My Daredevil

Leah has always been fearless when it comes to physical activity. She loves the rough horseplay with her dad and, even when she was little bitty, loved being swung around and getting dizzy. She's started walking at 9 months and it has been a hair-raising adventure ever since. Here is a little clip of her latest adventure, down on the greenbelt (one of the great things about Austin is the presence of these wonderful natural areas just minutes away from home).

Not sure if this is the result of Uncle Brent being around (he's recently been teaching her how to climb trees) or if it would have happened anyway, but Leah and Lincoln had been climbing around on the top of the rocks (when there's water in the creekbed, this is a waterfall) and she tried to climb down. When we nixed that idea she walked around the long way muttering to herself, "I'm going to find a way to climb up there!" Definitely a determined little girl!

Our Peter...

... is a year old!

We've had such a fun time this past year with our little guy. He is a very loving boy and brings us all lots of smiles. We're excited to have many more adventures with him!

The Silence is Broken

I know... I haven't blogged in forever. It's not necessarily that I don't have anything to blog about - it's more that I don't have enough hands and arms and spare time to do it in. Peter is in a "need Momma" stage and more often than not wants to be wherever I am - preferably in my arms. Have you ever tried to blog with a toddler sitting on your lap? Not so fun. Also, I now find myself competing for computer time with two preschoolers and two adults. So while I'm busy cleaning up messes or trying to redirect some destructive activity, someone else manages to claim the coveted seat and I get bumped from the rotation... until at last it is too late and I'd rather go to sleep anyway :)

Then Nellie tagged me on her blog and gave me a reason to fight through the stupor and ignore the little hands grabbing at my ankles... so here it is:

INDULGENCES:
1. smooth, dark chocolate
2. a good book
3. super creamy ice cream - eaten alone after the children are in bed!

FEARS:
1. losing my children in large crowds
2. silverfish - okay that's more something that gives me the heebies
3. getting bit by a mosquito carrying somethiing awful

SURPRISES:
1. I almost went to grad school in forensics - way before all these CSI shows became so popular - but I decided it would be too morbid to do that kind of work day in and day out
2. I'll try almost anything once... went skydiving in high school and rockclimbing just after Peter was born
3. My goal this year has been to find ways to cook things that I've never liked, i.e. cauliflower and brussel sprouts (I aim high)

FAVORITE TV SHOWS
1. CSI:NY - see above
2. Life
3. Samantha Who? - esp. when I get to watch it with Andrew 'cuz we get such a laugh out of it.

THINGS I DID TODAY
1. Had RS Presidency meeting
2. Vacuumed
3. Posted on my blog (more of an accomplishment than most might think!)

THINGS I AM WISHING FOR
1. my foundation to miraculously realign
2. my kids to learn to clean their room
3. rain

THINGS I LOVE
1. the smell of my neighbor's bbq
2. my baby's belly laugh
3. when my kids play together nicely

THINGS I HATE
1. potty training
2. whining
3. clogged toilets

And I now tag Tara, Marci, and Corrine

Uncle Brent...

... is coming to live with us! Hip, hip, hooray! After finally graduating from the University of Utah, Brent has been traveling across the country on his bike and recently ended up in our front yard. The kids have been super excited to have him stay with us (and so have mom and dad because now we can go back to man-t0-man defense for a few months!) He'll be with us for a few months while he's looking for a job - which means I'm torn between wishing him luck and hoping it takes a while...

shh, don't tell him!

Happy Halloween!

Here they are... Leah was Stephanie from Lazytown (a show on Nick Jr.) and Lincoln finally settled on Diego again, which was fine with me since I didn't have to make a new costume - although this year we colored his hair too. And Peter is busting out of our little duck costume. They got to wear their costumes pretty much all day since we had dressup storytime in the morning and our ward trunk or treat at night.

I think we did a pretty good job - don't you?

We managed to collect quite a bit of candy, so the kids each filled a little bag with a few pieces that they wanted to keep and left the rest out for the Candy Witch. In the morning they found some Halloween rubber ducks and pirate finger puppets in place of their candy and the fun started all over again! Hooray for the Candy Witch!