together

My kids love being together. 

When we were talking about how to arrange the kids in rooms once the baby comes, Evie insisted they all three share a room. So that's what we are going to do!

One of the few words Samuel can say right now is "No-wah" (he used to say "Eeeeee" for Evie but has quit that now. we try to get him to say Evie and he just says "No-wah.").  So Samuel walks around calling a lot of things Noah. He has been imitating Noah and Evie a lot too, but especially Evie. He'll try to dance like her or raise his arms like she tells him too. She's like a little mama to him, trying to teach him how to talk and do things. When we pray at the dinner table, Samuel lays his head to his shoulder the same as Noah.

the many faces of...my family

Since I've poked fun at my three kids, Noah, Evie and Samuel, I thought it was only fair to put up some of the other photos that came out of Christmas 2012. Just remember something I read on Pinterest or somewhere: You are strongest if you can laugh at yourself...or you have more fun that way...or something. 

Don't worry. I'll start with myself. Just as a refresher, here's what I generally look like. Not bad here either since I actually have makeup on... 

... However, the makeup ain't helping me out one bit here. Yikes. Trust me folks, this is the worst one. And I'm laughing. Therefore, I'm the strongest ;P

My dear dear husband was ever so excited about my gift to him. Well, he was quite pleased with the new Bible I got him.

Okay, perhaps my brother's photo is funnier than mine... It's a toss up. He looks quite...happy...about the Disney Princess dolls Evie just forced him to hold. A little too happy.

And here's my dad with his impressive mustache. Mustaches are very popular now-a-days so he should feel extra special.

My mom was laughing about...the new towels I got her? I don't know. She's laughing. And mom, I could have put up a much more...interesting...photo of you so don't be mad. :)

My mother in law is very excited about her new work shoes. But really she was!

Terry's dad. I can't make a joke about him. He's a good lookin fella!

Cousin Baby Grace wins with this one though right?!

the many faces of Samuel

Samuel really doesn't have too many "faces" in his repertoire yet. I'm not worried about it since his sister and brother show great promise and he is imitating them (especially Evie) a lot these days, which is so cute. Though he can definitely be a challenge during the day. But I guess he does get me a workout with the number of times I have to carry him upstairs to his crib for discipline and time out. But I still wanna kiss him all the time! He is my squiggliest child. Look at that face! I love my little face boy!

 This face reminds me of his dad. His eyes are more squinted then normal because of the flash, but that's what makes him look like his daddy if you ask me. Terry has been told he has Asian eyes by several people.

His zone out face. Zombie! Or perhaps his dad flashed him one too many times with the camera.

This is a face we see all the time: Concentration. It's usually not directed at a person, but at his toys. Here he was examining his stocking stuffer balls very seriously. "Ball" is a favorite word of his. Actually, it's one of the few words he can say. Verbalization isn't his forte at this point. He still specializes in destruction. Just ask Noah, whose Lego Millennium Falcon Samuel and his partner in crime, cousin Baby Grace, tried their darnedest to dismantle this morning. Or ask daddy whose hard work on Noah's new marble track he nearly demolished in seconds yesterday, thus causing daddy to be very frustrated. Come to think of it, daddy looked a lot like Samuel in this photo!

But then he pulls out a smile like this! Gah! 

And he has more cute looks up his sleeve. 

Impatience. If he could talk, he's invariably be telling me to hurry up with those scissors so his new monster trucks would be available for him to get his hands on. I guess he figures he doesn't need to talk. Look how his mommy can read his facial expressions.

Polite surprise? Polite impatience for daddy to hurry up and open his new little people helicopter? Or just plain cuteness?

the many faces of Evie

My cute little Evangeline. Little squishy squirrel. She is so funny. And it's different from her brother's humor. His is more...practiced and crazy and manic. Evie's humor is more unexpected, original, genuine - like she doesn't know how funny she is. I was upset at her a while back at dinner for something but she turned it around by saying something funny and then all the sudden I was trying not to laugh at her! I smirked at Terry and then both of us were trying not to smile. That's Evie.

It's too bad that I have to start out this photo montage like this, but I like to do things chronologically. This photo was the first up. What a crazy girl! Daddy was playing with the new camera and she was jumping on the ottoman to give him something to take photos of. But also, it looks like she could be pretending to be a cat - you can tell by the vague far-away look in her eyes. She's been playing cat constantly lately. "Mom-my, I'm a cat. Call me Jewel." That's the name she made up. Originality again.

I am not sure what happened in this photo. She's either injured (oops. but hey, i wasn't even there.) or she's just extra wacky. Or she's constipated...

Run away quickly! Before she eats us all!

Here is what she looks like when she doesn't know there's a camera pointed at her. And what a good brother Noah was for pushing her on the Plasma Car (or perhaps she threatened to eat him too).

I think this one is my favorite. This was Christmas at my parents house. 

Genuine happy face. She is modeling the new necklace my dad got her. 

Sleeping bag face (Christmas at the ranch). 

Modeling her new backpack. Doesn't she look like she belongs in a Pottery Barn Kids magazine? 

the many faces of Noah

Oh, my firstborn. He can be bouncing off the walls wacky and silly and then turn around be so darn serious. Do not joke with him ("Noah, we are just kidding. Noah, your sister can pretend to be a cat. We know she's a human and not actually a cat."). 

Here is the typical "smile" we have been getting out of him lately. A very canned Cheese. I can hear him saying it. Eeeeeeeeeee...Are you done yet?

Mischievous, rascally, playful?

Unhinged

"I love you man!"

Now here's a genuine smile. He looks like his mama with those cheekbones.

Channeling his father.  Or perhaps casting a spell (his wand is hidden behind his head)? He's been doing this face a lot. It reminds me of the silly faces I see students posting of themselves on facebook. Or perhaps he's practicing for photo bombs.

Even more so, his father is coming out in spades right here. Manic!

Glad to see he's reigned himself in now.

And this is what Snap is like when the kids are around. "Please, God, protect me. Or take me."

spritz cookies

I have been a bad blogger. Two weeks since I've been here. 

Well, about the last time I posted, I made Christmas spritz cookies with the kids. It's great fun for them because they enjoy watching me pump out those cookies onto the sheet and then decorating them however they want. And they're really yummy.

I set Noah and Evie to work decorating at the same time and Noah was done in like one minute flat. Evie took significantly longer, paying very specific attention to each cookie. 

Doesn't he look so enthused? 

The cookies only lasted for one week! Now we are on to fudge and peanut butter balls. No wonder I feel too big for this stage of pregnancy. Not to mention my mom's three tier bars and nut butter balls...

hooks and books

The same day that we did our Christmas tree, we got a couple other projects crossed off my Honey-Do list. The first were these home made hooks at the front door. There are seven behind the door and then another three adjacent to those. They are all screwed securely in to the 1x6 that I painted to match the kitchen. And would you believe that all the hooks are filled up with coats now? How I loathe using hangers in a closet. And, AS IF kids could do that. Plus, now it'll be easy when we have another youth group party for the peeps to hang up their coats. 

We also brought up our bookshelves that had been simply collecting dust in the dungeon while the books were still packed away in boxes (three months after we moved in). They're in our bedroom now and they will stay there. I really like the whole set up. And it's good to have them away from Destroyer Baby.

And here's our next project. The dungeon! Poor Terry is not so much looking forward to it I think. And the kids don't wanna give up their flying turtle habitat. But I don't care. I'd like to be able to hang out down there without freezing my nose whilst under a down blanket. Muhaha!

2012 tree hunting

Now that we're home in the good ol' Black Hills again, we could once again go on a real hunt for a tree, instead of going to a tree farm like we had for the last four years in Nebraska. Not that Heins Pines wasn't fun, but I sure do love a nice Charlie Brown spruce tree. Makes me feel rather homey and nostalgic. Terry, on the other hand, really could care less. So it was upon my asking nicely that we go up to Hills and hunt. He was okay with it only if we left Samuel at home with my mom (he had been extra naughty and would have made the trip absolutely no fun. thankfully, all the discipline is working and he is doing better now.).

After our initial attempt down a logging road came up empty, we struck gold on the other side of the highway. Here's our winner on the side of a hill. The hill made my legs looks freakishly long, as if my feet were a part of them. Disregard that.

Terry carrying it away. I'm sure it made him feel extra manly. 

I was so relieved to have found a tree so no one could make us go to Menards or something boring like that. I'd like our kids to enjoy this as a tradition! Plus, it gives Terry extra reason to be fond of his beastly Blazer and it's handy-dandy trailer towing capabilities.

We got to work on decorating the tree right after lunch when Samuel was napping. We're pretty mean to Samuel.

Noah did a good job trailing lights behind me and getting new ones hooked up.

Evie just sat around enjoying her bunny tree that daddy made her.

Don't worry. See, Samuel did get to enjoy the tree...once it was all done. We have to keep a close eye on that boy. He'd like nothing better than to re-arrange every ornament he could reach, which he's done a lot.

All done!

Later, Terry succumbed to the neighborhood peer pressure to put lights on the house (the neighbors two houses up were both doing it). Plus, I suggested it. :)