Bummer!

So I just exceeded my limit on my Picasa Web Album!  Sheesh!  I guess that's what nearly 7 years of blog photos will do.  Sadness.  I will now be achiving some of my stuff, and probably finishing my next blog book before I do much more posting.  Until then...

It's great to be ***8***

Adelyn's birthday was a fun treat for us! She chose to take some of "my" fudge to share with her class. I can tell she had totally talked it up, because when we brought it in that morning, the kids were so excited for it. And in her birthday letters, they thanked her again for being so nice and for bringing the fudge. She has great taste for sugar, what can I say?!

She also has a great taste for delicious food! For her birthday dinner she chose Spinach-Cheese Tortellini, cooked carrots, baked beans, and Clementines. It was very colorful and super tasty!

 She wanted her cake to be "Traveling the World."  She wanted sand and cactus to represent it, and made it all herself.  It was fun to watch her do her very own thing.  I showed her how to do the cactus flat on the cake, but she insisted that they needed to be standing, so we finally figured out a way (they are standing on graham crackers).

For her birthday activity, we shirked.  We usually like to do something together as a family like shooting, bowling, or out to eat.  But Adelyn wanted to play "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" and we couldn't even pull that together... yet.  Watch for the next installment of "Adelyn's Birthday Activity."

Adelyn, project girl

It's really hard to believe we have an eight-year-old on our hands.  She is an amazing girl!  She is just the right touch for our family of so many boys.  She has a great knack for legos and building and for design.  She picks out cute outfits, and bakes up a storm, all on her own.  She also is great with the babies, and occasionally changes diapers without being asked.  Some days she wants to be a teacher when she grows up.  She practices teaching with the boys, and taught Michael to read before Kindergarten.  She has an incredible imagination and is usually a sorceress at recess, who defeats all evil.  She is excited to get baptized and has an incredible grasp on the stories from the Book of Mormon.  I love this girl. 

Baking cake in a cone

Her tastiest recipe yet, snickerdoodles rolled in sprinkles

The butterfly model she put together in less than 30 minutes.

She is also excellent at Math, probably because Mike is such a great teacher and works hard with her. She loves to be pushed and really gets excited when he starts drilling her with math-type questions. She loves to be timed on math facts too. I've heard that the math side of the brain, also produces excellent origami. If it doesn't, it does her. Adelyn is a precise and intuitive origami folder. I cannot replicate what she does. I love to see the little masterpieces she's made, and encouraged her to start an origami museum in her room, which you can see if you are ever in the area.

Here she is, teaching once again.  They all learned how to make their own cup.  The boys were so proud that their little paper cups actually  held water.

Here she is, being attacked by an origami creation, and surrounded by some of the things she made one night, including that cute little piano.

We're lucky to have her in our home!

What to expect from full-fledged one-year-old twin boys...

Expect lots of happiness, giggling, time in a high chair, discovery, chatter, toy sharing, begging, leading, following, and determination.  Pretty much expect a great and busy time!

A very happy birthday to Nelson and Braden! The celebration might also be titled, "We Made It Through The First Year!" which means, "We can get through anything!" (according to this article). 

 We put together a couple smash cakes for the boys and some cupcakes for the family.

 Someone in the ward suggested I put together an elaborate party since it was twins, and it was their first birthday, and obviously it should be a big deal. And it is, but is the mom capeable and motivated enough to throw an elaborate party? Nope, not this one. I am sure they did not mind the intimate celebration. They seemed a little jittery about being watched by the few in attendence as it was. Especially when approached with fire.

Well... Nelson kind of liked the fire.

Braden, cake eater

After a few trial licks, they delved in, and enjoyed a bit of cake.  And that concludes the celebration.

However, the next day, we did introduce them to the presents we never wrapped, hopefully they gain an inch or two before spring really settles in.

Through Michael's Eyes

We found a really cool simulator that simulates different kinds of color blindness. Of the three types they simulate, this was the one that most clearly defines what Michael sees. The two pictures below look the same to him.

Those of you who are colorblind, I want to know what kind and see if it is the same as Michael. He is Protanopia. I just want to see if the type is genetic as well. Check out the simulator and see if there is a set of pictures that looks the same.

http://www.etre.com/tools/colourblindsimulator/

Christmas Video 2011

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Remembering the holiday season 2011

Michael- I helped Dad put up lots of Christmas lights.  We always have Christmas lights in our room.  Presents!  The snow-baller, Pillow Pet... let's see, my Game Boy, that's all I remember.  And going to church.  And my remote control car that broke.

Adelyn- I forget all of Christmas.

Joey- My snow-baller, my cowboy boots, my watch.  Oh, and that song, the one I got from Christmas, "Oliver."

Mom-
*Cyber Monday deals, 95% shopping done online, love Amazon Prime
*Ward party with Santa
*Relief Society party where the kids and I sang
*Stephen's Wassail
*The first day of school break (Monday).  The kids weren't listening or being cooperative so we put them to bed early, and Mike and I stayed up to answer the door and eat all the neighbor treats that kept coming that night and play Peggle on the ipod touch, even though Mike should have been working.
*The entire counter covered in treats galore
*The gym a couple times.  My calves hurt from running in new form (no more heel strike).
*Lots of late nights for Mike at Accounting Professionals
*The twinners magnetic draw to the kitchen (an open dishwasher or fridge, drawers with any kind of stuff in them, cupboards to crawl into, open door to crawl out of, regardless of how cold it is outside), one broken dish
*The Arctic temperatures before Christmas, and tropical heat afterward (we're talking like 60 degrees!)
*4 Santa Presents (want, need, wear, read)
*Playing Mike's electric guitar
*Babies finally napping good again
*Everybody but the babes did snow angels this year, shirtless for the boys, shorts and shirts for the girls.  I threw in a shoeless thing because I felt tough.
*Santa's visit to our house
*Grandma and Grandpa Crockett's visit
*Grandma Crockett's motorcycle project
*Root Deer
*Christmas Day recital for the kids
*Christmas Day elk roast (and an emergency fix at the stores deli slicer)
*Trying to decide if we should have two baby Jesus' for our nativity, but never really needed to make the decision because neither of the boys really wanted to try out for the "hold still" part anyway.  Michael's "scared shepherd" face.
*Advent calendar with "Present Days"
*Spotlighting deer
*Couch behind the Christmas tree, only the top half decorated
*Sibling party, where I didn't have to worry about what the kids were doing
*Wrapping presents up in the loft, without the heater on.  It was like wrapping presents outside in the snow, but it wasn't wet.
*New Cowboy boots