'm a parent, I want to pretend to be quiet so my kids don't know I'm awake.

Too Cool for the Pool

What do you do when it's too cold to go swimming?

...Jump in the "Hot Tub"

Too Much Time On My Hands...

I got carried away with my not-so-good cake decorating skills. We had a BBQ at Travis' so I brought carrot cake.

Porter the Protector

He's my little funny-man. He loves to make everyone laugh. He got a little girl following him around at the playground one day and he got so excited to have an audience that appreciated his talent, he started churning out the funny routine. He is a silly boy. Still a little too whiny and quite the momma's boy. He found an old binky and hid it in his top bunk. He would suck on it at night under the covers. He actually thinks I don't know about it. I had to make it disappear without him knowing about it.

He's very independent and hates to go sleep and hates to wake up. I think he's afraid he is going to miss something. He loves his little brother and loves to tease him. They play cars and dinosaurs all of the time.

Him and Madi are still best friends, but get in fights alot. When they get like that I ground them from each other and they both think they're going to die.

At the park the other day, he wanted to go and explore the desert. He loved the sticks and rocks. I told him to be careful--there could be snakes under rocks. Madison gasped and he got more excited and started looking under every rock. He still daydreams and constantly has some story going. He is very tender and loves little children. He'll look out for the little guy.

Madison

She is a strong-willed little girl. She's going to be so fun as a teenager, and yes I am being sarcastic. She already thinks she is the rule maker. Such a good little helper when she wants to be, but what a temper. And, she is opinionated although she is very concerned with doing things right.

She has lied a few times about Porter and gotten him into trouble. We are more cautious about what she says now. She loves having her own room and being the only girl. Given the option, she says she wouldn't have a sister. She likes her boys.

She still likes her blanky--even though we had to replace her original one. She wakes up early and takes a nap, and goes to bed right on time. She's very proud of herself that she doesn't need any help in the bathroom anymore--including washing her hands.

She loves to wear dresses, sandals, and hair accessories. And, if she can't wear a dress she wants to wear a skirt. She runs like the wind and causes Porter a lot of distress because he can't catch her. During one of their frequent races, she purposely stopped twice just to let him get ahead of her and win. He didn't even realize it.