A little trip to Kansas

Back in November we took a little trip to Kansas City, MO to attend the BYU football game vs MIZZOU. Oh we love out BYU football team! Katie's family lives about an hour from the venue so we stayed with her family and finally met them! We've heard so much about them and them us that it was so wonderful to meet them finally. Maxson LOVED their dogs and we loved being with her kind family.

The night before we left saintly old Katie volunteered to shampoo our carpets with the shampoo vac we had rented, bless her soul!

Once we got there we took them family out to a little deli place for lunch. Going out to lunch reminded me why I never take my family out to  eat EVER these days, ha.

Sleeping babies in the car, oh so cute!

That night we went to the football game and met up with our friends, the Chamberlains, who sat by us, we had such a great time with them. The boys thoroughly enjoyed discussing the football game together, we were all freezing, their baby was adorable, crappy calls were made by officials, we lost, but still had fun. Love me some cougar action.

Katie is the best with the kids, we are so lucky to have her in our life.

Quinn decided at 2:20 am party was in store at Katie's parents house, ooy, that's never happened before luckily.

At church in Kansas Max made friends with another little boy IMMEDIATELY. They played cars and tested the boundaries of inching forward all sacraemtn meeting.

We had a great time there meeting Katie's family, we even visited their little farm and points on our way out of town, unfortunately Max was sleeping but he would have LOVED them. And then the babies were awful and cried so much of the way home, blah.

Hopefully we'll get to go again!

Wednesday action

Some days, I have some great days with my kids. Like I'm on top of the world, lots of energy, patient, happy mama. I love those days.

Some days are horrible wretched awful, I have little to no energy to do anything, the children are whiny, we're all always hungry, and we're living in a mess. My patience is non existent and Maxson is fully defiant, blah, those days are the pits.

Luckily today is the first day.

The kitchen is clean and tidy thanks to Katie's and my not lazy butt last night.

I finally cleaned up our master bedroom.

I organized the basement and got rid of stuff.

I went to the park with my kids.

I sat and fed my twins their lunch.

Max easily, went down for a nap on his own accord.

I folded one basket of laundry (let's not think of the other 3 at the top of the stairs).

I played with the babies for a long time on the ground making them laugh and giggle and watching them learn.

It's just been a great day today and for that I am happy and grateful.

**Also to be noted for today, I believe I heard Maxson saying "stupid" for the first time today, ha, we need to do something about that!

If you're looking for Bryson, he can probably be found in the table much of the day. He loves to climb but hates to come down

And Quinn. I can count on one ALWAYS at my feet crying to be held. At least he was smiling about it

Good napping kids=projects, yay! Super easy glitter wreath btw

Yesterday's coming home for lunch crew. The lord is being insanely kind by giving me a warm winter so far!

***

Last night we had a Relief Society activity, it was mostly just talking and socializing but what I loved the most was singing a few Christmas carols. It was so cheerful to sing those happy songs about Christ's birth and the Christmas season. I sure do love Christmas music.

Cold and flu season

Being sick is the pits, I absolutely hate it. Even worse is when my little ones are sick because it seems to last longer in their little bodies! And when they get sick they pass it to everyone. It seems like we have something almost every other week these and I'm ready for the sickness to STOP! We've been very diligent at washing hands, cleaning surfaces with lysol disinfectants, and having hand sanitizer in various rooms, cars, and bags easily accessible and use often. We have even big dabbling in using the onGuard oil on kids feet to see if it helps keep their immune systems stronger with fighting of all these awful germs.

Poor little Bryson, is halfway through antibiotics for getting rid of an ear infection. He's finally eligible for tubes in his ears, which is scheduled for next week. I just feel so bad for this poor boy, I want him to finally be unstick (and me to be able to stop wiping noses 24/7 or carrying him around all the time!). This is the face of a sick child, those dumb germs.

Max went in to get his 3 year well checkup yesterday and it all went as expected. 

The whole car ride there and first 10 minutes of the visit he kept saying "no doctor, no yike doctor," he was totally unwilling to do anything even step on the scale to get weighed, sigh, that boy. Every time, I don'd know why! But after they just kept doing stuff like blood pressure, heart rate, questions, he was completely fine with it all and liked the nurse and doctor. We got his flu vaccine and it was so easy. All he had to do was sniff the vaccine up his nose, no pokes, woohoo! He was very happy to get 2 sticky lizards afterwards for his prize and a minion sticker. 

The babies got their vaccines back at their year check up. I always have questions about vaccines so I'm so glad when Bankers Healthcare Group reached out to me with this infographic about flu myths to share with you guys.

So here's your happy and healthy reminder to keep yourself healthy this season (or go get your vaccine if you haven't already, MOTHER!)

THANKSGIVING!

We spent a lovely Thanksgiving in Green River, WY with Casey's family. We had plans to drive to Utah Thanksgiving day to be with Casey's dad's side of the family but there was a lot of snow the night before and a little more that day so sadly we didn't end up getting to make the drive. I wasn't disappointed to miss out on 6 more hours of driving with my kids that day but I am sad we didn't get to meet up with Casey's cousin, Kayli, who has twin boys 5 months older than mine, it would have been a riot with all our boys together!

Grammy and Max made these little sugar turkeys, Max ate so much of the candy, frosting, and cookies during it that I hoped so badly he would get a tummy ache and realize the consequence of his actions. Watching them do that activity and constantly telling Max not to continue eating it all reminded me why I don't do fun activities like that with him yet, ha, as mean as that sounds. I try to avoid any and all power struggles of candy and other things with that boy. I'm glad they had fun.

Here is their pointers win/fail, I thought it was hilarious.

Snow! We got to play lots in the snow that day, it was Maxson's first snow of the season and it's so fun to see the excitement in their discovering it all over again.

Quinn was terribly upset that he couldn't come outside with us. Grammy helped him touch the snow, I took a video of it too and his little giggle when touching the snow is adorable.

You can always find these grandparents on the ground with little ones. Poo Grandpa's back though, Max just dines't know how to be careful around him.

We got to happened to come in the night of Karlee's 16th birthday celebration, I just cannot believe that girl is 16, so crazy!

How teenagers spend Thanksgiving day/prep apparently, ha.

A nice quaint little crowd.

Post Thanksgiving dinner = sleeping, except for the children apparently.

We worked real hard on coloring some music books Casey wanted for our family.

His inner artist came out.

Oh and back to Thanksgiving dinner, I did the rolls, stuffing, a sweet potatoes this year. Not my best rounds but still good.
And here's Casey helping me scout out locations for family photos :)

A 6 year anniversary

We celebrated out 6 year anniversary this year! It was super fabulous. Let's see in years past, the first 2 anniversaries we didn't have kids so let's be honest, every day of marriage was like an anniversary, (do what you want! no responsibility! alone time 24/7). Our 3rd year I was LARGE with child and we were eagerly awaiting his arrival and that was the main thing on our mind. Our 4th year we went to see a movie real quick and took Max with us to dinner. Our 5th year, newborn twins, pretty much didn't go anywhere ever for 6 months. So when our 6th anniversary came around this year I was STARVING for some quality alone time with my dear husband over here. No newborns, no large pregnantness, we were bound to make it awesome.

Our awesome friend Katie (always a big shout out to that girl!) volunteered to watch the kids, we left near dinner time (I think after we even fed the kids, ha). Anytime I get in the car with Casey alone I feel like a free woman who wants to crazy, ha, I love my children but you need breaks from people you love sometimes.

The first item on our checklist was mattress shopping! Mattress looking really. We want and need a kind size bed so badly, one day we'll find one that's a good fit and price for us, it may be after graduation, but it was still fun!

We stopped at Olive Garden for dessert...and then while sitting Casey couldn't stand the smell and ordered dinner, ha. 

We booked a night at a hotel nearby (with a king size bed!). Best 10 hour of non interrupted sleep of my life in YEARS! Love that dear husband of mine.

We awoke in the morning to go to a matinee showing of Hunger Games on its opening weekend. After experiencing recliner seats at a theater, I will never again go to a normal theater, it was so insanely comfortable! (If you can't tell in the pics, our feet are up, ha, and you can cuddle in the seats, so great!

So that was our 6 year anniversary celebration, it was so beyond wonderful. I love love loved every minute. Happy anniversary my dear sweet husband!

The changing of the season

Fall in Nebraska seriously got an A++++++. It was so bomb. It was warm, the leaves slowly changed colors and lasted a  really long time this year, it was super amazing. I was so grateful for a a very warm fall.

A pool of leaves was super fun.

Chloe and Max

Chloe and the babies stayed in much longer than Max, these 3 were cute together.

Quinn! (With nasty snot coming everywhere)

Q, B

This gorgeous red tree killed it this year, it was much more vibrant in person..
Boys playing on the broken down jeep.

I thought Quinn on the hood was really funny.

You see these leaves!? Killed it!

Walks in November was AWESOME!

On one super cold day in November we bundled up real well and went walking to the school, it was sad to see all the trees had finally dropped their leaves.

See this strange weather? It was November 5th in this picture, we are outside comfortably with no shoes or jackets, it was GREAT. (insert tears for Arizona here)

More tubby time

Rub a dub dub, more kids in my tub. 

I just love taking pictures of them while in the tub, I think they're so gosh darn adorable :)

Bryson

 Quinn

 Quinn, Bryson

 Quinn, Maxson

The end.