Jackson - 5 :)

We had a good time with Jackson's party - notice the - ahem - pink firetruck cake..... We decided that we didn't want to use as much food coloring as it would take to make it red. Jackson was excited about a pink cake because he thinks it's unfair that Maggie gets the pink things all the time. Legos were definitely the present of choice - he got 4 sets! He spent the rest of the day putting them together and didn't want to play with the other kids..... hmmm. Maybe next time we should have him wait until things have quieted down. He's climbing up in the tree because that's where the Hancock's hid his present. He thought that was great.

A friend (thanks Marissa :) ) gave me this idea - so here a few interview questions from the mind of a 5 yr old Jackson:
What is your favorite movie right now?
Wall E

Describe your perfect day.
Summer. I could play and have on swimming clothes and get sprayed by the hose. (Yup, that pretty much describes summer - everyday - at our house)

Where would you like to go on vacation?
camping in the treehouse

What is something you like to do with your Mom?
Helping clean up and wash the dishes. (aww)

How do you know that Mom loves you?
Cause you have a heart.

What is something you like doing with your Dad?
I like all of us to go to Florida with him (Matt was in FL when I asked him these questions)

Favorite church song.
Book of Mormon Stories

Happy Birthday!

Jackson turned 5 today!! I will post some pics soon but we are having his party a little later this week. He is excited to get his shots at the doctor tomorrow because it means he will be all set for kindergarden - oh, and we are bribing him with a lego set :) We will see how it actually goes....

Girls!

I am finally starting to get the hang of this girl hair thing :) For awhile Maggie wouldn't let me touch her hair - it was a stage or she didn't trust me not to pull it out as I practiced! Anyway, poor Mags. I should have it all down pat by the time Hailey has enough hair to do anything with. The clips still don't stay in all that long in Maggie's hair. I have a hard time getting the ties very tight without hurting her.... and I have a tender head so I sympathize greatly with her!

Apple teeth

A fun snack we saw in a book that Jackson insisted we try. The kids thought it was very funny and a bonus that it was all edible.

Happy St. Patricks Day

One of the grocery stores near us loves to get into the holidays....... check out the extremely green bread the kids are having. There was green loafs of bread, green dinner rolls, green donuts..... all things green. So we had this bread for dinner - PB&J - yum. I cook every night when Matt is out of town - or not!

After seeing everything so green - Jackson decided that we should celebrate his birthday by doing everything blue..... so you will see some of those pics soon :)

Stairs

So... Hailey can now climb the stairs like a pro. She is way too fast and gets herself into trouble in a heartbeat! After she fell down them once (good thing we have a split level - so she only fell down a few stairs) I hunted down the baby gate.... but it's a pain and gets in the way for Maggie and Jackson. Anyone have any ideas?

Snow Day

Almost all of our snow HAD melted. In fact, we were playing outside in nice sunny weather on the GRASS one day and then this is what we woke up to the next morning! By the end of the day we had more than a foot of snow. It's pretty.... but I'm ready for spring! Some of the flowers have even started to come up - now they are covered in snow.

Daddy/Daughter

We have a picture like this with each one of the kiddos. It's very cute. Notice the tongue..... if her thumb isn't in then the tongue is out :)

Princess Maggie

You've just gotta love this little princess. She loves to wear her princess clothes without restriction. She believes that a princess has no limits, that a princess can do anything. I hope that never goes away - yet how rough on a pretty dress!! How do you teach appropriate dress behavior to a 2 yr old? Should I even try? I have tried to talk her into wearing shorts or pants under a dress (for modesty sake) and she tells me - "That doesn't match, Mom." She will wear tights but what to do in the summer?

Yee ha!

This is the kiddos using the horse rocker as a teeter totter. They had to be careful with Hailey on there too - they can get pretty crazy when it's just the big kids.

Helpful hint :)

When you are making hard-boiled eggs.... add a little oil to the water..... The shell soaks up a little of the oil and makes them alot easier to peel. Really, I tried it.
Anyone else have some helpful hints?