Soy un Hijo de Dios

The kids sing "I am a Child of God" in Spanish to their Grandma Ruth:



The kids are participating in their annual primary program this upcoming Sunday and they were asked along with a few other children in the ward to sing "Soy un Hijo de Dios." We have been practicing a little bit each day and they are getting excited to perform. It has helped me recommit to speaking to them in Spanish as much as possible (I all but fell off the Spanish-speaking wagon during my pregnancy/4th trimester with Nathan). I really want them to be bilingual, but it is harder than I ever anticipated it would be at times. People often ask me if they speak back to me in Spanish. They respond almost exclusively in English but seem to understand almost everything I say to them in Spanish. It is on my never-ending to-do list to work on their verbal skills someday before they leave for college :).

The Kids Sing their Latest Primary Favorite

Singing to Grandma Ruth a couple of days ago. My favorite part is when Maddie does her "army" action.

Some Recent Photos

What do you mean, you don't play baseball

and garden in your swim suit and rain boots? Huh...

A photo of Nathan's daily torture session, aka tummy time. 

He's been spending a lot of time mostly naked as it has been super humid and hot around these parts lately. The boy loves the vibrate option on his bouncy chair.

We went berry picking last week and it turns out the kids are much more efficient blueberry pickers than they were last year. We ended up picking about 12 cups of blueberries. The kids were thrilled. I let them eat a few on the way home and we still came home with 5 and a half pints. Later on that afternoon I went upstairs to feed the baby, and when I came down, all 5 pints were gone! That's 10 cups of blueberries! A measly half-pint was all that remained, and the kids were working on it when I found them. 

Ryan had just come home when I caught the kids in the act. Without going into detail, let's just say I overreacted a little bit (Can't a mama just make some blueberry muffins? That's all I really wanted...)So much so, that Ryan now often jokes and says, "Is it as important as eating a couple of blueberries?..."

Maddie plays ball.


Isaac sings to Nathan.

Because It's Been Awhile...

Maddie sings Silent Night


Isaac sings his favorite Hanukkah songs.

Merry Christmas!

A Few Current Favorites

Image Source: Amazon.com

Phillipine brand dried coconut. I have long been a fan of their dried mangos, but this coconut is my new favorite treat. I have only ever seen it at a Utah Costco, so I asked my parents to bring me a bag when they came for a visit recently--instead they brought me four. That's just how they roll. Ryan thinks it tastes just like Styrofoam. I think that's great--more for me.

Ikea's Kids-Eat-Free-Tuesdays. Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch? Clearly their chocolate milk is a hit.

I get chills every time I watch the trailer for the newest Les Miserables movie. I haven't been this excited for a movie in a long time. In case you have been living under a rock and haven't seen it, you simply must check it out. Anne Hathaway, you get my Oscar vote.



This essay on Motherhood makes me smile. I love writers who can articulate so well how I am feeling like this one did.

And lastly, a video of each of my three favorite little people:

Isaac sings his favorite primary song, Nephi's Courage.


Maddie's rendition of Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam with some dancing. She made me promise I would post this one to the blog.



It is a running joke in our family that Davis has never had a thought that he didn't vocalize. He is ALWAYS talking. Always. Adorable and exhausting all rolled into one. Without him knowing, I grabbed a little bit of footage of him looking at a book in hopes of catching a glimpse of what he is like at age two.

Ike Rides a Bike

Isaac learned to ride a bike a couple of days ago and now he's bike-obsessed. I love watching my kids learn something new.

Since we live on a busy street I parked our van between him and the road.  He is still taking many many tumbles (and has scraped knees and a fat lip as proof) but always gets back up. We have since put the training wheels back on Maddie's bike and he is cautiously riding his own bigger bike now.

Davis was certain that he could do it if Isaac could, and refused any help we were willing to give.

This is how he felt about the bike falling to the ground over and over again.
I get that look a lot.

I took this video right after Isaac learned to make turns. He wanted me to send it to his dad immediately, he was so excited about it.

Some Recent Video Clips

We got blasted with a couple of feet of snow yesterday. Here is a clip of Isaac enjoying it. When he woke up on Saturday morning he came to me and exclaimed, "It looks like the North Pole outside!"

Davis got this Leap Frog magnet game for Christmas---hello? Why didn't I buy this cool learning toy years ago? It can occupy him for significant amounts of time and it's teaching him his letters with no help from me. Be careful when you listen to him say "W" because you just might die of cuteness.

We couldn't leave Mads out. A friend of mine was in junior primary the other day and told me, "Maddie was made to be a sunbeam!". She seems to love everything about it. Below she sings the song they are learning this month.

Christmas 2011

Isaac and Maddie playing the part of Joesph and Mary during the Nativity on Christmas Eve. 

The manger. We were able to have Brooke and Jeremy over as well as some friends from church. We always have a Mexican fiesta on Christmas Eve and this year was no different.

This Shepherd who wouldn't sit still long enough to be photographed. 

Ryan got home from work on Christmas morning a few minutes after the kids woke up and I was able to keep them entertained upstairs until he could be with us.

Maddie in her new princess dress, socks, and jewelry. The blue earrings are my favorite. 

Ike and his dragon tail. My sister-in-law made one for each of our kids. They are adorable and are already being used  to play dress-ups.

My kids love to watch videos of themselves from this blog and their very favorites are the ones from Christmas morning. I'm sure the following videos will be hits in the months and years to come as well.

Checking out their stockings.


Maddie opening a Christmas present.


Isaac and Maddie riding the gifts given to them by their grandparents. As you can see, Maddie is just as accident-prone on a bike as she was her tricycle. If you listen you can hear her sing "Angels We have Heard on High" as she rides. Maybe she shouldn't be multi-tasking so much.
I'm always a little melancholy when I think about the Christmas season coming to an end, but we are looking forward to what the next year has in store for our family.
Bring on 2012.

Recent Random Videos (Mostly of Davis)

At the end of this video you will see just how far Davis is willing to go to be like his sister.


What happens when Davis and too much bath water combine.


D's rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"

Should I lay off the Veggie Tales?

I just recently purchased a smart phone and for the first time tonight realized that I can take video with it and then upload said video to youtube with just the click of a button. I may be late to this party, but how cool is that?

Lately Isaac has been making up all sorts of songs, and below you will find the song he made up for me tonight at bedtime. I am certain that he found some of his inspiration in this video. Not sure quite what to think of it, but Ryan has been telling me that I need to lay off the Veggie Tales with the kids or Ike will be asking to go to Vacation Bible Camp before we know it.

My only response to that is, "What's so wrong with Vacation Bible Camp?"



After I uploaded the video, I started to watch a few videos that I posted about this time a year ago. I cannot believe how fast kids grow up. It doesn't seem fair that the days can sometimes drag on and on but yet I blink and they are a year older. These childhood years are so so short, so here's to enjoying them as much as I can while they still think I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Here is a video of Maddie from almost exactly a year ago singing her favorite cartoon jingle:



And here is one of Davis. How could I have forgotten how super-chubby my little Chancho was???



And I wonder why Davis is such a loud child...

Because I'm too Lazy to do a Separate Post for Each Event...

...here are a few random photos of things we have been up to over the past couple of weeks.

Davis learning to play "Hungry Hungry Hippos" with his Papa.

 We have been getting together with friends in our neighborhood once or twice a week for a little co-op. Half of the moms stay with the kids and supervise their own children as well as the other children in the group, and half of the moms drop their kids off (as long as they are at least 2 1/2--no toddlers are left without their mamas) and have a couple of hours by themselves or with just one child. It's wonderful. It gives us something planned that we can look forward to during the week, and I don't even mind being one of the supervising moms because all of the other children in the group seem to get along really well and are well-behaved. Plus, it's great to have time to run errands with just Davis when it's my turn to drop kids off--grocery shopping with just one child---yes, please! I only wish we would have come up with this great idea while we lived in Iowa.

Isaac at the park with some new friends.

On our park days, D usually spends most of his time milling around other people's strollers, looking for snacks and water bottles. 

Ike has since had his cast removed. I cannot tell you how much easier MY life is(not to mention HIS) when this boy has TWO functioning arms. 

Maddie, contemplating the meaning of life.

We also visited a local orchard for the first time since moving to CT and it was a big hit. We picked fresh peaches (peach pie, baby!) and blueberries. 

I had never seen a blueberry bush until that day. 

Brooke came along as well. The kids adore her. She's heading back to Louisiana for a few months and we will all miss her so much. Davis even refers to her as "mommy."

It doesn't get much better than holding hands with your babies, does it? We can't wait for the pears and apples to be ready--there are 28 different kinds of apples in this orchard!

Balsamic black bean salsa, where  have you been all my life? This is my current favorite recipe (and honestly, one of the only recipes I've attempted this summer. My kitchen is on sabbatical right now. Otter pops have taken over). 

Isaac gave his very first talk in primary on Sunday. His topic was "My body is a temple." He surprised both Ryan and I by not getting nervous. We sure were proud of our little man. I recorded a clip of him practicing his talk before church that morning so that I can always remember the sound of his little voice at four years old. It's a bit long, so I don't imagine it will be of much interest to anyone other than myself and grandparents.

Whenever I Hear the Song of a Bird

Here is the latest favorite primary song in our house. In an effort to give Maddie equal air time (Ike seems to unintentionally drown her out when they sing together), I videotaped them separately, Maddie singing the first verse and Ike the second. The only problem I ran into was that little Mads didn't want to stop at just one verse, so you get the whole song from her and just the second verse from Ike.

I wish I could have fully captured Maddie's outfit today---Sparkly Unicorn shirt, Princess skirt, and Dora snow boots.

It's 80 degrees outside today.

These are for you, Corey!

A Few Favorites

With this year's 4th (and final...sniff...sniff) annual Favorite Things Party coming up this Saturday, I have been thinking about what I want to share with my Iowa girls this weekend. While none of these faves seem appropriate for the party, I wanted to share the love with the blogging world just the same.

Insect Lore

This Easter my kids received a butterfly garden in their basket. We are currently harvesting baby caterpillars that get bigger and bigger each day. In the next couple of weeks we will get to watch the caterpillars grow, build their cocoons, and eventually hatch into 5 different Painted Lady butterflies. They love watching them and can't wait to transfer them to their mesh butterfly garden in the next week or so. Here is the link to their website, but I bought mine at Amazon for less than $15. A great educational experience for a small price.

Greek Style Feta Dressing

 Since my beloved Bleu Cheese Vinaigrette is nowhere to be found here in Iowa, Trader Joe's Feta dressing has taken it's place. My dear friend, Laura, introduced me to it's goodness and now I can't get enough. It seriously makes for an amazing salad. And it's only $1.99 a bottle.

Cinnamon Schoolbook Cookies

Also from Trader Joe's (can you tell I really like that place?), Cinnamon Schoolbook Cookies are such a fun snack for my kids. All of the cookies are shaped like letters and numbers, and Ike and Maddie love it when I make small words for them to sound out. Davis is a pretty big fan as well. My friend Hilery was the one who helped me discover these, and now they are a special treat around here, and they are only $2.49 a tub (who knew Trader Joe's was so affordable?). The only problem is, they don't stay around very long.

Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons

Speaking of sounding out words, Isaac has been doing a lot of that lately. While I'd like to think it's because he's a super-genius (he totally IS), I owe it more to the design of this great book. Some of my teacher-friends told me about it years ago, so when Ike started showing interest in reading a little while back, I purchased the book (less than $13 on Amazon), and we are currently on lesson 40. Each lesson takes around 10 minutes and he loves it. It is his "school time." I know he would learn to read in kindergarten, but the educator in me wanted to be the one to have the experience of teaching him myself. So if you have a pre-reader who is showing interest, I highly recommend this book. And four years old seems to be the perfect age. I haven't tried it with Maddie and probably won't for another year.

Here is a little video of the Ikester reading the story from lesson #39. This was his first reading of the story.

Could you just see the pride in that little boy's eyes?

Broken or Spoken?

In this video Isaac and Maddie are singing the primary song, "Love is Spoken Here." It is their current bedtime request, so they hear it just about every night. Isaac sings "love is broken here" instead of "love is spoken here." I'll try not to read into what that means about how he feels about his childhood...and poor Maddie sounds like a barking seal with her horrible cough.


Here is a video of Big D. He loves to stand on his own but prefers to belly flop when he gets tired or excited instead of trying to take a step or two.

Christmas 2010

Our Christmas in pictures:

Dinner at PF Changs with my parents and siblings--it is the only time all year that we are together without children (we missed Brooke and Jeremy).

After we ate, my dad gave aprons to everyone--cute flirty ones to all the girls and manly ones with chef hats to all the boys. Here he is donning his chef's hat.

We started the tradition of going out to breakfast on Christmas Eve the first year that Ryan and I were married. Now the kids join us as well. Here is Ike at Einstein's Bagels. He is showing off his cinnamon-sugar-coated fingers.

Maddie insisted we take a picture of her fingers as well.

Christmas Eve with my parents always includes Mexican food and Henry Weinhart's rootbeer. Here Ike is downing his first cold one. 

My cousin Katy with D and Maddie. She is always so nice to our kids.

Brian was in charge of blended drinks this year. It's about time somebody put him in charge of something.

A Kodak moment when Maddie spontaneously embraced Harper instead of bossing her around.

Ike the shepherd before the first annual Christmas Eve nativity.

Ryan and Ike mowing down some Mexican food.

Ike and Fischer playing shepherds.

Davis and Harper sharing a smooch before the big production.

Maddie the angel.

Livy and Jake played Mary and Joesph.

Maddie loves Jake. The other day she told me that he was her best friend.

Believe it or not, Davis is the smallest (well, youngest) baby in the family and therefore won the role of baby Jesus.

The babe and I.

The production in action. This was taken right before D wriggled out of Livy's arm and landed on his head.

It didn't seem to faze him too much. When the shepherds started using their canes as swords, we wrapped things up pretty fast.

As expected, D's favorite Christmas gift was wrapping paper.

Ike and Fischer in their twin pjs on Christmas Eve.

Ike and his Monster Truck Lighting on Christmas morning.

D doing a little bit of baby yoga in between opening presents on Christmas morning.

All three kids on Christmas morning.

Unfortunately, I ran out of picture-taking steam by the time we got to Ryan's parents' home. I did get a couple of shots. Here is Maddie wearing her new kracker crown.

Ike with the race track from Grandma Mary-Ann and Grandpa Lynn. He was in heaven.

We had Ryan's parents out for dinner and FHE right after Christmas. Here are Maddie and Grandma playing puzzles together. 

D and Gramps playing with cars.



Bring on 2011!