JibJab fun

Merry Christmas from the kiddos!

Riding horses and turning 4!

Life has been a little crazy these past couple of months.  We are now in Silver City and have been for almost a month.  It has finally settled down a bit and we are finding our new norm!  We enjoyed a great Thanksgiving with Uncle Chuck, Ashley, Sam and their beautiful babies Benjamin and Scarlet.  I am currently 32 weeks along and on modified bed rest which means stay down as much as possible.  It is a bit difficult with my crew but we try!  Here are some updated photos of the kids.  They are getting so big and independent these days.  Dallin and Clara just turned 4 on November 27th.  Dallin has been telling everyone that he is four!  They are excited and enjoy being the big kids!

 Bennett playing on the swing set.  He is a monkey and his new favorite words are "I do."  He doesn't want anyone to do anything for him!  It is a bit frustrating at times but all I keep telling him is it is a good thing he is cute or else...

 Ava is our sweet and mellow baby.  She loves her big sister and follows her everywhere.  Her favorite phrases are "silly" and "no!"  She has an independent streak in her but as long as everyone leaves her alone and she gets what she wants when she wants it, she is perfect!

 Clara on the horse at Uncle Chuck's house.  She loves riding the horse and wanted to go all by herself!

 Ava and Daddy on the horse.  She was so mad and cried a lot when we took her off!  She didn't want to get off her horse!

 Bennett and Daddy on the horse.  I love this picture because they have the exact same expression!  And Mason doesn't think Bennett is his kid!

 Dallin and cousin Benjamin on the horse.  They were constant buddies over the holiday weekend.

We are 4!  Dallin requested a Spiderman cake and Clara requested a Princess Tiana cake.  I am a little "caked" out this year, but they loved them.  They had a great birthday filled with lots of phone calls from our favorite people and more than enough presents and goodies!  I cannot believe they are four already.  How time flies when you are always pregnant  busy with life!  They are a joy in our lives and keep us on our toes every moment of the day.  Happy Birthday my little big kids!

Finally!

 I have been feeling a bit under the weather with this pregnancy.  I have been pretty tired, so blogging has been on the back burner for a while.  Here are my cute yet slightly crazy babies in all their happenings!

 Sweet Ava girl!  She keeps us on our toes with her personality mixed with her sweetness!

 Clara holding her new cousin in AZ.  She loves babies!

 Beating the heat for a little at the Phoenix Zoo.

 Quirky little monkey!  He looks so innocent but boy do we have to keep our eyes on him 24/7!

 Need I say more!  Crazy babies watching Daddy cook breakfast.  The 2 princesses and the 2 crazy boys!

 Our soccer boy!  He just started soccer and was so excited about his shin guards that his prayer before bed was that he could wear them to bed!  We compromised and they are under his bed!

New kid pictures!

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Here are the latest pics of the babes!  Ava and Bennett turned one about a month ago and we needed new pictures to commemorate the occasion!

How we got them to sit still for a few seconds was a miracle!

Dallin and Clara wouldn't sit close to each other for this shot, but still really cute!

Sweet Ava baby.  Loved this chair and was quite mad when we took her out of it!

They don't really like each other most of the time, so they (Bennett) don't look too happy to take the picture!

Handsome boy!

Those eyes will get you!  Don't be deceived by the calmness of this picture, he was a goof the rest of the time!

Beautiful girl!

Our little ladies!

 Not really cooperative for the boy picture! Haha!

Couldn't resist!  He looks so serious!

A few of the happenings around here...

 We went to the zoo in AZ in April and this is Dallin and Clara riding the camel alone!  They had a lot of fun!

 What is wrong with this picture?  I turn my head for 2 seconds when I got out of the shower and these two got into the wet shower clothed!  They had a great time and I was able to get ready without help!

I had to post this picture because she is so cute!  She smiles at us all day and we love to kiss those cheeks!

Pretty ballerina!

Clara had her first ballet recital this past weekend.  She had been wanting to wear her costume since February and was so excited to wear it and makeup too!  She did beautifully and we are so proud of her!  She loved being on stage and getting all of the attention.  She is our drama queen diva through and through!  This was the only time in the past few months that she didn't fight with me to do her hair pretty like a princess!

Happy 1st Birthday!

Ava and Bennett turned 1 on April 30th and we enjoyed an evening in the park with family and friends for the occasion!  I didn't think it through when I decided on chocolate cupcakes with blue frosting but they seemed to like them!  Some milestones we have reached this past year:

Ava weighs 22.6 pounds and is 30 inches long.  She has 2 teeth and will be my latest walker.  She is yet to take steps but climbs like a champ and is practicing her standing alone.  She says: mama, dada, no, Hunter (the dog) and hello consistently.  She has a temper and lets everyone know when she is mad.  She loves getting her hair done when I am doing Clara's, already a girly girl.  She loves dancing and smiling and is generally our sweet and perfect baby girl!

Bennett weighs 22.2 pounds and is 30 3/4 inches long.  He has 2 teeth and has been walking for a month and a half so he is now running.  He is a talker with mama, dada, this, Hunter, hi, hello and that consistently! He wants to be a big kid and is running after the big kids all day.  He is a sweetheart and a sensitive boy.  He doesn't sleep at night and is proving to be like Dallin in that aspect.  So, I should expect to have him sleep through the night in another 2 years!  He loves dancing too and keeps us on our toes!

We cannot believe we have 2 one year olds again!  This year has flown by but we are so blessed with these two and couldn't image our life without them!

Happy Birthday Ava and Bennett!

What do your kids wear outside when it is 99 degrees?

Dallin went outside yesterday with his snow hat and one glove. It was 99 degrees out and I told him that probably wasn't a good idea, but he said he needed them, so being the mother of the year, I let him go outside and get really hot in a snow hat!

Clara went outside with shoes, but like her mom, she took them off and walked in the dirt and rocks barefoot (on a side note, I do not walk in the sand and rocks without shoes!)

Handsome boy Bennett!

Ava loves wearing all of the big kids' costumes. She particularly like Dallin's "super duper cape" and she found a corner spot at Granee's house that is just her size. Sweet baby!

MUD!

I have a dirt pit for a back yard with some weeds and rocks. I had sent the kids outside while I loaded and packed the car for our trip to Silver City and on to Phoenix this week, when I heard the water running outside...
As I walked to the screen door, I saw Dallin and Clara with their rain boots on, making a mud hole. All of my instincts were telling me to grab the hose and the kids before the inevitable occurred, but I remembered Mason saying I was too uptight with the kids being clean and staying out of the water, so this was the result! Happy, muddy kids. I don't think their clothes will ever recover!

Easter fun

Easter was really a crazy holiday this year. The older babes finally got into the swing of things and were excited about the Easter bunny. When discussing how the Easter bunny gets into your room, Dallin was very concerned that when hopping to his house he would get hit by a car! I don't know where he gets these things. And he was also concerned for the treats being in a basket and how they wouldn't fall out, so I told him that there was a lid on the basket!
Church was wild as usual with the exception of me directing 2 musical numbers with the choir and Mason saying the closing prayer. We are thankful and grateful for Granee and the wonderful random people in the ward who will take my screaming children so I can fulfill my calling!
Happy Easter to all!

Clara and her new haircut! The picture is a bit fuzzy but she has such a pretty smile!


Ava and her eggs. She didn't care for anything inside, just the eggs!


Bennett found chocolate in his eggs and before mommy could grab it, he enjoyed it!


Dallin very intent on finding eggs. He had to open every one to see what was inside before proceeding on to the next location! Hence, Clara had the most eggs!


What we get when attempting a picture with all babes in their Easter clothes!