Family Photos

This is just so true to life I had to add it.

Pool Fun

My personal favorite!

Tooth Fairy Times

You've always heard people talk about the ol' tie the dental floss around a doorknob and slam the door method, right? Well, it's very effective. We were over in Yuma visiting Nancy's family on Aug. 7th and while Nathaniel and Quentin were at the Alumni Swim Meet, Eliza and I decided it was time for that tooth to go. She must have done something to it that day to make it even more loose so I decided that even before she could eat lunch we needed it out. Nathaniel isn't a huge fan of pulling teeth so we thought it would be a fun surprise for him to come home to. Nancy got us the floss and I was a little nervous, but once it was tied to the tooth (the tooth was so loose I could hook the floss under the back side where it was coming out) there wasn't any way to get the floss off other than to get the tooth out. When I slammed the door I didn't think it had come out because she had no reaction whatsoever so I was dreading having to do it again. Not because it hurt her obviously, but because I was a little scared. But then she started moving her tongue around in her mouth and she spit out her tooth. It was so funny. She had quite the audience. All of Nancy's kids as well as all of mine were there to cheer her on. Luckily the Tooth Fairy knew we were out of town and came to see her at Nancy's and left her a buck. Eliza said she was hoping she would have left treats. I told her the Tooth Fairy doesn't want to ruin her other teeth.
Then, less than a month later, we are here in Ely unpacking on our first Sat. (the 28th of Aug.) and the other bottom tooth needs to come out, so... second verse, same as the first. I was very happy we got both of them out. She already had the replacements coming in behind the baby teeth so it looked a little awkward and picture day was the next week. How vain am I? Anyway, she looks SO grown up now with 2 permanent teeth in and she hadn't even started school yet. What a big girl!
Side not: There were no tears shed at either pulling...that's more than I can say for my own childhood. Papa did want to get the pliers out for the second tooth (around the 12th) but I wouldn't let him, I told him it just wasn't quite ready. It must be that generation. That's how I lost most of my teeth.
You can kinda see the teeth coming in behind the row of baby teeth.
The surprise to show Daddy when he got home.
P.S. He was happy he didn't have to take part in either occurrence.

A Few of My Favorites

The girls in their twinner shirts. I love Kate's face in this next one...
The girls love a Costco trip with ice cream at the end. Who doesn't?
The ladies have been sleeping side by side for a while now. It is so heartwarming. I love to see them be such good buddies. The picture above was even better when I first went in to check on them. Kate was facing Eliza and their faces were inches apart. She didn't have a shirt on though and so I had to cover her up a little and she woke up and turned. I decided to go with the more modest picture. Still sweet.
This doesn't look comfortable. They are both on half of a twin bed in the fort Kate made.
We stuck Tanner in the pool with the kids once. He didn't love it much. He was a little cold. Sweet older sister giving him a kiss.
I LOVE these pictures of Tanner. He is soooo cute!

Nathan has a hard time going to bed sometimes. When he gets out of bed we shut his door and lock it until he is asleep so he won't keep coming out. So, he lays by the crack in the door and cries while sticking his hands under it. It really tugs at my heart strings. So, I lay down on the floor and this is what I see. He smiles really big and touches my hand. I love it. It is so sweet.
It makes me so sad to see those little fingers under the door. It makes me feel like such a meanie. But, then again, that's a mom's job sometimes.
Kate has been wearing her swimsuit from sun up to sun down lately. The funny thing is we haven't been swimming much lately. Only in our little kiddy pool. It doesn't matter. She is always wearing a swimsuit. I love the way her hair curls when it is wet. So cute!

Katerloo Turns 4!

Katelyn almost didn't get to turn 4 this year. I told her that I didn't want to have a 4 year old that still pooped her pants. I told her I might just cancel her birthday so she would still be 3 and then when she decided to stop having accidents that we would go ahead with her birthday. I decided I couldn't really do that. I mean, I know I can't really stop her from turning 4, but she didn't have to know that. It seemed like the ONLY thing I could take from her that made a difference. Besides the fact that I can't stop time, what happened if she didn't stop for months? So, we went on to her birthday. I was thinking of waiting until the bar was over so that we had the time to actually go out as a family and do something, but there is something about having your birthday on your actual birthday. I made her a dirt cake with gummy worms. She wanted no oreos on her part. She was so cute all day with her huge smiles and reminding Daddy that it was still her birthday. We sure love her! She is so good playing on her own, building things, and she loves, loves, loves taking care of her little brothers. If Nathan drops his spoon, she loves to help him get it. When he is in time out in his room and it's time to let him out, she gets so sad if she doesn't get to let him out. (We turned his door knob around and lock him in when he is in time out.) She loves Tanner a little too much. She tries to pick him up and can't stay out of his face. She does make him laugh and tries so hard to make him happy. I love how much she loves us. What a fun girl!

Just a side note: Kate did poop in her pants on her birthday and for the next few days, but has since stopped. We'll see if it is for good this time. We can hope!

Look What I Can Do!

I am eating solids (oatmeal mixed with veggies) now...and I don't end up this messy anymore. I didn't just start out with the good ol' once a day feeding. I have to have two a day or I feel left out and cry while everyone else eats. It's probably a good thing. I need to beef up to get ready to take on my older brother...have you seen the size of him?
I have started sleeping with my arms out of my swaddle blanket. I am such a good sleeper. I go to bed around 7 and wake up between 5:30 and 7 in the morning. My mommy tries not to brag about it, but it is noteworthy.
This is my latest trick! I picked this one up today. I am sitting up! Boy, did that surprise my mom and dad. They didn't think I was ready, but sure enough I can do it quite well. I sat up all alone for over 2 minutes in one stretch. How's that for the first day of sitting!
I even bent over to get my duck and sat back up without falling.
Look at my cute smile! My mommy loves it! She'll do anything to get me to smile at her...seriously...anything!
Oh, and I am rolling over front to back and back to front. Mommy didn't have any recent pictures of that though.
My mommy is not very happy (she's hiding it well) that I have done all these in the last 2 weeks. She thinks I am growing up too fast!

Oh, Eliza

Eliza's prayers:
Bless Mommy when she has another baby that she will be filled with holy.
Bless Tanner when he gets bigger that he'll understand hopeness.
Please help Katelyn to have a better attitude.

Eliza science:
I have a conductor in my body that when I drink water it goes down into my body and the conductor lets a drop out. If you have a lot of water that needs to get out, the conductor lets it all come rushing out.

Eliza's logic:
Me: "Eliza!? Is that pee in your panties?!" (She doesn't have accidents...ever!)
Eliza: "Yeah, but I just peed a little bit in my panties."
Me: "Oh, so you think it's okay to pee a little bit in your panties?! Where did you pee?"
Eliza: "In my room, but it didn't get on anything."
Me: "So it's okay to pee in your panties because you didn't think it got on anything?! No wonder your room smells like pee. I've been blaming the wrong person."
Katelyn: "She also sat on the boxes in the closet."
Me: "You mean the boxes of food I have packed in your closet?!!!"
Eliza: "Yeah, but not all of the boxes."
Oh, good. Now only half of the boxes of food I have packed will smell like urine from a 5 year old that is too lazy to use the toilet. What a relief!

Eliza's newest threats:
"If you say no I'll throw a fit!" (Alrighty then, my answer is a definite no and you can head straight back to your room then, little lady!)
"I'll hit you if you do that!" (She never actually has hit anyone after threatening that, thank goodness. It sounds worse than it is.)

Sweet, sweet girl. She is so intelligent and beautiful...the attitude though is still being refined...just like her mother's. If only the apple didn't fall quite so close...I might be able to blame someone else.