This and That

Davis decided last week that we was ready to ride the potty train, so here is our attempt at getting him to be successful in the bathroom, cheerleaders by his side and all. It has gone better than I would have expected, by far. That said, potty training is still so so so exhausting. Here's to hoping we only have to train him once.

• I have decided that there are few things more adorable than a two-year-old in super hero underpants. 
• A stomach bug has been circulating around our neighborhood and our home recently. I discovered that one of the benefits of having particularly queasy pregnancies is that you don't even realize you have a virus until you are 3/4 of the way through it. It's much easier to be sick when you are unaware of it.
• Ryan and I were talking shortly after finding out the gender of our unborn child when we realized that our children mirror his own siblings both in gender/birth order and in amount of space between each child almost exactly. Boy-Girl-Boy-Boy is the order of his siblings and so it will be with our children as well. There is a gap of six years and four months between his oldest sibling and his youngest sibling. There will be a gap of six years and three months between our oldest and our youngest. Kind of funny. I hope our children grow up to be as happy and successful as his siblings have. 
• One of they ways that Davis has recently come up with to garner attention from his siblings is to steal the toy they are playing with as soon as they let their guard down and then run away with it. It can often be heard around our house, "DAVIS! GIVE ME BACK MY TOY!" to which he slyly replies, "What's da magic wuuurrrd?" With a sigh or an eye roll they will usually muster up a, "Please, Davis," and he almost always pushes just one more button as he raises his eyebrow "Say it agaaaaaiiin." "PLEASE DAVIS!!" He then throws the toy back in their direction and runs away. One day his older siblings are going to realize that it is faster just to clock him upside the head instead. 
• Have you read this article? You should, and then think of all the drops of awesome you have put in your bucket today. 
• Isaac has been learning the song "This Little Light of Mine" in his music class, and he is currently belting it out from his bed tonight like he is auditioning for American Idol. It is pretty cute. 
• Thanks to my friend Amy's advice, I've recently started using coconut oil on my face to combat the unusually dry weather we are experiencing here lately. It is working wonders! Who knew coconut oil could be so versatile?
• I've been able to volunteer in Isaac's classroom lately and it has renewed my desire to go back to teaching one day. I count myself lucky to be able to stay at home with my children while they are young, and I think I will love going back to classroom teaching someday as well.

Ike's latest Magna-Tile creation. He calls it his star observation tower.

Madelyn Ruth @ 4 1/2 Years

One more tea party shot of little Maddie. "Davis," she said, "You hafta make sure you put your pinky finger out like this when you drink the tea." But, instead of using her pinky finger, she inadvertently stuck her middle finger straight out in the air while she sipped her Fresca.

• Maddie loves to teach younger kids new things, especially Davis. Whether it is how to have a tea party, or exactly how to play house with her Lego Friends, she thrives on the mornings when it is just the two of them home and he becomes her little apprentice, following her around and hanging on her every word.
• She is an "all or nothing" kind of girl. Most of the time, everything in her world is lovely and perfect and wonderful and she skips around like she's floating on air. On the other hand, when she decides that something goes wrong, it usually goes terribly wrong, and there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. And as her mother, it is almost always my fault. 
• She loves to read and can often be found with a pile of books in front of her, reading her heart away. I hope she retains this love for a long time to come.
• She loves to boss other people around. Recently the whole family was playing with her new dollhouse together and Ryan had to remind her several times that she "can't control how we play house."
• Maddie has a very kind heart and is quick to share with other members of our family (even when they aren't so generous in return). If she gets a treat at a birthday party or while at preschool, she often saves it so she can share it with the rest of us. I asked her the other day, "Where did you get such a kind heart?" and she responded, "From Heavenly Father, of course! He created me!" Of course he did. Silly me. 
• Her favorite foods include bread, most any fruit (but especially apples), edamame, carrot sticks with hummus, pizza, and anything sweet.
• She loves to be the center of attention and always has. I still haven't seen much of a shy side to this little girl. 
• She can't wait to start kindergarten. I can. Maybe it's because she is small for her age, but I want my little girl to stay little just a while longer. 
• Of all the children, she is most excited about the baby that will join our family in the spring, and she talks about him all the time (still slipping up occasionally and referring to him as a "her."). I think she will be a great help to me. 
• She loves to sing but can't carry a tune in a bucket. It's in her genes. 
• Maddie loves to dance and I hope she always dances her way through life. As a friend recently mentioned to me, "Her positive attitude and friendly nature will take her far in life." I think she's right. 

Better Late Than Never...Davis Reed @ 2 1/2 Years

Having a tea party in the kitchen.

Davis will be three in less than three months, but I still want to keep up the bi-yearly updates specific to each child, so here is one about Davis a few months late.

• This is hands-down my favorite phase so far with my little Davy. I find so many things about him so charming. 
• He still loves to give long drawn out kisses and hugs, but I have convinced him that kissing me on the cheek is the way to go instead of smack dab in the middle of my lips. He can often be heard saying, "I wike kisses on da cheek! Ownee Papa kisses you on da wips!"
• I am trying desperately to get him interested in potty training (I really want a couple of months diaper-free before the new babe makes his arrival--it's been almost six years straight of changing diapers--that's not too much to ask, is it?) Let's just say he's taking his sweet time.
• He adores Isaac more than anything and wants to be just like him. One of his favorite pass times is sneaking into Isaac's room after he leaves for school and playing with all of his Legos. 
• Everything these days revolves around "good guys" and "bad guys." "Is he a gooood guy, mama?" "Spiderman kills baaaaad guys," "Batman is a goooood guy. I wike Batman." "I going to defeat all da baaaad guys!"
• His favorite foods include quesadillas, fruit, eggs, pizza ("mama, pizza is my favorite food in da whole wide wurd!!") and anything that I am currently eating. 
• He is still very passionate and can throw quite an impressive tantrum.
• He is developing a great sense of humor and loves to make others laugh. 
• He thinks he is excited about having a new baby brother in the house and can often be found kissing my belly. This change will surely turn his little world upside down. 

Superman sipping tea. Not something you see every day. This little boy brings so much light into our family. 

From the Mouth of My Babe

Snowball throwing is a favorite since the storm.

The other day I overheard the kids having the following conversation:

"Isaac, if you don't give me back that toy you stole from me I'm going to...to...I'm going to hit you!" Maddie threatened.

"Maddie!," Davis barked back, " If you hit Isaac, den I going to punch you in da face!"

Christmas 2012

A Myriad of Pictures from Christmas Break (in no particular order)...

Maddie playing with the Lego dollhouse that her grandparents sent her. One of my favorite pass times is listening to her  role play with her new toy. It is nothing short of hilarious how she has the different characters communicate with one another.

The kids at the Air and Space museum in Washington DC. Ryan had some time of the week following Christmas and we took the kids on a little road trip. There were definitely  highlights and lowlights, but it was so so nice to have him around so much.

In front of the Vietnam Memorial in DC.

The East Coast Temple Square at the Washington DC Temple. Though the lights were on a much smaller scale than the ones in SLC, I felt like it was a little piece of home seeing all the Christmas lights around the temple. There was a display of nativity scenes from around the world inside the visitor's center and it was amazing. One of my favorite parts of the trip.

A peek at how we found Maddie and Isaac sleeping in the hotel one night at 2am. I love how Maddie is clinging to the night stand, even in her sleep.

A favorite Christmas present that the whole family benefits from, an indoor trampoline. 

Ryan and Maddie building a castle for Maddie's My Little Pony with the new magna tile blocks from Grandma and Grandpa.

Eating at Cafe Rio in DC. I was in heaven.

Davis refused to dress up as anyone but a ukulele-playing batman for our annual nativity on Christmas Eve. A terrible picture but I had to document it anyway.

Other Happenings:

• We found out the gender of our upcoming addition--even Maddie is excited about having another boy!
• Maddie cut her own hair...and Isaac cut Maddie's hair...and now she has some very noticeable layers that we will have to take care of soon. Ryan tried to convince me that he could even it out himself...that's not going to happen.
• Ryan bought me tickets to see the new Les Mis movie with a friend over the break (loved it!)
• While we all missed being close to family for the holidays, it was so nice to be at home as well. We were able to spend Christmas Eve with friends, and on Christmas day the kids never even got out of their pajamas.
• Ryan was able to be home for all of it. If I have learned one thing over the past 18 months of residency, it's that I no longer take for granted the time that we get to all be together as a family. I hope I never do.