Sisters {and brothers}

Sisters are awesome.I'm glad these two have each other.

I hope they are always the very best of friends.

After all, a sister makes you happy.

Brothers are pretty cool too. This poor boy sandwiched between two sisters. He loves cars and trucks, yet he knows the names of all the princesses. He usually requests his truck book at night but has been known to ask for "ancy" (Fancy Nancy) or "Pink-licious." He runs around shooting whoever and whatever in sight although I did catch him this morning wearing a pink crown and dancing around to The Nutcracker.

Yup, poor kid.

baby girl love

Brynn is eight months tomorrow. Time has flown. She has successfully wiggled her way into our hearts for we truly cannot imagine our family without her in it.

In the last few months, Brynn has successfully learned how to sit up.How to crawl.(Which means she is putting absolutely everything in her mouth.)

And, most recently, how to pull herself up on things.(Look at that smile-she thinks she is so big!)

Justin won't let me nickname her "runt." He thinks it sounds rude or something. But really, that's what she is. She weighed 12 lbs 6 oz at her last appointment which was a few days before the 7 month mark.

In the eating arena: she has exclusively been nursed. She's never had a bottle. I didn't mean for this to happen, I planned on giving her bottles every now and then like I did with my others, but it just didn't happen. Chalk it up to laziness, or cheapness; I didn't want to take the time to pump and I really don't want to pay for formula. She's been an excellent nurser although she is now so easily distracted. And it's not like it's easy to find a nice, quiet place with the other 2 crazies running around. We'll keep plugging along, hoping that it continues to go well in this area. In all truthfulness, I have loved, LOVED nursing this wee one and would like to continue as long as I can. We'll see how big she is at her next appointment and if it's necessary to start supplementing. Cross your fingers!!

She is eating solids as well, of course. Baby food when we're on the go and whatever we're eating when we're home. It was a slow start, I will admit. She didn't quite get how to open her mouth and instead tried to suck everything off of her spoon. And the fact that she really has a teeny tiny mouth made it tricky at first. She's getting the hang of it now and picking up some speed so hopefully that will help in the weight department.

Sleeping, sigh. She's getting pretty good in the day with a longer nap in the morning and two shorter ones in the afternoon. She wakes up usually twice at night, if I'm lucky, only once. Crying it out won't work, it only wakes up the other two. I don't think she's hungry, but that's the easiest way to get her back to sleep. It is these times when I wish she'd take a binky...

She has one itty-bitty tooth on the bottom. She is cutting it right now and is a tad bit cranky about the whole thing.

She has a crooked smile. When she gets really excited she crinkles her nose and snorts.

She is quiet. She babbles some but mostly likes to sit back and observe.

She has wispy hair and not enough to do anything with. I rarely even put a bow in it because she instantly pulls it out.

I often find her sleeping on her belly with her knees tucked under her belly and her bum in the air.

We just love this little lady. Aren't babies the best??

Molly turns 5

We had so much fun celebrating Molly's birthday! We always like to do some sort of family activity on or around the birthday and this year we went to Trafalga. We thought it would be a place Molly would enjoy.

-Rides-Rock climbing-Mini-golf-ArcadeWe did everything at least once and several things twice. Mini golf was hilarious to watch at first since neither of the kids had ever done it. We had golf balls going all over! By the end, though, Molly had it figured out. She was so excited when she hit a hole-in-one in the last hole!!

Grandma and Grandpa Goodrich and Uncle Brett came the night before her birthday. They gave her clothes, a treasure box (painted/decorated by Grandma-this is perfect for Molly who collects "treasures" every single day), and a magnetic mosaic art thingy. We had some ice cream and Molly tried out her new present.All of Molly's friends had parties last year, so that is what Molly wanted this year: a friend party. We thought five was a good age to start and agreed to having friend parties only every other year. Molly had planned her games: a pinata, an Ariel-unwrapping-type game, and a try-to-pop-your-balloon game.We opened presents. Man, she got tons of presents this year, since she got a present from each of her friends. I'm sure I'm leaving something out but here is what I remember her getting: fingernail polish, coloring books, markers, art stuff, board game, hair stuff (curling iron, blowdryer, etc), puzzle, Rapunzel dress-up (which she immediately put on), the Tangled movie, and a Barbie. She loved it all!!Molly wanted a Rapunzel cake. Now, I am probably the worst cake/food decorator on the planet but a Rapunzel cake from the store cost $20!! So I looked online and found something that required very little skill...Molly was pretty happy with it so we'll call it a success! This is the best picture I got:(we didn't eat the tower, of course, just the cupcakes)

So the kids flew through the games, presents, cake super fast. I was left with some extra time on my hands. We played a lot of tag-like games.I meant to take a picture of all the kids, but it was really crazy and I forgot. This is who came to Molly's first friend party: Jade Boynton, Emma Thomas, Matthew Varkevisser, Elise Jones, Hailey Fawson, Afton Griffith, Gavin Broadbent, and Abby Moyes. Also Stockton, Brynn, Ali & Grant, and Grandma Kay. I was very relieved when it was over, but so glad Molly had fun.

When everyone left we watched Tangled, ate dinner, and then on to more presents. From her mom, dad, and siblings she got: a bead set, a Toy Story Wii game, and then one other thing that someone else had already given her. Go figure. (We returned the item and gave her cash. She picked out a movie (Bug's Life) and a Leapster game.)

I left all her presents out for a few days. She played with each and every one over and over.

She had one last mini-celebration left. Grandma and Grandpa Moyes, along with Great-grandma Elaine and Chloe came down the following Sunday to hear Molly give her part in the primary program. They stayed for dinner and gave Molly more presents: clothes and a Leapster, with the Tangled game. She loves it and had the games figured out in no time at all.Well, that about sums it up. Five is such a big number and I feel like my parenting style with her is totally in a transition stage. She is acting so mature and grown-up at times. I can't get away with treating her like a little kid because she is curious about a lot more and she understands a lot more. She is a huge help around the house, especially with Stockton and Brynn. She tries hard to choose the right every day. She still loves stories and is always asking me to tell a story. She really likes it when I make up a story and she never forgets it, even if I do. She loves to watch movies, play computer games, color, and do any art project. She loves to play with her friends and always wants a friend over. She loves making new friends. We do "mom school" together and she is very smart and catches on quick. She likes to do the workbooks but she hurries through them as fast as she can-I'm always telling her to slow down and write neatly. She is learning to play the piano and is doing really well. She loves books and has recently started enjoying chapter books. She loves treats. She will eat her lunch as fast as she can and then say, "Mom, can I have a treat?" She will try almost any new food. She goes to dance and still loves it, especially now that her friends Jade and Elise are in her class. She was excited to start tap dancing this year. She has always been a cute girl, but she is becoming very pretty with a beautiful smile and pretty green eyes.

Molly at 5 years old:
Favorite color: Purple
Favorite movie: Rapunzel (Tangled)
Favorite breakfast: Crepes
Favorite dinner: I don't know
**She requested homemade cinnamon rolls, a Happy Meal, and lasagna with homemade breadsticks for her birthday meals.**
Best friend: Jade
Favorite TV show: George (Curious George)
Favorite scripture story: I don't know. Wait actually I do. Noah. Noah's ark.
Favorite book: Umm {shrugs shoulders} I don't know. Rapunzel!
Favorite game: Ladybug game. That Matthew gave me.
Favorite story: Rapunzel, again. And those witch ones. (Those are some that I made up.)
Other kids think that I am: I don't know. That I am what? I don't know. I have never asked them that, so I don't know.
What do you like about your Mom? Cuz she's a good mom.
What do you like about your Dad? Because he's a good dad.
What do you like about Stockton? Because he's a good brother.
What do you like about Brynn? Because she's a cutie pie.
What do you like about yourself? I don't know.
When I grow up I want to be: A mommy.
I like learning about: I like to learn how to play the piano.
I want to go to: Trafalga and Disneyland
If I had one wish it would be to: {shrugs shoulders} I guess that I could fly.
Favorite thing to do: My favorite thing to do is to...um...that's a hard one...color! Just like I'm going to go color right now.
Favorite song: Rapunzel. The one at the beginning. Not the one in her tower, but the flower one.

September

This is a picture-only post. I think my kids are cute but I couldn't think of what to write. So, fill in the blanks, I guess.

Dinosaur Park:
Trout Farm:

Labor Day:(Okay, some explaining here, only because it was so much fun! As soon as the kids woke up, we put them in the car, took them to Macey's where we got doughnuts, muffins, bananas and chocolate milk, then we took them to the park for a picnic. They had never been on a breakfast picnic. They thought it was the coolest thing. (The doughnuts maybe had something to do with that.) This is definitely something I'd like to do again.)

Berry Pickin':
Corn Maze:(We went with our friends, the Griffith's. This is their daughter, Afton, with Stockton.)

Bridal Veil Falls:

and here's August

Swim Lessons-
Molly loved her swimming lessons even though I signed her up for the wrong class. I was getting frustrated that she wasn't learning anything-come to find out, I had signed her up for the beginner class. Oops! She passed that class with flying colors and they even passed her on the next level.The best part was probably the last day-free day. They got to slide and jump off the diving board over and over.Duck Pond-
Molly had been waiting all summer long to do this. These ducks love bread, fries, and pizza!! But watch out for the humongous fishies!The Zoo-
It wouldn't be summer without hitting the zoo with the cousins.Stockton saw the train first and we rode it last. He just kept saying "ride train" over and over.Camping-
I was a little worried how this would go but I am determined to take my family camping once each summer. It turned out awesome!! So much better than last year. Brynn was an angel. I was worried about keeping her warm at night but I dressed her in layers, put socks on her hands and a hat on her head. She slept in the port-a-crib with a thick blanket draped over it to keep her nice and warm. She was a happy camper and sadly, I took no pictures of just her. Boo.

There was a small hill from our cars to the fire pit/campground area that Molly and Stockton liked to run up and down. Here they are stretching before the big race.And their rock.Molly and I made a Goodrich sign and hung it from a tree while we camped (2 nights/3 days).We did the normal camping things-hiking, fishing, and getting really dirty. Molly was super excited when some friends joined us.Molly and Afton-look at how dirty Molly's fingers are!!

And occasionally we do try to have a little fun just hanging out at home...

Playing beauty parlor:Being silly (on new couches):Swimming:Grilling:Sidewalk Paint:(equal parts water and cornstarch, with food coloring; and please ignore her clothes-she's still learning how to coordinate outfits)

And we can't have a post without our sweet Brynn being a part...(having family relay races outside-can't believe she's going to be 7 months pretty soon!)