Smartest kid ever

I told Eleanor that if you read to little babies everyday they will grown up to me extra smart. I told her I did it with her and Payton all the time, and look, they are the smartest in their class. She is now determined to make Sam the smartest of all of the kids and has promised him that she will read to him every night. I asked what will happen if he is smarter than her, and she said she is fine with that. So. He gets to hear lots of interesting stories. This one was about Sakagawea. Sometimes it's the Bible. Sometimes, it is Harry Potter. And even on the rare occasion, it will be an actual baby book.

Finally loves it!

I thought Sam would never like this little jumpy thing. He hates pretty anything that keeps him contained. But he finally likes it and will sit in it for like 10 minutes! Woo hoo! I got breakfast today! And maybe I will get something done around here now!

Blessed are the Peacemakers

I think that is a scripture? Maybe just a quote. Anyway, Carley is my saving grace right now. She is so helpful, so quiet, and just kind of stays out of the mess. She doesn't nag me for attention, doesn't nag me to cuddle, doesn't nag to hold Sam, doesn't nag for a snack, for a drink, to go play with friends, etc. She just goes with the flow. I try and tell her often how much I appreciate her just being so easy. I hope she knows it.

WHAT?

This is what happens when 1) your Dad buys a cool, modern couch that sits higher off the ground before you were born 2) you only know how to scoot backwards and 3) your Mom thinks it's safe to leave you for a few minutes by yourself.

The first time this happened, he screamed so loud I thought he broke an arm and he kept lifting his head and it would hit the couch. But now it happens daily. He scoots himself all the way under it and then just lays there. Silly guy.

LONG DAYS

I have a feeling this summer will be one of my hardest. Lots of kids home. Different ages. And I'm sure I will just want to nap all day. I had a small glimpse of it this week. We had ONE day off from school. Kids woke up early, did their chores, and were like "what are we doing today?" Ummmm. They wanted to go to: a museum, the zoo, a movie, etc. So what did this cool Mom do? None of those. I took them to the base gym. They actually loved it. We brought a volleyball and a basketball. We ran laps, played sports, and finally let them go to the kids area. It worked and wore everyone out, especially me. It might be a recurring theme this summer. A safe, cool, place for all of us.

our Arizona shirt gets used again! Last year in 1st grade, Carley chose Arizona for the 50 STATES PARTY that the grade does. She brought rattlesnakes (gummy worms) from Arizona and Grandma sent her a shirt to wear. Well, good old original Maggie asked to do the exact same thing. haha. I jumped on that chance. Making it easy on Mom - thanks Maggie!!

5 months

This kid turned 5 months last week. Sigh. I'm kinda sad. He's not even a newborn anymore. He still sleeps like a newborn at night, so he should just want to sleep in my arms all day, right? Wrong. He is so active. Hates his carseat. Hates to be held. LOVES attention like no other. If someone will just sit and chit chat with him all day, he will be happy. Too bad everyone in his house is kinda busy. He loves to eat. Anything. Hasn't turned down a meal yet. He is so fun though. Loud and funny. Loves to "talk". I think he tried to talk louder than everyone else hear. He is starting to notice EVERYTHING. Like "hey, why are you having dinner without me?" Or "why did Mom leave the room!?!?!". But we are enjoying it all, since it goes so fast. Even the girls are realizing how fast he is growing up.