Details that I may have left out...

I was just talking to someone the other day who was saying that blogs are so fake, because people just show the good stuff and leave out what they want to. I've been thinking about this, and wondering if I fall into the "fake blogger" category. I know that I spare you the details on many occasions, but I hope that I never come across as fake. If I have done this in the past, I'm turning over a new leaf. Here are some things about our family that you just might not know, or maybe never needed to! :)

*Coleson poops in the bathtub at least once a week.
*I get super grumpy when I have to tell the kids something more than 3 times. (3's my limit!)
*My bathrooms are so dirty right now.
*I had to borrow a "crib tent" from a friend because Coleson climbs out of his crib constantly.
*I have been easily irritated by one of our kids lately. I don't want to mention any names, but *SHE* :) has been crying and whining waaaaaay too much for me. (I'm going to blame the irritation mostly on our remodel though.)
*I am really bad at remembering to cut my kid's fingernails. It's such a small thing, but hard for me to do for some reason. This drives my mother in law nuts!
*I haven't dusted in over a month...why bother when they cut wood and sand dry wall inside.
*I've had ice cream 3 nights in a row. :)
*Nick hasn't had a haircut in over 3 months, and it looks BAD!
*I rarely clean my oven. The self cleaning smells so bad, and I hate scrubbing ashes.
*Nick and I eat our kid's Easter candy after they go to bed.
*My husband and I could NEVER work together. When things go wrong, he takes it out on me. It drives me crazy!
*I worry way too much. I already worry about when my kids start driving or are late for their curfew.

So there you have it. That's what goes on behind the scenes...pretty glamorous, huh!

Progress and a Project

The kitchen looks so sad right now, but we're getting closer! The cupboards leave mid-week next week to get painted and glazed. The new pieces (pantry, bar and cubby) are here and look beautiful! The final counter top measurement will be taken Monday and then the granite guy will get all of that going. We are in the mud/tape/texture process right now in the dining room. The plan is to get the walls painted and wood floor in before the cupboards come back, and then hopefully everything else will fall into place!

*I took off all of the cupboard doors, drawer faces, hinges and the backsplash today. (Don't look too close at our cluttered cupboards! We had to shove everything together because one of the cupboards had to be taken down already.)

The view of our new dining room- the old dining room ended where the linoleum stops

**

AVAS DIORAMA PROJECT

Here is Ava's Shoe Box that we made together. She chose the book "Little House in the Big Woods" to do her project on. We had fun with the hot glue gun and random kitchen ingredients! (Oatmeal, coffee, etc...)

Four years old and already balding

When I checked on Carter this afternoon, he was in his bathroom trying to cut his fingernails. I told him not to because he might cut himself. I asked him to put it away, and then went back by the babies. When he didn't follow, I went back to the bathroom. This is the way I found him...he apparently had the urge to cut something...I should have let him stick with the fingernail clippers! There are actually 4 decent sized chunks that were cut, but you can only see the worst 2 in the picture. I guess it was bound to happen sometimes, at least it isn't that bad. I cut the rest of his hair, but it really didn't make much of a difference. Oh well, it's all part of growing up. Live and learn, right??!! Plus, I just told him that being bald is cool...now he just matches daddy!

Mr. Buckle and the Book Worm

Coleson is fascinated with buckles...his highchair, the wagon, his car seat, the stroller, etc... He is constantly standing like this, trying to get them buckled.. It's funny how his little mind is already so mechanical. He is always trying to figure out how things work. I had to snap a picture because he just cracks me up! He takes after his daddy SOOOO much!

He got the first one, now time for the second one!
This is what I caught miss Ava Jean doing while she was supposed to be brushing her teeth this morning. This is what she has been doing for the past 3 days! She got this book from her aunt Kenzie, (also a book worm) and thought she would try reading "chapter books" all by herself. She is already on page 21, and she has been telling me all about the story. This just proves how fast she's growing up!

So proud of herself!

A new kind of perfection

I have taken Easter morning pictures of the kids every year, and I was really hoping to get a good one of all 4 this year. No, they are not all looking and smiling. No, they aren't posing or listening. BUT...it's just where we're at! This is who they are, and this is as good as it gets. There's something about this picture that I just LOVE. I usually love perfection, and this isn't it, but it just doesn't matter. This is a new kind of perfection, because it is a perfect example of who they are. I love that Coleson is trying to escape, because that's what he does! I love that Weston is throwing a fit, because that's pretty typical! I love that Ava and Carter are laughing and being goof balls, because it's how they are! This captures their different personalities and will hopefully, someday, do a great job of bringing me right back to Easter 2010.

Daddy's Boys

Ava and Carter are CONSTANTLY begging daddy for go-kart rides, but he's been pretty busy with work and the remodel lately. He finally gave in the other day, and the kids were sooooo excited! The twins were watching out the window wimpering, so I took them outside for a closer look. Daddy grabbed them and took them for a spin, and afterwards I had to peel the little guys out of his arms to take them back inside. To say that they had a good time would be an understatement! I'm pretty sure that daddy will be giving 3 go-kart rides from now on....4 when Weston and Coleson get too big to ride together! I have to admit, I wasn't super excited when Nick and Carter built the go-kart, but it's turned out to be so much fun for all of the kids. (And he hasn't gotten into any trouble with law enforcement yet, which is a plus!)

Daddy's boys (Ignore Nick's awful hair-he's been too busy for a haircut too.)

Ava's bug collection

Ava and I have been having so much fun finding new bugs to make into clips. Some of her friends at school were asking for one, so we made each of the girls in her class their own bug. (or fish.)

----Ladybugs---

Some of the bugs that she shared with her friends
An ant on a watermelon

A little froggie that I made for Carter (didn't want him to be left out!)

Sick, Sicker, Sickest

Ava was sick, then Carter, and now Coleson. Ava's cold wasn't too bad..just a sore throat. Carter had a cough and fever, but it didn't last very long. Poor little Coleson has been under the weather for a few days, but was really feeling bad tonight. Around 5pm, Ava told me to come into the living room. This is what I found when I got there: Coleson crawled up onto Carter's lap and fell asleep. It was one of the most precious things. This picture brings tears to my eyes. :) They look very alike here too. Hopefully things will be looking up for Coleson tomorrow. It's only 11pm and he's already woken up 3 times, so I could be in for a long night!

Under Construction

Our kitchen remodel is under way....Yay! It's been pretty dusty around here, but the project is coming along nicely. Nick has been working, sleeping and working on the house. That's pretty much it. Poor guy! He just can't sit and relax when he knows there's work to be done. I'm glad that he finishes what he starts, but that man is going to wear himself out! Anyways, here are some pictures of our progress:

The dining room with the windows gone (last week)

The dining room today with the walls torn down...much bigger!

This corner is where the laundry room is going to be
Side view- we're adding about 150 square feet.

Doesn't he seem excited about it!

Twin Group- now and then

I made two amazing friends during our "twin journey". My friend Emily (mom of the twins on the right) and I started talking and hanging out when we were pregnant with the boys. She was friends with Melissa, (mom of the twins in the middle) and we all got together almost a year ago for our first "twin group". The boys have grown up so much in the last year...mine weren't even sitting up yet at the first twin group! It has been so good to have support from other moms that know what it's like, and also nice to give support. I don't know what I would have done without them! Twin group has definitely got more wild in the last year with six 1 1/2 year old running around, that's for sure!

NOW- Feb. 2010

Coleson, Weston, Haiden, Weston, Logan, Luke

THEN- April 2009

Weston, Coleson, Weston, Haiden, Logan, Luke

P.S. Weston and Haiden's mom, Melissa, is pregnant and having another baby boy in 11 days! We're so excited for them!!!