Story Time

Emme loves to tell me each night as I prepare her and her sister for bed "Mommy you have to read us a story because we can't sleep with out a story."  This always makes me laugh.  It is a rare event when the girls go to bed with out a story.  Several months ago we decided to start introducing chapter books to our nightly routine.  I always remember my mother reading me and Sarah to sleep till we got old enough to read to our selves.  We started with Stuart Little. Honestly that book was a bit weird.  I must say it is one of the rare books that I have ever read that the movie is better.  The woman gives birth to a mouse who is a snobby and egotistical.  The next book the girls enjoyed must better Charlotte's Web.   On the nights that Matt is home he loves to put the girls to bed. So he reads his choice to them and I read mine.  So far Matt has discovered one of my favorite childhood authors, Roald Daul.  Livi usually falls asleep within a couple chapters and occasionally Emme will too.   As I finished reading the fourth chapter of the night, Livi was sound of asleep, and Emme looked at me and said "More Mommy"  So sweet.

So far we have read

1.Stuart Little
2. Charlotte's Web
3. Pippi Longstocking
4. The Borrowers
5. Matilda
6. B.F.G.
7. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
8. Winnie The Pooh

Matt is currently reading James and the Giant Peach.  I am reading Little House in the Big Woods. 

Livi loves her Little People Princesses.  I often find her with them on her or in her bed. 

Emme loves her Kermit

Our Chickies

We have Chickens yup six little chicks.  We had been discussing this for several years about raising chickens.  Especially after tasting the eggs at my mom's.  She gets them from my cousin Clint's wife.  They were so yummy made the ones from the store taste like plastic.  So for their Easter present from Matt's parents they got chicks.  We got seven little chicks of different breeds.  Four grey ones that the girls named Princess Sophia, Minnie, Mickey and Batman. Sadly Batman died after the first night.  One copper colored one named Peter Pan.  And two brown ones named Tiger and Pep Le Pew.  The girls loved naming each of them.  Right now they are living in our laundry room in a box, once they are big enough they will be in the backyard in their coup.  The girls are loving their little babies. Emme asked me where their Mommy and Daddy were and who would take care of them if they had no Mommy or Daddy.  I told her that it was our job now to take care of them.  They are loving watching them in their home.  Emme loves holding them and petting their soft feathers.  Livi is a bit different.   She has always been more shy and cautious then her sister.  She has a bit of a fear of animals.  She prefers to have Matt or me hold them and she just pet them.  However for a couple minutes this morning she held tiger for a little bit.  

Livi petting Princess Sophia

She is loving her baby chicks

Livi holding Tiger

Four of the chicks before we got the other three

Holding Minnie

A Springish Day at the Zoo

It is beginning to look a lot like spring.  However that means very little in Utah.  The weather here is a bit bipolar.  It can be a nice warm day, then wind starts to blow and hear comes the snow.  Last week there was a nice warm day with not a cloud in the sky.  We decided to take a trip to the zoo.  Of course we had to wait till Matt was done with training, so after we picked him up we went for a bit to eat at Hires before going to the zoo.  It was Alex's first trip and I am sure that he will be more excited if he wasn't a baby.  He hanged out in his stroller and fell asleep.  The girls were more then happy.  We happened to arrive at the best time as they were feeding the elephant ad having them do tricks.  Emme was extremely impressed with Zuri the baby elephant was the same age as her.  We also saw the peacock in full display.  Livi was not too happy how dirty the polar bear was and said he needed a bath and I should give him one.  (I had a flashback of Binky Childhood moment) The joy of explaining what the different animals eat.   The girls loved learning all the names and what they eat even if it would be Mommy.  I can't wait for it to be real spring and summer (hoping it isn't as hot as last summer)  We are already planning our adventures for this summer. 

He is cutting his teeth so he has been sucking on he lower lip a lot. 

Posing with the elephant

Watching the Monkeys

Watching the Elephants

Watching the Elephants have a snack

Isn't she is so cute

She wanted the Polar Bear to eat her. 

Hanging out in his stroller

My sweeties

She was running with the leopard

She wanted to be a baby gorilla

Six months of cutieness

Alexander is six months old.  He is such little tall ball of cuteness.  His hair is red and starting to grow in.  His eyes are still blue so I think that is what they will remain.  So far he is hitting all his milestones.  He loves to roll till he gets him self stuck and then whines till some one moves him so he can roll again.  He can sit up if we put him up.  He has become the master of putting his Binky in and out of his mouth.  We have to keep a close eye on what the floor as he puts everything in his mouth.  He has learned to love toys.  His bottom two teeth have finally cut through his gum.  Though not fully in yet they are making slow progress.  Alex loves rice cereal but doesn't seem to care for peas.  He makes that face when you have eaten something extremely sour and gross.  He continues to be such a happy little boy.  He only cries when scared, hungry or stuck.  Even then you can make him smile easily.  His sisters love him to pieces.  They sing, bring him toys, give him kisses and hugs.  Livi still has moments of jealously but she is never mean to Alex.  When she wants attention she will tell us to put him down to play or bring his crib to us.  He loves to giggle and smile.  It doesn't take much to make him smile.  He is now 27.8 inches tall and 20.2 pounds.  He wears depending on the outfit between 6months to 12months.  He is very tall for his age so pants tend to be Capris if he doesn't wear a bigger size.  His outfit hang on him but he needs the length till it is summer. 

Our little sheriff sitting up

He does this a lot. 

Our little drool bug

He loves his feet

He wanted Livi.  He loves to grab their hair or clothes to suck on it. 

A laundry basket concert

Our girls are extremely imaginative.  They can turn almost anything in a toy.  I keep trying to catch Livi's plays she puts on with her toys, they are always amusing.  I never seem to have the camera handy.  Yesterday they decided to put on a concert using the empty laundry baskets.  (Normally these are used as traps and horses) Here are some of the video I was able to capture before they moved on to a new game. 

   

Black and Blue

This is what Emme's face currently looks like.  Isn't it pretty.  Friday morning it was a struggle for us to get going.  Alex didn't sleep well that night and the girls didn't go to sleep till late. Of course they had to be up the minute the sun was.  (They literally come in and tell me the sun is up every morning so I need to get up no matter what time it is. ) So that morning we were all a little cranky.  After breakfast the girls began arguing over princess dolls, horses and a dinosaur.  No matter what the toy was if Livi had it Emme wanted it.  About ten Alex goes down for his morning nap.  Which means they are quiet or they sit in time out.  (Well Livi on the couch making faces at me and playing quiet and Emme plays in her room)  Both were playing quietly Livi was doing a play with her dolls on the fireplace and Emme looking at books.  I had the great idea that I would go take a shower by myself.  Being a Mom of three I rarely do anything by myself.  After a couple minutes Emme came in screaming.  Matt woke up and tried to find out what was wrong.  Her and Livi were playing with Alex's ball.  Livi threw it at her and it hit her face.  Poor Matt went to get something cold for her eye.  (He only had two hours of sleep) He brought back a bag of peas.  Which were open and the fell all over the place.  The next trip he brought back a ice pack.  While she iced her eye she insisted I lay next to her and watch Sheriff Callie with her.  I always love cuddle time with my little girl.  Plus I got to finish my book.  She even wanted me to read it too her.  Later she told me she couldn't help or go to bed because her eye hurt. This will be her excuse for everything for a while.  Got to love being four. 

Valentine's Day

For the first time in six years Matt and I got to spend Valentine's Day together.  Our first Valentine I was in Alaska and he was in Utah.  The past five years either we both worked or he did.  So this year he finally had the day off.  The thought of crowded movie theaters or restaurants didn't thrill either of us. I have never been one for tons of noise or crowds. So instead we decided to go get a couple of red box movies and get some take out from Red Dragon Bistro.  (They have yummy Chinese food that isn't overly greasy)  We got Escape Plan with Arnold and Sly Stallone.  Love it.  But I have always been one for a movie where things blow up.  We also got Ender's Game.  I loved the book.  I have always been a big fan of Orson Scott Card.  It was good.  But there were some things left out that annoyed me like his relationship with his siblings. Or what his siblings were doing while he was at battle school.  Some movies just don't live up to the wonderful books they come from.  But then again the girls and I just finished Stuart Little.  Let me just say the movie was way better then the book.  So far they are enjoying Charlotte's Web and the BFG more. 
  With girls we made Valentines and sugar cookies to pass out to the kids in their classes at church.  They had more fun passing them out in the rain.  We gave them each a cute valentine heart with chocolate.  They then got to go to the Lego movie with Matt's parents and have a sleep over with their grandparents.  Of course we kept Alex with us.  He is such a happy little boy though I wish he would sleep through the night.  I have never seen a baby laugh so much when he gets his shirt changed.  He giggles over most anything. 
 He loved having Mommy and Daddy to himself. 

I wanted a picture of Alex before Church.  Emme wanted a picture with her brother.  Where was Livi?  Twirling

Chewing on his fingers in his Daddy lap. 

She wanted to take a picture of me too.  She loved her heart pancake for breakfast.

Her Valentine from mommy and Daddy

Livi loved it.  It had two of her favorite things Princesses and Chocolate

He was just hanging out in his high chair. 

We went to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch.  This is how he was when we walked in.