Mission Accmplished

After enjoying a 78 degree day by eating free BBQ at the Tailgate we walked Uncle Doug all over SMU. We saw tons of people sitting on couches and recliners eating BBQ and takeout while watching football on big screen TV's with the dish connected to it. Once again, reinforcing my opinion of snooty SMU alumni. Especially when the theme of the Football season a few years back was..."we don't tailgate, we boulevard". Soon after our long walk the kids were getting restless so we separated and I took the fierce foursome home.

But this is the amazing part.

Not 1.

Not 2.

Not 3.

But ALL 4 KIDS fell asleep on the way home.

This is a Robert's first!

Especially for the big girls. They never fall sleep in the car anymore. I'm thinking the hour long Bootcamp they insisted on participating in (since it was a Sat) zapped them of their energy. I might just have to bring them along more often!

It's been 1 full week since I've had anything interesting to say...
So let's just say we've been busy.
And lucky enough to have Larry's brother,
UNCLE DOUG,
here to visit with us.

Watch for pictures to come to prove just how much these 2 boys
look the same. Didn't know you could have twins 11 months apart, did ya?

Crazy Candy Conversation

Yesterday after school I let Sydney pick out a candy from her Halloween stash. And she found one of her favorite treats...Red Hots.

Being the smart gal she is, Sydney also asked for a glass of water to go with it. And then asked if she could put a Red Hot in her drink!

I agreed it might be cool to see and left her to her science experiment.

5 mins later she comes running to me and says...

"Mom, oh my gosh, my water is turning red!"

Me: "Cool!"

"But I don't think it's going to catch on fire."

(nope Syd, you're probably right!)

Gettin' All The Wiggles Out

Now that Keira has passed through her baby stage,
she's showing her true colors.

Below is a video taken of her right after she woke up.
I had just changed her clothes and hadn't even taken
her downstairs for breakfast...

Can you believe the amount of energy this girl has?

Recently Keira has really started to enjoy being outside.
She has passed her fear of walking barefooted on grass
(all kids hate grass at first...so weird),
ignores the bugs and now
loves crunching leaves,
eating dirt,
sucking on pebbles,
and going for rides in the little red car.

(after watching the video,
I'm a little stunned at how much energy
Emma and Ben have too...
woooo people....it's only 8am!)

Blast From The Past

After disappointing the kids with a
cancelled ward party
(due to a swampy yard at the location),
we cheered them up by meeting with friends
to eat some delicious chili
and heading out together around
our neighborhood.

Are you ready "Poodle-Skirt" girls?

How about you "Hot-Rod" boys?

Keira?
Mainly she just came along for the ride
and any candy that might accidentally
land in her hands!

"Mom can I run to the next house?"
I think she could have possibly ran to every single house,
but I tried to keep the troops together,
guaranteeing Ben keeping up with
Sydney and Emma.

All week long Sydney practiced
with her siblings,
teaching them...
"Trick or Treat, Smell my feet,
Give me something good to eat."

"Can I eat a piece of candy now?"

So excited about a Halloween tattoo!

Daddy helped Ben keep up the pace.

Keira needed a little "incentive"
to enjoy the festivities.

After hitting a few decked out streets we
ended up at our friends house to watch a movie
projected outside!

We couldn't have asked for better weather,
greater friends or a Happier Halloween!!

Blowing A Kiss

Last night, after dinner, all the kids were bathing
when it was time for Daddy to head out for
a church activity.

So he called out their names and said good byes.
Gave a few hugs and blew a few kisses.

This is how Keira responded!

"Right back at ya, Dad!"

(as she made zerbert noises into her wet palm!)

Fall Carnival

Down at the Elementary School
they hosted a Fall Carnival for the neighborhood.

Sydney was super excited and
reminded me daily that purchasing
tickets BEFORE the event
got us a better deal.
(she's already searching for the best way to save $$, I love it!)

At first I wasn't going to dress them up,
but when all the neighbor kids
came out of their
houses with their costumes on,
I shoved the kids upstairs for a
quick dress rehearsal.

Doing the 50's proud!

A girl for each arm!

And yet some how...they are all related.

Proud of the "spin-factor".

I was glad to see how many
people were impressed with
their out fits.
Especially how it makes a
great statement, with ALL
of them sporting the same theme.

Best Friends, Roommates, Sisters!

I love that Emma comes up
with these poses on her own.

He's a cross between Happy Day's,
Fonzie
and The Great American Hero.

Riding in a 2yr old's version
of a hot rod.

"Ha, Ha, Ha, mom, try to take
a picture of me!"

Gotcha!

I think it's sad how a modest
Halloween costume like the classic
Poodle Skirt can no longer be found
in local stores, and now it's
filled with mini skirts
and princess dresses.

It's almost like we are letting
our kids look up to animated figures
instead of historic greats.

Hopefully people will start to
realize that Halloween is about
visiting your neighbors,
exchanging candy for the kids
and not about dropping your standards
to wear the sluttiest
costume possible.

(I'll step off the soap box now.)

Up To My Ears In Felt & Hot Glue

It took all morning...
but I'm done.
Finished.
Complete.
No more nagging from the kids.

The Halloween costumes are ready!

After spotting a great deal on a leather jacket
for Ben,
I thought turning the whole crew into kids
from the 50's would be fun.

(plus it's likely the last time I can force them into what I want them to dress up as)

Thankfully my mom has sewed a poodle skirt for a niece and
offered to mail it to us.
So with that as a template I made up a quick version of it,
without the zipper and opting for the easier waistband,
ELASTIC!

This miniature skirt is Keira's.
Complete with "bling" for the poodle.

Emma picked out the "pink" dog with
the glittery leash for everyone to use.

She as a little disappointed that they didn't
have bolts of pink and purple felt to chose from,
but quickly settled for a brighter version of pink.

This is the skirt my niece wore.
Being the tallest Sydney is proud to
don a hand-me-down.

But I couldn't let it be...
so I took off the leash
and bow my mom had made
and added one just like the other skirts!

I can't wait for the 31st!!

Happily Average

Keira Jane has proven to be just a little bit different
from everyone else in the family.

She didn't roll over at 2 months,
she did it at 4 months.

She didn't crawl at 4 months,
she did it at 6 months.

She didn't walk at 9 months,
she did it at 11 months.

And instead of being in the 90% in
HEIGHT,
she's 50% at 29 inches.

And instead of being either 90% or 20% (thank you Sydney) in
WEIGHT,
she's 50% at 23 lbs.

But NO fear she is still
obviously related to us...

pulling in a 75% in
HEAD CIRCUMFERENCE.

That's right!
We've got BIG BRAINS!

A Great Find

With teaching piano lessons taking over a big chunk of my life lately, playing for our ward choir and helping out here & there in primary, music has become my little obsession. I love beautiful arrangements. Songs that give me chills. And simplified songs that my kids can play.

Today I stumbled on this wonderful website. This amazing person has created a handful of simplified songs from the children's hymn book. They are so easy I think Syd will be able to play a few! I'm really excited to see the look on her face when she accomplishes them. She will be so proud of herself!

Click here if you're interested!!