Cheeks, Kiwi, and a Cowgirl

I have a goal to blog once a week, but somehow I can't even make that happen! Here are some recent pictures of the kiddos.

I hope Audrie's yummy cheeks never go away!

Carter loves, loves, loves kiwi. The other day he climbed up on the counter, grabbed one and began washing it up. I don't typically wash the kiwi . . . but I guess it can't hurt.

Please excuse Carter's pantslessness. We are still in the process of potty training . . . it has been a long, long process and at this point there is really no end in sight . . .

Thursday Ashlyn was supposed to dress up as a cowgirl for preschool. We don't have a lot of western wear around here, but a plaid hand-me-down boy's shirt and some cute braids did the job just fine!

When I picked her up she told me that she had seen a cow and wanted to go home and "eat some grub." They do so many fun things in her class!

I can't remember what this look was for.

Nighty Night Carter Man

This is what happens at 6:30pm when Carter hasn't had a nap and he is just sitting on the couch watching a show:

Lately he has been sucking on his bottom lip when he is about to fall asleep and even for a little bit once he is asleep. I've read that it is soothing for kids (kind of like sucking a thumb), but it looks funny. He never used a pacifier or sucked his thumb, so I feel like this popped up out of nowhere.

Actually, Audrie sucks her bottom lip too. I find her doing it a lot when she doesn't have a binky in.

Also, Ashlyn used to suck on her food (especially bread) when she would get tired. She still does it sometimes even now. It drove me crazy, but it seems like she has mostly grown out of it, so I'm hoping that is what will happen with Carter too.

What is with my kids' crazy sucking habits?!!

Kids Grow Up Too Fast!

Do you ever happen to look at your kids and think, "when did you get so old?" That is what I thought when I saw this picture.

A recent conversation with Ashlyn included the word Whatever and the phrase I'm not going to college. What!?!

Also, it amazes me how fast babies learn new skills. It really makes me feel lazy. In 7 months Audrie went from a helpless little newborn to a crawling, standing, babbling, smiling person. I wish I could say that I've accomplished a similar amount in the same time, but I haven't!

Sometimes I just want life to stop moving so fast - for the kids to get older slower, for my baby to stay a baby longer, and for myself to do a better job of enjoying them.

Taking a Few Sick Days

Audrie spent the weekend before last sicking it up with a high fever and a super runny nose. She was clingy and grumpy and it wasn't any fun for anyone. We were thinking that she might be cutting some teeth, but so far, not a tooth in sight. She no longer seems sick, but her nose is still running and her breathing is a little raspy (but it's been that way practically all winter). We were excited to see some smiles from her last week once the illness had run its course.

A little while ago I read about amber teething necklaces and their supposed pain relief properties. I was intrigued and decided to purchase one for Audrie. I really have no idea if it has helped her in any way, but I'm hoping it has (or will). She pretty much wears it all the time. I kind of want one for me.

About the same time Audrie started feeling unwell, Carter developed a fever and a runny nose. We figured it was some sort of bug that would run it's course and be gone, but 11 days later he is still fighting it. We think that his flu turned into a sinus infection and an ear infection, so we're treating that and hopefully he'll be 100% soon. Doesn't he look pathetic?

Poor kid.

Ashlyn, however, escaped all disease (knock on wood) and has been a trooper with the minimal attention she's been given. She's been able to watch way more movies than normal, so that makes her happy!

Well, needless to say, we are so, so ready to be done with sickness around here. I think we are going to attempt to stay well for all the rest of 2011. Who's with me?!!

Ashlyn: 4 1/2 Years Old

Ashlyn's preschool teacher, Laurel Steele, makes a big deal about each student's birthday and even celebrates half birthdays for those who were born in the summer. So, last week Ashlyn was asked to bring in a poster with pictures and things about herself and a box full of her favorite items for her half birthday. It was so fun to go through all the pictures we have of her and pick out our favorites. She sure has grown!

Here's our big 4 1/2 year old girl!

This was just before church on Sunday.

Ashlyn and Carter were doing a great job posing for the camera.

Ashlyn and Carter play wonderfully together. She has taught him how to play pretend and she is very patient with him when he's being feisty. Although he often gives her a hard time, I don't think there is anyone on earth that Carter loves more than Ashlyn. She is very sweet with Audrie too and loves to bring her toys and pick her up.

Ashlyn enjoyed Sunbeams last year and her teachers, Brother McCarty and Brother Heath. She is loving her new primary class with Sister Rener and Sister Peterson. Every Sunday she is supposed to bring her own Book of Mormon to church with her. She does a great job of sitting reverently through Sacrament Meeting and is always excited to go to class.

Every Monday Ashlyn has a creative dance class at BYU. Her teachers are Miss Camilla and Miss Noel and they teach a group of 12 4-year-olds. They have taught her how to do skips, gallops, slides, and other fun moves. We love it whenever Ashlyn decides to show us what she has learned.

Ashlyn likes a lot of things, but I though it might be kind of fun to make a list of those things that she is not very fond of. She does NOT like tomatoes that aren't from Costco, not having socks on her feet, bath water that is too hot, clothes with tags, bubbly drinks (soda), having her hair combed, smoothies that aren't pink, yellow jackets, grapefruit, or boys (that is just what she says, but it doesn't seem like she really means it . . . )

We sure love Ashlyn!

Audrie: 6 Months

Audrie turned 6 months old today!!! It is hard to imagine our life without this precious girl.

Here are a few shots of her snacking on some packaging materials. She hasn't started solid foods yet, but she has eaten her fair share of paper. I guess that's what happens when you're kid #3.

Mmmm . . . delicious.

And here's one of her after her morning nap. She has blue eyes like her brother and sister, but they aren't quite as bright.

Audrie is seldom happy holding still. I remember that even during her first tummy times she would try to push off by digging her feet into the carpet. On the day she turned 4 months old she scooted herself backward and got stuck underneath the couch. Last week she had both the kids laughing hard when she pulled herself up to the side of the laundry basket and started gnawing on it, and just today she attempted to climb up a stair! She will, however, stop for minutes at a time, sit up and enjoy sucking on whatever she managed to get her hands on. Everything goes right into her mouth.

Audrie is a bit bigger than Ashlyn was at her age. I need to get out the measuring tape and scale so I can get some exact stats. What I'm judging it on is the clothes that Audrie fits into. She has been wearing a lot of 6-9 month outfits for over a month now. I don't think of her as particularly chubby, but she has some nice arm and leg rolls and people are always commenting on her gooshy cheeks! She has the fairest complexion of all of my children and her cheeks seem to get very easily irritated - they are often dry and red, so I'm always putting Cheek and Chin Balm on them.

One of the up sides of being the third kid is that Audrie has an older sister and brother that absolutely adore her. It melts our hearts to hear Carter say "I wuv you audwie." Ashlyn also likes to tell us that "Audrie is the cutest baby in the whole wide world." It doesn't have to be true, but it sure makes us happy that she thinks so! We think she's pretty great ourselves!!!

Audrie: 5 1/2 months

Audrie will actually be 6 months old next week, but I thought I'd put up a few cute pictures now (who knows if I'll even get to a 6 month update). Audrie likes to be wherever the action is, so a lot of times she will play happily on the floor with anything as long as Ashlyn, or Carter, or Mom or Dad is nearby.

She is a drool monster!

I love this shot of her stretching for a toy. She just barely started doing a little army crawl, so she can now move forward and get what she wants. I think it has been frustrating for her because despite her best efforts, she could only push herself backwards.

Success!