We're Ready

Introducing Princess Molly and Prince Charming Benson....

I made Benson's costume, from scratch-without a pattern, using this tutorial from Make it and Love it. And we borrowed Molly's costume from her cousin, Abby.

Sears is offering a free 8x10 collage, using this coupon (expires 10/31). So I took the kids in and got their pictures done, this one was my favorite, but the girl didn't show it to me, so I ordered a different one... Oh well.

I tried to snap some of the kids real fast and they did not turn out well... We'll have to try again when I have an assistant.

Here's something silly:

Whenever I take pictures of my kids, I get REALLY upset. I feel like Benson is old enough that he should be able to stand or sit still for 3 seconds and smile, or at least LOOK at the camera. And Molly, she is so so so smiley that I feel like I should get a great picture every time I point the camera her way, but nope.

Anyway, when I took these pictures of the kids, I was showing them to Benson and he said "where's the one of you yelling?" Guess I need to be less vocal next time.

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a deer in the Rhino's carriage...

Yes, I have been notified it is my wifely duty to participate in the deer hunt.

I have also been notified that I am, in fact, a "fun sponge".

Here is Casey with his deer. It's actually a really big 2-point (or so they tell me). You may remember last year, when Casey got this baby deer. Luckily this year it was a little bigger than that. We all laughed when they brought it back to the camp riding in the back of the rhino like this.

Oh, and I forgot to mention my other wifely duty: Hold the deer's head while the mighty hunter husband saws it's head off it's body. Then don't freak out when you're standing there holding a severed deer's head while blood and guts are dripping all over the garage floor. Apparently squealing is not attractive to the mighty hunter.

Just realized...

Just realized that my last post was a little rude to Casey. I am terribly sorry if I portrayed him as a helpless husband. He really is the best, you know. He is always so willing to do anything I need him to do. He is such a fun husband and dad. Sometimes I can't help wondering how such a crotchety old woman like me snagged such a sweetheart. He is a good man. He does so much for us. He even let's me put my cold feet in his knee-pits at night. If that's not love, I don't know what is.

And she's off....

Here is a video of sweet Molly walking. These aren't her first steps. She unexpectedly took her first steps at Casey's parents' house on Benson's birthday (Sept. 16, she wasn't even 9 months old!) while everybody was watching Benson open presents. But here she is the other day at my parents' house. For some reason, she will walk and walk and walk for Grandpa Wayne.

And here's another gem for you. My sister sent home a bunch of clothes for our little peach. Turns out the suitcase was pretty exciting! I love hearing both of them giggling at the same time. Usually it's more like this: Benson giggling cause he's squishing Molly, Molly screaming cause she's getting squished, and me yelling at the squisher.... where is Casey when all of this is happening?

Oh, that reminds me!

Remember how our poop and vomit scores were a little off-balance? With me leading by quite a ways. Well, now the scores are now even. Is there a story to go with this change of events, you ask... Why yes, I might be able to dig up a story for you.

You might remember 2 weeks ago, something hit our family hard. First Benson and Molly were sick, then I was sick, and Casey brought up the rear being sick. Well, on this particular day, it was Monday, I made Casey come home from work to take care of us because I felt terrible. He brought us Arctic Circle for lunch and took care of the kids for me while I moaned and groaned. Lucky for Casey, I was the only one sick that day...... But, sick or not, babies still poop, and we all know the score for changing diapers USED TO BE: Natalie: 15,834, Casey: 4.

So Molly pooped, and an itsty-bitsy bit leaked out of her diaper onto the carpet. We told Benson to watch out so he didn't step on the poop. Bad idea, cause as soon as Benson sees, smells, thinks about or hears of poop, he starts gagging, and in this instance, puking. So now we have Molly with a leaky poopy diaper, Benson puking, me trying to catch the puke in a bowl while gagging, and Casey sitting helpless and in shock.

Long story for me to say that Casey cleaned up Benson's puke. Of course I changed the messy diaper and bathed the poopy baby and the puking kid. But, none of that matters because CASEY CLEANED UP PUKE, my friends.

Now the score is even.

Halloween Fun

Stole this idea from our friends blog

A Child's Prayer

Every night I sit on the end of Benson's bed before he goes to sleep. I feed Molly and do the bedtime routine with Benson. It works out nicely because I get to cuddle with sweet Molly and I get to hear Benson's take on the day. Usually we'll talk for a bit and then I'll tell a story and sing a few songs by the time both of them have fallen asleep.

Tonight, after we talked about firemen and policemen and who we can trust in emergencies, (oh and of course some talk about who gets to have guns) Benson asked me to sing him some songs. I started singing some of my favorite primary songs. Benson fell asleep after the first line of the first song, and Molly was pretty much asleep instantly, enjoying her bottle. I secretly love singing out loud, even though I am no good at it, so I kept singing. Casey probably thought it was taking a long time to get the kids to sleep, but I wasn't singing for their souls anymore, I was singing for mine.

I started singing one of my all-time favorite songs, A Child's Prayer. As I sat there, in our dark and quiet home, I closed my eyes and really felt the spirit as I sang. "Heavenly Father, are you really there? And do you hear and answer every child's prayer?" Something stirred in my soul and I was reminded of the simple truth that I've known since my primary days. Heavenly Father is there, he does hear us, and he loves us.

Puking at the empty nester's

Just in case you didn't think my blog had enough talk of vomit, here is some more.

Tonight we had a photobooth till really late in slc. So the kids stayed at my mom's and then I just slept here cause they were already sound asleep by the time I got back. Now it's 4:06 am and my poor parents who thought they were empty nesters have now opened their nest to a group of pukers.

Poor Molly got whatever Benson had and has been up puking. The sad thing is that she is still so happy. Between vomit attacks, she is just as peachy as a peach. She must get it from Jan because while I was freaking out a little bit, mom was hustling about changing the sheets and conjuring up some more PJ's for the peachy baby. Molly was so happy, in fact, and Jan was so bustly while I was freaky, that we almost missed the puking noises coming from the other room. So Jan just bustled some more to get Benson some new sheets and PJ's. Benson was just like Molly and seemed oddly happy after puking too.

Now I'm rocking the peach. Jan is doing more laundry. The boy went back to sleep like nothing happened (he got to have grandma lay by him for a while.). And poor grandpa Wayne is in his office working. He won't be able to go back to sleep. Oh, and Casey? He is having the best night's sleep at home with nobody puking to disturb him. I cannot believe how he has really avoided all of this vomit.

I'm sure this is not the end of the vomiting. I will keep you posted on when we have infected the empty nesters with our germs.

I was planning some good posts, so this sucks for you having to read about puke. You can look forward to hearing about how we might have accidentally sold our house coming up soon.

Oh and p.s. I love my mom for taking care of us. If I turn out to be any bit as good as Jan, we should all sing songs of rejoicing.

I feel like throw up!

4:52 am: Not a creature was stirring, not even Molly Mouse.

4:53 am: (Benson) "Mom, I feel like throw up."

4:53 1/2: I grab Benson out of his bed as he starts throwing up. We trail puke from his bed to the bathroom.

4:55: Since there is puke on his sheets and I don't want to change them and wake up Molly, I told Benson he could stay in our bed. Casey is leaving for work in an hour anyway. Benson says "sweet!" and we all lay in our bed together.

5:02: (Benson) "I hear my daddy snoring"

5:08 am: (Benson) "I feel like throw up!"

5:43 am: (Benson) "I feel like throw up!"

6:09 am: Casey gets up and gets ready to go to work.

6:12 am: (Benson) "I feel like throw up!"

6:55 am: Casey leaves for work.

7:10 am: (Benson) "I feel like throw up!"

7:11 am: (Benson) "I want my DADDY!!!!"

Now I want Benson's daddy too, because when I was pregnant with Benson, Casey and I came to an agreement about puke. I promised to take care of every single wet, dirty, stinky diaper if Casey took care of the puke. So far our count is this:

Dirty Diapers:

Natalie- 15,834

Casey- 4

Puke:

Natalie- every puke so far

Casey- 0

Makes me feel like throw up! (not literally)

Here is Benson with his puke bowl. When I gave him this bowl to puke in, he said: "That's the bowl we put the tomatoes from the garden in. I don't want to throw up in it!"

And it is the bowl we put our tomatoes in. But I am willing to sacrifice it.

Stuck

The other day, Molly got stuck in this little boat in the bathtub. She was quite thrilled by it!