Tractor

We borrowed Dad's tractor a couple weeks ago to do some work in our yard and have had it parked out back. The other day the kids were playing outside and I came out to find that Jacob finally discovered it was back there and had climbed up and was playing on it. He thought it was the coolest new toy and was mad when I pulled him down!

Landon's Bike

Cailyn has been spending a lot of time on her bike this summer. Landon tried to keep up with her using an old bike we got at a garage sale a long time ago, but it soon became apparent that he needed something a little better. So as a reward for finally learning to say prayers all by himself he got to pick out a new bike. Doesn't he look uber cool with his shades and helmet? :)

3rd Grade

I really can't believe that summer is gone and another school year has started. Life just moves too quickly these days! And I can't believe my little girl is starting 3rd grade. I swear it feels like yesterday when she started Kindergarten. She has grown up so much in just a few years. Pretty soon she'll be turning 8 and getting baptized! Cailyn has been such an amazing little helper this summer. She is always willing and happy to unbuckle the boys car seats, help them into their high chairs, get them drinks or snacks, help clean up, etc. I will miss her being gone all day and I know Landon will, too. They have been the best of friends and have loved playing together. Cailyn always comes up with creative and fun things to do for them. She is such a bright girl and I just love her so very much!!!

Two Wheels

A couple days ago Papa came over take the big kids on a bike ride. When they came back Cailyn told me to come out and watch her. To my amazement her training wheels were off and she was riding around as if she'd been riding like that forever. She was all smiles and I could just tell she was so proud of herself -- and rightly so. :) She's been riding her bike non-stop ever since! :P

Um, Seriously?!?!

It's no secret -- raising twins is TOUGH! So much harder than our singletons ever were. If Cailyn & Landon had come down as twins, I think it would've been more manageable. But these boys (and Owen, in particular) are a breed unto themselves. They get into FAR more trouble than Cailyn and Landon ever did. Jacob might not have been so bad on his own, but the saying is true, "Monkey see, monkey do" and he gets into just as much mischief as Owen, or at least he's always along for the ride. :)

Two nights ago we lowered their cribs because they were on the brink of literally jumping out of them. I thought they were safe playing in their room but, no. Today I found Owen on top of the dresser and Jacob thinking about making his way up there as well. My goodness, I don't know what to do with these crazy little boys! :P

Happy Dip

It's tough being the big brother to TWO little boys. Just ask Landon. You know those really cool grocery carts they have with the car in front? Yeah, my kids love those. (What kid doesn't?!) There are two seats and Cailyn & Landon have usually had the privilege of claiming those spots. Enter Jacob & Owen -- two crazy little toddlers who do NOT like grocery shopping and are finally big enough to ride in them. Today we went to Stater Bros and we spotted one of those fancy carts. Landon made a beeline for it, but I had to tell him that his little brothers got to ride in it, and there wouldn't be enough room for him. And boy did that ever break his heart! Suddenly his lip hung low and the tears just started rolling down his cute little face! Oh, I felt so bad for him! So to make it up to him (and let's face it, to save face in front of all those customers who were staring at us like I must be the worst mom in the world) I told him he could pick out a treat. He walked down the candy isle with a big grin on his face and carefully chose for himself a Fun Dip. As soon as we got home he dove right in. The best part is that he's been calling it a Happy Dip and who am I to correct him? It actually seems more fitting in this situation, anyway. :)

Too excited

Owen & Jacob LOVE to take baths. They splash and scream and giggle and get everything in the vicinity soaked. It's like Sea World -- if you're sitting in the first 3 rows you will get drenched!

Anyway, the other day we were downstairs and I asked them if they wanted to take a bath. They got all excited and made a beeline for the stairs. I ran up ahead of them to start the bath and then turned around for a minute to get their post-bath clothes ready. When I turned back around I saw this! Apparently they got up the stairs a lot faster than I thought they would and didn't bother to be stripped down. What's funny is I'm sure the water was freezing cold cuz it takes a while to heat up, but they didn't seem to mind. In fact, they were extremely irritated when I had to take them out to get their clothes off. Oh, what silly little boys!!!

A sixth sense

If you come to our house you will notice that we don't leave our chairs around the table. It's because Owen & Jacob have a sixth sense for when someone gets out of their chair. They instantly make a mad dash for the chair and climb onto the table. And if there's food there, all the better. The other day Landon left his pancake and chocolate milk out and of course the boys spotted their opportunity within seconds. Owen helped himself to the pancake while Jacob guzzled the chocolate milk.

Pictureka!

Our older kids love to play games. Whether it be simple card games like UNO or Old Maid or board games like Candyland, Clue Jr., Life, etc., they like it all. There is one game that they are particularly fond of. It is Pictureka! the Disney version. They are very good at it and beat me and Marie almost every time we play it. Maybe that is why they like it.

I swear Landon has the cards memorized. He can easily beat anyone he plays during the first round. With all the cards laid out on the ground it can be overwhelming to find such a small item on the cards. It is especially frustrating when Landon doesn't even try and sometimes is not even paying attention and still finds the item faster than you. Cailyn is just as equally good but I think Landon amazes me because he is 3 years younger than Cailyn yet is her equal. Plus it is fun to hear his little voice shout out "Pictureka!" when he finds the item.

What goes up, must come down.

We have lived in this home for a little over a year now. We love it and enjoy how much room we have compared to our previous home. The previous home was one story and 1843sq ft. This home is two story and 3842sq ft. Did you read the important part of those last two sentences? No, not the size difference. The fact that this house is two stories. With Cailyn and Landon we never had to worry about stairs when they were babies/toddlers. When we moved here, Owen and Jacob were just five months old. The stairs were a big fear for me and Marie. We installed some gates downstairs to keep the boys "contained" in the family room and kitchen area. It also kept them away from the stairs. We never found a suitable gate for upstairs so we used to keep the portable playpen parked right in front of the stairs at the top. Despite our efforts we have still had a tumble or two down the stairs. We have since stopped putting the playpen in the way upstairs. We don't really worry anymore because they are good about being carefull around the stairs. When they do go down the stairs they do just fine. We had to take some video of how they come down the stairs because this will only last so long. Soon enough they will grow up and walk down the stairs like anyone else. For now though we like how they slide down the stairs.

Silly Jacob

Jacob is so cute and so silly sometimes! Daddy pulled Jacob's shirt halfway off and Jacob didn't seem to mind it being there. He was being so cute with it on, running around his room and rubbing his little Buddha belly.And flashing the occasional gang signs. ;) Fo 'rizzle!

Crazy Hair

Cailyn LOVES crazy hair day at school. She always looks forward to it! This year we copied Aunt Meagan's crazy hairdo but put a spin on it with colored hair spray! She loved it. :)
I loved this pic of my two big kids. They are such great friends and love each other so much.
And they love being goofballs together! :)

Four

Landon woke up on his birthday to his favorite breakfast -- pancakes! Daddy made them special just for him -- a Mickey Mouse and a 4. He was so happy!
The next day we celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese with Papa who turned 50!

Landon requested a Jack Skellington cake. :)

We had lots of fun celebrating. I love Landon so much and love watching him grow up. He is so much fun and just loves life!!!

Landon time

The other day Landon was kinda having a sad day. So after Cailyn went to her friend's house to play and the boys went down for a nap, we had some Mommy/Landon time. First he wanted to put together puzzles and color pictures. Then we made some brownies from scratch. He LOVED pouring in the "chocolate power" (aka: cocoa powder) and he loved getting to lick the entire bowl by himself. He is such a funny kid and I enjoyed spending some one-on-one time with my sweet little guy! :)

Gardening

The kids & I spent Saturday planting a vegetable garden. They helped me plan, pick out plants & seeds and plant everything. They also really wanted to plant some flowers in our yard. I let them each pick out one type of flower and pick a spot in the yard for them. Landon picked out some yellow & red flowers. (Don't ya just love his moon boots?!)Cailyn picked out some dragon flowers (aka: snap dragons).
Hopefully the bunnies will leave our garden alone long enough for our seeds to grow so we can enjoy some tasty home-grown veggies! :)

Nap Time

I snapped some pics the other day as the boys woke from their naps. Jacob was awake and was throwing his blanket overboard -- their favorite thing to do when they wake up!He was in such a good mood. :)

Owen was still sleeping but I had to pick up Landon from school so I had to wake him up. Never a fun task.
And he wasn't too happy about having a camera & flashed shoved in his face as he was trying to wake up. :P

Brothers

Landon got all cuddled up on the couch with Jacob as they watched some early morning cartoons. He told me to "take a picture Mommy!" so how could I refuse? I love that he loves his brothers. And that he can FINALLY tell them apart now, too. :)

Publish Post

St. Patrick's Day

Yesterday morning some sneaky little leprechauns snuck into our house and left the kids some chocolate coins and other green snacks. Then for breakfast we made some rainbow pancakes. Don't they look so pretty just heatin' up on the grill?
Cailyn was so giddy with excitement. "This is so much fun!" she giggled. :) She did, however, ask why I didn't do Indigo!
Landon was totally mesmerized by the process and loved seeing all the colors. BUT he wouldn't take ONE. SINGLE. BITE! He was too weirded out by the fact that his pancakes were colored. So he settled for some Lucky Charms instead, which works equally as well for St. Patrick's Day. :)

Owen.

Owen is in a category all his own. He is SO different from all my other kids. He is such a ham and always goes at things full force. He is such a goofball!

The other day I put him down for a nap. He wouldn't fall asleep and so I went to peek in to see what he was doing and found him like this, just chilling in his crib with his legs hanging out.Owen LOVES to climb. He has a sixth sense for knowing when someone gets out of their chair, even for a second, and he goes straight for the chair and up onto the table. The other day I found him chomping down on Landon's corn dog.

If there is something to climb in, on, or over, Owen will find it. Lately his favorite hang out is the kitchen table. He likes to climb up there and watch TV. Such a funny kid!