Today

Today was interesting. Tate played with my makeup. He slept over at my mom and dad's last night and must have been tired today since he turned into a BEAST around 4. It was a rough three hours until bedtime. Thankfully it has been a while since things have been that ugly. We played in the shed today and it is hard to keep track of everyone. We all made it back inside but were very dirty. Ellie slept until almost 7 and it was amazing!!

Easter

Today we went to church. Everyone did fair. Tate really loved his Easter basket but wasn't interested in finding eggs. Mike, Joan and my mom and dad all came for lunch. I pretty much failed at mom duties today because I didn't take a picture of everyone after church. I also neglected to visit with Tate about the egg game we play and just smacked my egg with his. I broke his beloved blue egg all to pieces and he was devastated. Poor guy!!  The girls showed off and particularly enjoyed it when we put their pants on their heads. 

Egg Hunt

We went to the egg hunt this morning. It was very cold and windy. They don't use eggs but throw candy in grass and then everyone gets to pick one big prize. Tate came home with an army jeep and helicopter and he was excited!!  The girls stayed in the stroller the whole time since it was so cold and the grass was wet from a rain. 

Eggs

Tate and I dyed eggs today. We cracked just a few when we were using dye but we really seemed to have problems when it came time to apply the tiny stickers. We also made bird nest treats.  Ellie posed for the camera but my flash was too bright so her eyes are closed in every picture I took!

Walker

I can't remember if I already mentioned it but Ellue has started walking too. Audrey is not sleeping at all. Tate got up at midnight to pee, Audrey got up at 1:30 and Ellie got up at 5:15 for the day. I am pooped. Brett even helped Audrey from 2-7. Tate was a nasty kid today. Hopefully everyone has a better day tomorrow. 

Crying

Tate had a good day back at school. It was a rough morning but he was calm and ready to go by the time we got to school. We had to move car seats around since the girls got too big for the infant carriers and he was not happy. Tate and I made bunny race cars. He had a lot of fun helping. Ellie refused to take a nap this afternoon.  The girls both cried a lot this afternoon. I signed Audrey out of program today that was providing physical therapy for her neck since she doesn't need it anymore. 

Mountains

The boys went to the mountains with Brett's family. I stayed home with the girls and it was a good decision since they had a stomach bug and Audrey is cutting her first tooth. Tate thought the mountains were neat. They rode a gondola to a giant snow fort. I ended up getting my first speeding ticket yesterday. I wasn't in a hurry or anything, I guess I just wasn't paying attention to my speed. I was in Brett's pickup and I tried to get my groceries at a different store and I couldn't get the girls in the cart so I had to drive to a different town. 

11 Months

Ahh! Where did the year go?  I can't believe the girls are 11 month old. They are both in size 3 diapers and wear 18 month clothes. Ellie still loves stuffed animals and trying to put on clothes. She has turned into a monkey and wants to climb EVERYTHING. She wakes up at 5:00 every single day even though she sleeps well at night. She has decided that she likes to be held, especially in the morning. She has 6 teeth and is a really good eater. Fruits and veggies aren't her favorite but she loves everything else. She is trying really hard to walk and can take about 4 steps before she falls. She is babbling a little more but still isn't too interested in mimicking anything.  She has started to shake her head no. Audrey really likes to hand me things. She gives me a lot of books to read. She also likes to put objects into containers. She sleeps through the night but usually cries out several times. She is still pretty opinionated and really hates to sit in the high chair. She cries a lot, even at the tiniest little bumps. She still has no teeth but her gums are getting bumpy. She really likes fruit, especially bananas and blueberries. She can walk across an entire room and has just started to use walking as the preferred method to get around.  She mimics most actions, loves to wave and will try to copy most sounds. Neither girl is drinking bottles regularly except at night. I offer them three times a day but they only finish the bedtime bottles, which are 7 ounces. 

Crew

My kids are so entertaining. Audrey likes to put food on her head. Ellie has been boycotting good sleep. Tate has been grumpy and nasty about doing anything other than watching tv so he lost all tv and iPad. Somehow he managed to find fun things to do. He was so silly. 

Fun

Today we had a fun day in town. We went to the zoo but we only saw just a few animals. Then we went to the pizza place with the play area and had lunch with my friend. I am so thankful she joined us because Tate had to use the bathroom twice while we were there. He played so well and was really engaged with the other kids. The girls really wanted to climb and play too but it got busy and they were in the way of the big kids. Then we got groceries and headed home. Tate listened so well today. 

Outside

We managed to go outside just in time to play in a short little rain. Tate had a blast and Audrey actually smiled instead to crying the entire time. Ellie enjoyed some snuggles with me. Tate has been waking up super early to potty but then won't go back to sleep so he has been grumpy. 

Real life

Sometimes real life is just almost too funny to be true!!  The girls were fussy at supper so I gave them a few cheese balls to pacify them until I finished eating. Ellie LOVES them and I asked her if she was going to eat them all and she got the biggest grin and made a "YA" sound. Then without missing a beat Tate said, "I got a cheese ball for a daughter."  I suppose you had to be there but I am still laughing hours later. Tate has been learning about leprechauns and today they tried to catch one at school. The trap they made didn't catch one but they did find leprechaun footprints. When I picked Tate up from school he was looking all over the playground for a leprechaun. He told me that to catch one you have to be super sneaky and super fast then you take your cage and snap it. He had a dirt mustache after he played outside today. 

Internet

We are having internet issues once again. They are coming out on Tuesday to move the router upstairs but I am not convinced that is the issue. We don't really have another good option for a provider so we are just stuck playing this game with them. Ellie got her sixth tooth and Audrey must be having some pain since she is whining more and really wants to be held a lot. Tate discovered Brett's tractor toys in the furnace room so now we are giving them out as rewards for acting like a big boy. Tate's legs always stop working during the day, especially at church and when we go in and out of school so he has to figure out how to make them work instead of being carried everywhere. The weather has been beautiful so we have been spending a lot of time outside. Audrey still hates the outdoors and screams if Duke even looks at her. Ellie has decided to love the outdoors and crawled right into a pile of mud with Tate. 

First steps

Ellie let go of the door and took two steps today!!  We have been super busy. My great-aunt passed away and we had her funeral on Saturday morning then celebrated Owen's 2nd birthday in the afternoon. The kids were all squirmy in church and Tate threw a fit because I wouldn't carry him. He did pretty well at the party and didn't have a major meltdown when kids didn't play his way.  

Content

Today was hard. Audrey got up at 4:30 and I finally got her back to sleep and Ellie got up and woke up Tate. He was a beast for most of the morning. He refused to eat breakfast in the kitchen because the chairs are too hard. He finally came around and once he ate he snapped out of his bad mood and we had a better day. The girls are going through a phase where if I hold one the other thinks she also needs to be held. I had to fold about 6 loads of laundry and the girls were SO helpful.  Our drawers were all starting to be empty everywhere so I couldn't put it off any longer. Laundry baskets are just bad things for me to have since I can just fill them up and leave them sit.  This evening the boys and Ellie were playing and giggling while I held Audrey. My heart feels so content at times even with all the chaos around. I wish I could just bottle it up and enjoy it again in 20 years when they are all grown!

Good Day

We had a pretty great day. We went to story hour and all three kids did fantastic. Tate loved all the new books he checked out so we looked at them a lot this afternoon. I am proud of how far he has come in the last year.