Paint

Avery got an easel for Christmas.  She is my kid that always has a paper and pencils writing or drawing something.  The other day all the kids wanted to paint and so we brought out Ave's easel and they each took a turn painting something for dad when he got home from work.

I stripped Mr. Man down to his diaper and put him in his high chair so he could get his first experience with paint.  Of course after having watched the older kids he knew just what to do.  He dipped his brush in the paint, mixed a few different colors and then swiped it across the paper.  He kept his eyebrows slightly furrowed the whole time in deep concentration over his artwork.

It had been awhile since we busted out paint and I had forgotten just how fun it is :) :)

Picking turnips

We have lived in our house for five years now and talked several times about going out to visit Schnepf farms.  We finally went to check it out. Our family days together where we head off on these spontaneous trips places are always my favorite days.  Most of the rides and craft vendors and activities happen on the first Saturday of the month which had already passed but we went instead to try out the farms "u pick" garden.  Each of the kids got a basket and we headed out to the garden to pick what veggies were currently available.  All different varieties of lettuce, spinach, radishes, green tomatoes, peas and turnips.  Deke grabbed a shovel and showed the kids how to harvest the different kinds of vegetables.  The kids were in heaven.  They got right down in the dirt and started pulling up the biggest veggies they could find.  Hunter and Avery went carefully down the rows searching for the one that they though would be the biggest and then comparing them with each other.  Imagine their surprise when Em pulled out the largest one of them all a turnip that was half the size of her head!! We all laughed when she pulled with all of her might and launched herself backwards on her behind trying to get it out.  Dad came to her rescue and she got wide eyed as soon as she saw it yelling "I got the biggest one!! Hunter, Ave look at mine!!"

The kids would gather five or six of one kind and then run up a ways to a new row and start pulling up the next kind.  It was fun to watch which vegetables they chose to fill their baskets with and to watch them pull them out and how excited they were about all of it.  It was so much fun.  To be outside in the nice weather no one else really around but our little family working together.  Oh how I wish we had room for a garden.  There is just something so amazing about watching seeds go into the ground and so quickly turn into little plants that then grow to produce delicious foods.  It is so neat to watch the growing process and such a sense of accomplishment to feel a part of it.

The kids all filled their baskets and then we headed back to the country store to weigh our goods.  As we loaded them all into bags, the kids talked about trying all the things they had picked.  Everything I could find an easy use for except the beets because I have tried them a couple times and think they are gross to be quite honest.  Thank goodness we only got a couple.  However the turnips were a head scratcher for me since I have never had one.

We grabbed up some pecan rolls to eat because you have to get dessert if you eat all your veggies....

Then took Hudson for a train ride since he had been pointing at it all afternoon every time it went by.

So now we have all these turnips because of course the girls thought that they "were pretty" and I have looked up every known turnip recipe on Pinterest that I can find.  Believe me this is not all of them (just the ones lucky enough to make the photo shoot :) :) )  We will be trying them mixed in with potatoes done mashed and loaded with chives and bacon and then shredded hashbrown style with cheese in another recipe as well.  We'll see how it goes :)

Blanket corners.

So far my kids have all been stuffed animal lovers, except Hudson.  Now don't get me wrong he loves to hold Sully or borrow Ariel every once in awhile but he really hasn't attached to any that he loves.  Instead this kid is a major blanket baby.  He loves his blankets, the nice lightweight Aden and Anais swaddle ones that he has had since he was born.  He will carry it around and sit it next to him when he plays occasionally picking it up and cuddling it.  When he is tired he will follow me around the house dragging the blanky behind him and as soon as I pick him up he pulls it up to his face and snuggles in.  It is heaven for this mama :) : )    
Deke and I have joked that he reminds us of Linus from Peanuts with the way he loves his blanket....

His favorite part is the corners.  He will find one and rub it between his thumb and first finger.  So many times I have been holding him right before nap or bedtime and he will get the corner of the blanket and within a minute or two he is totally out.  Even through his latest teething episode with getting molars if he was fussy I would get his blanket and hand him the corner and he would take it and lay down.  Oh I love this baby :)

Grandma Herring

A couple of weeks ago we went to visit Grandma Herring in her new place. The kids had fun making things for her and seeing where she lives.  It was a good visit, she is going through a lot right now and it is hard to watch her go through it.  Glad we got to spend some time with her.  Love you Grammie.

Sunbeam

I can honestly say that I was surprised when Emma went in to nursery how easily she adjusted.  The first couple of times she cried when I left and within minutes settled in.  After that she was fine and loved going to nursery.  She has been so excited to go into the "big primary room" like Hunter and Avery.  She seems so big to me lately.  She is still only three but she definitely feels more like a four year old now.  Her and I talked about all the fun things to look forward to in becoming a Sunbeam, and as they took her in for her first "trial run" Hudson and I watched from the window. They brought them in just for singing time and for the first couple of songs she just sat and looked around wide eyed.  Pretty soon she was joining in on the parts of the songs that she knew.  Sitting in the primary room she looked small again to me. 

 Soon the day came, her first day as a Sunbeam.  As soon as the closing prayer was over in sacrament she was jumping up from her chair trying to hurry me out into the hall.  As we reached the room it was noisy and full of parents all helping kids find their new classes.  She grabbed my hand and leaned in close to me.  We walked up to the front row to check the class lists and find her name.  I read the names of the other people in her class to her as a smile broke out on her face hearing that her friends Kate and Ellie were in her class as well.  She was totally quiet and I could see the nerves kicking in.  "Em where do you want to sit" I asked her as she quickly pointed to the seat right next to the teacher's chair.  She sat down and as I stood up she started to grab onto me about to cry when her teacher walked up and started talking to her.  She was okay now but asked to have a hug.  After she squeezed me tight I looked at her and told her to have fun I would see her soon.  She shook her head and smiled at me and I could tell she was going to do fine.  She watched me walk out of the room until she couldn't see me anymore.

 There were a lot of other anxious Sunbeam moms trying to all sneak a peek at their little ones and so I only got a quick glance at her and then headed to class.  When I went to pick her up in her classroom at the end of church she was chowing down on a graham cracker and waving a yellow paper in my face talking a mile a minute.  Sister Hiatt said that she did great and didn't get upset at all.  In singing time they welcomed all the new Sunbeams to primary and asked them to stand up so everyone could see them.  "I don't want to do that" Emma had leaned over to her teacher and whispered quietly. Hearing this made me smile because of course she would say that. That's my Emma.  She will listen, be well behaved, sing and have fun but doesn't want to be called on and definitely doesn't want to be the center of attention.  Unlike at home Em does not ever want all eyes on her in public and is super shy with people she doesn't know.

 As we drove home she talked a million miles a minute " I love primary!! I love my teacher!!" and continued telling us all about her first day.  She had drawn a picture of her family that was so cute even though you can't see Hudson her hand is covering him :) :)  Oh Miss E you are the sweetest Sunbeam that's for sure.

Small sniper

Hudson is in the busy stage.  He is busy. very busy. Everyday it is new words or new tricks and trying to keep up with him.  Big brother introduced him to the world of NERF guns recently and he picked it up quickly.  He takes a gun around and walks over to someone and says "ppuu" like a shooting noise then watches for a reaction.  Everyone has learned to give him a dramatic display and a good fall to the ground.    Then he laughs and heads on to the next person. If one of the kids doesn't react then he gets closer to them and pretends to shoot again.  If they still aren't reacting then it is furrowed eyebrows and he comes over babbling to me as if to tattle on them.   It is really funny.   

It cracks me up to watch him toddling around "packing" a weapon that is as big as he is.

I love watching him and Hunter crawling around the house ducking behind things.  Hudson giggling with excitement that he is being included and carrying/dragging his gun behind him.  Pretty sure I get tagged at least twenty times a day :) :)