She Cracks Herself Up...

So, that's funny.  I think Mollie likes to hear herself laugh.

These were taken as a follow up to her birthday session.  I needed something of her outdoors, to match the canvases that I am ordering of all my kidlets.  She was such a good sport...it was fuh-reezing, and I never thought she would pull this off.  But I planned ahead so that she could be in and out of my coat, in and out of the car (parked close and warm), and with a thermos of hot chocolate.  It was a mini session for sure.  Oh spring, where are you?

The third one is the keeper.  Funny little chica.

Now We Are Six

I just realized that that may sound like an announcement.  It's not.  It's just the title of the A.A. Milne book that my mom reads and then gives to my kids when they turn six years old.  I just couldn't italicize it in the title of the post.  But no worries.  It's just that Mollie had her sixth birthday last month, so I'd like to write her a love letter...

Oh Mollie Dollie, you are our cuddliest child, always wanting to snuggle in a lap, or in our bed in the morning, and have your arms tickled or your back rubbed.  I've never felt skin as soft as your face and cheeks.  You've gone too quickly from being a stay-at-home little chica to wanting to play with your friends every single day.  But we still have great times together, so it's okay, I'll only be a little bit sad.  You're working hard on your reading and you try to please me by not complaining too much about going to dance.  I love it how you start your sentences with a sharp inhale when you are super excited to tell us something.  And how from all the way back when you began to speak with that squeaky Mollie voice, you have sung incorrect lyrics to songs or inserted close-sounding words into most sentences.  One of our favorite recent Mollie-isms was when we asked who The Messiah was, and your arm shot up and you answered in your most sure voice, "The leader of the wickedness."  We'll keep working on basic truths, but in the meantime, you can crack us up during scripture reading and FHE.

I LOVED our 6th Birthday Portrait Date...it was fun to pick out some of your favorite clothes together and hit the studio.

This might be my favorite series.  Ever.

And this one happened multiple times during the night too...

smile.

yawn (click).

bah ha ha ha ha.

 Love you, little squirrel.

Birthday Boy

Asher, you turned three today.  Even though I've had another baby, you still feel like my BABY.

But you are not a baby...you talk like your big brother and sisters and make me smile to myself when you start a sentence with, "Actually..." which sounds more like, "Akchulee...".

Your family loves you so much.  Jeremy and Sadie have both loved taking care of you since you were a tiny little guy.  Last month, Jeremy randomly said to me while we all played together, "In Asher's 179-word dictionary, his definition for 'boat' would say, 'So, so, so, so fun.'"  I think you are each other's saving grace in your girl-trapped worlds.

Although it makes Daddy feel bad, you always want me to put you to bed and recently have asked for the same two songs every night..."Mairzy Doates" and "Sing a Song of Sixpence".
You are silly when you dance.
You love Buzz Lightyear, Garth Vay-duh, and the color green.
You stub your chubby toes until they bleed.
You look the most like me of all the kids (Grammy says).
You love all things boy.
You love to jump to me in the pool.  You can't sit through FHE, but love nursery.
You love your nap, once I can get you to your crib.
You really, really love me.
And I love you.
SO much.
I don't know what I'd do without you, my blonde little lover boy.  You are the best, Asher Baby.

  

Vacation.

I really wish I was on vacation. I really wish I had a vacation planned. Oh well. I've been working on cards for my mom all night, so I can't help thinking about vacation when I'm looking at these cute pictures. Cute, tan littles. I love going to Pineview with all the Cleggs...good times. This trip was the first time I remember Asher saying something especially cute. He was aaalmost to his second birthday. We were walking back up from the reservoir to our condo, and as we passed a boat in the parking lot, he said, "Boat. Soo, soo fun."

It really was soo, soo fun. Can't wait to hit it again this year.

PS...anyone want a 10/10/10 baby? Time to get busy.

8 months.

Lucy, I love how you twirl your ankles when I feed you in your Bumbo (will you be my dancer?), when you flap your arms hard and fast enough to fly away, how you turn when you hear my voice. I love nursing you, kissing your huge cheeks, and stroking your face. You love jumping in your jumper (like a crazy woman) and when I sing to you. You are a self-entertaining, happy, strong willed baby, just barely beginning to be more reserved with your smiles for strangers.

Everybody loves you...Daddy expects a little special time with you every day, "I haven't even gotten to hold you yet." Jeremy is always happy to play with you. Sadie runs to get you out of bed every day and drops anything to play with you or change your clothes. Mollie races to beat Sadie out of any of those things, and thinks you are her doll. Asher adores you and regularly takes a moment out of playing to come give you a kiss, his little Lucy Boo. Sometimes I even find mushy crumbs in your hair from Asher eating and kissing on the go. :)

Love you, Lucy, our big 8-month-old baby doll.

Pretty or Nice?

When children are little, it's so easy to tell them all the time how cute they are. There has been a time or two when I've heard young kids (mine -cringe- or others) say, "I know." instead of, "Thank you." when an adult tells them they are pretty or cute or whatever. Although the response probably comes mostly from toddler age kids who don't know better, that cringe is a good reminder for me to try to praise my kids when they've talked nicely, done something nice for someone else, or shared, just as often as I compliment them on the way they look. Sometimes I'll follow up a "You're so cute!" squeeze with an, "I'm glad you're so nice, too." just to remind them that it is more important to be nice than to look cute (although of course, cute can also mean cute acting).

But tonight I blew it. Danny took Jeremy to his 8:00 basketball game, and I decided that the rest of us needed to stay home so I could get the 4 littles to bed on time. But I caved, and let them finish the movie "Up" that they were finally watching for the first time. By the time they were moseying to bed, it was an hour past their bedtime. And as I should have known it would, it turned into, "I'm hungry", "I want to watch the part I missed", "I'm scared", and I started to lose my patience a little bit. When both girls came upstairs with, "I don't have a drink downstairs", my own tiredness got the best of me. "I'm going to have to spank if you don't get in your beds right now." Mollie ran down the stairs saying, "You're pretty, Mom."

Pretty (which of course is questionable in one of Danny's shirts and no make up), but not nice. Dang it.

I'm grateful for new days. :)

Last September, I took Mollie out back for some pictures. My girls generally don't enjoy having their picture taken by me. But this time she was pretty and nice.

We Like You, Jazz.

At our evening prayer a few nights ago, Jeremy even prayed for you to "finally" win a game. I believe Danny told him after that that might not be appropriate and I (privately) said, "Why not?" They need it. Jeremy totally reminds me of my brother Jeremy and his emotional ties to his teams. He gets a little upset when they're not at the top of their game or blowing their season.

One year ago this month, Danny, Jeremy, Sadie, and I were at a Jazz/T-Wolves game. There was a cute dad holding up his cuter daughter while she danced, so I took some pictures so I could send some to them. Then I forgot where I put his email. Whoopsie. But hey, hey! Just found it! I do miss Jazz games with AmEx.

Cute President Monson seems to be at almost every game. I admit that sometimes I watch him when the Jazz Girls are dancing and wonder what he is thinking about it all.

AND, super cuter L. Tom Perry. Love him.

Some fan was going to win a large sum of money if he could hit this target with a football. He wasn't....really even close...at all. So then they brought out the '08-'09 Utah QB and said the fan could still win if QB hit it. Bullseye. Follow the faces...can you see the ball?

Hey, Biceps.

I think that Jeremy was on the jumbotron a dozen times last year. Sometimes more than once during a game. Two years ago I could never get him to move. Last year, I couldn't stop him. A little too much hands on the head and hip for my taste, babe. (See New Year's Eve post.) But hey. Whatever gets you on the big screen Big J.

Sadie is on Danny's shoulders, but you can't capture the screen too well. Sorry that you're headless, Sade.