Such a Big Boy

Caught Doing a Cheesy Fake Smile

I thought Peter was taking a picture- had no idea he was filming.

Anyway, what have we been up to? Um, pretty much same old thing. I have noticed that like me, a few of you fellow bloggers have hit a wall these last few weeks. That's okay. I guess there's just not much going on. So I know it's a major stretch, but here are some minor details of our lives.

Eden has been allowing me to do her hair lately. In the past, this has been a bit of a battle because I can't stand her hair in her eyes ( and I will not give her bangs), and she hasn't been able to sit still enough for me to put her hair up in even a crooked ponytail with bumps all over. But we kind of have a system down now, and as long as I say "I'm sorry" after every time she says "Ow, that hurts," we get through it. I try to be gentle- she says it hurts when I haven't even touched her yet. She is getting a lot better and even lets me do some cute stuff sometimes. Today we did braids:

And this is what she looks like when we take them out! The dirt on her face just adds to the look!

I have been doing pretty well on my New Year's goal to work out. I have been going to this class at my local gym, and I love it! I have always loved strength training and with this class I also get the benefits of a group class- motivation, energy, and loud music! I was a little skeptical to go to a gym since I have never been a member of one, but I am loving it! I have been sore every time afterward (for days) so I am trying to build up some endurance so I can stop walking like a granny the day after class. Can't wait for the definition to start showing!
And in other news, I had a Parent-Teacher Conference with Jonah's preschool teacher. Jonah has achieved all of his classroom goals for the year already, so his teacher made some new goals for him. I think he is doing so much better since he started the program. Others have noticed too. He still has some work to do on his speech goals, and his speech teacher adjusted some of the goals so we knew specifically what he needs to improve on. I think that if we all work hard, he can reach his goals by the end of the year.

I made an appointment for Eden to get screened. I figure, it's free to get screened and the preschool is through the public school system, so it's free too. (Or rather, we have already paid for it, so what have I got to lose?) I think she might qualify for articulation and receptive speech delays. We'll see. That happens in about a month, so I'll post the results.

Other than that, Jonah is way into HSM 3 and wants to hear (and sing) "The Boys Are Back" all day long. I need to get video of him singing it and dancing along. We have also been reading Green Eggs and Ham a lot, and he has it mostly memorized and reads it aloud to himself. It's the cutest thing ever. I'll try to sneak a video of that too.

What Color Are My Kids' Eyes?

Up until recently, the kids have all had some shade of blue eyes. It is getting harder and harder for me to tell what their eye colors are. Sometimes they look green, sometimes blue, and sometimes a mix of both colors. The only obvious color is Levi's light blue eyes (click on the pictures to zoom in):
Eden started off a medium blue color, but have since really lightened up and I think are finally turning green. They are very light and don't really have any other colors in them, unlike Jonah's.
Jonah's eyes have a brownish-gold ring around the pupil and the rest are a dark aqua color. His eyes are the hardest for me to decide on. They tend to change with what he's wearing. (I wasn't thinking about the kids' eyes until I saw this picture. I was trying to get a picture of the cute tiny freckles that I noticed on Jonah's upper cheeks!)

Marcelus Turns 3

The kids' cousin, Marcelus, turned 3 today and we went over to help celebrate. It worked out that today was Presidents' Day and Jonah had school off, so we were able to make the trip out to share Marce's special day.

The kids did some playing outside in the dirt early on in the day...

and also played with the balloons...

and Marce gave Eden a ride in the walker.

Marce opened presents from his parents, Grandma and Grandpa Willard, and Jonah and Eden.

He got some cool stuff.

This is one somber kid. He just does not smile much, I guess. I was trying every trick I could think of just to get a teensy smile out of him, and I finally resorted to tickling for this one! Hey, it worked!

We sang "Happy Birthday" and Marce blew out his candle. The kids ate plenty of ice cream and all of the frosting off of their cupcakes.

Levi even joined in the singing of "Happy Birthday." Can you hear it?



We couldn't leave without having a few races first...

Then it was time to go home! Eden has her sunglasses on, so we're ready!

We had a great time. Happy Birthday, Marce!

My Top 10 Romantic Comedies

I stole this idea from my cousin, Karena, who actually had a legitimate reason to list her faves. I'm just doing it for fun. And these are my top ten contemporary films, not classics. In my opinion, Pride and Prejudice is the original romantic comedy!

Keep in mind that these might not be in exact order, though I did try to get it close. Without further ado...

#10- Sabrina

I love Greg Kinnear in this!

#9- Say Anything

John Cusack is so great in this. This brings me back to high school.

#8- 50 First Dates
This movie is seriously funny! Peter loves it.

#7- Father of the Bride
Some might say that it's not a Romantic Comedy, but I think it is. I have seen this movie more times than I can remember.

#6- Miss Congeniality
Gracie Lou Freebush! And don't forget about Benjamin Bratt.

#5- Dan in Real Life
This is one of my new favorite movies. To me, a great movie is one I could watch over and over and not get sick of it. This definitely qualifies. "YOU ARE A MURDERER OF LOVE!"

#4- Music and Lyrics
I love Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore and they are great together.

#3- Sweet Home Alabama

I could watch this movie every week.

#2- You've Got Mail

Sorry to disappoint my sisters, but it's not my #1. Although I love it, the ending is just too cheesy and badly delivered, so it can't be my #1.

This is.....

#1- Two Weeks Notice

The king and queen of romantic comedies rule together in this one! Great chemistry and a funny plot. Movies that didn't make the cut: Shallow Hal, My Best Friend's Wedding, Just Like Heaven, and Sleepless in Seattle.

Flashback Friday

The kids' 1st birthdays!

Jonah

Eden

Levi

Connie needs...

According to Google, I need:

1. A bone marrow donor

2. a new home

3. a nose

4. your votes

5. to do something productive

6. new shoes

7. a hero

8. encouragement

9. some help

10. a giant Santa sack

Valentine's Day at the Park

The other day my friend had a little Valentine's Day party at the park. It was awesome and she totally outdid herself (at least until her next party)! She had little cupcakes and cookies for the kids to decorate and little crafts for them to make. My kids didn't care about either activity at first; they just wanted to play at the park! But after a while, they came over and frosted and decorated some treats.
It was a fun to get together with a lot of friends from the ward. The kids had fun playing with some friends too. Here is Eden getting pushed on the swing by my friend's daughter.
Levi was pretty content just to sit in his stroller for most of the time.
Jonah LOVES pretending to be a tiger in tall grass. He crouches down and then "parts" the grass to growl. I could barely get him to get out of there so we could go home!

Millennium

I saw this on Facebook actually, but I thought I'd post it here instead. It's kind of dumb, but oh well.

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Put your Ipod or other music player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the NEXT button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag friends who might enjoy doing this as well as the person you got this from.

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY?" YOU SAY?
La Tortura (Shakira)

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Viva La Vida (Coldplay)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
A Falling Through (Ray Lamontagne)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
One of These Things First (Nick Drake)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Flashing Lights (Kanye West)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
The First Song (Band of Horses)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT OFTEN?
Time Bomb (The Format)

WHAT IS 2+2?
In the Waiting (Zero 7)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Alone (Heart)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
White Tooth Man (Iron and Wine)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP??
Back to Where I Was (Eric Hutchinson)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE??
Crazy Train (Ozzy)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
It Ends Tonight (All-American Rejects)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Song For the Dumped (Ben Folds Five)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Summertime (Kenny Chesney)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
I'd Rather Be With You (Joshua Radin)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Love You I Do (Dreamgirls Soundtrack)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
So Fresh, So Clean (OutKast)

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Irreplaceable (Beyonce)

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Dancing Through Life (Wicked) -Haha!

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
No One Mourns the Wicked (Wicked)

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Boy With a Coin (Iron and Wine)

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
I Have a Dream (ABBA)

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Talk (Coldplay)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Honky Tonk Badonkadonk ( Trace Adkins)

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
You Are The Best Thing (Ray Lamontagne)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Such Great Heights (Iron and Wine)

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Breathe (Taylor Swift)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Millennium (Robbie Williams)