September in our lives

I always hate it when people do really big long posts with a bunch of pictures that have no relation to each other, but here I am doing one, although I will argue that my pictures do have some relation to each other....they are all from the month of September 2010!

During this month, Jeff decided to try out rock climbing. He loved it!

As a mom, I am still figuring out how to balance my time. There are so many things to do and prioritizing is something I have yet to master. Hence, the next two pictures of Maddox. I was doing the dishes in the kitchen and I noticed how quiet the kids were, which is usual, so I peeked my head in and noticed Maddox had gotten out several opened boxes of baby rice cereal and was making it snow all over his trains. I caught him in the act right when he started, but instead of stopping him, I thought, "Well, I can either stop him and make him clean up the mess or I can let him finish his mess making, giving me enough time to finish the dishes, and then make him clean up his mess, which would be a little bigger, but a mess all the same. I let him finish making his mess...Do you ever do that? Perhaps it is bad parenting, but sometimes i just need a break to get some things done, even if it means more work for me (and him) in the future. Still figuring out how to prioritize!

Here he is cleaning up his mess and doing a great job too!

Here he is after I put a stop to the mess making, which I did.

Embree is into everything. The following picture is why I let Maddox continue to make his mess, so I could get the dishes in before she attacked. When she hears the dishwasher door open, she will come running!

She loves to climb into everything and on everything. Her newest favorite is this tub, which she will spend quite a bit of time in each day, just hanging out.

She also really likes the fridge and strawberries in particular. If I cut them up and give them to her in her high chair, she won't eat them, but if I leave them in the fridge in the container and she gets them out herself and eats them whole, she loves them. Very independent.

Maddox getting ready for school, which is really enjoys. It is fun to hear him come home and try to tell me all about what he did. Each time I ask him what his favorite thing was and he says, "Rings." I have no idea what that is, but he loves it!

A couple weeks ago Maddox was spinning to get himself dizzy and fell and hit his head on the piano bench. It split open. We took him to Doug to get checked out and he got a few bandages, but no stitches.

A close up right after it happened and was washed off.

We went apple picking this year again...our last year...it was so much fun.

In preparation for school, Maddox and I read a book called The Kissing Hand. It is about a little raccoom who goes to school for the first time and is scared so his mom kisses his hand and tells him it is his kissing hand and that his mommy's kiss will go with him to school. There were stickers with it. He loves stickers right now and he loves the Kissing Hand.

You can't see it too well, but Embree has a nice shiner here. She somehow got it...still no idea how. Probably something to do with Maddox and his bike cuz he was riding it around the house. I think the bike pedal hit her eye. Anyway, she got sick while she had the black eye and so I took her to the doctor. Of course, they asked me if she is around anyone who might have reason to hit her. I said no, but was thinking, "Maddox." She is always making him mad and taking his toys.

My sister made these cute headbands for Embree when we were out in MT. She won't wear anything on her head right now, so Maddox has taken a liking to them. He really likes the pink one....big surprise!Here is Jeff and the kids after they spent a whole afternoon playing nintendo and beat super mario wii, mainly it was him and Garrett, but we all watched!

We also played outside for a bit and ran throught the sprinklers. Amanda was so nice to take Embree into the water. Embree loved it!

Maddox and Matthew love to jump on Maddox's fire engine bed. They climb on top and take turns jumping.

Montana Summer

We had a wonderful summer in Montana. I am short on time, as usual, so these are mostly out of order, but at least I am updating!

Here is Embree, now almost 10 months old. She claps, dances, waves, and does Popcorn Popping and Itsy Bitsy Spider. She talks a lot and today we think she actually said hi, although time will tell. She is a terrible sleeper and eater, but we are working on it and she is slowly improving. She is very smart and active and happy as long as we don't make her sleep or eat!Maddox with his stroller. I tried to get him to push a stuffed animal, but he wanted his spatulas instead.

This summer my family, meaning my sister and brother and parents, were sealed in the temple. It was a fast trip and it happened the day before Jeff and I left to head back to Kentucky, but it was worth it! How amazing and I am so grateful for eternal families and that now I am sealed to my siblings and parents. maddox has a habit of waking up in the middle of the night and wandering around and playing. This is where he finally fell asleep. Just the other night Jeff came out and found him riding his trike around the living room at 3 a.m. Funny now, but not at the time.

We went to visit my dad one day. he is working for the state of Montana flying helicopters to fight forest fires. This is his helicopter.

The boys loved it! Jett is my sister's boy. Maddox and him loved playing together, when they weren't fighting or biting or hitting.

We took a trip out to Portland to visit Jeff's family. Here is Maddox and Simon chowing down on the brownies!

Here is a four generation picture of girls. My mom, Embree, me, and my grandma, Darlyne.

Here is one of us hiking at Silver falls in Oregon. It was beautiful. You get to walk behind and under the waterfall in the background, kind of like in Robin Hood.

Here is Jeff with Maddox swimming at Whitefish Lake. Maddox loved the water. By the time we left he was going in up to his neck and trying to swim. Jeff is happy about that because the first purchase we will have for recreation when we are out of dental school is a boat!

When we went to the lake, a local sports store had some canoes, paddleboards, and such to try for free. Here is Jeff doing it.

Here I am trying it out. I failed. Some kid canoed by me and asked, "So this is your first time, huh?" It was pretty obvious. I was shaking and barely balancing. Then he very kindly rammed me and I almost fell off, but managed to just fall to my knees. In case you didn't know, I am scared of the water and was almost crying by the time I made it back to shore.

A view of Flathead Lake. The mountains in the distance are where I live.

We took Maddox horse back riding after Jeff got back from a cattle roundup with my brother in law on his ranch. It was fun!

Maddox loved the backyard and the hose, as long as you didn't spray him back.

Here I am reading to Maddox and Jett while they eat graham crackers. This was a rare moment when these two were sitting still.

To finish it all, here is Maddox right before we left to fly out to Montana, pretending to pump. Jeff was not too excited about this picture, but when we got out to visit my sister, who also just had a baby, her son Jett did the same thing. They just love their mommies so much and want to be just like them!

Who laughs when they get peed on? ME!

I decided I needed to write something on here. I always get on with the intention of writing but inevitably something comes up and I get distracted or I just can't think of anything to share. However, today I have something to share. I guess kids provide you with a wealth of things to share on a daily basis, especially as they get into the terrible twos, which maddox is thoroughly enjoying. Yesterday evening I was changing Maddox's diaper to get him ready for bed when I noticed him pause from his normal squirming. I looked at him and he got this huge grin on his face, started giggling, and then it hit me, literally...on the leg, on the arm, on my pants, on the carpet, all over him. He peed on me. He planned it out and thought it was hilarious and did it on purpose! I was so taken aback that I didn't know what to say and then I started laughing, but stopped that as soon as I realized I need to be a parent right now and tell him that is not appropriate, so I did, holding back the laughing, then turned my head and smiled and chuckled a litle bit and notice Jeff had turned his head and we also laughing. Why did I think it was funny that my kid peed on me? No idea. My only reasoning is that he is just so darn cute and he really did it to be funny. I think he gets his sense of humor from Jeff, although I have been known to seran wrap the toilet on April Fools.

Memorial Weekend

Over Memorial weekend we decided to go for a hike at a nearby nature sanctuary, Raven Run. Well, actually it was more of a leisurly fifteen minute stroll on the handicap sidewalk. But it was still a ton of fun! The company was great. The weather was scortching and humid. The bugs were in heaven and we were too!

Here is Maddox with his "BIG stick." The kids really had a great time collecting sticks and kept trying to find bigger ones than the last. Well, when William tried to pick up a log we quickly changed focus to Dairy Queen when we were done. Embree and me.

Don't be fooled by that back pack Jeff has on. There is nothing in it. Neither Maddox or Matthew wanted anything to do with it. They did a pretty good job wearing themselves out running.

And here is a random picture of Embree. Almost crawling!

Huge (and I mean HUGE) picture post

After quite a few months of no pictures I finally took the time to figure out our new camera and download three months worth of pictures. Here are the first two months...Yes, that means more to come later. The first is just a sneak peek at Embree and how she looked almost a month ago! Crazy how time flies. Here she is probably almost three months old and now she is four months old and going to have her first taste of rice cereal tomorrow!
My dad came to visit for a couple weeks. While he was here he bought Maddox this awesome bike that he loves. I couldn't believe it when he actually started pedaling away after a few minutes of instruction. I hate to admit it but I almost started crying...My baby is not a baby anymore! He can ride a bike! Poor Maddox. It is just a sign of things to come. I am going to be just like my mom, a cry baby, and I hated that she cried when I grew up. Now I will do it to my own kids! Oh well.Family picture before my dad left.
While my dad visited he bought some ice cream for us, a real treat, as you can tell from Maddox's reaction to it
Sorry this one is upside down, but you get the idea. Remind anyone of a Christmas Story?
What an awesome Daddy! All of them sick on the couch...
Here is an up close picture of Maddox after a couple days of a runny nose and wiping his nose on his sleeve. Yes, I am a bad mom I guess. Honestly I got tired of him crying every two seconds that I wiped his nose with a Kleenex so I let him use his sleeve and just changed his shirt several times a day. Life was a lot easier after that.
Maddox LOVES the camera. Here he is taking a picure of himself.
First play in the snow. He loves to make snowballs. The hat he is wearing belonged to my dad's Uncle Melvin, who passed away a couple years ago. It is fun to me that he loves this hat. I am glad too cuz it is the only one that will fit his giant head!
Just thought this pic was funny. When Maddox was a baby and was supposed to use the Bumbo he couldn't because his legs were too chunky and now it fits him just fine!
Maddox and Embree doing some tummy time.
Yummy! Cupcakes. Did I mention Maddox loves frosting? I think that is the second or third time he frosted the same cupcake.
When Jeff and I aren't busy being super duper cool parents, we do super duper cool things, like build this block tower out of Maddox's blocks. This is Jeff's Friday night creation!
Aren't they both so cute?
Along with Maddox's favorite color being pink, he also loves to have tea parties, which have actually turned out to be a great opportunity to teach table manners and how to set a table.
This one is funny. Recently Maddox has fell in love with sprinkles. One time I suggested he put sprinkles on a pancake and now he wants to eat all his food with sprinkles. He even wants to sleep with them, which I will never let him do again. Note the half empty sprinkle bottle and the sprinkles glued to his head and hand. He was literally covered in sprinkles or sprinkle dye.
After a tea party he decided to use the utensils...all of them...to eat his lunch.
Embree's baby blessing
I love this picture. Maddox playing the piano with Grandma Bird.