Our Funny Little Performer

Audrey is hilarious.  Her little body is filled with buckets of personality, and we love it.  I am going to really miss it when she's a little bit older and doesn't wear dress-ups and tutus everywhere we go.  Sometimes I'm wondering what's on my face the way people at the store or school are smiling and looking at me, and then I remember that Audrey is wearing some kind of fancy ensemble.  Although she is somewhat shy in public, she adores to dance and sing.  She was born to perform!  One of her very favorite things to do is dance to the music videos in the Bonus Features of her Disney princess movies.  That girl loves to shake her booty.

I also have to include a few of her funny little sayings.  

• She loves grilled cheese sandwiches, but a lot of it, I think, is that she thinks they are called "girl" cheese sandwiches.  The other day Clayton surprised us and took us to Five Guys Burgers and Fries for dinner.  When we asked Audrey what she wanted, she didn't hesitate, "A hambur-girl." 

• She was squeezing around Max's car seat in the van, and I told her she should just go around to her side.  "No, mom.  I'm a bounty hunter."  

• I gave her a hug and kiss, and she told me afterward, "Mom, you are a really great kisser!"

• I think she must be watching a little too much Disney princess, because she asked me the other day "Who do you think will steal my heart? [insert dramatic sigh here]" Oh brother.

We're All Together in Primary

Audrey is the newest Sunbeam in the family, so we are now all in Primary together!  Clayton teaches CTR 4 class, Luke is in CTR 5, and Max and I make up one secretary.  Call me crazy, but I sometimes feel like I'm busier now than when I was the Relief Society Presidency.  I can't complain too much, though, because I have learned a lot.  This calling has helped me become more organized, taught me about spreadsheets and how to make a killer newsletter, how to hold my tongue in meetings, and a whole lot more.  As Clayton tells me, "Your job is to record what the rest of the presidency decides, and then carry it out."  It is a lot of work, but the rest of the presidency is amazing, and everyone pulls their share of the load.  Plus, with the whole family essentially learning the same things every Sunday, we practice songs, scriptures, and Articles of Faith together.  Primary rocks!

Max Hates Sweet Potatoes

Oh, What Do You Do In The Wintertime...

... when it's too cold to go outside?

Here are a few things we've been up to indoors:

making loads of pop-bead jewelry

decorating gingerbread houses that were practically free in after-Christmas sales

playing with friends!

left to right: Jade, Natalie, Audrey, Aubrey

playing beauty parlor

making MANY Lego creations

preparing for battle

building and racing pod-racers

lots of Just Dance 2

and playing our new favorite game: Creationary.

Cannon

Intersection

Four-poster bed

Canoe

 Hurry up, Spring.  We're running out of ideas!

The 6 Month Curse & 7 Months Big

Something happens when my babies turn 6 months.  I'm not sure what the deal is, but they forget how to sleep (or I forget how to get them to sleep). Max was such a great sleeper... until all of a sudden he wasn't.  It could be a growth spurt, a need for solids, etc., etc.  Everything and nothing.  What's a sleep-deprived mother to do?  I just try to cope and remember what a cutie he is.  And how this phase always ends.  He is such a wonderful addition to our family, and I couldn't imagine life without his big smiles.  He loves Clayton and smiles and laughs whenever he sees him.  He loves Luke, especially watching him playing sports around the house.  He loves Audrey to pieces, even though she is pretty rough with him.  She wrestles with him, dresses him up, sings to him, and drags him around, but he seems to bask in the attention.  He loves me, too, just not so much in the middle of the night.  That's when he tears my hair out in little fistfuls and screams until he burps out all of the air bubbles he's accumulated with the screaming.  Vicious cycle.  

He's actually 7 months now, as I'm writing this, and I cannot BELIEVE how grown-up he seems.  He is like a little 7-month-old in a 12-18 month body.  The clothes he's wearing in these pictures were ones that Luke wore during his 2nd winter of life - at age 1 and some.  He is still 100th percentile on the height charts, but his grown-up-ness is more than just that.  He's eating solid foods and all the little baby stuff is put away - swing, Bumbo chair, bouncy chair, bassinet - to make way for bigger baby stuff - high chair, crib, exersaucer, Jolly Jumper, and mountains of plastic toys.  He sits up unassisted, and he rolls and scoots all over the floor, often trying to get up on his knees and push off.  He used to laugh every time I changed his clothes; I guess he is really ticklish.  Now, he's usually too busy twisting and turning his body and "yelling" to get Luke and Audrey's attention.  One of his favorite things to do is "walk" around the room with me holding onto his hands.  I think he just can't wait to be chasing the older kids around on his own two feet.  He is our little sweetie, and although it's exciting to see him progress, I don't want him to grow up too fast.