The guest of honor: Cutie Pie Kai and his hairy twin.
My kids went crazy over this sandbox--so much so that they (along with their talented accomplice Tiago) were covered in muddy sand by the end of the night and we had to bathe them before driving home :)
3) Darling girls trotting around while holding hands (no--not Cec and me, but our pretty little daughters ;)
4) Labor updates from my mom about Heidi's progress. It is a BIG deal to me when my sisters have kids!
6) Sunshine and at least "warmer" weather than we've had the past week.
7) Check out these posers practicing up for Sr. pictures one day--gotta love 'em:
I have bangs. And most of the time I love them. But some days, I catch a glimpse of them in a store window or a mirror as I rush past and they just don't look quite right. It's just a random side-effect of growing up in the 80's but they have a way of reminding me of this chick. Remember Harriet from the TV show Small Wonder? Gross. You're fired if you do (even though I do :)
time. Here's what I've done:
The 3 big boys: Ethan and Will can say almost anything and Bentley will laugh at it.
Sesame Street Bodies exhibit at Discovery Gateway
Sweet--the boys' favorite, silly word displayed all over the place! The kids got a huge kick out of the "gooey insides" part of the exhibit (OK--I did too. I don't have a picture of the Count's Organ Organ but each key played a little song about a specific organ and each was pretty clever--just something about ending a verse in "pee" or "poo" that will always be funny :)
Grover's Dance Party
My kids' favorite DVDs these days: Elmo's World
And finally the construction zone in the main discovery museum. This was by far Bentley's favorite spot and has been since our first visit there last year. He loves to ask me when we're going to "freestyle" so he can play on the construction crane. Don't ask me why he thinks that Discovery Gateway translates to "freestyle..."
We came home, made a delicious dinner (for once this week!) of zucchini bread and bruschetta chicken, and then Bentley had his very first tee-ball practice. I sent Joseph with both of the kids so I could clean up dinner and get some stuff done around the house. We all went to bed exhausted and even Bentley slept in until just before 8:00 am (that is late for him!) All in all--a good, busy day.
I first got the Subaru just days before I moved down to BYU as a freshman. I proudly showed it off to my girlfriends and had no idea what that car had in store for it. It was certainly a witness to tons of teenage drama during those first few years I owned it :) It was also a link to my big sis who shared it with me a few days a week so she could commute to work in SLC and then pick me up in Provo afterward so we could hit Gold's Gym together. It was also the vehicle of my very first road trip down to St George with tons of college friends freshman year, and the vehicle which took groups of friends to the cabin for sleepovers and on camping trips that summer. Subie witnessed several kisses, tears like crazy, spying on boys with Alyson, Emily, and Angela, singing at the top of my lungs, and many glorious 'mini-fights' with my brand-new husband (something about the Provo to SLC commute that just brought out our issues...don't worry--we got over them...mostly :)
Last spring, Cec told me about a blog that had captured her heart. As she told me of the darling family she'd been reading about, and mom in particular (the writer of the blog), her eyes filled with tears. She went on to explain that the mother was dealing with the sudden loss of her "superprincess" daughter while still filling the roles of mommy to 3 other kids and wife to her dear husband. I knew I wanted to read that blog and as soon as my kids were asleep that day, I found it and dove in. I cried for an hour, not only because the posts were heart-breaking, but because they were so real, so beautifully written, and so full of raw emotion. The woman who writes the blog just also happens to be a stellar photographer so her words combined with her images really spoke to me.
This forecast is all that is keeping me from seriously going crazy. Well, that and my 2 little kids who are both sleeping soundly right now on this freezing, blizzarding day allowing me to blog and email and wash/iron fabric for my newest sewing projects. 
They're pretty much partners in crime these days and like to do everything together or in the same way. I love how Cares was just resting her little leg on Bentley in this picture while they watched a show and he didn't even mind. Cute.
***the end result of the storm although I can't complain too much--most of it has already melted away.
filled us in:
4. If you are the king of the ocean, never trade your all powerful trident to the sea witch...for anything. Especially if you already have the power to turn your daughter into a human in the first place.
Cleaning out my closet ending up taking 2 days to finish but by Thursday afternoon, all was in order. Except that I had a brand new, huge bruise forming on my shin from falling off of my apparently unstable chair to reach the high shelves. I can be such a clutz :)
2) My little girl has natural curls in her hair. They are certainly not spiraling, springy curls but soft, light curls that really come out when her hair is wet or it is humid out. They also give her quite stunning "hairdos" when she wakes up and her hair is total fluff.
4) Because Cares repeats so much of what we say she has definitely become Beans' 2nd mom. Just today he was getting a quick reprimand and after I told him he needed to stop being rude Cares piped in "rude Beanie" and then later she told him to "be nice."
7) Our new naptime/bedtime routine with Cares includes reading books, doing "rock-ee-bye" and singing in her chair, saying prayers and then laying down in bed. One of her favorite books is her new "flamly book"--a book I made in iPhoto that shows all of Caroline and Bentley's extended family. We sent a picture of her looking at Marshall's page in a letter to him last week since she loves finding the "surfing" picture, among many others.
